yesterday i smelled burning leaves in the air. of course it smelled delicious and conjured all sorts of moods and feelings for me ... but it also meant (along with the glorious crisp, cooler and clear blue skies) that summer is waining. we are seeing a few more leaves (crackled and dry) on our lawn out back. i wore a fleece while we ate dinner outside by the grill. there is just something different about outside. the summer hydrangeas are starting to look dried and antiqued. when i went to walmart the other day there were aisles devoted entirely to school supplies. sharpened pencils, crayola markers and crayons and chubby pink erasers. they are all on sale so i am going to restock our art supplies (we go through water colors and markers at an alarming rate around here!) let me say that it is a bittersweet realization for the plasters. summers are our favorite. having lived in hawaii and san diego we are just used to the sunshine and the warm days. now summer days are a luxury. since the beach is the best place for kids we'll have to find more haunts as the days grow shorter and chillier. i think that we will still have adventures - in fact i am sure of that fact - we'll just have to get more creative. we joined the redwood athenaeum children's library. i think this might help things tremendously in the months ahead.
but for now i will savor the cherry tomatoes as they pop in my mouth (the ones from our very own backyard garden).
good night all ... and christ's peace be upon you!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
summer salad recipe from soule mama
Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Basil
DRESSING:
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
SALAD:
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 cups chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
Prepare all dressing ingredients and place in a jar. Cover tightly and shake thoroughly. Prepare orzo according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Spoon half of the dressing over the orzo; toss to coat. Let cool to room temp. Add the remaining dressing, corn, tomato, onion, and basil to the pasta. Let stand for atleast 30 minutes.
DRESSING:
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
SALAD:
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 cups chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
Prepare all dressing ingredients and place in a jar. Cover tightly and shake thoroughly. Prepare orzo according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Spoon half of the dressing over the orzo; toss to coat. Let cool to room temp. Add the remaining dressing, corn, tomato, onion, and basil to the pasta. Let stand for atleast 30 minutes.
my knitting and other thoughts today
so i have this incredible urge to be creative and to have some sort of craft that i can do with odds and ends and bits of this and that - like sewing (i am currently on the look out for a second hand sewing machine!) or embroidery -- i am an avid fan and reader of soule mama's blog and envious of her life really ... check her out! i was reading about her knitting and she had the most encouraging entry concerning knitting projects that don't seem to get completed, which reminded me of the scarf i am still "knitting" for my mama for this past mother's day (sorry mom!) i started getting down on myself for not being able to finish projects (like the knitting, the albums for the kids, snapfish gifts that are still unpaid for and unsent etc etc.) and then i read this: (i give the credit to soule mama)
"For seven years - since I started knitting - I've always carried a knitting project with me. I bring them in the car, and they move about from bag to bag (gathering crumbs of food along the way). Just waiting. Waiting for that five minutes that I'm sitting in the car with sleeping children. Or for that reaaally long train in front of us. Or for the (oh, so) few moments that all three babes are happily engaged without me at the beach, playground, woods or wherever we are. And those moments where knitting actually happens are heavenly. Worth the wait. But I started to think about the number of those moments where I actually do knit, and how relatively small that is compared to the number of hours that the yarn travels with us. It's pretty small. Really small. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say about 2%. That's a lot of travelling for that yarn, and not so much action. Which at first I thought might be a bit ridiculous, but the more I thought about it (it was a long walk), the more I liked the idea. That there's always a presence of something being made, of a creation in progress, of the work of handmade. I've got to believe that it's instilling some sort of value in all of that, and that ultimately (bear with me here), the 'energy' of the kids sock (or whatever it may be) is all the more 'full' for having 'lived' with us for so long. And the beautiful thing about that yarn is, it's so patient. The very nature of knitting isn't one of rushing, or quick results. And so, it's presence serves as a reminder of that for me. It says: The yarn will be there. The project can wait. Take a deep breath. Play with your kids."
don't you just love that? she really lives. which is what i want to do - live, simply, well, joyfully, Godly, peacefully. why is it such a labor to have these disciplines in my life? shouldn't my day start with the Lord first, i think so. so that i can get my priorities in order (b/c how quickly we forget, kind of like the israelites in the desert). my kids make messes - why do i bother getting upset? they are healthy, imaginative, creative and lively. they love to "do" and "help". the end of the day is a good time to clean up. during the day when life is messy and organic - that is the time to see what is really going on. to enjoy the little moments together.
so today i am starting out with some of 2 samuel and maybe just maybe a cup of english breakfast or kenyan tea or some hot kenyan coffee.
be inspired to live in the living.
don't live in the getting and give me's.
"For seven years - since I started knitting - I've always carried a knitting project with me. I bring them in the car, and they move about from bag to bag (gathering crumbs of food along the way). Just waiting. Waiting for that five minutes that I'm sitting in the car with sleeping children. Or for that reaaally long train in front of us. Or for the (oh, so) few moments that all three babes are happily engaged without me at the beach, playground, woods or wherever we are. And those moments where knitting actually happens are heavenly. Worth the wait. But I started to think about the number of those moments where I actually do knit, and how relatively small that is compared to the number of hours that the yarn travels with us. It's pretty small. Really small. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say about 2%. That's a lot of travelling for that yarn, and not so much action. Which at first I thought might be a bit ridiculous, but the more I thought about it (it was a long walk), the more I liked the idea. That there's always a presence of something being made, of a creation in progress, of the work of handmade. I've got to believe that it's instilling some sort of value in all of that, and that ultimately (bear with me here), the 'energy' of the kids sock (or whatever it may be) is all the more 'full' for having 'lived' with us for so long. And the beautiful thing about that yarn is, it's so patient. The very nature of knitting isn't one of rushing, or quick results. And so, it's presence serves as a reminder of that for me. It says: The yarn will be there. The project can wait. Take a deep breath. Play with your kids."
don't you just love that? she really lives. which is what i want to do - live, simply, well, joyfully, Godly, peacefully. why is it such a labor to have these disciplines in my life? shouldn't my day start with the Lord first, i think so. so that i can get my priorities in order (b/c how quickly we forget, kind of like the israelites in the desert). my kids make messes - why do i bother getting upset? they are healthy, imaginative, creative and lively. they love to "do" and "help". the end of the day is a good time to clean up. during the day when life is messy and organic - that is the time to see what is really going on. to enjoy the little moments together.
so today i am starting out with some of 2 samuel and maybe just maybe a cup of english breakfast or kenyan tea or some hot kenyan coffee.
be inspired to live in the living.
don't live in the getting and give me's.
Monday, August 13, 2007
evening storm in newport
i love the east coast and one of the reasons for my love is the summer thunderstorms that roll in during the afternoons and early evenings. tonight was no exception. in fact it was downright drama above newport. (right now the sky is a pink shade with a glow of gold). i started hearing the rumblings and so i put the stroller away and we closed up the sand box and brought ransom (who was only clad in diapers and knee high red socks) inside. we got our steaming mugs of hot coffee and we sat out on our porch to watch the storm. in less then 10 min the heavy, angry dark gray clouds had moved forbodingly across the sky. FAST. the clouds were swirling - ie tornado? and we had crazy thunder, lightening, torrential rain and hail!! it was all very exciting. our neighbors across the street and next door were out on their porches too. we usually take an evening walk to the water but tonight since the storm came we opted for front porch, front seat action. the lord made a beautiful sight for us to enjoy. it was so wild and unpredictable. thank you Father for your glorious creation. even the wind and waves obey You.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
green, simple and more living
when the kids were all finally in their beds (although I think all three were making various kinds of noises) and graham and i were downstairs cleaning up the kitchen, he said well let's discuss something "grown-up" tonight. what do you want to talk about? i thought a second or two and said to what extent do we as a family live "green"?
this subject among many has been bouncing around in my brain after reading some new blogs. like the soule mama blog and the organically inclined blog, and after seeing an interesting news story a few weeks ago about a family who lived for a whole year with the least amount of impact on the environment. i have been thinking about csa's or community supported agriculture, reducing, reusing and recycling (thank you to jack johnson), and of all things - changing out my light bulbs. so we started talking about what this all means for our family, in the real world of "living". i don't think i am done thinking about all of this, infact i think that its just the tip of the iceburg.
after cleaning the kitchen up and making some yummy coffee from kenya (that g's mama and sister brought back) we went downstairs to tackle the beast - our basement. its been over six months since we moved but the basement is still crazy!! we get a little bit more done each time we go down there and tonight i felt like we made much progress. so i found a book that my mama gave to me when we got married called living more with less by a mennonite christian woman. i am going to read it b/c i feel that part of my role as wife and mother is to cook healthily and to use our resources wisely - which also means being a good steward of the food that the Lord has given to us. (i need to blog about the new diet i am on b/c this subject of food and recipes etc will make more sense to you all plus ransom is allergic to milk and peanut butter - hello can we say new lifestyle in eating for the plaster kids?!!!) i digress...so speaking of basement junk - one of my goals is to again purge and sell so that we can have a little extra mullah for the important things like haircuts and various baby accessories for the double stroller:) well thank you for reading this rambling blog entry. it feels so good to just type my thoughts and not care if it makes sense - sort of james joycesque.
good night. aloha friends.
ps we went peach picking at sweet berry farms today with the kids. it was so fun. enjoy the pics.
this subject among many has been bouncing around in my brain after reading some new blogs. like the soule mama blog and the organically inclined blog, and after seeing an interesting news story a few weeks ago about a family who lived for a whole year with the least amount of impact on the environment. i have been thinking about csa's or community supported agriculture, reducing, reusing and recycling (thank you to jack johnson), and of all things - changing out my light bulbs. so we started talking about what this all means for our family, in the real world of "living". i don't think i am done thinking about all of this, infact i think that its just the tip of the iceburg.
after cleaning the kitchen up and making some yummy coffee from kenya (that g's mama and sister brought back) we went downstairs to tackle the beast - our basement. its been over six months since we moved but the basement is still crazy!! we get a little bit more done each time we go down there and tonight i felt like we made much progress. so i found a book that my mama gave to me when we got married called living more with less by a mennonite christian woman. i am going to read it b/c i feel that part of my role as wife and mother is to cook healthily and to use our resources wisely - which also means being a good steward of the food that the Lord has given to us. (i need to blog about the new diet i am on b/c this subject of food and recipes etc will make more sense to you all plus ransom is allergic to milk and peanut butter - hello can we say new lifestyle in eating for the plaster kids?!!!) i digress...so speaking of basement junk - one of my goals is to again purge and sell so that we can have a little extra mullah for the important things like haircuts and various baby accessories for the double stroller:) well thank you for reading this rambling blog entry. it feels so good to just type my thoughts and not care if it makes sense - sort of james joycesque.
good night. aloha friends.
ps we went peach picking at sweet berry farms today with the kids. it was so fun. enjoy the pics.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
weather
it is a beautiful day in newport today. no its not sunny or clear skies. but it is blowy and billowing out there. its been off and on raining and misty. its been humid and damp but it is gorgeous and i love it.
last night we took our evening walk to battery park and got to go down to the little rocky beach next to the park. the kids looked at small star fish and hermit crabs in the shallow water and the tide pools - a new "haunt" for them to explore. what fun. thank you Lord for your incredible creation - little miracles underneath the surface of dark water and seaweed.
last night we took our evening walk to battery park and got to go down to the little rocky beach next to the park. the kids looked at small star fish and hermit crabs in the shallow water and the tide pools - a new "haunt" for them to explore. what fun. thank you Lord for your incredible creation - little miracles underneath the surface of dark water and seaweed.
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