Advent 2025

We've had this Advent tradition since our oldest was an infant. 

When the girls were all very little, it was easy to read every night. 

But in previous years, with the number of evening activities we were all involved in, it was difficult to read every single night. 

This year has been delightfully different and we have been able to read every evening before bed. 

What does our tradition include?

We read an advent book that tells the Christmas story straight from the Bible with new doors that open each night. 

And we have ornaments that have an Old Testament prophecy about Jesus on one side and New Testament fulfillment on the other side. So we look those up in the Bible and read them then hang the ornament each night. 

I just finished my final essay for my final class for my Masters in Classical Liberal Arts Education from Belmont Abbey. The books on my essay’s bibliography are shown here. These are not all the books on the syllabus. This last class was on the ancient quarrel between poetry and philosophy. With many proofs from these texts, I demonstrated that the experience of story in the human soul is essentially the same experience as reality in the human soul, which makes stories as powerful and formative and serious as we all know they are from experience. 

Stories have been the heart of our homeschool. They have formed our souls, especially those we have read more than once. And in the case of the Gospel, a story has saved our lives and changed us forever. So I can’t think of a better way to end this intellectual journey than to be able prove to myself rationally what I have known poetically all along. 

After reading my essay aloud to my family and discussing it, Dwayne tells me he is glad I can cook again now that I’m done and tells the girls, “Get ready for vegetables!” To this, Avril expresses real relief and thankfulness, “Oh good! I can’t remember the last time I had a carrot!” To his credit, Dwayne has been the one cooking for several days to give me time to work, but he would agree he cooks like a bachelor who is trying to bulk. 

Praise and glory be to God. He is the great good from which all lesser goods come to us. My heart is full. My soul is formed. To quote Taylor very loosely, I’m feeling at home with the best of the things that exist, because I have taken their substance into the parlor of my soul.

Crossfit

We've been going to Crossfit for private training sessions twice a week consistently for months. 

In a few months, we'll switch to a regular membership and attend the afternoon classes. 

None of my kids are sporty, so this is their PE. 

And the girls love lifting heavy weights! Of course they do. It's awesome! 

It's been a dream of mine for over ten years to have my family lifting weights together. 

But, after years of Lyme disease, inactivity, depression, and weight gain, it certainly looks different (and feels different) than it would have if we had been able to start this when I was really healthy. 

But I'm still thankful to God that it's finally happening. 

I'm thankful to God I'm finally healthy enough to begin exercising again. 

Arcus

Arcus brings a ton of joy to our lives. 

Like a dash of pepper adds spice to a pot of soup, he adds an element of chaos to our mostly very orderly home.

It's a special blessing to have a buddy fly up on your shoulder and keep you company as you go about your day.

Turkey and Noodle Soup (With Thanksgiving Leftovers)

I used our Thanksgiving turkey bones to make stock. 

Then I used that homemade stock and our leftover turkey slices in this recipe. 

Ingredients:

Olive oil 

4 cups of turkey stock

2-3 cups of leftover turkey pieces, sliced

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 bag of large egg noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat your pot on medium heat. 

Pour in olive oil and onions and celery. Cook until veggies are softened. 

Add turkey stock, salt, pepper, and fresh, chopped parsley. (You could also add the salt, pepper, and parsley at the end.) 

Add carrots and cooked turkey chunks and let the soup simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes. 

Then add egg noodles and let them cook another six to eight minutes. 

Turn off the heat and the soup sit for about five minutes to cool a little before serving. 

Enjoy! 

Sourdough Continued

 

I've made two loaves of sourdough this week, and I'm planning to make another this weekend.

I've started scouring my dough with a design. 

I do not like my current bread lame with a long handle, so much so, that I prefer to take the razor off it and hold the razor between my fingers to scour. 

So I've ordered a small lame with a retractable razor to use for scoring instead. I look forward to using that once it comes in the mail. 

The Perfect Boulden Beef Stew

I've been trying different beef stew recipes for decades. I finally created one that is perfect for my family's tastes. 

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Approx. 1/8- 1/4 cup dry red wine

1/8-1/4 cup Arrowroot powder

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

Two large carrots, peeled and chopped

1-2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into smaller pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper before cooking

Four medium Russet potatoes or two large, cleaned, partially peeled, and chopped

Approx. 4 cups beef broth

Kosher salt and fresh cracker pepper to taste

Two tablespoons dried thyme

1/4 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Heat a pot on medium heat and add a generous amount of olive oil to the bottom. 

I like to use an enameled pot, so I can see the star develop on the bottom of the pot as the beef sears. 

Sear the beef pieces. Let them cook as long as necessary to get rid of all water. Turn them as often as necessary. Allow them to get a bit charred, and the oil and beef bits on the bottom of the pan to char, but not burn. 

Pour 1/8-1/4 cup of wine in. let it sizzle and stir the beef around to releasing the char from the bottom of the pan. This will flavor your stock. 

Add your chopped onions and allow them to cook for a few minutes, stirring as necessary.

Sprinkle in the 1/8-1/4 cup of arrowroot powder and stir everything together. 

Now add your broth, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. 

Cover and simmer on low until the carrots are soft when poked with a fork. 

Turn off the heat and add the frozen peas and stir. 

Allow the soup to sit for several minutes uncovered before serving, so the peas thaw and the soup isn't too hot. 

Enjoy!