Thursday 13: Daybook musings...

1. Outside my window... there is simply not enough snow for me. In fact, there is none. Grrr. I was really, really wanting a snow day this week. Sigh. I have a feeling that if you're reading this in a snow-bound part of the country right now, you might hate me a little bit. Sorry.

2. I am thinking... about things I had been able to put off for a bit, but now can't avoid. Ah, that's the way of it. You can stuff it down for a bit, but it always comes back. Nuts.

3. I am thankful for... so very, very much. Right now it's that our house is OURS again, no workmen banging away on this or that (they were actually an amazing and great crew, but they were just HERE. ALOT.). It's very quiet and peaceful and I love that.

4. From the kitchen... lots of legumes. Made a chili this week that the boys both liked, and a number of other soups and stews. Nice simple winter food!

5. I am wearing... (oh wow, for once it's not my fuzzy robe and slippers!) some track pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. (And my slippers.)

6. I am creating... a lot of lists! I'm even getting a few things marked off of them, too... Progress, progress, progress.


7. I am going... to have sushi tomorrow with a dear friend. Yum.

8. I am reading... Faith and Will by Julia Cameron. Enjoying it, very much.

9. I am hoping... that maybe a snow storm really will still happen this week? Or maybe that's a pipedream... I know, you all think I'm insane. But I really really want to cross-country ski across our pasture and have coffee with my friend Laura. I really do. It's been my dream all winter.

10. I am hearing... not a blessed thing. Ah.

11. Around the house... it is one big cleaning frenzy. Now that I can put things back in their proper places, I am trying to do that intentionally, and with a few fun twists too... the furniture arrangements in the game-room area are better than ever, and I am loving the new seating in the kitchen too. Comfy.

12. One of my favorite things... are my after-school chats with Seth. And the snacks. Chats and snacks.

13. A few plans for the rest of the week... Tomorrow's a big day. I have a dentist appointment in the morning (happy crown day!) and a hair appointment right after. It's a "brand new me" kind of day. A lot of sitting in chairs... not my favorite...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... I like this sentiment and feel lucky to live in such a home.

Hope you are having a lovely Thursday!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Ten Words Tuesday

Anticipating the storm, I wait. Please bury us. Snow day?

Weekend info-gathering roundup #3

t's been awhile since I've posted one of these weekend ready roundups... And while I didn't spend a great deal of time reading online this weekend, but what I did find, I enjoyed!

I did of course track the horrible shooting in Arizona and was just amazed to follow Rep. Gabrielle Gifford's progress through surgery and now into recovery. Truly a miracle that she has made it thus far! A lot of credit can go to the quick help she got from her calm, young intern, and the ability to get her into surgery within 45 minutes of the shooting.

I got inspired to maybe join in an online painting class... but then I decided that painting isn't probably one of my main areas of focus this year, so I'll just pass this idea along. (Sure looks like fun, parents of mine!)

Loved this post and graphic about TED. If you don't know about TED, do check it out. A whole lot of information, well done. You could completely lose a weekend or two to TED (and be the better for it, too.) (Or at the very least, your brain would be FULL.)

I am always on the hunt for new and fun fonts. Check out these ones, billed the "top 10 innovative fonts of 2010." How hard would it be to have to come up with an "innovative" font, given all that currently exist. Hard, I'm thinking.

I found a small collection of downloadable poems by a new-to-me author, Tara Mohr, called The Real Life. Check it out. Now THIS kind of thing might fit in more with my focus...

Also in the design sphere, I found an inspiring group of logos (word marks, more like) on a design site where I would like to spend more time, definitely.

In the vein of photography, I saw a number of bloggers who are participating in 365 Project. Shutter Sisters is one such blog, and the Digital Photography School site had some great ideas for making themes of the project. (Nope, not in my focus. Trying to stay focused!)

Through blog-hopping, I found a creative blog with illustrations that I will return to read again.

And what weekend would be complete with out at least looking at a few recipes? Doesn't this picture and recipe just scream "Spring!"? Why, yes, yes it does. And I can't wait for spring, but I'm pretty sure I don't have to wait to make this yummy pasta!

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Now off to the week... working on my focus. Mindful focus. Om.

Friday night grateful moment

ne week into 2011. Anyone who was looking for some miraculous slate-wiped-clean, "a brand new day" kind of week, I would love to hear about how you accomplished that! Because around here it, was kind of same song, second verse. I prefer to think of it as the long wind-up to the new year... or something like that.

Tonight I am grateful that the past two weeks have gone relatively quickly and that Seth will be home soon-ish. I am ever-so-grateful that he's done a good job of keeping in touch, with little texts and calls and pictures. It's made the distance seem so much less.

I am thankful for my husband and his thoughtfulness. I love that we share so many interests, from books and reading to health and nutrition, spirituality and travel and nature. I am thankful for our dogs and their affectionate ways, love love love their little slobery ways. I am grateful that we're almost back to normal here in the house, and that my restless "must get settled" feeling has only come along in the past week... I'm itching to be moved back in, 100%, now.

I am grateful for color and the instant mood lift it provides. I wandered the local quilt shop this afternoon, looking for that lift, and sure enough, I felt better after leaving. I also wandered a bead shop and admired long strands of beautiful beads. I am also grateful that I was able to leave BOTH shops without spending any cash. How about that?

I'm grateful for friendship and laughter and love and support and prayer--all the benefits and positive aspects of community.

I'm thankful that we've had a brief break in the cold, cold weather, and that the past couple of days have almost felt balmy! (Husband is currently reading me the weather forecast for the coming week, which says that a big storm is coming, big snows and crazy cold. Wow. Time to stock up and pray for a snow day--once Seth is here safely!)

I am grateful for words, for the ability to express myself both verbally and in written form. Some days that's more easily accomplished than others... And I love that other people express themselves too, and I have the benefit of their expressions. Here's a little something I read this week that spoke to me in this frozen world we've been living in...

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the world can teach us
as when everything seems dead
but later proves to be alive.
-Pablo Neruda

I'm grateful for cheese. Don't laugh. I am. In almost every form. (Having dreams about the fondue I had last week... and looking forward to more fondue in a couple of weeks... cheese bliss!)

I'm grateful for the weekend and the peace that it brings. Hope yours is peaceful too.

Thursday 13: New year, fresh starts

ix days in, I am almost done talking about the new year... and resolutions... and one-word themes for the year (I'm pondering changing mine already, how wishy-washy is that?) and all that January nonsense. Almost.

Before calling it good, and moving on to actually accomplishing stuff (oh yeah, that!), here are a few more thoughts to set the tone for the year.

First up, I must mention a post I read earlier this week and posted on Facebook. It's a good one. Completely chuckle-worthy.

And, more seriously, here are a few other interesting and inspiration posts relative to the new year and all the aforementioned themes and words and resolutions:
* Happy New Year from Positive Thoughts
* Thematic Declaration from Curly Girl
* A combo birthday-new year post over at Fit to be Seen
And a brief but effective Happy New Year! post by Chel over at GingerBlue.

Lastly, from Yes and Yes, I found a post about 13 tasks to take on in the new year. I agree with almost all of them... 13 good things to consider in the new year.

1. Get rid of the clothes you don't love and don't wear.
This is so true for me. I wear the same things (mostly) over and over. And yet the closet overflows. Time for a reassessment. This fits nicely in with my plans to pare down and get organized! My mother always said something about "if you haven't worn it in a year, it should go," but I might need to extend that to two... see, this is how I got in trouble in the first place.

2. Clean out your car.
Right now my car is pretty clean. But this is one I should review quarterly, since these things can creep up on one... maybe I'll add that to my to-do list so I don't get so far out of whack again. A clean car is a happy car, right?

3. Organize your email/photos/online profiles.
This is not currently out of control for me. Everything has it's place on my computer and is fairly findable. Now if I were going to pursue photography like I sometimes claim I want to... For me, it's more appropriate to say "Organize your craft/art/sewing/desk stuff." Now THAT'S an item I can get behind, and definitely need to.

4. Change up your fitness routine.
And how. Time to get the five fingers out for a trot again. Definitely. The treadmill is minutes away from being usable again (post-flood). I am looking forward to getting moving again, and the idea of spring is especially invigorating, already. I look out at the cold cold yard and thing, will things really green up again? Is it possible? Hardly seems so.

5. Reevaluate the relationships in your life.
This sounds a little complicated... but I get her drift. Surround yourself with the energy that is going to help you accomplish what you need to, and don't spend time around the energy that isn't. I feel most fortunate to have pretty stellar energy around me most days.

6. Clean out your cupboards and fridge.
Yes and yes. On the list. I might participate in the "Eat Down the Fridge" project again this year, and I definitely need to clean out the freezer too...

7. Update your resume.
Sure... never know when that might be a necessary thing... mine is pretty current, as I had to put it together a couple of years ago for a nonprofit board I joined, so they'd know what kind of riff-raff they let in...

8. Clean out your bathroom cabinet.
This one should go higher on my list. It's a little like my closet, in my bathroom drawers. For some reason, I have a hard time parting ways with the little samples and lotions and such. I might just use them... some day...

10. Change out your ringtone/alarm/screen saver.
Why? Just because, apparently. Not sure I need that, but maybe the screen saver... I have had the same image for a very long time:

I've already changed it! Now it's this image (you didn't see that one coming, did you?!):

11. Try a new scent.
Nope. Sticking with Daisy by Marc Jacobs. Love. It.

12. Switch up your surroundings.
How did she know? What with the forced house re-do from the autumn water leak, there are lots of options for switching up around here. We added some seating in the kitchen area and aren't going to bring back in the table and chairs. Wow, it feels different and I love it!

13. Make a list of new things you want to try.
Right now my focus is less on new things I want to try, and more on existing things that need a new look or a better, more refined approach. That applies to all kinds of areas of interest, from cooking and nutrition to crafts and sewing and writing and photography and the plethora of other hobbies I fritter away my time on...

OK, I'm done talking about new year's resolutions. Maybe. I might be back to talk about my one-word thing... "focus" is sounding too... focused? Ha. I'm thinking "mindful" is a little more what I'm going for. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to actually focus and get stuff done, cuz I am. Really. Right after I go treat every jelly bean like it's my last. (Read the resolutions I linked to above. Really. Your life will be better because of it.)

Blessings in 2011!

For more Thursday 13s, go here.

Borscht: Childhood memories in a bowl

can't count the number of times I've eaten borscht in my life. It was a winter staple during my growing up years, and in spite of a very well documented and loudly stated hatred of beets themselves, for some reason I have always enjoyed borscht. Can't tell you why, it just is.

Here I am, decades later, still making borscht! Love the smell, the flavor, the excuse to eat big spoonfuls of sour cream... And while there are many versions of borscht around that incorporate beef and beef stock, I tend to stick with the vegetarian version--it's just a clean, earthy flavor that I appreciate. 

When I make borscht, it's like my childhood is alive in my kitchen. I can make believe this is an ancient family recipe that's been handed down and handed down... well, in reality, it's a little of this, a little of that. I think my mom made it one way, my Grandma Kandt had a few variations, and I probably add my own little twist as well... My Aunty MJ took the time and effort to write down her best approximation of my Grandma Kandt's borscht; it's pretty close to what I've always done. (Thanks for that, MJ. It provides a very good roadmap!)

Here's my take. More or less...

Borscht
1 small cabbage, finely chopped (I use a bag of preshredded coleslaw cabbage and it works just great)
1 large onion, diced
3-4 celery stalks, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
2 large potatoes, cubed
3 large beets, cubed
1 large tin crushed tomatoes
Dill, fresh if possible
Salt and pepper
Sour cream

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil and add the onion, celery and carrots, having diced them each to the same approximate size dice. Saute until onions are translucent.

Add the cabbage, potatoes and beets and mix until thoroughly blended. Fill pot with water until the vegetable mixture is just covered, and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down heat and simmer until the beets and potatoes are tender.

Add finely chopped dill. I like a generous amount of dill, so I would probably put about a half cup in a large pot of soup. Go for it! Stir to incorporate the dill. Ladle into bowls and be ample with the sour cream too.

A bowl of this soup brings back wonderful memories of family suppers around the table, lots of fresh bread and warm soup. In my little Norman Rockwell fantasy, it's probably snowing outside. I'm undoubtedly winning at some verbal sparring match with my brother while my mom is keeping peace (or at least working at it) and my dad is rolling his eyes (and joining in). Ah, bliss.

Ten Word Tuesday

Return to rhythms; hot tea on frigid mornings, getting organized!

he clock is ticking toward a new year, and I am filled with gratitude for what's gone before and what's ahead.

I'm grateful for:
* A new year. A chance to do better, since (hopefully) I know better. (To paraphrase Maya Angelou...)

* A very large amount of love in my life.

* The safety and health of nearest and dearest.

* A few days of extra time with my Mom and Dad at the coast. Always a blessing.

* A husband who sets a good example for me in so many ways.

* A son who checks in with me while he's on another continent, bless his soul. Love the texts and calls!

* A Creator who knows me so well.

* A safe trip over some icy roads to meet a friend (Jen) for lunch today. And fondue! And Bavarian cream! Yum. I am indeed grateful for Jen and her health and the love and support that's gotten her through this challenging year.

* Lovely memories of a peaceful Christmas with family. Thanks for hosting, Shelby, Kim and sweet nieces! (P.S. I have been regretting not raiding the cheese shelf in the fridge on my way out of town. Dang. And I could have blamed it on the parents, too, really! Such a missed opportunity.)

* For the example I see every day, in so many ways, of folks who have been challenged by life and circumstances, and their ability to rise to the occasion and meet those challenges, daily. I am inspired.

My favorite song for this time of year, sung by members of the Scottish Parliament; appropriate given Robert Burns is somewhat credited for these lyrics. (Hang on to the end to get a special glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II, and a wondrous hat, indeed!)



And for you romantics out there, a little reminder of what the song really means!



Happy New Year! May 2011 be filled with many blessings for you and yours.

Looking forward to the new year!

h, you know how I like the new year! Like a blank notebook just a-waitin' to be written in, I love seeing the new year approach, with all the possibilities and unknowns.

"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."   -T.S. Eliot

In finally having a few minutes to browse around the interwebs post-Christmas, everyone has resolutions and reflections on the brain. Knotty Yarn has posted her Uberlist for 2011, as well as a list of things she WON'T do in 2011. I especially like the way she has things broken out into various sections, though it's a bit too micro-level for me, this year. I'm working on the "one word" or "one phrase" concept as blogged about so inspirationally by Gretchen at The Happiness Project in early December. I saw a lot of bloggers talk about that concept last year and while I didn't commit and publish a word or theme, it definitely stayed with me throughout the year as I mulled over what word seemed to be rising to the surface for me in 2010. Reverb 10 also works with the one-word idea, and throughout the month of December they have posted a one-word prompt each day to get readers reflecting on 2010 and setting goals for 2011.

So, still working on the one-word... but in the meantime, maybe a little reflection will help me with that word/theme/phrase? Jen posted earlier this week about review and reflection, using an idea from Dumb Little Man. I thought it sounded like a great idea to latch on to! (And as you'll see, somewhere while writing this, the word became clear. Read on...)

1. On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with 2010?
I have wavered between an 8 and a 9, in looking back over the year. So maybe 8.5? I hate putting a number to it, but maybe that's something for me to work on in the coming year? (Or not.)

2. Why did you score that way?
It was a very challenging year in some ways (business comes to mind immediately, probably does for most everyone this year, I imagine; also, having dear ones facing big hurdles in their lives). But it was also a very fulfilling year in the critical areas of life. My relationships with my two men are flourishing and happy. Health and overall wellness are good for the nearest and dearest, and there's no lack of love or blessings in our lives. I have felt the benefit of prayer and spiritual support in exponential ways this year, and that's probably made the biggest difference in my life.

Taking points off a "perfect 10," I have felt personally less accomplished this year, mostly because of a lack of focus in myself...

3. What are your biggest accomplishments this year?
Yeah, not feeling any real gold stars this year. As I mentioned above, I really need to get some focus. (Take a few of the options off the table. Make lists. Get things done and move on.) But in looking back, I would say that keeping my equilibrium at times of stress has been a bit of an accomplishment. I'm proud that I was able to find ways to look past anger and frustration and really get to the heart of what matters and keep on keeping on.

4. What are the biggest lessons you learned this year?
My biggest lesson, which I will probably learn and relearn again and again in my life is to trust God with all of life. Not just the big stuff, not just the little stuff. All of it. Admit I'm hopeless at "controlling" any of it, and just do my level human best and let the rest fall at His feet. I can't tell you the comfort that has brought me at times. At other times (3 a.m., generally), I am most horrible at remembering that, and I stir and twitch and can really get worked up into a lather.

"There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year’s course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word ‘happy’ would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."   -Carl Jung

My other top lesson (another one that needs to get stuck on repeat), is to pause. That was the word/theme that struck me throughout the year as MY 2010 word. Pause. Take a beat. Think before I speak. Pause. Reflect, don't react. Pause.

5. What are your biggest goals that you want to achieve next year?
Focus. I think that's my 2011 word. Focus. Narrow it down. Find my center. Focus.

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed,but I am bound to live up to what light I have."   -Abraham Lincoln

6. What new habits do you want to cultivate?
A little discipline will go a long ways toward achieving some focus. I need to set a schedule to my day, whether I'm working or not working or volunteering or what have you. Set the schedule, live with the routines, let the structure guide me a bit more. I love routines, and getting things done, and I know that a couple of months of concerted effort will really have me feeling a bit more in line.

I also need to say no a little more consistently to the many requests on my time and energies. Not just to say "no," but to create the kind of home life that the three of us want to live together. To be less fragmented and scattered. Focus. See, it's the word. I can feel it.

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."   -Henry David Thoreau

7. What are your immediate next steps to achieve them?
I know me and I know what works. It's largely a matter of returning to some of the basics that have done me well in the past. Lists will play a big role in that. Daily, weekly and monthly lists. Can't wait to dive in.

"Human Felicity is produced not so much by great Pieces of good Fortune that seldom happen, as by little Advantages that occur every Day."   -Benjamin Franklin
 

I will keep you posted on the focus. Definitely!

Ten Word Tuesday

Airports bring out my roaming instincts, the biggest planes especially.