bellevett

memory ocd.

 

 

it would in fact be true that i have been m.i.a. from this space for the last couple of weeks- much to my disappointment.  the past few weeks have zoomed by.  which has caused me a wicked case of trying to compile memories from the last few weeks in a matter of minutes.  because, you see, i have an obsessive need to keep track of all of my memories. which i do in this very book:

daily i try to sit down and catalog at least one memory from the day.  one little moment that i hope i can remember next year when i look back.  i have always good intentioned with my journal- but when the choice is presented, and the contender to journaling is sleep, sleep almost always prevails.

so, yes, this past weekend, in an effort to get semi organized before crosby turns one, IN TWO WEEKS, i went through a year of pictures to make a book of the past years highlights.  this year, i believe i am going to do it monthly, because this book is certainly going to be at least 100 pages.  does shutterfly even make a 100 page photo book?  anyways, i was going through all of the 400+ pictures and never found my face without a smile.  cody, crosby, and i have made some major memories this year.  and some of those memories came without photo proof.  which is why i keep the red daily journal.  so i can jot down brief moments that i just simply CANT FORGET.

because when we lay down with crosby, and he is dozing off to sleep, and his awesomely perfected sleepy playlist (patting myself on the back) is playing, i work through a series of memory exercises, in which i try to remember all of my favorite memories from the last few months. 

because it has almost been a year.

and this time is so fleeting.

it has almost been ONE YEAR people.

december 5

 

i do want to find ways to bring some heart and soul back into the holidays.

(although it could just be my recent visit to the mall that has been tempting me lose faith in what the season should be about and the way our nation celebrates.... ahem.)

so, yesterday on st. nicholas day's eve, i made some delicious and treatlike buttery parmesan thyme crackers that we can have today. 

the recipe is out of the back to basics cookbook by Ina Garden. 

i own all of her cookbooks, and they are used weekly at the least.

we didnt put any shoes out last night for special treats to be delivered in.

but, we will be celebrating to the fullest today complete with white chocolate covered candied grapefruit peels and some sort of dinner containing cranberries for good measure.

Parmesan Thyme Crackers

original recipe from Ina Garden 

1 stick room temperature butter

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated on a microplane

2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4 c flour

about 1 tablespoon cold water

 

cream butter with your electric mixer

add freshly grated parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper

cream together

slowly add flour

it will get very crumbly at this point and dry

add cold water very slowly, mixing with a fork, so as not to add too much water

when your dough gets nice and soft, that you can knead it into a ball, you are ready

make into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in fridge

pull out of fridge after about 20 minutes

oil a baking sheet lightly with olive oil

preheat oven to 350

cut into thin slices about 1/4 inch or less

place on baking sheet and place baking sheet in freezer for 10 minutes

pop into oven for 20 minutes, checking after 10 and rotating pan

let cool on metal baking rack, store in airtight container

 

and yes, i do believe i can bring some heart and soul back into our holiday traditions via food.

december 3

nothing says the holidays like a real life train exhibit.

 

 

train exhibit

finished a sweater

watched it's a wonderful life

drank some real hot chocolate

merry making is in full swing.

thankful five- day 4: laughter

 

 

 

 

today is the day. 

today i am thankful for the people in my life who make it a life.

a life full of laughter and happiness.

family who can brighten the best days and the worst days.

cats that love each other.

dogs that will try on handknits and stick by you through thick and thin.

friends who can make you laugh.

and best friends who know when to make you laugh.

 

 

happy thanksgiving.

 

five days of thankfulness links:

day one

day two

day three

 

 

thankful five- day 3: indulgent foods

 

 

 

 

top to bottom:

homemade mozzarella.  a truly (incredibly easy and extra cheap) indulgent food item.  now that crosby eats dairy, i make this weekly.  and it never ceases to amaze me how good it is. 

ramps.  the first sign of spring. gathered locally.

pickles.  anything pickled.  most especially zucchini and beets.

chocolate covered candied orange peels.  cant wait to make those this season. best holiday indulgence.

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yes, i am thankful for treats.

 

Thankful five- day 2: fresh foods.

 

 

when we bought this house 5 years ago, we had big gardening plans.

each year, our garden plots have expanded, adding new ones, enlarging old ones.

each year, we plant more and different and we hope and plan and tend as much as we can.

we have lots of failures.

we have lots of successes.

i am so grateful for the fresh quality food we have been able to grow each year.

 

"inch by inch, row by row, were going to make this garden grow."

 

 

five days of thankfulness links:

day 1

thankful five- number 1: fresh air.

 

 

on days when its sunny, rainy, snowy, windy, cloudy, i can always find a reason to get some fresh air.

i am so thankful for the peaceful solace that the outdoors provides.

i used to be trapped in an idea that you had to GO somewhere else to enjoy the outdoors. 

now i spend an hour minimum on a blanket in the grass outside of my house.

crosby crawls, eats leaves, shakes leaves, bangs them together, and digs into any single dirt pile he can find.

i am thankful that i am able to be energized by something as simple as fresh air.

outside is good. 

these days- thankful five.

these days i am busy:

knitting sweaters for winter

planning for the holidays

readying for a whirlwind of gift creating

preparing for changes coming in january

making cheese and yogurt for the newest dairy eater in the house

planning meals for the busy weeks to come

doing my best to avoid grains and sugar

cleaning up all of the millions of leaves that make it into the house

sweeping dirt that is dug from the many house plants by tiny babe

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 these are the days that i eat a lot of non nutritional value baked goods complete with extra sugar- when i really need to be eating real foods to combat stress.

these are the days that i take extra vitamins and supplements to help get me through the day.

these are the days when i drink rediculous amounts of caffeine.

these days i wish that i carried around a tiny notebook and pen to write down all of the things i am trying to remember as i think of them, as i know that by the time i get to some paper, i have already forgotten what i needed to remember.

****************************

 

during these days i am going to be grateful for everything that i have every single day. most especially these days, in days of transition and busyness and life changes. 

*****************************

 

for the next five days, i will be posting pictures. pictures of all of the goodness that i have to be thankful for.

i hope you will join me.

*****************************

 

 

 

weekending.

feeling quite indulgent.

white wheat flour. 

butter.

my last jar of 2010 strawberry jam.

feeling good about using that.  i've got 20 pints of fresh 2011 strawberry jam.

i dont ever leave my shelves unjammed.  (figuratively and literally. jam is important.  and i am messy.)

so... since i have so much jam from this year, i figure it is time to let go of 2010.

along with all the jam that was made in 2010.

made the pop tarts from the april 2010 bon appetit. one of my favorites.

(obviously not quite ready to let go of 2010, or any of my bon appetit's...)

ate them and realized how much more often i should make this recipe. i have 20 jars of fresh jam afterall.

here is what i call real weekending:

this morning i woke up before crosby and cody. at 8am i made coffee and took my knitting outside.  after knitting 6 rows of my newest sweater, with a very unseasonable nice breeze blowing outside, i went in to check on them to make sure they were, in fact, breathing.  after confirming their existence and shaking my head at my good luck, i refilled my coffee and went back outside to work on my sweater for a while longer.  realizing that they were both obviously taking the opportunity to sleep in, i started seeing possibilities of different projects i could start in my acquired free time.  then i realized that i can start projects anytime i want, but i rarely can sit in silence outside and knit and drink coffee with the animals. (sidenote, the silence isnt because people talk to me, its mainly because when others enter my presence i feel hard pressed to not talk.  just cause i like to talk.)

So then i laughed outloud, watched my cat jump over my neighbors fence to try and gather any and all stray mice and chipmunks and got back to my knitting, and my late summer breeze.

 linking with the habit of being.....

in my hands.

last week was a busy week.

this weekend i have some serious relaxation to accomplish. 

in my hands are:

**coffee**

**journal**

**my knitting: levenwick with berroco ultra alpaca**

**a few books: the new terranium, knitting socks from the toe up, and this novel**

last night i read a brilliant article in whole living magazine about the way our mind and thoughts control our feelings. 

even when they are not reality. 

it was deep, real deep.

this morning, in between stitches and sips of coffee i had a few moments of goodness floating around in my brain.

i wrote down a few new mantras.

this one is my favorite.

i will only allow others to make me feel happy.

i will be back tomorrow with some weekending.