Bleu et Blanc de l'hiver~Or Noir et Blanc

I love snowshoeing and x-country skiing..believe me I am not great at either..warmly dressed..with THE SUN..I need the sun..and it has to be hovering close to 30F..it's just so picturesque and peaceful..like a deserted beach when you can take nature in all alone..a little snowshoeing or skiing gives you that same AWESOME feeling..that's when the word  awesome works for me....the awe of nature.
I found Jacques' pocket Fuji camera from 2004..it's the only camera that does fit in our pocket comfortably..and I am going to use it..in the car..in my purse..in my ski jacket;)
it is zero indoors..but outside on a sunny day..it gives the general idea..
I love looking at the trees..the light..the sky..the trails..♥
It's a cold beach..;)
And then you have the non technicolor winter..black and white monochrome~

Apart from that..garden seed catalogs..stitching..painting..and the usual subscriptions..
I much prefer the UK Country Living..you?

I know I am taking a watercolor class..but Jacques likes oil..I'll always love watercolor and just ordered some new books etc....
but I do like to play with oils too..My friend Nancy is GREAT..and she emailed me..a list of things I should have like odorless solvent and some walnut or linseed oil..her fave paints and colors..I had a small sampler set..minute ..the white was finished in a heartbeat..  so I went to a local art store and bought a set of brushes on sale..I don't think I love that boar hair feeling..there was a synthetic set I liked better but the girl said I needed this set..and Pebeo had huge tubes on sale..a really nice young woman/shopper told me they were fine for what I wanted to do..so ..no..none of the colors on the list were there..but I did pick a few..  I went in for two  things and blush came out w/ more..
it's fun too..I used a pic of Lucas and Oli fishing last yr..because I don't do faces..I see Oli looks out of kilter and I need way more practice..but Jacques walked by and said he wanted it for his car LOL:)♥

The plus to this little expedition is that although my craft room looks the way it did before..it's more organized..it's not cute at all .. it's a lovely big room w/ natural light in the basement..because of 2 above grade windows..but there's nothing cute in the decor..a sewing station..a yoga area ;) a tv spot..watercolor table..craft table..kid's craft table..an easel  storage..photography umbrellas.. I like to try it all;)
I love those cute craft rooms where everything is white and shiny and storage looks like Martha Stewart did it..but that's not mine..I have stamp and ink bins under the computer area..fabric in another..a couch..get the picture?
I would love someone to say :"you have just won a craft room makeover to your liking!:)"

And since that's not happening...I'll get back to food~

I saw the above soup on Pinterest..and gave it a bit of a twist.I made half..added mushrooms..and more liquids..there was not enough liquid for the soup..when halved.You will have to make sure you have more stock than specified..it would have been a thick stew had I refrained from adding much more liquid..
it's delicious!


Please go see her great shots here that made me want to get up and make it..and here's what I did..

Italian Sausage,Kale and Tortellini Soup~

1 Mild Italian Sausage (Costco),they are long and substantial.
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 large carrot chopped
 2 home grown garlic cloves;)
3 large mushrooms,sliced..
1 small tin diced Italian tomatoes..ap 14 ozs**I had bought a large  tin..I halved it and saved the rest.
1 tbsp tomato purée in a tube
1 cup water
 4 cups  beef broth
4.5 ounces of refrigerated cheese tortelllini
2 cups torn kale only the leaves not the spine..loosely..stacked..
Italian Seasonings to taste..

I sautéed the sausage in a bit of EVOO..added the onion..carrot and mushrooms and sautéed for a few minutes..added the garlic.. a few more minutes..added all liquids and Italian seasonings and salt and pepper to taste.. and simmered for about 15 minutes..added the kale and tortellini..and let simmer an additional 10 mins.
Add shaved parm on top..and some chopped parsley.
Really good..and you may still need to add some liquid..
This makes 6 portions for us..  


One day after school this week Max told me he already knew what he wanted for his birthday even if it was months away.: " a butler"~
I thought why on earth? He already has his mommy:)


I don't know about you..but I would be so uncomfortable having an Anna..if I was Lady Mary..to pick up my dicarded clothes on the floor while I revealed my fab undergarments.
Never a butler for me:)
It's either blue and white in winter here or black and white.
I'll take color thank you.~
Bon weekend!