Nest. My word for 2012...

It took me a few weeks, but I think I landed on my word for 2012. In some ways it's a strange word for our current situation, but in other ways it is just perfect.
I have chosen the word, "nest". With all the shuffling and changes that 2011 brought, (new jobs, selling of our house and moving in with my in-laws) I think the idea of finding a home (or settling into the place we are right now) and hunkering down with my little chicks is a fantastic goal for the new year.
Nesting into the family around us, to the house that my husband lived in as a high schooler, it's a little surreal at times, but I feel completely blessed that we have family who will take us in and put up with us for an extended amount of time.

I feel like I need to focus in on family, because it has become even more clear to me just how important we are to each other. When everything else goes down the drain, you have your family. Last year proved that to me in a big way. So I am going to celebrate this nest and hold it close to my hear in 2012.

I spotted this pretty little piece of artwork outside our new bedroom window when we were moving in to my in-law's house in December. I keep wondering if a family will occupy it in the spring. I think I will make a point to photograph the nest in the different seasons this year to help me reaffirm my word and intention.

Play

how he played with the dough...
O made "pesto pasta" and kept busy for well over a half an hour rolling, smooshing and molding.
the verdict, the dough is a HUGE hit.

play dough

It's the kind of weekend where there isn't much going on and the weather makes you want to sit inside, watch TV, play words with friends and drink hot tea all day long. Problem is, we have watched Cars about a million times and there isn't much else on the tube *until 3 or so when the football game starts*, there is only one iPod touch and I am over fighting with O about who gets to play it next and hot tea and kids just don't work very well.
So what's a mom to do?
I remembered a few months ago that I had pinned a recipe for play dough over on pintrest.
Supposedly, this is the best homemade dough recipe there is. Why not give it a whirl?

I didn't read the instructions all the way through and hadn't realized that you needed to actually cook the concoction after mixing up all the ingredients I started to get a bit nervous. I had a vat of goo that didn't seem to be thickening. One more quick trip back to the original post and I realized that you had to put the slop into a pan and heat it up until it thickens.

 

Good thing I have been working out because there was a heck of a lot of stirring involved. I was really worried the stuff was going to burn to the bottom of the pot. It didn't, but don't take your eyes or your spoon away for a minute.I also had it in my head that the boy would be able to play with it right away, but the finished product was almost to hot for me to handle and transfer into a ball and then into the bag.

O settled on three colors, red, green, and blue. I put about two cups of the mixture in each of the color batches. Each one filled a sandwich zippy bag perfectly. I think after nap time it should be at room temperature and ready for play.

18:366, Cloverdale Pesto

Freshly clipped and knows how cute she looks.

black bean soup

I have been craving this soup for a couple of weeks now. This weekend I finally had a chance to make it for dinner. It is a perfect winter time meal. Great for dinner and perfect left overs for lunch. It is a quick and easy recipe to make, and oh so good. We had french bread on the side tonight, I also like it with cornbread.

Gather your goods:

one onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

2-4 carrots, chopped

10 slices bacon, chopped

1 can diced toms, I like the ones with other goodies, the hubs doesn't

1 tbls katchup

1 tbls Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tea chilli powder

1 14oz can of broth, chicken or veggie

4 cans of black beans, not drained

salt and pepper to taste

For garnish:

limes

cilantro chopped

green onions chopped finely

shredded cheese

sour cream

hot suace.

Here's what you do:

warm a pan and add in the bacon, stirring occasionally until it starts to let go of the fat

add in the onoions, saute until translucent, about 4 minutes

add in the garlic and carrots,

add the toms, katchup, worchestershire sauce, chilli powder beans and broth.

bring to a boil and then turn temp down to a low bubble.

allow to cook for 10-20 minutes

While the soup cooks:

wash and chop the cilantro and green onions

grate the cheese and slice the limes (I like about 1/4 to 1/2 lime in my bowl)

ENJOY!

in the back seat

Last year I started a series called "Back Seat Driver". It all started with this photo.

 

Which got me thinking about the stories our car's tell about us.
What we have in the back seat or on our bumper tells so many things that we might not even realize we are sharing.

 

I feel like each of these photos could be the start of a short story. 

 

I am always so glad to have a red light and my camera next to me in the passenger seat when one of these opportunities present it self.

 

I usually get a big smile from what I see in front of me.