Addendum

The cheese was wonderful..  Light, but with punch.  And salty (in a way fellow salt lovers will appreciate)...while never veering into too salty territory.  Sag loved it.

The salad: so good.  I forgot to mention that I subbed sherry vinegar for the red wine vinegar.  I bought a new bottle of red wine vinegar recently to make cilantro chimichurri...and found it really unpalatable.  (It was an "optional" ingredient that I tried for the first...and last time.)  The sherry vinegar tasted pretty perfect in this salad...though it may have less tang than red wine vinegar, which may explain why the dressing tastes more sweet than savory.

I also used my "good" olive oil for the dressing.  Worth it to have something special for when the flavor of the oil will shine.

I didn't taste any lemon!  Next time, I will use the zest of two lemons.  (The orange was lovely...combined with the anchovy, it approached sublime.)

Much like the roasted broccoli with bacon and garlic, this dish poses the problem situation of eating way more veg in one sitting than one's body is used to.  (When my parents were here, I roasted two bunches/four heads of broccoli and we finished every last delicious floret between the three of us.)  Nothing to worry about, but, it will lead to a more vigorously "active" GI system.

And, a big thank you to Gem.  He dried the kale leaves for me by hand.  Exactly the kind of tedious task that tends to drive me nuts/I cannot bear to do.  (I would have done it today because I knew excess water would dilute the flavor of the dressing and affect the texture of the salad...but am so glad I didn't have to!)

A kale salad and some cheese

This recipe and its ingredients have been hanging out and/or withering in our kitchen for awhile.  I'd originally planned it for Sag's family birthday celebration.   I thought I'd make it again when my parents were here on Sunday.  Happily, the latest bunches of kale held up well, so I was able to make the salad today without another trip to the store.

I've only taken a bite, and it was tasty.  I thought it would be more savory, less sweet.  Maybe it just depends on the bite.  Between dates and anchovies the flavors are strong in both directions.  I decided to use the zest of 1 lemon instead of 2.  I like lemon, but often find things too lemony.

I have this new cheese coming to room temp.  After hearing Lana rave about New Zealand dairy recently, I asked for some at Whole Paycheck (the new cheese guy is so personable!), but they didn't have any.  I sampled some Aussie cheddar and then some of this stuff.  English cheddar with sea salt on the rind.  Yummy!

Off to take the temp of my bigger-than-usual bird which looked a bit underdone after two hours...and to a late lunch of kale salad and cheese.

Doings

Buzzing from caffeine.  I've been enjoying Golden Chai lately.

Hanging and folding laundry.  Pulling items gently out from under the dog who loves sleeping on large soft piles of clothes.  Long undies special ordered from Japan arrived with Jiji.

Roasting a pastured chicken from the farm with salt, onion, garlic, thyme, lemon and olive oil.  It smells heavenly.

Trying to appreciate that the dishwasher is finally fixed.  And not waste energy being pissed at the landlord.  Amount of time landlord knew there was an issue downstairs with a slow leak: almost a year.  Amount of time we went without using the dishwasher: 1 month.  Amount we asked landlord to take off our rent as compensation for exceeding "reasonable" amount of time to repair the dishwasher: $75 (he declined).  Amount of time it took for Angelo to fix the leak: under an hour.

Listening to Cat Power and waiting for some old school Aretha to arrive for me at the library.

Looking forward to dinner tonight with common meal friends.

Waiting for gifties to begin arriving in the mail.  (Not a strong suit of mine, this waiting thing.)

Pondering what to present my mom at our family Secret Santa.  I'm thinking of knitting something...it's hard to get started after such a long hiatus.

Working and reworking the holiday card over at Kodak gallery.  Stamps are bought...hope to get them in the mail before 2012...consensus is a worthwhile but time consuming process.

Procrastinating on learning Sweden for Sag...I promised I'd play it for him as a Christmas gift.  Must practice!

Organizing local homeschooling Minecrafters for a gathering here...because my kids don't have laptops which would allow them to meet out somewhere (as had been initially suggested by a mom whose kid is looking for other kids into the game).  Hoping for a good time.

Reeling from the latest twist from Dexter.  Wow.  In the very best way.  (Sorry if that was too spoilerish.)

Wishing you peace and love wherever you are, whatever you've been doing.

Out breath

It was a mad rush to get Cap to the airport bus, but he made it.  Check.

The post office was a cake walk. Birthday presents sent, ornament stamps bought.  Check.

Enjoyed the quiet gathering of treats at the library.  Check.

Demanding change

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, then you know I am a Mac user (have been my whole computer life).  I love Apple products.  My devotion has been unconditional...despite my normal wariness towards things institutional.

I read this piece today about "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs".  If you want to keep drinking the Apple-flavored Kool-Aid, don't read it.  But, if you want to know the hard truth about Apple's failings in the integrity department, then check it out.

I am still hoping for a new (MacBook Air) laptop for Christmas.  But, I am also going to write to the new Apple CEO to express my dismay over the company's utter disregard for fair and ethical labor practices in their Chinese factories.

Blue

When I changed my blog template a few weeks ago, I wanted something blue, but couldn't find anything I liked in blue, so I went with...deep red.  It actually felt somehow right at the time.

Tonight I am roiling a bit inside.  My unhappiness over the impending departure of partner is increasing.  And I am PMSing.  The former feels more pertinent, but perhaps it is the latter which is.  I am also feeling tired some moments and really tired at others.  And protein.  PROTEIN.  The need is strong and like clockwork.

I came to the blog to make an announcement and felt so bogged down by the red all of a sudden.

It had to go.

Happily, I found something in blue...something instantly soothing and light.

My announcement?  Another sign that things are better.  Christmas shopping for the kids is almost completely done.  It took two days.  Not only have I really increased my organization (and we have increased our financial stability), but the degree to which the bar has been raised in terms of matching up what we are gifting to what they want and have it all be meaningful to us all...really nicely done, I think.

Yay.

Many good things (and one melancholy one)

:: no back-to-Monday for us.

:: leisurely breakfast with Donna this morning...lots of unpackaging and unfolding.

:: good start to Xmas shopping.

:: coconut water.

:: promising art school offering for Sag at the museum.

:: homeschool frisbee group forming.

:: Gem singing out loud.

:: how DIY TCM feels in the very best way, at times.

:: this song.



Cap takes off for the Sunshine state tomorrow...I'll miss him!

Autumn seen

Canine love

Baxter is with us for nine days. ♥

Seasonal shelf side track

Things are falling into place.

For me, a primary reason to declutter is that I hope the resulting simplicity will make it easier to do what I want to do.

Ever since my Waldorf days in Sacramento, I have tried to keep a nature/seasonal table, off and on, for years.  But, I would inevitably be thwarted by my disorganization/inattention.  When we started the current living room reorg, I designated a shelf that used to hold a mess of photo frames as my/our new seasonal shelf.

Our autumn has been unseasonably warm, but the leaves are finally off most of the trees and things have turned a distinct brown outside.  With the time change a couple of weeks ago, our days are noticeably shorter.  Winter is coming...even as the temps rise above 60ºF in the daytime.

Changing the seasonal shelf has been niggling at me.  Tonight, I got sidetracked from continuing with the paper work.  I dug through my "seasonal" box.  Then, I dug through my postcard box looking for a good image to match the season as it is feeling and looking for us, right now.

Done!  (For now...this scene is calling for some "stuff" from the outdoors...)

Primal definitive guide

Dropping in for a quickie...of something that's been on my mind for awhile.

This morning, I hopped on the scale before my shower fully expecting weight gain. 

Between an increase in stress, not getting enough sleep, hardly ever practicing Qigong, and my falling off the grain/sugar wagon Monday night (fish tacos that were so satisfying) and Wednesday night (key lime pie that was light and tasty), I have been relatively bloated and spacey.

I blinked in surprise as I saw that I had broken the 150 barrier...where I'd been for a few weeks.

Very interesting.  For me/my body, the sloughing off of weight seems, for now, to be closely tied to the chemistry of being sugar- and grain-free.  'Cause I ain't doing much else to help myself.

Here is a link to a guideline for being Primal.  I haven't read the whole piece word-for-word, but have read enough to know there's some interesting info there.

I was going to taper off dairy in order to boost my veggie intake, but it's the wrong time of the cycle for that (the second half).  I am burning through animal protein and fat something fierce.  I am setting my sights on more veggies, while noshing also on my meat and dairy.

It's been a full day of meal planning, farmer's marketing, food shopping, play dating, cooking, and now, back to the paper working.

Peace and love.

My letterly other

*Sigh*

Go here to see what all my fuss is about.

(All thanks to Cap for pointing me his way.)

Shred

Last night I whiled away four hours sorting through paperwork.  I didn't realize it...I was in a zone.  Cap took over tucking the kids in for me (a process that can take up to an hour and have a tranquilizing effect).  That was my one bit of pre-planning.

The other thing that helped with flow was watching tv.  I watched an episode of House and a few episodes of The Good Wife.  Stuff you don't really have to pay the utmost attention to to know what's going on.

Much of the work I did last night was separating out the documents with personal information on them from the ones that don't.  The bag above will be going with Cap to his shredder at work.  Most of these are old bills.

I actually have at least another four hours, probably more, ahead of me as I finish the paperwork-y stuff and then move on to reorganizing/decluttering the desk drawers.  I'm hoping to get to that today...though I have some food planning/cooking/housecleaning to do (my parents are coming over tomorrow), as well as, some playdating to do.

Accentuating the positive

I turned to Cap and rued the fact that once again, the sun is setting outside and I missed the opportunity to take myself and my kid out for some sunshine and fresh air.  (One kid has been at a friend's house this afternoon.)

He gently steered me towards the living room and said, "but look at the nice living room."

And he was right.  We finished our living room reorg this afternoon.  It feels so good!

After dinner,  I start going through...can you guess?  Yes, bags of old, accumulated, random paper work!  The twist I am applying to this bane of my existence is that after I get through this, I can begin December money work fresh-as-a-daisy and look forward to creating a working budget and new fiscal organization system for 2012.

Sweet

Sag opened his gifts from Cap's mom today.  He shares a birthday with her, and sadly, this year they were thwarted from seeing each other to exchange gifts.

He was very pleased with his new books, Darth Paper Strikes Back and No Sweets For Santa.

The kids met the author of No Sweets For Santa at New York Comic Con.  At the time, Sag flipped through the book, but didn't decide till later that week that he really wanted to have a copy.  The first words out of his mouth when he unwrapped the book were, "How did Mummu find this book?"

Check out Mark's website and if you like what you see, support an indie artist.  He was great with the kids at the Comic Con.  Looked them in the eye and talked to them seriously about art, technique and his own history as an artist.

Kiitos, Mummu!

Thankful

The truth is, there just isn't enough time or focus in the day, week, or sometimes even month, for this:

or this:

to happen on a frequent and/or regular basis.

Today, I was thankful to have the space and opportunity for both.

Also seen on our walk:

More food

It seems, there is always more food.

I hadn't grated Parm in a long time.  The microplane made it fast and fun.

Linda's hot artichoke dip.  A favorite appie from back in the day.  Enjoying the dairy right now.

Nom Nom Paleo's Quick Cream of Tomato soup.  This is a quick soup to put together.  The flavors deepened with every spoonful.  I bet it will taste even better tomorrow.  Could it use a bit of sweetness?  I wasn't convinced so I refrained from adding honey.

What wouldn't have happened

It sure has been a relaxing morning.  A string of experiences which would not have happened if we were in the car heading north right now.

 Sag was delighted.

 Inge's dip.

my breakfast.

Gem was delighted.

Inge's dip.  My brother's wife, Lisa, made this years and years ago.  My copy of the recipe is a printed e-mail dated December, 1999.  At the time, I was nonplussed by these ingredients which tasted so good.  Capers...anchovies...I was not yet an adventurous cook (I truly have Gem, who was born the following year, to thank for that) and I never made the dip.

This year, our plan was to go to Cap's aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  I was eating dairy and I'd be surrounded by other dairy eaters.  As I flipped through my recipe book, I came across Inge's dip.  I enjoyed anchovies while in Barcelona and my interest in this recipe was piqued.

Inge's dip is not for everyone, as I learned last night.  I had bought all the ingredients for Massachusetts, but ended up bringing it to Queens.  Lisa had some nostalgic bites.  My sister found it too mayo-y (she is a recovering mayo-phobe who consumes mayo very rarely and with a lot of discrimination).  My mother found it way too salty (no added salt called for in the recipe, but my anchovy fillets were salted).

Me, I love it.  It is very creamy.  But, I find this dip to contain a lot of bright and strong flavors which go a long way in cutting through the strong cream factor.  I'm going off dairy again soon, so I am savoring each dollop right now.

Inge's Dip

1 Tbs chopped capers

1 cup chopped parsley

1 pint mayo

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can chopped anchovies (I used a 2oz can of flat fillets in olive oil)

1 Tbs dried basil

1 Tbs Gulden's mustard (I used Dijon)

3 Tbs sour cream

juice from 1/2 lemon

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together.

Easy and tasty and holiday special.

Whirly whirl

On Tuesday, I was here:

Gem and his new Warriors book in an exam room.

He does not have mono, appears to be at the tail end of a virus, and we've been told to watch the low grade fever and resume normal activity.  He is feeling better and better, temp hovering up to 99º still on most days.  (He lost 4lbs. in two weeks...focusing on fattening him back up!)

I was also here:

We never made it to the pizzeria, but his Tour de Favorite Foods is over.  In the end, the grand finale won out.  He really effin' loves the cheeseburgers at Five Guys.  Later on this day, Sag popped a fever high enough to give us pause.

Late Tuesday night, we decided Sag and Cap would not be going to Massachusetts (we had already decided Gem and I were staying home).

Yesterday was mental insanity for me most of the day.  

I was in multiple conversations with Massachusetts family about our change of plans...and managed to forget to call key people.

I was in multiple conversation with the mechanic about our car and the various long-not-dealt-with glitches and noises, etc.  (He was fantastic...drove down to the house pick up my set of car keys when I said I couldn't get them to him easily because we didn't have a second car and I had two kids under the weather.  He wanted to try to get the rear hatchback open...the door hasn't opened in months...and Cap's keys were not working for him.)

I was in multiple conversations with various family members from my side of the family about when we could get over to Queens to take my parents' holiday picture.  I really felt the effects of my lack of balance and energy (Qi) as the day wore on and I felt more and more stressed and pressed by wanting to please the most people possible and not being able to please everyone.  This is never a good scenario!  It's always easier, smoother and simpler to have a singular well-lit path.  Ridiculous when I consider that no one was pressuring me or demanding to be pleased.  It was all me.

I continue to see how things are better than they were before.  When Cap called after he was done with his class, I was able to tell him how overwhelmed I felt.  He took the disjointed details I was spilling out, reorganized them, and became a quiet, reasonable beacon.

The kids were deemed well enough to travel.  I packed Inge's Dip, potato chips, a just-in-case meal for Gem, a collection of cheeses, a box of crackers, a snack for the car, candied pecans for my mom...and as soon as Cap came home with the car, we endured the trip to Queens which took twice as long as usual due to holiday traffic.

The holiday pic was taken, my sister's Sauerbraten rocked, we kept the cousins as not-on-top-of-each-other as we could (germ control), and my sister popped in The Wizard of Oz (which my guys have never seen).  It was lovely.

And last night at 9:35pm, we were here:

With everything going on, it was the first chance we had to food shop for an unexpected Thanksgiving at home.  I think this is the first non-traditional Thanksgiving we are having since Sag was born on Thanksgiving Day ten years ago.  (The store was not as crazy as I'd imagined it might be.)

I hope it's a good day for you wherever you are and whatever you do.  Peace and love.

P.S.  Good news on the car front.  The mechanic, who happens to love Legacy wagons and has a ton of experience working on Subarus, was pleasantly and genuinely surprised to feel that our car has some legs left on it.  We are starting with a relatively minor repair and if that holds up the working theory, then we will likely keep the car knowing it has another good couple of years with additional, reasonable work given the car's mileage age.  Yay!

Today's awesome

Thanks to Shannon for pointing me in their direction...steampunk Lego creations!!!

Lovely day

A very special Uglydoll from brother, a Moomintroll comics collection, the latest Nipper collection and a Flip.  He is a happy boy.

Sagittarius is 10

It's always such a treat to look back in photos.  (I missed a chunk from the end of Sacramento/beginning of NJ...those digital pics are on an external hard drive somewhere...)

He was born into water after a peaceful labor.  When the doula walked into the birth center, she heard my laughter come floating down the stairs.

He used to love holding a little toy in his hand.  He nursed till he was three, the sling was his preferred mode of travel while he was two, and he was talking by one.

He has always been easily absorbed by the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures that surround him...as well as the music, thoughts, questions and imagination within him.

He doesn't know what it is like to not have a twin-like companion in life.  These two have always gotten along.  Always.

He lives life fully and feels everything intensely.  When he laughs, it's like huge rays of sunshine.  When he cries, it's like deep churning midnight blue.  When he yells, it's red hot lava.  To know him is to adore him, but it is also to feel a little unnerved.  He is powerful stuff.

I feel lucky to know him, every day.  Happy birthday, Sagittarius ♥

Out with my single digit baby

With everything that has been going on with his brother, Sag has risen to the occasion gracefully.  It occurred to me this afternoon that if I didn't carve out some time now, I'd miss out in the blur of days coming up.

• We went to Sugee! to spend a gift certificate, but they were closed.

• From there, we moved on to Learning Express' new location. There, Sag spied something he thought Gem would love. (Gem swooned when he saw the pic.)

• I am in the market for some photo frames so we walked over to the photo shop I thought might be gone...and it was gone.  But, Sag's eye was caught by the old Learning Express location where they had a cute window display up.

• We then drove over to Time Warp for the Mameshiba, Edamame.  He spent some birthday money for this truly adorable being.

• We came home for a bit.  I made Gem's dinner.  Then, my second born and I headed out into the night for dinner.  He has been doing his first annual Birthday Tour de Favorite Foods with Cap for the most part and I wanted in.  (So far: chicken parm sub with onion rings at Mr. Dino's, a gelati at Rita's, bacon and eggs at Raymond's...on deck: Cap's French toast, a cheeseburger and fries at Five Guys and Mr. Dino's cheese pizza.  He had also asked for grilled skirt steak and a bacon and mayo sandwich on the bread machine bread, both of which had been on the menu for our "family" celebration which was canceled yesterday.)

Tonight, after much thought and consideration, we opted for Raymond's (where he had breakfast with Cap).  It is my favorite restaurant in town and they make a mean burger.  Sag decided he likes their cheese burger better than Five Guys...he'll get to test his theory tomorrow at lunch.  I had the fish tacos, making a conscious decision to have the grain.  They were delicious and so satisfying.  But, I can already feel the brain cloud settling.  Lesson learned...again.

• I wasn't sure he was going to have room for dessert.  (He could not stop eating the fries after the burger was done.  I understand this, their fries are amazing.  I had him pause and take some breaths and see if he could feel how full he was.  He couldn't, so I had him make a fist to get a visual on how small his stomach actually is.  This had an impact on him and we discussed how big our stomachs feel, especially if we think of the area from under the ribs to the tops of our legs as our "stomach".  He still wanted to keep shoveling :-)

Across the street there was a cupcake shop and a fro-yo place.  He chose the fro-yo and was excited, this was his first experience.  He sampled the blueberry and black cherry and really liked the black cherry.  He topped it with strawberries and rainbow sprinkles.  His review comparing fro-yo with ice cream: he liked that you could start enjoying fro-yo right away (because it's softer than ice cream), but felt that the flavors were not as concentrated as in ice cream.  He liked it a lot.

I am deeply grateful for the time we spent together today.  We didn't talk much, but I got to absorb and appreciate him absorbing and appreciating the world around him.  And, the silence we shared while eating?  Well, that's what you get when you put together two people who enjoy their food as much as we do.

Tomorrow, he turns 10.  Here he is, in utero, a month (to the day) before he joined us on the outside.

Trying to stay calm

Today has been one of those days.  A day when I can clearly see that our perceptions can go a long way towards mitigating our emotions.  And seeing that mind over matter can really matter.

I took Gem to get his blood drawn so it could be tested for mono/Epstein-Barr virus.  It did not go well for him.  No blood was drawn.  I came away with the realization that he really is too big to be physically overpowered by me (in a smooth and calm way).  I wish I'd had that clarity before I made the appointment, but...unlike a tooth extraction, I thought he might be able to handle a butterfly needle.  (He thought so, too.)

So, we're waiting to hear back from our family doc (who does e-mail...love that.)  We think we're going to proceed as though he does have mono, and treat him with at least 4 weeks of rest.

I have bought so much food (or ingredients for food) for celebrations that have not happened/I will not be present for.  It's kind of killing me.  Trying to stay positive and in the moment...tomorrow I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen making dips and veg and short ribs.  Therapeutic activity for me and therapeutic nourishment for Gem.

We are dropping the car off tomorrow night so a local mechanic with lots of Subaru experience can take a look-see on Wednesday sometime.  Craziness on the day before Thanksgiving.  Chaotic convergence.

Keeping the kids out of the fray as much as possible.  Keeping Cap close...when the poop hits the fan it helps so much knowing you're not in it alone.

 Sag with his new Mameshiba, Edamame.

the iPad has been a lifesaver.

A true day of rest

Harmonic convergence.  It's Sunday, yo.

We decided to cancel our family celebration of Sag's birthday.  Since moving back East (six years ago) the kids' birthdays have been observed in triplicate: with their buddies, with extended family (usually my side since they are geographically proximest), and en famille on the actual day.

We like birthdays around here.

Gem is still under the weather.  Did I mention we may test him for mono tomorrow?  Did you know mono is now Epstein-Barr?  (I didn't.)

So, today is an unexpected day.  I see it as a gift.  Daniel will be here for the day.  He's easy.  Sag will continue his Tour de Favorite Foods (first annual birthday event) with a stop at Rita's which shutters up till Spring tonight.  Gem will rest and heal.  Cap will work and work.  He has also suggested finishing the living room declutter today which would be...incredible.  One room actually done.  Be still my scattered heart!

Me?  I want to read.  All day.  I want to spend the day reading.  Something I used to do a lot.  Before I had kids.  I doubt I will be able to forego any cooking.  But, I might try.  I have started The Chestnut King, the third book in the 100 Cupboards trilogy.  I am not as grabbed by it as I was the first two books, but I'm giving it a go.  On deck, I have Shiver, which comes highly touted by Julie.

oh, and so enjoying my snuggly Scottish wool.

Wishing you some quiet rest and relaxation today.  And no mono.

American horror story

Truth be told, they had me at the font.  I'm a bit of a freak for fonts.  It fits right into my love of textiles, patterns, graphics.

But, when a show gets as much attention before it even airs, as this one did, I tend to turn my back on the bandwagon.  Plus, at the time, I was trying to decrease how much tv I was watching and being incredibly picky and choosy.

Nearly two months into the Fall season, during this I-need-a-daily-dose-of-escapism stressy time, I watched the pilot episode of American Horror Story.

Wow.

I wasn't sure I liked what I saw.  But, I did like some of it.  It was striking...and struck some nerves.  I gasped out loud and gasped in giggles.  It was, in a word, confusing.  It was, in another word, to a lesser degree, compelling.

I couldn't find the second episode anywhere.  So, I read a summary of it and watched the third episode last night.  I felt it didn't hold up as well as the pilot.  But, what I liked about the pilot, I liked even more in this episode.  Namely, the cast, especially Tami Taylor aka Coach's wife aka Connie Britton.  This actress was so iconic to me, it has been refreshing to see her embody another role skillfully and believably.

Yet, my confusion persisted.  I wanted to watch another episode, but part of me really questioned that desire.  So, I googled "American Horror Story" and "Onion AV", and thankfully, my most reliable arbiter of movie/tv came through for me.

I read this piece and felt much less alone in my confusion.  And it has a laugh out loud line near the end which ties together two shows I adore: Friday Night Lights and Community.  (B, you have to read the piece if only for this line...)

So, thank you Onion AV, I can move forward with clarity.  I am curious to see Sylar...on to episode 4!

Jack goes boating

I watched a movie yesterday.  Stress management.  Escape.  It was called Jack Goes Boating.  I liked it quite a bit.  It was quiet and meditative with moments of uncomfortable intensity.  It was definitely stage-y at times and I was not surprised to learn that it was, originally, a play.

The soundtrack was lovely.  Here's a song from it.  Dearly Departed by Devotchka.

Robotics

As August wound to a close, I asked the kids to think about new topics they wanted to explore this Fall.  Sag immediately said "Robotics".

And, so, in the past ten weeks, he has dipped his toes into this new-for-us field of study.  Lego has a robotics branch and his experiences (both in a class at a local enrichment center and as part of a newly formed homeschooling First Lego League team) have been predominantly in Lego Robotics.

Sag has an engineer/builder/scientist's curiosity.  And the imagination and creativity of an artist.  These innate qualities and his longtime passion for building with Lego dovetailed wonderfully for a focused period of growth in a new area.  (In both settings, having string teachers who were themselves artful in their guidance, was a true gift.)

Yesterday, his Robotics class had their tug-of-war derby.  It was their last class and families were invited to come watch.  I stayed home with Gem (who was still sick), but Cap went.  It was very exciting to receive a text that Sag's robot had won his division.

I am so grateful that Sag has walked away from this experience with such a deep sense of accomplishment.  Not so much that he performed so well in the culminating activity (though there is a special sense of pride that comes with that), but that he did this on his own, separate from us.  This experience required him to flex his wings of independence in different ways every week.

He did it, and he did it with a smile.  (Today he participates in his first ever First Lego League tournament with his team, The Learning Pirates!)

No alarms, no surprises

My breakfast.  I took this shot this morning...it feels like so long ago already.  The end of the pulled pork with zesty zauce, store bought guacamole (oh, to be back in northern Cali where avocado can be found fresh and ripe year round) and cilantro chimichurri.  Oh, the pork was scrambled with eggs.

My food nourishes me.  And is healing my body and its systems in new and wonderful ways.  But, it takes so much time and energy to pull it all together.  I am struggling to hold the other parts of my life.

I can only do what I can do.  One step at a time.  Focus and be present.

It has been hard to find flow this Fall.  I suppose it might be true of every Fall.  I love this season, but it's not really mine.

Pecans have been candied (for my mom), bacon is baking, thinking on what to make and bring for sustenance to the all day First Lego League tournament Sag is participating in tomorrow.

Sag's last Robotics class is today.  Sadly, I won't make it to the open classroom because Gem is still recovering from being sick.

This melancholy song, covered here by (another Wes alum) Amanda Palmer, is what came to mind as I sit here sad and forlorn. I made a parenting mistake which deeply hurt one of the kids.

Mighty fine advice

Kelly sent along these inspirational nuggets...thank you, friend.
 
ONE.   

Give  people more than they expect and do it  cheerfully. 

TWO.   

Marry  a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get  older, their conversational skills will be as  important as any other. 

 
THREE.   

Don't  believe all you hear, spend all you have or  sleep all you want. 

 
FOUR.   

When  you say, 'I love you,' mean  it.  

 
FIVE.  

 When  you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the  eye. 

 
SIX.   

Be  engaged at least six months before you get  married. 

SEVEN.   

Believe  in love at first  sight.  

EIGHT.   

Never  laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have  dreams don't have much.

 
NINE.   

Love  deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but  it's the only way to live life completely.  

 
TEN.   

In  disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.  

 
ELEVEN.   

Don't  judge people by their  relatives.  

 
TWELVE.  

 Talk  slowly but think  quickly.  

 
THIRTEEN.  

When  someone asks you a question you don't want to  answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to  know?' 

 
FOURTEEN.   

Remember  that great love and great achievements involve  great risk.

FIFTEEN.   

Say  'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze. 

SIXTEEN.   

When  you lose, don't lose the  lesson.  

 
SEVENTEEN.  

 Remember  the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for  others; and Responsibility for all your actions.  

 
EIGHTEEN.   

Don't  let a little dispute injure a great friendship.  

 
NINETEEN. 

When  you realize you've made a mistake, take  immediate steps to correct  it.  

 
TWENTY. 

Smile when picking up the phone.  The caller will hear it in your voice .

 
TWENTY-  ONE.  

Spend  some time alone.  

On inspiration

Okay, so this morning, clearly, I am filling in the void that Google Reader "Sharing" has left behind.  Bits and blurbs from the internets delivered right to the blog.  Through my manatee filter.

I love Alex Chee's writing.  He went to our university, but neither of us knew him very well.  Edinburgh is a beautiful and haunting read.  I am eagerly awaiting his next novel.  In the meantime, I enjoy his musings and essays on his blog.

Enjoy this one, on inspiration, writing, talent and stamina.

Serotonin

This time of year can be tough.  Here are some ways to boost your serotonin levels and even things out:

• sunshine

• massage

• exercise

• remembering happy events

Read all about it, here.

Madeiran mosaics

Portugal has long been on my short list of places I'd like to spend time.  I don't talk about it much because travel for pure leisure has dropped off my life style since the children came along and we became a single income family.

Needled's most recent blog post has reignited my interest in Portugal...some day, some day...

Murmuration

This has been making the internet rounds.  We are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonders.  Inspires me to get outside!



Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Add it to the mix

We are probably buying a new car soon.

I have gone from feeling excited and finding the process fun, to feeling sick about it...and a bit stressed.

It's a money thing.  Its a change thing.  So psychological.

We are leaning very much towards the new Prius wagon since Subaru no longer makes a Legacy wagon.  We got our Subaru just before Gem was born.  11+ years and nearly 180K miles later, I am grateful to our trusty, but increasingly tired and run down, vehicle for all its seen us through.

Here's to the future...(as she tries to keep her glass from wobbling...)

Food, glorious food

Caught up on some sleep (did you know, technically, there is no catching up?), woken by tween mid-dream at 8:20am.

Spent some time before breakfast perusing my recipe binder.  We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Cap's Aunt Nancy in Massachusetts.  It was fun remembering celebratory foods from years past.  This year, the paradigm shifts yet again and I will be eating dairy, but no sugar or grains.

Here is what I am planning on contributing to this year's feast:

Almond Poppyseed Crackers (I have yet to eat these with a smear of dairy and honey as the original recipe called for...maybe this time?)

Tomato Jam

Inge's Dip (shared with me by Lisa, my SIL...a dip she made years and years ago that I have never forgotten...and never made)

Hot Artichoke Dip (I could actually use my former lead teacher, Linda's, recipe which was my go to dip in my pre-GFCF years...anyone who came to one of our Solstice parties will remember this dip fondly...)

I may also bake some sweet potato spears (Angela's recipe) and roast some Brussels sprouts with maple syrup...and I may make GFCF rice crispy treats for the kidlets.

Gem has requested turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes and soy ice cream.  All easy to prepare beforehand and transport to MA.  (Well, except for transporting the ice cream, but I have Jay working on that one.)

All this thinking about food made me hungry!

My breakfast was lovely.  Leftover roasted tomatoes with smears of one of my new favorite cheeses.  Bonus: Cap left some fresh, hot coffee before he dashed off to catch is bus.

I am feeling better than I was yesterday...Gem is dipping again...whatever it is that hit us, it's not been super intense, but it is hanging around.  Vinny later...yes.

Peace and love.