Christmas is all about food, family, gifts, snow, glitter, music, evergreens, holly, cinnamon, apples, bells, bows and boxes. We get so caught up in all of that, making sure that all the gifts are ready to go by the eve of Christmas day, when the whole world shuts down, and rips into the work of the shopping season. On the big day, we eat, drink, travel, hug, and sometimes try to find a store open to find the half and half that we need to go in the sweet potatoes, since we used it all in our coffee that morning.
I like to stay in my pajamas for as long as I can, woobied up with a cup of something warm and wonderful, and a pile of wrapping paper crumpled around me from all the flotsam of the tearing open of boxes and bags full of goodies.
A ginormous cinnamon bun with real butter for breakfast and now I feel ready for a nap:)
Soon, it will be time to start cooking. Or watching the various cooks do their enormous task of putting together a gargantuan feast. We each have a contribution to the kitchen. Turkey, ham, gravy, taters of two kinds, a half a dozen various vegetable casseroles, pies, cakes, salads, fresh breads, the list goes on. Lots of butter and sugar. My contribution to the meal is the deviled eggs. It's my job. Well, and my chickens. Other than the eating part.
I'll go on a diet after New Years - I mean - why not just enjoy it all NOW?
But we all know that the real reason for the season is Jesus. The celebration of His birth, on earth, to Mary and Joseph, in a stable, in Bethlehem. Last night our church had our first candlelight service in our beautiful church building. Actually, it is a big barn:) Pastor Dave read the scripture of the story and in between, our band Branded by Grace, played songs like Mary did you Know, There's a new Kid in Town, Born in a Barn, and Away in a Manger. It was magical and beautiful. I felt honored to be a part of it.
The story grounds me. Calms me. Centers me. Makes me feel like I'm in this world to reflect the light. That whatever I forgot to do for Christmas Day doesn't matter as long as I remember the story. The real story of why we celebrate Christmas.
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wink or you'll miss it
So, that's supposed to be "blink".
But "Wink" is the name of the restaurant that Brad said was his favorite.
We'll plan another trip, stay at a groovy hotel and make dinner the highlight of our trip.
Well,
that,
and spending time with friends.
Which is always the best part.
I wanted to share a little about the dinner Brad prepared for us when we were in Austin.
He's a big foodie - a lot of my friends are these days it seems.
Anyway - even though it was HIS birthday, and he was beginning a huge project with his firm,
I asked him to cook for us. I know, I'm ROTTEN! But the man needed a little R & R,
and cooking is just the thing for a foodie to relax a little. Especially when he's got appreciative
EATERS on hand. And I am that, if nothing else, a really good eater.
We gave him carte blanche. I suppose that put a french spin on things, because he came up with a menu that included Coq au vin. The dish that the french usually prepared when they had an old rooster on hand that was acting unruly. Instead, he used some nice chicken thighs he found at the famous Austin Central Market that very afternoon. He paired it with a bunch of brussels sprouts, and a fabulous salad made with this spinach from Poteet Texas of all places. It was divine.
The chicken was tender and savory. The vegetables were perfectly cooked - sort of like a chicken stew. He chose a white wine to flavor the pot, which added a nice and fresh, very clean lightness to an otherwise heavy winter dish. I loved it. I had two thighs, hopefully a right one, and a left one - to stay balanced.
I have to say, the Brussels sprouts were my favorite. Larry likes them, so I cook them occasionally, but these were cut in half and allowed to caramelize in the pan on the flat side before they were turned, and then a bit of balsalmic reduction added to flavor. I could eat a ton of them, and in fact, did, finish off the healthy portion he prepared for us. No leftovers there. Sorry Barb:)
The salad was another thing of beauty and culinary delight. Evidently, this Poteet spinach has quite a reputation. It is sweet and tender, triple washed, fresh with goodness and nutty flavor. Barb had this great salad dressing with blue cheese made by Martinique brand that added a pungent savory-ness to the greens. I can't for the life of me remember what else was in that salad, but I had two helpings. I'm telling you, I'm an eater:) Normally I don't eat bottled dressing, but this stuff was great, and has good ingredients - well, except for the soy oil, which I understand is not great for the thyroid, but all the other stuff was good stuff - and NO SUGAR, which is pretty remarkable. I found some today to put in my pantry. I'm thrilled to have found it in Weatherford!
Great wine, great friends, great food, great fellowship, lots of laughter, stories well told, and best of all, the gift of time, given without hesitation.
This.
Is the stuff that makes memories shared.
Thanks Brad,
for cooking for us for your birthday.
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com
But "Wink" is the name of the restaurant that Brad said was his favorite.
We'll plan another trip, stay at a groovy hotel and make dinner the highlight of our trip.
Well,
that,
and spending time with friends.
Which is always the best part.
I wanted to share a little about the dinner Brad prepared for us when we were in Austin.
He's a big foodie - a lot of my friends are these days it seems.
Anyway - even though it was HIS birthday, and he was beginning a huge project with his firm,
I asked him to cook for us. I know, I'm ROTTEN! But the man needed a little R & R,
and cooking is just the thing for a foodie to relax a little. Especially when he's got appreciative
EATERS on hand. And I am that, if nothing else, a really good eater.
We gave him carte blanche. I suppose that put a french spin on things, because he came up with a menu that included Coq au vin. The dish that the french usually prepared when they had an old rooster on hand that was acting unruly. Instead, he used some nice chicken thighs he found at the famous Austin Central Market that very afternoon. He paired it with a bunch of brussels sprouts, and a fabulous salad made with this spinach from Poteet Texas of all places. It was divine.
The chicken was tender and savory. The vegetables were perfectly cooked - sort of like a chicken stew. He chose a white wine to flavor the pot, which added a nice and fresh, very clean lightness to an otherwise heavy winter dish. I loved it. I had two thighs, hopefully a right one, and a left one - to stay balanced.
I have to say, the Brussels sprouts were my favorite. Larry likes them, so I cook them occasionally, but these were cut in half and allowed to caramelize in the pan on the flat side before they were turned, and then a bit of balsalmic reduction added to flavor. I could eat a ton of them, and in fact, did, finish off the healthy portion he prepared for us. No leftovers there. Sorry Barb:)
The salad was another thing of beauty and culinary delight. Evidently, this Poteet spinach has quite a reputation. It is sweet and tender, triple washed, fresh with goodness and nutty flavor. Barb had this great salad dressing with blue cheese made by Martinique brand that added a pungent savory-ness to the greens. I can't for the life of me remember what else was in that salad, but I had two helpings. I'm telling you, I'm an eater:) Normally I don't eat bottled dressing, but this stuff was great, and has good ingredients - well, except for the soy oil, which I understand is not great for the thyroid, but all the other stuff was good stuff - and NO SUGAR, which is pretty remarkable. I found some today to put in my pantry. I'm thrilled to have found it in Weatherford!
Great wine, great friends, great food, great fellowship, lots of laughter, stories well told, and best of all, the gift of time, given without hesitation.
This.
Is the stuff that makes memories shared.
Thanks Brad,
for cooking for us for your birthday.
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Food in Austin
Yum.
Spent a few days in Austin and wanted to make the most of the calories spent there. Three of us took a few days after all the shows were finished with for a food and friends extravaganza. It was Brads birthday, so we asked what his favorite restaraunt was. I can't remember the name of the place he said without hesitation - more on that one later, cuz we're planning another trip. We started searching online for a restaraunt we used to haunt in the old days in Austin. Miraculously, it was still in business. I mean, food comes and goes in Austin, and the fact that this one has been an institution in a trendy city is a testament to its goodness.
Kyoto. You take your shoes off when you enter. Sit on the floor. Beautiful ladies in Kimonos serve you fabulous food. I couldn't wait.
But it was sunday, and I suppose we all have to have a day to rest. This was theirs. So, we started over, searching. And found this gem called Uchiko. It has a higher end restaurant in town called Uchi, but we are on a budget, so we chose this and made a reservation. It was an experience. Let me tell you. I wish I had written down the food we were all able to taste and sample a bit of. Beautiful food - fresh sushi mostly - a few cooked dishes - incredible from the fresh fish to the fresh vegetables to the beautiful presentations. All served by a most delightful waitress, each time telling us passionately and patiently what we were eating, and how wonderful she thought it all was too. I love it when a wait person is passionate about the food they are serving. It is absolutely one of the things I search for when I am looking for a food experience. I wish her good fortune in her future, but I also hope that every time I visit, I find her in exactly the same spot, at the same table, with the same sushi chef (which by the way, is a woman). I loved every minute of it.
The next day started out wonderful - we had breakfast from Barbs own kitchen - a savory and yummy dish of fresh eggs and sausage, orange juice, about three pots of coffee with half and half, and a catch up get to know ya better visit in her very comfy living room. A GREAT morning relaxing with friends.
We decided we wanted to spend a few hours on Congress Ave shopping, so about noon, we headed out. Christy was looking for some neato cowgirl boots. Kim isn't ever really looking for anything, but we have SO much fun dressing her that she can't help buying something along the way. And me, well, I can almost always find something. I'm not just a good eater, I'm also a good hunter, and an even better finder.
After a few hours, we were famished again and fell into a really cool looking lunch spot called Snack Time. It has so much potential. I mean, the place is really groovy inside and out. Our waitress was sweet and if not passionate about the food, she was smiling and available. We ordered some items that sounded really interesting, like veggie straws, and roasted beet salad with goat cheese, and sweet potato soup, and hummus, and something I can't pronounce with leeks and cabbage and aoili. The soup was so thick you could cut it -tasted like it came out of a can and more like a pumpkin than a sweet potato (we're foodies here, so we know). The veggie straws were from a bag - I mean, a little bowl of colored chip things that tasted like those Munchos you used to get when you were on the road. I don't do that anymore FYI. The hummus tasted like it was soured - we sent that one back. And the beet salad was straight from a can - not roasted beets - they were vinegared. The only redeeming part was the thing I can't pronounce or remember what it was - the leek and cabbage thing - it was delicious, and no doubt freshly prepared, presented well, and I wanted to order another one. But I didn't push my luck - we paid our overpriced bill and went on our way, already thinking about the next meal........
More on that one in the next blog. Brad cooked, so stay tuned.......
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
Spent a few days in Austin and wanted to make the most of the calories spent there. Three of us took a few days after all the shows were finished with for a food and friends extravaganza. It was Brads birthday, so we asked what his favorite restaraunt was. I can't remember the name of the place he said without hesitation - more on that one later, cuz we're planning another trip. We started searching online for a restaraunt we used to haunt in the old days in Austin. Miraculously, it was still in business. I mean, food comes and goes in Austin, and the fact that this one has been an institution in a trendy city is a testament to its goodness.
Kyoto. You take your shoes off when you enter. Sit on the floor. Beautiful ladies in Kimonos serve you fabulous food. I couldn't wait.
But it was sunday, and I suppose we all have to have a day to rest. This was theirs. So, we started over, searching. And found this gem called Uchiko. It has a higher end restaurant in town called Uchi, but we are on a budget, so we chose this and made a reservation. It was an experience. Let me tell you. I wish I had written down the food we were all able to taste and sample a bit of. Beautiful food - fresh sushi mostly - a few cooked dishes - incredible from the fresh fish to the fresh vegetables to the beautiful presentations. All served by a most delightful waitress, each time telling us passionately and patiently what we were eating, and how wonderful she thought it all was too. I love it when a wait person is passionate about the food they are serving. It is absolutely one of the things I search for when I am looking for a food experience. I wish her good fortune in her future, but I also hope that every time I visit, I find her in exactly the same spot, at the same table, with the same sushi chef (which by the way, is a woman). I loved every minute of it.
The next day started out wonderful - we had breakfast from Barbs own kitchen - a savory and yummy dish of fresh eggs and sausage, orange juice, about three pots of coffee with half and half, and a catch up get to know ya better visit in her very comfy living room. A GREAT morning relaxing with friends.
We decided we wanted to spend a few hours on Congress Ave shopping, so about noon, we headed out. Christy was looking for some neato cowgirl boots. Kim isn't ever really looking for anything, but we have SO much fun dressing her that she can't help buying something along the way. And me, well, I can almost always find something. I'm not just a good eater, I'm also a good hunter, and an even better finder.
After a few hours, we were famished again and fell into a really cool looking lunch spot called Snack Time. It has so much potential. I mean, the place is really groovy inside and out. Our waitress was sweet and if not passionate about the food, she was smiling and available. We ordered some items that sounded really interesting, like veggie straws, and roasted beet salad with goat cheese, and sweet potato soup, and hummus, and something I can't pronounce with leeks and cabbage and aoili. The soup was so thick you could cut it -tasted like it came out of a can and more like a pumpkin than a sweet potato (we're foodies here, so we know). The veggie straws were from a bag - I mean, a little bowl of colored chip things that tasted like those Munchos you used to get when you were on the road. I don't do that anymore FYI. The hummus tasted like it was soured - we sent that one back. And the beet salad was straight from a can - not roasted beets - they were vinegared. The only redeeming part was the thing I can't pronounce or remember what it was - the leek and cabbage thing - it was delicious, and no doubt freshly prepared, presented well, and I wanted to order another one. But I didn't push my luck - we paid our overpriced bill and went on our way, already thinking about the next meal........
More on that one in the next blog. Brad cooked, so stay tuned.......
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
Sunday, November 21, 2010
First Christmas Tree
I was just thinking of a story my mother shared with me a few years ago and it paints such a portrait of them both. I wanted to share it while I was thinking of it -even though Christmas is not for a few weeks yet. But this is a thanksgiving story I suppose. For I am grateful for my parents and for what they taught me. How to dream, how to be creative, how to leap before I look, and how to look before I leap. Sometimes you need both skills. I'm happy to say that I am both spontaneous and thoughtful.
My parents were married in the early fifties - likely the tinsel that we decorated the Christmas tree with was made with lead - I remember the feel and weight of it before it was plasticized. Anyway, my mom tells this great story of their first Christmas tree. I guess while they were putting up the tree, dad left the room for a minute and when he came back, she had all the tinsel on the tree. In her fashion, she just threw it at the tree in giant clumps and let it land where it would - that is sort of the way she does everything, with joy and gusto. My dad came back into the room and blew a gasket. No, no, no! That's not the way you do it! He took every single cotton pickin strand off that tree and put them back on, one by one, exactly the same distance apart. Perfectly. I'm sure it took him forever to finish. He has always been that way.
So I grew up in a home with a mother that just threw herself at everything she did with wild abandon, and a father that was calculated and systematic and orderly at everything. This story paints a colorful portrait of the two of them. And now, fifty some years later, they are still driving each other completely nuts - still decorating the tree the same way.
Only now,
mom leaves the room.
:)
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
My parents were married in the early fifties - likely the tinsel that we decorated the Christmas tree with was made with lead - I remember the feel and weight of it before it was plasticized. Anyway, my mom tells this great story of their first Christmas tree. I guess while they were putting up the tree, dad left the room for a minute and when he came back, she had all the tinsel on the tree. In her fashion, she just threw it at the tree in giant clumps and let it land where it would - that is sort of the way she does everything, with joy and gusto. My dad came back into the room and blew a gasket. No, no, no! That's not the way you do it! He took every single cotton pickin strand off that tree and put them back on, one by one, exactly the same distance apart. Perfectly. I'm sure it took him forever to finish. He has always been that way.
So I grew up in a home with a mother that just threw herself at everything she did with wild abandon, and a father that was calculated and systematic and orderly at everything. This story paints a colorful portrait of the two of them. And now, fifty some years later, they are still driving each other completely nuts - still decorating the tree the same way.
Only now,
mom leaves the room.
:)
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
Friday, November 12, 2010
rainy days and fridays
Ah, a rainy day at last. Seems I'm always hoping for rain. I think since I moved to the country and I can see things growing around the vast countryside without the aid of a sprinkler system. I realize how dependent we are as humans on the rain and the sun for our health, for our food, for our daily nourishment.
I've spent the last two weeks cleaning out the garage and the studio and still haven't finished, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for sure. Weekend before last, a poorly attended garage sale despite great weather and good advertisement, but we got rid of a few sundry items and took the rest of it to Goodwill. There is still more to go, but it will have to wait now. The Christmas season, the holiday season has quickly encroached on my social and home life and needs all of my attention.
Last week and weekend was spent readying and working a show in Fort Worth. Again, poorly attended despite the good weather, but I made some great contacts and created new friendships. It always amazes me the graciousness of people I hardly know. Maybe it is because my work touches people in so many ways. Words reaching out to bring encouragement, or joy, or just a laugh out loud. I heard many of those while I was attending my booth this past weekend. But the most gracious of them all this weekend, was the woman that told me about a rock she had one of her tilesmiles displayed in. It had a perfectly squared hollow in it that a tilesmile fit into like a glove. Me, being the rock hound that I am, loved hearing that, and we shared many stories of picking up rocks in foreign places to bring home as souvenirs. It is ridiculous how many rocks I have hauled around the country. My husband just tolerates it and lifts the heavy ones for me. ( If you haven't seen the movie, The Long Long Trailer, I highly recommend it:)
Anyway, the next day, she shows up at my booth again, with the rock IN TOW! Once I figure out how to put a photo on here from my phone, I'll share it with you. I mean, she wrapped up that ROCK and brought it to me to show it to me! Not a photo - but the whole cotton pickin ROCK! I almost cried. I mean, she went out of her way to share something wonderful with me. Ok, maybe not wonderful to anyone else but a rock hound, but I was just thrilled with her thoughtfulness and grace.
Not to mention all the people that shared with me how they had used my tilesmiles in their kitchens or bathrooms, or given them to people that were overcome with grief, or a health issue. And the one lady that knew all about this blog, and apologized for knowing so much about my work and me, thinking I would think her a stalker or something. I mean, this is sort of so you can know me just a little bit? To know where all this stuff comes from, that it actually means something to me. No, I'm grateful, and honored to be read at all.
So, today, after two weeks of hard work, I am still in bed at 11am, reading, writing, listening to the wind, and before that, the rain, and thankful for the people in my life, the house over my head, the art within me, for my Lord Jesus Christ, my music, my family, my wonderful husband, and my dog, Gracie.
Life is good. Especially when it rains.
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com
I've spent the last two weeks cleaning out the garage and the studio and still haven't finished, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for sure. Weekend before last, a poorly attended garage sale despite great weather and good advertisement, but we got rid of a few sundry items and took the rest of it to Goodwill. There is still more to go, but it will have to wait now. The Christmas season, the holiday season has quickly encroached on my social and home life and needs all of my attention.
Last week and weekend was spent readying and working a show in Fort Worth. Again, poorly attended despite the good weather, but I made some great contacts and created new friendships. It always amazes me the graciousness of people I hardly know. Maybe it is because my work touches people in so many ways. Words reaching out to bring encouragement, or joy, or just a laugh out loud. I heard many of those while I was attending my booth this past weekend. But the most gracious of them all this weekend, was the woman that told me about a rock she had one of her tilesmiles displayed in. It had a perfectly squared hollow in it that a tilesmile fit into like a glove. Me, being the rock hound that I am, loved hearing that, and we shared many stories of picking up rocks in foreign places to bring home as souvenirs. It is ridiculous how many rocks I have hauled around the country. My husband just tolerates it and lifts the heavy ones for me. ( If you haven't seen the movie, The Long Long Trailer, I highly recommend it:)
Anyway, the next day, she shows up at my booth again, with the rock IN TOW! Once I figure out how to put a photo on here from my phone, I'll share it with you. I mean, she wrapped up that ROCK and brought it to me to show it to me! Not a photo - but the whole cotton pickin ROCK! I almost cried. I mean, she went out of her way to share something wonderful with me. Ok, maybe not wonderful to anyone else but a rock hound, but I was just thrilled with her thoughtfulness and grace.
Not to mention all the people that shared with me how they had used my tilesmiles in their kitchens or bathrooms, or given them to people that were overcome with grief, or a health issue. And the one lady that knew all about this blog, and apologized for knowing so much about my work and me, thinking I would think her a stalker or something. I mean, this is sort of so you can know me just a little bit? To know where all this stuff comes from, that it actually means something to me. No, I'm grateful, and honored to be read at all.
So, today, after two weeks of hard work, I am still in bed at 11am, reading, writing, listening to the wind, and before that, the rain, and thankful for the people in my life, the house over my head, the art within me, for my Lord Jesus Christ, my music, my family, my wonderful husband, and my dog, Gracie.
Life is good. Especially when it rains.
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com
Monday, October 4, 2010
autumn stuff
The windows are open once again. Ahhhhh, a breath of fresh air cools my home and clears the air. As the weather begins to cool, and the leaves begin to turn, we can be outdoors a little more, work in the garden, tend to things that have been put off for the burning days of the summer. We can breathe again. Summer in Texas is an endurance test for people like me. Everything is hotter in Texas. Or so the T shirt says.
So NOW, we are inspired by the junk in our closets and the stuff we have collected over a lifetime, to CLEAN HOUSE. And by that, I mean, REALLY clean the clutter. Supposedly you are supposed to be inspired to do that in the spring, but in Texas, we have been indoors all summer, and the fall comes, even a hint of it, and we are ready to go to work. OUTSIDE. You see those shows on television about the folks that hoard stuff. While I don't think we fall into that category, there are those that might argue the point if they looked in our garage. It is one of the things that Larry and I would fight over at the drop of a hat - that is, cleaning out the garage. We have to be very careful when we attempt that task. May actually be the very reason we don't, very often. But it is time. And the weather is perfect.
So, we have set a date. An entire week in fact, to clear out the closets, so to speak. We are having a garage sale in three weeks, selling the stuff we don't use, the stuff we don't need, the stuff we have been storing and forgot we had. It is just too much to live around anymore.
Seems funny, but the larger your purse, the more you put in it. The larger your closet, the more clothes and shoes and purses you find to store there. The larger your junk drawer, the more junk you collect. What do we really need? When we lived in the RV, we found that we really needed very little to live day to day.
Although, I did find that I missed some of my stuff after living in that confined space for a year and a half.
But really, I don't need 24 tea cups, do I? AND their saucers?
We used to live in a really tiny house. One of those old houses in Fort Worth with tiny rooms, tiny closets (if there even WERE closets) and no storage at all in the kitchen, no garage. We managed to cram the space with stuff, despite the lack of storage spaces. The attic held our Christmas decorations and our luggage, thankfully.
When we moved out here, the 9 acre place was full of stuff, left from another lifetime of collecting. We spent the first couple of years clearing off piles of bits of stuff - throwing most of it in the dumpster, which was emptied every week. And now we have our own piles of stuff. Stuff from the house as we remodeled it, like old cabinets and porcelain fixtures from the bathroom, lumber that is still useable, and roofing material that we had left over. Fencing, wire, panels, trailers, even an old truck that doesn't run any more. We've managed to replace the piles with our own lifetime of stuff. And now we are feeling overwhelmed by it all again.
It's movin on outa here. I reckon.
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
So NOW, we are inspired by the junk in our closets and the stuff we have collected over a lifetime, to CLEAN HOUSE. And by that, I mean, REALLY clean the clutter. Supposedly you are supposed to be inspired to do that in the spring, but in Texas, we have been indoors all summer, and the fall comes, even a hint of it, and we are ready to go to work. OUTSIDE. You see those shows on television about the folks that hoard stuff. While I don't think we fall into that category, there are those that might argue the point if they looked in our garage. It is one of the things that Larry and I would fight over at the drop of a hat - that is, cleaning out the garage. We have to be very careful when we attempt that task. May actually be the very reason we don't, very often. But it is time. And the weather is perfect.
So, we have set a date. An entire week in fact, to clear out the closets, so to speak. We are having a garage sale in three weeks, selling the stuff we don't use, the stuff we don't need, the stuff we have been storing and forgot we had. It is just too much to live around anymore.
Seems funny, but the larger your purse, the more you put in it. The larger your closet, the more clothes and shoes and purses you find to store there. The larger your junk drawer, the more junk you collect. What do we really need? When we lived in the RV, we found that we really needed very little to live day to day.
Although, I did find that I missed some of my stuff after living in that confined space for a year and a half.
But really, I don't need 24 tea cups, do I? AND their saucers?
We used to live in a really tiny house. One of those old houses in Fort Worth with tiny rooms, tiny closets (if there even WERE closets) and no storage at all in the kitchen, no garage. We managed to cram the space with stuff, despite the lack of storage spaces. The attic held our Christmas decorations and our luggage, thankfully.
When we moved out here, the 9 acre place was full of stuff, left from another lifetime of collecting. We spent the first couple of years clearing off piles of bits of stuff - throwing most of it in the dumpster, which was emptied every week. And now we have our own piles of stuff. Stuff from the house as we remodeled it, like old cabinets and porcelain fixtures from the bathroom, lumber that is still useable, and roofing material that we had left over. Fencing, wire, panels, trailers, even an old truck that doesn't run any more. We've managed to replace the piles with our own lifetime of stuff. And now we are feeling overwhelmed by it all again.
It's movin on outa here. I reckon.
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Chow Town Chicks at home in Kimy's back yard
I've realized over the past couple of weeks that I don't like to write about food I don't like, so the last two places the chicks have been weren't anything to write home about. Bummer, cuz they had such potential. So many places do. But that is exactly why we decided to start writing about our food experiences - because we are definately passionate about it, AND we want to change what people seem to be accepting as GOOD. We're definately in the minority here, realizing that not everyone has the same taste buds that we three chicks have, NOR the expectations when it comes to good food, service, cleanliness, and just plain ole' hospitality.
Two salads. That opposing sweet salty thing that Kimy does so well. Arugula with chunks of cool seedless watermelon, drizzled with balsalmic reduction, and scattered with home made nearby local feta cheese. Oh my.
Cool refreshing Pellegrino in a big round wine glass.
THEN, on the BIG plate. This shell thing that she made out of parmesan cheese. Made extra open so all the salad could fit inside - knowing how I love a gargantuan salad. Feild greens, red onion, crisp corn cut from the milky cob, craisins, and her own luscious homemade garlicy balsalmic vinaigrette.
The tuna was bought fresh, that morning, all pink and thick and wonderful. Salted and peppered and coated wtih black and white sesame seeds, and seared on both sides for no more than two minutes, served rare, the way God intended it, sliced thin and served with a drizzle of aioli and horseradish sauce. Absolute heaven.
Well, if that's not enough. Dessert was another delectable delight. Not too sweet, but wonderfully chocolatey, these 70% pure cocoa muffins, made with real cream and my own backyard Shady B Ranch happy hen chicken eggs. She was whipping them up when I got there. When she took 'em out of the oven, timed perfectly for the end of our main meal, she poked a chunk of that immensely rich chocolate down inside the middle of the muffin, served it on top of some yummy homemade whipped cream with real vanilla bean flecks in it, and topped it all off with little rubies of strawberries, coated with more of that reduced balsalmic vinegar. Coffee with real half and half. More blissful heaven. Nobody puts chocolate and strawberries together like Kimy does. It is one of her specialties.
I wish I could recommend to you, a reservation at the restaraunt Kimy. The first time I had dinner there, I asked her husband, sort of jokingly, if he ate that way every night. And his answer to me was,
"Yea, actually we DO."
Good food is not fattening.
Eat real. Cook more. Find joy in the food you eat. Share it with others. Shop for it often. Eat at home. Buy fresh. Buy local. Eat organic. Eat slowly. Say "mmmmmm" throughout your meal. Rub your belly. Relax in the moment. Take photos of your plate. Eat more vegetables. Arrange your plate for color. Eat a salad every day. A good one. And always say thanks.
Eating good food and making good food choices is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Mangia!
love, rachel
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
So after one really great start to this endeavor and two really bummer ones, we decided to take the bull by the horns and just go to Kimy's house. Sit in her absolutely breathtaking back yard, and eat food that only an artist could create. It was picture perfect.
I suppose everyone has a favorite memory of a meal - the one that always comes to mind when someone asks you what your favorite food memory is. Mine was at a restaraunt in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. A tuna steak, about two inches thick, seared on both sides for about two minutes each, served with a reduced soy sauce and drizzle of spicy green wasabi. I can't even remember what else came with it. But it was SO good, I wanted to order it again. Next time I have a meal like that, I WILL order it again. I've done it since, and have learned my lesson. Life is too short to go wanting at the table of a great chef.
So at Kimy's house, she served my favorite. I'm not sure if she knew it really was my favorite food. I have lots of favorites. She DOES know, however, that I am an eater, and to make sure there is plenty in the kitchen. There are rarely leftovers when I am served. Much to her husbands regret for not being there to share in the feast. I even ate what was left on Christy's plate when she got too full to finish. :)
Two salads. That opposing sweet salty thing that Kimy does so well. Arugula with chunks of cool seedless watermelon, drizzled with balsalmic reduction, and scattered with home made nearby local feta cheese. Oh my. Cool refreshing Pellegrino in a big round wine glass.
THEN, on the BIG plate. This shell thing that she made out of parmesan cheese. Made extra open so all the salad could fit inside - knowing how I love a gargantuan salad. Feild greens, red onion, crisp corn cut from the milky cob, craisins, and her own luscious homemade garlicy balsalmic vinaigrette.
The tuna was bought fresh, that morning, all pink and thick and wonderful. Salted and peppered and coated wtih black and white sesame seeds, and seared on both sides for no more than two minutes, served rare, the way God intended it, sliced thin and served with a drizzle of aioli and horseradish sauce. Absolute heaven.
Well, if that's not enough. Dessert was another delectable delight. Not too sweet, but wonderfully chocolatey, these 70% pure cocoa muffins, made with real cream and my own backyard Shady B Ranch happy hen chicken eggs. She was whipping them up when I got there. When she took 'em out of the oven, timed perfectly for the end of our main meal, she poked a chunk of that immensely rich chocolate down inside the middle of the muffin, served it on top of some yummy homemade whipped cream with real vanilla bean flecks in it, and topped it all off with little rubies of strawberries, coated with more of that reduced balsalmic vinegar. Coffee with real half and half. More blissful heaven. Nobody puts chocolate and strawberries together like Kimy does. It is one of her specialties.
I wish I could recommend to you, a reservation at the restaraunt Kimy. The first time I had dinner there, I asked her husband, sort of jokingly, if he ate that way every night. And his answer to me was,
"Yea, actually we DO."
Good food is not fattening.
Eat real. Cook more. Find joy in the food you eat. Share it with others. Shop for it often. Eat at home. Buy fresh. Buy local. Eat organic. Eat slowly. Say "mmmmmm" throughout your meal. Rub your belly. Relax in the moment. Take photos of your plate. Eat more vegetables. Arrange your plate for color. Eat a salad every day. A good one. And always say thanks.
Eating good food and making good food choices is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Mangia!
love, rachel
Say it with a SMILE and a handmade TILE! www.tilesmile.etsy.com www.tilesmile.artfire.com www.tilesmile.funkyfinds.com www.tilesmile.1000markets.com
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