quick update between everything else!

exams...one to go. sigh. (poor kid!)

cookies...3 batches made...3 to go!!

cookie dough...way too much consumed!

celebrating the season...happening right now!!!

may you find a moment of quiet peace in the middle of it all...

when boyworld & exams collide...

this is what happens when the stress of studying & exam-taking beings to take its toll...

handcuffs & water guns start to go to one's head

& you find things like this little gem...

& if that wasn't bad enough...you find this...

i think these posters explain L.'s recent need to be glued to my leg!

is it time to bake cookies yet???

to do

is anyone else out there wallowing in the joy of the season?? i was not blogging last year at this time (i was only lurking!) & so i did not wake up mornings during Advent saying to myself, "i will blog this 'n that" only to collapse into bed a bit later than usual saying to myself, "oops i was too busy & am now too tired to blog this 'n that!" my blog is teaching me things about myself...even though i am striving to keep this Advent season quiet & thoughtful, i am still much, much busier than i hoped to be. but i will take it all with joy!

Baby Girl is home! for a month! that is such a gift to us...her smile lights up the house like the lights on the Christmas tree & she makes a mean cup of evening tea for our talk times.

Boyworld & K-Bug are still in exam mode...one more to go for K-Bug & a few more for the boys early next week. i keep hearing..."when are we baking cookies???" the cookie bake is like a dangling carrot being used to encourage studying! (i can't wait to bake either!!)

next weeks "to do" list is forming in my head & it looks something like this:

1. get those boys to the end of their school quarter

2. breathe **huge** sigh of relief (even the teacher is ready for Christmas break!)

3. bake cookies till the counters overflow

(4. eat cookie dough on the sly)

5. finish decorating the tree...it only has lights right now!

6. light some candles every night & steep in the moments of quiet that present themselves

i like that list. very much.

weather or not...& feasts!

good morning, y'all!!(this morning's misty sunrise over the bay courtesy of D....thanks!) by the bay the calendar may say december, but the weather certainly does not. according to my resident meteorologist, yesterday's high of 78 broke our local record. today the forecast is for more of the same...a good travel day for Baby Girl's homecoming for Christmas break! Little Man is not only busy with local weather, he is deep into monitoring Olga...our post-season (it "ended" 11/30, so they say) tropical storm that is churning up the waters of the Caribbean. now, my cavalier attitude about december storms was brought in line promptly by Little Man this morning...he produced a historical hurricane map of a *category 2* hurricane that actually made landfall *right here* in december 1925!! i guess i just better pay close attention to Little Man's forecasts for the next few days ;) ...i like having this kid around!

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feasting...

last week i was indulging one of my favorite internet hobbies...reading food blogs & i found Paola. her fall recipes had me drooling! when i came across her "soul-warming soup" & it matched my pantry contents perfectly, i knew what i had to do! i know this what's cooking wednesdayrecipe may seem a little odd for nearly 80 degree weather, but all the same it is a very tasty, very satisfying find on the dinner table...& it is, indeed, "soul-warming!"

thank you, Paola!

soul-warming soup (with slight adaptations)

peel & dice 2-3 sweet potatoes, sprinkle with sea salt & olive oil...roast until tender

dice 3 stalks celery, 2 large carrots, 1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic

add olive oil to stock pot, then add diced veggies...saute gently for ~5 minutes

add 1-14.5 oz. can pinto beans, 3-1/2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth, & 3 cups tomato juice

add 1 t. mace, 2 t. cumin, 1 t. ground coriander, 1 t. chili powder, & 2 t. brown sugar

cook on medium for ~15 minutes

add roasted sweet potatoes & cook ~5 more minutes

puree the soup in small batches & reheat if necessary

serve with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley & a dollop of creme fraiche (0ptional)

today's feast day in the liturgical calendar...Our Lady of Guadalupe...

lights of december...

darkness seems to fall so unexpectedly in these days. one hour i am sitting at my desk with a full flood of sunlight pouring into my room.in the passing of just one hour i look up from my desk to see the last pink rays of a setting sun illuminating the eastern horizon...in a whisper the sun sinks into the west & the world goes quiet. before lighting the candles, i grab the camera & head for the western view to see this...what a glorious prelude to the deep velvet night!

next up...the lights of the Christmas tree...

amid the all the hustle & bustle...

you might call me crazy, but i love being out & about this time of year. once upon a time of early motherhood, i thought it wise to shop for Christmas early with a plan to be wrapped & ready for december 1 so that i could really settle into Advent properly, quietly, reflectively. actually it did seem to make some sense, but do you know what i would do? hide the presents & forget where they were...or worse yet, that i had even bought them in the first place!

after a few seasons of this silliness, i realized that i was also missing being among the mass of humanity preparing for & celebrating the season. i missed the bell-ringers. i missed the hearty greetings rarely exchanged other times of the year. i missed the impromptu conversations struck up in the spirit of the season with others.


so back i am to the routine of old...i do no shopping for Christmas until december 1st! now, for sanity's sake...i go for a simple gift-giving approach~~ one with a budget & one done with love...no buying for the sake of buying, no impulse shopping, no demonstrations of love with dollars. (i do keep a running list of present possibilities throughout the year when inspirations strike!)


and with this task at hand...i go out into the world with joy! i am shopping for those i love. i am shopping for those who cannot. & i have a chance to give a warm smile & word of encouragement to every single person in my journeys.


what about the times when this season raises stress levels & brings out the uglies? (this is bound to be part of the journey...)


i found this timely reminder 2 Christmases ago & have kept it close to read frequently (even in other seasons)...to keep it all in perspective as i go about my path & bump into others on theirs...
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Dear God...help us to remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mom who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry, and spend a few precious moments with her children.


Help us to remember that the pierced, tattoed, seemingly disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19 year old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans next semester.


Help us to remember that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day is a slave to addictions that we cannot even imagine in our worst nightmares.


Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she received last week, this will be their last year they go shopping together.


Please gently remind us each day, that of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. it is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. open our hearts, not just to those who are close to us, but to all of humanity. Let us be slow to judge, and quick to forgive, to show patience, empathy & love.
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i wish i could attribute these beautiful words, but i found them without the author's name. whoever you are...thank you!!

boyworld goes green...

...finally!! we have the green light from our internet service provider.after several days of no access, we're up!! thank goodness this did not happen during NaBloPoMo ;)

it was just in time to share last night's adventure of hot chocolate & Christmas tree shopping in 30 degree weather!brrrrrrr... i do miss the days of going to a tree farm & picking out a balled tree which we were able to plant in our own yard after the new year. but in this area, that is not possible. last night a nearby lot full of Christmas trees became boyworld as the guys searched diligently for that very perfect specimen.sadly the girls could not join in the adventure, but if we had waited until the college students returned home, there would be no trees left! so the guys did their best & of course, we found the perfect-for-us tree.& i must say there is nothing quite like sipping your hot chocolate on a cold almost-winter night surrounded by these joyful trees, inhaling their magnificent scent!

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after the lack of internet for so many days, i almost forgot that today is wednesday...what's cooking wednesday?? in the flurry of Christmas preparations, there are some easy eats on the menu for this week & next. (really, la cucina is a bakery right now!) this week's recipe is easy & quick & nutritious too.

homemade veggie & goat cheese pizza

brush a store-bought pizza crust (i use whole wheat) with olive oil (remember, it's that busy time of the year & i am not making my own crust...that's for january!!)

add a layer of fresh spinach, a layer of sliced roasted red peppers, thin slices of red onion, & torn leaves of fresh basil (all to your taste)

sprinkle the veggies with a handful of pinenuts

spread goat cheese over all

season with sea salt & fresh ground pepper

drizzle all with olive oil

bake according to crust manufacturer's directions & enjoy!