Not quite the Bible version...

Monkey was overheard saying "Take that Herod!"
Evidently the shepherds decided to defend baby Jesus and take on Herod's soldiers.
Those were some tough Shepherds!

First Nativity Fast...

The Nativity fast really took us by surprise , we were used to having another two weeks to gather everything together. But last sunday the kids asked do we still get to light a wreath.
Some quick emails and a rumage through the cupboard later and we had some candles decorated up.
The kids were properly pleased but my hands are still itchy from wrestling holly and oregon grape.
The wreath that previously held our advent candles has become our Jesse Tree thanks to the ladies at
http://festalcelebrations.wordpress.com/ .

Saint Martin...

Not our best chalkboard but we had a really nice St. Martin's day.
The rain stopped and we had friends with us from both our new and old parishes.
The lanterns were lit and we pretended we could sing.

Fall Snapshots...

Despite fighting the flu we had a lovely fall, lots of dress up, gardening, nature walks- we checked out the new beaver dam down the street made our own rock beavers and acted out the story of the enormous pumpkin (turnip) over and over. We also went through way too many boxes of tissue and about 50 jugs of OJ.

Kalamata Dresses...

Iddy Biddy loves kalamata olives- they have been one of her her favorite foods since she was a toddler -second only to feta. When she found a fat quarter of kalamata fabric last spring she jumped up and down squealing in excitement. I hadn't a clue what to do with it but bought it anyway.
Of course then just a month later we joined an Orthodox parish which just happened to host a Greek food fest every fall :)

We had a blast whipping up her dress and apron -of course then Blue Eyes wanted to match- we had just enough to make a tiny head covering and apron.




Biddy worked hard and happily at the dessert table which surprised me as she often grumps about the unfairness of being a Celiac. She did manage to do a lot of dancing though!

Tasty pumpkins...

We spent most of October sick with swine flu so missed our usual trip to the pumpkin patch for hay rides and pie pumpkins but a friend brought us 2 -enough to make a small but tasty batch of pumpkin puree for the freezer. Monkey outlasted the girls in helping- any chance to wield a knife!
And Valentine enjoyed both the raw pumpkin and the finished product.

Working Hard Being 2

I have been better at remembering to gear more days to Blue Eyes - being two is hard work that just can not be rushed.

More fall chalkboards...

Fall chalkboards

Schultüte...

On the very first day of public school we wave at the bus- the bus stop is ironically outside our kitchen window.
Then we peek into our Schultütes (paper cones filled with goodies and school supplies) and go out to breakfast.





and yes that is a tooth brush peeking out of Blue Eyes pile- new toothbrushes are always a hit around here!

The lighthouse

The fog was thick at the lighthouse during our Not Back to School trip but it was the first time Biddy and Monkey were tall enough to make the climb. It was a lot of fun and just a little scary ;)

Not Back to School- to the Beach!

Every year we take a family trip during the first week of Public School.
This year we went spent the night on the coast.
We played on the beach, explored the tidepools,
climbed the light house and visited the aquarium.









A lovely first week of school!

Gluten Free Fast : Flat Bread

Having been used to eating an odd diet the last few years dh and I were not overly concerned with Orthodox fasting...until we started.
We were surprised to realize how much dairy and meat had replaced the bread in our meals.
Looking back I saw how much of a rut we had gotten into- really how many days in a week can you eat shredded beef tacos :)


Katherine's post on falafel got me thinking. Dh and I used to hit a half dozen Greek restaurants when we were dating and after moving to and discovering the lack of restaurants in our corner in Coffeeland we used to cook quite a lot of Greek food.
But we had dropped all the recipes when converting to GF-The main hold up being our favorite flat bread.

I haven't baked since Valentine was born so I decided it was time to try. I found an unopened package of Teff in the cupboard and came up with this very tasty flat bread.

The kids were suspicious of the falafel but the flat bread disappeared in a shark like frenzy.

Gf- Fast Friendly Flat Bread

2 1/3 cup Gf flour mix (I used Gluten Free Mama's)
2/3 cup Teff flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. baking powder
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water

I mixed in a stand mixer and used a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough.
I lightly rolled each scoop in flour then patted out into flat breads.
We fried them in a pan with mixture of canola and grapeseed oil along with our falafel but they hold up well enough Im going to try to bake them - I let you know if it turns out.

They are dark-from the Teff but very tasty and none of the after taste that you often get with rice flour recipies.
They also held up well in a warm oven while I was cooking the rest- they did not get soggy or dry.

Changes in Coffeeland...

My dear Brother noted that our blogs have not reflected a recent change in our lives.
So slowly little changes have been occurring...most noticeably our blog heading now says..."our Orthodox home".
This change took a more than a few of our friends by surprise -It surprised us as well-what had been a gentle urging became an impossible to ignore calling. We began attending our local Orthodox parish at Pentecost and hope to be Chrismated in September.
We will be always grateful to our Catholic friends and Parish that have nurtured our faith for the last decade since first moving to Coffeeland.



Things that have not changed in Coffeeland:
* Cool cloudy mornings
* Coffee and Prayer by the windows.
* Trails of glue and glitter around the house
* Learning through the Liturgical year
* Not enough time to blog about the projects we do-Sorry Grand Parents!
* The smell of beeswax
* Gluten Free Saints days
* Our favorite Saints

Things that have changed in Coffeeland:
* Dairy free Coffee
* Orthodox Morning Prayers have replaced our Rosary
* Icons have joined the Cross in our kitchen
* Greek and Russian chants I don't understand replacing the Latin I didn't understand.
* Fasting on Wednesdays
* Our Liturgical Calendar
* Peace and renewed Joy have entered our home.

Nature walk...

We got to go on a nature walk with Daddy!

And we found a whopper of a wasp nest- bigger than a basket ball and quite active.
The dc ran past fast!