Advent Week Two

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world."
John 1:6-9

A Good Movie

Last night we were lucky enough to get to see a free screening of the new movie War Horse which will come out on Christmas day. You may want to go down to the theatre to see this film. It is very good. It has history, valor, love, beauty, and ugliness. It will make you laugh, cry, and some other things too. See the trailer to the right.

The Naturalist

Earlier this fall, Mechanism pulled some little green caterpillars off my broccoli plants and saved them from my evil caterpillarcide rampage. He put them into a jar with some of the broccoli leaves and they lived on to form cocoons. Two of them actually turned into butterflies. We figured out that they are both females since they each have two dots on the forewing so alas they will not be having babies. He has been keeping them alive on sugar water in a giant plastic water jug. They looked a little weak this morning so we took them out and fed them in the dish garden. They immediately unrolled their little proboscises and started drinking. Here is the picture we took of them this morning.

Cranberry Cherry Scones

After a morning of playing in the snow, the boys bumbled into the house for warm scones before settling down for a day of studying. I had pulled them from the freezer last night and simply put them in the oven this morning. They made for a trouble free cozy breakfast. Here is the recipe incase you want to make them too. I used dried cranberries and cherries but you can add any kind of dried, fresh or frozen berries that you please. I also made the recipe dairy free, but you can use butter and milk if that's what you have on hand.

2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tblsp coconut oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup coconut milk or coconut cream
1/4 to a half cup dried or fresh berries, cherries or the like
For glaze an additional tablespoon of coconut milk and 2 tsp sugar are needed.

Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in coconut oil or butter. Combine egg and coconut milk. Stir just till moistened. Add the berries. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead just till nearly smooth. If you are going to freeze the dough, shape it into a disk, put it inside double freezer bags and lable it with the name, oven temp and baking time. I like to make a double batch and freeze it for those wintery mornings when I don't want to spend time baking but I want to eat fresh scones.
If you freeze them, put them in the fridge the night before and let them sit on the counter for 1/2 hour before rolling.
Roll out your dough until it is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into twelve wedges or squares. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the scones with coconut milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.

Summer Investments Winter Payoffs

On my gardening page, you will note that I planted carrots in July. It is now snowing outside my window on this cold December day, but the dirt inside my sad, old, broken greenhouse is not quite frozen yet. Today I trudged up the hill to find I can still pull out perfect crisp and juicy carrots!

There was only a little kale left and my broccoli is frozen, so next July I think I'll plant an extra heap of root veggies for winter. I'm throwing these into my magic soup that is bubbling on the stove today. I'll post the recipe and the story that goes along with it at a later date.

Advent

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning wtih God. All things came into being through him, and wighout him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."
John 1:1-5

Giving gifts is nice. Sugar cookies are divine. Tinkling bells, green trees and colored lights are hard to do without. But don't let the Christmas season slip by without taking time to acknowledge the reason we celebrate the season.

Advent Begins with the coming of December and goes through Christmas Day. It is the time that we sit together in the darkness of winter and light candles as we meditate on the coming of the true Light into the darkness of our sinful world. A light that leads us to truth, to God and to salvation. And a light that is for now, burning in our own hearts and will one day come again to judge the quick and the dead.

Yes, this December we will sit shivering in the darkness and we will hold our lights high for all to see while we wait with bated breath for our Savior to come again.

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. I still remember the green tasseled table cloth at my grandmother’s house; how I always tried to sit right next to my favorite aunt and that I could never get anyone to pass the olives or the butter once the food had all gone around once and the grownups started talking. I would get so full I really couldn't move for a few hours. When I was finally able to move my legs again, I'd go back for another piece of pie.
These days I still use the very same dishes we used to use at my grandmother's house, and now I get all the olives I can eat...if the kids don't get to them first.
The more history I learn, the more I enjoy this holiday. Mechanism is preparing a report on the colonies while my husband will be reading George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation. I also like to read excerpts from William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation".
Here is a link to a website that contains Both George Washington's and William Bradford's Thanksgiving Proclamations.
http://holydays.tripod.com/brad.htm