As far back as I can remember, I have loved to string beads with my Mom. I can remember sitting on our kitchen floor before I was school age and stringing patterns of beautiful colored beads. So, this year, I treated my Mom and I to a beginning beading class for her birthday. We each made a bracelet.
Here’s mine:
Mom and I loved our class! In fact, we bought the supplies to make several more pieces. I can’t wait to get started!
Today, I had a craving for something fresh. Since I had a few minutes, I headed to Whole Foods and did a whirlwind trip: two packages of grass-fed stew meat, a bag of multicolored new organic potatoes. organic asparagus, an organic eggplant, a red onion, mushrooms, and a handful of green olives.
Once home, I browned the meat in olive oil, red wine, salt and pepper. I added multicolored bell peppers and garlic to my list of ingredients. As the potatoes steamed, I sauteed the other vegetables. Finally, I tossed all of it together, added several diced olives for some added flavor, and served with Romano cheese.
I’d post a picture of it properly dressed for serving, but it’s gone! 🙂
I have attempted the White Diamonds knitting pattern in Leisure Art’s Our Best Knit Baby Afghans at least five times. In truth, it is probably closer to ten. Still, I refuse to give up because I have a bag of yarn dedicated to this particular pattern.
I’m a self-taught knitter and not terribly confident about my skills. So, I sat down with Teach Yourself Visually Knitting this weekend and reviewed basic knitting stitches. I love this book! It helped tremendously in teaching me how to move my hands more effectively. And I’m finally making real progress!!
(This is just a test run. I will probably knit this entire skein of yarn with this pattern as practice, then pull out the yarn I bought originally for this project.)
Today, I spent a couple of hours learning the secrets of French cooking at one of the best French restaurants in the Sacramento area with two friends. The best word to describe our class was delightful.
The setting was perfect.
In the class, our clearly knowledgeable instructor demonstrated how to make the 5 mother sauces of French cooking: bechamel, aoili, remoulade, hollandaise, and bernaise. To his credit, the instructor made these sauces look easy to prepare. I somehow suspect it will not be quite so easy in my kitchen. 🙂
The class ended with a lovely meal featuring three sauces made in class.
Overall, a wonderful experience.
Cindi May wrote an interesting article in Scientific American entitled, The Inspiration Paradox: Your Best Creative Is Not When You Think. To summarize, creativity seems to benefit from lack of focus. Therefore, a person’s most creative times are when they are not at their peak alertness.
I wonder if somehow the moments when we are not at our peak lessens the barrier between our conscious and subconscious minds?
I spent last Saturday at the zoo with my family, but what really caught my eye was little signs of spring.
No, I don’t know what to make of it, either. But, I made time to get my paints out, and that has to count for something.
So, the title sort of says it all. However, I think it’s beneficial to record failures as well as successes. Therefore, I post.
My life has been filled with the endless details of running a home with three children and a business, and my less-than-abundant free time has been taken up with exercise for the most part. Still, I want to proceed through the list and remind myself what I am missing. 😛
Knitting: This one is still on hold, but I’m facing a long car ride in the next week or so, and am starting to feel up to tackling the pattern I discussed here.
Piano: I’ve been helping my youngest practice piano and listening to my two older ones play pieces beyond my ability. Somehow, that gives me hope because I remember when the oldest two were starting. Still, I don’t forsee any time for practice right now.
Cooking: This one is pretty much a given, with three growing boys in the house. Recently, I found several promising recipes in the March 2012 issue of Clean Eating magazine, including a wonderful Lemon Chicken Stew and a Broccoli & White Bean Mac & Cheese.
Painting: Absolutely no progress on this front whatsoever.
Writing: I have some progress to note here. I’ve almost caught up on my book reviews. I have three left, and then I will probably be forced to cut back significantly if I ever expect to be creative in other ways. My blogs are perking a bit, however. And I’ve returned to my writing groups. I even managed a decent bit of flash fiction in one writer’s group session.
Outdoors & Exercise: My elliptical arrived in mid-January, and I’ve been getting in half-hour workouts on more days than not. I’ve also activated a month-long pass to a yoga and pilates studio, which I have been enjoying. My goal is to work up to 45 minutes on the elliptical and combine that with a second, short routine of yoga, pilates, weight training or balance ball at least five days a week.
I genuinely hope to have a more impressive report next time.
So, it’s been a while. Seems like it’s time to try this again.
Last semester was horrid, and I finally gave up all hope of a creative life beyond book reviews and blogging. Due to some scheduling shifts, this semester holds renewed promise, however.
Knitting: I’ve put this on hold for the time being. It’s just too hard to get myself motivated to start a new pattern. I’m sure the urge will arise eventually. Just not now.
Piano: I’ve also put this on hold for reasons I will explain in a moment.
Cooking: I’m doing plenty of this during the cold winter since I can’t seem to keep the boys full, but I can’t say it’s terribly creative at the moment.
Painting: I just begun reading a wonderful book by Cathy Johnson called Artist’s Journal Workshop. I’m leaving with a friend for a weekend in the mountains, and I’ve already packed my paints and supplies and this book.
Writing: Now, this is an area where I seem to be making some headway. I’ve resurrected my blogs after the fiasco of December illnesses. I am slowly catching up on the ten reviews that are terribly late. Best of all, I feel that once I finish the reviews, I now have some room in my life for creative writing. I’ve rejoined the SCBWI and my writing groups. I’ve pulled out my old poems and children’s stories for editing and am itching to start something new.
Outdoors & Exercise: This is an area that has changed considerably. In December, I received the results of my annual physical. I have a currently mild issue which can be deterred by a careful diet and daily exercise. As a result, I have decided to forgo activities like piano practice to focus on my health. My new best friend is an elliptical parked in my great room. I am truly enjoying our 30 minutes together each day. Actually, I’m enjoying it so much, I’m toying with adding short, alternating yoga, balance ball, pilates and weight workouts. However, all of this goes out the window on weekends if I have the opportunity to go hiking or biking with the family or take a riding lesson.
So, that’s where things stand creatively at the moment.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an important meeting with my elliptical.
I really want to be my cats.
Wiley snoozing by the heater in my office.
