Sweet Tea and Sunshine

Thursday 13: Daybook musings

2012-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

t's been a while since I've done a Simple Woman's Daybook for Thursday 13, so I thought I'd trot it out... imagine my surprise that they have mixed it up a bit, and there are more than 13 items to fill out. Oh dear. Not to be deterred, I've edited it down to the 13 that I want to answer, with a bonus picture. Welcome to MY version of the daybook, I guess...

FOR TODAY

1. Outside my window... I am ready for earlier sunrises. It's 6:42 a.m. and still dark. Not a fan.

2. I am thinking... that some weeks fly by, and some weeks don't. This is one of the fly weeks.

3. I am thankful... for so much. Health and happiness, the ability to see the glass half full. Having a glass that actually IS half full most days.

4. In the kitchen... I made a rockin' s'mores recipe this week--will post soon-ish--and my sourdough starter is on its last day of bubbling. Excited to see what develops there! Other than that, and some hummus I made earlier this week, we are very much on a tacos-homemade pizza-pasta-lentil soup rhythm around here... The weekend is a good time to bust out of that!

5. I am wearing... work clothes! A dress! Boots! How's that for a different take on the usual "fuzzy robe and slippers?" Ah well, I do enjoy the productive feeling of work-work.

6. I am creating... some Valentine-y things... for here with my men, and for a couple of packages too. Oh, and there's the languishing crochet. Need to finish one thing, and continue on with another...

7. I am going... to lunch at a new local restaurant today. It's breakfast food all day, apparently. I am looking forward to checking it out. Called Bacon and Eggs. Sounds good, anyway, right?! We have had a couple new local joints open lately, makes me feel like there's some hope for the economy, right?

8. I am wondering... when I will be back into the rhythm of the work day enough that I'm not completely tuckered at the end of each day. And I'm not even working full days. But the interactions with people are way more than I'm used to, usually, and I have found my energy drained by the end of the day. End of the week too... While I don't think I've become an introvert in the classic sense, I have certainly gotten used to my quiet home rhythms. But I know I'll get used to these other rhythms too, it will just take a bit of time. (At least I haven't picked up some nasty bug yet, knock on wood!)

9. I am reading... Floor Sample and My Year of Wishful Thinking. It may be just a touch too memoir-y... may need to mix it up a bit. Seth and I just finished The Reason for God (highly recommend! Timothy Keller again. Big fan.) started Mere Christianity and Searching for God at Harvard... read the intros to both, now we'll decide which to read first, then maybe follow up with the other.

10. I am looking forward to... the weekend. Kind of an obvious answer (especially after #8 above), but it really works for me right now. Peace, quiet, napping, crafts, husband time. What more could a girl wish for? Also, before the weekend, coffee with a girlfriend Friday morning before work. Definitely looking forward to that.

11. I am learning... a lot, in regards to the project I'm working on at work. Lots to learn, but so far it's been the good kind. (Not sure what the bad kind is... maybe when it's slow going on actually processing the information?) I am also learning bits and pieces (I'm a little slower here, I'm convinced) about parenting a teenager. It's a whole new (brave) world. I had a couple of years of being lulled into thinking "attitude" wouldn't happen around here. Ha. I'm learning.

12. A favorite quote for today... This one came across my desk just yesterday, and it resonated. Pema knows how to get to the heart of things:
Don’t worry about achieving. Don’t worry about perfection. Just be there each moment as best you can. When you realize you’ve wandered off again, simply very lightly acknowledge that. This light touch is the golden key to reuniting with our openness. -Pema Chodron

13. One of my favorite things... right now, this very moment? It's Downton Abbey. I'm just plain hooked. I know, I know, so is the rest of America, we poor Anglophile fools. Nonsense! I say. Just like rainbows and owls and cupcakes (and how ridiculously popular they've become), I liked BBC productions long before this particular one. And this one? Crazy good. Entirely soapy. Fabulous drama. Angst and happiness and unrequited love. Yep. Be still my heart.

Bonus: A peek into my day...

What is there NOT to love about this picture? A little fig tree that, until recently, had appeared to be gonzo, now in full leaf... in the SUNSHINE. Such is the bliss around here. OK, so that heat register... not so much love that I didn't move the fig to get THAT out of the picture. But it is what it is--that heat is a big reason the fig is doing so well. On the other side of the heat register is my plumeria... still in its winter hibernation mode, but I trust leaves will sprout there soon as well.

Hope your Thursday is going well. Thanks for taking a peek at my somewhat random, but a wee bit ordered, life!

To see other Thursday 13 participants, go here.

To play along with the Simple Woman's Daybook, go here.

Midweek reminder: Wind the clock

2012-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

30 March 1973
Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society—things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man's curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,
(Signed, 'E. B. White')
source

There's a hummus among us

2012-01-31T20:31:00.000-08:00

ummus is one of those basic recipes that is so so handy to have in your repertoire. Whip up a little hummus with crackers and cheese, add some to a Greek salad or wrap, use it as a dip for veggies... the options are many.

Hummus is also one of those foods that I can remember eating for the first time (again with the food memories!), mostly because up until the very first bite I was resolutely convinced that chickpeas (garbanzos, as I was raised to call them) were the devil's food. Granted, I mostly ate them at church potlucks in traditional over-dressed-and-over-marinated three-bean salads. (Well, in true childhood eating fashion, I probably had them ONCE and made a judgment of Never Again.) But with that first bite, my mind was about to be blown...

Fastforward to 1991 and a girlfriend who loved to experiment with food. She was quite ingenious with a newlywed grocery budget--she knew how to turn random ingredients into a great meal. One of these meals regularly involved hummus. Imagine my surprise at how actually delicious it was; flavorful and unlike anything chickpea-ish I'd ever tasted before.

I go through hummus phases, where I make it a lot, then take a break... a few months later, I think, where's the hummus? and away we go again on a hummus jag. The past couple of weeks? Yeah, we're on a jag...

Hummus
Makes 2+ cups
1 16 oz can (2 cups if you've cooked your own) chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4+ cup liquid from can of chickpeas (or water, if not using canned)
3-5 Tbsp lemon juice (depending on your taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed (roasted garlic is great for flavor, and you can up the number to 3-4 cloves, since the flavor is more mellow)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Put the garlic cloves in your food processor and whiz until they are chopped fine. Add the chickpeas, liquids, tahini, cumin, salt and olive oil, and puree until smooth. Taste and then adjust as you desire. (Here is where I often add another garlic clove, thinking it needs a little "boost," and then regret it later...)

For smoother hummus, legend has it (well, online sources, but it sounds like the work of a legend) that peeling the individual garbanzo bean is the way to go for truly creamy hummus. One day I may have just that much time on my hands. But I have a hard time actually thinking that the smooth would be worth it... who knows, maybe once I've done it, I'll never go back?

I DO know that letting hummus sit overnight in the fridge improves its flavor greatly, if you have that kind of patience. For me, I usually double the recipe and enjoy the first night, then have leftovers the second night and remark to myself how a) wonderful it is, I should always leave it to deepen the flavors, or b) wow, why did I add that third garlic clove?

And, lastly, there are always lovely variations to be had with hummus. I think one of my favorites is roasted red pepper, which is easily accomplished with a few strips of either fresh or canned roasted red peppers hopping in the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. And I always like a few chopped kalamata olives on top or mixed into the hummus as well (see picture above!).

If you enjoy hummus as much as I enjoy hummus, let me know what variation you prefer or if there's an ingredient you add that I'm missing. I'm always up for a new twist.

Weekend link love

2012-01-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

hat a lovely (but short) weekend! I am still smiling from a lovely brunch this morning with girlfriends, brought together by a visit over the mountains from our dear mutual friend, Kate. And now I'm plotting how, exactly, I could arrange a long and yummy brunch like that every weekend!! I suppose the rarity of this outing helps make it the jewel of an occasion that it was, though...

In my gatherings around the interwebs, here are a few things that have caught my eye recently. I thought I'd share:

A poem about celery. It made me chuckle.

Lists of Note: Things to worry about, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to his daughter (that's them, above). Quite lovely.

Series on have faith by hollywoodhousewife. There are seven installments, so I had to leave it to the weekend to read the whole lot at once... very thoughtful and thought-provoking.

I really did mean to make black-eyed peas and a mess of greens at the new year... for good luck and all that. Do you think it's OK to still make them now? I found a vegetarian version that looks like it might be worthwhile, any ole time.

In praise of gluten? That hardly seems possible anymore, but this article made me nostalgic for the gluten steaks of my childhood...

Seems rather obvious that a Super Bowl menu list would have a bunch of football shaped items, but I swear this is the first year I've noticed such a plethora of little brown cake/brownie/whatevers... Will I watch the game? Hardly, maybe a bit here and there. Will I make football shaped anythings? Unlikely. But they're certainly cute.

source

Friendships are such valued things to me, they--as a concept--are bound to come up in conversation at times, with husband and intimates... this link was sent to me by a dear friend as we have recently discussed the evolution of friendships--a necessary thing, but sometimes difficult. Pretty commonsense tips, but worth a reflection...

This link also came via a friend, this time on Facebook. A ponderful article about the conversations at the end of life and how family and love and faith factor in.

I finally got my act together enough to begin a sourdough starter this weekend. This is something I've been meaning to do FOREVER, but this post last week tipped me over. As it expands, my little two-day bubbly mass makes me very happy. Can't wait to make some bread with it!

Hope there's a link or two there to pique your interest! Now, on to the week. Make it count.

Friday night grateful list

2012-01-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

eaceful and twilight as I begin my list for this week... the three of us, cozied up for the weekend. I've said it before: that sentence alone pretty much sums up my gratitude. But of course, there are indeed other things to be grateful for...

Laughter. Yesterday I came really close to losing it with laughter (at work, yikes), and today had a few good laughs as well. I'm lucky to get to work with some funny guys. At least I find them humorous... so far! (Except, yesterday I was laughing at myself... and not in a good way. Must curb.)

Music. There's a song that's been going through my head ALL WEEK. I'm really in love with it, have been since I first heard it years ago, and then this version tipped me over again... I have enjoyed so many different iterations, I think I feel a mix CD coming up... the All Hallelujah CD. Sounds about right.

Here's a version that YouTube let me actually embed, also a big favorite of mine!

A good chat with my hair stylist. And, an actual sit in the chair at said hair stylist, complete with foils and a trim. (I know, you were thinking this was all natural. Sure you were.)

Speaking the joys of Pinterest. I seem to spread the Pinterest gospel wherever I go... wondering if there's a commission in it at some point? But then, they'd actually have to have a money-making model, wouldn't they? Still, I do so love to share my love for all things pinning!

IM with my oldest and dearest Corinne. We haven't seen each other in too long... thankfully we can Google chat through the awards shows and catch up briefly at odd points during the week. Being known and loved by someone for so long is really something that I do not take for granted.

My guys. I am blessed in my home life, and I know it.

Words, words and more words... always grateful for the power of words.

movement

And so, on that note, I leave you to your weekend, and go begin mine! What are you grateful for this week? I hope the list is long!

Wishing you lots of rest and peace in the coming hours.

Thursday 13: 13 random thoughts

2012-01-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

t's that kind of week around here: random! Here goes:

1. Today should be Friday. I've taken a poll, and every one I've talked with agrees. Can we just make it so?
2. As much as I wanted snow, I am very glad it's gone. If that was snow, it can be somewhere else. What we had was some strange ice-snow hybrid, heavy on the ice.
3. There are some scents that are universally wonderful, don't you think? I made French onion soup last night, and the house smells amazing, still. Can't wait to eat some tonight! Cheese...
4. Pinterest continues to be funny, inspiring, silly and sometimes redundant. I need to figure out how to have fewer of the same pins show up... I know it helps if I pin from "outside," which I do, but not every day.
5. I read The Power of Less this week. It took me about as long as I thought (not long) and had a few good points but nothing earth-shattering. Who knew writing a few common sense tips could get you a book contract? But if you're trying to minimize the clutter, mentally and physically, he has some good starting points.
6. Wind is one of those freaky weather things that I wish I truly understood. The fact that it seems the entire northern part of the West Coast was battered by wind on Tuesday night seems really odd, but it's true. How is that possible?
7. Further to No. 3 above: It's crossed my mind to write a cheese blog. Wouldn't that just be great? (For me, just to be clear. All that tasting!)
8. It occurred to me recently, once again, that I'm not much of a joiner. The bigger something gets--a group, a movement, almost anything, really--the more skeptical I am. It's not something I think is a good aspect of my personality, or necessarily a bad thing. It just rears it's head every once in awhile.
9. I love dried cranberries. Whoever thought those up: genius. It was probably someone who left their cranberries out too long, and didn't want to throw them out. I am always interested in where things come from, how they began... like hard-boiled eggs or the idea of cooking an artichoke and then eating it. There's probably a book about it somewhere, but I like mulling the mysteries.
10. I'm looking like I went about a month too long on the hair cut/color thing. I am greatly anticipating sitting in the salon chair tomorrow and taking a few years off my grayness.
11. I love oats, oatmeal, good and hearty breakfasts... I used to make a breakfast cookie back in the catering days and really enjoyed eating them, as well. I think this weekend I'm going to experiment with that recipe again; I remember it as a fabulous grab-and-go option for the mornings.
12. You would think with all the permutations of personalities in the world, somehow there would be similar family dynamics between some families, somewhere. But if that exists, I haven't seen it. Seems like every family has their own distinct flavor, and no two families are alike. While that's good, it also makes families hard to understand from the outside.
13. Do you talk to yourself? I do, a lot. I also talk to "people" on my computer--emails or silly (stupid) Facebook posts, or--just this morning--people who don't link stuff properly online and then expect you to click over. Click over where? How about a link?

OK, that's it for the random over here. Off to the salt mines as my mother used to say... Glad I don't actually have to mine salt today!

How are things in your world? What's new? Tell me!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Ten Word Tuesday: Inspired by reading "Power of Less"

2012-01-24T12:55:00.001-08:00

Each editing pass eliminates clutter, in writing and in life.

Update, following my advice above:
In life, as in writing, each editing provides additional clarity.

2012-01-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

“Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.”
–Pema Chodron

My Common Miracles for today:

A note (and a very thoughtful package) in the mail from a dear, missed friend: "In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices." -Elizabeth Gilbert

Thank you, Shauna. This one's going in the keeper folder.

And this image:

This little fountain is in our bird feeding area, just off the house entrance, and it hasn't gurgled since before Christmas. With the snow and now the melting, all of a sudden, it just started doing its thing this morning. 'Twas the strangest spring-like moment, in the midst of snow, still.

Those two moments sang to me today, as I slushed and slid around in the melting ice/snow.

To see how the Common Miracle project began, go here.

Peanut sauce

2012-01-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

eanut sauce is such a favorite of mine, I can't believe I haven't posted an actual recipe here before. I know I've talked about it quite a bit over the blog-years (did a search this afternoon to reassure myself that I didn't post it but then space it!), but it appears I haven't actually shared my take on it.

I remember the day I tried peanut sauce for the first time, which, given that it was more than 20 years ago, seems a little odd. But then, food memories (for me) can be a bit that way... I was in Sydney, Australia, 1988, sometime in November. OK, so not *the* day. But I remember what I ordered--a Thai peanut pizza at a little pizzeria in the bottom of the Queen Victoria Building. Why I would order that pizza when I'd never had peanut sauce is a little lost on me, but apparently I was feeling adventurous. And since then, I've made it countless times, as I quickly ascertained that the bottled versions in the store taste NOTHING like freshly-made.

This recipe has been my standby through the years. There are many variations to experiment with--some sweeter, some hotter, some with coconut milk--but I have always returned to the reliability of this pretty basic (but of course, adapted a wee bit) blend.

Peanut sauce
Adapted from foodnetworkcom (the recipe for chicken satay that is featured with the peanut sauce is also quite lovely)
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as sambal (I've also used chili oil or even red pepper flakes, in a pinch)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, optional, for garnish

Put the garlic clove and ginger in the food processor (or blender). Whiz quickly to break up the garlic. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar and lime juice, and puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the hot water to thin out the sauce (you may not need all of the water for a dipping sauce, but if you're wanting to make this as a salad dressing, you may want a little more). Pour the sauce into a serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts.

I have used this recipe in many ways--over chicken breasts and baked, as a dipping sauce for chicken satay skewers or spring rolls, over a stirfry and brown rice, with noodles and tofu, thinned as a salad dressing over cabbage and peppers for an Asian salad... it is one flavor I can eat over and over and very rarely get tired of!

Friday night grateful moment

2012-01-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

ust last Friday night I bemoaned feeling a bit like I'm in a rut with my grateful list. (And then on Monday I celebrated the Common Miracle that is my rituals. Anyone get that lovely contradiction? Yeah, me either. Until just this moment!)

Anyway, tonight I was looking through some photos on my iPhone and thought... I'll share these. A couple I took tonight to round out my list, but most were taken throughout the week as life happened. It's a picture of my grateful life...

I'm grateful for exercise, to work muscles and move my body. Even when I think I'm too tired, it totally picks me up!

I'm always grateful for my computer. It works like a charm and is pretty to boot. I'm also entirely grateful for technology and the possibilities it opens up. Yeah for possibilities!

I'm SO grateful I took the time to learn how to read crochet instructions. Most obvious statement of the day: it's taken my crochet skills to a whole "other" level. It's so much fun to be able to follow along and know what I'm doing--even if I do sometimes get all distracted and have to pull out a row or two, it's still great.

Ever-so-grateful for my men. And that I get a peaceful weekend with the husband. Cabin fever? Not us.

I'm grateful for a bit of spring in the middle of this winteriest of weeks. Thanks, Melissa, for my paperwhite! The timing of the bloom couldn't be better.

For mittens to protect from the cold, I have been most grateful this week. (And a sweet gift from a sweet friend, as well.)

This week I was grateful for hot chocolate! With whipped cream. In the most appropriate mug!

I was tickled to get to play with this wee pup at a meeting at the Blue Mountain Humane Society this week. I admit, I was a bit distracted by the unbearable cuteness, but I'm grateful my meeting mates didn't object to my distraction. After some serious play time, pup then fell asleep under my chair. Extra-cute!

Here's what I've been wishing for all winter. Well, I was actually wishing for snow; this is actually frozen ice bits pretending to be snow. I am actually grateful we got some white in our view... and that it's supposed to warm up again soon.

That actually does look like snow I'm standing in, doesn't it? Must have caught that picture in the five minutes before the freezing rain started... I'm grateful for my boot collection, which, though small, got a serious workout this week.

I'm grateful for love, and that I'm blessed to know it in such abundance. I'm also glad and grateful for those in my life who have found love again, the second time around, so to speak. (I respect and admire all you long-timers too, but to find it, better than ever, when you thought you might not again? Pretty sweet.)

I'm grateful for color and texture and the joy of creation.

I feel rejuvenated, just busting out of my text routine with some pictures! Must remember that for the future...

What's on your grateful list this week? I hope it's a long one!

Whatever your weekend holds, may it bring you peace.

Thursday 13: Thirteen Etsy shops to share

2012-01-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

t's been quite a long time since I have shared current Etsy shop loves (2010, actually). And while I am quite sure there are more than 13 in my favorites folder that deserve a viewing, I will be good and dole out only 13 (and then maybe come back sooner than a year from now to share again). How's that?

Pinterest has a way of bringing new shops to one's attention, and then my dear mother tipped me off to a few other ways to have your time completely sucked away by Etsy: daily emails that highlight shops along a particular theme or holiday or color or whatever strikes a fancy that day. So the behemoth that is Etsy becomes much more manageable (or so the theory goes), with these handy little tools in your arsenal. Add to that the various blogs and such that point to this shop and that shop, and it just might be more information than you need. But want? Want is a whole other matter.

OK, on to the shops!

1. Cat nap cottage. Vintage! This shop reminds me of hanging out at my grandmothers' houses as a child. Lots of textures and colors and styles that really harken back to that era for me.

2. Garnet girl designs. Upscale jewelry, very classic and classy.

3. The loft full of goodies. A beautiful marriage of felt and embroidery.

4. Old Barn Rescue Company. Lovely quotes in text treatments for you to put on your walls.

5. Sparrow's Nest Script. I adore this calligraphy shop!

6. Love and Knit. Some Etsy shops are real idea places for me, and even though I crochet and this is all knit, there are some great ideas here. Love the style.

7. Little Bit Funky. What color! What fun!

8. Lonkoosh. Billed as bridal jewelry, I think beautiful little pieces could be worn any time!

9. Brookish. A Jane Austen-inspired shop. How brilliant, eh?!

10. Pool Pony. Such great colors in fabulous mid-century styles. I have one girlfriend in particular who I could buy every piece in this shop for!

11. A place to flourish. I love being inspired by beautiful lettering!

12. Super Sock Monkeys. Who's having a baby? I am all about these cute, colorful little animals.

13. Helen Rawlinson. These gorgeous screenprinted linens would cheer up any kitchen. Love them!

It's probably no accident that on this snowy/icy/messy Thursday, I have splashed a swath of color across my world. I hope you enjoy looking at these images as much as I enjoyed finding them to share!

Do you have a favorite Etsy shop? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Thursday, wherever you are!

For more Thursday 13 participants, go here.

Ten Word Tuesday

2012-01-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

Looking for the promise of snow to be realized. Tonight.

Common Miracles: Week #36

2012-01-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

ew things bring out my contented side quite as much as my rituals. (I know, what a knob.) But truly, morning and evening, the routines of my day bring quite a bit of joy.

The one thing that can drag me out of my bed at 0-dark-30 is the ability to stumble into the kitchen and give myself up to the putter and shuffle. Half autopilot, half Wallace-and-Gromit breakfast machine, there are times when I think the oats and egg muffins and all the additional bits and pieces could almost make themselves. But then I would miss out, and it's one of my very favorite parts of the day.

Flipping the switch on the espresso machine, starting the water for the oats and the green tea (husband's answer to a hot drink, as he's not so into coffee), getting out the blueberries and oat bran and chia seeds... yes it's quite the little healthful blend, but that's not the point. Each has its place in the overall whole, and together they serve as the ideal entrance to my day. Whether it starts at 5 a.m., or 5:30 or 6 (or 6:30 as it was today; I know shockingly late, but it WAS a holiday, cut me some slack), all the little bowls and espresso containers and spoons and such line up and get ready for their task.

At the other end of the day it's a bit more relaxed. How clean do I leave my kitchen before heading to bed? Well, that would depend on the day and who you ask! But the last putter about the house is generally mine--dogs attended to, doors locked, lights out, heat down--enjoying the peace of the house. (Can I just say here that I still miss the Christmas tree lights. There is nothing like looking at a lit tree in a dark, quiet house. I could be persuaded to leave it up a lot longer...)

Part of me feels like a dweeb, admitting this behavioral tendency (there's probably something in the DSM-IV that applies...). But obviously I've gotten past that thought, and just today found myself reflecting on how much it suits me. It is peaceful and common and entirely miraculous.

Do you have any rituals that make you especially happy, or is it just me?!

To see how the Common Miracle project began, go here.

Nieces make for happy crafting

2012-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

rafting can be a challenge in my house of men, if I'm actually thinking of gifting TO them. I suppose a scarf or two might work, but by and large, fabric and yarn and paper don't really do a lot to float their respective boats. Thankfully, I have enough other people I can make things for! My sweet nieces, Maizy and Lucy, are two of my favorites.

Lucy's birthday in December gave me the perfect excuse to add to her pink-white world, which I started with a blanket for her 4th (or was it 5th?) birthday years ago. It was meant to be a baby blanket to welcome her to the world (kid you not), but back in "those days," I had much less room for the crafty in my schedule, and her birthdays came and went without the blanket being finished. In fact, if I remember correctly, I actually had it half done, then forgot what I was doing--stitch-wise and hook-size-wise--so undid the whole thing and started over. Brilliant, Sher.

Regardless, word on the street is that she enjoys the blanket, and I had extra yarn, so I thought I'd send a couple of pillows her way. For this first one, I made the under-pillow from some flowery fabric and covered it with a pattern of double crochets and skipped stitches, to create the holes you can see through. I then took the floral fabric (see second picture) and made a smaller pillow that I then added a crocheted ruffle to.

In this second pillow, I turned the bigger pillow over so you can see the back side of it, which doesn't have the gaps to see fabric through... just one solid crocheted mass (I obviously need to work on my descriptive language for these crafty posts! Mass doesn't sound very appealing...)

Making a crochet ruffle is definitely something I had not done before and haven't really seen a lot of around the Pinterest-interwebs world, but I'm sure I didn't invent it. I reinforced the floral fabric with an interface to make it a bit heftier, which helped the ruffle not completely dominate the structure. I might experiment with this concept again, even just to make a crocheted ruffle for a crocheted pillow...

For Maizy's Christmas, I wanted to make something that she could enjoy during those mild Bainbridge Island winters, but that would add a little color to her world. I had been experimenting with crocheted leaves and other little novelties to embellish coffee cozies, and thought I would make a bunch of leaves and string them all together. A few leaves later, it occurred to me to just keep crocheting (doh!) between the leaves, and string them all together. I made it up as I went along, and want to come back to the project and actually make a tutorial for it for the future. I can see making more of these down the road, even expanding the leaf size and shape, etc. It was a very fun project to do, and I'm sorry I didn't take a more "close up" picture of it, but when I make a tutorial of it, I will, for sure!

Faintly remembering from my own childhood a craving for little spots to keep my treasures (childhood? I still like treasure boxes...), I decided to make each girl their own box for Christmas, and fill it will little crafty bits and bobs. I used a variety of paper types (and learned the difference between WalMart paper and nice paper from our local scrapbook store, for sure), and used some Martha Steward craft punches, washi tape, puffy paint and glitter, as well as Mod-Podge. All the good stuff!

Lastly in this crafty kind of post, I promised to show you a picture of the cowl I am so enjoying. Don't be distracted by my fake smile and the bad lighting--look at that cozy bit of yarn around my neck! It's one of those twisted kind, and Kim intertwined a soft, thin thread with the other, heftier yarn, so the whole thing is just like a warm hug. Love it, Kim! Now I just need some snow to go with it!!

That's the crafty update from here. My crochet needle is going, going right now on a friendly birthday present that I cannot show until "later," and I have plans to turn a crew-neck sweater into an embellished cardigan, a la this Pin (or this one). I'm trying to keep the lists short and doable right now, as suits my work-life balance!

What are YOU crafting on these days?

Weekend link love

2012-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

ow very long it's been since I've posted links! I actually had three half-finished drafts sitting around that I weeded through... some were just too old to post! So, before these get dusty and ancient, I'm sending them off to the blogosphere.

Here's what I've been reading lately:

So you heard about the crashed/tipped over cruise ship off the coast of some little Italian island? Crazy. Then add this piece about a girl missing from a cruise ship since last spring (and some startling stats on how many people go missing from cruise ships every year), and there goes one more vacationing option (see the TSA posts below)...

Solid gold creativity's series on possibility brought up some good reminders to me, and a fun memory of actually hearing Benjamin Zander speak about The Art of Possibility, probably about a dozen or more years ago now. One of my favorite public speeches, ever.

Chocolate Nutella Sea Salt Fudge. I made this over Christmas but neglected to blog about it (and even take pictures of!). It was quite yummy, and definitely a make-again.

A Design So Vast continues to be one of my favorite daily reading blogs. Her recent post: Light, and the vocabulary of mystery.

Check out this tip on how to keep your sugar cookies soft. Who knew? Well, probably you, but I didn't know. I am glad to have this knowledge! (Valentine's Day is coming, right?!)

Oh, let's travel again soon, shall we? Or not. TSA security was tested by Vanity Fair writer and, to reassure that it doesn't ALL just skate through: World of Technology's take on the best TSA catches of 2011.

How to have the best year of your life without setting goals, followed up by how to change your life without a plan. Some interesting stuff to ponder. I am feeling pretty good about any lack of list. The list will take care of itself, I'm focusing on grace, remember? That and I read helpful, interesting posts like this one on patterns.

An interesting post about the backfire effect, how just because you know something's true (or not), you might choose not to change your mind anyway. When beliefs are challenged by facts, it doesn't necessarily impact those beliefs.

Smart phone addiction... Apparently you're not supposed to sleep with it anywhere nearby. And he's got a handy little list of how to to know if you're addicted. Hmmm.

Imposters: A longform.org rundown of some pretty shady people. I actually listened to the book on Clark Rockefeller last summer (one of my easy-peasy "palate cleansers!") and it was interesting, in a People magazine kind of way. Wild to want to be someone completely different, eh?

I knew there was a reason I couldn't go completely vegetarian, and now I have some ammunition to back me up!

OK, that's it from me for a bit! Happy reading.

Friday night grateful moment

2012-01-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Ah, the quiet bliss of Friday night... so lovely.

It's been another quick-long week. Each day I was somehow convinced it was one day later into the week, not sure why. But I'm grateful that each day itself went by zoomingly fast, and I managed to get done what needed to be done, nothing fallen by the wayside (that I know of!).

I don't remember (and I'm too tired to look back and see) if I've mentioned that I'm working back in the office again, somewhat regular hours, on a project. (Hence the quick days.)

We get a little extra Seth in the coming week, so I'm super-duper grateful for that! And Monday is a school holiday too. Bonus extra studying for finals, dear boy! Ha.

I'm grateful for pockets of time to catch up with friends, brief pockets that they are right now.

Today I wore a lovely cowl my sister-in-law Kim made me for Christmas that keeps my neck warm. I am grateful that she made it for me, that it's green and soft and warm (I will post a picture of it one day...). It has somehow reverted to typical January weather around here the past few days, why oh why I have no idea. And still no snow. If it's going to be 31 degrees, let's have a little white stuff. I was on the phone this week with someone in Iowa and it was snowing and blowing all at once. I don't think she was much impressed with my, "Oh cool, I wish we had snow." I think her exact words were: "Oh, if I could ship it to you, I would."

I'm grateful that my family, near and far, are safe and mostly sound, healthy (or mostly so), and well. I don't take that for granted, for any of us.

I saw this and was instantly grateful that crafting with cat hair doesn't appeal to me. Not only do I not need another crafting outlet, but that is just weird. I then saw this, and had to laugh. Knowing how difficult it is to get rid of some stuff at pivotal times in one's life, I wish I'd thought of it!

Seth and I have been working out in the late afternoons, and I'm actually enjoying it (shocking, I know. But it's mostly about just getting back in the groove, it seems...). I got out the old punching bag and have been whacking away at the thing, legs and arms, the whole nine yards (I paint a graceful picture, don't I?). I'm grateful I haven't been one sore old lady. I thought for sure I'd be more kinked up and hurting, but not so much. Yet. Whew. We'll keep at it, try and make a good habit of it in the new year!

As we're all tucked up into our abode for a cozy Friday night, I am just so grateful for my guys. Whatever the challenges, we've got each other. That's just so goooood.

I love the way ideas can develop and grow between people, when egos aren't involved and the outcomes can just be what they ought to be, or the best outcome can be sought without anyone feeling marginalized. How rare that is, but how beautiful when it can happen. I think some of the best ideas can come out of those kinds of discussions and evolutions, and I'm grateful when I get to see that process.

Work is getting in the way of my Pinterest time, naturally. But I still manage to take a peek in the evenings, see what's going on... and of course I have a few wordy type (P)inspirations to share with you:

grace (fits my word for 2012, love it)

work

gentle (by my friend, Chel)

nice

winter (funny how quickly we forget, eh?)

woods

magic

instructions

write

snow (what I would like to wake up to just once this winter...)

I'm pondering the need to work on my grateful list concept. It's feeling a little stale, three years in. I think there's something to the discipline of just doing it, and thinking about it brings myself into that mindset, etc. And maybe I'm just tired... but I will mull, contemplate. Maybe there's a variation, or some wild way to change it up? If you have any ideas, I'm completely open. (Famous last words before I shoot down your idea, I can hear you thinking. Ha.)

I hope that whatever lies ahead in your weekend, it brings you joy. (And if there's snow where you are, I'll be a little bit jealous!)

Peace.

Whole wheat bread: Back to the earth 2012!

2012-01-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

ne of the (many) kitcheny gifts husband brought to our marriage was a bread machine. He used it quite a bit in the bachelor days, I believe, but I haven't developed a knack for it, lo these six years of wedded bliss. I think I made a loaf or two and wasn't impressed with the results (this is all very foggy, being a number of years ago now). I blamed it on not finding the right recipe for the machine, or the right flour (I think it could have been that...) and I have always been loathe to go the bread mix route. That just seems like cheating. (No judgement if that's your thing, it's just not mine.)

This past fall, a local Facebook friend posted that she makes bread and even delivers, if needed. I tried a couple of her loaves and Seth fell in love. Raved about this bread. You'd think the bread has crack in it, the way he gobbled it up for his lunch sandwiches. But then (of course) I started thinking, how hard can this be (no offense, Sherrice)? I have a machine that purports to do all the work for me, right? So let's get this thing figured out.

And, as happenstance would have it, a blogger I follow every now and again posted just last week that her project for 2012 is "Back to the Land" (read her explanation for why she wants to get back to the land, it's a great project), and the first month would be bread baking. How very serendipitous! I commented to her that I would give bread making a whirl as well, did a little more investigation into recipes that might work, and arrived at the recipe below.

While the recipe as originally posted was tweaked so that it could be completely vegan, I did not choose to go that route. I was happy that this version used milk (not the dry powder as seems so common) and where she called for Earth Balance I used canola oil--though we often have Earth Balance around, just don't at the moment.

Whole Wheat Machine Bread
Yield: 1 2lb loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours and 10 minutes

1 cup almond milk (or buttermilk, skim milk, any kind of milk)
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp Earth Balance (or butter, vegetable shortening, lard, etc.)
2 tbsp agave (or honey)
2 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cereal or seeds (I used oats)
2 1/4 tsp (or 1 pkg) active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in the order they are listed into the baking pan of your bread machine.

Follow the directions on your machine for whole wheat bread.

Remove from machine when done and allow to cool on a baking rack for at least one hour.

Slice and enjoy!

Pretty lovely, if I do say so myself. Kinda kicking myself that I didn't get that going years ago! I envision some sandwich days ahead...

Warning: do not make this bread in the evening, when you'll be pulling a freshly baked loaf of bread out of the machine/oven just as you're going to bread. It will take all your willpower not to cut a few slices off and slather butter or whathaveyou all over it and go to sleep with sweet bread dreams...

Frittata sandwich. Messy, but oh-so-good.

Common Miracles: Week #35

2012-01-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

veryday good fortune. I love that concept, of rejoicing in everyday good fortune. When I reflect on the run-of-the-mill definition of rejoicing, it's a word most associated with the big news, the fun stuff, a wonderful announcement or life change--weddings, babies, new jobs, a celebration, clean bill of health, something momentous.

But think about rejoicing in the every. day. moments. To bring that level (REJOICE!) of enthusiasm to the mundane really only takes a shift in perspective.

I put on my clothes, brushed my teeth, made my breakfast, etc., this morning. Rejoice, my body works, and pretty well. Think about relearning skills after an accident or stroke, or surgery...

I have food in the cupboards and fridge to eat, make, savor. Rejoice, that's not universally the case.

There are puppies who greet me with wagging tails. Rejoice, so many families have lost dear pets recently, or have had to give them up due to economic hardship. The shelters are full, people. Go get a pet!

I am told quite frequently that I am loved. Rejoice, indeed!

I saw the sky today; in fact, the sunrise was pretty! It wasn't sunny for very long, and, in fact, the gray and cold were both not very welcome. But I saw and I felt. Rejoice!

I read almost constantly, and I love it. Devouring information is one of my all-time favorite things. I can read! I know, that sounds pretty silly for me to make a big deal out of, something we would mostly but, well, that's a piece of everyday good fortune. Rejoice! Imagine not being able to read.

I laughed today. My son does indeed make me smile, laugh, sometimes even snort. Not very ladylike, but I do enjoy a chuckle. I also laughed at myself more than once today, which is entirely too common. It's a little bit sad when someone is so much of their own comic relief... (Rejoice?)

My feet don't hurt as much as they used to (self-diagnosed plantar faciitis), thanks to some lacrosse balls I got that, if you stand on them and roll your feet around for a bit, help stretch out the muscles. Pretty fine, if I just remember to do that! (Of course, if I forget, my feet remind me.) Rejoice! Less pain.

I cried last night while I was watching Downton Abbey. (I know! What a flake. Good grief, Sher, get a life.) I think seeing the changes in all the characters and their life circumstances from the first season (pre-WWI) to full-on wartime in the second season, it just touched my heart. I rejoiced in people living with conviction--even when that conviction brought them pain and at the worst, might see their lives lost; was sad at lost love (though I haven't given up hope on them by any means!); and in general (obviously) got caught up in the drama... if you haven't succumbed to the thrall that is DA, you must!

So, what everyday thing are you rejoicing in today? What's your Common Miracle?

To see how the Common Miracle project started, go here.

Pierogi chowder with braised red cabbage

2012-01-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

ome years when I make pierogis with my Canadian girlfriends, the precious dumplings get packaged up and spend a great deal of time in the freezer before I remember they are there and pull them out for the family. (Or maybe I consciously block out that they are there?) But this year no such forgetting has gone on; we have enjoyed a lovely pierogi meal a couple of times already. Tragically I think there's only one more meal in the freezer and now I want to save them, guard them...

So rather than make more pierogis, my lazy self turned to shortcut possibilities. Doh! I have seen a few recipes around and about that purport to make a faux pierogi casserole or soup, so I decided to try this one out for my men. And as I had recently enjoyed a stellar side of red braised cabbage at Gustav's in Portland when Jen and I met up in early December, I had to give that a whirl as well. I harbored an idea that they would go well together, and I have to say the results were quite delicious.

We haven't had a truly wintery winter yet, it doesn't seem. Today was sunny and mostly clear, and while chilly, certainly not our usual January fare. But the soup and cabbage combo tasted quite lovely and comforting, which is good no matter the weather. But snow still may come, I suppose... (I hope). I am making this again, next time it snows, for sure!

Pierogi chowder
Serves 6-8
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
8 cups water
3 cups diced potato
2 cups instant potato flakes (I used a small packet I had from Costco. It was 1.5 cups and ample to thicken the soup.)
2 cups milk
1/2 pound American cheese, shredded or cubed (I used a cheddar, it was lovely)
6 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked until tender
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil. Toss in onion and cook until translucent. Add water and diced potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. When potatoes are tender, mash until broken up well. Add potato flakes and stir well. Pour in milk and stir until smooth. Stir in American cheese and mix until cheese is melted. Blend in drained noodles and add salt and pepper to taste.

Braised red cabbage
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
1 2 1/2-pound red cabbage, quartered, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (I did not have these on hand, so I skipped)
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add cabbage and caraway seeds; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until cabbage is wilted, about 4 minutes. Add broth. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Add vinegar. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Friday night grateful moment

2012-01-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

hort week, short list? Probably not, knowing me... I am just stunned to think that a mere week ago we were looking at New Year's Eve, resolutions, recaps, and all that jazz (jazz hands!). The whooshing sound you're hearing? Yeah, that was my week.

But at the end of this particular short week there is indeed much to be thankful for.

I'm grateful to be home with my men in a warm house, with a full belly and the promise of a sweet sleep.

There. That could be it. That sentence alone really covers the bulk of my gratitude (so to speak).

And yet. I'll keep going, won't I? (You know me so well...)

This week I reflected a bit on health and well-being and am grateful to be on the plus side of that equation (knock on wood, etc.). I am aware of how quickly that can change for any one person or any family; health challenges are some of the most daunting.

As the new year kicks off, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to contribute in the work place on a project (hence the short week, eh?). I enjoy collaboration and coordination and all those kinds of teamy worky things; to have the flexibility of working on a project basis is really quite gravy. And to get to kick the brain cells into gear on something I used to know very well but has been dormant for a bit? Bonus. Won't need to do my Alzheimer's-deflecting crosswords for a bit!

I'm grateful for friendship, and entirely blessed to have people in my life who support and encourage and uplift. Some days are just in need of a little uplifting, you know?

Much as I would love some snow, I have been basking in the 50-60-degree weather. I'm a little weirded out by it, frankly. I mean, what does this really mean for things like wheat and grapes and even just my fruit trees? I have been grateful for the sunshine and the warmth, and the rumor is that it will end soon. But I feel like that rumor's been going around for a while, so I'll believe it when I see it! I would welcome the need to get the fireplace going again, and those cross-country skis? Gathering dust...

I took both dogs to the vet today for their wellness checks, Mr. Chief and Ms. Darby. It seems odd to think that we only have two dogs after the joyful foursome havoc that was Ruby (now happily residing with a new family in Seattle for over a year now) and Jack, newly departed. It was so quiet when I came home at lunch and they were both still at the doctor's. It reminded me how much I rely on their greetings and constant love and affection. I am grateful for them both; Chief with his sweet and wise ways, and Darby with her frenetic energy.

My thankfulness for words, for the power of words to move and motivate, remains as steadfast as ever. I love discovering a new blog (one about words and writing, even!) or site that resonates with my experience and philosophies, and even just finding a quote or print poster on Pinterest that says something in a new way or with a twist makes my day brighter.

And because I can't NOT post a couple of funnies to go with the deep and meaningful...

trekkies

grammar

The weekend is here (!) and it stretches out before me, with all its myriad possibilities and options... I'm grateful for the weekend, for time with my guys, for the rest and down time, and renewal before another week.

What are you grateful for this week? I hope your weekend brings whatever it is you need to rejuvenate!

Peace.

Thursday 13: Books to read Q1 2012

2012-01-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

on't you just love the optimism with which that title is stated? Yes, there are BOOKS on my reading list. And yes, 13 of them. For. The. First. Quarter. So there, silly internet feeds, blogs and Facebook. Take that. I'm claiming reading back, for me. Books, in paper form (yes you) I've missed you. Let's fall in love again.

All it takes to get me aching to read is just sitting in front of my bookcases--I have stacks of books I haven't ever read, horrors. I'm sure a girlfriend or two reading this will remember that a few years back I said I wasn't going to buy any new books until I'd read everything in my current bookshelf. Ha ha ha ha. (That laughter could go on for some time...) Alas, that lasted, oh, a month or two. E-books are one downfall, and the discount bookstore is another. Sigh. But all the books on this list are the "real" kind, with paper and spines and ink!

The list includes a couple of re-reads, as well as number of books that have languished for years with my full intention to read them, like, soon. Whatever. The time has arrived.

1. Born to Run, Christopher McDougall. This one has been on the nightstand for far too long... and given my ongoing desire to run (currently lacking motivation, but the desire is still there, for sure), I hope this gives me a wee kick in the butt.

2. Bird by Bird (reread), Anne Lamott. It's been a good five or six years since I first read this book, and so it's faded from my memory a bit but the vague recollections I have are that it was inspiring and motivating in the writing realm. I am hopeful it is a needed boost in that direction for me...

3. Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri. I can't say enough good things about everything I've read of Jhumpa Lahiri's (The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies are also great). I read this a few years ago and am looking forward to the reread--it's three stories in one, and should be a quick read too, from what I remember.

4. Floor Sample, Julia Cameron. I first found Julia Cameron via Faith and Will, just last year at the discount bookstore down at the Oregon coast. I very much appreciated her perspective on "spirituality though the storms of our lives" and so am interested in her actual memoir. She was married to Martin Scorsese (who knew? not me) and has had some ups and downs with her professional career--she wanted to be an artist but has known far more success as a writer about the artistic process.

5. The Wishing Year, Noelle Oxenhandler. Another memoir... must be a theme for me right now!

6. Tribal Leadership, Dave Hogan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright. This book came my way via dear friend Sara, who picked up copies at a conference she was at this fall. I like the general concept and am looking forward to what I can learn from it.

7. On the Threshold: Home, Hardwood and Holiness, Elizabeth J. Andrew. The title drew me in. We'll see how it delivers...

8. The Power of Less, Leo Babauta. A slim volume (or purpose, I imagine!), I think I'll be able to glean good stuff from this book on "limiting yourself to the essential, in business and life."

9. Stones from the River (reread), Ursula Hegi. I had a big Ursula Hegi crush in the 1990s, and this was the first one I read. I have many others on the shelf, but I'm going back to the beginning, and hope it lives up to my sweet memory of it.

10. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. I think this is actually a borrowed, some three years later (horrors!) book from my sister-in-law, Kim. (Sorry, Kim, I will get it back to you!) I have been meaning to read it, and meaning to read it... and now I will!

11. Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce (reread), Elizabeth Marquardt. I read this a few years ago, and sent it to a good friends whose parents divorced when she was a child, to get "an insider's perspective." She said it rang true, and I know I appreciated some of the perspective it gave me relative to Seth and his upbringing post-divorce. I hope it does that again, some five years after I first read it. Sometimes I do need a refresher on perspective...

12. Lit: A Memoir, Mary Karr. Memoir! Agan! Apparently quite smartly written, I've been looking forward to this one for a bit.

13. Second Honeymoon, Joanna Trollope. This novel is about mothering and letting go and things coming back around again. Sounds up my alley. We'll see how it goes...

I'm hoping that there's something very immediate and present about having these books on my nightstand and available; in fact, since I started writing this post, I've cracked a couple to see which reaches out and grabs me first/most. Sometimes with books tucked away on my iPad, I actually forget they are there and can spend quite a bit of time downloading new samples rather than reading the ones that I have... maybe those can be Q2 reading!

What's on your reading list for the new year? Let me know (you know I always like new reading ideas!)...

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Midweek reminder: Tired of things that break

2012-01-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

ven with all the energy that a new year brings, there are tired folk in the world, in my world, in your world. Friends and family who are battling feelings of sadness at loss or anticipation of loss, regret for things said or unsaid, work done and undone. Sometimes the mountain of those burdens can back up on a soul.

I love this poem, not just for its parentheses (which I love!), but for the lilt of hope, of escape, even if it's just for a little bit.

You Are Tired (I Think)
You are tired,
(I think)
Of the always puzzle of living and doing;
And so am I.

Come with me, then,
And we’ll leave it far and far away
(Only you and I, understand!)

You have played,
(I think)
And broke the toys you were fondest of,
And are a little tired now;
Tired of things that break, and
Just tired.
So am I.

But I come with a dream in my eyes tonight,
And I knock with a rose at the hopeless gate of your heart
Open to me!
For I will show you places Nobody knows,
And, if you like,
The perfect places of Sleep.

Ah, come with me!
I’ll blow you that wonderful bubble, the moon,
That floats forever and a day;
I’ll sing you the jacinth song
Of the probable stars;
I will attempt the unstartled steppes of dream,
Until I find the Only Flower,
Which shall keep (I think) your little heart
While the moon comes out of the sea.
-e.e. cummings

If you think of it tonight, say a prayer for those who need an extra helping of comfort, who are feeling alone, and for whom a hand to hold would mean the world. Those souls are many, on any given night.

Ten Word Tuesday

2012-01-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

New year barely begun but it feels like spring. Hallelujah!

Word for 2012: Grace

2012-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

-Zora Neale Hurston

This quote has been sitting with me for awhile, and I keep turning over the possibilities in my brain, looking back at past years and thinking, "Was XXXX a year of questions, or answers?" It could quite possibly be that, for me, all years seem to be question years. Though, on reflection, that's not really true. More likely, each year, unless something very significant has taken place (2003 comes to mind, as does 2005, in a much better way) there is a mixture of both questions and answers.

I approach this year with the same anticipation as I usually do: clean pages, blank slates, new beginnings, wondering what the year will bring--questions and answers! But before I can really attack the next 365 days, I wanted to take a little look back in how I've blogged about the new year and resolutions in the past. (Lo, these long three years the blog's been around, ha!)

2009's resolutions were all about the food. Silly me, still thought I was a food blogger at that point. Ha. I have since reconciled myself to being a blogger who talks about food, but NOT a food blogger. How many posts have you seen from me that actually give steps? With pictures? That's what a food blogger does. I'm lucky to remember to take a picture (and/or write down any deviations I inevitably make!) before the food disappears off the plate. My initial goal of making this a place where I can record recipes for myself and others; that, I appear to have been able to do with some consistency.

But in the interest of accountability, I did keep quite a few of those resolutions. I have continued to blog about food (some weeks/months are better than others), and we've worked on getting some (but not all) processed foods eliminated from our household diets. Our family garden has been better and better every year, weather permitting (tomatoes were just bad this past summer, so late). I still want to get Seth's repertoire increased in the kitchen; that's definitely on the list again this year. And I have been doing really well at paring down my cookbook collection; in fact, I just tossed (well, bequeathed to a book sale) a few this weekend, and have plans for a few more. (Speak up if you'd like one... or two... or three.)

Kicking off 2010, I kept it simple--maybe a little TOO simple, since I said I was going to make 6 resolutions and then only wrote 5. I made progress with them all, but they are the kind of resolutions you make for life. At least, in *my* life, they are works in progress... being a better wife and mother? Yeah, not really something I want to relegate to 2010... same goes for body, brains, soul and household.

Somewhere in the middle of 2010, I decided to hop on the "one word" bandwagon and decided my word for the year was pause. It's still a word I think about frequently, as I'm rushing about. Just slow it on down, Sher. Take a beat. A breath. It--whatever it is--will be there tomorrow. Chill.

Last year's post was one of my favorites, answering questions about the year and then plotting a course forward from those questions. Again, I went with the one-word idea, and my word for 2011 was *supposed* to be focus. Ha. Double ha. No such luck last year. Not even close. Still as fragmented and scattered as ever most days, letting the flexibility of my schedule toss me around like a tissue in the wind. I'm thinking, in hindsight, that focus is truly a good word for me. But 2011 was not the year for that word and I to meet up, that's all... maybe somewhere down the road?

So, all that is to say, what's the plan for 2012? Well, I do have goals and such that I want to accomplish, but in an effort to really pare it down and go for the big win, I'm going to work on my word for 2012, and hope that the trickle-down effect of focusing on one thing big-time will permeate everything else.

And since I put my word for 2012 in my post title, there's not a lot of guessing:

No, I am not planning on becoming a ballerina. Or walking with books on my head to achieve some state of gracefulness--that would be a lost cause, I fear.

I landed on this word by way of a few others that didn't sit completely right--forgiveness, letting go, releasing... I couldn't arrive at exactly the right feel, until I hit on grace... accepting grace from God, and extending that grace to others and to myself. One of the more pivotal sermons I listened to this year from Timothy Keller was on the concept of forgiveness and grace, and he makes the bold assertion that until we have truly accepted grace from God, we will not be able to extend it elsewhere. And if we find that we cannot extend grace and forgiveness to others, it's because we have not accepted forgiveness and grace from God. Kinda stopped me in my tracks (I was running at the time, speaking of another resolution...). And it's been on my mind ever since.

I have always thought of myself as a forgiving person. Someone who doesn't harbor ill will or hold grudges. But I have found myself tested and retested this past decade, and have found myself wanting, sometimes seriously wanting, in the areas of grace and forgiveness, both for myself and toward others. I have struggled with moving forward in the face of continued pettiness, and what it means to still hold others accountable for their part while acting gracefully.

So, this year I am going to give it up to grace. And I'm hoping for a better outcome than I had with focus! I am going to look for books and sermons and inspiration that help me find ways to put grace-full living into a day-to-day walk.

I read a great post over at A Design So Vast that prompted my thinking in this area. She wrote about looking back over 2010 and what song, quote or poem would capture the year? In thinking about 2011, I arrived at:

We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God. -Thomas Merton

From peace to grace wasn't a hard leap for me, and in fact, I rewrote the quote above, using grace: We do not extend grace to others because we do not give grace to ourselves, and we do not give grace to ourselves because we have not accepted grace from God. Those words sum up how I want to move into 2012, where I want my compass pointed and how I want to live.

Other than that, I'm looking to get back to running, figure out yeasted breads once and for all, read more books that I already own (I've got a blog post already started for that one) and cook healthfully for my guys. Seems doable.

Wish me luck.

Any resolutions to share? Picked a word for the new year? I'd love to hear!

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

2011-12-31T16:24:00.000-08:00

his video has been making its viral way around the interwebs the past couple of days. If you're a Zooey and/or Joseph fan (and maybe even if you're not), you'll love this sweet rendition.

When I first viewed it on YouTube, the comment directly under the video said, "Just marry each other already" and I laughed out loud. Their doomed romance in 500 Days of Summer kind of sealed them as indie sweethearts, and I agree that they'd be lovely together. But even if that doesn't come to pass, I appreciate their chemistry.

I'm not always a fan of the rhyming ditties, but this one just struck a chord when I saw it today... Pretty much covers the gamut of most years for most of us!

What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of a year.
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Husband and I are off to dinner and a movie, nice and quiet, we two... What are you up to tonight? I hope that whatever your New Year's Eve brings, when you wake (happy and healthy, please) tomorrow, you're filled with the possibility that 2012 brings.

And tomorrow, recaps and resolutions! Happy New Year's to you and yours.

Friday night grateful moment

2011-12-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

t's been quite a while since I've let almost a whole week go by without posting... if ever there was a week to do it, though, this staycation-ish week was definitely it. There wasn't a lot of intention behind it--I know quite a few bloggers who take an intentional online hiatus, but nope, not me. I just get super chill with the whole holiday thing and before you know it, nada. Zippo. Zilch. Alas.

I'm ever so grateful for this week, for the time that husband and I have had, here at home. Usually we're running around one place or another, but this year it just seemed right to stay home. And rather than chafe with that decision, it's been one of the best weeks husband and I have had for a vacation week. Even though he's actually worked a bit most days, he's been able to relax. And I've gotten far less done than I wanted to/thought I would/aspired to, so naturally it's been quite relaxing for me as well!

We got a tip on Christmas day from husband's sister that maybe we might like watching House Hunters, on HGTV. We both love real estate, looking at houses, dreaming of possibilities... and so we dialed up a few on the dvr... and what do you know, we do like it! We also watched some of the international variety, and I think we both got a little of our traveling/wanderlust taken care of vicariously through that!

The weather has been unseasonable, to say the least. Oddly warm, with wind and some rain, but no snow... drat for that, but otherwise, it's been quite pleasant. I'm grateful for the warmth (of a kind, don't go comparing us to somewhere actually WARM), and know that it will probably end here soon...

Lots and lots of year-end lists and recaps and rundowns running around online and in the media right now... I am reading some, but not all. I get tired of all the recap hoo-ha. I much prefer looking forward (especially this year, for some reason), with a little inspiration thrown in. I saw this 2011 recap post from Purl Bee this morning and am in the midst of a new crochet project myself, so the crafty inspirational groove is on, baby! I'm always grateful for color and texture and creativity.

While I didn't make as much progress with my home office this week as I'd like, I did make SOME progress. What's the saying, it's always messier before it's cleaner? Well, if it's not a saying, it should be. It's my saying, anyway. I'm still in the messier, but veering toward the cleaner/more organized. I have to say (once again), that Pinterest is making the idea of throwing out magazines that much more appealing. Why would I keep old copies of Bon Apetit or Food&Wine, when I KNOW I won't go through them. Why would this year be any different than the past 6 years I've had them tucked away? Really! Welcome to my recycling pile! (Though, if anyone local would like them, holler and I will box them up all special-like for you. Seriously. But the clock is ticking. Monday morning is recycle day!) All that is to say, I'm grateful for the cleaning bug, when it does arrive.

I got a croissant tutorial from my dear friend Laura this morning, and there is croissant dough in my fridge just waiting for tomorrow morning to be baked. Can't wait! I learned a lot about smashing butter into submission, and I won't share how much butter exactly is in croissants, but we're slipping them in under the new year's wire, before butter takes a hiatus for a little while and we focus more on bran muffins than buttery pastries. But oh, how heavenly they will be! I'm grateful for inspirational friends, who listen and share, too. I also had a chance to catch up with a friend from boarding school days this past week--we last saw each other during our college years when I visited the college she was at in Texas for a inter-collegiate conference. I think we decided it must have been 1990... a very long time ago! But we picked up with not much (some Facebook, of course) chit chat over the years, and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Andrea is inspirational in many ways, running a business and juggling home and work and all her creative artistic ventures! Fabulous to catch up, and hopefully it won't be another 21 years!

I've been oddly grateful for the break from holiday sweets and treats. I posted something about caramel corn on Facebook--should I taper off or go cold turkey? Truth is, I just lost interest. Sometimes my sweet tooth runs its course and I'm just done. D.O.N.E. That also coincides nicely with the new-year-must-behave thoughts that always roll around (literally, roll. Get it?) in my brain each late December.

Just got a call from my Grandma, with some thanks for a Christmas gift. I am SO grateful to have a Grandma, period. That she calls me on occasion, that's just gravy. I am always so tickled when she does that!

In spite of all the relaxation of the week (or maybe because of it?), I am glad and grateful to be at the weekend, and ready to celebrate the new year with husband. What do you have on tap for NYE'11? I hope it brings you a lot of joy and happiness, even if it's to bed by 9 with a good book!

What are you grateful for this week? Another year gone by? Survived the holiday with the relatives, everybody's still alive? Got what you wanted from Santa? Tell me!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

ith a little YouTube rummaging around, I have managed to find a video for (almost) any Christmas mood. Let me know if I've missed a mood that you're in and I'm sure I can find one for it!

(When I was done with my tagging each video with imagined "moods," it occurred to me that maybe someone needs to write a book about the Christmas elves... you know, Peaceful, Surly, Thoughtful, Tearful, Nostalgic, Peppy... OK, I obviously have too much time on my hands now that the baking is over. On the bright side, I got some absolutely amazing colorful yarn for Christmas, so I should be getting busy with that any moment...)

Peaceful

Thoughtful/contemplative

Surly/cynical (language warning)

Tearful

or

(Sarah's pretty much a surefire go-to for tears, for me...)

Nostalgic for the '80s

Nostalgic for the '70s

Peppy/rockin' out

(I have those mittens, fyi!)

I'm not sure what mood this represents, but I'm in awe of the work that this took...

And special for Seth, who really enjoyed Straight No Chaser this year more than ever:

Merry Christmas, everyone. May the spirit of Christmas be with you, not just today but throughout the year. Wouldn't that be amazing? And exhausting. But amazing, for sure.

Peace!

Friday night grateful moment

2011-12-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

t our house, today was Christmas. We do know how to whoop it up, don't we?--a big family Christmas at Thanksgiving, another one now, and then a little bit still on the "actual" day of. But we do have our excuses... Seth takes off tomorrow with his dad, and we wanted to have a special family time, just the three of us.

So much to be thankful for this week, as every week. Probably even more, when I stop to think about it... Tis the season, after all!

This week I'm especially grateful for time with Seth. It's been a lovely week. His thoughtfulness in picking out gifts for husband and I that he thought we'd really appreciate was touching. He got me a little individual pie-maker; so of course, we had pumpkin pies with dinner tonight! Fabulous and easy peasy.

Also tis the season for fun family movies, together. I love going to the movies! Sometimes, when it's been awhile since I've been, I forget how very much I love the ritual of going, getting popcorn and Junior Mints, settling in to the comfy seats, watching trailers for upcoming movies... This week we saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and The Adventures of Tintin, both really fabulous movies. I am always glad when there are movies that I want to watch with my son (as in, appropriate with language and nudity), and I was extra appreciative this go-around that he wanted to go to the movies with his mom... that's not always the case with these wing-stretching teens, and I know that.

Holiday music never fails to get me in the mood for all things Christmasy. I think I have a mix of songs for every mood--want to cry? I can probably wring a tear out of you with some sorrowful holiday song. Want to laugh? We've got that in spades (Straight No Chaser is reliable there). Want to sing a carol or two? Yep, got that too. I am grateful for all my holiday music, my music-sharing friends and all the cheer it brings. (I think Michael Buble may be my very favorite new addition this year, just SO singable-alongable, he is!)

I actually went looking for other-than-holiday music the other day. I know, seems almost sacrilegious this time of year. But I heard a voice and wanted to know who it came from. So I found her. Haven't done much exploring, but the video below is the song I heard, and I like the sentiments.

Where have I been that I just saw this song of OK Go and the Muppets? For some reason, I have had the "Are you a man or a Muppet?" song stuck in my head this week (I think it came up while making pierogies last weekend, so I'm blaming my pierogi cohorts), so I'm sharing both these songs, just in case you need a song or two stuck in your head too!

I wish I could say I was thankful for snow... I really, really want snow. But if I can't have snow, I will be thankful that we have had some sunshine this week, some beautiful blue skies and clear views of the hills. After the gray of the past few weeks, it was easy to forget what those hills actually look like!

I am so grateful for my wonderful husband, who juggles so much between work and home, and takes such good care of us. I love his joy at Christmas, and our family, and our time together. I am ecstatic at a week of him at home, and the fact that we're not traveling anywhere. Much as I wouldn't mind being somewhere else (tropical), I am glad to not make the effort to actually GET there.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few weeks of butter and flour and eggs and sugar, quite thoroughly indeed. But, I'm grateful to be done with holiday baking. I'm ready for some "cleaner" eating (ie less butter), for a good old fashioned January cleanse, and for my hands to heal up from constantly being in hot water (yes, I know what kitchen gloves are, and I rarely use them...)

I'm grateful to have so many reminders of my marvelous friends at the holidays. From thoughtful to sweet to personal and back around to thoughtful and sweet, I have cherished this season of cookie exchanges and music swaps and coffees and lunches and catch-up chats. I am blessed.

Under all the flour and sugar and such is our house, which I am also very grateful for. I love the holiday decorating, the candles, the fireplace, the smell of whatever is currently baking. I will be glad to reclaim the house in a less cluttered state, however, but could get used to twinkle lights all year long!

Here are some of my favorite owls on the tree this year. There ARE other ornaments, but the past few years I've added an owl here or there. This year, what with the current owl mania out in the world, I have gotten a number of them--I bought a couple and have received another few as gifts--so the tree actually has a rather owly feel... Kinda cool (if you like owls).

I have been told I have a bit of an owl "problem," but I don't see it that way. Baking... that might (have been) a problem. But owls? Pffft.

I hope that wherever you are tonight, the spirit of Christmas has caught up with you, just a little. Even if it's not a lot, just a little... What are you grateful for this week?

Peace.

Ten Word Tuesday

2011-12-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

Moms, sons, Sherlock Holmes, lunch downtown, laughter, friendship, lovely holidays!

Christmas caramel corn

2011-12-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

aramel corn holds a very special place in my heart. I know, you're thinking to yourself, doesn't EVERY thing Sher makes hold a "special place" in her heart? The way I rant and rave about food... well, yes, I suppose there's some truth to that. But in this case, it's REALLY extra-super-duper true; there is a particularly sentimental sway that caramel corn holds...

It wasn't rare on a Saturday night during my childhood for my mom and I to make a pan of caramel corn. I associate it mostly with winter evenings, probably even near the holidays? I have enjoyed making it occasionally myself over the years, turning a bit of a blind eye to the butter factor! Also, my sister-in-law Kim and I have been known to plow through one of those rather large-ish bins of popcorn during the holidays, though usually those have the added "benefit" of having a cheese or buttery or chocolate partition. Hmmm. Benefit? Sure...

Well, this year I had been thinking I would haul out the homegrown caramel corn recipes again, and wouldn't it be fun to make it "holiday-ish?" I looked over quite a few recipes and was very pleased to find this recipe via Pinterest for a red and green version. In many recipes I've seen, the red and green effect is arrived at via Jello as the coloring method. While I'm sure that works out great, I just wasn't in the mood for lime and strawberry caramel corn--I want caramel corn that tastes like caramel corn! And I was happy to let good old fashioned food coloring help me out with the holiday-ish aspect...

Caramel Popcorn
slightly adapted from Baked Perfection's version
21 cups airpopped popcorn
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 + 1/8 cup light corn syrup
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
red and green food coloring

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium saucepan, melt together the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, sitting frequently. Boil over low heat for five minutes. Remove from heat and add the baking soda and vanilla.

Place half of the popcorn in a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray. Place the other half in another 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray.

Place half the carmel in a medium bowl and add red food coloring until you reach the desired shade of red. Immediately pour over one pan of popcorn. Toss to coat.

Add green food coloring to the remaining caramel until you reach desired shade of green. Immediately pour over second pan of popcorn. Toss to coat.

Bake for 45 minutes, rotating pans and stirring each pan with a spatula coated with cooking spray every 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

So fun, so easy and so pretty! A complete keeper for this holiday, and one I expect to haul out many times in the years to come.

Friday night grateful list

2011-12-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

rom an airplane, my view is always a bit skewed. I find myself consistently more thankful, more aware, really "awake," maybe even hyper-so. Very profound, too. Just wait, you'll see. Ha.

OK, I'm mostly kidding about the profound. But I am thankful, as always.

This week went by so quickly. Being gone for two days--one play, one work--will do that! I am grateful to be a 38-minute flight from home as I write this... Well, 38 minutes plus one hour to drive... somebody didn't book their ticket early and forgot that the departure day would also be a prime "get out of Dodge" travel day for many local college students leaving Walla Walla... Hence, ticket from Pasco...

My play day was a lovely catch up with dear friend Kate, a little shopping, a movie and a whole lotta talking. And a really great lunch at a new place in Seattle's U Village shopping area: Grace Kitchen. Yum comfort food, and what a great name, eh? I'm grateful for longstanding friendships, and the ease with which I can just be me with my good friends... I know I am amply blessed in that arena, and I don't take it for granted, at all.

I'm grateful to return home tonight to husband, to a warm house and a loving spouse. Again: blessed and not taking it for granted.

Here comes Christmas! I can't believe it is so soon! What happened to December, seriously?! While it's been quite a pleasant month, really, I could handle a bit of a slowdown... Maybe, in old LP vernacular, I'd like the month (a 45, if you will) played at 33 1/3... Hmmm, that was a little less graceful sounding than I imagined... So much for profundity... so where's the grateful in this paragraph? I'm grateful for the moments of quiet December has held, in spite of the apparent whoosing noise as it zooms by...

Once I'm home tonight, it can snow. And snow. And then snow some more. I am grateful that my travel this month hasn't been terribly stunted by the weather (if you don't count that icky fog last Friday!), and all roads/paths passable.

I'm grateful that Seth gets a break from school, and that we get a piece of that break. In the world of divvied up holidays, it's rare to get both a chunk of Thanksgiving and the Christmas break too, do I'm extra-bonus-grateful for the week ahead. Time to savor, for Mom.

I'm not yet sick of the flavors of the season... In fact, I'm not sure I could ever get tired of them... I suppose in time... The cranberries, the pumpkin (creamer, especially!), the eggnog--I have two serious eggnog boys in my house, I'm pale by comparison--the peppermint, the chocolate, the nuts... Oh, I'm getting the baking crave going again... Just a few more goodies to make... I'm so grateful for these flavors, and all the memories they elicit in me.

Now, finally, safely home. I promised myself that tonight the list would be "plane-length"--whatever I could get written in those 38 minutes, that would be it... so, although I'm sure I could dream up a few more things to be grateful for, I'm going to stick with this, and say good night. I wish you a glorious weekend, filled with all the things that make your particular holiday special and merry.

But, I can't resist sharing a couple of songs that went through my mind tonight as I was on my way home... not Christmasy, but very much in the mind toward heading back to my place of comfort and love: home.

What stood out from the holiday rush and bustle on your grateful list this week? Tell me.

I hope that whatever your weekend holds, you are home.

Peace.

Thursday 13: Thirteen Christmas quotes/poems

2011-12-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

hristmas is coming, it's getting really close! Can't you feel it? I am always amazed by how quickly the weeks after Thanksgiving zoom by until--WHAM --it's going to take a very special amount of postage to get that package where it needs to go! (Some of us just don't learn!).

To celebrate the glorious arrival of the actual holiday itself, here are 13 quotes and poem snippets to get you in the holiday mood...

1. To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world."
-Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927)

2. The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other. -Johnny Carson

3. Christmas is a time when you get homesick--even when you're home. -Carol Nelson

4. Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
-Oren Arnold

5. I love the Christmas-tide, and yet,
I notice this, each year I live;
I always like the gifts I get,
But how I love the gifts I give!
-Carolyn Wells

6. One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. -Andy Rooney

7. Somehow, not only for Christmas,
but all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others,
Is the joy that comes back to you.
-John Greenleaf Whittier

8. I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. -Charles Dickens

10. There has been only one Christmas--the rest are anniversaries. -W.J. Cameron

11. Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves. -Eric Sevareid

12. I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. -Harlan Miller

13. We hear the beating of wings over Bethlehem and a light that is not of the sun or of the stars shines in the midnight sky. Let the beauty of the story take away all narrowness, all thought of formal creeds. Let it be remembered as a story that has happened again and again, to men of many different races, that has been expressed through many religions, that has been called by many different names. Time and space and language lay no limitations upon human brotherhood. -New York Times, 25 December 1937

Ah, Christmas... thanks for coming around and reminding us about all the really important stuff...

Here's a last-minute bonus posted by a friend on Facebook today:
Preparing for the holidays is primarily a preparing of the heart. Because what comes down is love and the way to receive love isn’t to wrap anything up--but to unwrap your heart. -Ann Voskamp

Lovely. I'm ready to unwrap my heart and a few other things too! Ha.

Got a Christmas quote to share? I'd love to hear it.

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Midweek reminder: Shadows make the light show

2011-12-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

aybe this is what grace is, the unseen sounds that make you look up. I think it’s why we are here, to see as many chips of blue sky as we can bear. To find the diamond hearts within one another’s meatballs. To notice flickers of the divine, like dust motes on sunbeams in your dusty kitchen. Without all the shade and shadows, you’d miss the beauty of the veil. The shadow is always there, and if you don’t remember it, when it falls on you and your life again, you’re plunged into darkness. Shadows make the light show. –Anne Lamott

Whimsical swirl cookies

2011-12-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

he minute I saw these cookies (on Pinterest, of course), I knew I needed to make them. This year. The theme at work for Christmas decor is "whimsical" Christmas, which involves a bit of the Krinkles look, with a touch of Dr. Seuss thrown in. These cookies looked perfect for that theme, and besides, all that green? I love it. I've made rolled cookies before (a cranberry concoction from Joy of Baking, years ago) and they turned out fairly well, so that memory just bolstered my resolve!

And, they turned out to be just as easy as I was hoping. The steps themselves take a little bit of time, but the "wow-cool" factor makes them well worth it.

Colorful swirl cookies
2 cups flour, plus possibly a few more tbsp (the original recipe called for cake flour, but I used all-purpose flour and the dough was amply soft)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (cut in chunks)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp of food coloring of your choice(and/or 1/2 tsp of any desired extra extracts; I skipped this)
1 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles

In a stand mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars with paddle on medium until well blended.

Add butter in, gradually, and continue mixing. Add in vanilla extract. At this point, your dough will form a ball on your paddle.

Remove all your dough and divide into two equal parts. Return one portion back in to the mixer and add the food coloring and any extra extracts. If you are using liquid food coloring, you will need to add a few tbsp of flour to keep the dough from becoming too wet. Mix until the color is spread out evenly.

Roll out each portions of your dough, between two sheets a wax paper until is reaches about 11 x 9 inches and is 1/4 inch thick. Slide both unto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

When firm, remove the top sheets of wax paper from both. Brush the uncolored vanilla dough lightly with water using a pastry brush. Then flip the colored dough onto the vanilla uncolored dough so they are stacked atop each other and even. Press the edges lightly with your fingertips to seal them together. Using a small pairing knife, trim the edges of the dough to make straight, even lines.

Pour out sprinkles onto a large platter and set aside. Be sure your dough is still cold, but flexible. Once it's ready, begin rolling the long side of dough into a swirl, jelly-roll style. Now, don't get nervous if the outer layer of uncolored dough tears a bit. It's no problem, just pinch and pat those tears and reseal them, then just keep rolling.

Now gently lift your dough log onto the sprinkles and roll away. Cover the log completely with your sprinkles. Wrap the colorfully decorated log in plastic wrap twice. Depending on when you want to bake the cookies, either place the wrapped dough into refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or you can put it the freezer and keep it there for up to 2 months. (If freezing, give yourself time for the dough to defrost in the fridge overnight before cutting.)

Slice your dough into 1/4-1/8 inch slices and bake on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes until edges are slightly golden. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move them to a cookie rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Common Miracles Week #31: In list form

2011-12-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

–Pema Chodron

haven't paused consistently for Common Miracles lately, but it does seem to me that of any season of the year, THIS should be the one where I feel and see Common Miracles all around me... and I doooooo (can you hear the hesitation in my "voice?"). The pausing really takes a little extra effort for me when I'm bouncing around between oven and stove and computer and tree and oven and stove and computer and tree. (Think Dug, from Up. "Squirrel!")

So to pause.

My list of Common Miracles includes (but is not limited) (just to cover myself, of course) to:
*The amazing ice that formed in the heavy fog on Friday. The beauty on each stem, fence post, tree branch, is amazing. Also amazing, the thought that this frozen wasteland will come to life again in the spring. That seems particularly miraculous right now.
*Lights in the darkness. I know I curse the darkness a lot, but boy do twinkle lights help. The tree, the stair bannister... I love the lights.
*The fireplace. I feel so blessed to have warmth at all, much less a fireplace. I love sitting by it, and the tree, and just being cozy... Seth and I tried each taking an end of the sofa while reading this weekend, but we found that our combined size now makes that less comfortable than in winters past. So apparently we'll need a second sofa! Ha.
*Laughter. Such a good thing.
*Tears. Also a good thing, in moderation.
*Holiday baking. Working on the moderation there...
*I take great joy in rugging up to go outside. Boots, coats, mittens, scarves, sweaters, you name it, I will layer upon layer to stay warm. I wore my funky green and chunky lumberjack-ish hat to drop off Seth and a buddy at the basketball game Saturday night... I think they were very glad I didn't come inside!
*GPS. Love being able to find my way around without having to use my apparently nonexistent sense of direction. Whomever invented GPS (the government? Ack.), I want to kiss you.
*Fondue. Well, OK, cheese in general. I had fondue with Jen in Portland on Friday, as well as a really great chicken schnitzle dish that had braised red cabbage, and it was divine. I know, who knew? I would not have thought that in my lifetime the words "braised red cabbage" and "divine" would show up in the same sentence. But they did, and it was. Yum. But back to fondue. It's been too long, girls. I'm feeling a fondue coming on...
*Shoulder rubs. I tweaked my back on Friday morning doing something pretty mudane. (Please, keep your snickering to a minimum.) Brushing. My. Teeth. Seriously. Quite the tweak, too. I got a few really good, gentle-ish shoulder rubs from husband over the weekend that went a long way toward fixing my tweak. Ahhh.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something--clean air to breathe? good well water to drink? an ample pantry? a roof over my head? all these and more--but for today, these are the ordinary things that make me smile, remind me that life is good, and we are all quite blessed.

To see how the Common Miracle project started, go here.

Coconut snowballs

2011-12-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

o, crazy cake ball trend has been going strong for a couple of years, doesn't it seem? Giving credit where credit is due for the invention itself seems a bit hard to do, and there is even some internet sniping about who did what when, first, etc. I first stumbled on cake balls via Bakerella at least two or three years ago, and they have certainly done a lot to popularize the trend. But hello, Starbucks makes them now, so you know it's time for a new fad when THAT happens...

I've never been big on the whole "balls" aspect, so any time I'm able to think of another name, I do it. Hence, the coconut snowballs. See, so much more acceptable! And since I have yet to stick a stick in my cake balls, I obviously haven't truly embraced the "pop" angle... but maybe that day will come. It honestly just seems like an unnecessary step...

I've made these coconut babies at least the past two holiday seasons and had to roll them out again. They are just so good and easy and a wee bit addictive. Of course, you kinda have to like coconut, and as luck would have it, I live with two non-coconut guys. So... more for me? Maybe... and probably more for you too, because of it.

There's something definitely Sandra-Lee-Semi-Homemade about cake balls, and while it may be easy to turn one's nose up at when looking for some chi-chi homemade dessert, I would say get over yourself and enjoy this truly easy-to-make sweet nibble. These are beyond yummy and I would bet that even homemade cake and frosting would not stack up against the boxed. So there.

I sent this picture via phone last week to my sister-in-law Kim. I'm nothing if not a big tease.

Coconut cake snowballs

Makes about 50 snowballs

1 box of cake mix--white, vanilla, your choice

Frosting--white, vanilla, your choice

White chocolate or almond bark candy coating--your choice

Flaked coconut

Coconut extract

Make up the cake recipe according to directions on the box. Bake.

When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it rest about 5-10 minutes, so that it's still warm but not hot. Then crumble it into a big bowl. If you have a stand mixer, this is a great use for it (especially when you double the recipe, which I highly recommend). Using the paddle attachment, stir the cake until it's crumbly, and then add about half the container of frosting (1/2 - 3/4 cup). Now is a good time to add your coconut extract, as well. Add about 2 tsp. Taste and if you want it a stronger coconut flavor, add a bit more. Remember that you'll also be dipping it in coconut, so don't go overboard!

Continue mixing until the cake and frosting have combined into a glorious mass. Best to start on the low end with the amount of frosting and keep adding, as you can't undo a too-soft mixture (unless you have another cake lying about). When you get it to a cookie-dough-like consistency, that will be perfect for rolling. (I read one blogger who said she never added frosting, just beat up her cake and made balls. If I didn't love frosting so much, I might just try that some time... Without having tried her concoction, I think the overall consistency would be more "truffle-like" with the frosting... Just wanting you to have all the information, though. If you find yourself frosting-less, all is not lost!)

I usually chill the dough for a bit. That way it will roll up into balls quickly.

Roll the dough into 1- to 1.5-inch balls, and then freeze them (1 hour or all the way to overnight). Frozen always dips better.

Meanwhile, be melting your white chocolate. There are a few methods for that, but once you've burnt it a few times in the microwave, I'll bet you'll come back to the lovely double-boiler method. Not that I'd know anything about that...

Prepare a bowl of grated coconut for rolling the just-chocolate-dipped balls. This is where they will take on their snowball-ish appearance.

It's time to dip. A bit of technique helps here. I usually take a couple of forks and plop one into the chocolate, kind of toss it between the forks, then lift and gently let the chocolate fall, scraping any excess before gently lowering into the flaked coconut and rolling around with my hands. A gentle roll in the coconut, and out they can come to a wax paper lined cookie tray, where they can go into the fridge to firm up for a few minutes.

The snowballs keep best in the fridge in an airtight container, for a week or two. Longer than that and you should freeze them, which also works well. Just bring them out to your fridge overnight to thaw and enjoy!

Betcha can't eat just one: Flourless chocolate bites

2011-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

hese little flourless chocolate morsels have come out of my oven more than any other sweet thing, ever. I feel pretty confident saying that, as one year (2003, I believe) I made 2,000+ of them for a local winery during the winter barrel tasting weekend.

I remember the first time I made the recipe at home (which I found at epicurious). In 2000, epicurious was pretty much the best online source for recipes. I made it as a full-size cake for a dinner party, which was what the recipe called for--a 10-inch springform pan. It was good, but I found it a little dry at the outside, and a little wet at the center, and decided the recipe would work much better, and spend much less time in the oven, as smaller cakes.

Since then, I've never made a full-size flourless chocolate cake again. I've made them mostly in mini muffin tins and popped them out as "bites," or as individual desserts in a larger muffin pan (about 1.5 x a regular muffin size). They don't puff up like a muffin, thankfully, so they have a really pretty look. (Key: don't fill the tins too full. An ample half-fill is about the right amount.)

This year I decided that a) I finally need to post the recipe, and b) I was ready to try a couple of variations.

First, the recipe:

Flourless chocolate cake bites
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir butter and chocolate in heavy large saucepan over low heat until melted. Mix sugar and cocoa in large bowl. Add eggs; whisk until well blended. Pour in the butter-chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.

At this point, you're ready to bake. You can follow the directions at epicurious and bake in a 10-inch springform pan, or you can deviate as I do and make many smaller cakes.

This recipe multiplies well. In fact, I don't think I've ever made a single recipe--I've made as many as 10x the recipe, and just recently made it 5x. So my stab at how many a recipe makes... is around 72 little bites, which is three of the mini muffin tins.

A couple of my tips: Let the batter sit for a bit and cool before putting into the well-sprayed (baking spray) muffin tins. In fact, you can refrigerate the batter for a few hours or overnight and scoop it into the tins with a spoon. (At that point, you'll have to let it sit out for a bit to actually warm to the point of scooping.) I have always found that a little easier than trying to pour it in as a runny batter. I haven't frozen the batter, but I have definitely frozen the baked cake bites, and they thaw and even reheat quite beautifully. The larger size that I've made can almost resemble a molten chocolate cake once it's been reheated in the oven for a few minutes.

Variations: This year I decided I would make them with a hazelnut twist and an Almond Joy twist. Oddly, I'm not sure I would again; both of them felt like they needed to be baked in little baking cups to accommodate the extra ingredients, and so it added a cumbersome aspect to the process. (I know that sounds lazy, but when one is making 500 or so, being able to be efficient gets kind of important...) The Almond Joy variation turned out messier in both the making and the eating than I like, but very yummy. The hazelnut version (see the picture above) was also quite delicious, and less messy than the almond variation. To accomplish the hazelnut, I baked the bites for about 7 minutes (filling the tins with a little less batter than usual), pulled them from the oven, piped Nutella into the middle of the bite, topped it with a roasted hazelnut and popped them back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes. Worked well, but not sure it's that big of an improvement over the original...

Finally! The flourless chocolate bites have been shared. They are a really easy little sweet nibble to master, but be sure to spray whatever you bake them in very well. The batter loves to stick, and I have thumped many a muffin tin on a countertop to try and separate cake from tin... At this point my muffin tins are quite well seasoned and the baked cakes fairly leap from the pan. But be warned: PAM!

Bake up a couple of batches of these and you'll be set for those drop-in guests throughout the holidays! Enjoy.

Friday night grateful moment

2011-12-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

arn these short, dark weeks... this was one of those. Zoom zoom.

I'm grateful tonight to be home with my men after a long day, a long drive, and a long (well, not really) but very productive meeting. When you don't have the built-up stamina for meetings (once upon a time I was a meeting rockstar!), they can be super-draining. So I'm glad to be done, for this week... I am honored to be a part of an organization with such dedication to the betterment of children's lives.

I'm grateful that the week held, once again, more sunshine than any other kind of weather. It got colder, for sure (especially the past 24 hours!), but as long as there is sunshine, the world seems to move along more kindly. That's just my opinion, of course, but I know a lot of people who concur. I still find it positively amazing that when I pick Seth up at 3:15, it feels like the sun is setting That. Minute. If I could hold the sun up just a few more minutes, I would. But while the sun is here, I'll take it, every last ray of it.

Of course, the past 24 hours have obliterated any memory of sunshine for Walla Wallans, I'm afraid. Thursday night the freezing fog rolled in and stayed all day. I drove out of town this morning in a heavy blanket of fog that actually lasted much longer than it usually does--I went more than two hours before it lifted. On the way back, it was much lighter, but still present... I'm grateful that the roads were clear and mostly dry, and that the little precipitation I encountered was misty and brief. Now that I'm home it can snow snow snow. But while I'm driving solo across the state? No thanks.

(It was rather funny to be in the Vancouver/Portland area for the day and have it be brilliantly sunny. I am used to hearing about their gray skies and rain rain rain, while we're usually warmer and sunnier. Ha. Glad I took my sunglasses!)

The wild frenzy of baking is over for the moment, and I'm grateful that the work party went well. I still have supplies upon supplies that I will make up for my own little baking endeavors and tins of this and that to give to friends... but the multiplying recipes by six or eight or such nonsense is over for this year!

My health has been good so far this fall/winter (knock on wood), and I'm grateful for that. I'm currently giving credit to my Vitamin D levels, which I've gotten up to a decent place with some dedication the past year or so, and to sleep. Dear dear sleep. I know I take my good health for granted, and I don't want to. I want to put in the time and energy to eat well, exercise and be well mentally, physically and emotionally... there's something to put on the New Year's resolution list, eh? This year, as every year...

I am grateful for friendship, always. For words of encouragement, support and cheer, for long lunches/breakfasts/coffees and for the shared history of more than a couple of decades with some, too. I had a late lunch with dear friend Jen in Portland before heading home this afternoon, and it is always good to catch up with her, even though I feel like we're "in touch" via Facebook anyway. Nothing beats the face-to-face, Mr. Zuckerberg. Just sayin'. (And thanks for the chat while I was traveling, Kim. That helped.)

The ornaments are up, the pretty glass orbs are all tucked into their places and they never fail to make me smile. Seth arranged one big vase, as you can see, and does he know his mom or what? Love the rainbow spectrum. I'm grateful for color. (Jen, bet you couldn't see that picture coming, eh?!) (Sorry about the photo quality, I'll need to retake that one... sometimes the iPhone just doesn't cut it.)

My head's been down this week, and not much on the computer, so my Pinterest stats are waning. Sad days. Ha ha. I'm sure I'll be back at it soon, but for now, check out these sweet, cute pictures... each in their own way... I'm grateful for cute and sweet, they are a good antidote to reality some days!

quilty

heart

westie

Always, always, grateful for words. Especially grateful for words that ground me, that bring me back to me and remind me what I need to keep front and center. These words especially worked on me this week:
Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, "This is what I need." It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment--not discouragement--you will find the strength there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures, followed by wreckage, were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You'll see this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.-Joseph Campbell

That's the stuff. I listened to a sermon while driving today by Timothy Keller that jived with that sentiment, called Reconciliation. Good listening.

I hope the stuff of your week has been blessed and hopeful, and that a bit of the magic of the season is reaching you. I have talked with more friends this year than any other about the stress and anxiety of the holidays, and how the picture of a lovely and peaceful family time together is such a pipe dream for so many. If that's the case for you, I hope you're able to gather close the people and memories that mean a lot to you and make some new, joyful memories. At the very least, I wish you less stress and more chill.

What are you grateful for this week? I hope the list is long.

Peace.

Thursday 13: Gingerbread houses galore!

2011-12-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

ast holiday season, a gingerbread house caught my fancy. And boy did it. I have looked at this house numerous times in the intervening months, thinking about what it would take to pull off making a replica... and then, just tonight I saw that the plans for it (my big holdout on making it--ugh, drawing up plans, where's my dad when I need him?) are now for sale. Sweet.

Check it out. An inspired approach to gingerbreading, this take on Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.

In my research on gingerbread houses, thinking about making one (other than the grocery store kits I've bought in the past!), I uncovered some beauties. I can't help but share 13 of them with you...

1. An Ewok gingerbread house (and catch a load of that Death Star!)

2. A sweet little stone-front gingerbread house. Cute shutters, too!

3. A sweet white gingerbread house. Not to be confused with THE White House (which has also been made gingerbread style...).

4. A midcentury-modern style gingerbread house. That's my speed!

5. A whole host of amazing gingerbread houses featured in a Festival of Trees.

6. A replica of a historical Newfoundland gingerbread house--lit up!

7. And of course you know Martha's got to have a gingerbread house contest, right? I thought this shoe house was quite a unique creation!

8. There were quite a few good ideas over at this post about gingerbread house inspiration. The house is very cute too--lots of attention to detail.

9. A few actual house patterns and gingerbread swans! I couldn't help but include them... somewhere under all that icing is gingerbread, I suppose.

10. How-tos and a beautiful gingerbread hotel.

11. A beach house!

12. Rustic, a log cabin gingerbread house

13. And, while not really a ginger bread house, it does have gingerbread houses IN it, and it is so colorful, I just had to include it.

Well, there you have it. More gingerbread houses than you could ever hope to make in a lifetime...

Which one is your favorite? Me, I'm still hankering after Fallingwater...

To check out more Thursday 13s, go here.

Wordless Wednesday (recipes posted soon, pinky swear)!

2011-12-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Ten Word Tuesday

2011-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

Sore feet,
Lots of treats,
Work party complete,
I'm beat.

Friday night grateful moment

2011-12-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

t's still early as I being my weekly gratitude ritual, and we're already hankering for bed. It's the dark, I tell you, the dark. This crazy darkness... I could NEVER live at either of the poles, no way. I know, this is shocking news. You'd never have guessed that! Ha.

So, this week. Wow, did this week feel long. And not in a good I-got-alot-done kind of way. More like it-feels-like-the-longest-week-ever, thank you very much.

One of the contributing factors to the oh-so-long week was the passing of our dear, beloved Jack. He of the most sweet and kind eyes, the lover of belly rubs (well, basically any kind of attention), and dog of ritual. His standard greeting for me as I returned home and opened the garage door was to approach my car by the driver's side and make sure it was me, and then lead me in a kind of crazy-8 fashion into the garage. Oh how I miss my garage lead-in guy... I am grateful for Jack that he wasn't sick, and didn't have a protracted illness. He just got old. But until the end, his energy was good and his love was that boundless unconditional adoration I can learn so much from. He was always the stable dog, the pack leader. Never too barky, never too out of sorts, just constant and precious. His loss is felt very deeply in our house right now.

I'm grateful for Darby (Jack's sister) that she has Chief right now. They are both a little wide-eyed and lost, and every time I come home they check out my car's hatchback, Chief especially, sure that Jack has just been at the vet's and will come bounding out of the back of my car as they've all done countless times.

I'm grateful for my husband, my communicative and thoughtful husband. It was the kind of week where having each other to talk to and lean on felt extra needed, extra special... just extra.

The sunshine this week has been lovely, at least three days of clear and sunny. What bliss. Other than wishing for snow, this is the other kind of weather I most adore this time of year! I'm grateful our weather has been mild this winter, so far. Makes whatever comes later feel almost doable.

I'm grateful for time and energy to enjoy holiday baking. I got a good crack at it yesterday and today, and am feeling ready for what's ahead in the next couple of weeks. Having fun with some experimenting, and also with some tried-and-trues. Mmmmm, what is it about butter and sugar and flour all coming together that is just delightful?

The Christmas lights around town are starting to go up, and you can see trees through front windows too. Whoever came up with the idea of Christmas lights originally must have been like me and gotten just sick of the darkness. Well, bravo Christmas light person, whoever you were. It's the one palatable thing about the dark, seeing all the wild lights everywhere. I'm grateful for the lights, and the cheer they bring.

I'm grateful to have options in finding my baking supplies. If I had only one grocery store from which to glean my many nuts and butters and chocolates and such, I'd be out of luck at least half the time. I do the rounds (and we'll hit up Costco this weekend too for some choice bulky ingredients too) and eventually find it all, but it is good to have options!

Technology continues to bring out my grateful, whether it's the IMs from Seth or the texts from thoughtful friends or the quick check-in from husband between meetings, I am grateful for the ability to stay in touch.

From yummy dinners to thoughtful flowers at Jack's passing to calls and texts, I really do have the best friends. Ever. I'm grateful for each and every one.

And because I need a little mood lift (and so do you, I'm sure), here are a few images I've pinned recently that make me smile.

family

pie

thundercloud (I am so using this one!)

elephant

nutellanails (and I thought I was a nutella nut...)

turkeybaby (kinda creepy, kinda funny...)

bunnybaby (yep, that was what the week felt like; where's my bunny suit?)

I hope that whatever your week has held, it's been a good one. What's on your grateful list this Friday night?

Me, I'm sleeping. And napping. And then maybe sleeping some more. (With some butter, sugar and flour thrown in for good measure, of course.)

Peace.

Thursday 13: Holiday baking/party list

2011-12-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

his week I've been working quite a bit on refining my baking list for the holidays. I know, nothing like waiting until the holiday is UPON us, right? There's a work event next week-- half sweet and half savory bites--and two cookie exchanges as well, so it is definitely time to get hopping!

I've always relied a lot on various food blogs and now Pinterest to bring new ideas my way, and they have not disappointed. Here are 13 items that are on my must-make list this holiday. My hope is to actually blog about them as I make them, but we all know how that goes around here lately... But, hope is a good thing.

Marshmallows! Homemade! The top spot is currently held by this adorable candy cane variety...

Chai latte cookies

I'm torn between making red velvet cake balls, or these red velvet cookies... still undecided.

Oreo cheesecake cookies? Yes, please.

My sister-in-law Kim is a torrone fan. I'd tell you exactly how big a fan she is, but I promised I'd stop teasing her about eating the whole bar of it she brought to Thanksgiving. So I won't mention it again. Ever. But I have promised to figure out how to make a home version. I think it looks doable... somewhere between a nougat and a fudge...

Whimsical spiral cookies... how fabulous do these look?

Eggnog is a seasonal favorite--I've made pound cake and cheesecake and custard pie--and so this year I'm going to try a fudge of eggnog. Sounds pretty yummy to me!

I love the buttery-ness of shortbread, and this recipe with the additions of cranberries, nuts and white chocolate would tip it over into holiday heaven.

A couple of years ago I dipped little apple balls into caramel and nuts, and put them on sticks like mini caramel apples... this year I saw a recipe that will have similar flavor--but with a cheesecake twist: Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip. Yum.

Cranberry and nut nougat slice: doesn't this picture look almost vintage? The rosy color of this sweet bar totally won me over, and the cranberries sure don't hurt. So pretty.

Macarons have been on my to-do list for a long time. I am always compelled by their look, their color, and of course, the imagined flavor as well... I finally overcame my silly intimidation and gave them a whirl just yesterday--last night--and while I was distracted and moving too quickly (a beloved family dog passed away yesterday), they were passable and I learned quite a bit about the process. Certainly not perfect, and not as puffy as the pictures, but I am going to get right back on the macaron horse later this week and give it another gallop. I had been thinking about doing a hazelnut variety when I happened upon the picture and recipe above... voila!

I have been wanting to play with this idea for awhile, the stuffed baguette... Not sure what exactly I'll put in the middle, but their jumping off point of cream cheese and olives and such is a good one. Perhaps I'll figure a way to turn my old sundried tomato-pesto torte into this clever appetizer?

Also utilizing our friend the baguette, this little clever vehicle for the fresh veggies is cute and unique. I think I will take the extra time--it's more work than throwing together a crudite platter, for sure--and do this for the work event next week...

I'm looking forward to getting started on my lists--lots of groceries to buy, for sure. I will also haul out the old standards of fruit and nut fudge, cake truffles/balls (coconut ones were very popular last year), and maybe something that has lemon curd in it--there are a lot of egg yolks that will be looking for a home when I get done with whipping whites for macarons! And I noticed in my recipe list that I've never posted my flourless chocolate bites... what's with that? Those are a must EVERY year... this year I've been thinking I might mix it up a bit, but they'll definitely get made!

Happy holiday baking! What are you making? I'm still open to suggestions... tell me what I'm missing.

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Midweek inspiration: Two wings to fly

2011-11-30T10:04:00.000-08:00

God turns you from one feeling to another
And teaches you by means of opposites
So that you will have two wings to fly,
Not one.
-Rumi

Check out my mom's blog for a sweet quote and picture of Seth and I walking the beach last week at the coast. And her 365 project too, she's a great photographer--the heron above is one of her shots.

Common Miracles Week #29: Sunshine & quiet

2011-11-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

ov. 28th? Seriously? We came home to 63-degree weather yesterday afternoon, and while it was easy to believe the tales of high winds while we were away for Thanksgiving--areas in the yard where there had been bark were completely bare--it was also uncharacteristically warm. Heavenly warm. And, of course, undoubtedly soon to change.

But while it's here, I'll take it. The sun is shining, there's a tractor mowing in our field--a crazy sign of the nearing global warming apocalypse if ever there was one--and the dogs seem happy as clams. I'm a little worried they'll lose whatever winter fur they've built up, but I think the temps are supposed to dip later this week, to something in the 40s...

Sunshine streaming through windows never fails to lift my spirits and make me believe that anything is possible. I simply love it. I know that if I were to live where the sun shines (almost) 100% of the time I would probably take it for granted and stop being *so* in love with the sun, but since I live in the Pacific Northwest, that probably won't happen any time soon. What's the old saying about "without the bitter, the sweet isn't as sweet"? 'Tis true. Without the clouds, the sunshine wouldn't seem so bright. Without the rain, there wouldn't be rainbows... I could go on.

But, for today, I will just bask in the sunshine and be thankful for it's warming effect on not just my body, but all of me.

As for the quiet, I'm basking in that too. I (must have) said something snap-ish to my men last night (which of course I can't remember!), as husband turned to Seth and said, "Mom's ready for some quiet time, Seth. She'll be glad to get you off to school and me off to work tomorrow." My eyes widened a bit and of course I protested. And I'd still protest... but... I have gotten very used to my quiet. I wasn't always that way, but over the years of being more "at home" (and maybe a bit with age, as well) I've gotten a bit protective of my quiet. After a few days of high people interaction, being home and hearing only the sound of the dogs barking occasionally (well, this morning they are pretty excited about that tractor mowing...), and whatever snippet of music I might play, and other than that... just peaceful... that, to me, is completely restorative.

I found this quote last night in a devotional:

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes. -Etty Hillesum

This from a young lady writing from a Nazi concentration camp. Talk about inhabiting a warrior's world...

I hope your Monday is off to a great start, and that somewhere in your day is that rest between two deep breaths.

To learn how the Common Miracle project started, go here.

Friday night grateful moment

2011-11-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

hat a quick week! Zoom. I guess when you have a different party/celebration almost every day of the week, time is going to fly by!

This week we've been tickled to spend with family. In the guise of Thanksgiving vacation, we have also celebrated birthdays (mostly my mom (Oct. 24) and dad's (Nov. 19), and wee bit 'o late celebration for me as well), feted Kim on her recent U.S. citizenship ceremony, had a moment to mark the 6th anniversary of dear husband and I, and yes, had our Thanksgiving yesterday. And for good measure, this morning we opened up stockings and presents (CHRISTMAS! Now you know why I've been such a holiday fool this fall). Talk about a crazy amount of fun and food.

And at the end of this busy week, lots of gratefulness... probably more than can properly be listed here!

The mantle changed with the celebrations. Here's our birthday theme.

And our citizenship celebration theme.

And, of course, Christmas.

The anniversary was a little more difficult to decorate for, but Ma made sure we had flowers around!

The nieces, patiently waiting to open presents!

This week I'm grateful the power came back on (it was off for about 12 hours the day before Thanksgiving). I'm also grateful that subsequent storms weren't as severe, and that we've had peaceful walks on the beach without wind. Amazing, given how strong the winds have been at other times.

I'm grateful for family and the ability for everyone to flex and bend with the need to accommodate each other, different schedules and desires and interests.

I'm grateful for good food and lots of hands in the kitchen.

I'm grateful for leftovers. Thanksgiving food is always better the second day, and today was no exception. I'm full up on all the fixings again, and happy as a clam.

I'm grateful for sunshine. We had heaps and heaps of sunshine today. Warm and happy walks on the beach, even if a sneaker wave did catch Ma and Kim unawares... heads up next time, ladies!

How do you know you're on a Pacific Northwest beach? The pretty greenery in the sea debris.

I'm grateful for walks and talks with Seth.

I'm grateful to have wandered some great galleries and glimpsed some pretty amazing art. I didn't take pictures of the most captivating pieces--I don't think that's really an approved practice--but I was upstairs at a little gallery and saw these simple bird paintings that made me smile, and couldn't resist. They were actually affordable, as opposed to a lot of the art I saw, and totally up my color alley.

I also saw a large number of fabulous bronzes and sculptures, many in the natural themes--bears, owls, wolves, rabbits, deer--and was blown away by the artists' creativity and skill. It was very inspiring and reminded me that I need to seek out that kind of inspiration more often. Too many times I just skip looking because I don't have an immediate need, can't afford it, or think a gallery isn't going to suit my tastes. If I can keep my mind open, happy surprises can await. (Don't get me wrong, I did go through quite a few kitschy and run-of-the-mill galleries before I arrived at THE one. Good art doesn't grow on trees. But when you find it... wow.)

I'm grateful for husband, for these six years and for all we've learned and grown together. It's been wonderful and I wouldn't change a minute. He's exactly the husband God knew I needed.

In an odd way, I'm grateful to be done with the bulk of Christmas, and now can move on to December with really just a bunch of baking on my brain. I still have my two guys to take care of, but they're pretty easy... I am exited to get into the kitchen and try out a few new things for the work holiday party and a couple of cookie exchanges I am going to, as well as a little pierogi making with my Canadian girlfriends too. I know December is going to fly by, but I feel ready for it!

I hope your week has been lovely, wherever you are, whatever you've been up to. What are you grateful for this week?

And I hope your weekend brings you peace, love and sunshine.

Peace.

Thursday 13: 13 things I'm looking forward to eating today

2011-11-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

appy Thanksgiving, everyone! I know, this post should be filled with 13 quotes of gratitude, or 13 reasons I'm glad I married my husband six years ago today (there are more than 13, for sure) or some other deep and meaningful post, but nope. You get to hear what I'm excited to eat today. This is my favorite food day of the year. Period. Yum.

Tomorrow I'll make a stab at deep and meaningful, I promise.

Thirteen sounds like a lot of items to eat, but as I got rolling with it, it does appear that indeed, we will have at least 13 items at our ample buffet...

1. Turkey. I roasted three turkeys last week for a YoungLives dinner, so I'm feeling really ready to roast again! I experimented with a very simple roasting technique (450 for the first hour, 350 for the next three or so hours, cover as needed) and stuffed it with garlic, lemon and sage. And butter. That's it. It was amazing, and I think we'll give that a go again today.
2. Turkey loaf. This one is an old family favorite, from our more vegetarian days. Even though we all love turkey, we really can't envision the holidays without both on our plates. How odd, I know. But very "us."
3. Stuffing. We'll roll pretty simply with this one. Sourdough, cornbread, herbs. No nuts, no fruit, no meat. Definitely no meat. I am forever scarred by the Thanksgiving where a meat stuffing made an appearance. That's all I'm going to say about that.
4. Mashed potatoes. Did you know cream cheese is the secret to truly creamy mashed potatoes? I know, The Pioneer Woman does it too, but I swear I was doing it first.
5. Gravy. Simply and pure, like all good gravy should be.
6. Cranberry sauce. There was a small misunderstanding on the cranberry sauce procurement, so the grocery stores had better be open for cranberries in our early morning run!
7. Brussels sprouts. I'm feeling a little gratin coming on for the Brussels this year. A little cream, a little cheese, and there won't be any complaining about the Brussels, I am sure.
8. Yams. These puppies will get roasted in rosemary. I know, not really the sweet style, but, again, this is how we roll around here...
9. Corn casserole. Look at all these veggies! A girlfriend made this for the dinner last week, and I loved it--I don't have the recipe posted yet, but I will. It's a variation on this one, though.
10. Pumpkin pie. Simple, basic, and essential to this day.
11. Rolls with butter. Lovely bakery in town made a contribution (well, we paid them, but...) to our dinner of beautiful rolls. I think this is the one meal of the year when I feel that bread with my meal is critical.
12. Sparkling cider. Not a drinking clan, this is our beverage of choice. We have an assortment of the sparkly stuff.
13. Leftovers. Doh. Right after The Muppet's and some early Black Friday shopping (some stores are open at 9 p.m.? That sure beats early Friday in my book.) I anticipate some fridge raiding.

I hope whatever's on your table this Thanksgiving, it's right up your alley! I am off to roast the bird!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Midweek reminder: This is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

2011-11-23T15:17:00.000-08:00

omorrow is the sixth anniversary of our wedding day, and this poem has always been one that I associate with husband. Carrying his heart (as I know he carries mine) for the past six years has been a joy and a blessing. I knew when we chose Thanksgiving Day for our wedding it would serve a dual purpose: recognition of the gratitude we felt in finding each other, and sweet reminders of thankfulness in the years to come.

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in

my heart) i am never without it (anywhere

i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want

no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

--e.e. cummings

Sure enough, we are surrounded by family and love and warmth and food. It is as it should be, and I am thankful.

Ten Word Tuesday: Prep

2011-11-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving prep day: almost as lovely as the holiday itself.

Friday night grateful moment

2011-11-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

h happy Friday! You're finally here! Yeah for that.

This week I am grateful for so many things...

Our tree. I know I'm early (earliest EVER), but I can't help it.

My men. And our dinner discussions, which are especially lively when Seth returns home from being away a bit. Live-ly! I'm sure we solved at least two world problems tonight, with some input toward a third. I'm sure the President is just waiting for our call!

The prospect of family time this coming week. Yes, I'm even grateful just in anticipation. Games, eating, napping, reading, more games, more eating, more napping. It will be a lovely time! Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, a little citizenship celebration and an anniversary? What's not to celebrate?!

For music. This week it's been almost entirely Christmas-focused as I've made various holiday mixes for gifting and trading and enjoying... Happy music, for sure. (Though I did make one mix that's pretty much guaranteed to bring you to tears, but I've been avoiding that one so far. Yeah, so, why did I make it? For when I want to have a good cry, doh!)

For pretty decent weather. As much as I do want snow, I want it to wait... just a bit. Maybe the first week of December, snow gods? Right now it's just great being able to move around outside, go for a walk, etc., without freezing to death. By death I mean the -6 F that my aunt MJ just relayed from Calgary, Alberta. That's just insane (no offense, Albertans).

For a-ha moments. I took the tree out of it's big bag (yes, it's not real, get over it. I like the fact that my tree didn't give its life for my enjoyment and can stay up until New Year's without being a fire hazard!) yesterday afternoon and saw pretty ribbons attached to each end of the plug-ins and said to myself, "What genius came up with that plan?" Apparently the cursing and swearing I did last time I put up the tree actually compelled me to think ahead and put like-patterned ribbons on each end that plugs in to each other! Bo-nus. I had a good chuckle about the fact that I have zero memory of doing that. But as I'm typing, I remember that one year ago we were in house destructo-zone from the water damage from a leak, and Christmas decorating did not happen. SO. Two years ago, that seems more understandable as to why I would have no memory, right? Not just that I'm getting old...

Which leads me to a lot of gratefulness that our house is in good working order (knock on wood), and that State Farm did such a great job of taking care of our costs in getting it back to that condition. Really. Every penny. I am thankful for that, and the fact that we had a good crew doing the work, too. A distant memory at this point, and I'm grateful for that too! Just a lot of general gratitude around the house situation, are you getting that? And that there's a warm roof over our heads during the winter months. Not something I take for granted.

For skype, and technology in general. Love the staying in touch factor, even if some texts just never do get returned... (sorry, couldn't resist). (I'm mostly joking. Mostly.)

For energy (and caffeine when the energy needs a little boost)! It is amazing what one can get done between 5:30 and 9 a.m. (and also amazing what good an afternoon nap does when the crash happens at 2:30 p.m.!). I love being a morning person, so much.

For inspiration. I was giving the Pinterest spiel to someone today (I think I converted her, too!) and was reminded that even when I'm busy and don't spend a bunch of time at it, it's there and it's a really great resource for new ideas. Here are some really clever ideas that I've found recently.

I'm grateful for friends, near and far. For the connection we've made, newer or a very long time ago. The world is an amazing place--one where a lot of pain and suffering go on, a great deal of the time. I find the human connection to be one of the best and most tangible ways to feel God's presence, here on earth. The love that people show to each other through the mundane and the horrible and the sublime... that's the stuff, baby. I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

I hope your week has ended well and that wherever you are, you're as warm as you want to be, and feeling blessed. What are you grateful for this week?

Peace.

Thursday 13: A treat for your eyes via video

2011-11-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

nce again, my little "saved-up" video collection has grown to 13, so here I am with 13 tidbits for your Thursday. Lots of music, but a few other treats as well...

1. A creative music video, I Need Nothing.

2. Champagne girl. You know you want to invite her to Thanksgiving dinner.

3. An oldie but a goodie: Taylor the Latte Boy.

4. James Blake covering Feist's There's a Limit to Your Love.

5. Lulu and the Lampshades, so fun!

6. Eleanor Rigby. One voice that sounds like many...

7. (Breakfast at) Tiffany's ad.

8. An Apple ad that never aired, apparently...

9. The Innovator's Cookbook. Inspiring thoughts toward new ways to come up with ideas...

10. Night at the Roxbury with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. I have a hard time believing that they did this, but I guess the video is the proof?

11. A fabulous break dance

Break ton Neck from Alex Yde on Vimeo.

12. Color art that makes my color heart go pitterpat.

13. Earth time lapse. This one's been making it's way around Facebook, so you've probably seen? See again!

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Hope you saw something that made you laugh, or just smile a little. Which video was your favorite?

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Midweek reminder: The rehearsals of milky November

2011-11-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

e are enjoying a few days of beautiful sunrises and mostly clear skies before a promised storm arrives. I saw this poem a few weeks back and tucked it away, just knowing... snow's a comin'.

I have a recent affection (the past decade, so... sort of recent) for poems that deal with the natural world... weather, animals, landscape, beauty. Being exposed to them in college, I remember thinking, "Meh, let's write about feelings." Ah well. Getting on up in years is a good thing...

The White
These are the moments
before snow, whole weeks before.
The rehearsals of milky November,
cloud constructions
when a warm day
lowers a drift of light
through the leafless angles
of the trees lining the streets.
Green is gone,
gold is gone.
The blue sky is
the clairvoyance of snow.
There is night
and a moon
but these facts
force the hand of the season:
from that black sky
the real and cold white
will begin to emerge.
-Patricia Hampl

Common Miracles, Week 26: Autumn is my favorite (again)

2011-11-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

I know! The autumn junkie is back for another round of wacko-fall-love. Look away now if this in any way annoys you.

What's common and ordinary, and inspires me today?
*The color of the sky up against the mountains, the shades of gray and blue and purple, dark and angry, but comforting.
*The colorful leaves, swirling in the wind.
*The doggies, running in the wind.
*Butternut squash, especially with a little parmagiano and just the teensiest bit of cream.
*When someone sings the national anthem a capella and hits all the notes. Maybe some day I'll be able to hear that without tearing up. Today was not that day.
*Christmas decorations, still in their boxes, but a few feet closer to their December destination. I swear they are quivering in expectation. Really.
*Coffee with frothed milk. I had forgotten how yummy that is.
*Words that resonate:
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home. -Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation

I hope your Monday has been good, for a Monday, and that you see Common Miracles around you. (Because they are there, everywhere.)

To see how the Common Miracle project began, go here.

Granny squares completed

2011-11-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

he hexagon Granny square project has been done for some time! As you can see, it was lovely and green-grassy out way back when I took these pictures. But for some reason, the pictures got a little lost in my computer kerfluffles of the past few months and I just recently unearthed them.

The original project I found at Attic24, a delightful crochet blog, and the hexagon tutorial there was really quite helpful. Since I hadn't done a join-as-you-go project before, I took the longer route and chose to join the hexagons once completed. So, my overall look is a bit different than hers, but I like the way the black makes all the colors pop. If and when I do the project again, I think I will work the hexagons together as I go, and maybe even bring the colors down from 16 to maybe even just 4 or 8 for a more monochromatic look (as in, maybe all shades of blue, or green, or something like that). I know, how unlike me, to limit the colors! Well, we'll see...

Once I got all the hexagons done, I laid them out on the floor and was able to move them around until I liked the arrangement--didn't want any similar blocks too near to each other, of course. That step alone, of joining the blocks, took quite a while and wasn't nearly as pleasant as crocheting the hexis themselves, so I am rather looking forward to trying out the join-as-you-go method!

I donated the finished piece to the local Humane Society, for a silent auction they had at a fundraiser recently. I was happy to support the puppies and kitties, and I think the "cozy throw," as they called it in the auction materials, went to a good home!

Friday night grateful moment

2011-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

n this Friday night, looking back, the week feels long. Not because it was particularly difficult, or productive, or anything tangible. Except dark. I think the early evenings wear on me a little. So much for the fall love, eh? I do still love it, but ask me how much I like going out and about after dark? Not so much...

But still, as ever, grateful. With long weeks the list should be twice as long, right? Ha.

This week, and every week, I'm grateful for my family. Little emails, texts, notes, pictures... ways of keeping in touch. I am blessed. A friend sent me a note this week telling me how much she appreciated my mom's voice on my Facebook page, as her mom has passed away and she really loves seeing mother-daughter interaction. That was really sweet, don't you think, Ma? Thank you for being you.

I'm grateful for technology that keeps me in touch with Seth when he is otherwise housed. (How does one say that sentence? Not my favorite sentence, for sure.) Keeping in touch, again with little texts and Facebook chats, it's a better world for me because of technology.

Sunshine was around this week--we had great sunrises and some decent sunsets, and even though there's a promise of a storm tonight, so far it's pretty peaceful. I am grateful sunshine on these crisp fall days, even if it disappears around 4:30. Ugh.

Time is such a precious commodity, and I'm grateful when I get a little extra dose of time with husband. He's a gem, and we had a lovely day today, chatting together and short-road-trippin'-it.

I am grateful when I see examples of courage in our world. I read this blog post and was struck by her courage, on quite a few different fronts. Would that I could live that kind of courage every day.

A Facebook friend posted this video and I just had to share. I am grateful for humor, wherever I can find it. Laughing and finding the funny in the world around me, with all the sadness and pain, is rather critical to survival, it seems.

I busted out the Christmas music this week (and I'm grateful I did!). I blame the early release on the fact that we're celebrating Christmas with my family at Thanksgiving, so I'm in the mode/mood anyway, so why not be humming a musical accompaniment, am I right or am I right? I'm still working on my official 2011 Holiday Mix, but have been thoroughly enjoying Michael Buble's Christmas album, as well as She&Him's new holiday collection too. Good stuff.

I'm not a paid staff member of Michael's fan club, but I can't help but tease with:

How much fun is that? The whole album is really quite fab.

And since I'm already in a holiday mood, I shall inflict on you these lovely images I have pinned this week... I know, we still have Thanksgiving to go, but indulge me just a little, OK? We are past Halloween (meaning, I'm not as bad as those big box stores!). I'm grateful for the holiday season ahead.

lights

lights (now that we're all done with those tomato cages from the garden...)

stuffed

ornament (would it be MY list without a little crochet?)

ornament (how fun are these?!)

cakepops

santa feet cupcakes

OK, I'm done with Christmas for the moment... hope it's not too soon for you to have a little holiday cheer in your heart... and in front of your eyes!

This shows you how long the week felt: I almost forgot to mention my wonderful weekend in Canada way back when (last weekend!) and the gratitude I have for my grandmother and my aunts, as well as my lovely son for making the trek through the Middle of Nowhere, Washington, to get there. I'm grateful for friendship connections, new and old, in Kelowna, and for the wonderful memories that being there always brings back for me. I had breakfast while looking out over the lake, got to crochet while everyone else played Scrabble, enjoyed picking up MJ at the airport and getting coffee together, and coerced Bobbi and Seth into being homebodies (I told you I don't like going out into the dark) and watching movies and eating popcorn on Saturday night. Capped off with a marathon Steve Jobs audio listen on the way home, and no speeding tickets (that alone is a grateful thing!) and it was a very special time.

I'm grateful for the weekend ahead, that it involves some down time, some up time, and a lot of gratitude.

What's on your thankful list this Friday night? I hope a few things make the cut.

Peace.

Pumpkin donut muffins

2011-11-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

ome find the pumpkin/fall combo confusing. Why only make pumpkin items at certain times of year, when canned pumpkin, at least, is available year round? Well, dear pumpkin skeptics, do you feel the same way about eggnog? Or Christmas cookies and candies? I thought not. There's just something so lovely and autumnal about pumpkin, and I always look forward to adding it to various baked goods (and my coffee too!).

I found these little goodies over at Ezra Pound Cake, a really comprehensive food blog with many yummy items. The muffins whipped up quite easily, and were delicious freshly out of the oven. I also took her note to heart and froze a dozen or so, and have enjoyed pulling them out of the freezer on weekends and enjoying them with our leisurely omelette breakfasts.

However, my one caveat about the recipe: it makes a lot more than it states. I doubled it (as I was taking to share with friends), and filled two dozen muffin papers AND a loaf pan. So, do with that what you will... enjoy more donut muffins!

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Adapted from Everyday Food (November 2010)
Makes 12 muffins (see my note above...)

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin purée
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

Glaze:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (use 1 to 2 tablespoons if just coating the tops)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups (I sprayed muffin paper liners. That's how I roll). In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and buttermilk. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with melted unsalted butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture (as you can see from my picture, I pretty much just dipped the tops...). Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

FREEZING: The naked muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350 degree oven, then coat in butter and sugar.

If you click over to her recipe, you'll see that my muffins look a lot orange-pumpkinier. I have no idea what's up with that. But they are a lovely fall muffin option. I think you will enjoy them!

Friday night grateful moment

2011-11-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

riday night in the old country. Well, that's what I call Canada, anyway. It's what I used to call the actual old countries growing up--you know, the general Eastern European area my ancestors came from... with a little bit of an accent... My old country always brings out the grateful in me. One of my all-time favorite grateful lists is from another visit here. Good times. And this afternoon, driving in under the bluest skies, looking out on various lakes along the way, it was indeed lovely.

This week I'm grateful that I slept through our first big windstorm. I won't say I didn't have a leeetle help, but still, I stayed asleep and actually overslept (that's what the help will do for you!). Sweet. Well, other than the rushing around after the oversleeping, it was pretty sweet.

My men are always high on my grateful list, and this week's no exception. They both spoiled me wonderfully on my birthday, in spite of being in various stages of illness and recovery. It was a lovely day and now a distant memory, other than the espresso I make every morning that reminds me of my thoughtful husband. I haven't had an espresso machine in years, but all my hours--I should count them up sometime!--of standing in front of a big old restaurant espresso machine in Sydney in 1989 came rolling back to me and I frothed up milk like a pro! Like a pro, I tell you.

Reminders are good, don't you think? (Well, I guess I can think of a few instances when they might not be great, but let's focus on the positive, shall we?) I am thinking of the kind of reminders that bring you back to you. Remind you of who you are. That may seem rather counter-intuitive--if YOU don't know who YOU are, who would? Well, if you're anything like me, you can get a little lost some days in the everydayness of what you're doing and who you're doing it for, and if that list is longer than YOU, sometimes you need reminders. Still with me? I was reminded this week of my "strengths," in a book I'm rereading for a local nonprofit leadership group. The book is Now, Discover Your Strengths, and husband and I each took the quiz a number of years back. I had forgotten that my strengths (according to this book, anyway...) are: responsibility, strategic, positivity, discipline, maximizer. (Does the word strategic stand out to anyone else as odd? Shouldn't it be strategy? Kind of like that old Sesame Street thing: one of these things is not like the others...) Anyway, I was grateful to be reminded of those words (whether I agree with them 100% or not is another story), and I'm grateful to still get a chance to use my strengths, even if it's not in an office, every day.

I'm grateful it's only just under three weeks until Thanksgiving. Such a wonderful holiday, and getting to spend it with my family and having Seth too? Golden. Bonus. Bolden? Golnus? Doesn't quite roll off the tongue, eh? I'll work on it. Meanwhile, I am very ready for turkey. And stuffing. And potatoes. And cranberry sauce. All the good stuff that makes up The Perfect Bite. Oh, the sublime anticipation.

As I sit at my aunt's, having just visited with my Grandma, with another aunt flying in for the day tomorrow, I am truly grateful for my family. I don't take for granted the bonds of my mother and her sisters, and their respective ties to Grandma as well... family means so many things to different people, but I'm grateful as can be that for me, family means hugs and warmth, good food, great conversation, understanding within differences, and love. Lots of love.

Creativity + persistence. I'm grateful for artists who can see past the practicalities that the rest of us get hung up on (sometimes the hangups are necessary, but still, what great art came from a deadline setter?). This video took more than a year and almost 300,000 jelly beans to make. If someone came to you and told you that timeframe and scope, would you sign off? Me neither. But I'm glad she did.

Oh, I am so grateful for music. So so grateful. I got my iTunes all set up and ready to roll on my new laptop and that was a bit of a chore. There are some new features to iTunes that are helpful, like being able to download all your purchases, from the beginning of time. As I browsed through music I bought way back when, I got all nostalgic, of course, so there are a few new mixes on the way... of old favorites and new favorites and OF COURSE holiday favorites as well.

I know I talk a lot about paying attention, listening, having similar themes come to you (me) again and again, but I swear a week doesn't go by when I don't see or hear something that I would have probably completely missed a week earlier... This week I saw a clip posted by a food blog on Facebook about a chef, Ottolenghi. A week ago that would have meant nothing to me, I might have clicked on it but more likely I would have skipped right on by. Because I happened to get a beautiful cookbook by Ottolenghi from my aunt MJ for my birthday, I of course clicked over. His love of cooking and cooking with people he loves: love it. I'm grateful for examples of people who put the love into the work, maybe even ahead of the work, and the work is better because of it.

Ottolenghi: Love is the Right Word on Nowness.com.

I'm grateful for technology, every day. It makes staying in touch so much easier, and in some cases just simply possible. From texts and phone calls from husband while we're traveling, to skype abilities with the parents and Facebooking with friends, technology is a lovely benefit of living in the world right now. As Seth and I were listening to Steve Jobs on the way up today, on an iPhone, no less (!), and the author was recounting the first time Steve saw a computer and what an impact that made on him, I looked over at Seth and was struck by how second nature technology is for him (he's currently helping my aunt with some of her computer issues), and that the moment of seeing his first computer was when he was days old. So what will his a-ha moment be? What will be the thing that he looks back on and thinks, that was the first time I saw X, and my life was changed by that?

Whatever you have on tap for the weekend, may it bring good things your way. What are you grateful for this week? I hope it's a long list!

Peace.

Thursday 13: Survey says

2011-11-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

ran across this fun survey over at Randomness with Rachel, and tucked it away to use down the road... then it occured to me that it could be fun to make into a Thursday 13... I had to add a couple of questions, and changed one or two around to suit me, but it still does mostly resemble the one she posted. Mostly. Enjoy!

13 places I have visited:
1. Sydney, Australia
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Singapore
5. Penang, Malaysia
6. Hong Kong
7. Alaska
8. Hawaii
9. NYC
10. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
11. Keene, Texas
12. Palm Desert, CA
13. San Luis Obispo, CA

12 items on my bucket list:
1. Have high tea in London.
2. Eat macarons in Paris.
3. Visit early Christian churches in Eastern Europe.
4. Eat gnocchi in Italy.
5. Do a Holy Lands tour.
6. Live on an island (as its only two inhabitants [with husband]... a very small island, maybe in a river rather than the ocean. This is more pipe dream than bucket list...).
7. Learn to sing. Really sing.
8. Learn to play the piano. Really play the piano.
9. Get a poem published. (By someone other than myself!)
10. Run a marathon. (Once upon a time this was going to happen by 40. Ha ha ha ha.)
11. Build a house. Well, participate in the building of the house by telling people what to do. And maybe swing a hammer occasionally.
12. Dip my toes in every ocean on Earth. (I might just look at the Arctic Ocean... Brrr.) I guess I just have Indian and Arctic to go, unless you're one of the people who buy into the fifth ocean thing... I don't mind adding Antarctica to the list!

11 things I love to eat (this list will not surprise anyone!):
1. Figs
2. Basil
3. Cheese, pretty much any kind but especially chevre, fresh mozzarella, brie and blue cheese
4. Crusty white bread, ie baguette, but more dense and chewy... ciabatta?
5. Custard
6. Hazelnuts
7. Sun-ripened tomatoes (especially WITH basil and cheese)
8. Steak
9. Warm chocolate chip cookies and milk
10. Roasted vegetables: cauliflower, butternut squash, potatoes...
11. Fondue (this deserves its own category, separate from cheese)
12. Berries: blueberries are at the top, followed quickly by raspberries and strawberries...

10 items currently on my desk:
1. Please do not be horrified, but 3 (count 'em) laptops in various stages of workability. Working on getting to ONE.
2. Nail polish
3. Files of stuff I pretend to work on
4. SanDisk to transfer photos from my good camera to my computer
5. Coupons from a massage therapist I went to recently. She's good.
6. A Little Book of Healing Prayer
7. Takeout menu from PFChangs
8. Wallet I keep meaning to transfer stuff into
9. Landline phone and iPhone
10. Box of tissues (for reading things like Mona Simpson's eulogy for Steve Jobs, or watching Parenthood. Gah.)

9 flowers I would fill my house up with every day if I could:
1. Plumeria
2. Gerbera daisies--every color!
3. English tea roses in pinks and yellows and peaches
4. Forget-me-nots
5. Siberian irises
6. Lilacs
7. Dahlias, in peachy pink shades
8. Sunflowers
9. Peonies

8 favorite songs (hard to keep to 8...):
1. Abide in Me, Kristen Chenoweth
2. The Luckiest, Ben Folds
3. First Day of My Life, Bright Eyes
4. The Way I Am, Ingrid Michaelson
5. Living Prayer, Alison Krause
6. Sailing to Philadelphia, Mark Knopfler
7. Extreme Ways, Moby

8. A Million Ways, OK Go

7 things I can't get through the day without:
1. Coffee
2. iPhone
3. Prayer (feel bad putting that in third place, but it's where it naturally occurred to me...)
4. Kiss/hug/I-love-you to/from husband
5. Hug from Seth (if he's here...)
6. Food
7. A shower. Well, I can, but I really have a better day if I do.

6 favorite authors:
1. C. S. Lewis
2. Jhumpa Lahiri
3. Anne Lamott
4. Donald Miller
5. Mary Oliver
6. Bill Bryson

5 animals I would have as a pet if I could:
1. Giraffe
2. Exotic cat, like an ocelot
3. Red panda
4. Fennec fox
5. Hedgehog

4 words to describe myself:
1. Persistent/persevering
2. Optimistic
3. Cheerful (especially after coffee...)
4. Honest

3 models of vehicles I have owned:
1. Subaru
2. Jeep
3. Honda

2 physical traits that attract me to someone:
1. Eyes
2. Smile

1 favorite season: Doh! Autumn.

Well, that was fun. I'd love to hear yours... you can play along in the comments or on your own blog!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Midweek reminder: All we do is pass through here

2011-11-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I Am Startled Out of Myself,
like this morning, when the wild geese came squawking,
flapping their rusty hinges, and something about their trek
across the sky made me think about my life, the places
of brokenness, the places of sorrow, the places where grief
has strung me out to dry. And then the geese come calling,
the leader falling back when tired, another taking her place.
Hope is borne on wings. Look at the trees. They turn to gold
for a brief while, then lose it all each November.
Through the cold months, they stand, take the worst
weather has to offer. And still, they put out shy green leaves
come April, come May. The geese glide over the cornfields,
land on the pond with its sedges and reeds.
You do not have to be wise. Even a goose knows how to find
shelter, where the corn still lies in the stubble and dried stalks.
All we do is pass through here, the best way we can.
They stitch up the sky, and it is whole again.

-Barbara Crooker

Common Miracles, Week #25: In love with the season

2011-11-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

“Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.”
–Pema Chodron

Fall continues to woo me... completely ordinary things surround me, but I am in love with them all. (Well, except for the dark. The dark I am less in love with...) The color variety, the crispness, the sweaters and boots, the fall flavors, the holiday anticipation, the pheasants strutting around the fields... it's all quite up my alley.

I am getting my iTunes all squared away again (things have been iffy in the computer world, but are definitely looking up!), and loving getting reacquainted with music I haven't seen/heard in months. Kinda cool, the memories associated with songs. I love that (mostly). Nothing (maybe other than some specific smells) can transport me so quickly to a time and place.

I read Mona Simpson's tribute to Steve Jobs yesterday in the NYTimes and had a quiet cry at my keyboard... a lovely piece, and oddly intimate. I didn't expect to be so moved by her words, by her telling of his last days and hours.

The Beth Moore study I'm in right now isn't one of my favorites--it will be hard to top Fruit of the Spirit from last spring--but there are still nuggets in the mix... this morning was devoted to the Lord's Prayer, how to pray, etc., and that's my speed. I especially was internally nodding when she talked about praying without being results-oriented. I wasn't nodding because I know this and live this, but because I needed to be reminded of that fact. Pray to be in His will, not to have my will magically imposed on the world. Nuts. I mean, good reminder.

A warm mug of coffee is currently juicing me up to go mow/pick up leaves. Husband got me a wee espresso maker for my birthday--for a non-coffee-drinker, he does indulge my habits!--and I mastered the espresso this morning. Now on to the frothing of the milk... the little rituals of our mornings are quite soothing to me, especially on mornings such as this, where autopilot is really the only mode between 6 and 7 a.m. If I actually had to think? Not so good...

Words that pop up in multiple places around the same time always feel like tiny knock-knocks on my brain: Pay attention, Sher. I love that. I'm not talking about those silly urban memes like Lionel Ritchie's picture with the lyrics from "Hello" underneath it--which seems to come around every six months in a flurry like it was just discovered for the first time. No, I'm talking about seeing words, similar if not exactly the same, in very disparate places. Happens to me all the time. I dig it.

Two recent examples:

Kurt Vonnegut quote

Some times you need to see things multiple times (at least I do) to Get It. I'm trying to lean in more closely and listen, but some days my internal chat is turned up too high and things whiz by unnoticed... Working on it...

That's my list for this day. I feel utterly blessed to look out my window and see sunshine and colorful leaves. Now to go mow them up!

To read about the Common Miracle project and how it began, go here.

Crepe cake, or gateau de crepes

2011-10-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

et's not talk about how long it's been since I've posted a recipe, OK? (Crazy long, that's how long.) I'm calling "bygones" on the recent past, and have made some new year (post-birthday, anyway) resolutions about doing better in that regard. Remember that old tag line to Sweet Tea&Sunshine? "A little food, a little gratitude." Well, it's been plenty of gratitude, and most food happening offline... time to get back to posting recipes! I've got plenty in my drafts folder, for sure; just need to get my act together and turn pictures and recipes into actual posts. Wish me luck!

What better way to get back into the groove than to post my birthday dessert? Given the fact that it was crowd-sourced and all, right?! It's hard not to be pleased with what gets picked when you're the one putting all the options out in the first place, but I was super-excited to get to make a crepe cake again. Sometimes you just need the excuse to pull out the sugar and flour and eggs, am I right?

I turned to a food blogging professional (Smitten Kitchen) for the recipe, and found it rather different than ones I've used in the past. The crepe batter was quite a bit thinner, which took me a little to get used to but worked out just fine. And the custard was folded into whipped cream, which I don't remember doing in the past... again, turned out wonderfully. It's no surprise that this is definitely a make-again!

Gâteau de Crêpes
New York Times, 5/15/05, who adapted the batter from Joy of Cooking and the pastry cream from Desserts, by Pierre Herme and Dorie Greenspan.

Serves 10. (Smitten Kitchen thinks it serves way more than 10, which I would mostly concur with. I think we ended up with 16 slices, at least...)

For the crepe batter:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
7 tablespoons sugar
Pinch salt

For the vanilla pastry cream:
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons butter

For assembly:
Corn oil
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar or more
3 Tbsp Kirsch (didn't use, not fond of the flavor)
Confectioners’ sugar

The day before, make the crepe batter and the pastry cream.

Batter: In a small pan, cook the butter until brown like hazelnuts. Set aside. In another small pan, heat the milk until steaming; allow to cool for 10 minutes. In a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Slowly add the hot milk and browned butter. Pour into a container with a spout, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Pastry cream: Bring the milk with the vanilla bean (and scrapings) to a boil, then set aside for 10 minutes; remove bean. Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside a small bowl that can hold the finished pastry cream and be placed in this ice bath.

In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, then place pan over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Press the pastry cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the small bowl. Set the bowl in the ice bath and stir until the temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Stir in the butter. When completely cool, cover and refrigerate.

Assemble the cake the next day: Bring the batter to room temperature. Place a nonstick or seasoned 9-inch crepe pan over medium heat. Swab the surface with the oil, then add about 3 tablespoons batter and swirl to cover the surface. Cook until the bottom just begins to brown, about 1 minute, then carefully lift an edge and flip the crepe with your fingers. Cook on the other side for no longer than 5 seconds. Flip the crepe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat until you have 20 perfect crepes.

Pass the pastry cream through a sieve once more (didn't do, worked out fine. I mean, how strained does a custard need to be?). Whip the heavy cream with the tablespoon sugar. It won’t hold peaks. Fold it into the pastry cream.

Lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, completely cover with a thin layer of pastry cream (about 1/4 cup). Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a stack of 20, with the best-looking crepe on top. Chill for at least 2 hours. Set out for 30 minutes before serving. If you have a blowtorch for creme brulee, sprinkle the top crepe with 2 tablespoons sugar and caramelize with the torch; otherwise, dust with confectioners’ sugar (I used creme brulee sugar, see below). Slice like a cake.

I love a good excuse to get out the blowtorch! Husband walked into the kitchen and said, "Have you been taking tools out of the shop?" No, honey, that torch is ALL MINE!

Since so many of my dear friends and readers know of my hazelnut/Nutella love (there was even a jar on our front porch the night of my birthday, thank you sweet Sara), there had been much encouragement toward a Nutella crepe cake... I could have gone there, easily, with some Nutella folded into the custard while it was still warm--I've done that many times and it works wonderfully. But, as strange luck would have it, when I was making the custard, there was no Nutella to be found in my pantry. The horrors!

But I did have a lovely bar of hazelnut chocolate from Laura's recent Europe trip up in my office (where I keep my secret stash, of course!) and I whizzed that up in the food processor with a little hot cream and voila! Hazelnut chocolate sauce... perfect for pouring over and enjoying. The crepe cake itself is not overly sweet. The sauce was WAY sweet, so just a touch went a long way, and it was heaven.

It was indeed the perfect ending to a wonderful birthday day with my guys!

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Friday night grateful moment

2011-10-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

ello Friday night.
Hello end of another week.
Hello beginning of rest and relaxation.
Hello beginning of my 44th year. (Yikes.)
Hello November (more or less).

A quick, good week, other than a tummy bug that has plagued the household a bit more than we'd like. Still, even with the bug, so so much to be grateful for.

Still eating produce from the garden, and it's almost November. How is that possible? Also still enjoying fairly pleasant fall days, with a touch of frost in the mornings... so grateful for our autumn days. (Especially when I see what the Northeast has in store this weekend. Yikes.)

Grateful for a lovely and stretched out birthday week (or two, to be honest...). I have such wonderful family, and pretty amazing friends too. Thank you all for the birthday good wishes and affections.

My men. All I really need to feel grateful is my guys. And having them here and celebratory with me, just makes the weekend all frosting. Well, all cake AND all frosting. We even stepped out for a couple of late-afternoon errands (bold moves for those with a tummy bug, in my opinion, but we're nothing if not bold--and on the mend), which is incredibly rare around here. Ah, the family that grocery shops together...

I'm grateful for late-season figs. (I'm sure that shocks you.) I had to pick through them pretty carefully to get the good ones, but it was worth it--yum. I'm also grateful for all the fall flavors--I'm on a butternut squash jag at the moment and finally made butternut squash mac-n-cheese last night. (Will post, I swear. I know I've been pathetically pathetic with the recipes of late...) It was delightful. I had some of that today for lunch, with additional roasted butternut thrown in. Yum. And pomegranates... those are here, and wonderful. And artichokes. And black grapes. Good thing I'm an all-season food girl, eh?

As we're all relaxing in one room together on this Friday night, I am reminded how very much I enjoy the early sunsets of winter (on the weekend. I feel the need to state that caveat!). Peaceful Friday nights. The fireplace. The hot tub. Supper together as a family. Reading. Catching up on my online feeds. Writing my grateful list. Ahhh. I am very grateful for a day of rest, indeed.

I went on a crochet jag on Pinterest this week. Decided I needed to go check out some of the people who were following me, and browse their boards... and how! And you know what I'm most grateful for? People who take the time to turn their projects into tutorials--that is no small task, to say the least. I have learned so much by crocheters putting their instructions online, it's just fabulous. Here are a few of my favorites, lately, in the crochet world.

angrybirds (hats for Christmas, Goerlitz Jr. clan?!)

I will stop there, but believe me... I could show you fun crochet stuff ALL NIGHT. Silly, crazy, yes. But fun and colorful, for sure.

Remember how I've mentioned that I have been feeling a little less than inspired in the kitchen lately? I think I figured out why: haven't been browsing my cookbooks enough. Rather a "doh!" moment... what seems to inspire me and feeling like cooking new and different things (or even busting out the old favorites) is to look at recipes, be reminded of dishes, etc. I think there's a bit of a difference between online and a book, for me. I sat down with a couple of my favorite cookbooks the other day--you know, the ones that have gorgeous pictures in addition to yummy recipes--and definitely felt inspired to cook more than I have in ages. I'm very grateful for that. I don't like it when I'm feeling uninspired and blah in the kitchen, no way.

I am grateful, on this eve of my birthday, for another year of living. I know too many people who have had illness or passed away in recent years to take that for granted, ever. (I have a faint memory of being young--like, really young--and taking for granted that I'd be around another year. The folly of youth, eh?) Physical health, mental health, spiritual health, emotional health... it all matters, and I appreciate the chance to have had another 365-day spin around the sun to work on my stuff. I am blessed.

And I'm grateful for you. If you've wandered here accidentally, or you're here because you actually know me, either way, I'm grateful. For your encouragement in these three years of blogging, for your emails and Facebook posts and letting me know when I see you that you like this or that, or you tried this recipe or that recipe, thank you. I really had no idea when I started what this blogging thing would be like, could be like... and it's been a most enjoyable pastime, to say the least!

I hope your weekend is filled with joy and love. What are you grateful for this week? Tell me! (Please.)

Peace.

Thursday 13: Gifts to myself of the quote variety

2011-10-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

eemed a quote-y kind of week, as I thought about it... Nothing like being poised on the brink of a new year to make one reflect a bit and plot to do better, be better, in the coming year.

Here are 13 quotes that, as I went through my "stack," stood out to me as little gifts to myself this birthday. I may have posted a few of them in the past, but if so, that just means they really speak to me!

1. We are mirrors whose brightness, if we are bright, is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us. -C. S. Lewis

2. Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

3. We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn. -Henry David Thoreau

4. Let go of the idea that the path will lead you to your goal. The truth is that with each step we take, we arrive. -Paulo Coelho

5. If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you. -A.A. Milne

6. The obstacle is the path. -Zen Proverb

7. The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. -M. Scott Peck

8. At the root of virtually all spiritual practice is the notion of forgiveness. Think about every single person who has ever harmed you, cheated you, defrauded you or said unkind things about you. Your experience of them is nothing more than a thought that you carry around with you. These thoughts of resentment, anger and hatred represent slow, debilitating energies that will disempower you. If you could release them, you would know more peace. -Wayne Dyer

9. The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. -Theodore Rubin

10. May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ. -Ephesians 3:18-19

11. The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen. -G.K. Chesterton

12. A heart that is light lives long. -Irish Proverb

13. I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity. -Gilda Radner

Which quote is your favorite? Tell me! I have a hard time picking; they each hold a unique appeal to me...

For other Thursday 13 participants, go here.

And because I can feel you are just on pins and needles to know which treat I am making for my birthday (voting options here), without further ado: Between the comments here and on Facebook it was quite close between the Nutella Icebox Cake and the Crepe Cake... and the Crepe Cake won out. Because there was no clear winner in which kind of Crepe Cake, I suppose I will decide that when I am actually making the custard! Thanks to all who voted, I enjoyed seeing what you picked.

Midweek reminder: The future is wide open

2011-10-26T08:14:00.003-07:00

At least once a year, I imagine that I am about to die. Looking back as truthfully as I can at my entire life, I give full attention to the things I wish hadn’t occurred. Recognizing these mistakes honestly but without self-recrimination, I try to rejoice in the innate wisdom that allows me to see so bravely, and I feel compassion for how I so frequently messed up. Then I can go forward. The future is wide open, and what I do with it is up to me. -Pema Chodron

And because I wouldn't be me if I didn't juxtapose something thoughtful with something silly, I got an early birthday card yesterday. It read: I used to live each day as if it were my last, but people got tired of me screaming, "I'm going to die! I"m going to die!" It's your birthday, be as dramatic as you want. (Thanks for the laugh, Nancy.)

So, do with those two paragraphs what you will.

I'm off to do something with my future!

Common Miracles, Week 24

2011-10-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

– Pema Chodron

ast week was a no-show for me with the Common Miracles project. That bummed me a bit; being a person of routines and grooves (bet you hadn't noticed that), when a groove is gotten out of, it saddens me... but, when the internet's down, the internet's down, right?! What are you going to do? I know, post from my iPad, but I have yet to really feel the love with that process, so let's just say the internet was down, OK?

Meanwhile, this week I'm back, and ready to roll with Week 24.

And I'm feeling the list form... common miracles abound!

Sunshine. There was a promise of freezing, or at least frost, so Seth and I hauled in a bunch of late produce yesterday afternoon, in the sunshine. I got so warm, I couldn't believe it was October. We picked eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes (a lot of them green...), potatoes, cucumbers... I was a little surprised at what all we unearthed! (And sure enough, this morning the world was frosted. Quite prettily, but it was indeed the first morning I said COLD! It's COLD.)

Pretty yarn that is fun to crochet. I'm on a little variegated jag at the moment...

An owl that sits on our highest roof peak and welcomes us home in the twilight. I love seeing Owen!

Beautiful autumn colors. While we certainly don't live in the most colorful part of the country by any means, there are still a few yellows and oranges and reds to liven up the landscape.

Being in the middle. I never thought I would really say YEAH for middle age (it just sounds soooooo boring), but just yesterday I witnessed some chutzpah of youth (no, not Seth--at least not this instance!), and some silliness a bit older than myself as well (no, Ma, not YOU), and I thought--boy, I'm glad to be where I am.

Small projects that you can start and finish quickly. I don't mind longer projects to chunk away at, but every once in awhile, the instant gratification of a quick project just feels so good!

Words. You know, the difference between the writing that makes you say "yeah, that!" and the other, where you shake your head... I love words. And I especially like them when they get put together in sentences that resonate.

Audiobooks. I am in love with the audiobook. Listening and doing something else too, at once? Yes, please. Guess who downloaded Steve Jobs yesterday, hot off the presses? That would be me. And who just about (well, kinda did) fell asleep listening to Timothy Keller's King's Cross with Seth last night? Yep. Me.

Sleep itself is such a beautiful miracle. Husband and I were talking about how we (well, maybe mostly I) wish you could build up a sleep bank, so that a big weekend of sleeping could take one through a week of less-that-stellar sleep... just doesn't seem to work that way. You can catch up, but to get ahead on sleep? What a dream!

Having the Common Miracle concept in mind as I go through my week is really helpful in seeing what's going on around me through more grateful eyes. The pause-and-reflect mindset embues even the smallest things--leaves, the breeze, my son's smile--with a new appreciation.

To see how the Common Miracles project started, visit Chel's blog.

And have a great day! If you haven't voted for my birthday treat yet, please do! I haven't done an official polling, but I think something hazelnut-y is in the works...it's a bit of a split between crepe cake and the icebox cake, so weigh in!

Get out the vote: Crowd-sourcing birthday treats!

2011-10-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

t's a big week ahead around here!

First off, my birthday's coming up. I know, commence with the streamers and balloons (not) and general princess-like behavior (double not)...

Second, and of almost equal hoopla-do, it's Sweet Tea & Sunshine's birthday--three years old! It's been three quick years since friend Jen encouraged me to pick up my blogging "pen" and put it to "paper," and it's been quite a fun ride since then.

But for the birthday, I always spend a little time pondering what dessert I would like. (Please tell me other people do this? Or am I a freak of nature?) I know, cake is most traditional, and for a few years husband quite sweetly bought me the most beautiful cakes from Dean&DeLuca. But the past few years I've said, oh skip that hassle and expense (I think I said it more gently than that), I'll make something yummy, since I kinda like doing that sort of thing anyway. He objects, thinking somehow I'm not supposed to make my own treat, but I call silly on that idea. And, he lets me have my way, in this matter. What's the saying? Happy wife, happy life? He's a wise man.

So the first year of the blog (2008) I made galaktoboureko. That heavenly Greek custard dessert has been a big favorite of mine for many years, from first bite.

For 2009, it was a pile of cream puffs (choux pastry with custard), which have been high on my list since childhood. (Amazing how much Seth has grown in two years, eh? A-maze-ing.)

Last year is oddly fuzzy in my brain, but I think I made some spice cupcakes and mini-cakes in a new cake form I'd been given, but can't find a post or pictures of it, and apparently I was in a quandary about what to make last year too! (I do remember that my parents were here to celebrate with us, so it was obviously a lovely weekend!)

This year, the dessert question continues. I don't make cakes and sweet stuff a lot (despite what some folks think with my number of dessert posts) and so I do want to "make it count" for my birthday. It will be a lovely celebration with my men, so I suppose I should take some of their tastes into account, but honestly I probably won't (much)... when their birthdays roll around it's all about their tastebuds, right? (And I'll make sure there's something around that floats their respective boats, of course.) But the actual dessert? That can be all about me!

That's where you come in, pretty please.

I was browsing through my Pinterest-saved sweet recipes and thinking about what I would like to make, and really couldn't make up my mind. I was thinking to myself that Pinterest should have some sort of voting mechanism so people could weigh in and give opinions, and then I realized (doh!) that I have my own little voting place--between here and a targeted Facebook post or two, I should get a pretty decent crowd-sourced birthday dessert, don't you think?

1. Macarons. I have been wanting to make macarons for a very long time and have been procrastinating. There's a piece of me that's intimidated, and another than pooh-poohs that notion, but for some reason it just hasn't happened yet. My main concern with making macarons is that, like cream puffs, they don't really resemble a dessert or birthday cake, so you just pile them in a bowl and sing Happy Birthday? I guess...

2. Galaktoboureko. I loved it in 2008, and haven't made it since, seriously. So I'd be happy to recycle that concept.

3. Or, for something new, there's this cake: Nutella Icebox Cake. How amazing does that sound? Some of my favorite flavors--hazelnut, chocolate, graham crackers--and it even slightly resembles a cake! Bonus. Double bonus for the fact that it looks way heck easier than macarons.

4. Also in the cake realm is the Peanut Butter Sheet Cake. Hoo-hah. Or however Al Pacino said it in Scent of a Woman. It's a Pioneer Woman recipe, so you know it is filled with all things buttery and good.

5. It's also been awhile since I've made a crepe cake. I LOVE crepe cakes... and if I made a hazelnut one, that could be heavenly too... though even just regular vanilla custard is lovely enough. Hmmm. (The one on the upper right is tiramisu--that sounds pretty good too, doesn't it?!)

6. And then, there are the velvets: Red and Blue. (Why isn't there a Green Velvet cake? Surely that should exist, don't you think?). A true layered cake almost seems truly birthday-like...

7. I've enjoyed leche cake ever since I first tried it a few years ago... I usually think of it as a summer cake with fresh berries and fruit, but I could wrap my mind around a fall version...

8. It's been so long since I've made a cheesecake. My very favorite cheesecake recipe is the Three Cities of Spain Cheesecake from Epicurious--I've made this recipe more times than I can count, but not recently... Does a cheesecake count for a birthday? I think it could. If I wanted to step it up a notch in the cheesecake department, take a look at this creature: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake. Huh? You've got your layer cake (chocolate), you've got your cheesecake (plain), you've got your frosting (peanut butter). Wow.

OK, so, too many options? One that stands out, head and shoulders, and screams "Sher!" to you?

Please tell me. If you've never commented before, or you've gotten forgetful about commenting or (more likely) you've been too busy to comment for a while... vote, please!

I usually have pretty strong opinions on stuff and the idea of crowd-sourcing anything kind of makes me smile to myself, but in writing this down and sifting through my sweet-tooth desires, I've really gotten into the idea that which ever one gets the most votes, that's it. Period. So pick well. But pick soon. Polls will close Wednesday, Oct. 26. (A girl might need to practice her dessert a bit before the big day, right?!)

Friday night grateful moment

2011-10-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

arning! This post may be filled with an excessive number of exclamation points!

It's Friday night!
Seth's home!
It's the weekend!
We're all together!
Fun stuff on tap for the weekend!
It's only seven days until my birthday! (Ha, what a child I am. Who gets excited about birthdays at my age? Well, if you had my husband, you'd get excited too. He's kind of stellar at the birthday thing. No pressure, honey.)

See? Those exclamation points could get really annoying, eh? So I'll dial it back, a bit. Just for you. (In my head though, there are exclamation points going crazy, all over the place. But you can't see them. See how grown up I can pretend to be?)

It was a beautiful fall day today. And actually it's been a pretty good week. A real autumn mixture--there was a really warm day to start things off, followed by fog and a little rain, some just plain gray blah, finishing off with some sunshine interspersed with clouds and gray. No frost yet, at least in our little corner of the world, so that's bonus! I'm grateful for the warm days to at least contemplate getting the garden clear before it all turns to frozen mush. (Have I done it yet? No. Will I probably wait until it's mush? Alas, yes, probably.)

I'm grateful for opportunities, and second chances. When I consider how many second chances I've been given in my life, and witness the same in the lives around me, I wonder how many other/additional second chances I've been given that I'm not even aware of. Follow? It reminds me to continue to extend grace where I can, and live less in judgement. Because goodness knows, I do need that extended back to me most days.

My family provides such loving and consistent support, and I'm grateful for them.

Sleep will always be high on my grateful list. Especially the few hours I can scrounge in the early morning after a bit of a gap in the night. Those are precious scrounged hours!

Fresh, crisp new-crop apples make me excessively happy. I'm grateful to live where fresh fruits and vegetables are so very plentiful, for so much of the year.

Fall decorations are out and mostly up, which makes me very grateful for the change of seasons. White pumpkins are so pretty. Why is that? Orange is perfectly acceptable, but along come the white ones and I'm all enamored--have been for years now, I suppose... but boy have they been hard to come by, locally. I found a few in my apple hunt yesterday, but small ones. Maybe next year we'll plant our own...

The doggies and their abundant enthusiasm for my presence make me grateful for their bouncy, happy ways. I swear Chief was a horse in a previous life, the way he gallops--yes, gallops!--around the yard. I think he would be perfectly happy with a mane to go with his tail.

A bumper crop of butternuts this year!

Mashed purple potatoes from our garden, in case you were wondering...

I'm grateful for the continued color in the garden--the nasturiums especially just will not end! I love it. And there are still strawberries in the strawberry patch, and rhubarb to be harvested again...

A friend posted this to Facebook today, and it really resonated: If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path. -Joseph Campbell

I'm grateful for words, thoughts, ideas, inspirations. The world is so full of them, if we just open our eyes and look around. FULL, I tell you!

I was reading in a book this morning, A Little Book of Healing Prayer, and chanced upon these words: Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me and strengthen my faith and trust in you.

It wasn't until I was completely done reading it when I saw the name it was attributed to: Martin Luther. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. It also made me incredibly grateful for those who have come before, and for those who took the time to record their thoughts, words, prayers and feelings so that centuries later, those of us reading can be surprised, be bolstered in our own journey, encouraged in our doubt and fear, and revived in our faith.

I had lunch today with the pastor of my childhood church and his wife, who are here in town visiting their daughter, who is a dear friend of mine. The daughter and I weren't friends as children in British Columbia (a few years between us that matters at 14 but certainly not at 40+), but have become close here, many miles away... amazing how those things work out, eh? It was a great deal of fun to catch up with them and have probably the first REAL conversation of my life with them. As a child/teen, it was all fine and nice and whatever, but it wasn't much beyond hello and how are you? Once again, I was grateful for my childhood and the many people who made up the tribe that contributed to my upbringing. Way before Ms. Clinton coined it, there were villages, doing their thing with raising children. And I was blessed to have a very good village.

And because it wouldn't be a week without a little Pinterest, here are a few images that just popped up along that path this week. Little nuggets of joy, if you will...

bunny (such cuteness!)

madeleines (how candy corn of me--I actually don't like the candy, but the look is fun)

rice krispie treats (see how much I like the candy corn look? Obviously quite a bit...)

pinecones (must make for the holidays!)

halloween pets (I'm thinking everyone I know with a small animal must indulge in these for Halloween!)

october

thankful

thing 1&2 (gets my twin itch going, for sure!)

gloves (definitely on the to-make list)

How has your week gone? Full of good stuff, bad stuff, middle-of-the-road stuff? The stuff of life? Tell me about it!

I hope that no matter how it's been, you're glad to be at the weekend, and you get a chance to relax and rest a bit, enjoy family and/or friends, and indulge in a little bit of whatever makes you happy.

Peace.

Thursday 13: Daybook musings

2011-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

or today:

1. I am thinking that I'm so glad that laughter exists. I did a bit of that yesterday--at a meeting where I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to laugh *quite* so much. But I wasn't too giggly... I swear. But I love laughter.

2. I am thankful for good friends, always. I had a lovely Google chat with my heirloom friend Corinne yesterday afternoon. Yes, heirloom friend. That's our new word. No more BFF, that's so last week. We've been friends for 26 years, so we definitely feel very heirloomy... we covered all the good topics, solved a few of the world's problems, and even got a little girly and shallow too. All the important stuff.

3. In the kitchen I am feeling off my game. Not sure why, maybe just a little uninspired. Need to get a little inspiration and motivation. Feeling the need to get a little healthier around here too... my tastebuds have been leaning toward fat and salt lately, with a little sugar thrown in for good measure. So, to retrain toward a bit more health, less processed... wish me/us luck.

4. I am wearing jeans and a T and cardy. Comfortable, but dressed. Bonus.

5. I am creating some fun stuff with crochet right now, and having quite a bit of fun with it too (well, other than the whole project I had to throw out on Sunday, as the result of a bad, quick decision with a pair of scissors. Horrors!). I think, though, I need to pick a craft and stick with it for a month or two, doing ONLY that craft and not even trying to fit in the others. I am not doing a good job of multitasking right now, so it's kind of that way by default, but maybe being a bit more intentional about it will alleviate the guilt. I know, what's that? Craft guilt? Who knew? I just look over at my calligraphy table and sigh...

6. I am going to support our local Humane Society this weekend at the annual gala--the Furr Ball. Yes, it is indeed called THAT. Meow! Woof! And today I encouraged the use of Furr-bulous and Bow-wow and that kind of silliness in sponsor levels as I was proofreading the program. Just couldn't resist. Of course, the men are going with me. And some good friends and their son too, so hopefully everyone will be happily entertained. (But we'll keep an eye on the boys at the silent auction tables for sure. Don't want to be coming home with some oopsie items because somebody was kept bidding it up!)

7. I am wondering why it seems at times that tackling things head on is harder work than avoiding them? If you take the long view, avoidance seems to be a heck of a lot more work, with all the ducking and dodging. And by "head on" I don't mean bulldozing, I just mean being clear, straight, honest. I went to a class/lecture on conflict management yesterday, can you tell?

8. I am reading a lot of blog posts/web sites about blogging, how to start blogging, what makes for good blogging. A friend of mine bought a local scrapbooking store this past summer and is offering some new kinds of classes... I am teaching a small class today on blogging basics for creatives. I already taught a general "technology for creatives" kind of class, and that went well, and this one I feel like I have an even better handle on. It's narrower in scope and doesn't run the risk of being as overwhelming as TECHNOLOGY. Just that word can be overwhelming... So anyway, wish me luck. I think it will be fun, and a very small class, so very hands on too... next up, a Pinterest class (I know, you're shocked).

9. I am hoping for some blue sky today. That might be a bit of a stretchy kind of hope, but at least we're not socked in with fog. We had that flip-flop earlier this week: one day of sunshine, gorgeous blue skies and high-ish temps, followed by a really foggy morning. It freaked out a few people that the inevitable Walla Walla fog had arrived and would stay all winter (we've had some pretty long stretches of fog here...), but by mid-afternoon it burned off beautifully. Now, it's just gray. Blah.

10. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. Family time!

11. I am hearing a few music videos on my computer. I almost posted 13 videos today, but wasn't quite ready. So I'm taking the easy way out and just musing at you. Lucky you.

12. Around the house it's all pretty tidy at the moment. You'd better come visit right this moment, because that changes incredibly quickly. I have no idea HOW exactly, but we really know how to clutter up a space around here, between mail and odds-n-ends and who-knows-what... Also, I'm just two seconds away from having fall/Thanksgiving decorations up and going... the gourds have been purchased, the leaves brought out (I have some fun ideas of what to do with them this year), the appropriate glassybabies set out...

13. I am pondering what I have left to get ready for my class this morning. I gotta get moving.

Not sure what happened... I swear the daybook thing used to be 13 items long. Hmmm... Well. I have already written the next two tidbits, so you're getting bonus musings today...!

One of my favorite things right now are all the fall flavors and colors... minus Halloween. I am such a non-Halloween person, there's really not much about that whole "season" that I appreciate--I'm not into dressing up, not into the undead-ghosty stuff, not into decorating specific to spiderwebs and tombstones... OK, so what's the Halloween version of a Grinch? That's me (with a few mini Snickers thrown in, I'm not a complete nut job, really). Take me straight through to Thanksgiving, please and thank you.

A few plans for the rest of the week include lunch tomorrow with my childhood pastor and his family who are in town visiting, picking Seth up from school tomorrow and sliding on in to the weekend. Oh and making and canning applesauce, and maybe even finally blogging about some of the recipes I've made recently, as I've been just horrible about that...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing.

Remember that? That was my "word" this year... how's it going with that? Ha.

How are things in your world? Fall arrived in all it's glory? Tell me what you're up to!

For more Thursday 13 folk, go here.

For more daybook kind of people, go here.

Ten Word Tuesday

2011-10-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

The internet's back, but I'm not. Feeling behinder and behinder.

Friday night grateful moment

2011-10-14T08:07:00.001-07:00

This week I am grateful for many things; quite a few of them you have heard before: health, family, my men, the weather (well, not SO much on the dull, gray days, but in general it's been a lovely fall so far), prayer/faith and the contentedness it brings me, color and silly things like Pinterest, you know... the usual. (And figs. Basil. Friendship. Coffee.) (See, it's really hard for me to NOT do the list.)

But a few posts from other blogs have really added gratitude to my week, and I am very thankful for people who put their thoughts out to the universe in specific ways to touch others' lives. It's really hard to know if what you say is going to impact anyone, but believe me: I am blessed by things I read all the time.

Here are a few I am especially grateful for.

Walking On My Hands: Balance
"Perhaps I will find balance only when I surrender to the imbalance, to the unbending truth that balance can only exist between polarity, between gravity and a tiny body, between the jagged earth and the infinite sky."

Writing My Way Sober: The Most Beautiful Truth I Know
"All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming." -Helen Keller

A Design So Vast: Look at the light of this hour and Learning to Breathe

Live In The Layers: Let the hours play upon my body

The Gypsy Mama: I want my kids to know I was more than their mom
"I want them to know they were enough. Just as they were. That they never needed to perform for us."

I do want to especially note my men this week... my gratitude for them fills my heart so completely. For the love and kindness of my son to those around him, I am most grateful. His true and compassionate heart is one of his most winning traits. (And he has many...) (I'm completely biased, I know.)

And for my husband and the many gifts he bestows upon our family, I am daily, hourly grateful; from his hard work and dedication to his laughter and teasing and loving appreciation of our life together, he makes our world a better place.

I hope gratitude is a part of your week's ending as well. What are you grateful for this week? Big, small, infinitesimal, I would love to know about it.

Peace to you and yours.

Ten Word Tuesday

2011-10-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful fall breezes blew baby tumbleweeds into the kitchen. Really.

Common Miracles, week #22: The ordinary stuff of life

2011-10-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

-Pema Chodron

s I look around my world during this beautiful autumn, I see many ordinary things that qualify as common miracles:

*Leaves turning color. We don't have a lot of yellows and oranges, but quite a few reds... on fire!
*Pheasants scuttling around the front yard.
*Bunnies sitting and munching in the rain.
*Dahlias still blooming, happily.
*Flowers my husband brought home for me.
*Thanksgiving (Canadian) flowers my parents sent to us, so beautiful.
*Plum cobbler, yum. I could make a whole meal of it. (Well, I kind of just did.)
*Seth on his trumpet, making beautiful noise.
*The sound of rain on the shop roof (I could sleep out there!).
*Dark clouds against the mountains.
*Smell of turkey roasting (again with the Canadian Thanksgiving... we call it "warm-up Thanksgiving" around here).
*Pumpkins all piled up outside the grocery stores.
*Fuzzy socks and warm sweaters.

In a way, I feel like fall snuck up on me. But in another way, it seems right on time. Loving every minute of these cooler days and wishing that somehow darkness didn't have to come along with it. There's certainly no common miracle in the dark! Ha.

I am indeed inspired by my everyday good fortune, and I hope you are feeling the same, whatever your Monday held!

To see how the Common Miracle project started, go here.