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.