sledding

here's Ji sledding with his stearable sled that he got for xmas:

(i tried it too and it's really fun!....but i kinda felt like a grizzly in a mini cooper :))

deer watching

we live on the outskirts of the village with forests behind our house, so we see deer pass by very often, especially in the winter when they scavenge the village for food. my husband built this manger 2 yrs ago so Ji could watch the deer from close up and it's a wonderful sight!

lately they don't seem to care for the hay too much, since our neighbor's cat has started sleeping on it (i often see him crawling out in the morning, stretching after a good night's sleep) but they do love the grains we toss under the manger for them :). 

p.s. the photos were taken from our dining room window!

baby faces

all swaddled up, being rocked in his rocker

and not wanting to go to sleep, but making

irresistible baby faces at me :)

Napping outside!

Our regular afternoon walk (that is, unless

it's not way too cold or furiously snowing):

After the walk baby St has a nap outside...

  When I moved here I was really surprised to find out that parents have their babies sleep outside in their strollers, even in the winter! even in freezing temps!…..living most of my prior life in Arizona I thought “poor babies, they’ll freeze outside.” But as long as they’re bundled up enough (ex.: onesie + insulated winter-suit + winter hat + insulated sleep-sac + blanket + cover + any other needed additional layers) they won’t :)! When Ji was a baby, his dr. told me a quick and simple way to find out if he’s warm enough – touch his nose, if it’s warm, he’s warm also!

  After a walk I just park the stroller outside of our house under the roof, turn on the baby monitor and check up on him every 15 minutes or so.

  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we too could take a cozy nap like this outside with fresh mountain air, and sounds of a babbling brook and birds singing in the background?! :)

The ring theif

I always loved to listen to stories that my grandparents told me about their lives when they were young and here’s one of them:

My grandmother was about 20 yrs old, she was living with her parents and had been courting w/ my grandfather, who was away at the time, undergoing the one-year state-required army service.

She was on a train on her way home when she was addressed by a sympathetic young man. He was witty and gallant and he was able persuade her to lend him her ruby promise-ring that she got from my grandfather..…my grandmother said he was so canny about it, it didn’t even seem strange to her that he wanted to try it on. After he slipped it on his finger, he of course wasn’t able to take it off. So they agreed that he would go home w/ her to see if they could somehow get it off there. No luck. He promised, that he would go to the goldsmith the next day to have it removed and that he would return the ring. My great-grandmother was so trusting that she even offered him to borrow my grandmother’s bicycle to get there. My G refused to do so, since she rode her bicycle to work every day. Good thing she didn’t, because the stranger never returned. Later she had a lot of explaining to do to my grandfather!...good thing they worked things out ;)!

Anyways, a year or two later, my GG was visiting a friend and when the friend was telling her about her daughter’s engagement, she was surprised to hear the name and description of the groom to be – the ring thief! So my GG told her about their stolen ring and that it had to be him. My GG made arrangements to be at her friends’ at his next visit. Sure enough it was him! At first he didn’t recognize her, but she reminded him of his crime. Of course, he no longer had the ring, but in a room full of many angry women, she was able to get him to pay up for it. He had a lot of explaining to do to his fiance...good thing she never married him!

Ji said :)

kids say the darndest things.............

today when the mechanic from the electric company was doing some work on our electrometer outside and was using our garbage can as a support for his laptop Ji yelled with joy: „that mechanic is fixing our garbage can!!!“ .....i should have asked Ji what he tought the mechanic was fixing on it...the smell? J

simple and yummy!!!

one of my life credos is "simplicity is beautiful" and here are 2 REALLY simple and REALLY yummy recipes:

no-knead bread  -   link
 

- whenever we're expecting company and i don't feel like/don't have time to make a time-consuming lunch/dinner this bread is great! along with the fresh bread i serve garlic-herb butter, and/or a cheese spread, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, etc.- whatever you like! it goes with just about anything! and a plate of assorted hams and cheeses, a plate of veggies and other additional appetizers like olives in VOI with garlic and herbs, etc. it tastes like ciabatta, only better having it fresh from the oven! the bread is really simple, the only "but" is you have to prepare the dough ahead of time. i've tried using plain white flour but it tastes even better with a white flour specially made for bread baking - for czech readers it's "PENAM pšeničná chlebová mouka."

lemon ice cream - link
- i've never had a liking for lemon ice cream, but this is soooo delicious! it's also very simple but you also have to prepare it ahead of time. i actually like it best when it's not totally frozen and still a little soft. you can have it plain, or add some berries (i love it with raspberries) or with a homemade family recipe chocolate icing(i'll give the recipe for the chocolate next time since St is waking up already - it's the best chocolate icing i've ever had!!!) 
p.s. don't forget to use organic(bio) lemons since we add some lemon peel.

PF 2011

wishing everyone all the best in the year to come from me and my little 1s!!!

i've been wanting to start a blog for a while, but i've been very indecisive on a choosing a name.....i realized that my contemplating has been taking too long and that i have to start or i never will(as is with the zillion projects i have in my head)! and the start of a new year seems the be the best time - new year, new start, new blog!