50 Cent + Thomas the Tank =best remix EVER
We had such a nice weekend. On Sat, B and I went to a FABULOUS circus party that our friends threw while J&H went to Nanny and Grampy's with Andrew. There was music and homemade (and well done) stations for the kids to walk a balance beam, throw things through hoops, have their face painted (by yours truly) etc all whilst munching popcorn. There was to be a parade but it was called on account of rain.
As per usual I brought my camera and as per usual I took hardly any pictures. Actually just one. I'm either handling babies or playing with B or I just don't feel like documenting the darn thing. At my sister's wedding, her minister called for no pics during the ceremony other than by the official photographer because it's better to have a 4D experience than a 2D memory. I heartily agree!! The 4th dimension was a spiritual one.
That being said, here's us leaving:
Oh, the rest of the weekend? Spending the afternoon at a bookstore with my allowance sipping a non-fat vanilla latte (extra HOT!), having steak tips for supper at Andrew's parents', on Sunday skipping church to have brunch (the best meal of the day) and go for a drive looking for trains, spending nap time at the library for an afternoon of Anne readings and delectible munchies inspired by the books. Good times.
I think it's quite true to life.
This just in . . .
I am breaking my Vox dry spell to announce that I saw for sale . . . in the new season section NOT retro . . .
Stirrup pants. You heard me! OTG stirrup pants.
This is me in stirrup pants circa 1986:
Ok, so you can't see them but I know they're there b/c it's PICTURE DAY and this was my favourite tunic length hot pink sweater worn with a little blue eyeshadow and (of course) black stirrup pants. Somewhere at my parent's is a pic of the pants to be seen worn with a white tunic shirt with bold black geometric prints. How do I know this? It was a momenteous occaison as I was off to my first concert:
One of my fav authors, although I always realize how little I know whilst reading her books, and the last in a series of stories that I started reading when we lived in Edinburgh. C and I went to the library on a rainy day a couple of weeks ago and I stocked up. Since then, the computer went on the blink and my sister in law had to make an unexpected trip here as her dad was dying. He died the day after she had to fly back home, so we will see her again when she comes out to deal the his things. Sure makes you re-evaluate your life and your choices.
and suddenly it is mid-August.
From A Whistling Woman by AS Byatt.
...Ramsden saw the full moon hanging in the window and skylight, perfectly framed, hugely sailing, clouded, clear, clouded, clear, dizzying. He went out, purposeful and barefoot, slipping the back-door catch with confident stealth, striding silently across the farmyard, under the trees, which blackened the moon with turbulent spikes, and out on to the moor, where it sailed high, the shreds of cloud dropping away like dead skin, dead lashes, leaving the great silver eye staring blankly.
Ah ha! Finally, I have been able to read again. I know I have neglected my Voxers, but I have much to post at a later date - lavender harvest, nieces and nephews, cottage, food, etc etc. But in the meantime, here are some terrific words and phrases; I had to dogear the pages there were so many.
From 'Midwinter' by John Buchan:
- "Haud up, sir," cried a voice. "Losh, the beast's foundered, and the man's in a dwam."
- He cut himself a piece of pie and ate gobblingly.
- Let a romantic maid indulge her fancy and choose her own way of wedlock, for if she get not romance at the start she will not find it in the dreich business of matrimony.
- "Saw ye ever such a physiog, Edom?" he cried. "Dominies are getting crouse, for the body was wanting my lord to ride with him like a post-boy after some quean that's ta'en the jee. He's about as blate as a Cameronian preacher."
- hobbledehoys
- He was in a torment of disquietude... he did not despair of giving these chaw-bacons the slip.
- For presently the snow will so conglobulate that the road will be impossible for coach and horses.
- Plunderers of old wives' plenishing
Here are two super simple recipes that will make you a welcome summer bbq guest:
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
(taken from allrecipes.com by way of Tracy Burgess)
Ok, one of the reason why I loved making these is that I got to use a lot of my little gadgets. Sad, but true.
*1 package of flour tortillas
*melted butter (Annie says butter-flavoured spray but I like the real stuff)
*cinnamon sugar
Baste flour tortillas with melted butter/marg. Don't skimp on this as if you do, they will not be crispy.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (again, be generous!)
Cut into slices.
Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes
Let cool.
Dice some apples, kiwis, strawberries and raspberries.
Mix in 1T brown sugar, 2T white sugar and 3T fruit preserves (I used Sam's yummy peach jam).
As you're dicing for salsa as opposed to chopping for salad, I found this took longer than anticipated.
Next time I'll try using the food processor.
Does anyone know why adding sugar makes the juices flow??
Pasta Veggie Salad
Raid your local Farmer's Market
(Well, don't really raid it . . . )
Boil the pasta
Chop the veggies
Run the pasta under cold water until cool and mix w veggies
Dump a bottle of salad dressing (not a creamy kind) over the whole thing and stir to coat
(this size was too big, I ended up draining the excess off the next day)
Stick in the fridge for 24 hours, stirring once in a while
Add cheese chunks and enjoy!
I'm crushing on an oven I saw in a magazine - a Kitchenaid model with, get this, steam-assist technology. Apparently this feature eliminates the step of spritzing or basting and the result was shown in a gorgeous artisan loaf.
"If I had this oven," says I,"I would make this bread ev-er-y-day!" Then I realised, I've never made bread from scratch in my life and that got me musing . . . . what else haven't I done? I don't mean the grandeous things like go to France or learn to scuba dive (though those are on the list), I mean the simple. The everyday. The things that only laziness stands in the way of.
I mean, I'm home, right? That makes me a homemaker. I think that there is a big difference between being home because you choose to be and being home by default; by the fact that you're not 'out'.
So, here's my list of things I'd like to do at least once:
1) make bread (duh)
2) make jam
3) sew curtains
4) grow veggies
5) make a fruit pie AND crust
Why would I want to do any of these things? I mean, the bread from the local bakery is yummy, inexpensive and has great ingredients. I guess I want to take tighter ownership of my domestic circle. I want to do things purposfully. I like tactile things. I can do this with my kids.
What I'm NOT looking to do is be perfect. If I don't enjoy doing it, never again will it be done. I don't believe to have a happy household I have to do x, y, z. What I do have to do is cultivate an attitude of joy. Joy isn't being happy; no one can be happy all the time anyways. I find joy when I seek the deeper, oh, I don't know, essence (?) of a thing. Take grocery shopping. It could be a mundane chore but when I pick my groceries, I think of the meals they will create, of the friends I'll be eating with, of the little bellies that will be full, of those who aren't as fortunate as we to be able to buy these things and so on. The sacred can be found in the profane if I'm willing to invest the mental energy to finding it.
Now that I have my list, I'm excited to start! There's a great Art book for preschoolers I've used with the sub-title It's the Process, not the Product and that will be my motto. I think I'll start with the jam, it's too hot to bake bread anyway.
. . . wet thine underpants.
I'm trying to instill in Bruce the most basic of religous tenents. Whenever I 'catch him' being good, I say something like, "Oh! I see you're being kind. God says, 'Be nice to each other' and you're being nice, good job.". This is combined with saying thank you for our food and praying about our day (which is mostly spent telling Jesus all about various trucks).
Yesterday, he was playing outside and I reminded him that he was in his undies, not a diaper, hoping that would keep him aware of himself. He turns to me very seriously and says, "God says, 'Don't pee in your pants.'"
???!!! What do you say to THAT???
You know who you are. Thanks to my American vox neighbours, I have significantly changed my view of the US.
Happy Independence Day.
