I finally started scrapbooking again! I used to be very into scrapbooking, but haven’t been in the mood for a long time. This week I had the shocking realization that my main reason for not scrapbooking is cleanliness. Isn’t that sad when I have an ENTIRE ROOM just for crafty purposes? It never feels worth it to take out all the supplies I need, do one or two pages, and then put it all away. Ideally, organized better than it was when I found it.

I have this mindset that, with no one messing up my house, there’s no excuse for not keeping things in pristine condition at all times. I do like it that way. But I need to stop “curating my domestic museum” and live once in a while. What’s the worst that could happen? Someone comes over unexpectedly and sees one room NOT looking like a catalog? Or I have to spend a little time tidying up before company comes?

So I’m trying something crazy. Instead of putting everything neatly away from scrapbooking the other day, I left it out. The next night, when I had an hour or so and was in the mood for more scrapbooking, I picked up where I left off… and took out more stuff and left that out too. I felt so free and rebellious! Caution to the wind! Creativity unlocked! Imperfection embraced!

Besides, most of the stuff for my garage sale is stacked up in that room anyway.

3 Comments + Posted in: creative, imperfection

As the “owner” of two cats, I sometimes get frustrated that I can’t have plants in the house. Aside from the destruction factor, there’s the constant worry that a plant might be poisonous. Several years ago I brought home an Easter lily, unaware of how lethal it was, and ended up panicking in the kitty ER. (Thankfully, the cats had only taken one tiny nibble before I caught them, and were fine.) After that I banned all indoor plants to avoid repeating the experience.

However! To encourage myself and other cat keepers, here’s a list of common plants that are officially NOT poisonous to cats. Bring them into the house with abandon! :)

If you like unusual plants and/or know their scientific names, you can find a more complete list at the ASPCA. :)

2 Comments + Posted in: cats

I always cry at championships.

Even if I don’t have strong feelings about the winning team (and even if I didn’t see the whole game), I love to watch the confetti and hugs, the presentation of the trophy, the shoutouts to the mamas, and most of all the pure joy on the players’ faces. Wins in individual sports are beautiful too – the Olympics are basically a two-week sobfest for me – but there’s something about team accomplishment that fills my heart. A lot of it is nostalgia for my high school band days, but I also think it’s harder to achieve as a group than to do so individually. It requires everyone giving their best. It requires trust and compromise and learning to complement each other.

I believe heaven will be like the ultimate championship, and we’ll all get to be part of it. I think that’s part of what Paul meant when he talked about being cheered on by a cloud of witnesses, and when he said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Someday we’ll all get to cut down the net, together, with the knowledge that we got there by Christ’s strength, not our own. And then we’ll give Him the net. It’s going to be glorious.

I was actually rooting for Butler in this game, because I’m all about Cinderellas. (Plus, their coach is young and cute! I think he’s married, though.) But they had a good run and should be proud. Especially that Jesse Eisenberg. ;)

I feel in my bones that next year, I’ll be celebrating and overemoting for my Tigers. To the Final Four and hopefully beyond. Can’t wait!

Add a Comment + Posted in: faith, sports

Pollo Caprese is one of my favorite dishes at Macaroni Grill. To keep myself from going there all the time, I found a copycat recipe (and then forgot about it for several months). On Saturday I was really in the mood for this, so I cooked it and ate it on my good china just because I could. :) Disclaimer: This picture isn’t totally accurate. I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand, so I improvised and made sort of a poor man’s version. It’s better with the real ingredients, though!

Pollo Caprese
Serves 2. I don’t remember where I got this, but I’ve edited the instructions anyway.

Ingredients:
For chicken:
2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

For pasta:
1 tsp chopped garlic
5 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp fresh basil, julienned
6 oz. pomodorina sauce (can substitute good spaghetti sauce)
8 oz. capellini or angel hair pasta
Sea salt and pepper

For garnish:
8 pieces fresh mozzarella, quartered
6 basil leaves for garnish
½ cup fresh arugula
½ cup lemon olive oil*
½ one lemon

1. Boil the pasta.

2. While pasta is cooking, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put them on a grill (if you don’t have an outdoor grill, a George Foreman will work too). Grill evenly on both sides to an internal temperature of 165 F. The original recipe said 3 minutes per side, but my chicken took a LOT longer. I’m grill-challenged.

3. When the chicken is half done, sauté olive oil and garlic in a heated sauté pan until golden brown. Add grape tomatoes to the pan and cook for one minute until tomatoes start to soften, then add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and basil. Finally, add pomodorina sauce.

4. By now the pasta should be ready. Add pasta to the pan and toss ingredients until well incorporated.

5. Plate the pasta and tomatoes to one side and garnish with quartered mozzarella and basil leaves. Pile arugula in a corner, and place the chicken breasts across from the pasta. Ladle the lemon olive oil lightly over the chicken and arugula. (I like the arugula right on top of the chicken!)

This would be great to make for a special occasion or romantic dinner. It’s not as complicated as it sounds! I bet it’s a piece of cake if you have someone to watch the grill while you work at the stove.

* = You can buy lemon olive oil at specialty stores, or make it yourself. There are several methods, but I just bought a regular bottle of olive oil and zested a lemon into it (thanks to my friend Stacy for that suggestion :)). It adds an extra zing. I want to use it in more recipes.

3 Comments + Posted in: food

A Girl From Yamhill and My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary
These are Beverly Cleary’s two memoirs – I know I’ve read the first one before, but it didn’t seem familiar to me. The first book covers her childhood years in Oregon during the Depression and is an honest look at that time period, including her messed-up relationship with her mother. The second memoir is about her college years, first job, marriage and move to California during the WWII years, ending with the publication of her first book, Henry Huggins. She had wanted to write a book since childhood, but was 33 before she finally did it! That gives me hope. :) I think she’s awesome.

Envy and Splendor by Anna Godbersen
The last two books in the Luxe series. They didn’t quite live up to the first two for me, but I still loved the bold plot twists and multidimensional characters. The ending was unexpected, but pretty satisfying. I appreciated that not everyone got a big red bow!

Savannah From Savannah, Savannah Comes Undone, and Savannah by the Sea by Denise Hildreth
I read the first two books of this Christian fiction trilogy years ago, but wanted to re-read (and finish) now that I’ve been to Savannah several times. I enjoyed the series more with an accurate mental picture! In the first book, Savannah returns to her hometown after her dreams of writing a novel are shattered. She gets a job at the Savannah Chronicle and uncovers a beauty pageant scandal, which may affect her mother, the former Miss Georgia. In the second book, her mother protests the attempted removal of a monument of the Ten Commandments, and Savannah covers the story while going through personal changes and faith challenges. The third book involves a family beach trip, finding love, and figuring out what real love looks like. This messy summary is the best I can do, because the plots are packed. While I found most of the characters charming, I have to say that Savannah herself consistently irritated me… and when the love story came to fruition, I didn’t really buy it. I have more thoughts and commentary on these books, if anyone wants to discuss them further. :)

Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee
A Goodreads Firstreads novel about Emily, who works at a publishing house in NYC. Her cheating, entitled husband, Sandy, is killed in an accident – but “wakes up” in the body of a stray dog, Einstein, whom Emily subsequently adopts. In order to save his soul, Sandy/Einstein has to right his wrongs and help Emily put her life back together, while in dog form. It’s upsetting in parts and a little bit crazy (okay, a lot crazy), but overall I was drawn in by the story.

Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist
A wonderful, moving, insightful book that brought me to major tears more than once. I eventually stopped highlighting things and just put stars next to chapter titles! I can’t decide whether I like this one or Bittersweet best.

Books for March: 9
2011 year to date: 22

1 Comment + Posted in: book reviews, reading