1.  In A Tree ~ Priscilla Ahn
Why ~ Reminds of my childhood ~
Watch On YouTube? Click Me, Click Me!

2.  Let The Mystery Be ~ Iris DeMent
Why ~ in the end, all we have is what is in our own heart ~
Watch on YouTube? Click Me, Click Me!

3.  Not Your Girl ~ Bree Sharp
Why ~ we have all been here ~
Okay, not the best cut of the song but the only I could find ~

4.  Nobody Knows Me At All ~ The Weepies
Why ~ it is mostly true and fun to sing : )
Click Me!


5.  Those To Come ~ The Shins
Why ~ I want to make tea in my underwear and then have a cool guy write a song about it!
Click Me!

6.  Clean Getaway ~ Maria Taylor
Why ~ a clean away sounds cool, just something I have never managed ~
Click Me!

7.  Just A Ride ~ Jem
Why ~ b/c in the end that is just what is, might as well enjoy it ~
 Click Me!


8.  Citywide Rodeo ~ The Weepies
Why ~ I love The Weepies and this song makes me want to jump on my stick horse ~
Click Me!

9.  Everything'll Be Alright (Will's Lullaby) ~ Joshua Radin
Why ~ when Joshua says it I believe it ~
Click Here!
Quick Tip:  Please "CLICK" and then open another tab so you don't have to watch the homemade video BLAH!

10.  Raspberry Swirl ~ Tori Amos
Why ~ "I am not your senorita, I am not from your tribe!!" and b/c sometimes I like to dance in the kitchen
Dance Here!


11.  You're The Storm ~ The Cardigans
Why ~ this became the theme song for my 2nd anniversary and b/c "I like the sweet life and the silence  . . . but it's the storm that I believe in" You either get it, or you don't ~
 Click!

12.  Falling Slowly ~ Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Why ~ Daniel and I had this on our wedding mix b/c we do still have time ~
Click!

13.  A Sorta Fairytale ~ Tori Amos
Why ~ story of my life and probably yours too ~
Break a Silver Lining ~

14.  My Life As A Ghost ~ Tanya Donelly
 Why ~ b/c I like ghosties!
Haunt Me!

15.  Tonight And The Rest Of My Life ~ Nina Gordon
Why ~ after some mesa-time this is how I feel ~
 Fall!

16.  Dream ~ Priscilla Ahn
Why ~ for my Grandma Marylyn and all she has meant to me ~
In Memorial ~

17.  Fox Confessor Brings The Flood ~ Neko Case
Why ~ I love Neko Case and wanted to get her on here : )
Listen to the song, ignore the YouTube "video"

18.  The Eagle And The Hawk ~ John Denver
Why ~ when I was little this was the man I was going to marry!
For Love


19.  Landslide ~ Fleetwood Mac
Why ~ maybe the most beautiful song in the world ~
Ahhhhhhh


20.  Born ~ Over The Rhine
Why ~ this reminds me of many late nights with Daniel, playing scrabble over a glass of merlot and it is the perfect song to leave with my dear friends ~ Be Happy Y'All ~
Here's to 2011

Why????

Well, I am always looking for ways to cut-back on how much stuff is sent to the recycling center.  When you make your own detergent all you need to do is keep back one of your old detergent bottles and then you can re-use it over and over!  At our house that saves a LOT of plastic.

Also, it saves a LOT of money!  All the ingredients are inexpensive and you can feel good that the final product is "natural". 

It is simple to make and a great project for the kids.

Here's what you need to get started:

From the store (or your house, depending  :)

 
~ 1 bar of Ivory Soap (or you can substitue Fels-Naptha, Sunlight Bar soap, Kirk's Hardwater Castile, or Zote)
          QUICK TIP:  unbox your soap and let it "air" out for a week before
          grating or even quicker stick it in the freezer for an hour or so before 
          grating to make finer particles

~ 1 box of Borax (in laundry section of your grocery store)

~  1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (baking soda will not work!!) (in laundry section)

From around the house:



~  a five gallon bucket (Tidy Cats 35 lb tub is purrrrfect) 
         QUICK TIP:  Print out a copy of the recipe and tape it to your bucket 
         for quick reference
~  one of your old, empty laundry detergent bottles
~  a washed-out, gallon milk jug (for measuring out 3 gallons of tap water)
~  cheese grater
~  cup measure

Okay, let' do it:


1.  Grate your bar of soap


2.  Place 3 cups of water in a large saucepan on the stove



3.  Add grated soap, simmer over low heat, stirring gently until completely dissolved


4.  Add 1 cup Borax and 1 cup washing soda to your heated soap/water, stir until powders dissolve.  Turn off burner.



5.  Fill 5-gallon bucket with 3 gallons of warm tap water 






6.  Pour melted soap mixture into water, stir well

 
7.  Let your laundry detergent sit overnight, it will become coagulated and gel-like



8.  Stir your mixture, then pour into a re-purposed laundry bottle and shake well before each use (this recipe makes enough to re-fill your laundry bottle many times)

Winter has blanketed us in snow and as it has I batten down the hatches and retreat into the warmth of a cup of coffee.  Spread around me are my dog-eared seed catalogs, each page whispering promises of spring.  In winter, I dream of gardens.

In the back of my mind, in any given winter moment, I can feel August ~ summer in my Grandma's garden.  She and I go sit in the garden as the sun goes down, we talk softly almost drowned out by the cicada song.  The moon flowers wake from their sleep, and bloom all around us.  Magically, large white petals unfold - dinner plates appear in the air all around us.  Here, in this summer place I take a deep breath and enjoy the love.  Grandma is dying, small-cell lung cancer and we both know, this is our last summer together in the garden.  It is a summer jewel, I will keep with me for the rest of my life.



Later in the fall, I come to gather the porcupine seed pods from the moon flower plants, to make my own magic in 2011.  It is hard for Grandma now to come out into the garden.  She is tired and very soon she will be house bound.  On this day, I take her out so she can see her grave-site, make sure all looks right.  The sky is bright blue and the air is warm.  This is our last day together out in the fresh air.  I have my arm around her, to keep her steady but her heart bolsters my own.  She is my strength and my inspiration.

Now, I find myself sitting in the last days of January.  Grandma is buried now in the site we visited.  I miss her everyday, but even in sadness, we have our dreams.   Hope calls us forward into each day.  Small smiles sit in the corners of our childrens' voices and delight nestles in the warmth of sun melting the snow.  Life goes on, even as we collect jewels of sadness, they sit along side and accentuate our jewels of joy.  I am not very graceful as I move through life, but I continue to move forward, trying to create a better day for myself and for the life that teems around me.

And in my mind's eye, I see seeds and sprouts, flowers and fruit.  From the brown, quiet earth a cacophony of green will rejoice.  And in the late summer, I will walk down into my garden and the moon flowers will bloom and everything will be as it should.

Many winter days in our home have been made cozier curling up with a bowl of this soup and it also happens to be my step-son's favorite.  This one is for you Andrew, wish I was there to make it with you!

Inspired by Vicki Buffington, original recipe credited to Alice Carr with many revision by myself

1.  Saute in a large soup pot:
2 tbls oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 oz can green chilies (you can use fresh if you prefer)
2 cloves of garlic

2.  Then add:

2 cups water
1 beef stock cube
1 chicken stock cube
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (we don't always use tomatoes either way it is yummy)
1 28 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 tsp salt
1 taco seasoning packet

3.  Gently simmer for 1/2 hour.

4.  Then add:
1 can yellow hominy, drained
1 can white hominy, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
10 corn tortillas, cut into strips
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
if desired:  2 poached chicken breast cut into chunks (or you can use canned chicken chunks for ease)

5.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until tortillas are tender and cheese is melted

Perfect Fall recipe ~ warm, nutritious and brimming with comfort ~

8 carrots, diced (or thinly sliced)
8 parsnips, diced (or thinly sliced)
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped (preferably chopped by someone other than you ; )
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
3 large potatoes, diced (or cubed)
salt and black pepper
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup hot milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
paprika to garnish (optional)

PARSLEY SAUCE
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1.  Blanch the carrots and parsnips in the stock for 2-5 minutes (depending on personal taste).  Reserve the stock.  Put the oil into an ovenproof dish, add the carrots, parsnips, onion, and half of the garlic.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, cook the potatoes and the remaining garlic in boiling, salted water for 15-20 minutes, until tender.  Drain.  Add 2 tsp of the butter and the hot milk.  Mash, adding salt and pepper to taste.  I also add 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes but you may omit per preference.

3.  You may at this point remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and divide among 4 individual ovenproof dishes or you may leave the veggies in the large oven proof pot (I have done it both ways, and both are fine, just increase cook time by 10 minutes for the larger dish).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Make the parsley sauce:  melt the butter in a small pan, add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and blend in the milk and reserved stock.  Bring to a boil, stirring, until thick.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Pour the sauce over the vegetables.  Top with the mashed potato, dot with the remaining butter (I usually add several small pats of butter :)  and bake for 20 minutes (30 if in larger dish).  Serve immediately, sprinkled with paprika if desired.

From DK's Classic Home Cooking with Mary Berry & Marlena Spieler

"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. "
Henry David Thoreau

This little path was built as part of our permaculture-inspired, front yard renovation.   As with all things, building the path brought a little surprise into our lives.  A nice surprise, so okay, I'll take it  :) 

As I worked in the front yard (on the path and on plantings), I had the opportunity to meet many of my neighbors I had not yet ran into.  In our suburban neighborhood many people keep to themselves.  Busy lives full of jobs, family, commitments, fill up time and building relationships with next-door neighbors just isn't as important as it used to be. 

One of my neighbors, who must have noticed me working in the yard all weekend, drove by just as I was setting the last stones in place and honked at me giving me a big thumbs up ~ but that was not the best compliment -

The children love it!  It is as used as any play place I have ever owned.  Neighborhood kids on walks can't seem to resist, they just zip onto and then back to the sidewalk.  I have to admit it even brings out the child in me and from time to time I skip from stone to stone, arms outstretched, hoping I keep my balance.

We installed the path to protect the trees as we walk to and from the house on our walks, and to help manage a water-pooling issue.  But the fringe benefits are better than the practical benefits.  Who knew sticking to the path would be so much fun!

I have a true talent for growing herbs and all variety of weeds - vegetables I am still trying to learn how to coerce from seed :)  This spring we got the garden out late, had to wait on my bonus check before we could move forward with dirt and the like, and unlike last year I had not started seeds inside.  So our vegetables are in baby form, when the inspiration hits to pull food out of the yard I frequent the herb garden and my "weed" patches.  Foraging is easy and the taste of many of the wild plants are similar to expensive versions of specialty greens.  In fact, in some urban markets "foraged" greens are sold at delicacy food prices.

If you want to forage in your yard start with easy to identify "weeds" like dandelion, chickweed, and plantain.  Dandelion has a spicy, bitter flavor. The plantain is also strong and I highly recommend the freshest, newest leaves as I find the older leaves unpalatable (ditto on the dandelion).  Chickweed is perfect and even the kids will eat it with no wrinkled noses in sight.  It is very light and juicy with a slight crunch ~ mild and delicious, it also makes a fabulous, fresh tea.  I add these foraged greens to spinach or other lettuce leaves and they make a nutritious addition to the traditional salad.

I also like to snip some chives and oregano out of the herb garden for a kick of flavor.  The chive flowers are edible and really pretty sprinkled into a spring salad.  The wild strawberries in the picture above look so pretty in the yard.  They form dark green mats of leaves sparkling with delicate yellow flowers and pretty red berries.  They however are best left to the birds ~ the taste is hard to explain, but pretty much "blucky" sums it up.

I am still learning about foraging and appropriate plants to eat in my area.  It seems pretty cool to swoop into the yard and fill a basket with non-cultivated food.  Earth is a cool, bountiful place and I am thankful for all her gifts, great and small.

Wanna forage for yourself? Helpful links:

Wild Greens: How to forage in your own backyard
Free Food in Your Yard
Healthy Vegetarian Additions from the Front Yard