Kid Art

I can't keep up with all the reading I want to do. Know the feeling? I have books and magazines aplenty scattered throughout the house. Some have even taken temporary residence on the floor of my car. Every time I step around the growing piles, I wish I were a speed-reader and that my house would clean itself.

Right now, I am halfway into Daniel Pink's book A Whole New Mind. It's a fascinating read that emphasizes the growing importance of right brain thinking. I had put it in my parent must-read pile, and am happy to report that it can double as a business read too (which interestingly occurs with some frequency).

Last week, Thomas Friedman wrote a piece in which he quoted Pink. The gist of his article was this. Fix our schools, not just our banks. It's not enough to focus solely on the 3 Rs. We also need to foster "entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity" among students.

I couldn't agree more.

Take these family portraits Sophie drew the other day. At times, her creations clutter my home like all those piles of books waiting to be read. Regardless of whether we save/display her artwork or add it to the recycling bin, it's not about her finished products as much as it is about the creation process. When Sophie sits at our kitchen table doing art, she is learning. She is telling stories. She is happy. Just look at those smiles...and those fancy earrings she's wearing.

Eat, Pray, Love

A few months ago, I tuned in to TED to watch a fascinating 20-minute talk by Elizabeth Gilbert.

After watching her mesmerizing insights on nurturing creativity, I decided I would read her much-hyped book Eat, Pray, Love despite the fact that a significant number of my friends had commented that they'd found it "too self-indulgent."

With this recurrent theme as a backdrop, I skeptically commenced reading about "one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia."

I was immediately hooked. Granted, few us could easily replicate this same intercontinental journey, but that's not the point of the book. It's about finding inner peace, contentment with self, spirituality...call it what you will.

On page 155, Elizabeth writes:

"Life, if you keep chasing it so hard, will drive you to death. Time--when pursued like a bandit--will behave like one; always remaining one county or room ahead of you, changing its hair color and name to elude you, slipping out the back door of the motel just as you're banging through the lobby with your newest search warrant, leaving only a burning cigarette in the ashtray to taunt you. At some point you have to stop because it won't. You have to admit that you can't catch it. That you're not supposed to catch it. At some point, as Richard keeps telling me, you gotta let go and sit still and allow contentment to come to you."

In a nutshell, I am glad I read this book and am thankful that I don't feel the need to go anywhere far away to find inner peace...at least not at this point in my life. But if anyone wants to send me to Italy, I won't object!

My First Time Cooking Kale

Yesterday, I was reading the October 2009 issue of Bon Appetit and was captivated by Molly Wizenber's article How I learned to Love Kale. Really? One can love kale?

Molly Wizenberg's monthly contributions usually inspire me to branch out and try my hand at something new. In this case, inspiration hit the same day, and I marched myself to the grocery store to secure said bitter greens. I needed to go to the store anyway, and I had a hunch that kale would make a nice accompaniment to the roasted balsamic chicken and potatoes I'd already planned to serve for dinner. Rather than use the pasta recipe Molly suggested (which I'll try when I'm not already roasting potatoes), I found one for Sautéed Kale with Garlic, Shallots, and Capers towards the back of the same issue.

It looks like Molly has made a kale convert of me. Now to find some kale seeds to sow for a fall harvest. As it turns out, another perk of kale is its cold hardiness, so I'll be able to keep my kitchen garden going a little longer this year. I don't know if kale will make me miss summer tomatoes any less, but then again, that wasn't the title of Molly's article.

Getting Back into the Groove

I just returned from a nice morning run. Now that the kids are back in school (Sophie just started Kindergarten!), my Saturday mornings feel like Saturday mornings once again. As wonderful as our summer was, something in me craves order and routine. As I jogged along this morning with only my iPod for company, I felt very peaceful...sensing the slightly cooler temperatures on the way and enjoying the beautiful blue sky. When Heartbeats by José González started playing, I knew immediately that I would blog today. This Sony ad captured my heart many years ago and first introduced me to José González. Even if you've seen it already, it's a great way to start the day, especially if coffee is involved.

Which Hand Is It In?

I have a rare thirty minutes without kids underfoot, so I thought I’d try to pen a few sentiments before hurrying off to my next “to do.”

Thirty minutes isn’t a lot of time to write, especially since I tend to be a perfectionist about choosing my words. Still, today I want to share a few thoughts about Mama Nat, my 88-year old grandmother for whom I am named. Plus, having a thirty-minute deadline when you’re writing about someone who has lived almost 89 years might be a good thing…lest you end up writing a book instead.

This past June, Mama Nat spent 5 days with the kids and me at the beach. To say our time together was special would be an understatement. For 5 days, we were pretty carefree, sharing meals, the beautiful scenery and lots of stories.

I was particularly impressed with Mama Nat’s ability to captivate Louis and Sophie’s full attention for 20 minutes using only a penny. First, she ushered my kids to the stairwell and made them sit on the bottom step. Next, she put her hands behind her back, hid a penny in one of them, put her hands back in front of her and let the kids take turns guessing which hand held the penny. If they guessed correctly, they got to move up a step. If not, they had to stay put. Sophie was the first one to reach the top of the staircase, and she was tickled to finally beat her brother at something. (Note- I was in hysterics the entire time as I watched and listened to Mama Nat’s conversation with Louis and Sophie as they progressed slowly up the stairs.)


Mama Nat used to play the “Which hand is it in?” game with my brothers and me when we were little. Apparently, even in today’s digital, fast-paced world, it still hasn’t lost its appeal. For that matter, it may even be considered novel.

Cherry-Almond Muffins

It's been awhile since I last blogged, so I thought I'd serve up something sweet. I found the recipe for these cherry muffins at Culinary Cafe.

Because I had buttermilk on hand, I used it in lieu of the milk with great results. Also rather than stirring a whole cup of almonds into the batter, I saved some to sprinkle on top of the muffins right before baking. Finally, wanting a more substantial looking bakery muffin, I used my large muffin pan.

One last note:

When I bake, I tend to treat the suggested baking time as a variable. Every oven, pan and batter bakes up differently. I have the most baking success when I flip on the oven light and keep a close watch on my baked goods, rotating whatever I'm baking about mid-way through the baking cycle. I am a big believer in administering the toothpick test sooner than later because a dry muffin is like a corked bottle of wine. Bad.

Cherry-Almond Muffins
from: Culinary Cafe

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Mention muffins today, and you'll conjure up visions of blueberry, date-nut, cranberry or other fruit muffins. Sweet summer fruits are a wonderful addition to a basic muffin batter; the following version teams cherries and almonds, a fruit and nut that were made for one another.

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cherries, pitted, coarsely chopped, and drained
• 1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• granulated sugar

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Sift together dry ingredients and add them to butter/sugar mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almond extract, then gently fold in almonds and cherries.

Spoon muffin batter into 12 greased muffin cups; cups will be quite full. Sprinkle each muffin with a little granulated sugar, and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 30 minutes, or until muffins test done.

Wise Words

My mother-in-law recently sent me this article written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. I found her 45 life lessons particularly timely and wise.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry..

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34.. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.