Happy New Year!

The fireworks display in Prague is unlike any I have ever experienced. Was a matter of not knowing which way to look at times! A few times you were fearful of something exploding directly over your head. All in all it was a beautiful way to bring in the New Year.

* Sorry for the low quality video but I took a 53MB movie and compressed it to 9MB so the quality is not the best but it was the quickest way I could find to upload it to share it on my blog.

 

Christmas Bow Cookies /AKA Elephant Ears

Some people were asking for the recipe so here it is. Very simple but not so healthy ;)

Ingredients:
2 C flour

2 sticks butter ( which is about 1C butter)

1/2 C cold milk

Large scoop of sugar

Instructions:

Cut 1 cup butter into 2 cups flour then add  1/2 cup cold milk.

Mix and form into 2 balls and refrigerate overnight (or for a few hours). 

Cover counter space evenly with a thick layer of sugar. Roll dough out on sugar and cut into thin strips.  (Add sprinkles if desired)

Shape each strip into a bow.  

Bake on WELL GREASED cookie sheet (use butter to grease) at 350F (175C) for 10 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.  Flip over when taking them off the tray and place upside down on wire rack to cool.

My New Hobby
Taking a stab at painting again. Using pictures and postcards for inspiration. Acrylic on 160 wt paper
 

Think I will avoid having to do anything that is symmetrical in the future. But overall not too bad for amateur self taught painting :)

December 28, 2011

 

December 29, 2011

 

Christmas in Poland

I had a wonderful visit with my Aunt Betty and Uncle Don in Poland this Christmas. The week went by so quickly and it is hard to believe I am already headed back home to Prague. Got to experience the outdoor Russian markets and enjoy a little bit of snow. Went to church and though I did not understand most of what was being said it was beautiful to see the children sing and hear the traditional Christmas Carols sung in Polish. It was a blessing to be with family and to get a little taste of home away from home.

 

 

 

 Taste of Canada to the left and taste of Europe to the right

 

Dreaming of a White Christmas


Christmas holidays are a wonderful time to rest, relax, and catch up on all the things you have been too exhausted or busy to do. So far it really hasn't felt like winter. Prague has had an usually warm November and December. Warned about how cold winter was in the Czech Republic I have been somewhat disappointed with the lack of snow. As a result Christmas kind of snuck up on me. Cannot believe tomorrow will be Christmas Eve! I am blessed to have family on this side of the pond and for Christmas I have been visiting with my Aunt and Uncle who are missionaries in Białystok, Poland. Was excited to get off the plane and see large fluffy flakes falling.


So to catch you up on life in December...


We spent our last week of school doing fun Christmas activities. One of my ambitious projects was organizing Gingerbread house decorating for grades 1-5. We used buttermilk biscuits (the closest thing I could find to represent graham crackers) and the kids were able to create some pretty sturdy structures. We also had a visit from one of the missionary ladies who brought her dog Toby to share some Christmas stories.

 

 
Fun was had by all!

One of the joys of teaching in a Christian school is the opportunity to teach the true meaning of Christmas. There is something intriguing and wondrous about the Christmas story and it was exciting to teach it to the children. We made popsicle stick puppets and the kids took turns retelling the story. Think my favourite part was this dialogue two of the boys had retelling the part of the story when the angel Gabriel first appeared to Mary.

Mary: Who is it?
Angel: It is me angel.
Mary: Ahhhhhhh!
Angel: Do not be Fraid I bring Jesus.

Not quite theologically correct but we worked on that. Their English is coming along slowly but surely and it is so encouraging to see how far they have come in so short an amount of time. Please pray for our students over the holidays as they will have opportunities to share about what they have learned about the meaning of Christmas with their friends and family.

Many Blessings to you this Christmas Season!

Christmas in Poland

For Christmas Holidays I am visiting my Aunt Betty and Uncle Don who are missionaries in Poland. The following are a few snapshots of my time in Warsaw before heading off to Białystok.

 

Polish Pottery :)