Dinner for Three

 The day that Gram died, I got home around 10 at night, and I started cooking and cleaning. As you do.

In this case, I had a very special mission.  I needed to make dinner and dessert for Miss Maia and her Pumpkin.  (Papa was out of town, so it was girls' night and we took full advantage!)

 Maia loooovveeeeesssssss banana bread. I make it for her as much as possible.

I headed into San Francisco and got as many snuggles and toothless grins I could possibly squeeze into the few hours we had together.  I know I may be biased, but I'm not exaggerating when I say: this is easily the cutest, sweetest, most lovable baby I have ever met.  I mean honestly:  look at that mug! swoon And there's nothing that soothes the ache from the loss of a precious life, as holding a new precious life does. Just what I needed, isn't Maia smart? ; )

For dinner, I made her a lasagna with ground beef and a loaf of homemade bread, and of course a loaf of banana bread. Every time I make lasagna, people ask me for the recipe. Here's what you need to know about me and lasagna:  I grew up with an Italian mother. People positively melt when they eat her lasagna. They can't get enough! I promise you this: you would vomit if you watched her make a lasagna. For an Italian? "lasagna night" is "clean out the refrigerator night". Everything gets tossed in, and it's not unusual to find yourself eating lasagna comprised almost entirely of shredded beef that was used in enchiladas on Tuesday, chicken that was roasted on Wednesday, and eggplant and zucchini that was not going to make it to the weekend in the vegetable crisper. Add a couple of eggs, ricotta cheese (cottage cheese also works, use whatever you have, because under no circumstances do you ever buy fresh ingredients for an Italian lasagna), and shred the ends of every moldy brick of mozzarella and cheddar you can find in the refrigerator.  Layer with noodles and tomato sauce.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour (remove foil for the last 10 minutes or so, so the cheese melts completely).

This is NOT the lasagna I made for Maia. You're welcome. The lasagna I make, that everybody asks how I make it and wants to know my secret for, comes directly from the side of the box that the no bake lasagna noodles come in. I buy the ingredients fresh, and I bake it immediately. I make it exclusively for other people, and every time I pull the 5 pound beast from the oven, Erik always demands to know (only half-kidding in his ire), "Why does everybody else get lasagna, and we never do!?!" To which I can only reply, "If you wanted lasagna, you shouldn't have married and Italian girl."

A Special Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day, it seems appropriate to talk about my dear friend Maia, who became a mama just a couple of weeks ago.


Maia is so dear to me, such a precious person in my life.  You might remember her as my London Friend haha since she and her husband just came back last summer after living in England for two years.  They were here about two minutes, and then she became pregnant.  I was (and am) so happy for them, especially because I know that they were waiting until they got back to the States, and they are both so wonderful with kids. What a lucky baby they will have, I thought to myself when she told me they were expecting.


One night, a couple of months ago, they were at our house for dinner when Maia got rather serious, and rather emotional.  Neither of these things is unexpected from her; you know what they say about 'opposites attract'?  haha!  There's our friendship, right there.  


She said that they wanted to ask us something, specifically me something, but that it also involved Erik.  I glanced at Erik, and thought, well this is strange.  They are Jewish, and we are Atheist, so that rules out GodParents.  So what the heck?  


Then they asked me to be there when their baby was born. Um.  YEAH!  Of course!!  As Kelly said when I mentioned it on Facebook, what an honor, and I have to agree. It felt like such a privilege to be asked, even considered for such a thing. They were both really committed to an unmedicated birth, and as is their nature to totally and thoughtfully plan and prepare for every little thing, bless their hearts, they had made a list of potential Birth Day Helpers, narrowed the field through a series of late night discussions, and landed on me (me!) as the person most likely to be helpful, and, perhaps even more importantly, to not be an ass. 


I got The Call (or, because it's 2011, The Text) on a Tuesday afternoon.  We went back and forth and who knows what, and by 10 pm that night, I was headed over to Stanford. I pulled over on the side of the 880 freeway so I could snap a quick picture of the moon on my way over to the hospital. This picture, in absolutely no way, does the moon justice. It was a huge, low hanging, harvest moon. Really magical, just like the one on the night Tommy was born!

Her birth story is hers to tell, but it's worth noting that I am pretty sure I was helpful on at least 3 occasions that night; Maia went from 5cm to baby born between 10pm and 230am, without even one aspirin; I was so moved by the two of them together, how much they loved and needed each other, so much sweetness; and, finally, they had the cutest baby I've ever seen.

 Oh!  Those little folds....I could positively swoon : )

Dear March, You Sucked

There were some things that happened in March that did not suck:

 like when Michele came from Belgium

 Leslie came from Oakland (with the blood of virgins on her face, apparently,

because she hasn't aged an iota since 1987)

and Tom came from Walnut Creek (little Gibby and Tommy kicking it lol)

(all photos scraped from Michele's F/Book post!)

There are people I will always be happy to spend some time with.  I'm an easy-going person who likes to have a good time, and it is not hard to make a temporary friend to a pass a few hours.

But this little get-together, orchestrated to get us all in the same room when Michele came to the states from Belgium, reminded me that there is another, much smaller, group of people for whom the connection is always there.  No need to manufacture a make-shift shanti friendship....just pick up a piece of string that is always tethered to you and to them and then, just like that, you're already caught up and on your way.  I love these people, I always have, and watching our kids play together was too wonderful. 

Or:  Opening Day for Little League and T-Ball

And also: the backyard, through hand weeding no less, went from barren winter stillness:

there are stone stairs and a pond and a huge hill buried under all those weeds : )

 it took hand weeding for hours every day of spring break

(here the weeds are transferred to piles roughly the size and shape of two volkswagens)

 ah! all that work and now we can say:  getting there. lol

 and after hauling in newly composted soil and getting veggies in....

it was finally time to welcome in the beginnings of spring.

As for the rest of March?  The rest of the month is invited to kindly go fuck itself.  Just saying.

C Is For Cookie

 I got this scarf in the mail last week, and I've been dying to share it here.  Because I only LOVE it!

I love scarves anyway, and handmade scarves are my very favorite kind.

But knitted?  On one of those looms that remind of making looped pot holders in Girl Scouts?

By one of the people dearest to me in all the world?

Priceless.

 Now, in addition to a sweet reminder of my BFF Tracy, I get to be petted by my kids

(at home and at school!) and, because it's made in super soft homespun yarn in blue with  

I'm not kidding here

variegated blue fur and fringe, I get to giggle and call myself 

THE COOKIE MONSTER.

I can't stop singing "C is for Cookie"!  That's almost as good as getting a beautiful, happy, love-filled scarf...I do declare it.

Kathy's Recital

My dear friend Kathy is a retired teacher who used to share my teaching joys (and frustrations!) from her classroom across the hall.  She was my partner in crime, and there are four of us who've maintained our close connection, despite how life has a way of moving on sometimes, you know?  (Two of us are retired, one moved to Hawaii to be with her grandchildren for a couple of years, one became a principal, I've had two children, etc., but we always find the time and energy to stay in touch and see each other....getting all four of us in the same room 4 times a year is no small feat!)

Last Sunday, she had her 'recital'.  She's a real debutante, having taken up drumming in her retirement.  She's been a constant source of encouragement and information for our own little drummer, and even goes to all his gigs, so of course we went to see her perform on her ukelele up in the music hall at the university!  This has been one of my favorite December events (in a month of piled up events!) for the last several years.  I brought my Nikon with my 70-300 telephoto lens (it's like being right next to you!) but Scotty was able to capture his perspective from my iPhone:

 We got there early and staked out our seats in the rear of the theater, as they set up for all the performers.

 Here's....me.  Ahem.

 That's better, son!  You got it!

 Wait, no, and...is that a splotch of yogurt on my shoe?  Ugh.

 What the hell, Scott?  Who is this?

 Here's some that I took, of Kathy getting settled

(her instructor accompanies her on the guitar for both songs.)

 I LOVE this picture!  Every picture I took, he's laughing like this.  Kathy is so funny!

 She played two songs, and we enjoyed all the performers.  There were a lot more adults this time around (usually Kathy goes last so, as she says, her fellow students can finish up and get home for their naps, haha!) so I think she must be inspiring people!  I have my own little dream, so maybe,  some day, me too.  :)

We left the campus and went out to dinner with Kathy and her husband and some other friends, and it was such a lovely time.  I'm so grateful for these little excursions with my boys!

October!

I'm already loving October!  The heat wave broke on the first, leaving us 30 degrees cooler than we were in September.  I sent off my manuscript on September 30th at 6:30 in the morning...two hours before it was due!  And I don't have any consulting work due until late October, and just so you know, that work is just about done already.  Me!  Ahead of schedule! 

I spent this weekend mostly with my family, doing some sewing, some crocheting, some partying (of the kid variety...happy birthday Niece!) and even doing some chores around the house.  It just feels good.

On my to-do-list, and officially done:

These turtles were the one thing I asked for after Marie died...and her wonderful, sweet children agreed.  So my mom brought them back from Healdsburg on Wednesday, I picked them up from her house on Friday, and I floated them around the house all weekend before hanging them in the very first spot I had considered.  Isn't it always like that? 

I may have told this story, but it's worth repeating because it's so very Marie, but right after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, my mom and I headed up to see what's-what.  Marie was showing me some things she had brought back from Hawaii with her, after Glenn died, and these turtles were hanging on her wall.  "These are for good health and long life...." then she turned to me and deadpanned, "And you can see how well that's working out for Glen and I!"  She was so funny!  So twisted and funny.  I miss her.  :(

I love love love turtles myself, and so I was so happy when my mom let me have them.  I know she would have gladly accepted them herself, so it was very (uncharacteristically) sweet of her.  My own sweet dear childhood friend Tracy had sent me these just last week, and I've been so grateful to wear one or the other daily....

My students love the silver one (his legs and head wobble!) as do I, but I am also quite enamoured of  the mother of pearl...it feels so heavy, and it reminds me every day that friendships that last a lifetime are precious.  I love you, Tra!

I was also so happy that both Jenny and Michael wanted the blanket I had made with their parents' clothing and pictures.  My told me that they agreed to 'share it', trading off who got to keep it at their house.  Love!

Some People Are So Talented!

My friend, Monica, is such a treasure to me.  For so many reasons, mostly because I just like her so much.  She's the kind of person who is always thoughtful, from the smallest of things (come over, my berries are ready for picking!) to the biggest of things (of course I'll drop everything and take you and your kids on an emergency run to [fill in blank]).  Plus she makes me laugh.  

And?  She made me this.

I know.

It's made from folded paper, exclusively.  It's an origami quilt.  It's so amazing! 

It really takes my breath away!

I love it, and I love her.  She's talented... but I'm lucky!

Currently Obsessed...

We have so many obsessions here in The Shire lately....

We're each totally fixated on our favorite part of beekeeping...Tommy's being the fashion...

...Scotty's being the smoker....Mine, of course, the actual bees.

 I'm also in love with these wildflowers that are growing in the field behind our house.  For me, a little happy, brought inside...

...for my boys?  All things Toy Story!  We love all the Toy Story movies.  Erik works next door to the Pixar studios, and he has a friend who works there.  He says it's not like their totally wrapped up in the technology; they're all about the scripts and the characters (even though it's 'just' cartoons!) and I think it shows.  "To Infinity, and Beyond!"  (I once heard an eighth grader describe the infinity sign as un ocho que se ha descansado (loosely:  "an eight that has laid down to rest") and that still makes me giggle.)

 I'm obsessed with stacks of pretty fabrics.

Scotty's obsessed with chocolate milk.

I'm obsessed with my garden.  Is it too far-fetched to call this "a harvest"?  These cherry tomatoes and a handful of zucchini are the first of (knock wood!) many.

In fact, I made the Zucchini Bake from Laurel's Kitchen, and it was delicious!  We took it up to Tilden Park on Sunday for a big going-away party for my one of my favorite people, Jake, and his sweet wife and kids, too.  It was gone in a flash, and I didn't get pictures of it first.  Which, any blogger can tell you, means it might as well not have happened at all.  So, round two, no doubt will be documented!

(Also obsessed with :  geography, currently.  Had to google where Budapest is when Jake said he was moving there for two years.  Actually had a conversation with my husband where he said he had no idea where it was, and I ventured that I thought it might be in Turkey.  I now know it's in Hungary.  Which is NOT, so you know, "right above Sweden".  That would be Switzerland.  The same thing happened when I found out Michelle was living in Belgium.  I was surprised that she speaks French, because, you know, don't they speak German there?  Oh, what?  Berlin.  Got it.  Holy hell, what is wrong with me?  Added to Bucket List:  Get out more.)

Crochitting Party

Miss Laurie!  Isn't she beautiful?  Such a sweet, gentle, soul.  Confidential to Laurie:  Did I ever tell you that the notecard you gave me when you retired, and you wrote about the fun we had and the things we learned teaching math, is one of my greatest joys?  Yep!  I've saved it and I treasure it.  And you.  :) 

The food she prepared was so delicious!  All of it was so fresh and healthy.  Veggie pizzas on whole wheat dough, green salad, and this other salad of roasted veggies and rice, I think?  Was it rice or wheat?  Well, I'll sort it out and let you know, asap, because she gave me the recipe and I WILL be making it this weekend.

Laurie is working on this beautiful knitted blanket.  Ha!  Funny story:  She had a bit of 'scrap yarn' that she thought would work into a nice lap-afghan.  Wouldn't you know it?  It was nothing like enough yarn, so the stash-busting project suddenly required a wallet-smashing trip back to the yarn shop!  As you do.

A crochitting party is the best place to get help on a new project.  Here, Nak Min makes great progress on her first knitted scarf, after Susan helped her to cast on. 

My dear-sweet-Linda was off and running on a crocheted blanket she is making for her first granddaughter, due in early fall.  I think it may have been her first experience at actually reading and following a pattern, so I was only too happy to help her get started and continue to trouble shoot when she dropped a stitch or got lost in her row.  hmmm...it seems I didn't upload the picture of Laurie's friend knitting her Waldorf-style dolls...perhaps I was making some play at respecting somebody's privacy?  Who am I kidding?  ;)

Anyway, once everybody was well underway (I was working on a crocheted baby dress ~ not for me, I assure you! ~ and it's almost done now), I asked Laurie about her trip to New Mexico.  Laurie is an artist, and soon enough she was sharing some art that came home with her.  It was beautiful, and led us to a small tour of where it might be hanging in the future. 

Which found us in this hallway.  Aren't these trees beautiful?!?  The one on the right was a gift from her son.

Here, see if we can get closer.  I think you can't really get a feel for the beautiful blue here, but I think the tree itself can be appreciated.  I thought it looked like a person!  Doesn't the trunk look incredibly human?  I was quite taken with this piece.

From here, I managed to finagle a tour of her reclaimed studio.  (Previously functioning as her daughter's bedroom!)  Linda gave these plain letters to Laurie as a gift for her studio, and Laurie decorated them by collaging inspiring and colorful images.

Right here on the R is a scrap of paper that reads:  May all your dreams come true.  (Note to self:  Start saving your pennies for a nice macro lens.  You won't regret it.)

Her inspiration boards!  I love inspiration boards!  I would have one, except I have no place to put one...for now I'll live through my friends.  You can't see it very well in these pictures, but one of the greatest things about this room is that every wall is painted a different color!  This was her daughter's choice when this was her bedroom, but I love that she kept it.  Pale green, lavender, pale yellow...it's a really beautiful effect. 

When I say that Laurie's an artist, I'm not kidding.  Her talent astounds me.  I guess there's a whole school of thought that would say we're all artists, and shouldn't we claim the artist label, and take ourselves seriously as artists when, say, we're crocheting baby dresses or making shirts out of sheets or repurposing material into quilts?  And, in fact, each of those activities can be elevated to an art.  Look at this baby dress, or these quilts, and you will never doubt that it's true.  Still... I can't look at these pictures and not know, there's a huge difference between what I do and what she does!  I can do everything I do, make everything I make, and really, it requires not talent so much as tenacity.  And don't imagine I'm downplaying or pishawing the importance of tenacity, either, as having it and using it is definitely it's own kind of talent, but I am just saying...there's a difference.  A huge, undeniable, awe-inspiring difference.

Next stop was her 'private retreat', but you need to know that, should you invite me to sit in your living room and enjoy some ice cream with fresh strawberries, I am totally the kind of person that will end up taking pictures of your bedroom and plastering them over the internet.  Prepare accordingly for my arrival.  Do you see what she has there, instead of a headboard?

It's all painted on!  The fern and flower leaves are a mix of stencils and freehand work.  The photo is from Hawaii, one of her favorite destinations.  Who could blame her?  I smile now, seeing the wooden "Dream" letters on the shelf... a theme, perhaps?  One of Laurie's dreams was to sell her art, and she's making that happen even as we speak!  She takes her drawings and watercolors and prints them on notecards and they are beautiful ~ I've purchased a set and, in fact, I need a refresher set.  She doesn't have an online site, but I'm encouraging her to get an Etsy shop or something, ASAP. 

One last picture, from her bedroom.  This trio of pressed leaves was her mother's.  Her mom collected the leaves and pressed them onto cloth herself, I believe Laurie said in the 1930s!  The display is one of the most beautiful objects I've ever seen in person.  I'm thinking I might do the same thing, though I can only hope that in 80 years, somebody could appreciate it as much as I do this one.  It's so old that the leaves and the cloth they lay on have actually begun to sort of 'meld' into one entity.  I love it!

Thank you, Laurie, for letting me share these pictures!  It was such a fun night; the hours flew by with great food, amazing friends, both deep and silly conversations that I love so much, and a little uninterrupted crafting time.  Savored!