Very Very Spaghetti

Image via WikipediaToday is one of those days. It is cold and dreary outside and I am not feeling 100%. So, I decided to make some vegetable spaghetti sauce to put over some noodles.
Very Very Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce
2 tbs of extra virgin olive
1 medium onion diced
2 red pepper diced
*2 medium carrots diced
**1 medium zucchini diced
4 oz of mushrooms
16 oz of crushed tomatoes
herbs and spices- 1tsp dried of oregano,basil and parsley, 2-3 cloves garlic,salt and pepper to taste.
*If cooking for a more than 1 or two people you might to increase the size of the veggies and add another 16oz of tomatoes.
** You could go crazy and add even more vegetables. I sometimes use artichoke, asparagus and spinach(all or one) but I can't say no to a good thing. I would add some more tomatoes or some tomato sauce if you add more veggies but that's just me.

Directions:
Heat the oil in a good size pan.Add onions and cook until soften, add garlic, pepper and carrots and cook until the veggies are soft. Make sure to stir so the garlic does not burn. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes(stirring occasionally). Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Let it cook for another 5 or 6 minutes.

Add your very very vegetable sauce to cooked pasta. Yum.

photo via wikipedia

Anticipation

Last we talked it was late November and now we are almost into the last Month of the Year. This time of year is ripe with anticipation for the new year, winter, and/or  Christmas/Hanukkah/ Kwanzaa, etc.

So, many holy days, days of celebration and days of activity tend to fill this month. While, I like a feast like the next girl, I did not grow up in a family that celebrated American and or religious holidays so I am always excited and apprehensive about this time of year.

Anyway, I like the idea of tradition and holidays and rituals of winter. As a southerner, I don't really recall winter-except those cases when the weather got crazy.Otherwise, I find it hard to differentiate winter from any other time of the year in my memory. So, I am wild with anticipation for the rhythm of this season. However, below are few things I am especially anticipating.

Winter(/Christmas) Anticipation List

- I can listen to Christmas music without apology. I love Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas and Celine Dion's These are Special Times.

-I can be a total nerd and do my homework in my snuggie. Yep, I have one-don't judge.

-Soup.I love soup. My favorite Chinese restaurant has the best Chicken Noodle Soup.

-A reason to dress in layers. My wardrobe is not made for milder weather. I have too many coats and cardigans to really make it wardrobe wise in the south.

-Yoga. I tend to get back on track with my practice in the winter. There is no escape and usually I feel more motivated to roll out my mat.

-Peppermint and chocolate. Together or apart they are my favorite flavors for the winter.

-Going to Texas to spend some time with the family. Hopefully, it will be ridiculously warm. I miss 60 degree Decembers!

-New beginnings on the horizon. December is great because it ends the year. It is a time to reflect on what you have done well and things you have not done quite as well. Anyway, I like to use December as a spring board for making goals for the upcoming year.

What are you anticipating this winter/Christmas?

But if we learn to think of it as anticipation, as learning, as growing, if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time, what wonderful horizons open out!
Anna Neagle

photo:Library of Congress. No known copyright.

Thanksgiving

Image via WikipediaFor  Thanksgiving, I want to give thanks for all the good things in life: family, friends, forgiveness, love, etc. Mostly, I want to be thankful for resilience. How many times have I had to begin anew this year? How many times have I had to untangle myself from mess and confusion? How many times has someone's kindness embraced me like a cup of hot chocolate?

I've needed a lot of loving this year and I am thankful to have received other people's heart and hopefully given a bit of mine.

Happy Thanksgiving.
-k

P.S. Try this quiz for a little mental cleansing over the break. It is truly impossible!

Splendid

Image via WikipediaFor some strange reason I have a touch of excitement
Not quite sure why.
Isn't that a strange feeling to feel splendid for no good reason?

I suppose that it is much better than feeling bad for no good reason. Lord, knows I have had plenty of those days.

 The truth is when it comes to happiness we want to bottle it up, create a formula and recreate it again and again. We all knows that works most of the time but not always. Happiness is not a commodity any more than circumstance is destiny.

I find that I am happiest when I do not know I am happy. There are moments when the light is just right, the conversation is grace, the biscuit are rising and the air is crisp in your mouth.  Then there are moments in midst of storms when I feel held, understood and mercy.

I suppose happiness is like the rising sun. One drop of it can paint the sky and even a bit of clouds does not hinder the rising.

Maybe, when we think there is a reason behind our happiness we mistake the means for the ends.
Sometimes, we are just who we are. Some days, we are just splendid....
Happy Friday

peace,
k

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance. 

Bruce Barton 

Wishcasting Wednesday

Today over at Jamie Riddler's blog, Jamie asks, what do you wish to celebrate?
I would like to celebrate a job well done.
I am a person who gets too focused on the end product
that I forget to celebrate.

So, I want to take this moment to celebrate a job well done. This has not been a stellar year for me. Or rather the end products have not been stellar but getting to the good has been a wonderful growing lesson. I just want to celebrate that. Sometimes, we think getting what we want is the most important thing but sometimes it is working towards our goals that is most important.

So, I just want to celebrate the act of

putting one foot in front of the other.

Having one hard conversation

after another.Learning one

thing after another. Loving

one moment to the next. Being present

one breathe at a time. It's a beautiful thing!

What do you wish to celebrate?

Remembering: Dual Tape Decks

Image via WikipediaOh, the 90s. What a time!It feels like the world has dramatically changed since I was a kid. In good and bad ways but in terms of fashion and technology-mainly good. However, despite the now-clumsy technology and anarchic fashion the 90s were fun.

So, I am doing a flashback series about some of my favorite 90s things. Now, I am not saying I want these things now but rather really enjoyed them when I had them. It is more like homage series than a longing series. Anyway, this series will feature one thing I miss from that era. First up-dual tape decks.

Why do I miss dual tape decks? Well, first you could record songs off the radio and make some ridiculously good mix tapes. Second, you could record yourself singing alongside a tape in the other deck. This was utilized a lot my house. We torment our neighbors with our renditions of early 90s pop and r&b songs. Third, rewinding made you patient. Okay, I don't miss rewinding. I do miss tormenting my neighbors with my singing alongside my two childhood besties-k. and a.

Do you remember dual tape decks? Miss them?

Weekend

-Saw the Dresden Dolls. Ridiculously fun. Watch the video at your own discretion,though.


-Caught up on some things this weekend. Well, not my laundry.
-Sealed and spray-painted my clay bowl.
-We got a new rector. I am always incline to like someone who loves shoes and puppies.
-Realized that I need to gracefully get out of a tight spot(or few). Actually, I really need to go with my gut and not say yes-when I mean no!
-Made one too, many visits to Rite Aid. It happens.
-Jumped through some leaves with L. Oh, I am sure the neighbors love us!
-a sweet text from P.

Anyway, looking forward to the upcoming week. I need to be really pro-active in dealing with a few things and I am eager to get those "confrontations" out of the way.

How was your weekend? What are you looking forward to this week?

Saturday, my lover

Image by Pieter Musterd via FlickrAs you know, I love early mornings.
Today, I woke up at the usual time. It is really hard to sleep in when you are so use to getting up at the crack of dawn.

Plus, it was wonderful to watch the day roll in and turn itself on.
Serenading me this morning was the band practicing at the stadium down the road. Today is game day and it will no doubt be a bit rowdy around here.

In the meantime, I am preparing a saturday breakfast.
I love to have scrambles on Saturday. A scramble is really like a breakfast stir fry-eggs or tofu, veggies(tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, etc.) and some rice or beans on the side.

On another note,I suppose that my day is enhanced by the fact that I got to spend some quality time over this week with a few of my closest friends via phone, email or face-to-face. It is always good to feel loved on and to return the favor. We often underestimate the significant of relationships. To paraphrase, one of my favorite used book store employees, Joseph-"When my relationships are right, all is right". So, true.

I am easily seduced by a Saturday morning, a wild bird song, a trumpet in the distance or a vagrant leaf. Often, it is falling in love with the mundane that makes life truly sing. I hope you are falling in love with your weekend as well!
peace and love,
-k
P.S. Listening to this mix.Mellow music-I heart thee!

Things to Remember

I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle-Thich Nhat Hanh

I wrote this list to encourage myself. To let myself know that life is really a beautiful thing. When I see my thoughts I notice certain tendencies and how those tendencies tend to influence my behaviors. I can love those tumbles and I can always learn from them.There are things we can do (and things that can be done) that hinder that but ultimately-'Tis Wonderful. Life is something to be embraced with one's whole body, whole spirit and sometimes I just need a extra helping of love to get me to the good.

8 Things to Remember when You are a Little Wobbly.
1. It's okay to not have it all together. Nobody really does!
2. Your are wonderful as you are. Avoiding negative emotions really never works. You always end up more stressed. You are not a bad person for being human.
3. You can begin again at any moment. Each moment, day, hour is a time to begin again. You can take a deep breathe and try again.
4. Isolation can be dangerous. Sometimes, we think we need to be alone but if your alone time is not rejuvenating you it is probably not doing you any good.
5. Misery loves company. Watch the company you keep. Sometimes, we let the worst in ourselves come out in certain crowds. If that is the case, reevaluate your people surroundings and try to relieve yourself of toxicity. However, make sure it is not you that is the toxic element. It is not always other people.
6. There is always a light in the darkness. It may be a small light but it can still shine.
7. Sometimes being kind to others is the kindest thing you can do for yourself. Sharing, caring and loving others is a great way to open your heart. Watch that you don't try to overextend yourself, though.
8. Affirm your life. Don't wait until tommorow(when life is prefect, when you have a boyfriend and a million dollars) to live. Live now. Wear that dress, make your favorite cookies, go somewhere crazy. Create a life and live it.

Even if you are not leaving your ideal life- taking steps and enjoying the present is a powerful life affirming message. It basically telling yourself that you rock, that you believe that you deserve to be happy and that life with all its mess is still awesome. Sweetness, indeed.
What do you need to remember to gain perspective?

The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.-Ben Okri

The Little Things

Little makes up the best happiness.
-tara brach

I was recently listening to a Tara Brach podcast and in it she asked the audience to say out loud what do they love. I thought that was juicy and wonderful question. So, I posed the question to myself.

What do I love?
1. Whispering in the library with R.
2. Sunrise.
3. Taking deep belly breathes.
4. Sesame Noodles.
5. American Next Top model marathons.
6. Soft sweaters.
7. Room temperature water.
8. Blue bookshelves.
9. Talking with my mom on Mondays.
10. A freshly made bed.
11. Catching up on RadioLab.
12. Random Kroger trips with L.
13. Picking up my Inter-library Loan books from the library
14. Gingerbread Lattes.
15. Adventures with B.
16. This feeling of love that comes from making this list.


Your turn.What do you love?

Food Quote

Image by 27147 via Flickr

Sensuality and peace begin on the plate- Angelique Shofar

November(A List and a Wish)

Happy November! I hope you are eating pumpkin pie, laughing hard(it keeps you warm),sipping on some tea and staying cozy. Or doing whatever it is you enjoy doing in the fall. This post is part list and part wish. My list for November is at the end of this post. You know-I heart a list.

First up is my wish.Today on Jamie Ridler's Wishcasting Wednesday, Jamie asked-What do you wish to enjoy more? I want to enjoy life more.

Sometimes, I am just bone tired and some days I just want to be lazy(which is always fun in moderation).However, sometimes, I want to get out and have fun but I hold back. I am not quite sure why and my idea of fun is nerdy domestic stuff-so it's not like it's dangerous. However, I want to let my hair down(so to speak) and enjoy life a bit more. It would be cool if my idea of fun expanded, if that is what I need. I think I have a guilt complex about having , too much fun. So, I wish to enjoy myself more and not worry that my having fun is the end of the world. 'Cause it isn't.

Anyway, next comes my November list. Naturally, it is full of my traditional nerd fun. However, I willing to live off the list and discard what I want.

My November hopes/goals are below:
-work on/finish a novel for National Novel Writing Month. So, far I have 0 words.If I can at least get a short story out of this I will be happy.
-Have a game night.
-See the Dresden Dolls.
-Make an apple or pumpkin pie.
-Make some cupcakes.
-Finish a few of my million knitting projects.
-Go running(or a fast walk) a few times a week. I love to torture myself.
-Buy a new handmade ceramic mug.
-Plan my trip to Texas.
-Catch up with some old friends via post and I really behind.
-Make a late fall music mix.
-Go thrifting. A girl has to get good cardigans for cheap some way.
-Have breakfast in bed. Sounds like a good Saturday activity. Maybe, I'll have some cupcakes and pie...
-Make more progress in the Brother's Karamazov. I've slowly started reading this book. It is long but very good. I might trade this activity for my novel writing.
-Deal with that creepy/stalker person in a graceful manner. We all know people like this and avoid them with a vengeance but sometimes, they just can't take a hint.So, now it becomes a matter of disengaging in a firm but graceful way.
-Jump in a pile of leaves! I haven't done that in a while.
-Continue the aura sweeps challenge. They are very energizing.
-Live by the spirit of my list and not be bound to it!

What are you hoping of doing this month?


Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within. --James Baldwin

Some Thoughts(or an Ongoing Conversation)

A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's. -Richard Whately

Image by Gabriela Camerotti via FlickrI am sure we have all heard about the teen suicides that have been going on in this country.They seem to be adding up in exponential numbers over the last few months and it is truly heartbreaking.
Everyone is valuable part of the community's conversation and consciousness. A community that does not honor difference is toxic. A community that believes in conforming at all cost of realness is delusional. A community is unwilling to create a space at the table is self-serving. These things are antithesis of community.True community is about  creating a space of belonging. It is not about policing others and being a bully. Community doesn't mean agreement on everything but meeting at the table of difference with respect and mutuality.

If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice, have recognition for difference without attaching difference to privilege.-bell hooks

Image via Wikipedia

Oh, tomorrow is Election day and All Souls Day(or Day of the Dead). Remember to vote.Remember those who have departed.

Mostly, remember to create goodness in your corner of the world.It's what you do in between the dashes that matters. There is so much meanness and darkness in our political sphere/our world right now and its hard not buy into that. It's hard not to feel hopeless. However, there is an endless supply of love in the world. WE just have to be Loves Hand's and Feet.

Do something small and loving-smile at a stranger, hold the door, hug your loved ones, talk with someone who looks sad, engage with someone lonely, redirect the conversation or flat-out challenge it(lovingly)if people are being bulling or malicious and see what happens. We can't make people behave with mandates or shaming but we can be the change we want to see(Thanks, Gandhi).

Have a great week. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
p.s. Here's a one of my favorite songs about love.

Love is an action, never simply a feeling.-bell hooks