M Magazine: The Spread

M Magazine was so kind to do a write-up on us in their Dec Jan issue. We had so much fun with our in-home photo shoot too! Here was the article:

One thing Kristyn Jones isn't is bored. Between raising two small children, keeping up with an increasingly popular blog, and shepherding along a new interior-design consulting business, there are not enough hours in the day. But unlike so many of us who can be tempted to let cooking and family eating time slide in favor of shoehorning another project, meeting yet one more deadline, the Jones family prioritizes another way. 

"We think that 'table-time' is very important for family life," says Kristyn. "It's sort of a lost tradition that we try to keep alive. Michael and I hope that when the kids are in high school even, we want to have at least three nights a week where we all sit down together and eat so we stay in tune with each others' lives." 

The kids are 8-month-old Hensley and 4-year-old Tegegne, whom Kristyn and Michael adopted from Ethiopia and whose addition to the family actually became a catalyst for many exciting changes.

"I started my blog, Bicycle Basket (michaelandkristyn.blogspot.com), when we began the adoption process in January 2009," Kristyn remembers. "I wrote letters to our son-to-be in order to bond with him in a similar way that a mother does with a growing baby in her womb for nine months. On those days that the process seemed unbearable I would sit down and write him a letter. Some day he can read about the immense love his dad and I had for him before we knew him. I wrote to Hensley, who was in my womb, in a similar fashion.  I also love pinning recipes to pinterest.com As a visual person, it's my go-to for meal planning." 

Now that he's gotten even a bit older, Tegegne loves to be an active part of mealtime. As well as his bright, inquisitive mind and a great personality, he also brought some unique traditions to his new family. "An Ethiopian tradition is to feed those at your table with your own hand. When he first came home, he always offered of food off his plate, insisting that we have a bite. He also loves to feed his sister and was quite proud to feed her her first food, mashed avocado." 

But with a family, a blog and a business, how does she find time to get all the cooking done?

"Before having kids, I would go to the kitchen and cook a meal that was ready two hours later. Now I'm looking for a 30-minute meal, without compromising flavor. With that mindset, I went to make alphabet soup and thought: I know homemade pasta is not supposed to be complicated, but wouldn't lasagna noodles (that are right here in my pantry) work just fine? And they did! And on top of that, Tegegne got to help me cut out the letters with the cute little alphabet cutters I found at Pryde's Old Westport. He also helped me stir in the cranberries in to the instant cornbread mix for the mini muffins that are delicious served with a sweet vanilla butter. I've realized that even though it looks like the cupboard is bare, I can still usually make a satisfying meal out of it."

(Also in the article was the recipe for the alphabet soup and vanilla butter. The alphabet soup was a basic chicken noodle soup recipe with a secret ingredient of 1/2 cup of apple cider.)