breakfast, tech and hot chocolate . . with snowman

 it snowed all day today . . 

 but i didn't go out until 7 pm when chanda had her tech rehearsal for her modern dance teacher's show this weekend.

 little snowman with a garbage cap . . .

 hot chocolate after dinner . . 

enjoying the sunshine . .

 everyone was running around to different places when we got home this afternoon. morgana ran off to babysit and i ran off to deliver several paintings she did to a t. s. eliot poem to her modern dance teacher who is hoping to hang them at the theatre where the dance concert will be next weekend.

chanda and i had lunch at home before she ran off to her modern dance class . . 

monday morning . .

 saying good-bye to toby before heading out the door . . 

we sat with her for an hour before she had her physical therapy. 

handbell concert

 this afternoon we went to a beautiful handbell concert at the first church of christ in wethersfield, connecticut.

it was a gathering of several handbell choirs from the area. the piece shown above is not from this evening, but it is the church's own choir. we sat in the first pew on the left for the concert.

visiting nana

 morgana and i drove up to connecticut today to see nana before she leaves to study abroad. my mom has been in rehab after having the flu, and is slowly getting better.

 my sister made a delicious butternut squash soup for dinner . . 

and there were a few leftover christmas chocolates for dessert. 

canal pics and the british library

 virginia woolf at the british library.

costume fitting

morgana had her dancers try their costumes on this evening . . 

they all seem to fit very well . . 

which is good!

afternoon with marisa

 my friend marisa and i took a walk along sixth avenue today. she wanted to stop for shea butter at a beauty supply wholesale place on 28th street. it's plain and pure shea butter from ghana. i use a shea butter mixed with lemongrass oil that is sold by a local woman in the whole foods in tribeca. my friend could just add oils to her tub of butter also, for a much better price! i never thought of where shea butter comes from or how it's made. i just found this video (from ghana!) of it online:

 outside of a store selling men's shirts, we talked with a man who had just purchased a green print shirt and matching tie. i wish i had taken a picture of it. it was a fun print with the loveliest shade of green! he was extremely happy with his purchase as he had only paid $15, but he kept saying that the shirts were sold for $200 in other places (i can't remember the specific place . . ).

 marisa wanted to stop and get a picture of the storefront . . 

(you can see us reflected in the door.)

 we finally arrived at coffeemania, korrina's boyfriend's restaurant. (this is the special russian bread that everyone can't get enough of.)

( talking with tsering on the phone about the point work that has been going on for way too long on their building.)

 marisa was so looking forward to this visit. she had heard our stories raving about the place and couldn't wait to try the food. of course brian sent out extra dishes!! i cannot tell you how fun it is knowing a chef in a restaurant! it's the best!! in this photo the dish on the left is a beet salad and the dish on the right has the josper chicken wings (that special hot oven that braises food at an extra hot temperature and whose flames i saw almost engulf brian completely during my last visit).

 we both had the cauliflower soup with garlic chili oil and a poached egg . . and pea tendrils.

 ginger lemongrass tea . . 

we were both too full for dessert! i did have a delicious piccolo coffee, however. i was supposed to switch seats with marisa so she could have a turn facing the window. the restaurant looks out over the beautiful buildings that border bryant park. dusk came while we talked and the lights blinked on . . it was so pretty. i could eat here every night.

lemon curd, chocolates, and marshmallows

 chanda returned on a rather stormy monday. it rained and the wind was very fierce. i listened to it howl past the courtyard window while i checked on the progress of her flight throughout the day. 

 she brought home lemon curd, one of our favorite treats from fortnum and mason in londontown.

 and i'm still eating my christmas chocolates.

in the evening when everyone had returned from work, babysitting and dance class (and a history class for chanda), we had hot chocolate with . . 

homemade marshamallows from a bakery/coffee shop in tribeca. i was going to have morgana get more today when she visits with her friend, but i think it's really time to stop with the sweets. i've been waking up feeling way too sad . . of course the current state of the union doesn't help.