.....winding down, and winding up again.....

LOVE

Claire and papa bundled for Winter Wonderland walk, take 2

snow covered wise men keeping watch over the neighborhood

somehow, this box of deliciousness was forgotten about (!) as it sat in my stocking for almost 2 whole days!  I am actively "remembering" it now~

The holiday fun is starting to wind down a bit around here as leftovers are being consumed, gifts played with, and quite a bit less Christmas music being listened to.  The winter storm brought us about 9 inches of powdery, beautiful snow which shows no signs of going anywhere just yet.  All the better to keep us cozy and snug by the fire, with good reason not to venture out too far.  At least not by car.  I've been in my pajamas since late yesterday afternoon (it is now late afternoon, again) and I think I may just keep them on a while longer.  Why not?  The chickens don't seem to mind that I'm in my thermal pants and snow boots when I bring them fresh water and corn, after all.

The day after tomorrow we will drive 10 hours to go visit with family and friends up in New Jersey, where they also received a large amount of snow.  Hopefully, the weather and roads (and Claire) will cooperate with us.  Once again, the holiday festivities will commence as we celebrate the season with more loved ones.  Our hens and dear Ziggy (our cat) will be looked after by friends, and Wolfie will come on the adventure with us.  Now, to add packing and digging out my car to my list of things to do.  Soon.  

For now, I'm enjoying the quiet days spent snacking around the fire, watching Claire play and explore.  At the same time, I am so very excited for this upcoming visit, to get her up North to play with all of these people who are such a huge and important part of her world.  And surely, there will be much snacking and fireside play up there as well~

.....and may all your Christmases by white.....

We've been thoroughly enjoying Christmas around here for the last 2 days.  Quite a bit of baking and cooking has taken place and one of my new favorite things is this peppermint bark.  YUM!  Just know that if you make some and intend to gift most of it, as I intended, then you probably shouldn't keep it around for long unless you have enormous amounts of willpower when it comes to these things.  Something which I, apparently, do not have seeing as how I've consumed quite a bit and our supply is dwindling rapidly.  I think it might be best to make it and then package it and gift it immediately.  I'll remember that next time.

Papa is working with the fire department today (Christmas Day), and so we had our little family Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve.  Cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast, some gifting, and a fabulous dinner (shared with my dad) of bacon wrapped scallops (with scallops brought back from Ocracoke), stuffed local pork tenderloin, whipped winter squash (we threw in the leftover heavy cream, not wanting it to go bad, of course), fresh bread, fresh cranberry sauce, and a salad with pears, cranberries, pecans and parmesan.  Yum.  I ate the scallops verrrrrry slowwwwly as to savor the experience because oh my, they were out of this world!  Quite possibly the perfect food.  I'm surprised we've not eaten more bacon wrapped things in this house.

We did a pretty good job of keeping it simple for babe's first Christmas.  A wooden puzzle, a drum, wooden maracas, a couple books (Mike was appalled that we didn't have a copy of "Good Night Moon" for Claire, so that has now been remedied) and a pull along wooden grasshopper.  We're a fan of wooden toys around here, as you can probably tell.  So far, the grandparents have done a good job of heeding our requests to not go (too) overboard as well, so that's good.  After our delicious meal we had a Skype chat with Nana and Grandpop to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", then Mike and I exchanged some gifts with each other and we had a cozy evening around the fire.  For the past several years I've joined my dad for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.  Last year, I was very pregnant and tired and it ended up sleeting so neither of us made it, and this year, with where we're at on sleep with Claire, it just wasn't in the cards.  Next year I plan to get back.  I love the grandeur of a Catholic Midnight Mass~ the organ and carols, the candles and incense.... it brings back fond childhood memories of car rides home afterwards with me looking so hard for Santa (because surely he was well on his way in delivering gifts by then!) and I love, love, love the smell of the frankincense.  (frankincense? incense? is that where the word "incense" comes from? hmmmm...)  So yes, next year, back to church I go.  I admit, I'm of the once-a-year churchgoing folk, but that's a bit heavy and off topic for now.... so, let's continue with the coverage of our festivities.

playing with her new maracas

beautiful stained glass star from papa

some of Claire's booty

This morning we woke up to snow falling and it is still coming down now, nearly 14 hours later!  A beautiful white Christmas, indeed!  Claire and I were visited by my mom, her husband, and my brother.  They brought along breakfast and gifts and we happily spent the morning cozy by the fire, eating, drinking, and taking oh so many pictures of Claire as she opened gifts and crawled around squealing and looking for trouble.

playing with Uncle Marty 

concentrating hard on her cool new toy from Grandma and Wes 

I think she likes it!

she loves her Grandma 

reading with Uncle Marty

more playing and nap-avoiding

Somewhere in all of the joy and fun of the morning a morning nap was missed and so when our company bravely departed (onto very unplowed snow covered roads in a sedan) Claire and I snuggled up together on the couch and napped by the fire.  I must say the joy I felt while watching my babe sleep against my chest, with the fire crackling in the background, snow falling outside and breakfast, peppermint bark and hot cocoa filling my belly was immense.  Overwhelming, almost.  It was one of those moments where you feel like it can't possibly get any better.  One of those moments that you tuck away in your mind to pull out to enjoy later, possibly to help regain your calm when you're having a bad day.  If papa had been snuggled up with us, of course that would have topped it off quite beautifully.  Afterwards, Claire and I took Wolfie on a walk around the neighborhood and I took some photos of the snowy world.  We passed neighbors sledding in the street, some out passing out gifts to others, and quite a few snowmen.

a cozy scene for an early afternoon nap 

bundled for our walk through Winter Wonderland

snow laden oaks

snowy horse pasture

our driveway and shed

chilly hens

Another nap (this time just Claire) was taken after we got back, and then she and I joined our lovely neighbors for Christmas dinner.  On the menu was a standing rib roast, yorkshire pudding (which does even remotely resemble pudding~ who knew? Silly British misnomers...), salad and good red wine followed by a dessert of ice cream with homemade (hot!) chocolate sauce.  Yum.  I have eaten so much good food in the last 48 hours that I just don't know what to do with myself.  Except to maybe go get some more peppermint bark before throwing another log on the fire and heading to bed to snuggle up with my wee one for the night.  Yes, that's exactly what I'll do.  Cheers!

the joy of thrifting~

Oh, how I LOVE thrift stores.... I'm not a big shopper generally, but there's something about finding something wonderful for a great deal that I find rather thrilling.  There are certainly worse ways to get some thrills, right?  Besides, I try to abide by the "one in, one out" rule, never acquiring more items than what I give away, and I think I do a pretty good job of sticking to it~  We have our share of Goodwills around and I've found some great things there, but lately I've been going to our local Kiwanis thrift store and I'm liking it.  For your viewing pleasure, some of my latest finds....

glass snowman candy jar, $.50

very cool pterodactyl puppet for my friend's 3 year old son (so tempted to keep it for Claire, but I'm thinking he'll appreciate it more), $1.00

wooden number puzzle for Claire (I realize it'll be a while before she has any concept of numbers, but for $2.00?  I'll take it!)

set of 15 animal rubber stamps for yes, only $.25! (as in one single quarter my friends)  Again, she won't be using these for a while, but 15 for the price of less than one in the store?  A no brainer, I'd say!

O, Christmas Tree~

Choosing a Christmas tree is one of those things that I like to idealize in my head.  Things like vacations and snow days that are easy to picture as being nothing but relaxed bliss or hot cocoa and warm fires, when in reality traffic and frozen pipes are waiting right around the corner for you.

What awaited us were unusually frigid temperatures, few  choices, and my indecision whittling away those few as others quickly grabbed trees and strapped them atop their cars.  Mike stood shivering, trying to get me to hurry up already before they were all gone and I fed him some line about how he should chill out because we're picking a tree, a most important task.  By now you know we were at a tree lot and not out on some hillside with a saw in hand ready to cut our own evergreen.  Hmm.  And still I stood there, romanticizing about us being out choosing our tree.  I mean, tree lots are festive with their lights and signs and wreaths, but I just may have been trying to make it something it wasn't.  So, finally, we (I) made a decision, slipped the guy $25, and off we went.  Fa-la-la-la-la.  Perhaps when Claire is older we'll try the pick-your-own route, but I've got my own fond memories of tree lots from over the years and I will probably go about it all the same way next year.  Maybe I'll bring hot cocoa to add to the ambience.

Our lovely tree (close to 9 feet tall!) sat unadorned for several days and has been slowly decorated.  Claire likes pointing at it and "tree" now seems to be yet another word that she understands.  (Over the last 2 weeks we have been amazed to discover that she in fact knows several words, such as "ball", "spoon", "nose", "books", "bath", etc...wow! When did THAT happen?)  Yesterday she helped her papa finish hanging ornaments and did a nice job of jostling others around as well, just to keep them on their toes.  She was a trooper throughout the day's festivities, helping to keep an eye on the cookies as they baked and joining us outside for a Winter Solstice bonfire.  After we came in last night I just couldn't stop staring at the tree.  There's something so magical about a Christmas tree.... maybe the memories they bring up, maybe tradition, who knows~  but I think I could sit near it at night and stare at it for hours.  I loved doing that as a kid, just me in the living room, late at night, mesmerized by the tree lights.  Here are some pictures from our day (and night).

 Claire helping to hang (and "unhang") the ornaments

one of mama's little owls~

baking preparations









                                                    

Claire and papa around the fire~

Solstice Poem

I just came across this, how beautiful~

WINTER SOLSTICE
Perhaps
for a moment
the typewriters will stop clicking,
the wheels stop rolling
the computers desist from computing,
and a hush will fall over the city.
For an instant, in the stillness,
the chiming of the celestial spheres will be heard
as earth hangs poised
in the crystalline darkness, and then
gracefully
tilts.
Let there be a season
when holiness is heard, and
the splendor of living is revealed.
Stunned to stillness by beauty
we remember who we are and why we are here.
There are inexplicable mysteries.
We are not alone.
In the universe there moves a Wild One
whose gestures alter earth's axis
toward love.
In the immense darkness
everything spins with joy.
The cosmos enfolds us.
We are caught in a web of stars,
cradled in a swaying embrace,
rocked by the holy night,
babes of the universe.
Let this be the time
we wake to life,
like spring wakes, in the moment
of winter solstice.

Rebecca Parker

Up to my ears in owls, etc~

So it turns out owls are "hot" these days.  I spent nearly all of my free moments (which were quite few since someone still has a cold and has decided not to nap lately) over the last 3 days sewing little eyes and beaks onto little stuffed owl bodies.  I've sold close to 20 of my little recycled sweater friends recently and just today took a dozen to our local independent toy store, Cherry Street Kids.  I am happy to say that I am now taking a break from sewing little creatures and that our beautiful dining table (that we waited for for so long and I promised NOT to cover with piles) will now be able to once again be used for it's intended purpose.  Once I'm not seeing owls and bears in my sleep anymore, I plan to make another batch and put them on my etsy site (the still empty www.sweetpotatoclaire.etsy.com) along with some photography and see how it goes.  If nothing else, it'll give me a jump start on crafting for next year's tailgate market.   Now that they are out of the house and off the table, I can concentrate on some other stuff.  Stuff like wrapping gifts, baking cookies and breads, and making Claire's stocking.  Turns out stockings don't make themselves, after all.  Go figure.  Our tree is up and on it's way to being decorated, cards adorn the mantle, yummy local meats have been acquired from the farm for our Christmas Eve dinner, and I'm sneaking in Christmas music here and there in doses seemingly small enough that Mike hasn't banned me from selecting the music in the house just yet.  Now I just need to find the cinnamon roll recipe and we'll be good to go for Christmas breakfast as well~

Last night I attended a Meditative Circle Dance led by a local woman.  About 20 or so of us gathered at the local Quaker Meeting House and came together to learn some old circle dances danced to a beautiful and eclectic soundtrack.  I have taken part in these dances before at the Southeast Women's Herb Conferences and enjoyed them very much.  There is something about the rhythmic and repetitive motions of circle dances that lulls me into such a comfortable and peaceful place, and what's not to love about that?  This one was in honor of the Winter Solstice, to celebrate the return of light and remind ourselves of the light and fire that we are always carrying within.  As this is most definitely not even remotely close to Mike's cup of tea, he played with the little one while mama went out and did her thing.  I'm getting more of those moments lately, and I must say, it feels pretty good.  Well, I better turn in, as I've got big plans to wake at 3:15AM to see the lunar eclipse tonight (tomorrow morning). Not very often (not for over 300 years) does a total lunar eclipse occur on Winter Solstice.  The darkest night made even darker.

Om~

Our local yoga studio occasionally offers a work-trade that they call "karma yoga" which involves you helping out in the studio in exchange for class time.  Being a stay at home mama and therefore working very hard for no financial compensation, I was quite interested and just recently got on board.  Yoga was part of my daily routine while I was pregnant and I so looked forward to it, even when I could barely see my toes.  And now?  Well now my body is feeling pretty ragged and kinked from carrying an ever increasing weight on my hip and spending hours every day hunched over, squatting, or crawling after Claire.  I know that's just how it goes, that it's much easier to take good care of yourself when you are pregnant and that little one is still tucked away than it is once they are out in the world with you needing to be fed and diapered and played with and loved.  Gone are my monthly massages and daily yoga practice.  But now that we are nearly a year into this adventure, I'm going to get them back!  Perhaps not monthly massages, but surely regular yoga and massages when finances allow.  Mama needs tending to, too.

*update: I attended my first class as part of my trade and it was wonderful! A Gentle Restorative class in which I was (with 1 exception) the youngest by decades....I left feeling centered and quite gently restored.  I think I'll stick with this slow and gentle class for a couple more weeks and then jump into some hot flow classes.  Something about Winter and 90 degree yoga sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Rise Up!

It is cold here today.  Very, very, very cold.  See that thermometer?  Yep, cold.

It is also bread day.

After being inspired by a neighbor a couple months ago, I decided to start baking our bread regularly and so now, once or twice a week, I do just that.  I don't know why I was always so intimidated by bread, because baking it really is a very simple and soothing process.  After all, much of the process doesn't even require your attention.  You just show up to create the right environment, do a little mixing and kneading, quite a bit of waiting, and then a transfer into and out of the oven and voila! delicious bread is your reward.  The perfect vehicle for butter.  (Come to think of it, many of my favorite foods are excellent vehicles for butter- lobster, pasta, bread..... maybe I should just be honest and start saying that butter is one of my favorite foods.  Hmm.)  Anyway, bread.  I've been making the same predominantly whole wheat bread for the last couple months and I rather like it.  I usually form it in a large round or oblong loaf, but Mike recently informed me that he prefers a traditional loaf shape.  I think he actually said something like "I'd find it much more usable if it was shaped like regular bread".  I get it.  Sandwiches are easier to make and pack for travel if they are in a square shape, after all.  I don't know why I prefer it the other way- I think maybe it just feels kind of special since it's not shaped like "regular" bread.  No matter, the recipe makes 2 or 3 loaves, and so now we'll have one of each.  And Claire?  Well, she doesn't really care what shape the loaf is in, as long as she gets to chew on some strips of mama's homemade bread from time to time.  I suppose I should note that today papa helped quite a bit with the bread.  It is becoming a family affair, and I wouldn't have it any other way~

bread rising in Mike's great-grandmother's bowls~








The recipe I've been using comes from the lovingly worn and stain-splattered pages of my neighbor's copy of Mediterranean Harvest, by Martha Rose Schulman.  It calls for a biga, which is a a pre-ferment (or levain, poolish, chef, starter, sponge, or whatever you want to call it) that you get ready the day before baking, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's a complicated recipe, because it is not.

Biga

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup water

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

-dissolve yeast in water, then combine with flour and stir until blended and sticky

-scrape down sides to form a ball, cover with wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours

Whole Wheat Country Bread

1 large loaf

1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1 cup biga

3 cups whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp kosher salt

-dissolve yeast in water in bowl of standing mixer and let sit 5 minutes, add biga and mix on low until broken up

-add whole wheat flour, 1 cup of the all purpose flour and salt and mix for 1-2 minutes until blended using paddle attachment

-switch to dough hook and mix on medium for 6-8 minutes, dough should be sticky and a little wet, but should come together on hook (add more AP flour if necessary)

-scrape onto floured surface and knead for about 1 minute, then form into a ball and place in a clean oiled bowl, turning ball around to cover all sides.  cover with wrap and let rise ~3 hours

-tap dough to deflate and turn it onto an oiled surface, shape 1 large loaf as a tight ball (or place in loaf pan) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (or a cornmeal dusted baking peel if you have one). cover with a clean dry towel and then a warm, moist towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour

-preheat oven to 450 degrees, and place baking stone in oven on middle rack, if using one

-place baking sheet on stone, or, if using a peel, slide loaf onto stone

-bake for 15 minutes at 450, then reduce temp to 400 and bake for 30-40 minutes

*I use all of the biga at once and therefore double the recipe, making 2 large loaves or 3 medium loaves. My mixer (KitchenAid Artisan standing mixer) doesn't deal well with that much at once, so I divide the dough in 2 or 3 batches for mixing.  Of course, if you are mixing by hand, no need to worry.

Enjoy~

'tis the season: handmade holidays

I love the holidays.  I love the quiet that comes with the snow, the sense of urgency with which cookies and breads are baked, the making/acquiring of just the right gifts for loved ones.... I even really love the cheesy Christmas music (though, since Mike does not, I listen to it mostly in the car where it is quite easy to find these days no matter where you are on the dial).  I do not love the traffic, the mall, and the complete overload of unnecessary gifts.  We don't go crazy over gifts in our home, and I am ever so grateful for that.  Even with this being Claire's first Christmas, there are no plans to go overboard.  In fact, the plans are to keep it as sweet and simple as possible.  No doubt we will stress a little here and there, but I am hopeful that the biggest deal we will make out of anything is deciding whether or not to let her try more yummy treats and watching her as she opens her gifts and we take way more pictures than necessary.  And that I am more than happy to do.

In an effort to stick with simplicity around the holidays, I am making many of our decorations, treats and gifts myself.  So many find joy in doing this and there is such an abundance of fun ideas and recipes to be found.  While to some it may seem quite a bit more complicated to do it yourself when it comes to some of these things, I find that the act of making and doing and creating quiets my mind and body in a way that feels so right.  Especially at this dark and reflective time of year.  To turn inward a bit and remind yourself why you are doing this or creating that... for me, it is with love and in celebration of those that matter most to me.  This and because I am so wanting to establish some traditions of our own for this new little family of mine.  Celebrating the everyday by making ordinary things into rituals of sorts appeals to me beyond words.  I hope to fill my world with these little rituals on a regular basis, during the holidays and beyond.

Here are some photos of how our holidays are shaping up~

                                                                                  

fabric and pattern for Claire's Christmas stocking

A simple crocheted garland for our tree, SO easy to make and just what I was wanting.

festive little pom-pom elf

felt ornaments

                                                                                 

Wintry mix

This morning we were greeted by 3 inches of beautiful snow that came quietly in the night.  What a welcome sight to wake up to after spending most of the night on the couch with the babe (the small babe) because she has her first real cold and can't seem to stay asleep laying down.  Our first real snow of the year!  Claire was not a fan of going through the process of being bundled up, but she was interested in the snow and was a champ as I shoveled our side walkway while wearing her in the mei-tai.  Next time, I will be sure to wear her on my back when shoveling snow, not on the front.  Seems like common sense, but it just sorta happened that way.  Silly mama.

Mike stuck to his plan of fencing in an area for the hens today, and Wolfie "helped" by digging around the sides of the chicken tractor.  I think Mike must have given him the wrong location for where to dig the post holes.  Surely he's not trying to get to the hens.  The ladies now have about 300 square feet to explore and scratch around.  Once they get up the nerve to step out into their new yard, that is.  Such chickens.

We headed to town to pick out our Christmas tree today but it turns out the tree guys don't do business on Sundays.  There are a lot of unopened places on Sundays in the South, but we figured 2 weekends before Christmas we'd be in luck.  That's alright, another time.  We ended up browsing in a couple of the open shops and got some hot chocolate and biscotti at the local coffee shop.  Living in a touristy town, I actually quite appreciated the mostly deserted streets of Black Mountain on a Sunday.

And now I'm off to check on the soup that has been simmering in the crock pot all day.  Ahhhh, Winter~ I'm learning to embrace you more and more each year!

Some scenes from the day:

Wolfie keeping an eye on things~












our resident bully getting a taste of snow~

little one at the window~

trouble in the hen house...

One week of being chicken farmers and we've discovered we have a bully in the hen house.  One of our Red Stars is a bit full of herself and has taken to picking (or should I say pecking) on the others when they dare to get in her way.  I'm hopeful that it will pass~ that maybe it's the combination of moving to a new home, cold weather, molting and whatever other drama is going on in their lives these days.  Who knows what they are up to in their little hen world, after all.  And then there's Wolfie, pacing around the chicken tractor eyeing them rather suspiciously as if sizing up which one would be the easiest meal.  I think there will be a bit of a delay before the hens are able to roam the yard freely..... And so for now, as if he doesn't already have a zillion and four things on his list, Mike will spend part of tomorrow creating a fenced in area for the girls so they can stretch their legs beyond the confines of the chicken tractor.  Egg count to date: 0

And their names?  Still waiting on that... mostly because I don't want to name the bully anything terrible.

busy, busy, busy

Today I tried to organize my piles of crafty what-nots that have recently taken over many areas in our home.  They all fit quite nicely in this little corner of the dining room, I do think.  However, it's not really very practical for me to get any work done on anything while it's all sitting neatly and packed away like this, so.......... let's take a look and see where we're at~

 Ah, the knitting basket.  Each year, for the last 3 years, I've learned to knit.  Again.  This year, I'm hoping it will stick.  Surely the way to get it to do just that is to have lots of knitting projects, and so that's what I have planned.  A hat for the wee one and one for myself, a sweater (!) and some soft blocks for Claire, and perhaps a couple of gifts for others as well.  Mike however, will not be getting one as he has already sweetly informed me that he's "really not into knitted clothing", so I suppose that will save me some time.

squares on their way to becoming soft blocks for the little lady

  

 cards ready to bring to the Holiday Art and Craft Market this Saturday in Riceville~

 recycled sweater stuffed animals waiting patiently to become owls and bears and find new homes at the market~

the finished product~












And there we have it!  There are a few other projects tucked in this corner, but they are ones that will fit in nicely in a future holiday posting, so I'll work on them a bit more and then share them later~