{ this moment }

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{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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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{ this moment }

. . . . . . . . . . 

{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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . 

:: simple things ::

These days I find myself attempting to take each new day as it comes  and pausing to take note and appreciate the simple things that bring joy to my life.  Once you start looking you may find that your life is full of simple joys.  It is the simple things that bring true beauty and wonder into our lives.

~ Icicles melting in the warm afternoon sun.  A welcome site after such bitter cold.
~ Soft scrumptious yarn waiting to be transformed into cherished hand knits.
~ Having a dear friend watch my girl so that I can go to the store *alone* to pick out said yarn.
~ Seeing a beautiful pattern emerge from that yarn as I follow each instruction step by step. 
~ I can still pick up my baby little girl and rock her to sleep in my arms.
~ Peals of laughter from that same little girl as she plays with her Papa.
~ Getting to see and actually spend *time* with that handsome man after a long hard week.
~ Getting to stay home everyday and watch by baby grow into an amazingly sweet, funny and clever little girl.  Thanks to my wonderful husband for working *so* hard to make that possible!
~ Nap time, bed time, mama time!
~ This little space that helps me see and remember the wonder that can be found in my very own HOME.

Wishing you many simple joys, friend,  as you move through your days.

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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{this moment}  ~  inspired by SouleMama

:: Ham Bone Soup ::

There's nothing like a hearty home cooked soup to warm your bones a cold winter day.  The days, and nights, around here have certainly been bitter cold and my family needed warming.  The solution? Ham bone soup!  A delicious way to get an extra meal out of your holiday ham.   *Enjoy*

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1 ham bone + gelatin and juices leftover from cooking
2 bay leaves
2 C. kidney beans
8 C. water
   
* Place ham bone in large pot and fill with enough water to cover.  Bring to boil then simmer for about 3 hrs.  Cool and refrigerate overnight.  Place kidney beans in separate container with 8 cups water and soak overnight.

2 yellow onions
4 celery stalks (more would be ok too!)
several carrots (I used 9 of various sizes)
1 head cabbage chopped

* Remove stock from refrigerator and skim fat off top.  Strain to remove bones and bits then pick out the meat and return to stock. (We had some extra meat leftover so I added this as well, to my husbands delight! No questions of "where's the meat?" with this meal.)  Drain and rinse beans, add to soup and bring to boil then down to a simmer.  Start chopping onions celery and carrots.  Add to soup as they are ready.  ( I recommend waiting a bit on the carrots so they don't turn to mush) Cook until beans are tender, about 2hrs.  Add cabbage at the very end and cook till desired tenderness.  ( I added it after turning the heat off and let it cook in the hot soup while I prepared the rest of dinner, this left it with just a little crunch which was quite nice.)  Salt and pepper to taste.


** Next time I would add potatoes as well.  Any suggestions for additional herbs or spices?

{this moment}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . 

{this moment}  inspired by SouleMama.

Frigid Fun

These days we are loving this wintery wonderland we're blessed to live in!  Lydia is discovering the many joys of snow.  Catching flakes, listening to it crunch under foot and  enjoying the way it makes for an extra slippery slide.  After all that frigid fun it's time to warm up by the fireplace, yes?  Or just climb right in!

Wee Folk

My first attempt at doll making started last Christmas with the 'dollie' in the green dress.  Inspired by scraps from this little outfit I made for Lydia, that doll is made entirely from bits of wool sweaters.  Next came the knitted gnome.  So easy and fast to knit that I completed it in a day.  I started working on the big dolls early in December with hopes to have one ready as a Christmas gift for my dear girl.  Though I didn't quite make the deadline (poor dolls still need some clothes!) they were well loved by my sweet little nieces as we all gathered to celebrate.

*more to come on the 'making of' the big dolls*

Goodbye

I had been planning to write about the new year and all of the wonderful things about starting fresh and expectations for the time to come, but instead I'd like to pause and say goodbye to a very dear four legged friend.  Dopey came to our family with a funny name and loving heart.  I will always remember the first time he curled all 90lbs of his fluffy self onto my lap, and how he would try so hard to walk between raindrops in a hopeless attempt to avoid getting wet.  Goodbye Dopey and thank you for being such a sweet and loving pet.