Company Christmas Party 2022

My husband's company's Christmas party was last night. There's always a lovely meal and conversation with coworkers and spouses. The company president gives out many awards, and his remarks are always funny and heartwarming. Dwayne was awarded Employee of the Year this year! I am in a unique position to witness and testify that he really deserves that honor. He works really hard. (And so I work really hard supporting his ability to work.) We give glory to God for His ever-present help, provision, blessing and guidance. We've been blessed to take several versions of this same photo through the years, though we've changed a bit year to year! 

Holiday Puzzle

It's tradition to start a new puzzle at the start of every holiday break. 

During our normal routine, there's not enough leisure time nor empty table space for building puzzles. 

But we look forward to holiday breaks, so we can do a puzzle then. 

We usually buy a puzzle months before and keep it ready for the next break. 

I think we purchased this one at the library book sale at the end of summer! 

Building puzzles over holidays is a way to ensure we actually slow down and take more leisure and gather together. 

We often chat or listen to a good audio book for the two or three days it usually takes to finish a 1000 piece puzzle.  

My Chicken Divan Recipe

My Chicken Divan

Ingredients:

Two cooked chicken breasts (approx. three cups), chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 1/2-2 pounds of broccoli pieces, steamed and drained well

One can of cream of broccoli, mushroom, chicken, cheddar soup, etc. 

One can milk

Approx. 2/3 cup sour cream

Equal parts (approx. one teaspoon each) of onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, pepper, and Seasoning Salt

Approx. two cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Mix together soup, milk, sour cream, seasonings, and cheese. Mix in cooked, chopped chicken and steamed, drained broccoli. 

Prepare a glass casserole dish with cooking spray and pour the mixture in. 

Bake until hot and bubbly, approx. 40-45 minutes. 

In the meantime, prep rice and sides. 

Comments: 

This isn't a fancy dish, obviously, but my family loves it. Everyone gets seconds and eagerly hopes for and eats any/all the leftovers. 

When I was first struggling with Lyme Disease, I was given a version of this dish from a friend at church with rice and broccoli and chicken altogether, and I loved it. 

I asked for the recipe and then cooked it for my family, but their feedback dictated that I change the sauce. The original version was made with mayonnaise, but after referring to other divan recipes online, I adapted the recipe to make the dish without mayonnaise and separate the rice from the dish altogether. 

When I cooked it again, I changed the sauce even more to make it creamer, since that is what the feedback my family prefers. 

I try to be careful not to steam the broccoli too long. Otherwise, it totally falls apart when it is mixed with the chicken and sauce. I prefer when the broccoli is in bite-sized pieces like the chicken, but my family actually seems to prefers the broccoli overcooked and incorporated into the sauce (as in the photo above.) 

Homeschool Field Trip to It's A Wonderful Life- A Live Radio Show

We attended It's a Wonderful Life- A Live Radio Show with our Change Homeschool Co-op yesterday. 

The set of the play was an old-fashioned radio studio with several standing microphones and a sound effects station. (Imagine the radio show scene in the old movie Annie.)

The Hartford Stage is unique because the stage is below the seats, and the first row is literally on the stage. 

That's where our kids were sitting.

So there's some fun interchange between actors and audience. 

We watched the cast of the play pretend to put on the play for a pretend radio audience... 

So that was a bit mind-bending, and there were layers upon layers of acting and imagination at work. 

Watching someone produce a radio show is riveting by itself. 

Watching someone produce sound effects is interesting by itself. 

Watching a lively play is one of the greatest treats of the human experience. 

So this play was exponentially fun.

Sound effects came from an old fashioned sound-effects station with paper bags, plates, bells, brushes, shoes, a miniature door that could be slammed for effect, etc. 

That was a delightful element, even to the grown-ups. 

And the moments of play between the radio show actors and the sound-effect person were hysterical at times. If the sound effects guy got carried away, the actors would roll their eyes and the sound-effects guy would shrug his shoulders and look abashed.

I was most impressed with the sound effects the actors and actress made with their own mouths at times. These moments of the play reminded me of some of the funniest improve shows I've seen. 

I really appreciate actors and actresses who can really abandon themselves to a part. 

So it was the best of comedy.   

But the show also brought me to tears, because the story of George Bailey really works on me like that anyway. 

At one point when the story gets really serious and deeply spiritual, the radio show microphones are whisked away, and the actors truly enter the play.

That was a really outstanding choice by the director.

I'd see this play again in a heartbeat, so as to see all the fun again, but witness how the same show might be slightly different the next time, because of all those unplanned, human elements involved. 

I'm not a big television or movie watcher, but I think I could see a play every single day of my life.

I need to remember that and make time to go to plays more often. 

I'm so thankful for the mom in our group who coordinates these field trips. 

This one was delightful!

Astronomer Shoe Boxes for Challenge B

 

Avril finished her astronomer shoeboxes for Challenge B.  

The Challenge B students have all done research and projects on astronomers throughout this first semester. 

Now, students choose two (or more) astronomers in secret and provide clues to the astronomers' identities in their shoeboxes.  

For instance, if an astronomer made telescopes, sang opera, played piano, discovered binary stars or Uranus, studied eclipses, lived in a simple, log cabin, or made a map of Washington D.C., you might include some of those items to your shoe boxes as hints. 

Student bring in their shoeboxes, and classmates get a chance to guess who the astronomers are based on what's inside the boxes. 

Can you guess who Avril's astronomers are based on the pictures above? 

Hint: Her two boxes actually represent three astronomers total.  

Winter Break Begins (But Not Really)

Adele and I had our last week of Foundations and Essentials last week, so our winter break has begun. 

But it was a remarkably busy week and weekend, so we haven't felt much rest yet. 

Avril has her last day of her first semester of Challenge B tomorrow and thankfully, most of her work is already done. 

After that, her break begins. 

But we have a remarkably busy week ahead. 

We have a playdate with friends tomorrow, 

and youth group tomorrow night, 

and a Christmas play to attend with our homeschool group Wednesday, 

and appointments, 

and practice for Christmas program Wednesday night, 

and Christmas parties later in the week, 

and shopping and wrapping and gifting and mailing to do, 

along with the regular piano and art lessons. 

So I'm not sure how restful this first "break" week will actually be. 

I think we'll still put out a puzzle and listen to an audio book in the moments in between activities. 

Norah arrives home from college Saturday, Lord willing. 

We're all looking forward to greeting her at the airport. 

And really, that's the thing we're looking forward to the most. 

That's probably when it will truly begin to feel like Christmas for us all. 

Bone Broth Leveled Up

Last week included a new culinary adventure. 

I purchased a free-range whole chicken from a local homeschool-mom farmer-friend. 

And when I say whole chicken, I mean it didn't have any feathers, but it still had some of its organs and its feet and head with the comb. 

Since first reading about making bone broth many years ago, I've always wanted to try making stock with the chicken feet and comb included, because those parts contain much more of the rich gelatin that nourishes our bodies. 

This chicken had black feathers, a black comb, black feet, etc. so the broth came out a dark brown. 

Once the bone broth was done, I didn't get a lot of meat off the chicken, but I didn't expect to, since the chicken was raised naturally on a local farm, so it was much smaller than the Franken-chickens sold at the store that we are all so used to. But I got enough meat to make a big pot of chicken and wild rice soup. 

The darker chicken meat paired well with the wild rice in my soup. I enjoyed some of the soup right away, ate leftovers for a few days, and froze a large jar for a time when I might be sick and in need of a nutritious, easy meal. 

I was impressed by how much gelatin the first batch of broth had. I froze several cups of the rich bone broth to use in meals this winter. 

I made a second batch of broth with the same bones and leftover scraps of meat I didn't use in my soup. This broth came out much thinner, but I made and froze several cups that will work for soups and chilis and in place of lifeless, boxed or canned store-bought broth. 

In all, it was a successful culinary adventure. I've leveled-up in my bone broth making skills.