Steaming Soup Medley

There is nothing like cold winter evenings filled with warmth from the fireplace, soft oversized blankets, hot tea, and of course a big pot of steaming, simmering soup. This past week, we decided to ward off the last bit of our colds with a soup medley. Almost every night we had a different soup accompanied by rolls and other veges, and tonight we have quite a variety of leftovers from which to choose. So, go make a family recipe or search online for a really delicious choice and indulge in a bowl of home-cooked soup. Or you can simply try from among these recipes listed below.

Cheese Tortellini Soup with Cannellini, Kielbasa, and Kale

Chick-Pea, Chard, and Lima Bean Soup

Italian Chicken Soup

Sweet Potato Soup

Getting Started on Sewing

Sewing is sew good for the soul. I haven't done much sewing for quite some time, but I have several ideas that I would love to implement....But where to get started? I have my stash of fabric, most of which was purchased second-hand, and I have my machine. I never really had any formal training or any informal training for that matter. So, I had to figure it out myself, and there are still so many things I have yet to learn. Here are a few comprehensive sewing books that are extremely helpful for beginners and cool in content.

Snowy Winter

Snow is one of those magical wonders to children. I never got to see much of it growing up in the Bay Area, but now that we live up the mountain, east of Sacramento, we experience it at our own home in the Winter. We also enjoy driving up further to the Crystal Basin area and sometimes even Tahoe. With the little ones and little money while my husband is in school, we just enjoy the simplicity of Mother Nature's icy downpour. We build lopsided snowmen, make snow angels, crunch it between our fingers, explore, throw snow balls, and best of all, sled! Even if you don't live in the snow, it is such a priceless experience for little ones to at least visit it. There is supposed to be quite a bit more coming this season, so get out and play with your children. Taste it, feel it, jump in it, run in it, build with it, throw it......Possibilities are endless. Jaguar is determined to build a "snow fort" when it snows again. I said, "How about an igloo?" and he concured.

Wonderful Illustrated Season Books

I absolutely love these picture books based on each season. Gerda Muller is the illustrator of these wordless wonders. They are great for all ages and each of my kids love them. I usually put one on the bookshelf that corresponds with the current season and tuck the others away on a less frequented shelf. These can be found at any book seller or reseller. I bought these used on Amazon for cheap. These are great for anyone who is curious about or involved with Waldorf education, anyone who loves nature and art, or for anyone interested in warm, fuzzy picture books for their little ones.

As one might suspect, we currently have the *Winter* edition out for the boys. Below is one of the detailed, soft paintings within the board book. There is always something happening everywhere you look. Bobcat can listen to my narration as he absorbs the lively colors and images. Jaguar can tell the story to me differently each time we go through it. Plus, it gives him several ideas of what he wants to do, expanding his imagination and creativity.

 Below is an example of each of the books' illustrations throughout, in addition to the beautiful panoramic images. These pages display separate smaller paintings that depict particular activities by the which the characters engage. Characters include children, sometimes their parents, and their dog.

At any rate, check your local library or purchase them used. It is well worth it. The paintings suck you right into a land of childhood experiences, family, traditions, nature.... Again this set of books are fantastic for toddlers, preschoolers, and older children, as well.

Recap of our Kwanzaa Celebration

Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that honors African-American people and their heritage. Everyone can join in the Kwanzaa celebration, which lasts for 7 days from December 26 until January 1.

Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, an African-American teacher. He wanted to help African Americans learn about their African history, culture, and customs.

Dr. Karenga took the name for the holiday from the Swahili word "Kwanza," which means "the first fruits of the harvest." The extra "a" was added so the name would have seven letters to match the seven principles of Kwanzaa. First harvest, when crops are gathered, is a time of great celebration in many regions of Africa. Like the first harvest, Kwanzaa is an exciting and joyful occasion.

Jaguar and I worked on many things to celebrate and to learn about Kwanzaa. We read a few books, and read stories to exemplify each meaningful day therein.



This is the Kinara that Jaguar made from homemade playdough, which was crusty in texture by the 7th day. A kinara is similar to that of the Jewish Menorah used on Hannukah to represent each day of the celebration. The middle candle is supposed to be black, the left three red, and the right three green, but we made due with leftover birthday candles used on our prior menorah.

Jaguar made a Bendera, which is the African-American flag that is displayed during Kwanzaa. The black represents African-American people, the red symbolizes their struggles, and the green stands for a happy future. We used dollar store felt and scrap yarn from my stash, and Jaguar sewed the 3 strips together. He utilized popsicle sticks to make the flag's handle. Sewing is great for dexterity and coordination, even for a 4-year-old.

African quilts are a customary part of the culture. Making quilts is a wonderful part of gift-giving during Kwanzaa. Jaguar and I picked out different African designs off of the internet, sized them, and printed them. He then meticulously colored each patch to his liking and put them together to form the perfect African paper quilt.

Jaguar created a woven place mat with common African colors, and he used this as his book cover. Within his book, he has numerous pages that include crayon-colored images of Africa, Kwanzaa scenes, and more. He also did matching activities, letter fill-ins, word fill-ins, write the Kwanzaa words, and more.



Happy (Belated) Kwanzaa!!!

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