Friday, September 21, 2012

life right now


lemon tea... or hot water with honey and lemon.... is always the first request when a cold hits in this house...


who bread dough.... link here... 


a new baby calf... born this morning....


special love notes from my children and beautiful tomatoes that are about to be sauced and canned....



knitting the hat for jude and reading my third issue of taproot, the most amazing magazine... find out more about it here if you're interested....


i think we have four chickens laying regularly now.... and do you see that egg in the back there? i finally have a minty green egg layer again!


i made this corkboard with two layers of cork and a layer of cardboard, wrapped in fabric, inside a black picture frame... the art came from my last issue of taproot that was torn apart by ollie...



sometimes.... i have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head that i have a hard time keeping my focus.
and sometimes i "encourage" (or punish) myself by constantly convincing myself to put whatever it is that i truly want to do each day at the very bottom of this crazy list in my head. in the beginning i always feel optimistic that i really will complete all of my chores and have time for something that makes me feel fulfilled. but after a time i begin to realize that i am never going to get to the bottom of that list. sometimes this realization makes me depressed, but other times i also realize that what i need to do is move my own fulfillment to at least the middle of the list.
so that is something i am working on.
when i read the editor's letter in my "taproot" i came across one of those sweet wake up calls. where amanda soule spoke of the importance of seeing "the joy in our work" and taking special moments for the things we love, which is "essential for creating a life which needn't be escaped from." she is so right. in order to actually enjoy these lives that we are living we must take time every day for the things we love, and realize that what fulfills us is just as important (if not more so) than the things that need to be done. so go and do something that fulfills you today because if you don't allow yourself to do the things that make you happy, then who will? and i will try to do the same.

Monday, September 17, 2012

for jude...







some things i am making for my nephew (due christmas eve), sweet jude.

 i love the simple fleece blankets which are basically a piece of fleece finished with satin blanket binding. perfect weight, super simple and fast, yet still made by his auntie, right? i'm kind of picky when it comes to fabrics. i don't like the typical fluffy baby stuff... teddy bears... disney characters.... pinks and blues..... no, i'm an abstract pattern kinda girl... which is exactly what i picked out. i'm having a really hard time deciding what size to make the blankets though. i've been leaning towards crib size but should i make one of them bigger?
the knitting is a little hat. since he's due in december he is going to need one to keep that sweet little head warm. the pattern i'm using is the umbilical cord hat from debbie stoller's knitting handbook "stitch n' bitch" (yes, that is really the title.... it is a great book for beginning knitters). then there is the matter of the color.... which has a little bit of a story behind it. now, you should know that i am also very picky when it comes to color (when i'm picking it out anyway). i thought of getting that particular color for jude's hat many times but just wasn't sure. then ended up buying a skein to make a scarf for myself when i couldn't decide. at home i took a closer look at the label and noticed that the color is called christmas.... i chuckled thinking it didn't remind me of holiday colors except the fact that it contained red and green among other colors. but then it hit me... jude is due at christmas.... it was a sign. well, i took it as a sign anyway because i really needed to get started. i do really love the way it all worked out though. and of course this is only the beginning of the auntie handmades.

i hope you like them sister....

Thursday, September 6, 2012

back in rhythm












The transition back to school this year has gone so much smoother than i even fathomed it could. I feel very lucky. I think we were all ready to be on a schedule again. Early dinner, early to bed, early to rise, chores (with very little complaining), it feels so right. I love having the kids in bed so early that i actually have the energy to read in bed for a while. Some of the photos above are of the chores... tending to the animals before getting on the bus... setting the table (are those little little name tags just the cutest little addition or what !?!). Also in the photos we have layla's first missing tooth and my beautiful pregnant sister.... did i mention that i'm having a nephew? I am over the moon excited about it. He is due to come christmas eve. I think it will be the best christmas ever. It will be nice to have a baby around again (especially when i am not the one going through labor and delivery!). This is going to be a great season. There is much to do and so much to look forward to. 

Saturday, September 1, 2012

coconut milk kneer



For those of you that may not know, kneer is indian rice pudding. We love this pudding. I'm sure it's not that great for you... but oh.... it's sooo good. Basically i just took alicia's recipe and swapped out coconut milk for the sweetened condensed milk and adapted a few things to make it larger (big family size). Anyway, here's the recipe.

coconut milk kneer

6 cups milk
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 14oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cardamon

Rinse the rice and let it soak in cold water for half an hour. In a medium sized pan combine the milk, coconut milk, and sugar. Drain the rice well and add to the milk mixture. Bring up the temperature and let it get bubbly, then turn it down and simmer until it thickens up. Add the cardamon and serve.

The cardamon and coconut milk complement each other so well. I really just can't get enough of this. So great on a chilly day.