weekending

this weekend started with her first time in the 'big kid' ballet class.  which is really just to say she is no longer in the pseudo-ballet 3-4 year old class that heavily features games and play and skipping (all obviously very important).  now they are using real ballet words and stuff like that.  but it's still way fun, she assured me.  afterwards she had the idea of washing all her dolls' clothes and she did so (in between stories and cuddles and such) during a visit from my mom.  (for those of you who've read here for any length of time and know about her rather serious health scare last year, I'm happy to share that she is doing really, really well- no need for supplemental oxygen, and she doesn't have to go see the pulmonologist again until May!)

I wasn't feeling laundry, so instead I started to look through our seed inventory and made some more chai.  I've been generally following this recipe, tweaking it a bit by putting in a bit less pepper and adding some star anise.  taking the time to toast the spices in the oven and then crushing them is definitely worth it.  yumyumyum.  this time I tripled the recipe in hopes of having enough to last a little while.  maybe a whole week.

there was some more knitting.  visits with good friends we've not seen in weeks.  visits actually all weekend with different dear friends we'd not seen for a bit.  so a good hearty dose of reconnecting.  good stuff.

(these are not the good friends I referred too, but aren't they cute?)

there was gluten-free apple coffee cake.  I'm sticking with the gluten-free thing for a while as I've noticed big positive changes in my skin and digestion.  I wouldn't go so far to say I need to avoid it.  I wouldn't even go so far as to call it a true intolerance.  maybe a little sensitivity?  I don't know.  I can definitely tell a difference.  and you know, that King Arthur gluten free baking mix can get you pretty far.  at least it gets us to apple coffee cake, and that's not too shabby.

she watched The Sound of Music again.  I sat there with her, watching, knitting.  we ate snacks.  a hearty dose of color on the plate is always a good thing, and not as easy to come by this time of year as in others. (those are the watermelon radishes I mentioned a little while back- yum!)

today it was incredibly balmy here.  we all headed for some work outside.  he split more wood, working already to refill the woodshed for next winter, even though we're only about halfway through with this season's wood burning days.  she helped push the wheelbarrow.  I keep meaning to split some wood myself.  I've done it before and I actually quite like it, it's just that… well… let's just say his wood-splitting efficiency is a bit higher than mine.  quite a bit.  but still, I need to get out there and heave that maul a bit.  soon.

but instead, today I pruned back the raspberries, watched the bees (so happy to see activity from each hive!), and daydreamed a bit about the garden, the seeds (I'm a big fan of Fedco)…..

the day wound down with some coloring while listening to sparkle stories, tasting the hard cider (totally a hit, yes!), grilled cheeses and tomato soup for dinner and oatmeal-cranberry-walnut-chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

there was also a pre-dinner drum jam.  awesome.  it isn't often he feels like getting out the hand drums, but when he does I enjoy it immensely.  I think it's possible that the first time I saw him (freshman year in college, in the lounge of our co-ed dorm where we happened to be living across and down the hall from each other) he was sitting alone, playing the drum.  so, you know, it makes me all warm and fuzzy and reminiscent to hear him play.

a good, long weekend.

weekending with Karen~