Take a Deep Breath

This is the road that leads to our home.  We travel it every day.  The hill from which this pic is taken is the highest point in our county.  When the kids were little and we reached the top of this hill on our way home, we would shout out "Take a deep breath and look ahead."  We'd all breathe deeply and the kids would ask, although they already well knew the answers, "Why?", "Is this the highest place?", "Can we see all the way to the next city?", "Did you take a breath, Mom?"
It has become our custom and I find myself, even when alone in the car, taking a deep breath and looking out into the next city as I drive home.  Occasionally it happens that there is tension in the car (read in a sarcastic tone) and yet, from the back seat I'll hear a long inhalation and a slow exhale.  And I breathe also.  And I am so grateful to be going home.

Et tu, Hunger Games?

 

In Language Arts this year, Kate is using the vocabulary manual, Caesar's English to learn about Latin roots and their relationship to our language.  She learns the ancient Latin roots, learns their meaning, and then creates a few examples that follow the rule.  This week, one of the roots was "super"which means above, over, overly, excessive...When she thought of examples to write in her workbook, I suggested supercalifragilisticexpialidocious but she only rolled her eyes and snickered (an amused snicker, I believe). 

 

Who came first, she asked, Julius Caesar or Caesar Augustus?

Ummm, I don't know.  Probably Julius, I guess, since July comes before August. (I really have no idea but that sounded good to me.)  And what about Caesar Octavian, I ask, he probably came after.

Actually, turns out Augustus and Octavian were the same person.

 

But, the point is, her interest was peaked.  A couple more factors added up to her next request.  The factors are:

(1) A few weeks ago, we watched Orson Welles and Me (with Zac Efron and Claire Danes), in which Orson Welles is directing a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.  Kate loved the film.

(2) About 3 years ago, Kate asked Mark to help her buy tickets online to a promenade staging of Romeo and Juliet which she gave me for Valentine's Day (to take her, of course).  From there, we discovered No Fear Shakespeare, which is how Kate first read Romeo and Juliet.  In this series, the original text appears on one side with an updated/explanatory version on the opposing side.  I'm okay with this.  If you're going to read Shakespeare, you need to read his real words; they are so verbal.  Even if you read silently, you're talking in your head.  There is nothing silent about Shakespeare.  And there is no better way way to say it.  But it's also nice to be able to understand the text.

 

So, the request yesterday morning:

Mom, can you go to Barnes and Noble today and get me a NFS copy of Julius Caesar?

Yes. I can. I will.

 

Today, before school, she's reading it and says,  Hey, Mom, did you ever realize that the names of lots of the Capital characters in the Hunger Games are the same as characters in Julius Caesar:  Caesar, Flavius, Octavia(n), Portia, Cinna, Cato, Messala, Claudio, Brutus.

Writing Session; Dark and Light

Every other week, I meet with another writer for a writing session.  We rarely do any actual writing during our session but we do discuss what we've worked on in the interval and help each other through current problems.  As a loose sort of format for the meeting and a springboard for discussion, we "assign" 2-3 chapters from bird by bird, Anne Lamott's book on writing.  This week, we covered the chapters titled Writing a Present, Short Assignments, and Perfectionism.  Short Assignments is helpful for me right now.  In this chapter, Lamott advises giving yourself a one-inch picture frame and writing only what you can see through that frame.  Basically, she's saying write the small stuff, a little at a time.  A project can become overwhelming quickly unless you break it down; get the details right.
We chose Lamott's book because we both already had a copy.  Having covered most of this book, however, we're looking to add another writing book; to add another perspective.  It's amazing how many are out there.  I'm welcoming any suggestions.
This week's session also covered a discussion on the vitality of the relationship of light and dark in our characters.  I thoroughly enjoy the tangents our talks travel down and the circular way they come back to the point.  In discussing dark and light, we covered Ansel Adams' Zone System for photography in which he codifies the levels between black and white.  We covered the Taoist Yin and Yang.  Of course, I brought up the essential element of dark and light in classic Gothic literature.  In all of these examples, we find the duplicity, the reliance, and the reflection of dark and light - always enhancing the other.
I have some writing assignments, from a college course, that I still refer to.  I'll share some occasionally, in case you'd like to "exercise".
Take one of these phrases and write 25 sentences that complete it.  You may want to do more or try a second phrase.  That may be the end of the exercise or you may want to pick your top five favorites and write something from it.  You may see a pattern emerge and write something from that.  Here are the phrases:
I remember...
I never...
Don't...
What if...
If only...
I should have...
I wish...
I remember...

After also debating the moral obligations and accountability in our writing, we ended the meeting with a reading from the Buddhist Dhammapada:

All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

--Ch. 1, Twin Verses

Little Falls Annual Craft Fair

This past weekend was the annual Little Falls Craft Fair; which is also our annual Girls Weekend!  The weather was phenomenal as we took a break from shopping and enjoyed a little people watching from the top of the post office steps.  I didn't take any photos of the crafts themselves (it is frowned upon) but I bought a few things (can't share with you yet as they're Christmas presents and somebody might be reading) and jotted down a few inspirations (I'll share with you if they become reality).

The weekend started off Friday night, with gourmet burgers at A.T. The Black and White.  This retro styled restaurant has many of the old signs from buildings around town that have been torn down or remodeled - so cool. 
Friday night dessert at The Black and White is always Banana Foster - oh - yum!  Bananas, brown sugar, banana liqueur, rum and ice cream - you cannot possibly go wrong!

The lake is within easy driving distance from the craft fair so we slept there and spent Sunday on the water.  Thinking about all the different crafts, I noticed this beautiful web at the side of the dock;

so like the doilies we had seen the day before.  Here is a picture of the doily my Grandma made us as a wedding gift.  The delicate work of both is amazing.

Sleep Issues & Quilt in Progress

Everybody has their sleep issues; sleepwalking, nightmares, trouble getting to sleep, trouble waking, not getting enough sleep....  I snore. Kinda loud - wake myself up sometimes.  John thrashes his limbs.  Share a bed with him on vacation or even put your sleeping bag next to him and you're liable to be black and blue in the morning.  This week, in fact, he thrashed right through his sheet - which turned out to be to my advantage.  I'm making twin quilts for the bunkbeds at the river and I've vowed to only use fabric from my current stash - NO buying more.  But the little design voice in my head continues to groan, no, no, not that color, you need a better blue!  And John's old sheets are the perfect provencial/denimy blue color that I need. I know this sounds suspiciously like the times we came home from with "distressed" holes conveniently cut in our jeans but I truly did not sneak in and slash the pretty blue sheets!

My goal was to have these finished by next weekend as we'll have more guests in the fall (mainly hunters) and will need all the beds covered.  After the kids are in bed, I've been cutting strips and sewing, sewing, sewing but Teddy, here, is holding the only square completely pieced so far.  Yep, I've got a ways to go!

Celebrate = Chocolate

Mark and I always take the week of our anniversary off and spend it with the kids.  A few weeks ago, we celebrated our 14th and it has become tradition for Kate and John to make gifts for us.  We received some very lovely things this year including some wishing twigs (you hold them in your hand, make a wish, and then toss them into the campfire - when they burn up, your wish can come true).
Spending most of the afternoon in the kitchen, Kate made this DELICIOUS chocolate layered cake.  I love chocolate layered cake but I'm pretty picky about which ones I'd vouch for as DELICIOUS - this one was!  I've only had two other pieces that compare - one was in San Francisco and the other was actually at Granite City (I know - go figure!)  So when we celebrated a birthday this week, I tried her recipe and it was delicious again so I'll include the recipe at the end of this post.  (She got the recipe online but I have no idea where) The pic above is my cake with chocolate frosting but the one Kate made had the frosting in the recipe, which was more my favorite.

Birthdays around here seem to linger out over a few weeks.  So, Kate's actual birthday was this week but last week she had friends over (hence, the cake).  Next weekend she goes out with her Godmother for a night at the orchestra.  In October, she goes to Chicago with me and Grandma for a girls weekend.  But for the actual day, we ordered in Chinese food and had brownies with ice cream and hot fudge.  I use the same recipe for hot fudge that my Mom always made.  It is so good and if there's any left over, just put it in the fridge, warm it up in the microwave ad have it again! Yummmmm.

Hot Fudge
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
Mix together in a saucepan, bring to boil and boil for 1 full minute.

Chocolate Anniversary Cake
Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Heat Oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two 8- or 9- inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter and 1 cup water and bring to a boil.  Add to the flour mixture and, using an electric mixer, mix until combined.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.  Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Transfer one of the cakes to the platter and spread with 3/4 cup frosting.  Top with the remaining cake and spread with the remaining frosting.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
In medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioner's sugar.  Store in refrigerator after use.

A Story from Great Grandpa Nels

We spent Labor Day at the farm my Dad, and my Grandpa before him, grew up on.  The picture above is in the house where my grandparents raised their six children.  It is in this dining room and living room that we spent every Christmas Eve and many Sunday dinners.  It seems so small now.

Across the driveway is the house where my Grandpa grew up and where my Great Grandparents lived during my Dad's childhood.  I remember sleeping in an upstairs bedroom and hearing the horrible screeching moan during the night that the windmill makes - spooky.  My grandpa used to climb to the top, routinely, to oil it but that hasn't happened in many, many, many years.

During our Labor Day picnic, stories were shared and there was one I'd never heard before.  My Dad retold a story his Grandpa Nels told him about a man back in Denmark who used to walk home, every night, in the dark.  The path he walked wound through a cemetery and every night he'd get to a spot and he'd fall down.  He would pick himself up only to fall down again.  Every night he fell four times but that fourth time, when he picked himself up again, he was able to stay upright and continue home.  So, one day he decided to walk the path during daylight hours and find out why he kept falling down four times every night.  So he came to the spot where he always fell and there was a goat tied to a tree, munching away on the plentiful cemetery grass.  The goat got excited and knocked the man down, ran around the tree and, just as the man got back on his feet, came from behind and knocked him down again.  After the fourth time, however, the rope, now wrapped around the tree, had grown too short and the goat just ran past the man.

Now, I'm sure there was originally more to the story.  Why was he walking home after dark?  Was there another reason he was falling down?  Had he never walked through the cemetery during the day before?  Is there a moral to the story?  I don't know but what a fun, weird, little story!

This is the car I drove in High School, a 1966 Corvair, sitting not so prettily in the old chicken house now.  Like the Volkswagon Beetle, the engine is in the back and the trunk is in the front.  The trunk had a key of it's own which, for some reason, I kept on a separate ring than the ignition key.  One summer, some friends and I spent the weekend at my parents cabin where there was no garbage service.  So, at the end of the weekend, we packed the big bag of garbage in the trunk.  At some point, I lost the separate trunk key and the garbage started to STINK!  And, as I drove around, the stink wafted back.  Ewww.  I don't remember what happened in the end; whether I found the key or we had one made but I remember the stink!

Another story about Great Grandpa Nels is that he had a real hard time transitioning from driving horses to driving a car.  In the stable/garage, he lined the back wall with old tires and when he returned from a trip to town, he would drivel into the building and continue to drive until he hit the tires.  My Aunt says the car would hit the tire wall, shimmy a bit and boing off it.

And "my" willow tree.  This is the most singular image that comes to mind when I think of the farm.  Well, that's not true since, as I wrote it, 3,4,5 more images came immediately to mind.  But this tree is first.  It wasn't nearly this big, of course.  It is what you see when you look from the window over the kitchen sink.  So, I guess this was my Grandma's kitchen tree.

What-re You Looking At?

Someday in the future, we hope to replace our old hollow core doors with nice solid "real" doors.  But the one in this pic is starting to feel like it lives here.  This is the face we've discovered in the grain of our bathroom door - fortunately it faces the hallway and does not gaze into the bathroom.

A little further down the hallway, we have this to look at:

An overcrowded jumble of "little-girl-about-to-become-teenager" mess!  We've been talking and compromising on some redecorating ideas for some time now and are determined to start (and finish) during the fall months when we can open the windows to crisp clean air for purging and painting.  We have had our eye on a little sofa at the local consignment shop and whe I received a Labor Day sale email this morning, we raced up there, hoping it hadn't yet sold.  It hadn't.  We bought it!  (plus a deer picture that John wanted for at the river)

So, stay tuned for updates in our mother vs. teenage daughter redecorating project as well as a blow-by-blow on the logistics of buying a sofa to add to an overcrowded room!  It'll work - I just know it will.

Highlights of the State Fair

This is always such a crazy time of the year; back-to-school-shopping, re-acclimating bedtimes, and all the while cramming in as much last minute summer fun as possible.  And then there's also the Great Minnesota Get-Together.  The Midway is a favorite for the kids and we had such a beautiful day to be outside.

This sculture was made entirely of debris pulled from a Minnesota river.  Sad reality but beautiful art.

The animal barns - who knew there were SO many different rabbits - wow!
And last but certainly not least - the food.  I had the presence of mind to snap a shot of the cookies while they were still overflowing.  I remembered to snap a pic halfway through the cheese curds, jalapeno/cheese/bacon wraps, and bbq sauage meatballs.  The turkey leg and fried green tomatoes were gone, however, before the thought of taking a photo entered my mind - sorry!

Bulgogi and Beer

When John celebrated his first communion two years ago, I wanted to make a big Korean meal for the party.  A friend of mine (fantastic cook!!) met with me during the months previous to the party and taught me how to cook a few korean dishes.  I was very proud of the meal and John really loved it.  And then I kind of stopped practicing the cooking.  This week, I pulled out the recipes my friend gave me, marked all up with her notes, hints, and (priceless) advice.  Korean cooking is very time consuming, however, and I had a very busy week.  So,...I "americanized" the bulgogi by using the crockpot.  Technically, bulgogi is marinated barbequed beef.  Galbi is also marinated beef, but specifically beef spareribs.  I used spare ribs, slicing them thin, but I didn't grill the meat (used the crockpot) so maybe it doesn't count.  But when John and Kate walked into the kitchen, they both immediately asked, "What smells like bulgogi?"  The next day's lunch was a fight for the leftovers.  The is the basic original recipe (although my friend adjusts the recipe, by taste, every time she makes it)

2 1/2 lbs thinly sliced beef
1 Tbsp water
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
 1 1/2 Tbsp Mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Coke (or Sprite/ 7-Up)
minced onions
minced kiwi or pinneapple

Add water and sugar to beef and mix.  Combine remaining ingredients and mix into beef.  Place on grilling sheet and barbeque on the grill.  (Better if you let marinate overnight first)


August Minnesota Beer of the Month picks are from Boom Island Brewing Company in Minneapolis, MN and from Big Wood Brewery in Vadnais Heights, MN.

Monsters, Memory Care & the Great Escape

Have you read The Monster At the End of This Book by Jon Stone?  Another one of my favorites.  It's a really fun book but I think I like it most because of how it so tickled my brother every single time we read it as children.  Don't you love certain things simply because of the joy they provide to ones you love?  I just reread this book and realized...huh...we are our own monsters, aren't we?  Often times, we are what is keeping ourselves from ourselves.  Pretty deep, I know.  That's what happens when you start reading books starring lovable, furry, old Grover.

Cicero was the first to say Man is his own worst enemy and it is still true.

My Grandma is moving into a new Memory Care Facility (only 20 minutes from our house - yay!) and the kids and I were there today, helping to ready her rooms.  All of the doors leading outside are locked, of course, for the safety of those living on this particular wing of the building.  When John went to open the outside door for my Dad (who was carrying boxes in), a lady followed right behind and asked John to hold the door for her.  He is a gentleman of a boy and did so graciously.  She handed him her toothpick (which he politely accepted and then tossed!) and took off down the sidewalk in a slipper shuffle.  Fortunately, my Mom was watching from the window and said, "Isn't that the lady from down the hall?  Do you think John just let her out?"

We ran down the hall, out the door and led her back inside, explaining to those in charge.  No harm done, everything's fine but we're probably gonna get my Grandma kicked out before she even moves in!  "Be good", she always tells us.  "Stay out of trouble."  I guess we need the reminders!

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."  

-- George Bernard Shaw

I'm not quite sure I agree with this philosophy but I do think...stop being your own worst enemy monster.  Be your own superhero!

Here's my kitchen tree in the summer, with the sun going down and a storm rolling in:

Back-to-School Shopping and Bleach T-Shirts

This is me in my new back-to-school clothes, probably first grade, with my name and pertinent information pinned to my groovy hip jacket.  Notebooks under my arm and envelope with official documents in my other hand.  Wow - the patterns of the 70's!  There are cuffs on those slacks!  My mom made this outfit - honestly, pretty impressive matching of plaid at the seams.
We've been doing back to school shopping around here; clothes and supplies.  (No, I haven't been busy sewing.)  Kate spent much of the afternoon organizing her supplies.  And remember those Muppet Band-Aids?  Well, Kate found a whole new use for them - her classes are now "Muppet-coded":

My favorites are 1) the Swedish Chef on her Chinese folder and Animal on her Math folder (her exact personality when it comes to math homework!).
We had Kate and John's photos taken today at a Target portrait studio.  For half the cost of two school portrait packages, we got multiple individual shots of each, as well as, pics of the two together - turned out really, really cute - so happy with them!
During our stay at the lake this summer, we made this cute bleach t-shirts, using bleach pens on solid t-shirts:

One-Eyes and Another Week on the River

Growing up, my Dad would often make breakfast on the weekend.  Our favorite of his specialties were One-Eyes.  (I've heard other people call them One-Eyed Jacks or Cowboy Eggs.)  We spent last week on the river again where we tend to have fuller breakfasts.  So, one morning I made One-Eyes - big hit!  This was the only photo I got since the others were not completely supportive of waiting on breakfast while I fetched my camera for a blog pic!  They are simply pieces of bread, buttered on both sides.  Using a drinking glass, you cut a circle from the middle and place the bread on a griddle.  Crack an egg in the centers and let fry, flipping once.
After a large breakfast, it feels good to work outside or go for a hike.  One day we ventured further down river to these falls--

Along the bank was this towering pine tree.  I had to take a photo.  Here is this beautiful magestic tree with lush green branches reaching higher and higher up above.  But down here on the ground, the river has been washing the soil right out from beneath its roots.  If something doesn't happen to replenish it's foundation, everything is going to fall.  Don't you just feel like this tree sometimes?

Another marvel of nature are these beaver dens we come across near the logging roads.  This is as close as I could get to this one without getting my feet wet.

Diamond Willow Buttons

When the kids were younger and we were spending a few days at my in-laws, Kate wanted to work with her Grandpa in the garage.  I had been crocheting a sweater for her and was grateful for the extra quiet time when my father-in-law took her for a walk in the woods in search of diamond willow branches.  They selected the perfect branches and removed the bark.  Then Kate watched, with her way-big safety glasses on, as Grandpa sliced the branch into little coins of varying thickness.  Having decided to make buttons for Kate's new sweater, they started experimenting with drilling holes in the delicate slices.  I remember it took quite a few tries before they could drill four holes without the button cracking.
I finished the sweater that weekend and varnished the buttons when we returned home.  They turned out so cute.  Unfortunately, Kate outgrew the sweater far too quickly.

Embarrassed to Even Share

About a month ago, a very dear high school friend was in town with her children and they spent one night at our house.  While all the kids were scooted outside to pick raspberries, she and I had a drink while I prepared supper.  I am terrible at designating jobs.  When someone comes into my kitchen and offers to help, I'm at a loss.  It might maybe be that I'm a little tiny bit of a control freak but I am really trying to get better.  So, to prepare myself for a "spontaneous" chore designation, I found a recipe on Pinterest, printed it, and bought the ingredients.  When my friend offered to help, I pulled out this recipe for homemade caramels and said, "here, you can make the caramels."  Okay, probably not what she thought she was signing up for but, actually, they are very easy.  I got to keep control over my menu prep while she made these delicious sea salt caramels.  They are not health food - at all.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I've made these three more times!  If you have a similar lack of control, don't even open the link.
If you do decide to try them, here are a few reminders. Wax paper is not the same as parchment paper.  I knew they weren't the same but remembered (incorrectly!) that I'd used wax paper last time. NO - use parchement paper.

Although this looks great, when you pour the boiling hot caramel into the pan, it kinda melts into the wax paper.  Use parchment paper (or you'll be licking caramel off of wax paper 'cause you can't bear to throw it out)!
When the caramel hardens, lift it out of the pan, laying it flat on a cutting board, and cut into little squares. (Looks kinda like chicken.)  Then, they are ready to be wrapped. 
So bad for you but they taste SO good!