Baklava

I made it yesterday for the first time. It is my favorite dessert in the world. My new iPad in the kitchen was very helpful. I used the recipe from Allrecipes.

New Board Game

Number One brought this new game as a gift and we have been playing it everyday: Ticket To Ride! Check it out if you are looking for a family game!

Christmas 2010

A good picture of Husband during our Christmas day walk!

Christmas 2010

Numbers Five and Three had to help our kittens along as the snow is so deep. Number Three had Grandpa Mike's Antarctic Expedition coat on!

Seven kids

The house is busy and full of friends, and the wintery weather is gorgeous. I will be posting more pictures in the next few days as time allows. This was from our Christmas Day walk around our acreage.

Christmas 2010

The cathedral, under restoration, opened for Christmas Masses and we took the opportunity for some photos!

He is Born!

Number One, baker

His system for efficient cookie-cutter usage was, of course, excellent.

Non-allergenic pancakes

Number Two's allergies pose new challenges to family meal cooking... I made pancakes and was able to come up with thus yummy version she could eat! It calls for:

oat flour

egg

water

sugar

baking powder

vegetable oil

Tonight we will have baked cod and rice... and she can eat as much as she wants!

Friends!

These days are friend-filled and there is nothing like the smiles that friendship brings! This picture was taken after one of E. W.'s shows of the city's children's A Christmas Carol downtown--she was one of the many ghosts.

Our drama class' version of The Grinch!

Our Tutoring Center's most popular class is Oral Interp/Drama. Today they presented their own version of The Grinch and it was so cute!

Our Oral Interp class version of The Grinch!

Our Tutoring Center's most popular class is Oral Interp/Drama. Today they presented their own version of The Grinch and it was so cute!

Two more (random) fun ones!

http://www.flixxy.com/200-countries-200-years-4-minutes.htm

http://www.flixxy.com/zero-pollution-automobile.htm

Just for fun...

A Facebook friend shared this...

And my sister-in-law posted this. ... enjoy!

The O Antiphons

We have been praying the O Antiphons!

Husband reads from our Magnificat Advent book, Number Five plays on the piano and we sing the verse of each day. It has been a beautiful prayer!

Top 10 Reasons for Hope - 2010

2 years ago

...my dearest Mamae left this earthly life.

Life has not been the same since her departure. There is a new bittersweetness in my heart, and a new perspective about our gift of life. I believe as she did here on earth, she still does from above: to guide me to always be a better person, more peaceful, and closer to God.

Mamae querida, tenho tantas saudades.

Winter girl

Number Seven ready to go outside to play... this post dedicated to the Brazilian siblings who think it very sophisticated to live where it snows.

She has been enjoying Legos lately, and my friend Suchi sent this set of instructions for a Lego nativity!

My sister's Book Signing

I am so very proud of her. As she wrote about the life and thought of a great Brazilian author whom we all called tio (uncle) as children, there were many familiar faces who brought tears to her eyes as they queued up for a written dedication. Do I wish I could have been there!

For the Portuguese-speaking readers, here is the link for her book--Quadrante a is an excellent publishing house in Sao Paulo.

Parabens, Papai!

Today it is his 84th birthday. May God grant you happiness and peace, my dearest Papai!

This picture was taken 4 years ago, my parents and Number One, their grandson and godson.

Busy...

I have been putting together a Christmas letter--almost ready!

Saint Lucia's Wreath

We made and enjoyed the sweet, rich dough of the fresh baked braid/wreath. She is my dear mother's patron saint, and throughout the day I am thinking very much of her.

Update 12-16: I linked this post to Catholic Cuisine.

Lovely weather

Just a few seconds to show friends who live far from the northern plains a bit of what this is. I just took this video, a few minutes ago, as our weather radio flashes blizzard warnings.

I look on the bright side: we will have a white Christmas while others will wear short sleeves and sing about it. This post dedicated to our dear friend Fr. A. who is enjoying 74F in FL.

Christmas shopping with Numbers Six and Seven

Both girls have received gift cards recently, and wanted to go shopping for their siblings. We had a lovely time, found nice gifts and had lunch together. They are growing up and I greatly enjoy their company!

Veni, Emmanuel

I am working on our cards and still unsure about using this--but had to post it. Number Seven's Art has this genuine, refreshing and lovely quality to it!

A nice poem

With a mild fall and myriad reasons to pray, I find myself driving more often to the country parish. In the car, often alone, I listen to NPR. Ironically, it is NPR that brings me the most gorgeous, religious laden Christmas music, surprising and delighting at every turn, filling the senses, complementing the heaven-bound thoughts and prayers.

A couple of days ago I also listened to a very nice poem by Glenn Shea entitled Chartres. Some quotes:

(...)

For gems, the painted glass, and for choirs
the figures carved in stone;
Chartres stood their sketch of Paradise,
the place where, as best it could on earth,
time stopped. It was to be,
as an arch gives stone the power of flight,
the place where faith would give
the clay of flesh its flight, a semblance
whose stones would tug the heart towards prayer,
build in it the desiring of heaven.

(...)

And when I knelt before the altar,
I prayed: abject as any man is
in the weight of his faults, scanted
of hope, but who had seen at least the image
of what he desired: another like himself,
whose flesh he might inscribe
with the water of blessing.

Enjoy the whole poem here.

Two Pope Films

We have recently watched both of these and loved both of them, although Karol tells more of his early life and uses one actor for all of the pope scenes. I had never watched either one of these and Number Five is responsible for requesting them and bringing such historical wonderful movies into our home! Highly, highly recommended--our whole family was enthralled!

A Little Women Cookbook!

I found this at the library quite accidentally and it is a very nice little book! We are still finishing up Little Women on audio and have also been watching film versons--favorite one is the 1949 one with June Allison! I have never, never enjoyed this wonderful book so much as this time!

The Cookbook has excerpts from Luisa May Alcott's text when food is mentioned, followed by nicely illustrated recipes! We will try some as Advent progresses and school work is put away for the Christmas holidays!

Curry Butternut-Coconut Soup

What do we do with all of our squash? We eat it almost everyday in many different ways! Last night I made this delicious soup, partly from an idea given to me by Number One and his girlfriend: Curry Butternut-Coconut Soup!

In a saucepan on medium high, add olive oil and salt and sautee curry (to taste) for about 15 seconds.
Add 2 chopped onions and one peeled, cubed and seeded Butternut
Sautee until onions are translucent, add 4 C water and let it simmer about 15 or 20 minutes
Add one can of coconut milk
Process in blender, it will be very creamy! Enjoy!!

This and that

I just found a beautiful, exquisite blog written by an African American young lady who is the owner of a loving, artistic heart! I am enjoying her music while I blog this!

During my bog-visiting I stopped at the Saint Walburga Abbey site, did some Christmas shopping and sent them heartfelt prayer intentions... we are planning on visiting the dear sisters next summer. We visited them often when they still lived in Boulder, CO...

I also found the IVE site and discovered they are also present in Brazil. Wouldn't they be a great option for volunteer work!

... and finally I stopped to see what Jannell was up to, and found these cheerful birds!

Sissi: family film

I remember watching this film in Brazil with my mother and siblings... long ago. Last night we watched it, and even the teens and Husband enjoyed it! It is in German with subtitles and it is funny, dynamic and theatrical and the subtitles did not bother Number Seven. The film is based on the life of Empress Elizabeth of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and it is the ultimate princess movie with the dresses, the romance, the palaces and settings, and culminating with a huge Catholic wedding in Vienna. The film is a trilogy and we will watch the second one tonight!

Co-op Art: ink self portraits

We showed the self portrait results at our final co-op day. I chose just a few to post, as I have so many students! The top set is from the Middle School class, bottom is High School.