The fourth candle of advent: Peace
December 19, 2011 § Leave a comment
The fourth Sunday of Advent (which was yesterday, I know, I forgot!) is the candle of peace, or The Angels’ Candle.
The Angels’ Candle reminds Christians of the angels who appeared to the shepherds on the hillside, announcing the Savior’s birth.
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'” Luke 2:13-14.
Happy holidays from (kinda) Home Depot
December 15, 2011 § 2 Comments
Have you all seen that Home Depot commercial? The one where you take an old, empty window frame, paint it red, insert c-hooks, hang ornaments, and place the finished product on your fireplace mantel? I must have seen it about a hundred times, and kept thinking how fun it was.
So one random day, when I was feeling like I needed something satisfyingly tactile to accomplish, I looked around the apartment and considered how I might imitate that idea. I roped my roommate in and we set to imagining, planning, and crafting.
We didn’t have a paneless window frame, but we did have a trellis that I hardly used this growing season and didn’t plan to use again. I sawed off the legs and we painted it with a Martha Stewart silver-blue glitter. Three coats and we had the sparkle we wanted!
Then we selected fabrics and ornaments, and tried out a few arrangements until we discovered what we liked best. Instead of traditional red and green, we favored silver, blue, white, a little red, and a little brown.
We screwed in the c-hooks (which was harder than you’d think), hung the ornaments, glued the fabrics, and put it all on display above the fireplace.
Ta-daa!
Give a cow for Christmas
December 14, 2011 § Leave a comment
I’m a little late on my annual intention to spread the word about Heifer International . . . but here it is, nonetheless. Heifer International seeks to overcome hunger and poverty by working with communities to establish strong, local, agriculture-based economies. How can you help? By donating the funds to provide a family with a heifer (hence the name), goat, bees, ducks, even a water buffalo! You can give the gift on the part of a friend or family member, or simply for your own sake – and by doing so, you equip the recipient of your gift to pass on a gift to someone else. Passing on the gift is central to Heifer International’s mission; as one person or family gets on their feet, they can then offer a hand to someone else.
What kind of giving, this Christmas season, could be better? I encourage you to look at Heifer International’s website, and consider giving the gift that keeps on giving.
Here’s a link to the site: Heifer International
Have you ever given or received a Heifer International gift? I’d love to hear about it!
An afternoon in Estes Park
December 13, 2011 § Leave a comment
Colorado visitors almost always go to Estes Park. Is it too touristy to be special? I tend to be an off-the-beaten-path girl, but I have to admit that I like to swing by the traditional tourist spots as well. Curiosity gets the best of me, I suppose.
I first went up to Estes Park about a year ago. A couple friends and I drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, where the snow fell on a laughing, flustered wedding party, and we climbed on boulders and caught an impressive view of an elk. On the way back, we stopped in Estes for window shopping, dinner, and specialty chocolate. The town reminded me of Spearfish, South Dakota and Ely, Minnesota – those outdoor-focused, rustic-quaint small tourist towns. I like them.
Caramel apples, scarves, headbands, candy shops, hearty hamburgers and crispy fries, truffles, conversation, and the winter shades of blue and dark green and white made for a happy day.
Don’t be afraid to walk the beaten path now and again! Sometimes it turns out to be well-traveled for good reasons.
Teatime at the Thompson House Inn
December 12, 2011 § 4 Comments
My very dear friend Renee has come to visit me! So we have been out and about around Boulder County, and I am happy to be discovering more fun to be had as well as sharing favorite places and things.
Our first outing took us to the Historic Thompson House Inn – a venue I’d spotted a year ago, before I’d even moved up to Longmont, and somehow forgotten all about. We pulled up the website, laughed when we found out you got to play dress-up if you wanted, and decided we had to give it a try.
The house is just as Victorian as you would expect, with an excess of floral decor, lace curtains, trinkets and towers of teacups. When you enter, you’re invited to sign in to the giant guest book, then visit the powder room to select what you like from the gloves, hats, stoles, and pearls. Once you’ve donned your fancy duds, you’ll walk through the parlor to the sunny tea room, remove your gloves, and be offered a steaming scented hand towel for washing your hands. The towel is essential, since Victorian teas consist primarily of finger food.
Napkins in laps, we were ready to have our cream tea. The orange tea came in a classic pot along with cucumber sandwiches, turkey on cranberry-sauce bread, heart-shaped scones, and gingersnaps. And one mustn’t forget the pots of lemon curd, cream, and orange marmalade. Scrumptious.
The other guests in the room were celebrating parties. Two tables featured young and old women all delightfully decked out for a bridal shower. The other small corner table had a grandmother, mother, and little girl – and the girl got a cake with a great sparkling candle for a Happy Birthday. We all sang, and grinned. Weren’t we all feeling a bit like little girls today?
Once Renee and I finished eating and drinking, we were given a small pot of raspberry sorbet “to cleanse the palate,” and sent away with packets of sugarplums in our purses. We aren’t the kind of girls most folks would call fancy young ladies, but for a few hours that afternoon, we got to pretend we were.
The third candle of advent: Joy
December 11, 2011 § Leave a comment
The third Sunday of advent celebrates the lighting of the Candle of Joy, or the Gaudete Candle. Gaudete is a Latin word meaning “Rejoice!” For Christians, this is a Sunday for experiencing the joy of the Lord’s promises, the joy that will come with the Christ-child’s birth, and the joy of His ultimate salvation of the world.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.” – Philippians 4:4–6; Psalm 85:1.
The second candle of advent: Preparation
December 4, 2011 § Leave a comment
The second candle is the Candle of Preparation, or the Bethlehem Candle. It symbolizes the preparations made in Bethlehem in expectation of Christ’s birth. Christians consider how they might prepare their hearts, lives, and communities to welcome a Savior.
“As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.'” Luke 3:4-6
Honey cinnamon hot chocolate
December 4, 2011 § Leave a comment
With the piles of gorgeous white snow and the single-digit temperatures outside, a person can’t help reaching for something warm to drink. And it is the Christmas season, to boot. What does that mean? Setting aside the more recent, grown-up trend towards Pumpkin Spice Lattes, everyone knows it’s time for hot chocolate.
And the good news? I have discovered the most delicious way to make it! To my chagrin, in the past few years I have almost never been able to finish my mug of this favorite beverage. I liked the idea of hot chocolate, but in actuality, not so much the taste – it was too sweet and too bland. I began opting for mochas instead.
Then, while Google searching as part of my (newish) quest to find ways to replace sugar with honey, I stumbled across a recipe that does just that with hot chocolate. Though the recipe I found was a bit too rich for me, I made my own changes and was perfectly pleased. I’ve found myself frequently making – and finishing! – this healthier, more flavorful version of hot chocolate.
Here’s how you make it:
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons honey (more or less, to taste)
cinnamon
Directions:
Heat the milk; do not let it reach a simmer. When steam rises from the pot, stir in the cocoa powder and honey. Add three dashes of cinnamon. Stir until the cocoa powder is completely dissolved into the milk. Pour and enjoy!
Variations:
You could add a teaspoon of vanilla for a slightly more complex flavor. Or drop in a cinnamon stick. You might also whip some heavy whipping cream (with or without sugar and vanilla added to it) and dollop that on top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Sip carefully! No one wants a scalded tongue!
Elena creates on her striped rug
December 3, 2011 § Leave a comment
Where do you create? Send a picture to birchbark.erica@gmail.com to receive a packet of blue pumpkin seeds and get entered into a drawing for Storey’s Country Wisdom Almanac!
Early morning at the barn
December 2, 2011 § Leave a comment
Here is the short, quiet moment of the morning. The first thing to see, on one of those days when the horses are greeting the day’s first light out in their runs, or standing sleepily in their stalls, and haven’t yet realized I have arrived. Soon they will notice my footsteps, or the sound of bales being lifted into wheelbarrows, and faces will come poking out from between the bars. Some of the horses will nod and toss their heads with gusto. Hello! Hurry up! Others will whinny or nicker until their hay or grain is placed in front of them. I always wonder if this is happiness or eagerness or impatience, and it is likely all three. We are hungry! It’s time for breakfast!
Kinds of Honey 