Sometimes I get an idea in my head and then I just think it always has to be that way. But it doesn't.
I have always thought of soup as being made in big batches. I think I got this idea from my Mom ... she always makes huge pots of soup. And then, she eats soup every day until it is all gone. Don't tell anyone, but you can tell if she is in strict diet mode (or not) by checking to see if there is a pot of soup in the fridge.
You don't have to make soup in big batches, though. In fact, it is really fantastic to have a small bowl of soup before your main course at supper time. Your kids will think it is "fancy." And, you don't need to make enough for an army - just enough for everyone to have a small bowl. We refer to them as "appeteazers." And, between you and me, I think it's fancy, too.
The easiest soup to make is a vegie soup ... Chop an onion and whatever root vegetable you like (3 carrots, a couple of medium-sized potatoes, 4-5 parsnips, celeriac or a turnip, whatever); peel and chop a small potato as well. Add some olive oil (a couple of tablespoons - don't be shy) and saute all the vegies together, until the onions are translucent and the other vegetables are beginning to soften. The sauteeing is important because it releases some of the best flavours in the vegies - so do not just plop the vegies into a pot with some broth or water. Season with salt and pepper; then add enough stock to cover everything. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. Puree with a hand blender just before serving; and sprinkle with your favourite fresh herb, if your kids like them. Marnie always says, "No plants on mine, Mommy."
The soup will taste fresh and creamy. Sometimes I will chop leftover penne and add it to the soup after it had been pureed. Sooooo good. I might try creamy potato next, garnished with some crispy bacon and chives .... yum.
I recently found a recipe for soup that makes a small batch and is great for lunch along with a salad. Addison gobbled this up ... so did I. So did Jonesy. It is called David Rocco's Chickpea Soup, and it is easy and quick and fabulous. It has a rich and comforting flavour; the chickpeas become soft and creamy, and the flavours all melt together. If you want to, add some proscuitto when sauteeing the onions. Fresh bread would be great to soak up those last few drips in the bowl. Cannot wait to make this next autumn ...
Try making soup for an appeteazer ... it also brings the family together for a little longer at the table, which can be a great thing - on most nights. Try it for Easter ... a few extra vegetables can't be bad after all the candy consumed by your children. Tell them the Easter Bunny left some carrot soup for dinner ... and then sit around the table together, talking about how a bunny would actually cook soup.
Labels. I love to label my stuff. Spices, the different types of rice I have collected, craft drawers, Christmas decorations. You do it, too, I bet. It makes everything concise and easy to identify. And, it looks pretty and organized, too.
However, I do not like to label people. Because no matter what, people are never easy to identify ... in my opinion. Rarely is there one word to describe a person. And assuming that you know everything about a person based on one of their traits is just wrong ... on so many levels.
A label is a lazy way of describing a person or a group; a way of singling them out from others. But most unfortunately, it leads people to ignore all the other traits about that person, aside from the thing(s) they are labelled as being. Does that make sense? Slow learner, fat, has cancer, air-head, soft-hearted, pretty ... once used, these things become the person. For instance, if you are told that a person is blind, then being blind is really the only thing you can associate with that person; even though she may be a fabulous cook.
"Have you met my Aunt Patsy?" you might ask a friend.
"Oh, is she the Aunt who is blind?" your friend replies. Not the great cook, not your Dad's sister, not the jokester, not the Aunt with the fabulous new apartment ... the one who is blind.
You've heard of that famous study, right? The one where the teacher (Jane Elliott) makes the blue-eyed children superior for a day (over the brown-eyed children). These children get a longer recess, a little extra lunch ... they're special. Because of the colour of their eyes. And the brown-eyed children learn that there is nothing they can do to change their status because they cannot change the colour of their eyes. These were the same children who, on the previous day, had responded that black people were dumb and could not hold jobs ... based solely on the colour of their skin. Of course, if this same study were conducted in today's classroom, the kids would all come to school the next day with coloured contacts ...
I think we can all learn things about ourselves from considering studies like this. What do you think when you notice a person who is over-weight? Or a person who runs (for exercise)? You make assumptions, don't you? We all do ... so don't worry, because you are not alone. Elliott went on to do diversity training with some major corporations in the United States in the 1980s. It is okay to identify the differences in us, so long as they do not define us as people. I would hate to think that people jump to conclusions about me because I have long hair, or because I have three children, or because I like to sew.
Brown-eyed girls, geeks, jocks, blind, poor, famous, ... labels, although seemingly complimentary at first, inevitably impart a negative connotation. Because it points out something that is different from the norm; and everyone wants to feel part of the group, right? Maybe you are thinking to yourself ... who wouldn't want to be known as rich and/or famous? But it is important to remember there are expectations associated with everything. If you visit a friend who is wealthy, do you expect to be treated to a fancy dinner? Or, is it okay that burgers and hotdogs are served? Because if you are unhappy with anything less than prime rib, perhaps you should take a look at your motives for friendship.
And, if people think you are smart, you are expected to be smart ALL THE TIME. But, what if you just want to goof off for awhile, and leave quantum physics behind? Can you? Will people let you be a goofball for an afternoon?
Why is it so important for some people to be "the same?" I'll tell you why ... because there is safety in numbers. Being part of the group provides some with confidence and security.
I revel in the things that make me different from you. I love that you can hit the heck out of a golf ball ... because I cannot. And, did you say that you love gardening? Because I am pretty sure that I have murdered just about every single plant I have ever owned. In fact, there is a plant on the table in the foyer who is shaking with fear right now. But there are lots of things that I am really good at ... things that may not be your area of expertise. I can bake the best cheesecake you have ever tasted - guaranteed. I am a self-proclaimed expert in the field of infertility. I taught myself to crochet and cable knit ... no small feat. I'll tell you about it one day. So, don't just think of me as a plant murderer ... because there is so much more to me than that.
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Don't think you know everything there is to know about the complicated disorder known as Autism. Educate yourself.
If you want to learn more, click here.
I tried really hard. It's true. Actually, it's kinda embarrassing.
Today is April Fool's Day, and I wanted to come up with some kind of clever prank to pull on you.
But my brain does not work in that way.
I can give you my opinion on someone else's prank, or I can describe someone else's funny idea; but I cannot generate my own funny and clever prank. I am not devious enough or clever enough, I guess.
I think that part of the problem is that I don't really find April Fool's jokes all that funny. Most of them are stupid. Or, they make you feel stupid. Either way ... not enjoyable for me. I am a girl afterall, and my feelings ride close to the surface.
I have saved you the trouble of trying to figure out the origins of April Fools Day, or All Fools Day as it is known in some areas of the world. Nobody seems to know when the tradition started, but it seems that April 1st has been a day of pranks and jokes for a very, very long time. There are some who have found references to the celebration that go back to the 1300s.
So, since I could not come up with a prank of my own, I thought it might be fun to tell you about some of the pranks other people have come up with ...
In 1957, a respected BBC news program reported that due to an unusually mild winter and the unexplained disapperance of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were experiencing a bountiful spaghetti crop. Footage of women pulling spaghetti off trees was shown during the broadcast. Click here to watch the actual report. Watch it, if for no other reason than to chuckle at the women picking spaghetti in mid-calf-length skirts (for some reason, I so love them!) and high heels.
In 1998, on April 1st, Burger King announced the introduction of its newest sandwich ... the Left-Handed Whopper, specially designed for all their left-handed customers. According to the advertisement, the new Whopper would include the same ingredients as the original Whopper but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. According to Burger King, customers requested the new sandwich all day, and similarily, some were ordering the right-handed original. Honestly? There are people that (and I hesitate to use the word, but I think it might called for in this case) stupid?
In 1976, a famed British astonomer announced on BBC radio that there would be a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the planets occurring at exactly 9:47am. If you jumped in the air, at that exact time, he explained (in a very official-sounding voice), you would experience a strange sensation of floating. People called into the radio station to report having felt the sensation; one woman proclaimed that she and her friends actually floated around the room. I wonder if these are the same people who ordered the left-handed Whopper twenty-two years later?
Someone took the time to record the top 100 April Fool's Day jokes; click here if you want to read them all. There are Loch Ness pranks, political hoaxes, someone changed the value of Pi, someone claimed to have found a real fairy, and a warning to unplug all computer-related equipment on April 1st because the Internet was undergoing some Spring Cleaning. People, it seems, will fall for anything. And beware the British because it appears they get the biggest kick out of April Fool's Day jokes.
So, move through out your day with some caution. Especially if you live with a prankster ... check the salt shaker and be wary of anyone with extraordinary news ...
Yad sloof lirpa yppah!
Do you think you have any control over your own destiny? Or are you at the hands of fate?
I have finished Holes, by Louis Sachar. It is a children's novel, and Amazon recommends it for the nine-to-twelve-year-old age group. Caiden has taken an interest in it, and is going to read it next. Do you know how great it is to share a reading experience with your child? Don't get me wrong, it is super fun to read a story to your child, and laugh together or teach something new; but it is a whole new experience when your child hears you talking about something and wants to read it for him/herself. I hope he follows through ...
Holes has been awarded no fewer than twelve awards, and if you search the Internet, you will find that it is used in classrooms across North America. It is one of those books that has found wildly popular success for no particular reason. It is well-written and all of that; and the story is unique and imaginative. But I could not say why it has triumphed over other children's novels.
Stanley Yelnats has been wrongly convicted of stealing some shoes, and the Judge sentences him to eighteen months at Camp Green Lake. He figures it will be a great way to serve his time because, since his family is poor, Stanley has never been to summer camp. However, he quickly learns that Camp Green Lake is the not the type of camp he imagined.
The boys in the camp spend their days digging holes in the hard clay dirt. It is thought that if you force a bad boy to dig one hole every day in the hot sun, he will turn into a good boy.
Stanley quickly figures out that there is more to digging the holes than trying to reform the boys. They are looking for something. And, if you want to know what they are looking for, you will have to read the story yourself. Or, make it required reading for one of your children. They'll like it ... I promise.
According to Dictionary.com, fate is defined as that which is inevitably predetermined, or one's destiny. Did you know that "luck" is listed as synonym for fate. Luck is defined as the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities. I have never thought of luck and fate as interchangeable terms; should I?
Luck is a term used frequently in Holes. Stanley grew up being told that his family's chronic bad luck could be blamed on his "no-good-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." Can luck determine your fate? Is your fate determined by your luck? Do you think that you will end up in the same place in life, no matter which path you take? No matter what kind of luck you have?
I believe that life is series of decisions, and your path will be determined by the choices you make. And, I do think that no matter what choices you make, you will land in the same place eventually. And by "place", I am not referring to a particular location, but rather a state of mind. I was meant to have children ... I really believe that. I chose to aggressively pursue them, seeking medical intervention and understanding. However, I ended up pregnant (3 times) without the help of any medical professionals. I believe that I would have ended up pregnant whether I went through all those treatments or not. It was fate. And having children helped to shape the person I have become. Unfortunately, sometimes it is easier to see your fate in hindsight.
I believe that if I am to stand at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and gaze up at its amazing beauty because it is important for my personal journey, then it will happen. Maybe not next year, but sometime. But what are the things I am meant to do with or in my life, that I have not even thought about? Good or bad, I look forward to doing them. No, wait ... I look forward to the good because I really feel like I've had my share of bad.
In this respect, I feel that Stanley would have had the opportunity to meet Zero at some point in his life - whether it was at Camp Green Lake or somewhere else. Zero is another boy at the Camp, and the two boys' families share a sorted past. A past that must be rectified.
All the boys at Camp Green Lake have nicknames ... nobody is known by their "real" names. Stanley becomes Caveman; Hector is known as Zero. There is Zigzag, Magnet, X-Ray, Armpit, Squid. The boy who once slept on Stanley's cot was known as Barf Bag ... not the person's bed I would want to take over.
Some nicknames can be fun ... like Jonesy. When handed their team jersey, I believe all boys are also christianed with their new hockey name. It's easy to do ... just add "y" to the end of your last name ... Shawsy, Burkey, Velby. However, there have been exceptions, like the way St. Pierre became Saints; one guy was known as Chaz; still another was known as Body. Hold on ... us girls came up with that nickname; and it was more of a code name as opposed to a nickname. But still, that was how he was known. Sometimes, while watching a boring NHL game, I'll try to guess the players nicknames ... this is how the Jones' entertain themselves on a Saturday night in the dead of winter. Nicknames with a side of cold beer - you just can't buy that kind of fun, can you?
But sometimes, nicknames can be hurtful. Zero actually got his nickname because his last name was Zeroni, but everyone assumes it is because he's worthless. And because he is not very smart. When I was High School, I had a friend whose nickname was Pie ... because everyone got a piece. Ugh. She was a really good friend, and although I had absolutely nothing to do with generating this nickname, I felt ashamed of it for her. It was with great hesitancy that I used it. But you know, although it must have really hurt her, she handled it with panache. I would have cried and cried, forcing everyone to use it behind my back, giggling. But not my friend; she used the nickname herself and she made it funny. She also made it okay to use the nickname. So we ALL called her Pie. And it became just a word, like any other name; it got to the point where I didn't even think of the meaning behind it when I used it. But I'm sure she never forgot. I'm sorry I ever used it ... I should have stood by what I knew was right. But I was seventeen; what can I tell you?.
I don't recall preaching, but I must have. To be honest, I never felt pressured to try drugs; although I was given the opportunity several times. I would just politely decline and move to a different area of the party. And, I really didn't care if my friends chose not to decline ... but obviously, I must have made my feelings (on the subject) clear. I didn't take offence to the nickname, and don't think there was any maliciousness intended in using the name. The girls only used it when they were making plans that they knew I would not be interested in.
"Oh ... here comes the DPC ... we'll talk about it later ..."
It is easy to speak loud and clear about something when you are confident and/or knowledgable on the topic. When your opinion is strong. Or when your mother has preached and preached until you just believe what she has told you as fact.
I have done this to my kids, too. Never ride a motorcycle. Ever. Never, ever smoke a cigarette. Never try drugs. And, you have to nineteen to try a beer. The first two will be the easiest to enforce ...
Did you know that Stanley Yelnats is the same spelled backwards as it forwards? The fancy term for this is palindrome. I have spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure the purpose of using a palindrome. I cannot find anyone who has an answer to that question; so, I can only assume that there is no reason. Other than to make people point it out.
Maybe it was my destiny to point that out ... that there is no purpose in using a palindrome. For some reason, in my personal journey, it was important for me to learn that.
Let's hope there is more to my journey ...
Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries, is next ... looking forward to an adult story ...
I recently found a recipe for soup that makes a small batch and is great for lunch along with a salad. Addison gobbled this up ... so did I. So did Jonesy. It is called David Rocco's Chickpea Soup, and it is easy and quick and fabulous. It has a rich and comforting flavour; the chickpeas become soft and creamy, and the flavours all melt together. If you want to, add some proscuitto when sauteeing the onions. Fresh bread would be great to soak up those last few drips in the bowl. Cannot wait to make this next autumn ...
