Wednesday, January 28, 2009

january days.


The January blah's have hit me hard. I have so much work to do and absolutely zero energy to do it (I work after the boys go to bed at night). This happens every year at this time, but every year I still try to fight it. My body wants to be still and rest in the numbing cold, but my to-do list is miles long.

Lucky for me I have these two little boys who just keep going, and going, and going. They drag me along in their enthusiastic wake and energize my January slug.


The past few days we have spent a bit more time in the kitchen. The kitchen is a good place to be when the temps are below zero and there is just no way we want to go out again. The warmth, smells, and process of making something to nourish us in more ways than one energizes us all.

G, the little chef, loves to cook and bake the most, I think. He loves measuring, scooping, stirring, assembling, watching through the oven window, and seeing what we have created together.


So the past few days we have baked bread from a wild starter, cranked out noodles we made from semolina flour and eggs, slow cooked chili, made caramel popcorn, and juiced and blended our breakfasts. Our counter is covered with soaking things, sprouting things, trays of greens, and freshly baked bread.


With all of this, G came to me with a photo from the latest food catalog (his favorite reading) showing pink icing sprinkle covered heart cookies, and wanted to make some. Now. He said to me, they are white sugar cookies, mama, not brown (ahem). He told me in his G way that he loves our brown cookies (whole wheat flour), but in the photo they are white. With PINK icing. So, together we made white sugar cookies. With pink icing. And sprinkles. Twice. Perfect!

I'm looking forward to February for more energy, more garden planning, more sunshine, less work (ha!), more fun, more sleep, inspiration, fresh air, and maybe, just maybe, more heart shaped pink icing covered sprinkle coated sugar cookies.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some occasional white sugar and flour goes a long way toward peace in the home :-)

Dawn said...

My kids are hip to the ww too and something about a heart shaped sugar cookie with pink frosting...that's irresistible!

:)

Claudia - La Casa nella Prateria said...

They look delicious!

And... hold on, February is coming!

Anonymous said...

beautiful photos as usual. that bread looks amazing!
and i know what you mean about the january blahs. it's the same for me. every year at the same time BAM! i reach the ned of my tolerance and patience for cold temps. the morning carrot juice helps alot though.

Needle, Thimble and Thread said...

Thanks for the link. I've been looking for a wavy edge heart cookie cutter and haven't been able to find one.

We've bought a home in Rubicon, Wisconsin and will be moving up in April. Until then we'll keep reading your blog and watching the snow from here.

christine

Sarah said...

It can be hard, can't it? Luckily for me winter energizes me. It's summer where I have trouble. You all would enjoy the King Arthur baking store near me--in addition to lots of pink cookies (and other good stuff) it has two thrones with crowns so you can be King Arthur!

Tara said...

We're almost there... February promises more light and a short wait until Spring... I hope!

The baking looks delicious- we've got some molasses cookies on tap for today :0)

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

Those are delightfully yummy looking cookies! That bread looks delicious.

I've never used semolina flour. Any reason to use it?

Lynch Family said...

This is a tough time of year! I am sending you energy and warmth and zazziness!

Jessica Stock said...

I'm fighting the Jan. blahs as well, and the kitchen does seem to be where everybody is happiest. Thanks for your inspiration!

Lisa Zahn said...

I learned in college that I NEED to rest a lot more in January. Back then we had "J-term" which is short for one (fairly easy) class all month and lots of time to sleep and be lazy. I loved it and have tried to continue that pace since then. I shoot for 10-12 hours of sleep a night and sometimes get it even with kids and pets around (hey, it's how much they sleep).

Sleeping that much and being generally lazier gets old fast so then after January I'm ready for more!

I hope you can take it easy until you feel more energetic.

Lisa

Stephanie said...

lol, I knew exactly where you were goin' with that "they're white, Mama!"

Happy warm smells coming from the center of the home.
Can't beat that.

RunninL8 said...

Yummy eats! I'm so hungary for those cookies!!!
Hope your energy level catches up to the boys soon! Get all the sun light you can!!

dawn klinge said...

Those "white" sugar cookies made me smile....that sounds like something my son would say. :) The days are getting longer; I'm looking forward to February as well.

Amy said...

I don't know if this would be a fun winter project for your boys, but I got turned onto this "pay it forward" idea. Here's how it works (this is lifted from my blog): "I will (over the next 365 days) send three people (for free!) a little handmade crafty item. In turn, however, if you sign up by leaving a comment, you must send three other people a little handmade crafty item. If you have a blog, you can post about this and find participants. If not, you can still participate, just find three others who will play the game with you and keep it going."

It might be fun to follow the thread and see how far your influence goes! Just a thought... :)

Sara said...

My son might mention the 'white' sugar cookies to me too, but mostly because I burned the last batch I made at Christmas. Yep, that's another way to get brown sugar cookies. lol The bread looks yummy! Wishing you all the best in February!!!

Anonymous said...

It's funny that you should post this. This is my first Minnesota winter after 20 years in northern California and I found some inspiration today that I posted on my blog...www.blissbelly.typepad.com. A gentle reminder to keep on the sunny side.

Darla said...

I love the photo of the red barn. Often I remind my husband, a city man through and through, of my hope to have a home place with a red barn, someday. Quite a contrast from Tokyo, but still in my mind! Best wishes for an early spring.

tiff said...

yumminess...january is always a good month to bake...the warmth of the oven...the cheerfulness of the kids(cuz' food always brings smiles)...and the aroma in the house!

The bread looks like it needs to go with a warm bowl of vegetable soup and those cookies are dying to have a cup o' joe to go with them...BIG GRINS!

The days are getting longer...

Shelley said...

Thanks for the inspiration. We are in the January slumps too! Maybe more bread and sweetness is all we need!

denise said...

christine - your new house is beautiful. april is not far away!

astrid - semolina is a traditional pasta flour - it is high gluten, and course...and the pasta isn't as 'gluey' as pasta made from plain flour.

darla - I love barns. The one in the photo is at the farm we visit each week to pick up meat/dairy. I always take pictures of the barns everywhere we visit - I'd love a red barn some day too...

mandaroo63 said...

What a lovely barn....and the baked goods look yummy.

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

The barn is so pretty, and so are the cookies.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful and delicious shades of pinks and browns.