schlagwerk konzert

there were about 50 students and their 5 teachers of drums, and djembe who made music yesterday afternoon. it was fabulous. amos was involved with this production, a hand full of rehearsals over the past 6 weeks and very creative teachers. you should have been there and heard them making music!

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

the wooden beads

thea got those beads for christmas and she loves them. it is great to watch her sort and line them up in single file.
she also started to string them up on a piece of yarn. anyway i just felt like i wanted to share these few photos with you.

outdoors

it was a brisk morning, even the chicken were a bit shy to get out of their coop. there was some snow from yesterday left in the shade behind the house




and in the front, o yes the chive is already growing. i'm really looking forward to the first cut of that lovely green bunch.
and snow drops, a wonderful early pointer of soon to arrive spring.

indoors

it has gotten cold and snowy again outside. of course we still go for short walks, and visits to the chickens... but this week is also a busy one, the kids are back in school and we have to get to know our new violin teacher. after just one year the person we got used to and adjusted to her stops teaching. o well after yesterday's lesson with elias, i have a really good feel about the new person. loving, nurturing, listening and emphasizing the good in the child. i'm looking forward to naomi's lesson on friday.

but of course there is lots going on in the house...



bread baking



and the forsythia, which we cut last saturday is soon going to be in bloom in our living room.
i'm so much looking forward to this early spring bloom. i know it's still in the middle of winter and that's fine, i would love some more snow on the ground and i don't mind the cold. though there is something about colour in the house, nature awakening outdoors, which get's me energized.

o yes and we have the first snow drops under the trees and shrubs around the house.

the little green purse

naomi and i went into the city on saturday afternoon, just so. we don't so this very frequently but it is fun when we do it. strolling through the old city of winterthur in wonderful sunshine, visiting a few galleries and just enjoy our self's.

we also stumbled into jugglux, a little big store if you are looking for fun and creative toys, and much more.
upon the sight of the little green purse, we both fell in love with it.
i already saw the little girl before me which should receive it...

at home i could not help but crochet a few flowers and put them into the purse.
spring is in the air!



it's now all wrapped up and put in a box. addressed and ready to go to the post office...
i'm so very certain p will enjoy this and can't wait to hear from her!

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

todays thinking and doing

:: loving the kids winter brake, not much structure, lots to do and make
:: knitting wrist warmers and
:: embracing the ordered from portugal
:: smiling as i watch thea calling grandma
:: thinking of the 356 portrait project
:: enjoying the sunshine and springlike temperatures of mid winter
:: wishing for snow...
:: remembering the ski day of last week, after 11 years of not skiing, i was a day at the slops of my childhood
:: dreaming of more home made noodles, i'm sure it will happen sooner than i anticipate...
:: sipping a cup of roibos tea with some rum, o how i love it. it makes for a good nights rest
:: itching to order the soil for the garden in front of the house
:: and planning what kind of flowers and herbs to be growing there
:: wanting to plant the many bulbs i got from a friend in december, too late for autumn planting
:: listening to joel's flute playing,
:: knowing that the girls will be sleeping soon

home made noodles

we are on winter brake and use the time baking and cooking...
in the mornings are swim lessons for the big kids and the afternoons are wide open, no plan no nothing on my end. so the kids decide what we do. elias was reading for 3h! wow no lunch just a glass of water on hand... that's very rare and it made me very happy.
naomi called three friends, finally one was home and she hopped over to play all afternoon. amos wanted to bake or cook, like all last week (linzer tart, hummel schnitten, zopf, key lime pie) so on we go. i suggested we try to get some use of our new pasta maker! quickly we gathered the fresh eggs, flour and warm water he did the handling of the kitchen aid and added all the ingredients. dough turned out a bit moist but workable.


of course thea had to make sure the dough got it's rest under the warm bowl.


all ready with lots of flour on hand


and then elias could not read anymore, he was all itchy to get the noodles turned out. of course he is the experienced one of us. he has made noodles already a few times with our friend c. thank you for the good teaching!


lots of runs through the machine, lots of flour

and one last run through with the cutter, yeah!


when the dough was resting i quickly stepped into the workshop, drilled a few holes into a 2x2 and put it up on our fire place mantle...
as elias learned to hang the noodles on chop sticks, so we definitely had to do the same...


and dinner was served a couple hours later.
we will definitely do it again. amos was sauteing bacon, boiling broccoli and added some herbs, so yummy.

photos by amos

the old: new chair

it has been standing around this little chair. no not anymore to be used as a chair (sorry i forgot the photo). just the wooden frame was left of it and thea dragged it all around the house, complaining to not be able to stand up, or sit down on it.
so i got thinking and remembered a friend of mine has a foot stool, wooden frame and old ties woven into it. my mom of course had a few old ties from dad put in a box in the attic and those came in just handy.
with a few little nails to fix the ends underneath and the 5 ties were woven onto the frame and used to sit on right away.
i love the result, it is practical, upcycled materials and pleasing to the eye.



it goes nicely with the little biedermeier table and chair (cherry), this old little chair of my childhood.

vacationing

a good week in the sun at my parents house...
we enjoyed a quiet family week. elias got to milk the sheep of a neighbor (a herd of them, ~58) on two evenings, one more at my brothers farm. naomi got to help feed the pigs at my brothers too. she was coming home all excited and knowing so much now, about the mama pigs with their young ones.
even though joel worked from home, we got to spend a lot of time playing games and enjoying nature



naomi was crocheting, and making a pompom. dressing it into a nice round was soo much fun. it was also a lot of work to wind all the yarn so tightly around those cardboard rings.


there was lots of reading and relaxing being done by all of us.


by joel
wonderful sun sets, with a beautiful landscape the sun is setting spectacular on most days!


by joel
and of course moon viewing...
do you guys see the halo, this was just so spectacular to see, very interesting.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

out there::enjoying it

by joel

the shot of last friday night! lovely, joel loves the moon, this is an other one of him, and so do we!

we will be away for a week, see you back next monday.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

the new tiered skirt is dancing

i'm very happy with the new skirt, and she loves it! there is nothing to add, everyone must be dancing, but just naomi with a super nice twirling new skirt!
of course now she is parading it around the house and the oh and ah by everyone is being sucked in and enjoyed. i'm glad she loves hand made cloths!

i was at the yarn shop in town, the lady is not particularly nice to me, but who would, as i'm arriving at her tiny store with three giggly and jumpy kids in tow...
i was going to buy yarn to knit naomi a hip in hemp skirt, she has put it on the list a long while ago. too long, but then the lady was just starting to get all the new yarn up on the shelves and felt overwhelmed with me wanting something so specific. though i feel a hemp-cotton blend should be within limits. she asked me to come back next week, when she will have everything sorted out. i was not that happy and wished i was back in JP..., but turned over to see a big bin full of 5 frank skeins... o there was a treasure to be found! i grabbed a few skeins to get an other winter knitting started, more an other day.

the goats and sebastian

we have a friend, she lives in town, just a few steps down the road. her animals are our friends too, and three days ago a new kit entered this world. we visited today...



the 160lbs ram (the daddy of the kit). he loves to budge with everyone, so we keep our distance


and here we are, in the stable, naomi holding the kit, he doesn't have a name yet and still likes to be cuddled.


there in the back corner, two 3 week old kits, they don't like cuddling any longer, but lots of playing must be done


and here is sebastian, he visited us with st. niklaus, he loves to carry children on his back. there is one thing which makes him jump and run, when he sees or hears horses. then he wants to go with them, so we have to be careful when and where we go with him.


o and i didn't mention the sheep in the heather, there are 5 of them and we all got to collect some lovely wool to take home today. of course elias want's a sheep and a goat and milk them and sheer them and feed them... naomi's comment upon arrival at home: "mama i would like to feel wool from the sheep every day" o well we can some how make that happen... - more knitting shall be done for the girl