Retro: At the Dentist
Ten years ago today – Hannah and Nathanael at the dentist! Nathanael is having fun with the chair, but Hannah looks unimpressed.
Hannah
Retro: The Fish Tank (2005)
Hannah and Nathanael admire our fish tank, on this day ten years ago. To hear the whole story, check out Pets and Fish is plural.
Potting Plants With Grandma (June 2005)
Hey, we can go retro around here once in a while, right? And since a decade is such a nice even number, here’s a shot of Hannah and her Grandma Cottrill potting some plants ten years ago this month…
Cottrill Couch Productions
Over Christmas Hannah and Nathanael put together a puppet show, with home made puppets and everything!
They performed it twice, and we had our wits about us the second time and recorded it. Here it is, for your edification…
Classes Among the Palm Trees
There is a lot happening right now “among the palm trees”. I’m referring to a housing development known as Las Palmas (The Palms). And yes, there are palm trees lining the road in Las Palmas. Actually, there are three “Las Palmas” – creatively named 1, 2 and 3. We’ve been hanging out in 1, but people join us for classes from other neighbourhoods as well.
On Wednesday and Thursday Julian and Malu hosted English classes in their home. They just started teaching some English at the local junior high, a school which we’ve had a lot of contact with in the past. So some of their students came to the classes, along with a smattering of others.
Julian and Malu with a few of their students
Rod and I swung by to help a little this week. It was fun, although I admit that among the three other teachers I am the one who is not and English teacher. I am a teacher, which helps, but teaching English is something I’ve hardly ever done.
So in spite of Julian’s modesty, he and Malu seemed to be doing an excellent job. 🙂
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Anyway, it was great to make new friends in Las Palmas through the English classes, which are being given under the auspices of Tiempo de Vivir, our community centre.
We would appreciate your prayers as activities continue tonight. Shari will be doing her first baking class in Las Palmas, with the help of Malu. At the same time, Hannah and I will be doing a craft class for the kids.
After the baking/craft class is the kids club/School for Parents, which is led by Iglesia BÃblica Sendero de Vida Santa Barbara (Path of Life Bible Church Santa Barbara). I’ll be leading the parenting study tonight, which, as you might imagine, will be a very convicting experience! But it is a great review for me, which will hopefully spill over into more action.
Our community centre administrator, Tina Barham, will return home to Mexico on Monday (Lord willing), and there will be more classes starting up in Jesús MarÃa as well. There are already English classes going on up there, currently with Jessica and Emily teaching, along with some help from Julian and Malu. But other classes will be starting up, such as an exercise class, craft classes, guitar classes, and more.
Thanks for your prayers! May God’s truth shine brightly among the palm trees and beyond. 🙂
Hannah’s Double Chocolate Orange Muffins
This is the second recipe in a series of four – one from each member of the family.
This is the recipe that Hannah invented, and apparently it was a big success.
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Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s, of course)
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp oatmeal
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Maraschino cherries, cut in halves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F
Whisk egg with granulated sugar. Whisk in melted butter. Whisk in milk.
Stir in vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Stir in grated orange zest. Stir well until smooth.
In a separate bown, combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients briefly until just incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups or loaf pan(s). Put 1/2 a maraschino cherry on top of each muffin. Bake at 375F until a toothpick comes away dry or with a few moist crumbs when inserted in the center (typically 15-25 minutes for muffins, longer for loaves).
To create this recipe, Hannah used the “Muffinator”. Try it! 🙂