Susan Boyle... I dreamed a dream...

A neighbor told a reporter that life has not been particularly kind to Susan Boyle. She lives alone after having cared for her dying mother. She is unemployed. But when she stepped out on the stage and after opening her mouth immediately turned an unkind audience into one that leaped to its feet cheering for her, she made the world a brighter and more hopeful place. If you haven't seen the video of her full performance... don't miss THIS

Thank you Susan! Your courage to achieve your dreams and the beauty of your amazing gift have inspired the world.

Provident Living...

Provident Living...
The subject of provident living comes up a lot in our church, especially lately in the down economy. (If you happen to be unfamiliar with the term provident living, you can find out about it here and here). In fact, a friend of mine said that Mormons walk around all day with the idea of food storage in the back of their heads... Yep.
Before he passed away, President Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet of our church warned that we should get out of debt, put away some for a rainy day and gather a storage of food for at least 3 months and preferably a year. I know some people who followed his counsel and have lived to be very grateful for it. As jobs disappear and incomes shrink, these folks have a peace of mind others do not. They know their children will have a roof over their heads, food to eat and clothes to wear. I believe in the doctrine of provident living with all my heart.
Even when C and I had no children and lived in a 1 bedroom condo with no space, we tried to follow the prophet’s advice and we had a few things put by and in a disaster, we could have made it a week or two. (Think of the difference just a few things put by would have meant to the victims of Katrina). Now that we have children, the counsel to gather and maintain a food storage has become a more urgent concern and since we have moved into a home with a bit more storage space, we have been trying to gather all the needful things.
However, in our Sunday School lesson three weeks ago (this is still bugging me), I made a comment that was kind of dumb. I told a short story about a family my Dad converted to the church in Hong Kong who went without a great deal including shampoo to be able to come to SLC and have their family sealed in the temple. Meeting this family made a great impression on me when I was young and they are wonderful people.
But, I don’t think the prophet’s counsel means that we should go without shampoo or anything really and so my comment made a wrong impression and it made me sound like one of those Mormons who takes the prophet’s counsel to an extreme and then goes wrong with it. I’m not going to point fingers, but if your family is prepared for a nuclear event, you have a 10 year supply of food and a bunker in your basement.. I might be talking about you.
After a person is out of debt and has set by a reasonable savings and a supply of food, I don’t believe that they should go about denying themselves of every convenience. Of course money is a gift and a tool that should be used responsibly, but what does that mean?
Several years ago I got into a discussion with a friend about a Hollywood type who threw this lavish party... over-the-top. I’m sure that it cost several hundred thousand dollars. My friend maintained that the kind of spending it took to throw this party was gross and wrong. I wasn’t sure..
First of all, the person could afford it. Debt was not incurred to throw this party. Secondly, this person has money and investments set by and they will be fine in a disaster. Thirdly, this person is very generous and supports many good causes. Forth, it’s not my money.. so...
But, the main reason that I’m not sure it was wrong is that there were party planners, caterers, rental companies, florists, bakers, designers, lighting people, wait staff and on and on that made money that day for putting in a hard days work. If no one throws a party.. all of those people are out of work, the businesses goes under and there are that many more folks who need a handout because they don’t have job.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t give our money away to those who are sick, elderly or handicapped and can’t for any reason earn a living for themselves because we should, but I would hate for people to decide in a tough economy that we just cannot spend. Earning a living for oneself and family is, in my opinion a spiritual principle that offers a person self worth and dignity. In other words, I think it’s great when a person can be hired to do a real job rather than receive a handout.
So, I think that what I said was wrong. Don’t be the person to go without shampoo. If you can afford it, buy the shampoo, the new car or redecorate the living room if that’s what you want. In America, our quality of life comes from the efforts and labors of our neighbors who are nurses, firefighters, podiatrists, car dealers and even party planners. This is capitalism and while imperfect, it works better than anything else. So, I think it’s provident living to give your neighbor a real job rather than a handout and hope they give you a job as well. Our wealth as a nation, as Benjamin Franklin put it, is not our gold or natural resources of any kind, but our collective efforts in all the different things that we do. (sorry.. someday I will find the exact quote.. I lost it but it’s found in Benjamin Franklin An American Life by Walter Isaacson).
People really get into this discussion. I went to a party recently where the birthday girl was needled, a bit strongly I thought, for going through a drive through every day to buy a soda. "It’s a waste of money!" they said. Maybe so, but my soda drinking friend is in great shape and she isn’t spending money she doesn’t have on soda so ... My point is that it doesn’t have to be a luxury mansion that causes disagreement about money.. it can be just a soda.
What do you think? Does it bother you if your neighbor buys an expensive car or spends a fortune to remodel their bathroom. Is it "grinding the faces of the poor" to enjoy a vacation to Paris? Does it bug you if your friend drives though and buys a soda.. she is, after all, supporting a business and a family.. or should she be donating her $1.50 to the poor or buying more wheat?

Etsy ..

Isn't this cute!

Made in Utah by...

The Cupcake Goddess

Easter At Mom's...

Thank you Mom! It was so lovely!

Horatio Hornblower...

Who knew that Horatio Hornblower had new adventures?!? I didn't until this week. Hooray!!!

Everyone in the family... OK %75 of the family loves Horatio Hornblower and %25 of the family think the guns and canon are too loud.

The Brave Cowboy...

Last night little c was reading baby l this cute book. I love Joan Walsh Anglund and have always been inspired by her artwork. This cute little story about the power and magic of having a fun pretend friend has always been a favorite and captures the vivid imagination of a 4 year old boy very well.

Out of the Mud into High Heels...

Growing up, you weren't supposed to crawl under the fence past the "No Trespassing!" sign to get to the ponds by our house. But, my brother and I never paid that sign any mind at all. Those ponds and the hollows all around our house were the most magical place and they belonged to us. That's what we thought. Spring, summer and autumn days melted away as we played a million games and were young naturalists finding bird nests and eggs, playing with sticks in the creeks and floating things down the streams and our favorite, collecting pollywogs.

We brought the little pollywogs home and put them in the upstairs bathroom, in the toilet bowl and then begged our poor mother never to flush them away, which she always did as soon as we weren't looking. It was OK though because we didn't have long attention spans and were off to the next adventure. How did she ever keep that house clean?

I think that I went through a bit of a tomboy stage because I spent so much time with my brother and he wasn't about to play dolls. When I was almost 12 things started to change I felt caught between an imaginary world and reality like Wendy in Peter Pan, knowing that it was time to put away childish things.

One last day, I went to the ponds with my brother. Crawling under the fence alone was enough to get a body pretty dirty and dusty. I think we were after the pollywogs and got right into the water. Oooops! The reason for the "No Trespassing!" sign was that there was this mud. It could get you! And, like quick sand, the more you struggled to get out, the more you were stuck. So, pretty soon, there I was, stuck up to my hips in mud which in the effort to get free had gotten in my hair and all over my arms. I was a little scared for a minute, but my brother (who would later find himself stuck in the mud and have to be rescued! .. but that's another story.) pulled me to safety.

I think we decided to leave a different way than we came. We crawled under a different fence and into a mostly unused park where there was a drinking fountain and I could maybe at least wash my arms and face before going home to the hose in the back yard... (Again, my POOR mother!)

When I came up from crawling under the fence, to my horror I found in a crisp, white oxford shirt one of the most handsome boys in town. There he was licking strawberry ice cream from a sugar cone with a his beautiful blond sweetheart as I, the swamp thing, emerged from the mud!

With not a shred of dignity left, I had to walk right past their dismayed faces. I vowed to myself that this was the last time I would trespass.

Little c has a million times more sense than I had at her age and so I doubt her journey into young adulthood will have as many embarrassing moments as mine did. But, it's happening.

When she was little, she was my little princess going as Cinderella 3 Halloweens in a row. She loved lipstick & jewelry and always wore a matching hat. Then, The Incredibles happened... don't tell me the media doesn't influence kids! Little c became a Super Hero for years until just recently.

Now, she sometimes forgets to sleep with Pancake, her favorite stuffed dog. She's learning to do hair and makeup and the other day she became quite enamoured with a lovely blue dress. When she put it on and twirled around I almost cried... there's my little princess again, but she's all grown up.

My First REAL Stir Fry... HELP!

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine, apple juice or water
1 pound boneless beef round steak, cut into thin strips
3 cups broccoli florets
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) package frozen pea pods, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, undrained
hot cooked rice

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and wine, apple juice or water until smooth. Add beef and toss to coat; set aside.
In a large skillet, stir-fry broccoli, carrots, pea pods and onion in 1 tablespoon oil for 1 minute. Stir in water chestnuts. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes; remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, stir-fry beef in remaining oil until meat reaches desired doneness. Return vegetables to pan; toss. Serve over rice.

*** To say that I am a novice cook is an understatement and this was the first time that I made this recipe and even a real stir fry meaning I didn't just make it up. I really hated it actually, but it could be really good, I think. I over steamed the veggies so they were kinda soggy. I made twice the amount of gravy which I think was good, but the gravy was pretty flavorless. I think that I would also double the amount of onion next time as well as add some garlic and a bit of ginger.. I used the apple juice option, but a question to those of you who cook more... would rice wine vinegar be good next time? Also, I would like it to have a little heat to it... is there a good Asian hot sauce that anyone can recommend? Any other suggestions??

All Passion Spent... Art or Family???

This film is an adaptation of Vita Sackville-West's 1931 novel. It is interesting if you go in for slow parlor dramas as I do. The gist of the story is that Lady Slane married for position and to please her family. She lives her life as a public servant's wife and does her duty beautifully, but only one man understands her and that man is someone who meets her once in India and looks into her eyes and knows that she has "sinned against the light" by becoming a wife and mother rather than an artist. Yep. Don't you get this all the time!?!?
Maybe back in the day, before disposable diapers you had to choose, but then there are the examples of Minerva Teichert and Madame Curie (who wasn't an artist I know, but still...)
Do we have time to pursue our passions and still be wife and mother? It is true that being an artist of any kind requires time which is difficult to find as a mother as you diligently do the things everyday that will bring your children success and happiness.
Hopefully a lifetime is time enough. Hopefully we have the time to raise a family and pursue our dreams. I find that being a mother adds a dimension to my pursuits in art, a happiness, that would not otherwise be there. Making art, whether it be canvases or sculpture a long side a beloved child is a joy I would not trade for a Manhattan exhibition.
In her book Things Good Mothers Know, Alexandra Stoddard writes, "As much as I respect the enlightenment of the Buddha, he left his wife and child in the middle of the night to pursue his inner search. But mothers can't leave. Mothers must pursue wisdom at home, in their daily lives, at the kitchen table." I know many women who do just that.. they pursue their dreams and goals at the kitchen table by carving out just a few minutes a day to better their art whatever it may be.
My own mother is a lover of art and all things beautiful. When I was young she pursed interests in art, French Hand Sewing, piece quilting, gardening, dress making, literature/reading, cooking, decorating and floral arrangement. She is the one of the most accomplished women I have ever met. She has unfailing taste, a true aesthete. She did all of that with 7 children.
In the end, I don't love this movie, because it doesn't ring true. You might have to give up some minor things... you might have to be less social than some would have you be.. you might have to say no sometimes, but there is time somewhere to paint and write... to study and learn. Small achievements every day add up to a large body of work over a lifetime. There is time for our dreams.

Jazzed Broccoli Casserole...

This is a jazzed up version of the old Broccoli Casserole recipe most Utah folks have had a million times. I really liked it, however next time I think I will saute my onions with the chicken to flavor the chicken and mellow out the onion. It was a big hit however and it's quite pretty on the table. I also served green grapes and red apple slices just because we are still trying to get those 5 a day in.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package chicken breasts
4 cups cooked brown rice
1 pound broccoli florets
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
3 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use the olive oil base kind)
1 cup (or so of) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 package dry stuffing mix (I just used Stove Top original)
1 T seasoning (I like Cholula Garlic, but any Italian seasoning would be fine)
3/4 C milk
A bit of chopped onion (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cut chicken into medallion size pieces and saute in olive oil with salt and pepper until just done.
Meanwhile, steam broccoli until crisp but tender.
In a small bowl mix together the soup, mayonnaise, milk, seasoning, onion and cheese, then mix in cooked chicken and broccoli. Set aside. In a 9x13 inch greased baking dish, spread the rice and then add the chicken broccoli mixture on top. Prepare stuffing mix according to package direction and sprinkle over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

What is it like to be you?

Last night as I was tucking little c into bed she surprised me by asking, "What is it like to be you?" It was late, and to be honest it was on the tip of my tongue to say, "Exhausting! ... And, no matter how I try to be a good mother, wife, sister, friend, housekeeper, cook, chauffeur, artist, church member, neighbor etc... ... I go to bed every night thinking of all the things that I didn't get to and how I have fallen short."
Thankfully, for once, I thought before I spoke and told her what is really the truth. "It's pretty great to be me," I said, "after all, I get to be your mom. I love you."
It's amazing what you learn from children. I went to bed counting my blessings.

Mother's Day Box...

Good mothers know each new day can be full of wonder, beauty and joy... Alexandra Stoddard

This one of a kind Mother's Day box can be found in

the

Love Boxes ShoP

Fairy Giveaway...

This Giveaway is for a fairy box and all the little things here and a few surprises all wrapped up cute. Comment on this post just once and I will draw a name by Midnight EST Monday...

Good luck!!!

To see all the love boxes.. please visit the:LoVE BoXEs SHoP

Congratulations

BACK ROW PEW

you win!

Redemption at Table...

When I was growing up, my mother set a beautiful table for the evening meal. My grandmother and all her daughters love china and pretty dishes of every kind and my mother has always collected them. My family ate from the pretty blue and white Spode plates that were also used in the Nixon White House. Those were the everyday dishes.

We always had flowers, often garden roses from my mother's garden. We had white napkins and we ate like kings because my mother is a gourmet.

I am not a gourmet. I want to paint in every free moment. I make great treats, but the cheap, healthy, quick, nutritious & lovely meals I dream of making every night allude me. Tragically, that means that 5:30 rolls around and mental panic ensues. I once heard this lady on TV say that if you don't know what to make for dinner and the natives are growing restless just put a pot on the stove and boil some water. They'll think you're making something when they see the steam and it will buy you some time. Been there.. done that... (it works too).

Time is what it's all about for me. My c is growing up too fast and I'm afraid that her memories will be of munching pizza in silence in front of the TV... she doesn't even like pizza.

In order to have these family meals around the table, I have to do it my own way, which my mom is cool with. She told me just yesterday that she is glad that all her children turned out to be their own person.

So, while I'm not yet setting the table every night or even 6 out of 7, (which is always a resolution every January)... there are still the runs through the Taco Time drive through after ballet and boxes of Chinese take-out... I'm achieving my goal a few nights a week and even enjoying it.

Here are some of the things that helped me.

1. Drinking straws are fabulous and for $1 for 250 of them.. they are the affordable luxury.

2. A pink polka dot water picture was worth the $20 investment and makes pouring out ice water much more fun.

3. I have taken to buying those huge bags of pre-cut veggies at Costco. For under $4 a week.. there is always something ready to bake, steam or stir fry and fill my criteria of quick, cheap, healthy, lovely and Nutritious.

4. I set the table in the morning after I do the dishes from the night before. It's a mental trick that makes me think dinner is half ready. And, even if I have to prepare Kraft Mac-N-Cheese with cans of corn and green beans from the food storage (add a little paprika to the Mac-N-Cheese if you have to do this.. it adds another color and makes the orange death almost palatable... BTW little c requests this meal weekly!) it makes even that humble meal a bit more of a family celebration.

5. Cheap dishes. These Martha Stewart dishes are melamine and a blue light special from K-Mart. They don't break if you're throwing them around in a hurry (a word that I hate, but use more than any other). The napkins are cute green paper flower ones from Target 250 for $2.

I don't drink alcohol, but I love the idea that a bottle of grape juice is an excuse to raise a glass and say something nice to your friend or family member so with a glass of ice and tap water raised I say.. Here's to you my cute little daughters! May our family have many happy memories around the table and if I get paint in your green beans.. I'm sure sorry.

Spring is Coming... Spring is Coming...

Spring is HERE!

I love this quote from Groundhog Day... a favorite film around here...

Winter, slumbering in the open air, wears on his smiling face a dream of spring!

The forcythia bloomed on Sunday. Yesterday, a storm came through and the air smells sugar sweet. The sky is blue, the markets are up, the tulips are poking their green stalks through the rich earth. Blessings from heaven are pouring forth upon us today... may many, many of them come to you and those you love.

Carolyn Roehm...

Carolyn Roehm is having a trunk show in NYC with Best & Co. ... I wish I could go. If you're out in New York go see it for me!

Ooops... never mind we all missed it :(

And the Winner is...

MysteryHistoryMom! Congratulations! Lori, please send your info to Love.Boxes@att.net Thanks for entering everyone! And, come back Wednesday... there will be another giveaway then.

Defending Your Life...

Oh how I adore Albert Brooks.. his dry humor kills me every time. This film about a man who gets hit by a bus and goes to Judgment City where in a court like setting he is supposed to prove that he has learned what he came to learn and is reading to move on.

He becomes really anxious to move on when he meets the love of his life (afterlife) and she's so fabulous that she is definitely moving on.

Albert Brooks always does my kind of neurosis which is just a little less edgy than Woody Allen (I'm not as bad off as him... poor guy), but he definitely has a theme through his performances and I always wonder if he's like me or just making fun of folks like me.. so if anyone knows him personally??? His characters seem to take courage in the end of most of his films. I like the message behind the humor.

I think it's PG.. however some of the jokes are a bit sexual in nature and it's not veiled... so not for the kiddos in my opinion.

The Black Stallion

When I was in elementary school, I was captivated by horses. I loved all the horse books and then this movie came out.. one of the best ever films in my opinion. It expanded my imagination and made me dream that like Alec, I would have my very own Black Stallion to keep in the back yard. I rented this the other day to show to little c. She liked it, but it was not her thing like it was mine sadly... it's a slow moving film, not like the ones kids see nowadays. The beauty of the filming... those breathtaking silent scenes where the boy and the horse become friends on the island and learn to survive together... and then when Alec learns to ride his magic horse... down the beach with arms raised he is flying. It's so beautiful to watch it puts a lump in my throat.

Giveaway...

This Giveaway is for a bear box and all the little things here and a few surprises all wrapped up cute.
Comment on this post just once and I will draw a name by Midnight EST Monday...
Good luck!!!
To see all the love boxes.. please visit the:
LoVE BoXEs SHoP