cold day doldrums

the camera, the blog, both have been a bit idle lately. the winter chill has set in.

tristan demanded yogurt with bananas and honey for breakfast. three bowls of it. and then he complained of being cold.

i enjoyed baked eggs with goat cheese and herbs. i didn't have heavy cream or fresh basil on hand, but milk worked well, and dry basil was also just fine. this dish is delicious and easy! and warm!

i made tristan some playdough later in the day. he had a giant melt down when he learned i'd made orange playdough. i thought he'd enjoy the sunny color on a dark day, especially since he loves tangerines, mango, carrots, and orange cheese. but as a wise friend pointed out, maybe orange is meant only for food. not a prize winning parenting moment for me. i thought he'd be overjoyed by the surprise, but his glee crumpled into a full on tantrum when i offered him the warm ball of fresh orange dough. my adult indignation rose to the surface and i hurled it into the trash. this did not help, not at all. dan offered some perspective, "don't be mad at him. his hair is heavy."

he came around later, and so did i, after lots of hugs and new library books. and i made a second batch of green playdough. but it was a rough patch there for a while. (recipe for playdough, below)

and tashi, she recently finished up a stunning collage project for art class. she printed out a photo of tristan in his halloween jester hat and duplicated it with hundreds of tiny magazine pieces. this is the work in progress:

i assumed she had used the hole puncher to make those tiny circles in the hat, but she said she cut them all out herself. well, there is a creative fire to bask in the warmth of!

homemade playdough (half this recipe makes plenty)

1 cup flour

1 tbs oil

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

food coloring (14+ drops)

put dry ingredients in a pan and shake a little to mix. add wet ingredients and stir. 

heat, stirring constantly until a ball forms. cool. knead.