Wordless Wednesday: tree huggin' in Bay Harbor

Creamy India Soup

I've got a serious soft spot for Indian cuisine and crave curry on a regular basis. This tasty soup doesn't have any curry in it, but the cardamom, cumin and turmeric are so savory! This soup is really easy to make, and it was a hit at our house. It is thick, creamy and non-fatty. How could you ask for more from a soup?

Creamy India Soup

a slightly modified version of this recipe

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans chickpeas, drained

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salt and pepper

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 (24-ounce) jar of fire roasted tomato and garlic spaghetti sauce

Plain yogurt

Warm pita, any flavor or variety, toasted

Heat a medium pot with extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Grind the chickpeas and onion in food processor. Add to pot and cook 5 minutes to sweeten onion. Season the chickpeas with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir in stock, then tomatoes. Simmer soup 5 to 10 minutes to combine flavors. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and warm pita for dipping

Remember

Blessings

A wonderful week We got to work hard and play hard. The time flew by.

My brother Jared who celebrated a birthday this week.

Warm weather this weekend It is supposed to be in the 70's again tomorrow. Hallelujah.

This week

I haven't done much blogging. But I've had about 5 days in a row now where something has come up during the time that I would use for blogging. Some of the things I've been up to include:Turbo Jam It has been so hard for me to find a regular time to exercise. I had enough and decided last week that I was just going to do it. So after I fed the kids breakfast and got them dressed etc., I put on my exercise stuff and took everyone downstairs. Breakfast time was originally bloggy time for me. Once Grant is fully weened I'll try getting up before the kids to exercise so as to recover the morning time slot for blogging. Until then, I'll have to find a new time to blog. Oh, and I've just gotta say that I love Turbo Jam workouts. These are the same routines I did in those kickboxing classes while we were in CA. They are challenging and a lot of fun. I do them most of the time. I also have pilates and the NYC Ballet workout videos. I really like them too, but they are not as cardio intensive. I really need to kick some trash in the calorie department for a little while.

Gracie's hair has needed major help for some time. I finally gathered myself emotionally enough to get both kids' hair cut Monday. (Why is it such a big deal? I just couldn't bring myself to do it for so long.) The plan was to go after Grace woke from her nap. I spent the whole day talking to her about it. The fun twirly chair... the big cape... ice cream afterwords if she was good... She was certain that it would hurt to have her hair cut, so we had a little practice run where I cut some of her hair. She was pretty positive about it after that. I was starting to look forward to it myself. We got her as far as the fun twirly chair and she had a force-of-nature melt down. So Grant had his hair cut first and was a complete champ about it. No matter how I praised him, Gracie would still have none of it. Arg. I gave it a whole week and took her back on Friday. This time I came equipped with our portable DVD player. 15 minutes of Lady and the Tramp later, she was through. We won't be able to do the same rubber band concoctions we've become so fond of. But her hair is closer to being a more uniform (as opposed to mullet deluxe) length and style.

The need for charity never faileth But I am very grateful to be in a position where I am notified about the needs of others and really empowered to do something about those needs. I am also grateful that I didn't have anything more pressing than folding laundry and cleaning bathrooms to leave undone as a result.

The home improvement saga continues as we have set our sites on the yard. Our field had become a virile jungle of alfalfa, wild grass, domesticated grass, dandy lion clumps and a bunch of other weeds I don't recognize. It was actually pretty green. But not much fun to play in. Cori has been calling around for a couple of weeks getting good prices for us to get a lawn in. After a week of waiting for this couple to get out to our place with their tractor, they finally came Saturday. It ended up taking most of the day. And we ended up helping. Its a longer story. But the land is tilled. We are getting closer. And since our move to this farm country, I have decided that newly turned over earth is one of the prettiest, most wholesome sights I've ever laid my eyes on.

Date night at the movies We saw the new Indiana Jones flick. So much fun. Granted, it isn't my favorite. Last Crusade totally takes the cake with Raiders close behind. But I think it is pretty tough to mess up a film experience when the audience has John Williams in surround sound, George Lucas behind production, and the iconic Indiana on the big screen.

Ahh. So between all this and the other things we usually fit into the week, I hardly got to my computer at all. My hopes aren't very high for next week either... Things should slow down in another couple of weeks, but I find myself saying that a lot.

Grant goes to the barber

It was time. His hair was all sprouty out the top with a pronounced length hanging over his ears. I had a coupon for a place in town. He did so well while she was working on him. I was a little worried about how it would go.

Gotta love a leopard print smock.

Now look at the little man.

Shabby no more!

Gracie Girl

Just some shots of my Gracie. She had just woken from her nap, hence the crazy hair. Grant was sleeping and the sun was shining. We went outside and I followed her around with the camera for a while. These are my 3 favorite shots. I just can't believe the little person she has become. Adventurous, chatty, concerned, busy, amused, happy, interested, curious, nearly fearless. How I love this little lady.

Blessings

This alfalfa field that adjoins our backyard. Dandy lions as far as the eye can see. Hopefully, it will be harvested before the weeds go to seed, but in the meantime, it is a lovely field of gold to look upon.



Another free weekend. We didn't even plan any house projects. Instead, we went to the mushroom festival Friday night. This is a picture of a morel mushroom. They are ugly, expensive and indigenous to our little area. People will fire guns at you if you are spotted hunting them on their property, or so we've been warned. And yes, I said hunting. That's what they call it, morel hunting. There was a full blown carnival in honor the harvest season of this piece of fungus. Amazing. We really enjoyed ourselves though. Gracie especially. Anyway, then we went out to breakfast with friends in Bay Harbor on Saturday morning. Did some downtown shopping after naps in the afternoon. And Cori and I had a movie night once the kiddies were down for the night. So nice.


My father-in-law, Randy and brother-in-law, Will who both celebrated birthdays this week.


Nothing in particular but everything in general. Things are pretty great around our house. We are healthy. We are busy. We are very happy. I am so grateful.

A London Memory

I have a thing for Chopin. A pretty big thing. I can't remember when he and my ears were first introduced. But once my fingers made his acquaintance I became a complete devotee. His music is emotional and cathartic. I purged my teenage torments in his nocturnes. I shared my secrets in his waltzes.

One of my all-time-favorite Chopin works is his Nocturne in D flat (the piece you are currently listening to). I can still play the first five stanzas of this song by memory. It is an old friend.

In fact, it is such a friend that it followed me all the way to London. One of our first evenings abroad, a little group of us went to see The King And I. We arrived at the theatre early and decided to make a quick stop into a book store to look for pop up maps of the city proper. Much like every store sandwiched together in London, this book store is narrow, deep, and a good 4 or 5 stories high. The area we needed was on the top floor, and we began our ascent up a web of escalators. Part way up, I recognized the familiar sound of my beloved nocturne. I was far from home. It was nice to hear its voice.

We reached the top. Into view came something wondrous and unexpected. There was a man sitting at a baby grand playing my nocturne. He wasn't in a tux. There wasn't a tip jar beside the music stand. He looked like he had just come from work. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows. There was a messenger bag that had been tossed under the piano bench. It was as though he had nothing to do on his way home and had stopped into the store to casually sit at this vacant piano and play one of the most genius pieces of melody and counter voice ever composed.

Like an idiot I stood at the mouth of the escalator and watched him. I studied his face. Then his hands. I wanted to see if this song meant the same thing to him. He finished. I willed myself to go say something to him, but what? "That was really good." Lame. "That is my favorite song. Ever. No really it is." I bet all the girls say that to him. "Thanks for playing my soul." Psycho. So I stood there, people exiting the escalator to either side of me.

The poor guy couldn't help but notice me. I was gawking. Shamelessly. He looked directly at me, smiled a really slow and confident smile, and then he winked. Instantly the music lover/intellectual student of the arts bowed out to the female inside. I blushed and immediately made my way to the down escalator. Amateur.

Later, Natalie and I named him Preston. We spoke in our highest most proper Oxford English tones about "listening to Preston play the piano along the shimmering Thames" (We always used special emphasis on the word 'shimmering' as the Thames actually bears striking resemblance to Willy Wonka's chocolate pond).

Fortunately, the whole bookstore affair didn't change my friendship with Nocturne in D flat. It is to me today as it was in the beginning. I play it and travel back to my engagement to Cori, my senior year of high school, the basement of the HFAC, thoughtful moments of solitude, master classes, our home in Spanish Fork, the first weeks of being a mother, any of a thousand times when my mouth couldn't say what my fingers could, and occasionally, a bookstore in London.

Play Dates

Betsy, one of our favorite people, has been a day-time nanny for a family that lives nearby. Occasionally we throw nap times to the wind ('cause when you get 4 kids under the age of 5 together, someone is bound to be having a nap at every conceivable moment) and spend the morning together. As the weather has been a bit more hospitable we were able to spend our play date outside. Sidewalk chalk, pretend ice cream parlors, bubbles, and foot races. Oh, and a finale rock band performance made for a perfect finish.

Wordless Wednesday: Then and Now, May 07-08

What I've been reading

The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare A fun quick read. It had been quite some time since I had delved into juvenile literature, and Elizabeth George Speare is a safe bet. The Bronze Bow transports back to the time of Christ. It is an interesting view of the Roman occupation of Jerusalem, the unrest of the people, and their desire for a temporal savior. It broadened my view of a couple of things: the exhausting throngs of people that were constantly about the Savior, and the flame that fueled the Jews' cry to crucify Him. For all that, Jesus isn't a main character by any means. The story revolves more around everyday life of the Jews, the Romans, and a bandit group that is meant to save them all. It wasn't deeply poignant or can't-put-it-down engrossing, but I enjoyed the read.

The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell I liked this one just as well as I enjoyed his other book, Blink. I didn't agree with all of the conclusions he argued at the book's close. But I really enjoyed the center chunk. He spent a lot of time discussing children television programming, which in turn, was discussion about the way children learn. I have a new found appreciation for the unusual longevity of Gracie's attention span.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman These Three Remain, Pamela Aidan I started this series back last Spring when Cori and I went to Paris. I flew through the first novel, chugged around the second, and then (a year later when I finally got started on it) I couldn't put the third novel down. What I like about the conclusion of this P&P treatment is that Darcy changes. It seems that other interpretations of him are that he is quiet, shy, and misunderstood. Introversion is the biggest offense thrown his way. In this novel, he takes Elizabeth's rejection and uses it to change his life. He is sure to make Bingley his equal, rather than his protege. He straightforwardly confronts his Aunt, Lady Catherine, and makes friends with his cousin. He humbly admits to every wrong and works to right them. He feels happiness from his change which only causes his love for Elizabeth to grow. I also loved how Aidan foiled the improprietous ridiculousness of Elizabeth's mother with the lofty ridiculousness of Lady Catherine. She is truly over the top in this novel. A word of warning: the second novel truly takes a liberated detour from Austen-land. I practically skimmed the whole thing and made it through to the third novel without missing much. It does explore Georgianna's character more but the storyline...missable.

Life of Pi, Yann Martel I just finished this over the weekend and still have it on the brain. I really enjoyed it. The first 80 pages or so lay a foundation for an amazing tale of survival and faith. I'm not about to spill any beans, but there is a bit of a twist at the end. What I loved about the Martel's storytelling is that when the novel is through, it doesn't matter what is fact or what is fiction. The message of the novel stands independently. I hear that M. Night Shyamalan has picked up rights to make this a movie. I couldn't understand why until I hit the last chapter. Truthfully, from what I heard about this book prior to reading it, I was expecting a Gary Paulsen-esque tale of survival at sea (Did you ever have to read his stuff? Hatchet? Yikes.). How happy I was to be wrong. This book comes with my stamp of recommendation.

Blessings

I have so much to be grateful for.

4 years with Cori We celebrated our 4th anniversary this last week. Nothing fancy. At all. But a perfect embodiment of our lives together right now. We were staying at our District President's house in Traverse City for a few days. Cori had a conference for work to attend in the area, and we making final preparations for an event we were a part of on Saturday. Cori had picked up some orange, passion, mango Italian Soda at Target. Once the kids were asleep (not the easiest task in a new place) and I had made my lists for the next day and checked them twice, we had a little toast. I love serving with him. I love parenting with him. I love being married to him. I love how we are living our life. I'm such the lucky girl.

The start of something great. My mom took this picture just a couple of months after we started dating. We were at a Shakespeare performance at Lake Tahoe. Oh, and don't be jealous. I'll pay for that tan in melanoma later.

Success on Saturday Some time ago, Cori and I were called to advise a young single adult committee that was organizing a huge event that would host all the young single adults in our mission. Our guidelines--a day of fun, and a budget of $x. It was a bit daunting. After months of planning, meetings, errands, and advertising the day was upon us this weekend. We hosted a Summer Olympics (of silly, not-so-serious games). We had so much fun and were completely exhausted on our way home last night. It was very rewarding to work with the committee. Though I enjoyed it, I'm glad to have the day behind us.

Friends who reach out This week I received a postcard from a friend on the other side of the globe, and a phone call from a friend on the other side of the country. Friends are never really that far away.


Today, I am especially grateful for:

My Mom who continues to shape my life in so many ways. The very sound of her voice calms me down in troubled times. In my conversations with her, I never cry alone and I never go without laughter. She is to me a cherished mentor and friend.

My other mothers There are several wonderful women who have mothered me throughout my life. Their stories inspire me. Their examples motivate me. Their loving service has made me a better person. I am a little link in a great chain of amazing women.

Cori who treats me like a queen, especially on Mother's day.

My babies who give great meaning to every day of my life.

A wonderful Sabbath We slept in this morning. Cori didn't have any early meetings and was able to help me with Church prep. What a treat! Wonderful, encouraging words were spoken throughout talks and lessons. Grant slept through half of Relief Society, a miracle that rarely happens. We took a family nap after church. And Cori has made my life so easy this afternoon.

Wordless Wednesday: Sleepy Head

Even the best laid plans

7:08- Wake and feed Grant. Dress him.

7:35- Get breakfast for Gracie. All she wants is grapes and peaches. Add a few items to my shopping list. Feed Grant baby food. Eat a quick bowl of granola. Check the time. Gotta get moving.

8:15- Gracie is dressed, I'm almost ready to go. Check the kids and my bag again. Yep. All ready. Go to get my shoes on.

8:16- Shoes now on, I get the kids to put them in the car. Phew. Something stinks. Sure enough, in the time it took me to tie my Asics, both kids are poopy.

8:32- Stinkies are in the trash. Go to load the kids into the car. Gracie throws a mini tantrum about getting into her seat 'all by myself.' Peace is finally restored when I pull her out of the car and let her climb in and up into her seat without my touching her in any way. Good grief. We are finally on our way.

8:48- Park the car at the store. I'm gonna have to hustle. I really want to get Grant back home and in bed by 9:30. I jog over to the cart corral, find one that doesn't have any wiggly wheels, and turn and face the car in time to see Grace make a terrible face and throw up all her grapes and peaches. I leave the cart and jog back over to the car.

8:55- Gracie is as cleaned up as I can manage. I start the car and head for home.

8:57- I ponder what could be causing her upset stomach. She starts crying that her throat hurts. More peaches and grapes.

8:59- Gracie asks for more peaches. Then she asks for more grapes. Then she cries that we aren't going to the store. Then she asks for more peaches again. Then she asks for more grapes...

9:02- I venture some consolation by telling myself that I just wasn't meant to go to the store this morning. Something bad probably would have happened. At least we weren't in the store with a full cart when she threw up. *Sigh*

9:10- Get grace out of the car and undress her in the yard. Take her inside and throw her clothes in the wash. Get Grant out of the car.

9:20- Sponge bathe my girl and dress her in clean clothes. Give her 10 big hugs.

9:27- Put my baby in bed in time for his nap. At least that went according to plan.

Blessings

Spring I know I need to get over it already. I'm just so grateful for sunshiny days and warmer weather. Mother Earth is still a little groggy up here, but surely she is stretching her arms and turning green. We still have really chilly days. The rain storms are crazy, torrential downpours. But it is Spring!

Two more teeth Poor Grant can't catch a break. Two more teeth popped through this week, bringing the total to 6 all in about 3 weeks. He has days of happy, alert, content, and giggly smiling faces sandwiched in episodes of nothing-can-make-me-happy fussiness. But as soon as those little pearls poke through things even out.

My Gracie Girl She helps me so much with her brother. Saturday, Cori and I were busy painting our entryway, and Gracie really wanted to help us paint. I told her she could help us by keeping Grant happy. I never told her exactly what to do. On her own, she got him toys, jumped up and down 101 times to keep him laughing, and brought her colors and coloring book over near him so she could play and keep him company at the same time. She's such a great little kid.

In our curio

Southern California We have been lucky to spend a lot of our married time in So. Cal. In fact, the Golden State was our first vacation together. We honeymooned in Oceanside for nearly 2 weeks just after our wedding. Then, of course, we lived in the L.A. area for over a year and half. We've got quite a collection of little Californian treasures.

Oceanside We rented a beach side condo for our stay and lived like total beach bums. Many of our days were spent sans plans. We had some scheduled outings--the San Diego Zoo and Disneyland. But most days were spent boogie boarding, buying fish and fruit at farmers markets, wandering through Old Town San Diego, and well... it was our honeymoon. We got this filled prism at one of the markets. It contains shells and sand collected from Oceanside beaches. A perfect memento.

Old Town San Diego We made the 40 minute drive to Old Town a few nights for dinner. It is such a romantic spot to me-a very Mask of Zorro kind of place. Mission style buildings stack next to one another in a pedestrian area. There are dozens of fun, eclectic shops. And then in the evening, it is all Mexican food and mariachi bands. There is also a Church history site. We got this candle at one of the shops there. It is three pieces that fit together to make a crescent. We've never burned it. It will always remind me of our honeymoon in the sun.

Rancho Palos Verdes The city that we called home. It was such an amazing place to live. RPV is completely contained upon a hilly peninsula that juts into the ocean where Long Beach meets Torrance. There are beach views in nearly every direction from different places on the hill. Our apartment was at the very top. We were 8 minutes from Torrance Beach (and Rat Beach, to the locals), just 15 miles from Downtown LA (a drive which could take hours), and I could be on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with Grace within 45 minutes of locking my front door. There was always something to go and do: natural tide pools, 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (where we came this close to Toby from The Office) , museums, shopping, famous restaurants and places, performances, Dodgers Stadium, the beach, the beach, and the beach. We took advantage of all we could. Every trip we took to the beach (and there were many) Cori brought back a collection of shells. I poked fun at him because, really, what do you do with that many little shells? I'm really glad we have them now. This is a display of maybe 1/4 of the total collection. It the other picture, Cori is holding the winner of the 'what should we get for the cabinet from Disneyland?' contest. The giant mug has Disneyland stuff and our last name inscribed on the other side (hence no detail). We had it made our last visit there. And then, of the different museums I visited while we were there, the Getty was my favorite. Nestled high in the Hollywood Hills, it was a perfect place to watch the sunset (when the smog cleared), or take a pic nick lunch. I went up every couple of months to enjoy the architecture, the view and the visiting exhibits. This little stone was quarried from the same rock that was used to build the museum.

In my mind

I'm gone to the United Kingdom

A few things have kept Britain on the brain lately. Oh, how I miss it.

The misty, rainy Spring weather has had a familiar effect on the rolling green hills out our windows.

Once in a while, Gillian McKeith beckons me to her show while the kids are napping. I watched BBC's You are what you eat for the first time while Sara and Jared were here. In her show, Gillian takes on obese people and helps them change their lives through healthy eating and exercise. It is rivetingly disgusting. She examines poo, tongues, ears, and belly fat. She comes up with disturbing visualizations of the junk people are putting into their bodies. And then we get to watch the process and results of her 8 week detox diet on their lives. It is motivating. I now eat granola for breakfast, and need to warn my husband that as soon as I find aduki beans, we're eating them too. Regularly.

But the thing that I relish most about this show is just listening to everyone speak. The vocabulary alone is transportive. (biscuits (cookies), fizzes (soda), sweet squeezes (sugary artificial fruit drinks), lift (elevator) to name a few) And then there is the pronunciation of words like herbs, vitamins, aqua, and soy sauce (the announcer guy says 'soya sauce'). Not to mention the inflection that makes their accent so elegant, and the use of the word 'brilliant' to describe just about everything. I miss England. :(

Finally, Sara brought me a special treat--piano music from the score of Pride and Prejudice. Now, I can be Georgiana sitting at the piano forte at Pemberly, or Elizabeth viewing the grandeur of the countryside. Longbourn and Netherfield are as far as my piano. And yet still a world away.