my list for 2012

as promised, the list is here,
it's not complete it's not all inclusive, and this is fine. it's my attempt to live life as much as i can. with ideas, with the attention to the moment as well as the ability to look ahead. it is a life lived with trials and errors. an ever changing life as a mother of four growing kids and partner to a loving and patient husband.
let's see what else will be added in the course of this year, i'm sure plenty of adventures i do not foresee at all. and it will change and mold me, this is what makes the everyday extraordinary and unique. i do take myself along to walk the path of the already started and year, it's not going to stop and wait, i will go with it anyhow and run if needed on some days...

1. see the exhibit on miro, monet, mathisse and one other special exhibit at the kunsthaus
2. help amos how to ski and naomi how to snowboard during our february vacation
3. knit a cardigan for myself with the wool form portugal
4. don't forget my friends birthdays and write them a birthday card
5. visit one of elias orchestra rehearsals until march
6. get used to my new camera
7. be more calm and relaxed when things not work the way i planned it
8. go through my cloth rack and just keep what i was wearing within the past year
9. sew a quilt for thea with the fabric already stacked up
10. read 12 books, including some fiction and magazines
11. finding the time and quiet to meditate on the word and pray in my daily routine
12. sew a dress or two for the girls
13. say yes to my kids more
14. have a more positive attitude
15. go hiking in the summer months, at least one high mountain with the kids
16. use the stew pot more for one pot meals
17. be able to not control everything and every moment in life and still be happy with what's going on around me

{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.

a walk in the middle of the week

we do treasure the wednesday afternoons, when joel is home. it is a privilege for all of us and most often some kind of a project takes over and joel with one or two kids is working on this or that. though today we decided to go and visit the grandparents up the toess valley. we hopped off the train one stop early to use the moment for a walk along the river. it was a not so sure it won't rain afternoon, and because of that wonderful skies to be observed!
sometimes i forget how good it is to just walk and take it all in. today it was the bare nature in mid winter. there was no snow, it was just bare and solemn.
it is not the most exciting time of year to go on walks, we all have to bundle up and then take the camera out and i freeze my fingers off. a stiff breeze was blowing, i forgot my mittens and i just don't know how that could have happened. thinking of the moment we left the house, it must have been a moment of sunshine and i absolutely didn't remember that it is mid winter, supposed to be cold.
as usual, i carry the camera in a knit hat, just so it doesn't get beat up in my back pack. not long, the camera was out and the had found it's original purpose with joel putting it on immediately. well that's good, i'm all for "multipurposing"...
we stood and watched the water go by, it must have been minutes, the kids were long gone, run and skated ahead to meet the grandparents, as they walked toward us to meet us half way. and i'm thankful for a january afternoon spent outside walking and wondering and enjoying.

last years list...

today i was reviewing the list of things i wanted to do in the course of the 2011 

1. participate in the project "stop armut"
--  yes i'm all in with this one, helping out with the up coming "stop armut" course in winterthur, starting in february

2. being calm, loving and firm in discussions with our kids
-- i'm not so sure how i'm doing with this issue, i do realize it when i'm failing

3. finishing elias' quilt
-- did it, here

4. sewing some more hairbands for the girls, and maybe me too
-- not done

5. knitting a skirt for naomi and a few more projects...
-- the skirt for naomi and a dress for thea, curtains for naomi's bedroom, a pair of pants for naomi, and a handfull more of little projects and gifts

6. getting into a rhythm for prayer time and contemplation
-- the rhythm is not found yet, it's an on and off

7. start running again (when it gets a bit more pleasant outdoors)
-- not happening

8. read a book a month (this includes cook- and craft books)
-- i did read, not 12 books though, more like 1/2 a dozen

9. organize a german-conversation group for my neighbor friends
-- this is happening every other thursday morning, and we do have wonderful times

10. spend some time in a cabin high up in the swiss alps
-- i'm so very happy to tell you that this was a wonderful week in the calanca valley

11. get into the habit of doing ATC's for myself and with the kids
-- not happened, and that's totally absolutely fine with us all

12. write a card a month to my godchild
-- yes happened, a big help was the calendar cards i got from sarahjane's studio

13. visit my friend a
-- sad to say no, didn't happen, the letters and emails had to do...

14. go to a session at the maiers with joel
-- yes done

15. take a photo a day
-- not done and don't regret not sticking with it

16. bake and cook with new recipe
-- yes done in some ways, i do have to do it more often

i'm not yet done with writing this years list, it will happen soon, i'm not sure yet how long it will be turning out. it's a decision i'm making as i write.
what were your list's and how happy are you about getting things done?

the first sunset this year

i'm back, i know i'm a bit late with the photo of the first sunset this year, never the less i loved to watch it and figured that i do want to hold on to that moment.
there is an other reason for not having more pictures of the past 5 days. we went to a new years retreat far from home, i did take camera and lenses along, but realized that i did not take the memory card....
well i was able to borrow a very small card from a friend though just a dozen photos fit on it and i was very discouraged to even take photos. well i didn't take any more photos then what you see. and that has to be sufficient. i settled with the fact and absolutely enjoyed those days without camera in hand. it will change again, and you will see more of my life in the future...

a short walk to the casturum

it was a wonderful visit at our friends house, delicious food, fun playtime, good conversations and a short walk to the castrum of irgenhausen at pfaeffikon.

we absolutely enjoy the few off days "in between", it's the perfect time to visit and being visited. being family and enjoy a leisurely morning, sleeping in and do what we want to do. though with some plans we could not totally forget the day and time we are living in.... which some moments this morning i absolutely would have wanted. but as soon as we walked into our friends house all the hustle bustle which we went through to get out of the house was forgotten and we just enjoyed the rest of the day.

we have never been at this particular roman ruin, and it turned out to be just the perfect afternoon to head out and enjoy it. o well i realized once more how beautiful my homeland is! again and again i'm at awe looking at the mountains. i will never get tired of seeing them, never ever wanting to forget the look at them from afar and thinking of hiking them in the summer once more.

i'm signing off from this space for the next five days. we are heading out to our community friends at communitaet don camillo, i'll b back on tuesday.

holding on...

 

wanting to keep the carols going, wanting to hold on to the bright smiles the joy and love we have with our families and friends. lots of preparations went on until christmas eve. walking up to the church and sing with the family choir for a whole full house and with all the joy in our hearts about the birth of our savior, the messiah.

a late car ride to my parents, a wonderful day with sunshine and very dramatic skies! cousins to play with, and presents to enjoy. sharing meals and sharing stories, more singing and lot's of thanksgiving in our hearts.

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.

it's turning into a coaster of sorts

naomi has been working on a craft we didn't really knew what it will end up being...
over the weekend she started colouring the valori wells fabric with fabric markers and added some simple stitching to it. i liked it a lot and of course she was all over it. today we took the free afternoon and spent some time brainstorming ideas what it could become. and here we go, sewing some heavy twill backings two of them to make it thick enough for a hot pot to sit on it on the table. then turn it and machine quilt it. first she wanted to just do one line at the outer end, then she really got into machine sewing and could not end until the whole pad was line-quilted.
it looks great and we both are certain, grandma will love it.

it didn't take long until big brother showed up and wanted to get to work with the machine too. fine, let's ramble and so he did, cutting fabric and picking thread to sew. before i could turn around he was in the middle of a project. i love those afternoons, they are not that frequent, as the kids are in school most days. christmas vacation is around the corner, two more days of school and there we are. this will give all of us some time to just be and do and follow our creative ideas. absolutely important and not to be dismissed if  you ask me.

 

the "skirtlet"

on one of my strolls through the city i stopped by a little corner store at steinberggasse "mymake" is it called and a hand full of local seamstresses and artists are selling their goods at this place. i love almost every single item in this store (it is not huge...) and have bought a hat for thea last winter, a paper chicken for my mom last spring and some other very nice items to wear.
as i stopped by in early october i saw this wonderful fabric, an old linen, red and white, i just loved it and since it didn't move out of my mind. i had to get hold of a piece of clothing made with this fabric. so then a couple weeks later stopping by again my yearning was being stilled by this "skirtlet". though as it was a bit too big, and i was just to leave town for two weeks i had to wait til early november to get the wonderful piece of clothing.
i'm so very happy wearing it and feel so very connected with my grandmothers (as it is about their style of dish towels as well as the age of the fabric). thank you mymake folks for making such unique and special garments.
it has been on my mind for a long time to do this post, though taking a photo of me wearing the garment has taken a long while, thank you joel for doing so.

a list keeps me sane

its a few days until christmas and of course the festive meal is planned, a few friends invited, though no details arranged yet. that's ok, my list is in a constant growing phase with some to dos being crossed off now and then. i'm fine with that, i love lists and i live with lists, they seem second nature to me. and of course what would i do without lists!
this happen just an hour ago, i went to the grocery store and realized in despair, that i forgot the shopping list on the shoe shelf in our hallway. but even just having written the list has been very helpful, after the shopping upon checking what i forgot on my list, it turned out that i did get 3/4 of the items, not too bad, i will go out again in two days to finish up this weeks shopping.

i have been working on a little house idea and love it. it's a nice change from the socks i'm working on. and the tea mug rug's idea seems like a nice gift to bring along to dinner hosts on our christmas travels. there still need a few more stitches to be made...

though those stitches will be made and even better with the snow finally coming down it's wonderful to stay inside, light a candle and sit with a cup of hot tea on my side and keep my hands busy.

sleeping in on sunday morning was such a treat. a very late breakfast made us to skip lunch but the have a nice fruit snack mid afternoon. the dates went the fastest... they were very delicious and of course a special treat around christmas, as we try to stay local 3/4 of the year. winter is really the time of year, when i buy exotic fruit, other times we do with pears and apples and berries.

lots of crafting and wrapping up the made surprises, elias is almost done. or maybe he will start an other batch of cookies tomorrow, never know with him.

naomi has just yesterday started a new idea, i'm very curious to what this will develop. somehow i feel like this is ending up in more work last minute. i will already put some time aside for those ideas...

i got those wooden balls last year on a sale and i do love them even though they are very heavy and don't really lend themselves to be hung on a tree. making up some ribbons from an old table runner is working now just fine and i will find a little spot in the hall to hang them. there is still more decorating going on in the house and of course the baking of christmas cookies has not ended...

{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.

living life together

one of our house mates is leaving and of course we have to sit together once more and enjoy a delicious meal. m was cooking in her indonesian way, sticky rice, curried chicken, peanut sauce and papaya salad. preparing the salad was lots of work, as all the ingredients were put in a pestle and worked together, green beans, tomatoes, peanuts, green papaya (not fully ripened), garlic and spices. the decoration was plain and simple but very cute, little parchment paper bags with tea lights in the middle of the table.
the food was eaten only with the fingers. such a delight for all of us, so much fun and of course the kids were in the game no time.

living together with a bunch of people is fun and on those special evenings even more of a treat. thank all of you folks, being committed to live life together.
of course this is a happy peak into our kitchen, and i'm glad to let you in. there are other moments, when we have to work out differences, be it the laundry schedule, personal preferences or feelings being hurt. moments of pain and it seems so far fetched to go through those struggles, though more often then not, in the aftermath it's wonderful to see growth and peace and new horizons springing up.
all this is important and we do it as we believe it's our calling. and we are able to live life in community, knowing that we are able to love and forgive and enjoy community through christ.

lots of sweets in our kitchen

there were lots of walnuts in our saint nicholas bags... what better to do as to open all of them and eat as much as you like and then get the rest made into a very delicious christmas cookie. that's exactly what we did this afternoon.
they are called "baumnuss busserl" (walnut smooch) a very cute name for a cookie. and of course it tastes wonderful, all of us, except elias, he would not even look at it.

 

instead of fretting over cookies he "couldn't eat" elias started his own. melting chocolate and a bit butter in a hot water bath, add some vanilla sugar and a good mount of cornflakes and mix very gently. super easy, to make those yummy treats, just make little mounts on a parchment paper. it was fun to watch him and give him the little hint to not overheat the chocolate...
there were so many times i made those cornflake crisps and the chocolate got to hot and of course it got all crummy and the result looked awful or didn't even make it cover the flakes. he did well and the sheets are now in the cellar to do "cool and dry out". i'm glad he got the opportunity to get to work in the kitchen, as his time is definitely scarce when it comes to baking.

i could not keep this shot from you, isn't she just cute our cookie monster...

the gift of her's

what a cool gift, going shopping with your godmother and not just to any old grocery store but to the coolest toy store in town...
it was not easy to pick something special, there was so much of interest to her. though after a long while, of course it had to be a doctors kit, and indeed it's a wonderful little suitcase with important tools and a real stethoscope!

of course there must be patients in the house. yes of course amos loves to be cured of all kinds of ailments. though he didn't just get his broken arm repaired, thea got hold of a syringe and 'sucked' him something or an other "out" of his belly, until the poor patent was screaming of pain. from that moment on it was not doctors naomi and thea but the consoling words of papa who helped him to get better.

more tangerines and sweets and peanuts and walnuts on the table,

and didn't we all enjoy those goodies with a cup of tea (or coffee) and having very involved discussions about the world, life and swiss politics. i love my extended family and a weekend with them is one of the best things happening to me. of course the kids played their own games and naomi's doctor gear got taken out uncountable times, not just by her, but together with her big brother and the 14 year old cousin. it was a pleasure to see the kids so involved in their pretend play as well as old games and sports competitions outdoors. it was a weekend full of energy and that was definitely needed on my end.
thank you ma and pa for hosting us all.

trees

the photos are the result of a stroll with the camera, yesterday afternoon, taken by joel...
there is really nothing more to say, a wonderful mysterious world of trees.