{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 goeppeli

getting the like a bike stolen was last week, riding our little "goeppeli" (that's what we call this very old super small bike)
it has been with us for years! we found it on the side of the street on trash pick up day back in 2002, meanwhile we had to replace the back tire. all three older kids learned to ride on this one. and so did thea within the last few days.
we didn't plan to take it along across the atlantic when we moved 2.5 years ago, but there was still room in the moving box, the movers asked us what else they should pack in there. it just so happened that the "goeppeli" was not being sold by our side walk sale, joel grabbed it and here we are!
o such a happy day, look at the confident biker, doing her loops and circles on our drive way...

enjoying the morning as it is unfolding

we enjoyed once more a wonderful sunny morning, even with daylight saving now already in place, we get a little glimps of sun at our breakfast table. and even more beams mid morning...

a few days ago, naomi was bringing me a bowl of filberts, which she collected last fall, we have a few bushes around the house. they have been drying and were perfect to open them up and enjoy the wonderful little hazelnut. our's are common hazelnuts, widely known in europe. the nut is very nutritious, full of healthy oils. of course there is lot's of history to the common hazel. here a little glimps for the german speakers among you. and for the rest, the romans used the hazel twigs for signs of peace, and even back in the stone age were the nuts known for their nutrition. o well, so lets enjoy those nuts...

the boys cut some buds from our chestnut tree, first i scolded them. and now i absolutely enjoy those three buds on our kitchen table. i'm very curious if they make it into full bloom indoors... so far one of them is opening up very beautyfully as you can see.
we are all aghast about the hairiness of the unfolding leafs. so lets observe whats happening and of course during our lunchtimes, when we sit outside under the tree, we look up and start comparing those buds with the ones we enjoyed in the morning on our breakfast table.

the flower girl

 

naomi has been wanting to plant bulbs for a long while now. she already helped in the fall to put tulips and daffodils in. and now we just could not longer wait to put some dahlia tubers into the soil in the front of our house. of course when i was at the garden center i could not just buy one pack of dahlia's but we ended up buying a second carton of wonderful smaller bulbs and naomi decided to put them next to the sandbox, in the back of the house, where we spend much more time lounging and playing and eating and hanging laundry (at least me).
it was so much fun, discussing, planning and planting, i totally forgot the time. it was just about noon when i realized that i was supposed to have lunch on the table for 11 people within 15 minutes!

well, i scrambled put the pasta on, got all the ruccola, chiccore, and other spring greens into a big bowl, tossing roasted seeds (which i do have at hand most of the time) over them and added the dressing (the same here, i prepare 1liter of french dressing at a time and store it in the fridge, this lasts us about one week). there were brussels sprouts already waiting (a bag of the frozen ones from last october...) and the meat was quickly sauteed. that was it we all sat down for a yummy lunch with lots of happiness and hopes of summer flowers in our minds. yes it was totally, absolutely worth forgetting the cooking for a few moments last saturday!

the afternoon behind the house

 what a lovely afternoon, and we spent it behind the house. just us and the three chickens. sunning, reading, making a fire and grilling sausages. eating veggies with dip and drinking water. a lot of water as the afternoon was very warm. running around bare foot and short sleeved in mid march is not what we are used to. we do take it though and absolutely enjoyed it.

it is true though, those family afternoons are often not super harmonious. yesterday was rather intense, the kids fight for their turns on the swing. they so very often want to occupy-play-take over, that single one interesting spot...
 of course there are many fun places and corners behind the house, but like usual just one "perfect" spot and yesterday it was the swing. it did help though to point out to naomi, that there is a fire place, she started a fire and yes we did grill sausages and all of us enjoyed it. and the chickens had to be observed very closely, as there is new compost soil in the raspberry corner...
i got do doodle a bit and joel took care of some fun pic's, as you can see above.

today's monday morning started with 5 loads of laundry, now all hanging at the very same behind the house spot where we jumped and laughed yesterday. the sun came back and the laundry will be perfect to put away in a moment. i also washed all the hats and mittens, in good hope that we will not need them again until late september. let's see if i'm right.

{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.

hanging laundry

 

in the fresh spring air is just about as good as it gets. the weather has been wonderful and i have put the plants out on the balcony and on the front steps, a couple days ago. i'm getting very excited and will be out to buy more plants soon, the rosmarin didn't survive the super cold weeks of february and the lavenders i'm not sure yet.

anyway my work and life is improving so much by this wonderful warmth, especially the laundry hanging and folding is now becoming one of my favorite tasks again.

never mind, doing the laundry in the basement, far away from everyone is not without it's own fun. i usually sing out loud with the knowledge that it might be wrong and still fine with it, as no one will have to listen to....

the singing, while hanging or folding laundry is going on, though a bit more self conchies, but that's ok too.

and while the laundry dries, the chickens peck the crumbs of our lunch from under the table. yes we started eating lunch outside already, it's lovely.

my frittilaria

i know i totally got over board with my little frittilaria's. i have to say though, i absolutely am in love with them, not one moment in the kitchen without a quick or even a longish glance over to the window sill above the sink, where the beauties are placed.
i got them last friday at the market in town. first i was getting one for my mom, but as soon as i got them in my hand, i had to buy a second little pot for myself. they are just so perfect.
and if all goes well, i will be able to put the bulbs into the soil in my garden and will have them again next spring. let's hope!

the weekend and a monday morning

lots of time being spent out of doors, a wonderful saturday, hiking and grilling and enjoying the swings and garden which is still so very bare. we all enjoyed the visit at my brothers. it was so much pleasure to me to walk the bare gardens, pastures which are just starting to get green and grow fat grass for the cows. snow drops are all over the place and the bees are being tended by the beekeeper. i love the signs of spring in nature and soon enough there will be big buds on trees and bushes to burst open and let the leafs and flowers out into the fresh air.
there was also some fun time spent indoors. a good fishing game was entertaining not just the girls but all of us, either watching or fishing in turns.

and now today, we started the week with a few sad moments, thea's "like a bike" got stolen, as we spent 15 minutes in the grocery store. the second event, elias came home early from school, feeling sick and really looking pale as bed sheets do. the potato gnocchi and spinach for lunch were yummy, though amos absolutely disliked them and let all of us know with a loud voice and very uncertain terms....

o well, i'm still alive and will try hard to look at the bright side of life:
- naomi is happily crafting some flowers
- amos is again immersed into a different world, reading and not looking up for anything
- the chickens laid more eggs, definitely a sign of more daylight
- i'm knitting and naomi's cardigan is growing in a faster pace than i expected, wonderful

{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 "to do"-list for the spring upon us

i cut the brambles, and am all scratched up...
o well coming summer i will not remember the pain, as we will enjoy the blackberries, i'm sure of that. the chickens started laying again and this is good news, one less item i have to keep shopping.
there is a list of things still needed to be done within the coming weeks:

:: putting some wires up for the raspberries
:: getting oregano, rosemarie, and i'm sure i will find some other herbs at the farmers market, to be planted in the front bed
:: planning and ordering the flowers for the planters on our balcony railing
:: watching the grass grow behind the house, which will be a chicken run and play spot this summer
:: clean the kitchen and living room windows
:: take care of our shower, it is in dyer need of new silicone
:: play memory once a day with thea, still going strong on that one...
:: use up the frozen cherries from last summer, as i'm sure the season is upon us before i know it
:: putting the winter coats, and mittens away and exchange them with the sandals, yea, this sounds good!
:: knitting as much as possible outside, in the fresh new spring sunshine...
:: enjoying each and every moment of this spring. it's my life i'm living and i love it

though first, we will go away for the weekend. just be gone and nothing planned and nothing scheduled. go live the country life, at my parent's house...

no time to stay indoors

 

i'm not able to stay in doors any longer, there we go, no big post today, just a glimpse of goings on in the yard...

knitting in the sun, behind the house

the libby cardigan is growing quickly, it's lovely wool and so smooth running through my fingers. naomi is already thinking of buttons, she wishes for wooden ones. and yes i do have still a good stash of such some where in a box in a cupboard. i was changing the pattern a bit, as the wool is a bit thicker then called for and naomi's size is a bit smaller than the pattern written for. so we will see how it will turn out, i hope fine, but am not certain about it being a bit on the narrow side around her chest. so far i think it's fine, comparing it with a sweater she is wearing currently.
i still am at awe of our spring weather, it's just perfect and we all love the sun shine. this warm wonderful breeze made me  giddy to clean out the house. starting with the big sofa in our living room. hard work though lots of sun cheering me on to work quickly, it took me 1.5h and it looks almost like new again. yuppy!

maybe i will be washing windows soon, they really really need it...

gearing up

 

it's not just nature gearing up for the warm spring days, it's the people too. for weeks now we were listening to elias telling us he needed a new bike... o well a new bike, we said and listened. it is not a new bike he got on saturday. it is his old bike being revamped, getting new tires and for the moment this is the hit. he had those very knobby tires and was tired of them....
the same with amos' though he got his done last wedensday afternoon. both boys are now riding their bikes with new marathon schwalbe tires, and they are 'flying" into spring.
thank you joel for working on the boys bikes, they are happy and i'm happy not having to listen to all the complaining anymore, this makes for a much more pleasant spring.

all the little daffodils are out, those were bought last year for table decorations. the happy yellow is up and out and we all enjoy them a second time now. and so does the sedum, i love it in this stage of reappearing again. as beautiful as it was last october, it's so very precious this spring. o we are so loving those warm and bright spring-days.

{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.

international women's day

and adding this link, which makes me think and happy about celebrating women's day.

in our kitchen

 

o there is so much going on in our kitchen, there are stews, and cakes, muffins and soups, laughter filling the room as well as sometimes loud and wiggly kids sitting around the dinner table wanting to eat.

the past week i have been pulled into conversations with some of the kids which involve "i hate this" or "why do you cook this, it smells yucky" o well and many more remarks in that regard. i'm not immune to it, it does first of all make me sad and then i'm getting upset, not about my cooking but about the way the food on our table is being looked at.
of course i do understand that there are dishes and ingredients some of us don't particularly enjoy or even dislike. still there is the option to just try a tiny bit of it and maybe you will like it and if not, please don't be out front negative. every time i cook or bake there is the chance, that this time there is not as much ginger in it, or maybe there is a different kind of cheese being used for topping the casserole.
and what about all those people which have nothing to eat. it does sound very antiquated in my ears, though it is not antiquated. food is not evenly distributed around the planet earth. we are fortunate being born and living where we are, i'm grateful for it and we do give thanks before each meal for the blessing it is to us.
and right now, there are lots of root veggies being put on the table as those are regional and seasonal. they are getting "old" beets in cakes, beets in soups, beets in stews, beets all over... (the same with celery root, potato, and carrots).

though on our counter there are sprouts sprouting. a bit of a change to top the chinese cabbage or the mix into the chicory salad. i try hard to shop local produce and just found a new way to do so. we are newly members of a veggie share, gmues abo. more of this in a later post...
the bottom photo is an apple strudel in the making, todays dinner topped with vanilla sauce. this was a topper, each and every child (and grown up) around tonight's dinner table was very very happy. and i'm very glad to be able to make them happy.