coloring in my life

canned

2011-05-26T18:47:00.001-07:00

Lots going on here, like I know with you all too-traveling down south for my cousins graduation, participating in the girls school activities-school will be out in about a week, can you believe it!
In between all these happenings I'm also taking a class. The class, which meets once a week for seven weeks, is a class about food preservation. I am really enjoying this class because its so hands on-perhaps too hands on seeing that I cut my pinky finger pretty good today while cutting carrots for a pickled carrot recipe.
So far in the class we have made and canned jams, jellies, soups, fruits, and today we pickled lots of things and even made our own custom herb vinegars. I kept my vinegar simple, a white wine vinegar with chives. We also are making sauerkraut and kimchi the old school way (using salt fermentation). Next week we are going to learn the proper way to process and can tomatoes, make salsa, as well how to make fresh cheese-queso fresco. I think I'll take some tortilla chips to class for some good ole' taste testing (:
Have a great holiday weekend!

fermentation station

2011-05-08T14:40:00.001-07:00

~brewing kombucha

~injera starter

~kefir grains

Someone has been busy in the kitchen and guess what it hasn't been me! My husband is currently experimenting with the process of fermentation. He is reviving some kefir grains that we have had for at least 2 years now (we thought they were not "alive", but after sitting out on the counter at room temperature for a week (and adding lots of sucanat) the grains are now bubbling up. Next is the injera. We are huge fans of Ethiopian food. Injera is like a sourdough pancake that is used to scoop up lentils, vegetables, and stewed meats-no utensils needed-and it is so so good. I think the starter has another week to go before its done. He also has a batch of kombucha going. Now I'm a little apprehensive about this one. My husband found a free scoby on craigslist and the person who gave it to him even included their favorite recipe. A couple of years ago (after reading Nourishing Traditions) I did think about making kombucha, but instead thought kefir would be easier and less daunting to make.
At first when I saw him doing all these things in the kitchen, I kinda felt like he was taking over my "territory"-not the kitchen per say (because he cooks a lot of the time too) but the territory of experimenting-doing "quirky things" but hey I'm learning to keep my mouth shut. Really I'm looking forward to the results of his fermentation station, especially the injera (:

out of doors

2011-04-23T16:53:00.001-07:00

If I'm completely honest, I'll admit I'm not "too much" of an outdoorsy person. Yes, I love gardening, but as far as hiking, camping, and going on trails-I haven't done much of those things-but now we are living in a part of the country where people love (and I do mean love) the outdoors-and that feeling is a bit contagious. The more I venture out and see the beauty of this place we now live in I totally get it. Bring it on-I'm ready to get us a tent!

spring is pretty....

2011-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

isn't it?

in the kitchen, for the kitchen

2011-04-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

~in the sink

~by the sink

~making salad

~making potholders

I actually cut out the material for these potholders before our move. I finally got around to sewing them up this weekend. A really small satisfying project (although I found it interesting to sew bias tape around a circle:) The pattern for these potholders are in Handmade Home.
Hope you are having a great Tuesday!

crocheting, in between naps

2011-03-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Between naps I've been keeping myself occupied by doing a little crocheting. I got this book a while ago and like the different shapes/motifs that is included in it. Having a bad cold at that time of the month (I know, I know, tmi) should be illegal-but at least I'm learning some new interesting crochet stitches like dc2tog and dc3tog(:
now back to my nap!
xoxo

last week, this week....

2011-03-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

~we've eaten quiche

~we've been hit by the cold/virus bug, drinking lots of tea with lemon and honey and taking cold medicines, my workout routine is also lacking now-really I should be in bed now but I can't sleep.

~we've been admiring the beauty of plants, forget clothes shopping- I'd rather go shopping at the plant nursery.

~we took enough cough syrup and a supply of cough drops in order to visit with a dear friend who was visiting in the area (from the Midwest), we had lunch at a great vegetarian restaurant (I told her to load up on elderberry syrup and vitamin C after our visit :) she's headed back home today.

I'd better go get some sleep, the kids on spring break this week and when these colds subside maybe we'll get to something a bit adventurous.
hope you are having a good week!

a little owl family

2011-03-12T20:50:00.001-08:00

Finally finished up this little owl family. Fun to knit, but lots of little parts that needed to be whipstitched on. I found that if I got the small parts knitted first (the wings, feet, eyes- which I only did this with the smallest owl) then I could add them to the body right away, instead of being done with the body and then impatiently knitting the small parts (because really I wanted to see the owl come together quickly:)
Right now they are perched on my dresser, but I'm sure not for long!

the pattern for the owls can be found in knitsimple-Holiday 2010.

repotting....

2011-03-03T10:11:00.001-08:00

When I came home this morning I noticed that one of my houseplants had been knocked over onto the ground. I suspect Chester had something to do with it. Anyway, I wasn't to happy about the whole thing but really it gave me the opportunity to re-pot some plants that needed it. So in a round about way thanks Chester-but next time try to stay out of the window that has the plants, ok?

a journal of sorts

2011-02-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

like I need to spend anymore time on the web, but I've decided to keep an online journal about the half-marathon.
maybe it will keep me more accountable, maybe.
Have a good evening!

needing motivation

2011-02-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

(just have to have color, bright too, you know)

early this morning, perhaps because I was under the fog of sleep, I got online and registered to do a half marathon in April. 13.1 miles. is this crazy? I can't tell you the answer to that just yet, but last night we were talking to some friends who had already signed up to do the marathon and they told me it would be a great experience (ah,the beauty of peer pressure). in fact one of our friends told us that he intends to walk the whole race. truth be told I've been struggling with getting down a regular exercise routine since our move (I'm so not consistent-I've been going to the gym once every two weeks and at times less than that!)
I guess it boils down to my strong need of external motivation. exercise and I have a strange relationship. I avoid it, mentally talking myself out of it-however there are those rare moments when I show up and "just do it" (thanks Nike for that one). Then as I work out I find myself liking it (especially when I have my music pumping), but what I love is that after workout feeling, if only I could hold onto that feeling. Well for this upcoming month that feeling is going to keep me going, it just has too.

Happy Sunday!

friendship through the distance

2011-02-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

sometimes in life you meet people that just get you. they are easy to be around. they like things you like. they like things that are different too, and that you admire. these are the friends you treasure~

today I received a package of lovely goodies from that kind of friend. a friend I miss a whole lot. I miss our adventures, our lunches (which we always enjoyed some baked goods and a nice cup of hot tea or coffee), our library visits and our knit nights which included sharing our favorite fish sandwich. initially I was worried about the distance and sometimes what it does to friends, but you know somehow I think being aware of this distance makes me cherish our friendship even more.
always hold on to your friends.

Mrs. Horse and friends

2011-02-24T09:29:00.001-08:00

just the facts....

2011-02-21T15:53:00.001-08:00

~one of my children has been in her p.j.'s for almost two days straight, only was she now convinced to get dressed to go out and get ice cream with her dad and sister.

~our little kitty is being very adventurous, not so long ago he hid himself in a kitchen drawer one morning after I had dropped the girls off at school. I was on the verge of tears. I had looked almost everywhere in the house-until I pulled open a kitchen drawer and found him (he was just lying there-looking completely unfazed).

~I'm still drinking my morning decaf, and its past three in the afternoon.

~I need to catch up on my garden reading.

~ I have knitting needles sticking out my hair at this moment
(probably should be reading instead of knitting, huh?)

~I made soup for lunch today, so we could have it again for dinner.

~I'm hoping for an early bedtime, for everybody.

Happy Monday!

into the forest

2011-02-19T18:52:00.001-08:00

today we hiked into the forest. It was a little chilly, but a clear beautiful day. I'm so glad we decided to go out instead of sucumbing to the oh so popular after lunch nap~

lots of people were out on the trails, so glad that we were out there too, taking in God's beautiful creation.

dishcloths and orchids

2011-02-15T17:37:00.001-08:00

I was asked to be a volunteer driver and parent assistant for a field trip today. Grades K-5 of the girls school went to see a play at the local community college.
Just as we were rushing out of the door I grabbed some yarn (the colorway is fiesta) and some size nine double pointed knitting needles and stuffed them into my purse. I just wanted to knit something, something that was not going to need any attention to detail. Since the theater was dark I knew that I was going to make something super simple and do whatever stitches that came to my head. Now mind you the dishcloth came out wonky (increasing and decreasing stitches with no rhyme or reason will do this to a project) but a little crochet edging decreased the wonkiness factor a bit-plus it's just going to be a rag to wash the dishes! It was nice to have something small to work on during the play.

For Valentines day I received an orchid-truly to make me happy for any occasion just give me a plant of some kind. I'm so excited that my collection is now up to four orchids.

I am going to try to attend a community garden meeting tonight that is being held at the library. A big pot of beans are cooking on the stove and to tell the truth I'm here blogging to avoid making dinner-but soon my ears will be met with famous "I'm hungry", so for me (after I push publish post) it's back to the "chopping board".
Happy Tuesday!

making Valentines

2011-02-13T14:47:00.001-08:00

The weekends go fast don't they? After church yesterday we had some people over for lunch (which included jerk chicken). After sunset my husband went out to get a few things and I requested ice cream (didn't I just say something about healthy snacks?)
Well I ate a bowl of rocky road last night as I surfed the web, then I knitted a little and finally went to bed. This morning the girls were telling me that we needed to go to the store today to pick up their Valentine cards for their school parties tomorrow, but I suggested that we make some cards instead. I have a stash of stuff, paper wise, that needs to be put to use- so today we did some cutting, gluing, and a little stamping~

making cards, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

cut-out, originally uploaded by *nichole*
.

making cards, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

now we just need to add candy to the cards, wonder if I have a stash of that around? (does extra dark chocolate count, I don't know since its full of anti-oxidants and all:)

snack time

2011-02-11T15:12:00.001-08:00

~today's after school snack

~my snack of choice lately, dates and slivered almonds

We try to eat relatively healthy snacks, but of course there are times we eat a cookie or two. Anyway my snack of choice lately has been dates with slivered almonds. Dates are so sweet, sticky, really they are natures own caramels. Just a few of them help subdue that sweet tooth of mine-they are full of good stuff too. Here are a list of snacks that make there way on our table after school and on the weekends~

*chips and salsa
*apples with nut butter or cheese
*bananas with nut butter
*crackers
*granola
*cut-up pieces of pineapple
*oranges
*toast with some spread
*popcorn popped in coconut oil and topped with a little butter and brewer's yeast

snacks of course should quell those hunger pains, but shouldn't fill us up.
I notice that the higher quality of the snack the more satisfied I feel (which really is the case with most of the food we eat).

Have a great weekend, and have some great snacks!

this and that~

2011-02-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

I am

~working on knitting up an owl family, two more to go

~painting on a big yellow canvas (more on that later:)

~liking the blues on this recently thrifted vase

~glad we saw a rainbow today

this weekend also included church, ordering pizza Saturday night, attending a birthday party (for a classmate of my youngest daughter), vacuuming, with Sunday evening being topped off by a deep, deep cleaning of the upstairs bathroom-yeah. I love seeing the shiny chrome on the hot and cold water knobs-again.

in the garden cowl, three ways

2011-02-03T11:04:00.003-08:00

this cowl is something I worked on a lot during the girls weekly piano lessons. all it is really is a couple of rounds of stockinette stitch with some rounds of seed stitch thrown in.

~cowl pulled to the back

~cowl shoulder to shoulder

~cowl pulled to the front

for the last couple of rows I did add some increases so that the cowl would be wider at the bottom than at the top. I don't even know how many increases I actually added, I just added them at whim.
I think my favorite way to wear it is going to be the pulled to the front look.
now I gotta go find something else to keep my needles warm!

untangling the tangled....

2011-02-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

I spent a good part of my Tuesday night untangling yarn. I won't tell you how long it took. For the love of knitting, a knitters gotta do what she's gotta do.
(but I won't lie, this certain thing along with this are both looking quite appealing right about now).
goodnight!

kitchen Sunday

2011-02-01T03:45:00.000-08:00

I actually did spend some time in the kitchen Sunday, but not so much time on the other things I'd listed (the knitting, the laundry, the reading). I made potato fennel soup, quinoa salad, and gluten-free banana bread~

~rinsing quinoa before cooking

~chop, chop!

~soup simmering

~gluten free banana bread-with a "couple" of chocolate chips thrown in for good measure

It was so nice to come home after picking the girls up from school yesterday and not having to really worry about cooking right away (and it helped even more considering the schoolwork that needed attention). We ate the soup last night for dinner with some sandwiches. More is still in the fridge for my lunch today. The gluten-free banana bread turned out better than I thought it would. I tasted the batter before I placed it in the oven and it did have a pronounced "beany" flavor, but that flavor wasn't so strong after the bread finished baking and rested for awhile. I think it's pretty good and my youngest thinks so too (I suspect this has something to do with the chocolate chips-to her adding chocolate chips to a dish makes it absolutely delicious-note to self, add chocolate chips to tonight's broccoli :)
The gluten-free flour I used was from Bob's Red Mill. We are not a gluten-free family, but I am interested in consuming less gluten-maybe becoming more in terms of "gluten light".
I think I'll try to keep this Sunday cooking going because it definitely makes the start to the week a bit less hectic.
Have a great Tuesday!

soupin' it

2011-01-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

soup, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Made a big pot of white bean and kale minestrone soup this afternoon- a big pot because I want it to last most of the weekend. My oldest daughter has several church activities to participate in tomorrow, then I'm hoping to get some other things done on Sunday (laundry, reading, knitting, cooking). This upcoming Sunday I'm going to try to do a big food prep thing so that during the week we have things to eat on hand. I'm already planning to make another soup-potato fennel-for the week. I'll let you know how the Sunday food prep thing goes. My youngest stayed home from school today (she has a bit of a cough) so we took Chester to the vet for some of his immunizations and then we went to the co-op to stock up on apples, mandarin oranges, and bananas.
I like having fruit around.
Have a great weekend!

seeing green

2011-01-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

In our gardening class this week we tried out some plant/tree identification. Yikes! I'm telling you, trying to identify a plant or tree can sometimes feel like trying to locate a pin in a haystack-but what we try to do is to narrow down the possible options. Are the leaves opposite or alternate? Is this leaf from a deciduous tree or is it evergreen? What is the leaf pattern? It's a bit like being a "green" detective, which really is fun. There are so many great people in this gardening class-retirees, young adults in their twenties, moms, farmers, former librarians, really it's such a fun and varied group (also a nice touch to the classes is that at each class hot coffee and tea are offered along with baked goodies, there is also fruit for those who are avoiding the goodies-I eat both :)
Yesterday the woman who spoke about composting was truly an inspiration. She was trained in another field, but in her late forties she decided to go back to college to get her Masters degree in soil science- I love it! (I especially love it because I turned a year older this week).
So today as I got home from a little shopping (went out to get some plant/tree guides of course) I took some pictures of green outside~

~lichens on a tree

~moss in our driveway

~rosemary planted last September when we first moved here and a hellebore that was just repotted today (the hellebore I received from class, from a Master Gardener-she gave several of them away).

~the books I purchased today

One thing about living here is that while is does get a little cold, it doesn't get cold. It's a very green place, really almost year round (hence the rain as well-but there's sun today, yay!-we take it when we can get it). Perhaps this green place is a great place to learn about gardening-maybe it's "growing" on me-pun fully intended!

this moment

2011-01-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

crafting for Chester

2011-01-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

Since I made little gifts for the family (knitted slippers for the girls, the ribbed hat for my husband) I thought Chester needed something too. This weekend I got sewing and made him his own cat pillow~

~ leftover fabric strips from cutting-the eight strips I cut out are not the same width, but are the same length.

~sewing the strips onto a cotton batting

~strips sewn onto cotton batting, now time to add back fabric for pillow

~stuff, stuff, stuff! with polyfill and leftover fabric strips from the cutting (really I didn't over stuff the pillow, I wanted it to be a little bit on the floppy side.
~pillow washed and dried-to get that crinkly quilted look

time for photos Chester-he's so good with the camera

until he starts playing with my camera strap!

Can you tell we are totally enamored with our kitty? Pets really add joy to the home (I haven't had one in such a long time that somehow I forgot this fact-but with all the moving, plus being renters, on and on- I digress). Now I'm so glad we have Chester, and that he has a cozy place to nap, while I'm taking my nap too!

in the last couple of days....

2011-01-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

we've celebrated my oldest daughter's eleventh birthday~

eaten Indian food for dinner and lunch, had visitors from the Midwest~

and enjoyed the small quiet moments in between~

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

a few glimpses of the day....

2011-01-11T16:14:00.001-08:00

~plants by the window

~leftover chai tea from this morning

~my oldest taking a little nap after school

just sharing a few moments from this Tuesday.

ribbed

2011-01-09T15:26:00.001-08:00

ribbed hat, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

finally finished up a hat that's been in my knitting basket too long. The hat is a simple ribbed hat, pattern from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (pg. 42). I got this book this past November and it is so lovely-great photography and also a great variety of projects for all different skill levels. Last night I started work on a cowl-both the yarn for the hat and the cowl came from Quince & Co. (for the hat I used lark yarn, color "storm" and for the cowl I'm working on now I'm using chickadee yarn, color "honey").

Here's to more knitting in 2011!

I couldn't resist~

2011-01-07T15:15:00.001-08:00

he's so sweet~, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

my youngest daughter wrapped Chester up in the blanket so he could get a good nap~
sweetness!
Other things going on, well I'm making chili for dinner tonight (a huge pot so it can last the weekend) and then there is church tommorow. This past week was so busy, so really we just want this weekend to be low key. I think I'll try to get some knitting done in between reading my gardening materials.

Have a great weekend!

let's give a big welcome....

2011-01-06T10:40:00.000-08:00

to Chester, the newest member of our family!
My husband went out about a week ago to pick up some meat from a local farmer. While he was there he noticed that she had several cats which were "country cats". We've been wanting to get a pet for a while, but just never took the plunge until now-my husband had pets (a dog and a cat) when he was younger and so did I (we had two dogs-at different times). The girls absolutely love having Chester here. For the last 3 days after school all they want to do is play with him. I have a feeling that Chester is going to be one spoiled cat!

Happy Thursday!

our 2010

2011-01-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

2010 was a year of many changes for us, some good, some not so much. One of the most drastic changes last year and most heartbreaking was the passing of my grandmother. In the fall of 2009 my grandmother got quite ill. She went back and forth between the hospital and home-and then finally hospice. She passed away last January-just three months after her initial hospitalization. See my grandmother was/is very instrumental in my life. She had a huge hand in my up bringing. Some of my favorite memories (from my early childhood) include us going out to get fried fish (from Captain D's) and then coming back home to look at Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. She loved game shows. Another thing she would always do for me was to get me a Snickers bar whenever we ventured to the grocery store together. She loved cooking and was absolutely one of the best cooks I've ever known. Her macaroni and cheese (she used Velveeta:) was so, so good. She always wanted family and guests to eat well. Her cakes, her pies were pure down home goodness. She was my perpetual cheerleader, she use to tell me how proud she was of me-even if I hadn't done anything particularly outstanding. I am so very grateful that my own children had chances to be with her during our visits down South. Often someone I know will tell me that I have "old people ways" and I know exactly why I do have those ways. I miss talking to her on the phone, asking for advice, talking about the weather, politics, and what we were both cooking up for dinner. I just miss her so much-I keep my memories of her close to my heart.

Another major change this year (late summer) was our move. This is the farthest we have ever moved from our family. In all the other places we've lived before we were at least in driving distance to someone in our families. This move took a lot out of me (honestly I was a hot mess), but with each day this new place becomes less new. I'm not big on change-at all. If I could live in the same place for years I think I would because I'm just a creature of habit. However because of schooling and work situations we have done our fair share of moving. Now in a new place, we are trying to establish community for our family. This community building has been made somewhat easier because of our church. Yet, I still find myself at times struggling with feelings of loneliness and sadness. As I inch closer my forties- the need for connection and belonging has become stronger. Roots. We are not totally sure if this will be the place for our "roots"- but we will remain prayerful about it.

Other changes include what's next for me work/career wise. This has been on my mind alot because now both of my girls are in school all day. Often I get the question, "what do you do with all that free time?" Honestly I want to respond to the person asking with "I recharge!", but mostly I just look at the person with a shy grin. The tutoring, piano practices, and other activities fill up a great deal of our after school days, but perhaps it would be interesting to pursue something outside of the home spectrum (hence the Master Gardening classes :) My dream would be to work outdoors-planting something, but is that practical? When my oldest daughter was born I put her in daycare when she was six months old to go back to school. After schooling I worked outside the home until I had my second child. After my second child I did not re-enter the workforce. Now my youngest is in school full day. Should I go back to my old field which is totally practical or should I pursue something vastly different? Definitely questions for me to answer in 2011.

Despite those major changes in 2010, 2010 also included some wonderful times. We participated in our first ceilli, we visited weekly with our dear friends and had lovely adventures with them, we visited Chicago and one of our favorite places there, we participated in the community garden with friends from church. Now we are getting to know new people, laying the foundation for new friendships and appreciating the beautiful scenery (greenery, mountains, trees) of this place we now call home.

My prayer for this New Year includes a prayer for strength~
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13 NIV

a prayer for wisdom~
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 NIV

and most of all a prayer of hope~
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
Psalms 62:5 NIV

again Happy New Year~
much love,
nichole

hanging out

2010-12-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

~perler beads

~making a star

~basket by the couch

We've been hanging out at home these last couple of days, just relaxing-eating easy meals. Next week we will be back to our regular schedule plus I will be starting Master Gardening classes. The class meets once a week (for about three months) and will cover all aspects of botany, horticulture, and other key aspects of gardening. I'm excited about this class and hopefully can keep up with the weekly reading and class work, but really I think this challenge will be a good one for me. In the meantime we'll enjoy the last few days of just hanging out at home, being lazy, and bringing in the New Year.

Happy New Year!

makin' something for Christmas

2010-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Remember this post, about wanting to make small knitted gifts for the family? Well I got around to it and knitted these for the girls~

slippers, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

The pattern is found in Knit Simple.I like to think of them as "peppermint slippers" because of course they are colors of peppermints. For my youngest daughter I used smaller needles and decreased the number of rounds knitted-also a crocheted draw sting was also added so that the fit could be a bit more snug. The girls tell me that the slippers are cozy, which of course makes me happy.

I also did a little sewing for the small pillows on the couch~

patchwork style, my seaming could have been a bit more precise, but I still think they add a colorful touch to the living area.

In the kitchen~

Swedish fruitcake, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

fruitcake-Swedish style, I made this last year-I love it, it's light and not as dense as the traditional fruitcake. I didn't have all the dried fruit that was listed in the recipe, so I just used what dried fruit I had in the cupboard, which included dried cranberries, dried apricots, candied ginger, and raisins.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to all the new possibilities of the New Year.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-26T00:20:00.001-08:00

originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Merry Christmas friends!

festive lights

2010-12-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

Two days till Christmas! I could ask how did that happen, but really what's the point now, I still need a tree! The girls are out of school and have been getting their fill of the Wii and computer games. Today however, they took a little time out from all that electronic entertainment to do a little crafting with me~

~recycled glass jars and tissue paper

~tissue papers all cut up (into strips and squares) and put through a gluey water bath

~strips of tissue paper placed on jars, overlapping the tissue paper is a good things! Smooth papers down along countour of the glass.

~Allow the tissue paper to dry completely (which most likely will take overnight or longer). For extra shine add a extra coat of Modge Podge, and let jars dry again. Add a small candle or a flamless tea light (which is what I used for these jars) and now you have a festive candle display.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

Sunday talk

2010-12-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

small house, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

well lets see what we did this Sunday~

~realized that making my bed at the beginning of the day gives me the feeling that the rest of the day may possibly be organized, (possibly of course is the key word).

~got a little more Christmas decorating done, however I'm looking for a particular set of ornaments that I just can't find- maybe I'll continue the search tomorrow.

~did some knitting while watching football, the 49er's beat the Seahawks!

~ate waffles for dinner, including some curry onion waffles made by my hubby.

~washed and twisted my youngest daughter's hair-the tangles were aided by this product, so glad I found it at the local co-op.

~got some of these water globes for my plants from Ross. In all actuality I think they are a little silly, but I like the colors of the globes and they were of sale, I mean deep discount.

~realized that tomorrow needs to be my down day, because the rest of the week is going to be hectic-tutoring,piano practices, school Christmas play (two performances in the same day), church Christmas program, and some baking to do (or maybe buying-just depends).

The busyness of this time of year can catch me up in a whirlwind, but really this year my perspective is that what gets done will get done and what doesn't, doesn't- (or it can wait) because in the grand scheme of things I know I should be focusing on my loved ones and not on my expectations of what the "right" holiday should entail. Letting go (which isn't necessarily easy for me and my control freak tendencies) is perhaps the biggest gift we can give to ourselves and to others.

bringing in Christmas color with plants

2010-12-10T16:21:00.001-08:00

forcing paperwhites, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Christmas cactus, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

poinsettia, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

These plants really brighten my day, especially when most days are a bit rainy and chilly. Hope you are finding ways to brighten your winter days as well.
Have a great weekend!

this moment

2010-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

~inspired by soulemama~

have a great weekend!

Three years of celebrating Advent

2010-12-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

We have been officially celebrating Advent for three years now, in which I have actually put together a calendar for the family. Now today as I meet December 1st, I'm totally unprepared. Ideas have been floating in my head, but nothing is sticking. I think I may use the same calendar from last year, with a couple adjustments (gotta look in some more boxes). The holiday season finds me at this moment in not such a festive mood, but I've got Christmas music in my car, on my i-pod so hopefully the cheer of the season will get to me soon!
In the mean time I thought I would share with you our Advent calendars/crafts from the three past years~

2007

Advent Calendar, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

I think I purchased most of the materials of this calendar from Hobby Lobby. I glued those wooden stars on that felt material (glue gun, love) and wrote the dates on the wooden stars with a marker-very homey!

2008

Advent calendar 2008, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

What I like most about this calendar are the girls drawings and the wooden clothespins that we generously dipped in glitter.

2009

Advent Calendar 2009, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

The story behind this calendar is here.

Crafts we've enjoyed doing....

for the tree (eventually), originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Button wreath, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

popsicle sticks, construction paper, glue, beads, buttons, random pieces of fabric makes for great Christmas crafting.

Tell me what are you crafting, making, cooking up for this holiday season?
Happy first day of Advent!

this evening

2010-11-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

Our Monday night consisted of the usual-homework, dinner (squash soup with turkey salad sandwiches-yes still eating turkey), showers and chores.
I did however find a couple of moments to sit on the couch to look at a Josh Groban dvd (checked out from the library), knit a few rows-really just a few, and browse thru a couple of magazines~

~aren't these slippers so festive, maybe I could knit two pair, for the girls knitted gifts

~look at those cute animals and owls!

Josh on stage singing (I'm kinda silly to take a picture of my tv :)

~ribbed hat in progress, can you see my copy of MSL magazine peeking in there? I somehow just can't resist her Christmas/Holiday issues

~sweater, coming along slowly

so from now until Christmas, I'll get in one stitch at a time (hopefully more) whenever I can, wherever I can-because realistically I'm no jack rabbit when it comes to knitting, I'm more of a "tortoise" speed (perhaps tortoise and speed shouldn't be in the same sentence, huh?)
Have a wonderful evening!

giving thanks

2010-11-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

~making biscuits

~pear bundt cake,recipe in this book

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. Although we didn't make it out to visit our extended family (on the East Coast and in the South), we had a nice time with new friends. Really I have so much to be thankful for, and I want to embrace this thankfulness not only on Thanksgiving, but daily.

I'm not looking to do any major shopping today (I may go to Jo-Ann's and Borders, and we need two bedside table lamps (maybe shop online for the lamps) but that's about it. After viewing this it really puts in perspective about how we engage in the consumerism cycle (and I find it amazing that Thanksgiving is now so closely associated with Black Friday). Lots of times I think all of these "new gadgets" keep us conveniently distracted-distracted from others and mostly from ourselves. Now don't get me wrong I think technology can be a good thing-in small doses. Just the other day we were all home- I was sitting on the couch looking at television with my youngest daughter, my oldest daughter was upstairs on the computer, and my husband was downstairs on his computer. We were all home, together-but really were we together? Something for me to think about.

On to other things, I have an ambitious plan of knitting something for my husband and my girls for Christmas. Right now I'm working on a ribbed hat for my husband, I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to knit for the girls yet. These knits are not going to be long and involved-just things that are short and sweet.
So hopefully today I'll get some knitting in and then tonight we are going to our towns Christmas Parade.

Have a delightful weekend, and enjoy the leftovers!

finding

2010-11-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

Unpacking is long work. I just dropped off more boxes today at the recycling center that have been in our garage. Really since we are renting I don't want to completely unpack everything. It's crazy though, last week I needed batteries for my camera, so I bought some from WinCo. Okay so now today, just looking in a basket at the top of my closet I realized that I had purchased a whole pack of batteries before we moved. This can be a little tricky, a lot of my craft stuff is still in boxes too, so I have to talk to myself-really and say "Now, do I need another of yard of fabric? (apparently I did, I purchased some from Jo-Ann's last week), or another skein of yarn? I did unpack the sewing machine yesterday-no need for a new one, at least not yet. I'm currently using this, and it's really an awesome little machine. It's my oldest daughter's machine, a gift from Nana, but my daughter graciously lets me use it. I also have an old Singer machine that my husband got me from the Goodwill couple of years ago. That machine is heavy duty, but when I use it I just can't get the thread tension right, so for now I'm sticking with Hello Kitty.
Anyway I found an old photo memory stick (circa 2008) in my closet too, and I just wanted to share a few photos from it~

~thrifted afghan, on the bed

~watercolors

~breakfast

~apple haul

~ my youngest scooping up snow (oh,how I'm going to miss those Midwest winters, seriously)

It's kinda weird but looking at some of these old photos totally reminds me of myself. See, sometimes I feel like perhaps a little part of me got lost in the move, but looking back helps me to look forward, which helps me to find my new footing, on this new ground.
Have a great Tuesday evening!

for the love of knitting

2010-11-12T15:28:00.001-08:00

knitting can be found on~

my arm, an i-cord bracelet

on my phone

my cup of coffee (a decaf mocha), both the cell phone case and coffee sleeve were given as gifts to me, thanks Tara!

my neck, keeping me warm

Hopefully this upcoming winter, with the rain coming down and winds whipping, I'll be found on my couch-blanket covering my legs, a warm cup of tea at my side with some yarn and needles in my hand, making more knitted things to love.

The Parade

2010-11-11T16:32:00.001-08:00

The girls school took the day off so all the students could attend the Veterans Day Parade in the neighboring town

At a point in the parade, I found myself getting a little emotional, unexpectedly.
Despite differences that may exist either politically, racially, spiritually-we are all humans. Humans that can hopefully remember that our humanness connects us more than anything else.
Wishing you a blessed Veteran's Day!

this week so far....

2010-11-09T19:55:00.001-08:00

breakfast, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

The above picture is one of our breakfast on Sunday, waffles with homemade applesauce, a good way to start the week-don't you think?
We've also been working on fifth grade math (the distributive property). My oldest daughter and I worked on that Monday night- it took me back to my own grade school years and my lack of love for the subject, but I think by 9:30 pm it started to click- for the both of us.
Today the girls and I ate an early dinner right after school at Baja Fresh, then we visited the bookstore, and then decided it would be a good idea to get a sweet treat. Now its time to get ready for bed-I feel like night comes so early now with daylight savings time being over.
Other things I need to do this week include getting us some rain coats and some socks (the manager at Baja Fresh told me there are three seasons here, which are" rain, rain, and more rain-which somewhere in between is broken up with about fifty days of sunshine", oh boy, no wonder there is a coffee shop on every corner in town). The girls will start up piano lessons tomorrow. I found someone who teaches lessons in her home and she can teach the lessons back to back (before I was taking the girls on different days, but at that time my youngest had only half days in school). I'm hoping to get some more knitting done on my sweater this week too-I worked on it a little bit on Sunday. I don't want this new project to become a ufo!
You know, we've been in our new home for a little over two months and some days it seems more like home here than others. Change is very hard for me, I accept this, and I also realize that in the process I am growing, learning, and understanding that now matter where I am, God continues to bless us and gives us the grace we need.
grace.

at home....

2010-11-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

~by the sink

~in my lap

I've got a little knitting going on, the pattern is here.

Have a good weekend!

roses and pumpkins

2010-10-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

My mom is here visiting and I am so glad. To see her familiar face, to have her visit our new home "out West" is very comforting. The girls are also so excited to see their "Nana". On Sunday we decided to take her to the Rose Garden. Even this late in the season, the roses are beautiful. We absolutely loved it, although it was a bit chilly as we strolled through the garden.

On Monday we went on a field trip (with the girls school) to the pumpkin patch. We had a fun time and my mom got us an apple pie from the farm store that was out there-after dinner last night we ate that pie right up .

~corn maze at the pumpkin patch

~look at that huge pumpkin!

Mom leaves on Friday, and I'll be sad when she goes back to the East Coast, but glad that we both have in our hearts the memories that we've made here in our new home.
Today we are going shopping, she's a shopper for sure-Happy Monday!

Wednesday's market

2010-10-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

no matter where we are, or where we move to finding the farmers market always brings beauty into our lives. Thanks to all the farmers, everywhere.

the afternoon light

2010-10-12T18:04:00.001-07:00

~on the plant

~on a bowl of fruit

~on small hands

afternoon light
signalling that another day
is close
to another~
beautiful light
making
the simple
seem
remarkable.

after school....

2010-10-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

~we walked to the park

~noticed that the leaves are turning

~played on the swings

~appreciated the vast blue sky

~walked back home with a little crochet work in hand

(our stay at the park was a bit short, because someone hurt their pinky toe on the play equipment-flip flops have been officially put away for the season).

a few glimpses of the day.....

2010-09-24T15:43:00.001-07:00

~mums at our doorstep

~the view on the drive to school (my oldest daughter told me it was not very safe to snap photos and drive at the same time:)

~a little shopping

~some flower arranging

This weekend will include church and there is a Fall Festival taking place in town also. If I get my sleep quota in maybe we'll go.
Have a good weekend!

my place

2010-09-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

~a place to sit

hi,
how are you doing?

~things are calming down here a tad, plenty boxes still need to be unpacked-but like my wise, wonderful sister in law told me-"give yourself till December to sort all the stuff out!" I agree.

~my skin is doing better with the help of pharmaceuticals. I'm taking steroids, and if you know anything about me this isn't really ideal-I usually error on the side of less medicine the better (I'm also taking fish oil and evening primrose oil because omega-3's are good for the skin). When the physician assistant saw my rashes (on my hands, arms, legs, face) she knew I needed something-and I will admit I feel better after taking the pills and my skin looks so much better-only because my immune system is being suppressed. I follow up with an internist and dermatologist next week, hopefully that will give me some answers about why my skin is rebelling so.

~my feelings of homesickness are gradually getting better, but are still present. I had a good talk with my sister in law about this-and really she gave me so much insight. Even though we have moved several times before, I think this one came at a time in my life when I was really establishing myself and my interests (after all I find real beauty in routine and sameness). Thus now I have to start over, and truth be told I'm kinda lacking the energy to make connections, to make community again, but it is necessary I know.

~The kids are adapting well and are enjoying school, which in itself a blessing.

~right now I'm crocheting up little dishcloths for our place, some for the bathroom and some for the kitchen.

~I planted a pot of rosemary near the garage today, it's smells very good, really strong.

~I miss Target (the nearest one is about twelve miles away) but I am enjoying the wonderfulness that is Trader Joes (which is about 3 miles away from us :)

Have a good Thursday evening friends.

adaptation

2010-09-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

seems like if you take an animal and put it in a new environment-it needs time to adapt.
This is happening
to me.
I'm feeling a bit down
about all the friends I miss
dearly, the community I had.
My eczema and allergies are screaming,
so much so that I've made appointments
to get it checked out.
Most people tell me
"you are so out going, you must make friends fast!"
not necessarily.
We've moved several times, but for some reason
I'm taking this one a little harder.

Time, will help.
I know, time.

we've moved....

2010-09-03T18:39:00.001-07:00

and it's official,
I'm in over my head!

Hoping to come up for air in a week or two.

Have a fabulous weekend, and while you're at it why don't you come over and help me unpack (:

goings on-part 2~ the food edition, mostly

2010-08-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember I mentioned about eating more raw foods, well last night for dinner I had a collard wrap/roll and it was so good (similar to the raw kale wraps, but with salsa too). Really the hot weather just makes one crave for cool crunchy veggies, and sweet juicy fruits. So eating this way is definitely easier when the outside temps are in the nineties with unbearable humidity. Realistically though I know that I couldn't be a full time raw foodist because I like cooked food as well. I think it would be pretty tough to maintain a high raw diet in the winter, especially in a place that gets chilly-but like I said this is just me. I just love experimenting and I totally believe that you have to do what is right for your health, for yourself, and your loved ones, this is what I call liberation in eating!
Anyway while eating raw has been great for my dinners, we have been also clearing out our freezer because of our upcoming move. This clearing out included cooking up a turkey (a small one about ten pounds) that I had purchased about 2 years ago. I don't know if we are going to get that freezer all cleared out (alot of stuff is in there, hello-frozen apples from 2008?) so perhaps we will invite the college kids from our church over so they can have their pick of things-you know the college crew is always in need of food.
To tell the truth right at this moment in my life I feel a little overwhelmed. Our move is approaching fast, we are getting things packed, I want to make sure the kids are doing okay with everything as we get ready for the move, I want them to adjust well to their new environment, really I just want all of us to adjust well to our new home. I will also miss the wonderful friends I have made here in the Midwest. One friend (a friend I met through a fellow blogger) has been very special to me-I remember when her youngest was just a baby and now he's getting ready to turn three! Oh my, how I'm going to miss them. This will be the farthest that we have moved away from most of our extended family as well (we have usually been in driving distance to at least someone). Yet at the same time I am excited about moving to a new place and seeing the possibilities that await us there-prayerful and hopeful is were I'm at now days.

Well enough of this moving talk, lets get to the pictures-more foodie pictures (:

~berry flax smoothie (frozen raspberries, frozen fruit juice, fresh strawberries, ice, two tablespoons of milled flax and a squeeze of lemon-yum!)

~brewing sun tea

~visiting the Wednesday evening farmer's market

~milled flax

~a mango a day keeps everyone happy

have you had your mango today?

goings on

2010-08-04T10:05:00.001-07:00

this mornings coffee, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

lets talk~

*summer is going fast isn't it? Can't believe its already August but it is.

*our community garden is at risk of being taken over by the weeds. The heat and humidity are making the weeds grow like gangbusters, we can't keep up. Our squash and cukes have also been victim to this little creature, love the life lessons of gardening.

*I've been experimenting with eating raw-just for my dinners, really summer is just the best time for such an adventure-last night I had kale rolls (raw kale with chopped cukes, tomatoes, garlic, avocado with a ginger dressing)-good stuff, lots of crunch.

*remember this post, I'm still keeping my activity level up-even if that means that running/walking 3 miles still takes me an hour, Rome wasn't built in a day right?

*we are cleaning out stuff, packing and gearing up for a move, again~nomads we are!

so this morning as I drink my coffee, many things occupy my mind (make a list, make a list!) but I'm just going to take this moment and enjoy doing nothing-just for a moment.

fast growing

2010-06-21T19:36:00.001-07:00

radishes, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

My dear friend Kirsten and I went out and worked in our community garden plot today. We weeded, staked veggies, and harvested radishes. I think I'm going to pickle some of them (we already ate a couple of them for lunch). I love radishes because they grow super fast and give encouragement while the long growing veggies continue to mature.

Life needs more radishes I think!

~the full days of May

2010-06-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

The month of May was hectic. We had family visiting for two weeks, the girls finished school at the end of May, we traveled to the West Coast, appointments here and there, music lessons, plus the daily keeping up with meals, cleaning, etc.(which at random moments I may have been just a little frazzled, just a little:)
Seems like we are just trying to find our summer rhythm and truthfully we are not there yet. We have some things coming up this summer which involve major purging of junk and lots of cleaning-but right now I'm not going to think about that too hard. Instead I'll share some photos I took today along with a small list of things I'm loving, okay?

~flowers in our garden box

~peas, so good raw

~today's lunch

~things I'm loving

*this water, totally refreshing, no calories-a win, win

*Jack Johnson's new album

*this oil for my face (it's a bit pricey, but a tiny bit goes a long, long way)

*these shoes-they are awesome, really (especially on the treadmill)

Have a Happy Wednesday!

hey there....

2010-06-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

we've got some catching up to do.

May is exciting because....

2010-05-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

I can shop the farmers market

~eggs purchased today from the farmer's market

to find one near you check out~
http://www.localharvest.org/

green smoothie Wednesday

2010-05-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Our green smoothie today-interesting combo but still very good, at least I thought so and so did my youngest-surprisingly! My oldest on other hand drank hers while closing her nose (this is shocking because it is my oldest that totally eats almost everything, veggies and all, while my youngest prefers barbecue chicken with a side of chocolate). Really I think its all about the texture-and the context,"ooh a smoothie is a cool juice like drink", the youngest thinks while the oldest says to herself, "wow this seems like a blended salad, I'll eat my salads whole, thank you very much."
Our smoothie included watercress, frozen peaches, an old apple (I bet you can tell I have lots of old apples around), a small piece of ginger, coconut oil, lemon juice, a splash of water, ice cubes, and a big squeeze of agave nectar. I loved how the ginger gave this smoothie some pizazz.

~in the blender

~let's drink!

(this afternoon I wanted to get some stretching in, so I decided to go to yoga. Stretching my goodness, I was sweating buckets in that class. Some of those positions were super tough, but you do what you can do, and drinking a green smoothie can only help :)

big purse, small stuff

2010-05-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Do you carry a large bag or purse? Well I do. I love big bags, in fact my husband likes to ask me from time to time "what in the world do you carry in there?" Lets see-my wallet, various papers, pens, pencils, broken crayons, magazines, loose receipts, old sticky cough drops, maxis, crumpled tissues, plastic spoons, restaurant napkins, okay-I think you get the picture. Yes I have an affinity for big bags, but not so much for the bottomless pit syndrome that these bags create. Reaching down in my bag, "okay I think I have a pen" I say to myself, gotta write my grocery list (on the back of an old receipt of course), but instead I pull up a used straw, "how did that get in there?"
In the attempt to be more organized I decide to make myself a small pouch. I wanted this pouch to hold my travel sized lotion, lip gloss, and lip balm. I got the pattern for this small make-up bag from the book Sew Pretty Homestyle (which I checked out from the library-the pattern is on page 95). This was my first time sewing in a zipper (and yes I found that part a bit tricky) in fact I had to go back and do a little hand stitching to get the zipper just so-but still I'm pleased with my little bag. Another challenge I found in this pattern is that seam allowances are not included so they must be added in.
Perhaps these small attempts at organization will lead to bigger attempts-one can hope, can't she?

~layers

~little make-up case

~some of my stuff, contained, yay!

see you here tomorrow for green smoothie Wednesday!
wishing you a good evening friends.

seven things

2010-05-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Libby of My Krafty Kreations was so kind to give me a Kreativ blogger award. As part of receiving the award the recipient will list seven facts about herself,

Well here I go~

*As a child I wasn't a picky kid when it came to food, I ate my veggies.

*Also when I was young, me and my Grandmother loved looking at game shows and sitcoms together. Some of our favorites included Three's Company, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy.

*I don't know how to swim.

*I always have loved literature, reading, anything artistic-math, um-not so much. I guess I'm more of a right-brain thinker.

*I'm left-handed, so yes I'm in my right brain, at least most of the time.

*I wore braces for at least five years, wow!

*In college I majored in Biology, which wasn't totally practical but very interesting.

*I absolutely love gardening (I think you may know this) but I have a far out dream of having a small farm with a kind of restaurant set-up. Cooking meals with produce grown on the farm (serving either breakfast or lunch-or both-for the restaurant) along with having some chickens and bee hives.

*I met one of my dearest friends through a blog.

*Sometimes I think I'm in love with the idea of crafting, more than the crafting itself, as evidenced by the number of ufo's I have in my closet.

*At any given time I have at least 10-15 books by my bedside. Currently I'm reading Born to Run and re-reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Hey I think I listed more than seven things, that was fun! Thanks Libby for this chance to share, and I pass this on to anyone who wants to share some interesting things about themselves.

green smoothie Wednesday

2010-04-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Each Wednesday I think I'm gonna share with you my green smoothie (just in time for these warmer days of spring and summer). Today's smoothie consisted of watercress, strawberries, an old apple-peeled, unsweetened herbal brewed tea-that was left over from yesterday, a generous squeeze of lemon, and finally some agave nectar~

~ingredients
watercress was the new thing in the smoothie today, it's a bit peppery, reminds me of arugula.

~lovely lemon

~blended

Cheers!

run, girl, run

2010-04-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've been contemplating about whether to post about this or not, but I'm going to go ahead and post about "the run" (or more like the run-walk-run). You see around the beginning of April I was shopping at our local food co-op (I'm usually in there at least two or three times a week) and most of the time after I finish checking out I go check the bulletin board at the front of the store. Usually on the board there are flyers for local events, classes, things for sell and so forth. On this particular day a flyer caught my eye, it was a flyer concerning a 5K walk/run. In my head I said to myself "if this race is on a Sunday, I'm game!" (we attend church on Saturday). I took a registration form home and realized that the date for the walk/run was on April 25th-a Sunday, decision made.
In the weeks preceding the race, I started working out more-using the gym membership that I already had, but now putting it to more use. Not all the workouts were enjoyable of course, but the after workout feeling made the workouts seem well worth it (and I do like sweating, it makes me feel like I'm doing something :) I also found this program to be a helpful reference.
The weeks flew by and finally race day approached, which was this past Sunday. More that eight hundred people from our city woke up early to participate in this race (the race benefited a local business that employs people with disabilities).
When I arrived at the racing venue, I placed on my number and got a chip to put on my running shoes. I got out to the starting line, went to the back of the crowd and finally took off when the guy yelled "go!" through his megaphone.
I started off with a slow jog, but then about 1/2 mile into it my calves cramped up (note to self, running on a treadmill is not the same as running on pavement, thanks). I stopped jogging and just began walking-for about a mile and a half. The walking helped out my calves and for the last leg of the race I was able to jog it out to the finish line. I was glad to finish, my body was glad also.
Really what possessed me to do this? I think it's because I need goals-especially in the area of exercise. For most of my life I had periods in which I'm active, and then I fall into the abyss of non-activity-it's a cycle, active, not active, active, not active-around and around. I'm going to be completely honest here and say that really I'm far from my ideal weight and I've struggled with this for most of my life. Genetics, having children, moving from state to state, along with other life stressors, I can try to blame-but excuses, are exactly what they are-excuses.
Now that the race is over, I wonder if I'll keep up my workouts, will I be just as motivated as I was before the race? I think so, a friend of mine gave me this verse when I told her about the race- "I can do everything by the power of Christ. He gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 NIRV. So true. When it boils down to it, its not about the race, or really about the weight, its about being responsible with my health-being a proper steward of it.

spring~full force

2010-04-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

~one of my garden helpers

~peas in a cup, staked with chopsticks

~a chive flower soon to emerge

~dandelion seeds

~redbud in full bloom

a little planting, a lot of blooming, and a bit of sneezing-that's whats been going on around here lately.

hope you all are enjoying Spring in your neck of the woods (except for the sneezing part that is :)

kindness

2010-04-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

When I started blogging I did so mostly to have a creative outlet, a space to show just some of the little things that we do daily (really I say a little 'cause I'm a bit of a private person in many ways). Yet as time progressed I realized that there is a whole lot of us that are sharing, using the internet, as a place of community. Yesterday I received a package from Libby (her crochet and photography are pure awesome). What really blew me away was that the contents of the package were so me~

~pretty yarn

~plantain chips

(I was tempted to eat these chips all by myself, but I shared some with the family)

~curry powder

(now I have to get my curry on)

All I can say is thank you Libby for your kindness and thoughtfulness, and isn't it something that I received your package exactly a year after starting this blog-how cool is that :)

Thanks again, Libby!

getting reacquainted

2010-04-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

getting reacquainted, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Really coffee is my every morning usual-I absolutely love my coffee, but today I wanted something-no scratch that-I needed something different. I haven't made a green smoothie in a long, long, while. This mornings concoction consisted of frozen mango chunks, spinach, honey, water, hemp-protein, chia seeds, and a small squeeze of lemon, and it was so refreshing, a totally successful reunion I'd say.
Green smoothies stick around this time, I think I need ya!

a little....

2010-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

~crocheting

~reading

~growing

has been taking place in those moments when I need a moment.

happy Monday!

fruity

2010-04-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for Easter I made two types of desserts-both based on fruit. As I've mentioned before I'm trying to healthify (is that a word?) our sweet selections. Now the most simple dessert one can make involves chocolate and fruit-and I believe anything with chocolate qualifies as a dessert.

~dried apricots and strawberries with dark chocolate

~our second dessert, a dairy-free fruit tart
we are not vegan, or even vegetarian for that matter-but the more I cook the more I love looking everywhere for recipes, ideas, suggestions. I don't like limitations, especailly in the kitchen. I made this tart by googling certain things (like dairy free vanilla pudding and vegan fruit tart) and the tweaking what I saw online with what I had in the pantry and fridge. The crust of the tart is a combination of ginger cookies, fine coconut flakes, almonds, dried apricots, a little coconut oil, and a dash of salt-pulsed together in the food processor then pressed into a pan. The filling part of the tart consists of pudding made with almond milk and pureed mango(I made the pudding first, cooled it overnight and folded the mango puree into the pudding the following morning). Strawberries and plums complete the top of the tart. Not too hard at all, and well worth the effort. Isn't it an awesome thing when desserts are actually good for you (:

this Easter~

2010-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
John 16:33 NKJV

and because of this promise I am so utterly grateful not only on this Easter day, but everyday.

flowers~paper and planted

2010-04-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

We did a little crafting for Easter today by making paper flowers. I remember getting this idea a while ago from an old episode of Martha Stewart (yes, I'll admit it, I'm a real Martha fan). One particular bride wanted paper flowers for her wedding and even carried a paper flower bouquet down the aisle. Ever since that episode I've been wanting to make some myself (and thought that it would also make a great spring/Easter craft, here's the link for the flowers we made today). My youngest even wanted to help out with the flower making, despite fighting a fever for the last couple of days. I purchased the crepe paper, floral wire, floral tape from Hobby Lobby and Michael's.
Now to flowers planted~yesterday we planted some zinnias in our planter box and some violas in a container. We also got around to some seed starting, yay! I purchased my tiny Jiffy hothouse last week and in it put tomato, pepper, eggplant, okra, and squash seeds. The little hothouse is now on top of the fridge (where's it a little warm) and when all the conditions are right, tiny seedlings will make their debut-how exciting is that!

~little hands cutting crepe paper

~our Easter bouquet

~zinnias planted

~seed starting tray

Wishing you a blessed and Happy Easter weekend

paper mache and a birthday

2010-03-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

this weekend included church, our weekly church potluck, experimenting with paper mache, eating Indian food and then baking up a birthday cake~

~tissue paper everywhere

~adding glue paste and tissue strips to the ballons

~ready to dry

~ingredients for carrot cake

~my husband's birthday cake frosted with cream cheese pecan frosting

an enjoyable yet full weekend.

oatmeal cookies with a power punch

2010-03-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

I admit, I have a serious sweet tooth-and yet I know that this has to be kept under some control. Lately I've been having an insane craving for oatmeal cookies, but a lot of recipes for oatmeal cookies call for at least two sticks of butter. Believe me I'm a fan of butter, but I like to spread out my butter/oil consumption through out the day-and not be done with it in just a couple of bites. So this morning after dropping the kids off at school I got in the kitchen to do some experimenting.
My goal was to make a good oatmeal cookie, with less fat but that also had a bit of a nutritional punch. Basically I took a standard cookie recipe and made appropriate substitutions.

Another goal I wanted with this recipe was to use less flour. I replaced some of the flour with super fine grated coconut (pictured above) and I also added flax seeds. When the cookies came out of the oven I couldn't resist and had to try one right away. Being very hot, the texture reminded me of small oatmeal cakes, but as they cooled a nice slight crunch developed. After school the kids ate them and then asked for more-which I see as a good indication that I'll be making these again (and maybe I'll try a few more tweaks, you know me :)

here's the recipe~

dry ingredients
1 cup of super, super fine coconut
1 and 3/4 cups of old fashioned oats
3/4 cups of sugar (I used a combo sucanat and raw sugar)
1/4 cup of flour
2 tsp of baking powder (next time I'll reduce this to 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 cup of golden flax seeds
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

wet ingredients
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 cup of applesauce
1 tsp of vanilla

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Beat eggs and stir in cooled melted butter, peanut butter, applesauce, sugar and vanilla-combine until well mixed. In another bowl place dry ingredients and combine very well also. Take mixed dry ingredients and add gradually to the egg/butter/sugar mixture. Stir all ingredients together. Spoon drop cookies on cookie sheet bake for 10-15 minutes (when tops are a bit golden) at 350 degrees.

(I also think adding raisins, or some other dried fruit would be great, but my youngest has thing about cooked raisins).

this Tuesday....

2010-03-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

I'm noticing what's growing~

*chives in our garden box

*basil on our plant table

I'm figuring out what I want to grow~

*something new to grow this year, peas

I'm also figuring out my way with a crochet hook and some yarn leftovers~

I'm always grateful for this time of year-the sunshine, the rain, the warmer weather really does something for me. I'm also looking forward to some seed starting and some Easter crafts in the upcoming days.

happy Tuesday friends!

a little bit of spring

2010-03-21T20:35:00.001-07:00

a little bit of spring, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

spring~

is here.
a time for
new growth,

new possibilities.

random with a little crochet

2010-03-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

just wanted to share some random bits that have been going on~

*we attend our first ceili last weekend, had lots of fun dancing.

*the weather is getting nicer, I even walked to my daughter's school today to pick her up from her kindergarten class (she was so surprised to see me without the car :)
I'm thinking that we should do this at least twice a week.

*I've been eating lots of oranges.

*like last year I'm planning to participate in the community garden and a friend from church is going to share the plot with me.

*from the local food co-op I'm liking this, this, and this.

*I've been doing a little crochet-just keeping it simple. I've made a headband (with leftover yarn from this project) and now I'm just single crocheting up some peaches and creme.

~headband

~single crocheting some peaches and creme

*I've been buying coffee out a lot lately, and really not feeling to guilty about it.

Okay, I think that's enough random for today.

Have a good weekend friends!

tv definitely worth watching

2010-03-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I tried to get most of my evening chores done early so I could sit down and watch Faces of America, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Really if you haven't seen this show you should try to (it comes on Wednesday night, check your local PBS listings). I have been utterly fascinated with how much information that Gates and his team were able to find out about each of their guests genealogy and how current technology (through DNA analysis) helps to uncover links to the past as well. In fact last evenings program even showed that some of the guests themselves were distant, distant relatives (which only tells me that we all may be more related than we think).
As a family last night we watched this program and it really got us asking questions about our own history, who we belong to-who did we come from? I love shows like this that actually make you think.

I've been fascinated with Gates work for awhile. I remember picking up a copy of the dvd African-American Lives from the library maybe about a year ago and just sitting on the couch for 3 hours looking at the program almost in its whole entirety-I was hooked.
So if you are looking for something educational yet fascinating to watch definitely check this series out.

(hey, I just realized that the last episode aired last night, but past episodes can be viewed at the website I linked above).

playing with dirt

2010-03-03T20:23:00.001-08:00

warm enough...., originally uploaded by *nichole*.

It was warm enough today that I was able to go outside and re-pot some plants (which are inside now because it still gets very cold at night), but even so being outside with some dirt on my hands felt good. The current warmer weather (being the mid to upper 30's, hey we're talking the midwest here) has got me thinking about which seeds I need to start indoors and all the pre-garden planning I still need to do. I think this year my theme for the garden will be less is more. Last year I tried to cram too many plants in my garden plot (uh, seven tomato plants in one row times 3-really what was I thinking!)
I know it will be best to spread things out, and I now have the realization that yes those little seedlings do actually grow, they need space. I love how gardening teaches me so much, really I love it so.

what we ate today....

2010-03-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

After a morning doctors appointment my youngest girl and I headed to the library cafe for a cookie and some tea (or in her case hot cocoa)~

for lunch we had broccoli soup, cukes, tomatoes, and pita bread with hummus~

and finally for dinner we all had~

chicken pot pie (:

happy Tuesday!

photo February-day 28

2010-03-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

practicing dance steps

with friends
makes for

a fun
Sunday afternoon.

*(this is my last photo for photo February, thanks for the positive comments and support. Can you believe that March is here already? Garden time is around the corner ~yay! and this year it should be interesting-for many reasons).*

photo February-day 27

2010-02-27T16:34:00.001-08:00

summer desserts, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

making summer
desserts
in
winter.

photo February-day 26

2010-02-27T16:30:00.001-08:00

outside, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

photo February-day 25

2010-02-25T15:43:00.001-08:00

egg whites, whipped, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

never
give

up.

photo February-day 24

2010-02-24T15:13:00.001-08:00

today's thrifty finds, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

I never
tire of
finding

old

little treasures.

photo February-day 23

2010-02-23T11:22:00.001-08:00

macaroons, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

wanted to make meringue~

but my whites didn't peak.

plan B,

add coconut.

macaroons
by mistake,

perfect.

photo February-day 22

2010-02-23T11:16:00.001-08:00

reading, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

a slight fever.

stayed home
from
school

today.

reading
in bed,

staying cozy
and

warm.

photo February-day 21

2010-02-21T17:29:00.001-08:00

snow, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

as I was driving I heard
the forecast~

more snow
is

coming.

winter

is
lingering.

photo February-day 20

2010-02-20T18:51:00.001-08:00

collards and kale, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Saturday night

at home,

with a

bowl

of collards and kale

on my

bedside table.

photo February-day 19

2010-02-19T12:58:00.001-08:00

stickers, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

I bought myself
a
little
treat,
some stickers~

it doesn't

take
much.

photo February-day 18

2010-02-18T19:38:00.001-08:00

meter, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

going downtown,

gotta
have

quarters.

photo February-day 17

2010-02-17T14:40:00.001-08:00

on the table, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

photo February-day 16

2010-02-17T14:29:00.001-08:00

lamp, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

apparently,

there is
a
rooster

on my
lamp.

photo February-day 15

2010-02-15T17:14:00.001-08:00

simmer, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

sauce~

simmering
for

dinner.

photo February-day 14

2010-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

candy hearts, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

Happy Valentine's Day!

photo February-day 13

2010-02-13T21:56:00.001-08:00

our table, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

out tonight,

dinner for two.

photo February-day 12

2010-02-13T15:39:00.001-08:00

friday shopping, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

photo February-day 11

2010-02-11T18:26:00.001-08:00

kumquats, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

bought these
yesterday.

first
time.

they remind
me of tiny
oranges,

little bits of
sunshine.

so tart,
my lips
puckered-

but at the end
I found a fleeting
bit of sweetness.

sour and sweet
found together~

needing
the
balance

of both.

photo February-day 10

2010-02-10T19:03:00.001-08:00

cold, originally uploaded by *nichole*.

the sun~
so glad
to see
it
today.

hope
to see
it more
often.