afternoon; out of the house

When it is January and cold and gray and blah...it's hard to talk the girls (and myself) into getting outside. But the other day we had skies like this....so it didn't take much pursuasion...



Amid the evidence of warmer seasons,



are signs that the world is waiting, (probably more patiently than I am), for spring to show up.



Meanwhile, Aven practices downward dog in the snow and Amelia calls watch me, watch me as she 'ice-dances.'









This girl is 17 months old today. She still likes to be carried around a lot, and I am willing. I know we're getting closer and closer to the time when I won't be able to haul her around on my hip all day. She says mama, dada, book, milk, ouch, uh-oh, mitten, please, moo, neigh, up, foot, baby, hat, yep, no, gentle, and ding-dong.




our new pens...now we just have to decide what to put in them...my vote is lambs...or lamb, depending on how crazy I get with my garden.



Beside feeling a little more sane by the time we trudge back to the house, there is the benefit of some quiet floor playtime afterward...



and naps... :)

untitled

I had a lot of positive things in mind while I was uploading these pictures last night...but 24 hours later, I've had a bit of a day, and I'm finding it a little hard to rally. My wonderful old dog who I've known almost ten years got some bad news at the vet today...nothing is definite, but it's made me really look at the fact that this friend won't be around forever. So it has been a rough day... from the moment in the produce section of the grocery store this morning when the vet called...to when I lay on the floor of my kitchen after dinner and seriously considered just letting the girls run wild until they dropped over from exhaustion...(the process of getting them ready and into bed just seemed like more than I could handle). Sigh...It's been a day.

The poor boy is home again with a ridiculous cone around his neck and a complex medication schedule. But he's here - and really all we have is today, right now, anyway. And right now, he's curled up on his freshly washed bed listening to the sounds of his family. So here we are.



I think we may be wearing out our library card...January is the time for every-other-day trips to the library...we have been reading...and reading...



and reading...



and ummmmmmm yes, reading!

Also a little cooking; Amelia likes to help...



I made these really really good Aussie Bites from Sarah's recipe at Bee House Hives - try them they are healthy and yum - and quite portable to boot.



Cabin fever kicked into high gear when I started to attack the walls of my kitchen. Mike is really good at stripping wallpaper. Great even. It's one of his little-known talents...
The crazy thing is, I had a color in mind to paint the walls...and it turns out it is not far off from the original color of the walls (beneath 5+ layers of wallpaper and paint).


hmmmmmmm...progress?



The girls are in a constant cycle of fighting, crying, making up, playing like the best of friends, fighting...and repeat...1,000 times a day...



This is their pirate ship...they are on the high seas...the wooden spoons are (clearly) oars.

Happy One-More-Week-Of-January to all of you out there!

weekend - bundle up

We had a few days of thaw last week; just enough of a shift to make it impossible to keep from looking ahead...from beginning to consider spring as a (far off) possibility. Mike and I surfed hoop-house and greenhouse websites, made lists of what we want to prioritize over the next year, or two. The mountains of snow shrunk back softly into themselves, leaving spots of naked, gray pre-spring twist of dried grass and mud. Walking around our yard, I could feel the weak heat of sun through my coat.


Then it got really cold again.

But now we've had a taste of prolonged outside-time, and we are not going to wimp out! Just add more layers and keep moving.



We have these amazing snow drifts all around the outside of our windbreak. The wind carves mountains, ledges, and slick snow-slides; which are best taken advantage of without a princess dress hanging out over your snowpants (too much traction...?) Or you can always ride down on your sister...



On Sunday we drove up to the spring for water. It was cold; 10 degrees and just a little wind. The ice crystals all around the spring were so beautiful, but none of my close-ups turned out well.



I did get this lovely close-up, though:



It was perfect snowflake weather.



Seeley blends in well this time of year.

We braved the cold for a few runs with the sled.





It's not supposed to warm up again anytime soon. But we got a taste. And some nice rides.

post holiday (indoor) landscapes

After the making and planning,



after dancing for the solstice,



the giving and getting,


(note the mama-made pj bottoms, following my family's tradition of new pjs on Christmas Eve)

we are at that point where you look around, take a deep breath, and change direction.



Now we settle in for the rest of winter. This time of year feels like a blank slate. I'm making lists and fantasizing about 'inside' projects, things that will never happen if they don't happen in the next few months...I'm thinking quilt for our bed, and sesame colored walls for my kitchen, possibly a container of winter greens growing happily in my sunny mudroom...but there is also something so wonderful about the way the world slows this time of year. I walked down our driveway this morning to find we were completely drifted in. No way were we going anywhere until that puppy was plowed. Huh...I thought...guess we'll stay here today...and we went back in the house and Amelia and I read books and Aven and I stacked things. I love that my day's to-do list could be scrapped and we could just enjoy not having a list.

You see, I'm trying to be optimistic. I've never liked the January/February lull...but (as with so many things, lately) I feel like as I've gotten older, I'm able to roll with it and to see the beauty and the wonderful heart-stretching goodness in all these ordinary moments of my life...even in the long weeks of winter ahead.


Landscapes:


mud room window...very very cold out there


my desk, after the holiday rush of making, making, making


this herd of tiny horses now lives under my kitchen table


a little morning art session,


followed by drying session above the tub.


one idea for upcycling wrapping paper; paper mache bowl - can also be worn as a helmet, depending...


Aven has learned where I keep the peanut butter, and she visits it regularly.