A great find and in interesting discovery

This will be one of those quick posts that smushes two topics into one. LoL.  

Okay, so firstly, look what I found:  

We went to a cherry blossom festival today in White Plains and as we were walking back to the car, we noticed it.  Being who I am, if something looks good, even if it is in the trash, I have no shame in stopping to check it out to see if it's there's any life left and/or if I can use it.  It so happens that this wonderful piece was in such good condition (along with the chair that was with it) that I figured someone had to be moving it somewhere.  So I checked it out, all the while, completely expecting the owner to come out at any moment.  Ten minutes.  15 minutes.  We started to load it up into the car.  I figured at this point if someone wanted it, they would say something.  No one showed up for it.  I wish I could have fit the chair in the car too because Z2 is outgrowing his high chair and we only have three kitchen chairs but it's okay.  This cupboard doubles my counter space and provides a heck of a lot of storage.  I'm thrilled about it!  I would be thrilled if I bought it full price.  That I got it for free is just so awesome.

Secondly,  this is the third week of weighing in where I have experienced weight gain  Granted, it's just a few ounces but it is no coincidence that my weight gain corresponds with starting P90X.  I want to say that it is just that I'm putting on muscle but I really think that the real reason is that I'm not doing enough cardio.  I feel more sluggish and I miss how good it feels to really move and sweat.  I'm moving into week four of the program which is a recovery week.  However, I am not recovering.  I'm going to do a good amount of cardio this week, a little weight training at some point, and one extra yoga session. I will be thinking about how to modify P90X to suit my needs.  The program requires 75 minutes or more on most days which makes it almost impossible for me to add 30-40 minutes of cardio daily.  So, I really have to figure out how to make the program work for me or I have to accept that it doesn't work for me at this time.  As luck would have it, just at the moment when I started to wonder about what to do, a friend of mine gifted me Insanity which is definitely more cardio based with weight training using only body weight.  I almost chose Insanity over P90X simply because it requires no extra-equipment.  One thing I do like about P90X is the use of the chin-up bar. since one of my goals this year is it be able to do at least one chin-up. 

I don't know . . . I'm looking forward to using my regular DVDs for this week.  I'm looking forward to feeling good after a sweaty, heart-thumping workout.  Perhaps I will gain some clarity while working it on out!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

P.S.  The hubby says he saw the owner wheeling it out when we first arrived at the cherry blossom festival but thought that he was getting ready to load it up into his car or something.  Two hours later, as we were leaving, it was still out there.  Waiting for me!  Why the hubby didn't tell me that at the time, I will never know.  Gotta love the menfolks!

The only thing I have dreaded about losing weight . . .

 . . .  is having to get new clothes.  Currently, I'm a size 6 but most of my clothes are a size 12.  It makes me feel sloppy to have such baggy, ill-fitting clothes but I'm in a bit of a 4-way bind.  

Firstly, I know I do not want to go shopping with the kids.  Shopping with the kids means I won't be able to focus as much as I want and I will probably have to rush since they tend to have very little patience for clothes shopping.  

Secondly, I really don't know what my style is.  I know that I like certain things but I have absolutely no idea how to pull all those things together into a cohesive style.  I feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the thought of spending money on new clothes that I don't know exactly what to do with.  I mean, I had a style pre-kids.  Well, many various styles that corresponded to the phase I was in but back then I enjoyed shopping more and didn't mind spending hours scouring the racks.  Hitting the clearance racks at H&M and Macy's was a rush!   Well, while I'm not exactly sure of the style that's me, I do know a few things about myself.  That I like simplicity. Nothing too fussy.  I don't like accessorizing.  No big buckle belts or multi-layered ensembles.  Just classic kind of stuff with an earthy undertone--comfortable yet kind of chic.  Is that even a style?  How do I pull that off?   I honestly need maybe 5 bottoms and 5 tops.  I have one pair of really comfortable brownish colored Danskos and another pair of really comfortable black clogs.  I hardly ever choose any other shoes and that's why I don't have that many shoes to begin with nor do I want more shoes so the clothes I buy kind of have to go with the Danskos (or Birkenstocks in the summer). 

Thirdly, there's the money constraint.  I just renewed a subscription to my favorite magazine for 2 years.  It struck me that I could have used that money to get a few things but honestly, shopping these days is kind of stressful and elicits a lot of "Why in the hell is this so expensive?  It's not even 100% [insert natural fiber here]!"  I subconsciously feel I enjoy the use of the money more with some good reading material.  But I also know that I would really enjoy feeling like I look good in my clothes.  

I think I will go the thrift store route first but I'm going to wait until the hubby is on vacation and I can spend a couple of hours by myself and hit a few different thrifts stores.  If I have a good day, with $60 I could really clean up.  Forty dollars spent at TJ Maxx, Target or Marshalls should seal the deal.  For $100, I might acquire a decent wardrobe.  It would be a whole lot more fun and a whole lot less stressful if I had a girlfriend to go with.  It would be a kind of adventure maybe.  Let me tell you, the other day the simple fact that I can't find anyone to go shopping with was messing with me something awful.  Everyone is busy or lives too far away.  Heck, I'm too busy.  Schedules never mesh at all.  So I'm just sucking it up and looking around trying to find some kind of inspiration for the style I'm trying to achieve so that I at least know what to keep an eye out for.  I'm trying to eliminate the dread and build excitement.  It's kind of working. 

Photo Credit:  "New Clothes" by TarynMarie on Flickr.com

My First Attempt at No-Knead Bread

Tuesday was like a marathon kitchen day.  I made all kinds of things: Spicy (vegetarian) Italian Sausage, yogurt, whole-wheat pizza dough, perfect tempeh burgers (broke my burger press making them this time) and (drum roll please) no-knead bread . I finally finally finally decided to give the famed no-knead bread recipe a shot.  The results were a little disappointing but I think it's because I was rushing this morning to get it done.  I watched a few videos on YouTube and I'm pretty sure I got the procedure right but I was sloppy in some places.    The bread looks beautiful--like store bought Italian bread--but inside is kind of wet, gummy, and heavy instead of light and fluffy.  It tastes nice even though--yeasty and good for soup.  We're going to eat it.  :)  I am eager to try it again though when I have more time and I'm more relaxed--perhaps I'll start Saturday and finish Sunday.

Cleansing the Skin with Oil

I'd heard about doing this a few years ago but was always hesitant to try.  As someone who used to have really oily skin and who is prone to acne breakouts, the last thing I wanted to do was slather oil on my skin.  

Since having kids though, my skin has changed a lot.  I'd say it's combination skin that tends towards dryness.  I don't get breakouts as much either.  So after reading a thread on a message board, I decided to go ahead and give it a try.  I've been doing the oil-cleansing method for a week now with really nice results.  I've can see that my pores are shrinking and are becoming less noticeable.  I haven't had any major pimples since I started this method either.  It's very exciting because cleansing with oil is relatively cheap, 100% natural, quite easy and quick, and, most importantly, it works! 

Interested in cleansing with oil?  Here's the article I read years ago that got me started.  Since I have "normal" skin now, I use a 50:50 mix of castor oil to olive oil to cleanse my skin.  I follow up with a couple of drops of jojoba oil which I thoroughly rub in to my damp skin. I get my castor and jojoba oils on Ebay from this seller.  The oil I buy from him (or her) is high quality and the price is good.  Speaking of which, I do need to order some more.  

The next step is to find ways to lighten up some of the dark marks left over from pimples.  I've heard of using aloe vera gel but I'm not quite sure how to use it.  Another suggestion I found is rose hip oil which I am more likely to try. 

Have you ever tried cleansing your skin with oil?  What did you think?

Give thanks!

Amongst RastafarI people, often times you can hear the phrase "give thanks".  Ones and ones will say "give thanks" instead of "thank you" when someone does something for them.  When I started trodding RastafarI, this was one part of the RastafarI vernacular (aka I-Speak) I adopted first.  I love the significance of it.

The term I&I represents so much:  the union of human to human and the union of all humans to the Highest I (Jah).  Wrapped up in "I&I" is an acknowledgement of that deep mystery of our interconnectedness but also our strive to be wholly united with the Divine.   Saying "give thanks" harps back to that.  When someone says "Give thanks" he or she is not only thanking you for your good deed but thanking the God in you and thanking the Highest I.  He/she is also giving you a command, reminding you to give thanks even as he/she is giving you thanks.  Wrapped up in those two words is a profound offering of gratitude and a beautiful expression of humility and a call to worship.  

So to all you beautiful souls who read my blog, GIVE THANKS!

Photo Credit:  Homespun with Heart by Danielle Flanders

Something New . . . P90X

Life has been so hectic around here.  I feel like the things I enjoy doing are getting a tight squeeze while the thing I need to do multiply.  

Anyway, I started P90X.  This was after a great degree of deliberation on my part because of the cost.  A few weeks ago, I purchased the program from someone on Craig's List for $75 and was thrilled to have gotten it at such a low cost.  Everything looked legitimate until I started reading some of the materials and noticed tons of typos. After really looking closely and viewing the DVDS (some of which won't play right on my computer),  I realized that my set is a really high-quality bootleg.  Bummer.  But whatever . . . it wouldn't keep me for doing it.

Then I realized I just wasn't prepared mentally to start.  I mean, they've hyped up the program so much I figured you already needed to be in tip-top shape to start.  I was reading the testimonials and blogs of triathletes and stuff and I got seriously intimidated.  All the "Bring It" language just shook me.  

This week, I finally felt ready to jump in.  I didn't do the fitness test (which gauges if you are in good enough shape).  I just started.

Day One (Sunday) was supposed to be Back and Chest.  I was turned off by the emphasis on push-ups and the fact that I didn't have my chin-up bar set up yet (that's a whole story in an of itself*).  So I decided to do Day Two which is Plyometrics.  It was a good cardio exercise but certainly not more challenging that Jillian Michael's Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism which I have been doing regularly.  Day Three is Yoga X and I went to my yoga class instead.  Day Four, I was  completely exhausted so I didn't work out.  Day Five (Thursday) I did Legs and Back (which used the chin-up bar heavily).  That was a lot of fun although I could have used more weights for the leg exercises.  I used a chair for the chin-ups and let me tell you . . . I'm still feeling it today.  Today was Kenpo X and I was not amused.  At all.  I felt  like I needed to do more cardio for today. I actually kept wanting to stop the DVD and put on Jillian Michaels to get a real workout. For my digestive health, I really need a good high impact workout . . . this week with P90X has been tough on my insides and I'm feeling like if I spend an hour plus working out at the crack of dawn it really needs to be complete and effective . . . not leaving me wondering how I can get in 20 minutes of jumping rope somewhere in between all the other stuff I have to do. (((sigh))).  To be fair, I did work up a sweat with Kenpo X and although I don't have a heart rate monitor, I know I wasn't at my target heart rate.  I could sing throughout the entire workout which means I wasn't working hard enough.  I really couldn't think of way on the spot to increase the intensity. I found  suggestions of adding weighted gloves, ankle weights or a weighted vest but honestly, I don't want to spend any more money on stuff and psychologically, I wanted this program to be complete. 

Right now, I feel like I bought into the hype and I'm not feeling so excited about it anymore.  Just before I started P90X, I discovered Jari Love and I love her routines (all strength).  Adding Jari Love in with my various cardio routines (jump rope, step, etc . . . ).  I was doing about 3 hrs. of weight lifting, 2-3 hrs. of cardio and 1-2 hours of yoga a week.   I felt like I was getting where I wanted.  But I don't know . . . it seemed like P90X was the pinnacle, a real challenge that would get me into the best shape of my life.

I'm going to keep going with it but wow . . . I usually don't fall for it but here I am.  I'm moving on to Week 2 and I'm determined to get through it to say I did it.  I'd like to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups unmodified.  That's really the only thing I can't keep up with.  

The hubby suggested that maybe I am in excellent shape right now.  Somehow, I can't make myself believe that all the way.  There's nothing to compare to except how it was when I started.  And I will readily agree that I've come a long way. 

I've also had a shift in the way I approach this exercise and fitness thing because I've come to terms with the possibility that my stomach will never be smooth and flat again.  Despite all this weight loss and all the toning I have done, I have a lot of saggy skin that splotchy and discolored.  I really thought that losing the weight and exercising would at least give me a stomach I wouldn't be embarrassed about if my shirt rode up or something.  It's okay though.  I have really tough days when I just want my pre-baby belly back.   Desperately.  But most days I'm okay.  I'm exercising now so that I will be strong throughout my (hopefully long) life.   

I will update periodically on P90X and my progress. 

*We already had a chin up bar installed in the bedroom which used to be the living room. Since I work out at 5 in the morning, I couldn't use it because the hubby and the kids are still sleeping when I'm working out. There are various ones on the market including ones that just go over the door (no drilling). I would have gone with an over-the-door model but many will not fit over the wider moldings typically found in older houses (like mine). Also, we'd like to spend the least amount of money and the kind of bar you drill is relatively cheap or if we just moved the one we have. So I'd been asking theo move the one in the bedroom or install a new one in the living room where I work out. It has just been one reason after the other:

1. Can you even do a chin-up?
2. Why can't you use the one in the bedroom?
3. Are you even going to stick with this work out?
4. I don't want to put any more holes in the house. (As a note, neither do I but I think this is a good reason to do it).

Etc., etc . . .

So I tried to do the workout that morning without the chin-up bar only to find that I absolutely needed it. I googled for over-the-door models that would work with my molding and came up with a few hits. Honestly, I knew I didn''t have the time to be buying different ones, trying them and returning them if they don't work. And from the reviews I read, most of them are hard on the house anyway (the padding doesn't do much).

I was already disappointed and annoyed that I couldn't get through the workout (although I did something else) and also pretty sad that I bought a pair of shoes for my son which he picked out and this morning all he did was complaining about them (now he loves them). Then I was trying to troubleshoot the chin-up bar thing again with the hubby only for him to keep saying, "Can you even do a chin-up? I want to see you do a chin-up? Can you even do the modification? I'm not sure if you're going to stick with this. I don't want to put holes in for nothing."

Despite the fact that I get up every day at 5 to workout. Everyday. I've lost 25+ pounds and still going. And because of my personality, I rarely give up without a damn good fight. I can do 3 sets of 8 modified push-ups now . . . when I started, lucky if I could get 5 push-ups done.  Anyway, it was annoying but to the hubby's credit, while I was out grocery shopping, he moved the chin-up bar and apologized. 

Go Fly a Kite!

Today I did something for the first time.  I flew a kite.  And it was just one of those simple things that bring so much pleasure.  It was a bit too windy today but I was still able to get the kite to fly.  Z1 and Z2 got in on the action too.  We were thrilled with how high we got the kite to fly!  And I was thrilled that my boys won't have to wait till they're 28 to fly a kite! 

I've had the kite for years now.  I bought it at a rummage sale for $2 or so but it's been sitting around all this time.  Recently we started going to Orchard Beach which is vastly different now than it was when I was growing up.  It's actually beautiful and clean and a lovely place to hang out.  And since it's the beach, you usually get a wonderful breeze--perfect for kite flying.  So today we came to find out that the $2 kite is actually a very strong, sturdy, quality kite. 

It was so much fun out there with the boys today.  After kite flying and playing in the sand, we played hopscotch and hide-and-seek.  Days like this I live for. 

Photo Credit:  "my first kite" by jeanieforever on Flickr.com

Making yogurt again

Over the last few weeks I've once again started making yogurt at home.  I started making yogurt two years ago when we joined a food co-op and were getting fresh milk (pasteurized but not homogenized) and eggs.  We don't drink milk though and I didn't want it to go to waste so I learned to make yogurt.   Nowadays, I just realize how much cheaper it is to make my own yogurt and on top of that, I'm not thrilled with all the sugar and additives to be found in commercially made yogurt.  Not to mention that there's no guarantee that the "live active cultures" are still live and active by the time you bring that yogurt home.

Making yogurt is so simple as to be ridiculous.  There are tons of multi-step, complex yogurt making instructions to be found online but really it's an ancient, basic process once you understand what's going on with the bacteria.  The whole point is not to kill the bacteria but to create a situation where the bacteria multiplies. My Syrian friend in graduate school regularly made yogurt and didn't even use a thermometer.  She would just almost boil the milk and used  her (clean) pinky finger to test the temperature.  Her rule was if you could keep your finger in the milk comfortably for 10 seconds, it was cool enough to add your starter yogurt.  Then, stick the mixture in your oven to set.

Here's my simple step-by-step process:

1. You need (very) clean pots, jars and utensils.  Anything that touches the milk/yogurt should be clean.  You can sterilize everything but that's not really necessary.  Just wash with soap and some good, hot water.  
2. Heat a half-gallon of milk till it almost boils (about 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit).
3. Let it cool to about 120 degrees Fahreneheit.  You can speed this up by sitting your pot in an ice bath.
4. Add a cup and a quarter cup of plain yogurt (either some you bought or some you saved from you last batch) to your cooled milk and mix well.  
5. Incubate in a warm place for 5+ hours.  I use a cooler that I fill with warm water (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit).  Make sure the water only comes to the neck of the jar, i.e. don't cover the jar with water.
6. Remove from the cooler (or wherever you've been incubating) and let it set in fridge.  

That's it.  You have wonderful, freshly homemade yogurt that you know is chock full of live active cultures.  

The process for making soy yogurt is similar but you really need a good thickening agent or else you get like a soy kefir.   

Photo Credit:  "IMG_3101" by justinhenry on Flickr.com

Laundry, Laundry and . . .

More laundry!

I feel that for a family of four, I do a lot of laundry.  Now, I know my perception may be slightly skewed because I'm still washing diapers for Z2.  But honestly, the hamper gets full at least every third day which means I do laundry at about that pace (not counting sheets and towels).  I cannot abide a full hamper and bags of clean laundry laying around. I have to get them folded and put away.  I can't help it!

Our washing machine is in the basement.  And our basement is a neglected, dank, moist and dark place.  Z1 thinks it's an adventure to go down there.  So I don't really enjoy going down there to do laundry.  In my dream situation, the laundry room would be an inviting, clean and bright place.  But whatever, most days I give thanks that I have a machine in my house at least (and I don't have to go the laundromat) and keep it moving.

Well, after those torrential downpours we've had over the last few weeks, the basement was really wet and I had to put on my rain boots to go down there.  (Normally, you can't wear house shoes in the basement anyway but with all the rain, you really had to get on some serious footwear--the water was about 1-2 inches deep).  Anyway, I was f.u.n.k.y. about the whole thing.  Actually mad about having to go to the basement to toss clothes into a machine that washes them for me!  

Once I realized that I was being petty, I tried to change my way of thinking.  I started thinking about how doing the laundry would be different if I didn't have a washer and dryer.  Here are some things I thought of:

1. I'd have a dedicated laundry day where the whole day would be devoted to doing laundry and pretty much nothing else.  Preferably I would be outside and it would be very warm.  I then started to wonder how the early peoples in the northwest did laundry in the winter time.  
2. I'd spot clean a hell of a lot more.  The kids would wear their clothes a lot more before they finally made their way into the laundry pile.
3. I would have "play" clothes and "going out" clothes seriously separated.  Right now having separate clothes adds another step to the process of getting out of the house (because they'd have to change before we leave and we have problems getting out of the house as it is).
4. The kids would have a lot less clothing.

Okay, so most of the laundry I do is the kids' laundry, I realized.  It's amazing how grimy kids can get!  I know that being the mother I am, I absolutely won't let the kids go out with dirty clothes.  I feel like it's a reflection on me so it usually ends up that at the end of the day, whatever they are wearing goes in the hamper.  

 

But it's also amazing how even with technology to help us get these tedious tasks done, they still remain tedious.  I guess it's just the never ending nature of the chores. 

Anyway, as usual, I like to think about how I'd go about living my life happily without the modern conveniences of consistent electricity and appliances.  I think it's good to imagine these scenarios becoming our realities--to prepare, mentally at the very least, for what could be. 

 

Photo Credit:  "Dear Laundry' by DJ Lein on Flickr.com

Photo Credit:  "Laundry Lady" by Just B Cuz on Flickr.com

P.S.  The basement redeemed itself somewhat.  I had to go down there to try to re-start the boiler (which took on water and quit last Tuesday, got fixed for $50 and then proceeded to quit again on Thursday).  While I was down there, waiting to see if the thing would fire, I started looking around.  I found an addition Bingo game and a mancala game complete with the stones.  I carefully cleaned them off and they're in perfect condition despite having been down there for only God knows how long.  I spotted a sewing machine and a few other things down there but I didn't want to rile up my allergies.  The hubby says he's  going to totally clean out the basement this summer.  I mean, really.  If you're going to be dark and dank, basement, you shouldn't be cluttered too. 

It really works!

 

And I can happily and unreservedly cosign.  As of today, 25 lbs. lost! 

If you use the library a lot

and have lots to keep track of like I do, every so often you lose track of when things are supposed to go back to the library.  I forgot some items I had out (mainly workout tapes and DVDs) were due last Friday and incurred a hefty $10.50 fine.  This was very annoying to me because $10 potentially equals another workout DVD! 

I vaguely remembered someone on a message board I'm on telling everyone about a site that keeps track of all your library holdings and will e-mail you if something is due.  I realized after being hit with this fine that because of the hectic nature of my life, this would be a real godsend to me.  But I couldn't for the life of me remember what the site was.  A couple of Google fumbles later and voila!  I found it:  LibraryElf.

Check and see if your library participates. Even if you use the library sporadically, this site is a great tool to use.  I thought I'd share.

Soul Mates?

Tarrus Riley has a song called Soul Mate which I really love:

The other day as I was driving and listening to the song, I started to think about soul mates.  I tend to believe in soul mates but for me, I've never really thought that my soul mate needed to be someone that I would be married to or intimate with or someone of the opposite sex even.  To me, a soul mate could be a true blue friend.  Or even my blood sister.  I never really had the idea that a soul mate would be someone you'd get along with flawlessly but I do think that two soul mates would really understand each other in an uncanny way.  The two would be attracted to each other in a way that's kind of inexplicable.  There was one guy in my past  to whom I was totally and inexplicably physically attracted and thinking back, had we actually given a relationship a try, it would have been truly disastrous.  Was he my soul mate?  I don't know and I don't think I want to.  You could find you soul mate as a child (two kids who just really click and work well) or as an elderly person (two old folks who can just sit in silence and communicate everything) or never at all.

When I googled soul mate, I discovered that (it seems) lots of people are in search of their soul mate to be their life partner. There's all kinds of quizzes and checklists.  I remember Joan from the show Girlfriends and how she was constantly single (which was kind of the running joke) as she searched for her soul mate.  She just refused to settle for anything less.

Personally, I don't know if there are any guarantees that you will meet your soul mate (or should I say a soul mate since you could potentially have many) in this lifetime.  Maybe you and your soul mate are just not incarnate at the same exact time or maybe your soul mate lives halfway across the world and speaks Urdu.  Does every soul have a soul mate?  Is there a missing piece of you until you meet your soul mate?  Do soul mates stay soul mates for ever?  I don't know.  

But it's interesting to think about.  Had you asked me when I first got married had I married my soul mate, I would have answered a resounding yes.  Three years into the marriage, I would probably have said definitely not.  Six years into it and . . . I think that he quite possibly is but we've grown into it.   Can you grow into being soul mates?  Is that how you get a soul mate in the first place, finding him or her in this lifetime, intertwining your souls together until both souls are inseparable and  then just meeting up with him again and again in other lifetimes?  Or are soul mates create dspecifically for each other?   Heck, are souls created or have they always just existed?  Like alongside God?   Oh boy, I digress.  

When I look at the hubby, I don't see a reflection of myself but actually a really excellent balance.  The fact that we are not matching but complementary makes it such that our relationship is not without it's bumps and sour notes.  It's like contrasting colors--sometimes you have to look and look again to make sure they go but if you step away, you realize how nicely they look together.  If you are looking at the bigger picture of our marriage, you realize how nicely we look together.  So the question of whether he's my soul mate or not kind of becomes a not that big an issue.  So that's what I would tell someone searching for their life partner . . . not to worry too much about being soul mates but to place more emphasis on whether you two can be good mates.  Does that make sense?

Photo Credit

Book Review: Orange, Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice

I'm a huge fan of Jill Scott so when I heard she was doing another movie, it caught my attention immediately.  The movie she's in is called Sins of the Mother and it's a Lifetime movie based on the novel by Carleen Brice:  Orange, Mint and Honey.  Now, you all know how much I just hate watching the movie before reading the book so . . . I decided to borrow the book and read it.  And I just noticed that they are now streaming the whole movie live on the website so I can watch it! 

I know the bar has (recently) been set high by Eat, Pray, Love so forgive me if I'm not gushing.  And I do have to say I was wary since  this novel was an Essence magazine  book club selection.  But the novel is solid.  Nothing exciting.  No intense twists and turns.  No deep soul searching.  But it it an interesting if somewhat predictable read. 

The main character, Shay, has essentially raised herself since her mother was an alcoholic.  She struggles desperately in life to attain a sense of normalcy and security.  She finds it hard to trust people and because she has completely immersed herself in academia and work, goes reeling when these two things go awry (she loses her job and starts to do poorly in school and needs to take a break).  In the throes of a depression,  she receives a vision of the great Nina Simone who encourages her to move back to live with her mother.  Her mother has finally managed to kick the alcoholism although the reader can see that it is a daily struggle for her.  All the tensions and issues you would expect to arise by Shay moving back in with her mom, do.  But in the end, Shay is able to find healing and is able to forgive and move on.  We never know exactly what brought on the visions of Nina Simone but as Shay pulls herself to a good place, Nina stops showing up. 

The writing itself was solid.  Brice is a good writer but I'm not sure I'd be enticed to read another one of her books.  I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, though.  

Currently I'm reading . . . wait for it . . . Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  It's like reading Sweet Valley High so needless to say, I'm not enthralled since I'm not 13.  Okay, maybe I'm being a bit harsh but this book was highly recommended to me by the hubby's homie's wife.  I mean, she was straight sweating this book--swearing up and down that this is the must.read.book of the century.   I'm reading it wishing I were reading Fledgling.  I'll chalk it up to vastly different tastes.

So next up after Twilight, I'm looking to re-read Your Blues Ain't Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell.  I read this probably in my senior year of high school and I loved it.  I'm going to read it again, ten years later and see if I still love it.  I've got Temple of My Familiar (which I own) which I want to try to read again but I also want to go back to some classics like Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice--stuff I read and liked in school but wonder how it would go over now.  There's a thread I'm reading on Nappturality about books and there are just so many suggestions I can't keep up!  So I may have to just make a list. 

This is for the lover in you . . .

The tea lover, that is . . . 

It's no secret that I love tea and my very favorite type of tea is chai.  Many tea companies (including my favorite company Not Just Tea) now make chai and you can pay a pretty penny for a box of twenty tea bags.  But really all traditional chai is is a spiced black tea.  

I've thought about making my own chai for a while not but never really got around to it.  Until today when my sister, who loves chai as well, called me to ask for the ingredients to make it at home since paying $5 a cup for it at Starbucks is not a good look.  So I googled and came up with this:  Awesome (and Economical) Chai concentrate.  Now, I have lots of black tea around here which I don't like to drink because it's pretty bland on it's own so I was excited to give this recipe a try.  

Awesome (And Economical) Chai Concentrate Recipe #34713
by rsarahl
1 day | 5 min prep

SERVES 30 -40, 14 oz concentrate

1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or grated nutmeg
1 (14 ounce) can condensed milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
strong black tea or herbal tea (regular or decaf)

1. Pour condensed milk and spices into the blender and blend on high speed for a few seconds until the milk looks evenly "flecked" with spices.
2. Pour mixture into a clean jar or container with a lid.
3. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.
4. Alternatively, pour mix into ice cube trays and freeze.
5. To use concentrate: Brew a strong black tea or strong herbal tea of your choice.
6. Stir in 1 frozen concentrate cube or 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of chai concentrate mix per cup of freshly steeped tea.
7. Frozen cubes will keep up to one year in the freezer if you pop them out of the trays and store in a freezer bag.
8. Concentrate will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Okay, admittedly, I didn't wait 24 hours.  I just shook it up and put some in my tea.  (I used two tablespoons but I'll bet that by the time I let it sit for the recommended 24 hours, I won't need as much).  It was delicious!  It tastes *just like* some of the brands I've tried at a fraction of the cost.  And had I actually used condensed milk, I'm sure it would have been a little piece of creamy, wonderful tea heaven.  :D

Photo Credit:  "how about a heavenly cup of Chai this Sunday afternoon" by uteart on Flickr.com

A Hat for Z1

One key difference between making hats when crocheting versus knitting is the direction.  The vast majority of knitted hats are started from the brim and worked up to the crown.  Most crocheted hats, on the other hand, are worked from the crown down.  I prefer this top down construction for a number of reasons but most especially because you can control the size of the hat a lot more.  Also, if you're not sure if you have enough yarn to complete a project, it doesn't matter as much because you can stop wherever and have a finished hat. 

The vast majority of patterns for knit hats are bottom up.  A while back I found Karlchen, a pattern for a top down hat.  Well, it's not really a pattern but a schematic for making a top down hat.  I decided to give it a try to make a little quick hat for Z1.  I had this lovely red yarn lying around--the hubby lost the yarn label (this is what happens when a guy takes up crochet--he has no idea what's so important about the label) so I haven't a what it is but I have 2 balls of it.  It was wonderful to knit with--really lovely.  I used one ball for this hat.  

I did a very simple stitch alternating between 5-6 rows of stockinette and 5-6 rows of moss stitch (a sticth which I really like).  I had wanted to do some kind of cables but I had a very hard time figuring out how to do it.  I will admit that when it comes to designing in knitting, i.e. creating my own stuff without a pattern, I have a really difficult time.  This was one of those instances where my inability to design was frustrating and so I went with something basic and simple that wouldn't stress me out.  One thing that my knitting needs to be is relaxing. 

But I'm still itching to do some cables. 

And just like I refuse to knit sweater's flat (i.e. in pieces) I refuse to go back to knitting hats from the bottom up.  It just doesn't make sense to do it that way . . . well, at least not to me.  So since there are precious few hat patterns incorporating cables that are knit from the top down, I have to bite the bullet and learn at least rudimentary design in knitting or at least figure out how to convert some bottom-up patterns I like to top-down construction. Shouldn't be too hard, I hope. 

I think I hear Elizabeth Zimmerman calling but I don't want to answer!!

Oh, btw, Z1 loves the hat and is wearing it right now.  :D