Can we talk about hair?

So can I talk about hair for a moment? Last week I went to the salon to get my annual summer highlights - nothing like a few golden locks to make my eyes sparkle and get me thinking sunshine! Well, this time I walked out a bit "blonder" than my usual...in fact, a bit uncomfortably blonde for my taste. You know how when you leave the salon and you keep catching yourself in the mirror and you either think "damn I look good" or "oh god, what are the chances I can get in and out of Rite Aid without running into someone I know, buy the right color to rectify this disaster and justify the fact that I just spent $85 only to spend $10 more to end up with the same color I started with." All right I'll be honest, it's not that bad...but I did consider going back to maybe have it "toned down" a bit. But then not but 15 minutes later, my thoughts moved on to all different sorts of stuff...the blonde long forgotten... And do you know that one of my thoughts was "remember to check the Vera Bradly website to see if they have scarves". And do you know why I thought that? I thought that because my dear friend Sallie (CK owner down in Philly) was diagnosed with Breast Cancer this past fall and is now going through her chemo treatments. Sallie and I have had many conversations about hair. I absolutely love Sallie's frank honesty about her hair...she says quite frankly "I'm vain, I don't want to be bald". She has shopped for wigs (and purchased one), but she's worried about the summer heat and she has been warned that her scalp will become very sensitive and the wig might be downright uncomfortable. During our last conversation she just sighed and said "maybe I will just do the scarf thing". Sallie has admitted that she really thinks she could go through this whole process and be okay (double mastectomy, chemo, radiation and drug therapy) if only she didn't have to lose her hair. ...so back to my conversation about hair...I'm thinking about my blonde...I'm thinking about buying a scarf for Sallie...and the light bulb goes off. No no, not the obvious light bulb, the "be thankful you have hair Andria" it was more a realization of my (and I think "our") relationship with our hair. I obviously color my hair and I do this mostly to cover up gray, and why do I do this?...because I think that dark brown hair with a bunch stray grays is just downright ugly okay? I then started to think of the women in my life and their hair... Annie in my office has made it quite clear that should she die, her 80's "poof" better go with her to the grave...I truly think she would have a bad day if her bangs were not at least 2 inches high. And then there is my beautiful mother who has gone from golden brown, to bombshell blonde and back to a dark chestnut all in the last decade (and openly admits it's not fair that she was born with fine thin hair)... My sister jokes that she is not really sure what her true hair color is... And men are not exempt from this you know...show me a man who WANTS to go bald. Why do you think there are so many jokes about the "comb over"? Oh really...none of this is bad or meant to poke fun...this is who we are and it's okay...but it did hit home to me how difficult this diagnosis can be for women. Isn't it amazing that we can be stripped of our breasts and not mind it as much as our hair? So I'll be keeping my blonde I think. Not because I want to try and "feel" a bit of the pain that Sallie is going through (trust me...she would laugh and say "I wouldn't do it for you"!), but rather just to put things in perspective. So next time you see me and think "wow, I wonder if she knows how blonde she is?" Yes, yes I do.

Busy Spring

Just going through some of my Easter photos and rather liked these. Wow, I can't believe it is almost April - when did that happen? And the next 3 months don't look to be any less crazy... Every weekend in April, May and June we have something going on. Relay for Life is June 13 and that means lots of fund raisers and events before hand. At least we have some relaxing fun family stuff mixed in too. Today I booked a little trip to the Baltimore Aquarium with us and my parents at the end of April. Cooper is SO excited...we are staying at a hotel that has "breakfast with Sharkey"...(a huge stuffed shark!). It's been 10 years since I have been to the Aquarium and I have to admit, I'm pretty excited myself...I loved the exhibits where the sea animals were behind huge glass tanks that wrapped around so I had this surreal feeling of being "in" the water with them. Some of the animals are just mesmerizing to watch. Next I have my Comfort Keepers convention at the end of May in Tuscon Arizona - I think we plan to have John and the boys fly out at the end of my convention and from there we will drive up to Sedona and go the Safari, then drive up to the Grand Canyon. I've never been to the Canyon and I figure I'm going to be right there - seems silly to fly home and never see it!

I must say a few "happy birthday's" too...March is a huge birthday month...and it seems to have slipped right by me. Happy happy to Pru, Mary, Katie, Todd and Aunt Bryn (I think I put them in order of their birthdays). Hope you all enjoyed a great special day all about YOU. My niece Kate was in a school play (Seussical the Musical) right before her birthday - big 14 and she was AMAZING - the whole play was amazing.

Seasons + Food + Color

I have a wonderful friend of the family named Anne. Anne (among many other things) teaches a macrobiotic cooking class that I have attended numerous times. I love Anne's classes for the food yes, but equally for the conversations, for Anne's inviting home/kitchen and for the education that goes way beyond a recipe. Anne asks you to think about food in a new way. Anne teaches about eating real, local, seasonal food. There are two classes; one in the Spring and one in the Autumn. One of the things I remember vividly from the classes was the discussion about the seasons ~ when the seasons change (especially here in PA where we have true seasons), so do our thoughts about food, clothes, activities etc. In the Spring for instance, we begin to be hungry for foods that grow in the Spring - asparagus and strawberries for example. We begin to shed layers of clothes - even a little early, in anticipation of what is to come.

I think about this concept each spring (and fall) and I believe it extends way beyond food. I think about color. When I dress for Thanksgiving and Christmas I certainly don't think of pulling out my mint green wool sweater. And when is the last time you shopped for a Yankee Candle? Winter scents are browns, golden yellows, reds and forest green. The scents correspond to the seasons just as much as the color...I highly doubt that Pumpkin Spice is a top June seller. No one season is any better than the next, and I argue that the beauty of living with seasons is the anticipation of each one. Because just as much as we love a big bowl of chili with a slab of corn bread on a cold January evening, we enjoy a grilled burger and a cold beer in July.

For me, this past Easter weekend was a great excuse to use color and food to celebrate Spring in the form of cupcakes ~ lemon, strawberry and devils food! My mother has long taught me about food presentation - food must look as good (if not better) than it tastes. I enjoyed so much baking the cupcakes, experimenting with icing + food coloring and playing with sprinkles. I loved that these would be fun for my kids and I loved that they would look pretty on the Easter table as well. They were pretty to look at, because they were the colors of spring and that's what I'm ready for. Now don't get me wrong, my dear friend Anne probably would not approve of the cupcakes, but I know she would approve of the enjoyment that making them brought me! Food is to bring us together; so as each of us finished our dinner and wandered over to the dessert table to chose our cupcake and to select the flavor and color that most inspired us - they did just that. We sat discussing family and traditions, pealing the paper cups back from our cupcakes, we talked about a summer wedding to come and dishes that needed to be done, we licked the petal pink icing from our fingers and laughed and talked some more. These moments, these conversations that evolve around food...even pink, green and blue food...food that was prepared with love...would make Anne smile I believe...and yes, I venture to bet, even eat one of her own!

Checking in

Clearly on a food kick lately. Made this for a 2nd time and once again - rave reviews! Lasagna soup with spinach + carrots. Made it in less than an hour too - I highly recommend (just let me know if you're interested in the recipe). Working on the blog header...still a little off, sorry. Still don't have my pictures in this computer yet + don't have the updated version of Adobe. Switching over just takes time. Getting ready for Easter here...planning a brunch at my in-laws. Trying to decide on some fun food projects with the kids and deciding on whether or not to tackle an egg hunt?

3rd Tuesday of the month

Book Club highlights:

Fantastic food

Great book

Thought provoking discussion

Pretty pictures

Our impact

Leo Buscaglia : The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.

**Found this quote on another blog and loved it.

Absent

I have been a poor blogger this week. I got a new computer at home because for the last couple of years I have been soley using my laptop at home. I was finding that true color on a notebook is almost impossible; move the screen backward or forward and you get all different colors...so viewing, and editing my photos was just getting more and more annoying. I never knew what color was going to print out in the end. I am still in the process of moving all my files (including about 7000 photos) so bear with me... but while you wait...you really must check out TASTESPOTTING. This is the coolest website - it is like tons and tons of food blogs all in one place with hundreds of gorgeous photographs. People are constantly uploading stuff, so the website is constantly changing. Good for a Sunday afternoon...

A Wink and a Smile

I remember the days

Of just keeping time

Of hanging around

In sleepy towns forever.

Back roads empty for miles.

Well, you can't have a dream

And cut it to fit

But when I saw you, I knew

We'd go together

Like a wink and a smile.

~Harry Connick Jr.

**picture thanks to Aunt Barbie

In an Easter mood today

1. Zen like a rolling stone, 2. Crocus, 3. magic, 4. Untitled, 5. Getting fancy with the icing, 6. Painful backache, 7. roses 1, 8. A crack on the surface, 9. Lemon Meringue Pie (1)

Molasses cookies

One of the wonderful benefits of having 60+ employees who provide meal preparation, companionship and genuine kindness, is that they bring you homemade baked goods on a somewhat regular basis ~ I'd have to admit it is definitely one of the perks of the job. If you are looking for something to do on this cold, dreary, windy weekend (weather applies only to PA), I highly recommend these Molasses cookies. One of my dear dear caregivers Barb, brought these in this week and they were a huge hit. They are truly the best homemade molasses cookies I have ever had! They are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. She was kind enough to share her recipe and I couldn't wait to make some of my own (2 batches). Recipes this good need to be shared. Even if you don't have time this weekend...add this to your favorites, you will not be sorry. 3/4 cup shortening (yes, crisco) 1/4 cup molasses (Grandma's Original Unsulfered) 1 egg 1 cup sugar 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt Mix and chill. Roll into balls and roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 375. *Yes, it was really that easy. *I used silicone mats on my cookie sheets so I did not grease them. *One or two sheets I cooked maybe a minute longer and they were crispier ~ so if you like soft and chewy, take out closer to 8 minutes, if you like a crispy cookie, go for the full 10. Or you could just stop over to our house this weekend :-)

Making the ordinary, delightful

Yesterday I had to drive to Harrisburg for some CK meetings. After leaving at 7am, sitting through 8 hours of meetings then doing a little shopping, I started for home. I had my Starbucks Awaken tea in hand, I made some phone calls to coworkes and home, and then settled in for the rest of my drive home. I turned up the radio to find the soothing familiar voice of Garrison Keillor and The Writer's Almanac. If you know of Garrison, then you will know what I'm talking about. The poem I believe was Ham and Cheese on Rye, but it frankly makes no difference; Garrison seems to make the ordinary, delightful and the absurd, hysterical. So even though it was a cold night in March, Shamokin Dam was I suppose......nice. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. ~Garrison Keillor

Through the eyes

of a three year old. Duncan picked up my camera last night and I was amazed at some of his pictures.

My camera is no small (or light) camera. It is an SLR so you have to use the view finder. I am loving seeing the world through the eyes of my three year old (I have nice pictures of electrical outlets and dresser pulls too).

Keep Calm

I hold Marine Biology 101 during supper I make two batches of Rice Krispie Treats while cleaning up from supper I clean the bathroom while giving bubble tubbies I give Dunc a photography lesson while making the beds I fold laundry while playing Candy Land All between 6 and 9pm This hangs in my office...however I'm thinking I need one at home too...

Snowboarding + updates

Coop snowboarding! Is that cool or what? Last weekend after the snow, the boys found an old cheep snowboard that someone left behind and before we knew it Coop had it mastered. Other things going on around here... Well, our hot water heater died last night. Why is it that hot water heaters don't die in August? John spent the day replacing --- can I just tell you how wonderful it is to have a handy husband? The new hot water heater was $350 - installation would have cost $220...lucky lucky me. Finally updated the side bar of the blog a bit...I still have more to add, but wanted to get started. If you're anything like me, you have your favorite blogs/websites...I have copied them out of my favorites and into the blog. Set the Table has a few food blogs I love - I visit a lot, but these three are my current favorites. Visual Inspiration is photography - I love 3191 - love the concept - two friends 3191 miles apart having a daily photo conversation. Their first project was A Year of Mornings which is being made into a book - they are now doing A Year of Evenings---totally worth checking out. Things making me happy today: 1.) Mom comes home tonight 2.) Spring is 19 days away 3.) The Comcast Turtles 4.) Rice Krispie treats with cranberries & toasted pumpkin seeds (LOVE these) 5.) Hot water 6.) Water for Elephants - still really enjoying 7.) 50 degrees on Monday