To 2013, With Love

Dear 2013,

I, first, wanted to apologize for the delay in writing; ever since you left things just haven't been the same and I have had a hard time adjusting to the change.  You'll forgive me won't you? Of course you will, you dear old year you! I dare say 2013, I miss you terribly - you left in such a hurry I hardly had time to say goodbye.   By george you were swift!
And, yet, you meant more to me than the sum of all the minutes and all the hours of all the days in a year...you were and always will be remembered as a year filled with glorious times; you shared our ups and downs customary to life and living; the special and the banal, the fortuitous and the not-so-fortuitous.
Though, sadly, I never did appreciate you when you were here and, now, you're gone and it's too late.  I'm sorry I never spent more time with you 2013. *Sigh* That's all in the past now. I do hope, however, this letter will bring you some solace.
I pray you are well as you travel down the lonesome road and join your kin in the land of Days Gone By.
Please know, we are all doing well and think of you often.  You will not be soon forgotten.
With Love,
Mrs. Manuela Meloche
P.S. Richard sends his regards.

Remember when we took the kids fishing at the beginning of the year? We caught not a one:

Then in March we went to Santa Fe.  Beautiful Santa Fe!

Look! It's the von Meloche Family!

 Here is the Miraculous Staircase:

Another trip to Urgent Care for Simon:

Ezra transforming into the age of 6:

This was indeed a special moment for us all.  We got a rare glimpse into Simon's future:

In May we got a lovely visit from my sister, brother-in-law and niece. 

Extra special occasion for my big girl.  Sniffle, sniffle.

Goodbye Zia Angela and Uncle John... Hello Nonna!

Arts Camp to kick off the summer.  There's nothing like shipping the kids off for a couple of hours!

Well, hello there little fellow. (Read 'little' to be a whopping 9lbs 7oz!)

Happy Papa's Day!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Incorporation into the Mystical Body Of Christ!

 Nonno, Master Hair Cutter.

Nonno, Master Carpenter

Our garden's first bounty. 

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa to top the summer festivities.

Back to school

My 3*th Birthday:) I love Photo Shop.

 Another rare glimpse into Augustin's future: balding with glasses.

The Holy Cute Family

We bid you Adieu 2013!

Epiphany of the Lord: Meal and Musings

It was a quiet and busy-ish Sunday for us all: Richard deChristmas-ized the house (that was his phrase, I kinda liked it and, so, here it is...), Mila had a friend over, Simon harassed Mila and said friend, while Ezra manned the fire like a Roman soldier (speaking of Roman soldiers, I recently found out what 'SPQR' means, you know the movie Gladiator, right? Anyway, it means: Senatus Populusque Romanus...take that Alex Trebek).  As for me, I was in the kitchen preparing, baking, mooovin' and groovin'. Actually, by the end of the show,  I had a small loyal following delighting in the prospect of those epicurian manifestations, watching my every move. Creepy, right?

Getting to the point: Epiphany.  Yes, I wanted to make something extra special for such a special ocassion. Hence, the gnocchi.  These were not your run-of-the-mill potato gnocchi.  No, I wanted to make them using ricotta which produces a  lighter, airier, melt-in-your-mouth, entirely sublime dumpling.  Plus, it is WAY easier and faster.   However, the WOW factor sits at a firm 10.  Anytime you want to impress someone make gnocchi, or speak French, choisissez vous.

Today's Menu:
Ricotta Gnocchi in fresh marinara sauce
Pan-Fried Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Cauliflower

Dessert:
Chocolate Pound Cake

I wanted to take a picture of the meal but the natives were so restless I barely got out of there alive. I did, however, manage to take a picture of the dessert.  Why, hello there, you delectable thing you:

First off, I'd like to thank God for chocolate...and butter ...and sugar and eggs.  

I also have to thank the test cooks at Cook's Country for putting in all those tireless hours that went into creating and perfecting such a wickedly good recipe. I will always be indebted to you amazing people.

Lastly, I'd like to mention that if you do make this heavenly Chocolate Pound Cake, DON'T make the same mistake I did:  Don't share it.  Don't do it, because you'll regret it.  Maybe not today.  Maybe not tomorrow, but one day and for the rest of your life.

And, since man cannot enjoy Chocolate Pound Cake alone, Richard took this opportunity to exercise the full weight of his parental authority instituted by God Almighty to instruct his daughter in the ways of making espresso.

Well done my good and faithful daughter.

Glad Tidings

Gloria in excelsis! Oh Blessed Birth! Oh Wondrous Incarnation! Deus factum caro est! Or, if you prefer a more popular exhortation, Merry Christmas!  Where do I begin? Let us begin at the beginning.
But first, a word from our sponsor: I am an avid list maker.  In addition to my daily To-Do List, I have lists for a plentitude of other things: groceries, kitchen tools and wares I should like to have, baby girls names, and baby boys names. In addition to this,  I have mental lists of favorite saints, movies, books and places I would like to visit.  Then there are the favorite recipes I keep neatly organized in a binder, along with clippings from various magazines of a mutlititude of other favorite things: outfits, kitchens, homes, landscaping. No joke, I find it very satisfying looking at a picture of something beautiful and thinking I should like to have that one day, and then continue on with  my mug of green tea and life in general.
With that being said, and without further adieu, I bring to you a very special list: I would like to present to you this year's official Top Ten List of Nominations for the 2013 MCP Awards (Meloche Christmas Photo)!

Drumroll please...

#10. Best Ornament in the Homemade Category:

(Note: I made this for our godson's first Christmas last year and plan on making one for our little guy this year.)

 #9. Best Shot of Initiating the Tree Trimming Festivities:

  #8. Best Picture of Father in a Supporting Role:

 #7. Best Picture of a Christmas Tree with a lot of Heart:

                                     

    

#6. Best Impersonation of We Three Kings:

#5. Best Photo of Homemade Baked Goods:

(Jam Thumbprints, Peacn Snowballs, Iced Sugar Cookies, Peanut Blossoms, Chocolate Walnut Biscotti with White Chocolate Drizzle,  Almond Biscotti with Milk Chocolate Drizzle, and Rugalachs)

  #4. Best Fireside Shot of Children having Cookies and Warm Apple Cider:

#3. Best Picture in the Familial Category:

 #2. Best Picture of Total Progeny:

#1. And for the FIRST time in history, we have a tie for Best Photo in the Individual Category.  Send in your vote today!

Here are some honorable mentions:

                                          

                                           

                                       
                                          

                         

CATEGORY: BOOKS

Moving on to books.  Here are this year's top qulaifiers:

Holly and Ivy  Written by Rumer Godden and illustrated by none other than Barbara Cooney (we adore her illustrations!).

For Ezra ( no photo) The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal Iggulden.  Richard was so interested in it that I am beginning to think I should have gotten him one too!

For Simon, The Squire and the Scroll by Jennie Bishop.  Talk about a book that calls a boy to the moral and virtuous life, all with a backdrop of charming illustrations and a dangerous dragon, a necessary book for all boys!

And for Augustin, On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman.  Such a sweet book.

CATEGORY: VICTUALS

And to top off my Christmas List, here are the dishes we enjoyed:  

Christmas Eve:

Coconut Shrimp

Thai Ginger Rice

Maple Glazed Salmon 

Broccoli

(I grew up enjoying loads of fish on Christmas Eve, so I am carrying on the tradition...)

Christmas Day

Italian Wedding Soup

Ricotta and Ham Manicotti

Garlic Butter Sirloin Steak

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Roasted Asparagus

and for dessert:

Upside Down Cranberry Cake...DELISH!

All in all, a most joyful and beautiful Christmas was had by the Meloche family, indeed.

 Happy Birthday Infant Savior, Lord Jesus!

Coca-Cola and the Sweet Life

I always knew there was a reason I prefer Coco-Cola to any other soft drink in the whole wide world and after watching this video I know why. Get ready to smile people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sNlcwAh83Y

Veni, Veni Emmanuel

“...In their magnificent yet simple beauty the Great O’s are the quintessence of the Advent liturgy. Their language bears the weight of God’s eternity and mercy. They are a poignant cry of the soul of the people of Advent; they address God by the most compelling and tender of divine names, and they always end with an intense COME, VENI. All have the same structure, the O of apostrophe, and imperative of appeal. And while the imperatives of the season are often joyous and clamorous, these last appeals to God seem to read as if the iron of our misery is in our very blood. For though even in other parts of the liturgy of the last week our optimism continues and our hope is bright, in the solemn ceremonial of the evening Magnificat we are soberly acknowledging that our dire wretchedness can be remedied only by omnipotent mercifulness.
Only one of the Great O’s is read each day of our approach to Christmas. The effect of this is noticeable, for we definitely feel a growing tensity as each evening passes. We seem to be making a forward step and to be covering infinite distances from eternity to Bethlehem. There is a climatic order in these antiphons. In the first, O Sapientia, we take a backward flight into the recesses of eternity to address Wisdom, the Word of God. In the second, O Adonai, we have leaped from eternity to the time of Moses and the Law of Moses (about 1400 B.C.). In the third, O Radix Jesse, we have come to the time when God was preparing the line of David (about 1100 B.C.). In the fourth, O Clavis David, we have come to the year 1000. In the fifth, O Oriens we see that the line of David is elevated so that the peoples may look on a rising star in the east, and hence in the sixth, O Rex Gentium, we know that He is king of all the world of man. This brings us to the evening before the vigil, and before coming to the town limits of Bethlehem, we salute Him with the last Great O, O Emmanuel, God-with-us. We have traveled a long distance and have waited long, but at Bethlehem we are to find the Little One who is Emmanuel, God of God and Light of Light, and yet God with us.” (He Comethby William J. McGarry, S.J.)

Ditto.

Today marks the beginning of my favorite time in the Advent season: the O Antiphons.  I see the O Antiphons as a kind of spiritual 'hunkering down' if you will. To help make this idea more tangible to the kids, last year we made an O Antiphon house (idea from Shower of Roses) and, voila, it is now a bona fide tradition here in the Meloche household.   I also printed up the Great "O" Antiphon Prayer Companion by Jennifer Gregory Miller and plan on using these wonderful coloring pages for the kids.

Here it is (not exactly finished though):

In addition to prayers, hymns and coloring pages for each Antiphon, I plan on doing something special for each day (again, thank you Shower of Roses). Here is the breakdown:

O SAPIENTA - O WISDOM

We have this game called Divinity, it is a trivia game based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  It is a really fun game and one everyone can play because there are three levels of trivia questions: easy, moderate and difficult.  The kids and I enjoy it...of course, I would enjoy it even MORE if I didn't play it with someone who has his PhD in Theology. Nevertheless, we will sit down as a family and the rest of us will grow in 'wisdom'.

O ADONAI - O LORD AND RULER

I had a hard time with this one.  I wanted to make 'house-shaped' pancakes for supper to emphasize the 'Ruler of the house of Israel' but that's just more work for me. Silly me.   Then I remembered we have this house Lego set that I hid on the boys that would be perfect. Done.

O RADIX JESSE - O ROOT OF JESSE

This is the easiest one: Root Beer Floats.  THOSE I will happily make. The only problem I ran into was in finding all-natural preservative-free root beer here in the middle of Oklahoma...What? What's so funny about that? 

O CLAVIS DAVID - O KEY OF DAVID

Have you heard of Jim Weiss, the well-known storyteller? Anyway, I was able to get one of his audio recordings called Tales from the Old Testament.  So we will listen to two stories: David and Goliath and David's Dance.  I wanted to buy Sour Keys candy too, remember those? Maybe they're just a Canadian thing because I couldn't find those either. 

O ORIENS - O RISING DAWN

We will 'light' a candle and read the book "Lucia Saint of Light" by Katherine Bolger Hyde.

O REX GENTIUM - O KING OF THE NATION

I bought some crowns from the dollar store. The kids should have fun with them. Richard can juggle so he can play the court jester.

O EMMANUEL

And for la-piece-de-resistance, I found this lovely ornament at the dollar store and when I first looked at it I immediately thought of the monstrance.  Right? So it will serve as a beautiful reminder of Jesus in the Eucharist on our Christmas tree. 

(Note to self: get a Christmas tree).

Have a wonderful time "acknowledging that our dire wretchedness can be remedied only by omnipotent mercifulness". Love that.

Meet Bella

So, we have a bunny.  Correction: Mila has said bunny.  We have had her for almost two weeks and she is still alive. So that's good.  It is a Dutch rabbit named Bella.  She is, in fact,  very pretty, in a fluffy  Oreo cookie sort of way.  The kids say she is very soft.  I wouldn't know, I don't touch animals as a general rule. . She lives in a cage in our garage.  Animals INSIDE my house? Not happenin' cap'n.
Although, I admit, I do have to get over my widespread aversion towards animals, especially since we want to own a farm one day, replete with chickens and goats et al.  Not an easy task, since I've been operating on the premise that 'if animals don't touch me and I don't absolutely have to touch them - then we are good' for the last 8 or 9 years.
Once, a friend asked me to watch her family's bird while she went out of town.  I said yes because I wanted to be nice and I knew I wouldn't have to touch the thing.
I guess I should work on that. Maybe I'll touch Bella tomorrow.  Maybe.

At any rate, with Bella here now we hope Mila will:
a. get a real taste of 'responsibility'
b. understand the ins and outs of animal care
c. not kill it.