For Melissa in Jordan

Krups 872-42 Bravo Plus Espresso Maker

$50.00 and worth every penny, especially if your husband is nicknamed Latte Man. Let me know if you want it, and I'll bring it to the beach this summer.

Recipe for the perfect latte:

Three scoops of French roast grounds. We use French roast because it is the darkest roast we can find, even darker than "espresso" roast. Use one cup of milk per latte. Steam it until the foam can support a drizzle of chocolate or carmel syrup. We don't test the temperature of the milk like they do at your neighborhood espresso bar. Not important here. Syrup supporting foam is our priority. Pour coffee through foam, with or without designs, and then drizzle said syrup in cool swirls (not much, just enough for a bit of flavor.) Find a quiet spot. Sip. Slowly. Aaaahhhhh.

Recipe for the perfect, cold version of a latte (sweet):

Do all the same except don't steam the milk. Instead, put espresso and milk in blender, add ice or ice cream (depending on how your jeans are fitting), a little bit of syrup to sweeten things, and blend. Add straw. Add shade. Sip. Slowly. Aaaaahhhhhh.

Feeding the soul

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

- Saadi (a Persian poet)

This quote is one that my husband's grandmother loved, and it is something that also reminds me of my mother. Each week as we grocery shop she makes sure she has a little left over in her wallet for a bunch of flowers. Always beautiful, rarely the same, she chooses them for the color or the shape or the way they will look in a unique vase she owns. When I was little, and Mom had reluctantly become the first single parent on the block, she took flower arranging classes. She can make a simple bouquet into a work of art with her arranging abilities.




I share the love of flowers, but not always that extra change to buy them. This week, though, I have roses; they are set where the filtered sunlight can come in and unveil the full scale of reds and yellows that each petal has to display. It is amazing what joy such a little thing can bring.




My youngest daughter has even less spare change than I do, but she can always find a bouquet in the yard. Sometimes, like today, it includes recognizable flowers, but often it is just the greenery that is popping up in the corners and on the slopes. The natural beauty in a nosegay of wildflowers feeds her soul to overflowing.

Quotidian quote

A favorite quote:

"Even if we do not make such glorious poems out of our ordinary experiences, arranging Easter lilies or making salad, we are free to contemplate both emptiness and fullness, absence and presence in the everyday circumstances of our lives...... We can become aware of and limit our participation in activities that do not foster the freedom of thought that poetry and religious devotion require; I cannot watch television, for example, and write a poem. I might be inspired by something I hear or see on television, particularly in news interviews, but this is rare. The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread and doing laundry."

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work" by Kathleen Norris

Lenten reflections

Pondering this afternoon:

"Self-deception is the enemy of wholeness because it prevents us from seeing ourselves as we really are. It covers up our lack of growth in the Spirit of the truthful One and keeps us from coming to terms with our real personalities."

Reflections for Ragamuffins: Daily Devotions from the Writings of Brennan Manning

Way back in '75

Just for you, Randi, I am joining in on the Get Real Monday High School Picture Display.

This is my junior year in high school (1975-76) and I was a happy, happy girl. I had finished my rebellious streak but still had no concerns for anything academic, so I was footloose and fancy free. Looking back, I see a lot of wasted time, but I also see a girl who had been very, very lost finding her way to real peace and contentment. Not there yet, but well on the way.

Favorite music? Seals & Croft, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Chicago, Boston to name a few. Styles? Style is probably too strong a word, but how 'bout overalls and comfort clothes? My favorite classes were French and a combined history and literature course that was a test class that year. We had a lot of personal interaction with the teachers, having meals at their homes and going on special field trips to San Francisco. I loved it. (Didn't study for it, but I loved it!)

Quotidian bliss

Sometimes life hums along blissfully; sometimes it seems like it is all bumps and bruises. I have had my share of days when, just as I get the laundry done, someone wakes up with a wet bed. Or, just as I fall asleep, someone wakes up needing me. But not today. Oh, today I had one of those hum along moments. Just as the froth on the milk was at its peak, just as the espresso was done dripping out, just as the new IKEA cup was filled to the rim with a latte extraordinaire, Mr. UPS man came pulling in the driveway. And, he came running to my door with two new books:

Journey: New and Selected Poems, 1969-1999 by Kathleen Norris

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work" by Kathleen Norris

If Mr. UPS and I had practiced, we couldn't have coordinated it any better. Children busy with quiet work, appliances at work on dishes and laundry, hawks calling from across the valley, and the occasional sprinkle of raindrops all joined to make it the perfect moment for feet up, book open, mind and soul enriched. The perfect lunch time break.

Happy Friday, my friends.

(Many thanks to Mrs. M-mv for the original introduction to The Quotidian Mysteries and to At A Hen's Pace for the recent quotes that motivated my purchase.)

Minnesota beauty

I wrote last November (here) about The Society for the Exultation of Beauty (SEB to those in the know). This is a sort-of-silly-but-actually-quiet-serious society formed by my husband and his sister as they sipped coffee at a cafe in Sacramento many years ago. Committed to noticing and enjoying beauty, they wrote up a charter and signed it as the two charter members. I was the first (okay, the only) non-charter member to sign the document, but I believe if you marry a member you are automatically grafted into the SEB. So, brother-in-law makes four! And, as an amateur photographer, he's made some exquisite contributions. Since we haven't been able to ever visit them in Minnesota, he occasionally sends photos that cause us to realize that they live in a gorgeous place. The two pictures below, taken very close to their home, have the incredible winter wonderland effect, plus the bonus bird sighting to make your jaw drop. If you want a larger view, just click on the picture you want to see; I archived the pictures as large as I could. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous.


Hawk at Minnehaha Falls



A closer view

Long live the S.E.B.

Eclectic evening soundtrack

Gregorian Chants:
The Best of the Benedictine Monks of St. Michael's



Twin Sons of Different Mothers by Fogelberg and Weisberg

Variety is the spice of life, right?

I'd like to thank....

the delightful young man who blogs at Chivalry and Armour for designing my new blog look. I wanted something a bit zippier for spring, and he did a fast and fabulous job.

I am grateful to be able to rub shoulders with personable, intelligent, thoughtful young people; and not only my own, but many others as well. Mr. Chivalry and Armour became entwined in our lives through our Boy Scout troop, which led to a home bible study group, a potential music group for the older children, and great friendships for young and old(er). Our lives are much the richer for dear friends to laugh and cry with, to pray and plan with, to knit and hike with, to design blog templates with. Thanks, sir, again and again.

Book recommendation

Welcome to the Book of Common Prayer by Vicki Black

Thanks to Julana at Life in the Slow Lane. It's a good thing that this isn't a month of "no new books!" I can't wait to see this.

Welcome, Spring!

Emily Dickinson (1830–86)

"Put down your hat"

Dear March, come in!
How glad I am!
I looked for you before.
Put down your hat—
You must have walked—
How out of breath you are!
Dear March, how are you?
And the rest?
Did you leave Nature well?
Oh, March, come right upstairs with me,
I have so much to tell!

March madness continues

Cinderella Now Lingers Longer at the N.C.A.A.'s March Dance

New York Times, March 20

From a penpal...

"How shall we become lovely? By loving Him who is ever lovely." ~Augustine

Thanks, Susan.

Tea party recipes

Cream Cheese Mints

2 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 ounces softened cream cheese
Peppermint flavoring to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)
Food coloring
Granulated sugar
Candy molds (optional)

Mash cheese and mix with powdered sugar. If you will be using more than one color, divide mixture into separate bowls. Add flavoring and coloring sparingly (I used the recommended ¼ t. of peppermint and just two small drops of red food coloring.) Stir together until color is well-mixed in and the mixture looks like pie dough. Roll into small balls and roll each ball in granulated sugar. Press balls into patties with a glass dipped into granulated sugar. My children liked them best chilled. If you use candy molds, sprinkle granulated sugar in the mold to keep the mints from sticking.

My Favorite Butter Cookies

2 sticks unsalted sweet butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1 ½ T. Amaretto or ½ t. almond extract
2 t. grated orange zest
¼ t. salt
2 cups flour
¾ cups sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes.) Add egg yolk, Amaretto or extract, orange zest, and salt; beat well. Stir in flour and blend well. Spread and pat the dough evenly into a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Beat egg whites until foamy and brush evenly over the dough. Sprinkle almonds over top. Bake 40 minutes or until light golden brown. Cut into 2-inch squares while still warm.

Recipes from:



If Teacups Could Talk by Emilie Barnes

This book is filled with many good recipes, inspiration and practical tea suggestions.

A week in pictures (and some words)

Hail? Snow? March in California?

Amidst my son's potentially-broken wrist, the dog who got sprayed by a skunk (Oh.My.Goodness. Dreadful is not a strong enough word) and the search for wheat-free food products that my son's eczema is making a part-time job, it's been a lovely week. Standing on the deck as the thunder boomed and the hail made the property look snowy again was just what I needed to perk up on Tuesday afternoon.


Art class

Catching my younger two children having "art class" filled my artist-wannabe heart with joy.


Tea time

Attending a friend's tea party, complete with curly hair, pearls, fancy dresses and lovely food was just the thing for some girl time. Recipes for our contributions will be along this week (pastel mints that were sugary-beautiful and very tasty, and butter cookies with almonds.)


Almost-spring skies

Then, the view today was so bright and sunny after days and days of rain and more. The sky was BLUE, the clouds were WHITE and the trees such a fresh spring green that they made me squint with the brilliance.


Greens and shadows



My new desk -- "some assembly required"

Add to that the building of my newest IKEA purchase -- a desk for ME! It arrived in many (many) pieces but the directions were simple. I built it all by myself (said like a proud two-year-old!) My hands are cramped from all the turns of the screwdriver, but I am happy, happy, happy with the results. Many hours will be spent here, writing, planning, emailing, and more. May God bless the fruit of my hands as I work in my new corner spot.

On St. Patrick's day

An Irish blessing

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

A music recommendation:

Kildare: Morning Dance




Don't like corned beef and cabbage? Serve:

.

Reading, watching, listening

READING



The Geography of the Imagination: Forty Essays by Guy Davenport

Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris and others by Paul Gallico

The Old Wine Shades by Martha Grimes (not usually a fan of Grimes' Richard Jury mysteries, but they are my mother's favorites. A very different style, and I liked it much more than her earlier Jury stuff.)

WATCHING



Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film

And, The Madness


LISTENING

Throughout this week I have listened to booming thunder, pounding hail, and pouring rain. The wet weather, in all its variations, just continues. Maybe it will keep the dreaded, dusty summer brown at bay a little longer this year.

Just to make life interesting...

I got to visit the local emergency room Monday night with my staff photographer; we were there to see if that roller blading fall resulted in a broken wrist. No definitive signs on the xray, but it is in a plaster splint for a week until we can re-xray. You never realize how much you use your dominant hand until it is out of commission. No piano. No camera. No writing for school work, just bunches of reading and listening. We are going to hope this is an inconvenient week that results in a free hand next Wednesday.

One thing that still works? The left-handed remote control move. NCAA basketball need not be crossed off the list of things-to-do. Go Volunteers! (Even if you do wear orange.)

Approved reading lists?!

A great post at The Internet Monk on authors he reads, why he reads them and why he doesn't follow someone else's expectations in his choices:

"I am not trying to imitate the intellectual life of some hero, guru, preacher or professor. My reading is eclectic, independent, and all centered around my faith in the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, as the key to all knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3)"

"I do read a bit as a fan of certain writers, but I will tell anyone that when you hear the writers that I like, I can apprise you of major ways in which I disagree with almost every one of them. In some cases, I share little in common and disagree about much, but what I admire makes them worth the read. Some of my favorite writers are just fun to read, no matter what I think of what they are saying."

"I read to explore. Faith is a pilgrimage and an adventure, but it is a journey best made with guides, friends and those who have been farther along the road than I. We read to know we are not alone. I practice that maxim."

The reading life is a journey. Who is writing your itinerary? Is that a good thing? Think about it.

HT: Sparrow

March Madness

Need a bracket for the upcoming NCAA basketball extravaganza? Find one here.

I LOVE college basketball, but last year's bracket choices were a disaster; I lost every game. It's hard to win when you choose teams based on uniform colors, favorite future vacation spots or admired coaches. This year I may have to pay my twelve-year-old son to do some research for me. He won it all last year and knows things about team's and player's strengths and weaknesses that I have no time to learn.

Current, unresearched favorites? Gonzaga, Syracruse, Duke and Pacific. I'm sure my expert source will convince me to change a few of those. But, no orange uniforms, PLEASE!

Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

It sifts from Leaden Sieves

It sifts from Leaden Sieves --
It powders all the Wood.
It fills with Alabaster Wool
The Wrinkles of the Road --

It makes an Even Face
Of Mountain, and of Plain --
Unbroken Forehead from the East
Unto the East again --

It reaches to the Fence --
It wraps it Rail by Rail
Till it is lost in Fleeces --
It deals Celestial Vail

To Stump, and Stack -- and Stem --
A Summer's empty Room --
Acres of Joints, where Harvests were,
Recordless, but for them--

It Ruffles Wrists of Posts
As Ankles of a Queen --
Then stills its Artisans -- like Ghosts --
Denying they have been --

SNOW DAY!!!!

We woke this morning to a thick layer of snow on the upper deck. Having lost a lot of sleep this week-end, I had anticipated sleeping in, but there is nothing like a rare snowfall to get even a sleepy mama out of bed. The pristine covering of snow made for a magical world of quiet beauty, so the photographically-inclined members grabbed their cameras and got to work. The snowplay enthusiasts began tossing snowballs and attempting miniature snowmen, and the barely covered hillside became a brief sled run. But, the best part was sitting with a cup of coffee and talking with my husband, feeling the snowfall on my nose, and marveling at the quiet sound of the flakes descending.


Staff photographer at work



Cooling off quickly



The woods



Chilly bird house



Watching the snowfall



Warming up inside

To Cuddle a Mockingbird

To Cuddle a Mockingbird
by Ben Macintyre
Times Online
March 03, 2006

"ALL’S WELL that ends well. And if all doesn’t end well, it should be forced to. This is the conclusion of a new survey for World Book Day, which found that most readers would far rather read a novel that ends happily ever after. Pride and Prejudice was voted the happiest ending in literature, followed by To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre.

Only one in fifty readers, it seems, likes to be left tearful at the last page, so the survey also asked which unhappy endings readers would most like to change: Tess of the D’Urbervilles was a clear winner, with readers demanding clemency more than a century after Thomas Hardy sent his tragic heroine to her death. It was also felt that the endings of Wuthering Heights, 1984 and Gone with the Wind were all too depressing, and should be perked up."

"No writer worth the name sets out to produce happy or unhappy endings, let alone seeks to alter existing literature to produce one or the other. It is not the mere happiness or unhappiness of fiction that grips us, but the questions it asks, the people and situations it creates, the complexity of emotions it stirs. Some of the greatest endings in literature are neither uplifting nor distressing, but inquiring."

Fair Trade coffee

Absolution in Your Cup: The real meaning of Fair Trade coffee
by Kerry Howley
Reason Online

"The phrase “Fair Trade coffee” has percolated into the vernacular, and the label it represents pervades the business at every level."

"Katzeff—compassionate, articulate, and only slightly megalomaniacal—may have been most effective as a salesman pitching righteousness rather than a crusader fighting Central American poverty. The hippie spilling buckets of fake blood may never break bread (or sip coffee) with straight-laced businessmen talking quality, but the consumer has little to lose from a synthesis of strong words and strong lattes. Another Starbucks, a better coffee, a calmer conscience: What caffeine fiend can argue?

“I was a sparkplug,” says Katzeff. “I changed an entire industry.” He’s talking about a revolution in coffee farming, but the transformation he inspired may be more lasting in the minds of coffee consumers in the First World than in the lives of producers in the Third."

Interesting info. on the whole Fair Trade coffee brouhaha (or should I say "brew" haha?) Probably only interesting to those of us who take our coffee way (way, way) too seriously, but there you have it!

My dear Autumn Rain

I was scrolling through the 10th Carnival of Homeschooling at Palm Tree Pundit this morning and came across a delightful surprise: a submission from The Autumn Rain. This young woman is one of my favorite people in the world, an adopted niece who is finishing up her final year of homeschooling. She has great dreams, a keen mind, and an insatiable appetite for good reading. I adore her!


The Autumn Rain in summer sunshine

William Wordsworth (1770–1850)

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.


How important it is to feed that inward eye!

Happy Birthday, Michelangelo

For more information on the life and work of the artist, see this site: Michelangelo Buonarotti.

Wittingshire gets a hat tip for the birthday reminder, and for this great idea:

"But our favorite Michelangelo project was when I taped butcher paper under the dining room table, spread newspapers across the floor, and let them "paint the Sistine chapel ceiling."

Yes, they got paint in their hair and all over their clothes, but children wash."

I can think of a certain ten-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy who will thank you, too. Could be a fun (messy) day.

Storm-drenched daffodils

More on Lent

Getting Serious for 40 Days: An introduction to the Great Canon of St. Andrew

An NRO Q&A with Frederica Mathewes-Green by Kathryn Jean Lopez

(with thanks to the blogger formerly known as WPMs)

All About Lent by James Akin

(with thanks to Mindy for the link.)

Storm clouds

Ash Wednesday

Our wonderful church is not liturgical, and there is no acknowledgement of the season of Lent in our worship. I miss that because I grew up with the liturgy of the Episcopal Church. In high school, I did opt to attend a different church, and it was there that I learned about a personal and saving relationship with Christ. Coming back to the liturgy as a believer in Christ, though, has been so rich. I find great encouragement in the services at my mom's church, and in the pages of the Book of Common Prayer. I read the morning and evening prayers and suggested scriptures, and the routine is providing me with an excellent focus for my faith. I look forward to attending Ash Wednesday services with my mom tonight; the time of prayer, the corporate confession of sin, the ashes on the forehead... all of these are very important reminders and the perfect beginning for the season of Lent.

My Lenten readings include:

Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter with readings by C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Philip Yancey, Frederick Buechner, Madeleine L'Engle, Henri Nouwen, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Amy Carmichael, Peter Kreeft, Mother Teresa, Saint Augustine and more.

"Lent (literally "springtime"” ) is a time of preparation, a time to return to the desert where Jesus spent forty trying days readying for His ministry. He allowed himself to be tested, and if we are serious about following Him, we will do the same.

First popularized in the fourth century, Lent is traditionally associated with penitence, fasting, alms giving, and prayer. It is a time for "giving things up"” balanced by "giving to"” those in need. Yet whatever else it may be, Lent should never be morose - an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly forgo a handful of pleasures. Instead, we ought to approach Lent as an opportunity, not a requirement. After all, it is meant to be the church's springtime, a time when, out of the darkness of sin's winter, a repentant, empowered people emerges. No wonder one liturgy refers to it as "“this joyful season."

Put another way, Lent is the season in which we ought to be surprised by joy. Our self-sacrifices serve no purpose unless, by laying aside this or that desire, we are able to focus on our heart's deepest longing: unity with Christ. In Him - in His suffering and death, His resurrection and triumph - we find our truest joy."

Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten Readings by Henri Nouwen

Faithful God, trusting in you,
we begin
the forty days of conversion and penance.
Give us the strength for Christian discipline,
that we may renounce evil
and be decisive in doing good.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.

The Book of Common Prayer, Ash Wednesday service:

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.