One Fine Day... and Evening

A lunch date with Cartz & Jeff included visiting some chicks at a local pet supply store, followed by a meal from Chick-fila. Yeah...don't think about that too much.

Later that eve, a trek to REI to check out strollers (someone is outgrowing his) became all about bikes. I guess it's time for a big boy bike... Does every mom's heart seem to skip a beat upon seeing her bebe looking so grown up?

I love my family.

No Soup for You

Not really. Plenty of soup here. But seriously, all this about...soup? Yes. You'll want to lick the bowls. That good.

First up: O'Lordan's Potato & Leek. If you haven't tried it, do! If you're local, you really want to get in the car or jog down the street, stat. Not local, find a way to BWI asap. Divine. Just devoured some last week for St. Pat's. Perfect with Orchard Spinach Salad and a Killian's Red.

http://www.olordansirishpub.com

The second soup that will have you asking for seconds: Greek-Lemon Chicken. Warmth at winter's end = my friend Judy's January-March "soup night." Mid-week during her demanding job in disaster relief, Judy makes 2 huge crocks of soup & invites friend's to drop by at their convenience for a bowl of culinary mastery, artisan bread, coffee, and conversation. My family loves this awesome community tradition (something, unlike, say 4+ feet of snow in less than a week that we won't miss after it melts). Recipe for last week's savoring:

Avgolemono, or Greek Lemon-Chicken soup

6 c chicken broth
1 sm onion
1 sm carrot
1 bay leaf
1/2 t salt
2 chicken breasts
1 c long grain white rice
2 eggs
1/4 c lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Chop onion & carrot fine, saute till cooked. Dice chicken & brown. Place in a pot with broth, lemon & spices. Beat the eggs very well, add hot soup to them slowly and continue to beat, then slowly put the egg mixture into the soup (important: do not let the soup/eggs boil again). Add rice & simmer 20 minutes.

Beautiful, delicious, and perfect in every way. Σας ευχαριστούμε (thank you), Judy!

Uno mas. I have a dear friend & neighbor who makes incredible gazpacho & it seems the perfect soup to celebrate spring. Actually spring through summer, as it's served cold. I'm thrilled that she shared her un-recipe: "I use V8 juice as a base, then add whatever fresh veggies I can get, add many seasonings and olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, etc. I use the food processor and like it chunky...I guess it is something I prepare by the seat of my pants and we all seem to enjoy it." True, we do. Gracias, Dolly!

aeroplane

Was it keys, spare change, an ear-ring? I had just returned from dropping Carter off at preschool, placed my hands in my coat pockets as I walked from the car, and felt something metal. Cool...mini MatchBox airplane. Melt my heart moment. A symbol of what I spent so long hoping/dreaming/praying (and paying a doctor) for.

Cheerios all over the car, the house that never stays clean (I mean n-e-v-e-r), a new blouse that becomes someone's handkerchief (while I'm wearing it), an over-tired child in the middle of an aisle, stiff-legged being loud, very loud, with displeasure about being at the grocery store(yes, this did happen once. okay, twice.)—these are also signs of what I wanted/hoped/longed for. And it's wonderful, actually—I like and laugh about the Cheerios thing, and I learn from the others. What stands out even more are requests for "little hug, Mama?" or dancing the "hopping dance" in the kitchen, or pointing up to show me a nest in a tree at the park. I get happy, like beaming happy, when my kid eats heartily, and even wants more. When he pees on the potty. Or tells me he'd like to paint with "dark blue" next. Dark blue, not just blue, uh-huh, that's right, my son the genius! When he shares a favorite toy with a friend. When he races his race-cars on the train track. I.love.this.stuff.

It feels right, for me, to be at home with this little person. For this season. What feels right for most of my friends, is working, and it really is right for their families. For many, it makes family-time more treasured. I'm also mindful that there are countless moms, or dads, who'd like to be home and don't have the choice--I know to value just having the option as a gift. While, I'm pretty confident about where I want to be, I feel pressure to validate my decision. To combat that, I have been a volunteer/fund-raiser/member for maybe one too many causes, boards or committees. I've also tried to be an at-home chef extraordinaire, and attempted to create the most awesome at-home kid activities. All good things. Totally important. But, for me, all things to be done with balance, and not to justify a choice that I really needn't pressure myself to justify.

Antidote? Still figuring that out, and learning what to say yes to, and when to decline, and I hate that learning curve... But more so, I think it's simply cherishing this precious time, the blissful mingled with the melt-downs, the laughter and the runny noses, Jeff reading bedtime stories to our babe and the sleepless nights, bright new days (or "Sunny Day!" as Carter exclaims) and also the days of running on empty and caffeine. It's looking forward to the next stages, but not wishing the current one away. And decidedly, purposefully embracing the ordinary...finding in it, extraordinary joy.


These are the moments,
I thank God that I'm alive,
These are the moments,
I'll remember all my life.
—Edwin McCain



Tangible hope. A great way to send it: www.ahomeinhaiti.org.

Brick Ridge

Jeff & I could not recall the last time we went out to dinner just the two of us, so when a dear friend, here for a working vacation, offered to stay with Cartz for an evening, it gave us a little vacay, too! Note to self: dates are good. Thanks, Cheri.

For this super fun date, Jeff and I went to our fav Carroll County restaurant, Brick Ridge. The gorgeous brick building used to be a schoolhouse, now a "green" (windmill-powered & more) eatery serving fresh, innovative "lessons" on familiar U.S. classics: San Fran Scallops, New York Shrimp Risotto, Indiana Meatloaf... They also have clever and delicious "state of the week" specials. Ooh, and a really brilliant vino list. Can't wait to go back!

Lot's of other fab info here: www.brickridge.com

Speaking of wining and dining...and incredible music...for a great cause, please check out Unplugged for Haiti at The Austin Grill this Sat: http://bit.ly/biC0fI.

Winter

Jeff, Carter, & I are immensely enjoying our time with dear friends visiting from Nicaragua & Texas—so incredibly fun to see places we know through new eyes. I have to be honest, the grey weather of late has me longing for warmer climes, like the Emerald Coast of FL as in this pic of Carter. Our friends Sarah and Cheri keep saying how pretty it is here. "Really?" I think, "you mean all this grey?" But I'm starting to see (again) what they see.

I long for fresh bulbs and new green, but before starting to sing their praises, I'm pausing to admire the powerful season melting into the next.

A favorite quote: In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer. —Albert Camus

And a warped one (long live SNL): Too bad Lassie didn't know how to ice skate, because then if she was in Holland on vacation in winter and someone said "Lassie, go skate for help," she could do it.” —Jack Handy

Mi Familia Tiles

During the summer of 2007, I made mosaic tiles like the one in the above pic and sold them to raise funds for various charities. I'm thinking of making them again to help raise funds for www.ahomeihaiti.org. If you'd like one, please let me know--I can customize them with faces, color schemes, and favorite quotes or sayings.

Last thought for this post--a quote I read earlier in the week: We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. —Ray Bradbury

May you know great beauty. All the time.

3/3 note: the tiles are 4X6" to 6X8" & $22 for 3 faces, $2 for ea addl face. They take about 3 weeks with firing, gazing re-firing & mastic. I'll chk 4 requests here, on FB, or at melissa.shaffer@muttlogic.com. Thx!

Sweetness

I have a friend who is posting a pic for everyday. She & her family live on gorgeous farmland and it's a thrill to see her capture the beauty of nature and family. She's inspired me to aim for similar: one pic or set of pics each week. This is the week following Valentine's Day, or as it's called in Latin America, "Dia del Amor y la Amistad" (Love and Friendship Day), thus the pics of Carter enjoying freshly sugar-sprinkled love and friendship cakes.

I would be remiss to not mention Haiti. May we send them love and friendship in tangible form. Waterproof shelter is desperately needed before the rainy season--10 days from now--and it can be sent via www.aHomeInHaiti.org (you can send them a tent or funds for one, and they'll get it into the hands of Haiti).

Home

Oh goodness, it took me forever to figure out how to set up the site (I have a wonderful, energetic toddler, so I was indeed a wee bit distracted) and now I need to put some words to the action. I hope to post something erudite from time to time, but for now I'll just admit that I'm not the most tech-advanced chica, although I am married to a software developer, so that should make up for it, yes?

Daily life seems to vacillate from moments where I want to pull my hair out (most recently because my little Picasso has redecorated the ottoman...in crayola) and moments of sheer bliss ("big hug, Mama"). BTW, I'm not as upset as maybe I should (?) be about the ottoman (and other parts of the house) because my inner quirky artsy side loves that he's expressing himself. But I don't want him to redecorate your living room if we visit! Boundaries...I'll work on that after I stop gazing at his exceptional use of color.

So much happens in the course of a day, often in the space of just a few rooms. That leads me to what prompted me to get off my duff about this long-postponed blog: I—have—a—house. A home. A place of shelter and love. Many don't. My mind and heart go straight to Haiti, experiencing the aftermath of "the most destructive natural disaster in modern history" (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gXTdasGtz0gate-5xW-V0Tmc6Ajg) and doing so in the face of the coming rainy season. Remarkably, even as a stay-at-home mama, I can make some bit of difference there. Today.

Last night I entered the brave new world (for me) of Twitter for the same reason. There are a number of NGO's that I feel confident in supporting, some big names, some small. Most recently, aHomeInHaiti.org, and the grass roots movement around it, has captured my time and attention. The plan is three-fold with the end result being safe and sturdy rebuilt communities, but the immediate aim is to send tents, waterproof, to those in Haiti (nearly 1 million) desperately needing them.

The rainy season starts in 11 days. For this reason, if you are reading, you might see 11 more blogs about the same thing. I apologize in advance, but I can't not talk about it. If you can, please send a little more love, preferably a waterproof tent, or donate to www.aHomeinHaiti.org (or to any other NGO's sending waterproof shelter, like The Salvation Army in Canada). You can even donate your time, as it's largely a Twitter, FB & blog movement.

Meanwhile, from the comfort of my home, for which I am so thankful, I promise to throw in some humorous moments...my son is dedicated to the later cause.