A Shepherd's Meal

We celebrated Christmas Eve with a simple shepherd's meal.  I got the idea from Sally Clarkson but we added our own ideas to it.  Luke suggested that we eat outside and fortunately, the weather allowed.  But Leah had the best idea of the night:  to dress up like shepherds!  So we got all the random play silks, bandanas and blankets we could find and dressed to the hilt.  

Though I couldn't find much information on what shepherds might have eaten, I went with general Biblical chow:  nuts, raisins, sheep's milk cheese, olives, homemade sourdough bread dipped in olive oil, and wine (actually grape kombucha for us.)

We read the nativity story and asked the kids to imagine what it would have been like to be approached by angels in the dark of night.  Then we read the lyrics of Come All Ye, Shepherds and prayed together.  This was my favorite part of our family Christmas this year.  

Christmas at the US Botanical Gardens (Part 1)

Okay, so I went picture crazy at the US Botanicals Garden's Windows to Wonderland exhibit because it is AMAZING.  I am a huge fan of art created by natural materials and I just had to show people who wouldn't get the chance to see it themselves.  It was made by landscape architect and model train enthusiast Paul Busse.  He produced this whole village of garden railways and building replicas in 2004 and they showcase it every winter.    

Universal truth - kids love trains.  

These are little houses made out of gourds in Storybook Village.  (Gotta get yourself a gourd?)  

And the little old woman with all those kids that she didn't know what to do with lived here.  (I just read the end of that nursery rhyme.  If I couldn't relate to not always knowing what to do with my children, I'd really feel badly for hers.)  

A typical Capitol Hill neighborhood.

And one of the Gremlins of Gremlin Corner.  (Probably my least favorite of the displays as it brings back bad film clips about the improper use of blenders and microwaves.)  

Blogger's being stingy about how many pictures I can download per post (help, anyone?), so scroll down to see the national monuments made out of various flora.  You know you want to...

Christmas at the US Botanical Gardens (Part 2)

Below is the Capitol Building with small willow branches making up the columns.

The rounded top of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial is made with a gourd.

The "blocks" on the Washington Monument are cut from dried leaves.  

(And the backside in the background is made out of, well, backside.)

Abraham Lincoln's beard and hair are made out of lichen.  

(That's "a fungus and an alga growing symbiotically."  I totally knew that.)

And the white house gets greened by using seagrass as the detailing around each window.  

This was one of the coolest exhibits I've seen in the city.  It was absolutely beautiful to behold.  The warm and balmy US Botanical Gardens greenhouse will definitely be my oasis this winter.  

Cute Christmas Kidlets

Yet another childhood rite of passage:  Dressing up in uber-cute, grandma-provided duds for the evening Christmas service at church.  

Props to Grandy Diana for Leah's head-to-toe bling (she now owns cuter bracelets than I do) and much thanks to Grannie Stannie for John's "mini stock broker" look (minus the hiking boots.)

This is John's new goofball face and Leah applied her own lipstick.

"I'm not as into this as Leah is."

"I've been wanting to wear this dress since October."

The 3rd and 4th Weeks of Advent

I am mom enough to admit that our third Sunday of Advent celebration was pretty bare bones.  Dinner was late, the kids were close to meltdown, and we were all exhausted.  So we lit our candles, read a few verses, and sang (complete with hand motions) "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" as it is Leah's new favorite song ever.

Tonight was a bit better as we read through the "Silent Night" devotional in Christ in the Carols and sang it together (again with the hand motions.)  And we finished the last chapter of Mary's First Christmas by Walter Wangerin.  It's a unique retelling of the Christmas story with great foreshadowing and precious illustrations - we all loved it.  

The kids also decorated a little tree with a few special ornaments that we've received over the years.  Not that anyone's asking, but I feel the need to defend my "minimalist Christmas decor" philosophy.  I'm just not into spending money to acquire stuff that I have to find space to display in my already cluttered house and then clean up and find space to store for the other 11 months of the year.  It's not even that I don't appreciate pretty Christmas decorations, I just don't feel like I have to own them.  We will be enjoying numerous sites around the city this Christmas that are beautifully decorated and then I get to come home and breathe a sigh of relief as I sit in my living room that doesn't look like Santa Claus threw up all over it.  

One of the aforementioned fun Christmas traditions in DC is a Live Nativity put on by National Community Church at a local park near our house.  This little boy has been the baby Jesus for 3 years in a row.  

The kids get to pet all sorts of animals.  This shepherd had to keep the goats apart so as not to traumatize the children with their procreation shenanigans.

John's fear of four-legged creatures extended to this llama.  Ya know, the ol' "Christmas llama."

And this here is Leah posing next to the backside of a donkey.  

I'll let you create your own caption.  

The Nutcracker in a Nutshell

I surprised Leah with a little girl time this Saturday and took her to the National Theatre for a free performance of "The Nutcracker in a Nutshell."  It was the perfect length for little ones and Leah was totally in her element.  

We bundled up and waited for the bus to head downtown.  Luke offered to drop us off, but Leah really wanted the public transit experience.  She sang, "We're on the bus!  We're on the bus!" over and over again.  About half of our fellow travelers thought it was cute.

It was a half hour performance by a high school ballet troupe and they encouraged all the kids to come up afterward and take pictures.  And I was so thankful that I made the unusual move of remembering to bring the camera!

This is Leah with the Fairy Queen and her "sparkly stick."

Leah with the Sugar Plum Fairy.  

And Leah striking a pose with the angels.  You may have noticed that Leah made her own costume change.  She reasoned that since she wasn't going to get to dance herself (this was a tough concept to swallow,) she should still get to wear her ballerina costume.  So she changed right before the performance to the envious ooohs and ahhhs of fellow kids.  Though I'm definitely not one of those creatively-plan-ahead-so-that-it-all-works-out moms, I totally came across as one that day.  Point for Mel!  

More importantly I was so thankful that we had some much needed mommy-daughter bonding time.  I love my Leah!      

The Second Sunday of Advent

We lit our two candles and focused on the theme "Emmanuel."  We listened to and sang a couple of carols and hymns, read passages out of Isaiah and Luke 1 (Mary's song), and set up the Nativity scene that Grandy gave us last year.  

Leah loves the Nativity and even rearranged it the next day so that everyone could be as close as possible to Baby Jesus.  =)  Love that girl.  

Emmanuel - God is with us!

Missionary Medicine

I make and share this crazy stuff every winter and because of its kick-tail effectiveness some of my friends have been requesting the recipe. And since I'm on a recipe kick I figured I'd just post it on the ol' blog.

This was given to me by one of my Biola RAs (Hi, Hope!) who grew up chugging this stuff on the mission field. A few years later I found it called the "Natural Antibiotic" in Keepers at Home, a Mennonite homemaking magazine and then again recently at a nutrition conference someone referred to it as the "Master Tonic." Luke has affectionately dubbed it "Fire Water." Whatever you choose to call it, make some, chug it, gag, sputter, feel your eyes water, and then kiss those little germies goodbye!

MISSIONARY MEDICINE RECIPE by Diane Teague, Missionary and Mom

Combine:

1/4 cup finely chopped garlic (use food processor)
1/4 cup finely chopped ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped horseradish root
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup finely chopped habinero/cayenne peppers
1 quart raw vinegar (I use apple cider.)

(Or do a cup of each in a gallon of vinegar if your into bulk.)

Let ferment for two weeks, shaking it a couple times a day. Strain and put liquid in a tightly sealed container. Use the pulp in cooking. Take 1 1/2 droppers (1 tablespoon) morning and evening when sick. Use 3 times daily if VERY sick. Makes a great sore throat gargle.

Bloggers note:  We like to let our immune system have the first shot at trying to battle the bad guys, but if and when we're losing the fight, this stuff is a great back up plan.  And if you're curious how and why it works, here's a detailed explanation from Master Herbalist Dr. Richard Schultz.

The Advent Conspiracy Video

This is a GREAT video communicating the purpose of Advent.  Join the conspiracy!  

First Sunday of Advent

We're slowly trying to build up our family traditions and Advent is becoming an important one.  Rather than succomb to a gaudy, frantic, commercialized Christmas, we're deciding to focus on the simple, gradual and deliberate anticipation of the coming Christ-child.  

For the first Sunday of Advent, we made a wreath out of our holly tree's branches and talked about the symbolic lyrics of The Holly and the Ivy.  We read 2 Corinthians 4:6, John 1:1-5 and had Christmas tea and ginger snaps.  After Luke prayed we cuddled upstairs before bedtime and read chapter 1 of Mary's First Christmas by Walter Wangerin and the beginning of The Jesus Storybook Bible. Thanks for the early Christmas gifts, Grannie Stannie and Papa Billy!

We're really looking forward to this Advent season. Tell me how you are celebrating!  

Giving Thanks

We had a great Thanksgiving celebration this year.  Though none of our family was able to join us, we were glad that a few friends from our church did.  We did it potluck style - totally the way to go for Thanksgiving, btw.  More great food, much less stress.  If I never have to cook a complete meal myself, I'll consider it a major life accomplishment.    

We read Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation, prayed, shared what we were grateful for, played a game, talked and watch football, and ended the evening around 10:30pm.  It was great.  

Leah and John chowed on the brined, organic, grassfed ("and expensive," reminds Luke) turkey.  And we - by "we" I mean "Luke" - finally put together the acacia wood picnic table from Ikea.  The kids loved it!

Our friends:  Sarah and Luke Goodrich (Shalom and Baby Naomi were napping), me and Luke, Doug and Andrea Stevens (with Baby Noah), Scott and Amy Herbert, and (not pictured) our lovely housemates John, Kristi, and Baby Jack Stofer.  

Amy is uber-creative (literally - she has German roots) and brought a turkey sculpted out of raw veggies.  She can make anything.  She's amazing.

And because it wouldn't be a Thanksgiving blog entry without a recipe, I'll share my favorite this year.

Cranberry Chutney

(tweaked from Shalali's recipe at www.pintsizedfarm.com)

3 c. organic cranberries (regular are grown with lots of pesticides)

1/2 c. pecans

1/2 c. sucanat or rapadura sugar

2 t. sea salt

1/4 c. whey (drained from kefir or yogurt)

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 c. soaked raisins

Mix above ingredients and lightly pulse in food processor.  Let sit at room temperature for about 48 hours (or according to taste) and then refrigerate.  This is a true chutney because of the fermentation process and not only tastes great, but helps with digestion.  And we all know we can use a little digestive help during the Thanksgiving glut-fest.  

Happy 8th anniversary to us!

On November 18th, Luke and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.  (Leah clearly got into the celebration as well.)  

We're not big into giving gifts, but we love a good meal at a yummy restaurant.  Luke really went above and beyond and took me out for tapas at Bambule'.  Many of you know that Luke loves big portions and small prices, so tapas has always made him a little nervous.  But because he knows I love variety (I grew up eating at Vegas buffets, what can I say?), he decided to sacrifice.  And - because he ate slowly, had extra bread and drank lots of water - he was rewarded with a full stomach.  See?  It pays to be selfless.  It was a delicious meal with great atmosphere and even better company.  

He also went out of character and took me shopping(!) to get a girly winter hat so that I don't feel like I look like a boy with my short hair.  

We had a great time and were reminded again of why God brought us together.  

We are grateful.  

(And a special shout out to Nefret for free and enthusiastic babysitting!)

Wanna cry?

Then check out this video on the redeeming power of Christ's love.  It's really powerful.

Mandatory "Children with Pumpkins" photos

Though I didn't take the pictures by the unwritten October 31st deadline, I still feel somewhat secure that I am a halfway decent mother.

Check out John's weightlifting skills.

And we are not neglecting to cut Leah's bangs, she has firmly decided to grow them out.  She has strong opinions about her hair and she's only four.  Oy.

Storytime

Leah has been into mimicking the librarians at storytime.  She displays the books on the table, sets up her little chair and forces John to sit down on the floor and listen.   But alas, the toddler attention span does not a good listener make.  

(Insert Tom Brokaw-presidential debate joke here.)

Labor-nut Soup

Every fall I get a hankering for butternut squash soup.  And every year I stubbornly decide to make it from scratch.  The dilemma is that you can either risk chopping off a finger to cut the blasted thing in half so you can roast it for far longer than the recipe says and then burn your hands trying to scoop out the flesh OR risk shaving off your skin as you peel the blasted thing, scoop out the stringy seed stuff and put all your weight into chopping it up into little pieces to boil.  

Martha doesn't really mention this in the recipe.  

That entire two hour prep is glossed over in one precious little sentence.  Perhaps that's because she hasn't actually done kitchen prep since 1989 when she could start paying drooling interns minimum wage to chop things and display them in cute little bowls.   

What Martha also won't show you is what your kitchen looks like after all this happens.  But because I'm into "keepin' it real," I decided to forego the velvety- orange-soup-in-pristine-white-bowl-garnished-with-sprig-of-parsley picture and show you what my kitchen looked like after the whole mess was done.

Yeah, that's a glove.  I finally dug it out of my winter bin so that I wouldn't burn my hand on the aforementioned scooping-out-the-flesh part.  And no, an oven mitt didn't cut it - I needed finger dexterity to keep the spoon from poking holes in the skin.  

But similar to childbirth, my memories of making butternut squash soup will turn slightly rosier with every passing day.  Its earthy autumn sweetness will call to me next fall and I will make it once again.  From a freakin' can.

Bloggers note:  Okay, my conscience rose above my sense of humor and I must confess that I will make it from scratch again because I like to buy my produce from our local farmers' market and eat as few things out of a can as possible.  I think I'll just make Luke do the prep work. =)

Finger lickin' good

As you may imagine, Kentucky Fried Chicken hasn't been on the Sunukjian dinner menu in years.  But I had the recent and random opportunity to taste the Colonel's original recipe and, as a pregnant woman I must say, it was addictively delicious.  I had to find a recipe that my conscience could live with so I could make it on my own.  I'm not going to post anything, just google it like I did.    And use lard, 'cause it's healthier.  Yes, I said lard.  

So unfortunately, my thermometer didn't go as high as the recipe called for, the frying took longer than expected, and it ended up being a little crispier than I preferred.  Though it took 3 hours to clean the kitchen and I will never do it again, it satisfied my craving and now I can say that I've fried chicken.  'Sup, Paula Deen.

My Second Birthday!

John, here.  Writing to tell you about how I'm 2 now.  I can't quite make my fingers do the "2" sign yet, but Leah can.  She's amazing.  And sometimes bossy.

Mom was excited because Grannie Stannie and Papa Billy offered to take us out to eat, so she didn't have to cook.  And after I stuffed my face full of food, everybody sang happy birthday to me and brought me some cheesecake.  Cheesecake is awesome.  

When we got home, the family gathered around (including Grandy on iChat) and sang happy birthday to me again!  (They must have done it twice since I'm two.)  And we ate the chocolate chip cupcakes that me and Leah helped my mom make.  They weren't cheesecake, but I'll eat anything.  

Even though I hear it all the time, nobody has to tell me how cute I am.  

And now that I'm 2, I'm twice as cute!  

Gardens gone wild

Some of you know that I'm a wannabe gardener.  2 years ago I got a plot in a community garden 2 blocks from our house.  I had never really planted anything before and was blown away by how many little seeds sprouted into green things and then eventually matured into edible things.  So you'd think the next season would provide even more bounty.  Not so.  We were gone for the entire month of July and though I lined up some folks to water it, I came back to this:

I didn't know how to heal this little piece of land, so I did what any city girl would do - lived in denial.  I stopped visiting, pruning, watering, and basically felt a little undercurrent of guilt unless it rained.  And when I finally had enough guts to confront my neglect of the plants I was slowing killing, here is what I found:

Sad, bald sunflower.

Spikey, stunted cukes.

Shriveled, yellow green beans.

But lest you think I'm the only subpar gardener, here's a little look-see at my plot neighbors.  None of us really know what we're doing.  

I am recording this for the world to see, so that when I am a Master Gardener in 20 years growing most of our family's fruits and veggies in my own backyard, we can all marvel at how far I've come.  Hey, Better Homes and Gardens, watch your back!