You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘cooking’ tag.
My daughter, F, soon to be 3 years old, is a photographer. She sneaks mama’s camera and takes pictures of her surroundings all day long. Some are blurry and out of focus, and some are just spectacular. I honestly love looking through the camera at the end of the day to find a few new pictures that she took. Her perspective of our home is so sweet to me. She captures things I’m proud of (kid art on the walls, baby’s first steps, me reading aloud, sisters playing “tea”) and things I’m not so proud of (dust bunnies under the bed, messy refrigerator, mama on the computer -eek!- and the TV on during the day). Like it or not, her pictures are something special – they are her honest perspective of the world. Through her lens, I can see what childhood looks like to her.
This midweek, I’m taking a page out of her book and focusing my lens on the Big things in life…you know, the things that really matter. Things like building a snow fort in the back yard, cheering on the wobbling steps of little J, waiting anxiously for Daddy to get home. I’m honing in on the blue light of dusk casting shadows over the snow, streetlights making the world sparkle and the warmth of snuggling under fleece blankets between siblings. I want to revel in the clambering of little people into bed with Mom and Dad at the start of a long, lovely day of nothing much planned. I’m loving the clattering of dishes during dinner, voices singing silly songs altogether and the love the weaves us all together in this crazy amazing impossible thing called FAMILY. I’m enjoying this rich tapestry of a life, where learning and loving, working and playing all connect together.
D on the snow mountain
B showing the girls how its done
I’m walking! J as observed by F
F building the great snow wall
And here I am, singing along while J rat a tat tats his pot and pan drums and I’m left wondering if it really does all come down to the velvety flour dusting the floor and my cheek while D cuts out the biscuits and together we push them in a warm oven. This is what happiness is. I’ve arrived.
Who needs Carnegie Hall? We had our own concert here.
Leave it to them to teach me so much about what really matters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enjoy those kids, if you have some, and if you don’t, try and look at life through the lens of a child. You’ll be glad you did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing really new to report on for WIP Wednesday…just plugging away at the same old projects, and starting to get a bit bored! I’m working mostly on my Anna Maria quilt though…and I’m thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to embroider the fruits of the Spirit in some of the squares? You know, just in case we need reminding….
Have a lovely Midweek!
Well it is finally Wednesday so I can show you all what I’ve been working on. First, we have F’s birthday dress. This is technically still a WIP since it lacks straps and the elastic threaded through the bodice. It was an insanely quick knit. I made the size 2T based on chest measurements.
Still unblocked, so a bit odd looking
a “Little Red” for F
These are my current “WIP”‘s. I’m hoping to dig out from all of this crazy snow and head to the fabric shop for some elastic thread so I can finish F’s dress. Then I’ll cast on for D’s and start all over again!
We were hammered with snow last night so today it is a winter wonderland outside! F loves snow so much, she couldn’t want to get out in it.
The rest of us decided to stay indoors where it is warm and work on some Valentines. D is my artist, so she was working especially hard.
So much love…
In the kitchen, I made some wonderful Snow Day soup. We eat a lot of soup, stew and chili here, especially during the winter months. My family loves soup and I love that most of it is very healthy, can be made inexpensively and can be altered to fit whatever you have on hand. Today I used a few leftover chicken breasts, cut up potatoes, onion, carrot, celery, green pepper, garlic and added some chick peas as well. I used chicken stock I had leftover and saved (always save your chicken stock!), although you could use some bullion cubes. I love that soup can be left simmering all day and eaten whenever someone is hungry. This helps a lot during our Midweek when mealtimes are not as regular as during our normal weekdays. Add to it some homemade bread or biscuits and you have a lovely warm meal for a cold snow day.
Off to enjoy my family! Happy Midweek!
While everyone else in the working world is anxiously looking forward to 5pm and the beginning of their weekend, I am slogging through what is now my Monday. Although it usually takes me a bit longer to get moving on Mon(Fri)days, I’ve been trying to transform my perspective from “Manic” to “Marvelous!”
Getting back into the swing of the week is not only hard for Mamas, but can be for the kidlets as well. They are coming down from a Midweek full of snuggling with Daddy on the couch watching movies, playing and largely ignoring chores (would that I could be so lucky!). Beginning a day of picking up where we left off, cleaning up after lots of lazy fun and refocusing our energies on what needs to be done can be quite a drag to little people. I’m trying to raise spirits of everyone by baking some yummy treats, reading through our stack of library books, taking a jaunt through the neighborhood and hopefully giving every one naps (or at least quiet time!).
In the kitchen, I’m making a simple bean and ham soup for dinner with some baking powder biscuits to go along. We still have some leftovers from a few nights this week, so those will probably be making a (re)appearance tonight as well. Last night I actually pulled off a Teryaki Chicken stir fry, which I’ve never made before. It was quick and easy and so delicious! I made enough for J to take for lunch as well as some extra for me. It was a bit spicy for the kids, but the adults loved it!
Beans soaking, waiting to be made into soup!
I’ve been having a lovely mail week full of packages! First a love package from my older sister in Connecticut full of novels, a new corduroy skirt and sweater, makeup, chocolate and of course something for the littles. Next, my beautiful stack of Anna Maria fabric just begging to be made up into something cozy and warm. Lastly, a big box full of yarn, not all for me, but still so pretty and full of possibilities. So excited to see what it all becomes!
Oh so pretty!
drool!
Lastly, I wanted to share a few projects I finished in the last few days. First, I adapted this hat from a sweater pattern I have made. I love the button closure. It is so incredibly stretchy, I tried it on every single one of my kids and it fit! Albiet a bit snug on the 6 year old and a bit loose on the 10 month old, but still, pretty impressive!
on the 2 year old
on the four year old
on the 6 year old
I also quickly knit up these mittens. The Cestari Merino is nice and thick, so they are super warm. I think if they were lanolinized they would also be pretty water proof.
All in all, fun little projects. Now that the yarn is here though, no more fun and games! I have to make the girls’ birthday dresses and have about 6 weeks to do it in. Stay tuned!
Lydia J Will 
