Early Spring Delights

This morning was special for Vivi who made a small discovery in the yard . She found the very first daffodil to open. It really is beginning to feel like spring around here. Of course, having temperatures in the 70's helps quite a lot. The girls are pleading with me to pull out the short sleeve shirts and flip flops. Over last weekend, Vivi and I got in the dirt and started planting carrots, radishes, swiss chard and lettuce mix.

I also found a few sweet little crocuses peeking out of the fallen leaves. These lovely blooms got me inspired to work on some pretties for the nature table. I took the daffodil and made up a pattern by looking at the shapes of the leaves and petals. I sewed a pipe cleaner into the green stem to give it some flexibility.

I also pulled out my favorite craft book, All Year Round, and used the instructions to make a sweet little snowdrop flower fairy. I still need to make her a snowdrop on a stem to hold.







Jasper enjoyed the pretty posy that Vivienne picked for our neighbor.





And last but not least, I have to share my lovely Book Club evening. This month I had the honor of hosting these beautiful, amazing women for a potluck Cuban meal. It was inspired by our book, Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea, a classic that most of us had not visited since high school. Yum! I am still thinking about the food. Roasted acorn squash with cilantro and ginger over a bed of greens, beer braised black bean stew with pork, fresh red snapper baked whole, plantains both sweet and fried, rice and beans, empanadas, and cuban flan for dessert. It was an incredible meal and delightful company, as always.

~with gratitude for lovely flowers, friendship and good food~

Glimpse

In brief... sick baby, tea and more tea, pretty kitchen linens and handmade potholders, Vivienne's art making, completed scarf, favorite Mulligatawny soup, Grandma's drawing of a girl and her horse, good mail (new books = new inspiration)....

When will the root children wake up?

Meditation in the Kitchen

Okay, who can find the time in a busy household to go inward and squeeze in some meditation? I marvel at the mama who has mastered this. I find myself getting bits of personal inward journey time here and there, but it is hard to do. It can be on a walk to the park, or sitting with my morning cup of black tea, or perhaps while I wait in the pick-up line at school. But the place I love to work with my hands and let my mind free is in the kitchen.

As I chop garlic, I shoo off the snack-seekers who are rummaging through the fridge. Then I pound the garlic in the salt, adding the other lovely aromatic herbs, thinking about the colors and the tastes. I stop to break up a dispute over the CD player, check to see what the little one is getting into, make sure the pile of clean laundry is left undisturbed... Then, ahhh, I am back in the kitchen, chopping the swiss chard. More distractions come and go, the phone rings, someone cries, things tumble and break, kids chase round the house, songs are sung, a violin sqeaks in the background, and on and on.







Back to the kitchen, back to the mess of bowls, pots, spoons, and peelings. On to the garbanzo beans, I get to gently rub the skins off in a bowl of warm water. Then I chop the tomatoes, and wish for a moment of quiet. Brown basmati rice is cooked, I smell the sweet earthy-ness. Time to finish my Moroccan Chickpeas and Chard. Goodbye to the messy kitchen and the quiet thoughts to myself. Time to eat, clean kitchen, switch laundry, bathe kids, dress kids, brush teeth, read to kids, get them to bed. And despite my wish to stay up and squeeze just a bit more time for myself, more likely than not, I will soon be sound asleep! Another day, another opportunity to be grateful for what that day brings. Nothing less, nothing more.

Renew thyself completely each day: do it again, and agin, and forever again.

CHINESE INSCRPITION CITED BY THOREAU IN Walden

Snow Day

It was a pleasant surprise to wake up to snow on Monday morning. We had a leisurely breakfast and then the kids headed straight for the sledding slopes at the neighborhood park. It was so bright with the sun reflecting off the snow, I don't know how the kids could stand it without sunglasses. Little Jasper borrowed mine for a bit.

View from the dining room... a winter wonderland.

Where is Vivi's hat? She took off for the snow as soon as she saw it out the window.

This hill gave an amazing distance on a sled ride.

Now there is little left but a touch of ice and snow in the shady nooks. It was fun while it lasted! The kids warmed themselves in the bath and put on their toasty woolens. We spent the rest of the day reading, writing letters and making soup. It is supposed to warm up to the 60's by Friday!

Warmest wishes on chilly winter days

Peace, Love and Cake

My sweet Mia... she has turned nine years old this year! And what a sweet birthday party she had. She wanted it to be about Peace. It was the perfect occasion for playing my favorite Beatles album! I remember listening to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on vinyl from my dad's music collection when I was a kid.






These doves remind me of Mia's Montessori preschool. They had a peace corner where when a child did something thoughtful for another person, they were invited to put a decoration on the peace tree.


I made a triple layer white chocolate lemon cake. That bright yellow peace sign is piped from fresh lemon curd, yummmm. It was tasty!

Last piece of peace cake...

For a craft, Mia came up with the idea of making peace jars. Inside, you write words of inspiration on small slips of paper, and then add little pretty things like flower petals and confetti, and decorate the jar. It can be added to and visited for moments when you need inspiration. Variations of this would be to make a wishing jar, or a dream jar (for reassuring thoughts before bedtime), or a gratitude jar.

sweet little notes inside...

The girls had a blast playing a drama game. They split into two groups, and were given five household objects in a bag, and had to make a short play using those props. It was such fun! Even the quietest of children were squealing with laughter, shouting lines and running around. Their shows reminded me of slap stick comedy like The Three Stooges (just a touch less violent!) Play number one was called "Wake Up!..." and the second was "The Pirate Princess, the Pizza Delivery Man and the Dinosaur, A Love Story" Hilarious, really! Thanks to Daddy for suggesting the concept!

And we barely had enough time to start the jewelry making project. I put together glass beads and cute little dove charms to make bracelets.

Here is Vivienne's completed bracelet~

We put yummy chocolate earth balls in their tiny little favor bags. Oops, someone already ate all the earth balls... they were really cute. Chocolate goes quickly around here.

And I have to share the beautiful little wool doll that Mia's friend, Lily, made for her. Isn't she sweet?

This marks the finale for the birthday season in our house! (mine isn't until July, thank goodness...) Hooray for the birthday girl! I am so proud of my dear daughter.

Wishing you thoughts of peace, love and sweetness