Cyber Monday Top Pick: April Cornell

Well, my order has already been placed, and if you are looking for great deals on sweet little girls dresses that harken to days gone by, then look no further than the April Cornell Cyber Monday Sale with prices 30-60% off!  This is the one sale of the year that I look forward to, and the deals are not to be missed.  My top picks?  The basic petticoat dress is a staple - layer it under dresses that are getting too short, use it as a night gown for a girl's sleep over, or my personal favorite, the perfect late night Pascha dress, simple, comfortable and easy to bleach!  No kidding, we have it ranging in size from 12 months to 10 years, and all have seen lots of wear.  The new favorite for this year - this dress, a gift from Grandma for Christmas  :)  And yes, I bought something for me, a dress I have had my eye on all season - so happy to get it at such a deal!  (Sale prices don't show until you put something in your cart, but most dresses are half off, even the clearance dresses - we stocked up for next summer at an average of $12 per dress)

Counting Blessings while awaiting the coming of the Great Light

Autumn thanksgiving is about light, because there is something beyond incredible about the light this time of year.

225. the warm golden light that fills my kitchen each early autumn morning, making it a joy to come in and make breakfast

226.  the glow of a single golden leaf, fallen on the skylight above the bath tub, it radiated light

227. the light of home, the coppery golden hues of the church dome rising tall above the turning leaves

228. light reflecting onto the holy waters of baptism, as friends await their turn to literally be immersed into the light of the image of Christ in his mothers arms

229. lampadas swinging in their little alcoves, lighting the way to the divine edible Light offered each Sunday

230. soft flickering light of 30 little candles, young virgins all gathering to walk with His most Holy Mother as She, the true Holy of Holies is brought into the temple.

231. The soft light of the sun, working its way through the dark mist on this Thanksgiving morning. 

We too are a people who walk in darkness, a darkness that is this culture, which holds up all which is dark and consuming, telling us we can only be happy by consuming more, until it all consumes us.  May we all walk this season awaiting the coming of the Light, and never forget that the rest is just a distraction. 

Reading Through the Nativity Updated

Here is a list of some of the books we have used over the years to open throughout the Nativity Fast.  It is not comprehensive (my books are already wrapped, and I am sure I as we open them I will find a few I forgot), but it contains most of our families top picks.  Some of these books are out of print, but most are still available used.  I have offered a few details as I saw fit, and this collection represents 12 years of gathering books.  While it is occasionally a joy to add a new book here or there, if it is worthy and beautiful, both in language and in illustrations, we are very content with the current selection, and it offers more than enough reading for the season without becoming a burden.  We also have a selection of books related to saints of the season, I will add those in a later post.  If you have a favorite that is not listed below, please leave a comment with the title to share with others.

St Nicholas Books

*The Legend of St Nicholas – Demi – beautiful illuminated illustrations

The Real Santa Claus – Marianna Mayer

The Real St. Nicholas – Louis Carus – collection of stories from around the world, large volume your family will read aloud from for years

*The Saint Who Became Santa Claus – Evelyn Bence – great explanation of how Santa Claus came to be – short story book (oop, but can get a cheap used copy)

Saint Nicholas, The Real Story of the Christmas Legend – Julie Stiegmeyer – good story – St Nicholas portrayed in more Catholic looking vestments

The Miracle of St Nicholas – Gloria Whelan – Orthodox Russian Christmas miracle story - this book brings me to tears every year

The Baker’s Dozen – Aaron Shepard – a legend of a St. Nicholas miracle – the story of how 13 came to mean a baker’s dozen

Nativity Books

*Who is Coming to our House?  - Joseph Slate – great repetitive rhyme book – excellent for younger ones (though my 10yo loves it too!) tells story of the animals in the stable preparing for Mary and Joseph to arrive

The Miraculous Child – Alvin Alexsi Currier – Orthodox tale of a Russian Christmas miracle, great story, language a bit stilted in English

The Legend of the Candy Cane – Lori Walburg (fun story, though debated historically)

*Long Was the Winter Road They Traveled – J. Patrick Lewis – beautiful illustrations, told in rhyme

*The Very First Christmas – Paul L Maier – excellent book, accurate and detailed explanation of the nativity narrative, told by a mom answering questions from 8yo son – one of our very favorites
The Little Boy's Christmas Gift - John Speirs - the illustrations are breathtaking, as many join the journey to visit the newborn king, including a small boy with nothing to give him
The Donkey and The Golden Light - John Speirs - Beautiful story of a donkey who not only witnesses the birth of Christ, but then is also the one who carries Christ into Jerusalem and witnesses his death and resurrection

Silent Night – Margaret Hodges – beautiful history of how this hymn came to be

What Can I Give Him – Debi Gliori – good for young children – based on Rossetti poem

What is It The That the Christmas Tree is Telling Us? – Orthodox – translated stories about the Christmas tree – English is a bit awkward

The Story of the Nativity – Orthodox – again, translation a bit awkward

Tonight You Are My Baby - Jeannine Norris - no mother will be able to read this one without tears, so be forewarned, a very moving look at Christ's birth through the eyes of a mother who knows what is to come (I'm tearing up just typing about it)
Father and Son - Geraldine McCaughrean  - this is the father version of the above book, and also a sure bet for tears on the part of the reader - a look at the Nativity through the eyes of Joseph, who wonders how he can teach this child about the world when he was the One who created it
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey - Susan Wojciechowski - thanks to Mat. Emily for introducing this one to us last year, and the movie is wonderful as well!

* family favorites



New Recipe for the Nativity Fast

Here is a soup we enjoyed this afternoon; perfect seasonal ingredients, warm and filling on a chilly fall day.  It has been adapted from a recipe included in the new Taste & See Cookbook.

Brazilian Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup

3 c black beans, cooked (or 1 can)
6 c vegetable broth (or water)
1-2 chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, or use fresh pumkin puree
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 t cumin (or more to your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon, and zest
chives or scallions, thinly sliced - as garnish if desired

Since it was Tuesday, I sauteed the onion and garlic in oil first, but the recipe calls to just dump it all in a pot, so on a strict fasting day, just skip the saute!  When the onions softened, I added the tomatoes, broth, beans, pumpkin and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the flavors are nicely mixed (we were in a hurry, so I served it pretty quickly, am curious to see how it tastes after sitting a while.)  The pumpkin gave the broth a sweet flavor which the kids enjoyed.  It was a mild tasting soup, and I think if you like a bit of a kick, you could add more cumin, or perhaps curry or garam masala for a different twist.  The recipe also says you can puree part or all of the soup.  I skipped that as well for time purposes, but will puree a portion of it next time.  This was so easy, as I had leftover black beans from yesterday, and have lots of pumpkin around here right now.  I am thinking this would also work really well with butternut squash in place of the pumpkin, and I have a dozen of those waiting around to be stored!  I think this recipe will have to go into my Nativity Fast rotation for sure.

The most pure Temple of the Savior;

The precious Chamber and Virgin;

The sacred Treasure of the glory of God,

Is presented today to the house of the Lord.

She brings with her the grace of the Spirit,

Therefore, the angels of God praise her:

"Truly this woman is the abode of heaven."

 Happy Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the temple!

for details on how our church celebrates this feast you can check out the Festal Celebrations page
and if your church holds a Presentation Tea, please leave a link in the comments, I would love to see pictures!

Welcome Home

We added to the family on Friday night - here are pictures of my newest little god-daughter

She and I will share a patron saint (can you see the icon of Anna behind us?)

She was baptized and chrismated along with her two big sisters and mother.  (Dad was chrismated long ago, and has found his way back and brought his beautiful family home with him.)

A celebration fitting for the season, shrimp and rice, crab ravigote, stuffed mushrooms, hummus and vegetables, fruit and punch, decorations all in the colors of the beautiful season of the Nativity Fast.

Saturday Morning Surprise

The crocodile hunter had finally given up hope that his precocious jungle fowl would return from her latest roaming.  She has a bad habit of wandering off into the woods and not returning at night to the safety of the barn.  She hasn't been seen in over a week, and we all figured a fox, coyote or one of the many local dogs had made a meal of her. Until this morning. 

Apparently she was simply fed up with the daily theft of her eggs, and like Jemima Puddle-duck, she wanted to sit!  And sit she must have, because this morning she proudly marched back to the barn with 7 little chicks in tow.