January Happiness

I've found that when the weather outside is cold, damp, and just plain dreary, it's up to us to fill the month with joy and light. Here's how our family has been making January special.

First, there was the white hyacinth.  They had the plants on sale at Walmart, and each came with an amazing little vase that holds the bulb and can be filled with water so that your hyacinth can be grown in the house.  Mom just had to have one of those "special vases", so she bought one. And made me very, very happy.  I love hyacinths, and this one blooming on our kitchen table filled the entire room with it's wonderful fragrance!

   And then there are the edible goodies that make the children squeal (Ok, so I squealed too when I bit into this sticky bit of confection).  This was a first attempt at homemade whole wheat Baklava, and I must say it turned out very well.  My arms and back were not so happy as my mouth, as I rolled the filo out by hand with a good old fashioned rolling pin, but the work was totally worth it!  I think I'll try to make the dough just a bit thinner next time.  Maybe a few weeks of working out beforehand would be a good idea, so I don't get too tired while rolling it out  :-)
  We also celebrated my little sister's first birthday this month. We had quite the party, with chicken empanadas being the "main dish".  In Bolivia, we would have invited all her little friends and had a pinata (that n needs a ~, but there's no "enye" on this keyboard), but as we're in the USA we just had empanadas, sweet drinks, and cake.  And lots of presents for the birthday girl, of course!
   There have been a few rough days, but so far our January is shaping up to be a wonderful month.  How has your new year been?  Have you done anything special to make the dark days light? 
                                                Dios les bendiga!
       

Jamie Grace - You Lead (Lyric Video)

This song has been playing in my mind for the last week, on and on, on and on :-)  May you find it inspiring, as I have!  Blessings!

A "New" Year

    It's a beautiful, warm, breezy day.  The sun is shining brightly, the children are playing outside, and I am doing one of my favorite things, typing.
    The holidays have come and gone, and with them the scurry and worry of preparation and perfection.  Maybe you had a relaxed time over Thanksgiving and Christmas, but at our house the "holiday" is for the men and young children. Mom and the older girls were kept busy, working in the kitchen, tidying up between visits, and caring for children.  As the oldest daughter, I was included in this group.  There's no time like the holidays to better illustrate the fact that "A man's work is from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done".
  So now it is time to relax a bit, and enjoy the year while it is young.  I made no grand resolutions on the 1st of January as I know that I will learn and do a multitude of new things this year without planning on them! Instead, I am praying for strength to make it through this year, courage to face the difficult times, and grace to flow through my words and actions. 
   May you be successful in all you do and plan this year!  Be blessed!