Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading.
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!


Anne is reading

The Penny Whistle Christmas Party Book by Meredith Brokaw and Annie Gilbar

Decorations seem to accumulate over the years and become traditions in themselves, particularly when children make ornaments that grow more valuable as the children grow older.  There is often an air of excitement for kids in simply bringing down the box of holiday decorations from the top shelf of the closet and placing these family treasures around the house, as well as handing down decorations from generation to generation.






Holly is still reading
Thistle and the Shell of Laughter by J. H. Sweet

 

There was silence for a moment.  Then they heard a low amused chuckle from the forest and fog surrounding them, and the Sprites of Laughter began happily laughing again with the beautiful tinkling sound of musical wind chimes.

Lily is reading
Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas by Julia Rawlinson

It was an ice-bright Christmas Eve, and the sky was a dazzling blue.  Every tree in the forest was frost-sprinkled and sparkling, and frozen puddles creaked and crackled under Fletcher's paws.

Second Sunday of Advent

How dark outside!

but see -- a star's in the sky;

Mary and Joseph are passing by.

So let's light a candle to welcome them

as they go on their way to Bethlehem.

Our homemade Advent wreath with two candles lit.

Lord, we've been waiting and waiting and waiting.  Christmas seems so far away.  Thank you for wanting to be with us always.

(Please note that the prayers and images that we use for our Advent wreath prayer cube came from somewhere else, but unfortunately I don't remember where.)

The First Snow of the Season

An unexpected treat yesterday -- a late afternoon snowstorm.  Although the vague forecast called for "a wintry mix" and "snow showers," we were graced with a real storm that left an inch of wet snow in the yard and on the trees.

And so Ron took the girls sledding -- or should I say "saucer-ing" -- in the magical white and purple twilight. 

The sun was bright today but the air was still quite cold, and the three of them played outside again.  Two dignified snow people appeared in the yard -- one with a carrot nose and the other with silk flower eyes, both with fabric remnant scarves.

We always celebrate the first snow of the season with Snowflake Cakes -- my fanciful version of funnel cakes.  They are wildly unhealthy, so we eat them only on this one day each year.  Here's the recipe:

SNOWFLAKE CAKES

1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients except the vegetable oil and powdered sugar until smooth.  Batter should be thin enough to pour from a pitcher.

Pour vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet, to a depth of about 1/2- to 3/4-inch.  Heat the oil to about 375 degrees -- sizzling hot.  Drizzle the batter from a pitcher into the hot oil in a swirly, crisscross pattern to resemble a snowflake.

Let the cake brown on one side for about 1 minute, then turn and brown on the other side.  Lift carefully from the oil and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 4 medium or 3 large snowflake cakes.

Counting Up to Christmas

Here is another of our Advent calendars -- this one was sent to me by my dear friend Laura back in 1992!!  (I know because she wrote a note on the back!)  I've had this gingerbread house calendar since before I met my husband -- and it has added sweet joy to my Christmas every year.

Hanukkah

We are not Jewish, but Jesus was.  And even though he probably would not have celebrated Hanukkah with latkes and dreidels, he would have known of the historical events surrounding the defeat of the Syrians by the Jews led by Judah Maccabee.

And so we celebrate.  The eight-day span of Hanukkah makes it easy to fit into even a packed schedule.  This year, for the first time, we watched a delightful Shari Lewis dvd:

Lambchop's Chanukah and Passover Surprise

It was terrific -- and Shari took away my qualms over celebrating a holiday that is not really "ours" by pointing out, "You go to birthday parties even when it's not your birthday, don't you?"

And then another night we read some books that we like at this time of year:

The Miracle of Hanukkah by Seymour Chwast

and

I Have a Little Dreidel by Maxie Baum

And the dreidel game and potato latkes appeared on another night!

So don't be afraid to celebrate a holiday from a different culture -- you're allowed!

Happy Hanukkah!



Counting Up to Christmas

We love Advent calendars in our house -- we have six this year!  Here is a new one, sent to us by Aunt Martha -- Santa in his workshop.  Behind each window is a tiny picture and a verse from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas:

Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading.
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!


Anne is reading
Cat in the Mirror by Mary Stolz

Irun caught her breath, looking down at the little cat nestled in her hands.  It was not, like most cats of the country, honey-orange with faint stripings.  It was an entirely special cat of silver-grey, with eyes and ears outlined in black, as if with kohl.  The eyes, staring up at her, were green as -- green as --

"Her eyes," said Perub, "reminded us of the lakes in the Oasis."

Holly is reading
Thistle and the Shell of Laughter by J. H. Sweet

Starfish's name was Gina.  She had long, curly blond hair and wore a soft, sand colored, star-shaped cap.  Her dress fell to just below her knees and was made of sweeping green and blue tendrils that looked like brightly colored seaweed strands.  Starfish's tiny, delicate wings were the exact color of sea foam.  When she moved, a refreshing mist of sea drops lightly sprayed the other fairies.  And her voice had a rich, breathless quality like coastal winds and roaring waves.

Lily is reading
Little Fur Family by Margaret Wise Brown

There was a little fur family
warm as toast
smaller than most
in little fur coats
and they lived in a warm
wooden tree.