Sunshine and a Walk

Making and Creating...

Are you a planner or a fly-by-the-seat of your pants type of person? Me, I'm the one that sees something and wants to do it then...not in a week or a year, but right then and now. And then, whatever I've tried to plan, usually it's a total fail. Both ways are good and both ways have their place in the world. But, I think it's when you least expect it, that the great stuff happens.

I think of this picture often, when trying to plan. This picture was supposed to be planned, but took about three seconds and I was one crabby mom when I took it.

A few years back we went to Washington D.C. It was the last stop (other than London) on our National Treasure tour. The only place I had on my list was the Vietnam Memorial. We could go anywhere else, but this was the one place I wanted to go and I wanted to spend time taking pictures.

We got there, only after we visited Arlington National Cemetery (which just doesn't do it for young boys and where one of them knocked over a barrier during the Changing of the Guard) and then walking to the Lincoln Memorial...(look, it's just a short walk) and nearly getting killed crossing a traffic circle, But there was Lincoln and I wanted to get a cool shot of him, but my dad called and I had to talk about someone dying that we all knew. Then, crossing the park...but first stopping to get a overpriced drink and chips and trying not to get wet because it started to rain.

But, I could see it...and we walked right to it. And I had my camera and I was trying to explain to the boys the symbolic nature of it all and why it was designed the way it was and there was Matt, complaining that he was wet and Ryan...yes, he found another barrier to snap and knock over. And I looked for my husband, who was off talking to a veteran and I was just so utterly disgusted by the whole process that I just snapped it.

And I got it.

Every time I look at this picture, I think of all the memories that preceded it. So, I'm wondering, what was your mistake? What did you do that was totally unexpected and it turn out fantastic?

I'm interested....

5 things...

Tough weekend. Hormones clashing. Need I say more. Today was spent apart rather than together. It was a good thing for all. It's a short week, with new adventures for all of us. We'll see how it all goes.

1. He remembered to bring it home. It filled my heart with song. He doesn't know how happy it makes me to listen.

2. New tasks are at hand for many in my family. It's a time for new risks and stepping out of one's comfort zone.

3. The list making is never-ending.

4. I have not properly thanked someone for her wonderful kindness. I feel badly about this. I will let her know this week how grateful I am.

5. The everyday is wearing us all a bit thin. We need some adventure. Suggestions?

Happy week everyone.

Link Love...

Man, it's gray here. I'm trying to find the beauty in it all...but a little sun now and again would sure be nice.

I hope you all have grand plans for the weekend. Ours revolve around hockey and skiing. Go figure! Stay warm and enjoy your families!

1.Matt gave these adorable printable calendars for his Christmas gifts this year. They are all sold out, but she has other sweet things you might enjoy.

2. Each year I miss this event. Luckily I came across it just in time this year. Hang a bird feeder and start counting!

3. I'm trying to get my husband to take his lunch to work, hoping that I can entice him to eat a bit more healthier. Maybe if he would buy into the whole program, he might carry this. Yeah, I hear all of you that know my husband, laughing. Who am I kidding?

4. These are on my to-do list. I can just feel the softness caressing my feet. ok...that was just perverted.

5. And lastly, this outfit just makes me happy!

Happy weekend!

Making

My knitting mojo hasn't quite returned since the holidays and I'm finding it difficult to finish up the socks. But I'm having no problem baking and cooking new things. I have a lot of pumpkin in my cupboard so I went in search for a new recipe.

I found this one. I didn't put the nuts or raisins in ( although I think those two items would be a nice addition) but did add chocolate chips. This recipe makes a lot, so I made twenty-four mini muffins and froze six mega muffins for later use.

I

Soup seems to be on my mind this past month. I recently checked out a Moosewood cookbook from the library. Ryan loves cheddar soup so I was looking for a semi-healthy version. This seemed to fit the bill. He ate it right up without ever knowing it was filled with all these veggies. One piece of advice that I would give, is to at least double the recipe. It says it makes four to six servings, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it's serving in cups.

enjoy!

Golden Cheddar Cheese Soup

from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

1 c. chopped onions

2 tbls. vegetable oil

2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

pinch of turmeric

2 cups vegetable stock or water

1 cup buttermilk or milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt to taste

:::::::

minced fresh scallions. chives, or parsley

Saute the onions in the oil for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, squash, black pepper, and turmeric. Add the stock or water and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the buttermilk or mild and the cheese. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Gently reheat. Add salt to taste and serve topped with minced scallions, chives or parsley.

5 things....

Ah...another Monday and another round of snow. My arms are growing muscles from shoveling and my legs are feeling the burn from skiing. Can't ask for anything better, well, maybe a tropical drink on a beach somewhere, but that's not coming for another few months.

This week brings more clean-up and clean out, while creating new foods and working on some creative projects.

May you all have a creative week!

Happy Monday!

1. I still have not taken care of these. Today is the day, I swear!

2. More fun with the presets in Lightroom. I'm still too intimated to use Elements yet.

3. The sun was out on Saturday. And it felt really, really good. I'm not sure we will see it for the rest of the week.

4. We were all able to meet in the middle this weekend to watch Ryan's hockey game. He played well and we all enjoyed a fun lunch afterward.

5. Pretty much how we all felt when we awoke this morning. We all needed a good kick start to get going. But, I feel that this will be a productive week for all!

Link Love...

Hopefully, I'm back on routine with my blogging schedule. I'm not going to make any promises though. My life tends to get in the way and as I reflect on where I want to go in 2011, life should get in the way! I want to make, laugh and spend time with my family and lastly, push myself to take risks in areas that I tend to stray away from. Many of my links this week have provided me inspiration to reflect on those goals. enjoy!

Oh how I wish I was still teaching! This passage would be discussed over and over with my students. I placed it in everyone's room around here and just asked them to read it and reflect. I didn't get much action from it. But maybe it will stick with them.

This was is ingenious too. He just is the coolest guy. I wish to find my "digital park bench" this year.

And this one. Annie Lamott has always had a strong voice in my reading repertoire. She totally gets it in this short piece.

These are fantastic snowflakes! We tend to save our snowflake making and decorating for the months of January and February. They help to shake the winter doldrums.

And for this weekend...I think I may bake these and eat them all myself. Yum!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Making

The quiet of January allows me to start reflecting on unfinished projects and new projects that I want to start. I had huge goals to finish a pair of socks for both boys for Christmas. But, time, a nasty cold and other projects got in the way. This week I've been concentrating on finishing those socks for around the house. I know they will never wear them out, but it warms my heart when they put them on after they get home from school.

Besides knitting, I've been perusing my cookbooks and online cooking sites. I really want to make an effort to widen our food repertoire. My boys are not picky eaters, but tend to stick with meat, veggie and some sort of starch. I would love to use curry more, and convince them that eating just vegetables for dinner is an acceptable thing to do.

Yesterday, I made kale chips. Easy and simple. I wasn't sure of the reaction I would get, but was pleasantly surprised. Matt enjoyed them and swore he just wasn't' eating them to get more time on the xbox. Ryan never got a chance to try them, as the dog thought they were mighty good and had a great healthy snack while we weren't looking!

I think, I might explore this leafy green a bit more!

5 things...

Do you hear that? No? Listen really close...ah, it's the sound of silence. Everyone is back at school and work today. The house is clean, and there are cookies already baking in the oven. January is one of my favorite months. There is no unusual activity, just plain routine. We will ski a lot and play hockey on the weekends. The television watching has been cut, due to extreme viewing by all. Books will be read. Here's to your start to the week and year. Hope it's a smooth one.

1. The pond went through a January thaw. Now all we need is extreme cold with no snow and it will be perfect.

2. See those little lights. They are built into what look like bare branches. I love them. I keep them out all year.

3. My amaryllis are gorgeous! They are such a deep red. I ordered them from here, along with my paperwhites.

4. See I love them so much, I took another shot.

5. My favorite new Christmas decoration, given to my by a special friend. It was perfect on the top of our small tree.

Have a great week everyone!

2010

We hardly knew ya!

I missed my blog anniversary, yet again.

I always think it is New Year's Eve, but it's a few days before.

Thank you to all of you that stop and take a moment out of your day to come see what's up here at Upper Pond. Your comments and support make my day. My best to you and your families for a wonderful 2011!

Happy New Year!

5 things...

It's finally quiet here at Upper Pond. We celebrated our second Christmas today and are done with presents and eating. I don't want to cook for a long while. My boys may not see another cookie in their lunch until February, seeing as if that is how long it will get my baking mojo back.

We are busy enjoying the holiday week off of school. Skiing has been our favorite activity, followed by the new xBox and accompanying games. Not sure if books have been picked up as a go-to activity around here.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

1. It's called a Snow Angel...and believe me that name is pure deception. With seven shots of alcohol, it's the devil in disguise.

2. We are lucky to have grandparents close by. It helped make the celebration that much more special.

3. Buddy ate the gravy, which led to some gas, which led to Matt having fun. Poor Buddy.

On a sidenote: one of the most favorite things to happen on Christmas was catching Matt singing in church. I had to peek out of the corner of my eye to catch it. But he was there and it was good.

4. Ryan leaned over to me at church and told me how wonderful if all was (favorite thing #2). Maybe we should show up more often. We have, regrettably, fallen into the Lily and pointsettia club.

5. This was a transition year for us. We still honored many of our old Santa traditions, without much spirit. We are all trying to find our way in the new traditions. I think this might take a few years. Growing pains for all of us.