keep it hot

I like hot coffee.  Not lukewarm. Hot.
I have 2 kids.  They need stuff.
I help them.  My coffee gets cold.
I dump it.  Waste.

I also have a thing for mugs.  I'm quite particular about the mug I use for coffee.  For the past two or three years, I've been using a diner mug.  You know, those durable, heavy, boring mugs.  I fill it 1/2 way up to avoid my coffee getting cold before I can drink it.

For a really long time, I've been searching for a small handmade mug for my morning coffee.  I have looked everywhere.  People like to drink large mugs of coffee, not small ones....and apparently don't have an issue with their coffee getting cold before they can drink it.  I happen to have a friend who is a ceramic artist and recently asked him if he could make my dream mug.  And did he ever!  I love love love these mugs.  They are perfect.  White inside so I can see the color of my coffee.  Small, of course, so I don't waste too much coffee.  A handle. The right size.  And robins egg blue in color.  Perfect.

And, it's a good thing that he made 3 of them because Rowan has already claimed one as hers.

...and it finally came inside

We live in a very dark house.  Not just because there are very few windows on the south side of the house.  Not just because there are lots of tall trees around.  Not just because we live in the pacific northwest.  But because the sun does not actually touch our house from sometime in early November until mid February due primarily to the fact that we live on the north side of a hill...with lots of tall trees in the pacific northwest.

Three days ago the sun came inside.  I walked up the stairs and there is was, shining on the wall.  It was a temporary sighting but wonderful just the same.  I looked outside and saw it peeking between two trees.  It made me realize that there will be a day in the not so distant future where the sun will actually shine upon our little house all day long.

It's really going to happen!

Yesterday, our loan was approved for our cohousing project.  This is a HUGE milestone for us.  Due to the current economic climate as well as the innovative nature of our project, we were turned down by bank after bank.  After much ado, we found a bank who was interested and willing to fund the project.  Now that we are approved, we can stop dreaming and start building.  We plan to break ground in April.  All the permits are through the city and we are ready to get started.  This is a very exciting time.

Here is a rendering of the site.  Our house is the second in from the right on the wetlands border (on the fence line).  The longish white house in the upper right hand corner is the common house (which already exists and will be undergoing some minor remodeling).   It's crazy to think that someday we will actually be living there!

could it be the perfect chocolate chip cookie?

It just might be.

These were amazing...and easy.  They use melted butter so you don't even have to wait until the butter softens. They are similar to those cookies you get at a coffee shop - you know, the REALLY good ones...the ones that make you think "why can't I bake like this?"  Well, my friends, now you can!

I've seen the recipe popping up all over the blog-o-sphere so I decided to give it a try.  I was not disappointed...and neither were any of the people I shared them with.  I think the key is that they cook at a lower temperature than most chocolate chip cookies I have made.  Make them as big as the recipe suggests (using about 1/4 cup of batter per cookie!).  I made a few smaller cookies but, for some reason, they weren't quite as good as their larger friends. 

:: the recipe ::

let there be COLOR!

Since December 16h, when a package arrived in the mail containing new clothes from Grandma Cat, Rowan has been wearing the same shirt...EVERY DAY...without fail.  Well, to be specific, she started with the brown hoodie that Grandma sent and moved on to another brown hoodie that I bought about 2 weeks later.  The hope was that she would wear both brown hoodies so I would only need to do laundry every other day instead of every day.  Nice try Mama...but there was only one favorite shirt.  She told me that she was going to continue to wear the shirt until it got a hole in it because she really liked the way it felt on her neck.

By the end of month one, the sleeves were brown instead of white, the buttons wouldn't stay closed, and there was no way possible to make it look clean.  Until the shirt started to look ratty, this really didn't bother me.  There are two things I really liked about this trend: 1. it forced me to do laundry every night and 2. she knew exactly what she was going to wear so there were no morning meltdowns caused by itchy tags, ill fitting tights, worn knees in pants, shirts that make for cold necks, or tags that said 3T instead of 4T (she is, after all, 4 years old.  Not 3, nope, not 3).

This past weekend, when Auntie LoLo was visiting, they went shopping.  She came home with two very colorful new outfits.  So, the 2 month streak is over....now we are on to something new.  It's really nice to see some colorful duds on this girl! 

For the record, she's been alternating between the two outfits everyday since she got them.  At least we have two now...that is a good thing.

it's not spring yet....

...so why bother cleaning?

Rowan: "What did you do while I was at school today Mama?"
me: "I cleaned the house."
Rowan: "Why? So we can mess it all up again?"

Sometimes I have the exact same thought.
Let's just hope it doesn't happen too fast.

I didn't know they came in black!

A few months ago, I bought something new at our local food co-op.  It was there that I spotted black garbanzo beans in the dry bean bulk section and I thought I would give them a try.  Well, those little dark beans have been sitting on my shelf for a while now.  Honeslty, I didn't have the slightest idea what to do with them. Black hummus didn't sound at all appealing to me....and what else is there to make with dry garbanzo beans?

As it turns out, the perfect thing to make with little black garbanzo beans is Indian food.  Specifically, a variation of the traditional Chana Dal (based on a recipe from this cookbook).  Since the recipe called for canned garbanzos, I first cooked the beans in our pressure cooker.  As it turns out, they are a bit different in taste to their yellow counterpart.  They actually have a milder flavor and are smaller with a bit of a tough (but not too tough) skin.

Garbanzo Beans with Mushrooms:

• 1 med onion
• 1 T gingerroot
• 10 cloves garlic
• 2 T ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 t cumin seed
• 1T garam masaala
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms
• 4 cups cooked black garbanzo beans (or 2 cans regular garbanzos)
• 2 T cilantro
• 1 lime

1. In a food processor, mince the onion, gingerroot, and garlic
2. Heat ghee over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seed and sizzle for 20 - 30 seconds.  Add onion mixture and stir-fry until brown (5-10 minutes)
3. Add the garam masaala, salt, nutmeg, juice of 1/2 a lime, and 1/2 cup of the water.  Lower the heat to simmer, stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes.
4. Stir in the mushrooms, beans, and remaining 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and then simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.
5. Serve with a sprinkle cilantro and lime wedges.

And then, we ate up this yummy dish with brown rice and the remainder of Amber & Andy's Persimmon Chutney.  Yum!!  Now, I really need to get my hands on that recipe!

overly sweet

I know I am late for a Valentine's Day post but I can't seem to help myself.  Truthfully, I am one of those people who doesn't want to hear about or see anything related to a particular holiday once it has passed.  Well, okay, I can handle it for a few days but after that, I'm done.  This year, I don't feel done yet so you will all have to bear with yet another post about hearts, flowers, and chocolate. 

Valentine's Day isn't one of my favorite holidays.  It should be considering that Eric and I feel in love this day 14 years ago (for real), got engaged on Valentine's 2000, and found out we were pregnant with Rowan on 2.14.2005.  So, I often wonder why this day doesn't hold a special place in my heart.  All of those special Valentine's Days of the past certainly hold a special place...but the fact that another Valentine's Day is upon us doesn't get my heart racing.  Perhaps it's all the marketing...or the pressure to do something special...or the thought of yet another holiday. 

But, when Rowan wanted to make some Valentine's cards, I couldn't resist doing something crafty with my favorite girl.  Here she is working really hard on her Valentine's Day cards.  She came up with the basic design of the card and spent lots of time gluing and cutting.  I helped with the cutting of the hearts and the sewing.  After the third time of writing "LOVE" and "ROWAN", she got a bit tired of it so I scanned one of her already made cards into the computer and PRESTO! - out came multiples that she could cut and paste.  Much easier...and much more realistic for a 4 year old.  It took a few days to get these in the mail (there are a few still in transit at this moment actually)...but she got them out to all her favorite pals. 

Nothing beats sister love.

Let me tell you about my day today.  I got up early (as I do every day), dropped Rowan off at school, had one of the worst workouts in a long time, went back to Rowan's school for their Chinese New Year celebration, and came home feeling exhausted.  Somehow, I convinced Rowan to take a shower with me and so we all piled into our dual headed shower to get clean.

I hear a noise downstairs.
I don't get nervous but wonder if I am hearing things.
I hear more noise and think perhaps it is our neighbor.
I hear the bathroom door open.
I peak out of the curtain.
I SEE MY SISTER!

The sister who lives 3000 miles away.
The sister who I am always missing.
The sister who I have been trying to convince to come here.
The sister who is insanely busy.

For a minute, I couldn't believe my eyes.  Was she really there?  Wait, blink, is it really her?  I just stood there smiling.  My first thought was that she was here for work and was just going to come hang with me for the afternoon.  But, I am lucky enough to have her here for 5 days.  I still can't believe it.  I love this surprise...couldn't love it more. 

sweat & tears

Today I found myself crying at the gym.  Not because I dropped a weight on my toe.  Not because I hurt my shoulder doing pull-ups.  Not because I over did it on the elliptical machine.  Nope.  It was because I was reading one of those cheesy magazines that you only read when someone else leaves one at your house (or in this case, the gym) or if you are traveling by air.  There I was - sweating, moving fast, working hard, tears streaming down my face.   So, you wondering what on earth I was reading?  It was this article titled "What's the Greatest Gift your Mother Ever Gave You?"  People wrote all sorts of things: her sense of humor, paying for therapy (funny but tragic), integrity, good nutrition, a sense of wonderment etc.  Then, this one woman wrote  "When I was two days old, I was abandoned on a sidewalk in Seoul, South Korea. My mother adopted me and raised me in a home full of love. What did she give me? My whole life."  I read it and it just made me cry.  It made me sad to think about how someone could just leave their baby on a corner.  It made me happy to think that it could be a gift.

So, this got me thinking about the greatest gift my mom has ever given me.  I thought for a while and realized that the answer was obvious.  When this gift arrived in my life, I wasn't very happy about it.  But, as time went on, it became one of the best things that ever happened to me.  My sister.  I can't imagine my life without her in it.  Then, I cried about that too.

 

me & lauren, 1978

and now there is a fence

It was a huge weekend for our cohousing project.  We put in a fence that surrounds our wetlands.  To be more specific, it was 350' of fencing that encloses just under 25% of our property.  Sure, doesn't sound so exciting...nor does it sound all that fun.  But, this was the first thing we have added to the property which makes it a milestone for us.  It is remarkable how much more fun a project is when you have a bunch of great people working together to get it done. Restoration of the wetlands is next on the list...followed by ground breaking this spring. 

Oh, and in addition to putting in the fence, we also chipped 8 yards of brush, cut down some trees, and moved mulch.  Charlie even participated by riding happily in the carrier on my back while I moved mulch down into the wetlands. 

a little pixie craft

How sweet is it when your little girl says to you "mama, let's make some craft together."  Why yes!  Of course!  How can I resist that?  So, a couple days ago, we spent two long naps (thanks Charlie!) in the craft room putting this together.  I came up with the idea to do an "R" theme quilt block and she came up with the the representing words/pictures (or most of them anyway - I added the robot and radish, which she calls horseradish).  She picked out fabrics and I stitched it together.  The background fabric is an old vintage tablecloth I found at Goodwill...all the other fabrics are from my scrap bin.  We got most of it together while Charlie slept and I finished it up after she went to bed.  The best part?  How much she loves it. 

nuts & seeds

I used to make granola all the time.  I realized the other day that I hadn't made it in ages...so Rowan and I whipped up a batch during Charlie's nap today.  It is as good as I remembered!

The recipe is my own but it started as a combo of the granola recipe in Feeding the Whole Family (love that cookbook) and my friend Karen's recipe.  I use a lot of "or" statements in the recipe...the main reason for this is that I use whatever ingredients I happen to have at home.  We are big nut & seed eaters in this house so we always have something.  Also, if I happen to be out of something (like coconut or pumpkin seeds), I just leave it out and add another type of seed or nut instead.  No matter what I use, it always comes out great!  My favorite way to eat it is on top of lowfat yogurt with a tiny bit of maple syrup.

Love Granola
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans or a mix (chopped)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup hemp or sesame seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup orange or apple juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange or almond oil (I definitely prefer orange)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, flour, cinnamon, and salt; stir well.  In a separate bowl, combine syrup, oil (you may have to heat the coconut oil up a bit), juice, and extracts.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly.  Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 30 - 40 minutes (until dry & golden), stirring every 15 minutes.  Sometimes I'll add in raisins, dates, or cranberries after it has cooked.

too many choices

When you build a house, everything needs to be picked out in advance.  Tile, lighting, flooring, appliances, plumbing fixtures, and even the color pallet.  Right now we are working on our exterior house colors.  We want something that stands out but doesn't make too much of a statement.  I want to go bold...but bold is scary.  Bold is something that, if done right, can be amazing.  But it is also something that can be done completely wrong.  Not only do we need to pick the exterior color of the house, but also the color of the windows, trim, gutters and roof.

Option 1: Blue
I drove by this house in Seattle last spring and it just jumped out at me.  I really love the color combination they used (ignore the garage door).  I liked it so much that I had our realtor ask them for a color sample (the house was on the market at the time) and she brought me a bucket of blue paint.  What I like about the blue is the purplish tint it has to it.  I also really like the dark trim.  The bright green window trim isn't an option for us though - our windows don't come in that color.  We could do sage green, red, brown, or gray...none of which really speak to me.

Option 2: Red 
Our last house was red and I thought the color was perfect.  More of an orange-red color than a true red.  Funny thing is that for some reason, I am having a hard time choosing red for this house since our last house was red.  What does it matter?  I find this red barn appealing.  This particular color sometimes looks more orange and sometimes more red depending on the time of day, amount of sun in the sky, and the angle your looking (it's our neighbor's barn so I see it often). 

Right now, I'd say that we are leaning towards another red house...perhaps with a dark tan trim with dark brown windows.  But, like everything else house-related, I'll probably change my mind about 10 times before we decide. 

What I really want?  To see a house that I like the colors of, to knock on their door, to get the color samples, and be done with it.  Now, where IS that house?