Today, I spent a cheerful hour belting out 80s tunes and washing all our windows - so now the winter sun can stream on in!
1 - Create a better work/life balance - create a more efficient home office, adhere to scheduling boundaries, create more projects that can be done from home.
2 - Blog at least 2x per week. Journal my "Daily Pages" umm....daily! Photograph the beauty in my life whenever I see it!
3 - Spend more time laughing, singing, playing, and stargazing with the littles. Spend more time laughing and singing with my grownup friends. Spend more time listening to M's music!
4 - Implement on a more serious and consistent basis the local, all natural food choices that we can. Raw dairy, CSA produce, homemade stocks, etc.
5 - Work on ONE chapter each week of -------. (Shhhh!) Take on at least one new freelance writing assignment per month - even if its for Yahoo content!
6 - Walk in the sunshine. Dance in the rain. Slog thru the snows. KEEP MOVING!
7 - Daily hugs.
What are your plans and/or goals for 2012?
I gave the wee nieces a selection of titles for Christmas. The 5 year old received a novelty book with decreasing ladybug buttons on each page for "counting down from 10", the very silly and enjoyable "If you give a cat a cupcake" (which her big sister can read to her) and "Twas the Night before Christmas" that she can grow into as her parents and others read to her.
The 8 year old received "How apples grow"...because we saved seeds from our fall apple picking venture and we plan to grow trees :) she also received some fun, age appropriate "early reader" picture books.... and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" - her first Narnia book. Its a little advanced for her, but as she immediately started to pick her way thru the first few pages I knew it was the right time we had a little chat about it, because it is a CHAPTER book, you see! I explained that it would be a bit challenging, but that I know she will grow into it :) I think she likes the idea of a challenge, of a book to "grow into", of being able to acquire - with help here and there - this wonderful tale!
Last night, I started to cry as I explained the story of the Little Match Girl to M, who had never heard it. After drying my tears, he told me, "perhaps you weep so easily at Christmas because the joy of the season points out the harsh side of life in stark relief." I think he may be onto something :) so today, I rejoice at sharing the new of my Saviour - and if tears come I will note when and why, and make the circumstance an opportunity for service!
A very blessed Christmas to all!
In a season which should be about solemn anticipation of the joyous birth of the Christ Child, we often get caught up in the more worldly, consumerist achievements. Is my goal for Christmas to celebrate and share my faith? The share a day of love with my family and beloved friends? Or is my goal to "shop til I drop" and encourage wanton greed? To enter and win some sort of "best gift" contest?
Of course, none of us *says* "Yes!! I want my child to be greedy enough to ask endlessly for various toys and other products without thought to need, costs, etc" - but isn't that what we encourage when we ask for Christmas wish lists? Did I really strike any balance when I required sifting thru older toys to donate to "poor children" each Advent season? Or when we together bought toys for our church's "Angel Tree"? Maybe...but was it enough to offset the continual barrage of "needs" inflicted by our popular culture? My son may have learned that his Mom isn't a giver of stuff as much as a giver of time and love - but did he learn to expect the "stuff" from elsewhere?
This image really raised a lot of thoughts and feelings for me - ranging from a certain smug "well, I never..." to a very humbled "hmmm, have I ever...". And altho we already keep a very simple Christmas, I am brainstorming new ways to share the Love and Joy of the season with those who don't have a lot of Love or Joy in their lives.
What thoughts or feelings has this image brought to you?
Well, what if I told you that I use the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" basic recipe? That it takes me about 5-10 minutes to start a batch of dough...and there is no kneading involved? And that whenever I require a loaf, I just scoop out a portion of dough, shape it, let it rest on parchment while the oven preheats, and then score the top and toss it in?
Oh...and it is easy and convenient enough that my sweetie also feels free to scoop and bake when he wants fresh bread!
Now, this isn't the only bread I bake - but it is our standby, it is the dough we ALWAYS have on hand for a bread emergency (LOL!). It is the bread I bake with the littles, as it is delicious and almost foolproof. And it contains FOUR ingredients: flour, water, yeast and sea salt. (That's right - no hydrogenated fats, no corn syrup, no preservatives, no unpronounceable chemicals!)
For me, home-baked bread has always been about quality of ingredients - that it also saves me money is a very nice bonus! What do you make from scratch to save costs or improve quality - or both?
Polenta
1 cup cornmeal
Dash salt
1 cup cold water
2 cups boiling water
Whisk the cornmeal, salt and cold water together in a saucepan large enough to hold ALL the ingredients (ie at least 4 cups!). Turn on the heat to medium and whisk in the boiling water. Continue whisking or stirring until thickened, about 15 minutes.
At this point, the polenta can be served as a hot cereal, or grated cheese can be stirred in for a savory side dish. I pour it into a loaf pan that has just been rinsed with cold water, and then chill it. DON'T cover it until its cold, or the steam will condense and drip (ugh!). The polenta will be firm and set in a few hours - I make it the night before so its ready for breakfast!
At this point, you can simply cut and serve! Or gently "fry" it (saute is more like it) to heat thru.
