A ceilidh in Caronport!

The Briercrest TESOL department held a really fun Scottish ceilidh as a fundraiser for their summer internships. A ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is a traditional Gaelic social dance event. The dancing itself is much like square dancing. I took my wee Scotland-born lass with me, dressed in a kilt and matching shirt. She didn't feel comfortable participating with the dancing, but we enjoyed watching while we nibbled on shortbread and scones.


The Scottish flag




We marveled at the Highland dancing performed by girls in our community




Scottish shortbread




Scones




Our friend Kim led the bagpipe processional.

SERVE 2010

We are excited about the SERVE conference, to be held at Briercrest, March 26-27, 2010! From the website:

SERVE is Briercrest College and Seminary's annual conference that serves the church on the prairies. SERVE offers practical, interdisciplinary equipping and encouragement for pastors, worship teams, children's ministers, church board members, church lay leaders and ministers, and students from every walk of life.

The keynote speaker this year is Ray Ortlund! Participants can also choose to attend breakout seminars on topics ranging from children's ministry to biblical and theological studies to understanding First Nations people.

Hope to see you there!

Lentil-Rice Casserole

Eating beans and rice should give you a warm, victorious glow rather than a feeling of deprivation. ~Amy Dacyczyn


Of course, it's easier to "glow" if you have some really tasty recipes! I've mentioned the Vegetarian Chili Pie we like, but here's one from The Tightwad Gazette that is not only delicious but incredibly easy. The advantage of lentils is that unlike most dried beans, they do not need to be soaked or pre-cooked.

Lentil-Rice Casserole

3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils, uncooked (I think brown or green are better than red for casseroles)
1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
3/4 cup chopped fresh onion
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Blend all together in a casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours-2 hours at 300 degrees. During the last 20 minutes, you may top with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, if desired.

*Because of the long baking time, alternatively, you can use a crockpot. I've done it both ways and it worked well.

Our baby boy is 3!

Here's a look back:


Kate kisses my very pregnant belly, December 2006



A newborn Will in Regina General Hospital, Saskatchewan, January 17, 2007




Will at one!



Will enjoys his new basketball hoop on his 2nd birthday




Will at 3 with his Thomas the Tank Engine cake and a funny expression. Yes, I just stuck a toy train on top of the cake--believe me, if I actually attempted to make a train shaped cake, it would be unrecognizable.

We sure love our boy!!!

The Olympic Torch Relay comes to Caronport!

We joined most of Caronport last week in heading out to watch the Olympic Torch Relay. Definitely an historic event! I don't think the kids really grasped what it was, and Will was more enthralled with the trucks, but I took lots of pictures so that someday they can say they saw it. A total of four people ran with the torch through the streets of Caronport.


The procession approaches




A glimpse of the torches




The torch, close-up

"Mommy, are trucks made out of clouds?"

Random question asked by Will on a sled ride around Caronport this morning...

A week in Russia!

Not really! But we can dream...

We've been working our way through the Five in a Row books and this week, we read a book set in Russia called Another Celebrated Dancing Bear by Gladys Scheffrin-Falk. In addition to the learning activities in social studies, art, language, math and science, we got some extra books from the library to supplement.



We loved looking at photos of Russian architecture




We learned that Russians often use a samovar to brew tea, or at least they did in times past.




We got this fun book through interlibrary loan called How the Tsar Drinks Tea by Benjamin Elkin.


And we made a yummy Russian meal! Note how everything is almost exactly the same color! Some good beet borscht would have added some color, however no one would have eaten it.


Cabbage pierogis




Siberian meat dumplings





Potato latkes




Rye bread

Definitely not the lightest fare! But perfect for a cold winter evening, especially with Tchaikovsky playing in the background.

We dreamed about visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg someday, and maybe riding the Trans-Siberian railroad! But until we can take some fun international trips, we'll keep learning and vicariously traveling in the comfort of our own home.

Making yogurt in a crockpot

I got the idea here on a blog about slow cooking. Thanks to Camille for sending me the link! It actually works! I use yogurt primarily to make smoothies, so it doesn't matter to me if it's on the runny side. I use skim milk, but I believe if you make sure to use whole milk, and also add dry milk powder and gelatin, it will come out firmer. There are hundreds of comments after the post where people share what worked for them.

An interview with Amy Dacyczyn

We had to do some work on our house this fall, so I'm trying to bulk up our emergency fund again. I've been rereading and taking notes on Amy Dacyczyn's The Tightwad Gazette, and looking for ways to reduce our spending. So it was fun to see this recent video interview of her! For anyone who hasn't heard of her or read her books, this is probably a great time to get acquainted.