Berlin's Whimsy

Transitioning into Summer.

This next week holds a lot of transitions for our family.

I'm out of school already but I start up again on the 21st. My kids only have a couple more days of school.

Most importantly, my son will be graduating from 8th grade soon and then it's time to move on to high school. Gasp. It's going to be an emotional event for me-----not only is he growing up way too fast but he'll be leaving his close friends (he will be attending a different high school in a different town). It will be a transition for us all.

When I finished my term, I also finished a large research project on The National School Lunch Program and the topic of childrens' health and nutrition. It was such a long and involved project. I learned so much. I also renewed my insistence on making my kids' lunches.

So, here is today's lunch: Homemade Cinnamon-Swirl bread with almond butter (via my trusty Vita-mix). Yogurt with Blueberries. Apple slices and carrot sticks with more almond butter to dip them in. And lastly, a carob malt ball. Yes, my kids eat carob. And chocolate!

As much as I sometimes dread carving out the time to make my kids' lunches each frantic morning, I do feel a little sad that our routines will be coming to an end soon. What to do? I keep having nightmarish visions of them whining, "I'm Boooooored" and "Can I play a video game?" two days after they get out of school. Summer camps and programs are an option but lack of funds limit those opportunities. Eating Quick Pops all day long won't suffice, either.

So, parent of 'tweens and teens out there? What do you have planned to keep your kids occupied this summer? What routines do you adopt?

Has it been so long?

Has it been so long as this? So long since I sat down to write here in my corner? And even as I write this, a difficult psychology exam rudely beckons me away. It diverts my words away to human behavior and Freudian theories and the stages of life. Though psychology (and much of what I'm currently learning) are forever interesting, I would like to find more time to share here the little goings-on and makings that happen in between the homework, kids, commuting, and day-to-day living.

You wouldn't know it from my pages, but I still pursue my creative interests----I must, lest I run mad into the woods to knit in silence and subsist on pine needles and berries. (Kind of hard to do this time of year).

So here goes... I am in a knitting phase. Knitting leaves is my newest passion. This wonderful pattern, Saroyan, captured my attention and it's oh so enjoyable to relax and knit for a bit and watch delicate leaves appear between my fingers... When I'm done, I might make another.

And baking. Of course. I was immediately stricken with the urge to run in the kitchen and make crackers when I found this recipe in the newest King Arthur Flour catalog. I am smitten with those expensive, gourmet Dr. Kracker crackers and the thought of reproducing them for much less expense was appealing. They turned out quite yummy, though I found it difficult to force the seeds into submission to stay on the cracker when broken apart. I plan on tweaking the recipe a bit. Nonetheless, they were yummy with a dip of hummus.

Grinding. As usual, I found yet another reason to love my Vita-Mix blender. I had a bag of dried corn in the cupboard, but no cornmeal. The evening's meal of hearty soup called for a side of cornbread so I tried out the dry grinding capability of my blender with very yummy results! The cornbread tasted so fresh and crunchy! Yum!

And for the cornbread, I used the recipe in my newest favorite cookbook: Grand Central Baking Book. Thanks to Sarah's recommend, this book has not left my kitchen counter from the day I received it. The Dutch Baby chart, the clover rolls, many yummy cookies, and so much more make this one a must-have for the baker!

Added later: The top photo is of little pastries I made during the holidays. They consisted of rough puff pastry (made from the Grand Central book) and the filling from these pastries.  I cut the puff pastry into rounds with a fluted biscuit cutter, filled with about 1/4 C. filling, sealed the edges, poked holes in the top, applied an egg wash, and dusted with cinnamon-sugar. I cannot remember the baking time but bake in a 350-degree oven until bubbling...

Listening...

I do a lot of listening. What I hear....

Nigella Lawson... I listened to her velvety voice this morning. She was discussing her newest cookbook and simple recipes for the holidays on NPR. Oh, but she could have been explaining the intricacies of rewiring a toaster oven or unplugging the kitchen sink and it would have sounded just as provocative. She has that kind of voice. The kind that makes me want to ensconce myself in the kitchen with every kind of rich and wonderful ingredient I can find and produce the richness of flavor her voice evokes. I want to be like Nigella. Not that I ever could be. But in my next life, I'll come back as Nigella Lawson, wielding my lusty voice like a bottle of white truffle oil. For now, I'll put her newest cookbook on my wishlist.

Coventry Carol...My partner loves this song. It is quite enchanting and my son is learning to play it on the piano. Its beguiling tune fills the house each afternoon, invoking a pause in my household activities to listen.

Typing... My typing. I have a large and cumbersome final project to finish before this Thursday. My fingers have typed up 25 pages of a psychology analysis so far and many more are slated for today.

Whipping... What I want to hear: the whipping up of butter and sugar for holiday baking and the chattering of my family during the holiday season. It's what I love about this time of year. Soon, I tell myself. When my homework is finished and my college quarter is complete.

What do you hear?

Festive preparation.

It's that time again, huh? The holiday season. I am nearing the end of my fall quarter with tired fingers and a worn-out brain. I'm ready for the enchantment of the holidays---- more so than ever!

Once again, I'm attempting the impossible this holiday season: making most of my gifts.  Since I cannot fabricate video games, and they seem to be a mainstay on my childrens'  wishlists, I cannot join The Handmade Pledge. 

First up on my holiday gift-making list are slippers. I'm making cushy, comfy wool slippers with these fleece-lined suede soles for the whole family. The soles aren't cheap but I had enough yarn in my stash to make the knitted portion of the slippers without any further spending. There are store-bought versions available, but I'm making my gifts! :-)

Gifts from my kitchen are one of my favorites and I have a few kitchen projects in the works; such as Limoncello, a fancy and flavorful thai peanut sauce (I might post my recipe soon), candied grapefruit peels, and some of this homemade garlic salt with rosemary added to it. Mmmm. I'm currently on the lookout for fancy bottles and containers...

I discovered the yum that is fresh cranberry salsa over turkey and jack cheese quesadillas. I used this recipe for the cranberry salsa and I will be making it over and over again! So good.

And finally, we enjoyed these Cranberry Margaritas over the Thanksgiving weekend. I switched up the recipe a bit but it originally appeared in the December issue of Sunset magazine.

Cranberry Margaritas

1 ¼ “Just Cranberry” Juice (the non-sweetened variety), divided

½ C. sugar, divided

1 ½ C. (6 oz.) fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed

¾ C. fresh lime juice

¾ C. tequila

½ C. oranged-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau

3 C. coarsely crushed ice

~ Pour 1/4 C. Cranberry juice into a a shallow bowl. Pour 3 T. sugar onto a plate. Dip rims of 4-6 wide-mouthed glasses into juice, then sugar. Set glasses aside.

~Cook the fresh or frozen cranberries with the remaining sugar until the cranberries pop and are tender. Let cool. In a blender, whirl the cranberry/sugar mixture, cranberry juice, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and the ice until smooth and slushy. If necessary, blend in 2 batches, then mix together. Divide among glasses and toast to the season!

serves 4

Busy hands. Busy Mind.

My spinning wheel is enjoying some action. I am experimenting with spinning thick and thin yarn and plying with thread. When I haven't spent much time at my spinning wheel, I forget how peaceful it is. In just a few minutes, my hands move in rhythm to my pedaling and my mind settles.

Busy are my hands. Busy is my mind. My college work load is compounding as the fall quarter draws closer to a close. 30 page papers and comprehensive finals fill my mind.

In between, however, I sneak away to spin a little. Knit a little. Rest my mind and my soul.

sweet relief.

Today marks the official beginning of my summer break. I took my final exam this morning and I am certifiably free from studying, testing, reading, cramming and all other forms of academic stress inducement. Those last few days in class held moments of daydreaming about crafts, projects, and outings with my kids, scrunched into the remaining few weeks of summer.

But for now, I'll relish the unhurried moments---- homemade pizza dough rising, acorns with scribbles, childrens' paper castles, pumpkins growing in the garden, and time with nothing to fill it...

Soon.

I didn't go away. I am taking summer college courses. Summer courses were invented to torture mothers in college. You see, summer courses cover the same information that a regular three-month course does but condenses it into three weeks. That and trying to find the time---- and most accurately the motivation----- to encourage my children's creativity and lessen the boredom blues has worn me plum out! It hasn't left much time for writing and sharing here, either...

But the good news? In a little over a week I'll be done with my summer classes and truly there has been some fun stuff going on behind the scenes.

We've been dimpling and rolling Fimo with little and big fingers. More summer dresses zipped off the sewing table. I have knitting projects underway. And I've spent many afternoons in the kitchen with some yummy results. I am reviewing a very special cookbook that I will share with you soon in another giveaway. And so much more. You'll see....

Scenes.

Scenes and snippets of images from where I sit...  Reading Richard III and not grasping much of it... Wondering how in the world I'm going to decipher The Bard's hidden meanings, irony, and word usage...

***Since my words are currently reserved for writing assignments, I'll follow this "Scene" theme for a bit...

Mountains and beaches

I left for my past home along the beach in a fog of concern: too many boxes still to unpack, the aftermath of Christmas, and fretting over my impending session of school.

Days spent visiting with dear friends, walking on the rain soaked beach, and listening to the coastal winds provided enough of a pleasant distraction for my brain to rally itself for my coming tasks.

I begin another quarter of school today and I especially look forward to two of my courses: photojournalism and the study of Shakespeare. As much as I look forward to my desired educational outcome from these courses----and others---- I often begin a new quarter wearing worry like a new bathrobe; looking through those syllabuses with their daunting assignments laid out before me makes me feel as if I'm looking up at a much too large and looming mountain from its sad little base. Yet I know this routine. I've climbed that mountain of assignments before and felt accomplishment wash over me as a result. And so today, I take another first step up another mountain.

The Road with Three Names.

I drive the same road day after day. It's a very convenient route as work, college, and my children's school all are along this road. The road has three names depending upon which section one travels. It carries my car at least twice a day, sometimes many more----over the little hill, through the traffic lights, around the round-about... Sometimes it becomes dull driving back and forth on that road. For the longest time, I noticed something new each time I drove the road: a house for rent; new curtains in one of the windows; a pile of stuff alongside the road with a free sign... But unfortunately, the newness has worn off.

However, there are always people to be watched on the sidewalks, in the other cars. I notice people's expressions and I wonder what their day holds for them. And nearly everyday, there is a certain man walking along the sidewalk. I find him intriguing because he looks a little odd and gives the impression that he's engrossed in his own world. His gate is compelling, as he walks with purpose which doesn't fit his outward appearance. I wonder where he is going and why he seems so closed up.

One of my classes this term is a screen-writing course and eventually I am to write a screenplay. For the longest time, I could not come up with an idea at all. None. But today, while driving that same old road with three names, I wondered what it would be like (character-wise) if the woman driving monotonously down the street one day decided to stop and speak to that man. What kind of person would do that? And what would happen? Who would that man be? What would the woman say to him and what would he respond with? These are all questions I am currently pondering as I try to uncover what this story is.

What do you think? Ideas? Suggestions?