Christmas Tour December 21, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 3commentsMy friend Mrs Darling posted a few days back about some of her favorite Christmas decorations. I thought it was a super idea and got Miss Language to take some photos for me. Here is a tour for you. :)
First, my little Mr Music. This ornament so resembled him, swing and all, that I even got a second to one day give to his sweet wife.
Then on to a shelf of my McDonald’s fine Cabbage Patch dolls. I have a second shelf. The angel here was from Miss Language’s first trip to McD’s. It is a holiday tradition for me to reglue its wing every year.
Next we are showcasing my gingerbread boys. Gingerbread boys are my favorite Christmas theme and these are some of the cutest.
Here, above our mantle, hang my gingerbread family. Each of the kids knows which is “them”… left to right they are ~ Mr Gingersnap, Miss Dance, myself, Devastatingly Handsome, Miss Language, Miss Dog Lover, and Mr Music.
Here is an angel crafted many years ago by the young Miss Language when doing Advent devotions. She looks to me like the type who would dance on a pinhead.
This Chatty Cathy is a gift from my friend Kim, who, like me, remembers her own Chatty Cathy fondly, red velvet dress and all. These ornaments even have a little pull chain and sound just like the original. (Notice how Miss Language made her wave to the blog readers…)
Raspberry Fairy Bear hangs by my sink, a gift from my Mum. He has the same broken wing affliction as the angel but Miss Language says it just adds to his lovability.
And finally our favorite clay nativity, also a Miss Language production from younger days. None of us have a clue what the “animal” on the left was intended to be, but it did use up the leftover clay.
Christmas Joy December 20, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsOne of the ironies of Christmas celebrations is that we think we ought to be happy at all times. But when you think about it, the very reason Christ came was because of our sin and misery.
Some of the old carols remind us of this, especially the fourth verse of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear:
And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!
So, as you or those around you are being crushed by life’s load, please rest beside the weary road and rejoice with the angels, for our Savior has come. It is in this way that we know true joy.
Zuzu’s Petals December 19, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsTonight was one of those family traditions, pizza and It’s A Wonderful Life.
My mouth’s bleeding, Bert!
My mouth’s bleed…
Zuzu’s petals, Zuzu’s…
There they are!
Bert!
What do you know about that?
Merry Christmas!
‘Nuff Said December 17, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farThe folks at Engrish.com have hit onto something that seems like a plan some days:
The Dictionary Comes Out Again December 16, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 1 comment so farAnother interesting discussion hit at breakfast today. The kids were eating CocoWheats and Miss Language wanted to know what they were, anyhow. I told her chocolatized farina. That did not satisfy so she read the box and then wanted to know what farina is. We have cleverly positioned her seat near the piece of furniture that holds our dining room dictionary (when it’s not on the rungs of her chair) just so she can quickly deal with a Vocabulary Emergency.
She looked up ‘farina.’ (Un)fortunately, she got distracted en route to ‘farina’and asked if anyone knows what ‘fard’ means. Someone said something about a type of poet and then Devastatingly Handsome asked could it be a bard who ate too many beans? No. Turns out to be some archaic word:
–noun
| 1. | facial cosmetics. |
–verb (used with object)
| 2. | to apply cosmetics to (the face). |
[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < MF, OF: n. deriv. of farder to apply makeup, prob. < Old Low Franconian *farwiđon to dye, color (cf. OHG farwjan, G färben)
]
I helpfully pointed out to Miss Language that when young men come to call and she is not ready, we can tell them she is in the bathroom farding. She did not seem to appreciate the suggestion.
Then at dinner I served pesto tortellini. One of Miss Language’s had ruptured. This led to a discussion of what is the word for just one ‘tortellini’? Doubtless you will be heartbroken to hear the dictionary let us down. So we were going with ‘tortellinus’, till we discovered actually several had ruptured. Whew. Problem solved.
Joy of the Season December 15, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 1 comment so farTonight’s dinner feature was Cheese Noodle Broccoli Soup. Miss Dance is, uh, fond of this meal. When she went out for her second bowl, she said, “I am filled with ballistic joy.”
In case you want to serve Ballistic Joy at your house (now, isn’t that a snazzier recipe name than Cheese Noodle Broccoli Soup), here’s the recipe. Enjoy.
1 large chopped onion
8 cups turkey or chicken broth or equivalent
box of farfalle noodles (shape traditional here)
2# bag of chopped broccoli
reasonable shake of garlic powder
6 cups milk (skim here)
12 oz pack of American cheese
Saute onion in a bit of water. Add broth & bring to a boil. Stir in noodles, return to boil, heat about 3 minutes. Then stir in broccoli and garlic powder and cook 4 more minutes. Then add milk and cheese (tear the slices into quarters) and keep stirring till heated through.
Ballistic joy. 
Not Funny December 15, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , add a commentMr Music has always been quotable, even as a tot, at least when he would pry his left ring and middle fingers out of their sweet spot in his mouth long enough to speak. He is also the child here who clung like a monkey, and is more of a drama queen than suits a very male child (”drama king” just doesn’t sound right).
One Christmas season when he was little I was wearing this necklace:
For some reason Mr Music needed comforting, so I was on his bed, hugging him up and saying the calming things moms say. He took one look at my necklace and the sobbing switched to a terribly loud “I’ve been wronged!” kind of scream. This puzzled me till he said, “and if that’s not bad enough, now he’s smiling at me.”
Oh, the nerve of that little gingerbread man.
12 Days December 14, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : No Comment Needed , 2commentsHere’s something for your enjoyment this season (thanks, Debbie!).
New Hymn December 12, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentNot sure you can call a hymn that’s over 350 years old “new,” but we are learning All My Heart This Night Rejoices and it’s new to me. Give it a listen and enjoy.
According to Mr Music December 11, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 3commentsMr Music has been more quotable than his usual, so here goes:
Yesterday during math he let his big eyes fill with tears and asked, “What do you think the penguins are doing now?” As I was wondering if he was talking about the hockey players, or the black and white birds, he carried on with, “I feel so sorry for them on the long cold march. I wish I could do something for them.” And then proceeded to sob too hard to do his math. Note to self: do not let tender-hearted children watch nature documentaries.
This morning (yep, math again) he did his Calculadder page. Then he was doing his timed Saxon worksheet. That is more fine-motor at a stretch than he liked, so when he hit one of the more challenging multiplication facts, he stopped to rub his arm and complained, “This is arm-splitting.”
This afternoon Miss Dog Lover asked why he was scratching his belly and he explained his stomach was itchy. She advised him to apply some cream (samples of Eucerin today in the doctor’s waiting room so she is in salesperson mode) and he scowled, “but it’s itchy on the inside.” There are times it’s best not to know what a child means, exactly.
At least the penguins do not have to do fact sheets and if their bellies are itchy they can swallow some ice.