The 1 year old

We celebrated Christ's Nativity with going to the morning Liturgy together and then spending time together with family on December 25th (on the old calendar) which is January 7th (to most people who now follow the new calendar).  My sister and her husband and little 1 year old daughter arrived from Canada!

 Lots of hugs and kisses.

Preparing for the feast...

Tonight we will go to church and again tomorrow morning to celebrate Christ's Nativity, the incarnation of God, out of His love for mankind!  ♥

We have been preparing by reading spiritually uplifting literature, fasting, confessing our sins and will partake of Holy Communion on the feast.  Our girls have requested homemade macaroni and cheese (they've missed that MORE than meats) and so I will bring that to church and will share that with everyone in a potluck celebration after the church service:

Homemade macaroni and cheese (from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, with a few of my own changes, like adding nutmeg & using cheddar cheese, I doubled this recipe)

• 8  ounces  dried elbow macaroni or desired-shape pasta (2 cups)
• 2  tablespoons  butter 
• 1/4 cup chopped onion 
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground black pepper
• a dash of nutmeg 
• 1 1/2 whole cups  milk
• 12  ounce package cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

 

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, for cheese sauce, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add onions. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir macaroni into cheese sauce in saucepan, stirring to coat. Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently.  Makes 4 servings.

*I've done the above and will bake it at church:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Some wine, ingredients for a delicious salad with feta and macaroni...

My sister and her husband and 1 year old daughter (and his younger brother and their mother) in their beautiful church in Ottawa, Canada on Nativity.

My dad with almost all of his granddaughters. 

Juliana got a china doll for Christmas!  And new socks.  Olivia picked those out for her.

 And Olivia dancing with Natasha in my parents home after the Nativity Liturgy...

Little of this...and that!

Olivia with 2 of the girls from her class on 

Saturday morning...dress rehearsal for Irish dancing.

 Hannah and friends painting pottery Saturday afternoon.

It was so nice to have little Elizabeth

here, she loves the trampoline and swings!
 We call her Liza, pronounced like "Leeza."

 Sunday after church, we had an early Thanksgiving dinner 

at Grandpa and Grandma's house.  Brianna said "Shouldn't we tell
what we are thankful for?"  So, we took turns sharing...mostly, we are thankful for the people in our lives.  Olivia said she was thankful to have the ability to physically DO things.  We volunteered at the Ronald McDonald house recently.  We are in good health, thanks be to God.
There are many who are not.

 Liza helped me with the chickens.  We raked leaves 

at Peepaw and Grammie's house.

 Grammie and Liza...

The girls were trying to pull down that branch.  Sadly, I lost one of my
favorite earrings while helping with the leaves...
*update* I found my earring today while walking through
my parent's backyard!
♥
Brrr...it's gotten cold here in Ohio.  

I hope we get some snow tonight.
What's the weather like where you are?

We gather together

We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year.  I made homemade rolls using "spent grain" from a local brewery.  All of my sisters were in town to celebrate the NEW church blessing last weekend.  I think my parents were very happy everyone could make it!

We sung this beautiful Dutch hymn together many times (reminds me of my grandmother, who passed away, she would play it on the piano):
 
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

 Olivia made me a new bracelet.

 We do not have a special loom, but used toothpicks and forks instead.

Elizabeth (that's my sister, Mary's daughter)and I one morning...  

We have had them at our house for over a week now and are enjoying their company.  My other sister, Andrea, and her 2 little boys flew back to Portland today.  We have all been sick (the stomach bug went through almost everyone) this week, but still had a nice time together.  ♥

Seed cakes

We have been reading The Hobbit, slowly, but together...and baked some seed cakes following the recipe in my Grandma's copy of Joy of Cooking that I have:

2 cups butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
9 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon mace (I didn't use this)
2 tablespoons brandy (optional, I actually couldn't taste this)
4 cups cake flour (I used all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (I used baking powder instead)
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 egg whites, whipped until stiff
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (I also used 2 teaspoons poppyseeds)
1/3 cup shaved citron or candied orange peel (I didn't have this)
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (I used about a tablespoon of orange zest instead)

Cream together butter and sugar, then add egg yolks, vanilla, mace and brandy.   Sift together flour, cream of tartar (or baking powder) and salt.  Mix the flour blend into the butter mixture.  Fold in the 9 whipped egg whites.  Add caraway, poppy and citrus.  Mix well and pour into baking pan. 

Bake at 325' F for 25 minutes (or 1 hour 15 minutes for loaves).  Allow to cool.  Enjoy with plain yogurt or a cup of tea while reading your book.

This makes 24 little round seed cakes (I used my muffin tins)!  Or two rectangular loaves.

This is Elizabeth, at 6 months...

We call her "Liza."  My feet.  And the fabric rattle block that Hannah sewed for Liza as part of her babysitting class she's currently taking.

We went out to eat with my parents this past Tuesday....to Ruby Tuesdays, who was giving back 20% on the bill to Parkinson's wellness.  We all had a good time!

Hannah got ribs!  Mmmm....messy fingers.

 Emma and my dad, Peepaw.

My mom and Liza.

Wednesday, my sister, Mary, her husband, Andrey, and baby Elizabeth were headed back home to Canada.  We skipped everything else, we got snow....so we went sledding!!! 

Olivia made a snow angel.

 Natalia crying, Hannah helping her...

Susanna gives Olivia and Juliana a big push down the hill...and below, Olivia just laying in the snow. 

Falling asleep...

My niece fell asleep in my arms...I am a very happy aunt.  ♥

Brekkie

We sipped this three ginger tea, made in the UK (the English do tea the best, in my opinion) by Pukka.  My sister, her husband and 3 month old baby, Elizabeth, are now here visiting and brought me this box of tea, which I cannot find in any stores in this area.  We also had a slice of pumpkin bread.  Brekkie is Australian slang for breakfast.  ♥  It's a term we use often in our home.  "What's for brekkie?"

Pumpkin bread (this is a delicious and vegan):

2 cups pumpkin pulp (bake half pumpkin, scrape flesh from skin, then puree)
2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut oil ($5.99 for a 16 oz. jar of organic virgin coconut oil at Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I like King Arthur's)
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Mix wet ingredients in large bowl, then dry ingredients in smaller bowl, then pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the large bowl and mix thoroughly. Makes 12 muffins and 4 small loaves (I use the Pampered Chef mini-loaf stoneware) for me... Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes (muffins are done quicker).

 After lunch, enjoying a pomegranate together....and then little Elizabeth fell asleep in Hannah's arms.

Very nice weather here...sunny and 60s.  We went swimming yesterday, indoors.  My little niece only dipped her feet in.  Olivia & Hannah puffed up their swimsuits with air. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans, tomorrow!  This mouse family (by Maggie Rudy) is enjoying a roasted walnut. ♥