sMy son and I have found a nighttime routine that works for us, though others may disapprove. He's not asleep by 8 or even 9 o'clock. It's not his fault that he inherited from both parents a circadian rhythm that prefers to live at night, when our bodies and our minds are most alive. But I realize that we live in a world with a different clock so we climb into bed and read stories at about 10pm in our compromise with the the rest of society's schedule. After reading to him for about 20-30 minutes, he'll read to himself and I get to read my book. We love this time, and he makes sure that I have my book for myself before we lay down because he prefers me to have a book instead of a phone or a computer, and I am grateful that he appreciates the difference.

Lately, we've been lost in a world of fairy tales. He quietly reads through my childhood copies of Hansel and Gretel and Jack and the Beanstalk as I learn about a Russian fairy tale reading Eowyn Ivey's brilliant novel, The Snow Child.  She mixes the fairy tale of an older childless couple that builds a child from snow, which then comes to life, with the rich details of the glorious and brutal realities of homestead living in the Alaskan wilderness in the early 20th century. She describes longing, love, death, desperation and cold in ways that are tangible. I've never been as isolated or cold as these characters, but I feel like I have. I miss it now that I'm done with the book. I want to return to this world where snow is both magical and harsh, where it brings both life and death, where snow can also be the center of so much warmth that winter becomes undeniably home.

Dolls have always had a hold on my imagination. Stories about dolls and dollhouses intrigued me as a child because I felt there was more truth than fantasy in them. Even as an adult I find myself wondering about the story of a doll I might find in a vintage shop. Vintage pin cushions made from dolls are a marriage of two loves for me, as I also love to sew. I worked on a few images this week that feature them in way meant to capture them in a moment or as characters in a bigger story. All images are available in my shop as prints, bags, or pillows. Blankets and such will be added soon. I hope you enjoy these pieces! They were fun to make, but tricky capture in just the right way. Dolls can have a mind of their own, you know.

It's the start of a new year and for Apples and Spindles that means the start of a new blog. Thank you to those who followed me from the first blog home. I've hit the ground running in 2016! Here are a few things happening so far...

Chicken Soup for the Soul will publish one of my stories in their upcoming book, My Very Good, Very Bad Cat. which will be released in February! It's a start in my return to writing and I am so happy to feel back in the swing of things. Lots of thanks to the Chicken Soup family!

I also owe many thanks to my husband for framing and hanging my show at the Georgetown Public Library. My book photography will be on exhibit there through the end of February! 

Apples and Spindles is also now on Instagram, so follow me there, as well as on Facebook and Pinterest!