sister's week

My two sisters flew in from Pennsylvania and Florida on Saturday for a week-long visit. Could be trouble. Anything can happen when the Brown girls get together. There will be feasting, and talking. Gallons of coffee will be drunk. Delta Dawn will be sung on Karaoke. Shoes will be bought. We will celebrate the fact that my oldest sister, Karen, survived her stroke last May and we are all together again. I might take a picture or two. I hope you are busy finding joy this week.

beyond the mystery

I really like this image, which I captured recently. If you look closely, you can see part of a fox's face. I can, at least. To me, he is a friendly fox named Gulliver. Maybe you see something entirely different. Take a few minutes to stare, breathe and relax. What do you see?

In this life, we all view things differently depending on where we are starting from. Interesting. Our thoughts are fluid. Wherever your starting place, I hope that you remember to leave space for wonder and faith.

A few days ago, I reconnected with a very dear friend, whom I have not seen for fourteen years, as, through a series of moves, we had lost touch. But she randomly found me again through a column that I wrote months ago for the Dallas Morning News, though her story is much more compelling than any I have ever written.

From 2006 to 2011, she went through a medical odyssey akin to the afflictions of Job, during which her spleen burst, requiring emergency surgery, she spent time in two different Mayo clinics, as well as numerous hospitals, had  mercury poisoning, and spent three years lying in a dark room with her eye sewn shut and sores all over her body waiting to heal. Yes, this truly happened to my precious friend.

Finally, in 2011, her body started to function again by the grace of God, who had became her truest friend and closest helper her during her period of suffering. Wow. This woman is an amazing and beautiful person, which just goes to show that life is mysterious, and, with God's help, you can probably handle way more than you think. Believe it. Open your eyes and trust.

all depends on what you seek

Don't you get sick of hearing bad news? I mean, I know that terrible things happen and evil people exist, but there is another side of the coin that seems neglected by the media lately. What if they made a rule that for every criminal featured on the news they had to also run a story about a nice person doing kind acts or someone who overcame negative circumstances to pour out positive energy into the world. 

Finding these stories became my new mission a few Sundays ago. There I was at the gym, innocently chugging away on the treadmill. On that machine, you can't help but watch TV, because a bank of six huge screens constantly glares at you on eye level. That day, the news was the killings in Syria. Every time, I looked up, I was assaulted with dead or seizing bodies, many of them children. If I tried to avert my eyes to another screen, the images would appear on that channel. This went on for nearly an hour. I couldn't help but think how the parents of those poor children would feel about their precious babies' lifeless images being flaunted in such a way. It seemed so wrong and disrespectful to those families, while giving overwhelming levels of attention to their killers. 

I decided to go the other way: to find good people and kind acts to write about for my next DMN column. Plenty of people are out there quietly working to do the right thing day after day. These are the folks we need to hear more about. In my prayer and meditation time a few days later, I asked God to show me who to write about. I stumbled on just such a person at 8:45 that very morning at an estate sale. It was weird. The more we talked, the more I sensed a neon "Pick Me" sign flashing above her head. I wonder if, by revealing her so quickly, God was making a point that miscreants, who get all the media play, are rare, while positive folks, who you rarely hear about, are all around us.

My new friend's name is Becky. Her story is interesting and inspiring. She invited me into her home to interview her last week. She even let me take pictures of her cool collections and decorating. These shots are from her house. I am working on the article now. Of course I am nervous about doing a good enough job to get it accepted. I always worry about that. Maybe if I didn't, I wouldn't try so hard, so perhaps the un-confident approach has its merits. Anyhow, if the article gets run, I'll post a link to it here. Please send me all your good vibes as I work on it this week.

Let us be thankful for the goodhearted folks among us and hope that every seed of kindness that manages to get planted grows.

picturing joy

I guess my week of posting dinners got me hooked on posting every day, because here I am again. Only today, all I have is a photo. It is one I took lately. This kind of photography is the most fun to me. This picture gives me a joyful feeling inside, like it somehow represents hope. May it bring you pleasure as well.

7 days, 7 dinners, day 7: taco salad

In this life, sometimes we have trouble. Some days we have pain. sometimes we look for art and find it. This morning, I saw the most spectacular sunrise. What a privilege to see such brilliant colors, clouds, and slant of light. I did not have my camera, but I decided to tote it mornings from now on. I am thankful for sunrise. It reminds me of a Bible verse, Lamentations 3:22,23, which says (about God),"His compassions never fail. They are new every morning."

I am a literal thinker, and need pictures for concepts, so sunrises help me to grasp this verse. No sunrise is the same: they are new every morning. I have gotten so into enjoying walking at sunrise that the upcoming colors in tomorrow's morning sky is now the last thing I think of when falling asleep, as opposed to my morning cup if coffee, which has kept me going for years. Not that I don't still savor my morning Joe. but get outside at 6:45 a.m., people, and look up at the sky. It's amazing.

Day seven of the dinner thing brings us to taco salad. And now I know why my blog is based on randomness. I am so easily bored. This dinner reporting is getting old. That being said, I must declare that Taco salad is the eighth great wonder of the world. So easy and so tasty. QG and I have it at least once a week. You just cook up some taco meat, throw it on top of a pile of lettuce, followed grated cheese, sliced avocado (or guacamole), olives, onions, salsa, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and Catalina dressing. Boom, done.

7 days, 7 dinners, day 6: Italian Quesadillas

On day six of this ill-conceived dinner listing exercise, my creativity finally kicked in. Scanning the ingredients on hand, I got inspired with an idea: Italian quesadillas. Easy recipe, very tasty. Try it.

Gleanfreak's Original Italian Quesadillas 

Assemble the following ingredients:

Italian sausages, 1 per person (mild or spicy to taste)

Rectangular flat breads ( I used Lavash from Trader Joe's)

Grated mozzarella cheese

Grated Parmesan cheese

Chopped onion and garlic cloves

Optional: sauteed peppers or mushrooms, sliced olives.

Boil the sausages in water till done. Dice sausages. Chop onions and garlic, and saute in a tad of olive oil. On half of flat bread, spread sausage, onion and garlic, and your choice of peppers, olives and mushrooms. Sprinkle liberally with cheeses. Fold other half over the top. 

Melt a little butter in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Put a quesadilla into pan. Place heavy pan on top. When browned, flip and repeat. Slice in half, and serve with heated marinara sauce for dipping and green salad.

Also, I read a great memoir the other day: Coming Clean, by Kimberly Rae Miller. It is her story of growing up as the daughter of a hoarder (her dad). But, also, it is the story of how she thinks and how she managed to forge (or fake) an identity in the chaos which was her home growing up. The book is very well done. It gets better as you read. Once you get into the second chapter, you will be committed to reading straight through to the end. 

I am really thankful to my buddy Marion for sending this book to me after she finished it. She knows how much I love a good memoir and how fascinated I am with hoarders. Cha-ching. 

7 days, 7 dinners, day 5: steak

Yesterday's dinner was grilled steak, sweet potatoes, salad and fried bread: a simple feast. The most interesting part was QG's world famous fried bread. It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but who cares. It's delish.To make it, spread butter and garlic powder on the sliced side of a ciabatta roll. Put butter-side-down in a medium heat fry pan, weight down with a heavy pan, and fry till golden brown.

That's all for this post. Too tired for more, as I was up till two am reading an engrossing memoir, which I could not put down. Then, up at six. The night before, I was up half the night because of the neighbors screaming session in their front yard, which waxed and waned from midnight till two. For some reason, these people like to do their screaming and crying outside, so that we will not feel left out of the drama. How thoughtful. Not a good sleep week so far. I'll dish on the memoir tomorrow.

7 days, 7 dinners, day 4: fried fish

As we go through life, I believe it is important to celebrate the little things. So most mornings, I ask God to help me notice simple joys and miracles that I might have otherwise passed by. I've been getting up at 6:15 so I can make my coffee and get out to walk Jamiewoo as the sun rises. What a treat to see the pinks, whites, and blues of sky as that orange ball creeps up.

Today I went to the dentist. I'd not been in over a year for a cleaning because crowns and such hit in the meantime, and I needed a break from that place, so I was not looking forward to my cleaning. I am always nervous that I'll get bad news, like I need a filling replaced, because I often do. But alas, I had a delightful time catching up with my hygienist, who I've been seeing for over ten years, and I got a clean bill of teeth, so I am good for another six months. Aaaah. So happy.

Last night's dinner was fried fish, baked sweet potatoes, and salad. First, a word about buying fish. I learned the hard way to always smell the fish. Sometimes I feel a bit foolish asking to do this, but it is the only way I have found to ensure freshness. So I got a piece of wild caught basa at H-Mart, the amazing Asian grocery store nearby.



To make the fish, I dried it off, dredged it in flour, then dunked it in low-fat buttermilk, then in a mixture of cornmeal and salt and pepper. I used a non-stick pan and fried it on medium-high in a small amount of olive oil till crispy on both sides, about 8 minutes in total.

I zinged up the salad by using arugula and lettuce, and adding feta cheese, finely chopped onion, sliced red bell pepper, and stir-fried pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds). For that, you melt a little bit of butter in a fry pan, add some raw pepitas and sprinkle sugar and salt on top. Stir as they cook on medium till toasty browned and the sugar is melted. Cool on a sheet of wax paper, then add to salad. For dressing, use oil and vinegar, or low fat raspberry vinaigrette.

7 days, 7 dinners, day 3: tortilla soup

Last night's dinner was tortilla soup. It was fresh, flavorful, and easy to make. Here's the recipe I have developed over the years:

Gleanfreak Tortilla Soup

1 cut up chicken, all parts but breasts
7 cloves garlic
1 large onion
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes with chilies
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 small avocado, chopped
grated cheddar cheese
low-fat sour cream
tortilla chips
lime wedges

Put about 6 cups of water in a pot, take 1/2 of the onion and slice it thickly and dump it into the pot with 2 smashed garlic cloves. Leave skin on the chicken, but cut off all the fat you can see. Put the chicken into the pot and boil till it is done, then let it sit in the fridge several hours, or overnight.

Take the chicken out of the water, and skim off any congealed fat. Remove the onions and garlic so that you have clear broth. This will be your soup base. Remove all of the meat from the chicken pieces, tear or chop them into pieces and return to the pot. Finely chop the other half of the onion and the 5 garlic cloves, and saute those in a little butter till onions are translucent. Add to pot. Add the Ro-tel, a big handful of fresh, chopped cilantro, and the broth and 1/2 to all of the can of chilies, depending on how spicy you like your soup. To further enhance the chicken flavor, you may want to also add a chicken bouillon cube, or a couple teaspoons of broth powder (I used Orrington Farms and added 2 teaspoons). Bring this to a boil, and simmer for an hour or so. It is even better the next day.

To serve, ladle soup into a deep bowl, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, add some of the avocado pieces, and some crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream. I like to squeeze a lime wedge over top. Enjoy!

7 days, 7 dinners, day 2: pizza

Oh my Lordie- reading glasses are the bane of my existence. The older I get, the more time I spend looking for them. It doesn't matter how many pairs I buy, they hide when I need them most. I mention this because I have spent the past fifteen minutes (precious moments I will never get back) searching the house for a stinking pair of glasses so as to write this post. Aarrgh! I finally found a sneaky little group of three pairs ganged up in, of all places, my stamps and envelopes drawer. Yay.

As to last night's dinner, it was an American classic: pizza and beer, with crudites thrown in for nutritional value. Fridays we pretty much always eat out with a group of buddies called "the Friday night group". Creative name, right? Anyhow, us three couples have been hanging out most Friday nights for years now. Love those people. Last night was a pool party, then we played the game Wizard. I lost, as usual. Whatever. It was fun.

I was responsible for bringing the veggies last night: simple carrot sticks, broccoli and cucumber slices with ranch dip. I boiled the broccoli pieces for 2 and 1/2 minutes, then plunged them in ice water to make them crisp, yer easier to munch on than the raw variety. Does that count as a recipe? Hope so.

7 days, 7 dinners, day 1: baked chicken

Lately, I've been into making un-fussy dinners that are all about enjoying whole foods prepared simply. It is so fun to create something which can please and nourish at the same time. I get inspired hearing about what my friends make for dinner, and I love taking pictures of food, so I got the idea to blog for seven days in a row showing what we had for dinner the night before. Maybe you will find a recipe or combo to try. Here goes for day 1.

Last night, we had baked chicken with new potatoes and sauteed veggies. The meal could not have been easier to make. First, let me give this tip about saving energy. QG is an engineer, and he hates to waste energy, so we have this little convection oven/toaster oven combo that I take it out to the back porch to bake meals in during the summer, so as not to heat a house we are trying to air condition at the same time. It works out great. 

For the chicken, I bought a whole cut up fryer. I saved the smaller parts to make soup, but used the breasts and wings for this dinner. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Slather some olive oil in a baking dish and put the chicken in. Now cut some new potatoes into pieces about the size of a walnut, toss those with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and place around the chicken. Bake for about 45 min. on 375, or till no pink remains, but bird is still moist.

For the veggies, I chopped up some broccoli and red peppers. Spread a little olive oil in a non-stick pan, toss in the veggies with salt and stir fry on medium heat. At halfway point, clear a spot in the pan and toss in a Tablespoon or two of sesame seeds, stir to brown, then mix in with the veggies. Toss on a Tablespoon or two of cider vinegar and honey, stir as it finishes cooking. That's it. Enjoy!

you are enough

I love this photo because it reminds me to be calm. This life can get crazy. We can't depend on much, but God says, "Be still and know that I am God." I think of that verse a lot. It helps me to breathe and to relax.

It is easy to feel pressured to do more, or be more, that we actually are. Sometimes, I catch myself striving for some unattainable standard, whereby I never complain and am helpful to many people each day. Yes, I'll admit, that's vague, which is part of the problem. It is a standard I faced early on, and then learned to judge myself by. But some things must be unlearned. As women, I think that we need to love ourselves enough to do what we can, as one day follows the next, and to call it good. Period.

Mister Rogers once said,"I don't think anyone can grow unless he's loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be." I love that. It is so true. It applies to how we treat ourselves, as well as how we treat others.

Adventures in Architecture

This past Saturday, my main man, Quiet Guy, and I had an adventure. I read in Friday's paper that starting this month, the Winspear Opera House and the Wyly Theatre in Dallas would offer free "behind the scenes" tours from ten a.m. till noon on the first Saturday. I was on that like a duck on a June bug. Something about creeping about the inner bowels of an opera house sounded irresistible. Never mind that I've never actually seen an opera, nor been to either venue as a paying customer. 

The tour of both places took an hour. It was awesome. I am now super inspired to go to both places to see productions of some sort. 

The Windspear is luxe and tastefully opulent, whereas the Wyly is spartan, in as far as possible, and utilitarian, which provided an intriguing contrast. 

As usual, I got totally distracted by my fellow tour mates. Why is it I always find examining the people on the tour with me more entertaining than listening to the tour guide? I guess, to me, people are the most interesting thing. Look at these two couples, for example. The Hawaiian shirt couple were sooo cute together, and perfectly matched, style-wise. This picture doesn't show it, but she sported thick, cotton, neon-lime-green socks. A bold choice. They held hands the whole time. Awww.

The blue-jacket-gal and green-shirt-dude were also perfectly matched in their way. They did not make contact during the tour, but bounded along energetically side-by-side in an athletic, if slightly detached, manner.

5 Things to be Happy About

Sliced Tomatoes

 Old Dogs

 Flowers

 Jelly Beans

Paris

dishrag people

Quiet Guy and I have a mixed marriage, but somehow we've managed to make it work. He comes from sponge people, whereas I come from dishrag people. Dishrags are lovely because you can toss them into the laundry pile at the end of each day and start out with a fresh one the next. Sponges, on the other hand, when used daily and repeatedly for washing dishes and counters, are just plain nasty with their dingy grey splotches and their funky smell. The scent gets worse as the weeks of service wear on, but sponge people never seem to notice. Their noses have become dysfunctional with years of sponge overuse. 

The first time I visited QG's mom's house, when we started dating, it was rough, what with that ancient sponge looming in the kitchen sink. That sponge was old enough to have grandsponges. And I had to eat the food that touched its sponge-wiped surfaces. By day three, I broke down, uttering ever so softly to Jane, my future mother-in-law, "Do you think we should possibly switch that sponge out for a fresh one?" 

"Why would we want to do that?" She asked, oblivious to the non-stop germ orgy happening in her very sink. I knew then I had my work cut out for me, but managed to pull QG over to the dishrag side as soon as we got hitched. It was a condition of our engagement. 

So, when Jane visited our apartment after the wedding, one of her first questions was "Where's the sponge?" 

I said, "We don't have a sponge, but the dishrag's hanging right there on the faucet." She looked at me. Her jaw dropped open, then slowly closed. The next day, she bought us a sponge. It quickly got lost. she bought another. That, too, got lost. Funny how that happens.

I have turned QG into a dishrag person. He is the only turncoat in his entire clan. Naturally, on our recent vacation with his family we had to endure the sponge. Not a dishrag in sight. Oy. I wanted to shout, "You're killing me, people." But I didn't. I tossed myself under the sponge bus for the entire week without a peep. It was downright heroic, if I say so myself.

The reason for all this yammering is today's craft. I want to show you how to make a quick and easy linen dishrag. For whatever reason, I am picky about dishrags. I don't like the thick ones you often see in stores. I like thin-ish, yet strong ones, and linen is the perfect material. Also, it is easy to find bargain linen items at Thrift Shops which items can be re-purposed for dishrags, pillows and such. Here's how to make a dishrag out of a jacket. I picked this one up for two bucks. You will have leftover fabric and I'll give you ideas on what to make with that one day soon. Wait for it.

Lay out the jacket and cut away all of the seams. Now, use the back portion to cut a 20 inch by ten inch rectangle. I used a rotary cutter. Fold it in half to form a square and stitch raw edges together, but leave a 2-3 inch open space along one side. Snip corner-tips off. Now turn right-side-out, pulling the fabric through the opening. 

Use a hemming tool or butter knife to press edges and corners out from the inside and iron flat, pressing the edges under on the little open portion. 

Now stitch along all four edges in one continuous seam. Stitch corner to corner across each opposite corner of the square to make two intersecting lines. Now stitch two more lines from midpoint to midpoint on the diagonal. This quilting effect keeps the sides together nicely. Trim threads. Your dishrag is ready for service.

PS. I am sorry if I have offended any sponge people out there. I love you. I do. It's your sponge that I'm not so crazy about.

on paint & compliments

There's no easier or cheaper way to bring new zest into a room than a paint job. Last weekend, I painted the dining room. It was long overdue. 

The old paint was a mustard-ish two-tone color wash, which I loved fifteen years ago when I did it, but I was ready for a cleaner, more contemporary look. 

On the advice of my friend Patricia, the decorating guru, I used the color wood smoke from Home Depot. I love it. The room has less pictures and items in it now, which gives me a nice calm feeling. Next, I'll tackle the living room. 

Also, I was just thinking about my haircut yesterday, which brings me to the topic of compliments. I tried a new girl last time because I got into a time crunch and my usual gal was booked up, but I had a coupon for a new place, so took a chance. 

I got Elise, she is young and starting out, but she did a fantastic job: exactly what I asked for, which never happens. So, yesterday, I went back to Elise (sorry, Siebel - I love you, but Elise is much cheaper and closer to my house), and told her again what a great job she'd done last time and how much I loved it. The girl was literally beaming: smiling from cheek to cheek. She said hearing that had made her day. Compliments take such a small effort, but they mean so much to the receiver. There are so many sweet, helpful people in this world quietly doing the best job they can every day, it's amazing. You rarely hear about those folks in the news, but you should. 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. You are a wonderful, and thoughtful, and stylish, no doubt.

Whew

Whew. Done. Application submitted. Yehaw! All week, I've been working on an application for a writers in residence program on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Oh my Lordie. The application had five essay questions, plus a ten-page writing sample. I thought it would be quick. Forty hours later, I was still obsessing over the words. I worked on one line alone for over two hours. It's crazy. I get stuck on getting a certain idea said in a certain way, and cannot quit till it seems just right, but that is often illusive. Anyhow, it was a very interesting, if intimidating, exercise. I won't find out if I got in till late December, so wish me luck. It is a long shot at best, but I like to hope.

I hope you're enjoying this Labor Day! Tomorrow, before and after pictures of my dining room painting project, and a craft. May joy be yours this minute and all day!