Sicilian Caponata

Looking for a fun appetizer to take on your summer picnic? This would be an excellent choice. Over the fourth of July weekend I had some extra time to try some new recipes. This one was fun and easy! Sicilian Caponata consists of diced eggplant, onion, celery, diced tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, and yellow raisins! YUM!!!

I found the recipe on Stacey Snacks, a great blog. You should visit Stacey and see some of her other treats.. I give her credit for the recipe but the picture above is my finished creation!

It does make a lot so I'm thinking that later in the week I can toss it over pasta for dinner.

Summer Reading

The Violets of March

By Sarah Jio



This last week on my trip to the library I picked up a book by chance and had no idea at the time that I would have picked an all time winner!

On Friday evening late, I started The Violets of March and had finished it by Saturday afternoon!

A wonderful story that is set on Bainbridge Island , a ferry ride west of Seattle.

The story is a combination of mystery and a love story.

I wasn't familiar with the author Sarah Jio so I went to her site

and found a wonderful surprise. A trailer video of the book. I understand this is a new way to promote a book and this trailer is especially nice. Give it a view.

I will definitely be looking for more of Sarah's books!

This is a thumbs up for a summer read at the beach.

Trying something again and again

I can't tell you how many Yoga classes I've tried that just didnt' click. Yoga is tough... if you aren't well instructed it can be very frustrating. Finally I've found a studio that offered wonderful instruction and worked your tail off! Not only was a session rewarding but well taught and the instructor was encouraging. This must have been my tenth studio that I've visted and finally I've hit the jackpot!

My message to you is not give up. If you really want to master something keep trying to find the right school or mentor to help you. The results will be rewarding!

What do you want to master?

EXCESS

Last night I was doing some channel surfing and got stuck on the channel TLC ( the learning channel ) . You've probably been there yourself. At 8 pm I got myself caught up in the show Hoarders... you know the show where they show people who have accumulated so much junk that they can't function in their home? Sometimes it is quite gross and I have to change the channel. Well, last night's episode was not too bad and the individual had a positive outcome and everyone was happy. Its always after the show that I wonder if they've been able to keep their house in a good state and what it looks like today. Fast forward to 9 pm... there is a new show called Extreme Couponing. This show is a "how to" on couponing and getting out of the grocery store with $300 worth of groceries for $15.00. I can see how this would be a popular show today. With the rising cost of gas and income dropping people are looking for opportunities to save money. It does get you motivated to clip those coupons! However, they show these individuals homes after they've gone to the store and they look like mini marts! There is food in every closet, under the beds, in the garage, in the shed. It's incredible how much food they've accumulated! Don't they know that food has a expiration date? Personally I'd like to see them give some of that food away to a food bank. They are hoarding food! Yikes! Soon they'll be on the show Hoarders. Its seems like a vicious cycle of excess. Do we want it or not? A constant tug and pull. Personally I'll stick with a balance. Only take what I need and give the rest.

Commitment and Time

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted and when thinking of what to come back and write , I went to a quote that coincidentally I posted where I left off! I was surprised that I keep coming back to the same quote:

Commitment "If you don't wake up with something in your stomach every day that makes you think, "I want to make this movie," it'll never get made." -Sherry Lansing

A lot has been going on these past few weeks that has taken me away from this blog. Kids, work, spring cleaning, baseball, golf and gardening ( time to pull those spring weeds ).

I also attended a wonderful celebration of life for a friend of mine who was an intricate part of my son's baseball network for years. She passed away after an illness and left her son in jr. high, and daughter in high school. Her children did a beautiful job during the service in writing something beautiful to their mother. I walked away from that celebration thinking, " how are my children going to remember me when I'm gone?"

It really made me step back and look at how I was prioritizing my days. What was important to all of us? Do my children really know that I care about them? How do I show that I care?

What type of movie am I making for all us to look back and enjoy viewing? Lot of questions started to pop up and therefore I've been working on a lot of stuff!

I also made a list at the beginning of the year on some things I wanted to do before the year was over. How time has flown! Some of them I've completed but one of them was to master these cinnamon rolls at the top of the page! Have I even broken out the yeast yet? No! I have a lot to do.

I also do a lot of blog watching and I am amazed how these women are able to post every day! Wow! Such a commitment to their blog! I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and this blog.

So... I've made a new commitment to leave you something here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'll be sharing some motivating and inspirational messages and quotes, but also some new material that has been of interest to me which I hope you'll find interesting.

Stay tuned... and take a moment to look at the movie you are creating.

Commitment

Commitment

"If you don't wake up with something in your stomach every day that makes you think, "I want to make this movie," it'll never get made."

-Sherry Lansing

What type of movie are you making?

Shredding and more shredding!

As part of my 52 weeks of Organizing my job this weekend was to go thru all my old financial records and any file folder hanging the drawer. A lot was able to be recycled without shredding. However, I had two big bags that needed shredding and I had an eager teenager at home waiting to make some extra money. Little did I know that it would take her all day and nine bags later!

I'll sure have to keep up on this task a little better. Mom is going to have to pay up today!

For this next week it's old party supplies from past kiddo's birthdays. Do we really need old clown and train plates??? Oh... but they have such great memories. But that's right, we have pictures! Donate they go to bless someone's child.

Valentine's Day Ideas

It's that time of year when our minds turn to chocolate and hearts! I saw a wonderful idea on the Internet that I had to share. It's a chocolate pinata!

The six or eight inch cake is made and filled with gourmet chocolates. You get the mallet and crack it open. Inside is yours to enjoy!

The masterminds at Serenade Chocolatire in Boston MA are the creators of this masterpiece.

You can order it here!

Ok... so I've dropped the hint! My address is..........................

10 Best Bakeries in America

In January Andrew Knowlton did a piece in Bon Appetit on the 10 best bakeries in America and a bakery in Seattle is listed!

Especially worth your dough here are the Macrina Casera ("of this house" bread made with a natural wild starter created from organic grapes) and the oatmeal buttermilk bread (ideal for sandwich making). 1943 First Avenue South; 206-623-0919; macrinabakery.com

He has obviously not been to Holly B's Bakery on Lopez Island in the beautiful San Juan Islands!
She has wonderful pastries and her own cookbook With Love and Butter which I had to purchase!

See if a Bakery in your area made the top ten list!

Support local and go buy a croissant today!

52 weeks of organizing

Where does the time go? I know I've said that a million times here on this blog but this time I really mean it! This week we are staring at February right before us and there's no turning back. How are you doing on your new years resolutions? Keeping them right in front of you? I know it's difficult to stay focused on them with everything else going on in our daily lives. I believe that's why I've been gone so long. One of mine for the new year was to simplify and get organized. I found a great web site here which focuses on organizational skills. At the beginning of the year we started the 52 weeks of organizing. So far I have completed a project every week and it feels good. It has consumed my weekends and I know once the weather gets better here in Seattle I won't want to be inside organizing. The list she provides is a great tool from writing the projects down and keeping track of them. I keep it above my desk so its a constant reminder of what I've completed and what's down the road.

Huckleberry Finn

Huckleberry Finn

The Controversy

You may have been hearing in the news recently about a certain publisher wanting to take the book Huckleberry Finn and publish it by replacing the "N" word with the word slave.

This is a timely discussion in our home right now because my daughter who is a junior in high school is now reading this book in her English class and it has sparked some conversations at our dinner table.

My thought is how someone take anothers book and rewrite it to be politically correct? Isn't that censorship? Shouldn't we be entitled to read these books and not be protected from something that may offend us? I personally think that we learn from history and this is a great opportunity to open the doors to some discussion at home and in the classroom.

Apparently, the publisher has a different opinion. The book has been banned in some schools because of the "N" word and they feel that if they replace it with the word slave then perhaps more young people would have the opportunity to read it in class.

My fear is that if we start this nonsense then where does it end? Will we start picking apart all books? What happens when you go to the bookstore? How will you know what version you are picking up and purchasing? Will we start rating books on the front cover like movies?

"Oh sorry... you can't purchase that book. It has inappropriate language in it"

My vote is to keep the books on the shelf as the author had written and learn from the books.

What are your thoughts?

Authenticity

"Somehow we learn who we really are and then live with that decision."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Could this be the year that we really take a close look at ourselves and see who we really are

and be comfortable?

Isn't it time to show your true authentic self?