this one's for my Mom...

... who wondered just how blonde I'd gone.

It's about that blonde. I think it looks a little lighter in person but that may just be me. Jury's still out on whether I'm having more fun, but between this and the fancy-schpancy shoes I'd say I'm definitely headed in the right direction :)

antm: tomato edition

After eight weeks and three cuts, only four tomatoes remain. Who will be America's Next Top Tomato? Over the past weeks the girls have been bringing it -- throwing out luxurious foliage and hitting some fierce poses. The judges have seen a lot of potential but when it comes time to fruit will they have what it takes to be the tastiest thing this season? The judges aren't sure if there's room enough for all four in that pot. We know they can pose but can they work the runway? Tune in next week to see who is still in the running towards becoming America's Next Top Tomato*

* And join with us in our hopes that someday, some season, Tyra will learn how to rework that sentence so the verbs are correct. Ack. Gives me shivers just typing it, but you gotta keep it real. Do I lose points for mixing reality TV catch phrases?

32 things I know

1. Cake is always a good idea.
2. I like cake.
3. As you get older, you *do* get to choose your family.
4. Shoes aren’t the only things that take time to break in.
5. Water is good for you. Especially if you’re standing, staring at it.
6. There is always room for more books.
7. Change takes time.
8. Some roller coasters are worth it.
9. Settling for less is never enough.
10. Sci-Fi fans are good people.
11. I like long stories.
12. Children are a gift – even if they belong to someone else.
13. Nothing tastes as good as a sun-warmed tomato.
14. Italy takes everyone’s breath away.
15. A jigsaw puzzle is a great way to spend a day.
16. There is a lot to be thankful for.
17. Poetry stays with you. (Well, it stays with me.)
18. Chocolate doesn't actually solve anything, but it helps with everything.
19. I don’t ever want to ride a motorcycle.
20. The right words make a great gift.
21. I want to live in New York in a movie.
22. Cats are worth the effort.
23. There is a book inside me somewhere.
24. If it makes you smile, bring it with you.
25. Randomness is good.
26. The world is full of wonder.
27. Many great things start with “Preheat the oven to 350”
28. My life isn’t complicated enough to keep my cell turned on.
29. I like growing things.
30. Laughter is good for the soul.
31. There are a thousand ways to feel loved.
32. I am a fortunate woman.

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I feel very celebrated. And very loved.

sweet dreams

A friend of mine is having a baby girl in a few weeks and I wanted to give her something special so I decided to try a quilt.

I walked into my new favorite fabric store in Abby and asked the easiest pattern they had. And here it is. The pattern is called Yellow Brick Road. If you're looking for a place to start, I highly recommend it. It was not without its bumps, but most things in sewing can be undone so no major whoops'es. I am thrilled with the way it turned out.

I figured that the baby's crib set would already be taken care of so I made it square to go on the floor. When it came time to tie it down, I didn't want all the strings to show on the top so I stitched little Xs where the ties would go before attaching the back and then tied it upside-down once it was all together. The result was the clean look I was going for and the ties still held perfectly.


Here it is all laid out. It's not the best light, but you get the idea.


Mark & Rachel's baby is due at the beginning of November, so it looks like I might be getting some more practice in the blanket-making department. Sounds good to me. Sweet dreams.

starting small

Growing up my Mom used to plant whole rows of tomatoes every summer. I like to think she did it just for me, but to be fair we all tomato eaters in my family. I tried and tried to grow tomatoes in White Rock but tomatoes are the original sun worshipers and that yard, much as I loved it, just couldn't deliver.

This year I'm in Abby and lo and behold, the sun shines here, right in my own backyard. I decided to start small and planted a couple of varieties of heirloom tomatoes, starting them indoors in an impromptu greenhouse (read "inflated plastic bag") a couple of weeks back. Now the first true leaves are in, they have survived the culling, and I am eagerly awaiting my summer harvest.

Does anything taste as delicious as a fresh tomato, still warm with sunshine? I doubt it, but come summer I'm willing to experiment. All in the name of science of course.

play a song for me

I just want to go on record, now, before the live show tonight and say that I have no idea what fate has in store for Jason Castro tonight. There's the camp that thinks he's toast and the people who think the Aggies will pull him through. Some think he gave up, some claim he never cared in the first place and still others will love him to their dying day - whether he likes it or not.

For me, it doesn't matter. None of it does. Whether it's on the Idol stage next week, or from the coach at Ellen's or on a CD a year from now I have just one request for Jason Castro play a song for me. Just let me know where and when and I'll show up. I've got my iTunes account prepped and ready to go. I'll meet you there.

Entertainment Weekly writer Mandi Bierly questioned Jason's intentions last week with her [ insert voice of incredulity here ] "You're kind of ready to walk off America's biggest stage??? " comment. She revels an interesting, and I'd guess common perspective. "Who wouldn't want to be an American Idol?" the collective conscious asks. Well, I wouldn't. And lucky for me I am in no danger of it. But I wonder if Castro would whisper "me too".

There seems to be something patently unAmerican about not wanting to demolish the competition, come out on top and reap tons of money. But here's the secret. . . .it's not everyone's dream. Have you seen the video from last week of the Idol contestants entering the Mirage hotel in Vegas? There's a massive group of fans gathered and they're all screaming, reaching, kissing, yelling, photographing and groping towards the contents as they try to enter the building. Can you imagine that being your life? I am very happy it's not mine.

So what will happen to our dreadlocked hero? I have no idea. Half of me hopes he gets his Aggie homecoming and the other half hopes he gets to home so Simon & Randy can find someone else to kick the crap out of next week. Which ever way it goes, I hope the future sees him with a guitar in hand, on his own terms. And if he feels like sharing. . . I'll be there.

a good day

Any day when you do your taxes, find out the government owes you money and then you come home and your house smells like ganache-covered cupcakes is a gooood day.

Today was a good day :) And my roommate rocks.

grade four recess pretzels

In grade four I had a friend named Megan. Megan had long, thick braids and a five foot tall Barbie hotel that her Dad built her for Christmas one year. During our grade four year Megan's Mom starting sending home made soft pretzels to school in Megan's lunch. She let me try one, and it was one of the most delicious things I had ever had. Before long, Megan was selling me pretzels for a quarter at lunch time. Not long after that, Megan's Mom gave me the recipe. All these years later I'm still baking them.

If you want to taste one of the most delicious pretzels of all time, here's the recipe. It's pretty simple and even easier if you can just throw the whole thing into the KitchenAid. One caveat, trust me on this one, take your rings off before you start kneading the dough. And don't use a scrubby to try and clean the bowl afterwards, you'll be picking dough out of it for weeks.

Megan's Grade Four Recess Pretzels

1T Yeast
1 1/2C Warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 - 4C white flour
1 egg (beaten, to coat)
coarse salt

If using a metal mixing bowl, warm the bowl with warm water and dry it out. Dissolve the sugar & yeast in warm water. Leave to foam untouched, about 10 min. Stir in salt & 2C of flour. I find a fork works better than a wooden spoon. Beat with fork until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface & kneed until smooth, about 5 min. Place in a grease bowl and turn greased side up (I never do this step). Let rise in a warm place until double, 45 - 60 minutes. Turning the oven on to 200 and putting the dough bowl on top covered with a tea towel works nicely.

To form pretzels first divide dough into equal pieces --12 or 16 depending on how the dough rose. Take each piece and with a little flour on your hands roll it between your fingers just like make a play dough snake. Once the rope is about 12" long, twist it until it wraps around twice and then fold the ends over the loop to make the pretzel. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. If you don't have course salt, table salt will work in a pinch but be careful not to over salt.

Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they tend to turn quickly. You're looking for golden tops and bottoms. Serve with fresh marinara, or mustard if you prefer. Enjoy!

sun, no run, still fun

For several years now a group of us have done the Sun Run together. It is always good times. This year I caught the office cold. I could barely breathe sitting at home so going 10K was out of the question. I was sad to miss out, but when Amanda got home she showed me the following video I felt a lot better. I may not have been there in person, but I was certainly at the Sun Run in spirit. This video comes with one warning -- the screams at the end are quite loud so adjust your speakers if there's a sleeping baby in the house.

This was definitely my easiest Sun Run ever -- all of the glory, none of the work :) Thanks Wall Family for once again making me feel very included, and very loved. Next year I'll do the Sun Run the more traditional way. See you there!

**Note I do apologize for the quality of the vid. I had to push this through 4 different programs to get it up here. There *has* to be a better way to do that. I was using Windows MovieMaker (which was probably my first mistake). WMM requires a subscription to Neptune in order to export the video. (No idea why, but I'm guessing it's just $$.) So the footage went WMM -> Neptune -> saved a copy to computer ->uploaded to YouTube. Then I copied the HTML from Youtube into Blogger. The original footage was pretty clear. I remember the same thing happening with my Rubby Ducky video last year. Does anyone have a fave program for casual, light video editing?

hold on for the ride

I was doing a little blog stalking research tonight and it occurred to me that American Idol is like a roller coaster. All of the dramatic highs and lows are scripted in well advance. You know, even as you're standing in line, where this train is going. There is little danger of any lasting effects. And yet, even knowing all this, it can be a lot of fun to just climb on board and enjoy it for what it is. Let yourself go, pretend the best singer stands a snowball's chance of wining. Imagine for a moment that the whole thing just might fall off the tracks.

In the spirit of suspended disbelief, I'll play along. Here's my guess for final outcome. I'd type this with my hands in the air if I could. ('Cause you know, everything's more fun with your hands in the air.)

The next three to go off, in any order at all will be (I hope) Kristie Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. The first can sing, but not well enough, the second can sing but is not memorable (but she just might be America's Next Top Model) and the last can sing but can't smile while doing so. Carly, Carly if only you could connect with the audience.

So that leaves us a top four of, in random order: David Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro and Brooke White.

First up, Jason Castro. I'd love to see him make top three but I can't see the ticket-takers at Idol going with an all male finale (who would wear the gown?) so I'm guessing he'll go fourth from the top. He won't win, and as mentioned yesterday, it won't matter a bit. He'll on to make amazing records, be spared the horror of ever singing "This Is My Now" and will, if my dream comes true, record a duet with Jack Johnson. Sign me up.


David Cook will go third from the top. You're surprised I know. You're thinking, but that leaves Brooke and the kid in the top two. I'm getting to that. Cook's best hope is to go the way of Chris Daughtry. This guy has front man written all over him. I just can't see him as a solo artist. How many solo rockers are there anyway? Can you name one? So he won't win either, and thank goodness for that.


So that gives us a top two of David Archuleta and Brooke White. And no, I didn't really see that coming either but there is a certain logic it to it. What both David and Brooke have going for them is

the cute factor. They both make you go Awww which while it may be nauseating for those of us old enough to drive, it strikes a chord with 11 - 13 year old girls. And when it comes to a competition decided by rabid fans, there's no outrunning (or out-texting) a rampaging herd of preteen girls. (Pass the LipSmackers.) The upside of this is that if Archuleta wins AI will actually, finally crown someone with real talent. The downside is that he could use a couple of years yet to grow into that talent. So who will win in the end? My money's on the little guy.

Predictable? As sure as there will be tears and confetti on finals night. But even so, it's fun while it lasts. Hold on for the ride. Besides, you never really know what will happen when Americans vote. They did bring Dubya back for a second term . . . sorta.

unexpected

Update: The powers that be at AI have heard my plea! As of sometime this afternoon, Jason Castro's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is available from the Canadian iTunes store. Hurrah! I have my copy, do you have yours?

I heard the rumors, but had to head over to YouTube to check this one out for myself. American Idol closing out the "Idols Gives Back" show with. . . a slightly edited version of "Shout to the Lord" ? I would have *loved* to have been in the room for that discussion. An interesting choice on so many levels. (And what's with the all-white ensembles?)

Also in the "Unexpected things from American Idol" folder this morning, Jason Castro's studio single of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is available for purchase from iTunes, sure, just not in Canada. Unexpected, and seriously disappointing. I don't doubt that this kid has a record contract in his future but this means I'm going to have to wait a whole lot longer to get my hands on this track. (He won't win Idol, and it won't matter a bit.) Unless someone with access to an American account on iTunes is feeling generous, this will have to do for now.

(And if the AI rights division is reading this, can you please, please try to work out the kinks to get Castro's full length version of Hallelujah available for purchase too? Pretty please?)

Shauna and the Sylvia

I have known Shauna for almost longer than I care to remember. (I insist on telling her that she might be old, but I most certainly am not.) Who knew that a bond forged over blue rainbow pencil boxes could last so long? This past week Shauna got on a jet plane and came to visit. Good times ensued.

I figured if Shauna could brave a flight across the country alone, I could attempt Vancouver traffic. Still not my favorite thing, but it was worth it. Shauna needed a recommendation for a hotel and I had to suggest The Sylvia. A stone and ivy colored old lady of a hotel right on English Bay, the Sylvia has been a Vancouver landmark since 1912. Many times I have gazed longingly at it while waiting for the Symphony of Fire to begin. (Ok ok I know it's now the "Celebration of Light" but the new name's nowhere near as good.)
It did not disappoint. Thursday afternoon the sun was out, mostly, so we took advantage of the weather to head down English Bay and take in the sites.We hopped the False Creek ferry over to Grandville Island. The market there is always a treasure trove of delights. One day I plan to drop some serious money in Paper-Ya. Granville does have some great window shopping. On Friday we took the hop-on hop-off trolley all around Vancouver. It was a great way to cut a huge swath through the city. Clearly I have some more exploring to do around here. There were parts of the city on the tour that I'd never seen before.
Friday evening we headed back to my place for some more tea and talking and Saturday I knew I had to take Shauna to see my beach.
We went for a long walk down the beach all the while studiously ignoring the fact that the wind was truly, truly wicked. Of course the only logical course of action was to go eat ice cream. We walked to the very best spot on the beach, or anywhere else, for frozen confections Dolce Gelato. Davide and Elizabeth are still there making edible art. It's almost too pretty to eat. Almost.... Good times.It was too early for supper at Shinjuko yet so we went to Reitman's. It has been long, long time since Shauna and I last got to go shopping together. I even managed to convince her to buy a dress (an easy sell really as she looked AMAZING in it). All too soon it was Sunday and time to take Shauna back into Vancouver. There was time for one last event -- Shauna's first ever Starbucks. Ah, Shauna my friend, first the sushi, now this. I'll turn you into a west coaster yet.

bird's nest cupcakes

Easter comes early this year. I realized that I hadn't done any Easter baking so I decided to remedy that last night with a batch of Bird's Nest Cupcakes. They're delicious, easy to prepare and almost as fun to look at as they are to eat. All that and they give you the perfect excuse to buy the family sized bag of Mini Eggs. What more could you ask for?

Here's the recipe if you want to try them at home.

Bird's Nest Cupcakes

1 French Vanilla cake mix
2-3 C shredded coconut (I used fancy cut, next time I'll buy the long string)
Frosting of choice
Family sized bag of Cadbury's Mini Eggs

Heat the oven to 350. Spread the coconut evenly over a cookie sheet with sides. You'll need to toast more than you'll use because it needs to be deep enough to dredge the cakes. I used all of a small bag, about 2-3C.

Toast the coconut for approx 7 min, but keep an eye on it, it turns quickly. Also, you'll notice that the coconut around the edges of the pan browns much faster than the rest. Every 2 minutes or so, stir the browned coconut into the middle of the pan. Keep a close eye on it.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Portion into pans and bake as directed (your oven should already be to temp :)

Once cooled, spread a cake with a generous layer of frosting. Dredge in coconut. I found I had to pack on a little coconut afterwards to get good coverage. Once covered, take the end of a spoon and push the frosting/coconut out of the middle of the cupcakes towards the sides. This will create the sides of the nest and importantly, will keep the mini eggs from falling off. I scraped the frosting right down to the cake to form a little well about a centimeter across.

Place a few mini eggs into the nest. I found that 5 or 6 eggs per cake worked best. Repeat.
Enjoy! Happy Easter!

found art

I came across this tonight and decided it was interesting enough to take a shot at. Any guesses what it is?

Would it help if I told you I found it in my kitchen?

It's a mini M&M immersed in water, an unintentional drowning victim of my somewhat overzealous brownie making. (There's just something about eating warm brownies will commenting your way through America's Next Top Model with a couch full of friends.) The coating melted right off and lay suspended in the water. Of course, the logical next step after getting this photo was to dump in some more M&Ms to see what happened.

The results got pretty colourful although I learned that M&M art is similar to sand art in this: attempts to over mix or manipulate the colors result in a muddy mess. (And really, only so many M&Ms can be sacrificed for art before the chocolate police show up.) I think the most interesting result was this one:

I imagine this is what a candy store might look like if you were on acid. Got to love that one last M&M hanging on to its dignity, refusing to disrobe while all around him the crowd throws caution to the wind. I thought it was Smarties that always had the red ones go last.

saving daylight - a miscellaneous post

It seems far too early to be springing forward, but I am never one to quibble with extra sunlight. I am thrilled that the days of driving home in the dark are over for another year! We decided to take full advantage of the season and headed outside for a nice walk through Aldergrove Bowl. I had no idea this park was just down the road. Now that it's lighter later I have some exploring to do.
We have to put up with a fair deal of rain around here, but this is the pay off -- new green leaves in early March. Even the rocks are green.

We had a great walk (although we all missed Amanda who was home sick :( Along the way I got a camera lesson. The larger the number, the smaller the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. Good info for taking portraits when you want the background to just disappear. I was listening, but looking at my photos when I got home turns out I didn't practice that too much today. Ah well, lots of time left for experimenting.

I did try some shots of these roses I got just after Valentine's Day. They dried almost perfectly (I didn't do a thing to them.) I tried a bunch of different things with them, but these were my favorites:

Lastly, this is the photo that I meant to post last week. Last Saturday was the funeral for Kennedy Olivia. During the day, I kept thinking about them and in the afternoon looked outside to see this huge rainbow right in my own backyard. Rainbows, it turns out are rather tricky to photograph but I caught a glimpse of it anyway. What a beautiful reminder that God's promise stands, even on the very sad days.
Roll on Spring, I'm ready for some more sunshine.

happy birthday Amanda!

Somebody turns a very sweet sixteen today. Happy birthday Amanda!!!! In my family, the tradition is that we always sing. Whether it's in person, or on the phone, or even in email if distance demands it, we sing. Well I know how much time you spend online, so I thought this might be the best way to do it. Amanda, this one's for you:

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to yooou.
Haaaapppppyyy biiiirthdaaaaay Aaaa-maaanda!
Happy birthday to you!We got to celebrate Amanda early yesterday with a get together over ribs at her parent's place. Kendra once again provided the cake and like always this one is my favorite. I helped a little.

It was a beautiful, gorgeous day so after a rib lunch and before cake we headed to the park en mass.
The younger kids played on the playground.

And some of the big kids got in on the action too.

Happy birthday Amanda! It is an honour to know you. I hope that you will have an amazing year discovering more of this incredible person you are and continue to grow into. Thank you for making so many days a celebration.

...weep with those who weep

This is Kennedy Olivia. I wish I could have met her. I know the family, she comes from good people.

Zephaniah 3:15-17 says:

15 The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.

16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
"Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

17 The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

A couple of years ago a friend of mine set these verses to music and it's his voice I've heard in my head all afternoon, "Daughter of Jerusalem. . . .the Lord has taken your punishment."

This is not the world as it was meant to be. Death speaks and there is an echoing silence. But the silence will not prevail. This is not the day to rejoice, but that day is coming.