Snow day!

All right people, I know you might not be ready for this, but here in Spokane it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. You know what I mean. It's snowing, snowing, snowing! In fact, this morning I received a call saying that the Museum will be closed today. A snow day for real! So totally exciting! I lit a cinnamon candle (so it smells like the inside of a Red Hot in here), selected my Christmas playlist (Sufjan Stevens, Bing Crosby, Johnny Cash, Ella Fitzgerald, and Mariah Carey), and have a full day to sort through Christmas decorations, gifts, and crafts. I might even bake something. Callooh! Callay! (That's from the Jabberwocky poem, by the way. {Through the Looking Glass. Lewis Carroll? You know: Beware the Jabberwock, my son! Seriously, watch out.})


All right. I have work to do. But I might update my progress later on today. For now, here's a little bit of Matilda--she's getting into the Christmas spirit by sitting on some Santa tissue paper.  

OK, who wants to poke her fluffy white chest?
Don't fret, I've got that covered.

Wintery wonderland!

In front of the Patsy Clark mansion. 

I happened to have my camera in my bag as I walked home from the Museum tonight. It was one of those evenings where the sky is gray and strangely luminous. So pretty that I just had to pause to take some pictures of the neighborhood. Of course, it was dark, so I didn't end up with too much that was usable. But here are a few shots from my walk home through the snow. Squinting in a darkened room heightens the effect.

Oh, look! There's even a seasonal garbage can!

The Fotheringham House. Doesn't it look like a ghostly apparition?

sparkles and snow

Someone was watching birds in the snow until, that is, two sparkle balls came on the scene!

To the left, Matilda. The left!

But they kept getting caught in the curtain.

Then stuff like this would happen.

So we moved to a different window with less troublesome curtains.

It was sparkle ball heaven.

Whiskers on kittens!

The kitten, "kitts," has been extra cuddly lately. I think she's just cold most of the time, but she needs to realize that heating money doesn't just grow on trees.  We cranked the thermostat to 60 last night.  I had just finished crafting a present for a friend when kitts decided to settle in.  

Here is the present:

I made cookies...this isn't the best picture.

I knit a slouchy cable beret.

And I painted this mini portrait of her dog, Charlie.

IRL Charlie is cuter. I've never met Charlie, but his pictures make him look like he's cute IRL.

Since the beginning of this post, kitts has decided to snuggle right up next to me and go to sleep. At least she gives off some heat with her little kitten body.

Now it's time to go to homework. Boring, snore.

cold comfort food

Yup, it's cold. Time for soup!  

Lentil Soup with Veggies
3 cloves garlic

2 celery stalks

2 carrots

1 onion

1 can of tomatoes
2/3 cups lentils
1/3 cup elbow macaroni
6-8 cups soup stock
olive oil
2 bay leaves
salt, pepper & other spices!


*Usually I make this with only veggies, but since we're having an especially cold week (temperatures in the tens!), I decided to add some extra heartiness to my soup pot with a bit of pre-cooked Italian chicken sausage I found in my freezer. It was a good very idea.

It's the salt, pepper & spices stage!

Directions:
Start a soup pot on medium heat and cover the bottom with olive oil, about 2 tablespoons should do it. Add the carrots, celery, and onions-cook until they start to soften. Add the garlic and chicken sausage-cook until everything starts to turn golden brown, 8-10 minutes or so. Add the lentils and cook for another couple minutes.

This is a good time to add salt & pepper and any spices you might want to use. (Remember: sausage {as well as your canned tomatoes and soup stock} will bring its own salt to your pot, so take that into consideration before you break out the salt shaker!) I used dried basil and a general dried Italian spice mix.

Add the tomatoes (with juice), bay leaves, and soup stock. Bring to a boil. Once you're boiling, you can put a lid on it and leave it alone for 20 minutes or until the lentils begin to float to the top. This is your signal to add the macaroni. Cover again and cook for another 8 minutes, and then you're done!

I suggest enjoying your soup with a hunk of nice bread and a beer.

Don't mind if I do.

A whole new world!

The last five days in pictures.

Home. Sweet. Home.