we love kale

we have been working on sewing stitches today — the running and whip stitches — practicing for our quilting class, where the children will be making blocks for a quilt that will celebrate the 250th. birthday of our town. i love this! My daughter and I made a heart pillow for her bed, which was a fun and rewarding way to practice those hand stitches.

we took a snack break and made a treat with one of the most tasty, healthy vegetables on the planet. Kale! Yum! Here is the best recipe for kale chips which i learned from my farmer gal friend up the road. you will not be disappointed, even if you have never tried kale before, or are afraid of it:)

preheat oven to 300 degrees. slice kale leaf off the stem and cut into chip-sized chunks. Place on foil-lined baking sheet, brush on some olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 7 mins — watch them like a hawk as they bake, because they can quickly turn to burnt chips. when they are light and crispy to the touch, they are ready. Howie and i enjoy them with this local beer.

i am excited to share my latest digital piece with you, titled Most Beautiful. The stock photo of the woman is credited to this lovely lady. Click on the thumbnail below to view.

white stuff happiness

i kiss their frozen cheeks, all pink from play in the snow. fleecy hats speckled with snowflakes. trailing in white that quickly thaws to puddles in our toasty, wood-stove-warmed-to-the-bone home. i’m remembering when my legs were half as long, coming in for cocoa. now i am the mom and my kettle is whistling.snow falls into the evening hours. we slow ourselves down and ease into the night. warm baths for the children, books by the fire, juicy flat apple pie made with filling that Howie and I preserved this past fall. You can find the recipe for this tasty sweet (with the perfect flaky crust I might add) in The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl.

this is what the morning brought us. one word for how it makes my soul feel. giddy.

XO