Love Makes A Family - ♥ Duh!

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With all the "joyous" weddings going on in New York { } I thought I'd re-post this.
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♥ I would love to get this wonderful traveling display of photos presented at my children's school. We are fortunate to live in a very open community and my children attend a progressive school with an open mind and heart.
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♥ Respect, tolerance and kindness are things we hold in very high regard.
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♥ By educating people of all ages to recognize, support, and celebrate the full range of diversity helps reduce prejudice, stereotyping, and harassment of all people who are perceived to be "different" from the "norm."
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Love Makes a Family is a museum-quality traveling exhibit including photographs and interviews with families that have lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) members. Through first-person accounts and positive images, this exhibit seeks to challenge and change damaging myths and stereotypes about LGBT people and their families. At the most basic level, Love Makes A Family combats homophobia by breaking silence and making the invisible visible. By encouraging people of all ages - beginning in early childhood - to affirm and appreciate diversity, this traveling rental exhibit contributes to the process of dismantling the destructive power of prejudice and intolerance, thereby making the world a safer place for all families.
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♥ Designed for audiences of all ages.
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Elsasser-Robinson Family

"Our family life is a very traditional American one - early morning getting up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, making sure everyone has matching socks, getting the boys off to school, and then going to work. At night, it's homework and getting ready for bed. Michael and I have been class parents in Zach's and Justin's classes every single year. We could not imagine living without children. It's a wonderful experience to watch our boys develop and mature."

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Galluccio Family

This is the story of Jon and Michael Galluccio, two gay men living in New Jersey, who become foster parents to Adam, a premature baby born with AIDS virus and addicted to crack, heroin, marijuana and alcohol. While nursing Adam through the many medical emergencies of his first year and surviving the daily dramas that all new parents go through, they realize that this child, their son now, could be taken back from them at any time by the state, and they decide to try to legally adopt him._

We Are Our Choices (to borrow a line from Jean-Paul Sarte)

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We Are Our Choices (to borrow a line from Jean-Paul Sartre) - re-post
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Even when I was a child I knew exactly what I liked and did not like. “Yes, that’s what I want. No, I don’t want that.” Of course it helped to have a mother who gave me the space to choose. I went along through life happily this way without a care. Even difficult choices never seemed to bother me much. I guess because I listened to my guts. Not really a pretty way of putting it. I could have said, followed my heart, but it really never felt that way. Just a blunt decision– not much thought - kind of like following a stream of consciousness.” Of course life is never really that simple,” she said, stamping her foot. “Drat!” I've made my mistakes along the way. Overlooked a few diamonds right in front of me and of course made a few wrong choices - although I really don’t regret any of them. That’s another thing, I’m not much on regret or guilty feelings - too much to drag around through life - better to learn from the mistake and move on…right? Unfortunately many others don’t share this attitude. “Double drat!!” Like everyone else, all I can be in this world is me and that’s all I ever really wanted. Just the chance to live my life my own way and try to make things a little better for others along the life’s road. I have always admired those who charge straight out into life like Jack London. What an inspiration! On the other hand, I also admire those who - without notice most of the time - get the work done quietly and honestly, without the sounding of the trumpets. So I send a whispered "thank you" out into the void and hope we all get where we are going, in our own way and our own time. I like that!!
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(Photos via Jupiter Images)

Friday's Photos - Stone Fruit

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I hope everyone is enjoying "Stone Fruit Season" as much as I am! As a young girl, I lived in a house surrounded on both sides and behind, by a seemly endless apricot orchard. There was also a large walnut orchard across the street -- an almond orchard up the road to the left -- and cherry orchards to the right. I was completely immersed in orchard life and loved it!!
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I well remember all the seasons that passed and all the hard work involved tending the trees before harvest season arrived. In summer, the orchards are humming with activity, as they’re irrigated, monitored for pests and pruned to optimize production as the fruit grows to maturity. Summer is peak harvest time. Growers check the fruit day by day, waiting for the proper color, size and maturity to be reached. A single orchard will often see at least three pickings over the course of a week to ten days so the fruit is harvested at just the right time. When harvest arrives, the fruit is harvested from the trees by hand using totes or buckets. The mature fruit is carefully selected from the tree, piece by piece. And this is only during harvest season. Year long the orchard is plowed and tended with great care.

So the next time you reach for that wonderful summer fruit (hopefully local & organic) take a moment to think about and appreciate the year-long process that nature and the farmer went to and send a little "thank you" out into the world. I know I will!!

Happy Friday!!

(Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

The Secret Ingredient - Yummy Homemade Crème Fraîche!

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I recently learned how to make my own crème fraîche (a rich cream with slightly sour taste and a velvety texture) and I can't keep it in the frig for more than a few days. The first time I assembled the ingredients, I was nervous, but soon discovered it was ridiculously easy to whip up - with a great flavor and texture - just like store bought. Do I dare say -- better than store bought -- since I control the quality of the ingredients. And store bought is ridiculously expensive$. ;)
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This recipe makes 1/2 cup - I usually double or triple it though, each time I make it. Seriously, the list of dishes that can be enhanced by this delicious cream is practically endless!!
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P.S. Do not worry about the cream going bad. In the book, In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion" the author explains that -- "the benign live bacteria in the buttermilk will multiply and protect the cream from any harmful bacteria". Cool!
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Crème Fraîche

1/2 cup heavy cream (Strauss organic - love those bottles!)

1 tablespoon cultured buttermilk (organic as well)

Place the cream in a glass jar or bowl. Add the buttermilk. Close jar tightly with a lid or cover with plastic wrap and shake/mix well. Store the jar at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours until the mixture is thick. The fermentation will happen faster when the room temperature is warmer. Refrigerate in its jar for 1 week to 10 days.

Other Serving Suggestions

• Add to sauces, stews, and soups
• Coat chicken or salmon before grilling or broiling
• De-glaze pan with wine, reduce, and add crème fraîche
• Whip to soft peaks, add honey and diced, candied ginger – and swirl atop fruit desserts
• Mix with fresh, ripe berries, sugar, and a dash of balsamic vinegar
• Blend with batter for moist muffins, scones, and cakes
• Use in place of sour cream for delectable stroganoff or Alfredo sauces
  

Just thought I'd throw this in too --

Creme Fraiche Frosting:

In bowl of electric mixer, with whisk attachment, beat the Creme Fraiche with 1-2 tablespoons (14-28 grams) of granulated white sugar until stiff peaks form. Can be used in desserts instead of whipped cream.

Preparation time 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!

(Photos Via Jupiter Images and www.thenibble.com)

Pore Reducer Mask - 2 Simple Ingredients!

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When I first found this simple {two ingredient} pore cleanser/reducer, I was skeptical. I have very sensitive skin and have always been careful about what products I use. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a simple egg white and teaspoon of lemon juice left my face feeling fresh and smooth. It's important to note that I have always steamed my face weekly and this recipe calls for you to do that before apply the mask. So happily, I just tagged it on to my weekly Saturday facial regime!
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Recipe:
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Mix one egg white and one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, stirring until blended. Gently steam face and pat dry. Apply egg white and lemon mixture evenly to your skin. Apply a healthy amount of the mixture, massaging in a circular motion, helping the ingredients to absorb as much as possible into the pores. Allow the pore reduction treatment to set for at least 5 mins. or until completely dry. You will feel it working, tightening your skin and pores. Rinse mixture from skin with lukewarm water and follow with a splash of cold water to close the pores further. Repeat weekly.
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Here's to beautiful skin!! :)
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(Images Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

Monday's Photos - Bathroom Re-Model Inspiration

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- pinkdeskchair.com
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It was suppose to be Friday's Photos - I know - but with summer here and the kids out of school, I've happily lost all sense of what day of the week it is. And if it were not for the sun and moon, I would lose all sense of time as well -- happily (lol).
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I'm currently trying to gather inspiration, as I mull over color & decor, for a much needed bathroom re-model. Our hall bathroom needs new paint, new fixtures, and a little tweak here and there. Our home was built in the early 1950's and has the {lovely} original tile {soft salmon pink} and {white} vanity. It is a comfortable sized bathroom, with a tub/shower and wooden lift windows {that still operate with one swift "swoosh" up & down} and "separate and somewhat sizable" toilet room or water closet, also with a window. This as it turns out - is a wonderful feature in a big family!!
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The {one and only} family that bought and owned this property previous to us, had this home custom built and made sure that there were many "special extras" hidden inside this {unassuming} suburban home. Even the placement and number of windows and rooms were specially designed for light and season. They {Alfred and Bernice} raised their family within the very same walls we {Mark and Sabina} are raising ours. They grew old together and died one year apart. We were lucky to meet one of their daughters when we came to collect the keys to the house. She laughingly told us that she was conceived within these walls! It was important for her to meet us and wanted to convey to the next owners how hard it had been for them to sell their family home. It held all their memories of childhood and happy times with their mother and father. She told us that they had hoped a family would buy it and fill it with new childhood and family memories. Which is exactly what we have been happily doing for the past 17 years!!
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I often think of Bernice when I'm standing over my beautiful-old Wedgewood oven, and how she must have done the same so many times. I also wonder who will be standing here when I'm long gone. I hope they love this home as much as they/we -- did/do. I also hope they have fun remodeling the hall bathroom!
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Happy Monday!!
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- Brian J. McCarthry..................................................................................................................- pistachioicecream.wordpress.com
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-Martha Stewart
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Farmers Market Abundance

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After returning from the Farmers Market - we unpacked and organized everything -- and promptly had a feast! I hope everyone is enjoying the abundance this season has to offer!!
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{Barefoot In The Orchard Image}

Give "Peas" A Chance {Sorry, Just Couldn't Resist} - Fresh Pea Hummus ;)

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Whip some of this up and enjoy it on crackers, chips or bread out on a picnic or just for a perfect healthy summertime snack!

Fresh Pea Hummus

Serves 4

• 1 cup fresh shelled peas (or organic frozen)
  
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste) *See Note
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 small clove minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt

Directions:

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add peas; cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain; run under cold water, or just thaw out a bag.
2. In food processor, pulse peas, cilantro, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin 30 to 40 seconds. Season with salt.

* Tahini is a delicious, versatile spread made from sesame seeds that people have been making for hundreds of years. Some trace its use back to a 13^th century Arabic cookbook. It is naturally low in sodium, has no cholesterol and is a good source of thiamin, phosphorus, copper and manganese. And according to FDA daily value guidance, just one tablespoon provides 6% of our calcium and 7% of our iron needs.
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(Above info courtesy of Whole Foods) - (Above recipe found via Wholeliving.com) (Photos via Jupiter Images & Wholeliving)

Ethical Omnivore - Buying Meat & What Those Terms Mean

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Did you know that, this last April, it was publicized - that 1 in 4 U.S. meat samples were tainted with multi-drug resistant staph? We have all heard that food borne illness is a serious problem and that concern is directly connected to the unethical treatment of the animals, raised for our consumption.

Some years back, for my health, my families and in consideration of those animals, our family became "ethical omnivores!" Unfortunately though, selecting better meat is easier said than done.

Here's a rough guide to the "legal" definitions of labels you could find in the butcher’s department at your local grocery store and what they mean.

"Cage Free" - The animals were not put in cages. However, this does not mean they were free-range or even set foot outdoors.

"Barn Roaming" - This is a relatively new one. These animals were not caged, but were also not free to go outside.

"Free Range" or "Free Roaming" - The animals had access to the outdoors, but does not necessarily mean they ever went outside.

"Grass-fed" - For ruminant animals (like cows, goats, and sheep) were fed a diet of only grass and forage. Animals were able to graze.

"Vegetarian-fed" - Animals were not fed any animal by-product, but may have had a diet that included grains.

"Certified Humane" - Animals were kept so as to allow free movement, without tethers, cages, or crates. Does not necessarily indicate access to outdoors. This label contains no information about the animals’ diet.

"Natural" - May not contain an artificial ingredient or added color and can only be minimally processed (meaning the product cannot be fundamentally altered).

"No Hormones Administered" - On beef, this means no hormones were administered to the cattle. Use of hormones in raising pigs or poultry is illegal nationwide.

"No Antibiotics Added" - No antibiotics were used at all (even for illness) in the raising of the animals.

"Certified Organic" - Animals had access to bedding and the outdoors, but its uncertain for how long. No hormones or antibiotics were used in their raising.

{Note: For more information on food labeling, visit to USDA's website}(Photos via Jupiter Images)

Friday's Photos - Rob Lowe's Beautiful Home

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In case some of you missed the episode of Oprah when she interviewed actor Rob Lowe and got a peek into the beautiful home {that he shares with his wife, Sheryl and two teen sons} -- here it is. Built near Santa Barbara on the California coast, the 20-room Georgian-style home, nestled on four exquisitely landscaped acres, and even though this home is a bit over-the-top for my taste, I find the decor very inspiring!
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Rob on his dream home: "I always wanted that house where everybody wants to go — full of energy, dogs, music, fun. I wanted our house to be that house, and it is."
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BTW - what's up with Mr. Lowe - he hasn't aged at all!! I'm just sayin'...
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(Vanity Fair Shoot -- and a screen shot of Rob horsing around with one of his teenage sons)
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Happy Friday Everyone!!
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(Home Photography by Mary E. Nichols and Architectural Digest)