What I'm watching

This was one of those random library finds that turns out to be a total gem. Wow. Drama, surprise love story, history, beyond beautiful setting in the mountains....my kind of movie. Huge thumbs up.

Snowy night

This time last year we had the great snow, but I was in bed post-surgery...unable to walk. Fast forward and we've got a snowy night....not a blizzard, but lovely nonetheless. I'm gratefully mobile and thinking that I need to do some shoveling tomorrow morning.

Reminds me of so many happy memories as a kid in Michigan...snow angels, snowmen and playing with my sisters and friends.

Family Draw Night

I'm always on the lookout for cool things to do with Miss G, not to mention to continue to cultivate and nuture my own art. I stumbled onto this fabulous idea for a family draw night that nutures the collective creative spirit.

Love it.

http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2009/05/rainy-day-play.html

Merry Christmas to you

Wherever this day finds you, may the special blessings be upon you and yours.

"What came to be through Him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-18)

Started the day with Mass and Christmas carols. I am relaxing with la familia...We shall be eating the now famous lamb shanks a la James Oliver, delish cranberry conserve (with agave), soy egg nog and watching a movie later on tonight. Right now the lamb is roasting away. Time to buy a Christmas gift online quickly.

Boy oh boy

It's cool to rediscover an author after years apart and realize that your love burns as bright as it did when you were a kid. The author that I've found again is Roald Dahl.

He of Willy Wonka and James and Giant Peach.

I've found his adult oeuvre and am finding his wry compassionate wit to be as endearing as it was when I was a little girl. I'm enchanted all over again, but now by the real man behind the stories.

My recent read is the autobiographical work Boy, and I sped through it in a day. There is a laugh out loud moment that is priceless, more so because it truly happened. Thanks to my earlier post, my mom is also enchanted (she got Boy from the library - lucky me) I promise you won't be disappointed if you search out these slim and funny books for grown-ups.

Friday dose of hope

So the work week went out very nicely. Ate fab tapas at Toro Bravo, which is always good for OMG food moments that are worth every penny. The winter squash tapas was incredible, and the very genuinely nice waitress provided the ingredient list:

• Squash
• Cream
• Carmelized onions
• Harissa

http://www.torobravopdx.com/

I am going to replicate this at home, minus the cream. Maybe use Tofutti sour cream instead. We shall see how it comes out. I know that the cream is probably what makes it so decadent, but cream is not good for moi.

Accompanied by 2 of my favorite people saw Invictus....which was so inspirational and fantastic. I love seeing a film which documents hopeful moments and real people who are remarkable. That I'd been to South Africa and seen Robben Island myself connected all the dots. Confirms what I already knew about Mandela. He's one amazing spiritual leader, not just a political one. Take aways: forgiveness is power. Lead by example.

Trailers confirmed that Hollywood is not really into telling the hopeful stories of remarkable brave people. Clint Eastwood is a happy exception. I think he's trying to make up for all those Dirty Harry films.

A little bit of zen

My week has been good. And intense. To help me relax and stretch out I took a lovely yoga class. Candlelit and delicious.

http://www.mamazenpdx.com/

I got a sweet Christmas package that reminded me that love and hope are what the season brings you when you least expect it.

Merry Christmas to you.

Gratitude

These past few days have been filled with friends. Combine that with a new book I'm listening to about gratitude and the Advent daily reflections and I just come up realizing how much I have to be grateful for....so many blessings.

For my family. For my honey and reinta. Who teach me about lessons about love that still need learning.
For my health. Amen to walking, dancing, and all the things I wasn't doing a year ago today.
For my friends, who fill my life with celebration, comfort, a hand, a shoulder and a good laugh. All depending on the day and person.
For a good job and health benefits. I never take such a thing for granted in these days.
For a safe and lovely home to rest my head, and abundant food.
For peace in my heart.

Gracias y amen.

More music

Pandora unearths yet another gem.

A band called Bacilos that I love...their music makes my heart happy. Lead singer sounds like Silvio Rodriquez, one of my favorites. Bummer is that the band disbanded. Sniff.

Lovely singer

Pandora reveals fabulous musicians I've never heard about....like Rayito.

Enjoy.

Back to the past

I'm in the throes of 2 books right now at two ends of the historical novel spectrum.

One is "The Other Boleyn Girl," which explores the intrigue of Henry VIII's court through the eyes of Ann Boleyn's sister (who had an affair with the King before he romanced and married her sister). It's a rich tapestry, full of heartbreak, drama, and real history...all embedded in a love story, one that was lost in the history books amidst all the wives of Henry and beheadings. I'm listening to it in the car and wish that a long road trip was in my future. It is fantastic and a perfect read for an addict of the Tudor's television series. I am totally addicted, btw. One clear subtext of the book and series is that it sucks to be female back in those dark days. Even a rich and beautiful woman was nothing more than chattel. This is no exaggeration.

If you want to learn more, here is the author's very compleat website:

http://www.philippagregory.com/

The other audio book I'm listening to is "Sarah's Key," which I listen to as my bedside listening. It tells the tales of the actual roundup of French Jews in Paris through the eyes of a Jewish girl alternating with that of a contemporary American journalist living in Paris who is digging into this real historical event. You sense that these two lives are going to meet in the middle somewhere. I'm waiting to see where. It is a bit jarring to jump between the Jewish girl's story, as she is fighting for her life, and the American who has suffered very little by such standards. A cheating husband seems paltry compared to genocide. I come away not liking the journalist very much and wanting to find out more about the little girl.

I realize how much I love reading about the lives of women, stories rooted in historical events.....

Gardening in December

Well there is no planting going on, but I did get in some quality time with cleaning up the frost-bitten plants that need to go. Dahlias, sunflower stalks and the like. There was sweeping and general tidying up, plus repotting houseplants. Restocked the bird feeders and cleaned the birdbath, to keep all those lovely creatures going during this cold snap.

It all looks very nice, and oh so satisfying.

I just need to take a picture!

Appreciating

The question of looking at the cup as half full or empty is buzzing in my head more than I want at times. If sadness is an occasional companion, gratitude is the stealthy one coming behind, nudging.

Advent is our time for reflection, and my mom's gift of the Advent Little Book has given me daily scriptures that touch so close to home it zings. Having faith and trusting that the path given is the one the Lord has chosen. Elizabeth. Gabriel.

So there you have it. I pray for faith, for comfort, in gratitude for blessings I recognize and those I don't really appreciate enough, truth be told. What do you pray for? Do you pray?