Lavender Blue, Yummy Yummy...



     Before I got married ten years ago; it was established that I would not be cooking. I was really bad at it and Patrick wasn't. Simple. When Tia was 18 months we got cable T.V. and I fell in love with the Food Network. Particularly, Everyday Italian with my culinary inspiration-Giada De Laurentiis (prounounced "Joda"). I would put Tia down for a nap, grab some lunch and go on a food vacation.

      I have always been a creative type who likes to experiment. Supplied with knowledge of food science, I was motivated to test the waters in my kitchen. At first samplers reluctantly tried my food, then suprisingly enjoyed it. I fell in love with food and all the possibilities. Food reminds me of books. With a finite number of ingredients (letters) you can create art. That ignites me!

   I usually love most movies that incorporate food, ie. Spanglish and It's Complicated. In the latter,  Meryl Streep's character is a cafe owner/chef who makes Lavender and Honey Gelato. I wanted some pronto! I looked and looked- some contenders; but no winners. Lavender can impart an herbaceous quality that can be off-putting. I found a solution!

     Instead of mixing in lavender to the creation, I scented it; creating the essence without that funny throat taste. First, I scooped about a cup of vanilla ice cream into a glass container. Next, I put about four drops of lavender oil into a tiny medicine cup and placed it right in the scooped vanilla. Lastly, I placed in the freezer for 24 hrs. The result is perfumed ice cream, mmmmmm! I didn't drizzle any honey on top because my ice cream is already nicely sweetened; but if I used say a less sweetened yogurt base I would. Lavender is still an acquired taste, you may love it like I do, or hate it like my husband did. Try it with other essences, if you prefer, ie. ginger or peppermint. It is a subtle way to add flavor!

  Have you ever "created" a recipe you LOVE?!



E.J. the Philosopher

Mr. EJ asked me yesterday as we were getting out the car ...

"Is God big?"

    "Yes, not 'big' like huge, he is a normal size; but he is 'big', like powerful".

"Mommy, does God have a remote control to change the weather?"
    
   "No, honey."

"Well, how does he change it?"

   "He just says it and it changes."

"He just says it!?"

  "Yes"
(Very confused look on his face)

Later at dinner he asked Patrick if God has a Wii controller to change the weather... "um no".

It Finally Happened!

  
      One day in the beginning of the school year last fall I was less than two minutes late picking up Tia from school. You should have seen the look on her face! I felt so bad. Her brother held me up at home; so since then I leave my home extra early so I am never late. In addition, she gets out of school an hour early on Tuesdays. Remarkably, I have never forgotten to get her. Until yesterday!
See what happened was.....:) Well we have had two weeks off recently and before that she was in an art class that kept her in school until regular time on Tuesdays, therefore I was out of the habit of getting her early on this day.
     I got a call from her friend's mom letting me know she was standing next to Tia.  I was mortified and rushed over. I hoped this would never happen. Thank God we have such great families at her school! Later, I debriefed Supermom and she told me Tia said, "My mom is never late"! (So Tia was genuinely worried) The good thing is when I was ironically two minutes late getting her today she didn't even care! Neurosis cured. Check.
     Here comes the cherry on top... Today I forgot to bring her snack and lunch! So I decided to spring her from school and take her out to grab a snack (that's the pix above). She was so curious what we were celebrating:). I just told her the truth. The sooner she knows I am (sometimes, not really, sorta, I don't really wanna fully say it) like my mother the better!

Why So Sappy?

       Every year around this time I start to get very misty eyed. No, it's not the beginning of spring allergies; it's the advent of my precious daughter's next birthday. Normally, I can be heard saying to others she is this many years-and a half; or she will be this age in March-rounding up to the nearest age. Not this time. Lately, I am constantly holding back and asserting that she is six-plain and simple. Subconsciously, it could be linked to the fact that I will be thirty this year and am holding on to every second of my twenties too!

      Back to my Sugar Fairy. Before I got out the car to pick her up from school yesterday I found my self in full blown tears! Etta James's At Last was playing and I visualized a photo montage of my sweet Tatianna. Oh how I wanted her so. I decided when I walked on campus I was gonna really let her know how much she means to me.

       After I wiped my tears and donned my sunglasses, I realized my darling girl is pretty much perfection. Seven is a special number, I'm gonna soak this one up.

Enough is Enough!

This picture features my field trip with five youngin's, namely my kids and cousins. The art installation is so L.A.; it's a tower of shopping carts adorned with ornaments in the shape of a Christmas tree. I had a "to go" list of places I wanted to visit during the kid's winter break. Books and Cookies was our destination, it's a sweet bookstore and bakery in Santa Monica designed for children. The owner is Chudney Ross, daughter of THE Ms. Ross. It was lovely. The kids all enjoyed themselves tucked away in little nooks and later picked out their choice of cookie.

Toting a large group of children always reminds me how content I am with my Tour de Four ( I just made that up). Just crossing the street was a strategic endeavor in safety. I felt like a Mommy Rockstar. People thought "Wow, I can't believe she can handle all these little people with such ease". "Pff", that's because I'm returning three to sender!" Even Chudney thought they were all mine. She mentioned at one time she wanted five kids (she is one of five); I said "Look at me, no biggie, j/k". She was relieved.

Just yesterday I had four kids under four. I know, I'm nuts. I explained to their mother after, our trip was like dog sitting-fun, thanks to its brevity. This adventure was not so glamorous. With kids this young, I was repeatedly keeping them from taking a swim in the fountain while another one puts pennies in his mouth!

My plate is full enough with the little ones I do have and that's the way I like it. However, if you wanna feel like you too are a Piece-of-Cake Parent give all the kids the low-down before you venture out. I have them all recite the "rules of road". I love it when they make up some. My favorite is "No touching anyone's belly button"!-Ethan Concon-of course.

Keeping Calm

 
 I don't know about you guys, by November I started to feel the crunch of the impending holidays coming. This insidious feeling of anxiety encroached when I began to see notices for upcoming events, performances, meetings, practices, parties, fundraisers, bell-ringing solicitors... Thankfully, this came on the heels of my first iphone-giving me a way to really organize and prioritize my thoughts and commitments. I decided it was O.K. to opt out of whatever I didn't feel like taking on and do what I could.

The picture above was taken at Macy's. The kids and I were so excited to see the first inkling of Christmas burgeoning. It was the calm before my personal storm. As we were exiting the mall I realized I lost my parking ticket. I know exactly what happened. When I took out my precious iphone to take the photo, it fell out of my back pocket and was lost in fairy land. Ya'll know I HATE to waste money! The thought of paying $20 to exit the mall was more than my frugal heart could bear. I (may) have done what any practical (not really) person would do- I gunned it! Yes, I tried to escape the clutches of the parking arm only to slam on my brakes as it let me know it wasn't happening. I (may have) left this detail out of my original telling of the story to my husband and cop dad.

 Lesson learned! My car is worth more than $20 and I (may have) scared the mess out of my children and surrounding pedestrians. Where am I going with this? Calm the bleep down is what I learned! Just and hour earlier I was surging with Christmas-induced oxytocin watching my children enjoy the first signs of this season's beauty.

Fall 2011 began the countdown to the last year of my twenties. I must say that I am clearly still maturing and constantly being humbled. I have always struggled with life's unfairness and keeping an eternal perspective. I may have failed this test; hopefully I'll get it next time. ( I may have three free parking passes to the same mall, after I may have called and complained about their nonsense lost ticket policy) Allegedly.

Deja Vu Times Two

Does this sweet face remind you of someone? That's me as a wee one, not too much younger than Tatianna is now. Over the last few months I have been bombarded with deja vu moments of being in the 5-6.5 year age range. I have a profoundly acute long-term memory and this time period is where I began to catalog memories in greater detail. Tia is now in that age range; it is so weird to experience her experiencing some of the same things I did at the same age! It's even more surreal when you add to it that she and I are like clones.

Besides the fact that we are both obsessed with all things Christmas, some examples of this phenomenon are her saying "I love this song"! Referring to "Beat It", Michael Jackson's 80's hit. I can see myself rockin' in my pjs to the tune with my childhood babysitter who was his biggest fan (she was probably wearing a T-shirt with his face on it that day). Then there was the time I came to my mom with a bow right on the front of my hair, my mom matter-of-factly let me know I looked like Minnie Mouse (and not in a good way). Guess who is combing her own hair and placing bows in the exact same place?

My favorite deja vu moment happened after a recent business trip Patrick took. He went to MN for a few days and brought back some cool souvenirs for the three of us. Snuggled in bed; we all closed our eyes and received our gifts. Watching Tia fawn over her treasure (an itty-bitty shopping cart) reminded me of the anticipation I had for my dad's return home from trips- the feeling of "all is right in the world because we are a family again" had my heart feeling so big!

My favorite television shows are on T.V. for my mini-me to see too. Watching her engaged in She-Ra , My Little Ponies, and my all time favorite Gem makes me feel like I'm in a time-machine with her, it really is deja vu times two.