Blue in my eyes ~ Blue Monday

Healing thoughts sent out to Sally - who has had a happy place on the web for those that see Beautiful Blues in their world ~ 

I Want Both Of Us

I want both of us

To start talking about this great love

As if you, I, and the Sun were all married

And living in a tiny room,

Helping each other to cook,

Do the wash,

Weave and sew,

Care for our beautiful

Animals.

We all leave each morning

To labor on the earth's field.

No one does not lift a great pack.

I want both of us to start singing like two

Travelling minstrels

About this extraordinary existence

We share,

As if

You, I, and God were all married

And living in

A tiny

Room.

-- Hafiz

Tying the Japanese Honeysuckle, named "Tracy" by Sofia Mae

Magical moments watching the honey bees

105 square feet of love

Blue Monday ~

Blue bounty

I was sitting at my desk this spring break, alone in the house as my children were gone.  A stillness felt as the sunshine came in the front window.  The window with the view with the reminder that looking at warehouses and tires are a sign that I am poor...and also...that I am happy.  The light of sunshine met my blue desk, the blue on the cover of my current read, my blue reading glasses...I thought, "Blue Monday picture!"  The camera caught my Levi's.  :)  I appreciate the sunlight as it casts light through the front window first...then to the side window facing the street as it rises higher in the sky.  It feels as if it's a gift of a pause in time to remember to slow down and appreciate.  I do.  *love*

A nice place to share blue ~ :)

I was surprised to find the vibrant color inside my weekly flower choice, tulips.  These were especially large compared to the smaller tulips I have purchased lately.  What a happy little find that made me smile...and think of Sally's favored color. 

“Ever since happiness heard your name, it has

been running through the streets trying to find you.”

~ Hafiz

Subtle blue ~

 

How will you know the difficulties of being human,
if you're always flying off to blue perfection?
Where will you plant your grief seeds?
Workers need ground to scrape and hoe,
not the sky of unspecified desire.

--Rumi

 

Soft sounds

First down

Blue covering

 

Blue kayak

Second blue jacket, going down

 

 

Blue coverings must be the norm.  Hand paddles.

Sunday wandering - 3/6/2011

 

Today I'm out wandering, turning my skull
into a cup for others to drink wine from.
In this town somewhere there sits a calm, intelligent person,
who doesn't know what [s]he's about to do!
-- Rumi

 

 

 Understanding

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower soup critiqued with love ~

Blue soup bowl purchased just for Blue Monday ~ :)

Soup with kids.   On Wednesday.

Sitting at the computer, I say, "The soup had too much sage didn't it?  I'm going to reduce the amount of sage."  

Former Little Dude - "Yes, it did."  Looking over at me, "You're not going to post that soup on your blog are you?"  Said tenderly, "It wasn't that great of a soup.  The picture you took doesn't look very good.  I don't care for cauliflower a whole lot"  Well, now.  Okay.  

A few minutes later Miss Annie and Little Miss Sofia enter the room.  I mention the soup.  Annie, "I loved the soup!  It was great!  It tasted cheesy, it was delicious."  Okie dokie.  I have not lost my soup palette mind.

Miss Sofia, "It was okay.  I don't care for that flower stuff."  Young, honest, verbal.

It seems Annabelle and I liked it just fine.

Fast forward to Soup with Kids on Saturday afternoon - they happily and quickly ate leftovers of this, all with lots of yummy sounds and expressions - all three of them.  Go figure.  Me?  I love this brothy soup and will impose it on them again.  :)

Just Fine Kitchen Sink Cauliflower Soup ~

(A bunch of leftovers redone)

2 - 4 T. olive oil
1 medium onion
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced in rounds or half rounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. flour
1 qt. chicken stock, more if desired
1 tsp. sage, chiffonade
Two bay leaves
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
Stalk or two of rosemary with leaves - no old brown stalk. This is an infusion, to pull out like the bay leaves
1 1/2 c. shredded chicken breast
2 c. roasted cauliflower 
3/4 c. heavy cream 
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated 
Salt and pepper

• Heat a stock pot over medium, add olive oil.  Add onion and carrots, toss in some kosher salt, saute until onions have some color. 
• Add the garlic, saute for 30 seconds or so longer.  Add 2 more tablespoons oil, then the flour.  Cook the flour for a minute or less.  
• Add the stock, herbs, chicken cauliflower, and cream.  Heat to under a simmer so as not to break the cream and cheddar, 30 minutes to marry all flavors.  

Happy Blue Monday!!

Homemade whole wheat sandwich bread with oats and walnuts for grilled cheese and shallot sandwiches, served with this soup

Forget me not ~

I don't take in large cupcake orders, not for weddings or events.  I find them less appealing than a cake, especially keeping qualities.  But I did take in one last week, for a memorial.  300 cupcakes. Though I didn't have as much time to spend on the accuracy of the flowers as I wished due to the other orders I had in place, then to add 300 cupcakes in a day, it was a lot for me.  It was a lot and I felt blessed to have this particular order.  His favorite color was blue, so I made Forget Me Nots - not so accurate, nice nonetheless.  The table was very pretty when all the different cupcakes were plated.
   
Baking that order touched me deeply, as I had someone special pass over recently, on November 17th.  I attended her memorial this past Saturday - someone that knew Karin spoke stories of connectedness with the date of November 17th "being a most auspicious day".  Sitting and listening to the story, I started piecing back to where I was that afternoon.  I'm sure for many people - November 17th was a "most auspicious day".  Love is in everything.  So I hope that this isn't morose in anyway - it is a loving gift to know someone, part of that knowing is their passing.


My youngest daughter said the following when I was telling my children of the memorial -- The love in someone's heart always goes to a baby when they die.  She's seven ~ children rock!!  :)

Coconut with cream cheese frosting

Pumpkin with cream cheese frosting

Chocolate with cream ganache

A poem from Karin's memorial ~ *love*

A VaIidiction

If we must part,

Then let it be like this;

Not heart on heart,

Nor with the useless anguish of a kiss;

But touch mine hand and say:

"Until tomorrow or some other day,

If we must part.

Words are so weak

When love hath been so strong:

Let silence speak:

 "Life is a little while, and love is long;

A time to sow and reap,

And after harvest a long time to sleep,

But words are weak."

--Ernest Dowson

 

Lavender on Blue Monday ~

Precious beauty

I cut back my three lavender plants a few weeks ago, saving a handful of stalks to make a bouquet to give.  The plants aren't big at all, only basketball size.  They are precious beauty to me, as their home in the earth surrounding them is the only garden area I've been able to make - a small narrow strip on the street side of our home.  Little as it is, it give me great joy.  I hope the other three small plants I put in this year come back as the other three did about four years ago.  Marking time ~


This is the first and only lavender bouquet I have made so far.  There is one faint blue bud in it, which made me smile - it barely shows up in the pictures, but I will count that as good enough for Blue Monday.  If you click on the horizontal picture, I believe it's visible.  There is a chance that belief is only in my head.  :)

As I was wrapping the ribbon, I wondered what lavender means in flower language.  I already knew the destination of the bouquet, so I was looking forward to looking up the meaning, whatever it would be, it would be telling or appropriate or ironic.  Isn't that the way all messages are?

Lavender meaning.

In a box

Decisions ~

Choices.  Warmer times.

 

It happens all the time in Heaven,

And some day

It will begin to happen

Again on earth --

That men and women who are married,

And men and men who are

Lovers,

And women and women

Who give each other

Light

Often will get down on their knees

And while so tenderly

Holding their lover's hand,

With tears in their eyes,

Will sincerely speak, saying,

"My dear,

How can I be more loving to you;

How can I be more

Kind?" 

--Hafiz

Blueberries on Blue Monday ~

Nicholas waited long enough

My fingertips remain scented with clove and cinnamon.  It’s early on a Monday and individual coffeecakes are due at for delivery to a coffeehouse soon.  Blueberry, with brown sugar, softly spiced.  I am making an extra batch for our home today, feeling the need to nurture and comfort, feeling a little lost this morning.  I know food and baking is merely the substitute, but busy hands and giving to others make for a lighter mind, if only temporary.  Baking holds so much emotion for me, it always has, with gratitude for all it's meanings.

Blueberry spice coffeecakes

1 ¾ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves

1 c. brown sugar
2 T. white sugar
8 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
½ c. buttermilk
1 - 1 ½ blueberries, frozen is fine.


Preheat oven to 350, 375 if you prefer.  I waffle between the two, depending on my time line.
Line six 4” cake pans with parchment or simply butter and flour.

• Mix the dry ingredients, set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugars.  Add the vanilla.
• Add the eggs, one at time.  Blend thoroughly before adding the second.  Cream to lightness.
• Alternate in thirds, the flour and buttermilk, starting with the flour.
• Fold in berries, frozen is fine. 
• Divide batter into pans, top with steusel, if desired.

Bake for 40-60 minutes.  This will depend on your oven temperature and if the berries are frozen.  A touch to the middle to test - if it springs back, they are done.  If using parchment lined pans up the side, remove the cakes to a rack.  If no parchment was used, cool five minutes before inverting to remove cakes.

Beautiful gift, beautiful indigo tinted fruit.

Individual packages of warm sweets

A nice place to share on a Monday

Blue Monday ~ inside and out

I didn't think I had a blue picture for this week.  I was wrong.

It's okay to be wrong.   

Cold drink at a cold lake - 8.26.10

 

 

Blue Monday ~

                                                              http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

I can't make my linky thingy work on a picture on the new 'puter.   :)  But I got blue!  :)

Nectarine-peach popsicles ~

I'm so happy to have a recipe with *blue* on Blue Monday!  :)  Simple pleasures, that's me!!!

Oh boy, oh boy ~~~ oh, yum!!!   Cold. Fruity. Good.  Easy.  Did I mention cold?  It's hot outside.  I don't like that.  'Tis my whiny season.  I'm going to retire where it's cold 10 months of the year, the other two are like fall.  Uh huh.  That's just more whining my part.  I love Bend.  This is my heart home.  (So far.)


Okie dokie.  Moving on...


Fruit pops using leftover and over-ripe fruit.   I-let-the-fruit-sit-around-too-long-but-don't-wanna-toss-'em-out fruit pops.


Two peaches
Two nectarines
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
Lemon juice.

• Peel the fruit. Pit the fruit.  Whir it up in the food processor.  Do enough fruit for 1 1/2 c. puree.  
• Squeeze some lemon juice in there - a couple tablespoons will do.  Add the sugar.  Whir it some more.  
• Remove it from the processor into a bowl, add water.  Stir.  Pour into molds.  

This made enough for mold which makes ten.  Smile big that the next day when you eat these you will be happy for making homemade fruit pops!!

Happy Summer!!
*bleah*
:)


xoxo
The Grumpy Baker
(Temporarily)

Blue in the Hood

 

 ~ Blue Morning ~

5:30ish a.m.

July 5th, 2010

Birds visiting would be nice.  

 

 

 

Main Entry: ¹hope

Pronunciation: \ˈhōp\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): hoped; hop·ing

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hopian; akin to Middle High German hoffen to hope

Date: before 12th century

intransitive verb 1 : to cherish a desire with anticipation s for a promotion>
2 archaic : trusttransitive verb 1 : to desire with expectation of obtainment
2 : to expect with confidence : trust

synonyms see expect

— hop·er noun

— hope against hope : to hope without any basis for expecting fulfillment

Main Entry: ¹de·sire

Pronunciation: \di-ˈzī(-ə)r, dē-\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): de·sired; de·sir·ing

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French desirer, from Latin desiderare, from de- + sider-, sidus heavenly body

Date: 13th century

transitive verb 1 : to long or hope for : exhibit or feel desire for
2 a : to express a wish for : request b archaic : to express a wish to : ask
3 obsolete : invite
4 archaic : to feel the loss of