Binka's Christmas Cookies

My husbands grandmothers- oh so yummy!

1 cup butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 egg whites
Black raspberry jelly, any will do
2 egg yolks

Mix butter, br. sugar and egg yolk. Add flour slowly.
Roll dough in small balls, and dip in egg white, then roll in chopped
walnuts.
Place on greased cookie sheet. Press with thumb. Bake at 300 for 5 min.
Remove press again, and fill with jelly. Bake again for 15 min.

Lets Go Pens!

The Penguins are playing great right now. I am blessed to have a best friend since highschool who takes me to a few games a season. These seats she got us for Thursdays game were awesome, the 2 right next to the penilty box. The only neg. was the linesman kept standing right infront of me. We had a great time, the Pens won and Sid got a hat trick. Oh yeah, and she invited me to the Winter Classic!

Lets Go Steelers

Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

From Festive Matins-
I stand in awe at the wondrous works of GOD graciously manifested and fulfilled in the Virgin. I cannot comprehend the strange and secret manner by which she alone was chosen from all creation to be made known as the Undefiled One. I am unable to express in word or thought this ineffable mystery, yet I wish to praise her. In confidence I dare to proclaim and extol her, saying: Indeed she is the heavenly Tabernacle.

Just Look at the Sweetness!

Just lovem in the balaclavas. They are the best hats ever, especially if your lil one gets earaches. So soft and easy to wear with anything.
You can get them at www.greenmountianorganics.com

Make Yourself Useful

Kids and my mom. We ran over tonight to rake- and play in- the leaves




I told her all these grandchildren would come in handy someday.





Mason's buddy Pawpan was watching from the tree.

Lovin the Leaves

Wow time flies! Haven't been bloggin much, just been using my pc time to sell some stuff online to raise some Christmas money. Its so hard not using credit cards.

We had to take my oldest to play practice today so the other children and I went to Rite Aid for my freebie's- they've been having the best deals lately. I have been getting so much stuff for free or under a buck there. So next we stopped at Panera for 1/2 dozen bagels then to the park. Manny loved playing in the leaves, Mas was hunting for squirells and the girls were swinging. We didnt want to leave yet when it was time to pick Madi up. It was the perfect fall day.

Beautiful Fall Day

Saturday we stopped at the park after going to the Russian Orthodox Church Festival. Oh, the food was soooo good. It smelled like my Gram Annie's at Easter when we walked in. And that is a complement.


Me and my lil guy



Manny always running away. This is the view I usually get of him now.



Manny and Mars. She's soooo good with him.

Its Going To Be A Long, Hard Recovery

Here is a picture of my sister and me from the early 90's. She's the redhead on the left. She hasn't really aged at all. She looks just about the same but her hair is straight now. I, on the other hand still have about 20 lbs of the latest babyfat to loose!



I went to see her yesterday. She looks good but frail and in alot of pain. It was a week yesterday that she was coming home from getting a loaf of bread- yes, thats all, 1 loaf a bread, and she was pulling out of the grocery store, got the green turning light and the next thing she knew she looked out her window to see the grill of a huge truck. Now she is recovering and we are praying cause thats really all we can do. She is in alot of pain. Her sternum and pelvis are fractured, she cant move her left leg and her biggest concern is her children.

Please continue to pray for her and her family and thank you for all the prayers, Masses, Rosaries, kind words and offers for meals and gift cards. We really appreciate it all. Also, please remember the thank and praise God that you can get up every morning- without assistance- and care for yourself and your family.
I know I am.

Bathing Beauty

Why is a picture of a naked baby in the bathtub just so irresistible?

Our Not Back To School Tea

Our Catholic Homeschooling group has a "Not Back to School Liturgy and Picnic". We wanted to go but thanks to a nasty ear infection - baby Manny- we had to miss it. Since we usually have "Teas" during the school year we decided to have our own celebration. I feel so blessed to not have to send my children away to school. Grant it there are times,sometimes daily, that the thought crosses my mind, I think of how it would be easier on me, quieter, cleaner, ect. I could nap everyday with the baby, that's a good one. But, I do truly love having them at home, even when they are annoying!
We are basically a childled learning family so this lil tea turned into some major brainstorming on what we should study next. We are going to the library tomorrow to get out all we can find on the Civil War, Gone With The Wind included. They cant wait to see the dancing and hopefully learn a few steps themselves. I love this time period and so does a certain Uncle of mine so I think we will be making a field trip to his house to check out his collection. My husband and I actually went to Gettysburg for our honeymoon. I'd love to go again soon.


Our table



Our just turned 5 year old guy



He wanted me to take a picture of his Gingerbread Man Tea brewing, go figure?





Here's our girls

Pumpkin Cookies- Yummy!

These are some of the best cookies and they are versatile.
I have added choc. chips, nuts and baked them in bar form when I was short on time.

Here it goes-

Preheat oven to 350.
I like to use parchment paper and I use either a cookie sheet or stonewear.

Cream together-

1 cup of butter, margarine or I like to use 1 stick of both- I use Smart Balance for the margarine.

1 cup sugar- I use raw sugar

then blend in -

1 egg

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 cup of pumpkin

sift in bowl-

2 cups plus 2 tsps of unbleached flour

and 1 tsp. each of-
baking soda, baking powder and cinnimon

and 1/2 tsp of salt

blend wet with dry and add chips or nuts if you like.

bake

The cookies pictured I made today and I tried something new. I made a nice icing for on top. I'm not one for measurement but I'll give ya an estimate

1/2 stick of butter softened
about 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
scant cup of powdered sugar?

mix all

cool cookies and put a dollop on top.

Fall is coming!

Cooler weather, the leaves turning and me turning these-





Into this-

Oh do I love fall.

I'm going to go cut this right now cause the children have been following me around for hours asking if its cool enough to eat yet.

Nature Study

This is an awesome site I found-

http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2008/02/green-hour-challenge-1-lets-get-started.html

Cant wait to start it.

Pittsburger

If you never have tried one of these its a must. Here in the Pittsburgh area you can slap fries,ham and coleslaw on anything and its great. Here it is on a burger.
You usually use Italian bread and not a bun but others must have has the same idea cause the store was all out of Italian bread.

Here are the layers-

Italian Bread sliced kinda thick

meat- could be a burger, fish, chicken, steak, you name it.

Provolone cheese

slice or 2 of deli ham

French Fries

Coleslaw

Tomato

Italian Bread

Oh, its sooooo good.

Its Been Busy Here...

Last Thursday the children and I went to the park and Marlee fell off of this zipline type contraption and fractured her wrist and elbow. My husband watched our other children while my wonderful mother, Manny, Marlee and I spent the night in the ER and then the poor lil thing had surgery in the morning. She'll have it on 6 weeks. Oh, and it her right hand, she's righthanded.

She's smiling cause the morphine kicked in...




Marlee, Manny and I went up to Uniontown to Mt. Saint Macrina for the Pilgrimage. We had a really nice time and we are looking forward to next year.

Love the bright yellow cast? You can only get that color if you get an operation.




Manny has been helping me with the end of the summer clean-up.

Who's Hungry?

Did you ever have one of those days where you started out cooking one thing and it just snowballed in to many? Well, for me today is one of those days.
It all started this morning when I looked at the box of tomatoes my Aunt and Uncle so generously gave me and I thought I'd get out the Sqeezo and make some sauce even though I already had chicken thawing in the fridge for tonight and 2 lbs of ground beef thawing as well to make stuffed peppers from my garden peppers to freeze. So anywho, I need to go to the store to get some paste cause the tomatoes we not Romas and I need to thicken them up and while I was there they had a little natural roast on clearance and 2 packs of the natural chicken tenders marked down as well so I had to get them. Well, to make a long story short I have now made-
2 pans of stuffed yellow peppers
1 gallon of fresh sauce with meatballs
3 ham and cheese stuffed, fried and baked chicken breasts
1 small roast with carrots
and grilled chicken tenders with fried portabella mushrooms and onions
whew, I better go throw in a chocolate cake!

Peace....

Up early, so down for an early nap. Doesn't he still look so little and peaceful? You wouldn't think he was up already for several hours tearing the place up before the other children were even awake.