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the shadows are long in the winter, even at noon.

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there is a thick layer of ice on top of 2 feet of snow. 

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no school today so we made monkey bread on this super icy and cold winter day.

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he wanted one more game of uno before bed. how could i say no?

cauliflower soup

making cumin cauliflower soup with my two little helpers.  i would post the recipe but it was not that great of a soup.  it is from the web but i printed it in 2008 and i don't remember where i got it from.  sam came home just as it was done and added a few more things to it, not  in any measured quantities, and made it taste divine.  i like to cook, but sam has the skills to make things taste amazing with no recipe.  so luckily he saved the day!

snow days

we have had many many snow days in the last few weeks.  although it is freezing, i have kept my resolution to go outside for at least 15 minutes everyday with the kids (save for a few days when they were very sick and it was very cold out).  calvin is digging out an ice cave/igloo above.

when we are not outside i have been trying to keep the kids busy with some arts and crafts projects.  i pulled out some dinosaur rubbing plates from my box of art supplies, and calvin loved them.  it took him a few tries for him to figure out how to hold the paper still and rub at the same time, but he got it.

maeve is a stickers and crayons kind of girl.  these two things will hold her attention for awhile.  luckily when i taught in california, we used to take a yearly field trip to Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory and they would give me a box full of not-quite-perfect stickers.  so i have an almost endless supply of stickers for her.

we are anticipating another snow day this week.  more snow fun outside and in!

everytime it snows...

i want to make bread.  and we have had a lot of snow.  a. lot.  we have three feet on the ground in our yard least.

so just like we have an abundance of snow... we have an abundance of bread.  but it is oh so good!

luckily i have a hungry buzz lightyear living here that loves homemade bread with a little bit of butter and honey (we call them a honey bunny because that is what calvin's old babysitter called them).

here is a link to my favorite homemade bread recipe, in case anyone is interested.  be sure that your milk/honey/water mix is no warmer than 130.  if it is any warmer it will kill the yeast.  i learned the hard way :(  i changed the recipe a bit... i add more honey (1/3 to 1/2 cup) and i add about 2 tbs vital wheat gluten.  i think that it has a softer more airy feeling with the vital wheat gluten.  

it is delicious... so bring on the snow!