feast & fire

imbolc, the balance between winter solstice and spring equinox, occurred early sunday. 

we greeted it with feast & fire. 

i made bread from scratch and it actually turned out. my bread making is often an epic fail (unless using the bread machine), so this was gratifying. it is a recipe from the book circle round for a braided imbolc bread. it has tomato, herbs, and garlic in it, and is warm & delightful.

the ewes are said to begin lactating on imbolc so we celebrate all things milky to mark the occasion. 

i made a cheddar broccoli soup. the recipe is based on a soup that panera serves and is super tasty. 

and of course, one must have their mug of ale. i enjoyed a thick 

coffeehouse stout by williamsburg aleworks.

what is imbolc without a bonfire? we burned yard debris and our yule tree. 

it was a fine conflagration.

one of our traditions, also from circle round, is flaming bananas, or bananas a la brigid. 

saute sliced bananas in brown sugar and butter, pour on a little brandy, carefully light & enjoy! 

we like ours with ben & jerry's vanilla bean ice cream.

the spring is approaching. it is time to plan on the seeds you will plant ~

the seeds of life, the seeds of dreams. you can make it real with careful attention and nurturing. 

what good do you wish to grow? 

focus your intention as the flame flares up; burn away the unnecessary that bogs you down.

decade and one half

yesterday my daughter turned 15. she is as beautiful and sweet as ever. we are so fortunate to have her on our team, a partner in the journey. i learn so much from her. she is wise, kind, creative, and funny. she is talented and strong. she is a source of inspiration and great depths of love. it is difficult watching her grow so quickly, but it is also amazing. what a beautiful woman she is becoming. she is a source of light in a troubled world, and i am eternally grateful to her for that.

we treated her and her friend rachel to lunch at a favorite indian restaurant, milan.

we communed with some neighbors.

we relaxed

and had cake

and there were some presents too

happy new year, tashi! 

i will never forget that day 15 years ago when i gazed into your eyes for the first time. 

a tumultuous journey brought you to earth and we both landed softly in the radiance of pure love. 

hello to lucky 13

our new years eve was quiet. we had some dear friends over for a fantastic spread of greek afelia, winter squash risotto, and black eyed pea salad, all recipes from cookbooks by tessa kiros. our meal was followed by some bubbly, some gifts, and dessert, and then our friends moved on to their next stop. 

 

we brought the midnight hour in lazily, by the fire, watching new years eve tv, munching on biscotti, lined up on the couch with our laptops. my brother danny is visiting from new york city, thus making enough people for a rollicking game of quao.

the next day we slowly woke up and prepared for another celebration with families from our playgroup, and a few other friends with small children. our house was buzzing with the play of children aged almost-four to four weeks! and the food! there was vegetable lasagne, gratin made from home grown potatoes, black eyed pea sausage stew, chili, homemade bread with goat cheese chutney, smoked salmon, guacamole, cake and cookies and stout beer and spiced cider. it was a hearty welcome to 2013.

wishing you all a fabulous 2013 full of positive things. keep smiling!

p.s. today is my daughter's 15th birthday. 

FIFTEEN! 

i can hardly believe it myself. tashi is the bright beacon that paved the way for us as a family. 

she amazes us with her brilliance, her creativity, her groundedness, and her humor. 

we love her beyond language! happy birthday tashi!

more on our celebrations next entry!