All posts by NerdMom

Christianity, Theology Thursday

Theology Thursday: Why Celebrate Hanukah

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Ok, why should we celebrate Hanukah? We have Advent, Christmas and New Years coming up. Do we really need another holiday?

I won’t start with the whole Jesus is Jewish so we should keep Jewish holiday bit (I will save that for another time). And yes, I am clear that it isn’t even in the Bible.

But… there is always a but.

Why wouldn’t you, or any God believing person, not celebrate Hanukah? The primary purpose of Hanukah is to celebrate God’s faithfulness and goodness. And who among us doesn’t need to be a little more conscious and grateful?

Hanukah is celebrating the end of a rough period in Israel that falls between the Testaments of the Bible. The evil Antiochus Epiphanies had come to Jerusalem, ruled harshly and desecrated the temple (yes, this is the abridged version;). A band of Jews led by Judas Macabee ( the Hammer;) defeated the evil does and retook the temple! But there was a problem! Within the temple there was a lampstand that was to burn 24/7 and there was only enough oil to last 1 more day. It was going to take 7 days to get more. Alas, a miracle occurred and the oil burned for 8 days and nights. God performed a miracle!

So why wouldn’t one celebrate Hanukah? We celebrate God’s goodness and miracles for those who are faithful to Him! And who doesn’t love a holiday where where you eat fried foods such as latkes and donuts to celebrate the miracle of the oil?

Happy Hanukah!

Food

Sound Pantry, Sound Mind

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The Pantry Before

Ok, I struggle with my pantry. On one hand, if it isn’t clean I get a bit stressed out. An organized pantry is a sign of an organized heart and chef. But on the other side, it is so very easy to have the pantry get so messy that it takes hours upon hours to clean it out. My life had major turmoil this last few weeks and I exorcised it by cleaning out the pantry!

I also wanted to clean it out before all the holiday sales and holiday parties hit! Now I can put plates of finished food in there and I have cleaned off all my counters by putting many small appliances in the pantry!

And it is finally clean!!!

Food

Sweet Potato Empanadas

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Yummy looking, eh? I got to participate in a Holiday Recipe Exchange over at Collective Bias. I got this wonderful recipe from Yoly over at Cuponeado! I was looking for a new appetizer and I think this super easy recipe fit the bill!
Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato
½ cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons Parkay
½ teaspoon of ground cinammon
2 pie crusts (or puff pastry)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation:

Thaw out the pie crusts.
Meanwhile, cut potato in half and place unpeeled in a pot and cover with water.
Bring water to a boil and cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold water. Rub with towel to peel skin off.
Mash potato with the butter. Add cream cheese and cinnamon and mix well.
Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees.
Lightly flour a cutting board, to make handling the dough easier.
Using a rolling pin, roll it out thin (about 1/16 inch).
Cut circles in the dough approximately 3 to 3 ½ inches across, using a wide
mouth jar or glass.
Add a spoonful of the mixture in the center and fold over dough. Use a fork to
crimp edge.
Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Brush the top of each empanada with beaten egg.
Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the turnovers turn golden.
Remove and allow to cool on a rack for approximately 10 minutes.

The only change I made is that I sprinkled Cinnamon Sugar over the empanadas before I put them in the oven! They were quite tasty and a hit at my Sunday School table;).

(Disclosure: While I was compensated by Collective Bias to write this post, all the opinions are mine and mine alone!)

Christianity, Video

The “Hallelujah” I Needed

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I love a good flash mob. I just do. I find them cute and entertaining. Who thought that is how God was going to minister to my soul? I have been having a hard day (those who follow my Twitter are probably sick of hearing about everything). This was shared by Lee and Sherri on Facebook so I thought I would check it out. Anything to brighten my mood a bit.

I love this piece because it is a true song of worship. “Our Lord God omnipotent reignth, Hallelujah!”. Is there anything else I really need to know or hold to right now? I don’t think so.

Check it out, it probably won’t make anyone cry but it was a good cry;).

carnivals, Homeschoooling

Carnival of Homeschooling Open House

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Hi all welcome to our NerdFamily Home. Yes, Christmas is starting a little early around here but I just bought that last weekend and I wondered why I would hide it for 2 weeks;).

That group over by the bookshelves are sharing some great resources! Barbara Frank shares a book with us all with Thomas Edison, Homeschooled Innovator. Crack the Egg is sharing a great book in Girls and Horses: A Book For Your Cowgirl. I am always looking for books for my kids to read!! Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers are sharing Top Ten History Resources. I see my favorite on there! Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog has a book review on Jesus, Interrupted. Bachelors Degree has the 50 Best Poetry Books for Kids. It looks like an interesting list. Mothers of Boys has a Boy-Friendly Gift Guide -Preschool.

Over on the couch we are just sharing our journey. Best Family Adventures shares what happens When Homeschoolers Go Unsupervised. I love it! It is nice to know that it isn’t just my kids who go find their own learning experience. Homeschool and Etc. is talking about Mathematics and Homeschooling. They are looking for a little insight about their challenges. No Fighting, No Biting tells us all on your mark, get set…for angst. Home Spun Juggling talks about Happy (Learning) Days.

At the kitchen table we are talking about how we are learning! Homeschool Mo is talking her Weekly Wrap-Up for November 12, 2010 and some awesome charts. Sweet Diva is talking about how they built Sweet Memories They Will Cherish with 5 in a Row. Let’s Play Math has the secrets on How to be a Math Genius! I want to be a math genius!!! Blogging to Learn has all of our Favorite Fubblerules of Grammar. So much fun and educational too. Five J’s has a great Homeschool Weekly Assignment Planner. The Thinking Mother is talking about Enjoying Teaching Other People’s Kids. Sage Parnassus talks about Mistaken Identities and Mistaken Assessments.

Over in the kitchen we have some hands on activities going on. Blah, Blah, Blog is looking at Sweet Science. Who doesn’t love candy science experiments? The Legacy of Home is talking about Heavy Cleaning and teaching Home Ec. Creating Nirvana shares a great hands on project with Homeschooling: Box Assemblage. Introducing the World is doing Copywork with Graph Boards.

That group over by the piano are talking politics and overall theories. Sometimes these are the most fun;). The Common Room is talking about Children are Born Persons (Part 5). Parenting at the Helm is talking about Public Educations Permeated by a Cheating Culture. Henry at Why Homeschooling hits the highlights of Glenn Reynolds’ recent talk on the Higher Education Bubble. Marmee’s Pantry is talking about Growth in the Christian Homeschool.

Looking out the back door we are chatting about the world around us. Corn and Oil is sharing their Local Perspective. Free Market Mommy has an interesting idea with Sell Those Lesson Plans to make a little money and share what we do with other teachers. Mrs. Mama Hen talks about their first field trip in an Alaskan Field Trip. Remember we aren’t the only homeschooling carnival. Adventures in Mamaland is hosting the Jewish Homeschooling Blog Carnival #2. Go check them out!

And that brings our visit to an end. I hope you all have had a great time. I have loved every minute of our visit! Next week there will be a new carnival over at Mrs. Mama Hen so make sure you submit your blog posts by next Monday! Make sure you go read all the great pieces we have featured here and make sure you comment to let them know you are there! Please help us out and tell others about it!

home projects, life

A Tea Table Set

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Taken by Jane

Ok, this may seem like a weird Tackle it Tuesday post but we all have our challenges. This was my first year hosting a table for my church’s annual bou”tea”que and was a bit nervous. The hostess is responsible to bring in dishes, decorate the tables and do favors for the people who sit at our table. I was kind of intimidated because so many women come in and set not only beautiful tables but super fancy ones! But I have to say, I think my table turned out pretty cute!

I was really proud of my favors. I found these cute little plastic jars at the Dollar Tree. They look like little sugar bowls but air tight. Then I just filled them with various tea bags, dropped them into cellophane bags and closed them with silver twist ties!

So while it seems like a silly tackle it still took planning, execution and there was a lot of anxiety getting it done;).

Food

Meal Plan 11/15: Speed Round

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This is a crazy week, leading into a crazy week. So I am strapping in for a bumpy ride!

Monday: Pork Roast, Stove Top Stuffing, Broccoli
Tuesday: French Toast and Scrambled Eggs
Wednesday: Chicken and Spinach Pasta in a Butter Garlic Sauce
Thursday: Shredded Chicken and Spinach in Rice with Cheese
Friday: Chili Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Food

We Burn Once Again!

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It seems like forever since this season started. That annoying World Series seemed to postpone everything;). But we are back with the second half of Hell’s Kitchen. So let’s jump right into the snark!

The girls were very relived when Gordon Ramsay put Trevor back on the boys’ team. He is so annoying, I am a little shocked he didn’t just get tossed out too! It looks like we are heading into a room service challenge. Every show I have seen this challenge on never has it worked out well for the chefs;). Apparently it is a bit more of a palate test. Only 1 of the 4 dishes were actual 5 star food. Everyone had to pick there favorite. Then they did the blind taste test. Always a winner!

The one I always feel bad for is telling the different types of fish apart. Ouch! Gail thought black truffles were watercress. I haven’t had white asparagus but apparently it taste like bok choi. Both Sabrina and Rob thought that filet mignon was chicken. What the heck? Then they got worse! They didn’t get 1, either of them. The girls won! Nona had the best palate with 3 out of 4!

Their reward was to go to Restaurant 14 with a shopping spree first. The boys punishment was to sort all the trash for recycling. The girls liked their activity, the boys hated theirs;). The boys are not happy to have Trevor back and they are doing the big freeze out. If anyone is going to look bad, they will make sure he does.

Jumping into service, both teams actually started well! Then Rob stumbled onto a challenge, scallops. Gordon Ramsay ended up coming over and making the order for him. I was surprised that Sabrina got away taking control but they seemed to do well. Back on the boys’ side, Rob once again had a problem. This time it was halibut. Ramsay gave Rob 5 minutes to wake up or get tossed. Then the girls’ team seemed to lose their lead due to Nona not managing the meat station. Then she wanted fight with Ramsay about if the pan was hot enough. So he tossed her and told Sabrina to run the meat station. Then Vinnie messed up spinach and gnocchi so he was tossed out. Then Russell put up raw chicken and got tossed to. So it was just Rob and Trevor left in the boys’ kitchen. The girls were cruising along pretty well while Rob got tossed for raw halibut. The sad part was even after Ramsay told him to get out he still didn’t know that the halibut was raw. Then Trevor put out the rest of the boys’ food.

Sabrina and Gillian got nods from Ramsay. The losing team was the blue team with Trevor picking out 2 to put up. Ramsay called Nona aside and gave her a talking to about arguing with him. But he gave her kudos for her palate. I think that Trevor should put up Rob and Vinnie. But Russell is a jerk and is a definite possibility. Trevor put up Rob and Russell. Trevor said that Russell was supposed to be driving the team but all he did was yell. Ramsay tossed Rob.

So who is next to go?