Christmas Differences

Paneton-the Christmas bread

This year we will be celebrating Christmas in our home, here in Peru.  Of course, I’m already missing family, traditions that we did in the states, the food, the decorations and even the weather! However, I’m also glad to be celebrating here in our home!  We don’t have many decorations, but I love getting to decorate for this time of the year!

Christmas in Peru is celebrated a little differently.  I’ve been thinking of and noticing some of the differences and so I thought I’d share.  I’m sure that some things vary according to the area of Peru and even among the classes, but this is information from where we have lived.

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• Presents--Santa Claus is known here, but he does not bring the kids presents.  Many families only give each child 1 present.  I asked my neighbor what she got her kids and she got a car for the boy and a doll house for the girl. 
• Decorations—these aren’t as big of a deal here as in the states.  There are a few houses with a strand of lights outside, but a tradition I enjoyed of driving around looking at Christmas lights just doesn’t go over so well here.   Some houses put up a Christmas tree, but almost every family has a nativity set.  And these aren’t just the nativity sets that we have.  These people understand what it must have been like to be born in a stable.  They put a TON of animals all around!!  I literally laugh at all the little plastic animals lined up around the fancy ceramic Mary, Joseph and Jesus.   Additionally, a lot of the decorations must be sent down from the US—they all have snow!!  It’s summer time here! There are snow decorations and snow men in the stores, but most people are thinking about going to the beach during the upcoming summer vacation (Jan. & Feb.).  These decorations must be confusing the boys because they have asked me a couple of times if it will snow on Christmas and when can they go throw snow balls!  Many decorations also say, “Merry Christmas”, instead of the traditional “Feliz Navidad”. 
• Christmas party—here the traditional Christmas party is called a “Chocolatada”. That’s the name of the homemade hot chocolate (use a bar of chocolate, evaporated milk, cinnamon, cloves and sugar).  You will always have the hot chocolate and a sweet bread called Paneton—think of a sweet bread with just a couple of the fruit jelly pieces in a fruit cake and some raisins.  I don’t like fruit cake, but I do like this bread!  Actually, my favorite is the paneton with only chocolate chips!!  I have to admit, when I think of Christmas, this is one tradition I have adopted from Peru—I think of hot chocolate and paneton (with chocolate chips!)  Yummy!!!  This is my downfall during this time of year! 
•  Family gathering—the family gathers on the night of the 24^th.  Everyone stays up till midnight to celebrate.  LOTS of loud fireworks will be set off!! But, they aren’t the pretty ones to where you can go outside and look at them.  They are just noise makers and so it sounds like a war is going on outside the wall that surrounds our house!  Fireworks on New Year’s Eve aren’t such a big deal, but for Christmas day at midnight it is LOUD!!    Then the meal is served. Yes, I said that the family eats at midnight!!!  Turkey is what most families will be serving.  However, they don’t make a huge assortment of sides to go with it like we do.  Most will only make a simple salad (once again, different from our typical lettuce, tomato, cucumber), and maybe add some mashed potatoes or rice on the side.

                

We will mostly do our typical family celebrations this year, but we will most definitely be woken up by the storm of fireworks, and I will include a piece of paneton and hot chocolate in my celebration!  Happy birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas to everyone!

Gifts for Teachers

I wanted to share the gifts that we made for the teachers at the Preschool. 

I had some scrap material from another project, and I decided to sew up little baggies.  The boys helped me make some goodies to fill it with.  We made some homemade granola, modifying this recipe from 100daysofrealfood.

From the same website, we also made Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn Mix. YUMMY!!!  I will be making this one again as a snack in our house!  Here's the recipe--you will definitely want to try this!

Ingredients

• 4 cups plain popcorn (about ¼ cup of kernels)
• ¾ cup raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon dried cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Parchment paper recommended for baking

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a small pot over low heat melt the butter and honey together. Mix in the cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
3. Put the cashews in an extra large mixing bowl. Coat them with about a tablespoon of the butter/honey mixture.
4. Spread the coated nuts onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 6 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in the same large bowl evenly coat the plain popcorn – minus any unpopped kernels – with the remaining butter/honey mixture.
6. After the cashews have been in the oven for 6 minutes, take out the tray, add the popcorn to it, and mix it all up together. Stick the tray back in the oven and set the timer for 4 minutes.
7. After 4 minutes open the oven and stir or shake the mixture around on the baking sheet. Set the timer for 2 more minutes.
8. Once again open the oven and stir/shake the mixture so there are no hot spots that could get burnt. Set the timer for 1 more minute at which point the mixture will once again need to be checked/stirred.
9. Repeat the process of checking/stirring the popcorn mixture every minute then take it out of the oven once it turns a dark brown (it can burn easily toward the end!). My total bake time was 6 minutes for the nuts then an additional 7 or 8 minutes once I added the popcorn.
10. The popcorn and nuts will be slightly wet right out of the oven, but will harden as they cool.

THE best idea ever!

A few days ago, I saw this blog by 1+1+1=1.  It was to make a Tot Notebook, and she also had a corresponding blog entry for a calendar notebook.

I thought it was a GREAT idea!  Some pages printed out--alphabet, numbers, phone number, etc.--and placed in thick page protectors in a binder.  Give the kids some dry erase markers and let them have fun!

Why didn't I think of this before???  Both of my boys LOVE their notebooks.  The younger one draws only on the letter "T" right now.  Because T is for train, of course! :)

We even went out to eat the other night, and I brought along 1 page from the notebooks for each kid, the markers and an eraser.  It was great kids entertainment!

And so then, I had another idea!!!

I'm usually a planner. Ok, not just usually.  Almost always.

I plan out our meals a week at a time, or 2 weeks at a time, if I'm feeling really creative!

I go to the local market once a week, when the fresh stuff comes in, and I buy all the fruits and veggies for a week. And so, I really need to plan ahead to make sure I know what I need to buy.

Well, I usually just use scrap pieces of paper and they are stuck all on the fridge.  Then I thought--what if I did myself a dry erase page?

Wa-lah!  I now have  a dry erase calendar page where I can plan out my meals for a week or 2, or even 3! This also works great for remembering how old the leftovers are, because I can see when I made that particular dish.

I LOVE my new way to organize my meal plans! And the idea for the notebooks and the calendar was SO cheap! (and I could actually find all of the materials here--a bonus!)

Elias Update

Words can't truly express how grateful we are for your prayers for Elias and his family over the past several weeks!  As you all know, this situation was extremely severe and God has worked in a mighty way to bring healing to his little body.  

He is now at home and is eating liquid foods and is gaining strength daily.  According to a conversation with Ruben on Monday, Elias is now running through the house again playing like a normal little boy. 

He will return to the doctor on 11/25 for a checkup and will hopefully be able to start eating regular food again.  We will continue to update you on how he is doing, but for now, all is well and he continues to recover daily! 

Christmas Countdown Calendar

You know that feeling when you make something with your hands, and you finish, and it ACTUALLY looks good! 

That's how I feel! I imagined something in my head, and it came out right! 

I think the idea of a christmas countdown calendar is cute for the kids, but usually, they are little doors that you open with a piece of chocolate.  I don't really like the idea of the chocolate every day for the boys. Me, well, that's a different story! :)

Instead,  I decided to sew a calendar where the boys could put an ornament on the tree each day. We'll start by taking off all the ornaments and storing them in the present pocket.  We'll start with 1 and work our way up to the star on top on Christmas day.  (S. knows how to do the date on the calendar, and I though it would confuse him to count down backwards instead of just matching the numbers with the date).

We hung it up today with all the ornaments, just to see what it looks like. Everyone is excited about getting started!

Transformation begins!

 It's starting to sink in that next year I'll be homeschooling 2 kids (part time, as both will also go to preschool part time).  This will be a new challenge for me!

I've started to think that we needed to reorganize and re-plan to get ready for next year.  (Our new school year will start in January).  We were just using a table, but trying to have the boys sitting next to each other, and keeping them from playing or fighting, isn't my idea of a fun learning environment.

We moved some furniture around and then went shopping for some new desks--in their favorite colors, of course!

The boys are ecstatic and ready to learn!

I still have a few more ideas and we will slowly transform our homeschool space before the new year.

Recent Projects

 I've been working on a few craft projects lately.  One project has taken quite a bit of time, but I can't mention what it is because it will be a Christmas gift for someone. (**insert sneaky smile**)

However, I can mention these other 2 recent projects.

The first project--I had some extra fabric laying around and it was folded, and then I thought, "That will make a cute little baggie."  And so, I sewed it up, and now I have a few little baggies--to fill with homemade little breads, cookies and other goodies to give out as gifts for Christmas. I will definitely use these for the 4 teachers at the preschool, and then I made a few extras for other people that I think of between now and then.


Project #2 was born out of a need.  I like hang up kitchen towel thingys.  I have a couple of them, but having to change it out every day because it is pretty wet by the end of the day leaves me needing a few more. While in Lima a few weeks ago, I was able to find a matching towel/pot holder set.

Pot holder + Towel + a little bit of sewing= Towel Hang Up Thingy!! 

I'm so happy to have another one!!

Recent Update on Elias

First of all, we would like to thank all of you for your continued prayers for Elias.  We haven't sent an update in a while mainly because we were traveling and in meetings, and so we didn't have much time or access to send updates.   Also, Elias continued to progress during that time, but there wasn't anything major to report.  Well, since our last update, Elias was removed from the ICU and was placed in a regular room.  They began taking him off of the IV (his only source of nutrition), and slowly began feeding him formula through a feeding tube.  He handled that change well, and so they completely removed him from the IV and he was only receiving the formula from the feeding tube.  As of today, they have removed the feeding tube and he is now drinking liquids normally.  He still can't eat regular food, but the doctors believe the he will be able to soon. 

They have also allowed him to get out of the bed and are trying to help him regain strength in his legs and feet.  Due to the fact that he was restricted to a bed for almost 3 weeks, he lost strength in his little legs and feet.  As of Friday, he would just get frustrated and really couldn't do much.  However, he can now walk again with help and is showing improvement daily.  (Before this incident, nothing could stand in his way!) 

They received a report several days ago that his hemoglobin level was low and that he may need blood.  (I believe that the fear was possible internal bleeding.)  Fortunately, that level hasn't decreased, which shows that there is no internal bleeding.  However, it hasn't increased either.  At this point, the doctors aren't real concerned about it, but are keeping an eye on it. 

The future plans now are to continue helping him to regain strength in his legs and feet and to help him adjust back to eating regular food (with time).  The doctors plan to do another MRI soon to see exactly how the internal wounds are healing and if it shows that all is well, he could be released as soon as sometime next week.    

We really appreciate your prayers for this family and we truly believe that God has been hearing and answering them!  At first, the doctors really didn't believe that he would survive.  Now, they are all surprised at how well he is doing and how quickly his little body is recovering!  While the doctors have done a good job, I believe that all credit is due to our Lord and Savior (and to each of you who have been interceding for him)!   You all have been such a blessing to this family and they are eternally grateful for your prayers and generosity! 

Please continue to pray for this family and for Elias!  Hopefully our next "Elias Update" will be our final one letting you all know that he is back to normal and that the Lord is using this family once again to impact the Aymara people for His kingdom sake!

Strawberries!

 I've been saying for awhile now how I was looking forward to strawberry season and that I really wanted to try to make some strawberry jelly.

Well, when my hubby was traveling back home this past weekend, he noticed that along the coast it was harvest time for strawberries. He stopped on the side of the road and bought me this case--it is 15 pounds of strawberries. All for only $4.75. what a great deal!!

But then my dilemma was, what do I do with all these strawberries.  And I will only have 2 days to use them all before we are travel for a week.

Well, so far I managed to squeeze in making strawberry coffeecake,  strawberry syrup (to put on pancakes or waffles), strawberry bread and then 2 batches of strawberry jelly.  And, of course we've eaten plenty of fresh strawberries, and I still froze 3 quart size bags full. 

I think we'll have strawberry muffins when we return!

Positive Reports and Testimony of God's Power

All day today, so far, they have received positive reports on little Elias!!  He has had a slight fever, but it is lower than it was yesterday, and the doctors believe his body is fighting the infection.

They also decided to slowly start taking him off the ventilator, which is a good thing!

This afternoon, John was able to go in and see Elias, and he said that this was the first time that he has seen Elias awake and alert.  Elias got so excited when his mom walked in the room that the nurses were doing everything they could to calm him down!  They ended up making Luisa leave the room so that he would calm down some.

He is doing better than he was yesterday.  Yesterday, it all looked grim. The doctor only gave him a 40% chance of survival.  We sent out emails and prayer requests, and HUNDREDS, of people have been praying.  Ruben and Luisa have been overwhelmed to see the messages and emails from people they don't even know!

After everyone started praying for a miracle, it was a amazing to see how God was working in his little body today!!!  :)

This afternoon, a nurse rushed in to the unit and started telling everyone, "They are doing the procession outside with the little virgin.  Go out there! She will make your family members all better."   Literally everyone in the room (well, not the patients), but about 100 people,  ran outside to pray to the little virgin and to give money, all with the hopes that she would heal and save their family member.

The only ones left were Ruben, Luisa, and John.  The nurses asked why they weren't rushing out there too, because this would make him all better.

Ruben and Luisa have been a witness and testimony to the power of the one true GOD during their stay there!! They were able to share with the nurses today. They have been able to share with other family members that are there. 

Praise the Lord for the work HE is doing! Praise Him for how He is already being glorified! May He continue to be glorified in all of this, and may He use this to be a testimony of Himself and to bring people to Him!!

Elias is still not out of the woods. They still consider these next 2 days as critical and say that if he is still doing good on Friday, then his chances of survival are really good.

Elias update

The doctor just gave them really bad news. Elias has had a fever again.  The dr. said, "This scares me to death."  He also said that he has never seen anyone survive the surgery that Elias had.  We are praying for a miracle!  Also, pray for Ruben and Luisa, as they are not handling the news very well!

URGENT Prayer Request

Many of you remember us mentioning the names Ruben and Luisa, the pastor of the church in Huancane, where we used to live.

Their little boy, 2 year old Elias, is in critical condition.  On Friday evening, he swallowed a flat battery, about the size of a penny.  He had to be transferred by ambulance 5 hours away to a better hospital over night and arrived there early Saturday morning.  That afternoon, they performed surgery to remove the battery, and also to repair the hole that was made in his esophagus as the battery acid leaked out. 

He was told that he would be in the ICU for at least 10 days and then the doctors would know more.  John flew to Arequipa to be with the family during this time, and just this morning, the doctor let them know of the very serious state Elias is in right now.

Yesterday afternoon, Elias had a fever. This is a sign of infection, which is not good.  Today the fever is gone (a praise!).  However, the doctor told him that the 5th and 6th days are the critical points (Thursday and Friday).  Basically, the dr. told them that he if can live past Friday, then he will have good odds of surviving.  The dr. said that right now he has a 50% chance of dying and a 40% chance of living. (I'm not sure what the other 10% are?)  The fear is that an infection will set in from the acid and saliva that leaked out of the hole in his esophagus and spread to the rest of his body.

PLEASE PRAY that no infection will set in! Pray that his little body will be strong enough to fight off infection and that he will heal fully and quickly.  Even if he survives now, the dr. explained that he could still have future problems (scar tissue closing his throat, etc).  Pray that he will heal completely and not have any further problems! Pray for guidance and directions for the doctors and wisdom in knowing how to treat him.  Pray for GOD to be glorified in all of this! 

Ruben and Luisa have been told how many people are praying for them and they are very encouraged by that right now.  Luisa said that she has , "full confidence he will heal because of all the people praying for him." 

These next few days are critical.  When you think of 2 year old Elias, please remember to pray for him!

Thank you!

Baking...

I have to confess. I love to bake.  I mean, I really LOVE to bake!! Cookies, cakes, breads, all sorts of stuff!! And it isn't that I just love to eat it all; I just like to make it all.  When I was pregnant with my oldest son, I didn't have too many cravings.  What I craved was baking something!  We ALWAYS had baked goods at our house. I shared most of the stuff with friends and our house helper at the time was more than happy to help eat some of it during her morning break.

I've recently been on the quest for healthier options that I can make. I still want to make something. I just don't want to have all unhealthy stuff around the house. 

There are a few recipes that I've found and have been making for a few weeks.  Today was our (mine and my 3 year old's) baking day while brother was at school.

We did 2 loaves of whole wheat bread--to be honest, I'm still looking for an AWESOME whole wheat bread (no white flour mixed in) that works great at over 10,000 feet.  Any ideas?   Please help!!!

Then we did some homemade granola (last time they came out more as bars; this time I had more "chunks"), sticky balls, pecan pie larabars (recipe posted in previous post), and a new recipe--Fruit & Nut Crisps.

If you'd like to try some of these homemade goodies, here ya go. I got all of the recipes from other sites, and I just tweaked them a little (mostly to the ingredients that I could actually find here).

 

Granola or Granola Bars—

I use the recipe from  100daysofRealFood and I just tweak it to the ingredients we like to have it in:

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats (if you want bars use steel cut oats so it will stick together better)
• 1 cup raw chopped almonds
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup raw hulled sesame seeds (optional)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract



Granola "chunks"

• Also need – parchment paper

Directions

1. Place an oven rack in the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a large rimmed rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place the oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, seeds and spices in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
3. Heat the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Stir in sea salt and vanilla. Remove from the heat.
4. Pour the hot liquids over the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are evenly moist. Turn the granola onto the prepared pan and press firmly with a spatula to create an even layer, about 1/2 inch thick. Bake until the granola is firm to the touch and a deep golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (The granola will become crisper as it cools.) Cool completely in the pan, then lift an edge of parchment and break the granola into pieces (if making bars) or break it up into small chunks by pounding it in a zip lock bag (if making cereal). Store in plastic bags or air tight container at room temperature. The granola will keep at the height of its texture and flavor for 2 weeks. Serve with dried or fresh fruit and milk or yogurt, or eat out of hand.

Makes about 3 pounds

Sticky balls

Sticky Balls—(affectionately named by my 3 year old b/c they are sticky when he helps me make them!)

1 cup oatmeal

½ cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

½ cup coconut flakes

½ cup chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything in a medium bowl until well blended and there are no remaining dry spots.  Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!

The Fruit & Nut Crisps will come after I finish the 2nd part of making them!