Falling in love with my nook

I loved the idea of having an ereader so I started researching  popular ereaders.  I went back and forth between Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Nobles Nook. I decided on the nook. I kind of think they are both pretty cool actually. I love my nook but  I imagine if I had the Kindle I would like that too.  Reading is easier with an ereader. Buying books, reading about books, sampling books, turning pages, looking up words, bookmarking...it's all so easy. I've also learned how to utilize some of the "extras" like adding my own screensavers and music. It took me a few weeks to really start reading and using it, but once I got into reading via my nook it quickly became second nature for reading. I'm reading more, I find that I enjoy the reading experience more as well.
Recent reads: The Heights by Peter Hedges, A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff, Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard, and Eat Pray Love by Liz Gilbert.
Next up: Juliet by Ann Fortier, and Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and Ape House by Sara Gruen. Also in my nook library  are several books that I picked up on Free Fridays. Each Friday Barnes and Noble announces the free ebook for Nook users to download for that week!  And there are lots and lots of free books available on the site. Most of the classics are free or around $1.99 Currently I have about 26 books in my nook library. I can  "archive" books so they don't take up space on my nook, and if I want to read them again I can put them back in "my nook libray". Pretty cool, n'est pas?
I think I've only scratched the surface of things I can do with your nook. In my library is the book: Using Nook by Jim Cheshire. If someone wrote a book about Using nook this tells me there's more to my ereader that meets the eye. For the basics B&N has some video tutorials that are great to get one started on using their new nook.

Reading and Watching now

I recently finished reading The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell after it was recommended on Goop.com (Gwyneth Paltrow's weekly newsletter). I eally enjoyed the book. Josh's memoir about how he and his boyfriend Brent Ridge (two city slickers) became gentlemen farmers.  Josh keeps it real and because he writes honestly, we the readers can laugh and cry with him and Brent on this crazy ride they are on. They founded Beekman 1802, http://beekman1802.com/  the website is great. Josh and Brent  have a show on Planet Green TV called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys". I've watched the whole first season and loved every minute of it.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Tomatoes are in abundance this time of year and I've made salsa several times already for tacos and nachos! I roughly chop 8-10 tomatoes and toss them in a large bowl, then add 1 large chopped onion and chopped chillies with the seeds removed, and some chopped fresh cilantro. Add to the bowl: the juice of two limes and about a teaspoon of salt. I use Maldon, a sea salt that I like so much I rarely use anything else. I like my salsa medium hot so I add two milder chillies and usually one jabanero (a chili that is on the hotter side) If you like hotter - then you'll want to spice it up by adding more. Next I toss the ingredients together in the big bowl. I pulse the ingredients in my food processor until the mixture is blended and the consistency I like (still a little chunky). Just be careful not to over process or you'll end up with a spicy tomato juice. At this point I strain some of the liquid out as summer tomatoes are pretty juicy! Save the strained tomato juice! If you are making tacos you can add it to your ground meat instead of water when you're adding your taco seasoning! I freeze the rest of the strained juice in small freezer containers to have on hand for another day! It would also make some excellent Bloody Mary's I would think!

French Onion Soup

We made French Onion Soup last week. I am into making soup since we had lunch at Soop (on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley) a few weeks ago! You can eat there or take soup home for dinner. Soop even sells frozen stock and other soups frozen so you can stock up and thaw out when your ready. Awesome! I have several containers in my freezer right now! souptogo.com

Here's a basic recipe that I used to make French Onion Soup.

Peel and slice 4-6  large onions and then slice the slices in half to make then into crescents. Don't skimp on the onions!  Add 3 tablespoons olive oil  and 1 tablespoon butter to a large saute pan. Add onions and stir to coat. Let the onions cook 10-12 minutes over medium-high until they are softened and begin to brown. Add 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh). Lower heat to medium and continue cooking 30 minutes more or until the onions are well browned, stirring frequently. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour in the pan and stir until well blended. Add 1/2 cup white wine and 8 cups chicken or beef broth, bring back to a boil then reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Toast 6 slices of french bread that have been rubbed with a garlic clove on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into 6 oven proof bowls and float a piece of toast on top. Top with grated swiss cheese and broil about 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling! Serves 6.

What we all crave.

When I was out walking Bella the other morning I was thinking about what makes relationships last? The good ones. The happy ones. Expensive gifts don't make someone feel "special" unless you can really express it in your eyes, words and touch. By listening and responding, laughing and touching. Thoughtful little gifts often mean more because they tell the receiver I was thinking of you. I was thinking of you and want to express appreciation that your in my life.
Last week my daughters were over for dinner on different nights and I was thinking how proud they each make me. They are both beautiful, well-spoken, can tell a great story, have such a beautiful countenances that everyone who meets them likes them. They are also generous and caring. And yet I am so busy with my "momness" that that I neglect to communicate what I am really feeling. Instead of telling them "It was so great to see you tonight!" the last thing they here as they walk out the door is "Watch your step going down the stairs!"
They sometimes remind me how frustrating it is to be treated like a four year old. I cringe when I hear it because it's true. I don't mean to do it but I do. I want desperately to change that. The other night, I watched the movie "When Did You Last See Your Father?" Colin Firth played the part of a son who's father never really let him see how proud he really was of him and it caused the son great anguish and sadness in his life. It was a very sad movie but it touched me in a way that caused me a great deal of self refelction on my own parenting. I want my daughters to see that I actually see them as wonderful and capable adults and that I am very proud of them. I also impressed with what wonderful people they each are. I think they are both beyond fantastic! Of course they are human and they make mistakes and make them again just like I did when I was their age. You'd think that by the time I was 25 or 30 that I'd learned a thing or two, but no it was around that time that I'd only started to really learn life lessons in earnest. The biggest mistakes I've made in my life usually provided much needed wisdom I needed for the next step on my journey. And sometimes that next step or curve in the road led to something wonderful. So why do I expect that they should be any different? They are living their life walking in their own path just as I did and am doing mine.
My mother passed away just a week before I was 21. She was not the kind of overprotective mother I turned out to be because her mother, my grandmother was. (maybe it skips generations?) When my mom walked in the door from visiting across town my grandmother would call just to make sure she made it home OK. IT DROVE MY MOTHER CRAZY! If my mother had been around when I was a new mother I am quite sure she wouldn't have been worrying about my mothering skills with babies. But I am pretty certain that when I was worried about letting them ride their bikes up to the local Quik Stop three blocks away she would have said, "Let them go for heaven sake!"
Watching your kids bikes go around that corner where you can't see them. Not for the faint of heart. I did it, and not always with the greatest of ease or grace. If I could go back in time I would have said, "Have a great ride!" I want to learn to tell them to "Have a great ride on this journey of life" and that I can express to them that I believe them to be very capable adults that I am very pleased to know.

Required Reading for the Fashionista

I just finished reading: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas. I was fascinated from page one and devored every word. You'll read about the humble beginnings of Louis Vuitton to what luxury is today and how has it evolved over the decades. Meticulously written and researched, Thomas' weaves the history of luxury into a golden spun yarn, a delicious and lively read.

The Tower Cafe

On Tuesday I had lunch with a friend at the Tower Cafe after we watched a movie at the Tower Theater. The outdoor seating area is like an oasis-it is lush and green and a really nice place to enjoy your meal. The service is relaxed and friendly and the food is really good! I went a little early so I could sketch before my friend arrived. I knew the minute I saw it that I wanted to sketch and paint this fountain.