Out Demons, Out!

Onimanju (devil's cake) is a Japanese pastry made with sweet potato, which creates a bumpy texture that makes the cakes resemble devil's horns (at least according to the Japanese)! I've never had it before, so it was a leap of faith to make them myself to celebrate Setsubun today.

The recipe I used (sorry, I don't know the source - it was sent to me ages ago and I'm only now trying it!):

Onimanju (Devil's Cake)
Ingredients
3/4 lb satsumaimo (sweet potato, preferably the Japanese variety), cut into about 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour (I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose)
1 Tbsp shiratamako flour (I used sweet or glutinous rice flour [mochiko])
2 Tbsp milk

Preparation
Soak satsumaimo cubes in water for about 15 minutes and drain (to draw out the starchiness, perhaps?).

Place satsumaimo cubes in a large bowl and sprinkle sugar over them. Set aside for about 30 minutes so that some liquid gather at the bottom of the bowl. Drain the satsumaimo cubes and keep the liquid in another bowl. Add mixture of flour and shiratamako in the liquid and mix. Add milk to the dough. If the dough is too thick to stir, add a little bit of water. Mix in satsumaimo cubes.

Scoop a spoonful of the dough on parchment paper (I used cheese cloth) and place them in a preheated steamer. Steam for about 10 minutes.

*makes 8-10 cakes

The consensus? We all loved them! They weren't especially pretty to look at (but they're supposed to be devilish, right?) but they were mildly sweet and chewy and yummy. And so easy to make. A keeper all around.

Afterwards we went out onto the back deck and threw our beans over the rails yelling, "Demons out, good fortune in!"

I Can't imagine what the neighbors must think...

{this moment}

A Friday ritual (inspired by Soulemama).
A single photo--no words--capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your "moment" in the comments for all to find and see.
Have a wonderful weekend!

February Second

Last year we added a new tradition to our calendar: Candlemas! At the time, I didn't realize it was a holiday of Christian significance, but since learning more about it, I'm drawn to this old-fashioned holy-day even more. Marking the midpoint of winter, it is a celebration of light. Half the winter is over and spring is right around the corner, right?! During the Victorian age it was the day when households would take stock of their candles and determine whether or not they had enough to carry them through the rest of the winter. If more were needed, this is the day you would make them.

Candlemas is also observed in the Waldorf community and at Maya's little co-op they celebrated by rolling beeswax candles.

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will have another fight.

If Candlemas Day brings clouds and rain

Winter won't come again.

If Candlemas Day be dry and fair

The half o the winter's to come and mair;

If Candlemas Day be wet and foul

The half o the winter's gane at Yule.

Sound familiar? Today is also Groundhog Day. Not sure what ol' Punxsutawney Phil was thinking when he decided there would be 6 more weeks of winter... if the weather round these parts is any indicator, spring has already sprung. 

Daffodils and tulips peeping through in the front yard!

But that little groundhog is a cute thing. We enjoyed reading about him in A Garden for Groundhog by Lorna Balian.

Hope your Candlemas/Groundhog Day was warm and bright too!

Homeschool Lesson: Peter and the Wolf

One of the fun things about homeschooling is being able to really delve in-depth into a particular subject and find fun ways of exploring it. The challenging part is finding a suitable subject and putting together a lesson plan! But since we are part of a small co-op of families in the area who take turns teaching a "lesson" once a week, it is certainly incentive to be on top of my game. The three other moms involved all come from different backgrounds and it is fascinating and inspiring to see the unique strengths and creative approaches each one brings to their lessons.

For my turn this week I put together a little exploration and intro to music using Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. Here is a rough outline of what my lesson plan looked like:

Peter and the Wolf

Music

Listen to examples of various instruments and discuss qualities of musical instrument groups and how each character is represented by a different instrument. What kind of personality traits come to mind when you hear a character’s leitmotif?

Listen to each character’s leitmotif. Explore dancing and moving to the music in order to convey the character’s personality.

Bring out instrument box. If you could choose one instrument from the box to represent yourself which would it be? How could you use that instrument to communicate with other people? How do you say hello? How do you let someone know you’re angry? Tired? Sad? Happy?

Language Arts

Puppet Show, using Sarah Jane Studio puppet theater

Reading from Books

Comparing the different book versions of the story.

Science

Review characteristics of animals.

Math

Grouping of instruments by type

Resources

Lesson plan: http://www.oebs.org/page/peter1.html

Lapbook: http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=47908&it=1

Excellent Study Guide with various activities: http://www.cantonballet.com/documents/PWStudyGuide-1.pdf

Amazingly all of the kids were interested in engaged in every step of the lesson. They were riveted by the puppet show story, they loved playing their own instruments, and they enjoyed putting together different elements of their scrapbooks. Success! Now I don't have to worry about putting together another lesson for another four weeks. Phew!

{this moment}

A Friday ritual (inspired by Soulemama).
A single photo--no words--capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your "moment" in the comments for all to find and see.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Yarn Along: Cuddling up with a cowl and the Russians

Joining Ginny over at Small Things for the regular Wednesday Yarn Along!

Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? ~ Ginny Sheller from Small Things

Knitting Project: GAP-tastic Cowl by Jan Geigley
Inspired by PomegranateGrl I also picked up this sweet, free pattern off of Ravelry. Though I'm not a fan of acrylic, I went ahead and used the suggested Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky yarn in Bluebell. It is coming along quickly (I've gotten a few more rows in since this photo was taken!) and I'm hoping to have it done in time for my sister-in-law's birthday this weekend. If it comes out well I may try making one for myself as well... I love the silver gray one in the pattern photo!

Books: Nicholas and Alexandra  by Robert K. Massie, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh

I know it is crazy to be working on three books at once, but it all depends on my mood and how much time I have to devote to reading. I'm enjoying Nicholas and Alexandra very much - it was originally a book club read a year or two ago but I was never able to start it, so I'm happy to be getting in to it now. I know so little about Russian history and culture and this story is absolutely fascinating and enlightening. Afterwards I may even pick up Massie's new book, Catherine the Great. 

Cousin Love - Happy Birthday O!

Happy Birthday to MamaM's little girl, Olive. Two years old today! My, how the time flies. Mayumi wanted to make something special for her little cousin. Knowing that she loves all things that go, particularly airplanes, we created a little topsy-turvy doll. I made one for Maya earlier in the year and she loves it. Now, Olive will have her own, too.

Olive in her aviator suit on the left, Maya's doll on the right.

When you flip them upside down, their skirt goes inside out and reveals another doll! 

Cute no? I followed the pattern from Hilary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love.

Hopefully Olive gets lots of good, cuddly use out of it. Happy Birthday O!

The Year of the Dragon

Tomorrow is New Year's Day according to the Chinese calendar, and this is the Year of the Dragon!
What does that mean? Actually, determining the forecast of the year is a complicated process and is different for each person depending on their animal and element signs... but I'm grasping onto the idea of the auspicious dragon bringing a year of prosperity and overcoming of challenges!

In celebration and hopes of channeling some of that lucky dragon mojo, I've added this beauty to my To-Make list:

Photo courtesy of craftster.org 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual (inspired by Soulemama).
A single photo--no words--capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your "moment" in the comments for all to find and see.
Have a wonderful weekend!

A reason to come back...

A few recent articles outline the positive impact blogging has for new moms. One, from BYU News talks about the "golden variable" of social support that blogging provides. The same study is cited in this New York Times article claiming that blogging actually makes new moms happier.

Perhaps this is a reason to return to the world of public blogging... we've missed you and this little community!