The Soup Rut

I love soup, it's one of the best parts of winter. When it's cold outside and you're chilled it's the perfect meal. And this is what it looks like outside...brrr!

 

Of course, to my dismay, my kids have refused to eat any form of homemade soup or stew until recently. If it didn't come from a can they would take one taste and push it away. That isn't to say they would eat a wide variety of canned soups, they eat 2 varieties, tomato and cream of mushroom. I tried making homemade tomato soup....nope!

So when I happened upon this tomato tortellini soup on pinterest I thought soup may be worth another try. How perfect could it be, with a base of their favourite tomato soup, combined with pasta, their number one choice for dinner any night...it had to work.

Here is how mine turned out.

I didn't stick 100% to the recipe since I didn't have enough cream cheese or the right flavor. Instead I used plain cream cheese with a little cream, plus a sprinkle of cheddar to add more flavor  The kids loved it! Ate it for dinner and left overs the next day. Of course next time I plan to work from a tomato sauce instead of soup....but at least we're on our way out of the soup rut.

Welcome 2013

So I don't feel like I'm in a position to post a 2012 recap at this point. Most of the last year was spent bouncing from project to project, experiencing surprise and disbelief when projects worked out, awe when something was purchased followed by sheer terror that I would now need to build it. Oddly enough the projects have worked out. I start this year much more confident in my sewing skills, more focused in what I want to achieve throughout the year and more committed to this creative path I'm on.

When I started this blog I wasn't really sure what the goal was and when I read past posts I can see this. I'm not experienced at sewing so teaching wasn't a natural fit, I'm shy so 'show and tell' was a struggle, but I was determined to start this blog even before I had a complete picture of the content. What I can do is share how I've learned, where I've learned and who I've learned from. Whenever I start a new project, be it sewing or cooking or home renovations I am compulsive in reviewing as many resources, comparing as many recipes as possible. This is a great skill, but a terrible trait....do you know the saying about a man with a watch knows the time, but a man with two watches is never sure...this is my life.

For 2013 I have a few new goals:

1.) Find a rhythm that works. I've written before about struggling with balance between the kids and sewing and housekeeping, I'll probably write about it again but I really hope to get a little closer to balanced this year. My first step has been defining my product planning for my etsy shop and planning some lesson blocks for the kids. So far it feels in control and I like that.

2.) Keep building my sewing skills. Really this means try shirring. I'm terrified of this, I'm afraid my machine will eat the elastic, the elastic will ruin the fabric....nothing about this strikes me as a good idea, except that I love this look for sundresses. Be brave!

3.) Develop some photography skills. I'm hoping this is kind of a two for one deal, since my favourite subjects are my kids (shocking!) I will have more photos to remember our adventures and I will learn how to work my fancy new camera.

I think for today I'll leave it at that.

Happy New Year!

From our family to yours we wish you all the best for 2013! I hope your holiday season has been as much fun as ours has been. We look forward to sharing new projects and memories with you in the year to come!