Making Mom's bread

Mom's bread recipe
Originally uploaded by sassyseltzer

Yesterday I wanted to make enough warm bread to go with stew for my family and to bring to friends. The breadmaker would not do, so I went to my Mom's recipe box for her whole wheat bread recipe that yields 4 loaves. It was a wonderful thing to read my Mom's handwriting and revisit old memories of coming home from school to smell and taste fresh bread, still warm, slathered with butter and honey or cinnamon sugar. Strange how pieces of a person live on after they are gone. But comforting too.

"Feed Me!" "I am, I am!"

"Feed Me!" "I am, I am!"
Originally uploaded by sassyseltzer

Today Emmett came up to me as I was typing on the computer with his Dr. Seuss book, "Green Eggs and Ham". He told me he wanted me to make him some. Thankfully I had the ingredients, and we headed for the kitchen to experiment with green food coloring. Green happens to be his favorite color, so this experiment was pretty much a hit! Though he liked the non-green toast better than anything, he actually ate the meat which he refused in it's natural color several times before. He normally likes eggs, but in the green form only yolks are pleasing apparently. When he dug into the food, he asked, "Can we eat these on the train?" Sorry buddy, that I can't do.

Snowy Monday

It's a snowy Monday in this part of the world. I found today, since I was out there twice involved in the task, shoveling is a good time for reflection. Thoughts seem to arrange themselves better when your body is busy exerting itself elsewhere! Crisp, cool air helps to clear the mind, and the rhythmic motion seems to bring calm. Except of course, when your sweet little three-year old is "helping", which is, in fact, at cross purposes, dumping snow back upon the cleared areas.

Loss

Life has major twists and turns, doesn't it? Things you never imagined you would deal with. Full of gifts and losses. Sometimes the losses are unbearable. Changing directions and finding a way to fill the incredible hole left... Amazing how difficult it can be to move forward. To find a way to function around the hole. Even to see all the positive things that still surround you. To see the lifeline and grab on to it, when what you really want is what you lost.

Learning Mehndi

I am learning the art of mehndi, applying henna paste to the hands and feet to stain the skin to achieve a temporary "tattoo". This is done traditionally as part of the wedding preparation in some cultures. A friend I made through SILC apparently has faith in my artistic ability, because he asked me to do mehndi at a summer festival before I had even begun to learn the art, and asked me again for several other festival occasions, and has now given my name to a young woman seeking an artist for bridal mehndi!! Now, I love the opportunities and the art itself, and I am pursuing excellence in henna work. But I am a beginner. I think I will stick to less dense, more open patterns as much as possible. Last night when I couldn't sleep, I took my last leftover cone of henna and tried to approximate from insomnia glazed memory a gorgeous design I saw here: DarcitaNanda's Henna It's not a close approximation, and I used the hand a couple times before the paste was dry so squished it in a few places... It's nowhere near as fine as the beautiful original. But a record of my first attempt :).

Emmett'sTrick or Treating Experience

We got such a kick out of Emmett tonight while we walked the neighborhood, that I thought I'd share. In the creation phase, he got a little tired of the Elmo outfit he fell in love with and selected for himself. He said it was 'scratchy' and 'I not wear it!' Thankfully, there were a few furry suit-free days, and when he saw his big brother and sister getting decked out he was ready to try it again. He was full of excitement when we started and was running with Clara to each door and letting the "Trick or Treat!" greeting ring out clearly. Before too long, we heard him add something. At first I thought he said, 'Me, too!' Listening more carefully as he spoke to the next friendly neighbor, I realized he was actually asking for, "Two!" So we had a suppressed chuckle over that, and then realized he was consistent about his... request and so we had a little chat about how he should just smile and say, "Thank you!" but shouldn't ask for two. His response was, "OK, need three!"

Thankfully he's cute enough to get away with greediness until we can get the message across :).

Halloween Story: Isabel

by Clara Seltzer, 7 years old


(if you click on it, the page will expand to legible dimensions)