Sunday, February 28, 2016
Menu Plan: Third Sunday of Lent
There are several repeats this week, either for convenience's sake or because we didn't get to them last week because of the way that particular day went. I ended up going to our church's mamas' retreat on Saturday, so Rich made breakfast and dinner that day, and even packed me some food to bring in case I couldn't eat what was served. Then, my friend sent me home with the leftover gumbo from our lunch so I could share with Rich, which was so sweet. So, he and I ate that on Saturday, while the kids ate quesadillas and veggies and fruit.
I'm really struggling with the diet my doctor has me on for now. It's only been a little over two weeks and I am already pretty miserable on it. I'm sure there is some real spiritual benefit to this, learning to detach from this world, and learning not to satisfy my desires or impulses, learning to go without and cheerfully fast while others can enjoy the things I cannot, learning to discipline myself and attain more self-control, learning to mortify my flesh, but I'm a little stressed out about doing this for six months to a year when it is this hard for me now. Sometimes our Lenten discipline chooses us. Please pray for me.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Blood Orange Yogurt, Toast, Milk & Coffee (for the kids - I ate other things)
Dinner: Slow Cooked Chuck Roast, Rice, Steamed Peas, Sliced Tomatoes - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar and Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Potage Parmentier (We'll put the cream in the kids' bowls), Rolls - Tuesday
Breakfast: Saint Phanourios Cake, Fruit, Coffee with Coconut Milk
Dinner: Pasta with Garlic, Pine Nuts, Tomatoes & Breadcrumbs, Fruit Plate - Wednesday
Breakfast: Ful, Green Hot Sauce, Tomato Relish, Toast, Marinated Olives, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Nutball Soup with Pepitas, Rolls - Thursday
Breakfast: Cherry Almond Granola and Yogurt with Honey, Fruit, Coffee
Dinner: Thai Tuna Stuffed Avocados, Salad, Fruit Plate - Friday
Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast, Fruit, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Baked Fish Fillets, Pan Roasted Potatoes, Steamed Peas - Saturday
Breakfast: Muffins, Fruit, Hard Boiled Eggs (for those who are eating them), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Turkish Pilaf with Pistachios and Chick Peas, Salad
Labels: Church Year, Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Yarn Along: Heads and Hearts
Mariam modeled it for me so I could get pictures. I love the way the hearts show up in UV light! It delights me each time I see it.
My computer became possessed earlier this week, so I was not able to finish my yarn along post. Here it is now.
I've finished my surprise heart hat. Mostly I've been working on some finishing and Amira since then. This is kind of a baby of mine. It is a design that I came up with around when Amira was born, and I've had it rattling in my brain since then. I really love it, and I think it will do well, but I'd like some impartial input from others.
Here is my own Amira in progress - I want to be ahead of my knitters. I have the pattern just about ready for publishing and am hoping that folks who want a chance at a preview of the pattern before it is for sale will give it a whirl and tell me what they think.
This is my last appeal to find knitters who are interested in knitting a 29"/30" or a 49"/50" bust Amira with us as we do our preview KAL. Amira is a sleeveless shell, with a simple lace and texture pattern, knit in two pieces and seamed. The neck is draped, and requires some basic short row skills. I have more information and yarn requirements for those who are interested in giving this pattern a preview. Please let me know if you can knit one of those sizes, as I'm about to give the preview pattern to the knitters to work on their own. I have two knitters for almost every other size, so even if I can get just one more knitter for each of those sizes, that would be grand. If I have to proceed without them, I will, but I'd rather have all sizes represented. Thank you so much for considering it! Here's the weekly reminder to like Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, if you haven't already. Thank you!
I've begun my Lenten reading. In fact, I went back and reread Christ in His Saints
, too. I also finished my happy little murder, Purl Up and Die: A Knitting Mystery
. This one has convinced me not to seek out her stories anymore. I enjoyed it enough, but the character development I saw the potential for in her first books have not been realized, and she repeats dialogue and other words far too much. The kids and I have been reading Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior together. For fun. And they are really enjoying it. I told them that while this was an excellent guide on etiquette, it was not a guide on morals, so there would be times that we disagreed with her on that. They saw that pretty clearly in the preface. It is still a romping read, and a great way to interest young people in proper manners. I used to read this book in bed when I was in high school. 
Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On, and The Philosopher's Wife.
Labels: Books, Design, Family, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Menu Plan: Second Sunday of Lent
We went a little crazy on our produce co-op order this week. We always try to get more vegetation during Lent, anyway, and this is the tail end of the citrus season, so we picked up extras. That meant that we spent more than we normally would, by almost double, but for our $191.50, we received three organic boxes, four add on boxes, a 25 pound box of organic Roma tomatoes, a 38 pound box of Pink Lady apples from our own state, and a 36 pound box of Minneola tangelos, plus two jicama and two cucumbers that we picked up as a thank you for helping at the co-op site. There were 6 pounds of fingerling potatoes, 3 pounds of green beans, 3 romanesco cauliflower, 3 bunches of lacinato kale, 15 baby bok choi, 3 heads of Boston lettuce, 3 bunches of rainbow carrots (we gave the tops to our chickens and turkeys), 6 zucchini, 9 avocados, 6 large leeks, 4 orange bell peppers, 2 bunches of celery, 4 bunches of scallions, 2 pounds of snap peas, 4 large portabella mushroom caps, 8 yellow onions, 8 russet potatoes, 8 Anaheim peppers, 2 bunches parsley, 2 bunches cilantro, 2 bunches of Thai basil, 4 bulbs garlic, 2 knobs of ginger, 2 bunches of rosemary, 2 bags of dried chiles de arbol, 2 bags of bay leaves, 4 limes, 4 lemons, 18 oranges, 15 tangerines, 3 giant mangoes, 2 jicama, and 2 cucumbers, plus the 25 pounds of tomatoes, 38 pounds of apples, and 36 pounds of Minneolas. That is a great deal for our area, especially in the winter. We even came home with a bunch of scraps and dinged items for our poultry to turn into eggs for the family. In any case, we're using the more delicate produce this week and spreading out the more sturdy items over the next two weeks.
If you, like me, are avoiding dairy and eggs, these menus are easily adaptable to that. Our shared meals during the week are either vegan or fish/shellfish meals and if there is anything that requires dairy or egg, it is separate for those who are eating them. Breakfasts are mostly being made separately, and if I add anything to my coffee, it is coconut milk. I generally drink my coffee black, but there are days that I reheat it (I know, but it's part of how I keep it from going to waste - that, and freezing it in cubes), and when I do, I add milk or cream, so I'm using coconut milk for that now.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Corn and Jalapenos, Salsa and Toast, Milk (for everyone else), Toast with Almond Butter and Pear-Hazelnut Jam, Coffee with Coconut Milk (for me)
Dinner: Shredded Pork with Onions, Jalapenos and Garlic, Sauteed Zucchini, Anaheim Peppers, Onions and Garlic, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Corn Tortillas, Wacky Chocolate Cake with Sweetened, Whipped Coconut Cream - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar and Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Vegetable Stir Fry, Garlic Fried Rice, Sliced Mangoes - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Polycarp
Breakfast: Saint Phanourios Cake, Fruit, Coffee with Coconut Milk
Dinner: Vegetable Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce - Wednesday - Feast of Saint Matthias the Apostle
Breakfast: Ful, Green Hot Sauce, Toast, Marinated Olives, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Kale Salad with Apples and Nuts, Pistachio and Olive Bread, Fruit Plate - Thursday
Breakfast: Granola and Yogurt with Honey, Fruit, Coffee
Dinner: Falafel, Green Hot Sauce, Khoubz Araby (Pita Bread), Olives, Chopped Veggies, Slow Sauteed Green Beans (for the kids and Rich) - Friday - Feast of Saint Alexander of Alexandria
Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast, Fruit, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Soup and Sandwich Supper at the Stations of the Cross - Saturday
Breakfast: Muffins, Fruit, Hard Boiled Eggs (for those who are eating them), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Thai Tuna Stuffed Avocados, Salad, Fruit Plate
Labels: Church Year, Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Name Day, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Menu Along: First Sunday in Lent
See the hearts! I love the magic, UV color changing yarn!
It's another menu along, because of a pretty long and fast road trip to the Bay Area this weekend. We were on the road at least eight hours a day, including the first night when we had our alternator quit on the side of a busy highway in the middle of central Oregon, two hours before our hotel. We were blessed that Rich had a friend in the area who could recommend a good mechanic to have our van towed to and that it was 25 minutes north of another hotel where we had stayed before and they had rooms for us, and the towing company sent out another vehicle to transport us all to the hotel so nobody would be stuck at the side of the road (in the dark and rain, by the way), and a mechanic who came in early on a Saturday even though his shop was normally closed. I'll write up a post about our adventures this week. There are a couple relevant bits I'll mention here, though, too.
This is the fourth time I cast on for this little, child's hat. I don't know what the deal was, but each time it was just too small, no matter what I did with st count or needle size. I was worried it would be lacy if I went up any higher on the needle, even with the stranding, so I just cast on a bunch more sts. The project page doesn't have all the information on it, but I'm using the graph from one hat, and the measurements from another, but I've modified the st count and changed the edging on it. It's a mash up of two designs and my own ideas. I didn't make much progress on the surprise heart hat, mostly because on day two of our trip, one of my dpns slipped out of my lap into the step where the door shuts into our van. I asked everyone to remind me to get out carefully at the next stop, and to make sure I retrieved the needle. By the time we got there, though, we were running so late because of waiting for the repair and starting two hours north of where we intended, that I jumped out to shuttle kids in and out of the bathroom at the gas station, and completely forgot. I remembered about an exit after we got back on the freeway, but told Rich to forget about it, and to press on. The next day, on our return, he asked if I wanted him to see if it was still there. He said he wouldn't even stop the van, just drive in, open the door and look around. Sure, enough, it was. It was chewed up and pitted, but it was there. It's on circular needles now, as you can see. I'm thankful for Brittany Needles' replacement policy.
This was also another way that Rich showed his love for me. Even though he knew it was an extra stop, and even though we weren't sure it would be there, he wanted to make sure to try to get it. The whole trip was an example of that, actually. We went to attend a friend's surprise 40th birthday party, and we wouldn't have gone if Rich hadn't made sure we did. I received the invitation, was touched that they were including us, told Rich and then pretty much said, "That's sweet. It's too bad we can't go." He asked why not, and started looking for airfare for the two of us right away. We found some decent fares, but didn't know if we'd have a place to stay, so before we pulled the trigger on the flights, I called in a favor from another friend in the area to see if she'd put us up for a night. By the time I'd heard back from her, the rates had gone up, and I was back on the fence about it. Rich said that for the same price as the airfare, we could drive with all the kids and stay at hotels, and so we did it. He already had Monday off because of Presidents' Day, and I made sure he took Tuesday off to rest and get some things done at home that he wanted. I got up and took Alexander to his college classes, so Rich could sleep in, and he was able to rest most of the morning.
The area where our friends live and go to church also had a yarn shop with its semi-annual yarn and book sale going on, but after we attended church with our friends, they invited us over to their home for lunch, so we did that instead. It says how much I admire them and their family, that I gave up all souvenir yarn purchases. I went to high school with both the husband and wife, but even though we knew each other then, we didn't really become friends until our 10 year high school reunion. They were married with several children, as were we, we were both religious families who had and wanted many children, and we hit it off. I was so touched to receive the invitation to the birthday party, and have always admired his wife's generosity of time, talent, and hospitality, as well as her ability to manage her time and home and family so well. We have kept in touch since then, and we're among the earlier people to get the news of any new babies due to arrive in their family (they have one more to go to beat us!). They came to our house for a Paschal feast one year, and he asked me what I thought of him in high school. I tried to answer diplomatically, and just said that I thought he was a typical jock, and left it there. I have never been brave enough to ask him the same question. Don't ask a question if you aren't sure you want the answer, and all that.
While we were there, I finally gave my friend the scarf I made last year for her, but I completely forgot to take a picture of her in it. And I forgot to get a picture of their family with ours (Rich and I talked about doing that after church).
Here is my own Amira in progress - I did get some knitting done on it over the drive. I have the pattern just about ready for publishing and am hoping that folks who want a chance at a preview of the pattern before it is for sale will give it a whirl and tell me what they think.
I'll put out one more appeal for preview knitters, if you can knit a 29"/30" or a 49"/50" bust Amira with us as we do our preview KAL, let me know! I'm waiting on those two sizes. I have two knitters for almost every other size, so even if I can get just one more knitter for each of those sizes, that would be grand. Thank you so much for considering it! There isn't much besides that to share right now, so here's the weekly reminder to like Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, if you haven't already. Thank you!
Rich and I did some reading in the car. Or, rather, I read aloud to him in the car and we had a great time discussing it. We haven't done a whole lot of other reading this week, however. I'm hoping to rectify that. The kids read a lot, though.
Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On, and The Philosopher's Wife.
So, last week, in order to make absolutely sure we didn't ruin our friend's surprise, I even made up a meal plan for a couple days that we would be traveling, just on the off chance that he took a look at the blog and asked where we were going. We did have some meals on the road, and our breakfasts were at the hotels where we stayed, plus we stopped at Saint John the Forerunner Monastery to get snacks and pick up some dinner for our hotel room that first night, as well as for a mid trip snack on our last day of driving back up into Washington. I was able to replenish our coffee stores, and pick up some lovely candles for our Paschal table as well. We meant to keep the fast on Friday, and only break it for the day of the party and Sunday, but accidentally ended up with meat in our grape leaves (I thought being Greek style, they would be vegetarian), which we simply saw as a blessing to us on a particularly challenging day. The oldest four kids and I stayed up until almost 1:00 a.m. finishing laundry and packing, and I stayed up until around 3:00 finishing the rest and doing some preparations for our day, so Rich could sleep up in preparation for a long weekend of driving.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Hotel Breakfast Buffet
Dinner: Wendy's on the Road - Monday
Breakfast: Hotel Continental Breakfast
Dinner: Baked, Breaded Fish Fillets from the Freezer, Tater Tots, Sweet Potato Tots, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Minneolas - Tuesday
Breakfast: Poblano, Corn and Onion Scramble/Tortilla Chips with Sauteed Veggies (for me), Minneolas, Coffee with Coconut Milk
Dinner: Vegetarian Chef Salad (with the Egg and Cheese separate so I could avoid them) - Wednesday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Mineolas, Spiced Tea with Honey
Dinner: Baked Potatoes and Salad - Thursday
Breakfast: Ful, Green Hot Sauce, Toast, Kiwi Fruit, Coffee
Dinner: Spiced Samosa Patties, Brown Rice, Fruit Plate - Friday
Breakfast: Granola and Honey with Fruit, Coffee
Dinner: Soup and Sandwich Supper at the Stations of the Cross (we are trying to do this each week of Lent from here on out) - Saturday
Breakfast: Muffins, Fruit, Hard Boiled Eggs (for those who are eating them), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pasta with Tomato and Onion Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread
Labels: Books, Church Year, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Yarn Along
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Yarn Along: More Hats
I finished another hat and started yet another. A dear friend of mine from college has a daughter who is about eight months younger than Mariam and who has had a life full of surgeries and health complications. She is a sweet and lively girl, who is in all other ways "normal." But, oh what a difference this particular way makes! Anyway, they are back east at a special children's hospital for more surgeries and could do with some cheering up. They have to leave the rest of the family, my friend's husband and other children, so this is a stress on the whole family for several reasons. These hats are for them. It's finally winter on the east coast, I hear, so they should come in handy. And they live in a place where it might still snow up through May. In fact, this little girl was born in a freak blizzard that was so bad that her dad missed the birth.
Here is my own Amira in progress. I have the pattern just about ready for publishing and am hoping that folks who want a chance at a preview of the pattern before it is for sale will give it a whirl and tell me what they think.
Please, please, please, if you can knit a 29"/30" or a 49"/50" bust Amira with us as we do our preview KAL, let me know! I'm waiting on those two sizes. I have two knitters for almost every other size, so even if I can get just one more knitter for each of those sizes, that would be grand. Thank you so much for considering it! There isn't much besides that to share right now, so here's the weekly reminder to like Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, if you haven't already. Thank you!
We will be taking a road trip soon, and this will come with me, as well as a sweater for Jerome, and Nejat's crocheted star blanket which was supposed to be her birthday present last year. Good thing she doesn't realize that. There is a yarn shop near where we will be visiting, and they are having a semi-annual yarn and book sale at the time we will be there. If we can fit it in, I will be shopping there and getting some souvenir yarn and books.
As for books, Amira and I are still reading If You Love Me, Let Me Go
. We finished Alice in Wonderland
and have started Alice Through the Looking-Glass
. My personal reading is basically the same. I haven't had a chance to progress much in any of the books I'm reading on my own. Even the fluff ones. Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On, and The Philosopher's Wife.
Labels: Books, Design, Family, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along
Monday, February 08, 2016
Menu Plan: Mardi Gras & Ash Wednesday
Lent is upon us in the West. We will begin our Lenten abstinence as well as my own dietary restrictions. Breakfasts may include dairy and egg, for our kids, so if you are keeping the strict fast, they may not be as useful for you. We still will eat fish and use oil and wine, because my own restrictions are my major fast this year, and I don't want to be making multiple dinners. I am always a little uncomfortable sharing how we observe the fast, because it seems so personal, between us, God, and our spiritual fathers. However, I know it's helpful for me to find blogs and websites that share recipes and food ideas, so I do the same.
Before we begin Lent, though, we will be feasting. Our doughnut night is on again this week! It will be my last day of dairy and egg (I may have to break that for one occasion, but will try to avoid it then as well) as well as our family's carnival (carne vale = meat goodbye or farewell to meat in Latin). Unless you have health issues, are very young (under 13 or uncomfirmed), very old, pregnant or nursing, or have specific direction from a spiritual father, the rule of Ash Wednesday (and Good Friday) is to fast completely from food and nutritive drinks (milk, juice, etc) for the whole 24 hours, please keep drinking water. If you cannot keep the whole fast, it is a day of abstinence from meat, and some limiting of meals or portions is recommended. A priest told us that a good guideline was to stop eating before feeling satisfied. Our younger children usually fast from one or two meals before they are old enough/ready to fast completely. We encourage them to fast from breakfast and/or lunch so they can eat before going to bed and if it is too difficult, it is not considered a failure if they eat. This is a physical discipline as well as a spiritual one and it takes training and building to the goal. We do not want this to be burdensome to them, so we have them eat after church, and it still helps them train themselves for the fast when they are older.
We picked up our organic produce boxes from the co-op this weekend, and ordered a big box of minneolas for snacks and to go with our meals. Usually during Lent, we try to get as much produce as possible, since we won't be eating the heavier meals of meat. There were some, out of season for us, blueberries from Chile that we just gobbled up as soon as we got them. We do try to eat seasonally, so unless we have canned, frozen, dried, or otherwise preserved our produce, we don't get a huge variety of it during winter. This isn't a strict rule, but this means that we generally don't have much in the way of fruit during winter (with the exception of citrus). The kids were so excited to have those fresh blueberries, and so were we! In any case, for the first part of this week, we will be having meat and cheese and eggs and sweets, but that will shift on Wednesday. I have planned meals Wednesday for the kids who aren't fasting, but tried to keep it pretty simple and easy to prepare.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Egg Burritos with Hot Sauce, Mandarin Oranges, Coffee
Dinner: Chef Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette - Monday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Sliced Apples, Coffee
Dinner: Pan Seared Sirloin Tip Steaks, Roasted Acorn Squash, Buttered Corn, Soda Bread (the recipe is formatted a little oddly, the raisins are optional, not the buttermilk) - Tuesday - Mardi Gras
Breakfast: Sausage and Cheese Biscuits, Minneolas, Coffee
Dinner: Souvlaki, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Simple Rice Pilaf, Salad, Yeasted Potato Doughnuts - Wednesday - Ash Wednesday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Mineolas, Spiced Tea with Honey
Dinner: Hummus with Bread and Sliced Veggies - Thursday
Breakfast: Ful, Green Hot Sauce, Toast, Coffee
Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews, Salad, Garlic Toast - Friday
Breakfast: Granola and Honey with Yogurt, Coffee
Dinner: Greek Food from a Regional Monastery (we are picking it up while on a field trip, and we knew that they would have tasty Lenten food that I could eat with my own restrictions) - Saturday
Breakfast: Cereal, Fruit, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Nutball Soup with Fried Tortilla Strips
Labels: Ash Wednesday, Church Year, Family, Good Friday, Homemaking, Lent, Mardi Gras, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Yarn Along: Four Hat Day
The last couple weeks have been about hats here. I've finished three beanies for my friend, to test her pattern, and I finished a hat for a friend. All that is waiting is for me to wash and block all of them. The little beanies are being saved as baby gifts, though one will be set aside for a preemie. I still have a scarf that needs blocking, too, so there will be a great washing in the next couple/few days.
Normally, I don't knit the same pattern more than once, and normally, I don't knit much for folks outside of our immediate family. In fact, when this friend hinted, heavily, that he would like a hat like the one I made for Rich, I almost said that I wouldn't do it, and if he answered that I'd knit for his wife, I was going to tell him that it was because I liked her better. But. They are sweet friends of ours, and they were moving away, and I had a little weak moment. So, I did it. I even tracked down the colors of the college near where he works, but I never promised, and never set a deadline for when it should be made. Obviously, this wasn't a Christmas present, but I was kind of hoping that I could get it to them by his birthday. Which was yesterday. Well, birthday month, then. It should come in handy, though, as they only recently had winter arrive, even though we have been in the depths of it here for months and are finally seeing the light of spring coming from a distance.
Here is my own Amira in progress. I have the pattern just about ready for publishing and am hoping that folks who want a chance at a preview of the pattern before it is for sale will give it a whirl and tell me what they think.
Please, please, please, if you can knit a 29"/30" or a 49"/50" bust Amira with us as we do our preview KAL, let me know! I'm waiting on those two sizes. I have two knitters for almost every other size, so even if I can get just one more knitter for each of those sizes, that would be grand. Thank you so much for considering it! There isn't much besides that to share right now, so here's the weekly reminder to like Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, if you haven't already. That's where I put updates and preview knitting opportunities and other design news. Thank you!
I finished The Swallow's Song
with Amira, and we've started the last of these books, If You Love Me, Let Me Go. We're continuing in Alice in Wonderland. And I began another happy little murder, Purl Up and Die: A Knitting Mystery. I'm almost to the point that I won't read this series anymore. If this one disappoints, it will be the last one. Interweave Knits' Spring issue arrived here yesterday. I must have been one of the first people to get one, which has never happened before, and I'm enjoying reading through it. Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On, and The Philosopher's Wife.
Labels: Books, Design, Family, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along
Monday, February 01, 2016
Menu Plan: January 31 - February 6
Back to the present, though. There is one repeat that I can think of this week. We ended up with a breakfast for dinner one night last week when our schedules were shifted because of some things at Rich's work. Tuesday is the Feast of the Purification and Presentation, it is the final day in the Christmas season. It is also known as Candlemas, as it is the day that the candles for the year are blessed, because of the procession of light that happens to mark the Light of the World being brought to the Temple and being made known to God's people. We are in the middle of taking down all of our Christmas decorations and we plan to have a candlelit dinner with our Advent wreath, our Christ candle, and all the kids' candles lit at the table, and a Christmas cake for dessert.
This week has our last set of readings for going through the Bible in a year. Next week will have the last reading of the year. If you wish to do them again this year, the dates remain the same for the readings (that means you either have a free day or a catch up day on February 29). We read through all of the Old Testament and New Testament, reading the Psalms and Proverbs twice. Remember that the Psalms are according to eastern numbering in our daily Bible reading, also I Kings is the original designation, it is I Samuel in western Bibles (II Kings is II Samuel in the west, III Kings is I Kings, and IV Kings is II Kings, I Ezra is also called I Esdras in other translations, II Ezra is often translated as Ezra or II Esdras, though this is complicated by it sometimes being I Esdras being Ezra in modern language and II Esdras being Nehemiah, and in that case, there is a III Esdras, it really depends on which translation you read - Jeremiah in the Septuagint translation of the OT is numbered significantly differently, as well, so you may want to look up a comparison of the Hebrew and Septuagint numbering).
- Sunday Daniel 11:29- Bel and the Dragon 42, Psalms 150-151, Proverbs 31:26–30, Revelation 22
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Bananas, Coffee
Dinner: Pizza Bites with Marinara Dipping Sauce, Roasted Asparagus, Ice Cream - Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Coffee
Dinner: Chile Roasted Pork Loin, Roasted Acorn Squash Wedges - Tuesday -Feast of the Purification
Breakfast: Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole, Bananas, Coffee
Dinner: Homemade Hamburger Helper, Baked Potatoes, Glazed Lemon Cake (leaving out the blueberries and dusting with shredded coconut) - Wednesday
Breakfast: Toast with Labneh, Za'atar, and Olive Oil, Spiced Tea with Honey
Dinner: Vegetable Fried Rice, Frozen Fruit Salad - Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Quick Berry and Lemon Compote, Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Vegetable Sticks - Friday -Feast of Saint Agatha
Breakfast: Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Coffee
Dinner: Nutball Soup with Fried Tortilla Strips - Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes and Maple Syrup, Bacon, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Souvlaki, Grilled Vegetable Skewers, Simple Rice Pilaf
Labels: Christmas, Church Year, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Purification, Tales from the Kitchen
