Today is the greatest

Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known. Can’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow’s much too long. “Today”, by Smashing Pumpkins

I open my eyes every morning, amazed at the newness of it all. So fresh and clean, pregnant with potential – the world is mine to do with what I will. Today is no different.

I could choose to focus on petty disappointments, not to see the beauty I’m wrapped up in. That seems wasteful abuse of abundant gifts, however, so I opt out of disappointment.

I woke a full hour-point-five before I intended to. I tried to go back to sleep, but the house had already begun to stir: the Missus home from work armed with breakfast and two kinds of coffee, sat at my side and regaled me with her night. Just as she informed me that the kids were trying to sleep in, but JJ was feeling sick and “hot-and-cold” again, who should come slumping into our room looking for snuggles but JJ herself? Of course we obliged. How can I say no to cuddling my girls first thing? A short while later, Missus and I went outside. The crisp morning air, smelling of fresh earth and newness, did more for me than those two cups of coffee ever could. Missus stretched out her arm gesturing across the yard to our left at a cute baby cardinal. A cute, round, hoppy baby cardinal that I nearly missed because I had made a discovery of my own: a hummingbird. And where there is one….

One of the most fabulous things about hummingbirds and cardinals alike: they’re creatures of habit. Year after year, they come back to the same place, the fly the same path. They’re good neighbors. I like to think they remember all the kindnesses we do for them, and that’s why they stick around.

Both birds also hold a special piece of my heart. My late grandfather was fond of birds in general, and especially cardinals and hummingbirds. Cardinals remind me of Papa, but hummingbirds – there are times when I feel they must be his messengers. A hummingbird kissed my daughter when she was 4 months old. Those things don’t just happen.

I think its important to remember people who’ve been special to us at every opportunity. I think when we carry on with our lives passionately – as though we live for them, also – and put to use the lessons they’ve taught us, we pay the ultimate tribute. When we tell their stories and speak their names every day, we honor their memories.

I think when we set aside a special day for remembering those who’ve passed, especially in tragic events such as 9/11, we run the risk of being lazy. We will never forget – one day of the year. We also take the chance that our once-positive intent to honor and remember will get lost in the tumult of everyone else’s honoring and remembering. We cry longer and louder, we set up bigger and flashier events, we turn to political discussions and arguments – and we forget the people.

Ten years ago today, I couldn’t stop thinking about the people. I walked into my classroom, and my coworker asked if I had heard. He gestured to the television in time for me to see the second crash happen. I spent the day and night wondering how much pain a soul has to be in to hijack and crash a jet, what the terror must have been like for the passengers on those flights, how much confusion and fear must have been felt in those towers. And the children. The children there, the ones who’d lost family, and the ones in my classroom. How could anybody wver explain to them what was happening?

Now I have my own kids, and I still haven’t figured it out. How do you tell kids that scary things like that happen, but monsters aren’t really real?

I am all for remembering and honoring, and I intend to do just that today – same as every day. I will leave the sackcloth and ashes to my ancestors, because today is the greatest day, and tomorrow is much too long. I have a hummingbird garden to put in, and a sick girl to cuddle.

I will live my life for those who can’t.

JuanaBee Takes on the Machine!

Oh, how I’ve missed this! When I last posted, I was in the process of moving and transitioning into a different sort of domestic existence. Now I’m all settled in, and thanks to my daily routine, I don’t spend much time on the computer at all.this has been amazing for my soul, and it’s also inspired me to think about ways to restructure this blog. Expect some changes, dear readers!

Today, I made a discovery so simple, and yet so astounding, I wanted to shout from the mountaintops. See, I’ve been trying like the dickens to figure out why, no matter WHAT I do, my towels consistently smell like mildew. All my usual mildew-busters – vinegar, baking soda, heat, etc. – have really been letting me down. A quick google search this morning showed me why: I have been treating my laundry, assuming the culprit was somewhere therein; it is not my towels alone harboring the musty-smelling stuff, it’s the machine. Our washer came with our new house, which had been left uninhabited for a period of time before we moved in. When I did our first load of laundry, I was prepared for rusty pipes, and ran an empty cycle accordingly. I never stopped to think about mold or mildew in the machine!

I now have a plan of attack. Today, I am running another empty cycle, with 2 cups of vinegar, a substantial amount of baking soda, and a bit of bleach. I will also continue with my baking soda and vinegar laundry treatment. I WILL HAVE NICE_SMELLING TOWELS AGAIN, DAMN IT!

Next time we talk, remind me to tell you of my battles with brambles, and the tree of heaven.

UPDATE: It is now 9:23 p.m., and I have washed two loads of laundry since treating my washer. It appears (knock on wood) that I have been successful! Imagine that!

Happy cleaning!
-JuanaBee

Quick Question for the Yarn Enthusiasts

Not much time for a post, but I’m on a quest, a mission. The Missus has been after me to make her a blanket for some time (months, really), and I thought, “Ok, I’ll make her a really awesome one, all inspiration, no pattern….” And now, here we are, in the summer, 6 months after she initially asked, and there’s not more than 4 rows stitched.

Pitiful.

So we went to The Dusty Bookshelf, which is THE coolest bookstore in Lawrence, complete with stacks of books and cats and a kids’ room, and I picked out a book with some patterns she liked. I’m hoping that working from a pattern will help me stick to the project a little better.

Alas, there’s a caveat. I had her pick out what kind of yarn and the colors last night. She has really sensitive skin and things make her itch, and, well, who doesn’t want to be wrapped in silk at night? She definitely does. I need about 3,700 yards of yarn in baby/worsted weight, and two different colors (approx 3k yds color A, and 700 yds color B). I’m adapting a pattern, at that, so this is a little bit of guesswork. I’m estimating, and I’m estimating on the end of more yarn. On the high end, it’s looking like I’m going to have to spend about $400 on the silk-bamboo yarn it’s going to take to make this beautiful blanket. I’m going to need roughly about 21 skeins of 220 yds each. Ish.

I told her this was going to be my wedding present to her. That once I get started on this, she’s really, truly stuck with me for life, and when it’s done, I’m holding it hostage until we head out for the honeymoon. Holy hell. $400?!

I love her, I’ll do it (I don’t know how), I’ll sell kidneys to make it happen – but first – I have to know: Is there an easier way?!

J.J.’s Big Idea

J.J. has been busy. She’s crazy about packing boxes and dusting everything in sight, and in her downtime, she’s sitting her mother down to make flash cards so she can learn to read.

Last week, we were walking around downtown, and she pointed at a sign (a little different from the typical), and said, “Mama, that says ‘Open.’” Since it wasn’t your standard “Open” sign and it wasn’t in a place we often frequented, I was fairly impressed. Last night, as we were reading Sandra Boynton’s “Blue Hat, Green Hat,” she was following the words with her fingers, and I could tell she was actually working on recognizing cues aside from just pictures. I commented to that effect, and she said, “I know! Let’s put the words from the book on flashcards! We’ll do it first thing in the morning!”

She was nice enough to let me have my coffee, first.

By popular demand – recipes!

Some of my readers have been asking for recipes for a while, and I have not obliged them. I’m a terrible blogger.

Actually, I’m a terrible photographer and recipe-writer-downer. I’ve been waiting to post a recipe to a fantastic dish that I have created and photographed in all its arranged and well-lit glory. Children don’t seem to understand that…. they see the food all plated up and piping hot, and for some reason, they think it’s time to eat. ::shrugs::

I also don’t really follow recipes, so much as I use them as loose foundations to build upon. And I don’t write them down ever, which I should, because every now and then, I make something that’s a huge hit, and I can’t replicate it because, well… there’s no documentation. I can’t repeat my genius!

This morning was one such hit, BUT it was so simple and easy, I can still remember enough to write it down this afternoon, and share with my lovely readers.

They were gone before I could even think of pictures, though.

Cream-Cheese and Berry Filled Crepes
You will need:
cream cheese

1 1/2 c fruit
2T sugar
water

1 c flour (whole wheat all purpose)
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c warm water
1/4 t salt

powdered sugar

peeled frozen banana (opt)
cinnamon (opt)

-Before you do anything, set your cream cheese out to soften, or nuke it for a minute.

Fruit Filling: (*see note below) You’ll want to start this before you cook your crepes because you want the fruit to cook down into a syrupy, sweet mess. I used berries, but apples, bananas, peaches, and pears work nicely too. Play around with it. Remember – the more water content in the fruit itself, the less cooking water you’ll need.

1 1/2 c fruit
water – enough to cover the bottom of the skillet
2 T of sugar

-Bring the fruit and water to a rolling boil on med-high heat.
-Add sugar
-Cook down til syrupy (about 20 min), stirring periodically.

Crepes While the fruit is cooking down, start your crepes.

1 c flour (whole wheat all purpose is what I used)
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c warm water
2 T melted butter
1/4 t salt

-Heat skillet on med-high
-Beat eggs in a small bowl
-In medium mixing bowl, beat eggs and flour together
-Gradually add milk while mixing
-Add warm water, melted butter, and salt; blend thoroughly.
-Lightly oil the skillet as needed (mine dry out quick, so it was after every crepe)
-Pour about 1/4 c of crepe mix into skillet, tilting skillet so that crepe covers entire bottom of the pan.
-Watch for the edges of the crepe to start pulling away from the pan (just a couple of minutes). Use your spatula to GENTLY and patiently loosen the crepe from the bottom. Flip, and cook on the other side. Watch carefully, the second side doesn’t take as long as the first.

Lather, rinse, repeat until all your crepe mix is used up and you have a bunch of yummy crepes.

Crepe Assembly: By now you shoulda somehow realized what you got to do. I’m sorry, that wasn’t what I wanted to say. I meant that by now, your fruit should be good and cooked down. Go ahead and remove it from heat.

-Using your butterknife, spread some of that softened cream cheese from earlier across the inside of the crepe.
-Spoon about 1/4 c of fruit into the crepe.
-Wrap crepe, and sprinkle with powdered sugar

Optional: Frozen Banana Puree
If you happen to have a banana in the freezer (who doesn’t?), make sure that it is peeled and coarsely chopped, and toss it into the blender with about 1/2 T of milk. (Add a touch more if needed). Puree, spoon onto the plate next to the crepe, top with cinnamon, and enjoy. If you happen to be eating a blueberry crepe, the banana makes a nice foil.

Happy breakfasting!

*Note: I usually prefer fresh fruit, but I have a bunch of berries that were frozen some time ago that I need to use – this got a bunch of them out. Fresh fruit, I wouldn’t necessarily even bother cooking down (nor would I necessarily not), but frozen fruit, absolutely.

Hijacked: Household Pets & Their HiJinks

Oh, progress! How much of it I make, and how little of it seems to happen! Every box I pack is just another drop in the bucket, and the bucket is a 5 gallon pickle barrel.

Actually, ok, fine. The kids rooms look great! You can see the floor, there are no hidden dishes anywhere (I’m watching like a hawk), and they both independently opted to pack the majority of their toys – this inspires twofold glee on my part because, one, the toys are out of the way for the next month, and two (more importantly), when we unpack, I can get rid of all the toys left that I hate, and everything else will be like brand-spanking new! (Not to say I haven’t been tossing out the dreaded broken, outdated toys the second they turn their backs).

The living room looks nice. I’ve packed up all the games and extras, except the Wii. The dumb dog has decided that our blue recliner is his to do what he likes with and shredded the upholstery (he nurses on fabric, and being a big rottie, that’s no gentle kneading).

This leaves the kitchen – easy fix, but often gets lost in the shuffle when I’m focused on the rest of the house. Poor room. The kitchen, the bathroom (why don’t I ever seem to want to clean the bathroom? I don’t get it), the dining room, and the entry/office space.

The entry/office space. Bookshelves full of books. Umpteen folded boxes, haphazardly stacked wherever they’ll fit. Other boxes half-filled, waiting for filling and a home. Shoes. Omigod, shoes. Everywhere. They won’t stay put. And then there’s my poor desk. I try organizing. I get good at it for a week, and then it all falls to hell. I have stacks and stacks of papers – most of which I don’t need, several of which are children’s schoolwork and I feel guilty for throwing out; I have stuffed animals, learning materials, and at any given point in time, a cat. He’s cute and disastrous. Every time he jumps up there to claim his perch on my 1995 computer monitor, he knocks something over, dips his tail into my coffee, or somehow otherwise disrupts my chaotic semblance of organization. Yes, I know what I just said… it doesn’t matter, he’s so cute! See?

He and his kitty & canine brothers all do their part to reduce motivation factors to zero. Between their cuteness, insistence on their needs being met RIGHT MEOWING NOW! and their inability to navigate the house without making a mess…

See? They’ve even got me blogging about them. Wasting more potential energy. ::Shakes fist:: One day, I’ll defeat you, lovable, cuddly, havoc-making creatures! ONE DAY!

Lazy days of summer? Nah….

So we found out that the challenge didn’t work. No surprise there. Let me tell you what does work: the combination of quitting smoking, the kids being home all day because school is out, and moving.

One might think that would sound like a recipe for disaster – short fuses and an unsuccessful attempt to quit a bad habit. One might not be completely wrong in many situations. However, it feels so right, here and now.

Like I said in my previous post, I am looking forward to (and intimidated by) the opportunity to start over fresh in our new house. We all get to start over! Except, here’s the thing: It’s not magically going to work that way once we cross our new threshold. It’s not like, miraculously, everything we wish we were doing and everything we say we’re going to do is going to happen without effort. No, it’s going to take practice. It’s going to take the creation of new habits to replace the old. It’s going to take a gradual familiarization with the new territory. In other words, it’s going to take some work.

The Missus and I bought a book – not the most compelling read, as it’s a bit pedantic and preachy sometimes, but an awesome book nonetheless. It’s called The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr’s Easyway Method. This book has helped me to look at the desire to smoke in much a similar way to how I look at mosquito bites – annoying, itchy, but if I leave them alone, they’ll go away. And when the urge gets to be so that I can’t find any distraction, if I find myself in the midst of a project I can’t leave until it’s finished, well then, the urge will usually pass.

Yesterday, that project was my daughter’s room. J.J. and I worked together for hours – cleaning her floor, sorting her books, packing her toys and winter clothes. She has a lot of stuff. I mean, really, what child needs that much stuff? But she did opt to pack most of it away for after the move, or even some things to give away altogether. And when she wasn’t looking, Mom tossed the age-inappropriate toys with missing pieces and jagged edges.

Today, we made Too-Much-Awesome Muffins. Muffins with blueberry and chocolate inside them, and they were indeed full of Too Much Awesome. The nice thing about those muffins, though, is that they take time to make, and distract me from wanting that first cigarette of the day. And I get some productive time with the kiddos, teaching them the finer points of baking: “Don’t over-mix the batter!”

This afternoon, B.R.’s room is going to receive the same treatment as his sister’s, and more boxes will be packed. There’s been an awful lot of talk about animals, the environment, and building, so maybe we’ll think about some projects we can do. Or we’ll figure out how to make our own “I Spy” book (J.J.’s idea, and I’m so excited!). In any case, there’s plenty to do, and I have all the time in the world to do it all!

Who says summer has to be lazy?