Tag: around the house (Page 15 of 27)

Challah bread on a bike…

December 13, 2011 / Lindsey / 3 Comments

So how do you transport — on a bike — an 18-inch loaf of fragile and delicious 6-braid challah bread? Funny you should ask, since I just did that last week…

You take the bottom of the box that your new canning jars came in. You fold it in thirds and tape one end shut. You wrap your challah like a mummy, lay it in its box, and keep everything together with a couple rubber bands.

Stick it in your backpack, taking care to tie your zippers together with a couple of twisties twisted together to make an extra-long twistie…lest the zippers unzip and the challah fall out.

And voila! It will arrive perfectly intact after its ride across town:

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And join me a little later this week when we’ll bake challah together and I’ll show you (in a video) how to do a 6-braid loaf.

Update: click here for challah recipe & instructions.

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Decorating!

December 8, 2011 / Lindsey / 7 Comments

A couple weekends ago, my mom and I were admiring some beautiful wreaths and swags at the local garden center; they smelled so good, and were so Christmasy! There really is nothing like the real thing when it comes to greenery at Christmas… and really, there’s nothing like the real thing with just about anything in life, I’ve decided.

But instead of buying them, we wanted to make our own — and so yesterday we did. Across the street and through the snow we went, clippers and bags in hand, to the park across the way. We gave some of the trees a ‘light pruning’ while filling bags with fragrant boughs, then cleared off their dining room table, turned on some Christmas music, brewed tea, and got to work.

We learned quickly that gloves are a must for a project like this!

Our creations began to take shape, and we admired each other’s work, exclaiming how that wreath and those swags were even better than the ones we could’ve bought. And how they were totally local, totally fresh, and totally free. What satisfaction to make something so beautiful! They smell incredible, too — something I didn’t really expect from city pine trees. Like a mix of fresh Christmas trees and wood smoke.

Here’s the wreath my mom made for the front of their house. Isn’t it beautiful!! I love how she added pine cones and some bare lilac branches.

Here’s the swag I made for inside our apartment:

A miniature one for the bathroom:

And a table centerpiece:

I love fresh winter greenery in the house!

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Nightcaps

December 6, 2011 / Lindsey / 9 Comments

Except in storybooks, you don’t really hear about nightcaps much, do you? But if you’re a cold sleeper like I am, they’re so helpful! I began wearing one to bed during the winter a couple years ago, and couldn’t believe the difference it made! So I wear one each night and stay a lot warmer now.

Do you ever wear a nightcap to bed on cold winter nights?

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A Peaceful, Snowy Saturday

December 3, 2011 / Lindsey / 3 Comments

What a nice day we had today; it snowed through the night and this morning we awoke to an enchanting winter wonderland!

It was cold and humid and still lightly snowing when F and I walked to the local health food store at midday, and now, tonight, it’s 12° outside and we’re tucked into our warm apartment, smelling pork roast and vegetables baking in the oven.

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This is heaven!

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Here are some pictures from our walk:

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A Peaceful Place

November 10, 2011 / Lindsey / 5 Comments

When Trish over at Soul Soup Sister wrote about her parents’ house and how peaceful it is and how it has an abundance of good energy and is a good place to just sit quietly, I could totally relate! I love my parents’ house for all the same reasons. When I ride my bike across a main thoroughfare into their neighborhood, I notice that I breathe out a big sigh. It’s a quieter, safer, and much less congested neighborhood. A much calmer atmosphere. We have a lovely little apartment of course — it’s a space of love and laughter, it has good energy, and it has lots of character and beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. However the neighborhood is congested and noisy, we have people living below us, I feel disconnected from nature and the earth, and even if I did have my own yard, I wouldn’t feel totally safe and at ease sitting in it (the neighborhood being what it is). And when I don’t leave this place for days at a time — held prisoner by this illness — our sweet apartment begins to feel like my cell.

So it feels really good to go to their house…where my cat lives…where my gardens are….where the piano is…a house which is sometimes so quiet that my ears ring…which has a safe & private yard…and just be in peace. I feel extremely lucky to have their house as another option for days when I need to get outta here, or be outside, but don’t feel well enough to be out and about in the world. It feels like a healing respite. There’s lots of quietude and good energy.

I went over there Tuesday — my cat was the only one home. She took a nap in the sunshine on the warm straw in the garden while I puttered around and collected the last of the parsley, calendula, and queen anne’s lace seeds, and then had some tea. Later we took a nap, cuddled up together under a blanket on the couch. My cat is so great. We are so in tune with each other. She’s so good at quietly supporting… just being there. I was taking a nap, and every once in a while I’d open my eyes to see if she was sleeping too, but no… each time I’d open my eyes she’d be staring at me! Eventually, though, she did close her eyes and sleep too.

Here are some pictures from around my parents’ house: