Family Time, Unplugged

'I just spent the nicest weekend with my family. It was so nice, I just had to stop and tell you all about it. I'm still working on posts about Hawaii, but while the past few days are still fresh in my mind I'm going to write about them.

My brother and his children came up from the Houston area for a visit. We gathered at my niece's house, three generations. My siblings were there (2 sisters, 1 brother,) most of their children and even a few grandchildren. My oldest sister and her daughter live next door to each other on the same 25 acre tract of land. They have a swimming pool at one of the houses and a guest apartment above the other garage, all collectively referred to as "Carrie's Compound." We split up the cooking duty, with each of the "moms" taking a meal or two over the four-day visit. I brought lunch on Saturday, designed so everything could be eaten with fingers, outside around the pool. There was roasted shrimp, thinly sliced ham and turkey, crusty baguettes, mixed berries, grape tomatoes, watermelon and my Grandma's special ginger/molasses cookies. I brought extra of everything except the shrimp so that they would have some snack items later that evening. Not one crumb was leftover.

It was an unusually mild afternoon for a Central Texas June; the mercury stayed around 90 and the sky a little cloudy, making it very pleasant to sit in the shade of the patio and visit. At various times we swam in the pool, relaxed in the hot tub, sat around and talked, played Rumikube, created giant bubbles and generally had a great time. 

The giant bubble maker

The players of the games changed seamlessly, with people coming and going as they needed. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, with none of the tension sometimes endured when families gather. I was struck by how unplugged we all were. No one was talking on the phone, watching videos or playing electronic games. I, personally, am surgically attached to my iPad, but I left it in my purse all day. I will confess that I used my phone to take these photos and send a couple of text messages to my niece in Hawaii to let her know what we all were doing and that we missed her. I'll also admit that our 16 year old checked her texts a few times, but not very many. I was amazed at how long she just sat, talked and laughed with her dad; it warmed my heart. On another note, our 13 year old was grounded off her phone, else she would have been in constant "text" mode. 

My brother and his 16 year old daughter sat together for ages and just talked. She only checked her phone a few times.

Rumikube action; no batteries or cords required.

Today everyone wanted to go see the new Superman movie, so I opted to stay with "The Baby," our 3 year old Andy. He is my brother's youngest son and the delight of our family, coming along when we didn't think there would be anymore babies. Andy and I were alone together for about 5 hours and had the most delightful time. He is a big chatterbox (ahem, my nephew) so I talked, made up stories, read to and sang with him all day. The television, iPads and movies were all there, but when, personally needing a little break, I asked him if he wanted to watch any of them, he said, "No, let's play." That really amazed me, given how much he is fascinated by the iPad, something I wrote about last year when he was still only two. You can read about it here. 

It just goes to prove again to grownups that what children crave the most is not more stuff, but more time together. And not just being there physically, but participating, even when we are tired and want to turn on the television to babysit for a while. I played all afternoon and ended up coming home so energized that I cleaned and leaf-vacuumed our pool before I collapsed for a nap. It made a memory I'll always have. 

I'll say it again, "Who could resist that face?" Not me for sure.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be on a gambling trip with one of my friends, celebrating her birthday, for the next few days. Wish me luck!

Challenge - Day 2: "Something You Adore"

Day two of my writing challenge and I am already cheating. Well, maybe not cheating, but at least interpreting the challenge to my advantage. But since I made up the challenge, I decided I get to determine the rules. My guess is that they will change as I go along, a little like Calvin Ball in the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip.

"Something You Adore" defines that it should be a thing and not a person. At first I let my head run with that for a while. What do I adore? A few things popped in for a brief visit but didn't stay long. I thought, "If I don't even want to think about these things in detail, why would anyone want to read about them?" The meaning of "adore" carries with it a higher, almost reverent tone. "O come, let us adore him," is a little more serious than my feelings about favorite foods or Masterpiece Theatre. 

During all these ramblings my mind kept coming back to one object, something I did adore, but here's my dilemma. The thing I adore is a studio photograph of My Girl, about whom I have written here and here again. Plus, this is supposed to be a writing challenge and not a photo one. But then I got decisive. This photo is a thing and when you see it, you will know why I adore it. My Girl's mom gave it to me for Christmas and it is one of the most beautiful, creative portraits I have ever seen. I adore both the photo and the subject. Don't you?

No Brag, Just Fact

My nephew is brilliant. He is two years old, won't be three until the end of September, and is already computer literate. I recently spent several days visiting my brother and his family and came away amazed by this child. 

Let me say that he has the benefit of an older brother and sister (12 and 15) who spend a lot of time with him. They are both very tolerant and attentive, which is wonderful to see. Big sister, Katie, has an iPod touch, on which she has loaded numerous apps for "the Baby," which is what everyone, including himself, calls him. His real name is Andrew. Whenever Andy is bored or needs entertaining, he says, "Tatie's pod?" and immediately starts to play. He knows which apps are his, knows how to open and play the games, knows how to change his avatar if necessary. 

Staying occupied at Cracker Barrel

While I was visiting, he discovered my iPad and was instantly intrigued. "Net Net's pod?" he asked. I cautiously handed it to him.

Andy and brother discover Net Net's pod.

Lest you think we had to tutor him, let me correct that notion. He knew exactly which apps were games or kid stuff and went right to them. He played the games by himself, loudly refusing any assistance. A few times he mixed up the "play" and "menu" buttons, but quickly learned the difference. One time he opened a spreadsheet function by mistake, but knew he wanted out of that one. 

He grinned up at me and said, "Baby likes Net Net's pod." One afternoon he found me, sitting on my bed, checking my email. He stayed at the door and just stuck his head in. "Hi Net Net." "Hi Baby, what are you doing?" I replied. "Net Net's pod?" he asked with a grin. Who could resist that face?

He's a genius. No brag, just fact. Just had to share. 

Thanks for stopping by.

What I'm Doing Instead of Writing My Novel

I've had a great big dose of self-realization lately about how undisciplined I have become. Remember that I took the NaNiWriMo challenge, to write 50,000 words of my novel during the month of November? Well, it's not going so well. Here's what I've been up to instead of writing.

Jigsaw Puzzle: Scott and I bought a great puzzle at the gift shop at Mammoth Cave during our October RV adventure. It shows a collage of post cards from many of the country's national parks. Here is the poster that came with the puzzle.

Even though it was a 1000 pieces, we thought, "This shouldn't be too bad; look at all the words and small images. They will be easy." So we started off on a quiet Sunday morning. Scott put the pieces on the spare poker table, which made a really good puzzle venue. You could lean on the padded railing and contemplate without having stray pieces stick to your arm and fall on the floor and get chewed up by the dog. We quickly put the border together, congratulating each other on our prowess.

Then came the word pieces, like "Hot Springs," some of which really were easy to find. 

Lucy sat nearby, fascinated by all the activity.
 

  
Seven hours later it looked like this. Not as much progress as we had hoped for almost a whole day. 

  
Little did we know that we had done the easiest part. The middle of the puzzle was a killer, which we worked on for at least three more days over the next two weeks. Those big letters that said, "America's National Parks?" Those were the worst and had to be assembled using puzzle shape alone, which is not my forte. I'm better at color. Scottie saved the day and got them done. Ta dah!

Another RV Adventure: Around the second week of November, we discovered the moon would be full and the temperature cool after a cold front had blown in, so, like all normal people, we headed for the beach. Seriously, Scott and I love to go to the beach in the fall and decided, since we still had Maureen's RV, to drive down to Mustang Island for a couple of days. There were a few people at the campground, but the beach was almost deserted. As promised, the moon was full. Here it is, just beginning to rise in the east ...

 ... while behind me, the sun is setting in the west. 

 I spotted these tracks and found the little guy not far away.

  
He did not cooperate by staying still for his photo. After many attempts, this is the least blurred one I got.

  
We spent most of the next day walking on the beach and reading. I went in the water for a little while, but it was too cold for Scott. The dogs would have nothing to do with it either.

We kept them tethered at the campsite, but they still had a good time. Lucy may be sitting on a pillow outside, but she's still on guard duty!

Grandparent's Day: Last week my girl's school sponsored Grandparent's Day and a Thanksgiving lunch. Her grandparents were not able to come until lunch time, so she asked me to come spend the morning at her school and attend the music program as well as the lunch. I jumped at the chance and had a wonderful day.

Did I wish I were home, writing that novel? Not for a minute. It will get done someday, when there aren't any more days like this one. I've learned to grab those moments of joy and hold on as long as I can, for they are few and fleeting. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and thanks for stopping by.

Spa Divas In Training

I had a wonderful day today. Right now I'm at that relaxed stage where you're not really conscious of any part of your body. You know, nothing hurts, nothing feels tight, nothing even itches -- everything feels melted and it's all good. I'll tell you why.

There are a lot of September birthdays in my family; so many that we have combined parties, otherwise we would run out of weekend days to celebrate. Today was the party for Connie, Sasha and Sierra. Since it was an all-girl birthday, we decided to have an all-girl spa day. Carrie arranged for a wonderful lady named Barbara to bring her equipment and supplies and provide spa treatments for all of us. 

We started early, 10:00am, in order to get ahead of the heat. (As a side note for those of you who don't live in Texas, our temperature range for today was: low 55º, high 100º. That's a 45º change and we expect the same for the next week.) First up was a body and facial scrub. We put on our bathing suits covered ourselves with fragrant scrub then rinsed off in the outdoor shower around the pool. 

Next came the seaweed and mud pack. We started with my girl, Sophia, the youngest at the party. It took a few minutes to persuade her that covering herself in mud was a good thing. 

But she was a real trooper and gave it a try. I was so proud . . . spa diva in training. I knew my influence on her would be good. 

She and Sierra loved it. I think this is the photo of the day.

Connie really enjoyed the step where you relax and let the mud do its work.

And I looked like Beverly Hills Camouflage. 

While we were relaxing, Barbara conditioned our hair and wrapped our heads in warm towels.

 Sophia told Carrie she looked like an Egyptian queen.

 The three sisters -- Gooey, Aunt Connie and Net-Net to the girls.

That last one reminds me of the passage from Macbeth about the three weird sisters (aka witches.) 

" The weyard sisters, hand in hand, 

Posters of the sea and land.

Thus do go about, about.

Thrice to thine and thrice to mine

And thrice again, to make up nine.

Peace, the charm's wound up."

 After the mud it was back to the shower and then time for dipping our hands and feet in warm paraffin.

We peeled off the paraffin, massaged in the residual oils and covered ourselves with another creamy lotion to finish. 

So now you know why I'm feeling so good. Best birthday party ever. Happy Birthday to all to to all a good night; I'm melting into bed.

Thanks for stopping by.

My Girl, Part 2

A few weeks ago I wrote about my seven year old niece and the joy she brings to my life. I also posted a side-by-side comparison of photos of her and her mother, to show their remarkable resemblance. 

After that post my sister, grandmother of my girl, sent me a photo that recalled one taken in about 1973. When I got the new photo, I had to go find the old one so I could share both with you. The old photo was of my girl's mother at age three or so. She was in a boat with her parents and wearing a life jacket and straw hat. There was a string hanging from the hat that kept bugging her, so finally she reached up to pull the string and her mother snapped this photo. 

The new photo is of my girl, in a startling similar pose:

I know. Deja vu all over again. Maybe you'll understand why my brain suffers too much from time warp. At least that's my excuse.

On another note, my friend Maureen and I are taking her motor home to a nearby state park this weekend where we will park beside the lake, take walks and do nothing but write. She has been working on a historical novel for a while and you know my writing story, so we decided to have a little retreat where there were no plans for anything but writing. I'm hoping to get a few blog posts done as well as continue work on a short story I've started. I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

She Keeps Me Going

My great-niece is seven years old. She is a precocious child, sometimes seeming like an adult in a child's body. She has an uncanny sense for when an adult is just feeding her the "party line" when it comes to things like Santa Claus, where you go when you die and other tough questions. You cannot lie to her; she will bust you every time. And she is my girl.

 Here's my girl on the left...




and her mom in 1977, about the same age, on the right.


It's a little scary, isn't it? Let me tell you, sometimes it really messes with my head. I have conversations with my girl that turn into conversations with her mother. All the time. I'm not sure which one I'm talking to.


Her mother was born when I was in the seventh grade so she and I grew up together. She seemed in many ways like my little sister, particularly when it came to arguing. I taught her to drive and, in most situations, we think and act the same. That similarity has carried on with my girl, and that, too, can mess with your head. Recently my girl treated us all to a "concert" with her child-size electric guitar simulator. The "song" plays and the child can make very real sounding guitar effects in the process. My girl's solo was complete with hair tossing, tongue flicking and dance moves she has seen on some video. Almost whole time, her mother and I were locked in eye contact, wordlessly communicating with each other this message, "How strange does it feel to watch yourself reborn in her?" It is very strange.


She isn't a carbon copy of either of us, except in the remarkable resemblance to her mother. She is definitely her own person and special in her own right. Her world is full of potential that I joyfully and hopefully watch her achieve every day. I can't wait to see what she becomes. I have a friend in his 70's who tells me he hopes he lives long enough to see her grow up, just because he knows she will be something special. I share that dream. 


My girl was born about a year before Scott and I lost our youngest boy, at age 12, in a car accident. In the dark days and years following, sometimes my girl brought the only moments of joy I could find. She kept me going then and keeps me going now. I have other nieces and nephews who I love dearly, too, but this one is my treasure. 


We had a discussion yesterday when the photo in this post was taken. Her mother had put the wash-out pink streaks in her hair to match her new outfit and I told her what a cute little girl she was. She took exception to the classification "little girl," telling me she wasn't little anymore. I told her that in my eyes she was still my "baby girl," so it was a compromise that I even upgraded her to "little." She thought about it and said, "OK, I'll accept that compromise." That's my girl.

Happy Birthday, Baby

My husband loves chocolate and today is his birthday. Years ago I started the custom with him and my boys that I would bake them any cake they wanted for their birthdays. Normally I could steer them toward something in my Hershey's Chocolate Cookbook, something familiar which didn't test my baking skills. Now, I am a very good cook, even if I do say so myself. It's something I really enjoy and have honed my skills and techniques, especially in the last ten years. But a baker I am not. I can do a good job on most cakes, pies and cookies, but I don't like to make pastries or candies. 

I love cookbooks and have way too many, but it is an addiction. About twelve years ago I bought one called Gourmet's Best Desserts. That is Gourmet as in Gourmet Magazine. The photos in this book are fabulous and I just wanted to drool over them and perhaps try some of the less-challenging ones. But my husband found the book, saw the chocolate cake on the cover, looked it up and said, "This is the cake I want for my birthday."
                                                                                                                                                             

Gourmet's Best Desserts - Chocolate Mousse Cake with Ganache Icing

Isn't it beautiful? Who wouldn't want to try to make this beautiful creation for their loving husband? Well, I tried it that first year and since then, every year, he asks for this cake. Let me tell you, it is a killer. I have made it four times and dread it each time. But this week I decided I had to do it again. I had no good excuse not to. I felt fine, his birthday was Saturday so I couldn't claim I had work to do and I had plenty of time to buy the ingredients. Still, I started today less than enthusiastic about my endeavor. Let me explain why.


First of all, this cake takes up four pages in the cookbook - one page for the ingredients and three for method. There is a two-layer cake with chocolate mousse between layers and on top and then a chocolate ganache on top of the mousse. Each of these is flavored with Grand Marnier (orange liqueur.) It takes twenty-five ounces of semi-sweet chocolate -- eight for the cake, nine for the mousse and another eight for the ganache. There are eight eggs in the cake and six in the mousse, plus butter, sugar and, surprisingly, less than a cup of flour. I don't even want to think about the total calories, but, it is his birthday and he can afford a piece or two. (The rest will be snatched up by his poker buddies tonight.)


Second, for someone who doesn't like to follow recipes, this is a nightmare. I know enough about baking to know that you can't just wing it like you do as a cook. Alton Brown has taught me that baking is chemistry and that measuring and method are critical. This cake's instructions are detailed and delicate and remember, there are three pages of them. I started the cake at 10:00am today and did not get it into the refrigerator to chill until 3:00pm. That is five hours on one cake. To be fair, some of that time was chilling time - the mousse has to chill before and after you put it on the cake and then the ganache has to chill after you pour in on, before you can pipe the buttercream for decoration. 


Third, it has to be decorated. My typical cake decorating consists of swirling the icing around or putting colored sprinkles on top. This cake requires a pastry bag and piping on the cake, something in which I do not excel. But I did my best and here is the result:

As you can see, I skipped all but one of the orange slices in the decoration because, when I tried that before, the juice from the oranges made everything a little messy. I made a noble effort and the bottom line is, Scottie (husband) loves it and it tastes unbelievably good.

So Happy Birthday, Baby. You can have your cake and eat it, too. 


As for me, I'm already thinking about how I can get out of making it again next year.