orange flower

I have been in the mood for neutrals!  I've actually stepped back from journaling because a couple pages pretty much look like camouflage.  There's nothing wrong with camouflage of course.  I just don't want the last few months looking the same!  

Hopefully embroidering this flower fulfilled my current zest for neutrals.  It was a very peaceful project.

Autumn in my city

Though oak mites are gnashing their terrible chompers right now, weather in my neck of the woods has been perfect and worth every miserable oak mite bite.  

We've been gallivanting around the city, enjoying the weather and soaking up the beginnings of a beautiful autumn.

I cannot resist picking up hedge apples, even at the risk of my fingers going straight through a soft spot right into the rotten gunk inside.  So I applaud this unique way of displaying hedge apples and may even try something like it next year.

We've spent quite a bit of time in the creek when it's not raining.  I love how this ground cover is slowly sneaking its way down.  



And I have no idea what this is.  A shrine?  Is this a Saint? I'm enamored with it but only have speculations.  All of the figurines are animals and birds, and there are quite a few doves.

Sedona!!

Last weekend Robert, Rachel, and I went to Sedona to hang out with... 

You guessed it!  More brothers!

Sedona is magical.  It's my new favorite place.

These are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

While we waited for the rest of the family to arrive, Robert, Rachel, and I did a little hiking in Sedona.  

While off-roading, we stumbled upon the Palatki pictographs. Naturally, like most unexpected moments of trips, this tiny hike along the cliffs was my favorite part of our Sedona trip.  I love this picture because it best describes the feeling of being tucked inside the cliffs.  From left: Rusty Heather, Scott, and Harper.

We went for another tiny hike on what is now my new favorite trail - the West Fork Creek Trail.  A few steps away from the car I found myself completely transported into a fairytale forest.  I cannot wait to go back and give it my full attention. This is Scott and Harper coming out of the fairytale forest.

We spent half a day at the grand canyon, which is a much more spectacular sight when I'm not squinting through a snow storm to see it.  Though it doesn't look it, I'm somewhere in the middle of this huddle.  Turns out Rachel is taller than me.  

Harper stole the show in most of our pictures because she's the cutest and she knows it.  

The more I looked at this mural in flagstaff, the more it drew me in.  I'm so glad I took a picture of it! 

On our last day, Scott and I explored the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  This is an exceptional garden well worth the steep price of $25 per person.  I loved every second we spent exploring the plants, artwork, and bugs.  Both of these pictures were taken by Scott, who had the patience to photograph the dragonfly while I simply stood dumbfounded by its presence.  We both agreed we've never seen a dragonfly stay still for so long - several minutes!

It was a relaxing, cathartic, and silly visit.  I feel very fortunate to have had so much brother time and family time these past couple weeks.  I will be joyfully scrapbooking my favorite moments for pretty much the rest of the year.   

pretty much an A to Z month of reading

September was a great month for reading!

Here are my favorites:

Hand Lettering A to Z by Abbey Sy

I loved this book the very first moment I laid eyes on it. There's more than enough inspiration from the cover alone. I liked this book so much more than other lettering books because the letters are likable, no-fuss, and easy-to-read. There's also gobs of instruction, which seems to be lacking in other lettering books. I cannot wait to get started and will probably use a combination of styles in my first project simply because it's impossible to choose just one.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R.B.G. Vs. Inequality byJonah Winter and Stacy Innerst 



This is the second book I've read about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The first, "I dissent," is pretty good. This one is excellent. I really loved this glimpse into her life. The moments about her mom were incredibly bittersweet. The nod to her childhood library made my heart glow. And then there's the fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a very inspirational, hardworking, stellar lady who has positively impacted the lives of millions, possibly billions, of people.

P.S. The illustrations are marvelous, particularly the endpapers.

Love Is by Diane Adams and Claire Keane



The story was a little too sugary and perfect for my tastes. But I do have a fondness for happy endings, even when they make my eyes roll. And there's no way that illustrations of a girl and her duck can ever be too sweet, right? I loved the attention to detail and how the muted colors really spotlighted the little girl and her duck. My favorite moment is the giant hug shared between the little girl and her duck towards the end.



Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of A Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann



The illustrations are flawless, imaginative, and profoundly absorbing. And the story is superb as well, with such a clever ending and fascinating blurbs about human astronauts at the end. Every piece the mouse used to construct his space shuttle was ingenious and appropriately-sized for a mouse. This is one of those rare books that consumed me the moment I opened it. It also gave me that same special feeling that my favorite hidey places gave me as a child. It's quite possible I shrunk to the same size as the mouse in this story and scurried everywhere he did, collecting parts, Once I begrudgingly closed the book, I became the size of a human once again. 



Lindbergh: The Tale of A Flying Mouse by Torben Kuhlmann



I have nothing but praise for Torben Kuhlmann. I love Lindbergh as much as Armstrong, and for most of the same reasons. The illustrations are sublime and so incredibly absorbing. The story scoops the reader up and doesn't let go, not even at the very end, because it's so indelible. In this story owls and cats are after the mouse, and I was so delightfully spooked by the illustrations of the owls.

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli and Mariachiara Di Giorgio

This is another wordless book that completely slurped me up. There are so many beautiful details - for instance on the subway when the crocodile has to stand with his head up so that he can squeeze in and the fact that he gets dressed for his job (which I'll keep mum). This is definitely one of those books that can be read over and over again in dozens of different ways. I also really love how the crocodile's morning routine is depicted - he dresses with care, moseys to work rather leisurely, buys a baked treat and flowers for a special lady, and even has a personalized locker at his 'office.'  It's very much how my six-year-old self imagined my adult self would get ready and commute to work.

Hell was less than 2 steps away from my bathtub

I'm not sure if you have a classical music playlist, but I do, and I love it.

Any time I import classical music, or anything that's strictly instrumental, I dump it into my classical music playlist.  Occasionally there's a rude surprise - usually someone making intelligible sounds - and I remove it immediately.  The playlist's purpose is primarily for writing.  I almost always listen to terrible rap music while writing, lovely songs like "Big Pimpin'" and "Gunwalk."  I gobble up all silly and appalling rap music and my brains spits it back out in poetry.  Once I reach the final stages of editing, though, I like music that's entirely devoid of language.  None of that, "I got ninety nine problems but a bitch ain't one" stuff. I'm talking Beats Antique, A.R. Rahman, and pretty much all trailer music.  Silence occasionally works, but music is as necessary as my heartbeat. Sometimes I even confuse the two sounds.

I love my classical music playlist and occasionally listen to it while enjoying long bubble baths. During a recent bubble bath I played my classical music playlist on shuffle.  As I lazily flipped through the latest Oprah magazine, my music calmly progressed through Max Richter, Chopin, and George Winston.

All of a sudden this song came on and I nearly flooded the bathroom and injured myself when I leapt several feet into the air.


(Two Steps From Hell - All the King's Horses)

After I calmed myself down, wrung out my magazine, and mopped up the bathroom I realized that maybe I need to have another classical music playlist.  One that plays only calm classical music.  

I keep coming back to this song though.  I prepare myself for it - wear a helmet, make sure I'm nowhere near the bathtub, hold my hand over my heart to keep it from flying out - you know the drill.

And then I crank up the volume and let it rip.  I can't get enough of it.   

Jason!

My brother, Jason, was here for a few days.  Like our previous visits in 2010 and 2016, it was such a fun visit!  We ate a lot of good food, spent plenty of time yakking our way through neighborhood walks, and even had a movie night while anxiously waiting for Rachel to come home from the homecoming dance.  

This is Rachel just before homecoming!  

We couldn't help it.  We ate a lot of toast.  

We made this picture happen by using Jason's tripod, Robert's Apple watch, and our trash bin, which was conveniently at the curb today - the classic nerdy selfie.  

We miss you already, Jason!

Caroline is officially available!

Have you read every book Laura Ingalls Wilder has ever written? Did you watch every season of Little House on the Prairie over and over again and can hear Melissa Gilbert cry “Pa!” just as clear as can be?  Did you even read Roger Lea MacBride's spinoff series about Laura’s daughter, Rose? Perhaps you’ve visited all the museums and still have documentation stating you belong to a LHOTP fan club you joined as a child. If you're nodding your head yes to everything I've said you should pull out your calico bonnet and curl up in your distressed rocking chair with Caroline. Caroline is a fictionalized portrayal of Caroline Ingalls during the Ingalls’ Kansas journey. Besides being a must-read for any LHOTP fan, it is beautifully written, well-researched, and celebrates the back-breaking life of the exceptional woman who gave us Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Ingalls’ Kansas journey, it was a grueling and dangerous move from Wisconsin to Indian Territory in Kansas.  Shortly after arriving in Kansas, Charles built a little house with the help of a neighbor (Mr. Edwards!), Caroline Ingalls gave birth to their third child, Carrie, and the family settled into prairie life.  The prairie life portrayed in Wilder’s LHOTP books is a lot different when read through the eyes of Caroline Ingalls, who was quite the protective ma.  Wolves, sickness, Native Americans, and fire no longer sound like the deliciously scary stuff I read as a kid inhaling one Laura book after another.  They’re truly terrifying from Caroline Ingalls' perspective, a perspective that became mine as this book consumed me.  As you anxiously flip through the pages you will feel the jarring of the wagon and your rocking chair will disappear.  Caroline Ingalls' tears, as she struggles to overcome fear, bitterness, and self-pity will fall from your face.   

But Caroline is so much more than the back-breaking and tireless work of two pioneers staking a claim in Indian Territory.  Balancing the fear and exhaustion is a wealth of love, resourcefulness, and gratitude.  Caroline Ingalls is portrayed as strong-willed, passionate, deliberate, and patient.  Behind her composure, however, is a flurry of wild, unrestrained thoughts.  And though these thoughts may have never existed, Sarah Miller makes them seem perfectly plausible.  I was so caught up in Caroline I felt just as fiercely protective of her family as Caroline Ingalls herself. When Caroline Ingalls paused before scolding Laura and Mary because she “did not want to soil the air further with the sound of her own scolding,” I breathed that same air.  Though I’ve never made food over an open fire, I felt the frustration that she kept just out of reach of her family so they wouldn’t taste it. The exceptional writing and beautiful portrayal of a phenomenal woman balance the extreme circumstances perfectly and make this a riveting read. 

If you’re a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan like me, you will want to get a copy of this as soon as possible. Even if you’ve never read any of the LHOTP books or watched a single episode of the television series, Caroline is an excellent choice for anyone who loves historical fiction, engaging writing, or a fierce, motherly protagonist. 

porridge is one of my favorite words

It's been awhile since I tackled anything in the kitchen.  I can easily survive on salads, canned fish and peanut butter smeared on pretty much anything.  It also helps that there's a chipotle 10 minutes away that's easy to walk to and Robert makes dinner a few nights a week when he's around.  We're busy people, and most days I'll happily pick family time, writing, librarying, and tennis over cooking or tinkering around in the kitchen. 

But I do love to cook.  It just happens to be at the bottom of the very long list of things I love.  

Today I carved out a little time to try out a new porridge.  I am a hot cereal fanatic.  Oatmeal, farina, quinoa, grits... You name it, I love it.  When I read about amaranth porridge in Lucid Foods I was instantly intrigued and knew I had to try it.  It has a lot of protein and fiber and is easy to cook. After three different grocery stores, I finally found it at Whole Foods.  

I soaked a cup of amaranth in two cups of water overnight.  Though I googled it and discovered many people thought the soaking was unnecessary, I went ahead and followed the recipe from Lucid Foods.



This morning I brought the amaranth to a boil in the water I soaked it in.  From there I let it simmer for 12 minutes, and it was ready to go.  



Because I like different toppings on each of my hot cereals (brown sugar and milk with oatmeal, chocolate chips and milk with farina, cashews, honey, chocolate chips, banana with quinoa) I knew that I needed to try the amaranth many different ways.  So I set up a taste test and experimented for awhile (I had way too much fun doing this).

I tried it with chocolate chips, banana, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla and butter in a myriad of combinations.  I quickly discovered that the banana, chocolate chips, peanut butter combination was the best.  Though I liked none of the brown sugar combinations, I did notice that the vanilla really popped.  So I added a dash of vanilla to the banana, chocolate chips, and peanut butter and it was delicious.  I'll definitely make this again, and am feeling pretty confident that the remaining servings from today can be warmed up and will taste just fine.  

While making the amaranth porridge I also made a green mojito smoothie recipe from an unknown source.  It was delicious and I highly recommend it.

For the green mojito smoothie:

1 cup water
handful of spinach or mixed greens (I used frozen)
1 cup pineapple
1 lime (recipe calls for half, but I'm definitely tossing the whole lime in next time)
1/4 cup mint (Robert's mom, Audrey, has a mess of it in her garden right now, so thanks Audrey!)
handful of ice (I like to pour my smoothie over ice rather than blending it, but that's up to you)



It was such an awesome breakfast!

a lost bookmark finds its human

​
Saturday, while checking in a stack of books at the library, I noticed a bookmark poking out of a mystery.  The bookmark was a made of metal and looked like a stained glass window.  Because the bookmark looked special and I knew what book it came from, I was able to look up the patron.

Just as I was picking up the phone to call him, a patron dinged the bell.  It was a quick interaction. The patron handed me a hold he didn't want anymore and moseyed on over to the self checkout to check out the rest of his books.  As I walked away, I read the hold slip, which only has the first four letters of the patron's last name, first initial of their first name, and last four digits of the card number.

I read it again.  Could it be?

I called out his name hopefully.  He looked up from checking out his books and gave me a strange look. I handed him the bookmark and told him I was just about to call him.  His strange look instantly changed to gratitude and shock.  "My wife gave me this a long time ago!"  His hands were shaking as he slipped the bookmark into one of the books he had just checked out.  With a look of genuine sincerity, he thanked me and left.  

gobs of imagination

Last month I read a few good books.  I've been slowly making my way through Madeleine L'Engle's Crosswicks Journals, and though I haven't loved them, there have been beautiful moments scattered throughout the books, enough beauty for me to keep reading them, but quite frustrating because the series has taken up a lot of time.

I still have one more to read, and currently I wouldn't recommend them to others to read. Harsh, I know!  At the moment my recommendation is to find a list of quotes by Madeleine L'Engle and skip the books.  But for whatever reason, I feel like I need to finish them, if only to bask in one more amazing and insightful line.  And silly me, I'm hopeful that the last book is going to be brilliant.

What's funny is the one I just finished, Two-Part Invention (I'm reading them out of order due to availability issues), had a few of those beautiful moments, which I saved in my phone with only page numbers.  After reading it, I tossed the book in the donation bin at the library, where it was promptly boxed and shipped to our sorting facility.  Now I have to request a copy through interlibrary loan to retrieve those lines.  For a couple days this wasn't funny at all, but now I'm laughing heartily at my idiocy.

Dear Madeleine L'Engle, why did you have to write such moderately intriguing journals when you lead such an interesting life?

I did read two fantastic children's books this month.  Well, one book didn't have any words, but no matter.  Here are my August favorites:

The White Book by Silvia Borando, Elisabetta Pica, and Lorenzo Clerici (apparently it takes A LOT of authors to write a wordless book)

This wordless book is filled with more meaning and imagination than many books that actually have words. I think it shines a light on the wondrous world of play, a world that only children know the exact whereabouts of.  

Philomena's New Glasses by Brenna Maloney

Before I read this, I had no idea how much I needed to read a silly book about three guinea pig sisters. Personally, I do not like the weird noises or smells that guinea pigs make, so they've never made my favorite creatures list. After reading this, however, I've discovered that I can't get enough of guinea pigs who do adorable things with handbags and glasses and outfits. I laughed and squealed the entire time I read it (and probably sounded a little like a guinea pig).