daily doings

{this moment}

2012-02-10T05:30:00.000-05:00

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.

LOVE

2012-02-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

as i was browsing on sew mama sew i came across the wonderful little "love quilt" by kelly and fell in love with it right then and there. of course i had to give it a try, with my own little creative twist to it. i love it and i'm so happy knowing to whom i will be able to pass this one on. (the folks taking care of our kids while we are out and about on valentines day....)
it was quick and easy, and i do enjoy using up all the little bits. i have never before done paper piecing so this is a first and i'm sure i will do it more often, though have to get used to the process of thinking...
kelly is selling the whole alphabet in her etsy shop. just in case some of you would want to get started on letter quilting too.

meanwhile i'm thinking of other little valentines, like this or this or this. well we will see what i manage to create within the next few days...

it's cold outside, lets warm up

2012-02-08T04:55:00.000-05:00

the boys have been collecting bullets (here a bit of bullet history) at the town's outdoor shooting range. o how precious are those collected led filled pellets, we have been talking about melting the led out of the steel for a while now, though never got to do it.
with the cold days we have had (and it will stay cold for an other few days) we have been working indoors. it was a fun project which joel started with the boys, elias got his camping stove going and in a little steel tray the boys got the bullets over the heat. and what a joy to observe the led come out of those punctured steel cases, fun to see how the process was working. when it was hot enough all of it was dumped into the bucket with the cold water.
the boys were sifting through the led pieces talking about those very creative shapes and forms. i'm sure the process will go on, there are big plans floating in the boys heads...

our icy sun catchers

2012-02-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

for my bedtime reading i'm enjoying amanda's "the rhythm of family", a book which is nice to read along as i have just a few moments before i fall asleep and it's inspirational. this way i fall asleep with ideas and thoughts of tomorrow, of a new day, a fresh start, a white sheet to be written on to be coloured and painted and made into something creative and fun. something which will shape me and my kids as well as the people we meet and interact.
o well this is a longish introduction to what we did a few days ago...
anyway, i just wanted to give amanda the credit for the sun catcher, as it is the february "do" thing in her book.

we got bun pans out, collected what ever nature things we could find in and around the house. naomi had the idea of putting the orange peel into it too. great idea, after having enjoyed a snack the peel went into the bun pan with all the other things. then we filled them up with water and put them outside into the cold fresh february air. it worked perfectly out with the weather, as we were just at the beginning of a cold spill here in europe (5-18F) and the icy rings where hung up at our entrance. the morning sun is being caught by them, the icy rings look great. the sun is not strong enough to melt them too quickly. i'm so happy they are still up, it's for five days now! and so far it looks like they will be out in the cold for another week or so...
we love the cold!

on the slope

2012-02-06T07:13:00.001-05:00

we spent the weekend in the snow with our friends. a wonderful blessing to have friends living so close to the big mountains and they even have enough room in their apartment to host the six of us overnight!
we started out with a super cold saturday afternoon on the slopes, a yummy dinner in their cozy kitchen and a couple games of dominion. even a late night chat among adults after the kids were all asleep...
the second day was not less cold and as sunny as the first. again up into the snow in the afternoon. amos was on skis the first time and he managed very well, even the lift was a breeze, congratulations brave boy.
naomi of course was so happy with her board. for me still something i'm not capable myself, it looks already like she masters the skill well, and every hour spent in the snow she learns so much. of course elias was with us too and he was constantly on the lookout for new jumps...
thea and joel were sledding, "not too fast!" was the little girls comment to her dad. and we all loved the weekend a whole lot. i'm sure we will be back, and thank you for hosting us g & p!
(photos by joel)

{this moment}

2012-02-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

the big snow is here

2012-02-02T10:10:00.001-05:00

o the big happiness arrived alongside. the big kids of course were very excited to see all that white this morning and wanted to leave early for school. though i guess not really for school, much more for a good snowball fight before school... and i'm so happy they do like the precious white and don't mind to dress up a bit warmer. we also discovered the loss of amos' warm gloves as well the missing winter boots for elias. how this happened, i don't know.
the gloves we noticed already on tuesday, though amos didn't mind and was going to look through the "lost and found" box at school. knowing now, that they have not been there, he uses mine for the moment being.
the solution for elias was a creative one, we decided on wearing legwarmers with his regular keens. i was thinking he would wear the legwarmers over his pants to keep the snow out, though he decided that he wanted to wear them under his pants, in order to not be picked on by his peers. i'm glad he figured out a solution for not having snow boots and still being able to not get cold feet. they all came home very happy tumbling into the house, of course i had to hear all those stories of how they enjoyed that precious white.
and thea wanted to go out too. i helped her gear up, she was super excited to be able to wear her "new" snow suit and even more happy to roll around outdoors. wonderful, i'm so very grateful for the way nature provides us with treats. this time it is the big snow at the beginning of february!

soup and stories

2012-02-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

some times i have to empty the veggie drawer in our fridge, and this particular time i was so excited about the colour my soup turned out, i could not resist to take a photo. broccoli, leeks, potatoes and red bell pepper, some chili flakes and a piece of bacon which i had sitting there on a shelf in the fridge. it doesn't just look yummy it tasted fabulous and the kids were digging right into it too. when i looked through the photos on my memory card i had to put that second photo next to the wonderful green soup. our little girl is an avid "reader" and loves to be sitting there and leave through her picture books as well as any given news paper or magazine which has letters and pictures on/in it. i frequently let my work be interrupted, tending her and reading her one of the books. the favorite at the moment is "Millie's marvellous hat", a creative story with lots of imagination which she absolutely dives into and loves. giving the many hats new names, like party hat (the one with a bottle of wine and to classes on a tray) or any other of them she gets hooked on. wonderful and what's better for a three year old, than looking, thinking, creating in her mind and being able to communicate her thoughts to the people living with her, sitting and reading with her.

fruit tarts in our kitchen

2012-01-31T06:56:00.001-05:00

we all love fruit tart dinners, there was time, there was the leisure and there were cherries in the freezer as well as some apples in the shed... the eggs are not anymore our own, as elias' three hens stopped laying for the winter. we were surprised though that they were still laying strong until the beginning of the month. lets give them their rest and look forward to the warmer and longer days of spring and summer.
there were a few cherries which did not fit into the pie dish, so i put them in little single serve fire proof bowls with egg, sugar and creme, a yummy pudding for after school snack, it was eaten before i could turn around.

and then there was snow, jut a dusting of it, covering everything this morning, i love it. everything looks like it just came here to this earth from an other place. everyone had to bundle up to head out for school, except amos felt like it's ok not finding his gloves and left without them. i do surely hope we will find his gloves until saturday as we are planning to go skiing...

an other birthday card

2012-01-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

with a scrap bag from a friend on my desk and a birthday of my friend coming, i could not stop putting little pieces together on a nice piece of linen. it just so happen and i love those little moments when all i do is sit there and let my hand to what they love to do. finishing up the mini collage on sunday night, as we were sitting in the living room with a glass of wine and letting the calm and quiet of the house be the inspiration. it reminded me of a couple months ago, when i was working on a similar little project.
it's already in the mail by tomorrow morning, to it's birthday friend of mine...

{this moment}

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

pause and take a cup of tea

2012-01-26T07:53:00.000-05:00

there was some hick up in my quilting roll. i didn't really anticipated it but it was also not disturbing me from having lots of fun sewing and ironing and looking at the blocks with lots of happiness. there will be more of it, i feel like it needs some kind of border and then of course binding... let alone the quilting. though i'm taking it easy and will be pondering about how to quilt and what colour to take for the binding, i'm prone to buy some felted wool, as elias really likes his a lot.
and then this morning we had to go to the library in the city, as we are missing a book...
we both had a lot of time on hand and nothing to hurry, as a friend was preparing lunch for me and the kids. we took the liberty and went to a little place i have been wanting to visit, the "teekult" it is a tea room with an exciting variety of tea, not just to sit down and take moment of leisure to sip on a cup of tea, but also to buy and enjoy a cup of it at home. it is a wonderful tea room, the walls are historic and kept very nice, painted wood. a place to stay and enjoy and look out the window, as it is on the second floor with a nice view down into a pedestrian street of the old city center.
definitely a place we will be going back, to pause and sit and ponder for a moment in our often very busy life.

loulouthi quilt

2012-01-25T15:17:00.001-05:00

i got jumpstarted with a new quilt, the fabric was ordered long ago, sitting on a shelf waiting for me to pick it up, it's anna maria horner's lououthi. i already got much farther than i assumed within the past two days...
it is so much fun, the cutting sewing, ironing and again cutting and sewing. i'm not sure where it will take me there is an initial idea taken from here.
the moos-green ran out so i added an additional solid colour into the mix, it's a dark bordeaux, which adds a bit of zing to it. and that was needed, i didn't expect the moos-green to mellow the colourful prints down as much as it did. more photos tomorrow, i can't stop going...

a fun afternoon with needlefelting

2012-01-24T05:33:00.001-05:00

of course there is no school free afternoon with naomi, without having done a craft...
we were felting balls quite some time back and so with the needle before. naomi was felting a picture with the bare hand some water and soap at a friends house a couple months ago and liked it too. though this time she was determined to use the needle again. felting with wool roving is wonderful, regardless with or without needles.
i got her started with a little hand-felted ball and she added to it what ever she wanted. there were smiling balls created, some with "long hair" and dotted once too. thea was very happy with the products and as soon as the boys came in the door and saw her working, they of course wanted to get into the action too.

i remember as my mama was buying wool roving in big bags, she also got some still undone and we were able to card our own roving with those special "combs". we were spinning the roving into yarn, we kids mostly did this by hand spindle and my mama was using the wheel. who knows what the girl and i come up doing...
maybe i can find the spindles in my parents house...

the puzzling weekend

2012-01-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

there was lots of puzzling going on over the weekend. at the spur of the moment i decided that we should take out one of our 1000 pieces puzzle instead of watching a movie. of course that was not received well by all, but never the less an hour later when the girls were in bed, the rest of us was working with lots of excitement and some other folks living in our house helped too. it is definitely still winter, long evenings and beside the music making which is going on almost every evening it's good to "create" something else together.
thea has been working on her own puzzles lately, she is doing fine, often i'm her helper and now and then she ventures off to do them on her own. i'm glad for her enthusiasm and love of "working". the two of us have gotten used to play memory at least once a day for the past couple weeks. she is getting more focused every day and of course challenging me by this to also pay more and more attention.
elias has started to make music together with thea, this is very nice to see happening. the focus of the both of them, on getting the songs right in melody as well as rhythm...

{this moment}

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-05:00

sunshine on my needles

2012-01-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

i'm working on a little hat, a baby's "pilot hat" with a wonderful sunny bamboo yarn. it's for a summer baby, and thea call's her future cousin(e) baby sunshine... and this is just so fitting. i have been wanting to try this pattern for it's looks and yes it is a quick knit. of course there is also the useful aspect of this baby hat pattern, as the hat will definitely not slip over the little ones eyes and o that is one big reason for using it. i remember having to move back their little hats many times and often i didn't even realize that they didn't see anything being bundled up on my back...

the last time i was working with this bamboo was very special. it is now over two years back, when we traveled across the usa in an old RV and i knit a shirt for naomi. i wanted to link to an old post, though he photos are not appearing. this is a mistery to me i will try to figure out what's causing this non appearance, though for right now, there is just that one family photo with naomi wearing the shirt...

the moon

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

yesterday morning while i got the tea kettle started i spotted the moon. it was just that very perfect waning moon. just about a week ago i noticed the full moon one night, as i put the kettle on for a cup of tea. though it was in a very different place in the sky and it was a very different time of day and a very different moon, it was the same awesome moon. up there in the sky so far and so close, so perfect to see and admire.
most likely it's joel, who catches the moon, here, here and here, and of course many more times over...

this morning i gave it a try, and later he could not stand back and had to go out too, just quickly before running to catch the train to go to work.

it's cool to see the moon, i'm grateful every day when i look up there into the sky and spot it. and even if i'm not able to see it clearly, or not even one bit, i know it's there and it's perfect.

cheese tasting with the family

2012-01-17T07:19:00.000-05:00

joels parents invited for a cheese tasting at a local cheese cellar. a very special place indeed, especially with some wonderful people enjoying such yummy food together. it was the first time we got together without the kids. usually we love the big family gatherings with all the little once being a big part of the fun. though this was going to be a bit different, and indeed not having to watch out and feed four more people on the side i absolutely enjoyed the wonderful people as well as all the cheese.
hearing stories of local cheese makers, like christa egli at girenbad and a big selection is seen here at natürli. i also got to appreciate and learn a lot from the fabulouse sommelier maitre frommager stefan böni. lots of little insights into the politics of the "butterberg" here a little bit of old news (sorry both of these links are only in german). and of course the lesson about the cheese of the cows with horns has been not less interesting and involved some biology too, an interesting link for the cow herders reading my blog, you guys know how your are...

of course sitting at one table with all of joel's siblings and their partners is pure enjoyment. it has been an evening which i'm treasuring and for sure think back a lot.
at the home front, i knew, even with thea still coughing a storm, my ma was taking good care of all the little and not so little once. it was late when we got home and as i assumed everything was quiet and there goes a big thank you to my ma for looking after our babes.

finding friends

2012-01-16T09:55:00.000-05:00

visiting friends near by and bringing our mud pants along was on for yesterday. o how i love those visits, going to other peoples houses, being greeted with some yummy food on the table, the kids meeting their friends too and head off to new places to play. it is one of the first times, since we are in switzerland to really dive in and get to know new friends.
of course it's not the simplest thing to invite a family of six over for lunch, i understand and that's ok too.
and maybe that made the experience even more special, our new friends have been in the USA for six months last year. the kids picked up english more than i would have expected and this makes it fun. we talk and chat in either language with them and all of us understand each other. they got a little peak into american culture and have some understanding of what we laugh about out of a swiss context. they share the passion to be outdoors and live simply.
i'm so very thankful to have found them.
we had the best time together four adults, seven kids, a rope, matches and lots of energy and ideas...
thank you ch & s & kids for your hosptitaility

{this moment}

2012-01-13T04:35:00.000-05:00

tending the sick

2012-01-12T12:21:00.001-05:00

the days are getting longer again, o this is good news and we so long for the sun to send her rays to us. it was gray and cold the past few days and then this afternoon the blue sky and the warming sunshine, i had to quickly head out and soak it all up. while i was out big brother was watching the coughing little girl in our house.

thea is not feeling well so we have been brewing tea and reading stories to her.

i even got the chance to sit by her bed, knit and sip on my own tea last night. i even kind of enjoyed the moment of sitting, and watching her sleep. the coughing and waking up every now and then was definitely not welcomed by both of us, but she was calming down quickly, knowing i was right there.
such slow down moments might be just alright with us, they are needed and our bodies will say thank you to the slowing down with getting better soon. it is all a matter of perspective...

today at our breakfast table...

2012-01-11T10:48:00.000-05:00

starting the day out with a brithday is perfect. naomi turnes eight today, such a special day, all even, totally absolutely even she calls out! and joel is going along 2x2x2, 2x4, 2+2+2+2... o well it is the most even number in all our minds by now. she convinced us of that.
we love her with all what she is and dares to become. we embrace her fierce spirit, sometimes this is harder and other times it's the best we can experience.
thinking back to the day she was born... it was super cold, the grandparents were visiting to be with the boys, as joel and i rushed to the birthplace. it didn't take very long, we left the house at 7:10am, arrived 7:30am and i didn't even have the time to enjoy the tub as planned as naomi was born 14 minutes later. we were home for lunch. my mother in law was cooking spaghetti and we all loved it. o and it was too cold to go out for a walk with the boys... it was a cold spell as i had never experienced it on january 10th 2004 it was -3 in boston (and this is in fahrenheit, which makes -19.4 Celcius). i will never forget the cold icy wind outside as we stayed warm and cuddly in the house with our girl in my arms.

a good afternoon

2012-01-10T05:30:00.000-05:00

there are those afternoon, when the drizzle is not going away, when the fog doesn't lift and we adults decide the kids need some time in the back yard...
there is a fire pit in our back yard and this often leads to some good activity either for one or all four of them. it's a process of even just making naomi believe it is good and fun to be out side with her siblings, let alone to convince the group of them to work together and not just one person can take over the making and tending of the fire. with some help though we got a bunch of happy kids working together and loving their marshmallows, even singing and dancing around the fire in unison...
plus, papa gets to sit down in the warm living room and read, without being interrupted to many a times. what a good afternoon we had!

my list for 2012

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

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}

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-05:00

a walk in the middle of the week

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-05:00

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...

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-28T15:39:00.001-05:00

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...

2011-12-27T06:21:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-12-23T04:13:00.000-05:00

it's turning into a coaster of sorts

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-12-21T09:13:00.003-05:00

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

2011-12-20T04:48:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-12-19T03:19:00.000-05:00

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)

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

living life together

2011-12-15T16:41:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-12T05:11:00.001-05:00

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.

{this moment}

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000-05:00

at moonrise

2011-12-08T11:03:00.001-05:00

or should i call it, at sunset? yes that first one is sunset, it's in front of the house and it just struck me how pretty tonight's sky is. i'm so very grateful for the picture unfolding in front of my eyes. not every evening is like that, but a lot of them are. i'm not aware most evenings, that i should take a momen, stop what i'm doing and gaze at the sky...
be in front of the house, or behind the house toward the east to see the moon rise! o so full and round so clear and bright. as elias collects the eggs from the coop i quickly take the camera and keep a little memory of this wonderful "lantern" up there in the sky, rising and shining brightly all night long.

in our kitchen

2011-12-07T03:30:00.001-05:00

we have been busy the past few days

:: cooking soup for dinner is one of my favorite activities. root vegetables and what ever needs to be eaten from the fridge

:: cooking for fewer people as some of folks of our community have left the past few weeks. instead of 13 people we are now just aobut 10 people sitting regularly around the kitchen table

:: the big two kitchen helpers have been very busy with christmas cookie making. here it's the "basler brunsli"

:: an other evening, when the girls sat around the kitchen table to make "gewuerz igeli" and "schokolade kugeln"
the filled tin boxes are slowly getting more and more in the basement.

:: sitting down with a mug of hot spiced cider and enjoyed to read a story to thea

:: homework has been on the more creative side for the kids. amos was the most fortunate, his teacher wanted the kids to either do their math homework or bring a little sampler bag of the home made christmas cookies.... (i really liked that one)

:: tomorrow is german conversation group with the neighborhood women, we will be making sugar cookies... the dough is ready and decoration candy will come out tomorrow as it would have been super hard to keep the kids from wanting to do the cookies already!

:: with advent being in full swing, it's heart warming to enjoy the for now two candles being lit on our wreath. with that reminder christmas is not far anymore...

ballet at the stadttheater

2011-12-06T14:51:00.001-05:00

it is the 6th of december and we celebrate saint nicholas day. this year there is no visit planned by the "samichlaus", as we planned to attend the ballet performance of elias dance school.

a new white shirt was on my shopping list just a couple days ago. i didn't realize how much elias has grown in the past two years, there was no way for him to fit in the old shirt.

he did not tell me anything about that funny hat, i almost laughed out loud when i saw him coming onto the stage. though with the white boots, he looked great.

and performed so nicely. it's fun to see him with all his passion and loving it.

thank you simone and all the dancers and helpers for the good work and fun performance you showed us.

2nd of advent

2011-12-05T04:39:00.001-05:00

a sunday afternoon with christmas cookie baking, and celebrating advent. the kids are loving this time of year as much as i do. we all are wrapped up in secret crafting and preparations for little surprises. a sunday afternoon sitting around the kitchen table and creating lots of yummy goodies. yesterday we made two kinds of cookies and of course drank some more hot coco...

lots of making and of course cookie dough is meant to be eaten... at least thea was feeling very much at liberty to do so.

the very unusual, dark rose cookie. to retain that colour i use the powder from sandalwood. it's not just the colour, also the shape of a cloude is not that common. though for me very meaningful, some kind of a bond with my mother. she was very involved with a charitable womans group called the "thurgauischer gemeinnuetziger frauenverein", if you click on the link the "cloud" how i see it is to be found in their logo. the cookie cutter was done by them many decades ago. i love it and since my mom made those sandel cookies and i kept baking them too, we use that same cloud-cutter.

amos was wishing for the planta herzli, though i felt heart shaped cookies are a bit boring. we found two little people cutters, a girl and a boy and of course he was all happy about this. such a people person our middle boy, he did all the glazing himself, after doing lots of cutting together with naomi and joel.

as we did the first of advent, we repeated, hot coco and a yummy slice of "christstollen" ours had a marzipan core. sitting around the fire in our garden, what better could happen, we love advent and the warmth that comes with it. the expectation and hope to celebrate the birth of our savior jesus christ.

{this moment}

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000-05:00

a late afternoon in town

2011-12-01T04:48:00.000-05:00

joel and the boys spent a late afternoon in zurich on tuesday. they took the opportunity of this weeks tuesday being off school and went to see the exhibit "mummies: man, medicine, magic", and then it the town with its christmas lights. of course being in zurich is an exciting moment, joel showed them around. the ETH, where he studied, the Polybahn, riding not just down, but down and up and down again...
enjoying the lindenhof (a&a i'm sure you remember that place, even in the rain it's pretty up there) with a burning sky!
thank you joel for bringing these photos home and letting me take a little peak into the time you spent with the boys.

hot coco and more cozyness

2011-11-30T03:34:00.001-05:00

last saturday i had the opportunity to quickly stop by a local thrift store. i still don't know why it took me two years to discover the place... very well organized and a neat kept place. not to expensive missing the really old stuff. never the less i found some moca cups with saucers and they had to be put to use over the weekend...

yummy hot coco was made from scratch, a dash of nutmeg, a dash of cinnamon, a dash of clover powder was added to the coco powder, honey and milkd. well the result was a cozy afternoon with cute cups filled with the so very yummy warm brown drink.

as we sat and played games and talked and enjoyed each other, of course there had some stories to be read. as well as some stitches knit on a new pair of socks for my very own feet.

and the fire had to be observed and loved and and tended. all this made for a lovely sunday afternoon and evening. those moments are good and keep me going through the rougher ones we definitely also have in our days.

indestructible art

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000-05:00

on the left is the "kreta oregano" i'm not sure it is winter hard and as the garden bed in front of the house is not deep and not sheltered at all i didn't want to take the risk and quickly planted it into a pot. the same for the succulent, it might have survived the winter in switzerland, though i hope it will survive the winter in our livingroom...
i do know this is a risk too, especially with balls being kicked indoors without caution. o well we will see and not get too sad if accidents happen.

a last little bunch of autumn's leafs and cones on our fireplace mantel, they soon have to do too as december is creeping closer by the day.

the same is going to happen to the snail houses the real once as well as the concrete once, i love those for looks as well as for the indestructible make of them is perfect for little hands to grab and play with. what better in a house with kids, unbreakable art!
this much for the last photos, i assume before the change to absolutely winter. it still doesn't feel like snow will be covering the land around us, november has been extremely dry and warm. but it's dark now early in the evening, the candles are definitely the next thing i'm going to grab from the up stairs.

i have been spending some moments on the sewing machine, lots of fun cutting fabric for a dress. more to come soon

the card

2011-11-28T04:40:00.000-05:00

a few days ago a friends birthday was happening, it struck my fancy to make a card for her, instead of sending a quick email. birthdays are special and that's why i'm sending my wishes by snail mail. it's old fashioned and i love that notion.
now and then i'm fortunate enough to think of the upcoming birthday early enough to even take the time to make a card.
and this happen a couple weeks ago...
while i was looking through the scrap bag and some stash of old linens, i came upon a nice combination which suited the purpose of a little hand made design. an old inherited spool of metrosene stitching thread by mettler was in my spool box too and with the help of the circle cutter i started out.
deciding to take a moment of peace a moment of quiet instead of "wrestling" the kids into bed (that fell into joels bucket of responsibilities that evening....). a cup of spiced cider and shakespeare in my ears...

{this moment}

2011-11-25T02:37:00.001-05:00

peanut toffee, so yummy

2011-11-24T10:50:00.001-05:00

it has been a while since i was trying something like a peanut brittle or toffee, but it's the time of year to take those recipes out and indulge in the yummy sweet. at migros, they sold organic peanuts, i could not find any shelled once, as we are in switzerland and peanuts are not as popular as in the us.
the same with peanut butter is on the shelf in the grocery shop, but just two kinds the smooth and the one with chunks no organic or teddie's local... i do miss the organic variety with pieces in it, or also the kind which is freshly ground at the whole foods grocer or for that matter at my regular store in JP, harvest coop at center street.

the recipe called for lots of butter, lots of sugar and lots of peanuts, at the end some dark semi sweet chocolate. this sounded just perfect.

the butter and sugar had to be cooked for a longish time. i definitely cooked it longer as called for in the recipe, as i was hulling the peanuts, which took longer as i expected. never the less this didn't matter and i was loving the contemplative work of shelling the nuts. thea was helping with this, it is somewhat busy work, but she liked to sort and kept at it for a long time.

the chocolate was just chopped finely and sprinkled on top of the hot toffee. some of it was able to cool and got eaten right away. a bit more is still in the pan, in the basement, waiting for it to be packed up and sent as little gifts to a few special friends, of whom i know they love that sweet american treat.

giving thanks

2011-11-23T02:53:00.001-05:00

of course we are in switzerland and we are not even american, though we have lived the past 12 years in the US, we have grown to love the thanksgiving tradition. preparing a meal together, enjoying fellowship for a day with family and friends and getting ready to share a wonderful meal. giving thanks for all and everything we have been given.
tomorrow would be the day, though here it is a regular weekday, we decided to celebrate last saturday at my parents. i was really excited. the planning started a while ago and i was leaving through cook books and magazines for inspiration. when i was in boston just a month back i grabbed a magazine before boarding the plain definitely a helpful deed, as it turned out to be.

lettuce wedge, roasted wallnuts with a wallnut vineagrette and roquefort cheese to start the meal off

i managed to find cranberries, they were not the best quality, never the less, the relish turned out yummy, perfect not just to turkey but also to our pork roast. we decided on a pork roast as it is what my brother raises on his farm, maybe i can convince him to raise a hand full of turkeys next year...
the cranberry relish was as simple as ever, chopping cranberries, the flesh of an orange and add some of its zest. i forgot to bring the allspice along, o well we made up with ground cloves and some nutmeg and that was working out just fine. added brown sugar did it. (the relish was definitely needing that extra day to sit and gain it's full flavor)

a favorite of joel's brussels sprouds, the kids are not too fond of those green "soccer balls" the adults loved them

my dad fell for the yam, we prepared them very traditional, baking, pealing, pureeing, except we did added a yellow and orange not to hot chili pepper. this turned out to give it a little bit more savory taste. the potatoes were cooked and bacon bits sauteed, to the bacon fat i added a bit apple vinegar and brown sugar, this made for a bit different texture and taste of the slightly mushed potatoes. not to forget, there is some cilantro added at the end, but don't add to much if you don't like cilantro, add dill or parsley or chives for that matter.

enjoy your thanksgiving tomorrow, would love to be at your house...

chestnuts

2011-11-22T03:35:00.000-05:00

marron are a special winter treat. the chestnut trees grow in the southern part of switzerland, the tessin. a bit over a year ago we went south for a few days in october and collected some of the wonderful bounty of nature. though this year no collecting, just stopping by the grocery store.

the preparation is very simple, the skin needs to be cut and then put into a steamer. or an other fun way we have roasted them, was over the fire in our backyard. either way works fine, they need some steam to roast, so while over the hot coals we had to spritz them frequently. but when they are done, pealing and eating right there, warming the hands on the yummy treat and drinking a cup of hot cider.

weekending

2011-11-21T02:55:00.001-05:00

spending the weekend at my parents house was wonderful, relaxing and fun to meet a whole bunch of cousins and have some good play time indoors as well as outside.
as it is already dark soon after 5pm the cozy indoors have become favorite hangouts, around a big platter of cut fruit, each armed with a dessert fork, the kids were digging in and enjoying the appetizer.

and then games, very intense discussions among the littlest two and of course lots of help by all the older ones.
who would believe, the older boys of course wanted to watch pirats of the carribean III. though i was able to convince them, that a bath in the wooden hot top and a game of "elfenland". it was a lovely evening, even though we were missing joel, as he was playing at a session, and i was reassured by him he also enjoyed the music making at "the poeschtli".

the air was brisk and the "zuber" was all heated up, the photo was taken just before the kids jumped in...

{this moment}

2011-11-18T04:30:00.000-05:00

first frost

2011-11-17T06:15:00.001-05:00

the first time this season that frost is covering the ground. it is unusually late, i expected this much earlier. never mind, we all enjoyed the big nasturtium plant in front of our house has been wonderful to look at. i knew as soon as the first frost will hit it, that will be it's end. and so it is, never the less we got lots of flowers in our salads, very pretty and yummy too.
it was such a treat to quickly run out of the house before the sun came up in full force and "ate away" the pretty white.

it's november

2011-11-16T15:56:00.001-05:00

and in the middle of november, there is not just thea's birthday but there is candle dipping next door in the community hall. of course we can'tmiss this. all of us are very enthusiastic about making candles and the workshop is set up right next door for one week. the ladies running it are very kind and helpful, so we have fun "dipping".
naomi is working totally on her own making "the perfect one"
thea was very enthusiastic about a long orange one.... and oops she let go of the wick and the candle melted in the red liquid wax pipe. no problem, so lets try a new one. brave girl, no tears just get started again once over
for elias i had a challenge, he worked on small bees wax dippers for our birthday-candle holder, so far he made three. and of course a very thick bees wax one with big decorations for himself.
i'm glad we get to do this at the workshop, they offer a big variate of colours and different finishes, a favorite of the kids is a snow star kind of glaceing. for me, i'm happy with the pure bees wax, they smell lovely. the dipping is a bit slower and even that is fine with me, it's contemplative and slowed me down for a moment of this afternoon. that's what i needed and what i so appreciate on making candles.

it's again that time of year

2011-11-15T07:34:00.001-05:00

with advent approaching quickly, everyone is getting busy and secretive about their doings. thea started this season off with a friend visiting and her wanting to make a surprise gift. of course there was lots of wrapping and sticking and writing going on and i'm sorry not having a photo of the presentation of the gift. i love the sweet moments, when small children, o well anyone, is presenting their handmade gift to a friend.

It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.
Mother Teresa

thea's november birthday

2011-11-14T07:46:00.000-05:00

starting the day out with gummy bears...
yes it is a special day for our 3 year old girl, it's her day and we love to remember her birth, all of us at home attending and enjoying and loving her. of course that is still the case today, especially her oldest brother has a soft spot for her, even if she destroys his homework...
and saturday was totally her day, with celebrating with all of us and many more from the house and with extended family.

she loves meatballs, she loves pasta, and that's why i made them from scratch. lots of fun and not really following the recipe, using up some grated cheese to add for flavor. and yummy they turned out, everyone loved lunch.

the big party was set for dinner, with cake and singing and sitting together, sharing thea stories. thank you friends and family, especially you cousins for showing up and celebrating with us.

{this moment}

2011-11-11T04:15:00.000-05:00

the last summer flowers

2011-11-10T05:23:00.002-05:00

we didn't have any frost yet, even though it's already deep into november. the zinnia and calendula are now pulled and the last few flowering heads put in a vase. the calendula makes it into our dinner salad, a nice and yummy addition to the regular green lettuce.
besides working in the garden a bit this afternoon, raking leafs and pulling the summer floor i was doing laundry cooking a lamb stew for lunch and together with a few friends we held our regular german conversation group in the morning.
it is a wonderful group of women from our neighborhood gathering to learn german. they are mostly from eastern europe and the middle east. all of them moms of school aged kids, having been in switzerland for a longer time now, but never had the chance to learn german in depth. it is still a very basic conversation we try to carry through the 1h lesson. and once again i realize how difficult the german language is...
i love the women, sharing life with them is so special and thea too, is looking forward to greet them every other thursday morning.

enjoying the moebius

2011-11-09T02:23:00.003-05:00

i brought some very wonderful wool home from my trip to boston, having stopped by at JP knit&stitch...
and then just two days ago i cast on a moebius, the second. i love my first one, in the works here.
this wool is just about so delicious that i feel like having dessert, when knitting. it's a hand spun, hand died wool from a non profit called manos del urugay.

it has been brought into life over 40 years ago to develop and promote the economic and social living in rural areas of uruguay. i'm loving the aspect that it is fairly traded, that it empowers women to work, earn income and live a sustainable life. because there are over a dozen centers, the women can remain at home with their families and work in the coop center close to home. enabling a sustainable economic and personal development.

a bit more weekend

2011-11-08T03:14:00.000-05:00

i do need slow sundays once in a while they are just so very much needed in our house. lots of hanging around, playing bang with m. this has given me and thea the time to play different variations of memory games, which she loves, finding the matching pictures for cards on the board.

though games are loved and must be played even by the youngest, she needs to be running and playing outside. and she loves the swing, the fallen leafs, the play of her own shadow.

it was an easy decision, setting the lunch table out of doors, cheese quiche with tomatoes, mixed leaf salad and fresh pressed cider

and a glass of white wine. i love this one "mariage solaris", made by friends of my parents, organic farmers from the eastern part of switzerland. historically the wines of eastern switzerland have been known as rather sour. not so anymore, a wonderful wine and it's red counterpart is equally fruity.

a saturday afternoon in the woods

2011-11-07T03:02:00.003-05:00

our friend m arrived last week, we all have been so very excited to welcome him at our house. it has been 2 years for most of us not having seen him. of course we have to show him around a bit and what better way to do there is, as to hop on the bike and go for the forest in our neighborhood.

if we are already out and about, we will not miss the eschenberg tower. this is a wonderful place to see where we live and it's spectacular in regards of the view...

(later three photos by joel)

{this moment}

2011-11-04T06:16:00.000-04:00

life inside

2011-11-03T08:56:00.002-04:00

just this week i took the potted plants indoors, it was a long mild autumn and we all enjoyed it, plants as well as people. there are still some more pots out of doors, i do have to remember to take them in, though they would be fine taking a bit of a frosty night. we have not had one of those cold spills yet (except on our autumn vacation in the mountains....), but they will come soon i'm sure.

naomi has been growing aloe plants, it's a fun little passion, she has grown attached to her baby plants. thank you to our friend f, getting her started with a couple very little baby plants from her big mama plant. for those plants, the window sill is perfect and they stay right where they ever have been put. no changing of their home, which is fine and i absolutely don't mind, as the indoors have been now become much more then just sleeping grounds. we spend a lot of time indoors at this time of year, naomi loves her room and i'm glad that there are her living "friends" with her.

being in of doors brings more candle light to the every day doings. we have a nice stash of beautifully hand made once by now. and i'm sure there will be more coming by the end of this month. just around the corner at the community center, volunteers run a candle dipping workshop for one week every november (16.-23. of november 2011) we all love to go and will make some new lights for our self's as well as friends this year too.

around the neighborhood

2011-11-02T06:51:00.003-04:00

the leafs are falling all around us, the ivy is changing it's colour too. at the spur of the moment thea and i went for a morning stroll in the neighborhood.

it's all around us, late fall, fogy morning hours, cool air the time to take our fleece coats out and soon the hats and mittens too.
i love to walk in a quick stride, with thea on her like a bike makes this possible. being out and about with her on the bike is fun. not without it's dangers, as she is a fast rider and sometimes doesn't watch out or ahead enough and drive ways or pedestrians are in danger to not be seen. still, i'm glad for her ability to ride and get some kind of exercise myself.

i have to remember to do this more often, maybe even get into the habit of a quick morning stride on a regular bases, who knows...

with all it's delicious beauty

2011-11-01T03:57:00.002-04:00

yes it is delicious this pretty mug filled with caramel hot cider. sitting at my desk, glancing over the MFA catalog (which i was given as a present upon visiting the a couple weeks ago, thank you j). there have not too many days passed without me looking at some interesting pieces of american art, now shown at the art of the americas wing museum.

spending more time indoors, drinking warm beverages and knitting. listening to shakespeare's macbeth seems the appropriate pass time of mine. so far thea enjoys it too, "reading" books and playing with matchbox cars on the carpet.
life is good, i'm grateful for these moments in my daily life.

it's late fall

2011-10-31T03:59:00.002-04:00

still october, cool and foggy, the season is at it's latter end. harvesting has mostly ended, a few more apples are out there on the tree, we will head out on wednesday to get them and press them into cider. the butternut squashes are all taken home from my friends garden. it strikes me as funny to see them paired up with the boys soccer ball. the ball is taken out every day, across the street onto the fiel, which has turned into a muddy playfield instead of well tended soccer field. though the kids don't mind, as long as there is a ball to kick nothing matters.

the last of the autumn flowers are out, and for the summer floor it is seed pod time, very delicate, very spiky and wonderfully grown. those are my favorite seed pods, the "jungfer im gruenen" or latin nigella damascena, a lovely flower but then when the seed pods are here, i love them even more.

of course this one is at it's peak, the sedum is almost glowing with it's bright pink and i'm really excited that this one will keep being pink for many more weeks to come. such a joy when i'm standing on the front steps looking out into the autumn fog and still there it is, this bright spot of autumn!

{this moment}

2011-10-28T04:09:00.001-04:00

part II

2011-10-25T07:38:00.006-04:00

together with amos, i went for a 10 day trip to our old home town...
yes we did it even though i was a bit nervous about facing my old neighborhood, my "lost" friends. i know the internet makes it possible to be close even though being far apart. it was great to see and meet our friends for real and keep a discussion going for a couple of hours. lots of very deep felt moments, meeting people as well as being at very familiar places, which don't really are in my life anymore. or are they still?

of course the greenstreet playground, a favorite as ever, especially with a the best friend in amos' world.

very fun and messy tea parties at our friends house, thank you r for hosting.

there is this one friend, we almost could not leave her place anymore, she has a swing in her living room. what a cool way to entertain guests.

once coffee and of course once for a pressed farmers lunch with amos. stopping by city feed and supply.

passing time, knitting and cat sitting

a special treat for my birthday, a longish visit through the MFA, with two good friends (and no kids in tow)

just on my own, walking through the city. i do not remember when i was doing this without any agenda as well as no time commitment. this is, i guess, what i from now on shall call relaxing.

so much of our life in boston was around this church with lots of our friends still there, visiting has been good and exhausting at the same time.

and of course, the aquarium was on amos' agenda. together with friends we enjoyed a morning at the waterfront

since we left there is a new yarn and fabric store called JP knit & stitch. of course i had to visit and see what i miss out! leaving the place with some lovely yarn in my bag...

there were lots of great moments with amos, picnicing, wandering and chatting, sharing memories and of course once more, saying good by to all our friends and places, as we did 2 years ago!

long not seen... part I

2011-10-25T07:33:00.007-04:00

it has been a while since i posted, though the reason for it is not that i forgot...
i was on vacation! not just any kind of get away, but a week with family in the swiss mountains, with unexpected amounts of snow, exceptional for mid october.
this the first week in photos:

with the help of the sled run specialist d the kids were all up in the snow digging and building and making the run a fast one

as some others were building on an igloo

some stunning vistas, as we enjoyed a picnic on top of one of the surrounding peaks

lots of work needed to be done too

and of course waking up toward the end of the week, to green pastures with a heard of roaming goats

and then a big hike for the little ones to quarry our own soap stone

it was exciting and we will be occupied for a while, carving that stone. it's fun to do so all winter long...

{this moment}

2011-10-07T04:05:00.002-04:00

enjoyiong walden pond

2011-10-06T07:45:00.003-04:00

listening to henry david thoreau's "walden", was a wonderful enjoyment. it really brought home the ramblings and pondering of an imaginary world, as i would so much love to live in the wild. and not just anywhere, this is right there at walden pond, where we swam, where we picnicked, where we enjoyed a stroll through the woods. nearby apple orchards, pumpkin patches, what ever else is being thought of when i hear new england-indian summer.
this has been a good preparation for my trip to boston within just a week amos and i will be flying out there, back to our old home, back to the past 12 years of my life...
there are lists of places and people to visit, things to see and lists of items i want to buy and bring back to switzerland with me. lists of cloths and books to pack, of gifts we are bringing along. there might be little paragraphes written down as i do have to work through some reverse culture shock stuff. and i do know it will be a roller coaster of emotions happening inside me.
it has been 2 years since we moved across the big pond to our roots in switzerland, it has not been a smooth ride at all, but i know life is never a smooth ride. there have been hurdles to jump over and sometimes collide. and that's ok we manage and i more than ever slow down and live day bay day, carried in the loving hand of God.

:: i did find a sequence of beautiful photos from the walden woods here
:: of course there has been an impersonating of henry david thoreau, it was fun watching this one, and again, listen and get inspired to live life deliberately, honestly and self sustaining
:: the walden woods project an other interesting place to explore
:: Morning Edition, Jill Kaufman explores the origins of Thoreau's Walden

right now

2011-10-04T15:00:00.005-04:00

there are lots of emotions going on...

:: savoring every bright coloured flower in front of the house and on the kitchen table

:: collecting every possible flower seed for next season
:: preserving a batch of mixed mushrooms

:: knitting on my field blanket as well as starting naomi's skirt
:: listening to "walden" by henry david thoreau, read by william hope
:: storing 320 liters of sweet apple cider in the basement
:: baking the first apple crisp of this season, o yes autumn has arrived
:: planning our trip to boston, and getting really excited to see my friends most of them having not seen over two years!!!

:: loving each and every day with it's sunshine still keeping us company into october
:: enjoying the chattering of the egg laying chickens

:: and missing the two roosters waking me up in the morning, too many complaints of neighbors...
:: anticipating new people joining our little community, still not knowing who it will be and when it will happen
:: flipping through "himmlische kuechengelueste"
:: wanting to cook and prepare delicious food for all the wonderful people around me
:: happily ordering a few pairs of tights for the big girl
:: as i'm expecting some cooler air swinging in within the next weeks, it is october, even though we have been registering 20C every day this week
:: greatful for wednesdays, as joel is working from home and has the afternoon off

enjoy your wednesday as much as i do

pesto from the market

2011-10-04T02:59:00.002-04:00

every time i'm strolling through the market with thea, we have a look at all the pasta and pesto this guy has for sale! it's amazing the colour first of all, and then the taste, even better.
there is of course the regular basil pesto, pesto rosso with dried tomatoes, ramsons pesto, pumpkin-curry pesto, arucola with garlic pesto, lemon-almond pesto, red beet-garlic pesto and some more types of spread. we got a glass of the pumpkin one, and yes it tasted super yummy. of course thea could almost not stop eating those little ravioli pasta-bites the seller offered us. a good autumn morning, strolling back to the trailer and ride home to get down to the daily business...

freilandrosen vom markt

2011-10-03T04:26:00.002-04:00

immer wieder, wenn ich freitags auf dem markt in der stadt bin, bewundere ich den wunderfschoenen blumenstand von mueller schneider. freilandblumen, immer in saison, von pfingstrosen, sonnenblumen, rosen hortensien und einiges mehr. eine augenweide...

so wunderschoen und einfach praesentiert da hab ich vor einer woche rosen gepostet, thea hat obendrein noch eine fuer sich auslesen koennen einfach so.
irgendwie hab ich die rosen nicht richtig angeschnitten und wollte die schoenen blaetter mitpraesentieren in der vase auf meinem kuechentisch, da haben sie die koepfe bereits nach zwei tagen haengen lassen. ich bin vergangenen freitag am stand stehengeblieben und hab nachgefragt, was ich wohl falsch gemacht habe. liebevoll wurde ich gelehrt, dass die rosen am liebsten in lauwarmes wasser und tief eingestellt werden moechten. wenn die koepfe haengen sollten die blaetter entfernt werden, neu angeschnitten und dies kurz, den grossteil des stieles im wasser....
die zwei netten herren entschuldigten sich und haben mir einen neuen strauss der wunderschoenen gefuellten rosen gegeben, mit viel freude.

es macht freude zu erleben, wie diese blumenverkaeufer ihr gut lieben und kennen und wissen wie damit umzugehen. freilandrosen sind etwas heikler im einstellen und koennen ab und zu einfach kolabieren. doch dies wird mich auch in zukunft nicht daran hindern inne zu halten, zu geniessen und ab und zu einige mit nach hause zu bringen.

{this moment}

2011-09-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

apples for sweet cider

2011-09-29T05:40:00.003-04:00

with a wonderful day upon us, we just had to get those apples in. my parents joined us and together we worked, we played, we enjoyed the view, climbed trees, ate apples and other snacks, watched the corn being harvested by big machines, listened to the birds and bees hum all around us. we also remembered last years harvest with our friends...
this year we had about triple as many apples and we are so much looking forward to the 300l (~80gallons) of sweet cider, it will still our thirst for a long while through winter.

the misses with her paint

2011-09-28T06:00:00.003-04:00

as big sister loves to paint, so those the little one...
the afternoons have been perfectly warm and without t-shirt on painting is just so much better. thea as well as i are happy about this and we both enjoy the moments filled with paint

how it came about...

2011-09-27T05:09:00.002-04:00

the family counsel is a meeting we are holding once in a while to discuss family business in any regard... everyone can call a meeting and also bring anything to the table, it is a tool to ensure that all of us will be heard and have the power to make their position and interest known.
last sunday we had an afternoon counsel and discussed the state of our garden, as we have been hauling earth into the future "chicken pasture", which will also serve the people as a spot to put a blanket down and have a picnic or what ever else you would want to do... joel is pondering the idea of putting up a "birdbath swing", and of course this is reason enough to get all of us around the table to talk. as we all warmed up on the big idea of swings and things, we got excited and wanted to find out how to make such a swing our self's or from whom we would have to buy etc.
with this going on and knowing we do have another 2 hours before evening church would start, we ended up going to eulachpark, as we all love the place and know that those very swings and nests we would so much love in our garden are to be found and enjoyed...
ending up to pedal over there and play and totally enjoy each other and the warm autumn sunday afternoon!

the park is a wonderful recreational area at the outskirts of winterthur

a big water-sand area, o how wonderful to spend a warm afternoon just playing and watching what happens when sand is moved this way or that way...

treading the good earth

2011-09-26T07:36:00.004-04:00

it has been saturday afternoon and evening, when joel and i were bringing the good earth from the driveway around the house to the chicken pasture to be. we both got blisters on our palms and saturday afternoon was hot, there was lots of sweating going on. but it is done now, about 50 wheel barrows have been dumped on the empty patch of not really any thing yet. we didn't get to spread it out evenly or smoothen it yet, that will have to wait until a moment can be stolen away to do so. and then the grass seed, everything should be out before the cold hits, in order for the seed to germinate before winter hits...

the fun part was on sunday afternoon, when i noticed that the girls spent long moments to tread around in that uneven patch, they both loved the feel of the cool soil and could not be stopped to feel the good earth. it was then as it dawned on me, that good earh must feel great is somehow soothing and fun to walk on. of course then i also remembered how much i liked to run up and down the field, when my dad plowed and dug up the harvested fields. finding all kinds of lively beings crawling and looking to dig down again into the dark. in autumn when the the plow went through, the steam was rising from the warm soil, as the air was already cooled down. seeing the bare feet on the fresh earth made me once more happy and thankful, for the space we do have around our house in the city. thankful for the opportunity our kids have to connect with the very earthly matter we live from.

{this moment}

2011-09-23T04:32:00.003-04:00

enjoying dinner

2011-09-22T14:38:00.004-04:00

today's day might have had it's peak in and around dinner. the last days of summer are wonderful warm and sunny, we can still have dinner outside without grabbing a cardigan first. still quickly running bare feet to the table straight from play or work for that matter. sitting down and enjoying a pasta salad with all kinds of fresh veggies in it, some left over green beans, cheese platter and of course some of us can't be satisfied with any of these.

for them it must be bread with butter and jam.

and as if we would not have run enough and played enough and enjoyed the summer enough, more of all that is going on as the sun set today...

a wednesday afternoon

2011-09-21T09:29:00.002-04:00

some of the kids are taking off, playing at their friends houses. it's good to have friends!

it's a good afternoon, sunny and warm, autumn is in the air and i will sit behind the house to do a bit of knitting, while thea is enjoying the sandbox...

having joel home is perfect to study french, reporting the weather in french is a fun and enjoyable exercise for elias.
"a berne, il fait mauvais temps. il fait chaud." etc...

summer is fading

2011-09-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

we enjoyed a nice big pool in the back of our house and now it's gone, all gone...
i'm scrubbing and drying it, putting it this way and the other way, stretching and pushing it. i must admit i very much hesitated to get started with the clean up, but now almost enjoy the work. its a warm sunny afternoon and it's ok to get wet all over.

the weekend in the country

2011-09-19T08:36:00.003-04:00

we are again and again aware of being city dwellers, some days i would love to just run away and don't worry about anything or anyone around the house in our city...
as for the moment the roosters (two of them) are getting louder, they discovered their voices and at the latest at 7am it's getting loud behind our house. not all my neighbors like this, so we have to come up with a solution for the situation within the next two weeks.

this past weekend was spent at my parents. with the special event of the cow pageant going on. i don't feel particularly close to the town i went to school the people i was in school with. no they mostly don't recognize me anymore and neither do i. but the kids as we all i, love seeing the way they keep the traditions. we love going there for the "viehschau". most of the farmers bring their best cows to the town grounds some of the farmers get all dressed up in traditional cloths and bring their cow's to the show in traditional fashion, like my grandpa did many many years ago.

and then of course in the rink, those ladies are getting ranked and praised for their looks as well as the milk they produce.

and the farmers kids have their own place in the rink. they present their calf with a verse or a song. and of course this all is so well worth the labor and moments of being nervous. a big junk of work has being done by all the family members, especially the wife's and mothers of those families.

never the less it's end of summer and it's getting cooler and wetter. the girls were not to be kept indoors, all three had to get out and enjoy the moment

while the boys stayed indoors and kept on doing some geometry, math and colouring mandalas. a busy and very enjoyable weekend. thank you mam and pa for hosting us once more, we love to stay at your place.

{this moment}

2011-09-16T04:55:00.002-04:00

an off day

2011-09-15T13:53:00.002-04:00

i was at a daylong seminar, the big kids were all having lunch at a school friends house of their choosing, of course that was super exciting. thea was being picked at 8am and enjoyed a day at the grandparents house.
and then i hoped on the bike across town to attend the seminar, "Resilienz an Widerstaenden wachsen" (Resilience - growing on resistance). it was put on by C-Leaders an institute for leadership training.
it is just about 25 years since i have enjoyed school lectures, so this was a real treat.

no photo, it will be one up tomorrow...

this afternoon in our garden

2011-09-14T15:45:00.002-04:00

there has been lots going on in our garden...
just a few days ago we got rid of two "kornel kirsch" trees and i was starting to turn the soil and take out as many roots as possible. then today we got a rototiller and worked the soil. it was a hard job, but together we managed. and we did have the chickens absolutely loving our work. as well as a fascinated bystander...
and the chicken's will have even more fun as soon as the grass will be growing, o yes we will have our own little chicken pasture!

and an hour later 60 people arrived and enjoyed a neighborhood party more then half of them kids, lots of fun and wonderful food. we will do it again.
i'm tired and will roll into bed in a few minutes. it was a good day.

no cooking today

2011-09-13T09:28:00.004-04:00

with elias at camp (from school with his class, up in the mountains), naomi and amos doing a one day hike with all the kids from their school house, thea and i decided to go out and about.
although there were those started pants for naomi, i could not just run away. so i finished them up, only leaving the little task of putting an elastic in tonight when the girl is present to try them on.

the sky is blue and the bike with trailer ready, so we biked into the city. the library was on our schedule, the museum for applied arts, the time piece collection and a stop at the music shop notenpunkt and lunch at the "Grand Cafe de Musee"

coming home, having a sleeping child in the trailer and sitting on the front steps of the house, enjoying the flowers and feeling so free to do and not to do. i love today. i love those moments of being a mama to school aged kids being at school, knowing they love it there too.
i do not get those "not doing anything" moments, it's part being me, seeing what needs to be done at any given time. it's harvest time, apples having to be cut and dried, italien plums arriving tomorrow....
such is my life and i love it fully and enjoy it totally.

the mister tweedy quilt

2011-09-12T07:21:00.002-04:00

i have been working on this quilt for a while, as there were different kinds of projects going on beside and the quilting was not that easy with my regular sewing machine. it would have been a lot easier to either quilt with a long arm machine or quilt each square before putting them together... i guess with each quilt i do i learn a lot. i don't really had a plan to start out with, it was a recycling project, each square has old and some used fabric on it, the off white backing is an old bed sheet of my grandma's.
the binding is a very soft wool, it feels just perfect against your cheeks. i'm happy and elias loves it so much that he wanted it to take along to his school camp this week...

{this moment}

2011-09-09T10:21:00.001-04:00

the first apple slices of the season

2011-09-08T10:59:00.003-04:00

our apple trees are in a little corner, a bit out of the way. it's a scenic little spot and every time i stop by i have to look up there to the castle tower of the "moersburg"

the trees are laden with apples, three are boskop and one is a "sauergrauech" (an old kind of apple which has it's home in the bernese part of switzerland, very well known for its high content of juice mostly used for cyder, as it is very tart)

the boskop is probably the best know cider apple, also excellent for cooking and drying. right now there are just few of the fruit fallen

i collect them and use them up as we go, dried apple slieces, apple sauce, apple cake apple what ever

the first load of slices in the oven to be dried, and yes friends we will bring you some, you know who you are. i'm so happy to carry them along on our travels across the ocean in october!

the garden bounty

2011-09-07T13:55:00.002-04:00

it is late summer and all the wonderful veggies and flowers are in full swing, we get cherry tomatoes by the bucket, eat zucchini in every possible form, from cake to latkes, grilled, in mixed salads, stuffed with lentils, cooked spicy and my friend is planning to put some away in jars pickled sweat and sour...

the zinnia in front of our house are in full bloom, and i love them. the more i cut the more flowers appear

meat loaf for lunch, old bread in milk with ground chicken and beef mixed, egg and lots of herbs. of course garlic and onion, salt and ground pepper

a full oven for lunch, baking at once potato casserole and meat loaf. o yes and then i also served some green bean salad, yummy. i love to cook, i love to try out things and i'm gratefuller for all my 10 people sitting at the lunch table today and savoring it.

unterwegs mit der dampfbahn

2011-09-06T14:33:00.006-04:00

elias hatte die moeglichkeit einen tag mit einem freund zu verbringen, der lockifuehrer ist. er hat elias eingeladen die dampfbahn des DVZO von hinwil nach bauma zu fahren. natuerlich beinhaltete dies auch die vorbereitungen, einfeuern und schmieren der dampflockomotive, dann fahren im fuehrerstand und nach der fahrt auch wieder putzen...
ein ganz toller tag und begeistert von seiner arbeit und all das neu gesehene und gelernte kam er leuchtend und muede heute abend zurueck. danke j das war ein ganz tolles geschenk.

weekending

2011-09-05T04:19:00.002-04:00

it has been a good and vibrant couple days. sometimes saturdays feel more like a beehive than anything else around the house. this saturday was quiet in it's own way, our family was home alone, that's very seldom but it does happen once in a blue moon. it also was unexpected and we did enjoy it. the wonderful weather invited us to get some chores done in the backyard. the two "kornelkirschstraeucher" needed to go... too much shade and really not much use for the garden. we will be planting some other shrubs and i'm sure the apple tree is much happier now.

our neighbor stopped by to see and help with work in the garden and she also brought a very delicious watermelon. yummy treat in the heat, thank you m for being such a caring neighbor.

and then there was the reopening of our neighborhood library. of course amos was spending lots of time at "roessligass", there was the opening reception, a comic reading performance (very very good presentation of "lucky luke and the psycho doc" with guitar music. and of course spending some time reading in the renovated building. it is a wonderful place, it's historic and modern apearance is inviting. and there is a cafe added in the "living room" of the library. i'm sure i will tell a bit more in the future.

the late afternoon was spent with joel's parents, swimming in the toess and picnicking at it's banks (toesstal, the valley at our doorsteps). it is such a treat living close to family. over and over again we do take advantage of this, as we are very aware that we missed out on this while living in boston for over a decade.

of course music was being made and even elias our robin hood had to try his new bow. that bow was the result of our cutting down a hazel bush alongside the kornelkirschen in the afternoon.

{this moment}

2011-09-02T04:54:00.000-04:00