Small moments

Taking in the nourishment of small moments:

• the spontaneous and emotional hugs and kisses from my children.

• discovering at check-out that every single item I bought was on sale ($12 and change for three skeins of chunky yarn and a big roll of wrapping paper...holiday shopping that jingles my bells).

• local florists who deliver meadow flowers in Ball mason jars.  (my friend is heading home today *big smile*.)

• cold salami sandwiches with mayo and mustard on Udi's bread.

• Les Revenants/The Returned.

• realizing that my immune system is one tough and fiery broad.

• Earl Grey tea with honey and milk.

• munchkins and moon rocks (with my little man, Leo).

• the joy of The Killers and a great cover.

Peace and love.

Yesterday

Got the time wrong and had an extra half hour to myself sipping on a chai latte before an hour spent catching up with Silke who I had not seen since her return from Germany.

I do love a good mise en place.  The CSA veg called for another shakshouka base.  I used summer squash and boxed crush toms for this one.

I also used red bell peppers because that's what I had.  Love, love, the color.

I love having something to put turmeric in.  I recently learned that it has anti-inflammatory qualities.  The smell of it doesn't call to me, but the color sure does.

Last night was Taco Tuesday.  The protein was ground Mangalitsa pork.  Good thing I'd caramelized these peppers and leeks because the boys decimated the pork (they did wonder out loud whether I was planning on having any pork in mine and I reassured them I was happy to enjoy vegetarian ones).

Dancing autumn shadows captured in a still.

The kids' new slippers and boots arrived.  Whoa.  Just, whoa.

This is one of our biggest bowls piled high with the week's share of fruit.  'Tis the season...

The kids and I watched the premiere of Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. last night.  It was mostly sweet having them be old enough to watch a Joss Whedon work with me, but I was also deeply wistful remembering days of yore watching Buffy with Cap and good friends in our apartment in Cambridge.  

Sag was pleasantly surprised by how much comedy was on display.  It was interesting to see the nearly invisible line that separated the kids' capacities to follow the action and dialogue.  Sag needed significant "hit pause and explain" break.  They both woke up in the middle of the night and Gem stayed up to read because he was scared (he doesn't remember why this morning)...I wonder whether the content/imagery may have been too much.  (We watched the trailer for Gravity which may have stirred some things up in their unconscious, too.)

We saw a shorter version...but the below will give you an idea...bad mommy...

Signs of the season

I spent the morning recovering from a late night watching the Emmys (which I very rarely do, I am a Golden Globes girl), the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad and the series finale of Dexter.  Oh, and I slept on the floor of the kids' room.  I am crossing my fingers that after a week or so of this sleeping arrangement, that a certain someone will stop waking up in the middle of the night needing to check in with me to make sure I am still of this world.

I called upon my trusty shopping pals and we drove over to the mall so I could return/exchange some Fall stuff for myself and also stop into the Apple store to inquire about our options in dealing with a cracked screen on the iPad.

This afternoon, inspired by the many apples remaining in the fruit bowl (tomorrow we receive our next share), and, the shift to much crisper weather, I asked the kids to give me a hand in making some apple sauce.  I ran out to the store to pick up some pork chops and baby spinach, and there is corn bread leftover from last night.  A good dinner will be had.

I am determined to read some books in the next few months.  It has been a spare reading year thus far.  I just finished Questlove's memoir , which I really enjoyed, and am ready for something new.  An embarrassment of riches line my shelves...what to choose, what to choose.

Also, Cap and I have recommitted to watching a movie together every week, alternating turns to pick.  So far, we have watched Adrift In Tokyo, My Man Godfrey, and I Wish.  The Awful Truth is on deck for this weekend.  I've decided to go with a "classics" theme and am choosing movies released before I was born (except one, To Sir, With Love, which I have long wanted to see and was released the year of my birth).  I solicited suggestions on Facebook and have a robust list of movies going, many of which I had never heard of.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all three movies we've seen so far and recommend all of them.  Adrift In Tokyo and I Wish are Japanese movies with subtitles.  Let me know if you have any recommendations for movies or books!

Peace and love.

Whole30 :: Day 2

Did better at breakfast today: that's my latest yummy vinaigrette in the jam jar and white peony tea with honey in the glass...plus hard boiled eggs wrapped in prosciutto, creamy cucumber salad and lovely lettuce.  And, I sat down to eat.

One of these Whole30s I may push through 30 days with no honey, but not this one.  My stomach/digestive system really protests the absence of sugar and honey.  I am being mindful of minimizing honey as much as makes sense.

The Whole30 book reminded me of magnesium's sleep-friendly properties so I served some up at dinner (the kids and I take a dose with breakfast daily).  We all fell asleep quite easily.  Time will tell whether this was a coincidence or not.

Funny, as I was making the pesto yesterday with our ginormous bunch of basil, a tiny voice inside suggested I save some of it to use for something else.  But, I didn't have anything else in mind and am focused on close to zero waste, so I blitzed it all (and gave some of the pesto to a friend, which made both of us happy).  So, of course, this very simple and yummy sounding recipe for lemon basil cookies came across my Reader this morning.  I may be buying some basil at the farmer's market this weekend.

Another post, with a recipe for duck fat roasted garlic sweet potatoes has me intrigued about duck fat.  Last week at the farmer's market, Kelly and I stopped by the Mangalitsa Pork vendor where we discovered they sell little jam jars of lard for $5 a pop.  I'm sure it's not going to be like duck fat, but it's a smaller and more affordable place to start.

I have started watching Orange Is The New Black, and it is solid.  A bit Oz, a bit Weeds (created by the same person), quite addictive.

Peace and love.

Whole30 :: Day 1

I woke in a mood, felt better after playing in the kitchen, then shot back into a mood trying to figure something out with Cap on the phone (some day I would be interested in reading about communication amongst longterm couples...or...communication amongst women experiencing chemical/hormonal swings).

Doing a Whole30 is going to put me "in a mood" at least a few more times.  Please send Cap and the kids hugs.

The kids are fighting something.  They are both tired.  We have spent a lot of time indoors, which is largely my fault.  I am looking forward to this heat wave breaking so we can get out in the sun.

This one received a punishment for kicking his brother a couple of days ago.  When he can't Minecraft/YouTube, he draws.  (His brother received a punishment this morning for waking his mother up when it wasn't an emergency.  Dudes, when it comes to my sleep, it is on!)

Things are shifting with Gem entering adolescence.  There is conflict between these two in new ways.  Growing pains.  But, togetherness remains.  (Sag has taken to asking Gem to help him with his vision therapy exercises.)

Some of the yummies from our CSA share this week...pondering peach and apricot recipes that do not include sugar...the super bunch of basil became a boatload of pesto (shared with a friend, I am the only pesto lover in my family)...the lettuces, so tender and happy-making...look at that chard, how utterly gorgeous...the sweet onion and cucumbers and parsley were perfect for the creamy cucumber salad from Well Fed...

I skimmed the later chapters of It Starts With Food yesterday and am glad I did.  There were useful reminders of concrete aspects of the process (as opposed to the scientific applications/theories which I think they do a good job of summarizing in the earlier chapters), some of which have already come up on Day 1.

Eat three meals (no snacking for someone like me who is not active), think of the meals as Meal 1/Meal 2/Meal 3 to disengage from pre-conceived notions of breakfast/lunch/dinner, eat minimum servings of protein/vegetable/fats, and eat even if not feeling particularly hungry.

The above is today's lunch.  A palm-size serving of protein, the rest of the plate full of veg, with the avocado doing double duty as a fat.  (There is also avocado oil mayo in the cucumber salad.)  I was not hungry, but remembered Melissa and Dallas' words, so fixed up a plate of food right nice.

(Breakfast was a disaster.  I ate a cold, half-assed portion of Japanese-style thin sliced pork sautéed with scallion, garlic and olive oil leftover from last night...while standing and moving around the kitchen getting the kids' breakfasts...inhaling.  Melissa and Dallas talk about that, too.  Sitting down to eat, relaxing and chewing slowly...contemplating...nourishing.)

I was fascinated because though I was not feeling hungry, I had no trouble eating and enjoying my lunch.  About 90 minutes after I ate, I regretted not putting more of the cucumber salad on my plate.  I was hungry!

Baba ganoush is on deck (pondering halving the recipe or buying another eggplant...if I wait till Saturday I can buy another just like it from Farmer John) and there is a gorgeous cabbage to contemplate.

Life is good...but, of course, it's not, in many ways.  I have been feeling sad, angry, and close to hopeless after the Zimmerman verdict.  This piece and this piece have been standouts for me...have helped me process and contextualize and feel grateful for our capacities to communicate, connect and add meaning to our shared co-existence, to our spiritual collective.

I am finding that David Lebovitz's recipes/writing are a balm.  They consistently give me a lift.  Our very short local cherry season has come to a close, but this recipe for Cherry Mess caught my eye.  I am clipping it to Evernote (just created a CSA recipes folder) for consideration in 2014.

I recently started subscribing to the 101 Cookbooks feed and was rewarded this morning with an intriguing sounding combination of ingredients: coconut oil, avocado, toasted macadamia nuts and squash blossoms!  Very Paleo.

Last thing I'll leave you with is a made-for-Netflix show that is big on my radar: Orange Is The New Black.  I plan on starting it soon.

Peace and love.

Pupa

I've entered the next pupa phase.  Gettin' back on the Paleo path.  Today is going to be a quiet day of feeling chemically-induced crappy (this withdrawal is not the hardest its been, but tougher than the last time) and watching episodes of The Newsroom.

We had a lovely time at a family wedding near the water in Rhode Island over the weekend.

I dig this photo evidence: my hair is a hot mess (I believe more and more the plucking is due to peri/menopausal hormonal/chemical shifts), my body is like sausage...but I am radiating positive vibration.  My smile comes from a deeper well of contentment than a year ago.  I am part of this unified, happy and playful family.  The Spring was so chaotic...something inside me unstoppably tuned into the churning energies of new life and growth, of spinning momentum.  I feel I have been released into Summer.  There is relief (presently ironic given how much I have historically hated the type of hot and humid weather we have had for weeks), there is a blinking-into-light-like-a-mole, there is serenity.

I read Beautiful Ruins.  Loved the first half and the ending, felt it was kind of meh in between.  An entertaining and fast summer read, though, if you are looking for fiction.  A lot of people loved this book.  Maybe you will, too.

I am feeling like I have my Reader back with InoReader.  Here are some recent bits which resonated:

• What's In Prince's Fridge?

• Gluten-Free Goddess talking about FODMAPs and probiotics

• a recipe for dark chocolate truffles grain-free, vegan, sweetened with honey and stevia

• perhaps the most succinct clarion call I have ever seen regarding the lunacy of war and the lives and deaths of American soldiers

• I love this guy's writing...honest and vulnerable, thoughtful and intelligent

I leave you with my latest iTunes purchase...peace and love, people!

Slaughterhouse 90210

Fellow lovers of tv and books, run, do not walk to this awesome tumblr!

Laughs and love.

Nashville

Mrs. Coach's* daughters on the show Nashville are sisters in real life!  I had no idea.  I loved their performance of this Lumineers cover.


*Mrs. Coach (nickname) = Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights) = Connie Britton (the actress) = Rayna James (Nashville)

P.S.  I am re-entering normalcy bit-by-bit.  Last week's drama was severe sleep deprivation.  Things are looking up.  Hoping to get back to more regular blogging anon!

P.P.S.  Peace and love by the bucketful.

Scandal

What on earth...I have no idea how this show never made it on my list of tv fare to check out.  What.  A.  Rush.  The first season is streaming on Netflix and the second season is on Hulu Plus (totally worth the $7.99).

For my friends who cannot do violence, there is some of that...this is a network program, but there were scenes here and there that pushed the intensity envelope.  (Think Black Ops assassins torturing each other/others.)

The cast is excellent...my favorite character was Huck.

Go watch it if you haven't!

Peace.

Glasses gone wrong

Here I am.  Sleepless.  My consolation is that I am not stressed about not sleeping.  I wish I had slept, but it was not in the cards.  Once I realized it was starting to get light out about twenty minutes ago, I knew there was no use staying in bed.  The only times I can sleep in natural light are when I am very sick or just a bit pregnant.

I realized, also, that with Gem asleep, I would have my laptop uninterrupted.  He has been using it more and more, it feels like.  So I got up.

I recently learned that the lenses in my new glasses, which I'd been wearing for over a month, were incorrectly made.  Not enough as to be glaringly obvious...which is why I spent weeks and then some more weeks wondering why my upper back and neck were SO tight without concomitant stressors and why I was starting to experience headaches (unusual for me)...and why I was finding that I could not read things close up and generally feeling eye strain/fatigue (particularly when reading on my phone screen...which I have doing much more of because my laptop has been occupied by another).

Because the onset of my body's messages of protest was gradual, it took me awhile to figure out the problem might be my eyes (it did not occur to me that it might be the glasses...luckily, I brought my old pair with me in the event that, crazily, my prescription had changed in the month-plus since my last eye exam and I would need to temporarily part with the new glasses).

I mention this because I had noticed, and been feeling bad about, the persistent lack of pleasure reading/writing in my life the past few months.  I do believe this is one of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, my blogging has come to nearly a standstill.  It is a relief to have the smoke clear...metaphorically...my revamped spectacles are due back to me sometime this week.  Time will tell whether and how much my newly-able-to-focus eyes will guide me back to reading and writing.

This integrates a whole new awareness and understanding of learning issues/disabilities into me, physically and mentally.  It took a long time for me, an adult who once made her living working with kids with learning issues, to put two and two together.  I can't imagine a kid, or an adult who has never known themselves to be otherwise when it comes to reading and writing, would be able to easily articulate the connection between the complex physical realities and manifestations of deficit (eyes/brain/body) with what may not even feel like unmet potential...

And pretty much on cue, my eyes are straining...my shoulders are tight, and I am going to sign off.  My dreams of luxurious uninterrupted writing time, dashed.  The light outside just seemed to intensify...as if to make it clear there will be no sleep for me tonight.  It being nearly six a.m. and all.

Peace and love.  (Speaking of love, I LOVED Call The Midwife!)

Shifting

Tomorrow some beginnings will spring forth...the rebirth of familiar fauna, the arrival of new shoots.

• daily morning Qigong for me.  perhaps with the setting of an alarm clock to nudge me into an earlier to bed/earlier to rise pattern.

• piggybacking on gluten-free, and going sugar-free.  a tweet I saw today said it all: "The key to a healthy diet is to cook or live with someone who does."  the last few weeks I have loosened up on meal planning, which is not good for the budget...but it has been good for taking pressure I wasn't even aware of, off of my shoulders.  removing a component like sugar from one's whole foods leaning diet means making a commitment to cooking/baking more of your own food.  it takes a commitment of true time and energy, in addition to a sense of mission/intent/discipline.  I have recovered enough energy to renew my commitment to cooking more.  and improving the health of myself and our family.

• sigh.  it's that time again.  renewal.  making a list of my tv commitments and cutting down.  I heart watching tv.  but it's the thing that has got to give a bit right now.

Game of Thrones

Mad Men

Amazing Race (ends soon)

The Good Wife

House of Lies (ends this week)

Shameless (ends this week)

Top of the Lake

The Following

Revolution

The Mindy Project

Nashville

The Americans

Southland

The Soup

Project Runway (ends soon)

Parks and Rec

Community 

Legit

Hannibal

Spartacus (ends this week)

Real Time

sheesh.  not including the shows ending this week, that's 15 16 hours a week.  I was going to reduce to 7 hours a week, but I don't think I can...  (wow...in addition to these shows I marathon watched two Cinemax series...Hunted and Banshee...in late winter/early spring!  and Downton Abbey was on for two months there...and The Walking Dead...and Justified!)  I also have the first season of Call The Midwife on my dvr and am recording the second season.  *deep cleansing breath*  yes, I love good tv.  oh my god I just remembered I started watching Hannibal...and it's really good.  and the baseball season just started so we're watching Red Sox games.  the Good Wife...I crossed it out, but dang, two weeks ago they put out a top notch episode.  it was so good.  Nashville is my guilty pleasure.  Amazing Race and Project Runway are ending in the new few weeks.  I could drop Project Runway now except I've given it so much of my time already I kind of want to see who wins.  it has been an interesting season with crazy judging.  a friend on Facebook pointed out that things will slow down with summer, which is true.  it feels good to just take an accounting.  to face the situation.  and looking at this list, yes, it's long, but if I cut The Following and Revolution, there isn't much garbage in there.  I guess what will be culled will be culled organically, as time and new commitments dictate.  (see above, setting morning alarm.)

• new rule pertaining to electronics: no electronics until after day's table activities, cleaning work and outdoor time are done.  this is a biggie and will be tres challenging for the kids and me.  but I think the bump to a different reality will be enlightening.  I have no idea how I am going to deal with checking my e-mail.

Here are some photos that tell other parts of the story of my day/weekend:

the upside to sugar is enjoying a bowl like this: vanilla ice cream with a splash of Pedro Ximenez sherry.  so, so scrumptious.

switched the seasonal shelf to a Spring tableau.  I asked the kids if they were still into it and their response was immediate and unequivocal: yes.

the Japanese corner.  the rock and its stand belonged to my paternal grandfather.  the card came from an aunt.  the card holder is from Japan, too.

the gnomes are from our Waldorf days.  they arrived in Christmas stockings, I think.  the rock was painted by Sag in an art class a few years ago.

decluttered the linen closet and now have a supermarket paper bag full of old linens to donate to our local animal shelter.  these towels on top were a commitment ceremony gift to us...twenty year towels.  special.

some chemical shifting within has already begun.  I eschewed the Chinese food I thought I wanted for lunch for simpler home fare.  the last of the goat Brie with baby spinach in a brown rice wrap with grape tomatoes on the side.  yum.

this is what my corner of the apartment looks like at the moment.  a way station for decluttered stuff from the kids' room and the living room.  some day, hopefully sooner rather than later, this area will be my morning Qigong spot.  visions of Qigong, meditation and yoga dance in my head.  it is a process...always.

Peace and love.

Marvelous mash up

Who's up for some internet awesome?

Saturday shimmy

The kids are hogging my laptop as they weather this phase of getting better. I started blathering a post last night but it was too long to deal with on the Blogger app on my phone.

I am on my phone again so this will be short and sweet.

Well, not totally sweet. I nearly had insomnia last night which was the upsetting end to an uncomfortable evening. I think my womanly hormones may do me in before this is all over.

Anyway, I woke early after really not getting enough sleep for the second night in a row. Read a chapter of my book and felt comforted and clarified. (How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk)

I had a cup of Raspberry Earl tea and a slice of Udi's toasted with Kerrygold butter.

Nudged the kids into fresh pajamas and into "my" bed, the pullout in the living room, so I could wash the bedding on the big bed where they've been camping out.

Popped down to the farmer's market, surprised and delighted by how cold it was again. Jumped on the chance to buy fresh chicken livers from our pastured meat farmer. Was a little bummed I had no cash to walk over to the Redeye for a latte-to-go.

Made Gem some onigiri (rice balls) which made him so happy. Spiked some box chicken broth with fresh ginger and garlic. Made Sag some toast. Listened to him describe a dish he wants my help to make: a waffle burger. Stay tuned. Had a bowl of broth with leftover rice and a poached egg. Had some face time with Cap who has finally turned a corner.

Transferred the wash to the dryer and headed out to run a few more errands. A&P for an onion (for the chopped liver), CVS for new toothbrushes for all of us and floss sticks for the kids, gas station for a fill-up, and the bookstore for some getting better reading. (Sag's book is actually a great job at the eye doctor and dentist present that he had ordered last week.) I ordered a book for myself, the teen companion book of the How To Talk To Kids series.

I chose the first Hercule Poirot mystery for Gem. He has cracked it open and I think is intrigued because it isn't easy...it's unfamiliar territory in a genre that he likes.

By the time I returned, the bedding was dry. Made the big bed and Gem promptly reinstalled himself. Sag stayed out in my temporary bed. Refilled hydrating fluid glasses (again and again). Caught up on social media. Made chopped liver. (More on that tomorrow.)

Decided I want to see a movie tomorrow, but there isn't much playing at good times. I would actually love to see Django Unchained, but it's only showing at 10:30 pm. I also want to see Life of Pi, but it's only showing at 1 pm which is borderline too early. Maybe the Oscar shorts? Maybe Amour? Quartet? Zero Dark Thirty?

Things will start winding down here soon. The kids were up early and will hopefully retire on the early side. I may pay for Argo tonight. Or I may catch up on Shameless and House of Lies.

That was not short. But it was a glimpse into the day.

Peace and love.

Ma(lady)

In lieu of what's in/on my mind which is: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...a pic I took today (the herb garden) and yesterday (me and the kids).

I got my period yesterday and it is forcing my hand: I must embrace irregularity and unpredictability one way or another.  The more joyful I am in the process, the better for me (and those around me).  

@#$%

I am allowing myself a day to feel this way.  To think about chowing down on a bag of potato chips or a slice or two of pizza.  To be borderline fetal.

Yesterday I was distracted by laundry folding and Shameless and became a cocoon.  Part of me resists all this inward-ing.  But it's pretty powerful.  I am dreaming up a storm and sleeping like a hibernating creature.

Peace and love.

Friday's child

Oh, hormones.  Oh, womanly wiring.  Oh, menopause.  I've been gettin' the blues and it's taking my breath away.  I have felt humbled.  And feel so lucky.  There are so very many of us whose lives and well beings are crippled by powerful and uncontrollable chemical imbalances.  What we call anxiety, depression, etc.  I'd honestly forgotten how intensely bad it can feel (and I've never been to the point of needing medication).

I spent the afternoon with Cap which is always grounding.  We ran an errand that was over a year in the making and then were brutalized by Whole Paycheck.  (We are going to try doing the weekly food shopping at Trader Joe's next week.)

By the time we'd picked up the kids and the groceries were put away, the last thing I wanted to do was make meatballs.  But, the ground lamb really needed to be cooked, which got my butt in gear.  I decided to simplify a logistical aspect of the recipe (the recipe is fantastic and simple) and rather than baking them on a greased wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, I baked them right on the sheet (verdict: virtually no difference in the quality of the meatball).

I am so glad I made the meatballs.  I had a serving with roasted broccoli and roasted plum tomato.  It was a truly comforting winter warmer kind of meal.  I am feeling much better, the emotional jag has passed.

I've been enjoying a new show called The Americans.  Alongside the other new show I like, Nashville.  Here are some songs which have tickled my eardrums thanks to the shows...

Peace and love.

Hump day challenge

Stumbling a bit as I try to get my calm on.  One of the kids is either sick again or had not fully kicked whatever was ailing him for 10 days-plus now.  And the other seems right behind him.

Sigh.

We had a winter like this a couple of years ago.  Where we rode a stream of viruses for weeks and weeks.  Cap and I were fine for the most part, and the kids never got intensely sick, but they would pop these little fevers and feel kind of crappy and then it undulated up, down, up, down.

I get motion sick, you know.

We were in the car on our way to gymnastics when the stomachache hit Thing 2.  We turned around, went home, and he got right into bed and slept for an hour. Thing 1's stomach started to hurt a couple of hours later.

I am grateful there's been no vomiting.  And am hopeful that it is not the flu.

I made a yummy batch of sesame kelp noodles this morning, before the day unexpectedly twisted.  The last few hours have been about filling glasses and mugs with Recharge and Chinese tea and making toast.  (Gem claimed he wasn't toast-sick and opted for some baloney between the toast.)

And, for me, having a brief and wondrous meditation while I ate some of the homemade baby back ribs Kelly brought over for me.  Such concentration, such peace.  Thank you, friend.

Here's a fun read about Mrs. Coach, who I completely forgot was in Ed Burns' first movie.

Here's something that I just love love love.

Here's to the return of one of my favorite shows that no one ever talks about.

Peace and love.

Sleepy snowy day

Mister Pond was on Fallon last night early this morning and I stayed up to watch so I am tired.

The day was spent going back and forth from the kitchen to bake/make something and the living room to chill for bits.

I opted to stay in from the snow today and made a kickass hot chocolate for the kids to warm themselves by when they came in.  I also made: Brussels sprouts (I wanted pine nuts but didn't have any so tossed in some sunflower seeds...would not recommend), roasted plum tomatoes, banana muffins, pretty perfect oatmeal, and, for the first time ever, Beef Stroganoff (wow, so good).

(I left out the cream and used 1 can of full fat coconut milk.  Used ghee rather than butter.)

Last night's pork chops.  Pretty, no?

Nothin' like warm 'nana  muffins on a winter morning.

Beef Stroganoff, where have you been all my life?  This was so yummy!

Gonna go let my eyes glaze in front of the boob tube.

Peace.

Oh my shiva

I have a great appreciation for alchemy.  In life, as well as, in the kitchen (where so much of my life seems to be happening lately).

This afternoon I roasted some plum tomatoes in the oven.  I don't know why, but they were the best I've ever made.  So so so so delicious.

Haven't made it to my book.  The pork was done early, ran the cookies down to Kelly, texting with Donna to catch up...now Gem is feeling cold-y.  It's going to be a quiet evening.

Peace.

P.S.  Looking forward to watching The Americans tonight!

Portlandia, anyone?

Here's a little something to break up the quiet.  (Thanks to Wendy for the patio prod.)

More bday

A slice of nut and seed bread with olivada and the remote.  Last night's Downton was eventful and really sad.  Lots-of-tissues sad.  Last night's episode of Girls was fantastic.

I love that Kate thought this green bread was beautiful.  But, I just can't...I mean, I can, I'm eating it, but...ugh.

He woke up with a sore throat.  Today's a mellow out day, but it's also a screen-free one for the kids.  There's been some pissing and moaning, but there have also been moments of rediscovery and peace.

His "corner office".  On the one hand, I know that no amount of budgeting and tightening up the purse strings will bring about our dream space with which to do what we want (not in this region of the country, anyway)...but on the other, I refuse to give up.  Every penny, every effort, can count towards something.

Please ignore the broken window shades that populate these rooms/pics.  We pretty much do.  The wet ceiling is still there.  The plumber is coming back out tomorrow.  But, today, today is a quiet day in my honor, and I appreciate it.

Peace.