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This time last year we had already been skiing for a month.  It's been a really bad year for snow in the Sierras.  I see all the pictures of the snow falling in other parts of the country and I feel envious.  We need the snow, not only for fun, but for the precious water it gives us.  I want MORE snow!  I don't know if we're going to get lots more.  It's starting to feel like spring.

I called the Sky Tavern office this morning to see what their plan is. I have lots of planning to do myself. This snow situation has really put a wrench in my plans.  And if the ski program is really going to happen, I have a huge problem on my hands.  Because, I have a lot MORE going on this spring. Do you feel my stress?  All three kids are signed up for soccer and the first game starts on March 29th and practices usually start two weeks before that.  Between soccer practice 4 or 5 nights a week and soccer games on Saturday and skiing all day on Sunday....Well, I can't even go there.

I had a talk with the kids this morning and asked them how they felt about all these commitments and they agree that they like their afternoons free to play, read or just do nothing. I don't like this overlap of activities.

This weekend is a no-go for skiing which means that I'm free this Sunday for a walk out in the desert with my people or just to catch up with life.  This last picture shows Mount Rose in the distance.  That's close to where we ski.

Time will tell how this all pans out. Meanwhile, I still wish for MORE snow and I still hope for MORE time in the day.

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!

apples and clay

I changed my blog around a bit. I felt like I really needed it in order to feel inspired.  What I like about this format is that I can really see my pictures from the last few years in minutes.  I may not keep it this way but for now the change feels good, you know?  Have you ever just sat for an hour going down memory lane on your blog?  You can also view my blog in other ways by using the tabs on the top left of the homepage.

So, what have we been up to lately?  Two words could sum it all up. Apples and clay.  Or if I wanted to expand on that a bit it would include tomatoes and daily art.  Oh yeah and soccer and homeschooling too. I've been busy in a good way.  Just like every fall is for me, trying to wrap up the garden and starting a new school year can be chaos.

Our tomatoes.  They were abundant this year.  I've spent many a day roasting tomatoes two trays at a time, cooking them down, seasoning and canning them.  It's become second nature to me, this canning thing.  Two days ago, when the weather started turning, I pulled the rest of the tomatoes and our last volunteer cantaloupe in anticipation of our first frost which never happened.  But, it will soon.  We got our first snow in the mountains.

Oh, my apples.  Our trees were so full this summer that we had to prop them up so the branches wouldn't break off.  The lack of late frost was a bonanza this year all around town.  We have Pippin and Jonathan apples in our yard but these red beauties, came from a 75 year old tree in town.  The owner said that they probably didn't taste that good because the tree was so old and we could pick them.  They are the most crispy, sweet apples and a nice change from what we have coming out of our ears already.  Why is it that  I can go crazy over more apples when I have ten bags sitting all over the kitchen?  It's totally irrational but I think we'll be enjoying apple crisp for dinner this winter.  We will be gorging on apple sauce and apple rings like nobody's business too.  Joy.

 Daily art.  We've discovered the big, heavy weight paper is the best for everyday art.  First, it can be taken anywhere and the pencils won't poke through.  Second, it's big enough to draw large dragons, ninjas or castles.  Eli asked the other day to bring out the fermented pickles so he could draw them.  The two boys drew the jar of pickles (while Amelia was reading of course) and then ate them.

We've been tinkering with clay lately.  It's strange how we know certain things about ourselves.  For instance, I knew from a young age that when I grew up I wanted to drive a VW Bug.  I did and I also married a guy who drove a VW bug.  Funny how that is.  Well, I've also known that I wanted to work with clay.  A few years ago someone just gave us an old kiln.  I didn't even tell them how much I loved hand thrown ceramics.  My husband just recently got some work done on the kiln and we did a test run.  I'm so excited.

  Happy Fall to you and yours!

lovin' the snow

It's what everyone talks about around here. This winter has been so dry that all I dream about is waking to a bunch of snow. Well, this morning we woke to 3 inches of fluffy white. I was pretty stoked about it. Of course, Wednesdays are the busiest day of the week. So, when the kids got out of bed, they suited up and headed out into the backyard for a few runs before we had to rush out the door.  We are lucky enough to have a small hill for sledding. Just big enough for small thrills.

Now, I'm just praying that we get a bunch more snow before spring.

Finding the perfect tree

Finding a perfect tree in the forest is kind of like having a favorite child.  Well, not really but the trees are all perfect in my eyes.  Eventually, however, we'll have to pick one to cut down.  It's a family effort and decision.  It has to be big enough but not too big.  It can't have huge bare spots.  After a nice hike we found the one the right one and got straight to work.  It was very cold after all.  "Let's get this thing and get out of here!"

It was a beautiful day to get our Christmas tree.  Not like last year.  Goodness, we had to scrap those plans altogether and get our tree from a tree lot.  I was alright with it but the kids love our tradition of cutting down our own.

We all took turns using the saw.  Slow going that tree sawing with our ancient saw.  I said we should have gotten a new one a few years ago and then forgot until the next year and so on.  I swear we're getting a new one next year!

This tree, we estimated from the rings, grew 23 years for us.  The tree right next to it will have more sun.  We make it a point to be very thoughtful when picking our tree.  After all, the way I see it, the tree has given it's life for our pleasure and we should respect it.

Then there's the family photo I try and get.  This time the dog won't cooperate.  He was pretty jazzed about being in the forest.  We didn't see a soul out there.

As tradition goes, we head back to the car and drink our hot cocoa or hot chai with honey and milk if you don't have hot cocoa.  Then we head home and mama puts the lights on.

This is the start of Christmas for us!

first snow haiku

Wake up to first snow.

Unearth mittens, long underwear and snow pants.

Already melted, wait for tomorrow.