Christmas: on the eighth day of Christmas ...

... my true love gave to me a very relaxed day after attending morning Mass (where LegoManiac served).

We did something we only rarely do: lay out all kinds of good snacky food and indulge our senses while feasting on the college football bowl games. Dh who is very "into" eating healthy ... turned a blind eye and joined right in as we had Totino's Pizza Rolls, chips and dip, spinach/artichoke dip (which I made and didn't realize what a fat pill that is -- but what a way to go), buffalo wings, fancy cheeses etc. Dh, who used to work in the poultry industry, always stayed away from buffalo wings (seems that he worked in the industry when wings were thrown away and he thought paying premium for them was silly) -- well, turns out he liked these!

The day was going well -- until Clemson lost to Nebraska (and BamBam collapsed in tears!). But tears were dried when USC (BamBam's team) beat Penn State (Lego Maniac's team). Whew!

We finished up the feasting with a recipe we picked up at Ikea: Lingonberry Parfait (lingonberry is like cranberry or red currant ... slightly tart but oh so good).

Also, it's the Feast of Mary, Mother of God and dear, clever friend Charlotte had a coloring picture all ready for us to make our plaque for our Marian collection:

We ended our day watching Martin Chuzzlewit -- a Dickens story I've never read, but this has me interested in checking it out. The BBC version is so well done! What a great story about greed, goodness and love triumphing over all.

Here are the recipes I made today:

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

• 10-12 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 10 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or monterey jack
• 2 tbls minced garlic
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, etc)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp red pepper (more or less to taste)

Melt butter in medium pot. Saute garlic till browning and fragrant. Add ingredients, mixing and blending well as each is added, in this order: spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, artichoke, Italian seasoning, red pepper (everything BUT the white cheese). Remove from heat and put in microwave-proof bowl (or oven-proof bowl) and sprinkly white cheese over the top. Place in microwave and heat till cheese melted (or place under broiler until cheese is bubbly and lightly brown). Serve with thin, toasted slices of french or italian bread or chips (also tastes great as a dip for celery sticks). WOW!

Lingonberry Parfait (any tart jam would work with this recipe ... marmalade, red currant, anything not too sweet).
Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 6 tbls powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup lingonberry jam
• 1-1/4 cup whipping cream

Beat the eggs and sugar till fluffy. Carefully fold in the jam. Whip the cream till stiff peaks and fold into the egg/jam mixture. Freeze the parfait in a dish for at least 4 hours. Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with dollop of whipped cream and dash of lingonberry jam (altho we just ate it up and are happy there's a bit left for tomorrow!).

Theme for the Year: JOY!

Yes, I know we're past the 1st of January when I should have already had a theme, lots of books and crafty ideas, and generally had the entire 365 days planned. But, that didn't happen (what with flu that wouldn't leave our house, a new puppy, Christmas with little folks who still "believe", and the general mayhem of being stuck inside with sub-zero temps outside).

But enough moaning about what "could have been". Onward, and (hopefully) upward!

So, my theme for this year is JOY! Seeking, finding and taking joy in everything we do, in everyone we meet and everywhere we go .... JOY.

There is a Christian-poster I once saw that spelled out how to achieve JOY ...

putting Jesus first

then Others next

then Yourself last

As a focusing theme for the "littles" and our home-learning environment, I turned to my friends at 4real for inspiration. One thread that Susan posted had the perfect subject line: A Magical Childhood! Doesn't that sound wonderful? Creating an environment where each child's formative years are focused on the magic and wonder of each day ... finding God's magic in different spots ... creating an environment where each child can find his/her own magic and making memories while learning! Doesn't that sound wonderful?

Susan's 4real post pointed me to a website called, A Magical Childhood, where the site-owner shares her motive for her site:

This site was born out of my desire to share ideas and celebrate
the neat parents out there. In an age when kids are getting scoliosis from
toting home such heavy backpacks and people are trying to teach their infants
French, I thought it was high time there was a place that focused on plain old
happy, goofy, silly, leisurely life for our children.

Over the next week, I'll be posting some of my ideas of how we'll focus on JOY this year and also how we'll be creating a "magical childhood" environment here in our home. If you have any comments, suggestions, or even criticisms, please post in the comments below ... I'll need all the help I can get!

Happiest of New Years to you all!