July list:
Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) by Douglas Brown. I couldn't stop talking about this book after I read it... the couple completely reorients their life to achieve their goal (sex every night), and it's so interesting to see how broad that scope is, from how in shape they are (physical appearance), to what their bedroom looks like, to what vacations they take, to how they treat each other during the day, to what they give up to make the time. A great read for couples.
Oh for fun: The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough, swiped from my parent's cabin in a book-deprived pinch, the novel, which takes place in Australia, is one of those fabulous family saga stories. In the chick lit genre, The Fidelity Files by Jessica Brody was really fun.
Also read:
Man Bites Log: The Unlikely Adventures of a City Guy in the Woods by Max Alexander
My turquoise years by M.A.C. Farrant
Accidentally on purpose : a one-night stand, my unplanned parenthood, and loving the best mistake I ever made by Mary F. Pols
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Red, blue, green
One of my unfortunate diversions is visiting design porn sites like Apartment Therapy and Design Sponge, sites that show beautiful photos of rooms and make you want to buy stuff. Or renovate, as they are big on DIY and share some inspiring techniques.
But lately I've realized that beautiful rooms are more about carefully selected and well arranged items. So I looked around my house and starting thinking not about what I could buy, but what I could do with what I had.
But lately I've realized that beautiful rooms are more about carefully selected and well arranged items. So I looked around my house and starting thinking not about what I could buy, but what I could do with what I had.
I started with the guest room—my favorite room. It’s sort of “my” room, my de-facto crafty project area, my place to nap and curl up with the cats (Husband has his “man-nook” in the basement). But it’s also our most eclectic room, with lots of random, free furniture and multiple purposes.
A critical eye found much to criticize: a slapdash of colors (I know that blue pillow doesn’t go, but I’ve stubbornly refused to care); dead plants (I’m no feng shui expert, but even I can tell that dead things send a bad vibe), and things that I want to use but don’t have a place for.
Red, green, blue, in a room with pale yellow walls. Yuck! The blue has to go!
I collected the offending items and removed them from the room (and took the dying plant to rehab, aka my office, where they are free from the snapping jaws of cats).
Then, I made a collection of things that I had sitting around unused that I could add to play up the palette, and gave the room a thorough clean.
While it’s no radical transformation, it’s definitely more harmonious (my before-and-after photos didn't turn out, so you'll have to use your imagination). It also made clear what the room does need: a new bedside table, which also would allow us to rearrange the room to better suit the space.
But for now, the room gives me a wonderful sense of peace and harmony.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
4th of July
Fourth of July...
One (mischievous 3-year-old)
Two (adorable 1-year-olds)
Three (pina coladas... OK there were a lot more but this was just one batch!)
Here's to the 4th of July, and a lifelong friendship with the B family. From my very first memory (swimming with them in Lake Winnipeg), to trips to Disney World, to summers at a lake resort, through boy-craziness and college and drinking too much to marriage and babies, I'm so glad to spend what must be our 18th 4th of July together!
One (mischievous 3-year-old)
Two (adorable 1-year-olds)
Three (pina coladas... OK there were a lot more but this was just one batch!)
Here's to the 4th of July, and a lifelong friendship with the B family. From my very first memory (swimming with them in Lake Winnipeg), to trips to Disney World, to summers at a lake resort, through boy-craziness and college and drinking too much to marriage and babies, I'm so glad to spend what must be our 18th 4th of July together!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Paddling with my brother
Two nights in the Boundary Waters with Big Brother (and Husband)...
Will we survive without lapsing into sibling rivalry?
Without pushing each other's buttons?
Without tipping each other's boats?
Kayak and canoe: a peaceful coexistence.
Of course we will, and did.
A few things I learned:
1. On a river, a kayak rules. Big brother deftly paddled through two portages Husband and I had to disembark and haul our gear through.
2. This product changed my life:
What you're seeing is a water filtration device that requires nearly no human effort. You fill the bag with water and let my best friend gravity do the work. Five minutes later you have a Nalgene canteen of fresh water. I was all, "Pills, schmills, I'm fine," but Big Brother talked me into it. The only danger is drinking so much you have to get up at night to pee.
3. A new tasty lunch treat: veggie jerky! About $1.19 at the co-op. Also (and I'm not sure why I never thought to try this) fake lunch meat packs in just fine without refrigeration. Even Big Brother was enjoying himself some tasty Tofurky slices...
All in all, it was a good trip.
Will we survive without lapsing into sibling rivalry?
Without pushing each other's buttons?
Without tipping each other's boats?
Kayak and canoe: a peaceful coexistence.
Of course we will, and did.
A few things I learned:
1. On a river, a kayak rules. Big brother deftly paddled through two portages Husband and I had to disembark and haul our gear through.
2. This product changed my life:
What you're seeing is a water filtration device that requires nearly no human effort. You fill the bag with water and let my best friend gravity do the work. Five minutes later you have a Nalgene canteen of fresh water. I was all, "Pills, schmills, I'm fine," but Big Brother talked me into it. The only danger is drinking so much you have to get up at night to pee.
3. A new tasty lunch treat: veggie jerky! About $1.19 at the co-op. Also (and I'm not sure why I never thought to try this) fake lunch meat packs in just fine without refrigeration. Even Big Brother was enjoying himself some tasty Tofurky slices...
All in all, it was a good trip.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Survivor CSA
It usually takes about a week for me to go from thrilled about my CSA (behold the beautiful vegetables!) to panicked about figuring out how to eat it all before it goes bad. Every year I have to remind myself of my hard-earned survival strategies; this year, I thought I'd share them with you.
1. Pasta salad, a.k.a. the kitchen sink
Nothing swallows up veggies you don't know what to do with or don't particularly care for like pasta salad. Pasta (or tortellini) + armfuls of nearly any veggie + dressing (I usually use the packets) + maybe some beans for protein, and you've got yourself 4-plus tasty meals.
See also: stir fry.
Pasta salad... a tasty foil for broccoli, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, summer squash, leftover corn on the cob, asparagus, going-bad celery, and peapods, pictured here.
2. Pureeing, a.k.a crispy no more
As much as I like crunchy vegetables, after awhile I long for a different texture. Pureeing veggies for soups or sauces is a great respite and also makes some of your less-than-favorite vegetables seemingly disappear.
3. Add chocolate
My trusty zucchini muffin recipe* has turned summer squash from my least favorite CSA find to one of my most coveted. Centuries of desperate farmwives have paved the way for us; enter your loathsome veggie into any search engine and be rewarded with inventive recipes.
*Via http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com. Also works with summer squash. Not the prettiest muffin but very tasty.
4. When all else fails, preserve! Blanch and freeze (again the internet has handy directions), can, dry, pickle, whatever--I always feel such a relief when I remember that I don't have to eat it all! And nothing feels cooler than pulling out your own put-up veggies and cooking with them.
1. Pasta salad, a.k.a. the kitchen sink
Nothing swallows up veggies you don't know what to do with or don't particularly care for like pasta salad. Pasta (or tortellini) + armfuls of nearly any veggie + dressing (I usually use the packets) + maybe some beans for protein, and you've got yourself 4-plus tasty meals.
See also: stir fry.
Pasta salad... a tasty foil for broccoli, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, summer squash, leftover corn on the cob, asparagus, going-bad celery, and peapods, pictured here.
2. Pureeing, a.k.a crispy no more
As much as I like crunchy vegetables, after awhile I long for a different texture. Pureeing veggies for soups or sauces is a great respite and also makes some of your less-than-favorite vegetables seemingly disappear.
3. Add chocolate
My trusty zucchini muffin recipe* has turned summer squash from my least favorite CSA find to one of my most coveted. Centuries of desperate farmwives have paved the way for us; enter your loathsome veggie into any search engine and be rewarded with inventive recipes.
*Via http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com. Also works with summer squash. Not the prettiest muffin but very tasty.
4. When all else fails, preserve! Blanch and freeze (again the internet has handy directions), can, dry, pickle, whatever--I always feel such a relief when I remember that I don't have to eat it all! And nothing feels cooler than pulling out your own put-up veggies and cooking with them.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Monthly book post: June
June reads
The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa. I love Japanese fiction...there's something about the sparsity of it, the simplicity. Beautiful.
The Summer Book - Tove Jansson. Wonderful, children's-like book that takes place on a far-flung island in Finland. The type of book you want buy so you can read it to your children.
Other books
They did it with love - Kate Morgenroth. Murder mystery in wealthy suburbia.
Then She Found Me - Elinor Lipman. You can always count on Lipman for a good read.
Island of Lost Girls - Jennifer McMahon
A Place for Jeremy - Patricia Hermes. I loved this book as a kid; found it in a box of books recovered from my parents.
Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Rereading a bit of Anne goodness, also recovered from parents. Note: Anne not only has a live-in housekeeper but baby nurses. When did we decide we had to do it all ourselves?
The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa. I love Japanese fiction...there's something about the sparsity of it, the simplicity. Beautiful.
The Summer Book - Tove Jansson. Wonderful, children's-like book that takes place on a far-flung island in Finland. The type of book you want buy so you can read it to your children.
Other books
They did it with love - Kate Morgenroth. Murder mystery in wealthy suburbia.
Then She Found Me - Elinor Lipman. You can always count on Lipman for a good read.
Island of Lost Girls - Jennifer McMahon
A Place for Jeremy - Patricia Hermes. I loved this book as a kid; found it in a box of books recovered from my parents.
Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Rereading a bit of Anne goodness, also recovered from parents. Note: Anne not only has a live-in housekeeper but baby nurses. When did we decide we had to do it all ourselves?
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