Snow

    We had a dusting of snow this week, a rare treat here in the Pacific Northwest. My kids get so excited and love to go play in it. They say things like "Mom, I think we're snowed in!" and "Have you ever seen so much snow?" I grew up on the prairies of Alberta, so yes, I have seen "so much snow". And then some. I like to tell them stories of how we used to get drifts taller than they are, deep enough to dig caves in. They can hardly imagine it! Someday I will take them to play in some real snow, but until that they'll have to be happy with this. 

Poppy makes a snow angel.

Happy girl!

Raphael rode his balance bike in the snow. In pajama pants. In Crocs.

And Peregrine ran around shoveling driveways. (Lest the 1/4 inch of snow prevent some poor soul from getting out of the house.) Also in pajama pants. With leans underneath.

Our house in it's snowy glory.

And the littlest snow princess, Pearl. She loved it and raced around happily with the kids.

An Evening In

On Thursday Erik and I celebrated ten years of marriage. God painted the sky in lovely colors in honor of the occasion!

We had a lovely Evening In. I made a nice dinner, set a special table for two, and the kids acted as our servers. Peregrine decided a pirate theme was appropriate for our romantic dinner so he decorated with pictures of ships and sea captains! He also named the "restaurant" Red Rackham's: Fine Scurvy Dining fit for a Sea Captain. Aaaarhg, Matey!

There were some interesting characters underfoot, literally. Here they are under the table in the fire's light.

Our dessert, appropriately named Red Rackham's Ship.

And here we are; our table for two at various times seated three, or four, or five or six. But that is a good picture of our life together; we started out as two and God has blessed us with four more! It was a very special evening in with our little family, reminiscing about the past, enjoying the present, and dreaming of our future. (And last night we got to go out, just the two of us, and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation.) Here's to many more years together! 

From Our Home to Yours

This is the letter I sent our with our Christmas cards this year. 

                                                                                                12 December 2011

Dear Friends, 

   Greetings from our home to yours!  We’d love to invite you in for a cup of tea and a long visit, but this will have to do. These are busy years! As we look forward to our tenth anniversary, we’re a bit surprised to find ourselves still living in Oregon. We’d planned to move overseas, but Erik had cancer in our first year of marriage. Praise God he’s now healthy and cancer free! Then, of course, we added four children to our family, which can’t really be called “little” anymore! We’ve enjoyed living here and being near family, good friends, and a wonderful church.

    Recently we’ve felt a stirring to to revisit the dream we had when we first set out together. We’re slowly pulling up roots and planning  a round-the-world journey and pilgrimage. We’re preparing to put our home on the market, and when it sells we’ll leave, traveling slowly, visiting people and places, and plugging into communities and churches. Our plans are loose, and we hope to be led by God as we go, willing and able to change directions as opportunities arise. At the end of this journey, we hope to settle down longer term in another country. We’re excited about this new chapter in our lives! In the meantime though, life goes on, and here’s a glimpse into what that looks like from day to day: 

    Erik continues to work for our local public utility company as a substation wireman electrician. We’re thankful for his stable job. He enjoys photography and is always learning and trying new things. A few years ago he built a coffee roaster and roasted for a number of local businesses as a side hobby/business. As of the last few months, he’s given that up and is only roasting small batches for himself.

    I keep busy taking care of the kids and our home. I’m happy that many of the things I enjoy fit right in with my job description; I love cooking, sewing, crafting, and reading, and there are plenty of all those to be done! I’m educating the kids at home, which is challenging at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s fun to learn right along with them. This fall we participated in a homeschool co-op that meets one day a week, and the kids took some fun classes. I enjoyed helping out with the little ones. 

    Peregrine just turned 9, and has lots of interests. He’s an excellent reader, and loves building, from Lego creations to paper crafts and forts. He likes to draw comics and write stories. He’s also taking karate and just passed his second test, earning a brown stripe on his white belt. 

    Poppy is 6 1/2 and also enjoys drawing and making crafts. She’s learning to read and had fun taking Irish Step Dancing at Co-op. She loves pink and purple, fairies, unicorns, dolls and stuffed animals. All that said, she can rough and tumble and loves to get messy. She’s very generous and thoughtful.

    Raphael is a busy and independent 3 1/2 year old. It doesn’t occur to him there might be things he shouldn’t do alone! I’m trying to take advantage of that by giving him responsibility and letting him work alongside me. He keeps me laughing with the funny things he says and life with him is never boring! 

    Pearl is still our baby at 1 1/2. She finally started walking and is pleased to have “found her feet”. Prior to this she had a pretty efficient and funny way of scooting around the floor on her bottom! She’s so sweet and happy, a joy to all. It’s fun to watch her discover the world around her.

    We’re all excited about our upcoming changes, although there are many things we’ll miss about our life here. We’re glad it’s so easy to keep in touch. If you’re not already on facebook with me, I’d love to connect with you there; my name is Rebeca Groover. I also try to keep my blog updated with pictures of the kids, tales of our adventures, and things I think about. You can read it at www.carriedonthewind.com.

    Thanks for taking the time to catch up! We hope that someday soon our paths will cross. May you be filled with God’s love, joy, and peace this Christmas and in the coming year! 

    With love,

    Erik and Rebeca, Peregrine, Poppy, Raphael, and Pearl

Saint Lucia

    December 13th was Saint Lucia day, but we waited until the weekend to celebrate so that Erik could be home with us. Poppy and I made these gluten free buns from the Spunky Coconut. While they were baking Erik sat with the kids and read Lucia: Saint of Light. It's a lovely book which tells the story of Lucia, as well as explaining some of the traditions that have risen in remembering her, especially in the Scandinavian countries. She was known for her purity, love for Christ, and care for others. I love that we remember her right before Christmas, as it seems we need to keep being reminded that it is more blessed to give than to receive. When the buns were done, Poppy got dressed up as "the Lucia bride", remembering that Lucia chose not to marry so that she could serve Christ without distraction. The red sash reminds us that she was martyred for her faith and love for her heavenly bridegroom. Poppy served us the buns, just as Lucia used to give out food to those in need. It is said that she would go into the catacombs where Christians were in hiding, and in order to keep her hands free to carry food, she wore a wreath of candles on her head. While I love the idea of a flaming crown, I thought this wool felt one was a little more practical and safe. (The pattern was in Living Crafts magazine a few years ago.) This is the first year we've really celebrated Saint Lucia Day and I think we've established another family tradition. I think it's so important to make our remembrance of the saints meaningful and special for the children. May we all be brave, loving, and kind like Saint Lucia!

Saint Herman of Alaska and Spiced Snickerdoodles

Father Herman with Northern Lights behind him.
Painting by Poppy and I, with a little clip-art monk.

    
    December 13th is one of the days that Orthodox Christians remember Saint Herman of Alaska, a Russian monk who lived among the Aleut people two hundred years ago. He settled on Spruce Island and cared deeply for the villagers there, sharing with them God's love and his very life. He taught them to boil salt out of the ocean water and preserve food for winter, and he defended them against corrupt traders who sought to exploit and abuse them and their land. He was greatly loved and respected by those who knew him. The Aleuts called him Apa, or Grandfather, and he did all he could to help, care for, and protect those in need.

Peregrine chose for us to paint the story of when a tsunami was coming and Father Herman placed an icon in the sand, praying to God to save the village. In faith he said the waves would come no further than where the icon stood, and they didn't.
Both paintings were inspired by the book North Star: Saint Herman of Alaska.

Our Playmobil advent calendar was transformed into a scene on Spruce Island today, complete with Father Herman, who was a borrowed shepherd from our nativity set, and a little paper church. It is said that the animals all loved Saint Herman and even bears would eat out of his hand!

Father Herman loved children, and would bake lots of biscuits and cookies to share with them. In his honor we made some cookies and all enjoyed them very much.

    These cookies are inspired by Glutenfreefix's Snickerdoodles recipe. I made several changes, and these are gluten free and also vegan. They are delicious, and still very healthy.  I'm really happy with the texture, which is just a little chewy in the middle but has a nice crunch on the outside. I added more spices than a typical snickerdoodle, and so these are more of a cross between a spice cookie and snicker- doodles. Enjoy! 

Saint Herman Day Cookies
Gluten Free and Vegan

1 C Coconut Oil, room temperature
1/2 C Honey
1/4 C Coconut Sugar or other granulated sugar
1 t. Vanilla


1 1/2 C Almond Flour
2/3 C Coconut Flour
1/2 C Gluten Free Flour of your choice (I use a blend)
1 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Sea Salt
1/2 t each Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger


Cinnamon-Sugar blend for rolling


 Mix Coconut Oil, Honey, Sugar, and Vanilla in a mixer until fluffy. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. If the dough is too soft to roll into balls let it rest in the refrigerator for a half hour or so. Form into 1-inch balls and roll in Cinnamon Sugar to coat. Place on a greased or lined baking sheet. Press each ball gently to flatten just a bit. Bake at 325° for 8-10 minutes. You'll know they're done when they've flattened, puffed, and just started to look a bit "cracked" on top. Take them out when they still feel pretty soft if you prefer a more chewy cookie. Cool for a few minutes on the pan before placing on a rack. 
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies. 
Enjoy!

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter and Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.