Life is in the details

impromptu leaf frame

Happy Birthday BURT!!

Today is my mom's boyfriend's birthday and so I am wishing him a very happy day! Burt, if you're reading this, we will call you later when we are all together... otherwise we'd be bugging you 4 separate times today since all of us are going in different directions at the moment. We love you!

The best kind of art projects are the ones the kids come up with themselves. As we were walking back from dropping Jessi off at school yesterday morning, Ryan started collecting various shapes and colors of leaves and announced that he wanted to make a leaf picture frame. So when we got back home that's exactly what we did.

 

Then he drew a picture to go in the frame. Voila!

Yesterday I also made a VERY YUMMY soup for dinner which I can't wait to have for lunch. I keep looking at the clock wishing time would move a little faster because I'm starving! I started cleaning out the spice racks yesterday - tossing old dusty-smelling spices that I haven't used - and took inventory of our freezers. This was a cold, large undertaking. I. have. so. much. food. stuffed. into. those. freezers. Photos of the list that I made of all the contents coming tomorrow!

Today the plan is to stay warm!, respond to two of my flagged email messages (because that's my way of whittling that group of emails down), work on a layout from Ali E's Yesterday and Today class (the Becoming layout option for those of you that are also in her class), continue moving books off the kids' shelves in prep for new carpet (which may or may not ever actually arrive!! We are a little ticked off at the carpet place, but that's another story for another time)

Review: Love Soup by Anna Thomas (so far)

Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of the Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas

This is the new book in my cookbook collection. I think it's because as soon as the weather hinted it's autumnal crispness to come I started craving soup in a big way. I've been browsing through this and so far I think it's very approachable and I really love that it's separated into seasons. So I can focus on the fall and winter soups for the next few months and go to my winter farmer's market and use what I see there. The author is very flexible in some of the ingredients and offers a variety of homemade stocks which I plan on making as soon as I clear out my freezers because right now there is absolutely NO room. I agree with the author's suggestion that if you are new to cooking or feel like you can't cook, SOUP is a great place to start. I would give it 5 stars for inspiration so far and making my mouth water... but I have to withhold an official rating until I test-drive a few recipes. So stay tuned. :-)I want to try

• Green Soup or Green Soup with Mushrooms (this will probably be the first one since I'm very intrigued by it)
• Sopa de Poblanos
• Pickle Soup
• Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)
• Roasted Root Vegetable Soup
• Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup
• Mushroom-Barley Soup with Cabbage
• Fennel and Onion Soup

And that's just from the Fall and Winter Soups. I haven't looked at the Spring and Summer Soups yet.There is also a section on things to serve with soup to make it a more substantial meal like breads, popovers, biscuits, parmesan and fennel biscotti, hummus, pestos, salsa (I really want to try the Table Salsa recipe which uses three different kinds of chile peppers), spiced nuts, salads, and even desserts.

Also on my "soup want to cook" list are a few from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Soups book:

• Broccoli Cheddar Soup - this is likely tonight's dinner
• Garden Soup with Cauliflower & Kale
• Quinoa, Corn, and Spinach Chowder

Boy, I sure am hungry!! I've been wanting to have a monthly soup night at our house for years ever since first reading about this idea in Cooking Light long ago. I'd make two pots of different soups and invite friends over to gather and eat.. it would be a potluck in that our guests would bring something small that would be good with soup... a loaf of bread, a salad, a wedge of cheese, a bottle of wine, etc. Fall is a great time to start this and this book might just make it happen! View all my reviews >>

Digital Scrapbooking Layout: Party Time (8th Birthday Party)

Journaling:
Originally your 8th birthday party was schedule for your actual birthday but we had to postpone it a week because we all caught the flu the week before. The party was held at Pump It Up (like last year) and you requested I bake a chocolate zucchini cake with butter cream frosting, but Daddy didn’t think it’d be enough so that morning we went out and you picked out a second cake which we gave to most of your friends (but you wanted the cake I baked for you - have I told you how much I love ya lately!??). Your best friend Kirsten  (and her sister Katelyn) was able to come as were many of your closest friends (and their siblings) like Jordan & Lauren B., Julia & Jack F., Mattison & Jake & Nick B., Madison G. Rachel S., Esther & Miriam, Ainsley & Chelsea, Tali & Cale, Marie, and others (including Paula, Bill, & Erik). We all had a great time at your party and going down the slides and jumping around to the songs on your “favorites” playlist. Gotta love being able to just plug in the iPod and go! Your favorite presents this year were the huge gel pen set, art supplies, earrings (!!), and Webkinz. August 8, 2009.

Fonts: Adobe Caslon Pro (journaling, Facelift (title)

Credits: background paper by Nancie Rowe Janitz, frame with tied ribbon by Kathryn Balint, transparent butterfly by Lili, sequin edges by Rachel Young, tied button (recolored) and circle border accent from the Pink Frosting Collection (Design it Forward) all available at ScrapArtist.com, inked edges and label (recolored) by Jen Wilson of Jen Wilson Designs

Review: Spinervals Competition 28.0 Aero Base Builder VI

I've been dragging. Last week was my active recovery rest week because I got sick. Go figure... I was at the pediatrician's office three times in three weeks and the ER once. I must have put on my Germ-o-Vision  glasses because everywhere I looked I saw germs. On the chair, on the garbage can, on the patient table, on the check-in pen (I half wanted to grab the mini-pen I keep in my pint-sized purse). But I knew that doing so, and no matter how many times I washed my hands or used the magic gel and magic wipes, there was no avoiding breathing the same air as those that were there for their sick appointment. The good thing is that I feel that I got off easy. It could have been so much worse. I ended up going through a few boxes of tissues, lacking in the energy department, going to bed early, and whipping up my get-well-soon tea+agave nectar and was able to make it through the day just fine. I managed to do yoga twice but that was it!

This week I started back up with STS and am on Mesocycle 2, Week 1 (weekly update post to come next week). Today was a cardio day and I knew that I wasn't going to get to a spinning class because (a) the kids are off from school and I'm NOT putting them in the gym nursery so they can get sick AGAIN! and (b) I've been avoiding the classes there because I can't seem to be ready and make it to the class after dropping Ryan off at preschool I think I might be becoming antisocial.

I just finished the Spinerval Competition 28.0 Aero Base Builder VI cycling DVD (with my bike still set up in the kids' art room and them right in front of me collaborating on a story and typing it into their computer)... and it was just what I needed today.

All the previous Spinervals DVDs have been gut-wrenching interval workouts that really push me to my limits and get my heart rate into an anaerobic zone and leave me spent. I knew that there was no way I could handle that today so I popped in this baby which promised to be a lower intensity workout. Lower intensity at home on an indoor bike sounds like it could be boring (and it was when I was doing it on my own two weeks ago). Working out at a lower-intensity allows you to stay within an aerobic heart rate zone and is very important for building a good cardiovascular foundation. This good endurance base is what is needed before going on to more advanced workouts like the intervals and longer training distances. The DVD jacket says that the tape is 60 minutes but it's really 55 minutes... though if you throw your own stretching on the end, which I do (and I highly recommend), and which you need to do, since like all of the rest of the Spinervals that I've tried, do not include a stretching section, then it would come to a solid 60 minutes.

The goal with this DVD is to keep the effort at 75-80% for most of the workout, a do-able and non-threatening level and there's enough gear shifting and cadence changes to keep it interesting. I loved being able to choose my own gearing for this workout and focus on the cadence. Usually Coach Troy will tell you what gears you should be in (or what level for spin bikes in the newer DVDs) so this was a nice change. I also really enjoyed the is-he-crazy?-oh-no!-look the two girls that are behind Coach Troy exchange as he announces the last set in the workout. Classic.

I was sweating a ton from this DVD and feel like I got a very good, solid workout that will still allow me to walk up the stairs function as a normal human being today. It was a fun workout that went by quickly and I'm really glad I ended up purchasing this one since it will be a good change-up from all gut-busting interval ones and it is one that look forward to doing again. Doing only high-intensity is like buying a ticket to the land of overtraining.... no thank you!

Spinervals Competition 28.0 Workout Breakdown

Warmup

8 x (60 sec @ 70-80 rpm cadence, 20 sec recovery) 

1 minute recovery

12 x (45 sec @ 80-90 rpm cadence, 15 sec recovery)

1 minute recovery

16 x (30 sec @ ~100 rpm cadence, 10 sec recovery)  

1 minute recovery

20 x (15 sec @ 100+ rpm cadence, 5 sec recovery)

Cooldown

Total Workout time: 55 minutes

Today continues our internationl lunch tour. Since the kids had yesterday and have today off from school we are giving our tastebuds a treat. Yesterday it was the delicious Indian buffet and today we head to Thai. Later we have dentist appointment for all three of us.... and then we have to stock up on food. Wegman's here we come! Some book shelves are calling my name ("Lisa, clean me off so when the carpet guys stop stalling and are finally ready to lay down our carpter they can move me" I can hear them whisper.). Let's see if I am going to answer them today or wait until tomorrow.

lettuce begin

Last week I planted some mesclun lettuce seeds that I had been meaning to do for a few weeks. Lettuce seeds tend not to be good after the year that I buy it so I put my counter to good use and will hopefully balance out the bad karma that I have likely accumulated killing some ants that have found their way inside our home. The little lettuce sprouts on my counter are already so much bigger than they are when I took this last week.

Digital Scrapbooking Layout: Stripey

Yep, another one from the vault, newly discovered about a lovey that is still with us but not needed as much these days. The photos and the journaling were from a time in Ry's life during 2007 & 2008.

Journaling:
Stripey the cat is a Lil’ Kiz stuffed animal that Jessica bought for you as a gift with her allowance. You have become quite attached to Stripey. You bring her everywhere with you these days, whether it’s a ride to the library or to a restaurant for dinner (though Stripey waits in the car for you while you’re at preschool; you don’t really want to share her with others and the risk of leaving her at school). And if she isn’t by your side at night, we have to search all over the house to find out where the curious cat has gone off to. Stripey is definitely one of your favorite things!

Fonts: Love Ya Like a Sister (title), Adobe Caslon Pro (journaling)

Credits: template design including corner doodles and bracket doodles by Lili (ScrapArtist), damask paper (used in corners and as a paper strip behind photos) by Aja Abney (ScrapArtist), all other papers including background paper and metal stars by Jen Wilson

a game that we love

Ryan received Quick Chess as a birthday present from our friends, The Feldman's, and it's great way to introduce little ones all of the different pieces and their movements. It contains good instructions for many different games most of which isolate one particular chess piece and use to play a game so that you can get a feel for which ways pawns are allowed to move, rooks, queens, etc. We are still in the beginner phase with this and I think as far as we've gotten is the game that uses the king and the queen only. We are making our way to the other games as the kids are interested and ready for it.

Recipe: Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Cilantro

Source: Adapted from Vegetarian Soups by Deborah Madison

Makes: 2 Quarts

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried black beans (or 3 cans of black beans)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 small carrot, finely diced
• 3 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/3 bunch of cilantro chopped
• Optional garnishes: 1/2 cup of sour cream, juice of 1/2 a lime, more chopped cilantro, avocado, chopped tomato, diced red onion

Directions

1. If using canned beans skip to step 2. If using dried beans, rinse the beans and put them in a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 10 cups of water. Bring the pressure to high, then maintain it for 30 minutes. Release the pressure or let it fall naturally.
2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onions, carrots, celery, green pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion has softened. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and add the cumin, paprika bay leaves, and cayenne. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally and taking care not to let the spices burn. Add 1 cup of water and the cilantro and continue to cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes.
3. Strain the beans and add them to the onion mixture and cook over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Taste for salt. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup or you can leave it unprocessed if you prefer.
4. To garnish: Mix the sour cream, lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro and season with a pinch of salt. Serve a spoonful in each bowl of soup and add some avocado that has been diced up. You can add some chopped tomato or red onion as well.

natural treasures

Photos from a nature walk a few weeks ago

 

30 Simple Things to do with Kids (an ongoing list)

I've been trying to intentionally live a less crazy, more sane life which is good for both me and my family. Over the past two years I've been de-cluttering, streamlining my processes, doing things that I/we want to do (instead of the things we feel we should do but don't really want to), and trying to live with less overall stuff. Quality over quantity. No one in our house feels good when they are stressed because their room is a mess and they don't know where to put their things or they are running to different activities, playdates, appointments that sometimes overlap. No one benefits when kids have so much scheduled stuff that they can't read, find time to do their homework, or have to go to bed late just to fit in a shower.  I started reading Living Simply with Children, The Creative Family, Last Child in the Woods, and from time to time reading Zenhabits. I knew the principles discussed were the ones that I wanted to embrace in my life. Reading through some of these made me long for more special times with my kids (where everyone was getting along of course because why not throw in the idyllic dream there?)... things they would remember and that we would all feel good about. Things that brought us together rather than things that pushed us apart.

As always, I'm a work-in-progress. Yes, this fall has been very hectic with our schedules and there has been much adjustment that has taken place and I'm taking steps now to make sure that our winter and spring are NOT like this. Yes, I own an iPhone and a Mac and I have tons of art supplies and my kids have Nintendo DSs - don't get me started on that one - but the things I have are the ones that really work in my life and I'm trying my hardest to pass on these values of simplicity to my kids... realistic simplicity.... creative simplicity. We aren't going to throw away our tv or give away all of our stuff and play with only cardboard boxes. But I AM more careful about what I bring into the house because that stuff needs a place to live in my home, and it has to be something I either LOVE or NEED because although we live in a nice sized house if 4 people keep adding, adding, adding, adding to it things start to feel very cramped. And I don't like that feeling and neither does anyone else in my home. We still have lots of progress to make, especially where the kids are concerned. Why is it that kids seem to come with a ton of STUFF? We're well past the point of baby swings, high chairs, strollers, etc. but still.... all the art work, and school papers, and information/solicitations/fundraisers from school, and let's not forget toys!!! We've got a good system for all of the STUFF that comes in via school... but the kids have so many toys that often they can't decide what to play with and that the indicision causes them anxiety and/or frustration. I hate all the toys they get or decide to buy with their own money that end up breaking before the week is done (or the day). We're working on those, especially with Hanukkah coming up in early December (and some people already asking me what to get the kids and catalogs that arrived last week that the kids started making wishlists from. I'm getting a headache already.). 

So in my continuing effort towards simplicity, this week finding some simple things to do with my children is high on my list for winter sanity. But more important than sanity, these simple activities also create more opportunities for meaningful moments together. When we turn off the TV or have unscheduled time, we have time to really be together and pay attention to one another. I don't know who won't benefit from this. I have been spending some time recently thinking about my childhood as I've been going through old photos and scanning them in and I realized that the best memories that I have do not contain any of the toys that I received, but ARE about the people that I spent time with.

The idea was sparked by one of Leo's posts and I've added some of the items he listed on my own list. I thought it would be an even better list if YOU, my blog readers, added what your favorite things to do are, so we can come up with a collective list. Strength in numbers, my friend! Strength in numbers! I plan on having this as my winter go-to playbook when we are all thinking of some things to do. It's much easier for me to think of simple things for when the weather is warm, since going outside offers so many opportunities for exploration. But when it's super cold out both of my asthma-kids and my Florida-grown-asthma-self need to be seek refuge inside and we need a plan.

Here's what I have so far:

1. read books
2. write/draw in their journals (I want to do this more as we've been taking a break from this for a few monhs)
3. tell/write/illustrate stories
4. put on some music and dance and sing
5. write letters to our friends and family far away
6. visit the library
7. board games
8. card games (solitaire, Rummy, Uno)
9. mah jong
10. Mexican Train Domimos
11. painting (watercolor or tempera)
12. make/put together a gift to give someone (for no special occasion or for one)
13. sculpting with clay
14. make tents out of blankets
15. make paper airplanes
16. drawing
17. collage
18. scrapbooking
19. Legos
20. trains + tracks
21. snuggle (my favorite)
22. tickle time
23. hide-and-go seek
24. puzzles
25. put on a play/act out a story
26. bake together
27. roll the ball across the room (Ryan loves doing this and he named it Ground Tennis)
28. volunteer somewhere together
29. clean around the house - rags & sprayers - windows, bathroom, surfaces (both the kids love doing this because we never do!... I really should clean more with them)
30. clean out desk/closet/drawers - donate stuff we don't love, want, or need

Please add any of your ideas and suggestions in the comments or send me an email and I'll add them. Thank you!!