{this moment}

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Linking with SouleMama

Do You TED?

It seems like each post from TED on Facebook this week has caught my interest.  It began with an excerpt from Pico Iyer's book The art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere.  I have read it and re-read it.  "the amount of data that humanity will collect while you are reading The Art of Stillness is five times greater than the amount that exists in the Library of Congress.  Anybody reading it will take in as much information today as Shakespeare took in over a lifetime." Not only is any information that we seek available in triplicate, we have to do the mental exercise of sifting through it.  Iyer's has gotten me thinking about the concept of a "Secular Sabbath", and you will never guess what those who have innovated our technologies know that we do not seem to!

Have you ever wondered just how the targeted marketing shows up on your computer?  It all started with curly fries.

As I enjoy the kombucha that I made, I am fascinated to continue my education on how important our gut is to overall health.  Did you know that we each have a microbial fingerprint?  There are some very exciting implications in the research being done right now!  Check out How our microbes make us who we are.

I have found that much like listening to podcasts, TED talks can be easily incorporated when I am doing things like working in the kitchen or folding laundry.  Do you TED?

{this moment}

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

linking with SouleMama

Changin' Times and Distractions

Times, they are a changin'.  Never a dull moment in our household, always something to shake it up a bit.  This week has led to family introspection, and the decision to have the kids change schools next year.  A big decision, but one leaving the kids with smiles.  The boy child seems to be all set, and eager to meet up once again with his posse of friends.   While we have a few options for Miss Sid and high school,  she is putting a lot of thought into her application questions for a magnet school that is her first choice, and we will hope those thoughtful answers allow her to shine and nudge her way forward.  Fingers crossed!

Trying to figure out the best things for your kids, especially when it involves a shake up, is stressful.  It amps up the nervous energy as I get answers for a plethora of questions, acquire the proper paperwork, and hurry up to wait as things begin to fall into place.  It seems this is the routine for any big change and during those times I appreciate a good distraction.

If you just want to smile watch this!

Check out this innovative urban growing...if you can spare $75,000!

A little bit about The Girls Who Drink Whisky

This five ingredient Pot De Creme recipe is as delicious as simple.

An interesting little group of links that I have been collecting this week.  Laughter, creative solutions, whisky and chocolate....some of my favorite things!

Kings and Jesters

We are an equal opportunity household where holidays are concerned.  It may be because they give inspiration for themed foods, and food is love you know.  It is also a way to teach the kids about different cultures and expand their tastes.  We celebrate all of our families traditional holidays but we also recognize everything from Passover to Kwanzaa to Mardi Gras (oh and we also celebrate Julia Child's birthday:).

In honor of Fat Tuesday, I laid out a delicious jambalaya but most importantly a beautiful King Cake.  I have made many yeast based breads and confections, yet this is the first time I was really challenged.  I have always left a covered bowl on our interior kitchen countertop for doughs to rise. Hmm, I guess even though it is 10 degrees outside and I keep the house at 67, that doesn't make yeast happy at all!  Once I figured this out, I warmed the oven slightly and let it rise in there, and that did the trick.

As with any good King Cake, I put a little 'baby' in it.  This was a special baby, a festive lego mini fig jester who was dressed for the day.