Lenten Recipe Archives

http://cblankens.blogspot.com/2004/11/tried-and-true-lenten-recipes.html
http://cblankens.blogspot.com/2005/03/new-lenten-recipes.html

these are lenten recipes i have posted in the past. please feel free to use them, publish them, whatever. anything to help us not focus so much on food during lent:)

oh, and monica is having a bean soup recipe party here.

Forgiveness and the Begnning of Lent...

Kali Sarakosti!

Please forgive me; may God forgive all of us!

Have a blessed Lent! (I have nothing interesting or exciting to post, sorry). I do have a number of old posts of Lenten recipes that at some point I will highlight in a new post. Can't get to it right now... have a hungry three year old waiting for breakfast (don't you know we are supposed to be fasting HAHAHA).

Happy Birthday, little p!

Happy Birthday, little p! You are 3 today! You had a rather abnormal entry into the world but since then, have been a joy to our lives:) even when you are throwing a tantrum you are still a joy and a miracle for us. May God grant you many years!!!

Jedi Battle gone Awry...

Big P has been running a fever since Monday evening (it is now Friday morning). No other symptoms and he has been, for the most part, just a little less exuberant than normal. He is eating, drinking, etc. normally.

Anyway, on Wednesday evening, after dinner, I was downstairs cleaning up the kitchen. Paul was upstairs with the boys. They were engaged in some intense Jedi lightsaber training. Paul goes to the bathroom to put on a bathrobe to make himself more of a Jedi (I guess- I don't know much about such things) and all of a sudden little p is screaming. Paul runs in and finds his lip split and he is bleeding profusely. We all pile into the old mini van and head to urgency care. When we are finally seen by a dr. he tells us we need to go to the Emergency Room as they will probably want to sedate little p to do the stitches since he is a squirmy almost three year old and his lip injury repair will need to be precise.

Off we go to the ER. By 10pm (Big P is about due for a next dose of tylenol) we are not in a room and little p is running around the ER as if nothing had happened. I call mom and dad and the come by the hospital and take me and Big P home. I could not sleep so watched episodes from season 1 of Lost until Paul returned, at 1am, with little p who immediately said, "I missed you mommy!" They did not sedate him (almost, though, because I guess he was hysterical in the middle of the stitching). We did not get a before picture but here is an after picture. And a picture of me with my younglings!

Note: I like the picture of little p- we had just finished saying prayers so it was taken by candlelight and you can see, in the background (and a little blurry) our icon corner with lit candles.

Facebook 25 Random things about me...

I cut and pasted the 25 random things about me from Facebook (yes, I have a Facebook account and spend way too much time on it:)

1. I have been deported from a communist country.
2. I love love love to read. and I am always reading something.
3. Currently, I am trying to read the Bible in a year, following the Orthodox books (apocrypha).
4. I love that my children have book lamps attached to their bunkbed so that they can read before going to bed, too (which they do- and they turn off the lamps at a reasonable time).
5. I do not have a spleen- it was removed soon after giving birth to my second son.
6. When they removed my spleen, I was told that it is very rare but some people have a second spleen. Turns out I am one of those people. They removed the second spleen, too.
7. My favorite color is green. My favorite smells are green (fresh cut lawn, cucumbers, pears, green peppers, etc.). I think this must mean something but I am not sure what...
8. I have the greatest family ever. That includes extended family and inlaws. I love my husband's side of the family, too- they are good people.
9. I have seen National Lampoon's Vacation too many times to count. We recorded it from TV years ago, totally edited. But last night is the first time I have seen it unedited. I think it is funnier without the swear words, personally.
10. My faith is very important to me. It took me a while to find it (even though I am cradle Orthodox and have never left the Church) but it has sustained me through the good and the not so good.
11. I love politics and having a good political discussion BUT as I grow older I tend to stay away from these types of discussions. I find that politics has become a private matter for me.
12. I love to listen to music and I love to listen to it really loud. My children also love music and listen to it loud, too.
13. I am becoming a homebody. And I love it!
14. I can put my whole fist in my mouth.
15. I enjoy the outdoors- camping, hiking, etc. but I do not like sitting in the sun. In fact, I missed the rain when I was living in San Diego!
16. I talk way too much. I am working on changing this.
17. My nose is crooked from a biking accident when I was young.
18. I really want to learn to knit and or crochet.
19. I am not at all artistic. I am also not into decorating. I am finally, 3 1/2 years after moving into our home, putting things on the walls and doing bits of decorating.
20. I hate mushrooms.
21. I want to go to the Holy Land someday.
22. I can be very emotional
23. I am almost always optimistic.
24. My sons are named Pavlos Nektarios and Petros Nektarios for Sts. Peter, Paul, and Nektarios. Pavlos is named for his grandfather, Fr. Paul (but we use the Greek form of the name) and Petros is named for my dad. Nektarios is for St. Nektarios because we love him!
25. I love to dance, especially Greek dance. My husband hates to dance.

Blogger Giveaway...

Sylvia is having a giveaway of this lovely Icon bracelet. I have seen these in our bookstore at church. Maybe someday I will have a giveaway, but I am not sure what I would give away:) Need to think about that one!

Just do nothing...

"Christopher Robin says that he likes that too, but his favourite thing of all is to do Nothing. Pooh ponders that for a bit, and then asks Christopher Robin how you actually do Nothing. Christopher Robin explains that Nothing is what happens when people ask you what you're going to do, and you say "Oh, nothing", and then you go and do it, and Pooh says "Oh, I see". And Christopher Robin further explains that it just means walking along and listening to things you can't hear, and not bothering."

Big P and I have been reading a bit of Pooh lately (the original books). And this about sums up today.

I could have gone to Costco to return something that broke (a Leapfrog toy).

I could have gone to Fred Meyer to buy a birthday present for the weekend.

I could have gone to Trader Joe's to re-stock our wine supply.

I could have gone to my mom's to pick up maternity clothes to give to three pregnant women in our parish (mom is at work, so I would have just picked up the bags).

I could have gone to the library to return some books; not close to being due, just return them because they are taking up space on my counter.

I could have gone to Goodwill and drop off a box of misc. items that we no longer need.

I could have done all these things or just some of these things. Instead, I did none of these things.

I did not exactly do nothing (hard to to nothing when you have an almost three year old). Instead, I played a few rounds of our new favorite card game with little p (*Hisss).

Instead, I ordered some picture to be picked up from Costco tomorrow.

Instead, I searched and found a wedding picture of ours that is in a Waterford Frame to put in my new hutch.

Instead, I watched little p build Lego skyscrapers to make his own city.

Instead, I made us lunch.

Instead, I did a little workout DVD.

Instead, I made a CD of favorite U2 songs for our koumbaro (I have been wanting to make him this CD for a year now) and packaged it up ready to mail.

Instead, I got around to re-addressing a few Christmas cards that were returned.

Instead, I did those little things around the house (the great thing is that dinner is leftover from Tuesday night so I do not even have to cook) that just do not ever get done while at the same time playing and reading and chatting with my little p.

All in all, a good day (although I have to go to a meeting tonight which isn't horrible, it would have just been nice to not have to leave the house today:)

*Hisss- the snake making game. It says on the box for 4 and over but little p can easily play this game. In fact, he plays it by himself, oh, wait, not by himself, but with doggie (his favorite stuffed animal). We all enjoy this game (unlike Candyland where I try to sneak cards in so that the game will finish sooner... shhh, don't tell anyone). Go buy it for your favorite 2 almost 3 year old!

sleep, glorious sleep...

is something that I lack today. I was very tired last night; even went to bed early. Could not fall asleep. Read. Could not fall asleep. Read some more. 2:30am finally able to turn off the light and fall asleep only to be awakened by Paul's alarm clock at 4:40am (why, oh why)- he doesn't wake up at 4:40- not sure why it was set to that time. Fall back to sleep around 5:30 to wake up to the real alarm clock at 6:30.
Me: Please, will you get Big P up and feed him breakfast and then wake me when you leave at 7:15am? Please let me sleep for another 45 minutes?

Of course, Paul agreed. I tried going back to sleep after Big P left for school (I am no longer doing the AM carpool so little p gets to sleep in) but I could not fall back to sleep. I am dragging today. And Fr. is coming to do our house blessing at 2pm and then at 3pm off to do the PM carpool. Thank goodness there is nothing planned for tonight!

Hope your night went a little better than mine (my only consolation is that my sister was probably awake during those hours too, but she has a new baby).

Read the Orhtodox Bible in a year...and a new blog.

Ok, so I'm not one to make resolutions. Never have been. I have some ideas in my head of things I would like to do to show my family that I love them and to reconnect with lost friends. One goal that is really set in stone is to read the Bible in a year. Many years ago a priest gave to me a spreadsheet of all the readings in the Bible divided up by date. Each day is about 10 minutes of reading. I have started a blog that is the readings (just cutting and pasting off of a Bible site). So, come read along with me! Please forgive me if I do not keep this resolution, but I am really, really going to try (and maybe blogging it will give me some accountability:)

My sister in law has started a blog, here's the link.

The last few weeks slideshow...

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few pictures that are better written then any words I could use of our last few snowed in weeks.

Welcome Baby Natalya! Born at 12:30am 6lbs 1 oz. We are almost Birthday buddies!

Prayers...

Please pray for Katherine (my sister) and baby Natalya. They are heading to the hospital right now. Will keep you updated as to when the newest member of our family is born!

Sometimes you get what you ask for... in weird ways

You know how last week I wrote that I wanted to shampoo my carpets? Well, yesterday I had to pick up Big P from school because he was not feeling well. He came home and took a nap (a rare thing in his life). After his nap he seemed to be fine. So I pulled out the carpet shampooer to do the living room before we set up the tree (which I wanted to do last night and we did do it). little p comes running downstairs and says, "pablos (how he says it) threw up". I run upstairs and Big P is on the futon couch, with vomit all over him, the couch, the blankets, pillows- you get the picture. and little p threw up in the middle of the floor! So I rush the boys into the bathroom, give them a shower to clean them up and then tackle the extra room. little p is not sick, but Big P is still sick and I have had to not only shampoo the living room carpet (what I wanted to do) but the boys bedroom carpet, the extra room carpet and DH said this morning why don't you get that spot that is on our bedroom carpet while you are at it?!!? So, all of my carpets are clean, a number of our blankets are clean, the futon cover is clean. Definitely be careful of publicly stating what you would like to do... you might just get to do it but in a weird, roundabout way! Hope your day is not so cleaning involved as mine has been (but we do have our tree up and after I eat lunch I am going to put up the rest of our decorations- although all of our outdoor lights have died! I may just have to buy some of those new fangled LED lights:) And at least I have some great Christmas music via www.pandora.com to listen to while I do all these things.

December 9- 16 Days Until Christmas...

I think I did everything that I posted about last week. Although, I forgot to bring my gift to the wedding! Isn't that slightly tacky? I have the gift (a beautiful icon of the Theotokos) I just didn't bring it with me. At least I know that I can give it to my godparents and they will give it to their daughter (my godparents live down the street from my parents... nice and convenient).

This week it seems as if there is something every night! Last night I had a youth advisor meeting at church. Tonight is our moms group Christmas gathering (first annual). I am bringing homemade bread, hummus, veggies, and Trader Joe's Candy Cane JoJo's (otherwise known as the best cookie ever). I hear they have a dark chocolate dipped candy cane jojo... I think I might need to try that:)

Wed I work which means I come home late.
Thurs. is a school meeting and Pappous is going to watch the kiddos.
Fri. we are home.
Sat. is a baptism.
Sunday is, well, Sunday and I think that is always the busiest day of the week (why they call it the day of rest I will never know). Oh, and it's my birthday that day. I think we are going to dinner?!?! I am not sure if my mom will be back down from Seattle. She is staying with my sister this week. Kat is due Dec. 26 but has fast and early deliveries. Until my brother in law returns home, my mom is with her.
At some point we need to put up our Christmas decorations. We have two new to us pieces of furniture for the living room which I am very excited about. Our living room was very bare and now we have two hutches/curio type cabinets. I can now display all those lovely items I have kept in storage. I have a place for my teapots and wineglasses. Very exciting but I have to wait to put up Christmas stuff. Growing up we always got our tree around my birthday (you would not know that now if you went to my parents home... since moving out, mom has decorated the day after Thanksgiving:)
I am done with my shopping. I have three (yes, three) orders through Amazon right now. So I am waiting for boxes to arrive and then there will be the wrapping of gifts.

Ok, I have to go, little p has finally figured out how to open the refrigerator and is re-arranging food. I'm not exactly thrilled by this new development...