Our family rang in the new year a little differently this year. DH took DD14 and two of her friends downtown for some exploring of the "big city" before gathering for the official city celebration while I stayed home with the other three. We played some games and ate left overs with special drinks and desserts, then DS5 went to bed at the usual time. DD9 really wanted to do some art with me, so DS13 (who wasn't feeling creative) read by the fire while we worked down in the art studio. I created my Word Art Wednesday piece (which I will save for tomorrow), and DD9 worked incredibly diligently on this painting:
She was very proud of her work. She had a vision -- and she went about putting it on the canvas with patience and perseverance. When she asked for advice, I tried to encourage her to make her own choices instead of advising her because I have far too great a tendency to -- well -- take control and somehow make my children feel that their way is somehow "wrong". At the same time, to build her confidence in art, I kept asking her opinions about my work. She was a great encourager. It was a delightful time as we worked side-by-side, and she kept coming in for cuddles, saying, "I just need to be near you, Mommy! I just love working here with you making art together by ourselves!" It's definitely something we need to do more often. It seems to me that she is wrestling with things in her heart and mind, and our time in the art room always seems to bring things a little closer to the surface so they can be talked about.
She actually spent much more time deliberating and working on her painting than I did (it's usually the other way around!), so when she finally decided her work was done, we went back upstairs and watched a movie with DS13, then tuned in to the last 45 minutes of the city's tv coverage to see if we could find our gang. (Of course, we couldn't.) We were very grateful to be snug at home and not downtown with the throngs of noisy people. It was hard to stay awake -- but we all made it to midnight when DH and the others called to ring in the new year with us over the phone!
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Today, my home care nurse came to look after my PICC line, and she was telling me about a quinoa salad she makes. I decided to get a little creative for lunch with her inspiration, and here is the result:
I did no measuring, but I can tell you the ingredients, which were pretty much whatever I could find in the fridge: cooked quinoa, diced purple onion, fresh-pressed garlic, green onions, sesame seeds, rinsed (to get most of the sugar off) dried cranberries, fresh parsley, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. I had a couple of helpings and DH had three, so it was pretty tasty :) His only suggestion was to use less lemon as his salivary glands felt a little over stimulated ;)
Have you started the new year with any creative endeavours?
Hi Paula, your daughter's art piece is beautiful, sounds like you had a very nice evening. :o) Talk to you later.
ReplyDeletewhat a great art piece from your daughter. That sald looks scrumptious! Have a great new year!
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