Doesn't Everyone have a Tea Tag Dove?

kitchen dove carrying signs of peace!

Inspired by "Art Saves"

This is an amazing book. The kind of you see and instantly know that it has a life changing quality to it. Jenny Doh has pulled together interviews, stories, artistic processes and techniques of 20 dynamic artists into this treasure of a book. But, it is much more than a how-to book of creativity and art. Art Saves includes, life lessons, wisdom, practical ideas, ways of giving back and much much more. This is a rare find and well worth checking out. 

To learn more simply click on the book above. 

To the box!

Once in awhile you just have to dig into the box of videos and pull out some favorites. While the Olympics have interrupted this exercise--we have a great line-up going:

Tombstone (I'm your huckleberry)

Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (Who are those guys?)

Apollo 13 (Houston we have a problem)

Dances with Wolves

Dead Poet's Society

Two movies still to watch in this stack. I offer one of the most repeated lines in our household for each of the movies.

When you are simplifying it means some of this "stuff" has to go. So, we are enjoying them one more time as we sort. The idea is to end up with a much smaller box -- or 1 smaller box instead of 2 by the time we are done. But along the way these are comfort food as well. Old friends and their stories invited into our family room, along with the fire and a cuppa tea to visit with us one more time. Favorite books and movies hold not only the story they tell, but the memories of all the times we have read or watched them as well. So, we revisit those as well. Then we pass some videos on for others to enjoy and build memories of their own. (And choose their own quintessential lines!)

Hot Bagels

Do you have a favorite place? This is one of mine. Bagel Oasis on 65th in Seattle. An everything bagel with scallion cream cheese...and then take home some fresh out of the oven sesame seed bagels...oh, yeah eat one on the way to wherever...nothing on it and it melts in your mouth--it is dessert.

Bagel Oasis is a soul place with its 6 or so booths, a long wooden table with well worn wooden chairs, a small lower round table next to a bookcase of kids books and toys....you get the feel? Oh, and good hot coffee for these days that are quickly slipping into winter. The walls are always colorful--full of kids art, mounted and framed and usually with a name and maybe a photo.

Ah well, that was yesterday. Last night and today have been ruled by pain and quiet hope for a better tomorrow. Sleep well tonight my sweet baboo.

from exit 109

What a day! A beautiful NW sunny day drive to Lacey/Olympia--the Olympics were out in all their glory, traffic was not bad (well, it was 11:00a in the morning....most people had already arrived somewhere.) My friend and I stole away from different directions and met to spend a day walking, talking, eating, laughing, wondering, encouraging, telling, listening, laughing.

We ate lunch at amid the lime green walls at Darby's (the amazing salad is from lunch). From there we visited the Tea Lady--who has way too much fun gathering teas, cups, tea pots from all over. From there to Whodunit Books --all mysteries and a woman who knows her stuff about authors and what she has and if it is available. Excellent place. Then just a smattering of wandering in and out of a few local shops before heading to one of the main reasons for meeting in Olympia--an enormously wondrous knitting haven (and much more) Canvas Works. After sufficiently (if this is possible) sating ourselves in yarns, patterns and possibilities...it was time to head back to the car and off to dinner. Dinner found us at The Falls Terrace with a wonderful staff and table by the window...salmon of wonder and as it grew dark the falls were lit by light. We found reason aplenty to talk all through dinner and all the way back to the my car.

A most excellent day was had by all. There is nothing like having a friend to yourself for the whole day. To catch up, to dream, to consider life and all its myriad of weirdness and to love you no matter what. Thank you dear friend.

(And a book was released into the wild somewhere in Olympia.) Check out BookCrossings if you've never heard of doing this!

Pumkin Maple Butter

This is an awesome recipe--the real thing share with us by our youngest on her way back to college. I promise it will not disappoint. The original name has the pumpkin and the maple switched--but as it is the pumpkin flavor that rules (and thankfully for me you do not taste the maple) I have switched the name here.....

Pumpkin Maple Butter

29 oz. canned pumpkin puree
¾ cup each sugar, apple cider, and maple syrup
1 ½ tsp. each cinnamon and ginger

Combine all ingredients and pour into a sprayed oven-proof glass dish. Bake in a 350 oven for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cool and spoon into sterile jars to seal. Excellent on biscuits, cinnamon toast, or bagels. Also great stirred into oatmeal! 35 calories per Tablespoon; No fat.

welcoming 2009

It seems only fitting that as on New Year's Eve the crock-pot provided sustenance in the form of beer brats with brown sugar and walla walla onion mustard...that the crock-pot be allowed to strut its stuff into the new year with a chicken soup/stew...chicken, of course, kidney beans, celery, carrots, garlic, onion, corn, petite-diced tomatoes, and later fresh baby spinach ....all to be served with cheese-garlic biscuits (thanks to Schwan's brave drivers who were the first delivery made after our neighborhood had been laden with snow for days.)

Last night we did our traditional meal of marvelous munchies and movies: Casablanca; While You Were Sleeping; When Harry Met Sally

Made it until 11:00 counting reading in bed...plenty of fireworks to alert me to the new year when it arrived.

Resolutions? I have been recalling that last year I came up with a much better phrase I liked...and I picked 3 areas of focus that all amounted to the same thing:

S-i-m-p-l-i-f-y

I cannot see any reason to change that focus...only enhance it.

creative outlets

I spent much of today doing "have-tos" rather than the favored Saturday, "get-tos." But, I did lots of them in my p.j.'s so that was compromise.
My favorite creative outlet had nothing to to with rubber stamps, making cards or journaling even. It was instead--making a crock pot turkey soup...very good for those in this house ailing from that awful unwelcome house guest: the winter cold.
My favorite Paul had brined and roasted a turkey a few nights ago...and hence the leftovers.

My soup included:

turkey bits, chunks and a wing

organic chicken stock with a chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 hot water

chopped onion, celery, baby carrots

one can of corn w/some of its juice

one small can of kidney beans w/some of its juice

3-4 shakes of Fine Herbs

This all did its thing in the pot on low all day....I baked some cheese herb biscuits from the freezer. Just before serving the soup I reheated two large scoops of brown rice (from last night) in each bowl in the microwave and then scooped and ladled the soup over the rice. It was very good and we have just enough to serve with pasta tomorrow or rice, or decide to freeze.

Well, time to take my little self off to read in bed with Christmas music in the background. Long day coming tomorrow and little energy likely to carry me through...so I will go soak up as much as possible in the form of rest.

a mindful knitting retreat--awesome!

Now, this would be fun....a mindful knitting retreat in Vermont! Ok, a mindful knitting retreat in Vancouver B.C., in St. Paul, in Half Moon Bay,CA.... almost anywhere would be fun, but you see my point? Seriously, check this out and dream a little.

to be inspired

So, here is a bit off the top of my current soul food reading stack:

• the new Artful Blogging from Somerset Studio


• A Mystic Garden by Gunilla Norris (set up by seasons I have reached the Autumn section...I've been savoring it slowly)


• Riding the Dragon by Robert J. Wicks (I am starting this one all over again)


• Knitting Heaven and Earth by Susan Gordon Lydon (reading this for the second time around and savoring it slowly and knitting all the while)


• Collected Poems by Wendell Berry (this is a favorite in our house...it was just time to pick it up and browse again)


• The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw (this is one of those golden moments in a bookstore...found it in the travel writing section and could not resist it...reading a chapter a day in the morning and it is true discipline to put it down...it is so good)