I've missed you!

Happy New Year!  I've not been here in a long time!

Actually, I've taken very few photos with my camera recently because I've been taking almost all of my pictures with my phone and posting to Instagram instead.  You can find me there under kyndal3.  So, not much to show you here but  I just took these off of my camera.

We have our kiln up and running.  We've done a few firings but the kiln we have was given to us and it's like an old car.  There's plenty of things going on with it that requires us to put money and time into it.  Last night we were finishing up a glaze firing and it wouldn't get up to temperature.  Some of the elements burned up and that means we'll have to take everything out, pull the kiln apart and replace some elements.  But, I have to say that I am LOVING it.  I love working with clay and the sky's the limit.  In the next few weeks I'm going to be taking a pottery class and I'm looking forward to what I can create on the wheel.

This shows you how old these pictures are.  I literally just took them off my camera.  Here we have our Christmas tree.  Remember Christmas?  The next one was when I took Solomon aside and gave him the Santa talk.  He'd been asking me so many questions and I think we held out long enough.  I hate lying to my kids and at this point, it doesn't feel good to keep up the whole Santa story.  He was so sweet about it.  I was upset and he was telling me, "mom, it's okay, it's okay!"  What a relief.  Just one more kid to go.

I knitted a lot of these scarves this Christmas.  You can find the pattern on Ravelry (link at the side).  Fun knit that I used a lot of scrap yarn for.

And finally a recipe for you.  This one came from my mother-in-law.  I've been changing my diet around a lot  lately.  I've actually been working toward less and less grains.  I tell you, it's hard.  This recipe has lentils but I'm thinking that I could use some greens instead of lentils.  It's a hearty meal that would go well with a side salad for dinner.  It's super yummy.  I took shortcuts in writing the recipe as if you know how to cook lentils and roast squash. : )

Roasted Squash and Lentils

1 cp French Lentils cooked, cooled and drained
1 lb. winter squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes roasted in olive oil
4 Tbs. olive oil divided
2 Tbs. country Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. minced red onion
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Whisk together mustard,, vinegar, onion, honey and 3 Tbs olive oil.  Gently toss with lentils and squash.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with walnuts.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

gearing up

It looks like it's going to be a white Christmas this year.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am.

We went sledding last weekend.  It's one of those things that takes a hell of a lot of preparation but I'll tell you the trick.  See, every year we have to go through the glove/scarf bin for things to keep us warm up there.  And this year, as if a light bulb went off, I realized that we just really needed ski gloves for the kids.  I've just given them super warm mittens.  Usually, we've had to change them after they get wet. And for myself, I've always gone up there in my jeans with long underwear.  It's crazy.  So, we went and made sure we all have ski gloves.  Now, I have to go get myself some ski pants.  The lesson is that you have to have the right gear.

As you can see, we had fun sledding.  No matter how cold, no matter how ill prepared we are (and I blame myself always), we manage to make some good memories.

This dog of ours is so freaking silly in the snow.  I love him.  We need to get him a ski suit too.  I'm sure they make dog ski suits right?

I ended up taking a shaky, cold dog in the car to warm him up.   I watched the kids and my husband from my toasty vehicle.  My daughter was spending the day with a friend, you know teenage kind of stuff, if you were wondering.

And as we head into next week, I see snow in the forecast.  It's good stuff this winter is.  I hope we'll have more snow on the valley floor for snowmen.  I'm planning on taking it easy until Tuesday, finishing up some pajamas for the kids and my new favorite snake scarves found here.

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

around town in the rain

It's been raining here for the past few weeks.  A lot.  So much so that the locals were watching the Truckee River to see if it was going to flood.

Solomon and I went shopping together early on Sunday and took these pictures of the river and other spots in town.  The Truckee literally splits Reno in two but I don't think it really hit home until we tried to get across the river in several places to be turned away by barricades.  The industrial areas near the river were on high alert and my yarn shop was sand bagged shut for a few days, all the yarn moved up high just in case.

The rain is slowing down and I'm feeling a bit less soggy!

traditions

There's a shift that happens right about now with me.  I seriously get into creating this warm and cozy home filled with food and other things made with our hands.  Yeah, I get a serious bug around Thanksgiving to create things that borders on crazy or at least renewed purpose!

I'm trying to keep it real with the kids.  I'm trying to keep us all focused on the true meaning of the season and not get swept away with all that other stuff.  Most mornings you'll find us all huddled around the kitchen table with paint or clay and that, to me, is exactly where I care to spend my time.

I'm still trying to define for myself what "the holidays" mean to us.  I think that when two people come together and a family is made, there's much to blend, compromise and create.  It's always a work in progress no matter how you slice it.

I love Solomon's freckles!

It wasn't until this Thanksgiving that I really embraced the responsibility wholeheartedly of creating a meal and the traditions that we want to pass on to my kids.  It's been muddy in the past but it's becoming more clear to us what defines the holidays in our family.  I'm feeling more like a grown up!

Kabocha squash I used for pie.

Our meal was very simple this year.  We made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  Everything was delicious (so I've been told!) and the kids helped out with the preparation which is as much a part of the tradition as anything.  We gotta pass on that knowledge!

We set the table with my great grandma's wedding china, our tie dyed napkins and a beautifully embroidered table cloth that a friend gave us.  We said what we were thankful for, enjoyed our meal and went for a walk afterwards in the desert behind our house. It was as perfect really as any day could be.

My kids know that Thanksgiving means dusting off the pretty dishes and being together to make a special meal.  It can be as simple as that really.  And of course practicing gratitude which is as important as the pumpkin pie.

Our family has, weather permitting, cut down our own tree for almost 9 years now.  It's what the kids know and it's how they mark the passing of time.  That rhythm that feels comfortable to them, like breathing.  It's not always been easy (crying babies, slippery roads and cold hands).  We don't always agree on the perfect tree either but every time we get home and start decorating it, their fully invested into the process. We talk about previous years with fondness.

Creating these traditions with my family has been a very healing process for me.

Hot chai with milk and honey!

I am grateful for you all and hope that you had a successful Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it) filled with the traditions that are meaningful to you!

before 8 and a surprise

All this before 8 am this morning.

Amelia holding her chin up as she listens to dad tell her all the corrections he would make to her essay that was due today (She takes a couple classes with a bunch of homeschooling teens twice a week).  I told her that if she's going to ask him what he thinks about her paper, she's going to see red.  After all, he writes technical papers for a living and he enjoys it very much.  Marking up drafts that is.  She looks pretty bored her but I assure you, we were cracking up at the whole thing.

And a spirited game of soccer in the kitchen.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who lets their kids play soccer in the house!?

And guess who left us a surprise today?

Yep.  Our girls started laying.  I wasn't expecting this because we got them so late in the spring.  I was so excited.  Happy Tuesday!