Merry Christmas!

We had a great time visiting family.  We tried to get a shot of all 12 grandkids:

And it was so warm that I had to send my boys out to run around:

We also went to the zoo.

And we got the obligatory photo in front of the tree.  It's not great, but we tried.

Back home, Nathaniel has been working on the shower:

And Elijah and Malachi helped me complete this 1,000 piece Sandra Boynton puzzle:

 

More Food and a Birthday

 So we had a big birthday here, with Emry turning 9.  He naturally enjoyed his day very much!

Then, we opened our Christmas presents this morning:

And I spent the rest of the day making cookies and getting ready for more Christmas.  I forgot to buy caramels, so I decided to look up how to make them.  It turns out to be quite easy and delicious:

So these caramels will be inside the turtles I made.  

A couple of days ago, I did make another medieval side dish, a leek casserole.  I don't think any of us had ever had leeks before, so it was an entirely new taste.

I actually liked it very much, but I was the only one.  Luckily, I didn't make a ton, and I happily get the leftovers.  It was interesting that the original recipe called for almond milk and rice flour, both things that I don't think of as being medieval.  It was listed as a dish for lent, so it makes sense that it specified almond milk, since back then dairy was not eaten during lent at all.

Cat Sushi

The kids were really amused by the sushi costume that Lydia picked up from the Agape shop last week.  

The cat was less than enthused.  Poor guy!  

And the shower is sanded and ready for the next step!

 

Lard Candles and Some Medieval Foods

 Remember a few years ago when I made tons of lard candles?  They came in handy this weekend:

We were without power for nearly 24 hours, so Nathaniel was working at keeping things going here.  He had the generator up and keeping the fridges cool, and he kept a blazing fire going downstairs to help heat the house.  Because of the extended time without power, I had to put off my medieval cooking, but I made three dishes yesterday.  

The first is sooty cakes:

This came out beautifully.  It has eggs, breadcrumbs, bacon, parsley, sage, and cheese.  It was delicious, and I will definitely make it again.

Next up was a recipe for broad beans. I used lima beans, and it, too, had bacon and breadcrumbs among the ingredients.  I really liked it:

Lastly, I made an agraz, which was mostly beets.  The kids say it tastes like grass.  I can't say they were wrong, exactly, but it was really pretty:

Nathaniel bought me a medieval cooking course/history course for Christmas.  It includes medieval recipes and clips from scholars, so naturally, I have been enjoying myself.  It was put on by a restaurant in Newcastle, UK, where Nathaniel has traveled so many times, so that was a fun connection.  I have more recipes to try in the future, but I think I should space them out a bit.  The kids were good sports in trying everything, at least.  Malachi and Lydia are particularly excited that I plan to source and cook a pig's head, but that will probably be in a month or two.  They enjoyed watching Victorian farm with me so long ago, and we all remember the pig's head that was cooked for that program, so when they saw it on the menu, they started asking for it.  I admit that it is weird, but I'm eager to give it a try.

Progress, Strings, and Cats

 Panther and Midnight enjoyed hanging out with me on the roof yesterday.  Panther was quite happy laying on my legs until I snapped this picture:

Then he went to pout at the back edge, with his back to me:

Midnight was unperturbed, as she continued to get lots of pets and belly rubs:

Malachi had a second strings concert in less than a week.  Here is the big group shot:

And here is his campus orchestra:

The boy next to him is also playing a bass. I had never seen one that small before, but two kids played them at this concert.  Malachi even had a couple of solos in the songs!  

And the bathroom remodel continues.  Here is the mudding I did while Nathaniel was out of town:

He has since added a second coat.  The cat can no longer get into the wall, and he is very vocal about his disapproval.

Bathroom Shower Progress

 Nathaniel set in the shower base yesterday, and today he has Elijah installing some drywall:

Soon we won't have to keep the door closed to keep Panther out of walls!

Also this weekend, Mom and Dad came to watch Malachi's orchestra concert:

He played a couple of duets as well as the songs played by the entire orchestra.

Thanksgiving

We headed to northern Indiana for Thanksgiving, and I got my sister-in-law to take some pictures of our crew.

We had a nice visit.  We even had a dusting of snow one day.  Years ago, it snowed every Thanksgiving.  When the big boys were young, they could sled every Thanksgiving break, but the past 10 years or so have not had snow.

We had fun visiting with family, and then Nathaniel and I got away for the night to a hotel in Shippshewanna.  The lobby was decorated:

And the hotel also sports fake animals:

We had a nice break away, and we visited a bulk store, where we bought about a billion pounds of cheeses and dry beans.  I also played one game of skeeball at the hotel, and I probably scored higher than I ever have, so it was a good point to walk away.  :)  

 

November Harvest Totals

 Arugula

Eggs - 192

Radishes - 7

also - thyme, sage, chives, rosemary, oregano

Book Review - Lights Out by Natalie Walters

 

Lights Out by Natalie Walters is an action-packed suspense with romance. Although I liked the sparks between the main characters, I thought their past break-up and trust issues were a weak part of the story.  It seemed that for half of the book, I wondered why they broke up, and then when it was revealed, it didn't seem very convincing.  However, the action and terroist plot was intriguing.  The action was well-written, and it keeps the reader engaged. The characters were interesting, and fairly well-drawn.  I loved secondary character Kekoa, and I am looking forward to a sequel with him.  This is the first in a series, but it is a stand-alone novel.  

I received a copy of the novel from the publisher, Revell, for the purpose of writing a review, but all opinions are my own. 

This and That

 

We've been enjoying the nice weather today and getting some outdoor chores done.  Nathaniel and Pilot chopped wood, and Emry and Gyunay stacked.

The big project, though, is inside right now:

Nathaniel and Elijah tore out the old shower.  

I also never posted these zoo pictures from a few weeks ago.

Walls

 I've been slowly painting here, and I finally got the living room done!

I really like the color.  I don't know that it shows up quite right on the screen, but it's a bluish gray.  This wall got put back together, but most of the pictures have not been hung on the other walls yet.  I am debating on what goes where.  

Happy Halloween and Dia de los Muertos

 

Happy All Souls Day!  I finally made an ofrenda, which I've meant to do for the past few years.  I need to get some little pictures and frame them or something for next year.  And I'd love to get a calavera or momento mori (basically, skulls).  And I forgot to add a candle, but at least I finally got one up for All Saints and All Souls (Dias de los Muertos).  All of the flowers are real, and were blooming in my yard.  It's been unusually warm, and we haven't had a frost yet (which normally comes around Oct 16-20).  

Halloween was fun.  The youngest three and Nathaniel and I joined some friends for a picnic dinner and trick or treating.

Captain Hook and Count Dracula were very enthusiastic.  

You can't tell from the group picture, but Lydia was covered in fake blood and wound tattoos.  

October Harvest Totals

 Beans, Dragon     3.9 oz

Beans, Golden Crescent   - 1.7 lbs

Beans, KY blue - 2.6 oz

Beans, Provider - 8 oz

Cantaloupe - 1

Carrots - 6

Eggs - 231

Pepper, nadapeno - 2

Pepper, orange - 1

Radishes - 5

Sweet Potatoes - 9.1 lbs

Swiss Chard - 2 bunches

Tomatoes - total 5.1 lbs

        Better boy - 1.8 lbs

        Black Krim - 11.1 oz

        Orange - 3 oz

        San Marzano - 2 oz

        St. Pierre - 2.4 lbs

Watermelon - 1

October Recap

 I haven't blogged a lot this month, but there has been a lot of activity around here.  Malachi had a mini concert, and for the first time, his orchestra accompanied a live song and dance performance.  They did a great job.

The chickens have been enjoying greens from the gardens.  These are mostly sweet potato leaves.  I dug up a good crop of sweet potatoes yesterday.

Malachi turned 17.  

And I never posted many pictures from camping:

I was amused by how fascinating checkers were.  Every game had observers!

Also, we took the younger 5 to Holiday World for the day, along with my brother's and sister's families.  My sister got a few good pictures: