I like to photograph things

From my New Year's walk down our street.

Drafting

The mornings are so dark and cold. It feels melancholy. I guess it doesn't help that I'm listening to this. The music is so lovely, though. It really fits my mood. It makes me feel old world somehow. Like I want to 'hunker down' here at home and create.


Alas, I have to go to work. I spent a few minutes this morning drafting my sleeve pattern for a little jacket I'm making. So far it's all working out. I'm sort of mystified. I'm also pleased.

Duck Soup

The last day of vacation. Sigh. Time to prepare for the school and work week ahead. That meant a little grocery shopping, finishing up a school project, bread baking and soup cooking.


We roast a chicken several times a month. I always make roasted chicken stock from the carcass and then generally make a good nourishing soup with it. Soup is an excellent way to finish up those vegetables that may have been in the fridge for just a tad too long. It's never the same thing twice.


In this case, I'm making duck soup. Yup, duck. We roasted a duck over the Christmas Holiday and I used the carcass to make stock. Making stock is so easy! The broth is so much better than anything you can buy at the store. Basically, just throw the carcass into a pot, cover the bones with water, add an onion, garlic and some carrots and bring to a boil. Let the mixture simmer for several hours. I generally add water once to fill up the pot during the boil. Then just strain the liquid through some cheese cloth and you've got some really delicious, nutritious broth to do with as you will!


Today's soup includes the duck stock, onions, garlic, green beans, carrots, tomatoes (frozen from my garden) and the left over duck meat. I pulled out some pesto to add in at the end. I forgot I had a whole bag full in the freezer!


Nathan and I made three loaves of whole wheat bread this afternoon so I'll cut a few slices for the boys (who aren't too wild about vegetable soup) and a simple, nourishing meal will be served with enough leftovers for Mike and I to have for lunches this week.


Now, back to the old grind!

New Year Hike

Most years, January 1 has generally been a day of sitting on the couch, cleaning, cooking and mostly general quiet. This year was not too much different. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm for this time of year. Since January 1 fell on a Sunday this year, I had to start my new year quiet after Mass. I did the customary cleaning of the house and tidying of the flat surfaces. We moved a little furniture around as well. I'm planning to plant seeds for my summer garden in a month or so and moved our old computer table into the sunroom for that purpose. I've moved my laptop and camera into the sewing room (it's feeling more and more like a real studio to me) which freed up my desk to go into the dinning room for the computer. This was a boon in two ways: The living room is a little more roomy as is the dining room. 


Since the day was sunny and warm Mike and I decided on the first hike of the year. We went to a local rail-trail for a 4 mile hike. This isn't my favorite kind of hike as it is a little bit flat but it was perfect for today. Mid way into the hike the sun disappeared and it started to rain. Yikes! Of course, I always like to remind the boys that we are waterproof and so we didn't melt.


It was a wonderful start to the new year. One of the things I like about hiking with our family is that it is totally unplugged. Much as we try to minimize electronics, they are a large part of our lives. So, hiking is a great way to get the conversation flowing. And that's always a good thing.


I hope you enjoyed the first day of the new year in your own special way. May it be the first of many similar days to come.

The Sewing List

This is the first of several lists I have going right now.

Curtains for the basement

Quilts for Marshall (finished Dec. 30th)

Long Skirt (finished Dec. 31)

Jacket from Sew Simplicity

Hour Glass Quilt

Hiking Bag

Quilt for my niece's wedding

As you can see I already finished one project. I believe it's motivating to start your list with something that's already accomplished. And I'm sticking with that idea. I have most of the fabric for everything on this list. My goal is to continue to be thrifty with my sewing, using what I have and only purchasing when necessary. I don't have too many plans for sewing in the new year. I've got some other lists that I'd like to make a priority.

In other completely unrelated news, we're having duck for dinner. We've been saving this little guy in the freezer for just the right opportunity. Since it takes about 4 hours to roast and I have off today, we thought this might be a good day to do it.

Happy 2nd to last day of 2011 to you all. 

Photo Walk

I used to take my camera everywhere. In the last five years I haven't toted it with me as much as I should have. It really is silly. If I think about all the film I wasted taking horrible photos prior to digital, you'd think I'd never be without my camera. Really, with digital, I've got nothing to lose.


After making our little video, I was reminded about how much I enjoy looking at things and thinking of ways to capture the essence. And, as we all know, practice makes perfect.


So today, amidst a cold, light snow, I took a walk down our street. I walked the whole way to the end. It can be so nice and quiet in our neighborhood sometimes. I like that. 


I hope you are all spending a little time thinking about what you enjoy doing, and maybe even getting out there and doing a little of it, if you can. 

List Making

From the "making for Christmas list." White chocolate covered Oreo cookies. Yum.

I really love making lists. There's something so organized about them. Like it may be easier to accomplish what's on the list just because the list is so 

1. neat and 
2. tidy and 
3. numbered.

I think in actuality, what I like even more about the list is checking off the items I've completed.

I've been working lately on slowing down. I have a tendency to work in a frenzy to get things done. I'm surprised my blood pressure isn't higher. I need to remember that there isn't any reason (usually) for the walk to be swept, dinner to be cooked, bills to be paid, homework to be completed as quickly as possible. That savoring the moment is also an option. 

Often I work at the speed of light because I don't really want to be doing whatever it is that I'm working on. I want to be doing something else. I need to stop pining away for the next thing and work on enjoying the moment in which I'm living.

Easier said than done.

So....I guess that's one of the items I'll put on my list. Enjoy the now.

I'm going...to enjoy the now of a movie with my hubby.