Tagged - ABC's of Me

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ABC’S OF ME

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Age: 46

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Bed Size: Queen. My husband surprised me/us with a amazing pillow-top mattress a few Christmas' ago and I still love it!!

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Chore You Hate: Folding clothes (but that's what kids are for -lol).

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Dog’s Name: No dogs presently.

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Essential Way You Start Your Day: Yoga stretches, classical music and espresso!!

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Favorite Color: White.

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Height: 5’ 5”

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Instruments You Play: I play(ed) the flute and marched in many parades, but that was long ago now. I wanted to play the drums but was told by the music teacher that "drums were for boys."

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Job Title: Your Highness (ha) - Mom/Jack or should I say Jill of all trades.

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Kids: I have five beautiful, perfect kids.

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Living Arrangements: I live in a 1950's house, in an older suburban neighborhood, with lots of trees and charm.. Very nice, very quiet with many neighbors young and old, many that I've known for 15 years.

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Mom’s Name: Virginia.

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Nicknames: Beanie, Bean, Sabeanie, and my oldest son sometimes in jest calls me - Sabrine - which cracks me up.

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Overnight Hospital Stays: Giving birth to my two oldest sons - my three little ones are adopted.

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Pet Peeve: Gossip and deliberate unkind behavior.

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Quote From a Movie: "Doesn't that outfit come with a rifle? To which the other character replies, It's on my saddle. The first person continues, You'd better keep it with you then - your horse isn't much of a shot." Spoken by Robert Redford to Meryl Streep in Out of Africa.

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Right or Left Handed: Right, but I have many lefties in my life (daughter, husband, best friend).

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Siblings: I'm the middle child of three - with an older brother, and younger sister.

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Time You Wake Up: 6:30 a.m. but I'd rather sleep till noon.

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Underwear: Yes!

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Vegetable You Dislike: Okra.

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Workout Style: I like to mix it up - yoga, walking, swimming, lounging (oh, I guess that's not an exercise, but I'm quite good at it).

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X-rays You’ve Had: A few. Once I swallowed a Steely (a marble made of steel ) when I was 4 or 5 and I do remember that being my first X-ray. It scared my parents half to death.

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Yesterday’s Best Moment: Telling my husband something funny and him laughing so uncontrollably I started laughing too, at him, and couldn't stop.

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Zoo Favorites: I'm really not one for zoo's. They need to evolve!! Freedom is so important to me and I can deeply sense their lack of it.

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That's it - whew!! If you would like to play along - consider yourself tagged.

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(Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

Blog Action Day 2009

Authenticity

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“I’d rather be loathed for who I am than loved for who I am not.”

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I love quotes like these that help connect us to our authentic selves and to live fearlessly.

(The above text is from Dyer’s PBS Special and his new book Excuses Begone - Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

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Friday's Photos - Creamy Chic

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Relaxed and "Creamy Chic" home in Austin, Texas.

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Happy Friday!!!

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Photographs by LUCA TROVATO
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Interior design by SARA SCAGLIONE

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Tea

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I recently found out that all Black, White, Oolong and Green Tea are harvested from one plant called "Camellia sinensis" but are processed differently to produce different levels of oxidation -thus producing a different tea. This does not include herbal teas which really are not true teas but are Tisanes (eg. chamomile, peppermint, etc.) even though they are referred to as teas.

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Very interesting.

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I also learned the best way to brew tea in a pot and get the best flavor involves using a tea sock. It enables you to steep the loose leaves for exactly the right time and then remove the tea since it continues to brew as long as it in contact with the water.

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I was able to find one at the Monterey Bay Spice Company.

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Tea Guide:

BLACK TEAS ASSAM It's grown in India and makes an astringent, robust, malty brew. Assam can stand up to milk and sugar and makes a strong breakfast tea.

LAPSANG SOUCHONG This Chinese tea is cured in a smokehouse and has a pronounced toasted aroma. Sip it with savory, spicy foods, not sweet ones.

EARL GREY Produced in Sri Lanka, China, and India, Earl Grey is scented with bergamot oil, which gives it an orange-citrus flavor. It tastes best with a slice of lemon.

DARJEELING Grown in India, Darjeeling is the rarest variety of black tea. It brews into a clear, floral-accented tea, which makes it an aromatic dinner drink.

CEYLON Ceylon tea, from Sri Lanka, is lighter than Assam but not as flowery as Darjeeling. Lively, flavorful, rich, and smooth, it's a good all-day-long tea.

YUNNAN This Chinese tea makes a honey-sweet, floral brew. Because it is assertive and has fruity and spicy notes, Yunnan makes a great iced tea.

KEEMUN This is the well-known tea served in Chinese restaurants. Full-bodied, slightly sweet, light, and toasty.

WHITE TEA SILVER NEEDLE Like all white teas, it is picked before the buds open and has little caffeine. Steep this delicate tea in water that's slightly cooler than boiling.

GREEN TEAS JASMINE This Chinese tea is made by layering green tea leaves with jasmine blossoms, which infuse the tea with a flowery perfume.

GUNPOWDER A fairly strong, smoky, and refreshing dark green tea from from China or Taiwan, where it is called "pearl tea" because each leaf is rolled into a small ball.

BANCHA Japan's everyday tea, Bancha is made from the last harvest of the tea plants. It is pleasantly grassy and pale yellow.

SENCHA Sencha produces an herbaceous yellow-green tea. It is a richer green and more flavorful than Bancha.

OOLONG TEA FORMOSA OOLONG Like all oolongs, it's smooth and fruity--a bridge between black and green. Its flavor complements savory foods.

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(Information Courtesy of Real Simple - http://www.pbs.org/realsimple/index.html)

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Originally posted on barefoot in the orchard 9-24-07.

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My Next Read - Choosing Civility

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"To live a long, healthy and serene life we need the crucial help of a network of caring people – we need social support. In order to gain and keep social support we need social skills. Choosing Civility (the 25 rules of considerate conduct) re-discovers and expounds the essential skills that allow us to live well among others." Johns Hopkins Professor - Pier Massimo Forni

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I've chosen this book as my next read. I heard about it a few years back - on Oprah I think - and came across it by accident and decided to buy it. I can't wait to get started. After seeing some of the most unbelievably rude behavior directed at our President lately it makes me wish that more people would take the time and read it as well. At any rate, we could all use a reminder of the power of considerate conduct - me included.
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The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct:

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1. Pay attention
2. Acknowledge others
3. Think the best
4. Listen
5. Be inclusive
6. Speak kindly
7. Don't speak ill
8. Accept and give praise
9. Respect even a subtle "no"
10. Respect others' opinions
11. Mind your body
12. Be agreeable
13. Keep it down (and rediscover silence)
14. Respect other people's time
15. Respect other people's space
16. Apologize earnestly
17. Assert yourself
18. Avoid personal questions
19. Care for your guests
20. Be a considerate guest
21. Think twice before asking for favors
22. Refrain from idle complaints
23. Accept and give constructive advice
24. Respect the environment and be gentle to animals
25. Don't shift responsibility and blame

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Serve

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Serving others teaches humility, builds self-discipline, creates unity, strengthens work ethics, and leads to greater love and compassion.

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Join Serve.Org

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Additional opportunities to serve include:

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AmeriCorps
Citizen Corps
Learn and Serve America
Peace Corps
Senior Corps
Federal Civil Service
Foreign Service
State and Local Government
Volunteer.gov/gov

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(Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

Duck Eggs At The Farmers Market

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Now that my sister is has relocated from Portland, Oregon to Santa Rosa, California, I had to take her over to my favorite weekly Farmers Market. It operates every Wednesday - year round - rain or shine (how great is that). While we were there, I happened upon a farmer selling duck eggs, after asking a few questions, I decided to buy 6 and give them a try. When I got home I did a bit of quick research on the Internet and found that I could just cook them up like chicken eggs or add them to any baking recipe. In fact, I found that some pastry chefs prefer duck eggs because the whites of duck eggs have more protein than those of chicken eggs and they whip up higher when beaten. This creates more loft in cakes so you get a lighter, higher cake. The yolks are also richer so cakes may also be richer. Very interesting. When my kids got home from school I showed them the larger than usual eggs and cooked them up without telling them they were duck eggs. When we tasted them we all got a pleasant surprise. They were absolutely delicious!! I then revealed that we were actually eating! The funny thing is they tasted almost exactly like chicken eggs - just richer in texture and flavor - and because I bought them from the farmer directly they were sooooo fresh. If you've never had a fresh egg - you don't know what your missing. I cooked up the last one for my husband this morning so they are all gone now, but I am going to buy more next week and bake a cake!!

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California’s Top Ten Solar Cities

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When I first saw that Santa Rosa (the city I live in) was listed as one of "California's Top Ten Solar Cities" I was thrilled, but then I realized that it made #8 because 729 roofs were solar. That seemed like such a low number to get in the top ten, but I still have to say - "good job" Santa Rosa!!

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I have seen many solar panels on roofs in Santa Rosa, and I am proud to say that my children's school even has it's own large solar panel - mounted on a steel pole out near the playground (which makes me smile each time I see it). We ourselves would have already gone solar, at least if only for the hot water heater, but the upfront cost has been an issue we have debated back and forth. I guess that's something that keeps a lot of people who would love to go solar out of the fold. We will continue to look into it though and hopefully - one day soon - we can help that # out by one more.

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Top 10 for Number of Solar Roofs in California
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Rank___ Cities_______Number of Solar Roofs_

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#1_____ San Diego_____2,267
#2_____ San Francisco__1,493
#3_____ Los Angeles___ 1,432
#4_____ San Jose_____ 1,336
#5_____ Fresno______ 1,031
#6_____ Bakersfield____ 751
#7_____ Clovis________ 733
#8_____ Santa Rosa____ 729 (Yay!!!)
#9_____ Sacramento___ _692
#10____ Berkeley_____ _648
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(Information Courtesy Of Environmental California - Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

Christopher's 20th Birthday

My son Christopher turns 20 tomorrow. Another milestone in our family. You may not have heard me mention my second son too much on my blog - it's not because he is any less wonderful than my oldest - just more private, and I try to respect that. He is one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever had the honor to know. Contemplative and open minded - I always tell him that I want to be more like him when I grow up, and I can never seem to win an argument with him which makes us both laugh. As a child he was unbelievably creative and wildly energetic. As an adult he is graceful and straight forward - with a quiet, but strong nature. This aloof quietness often leads others to misunderstand him, but he doesn't seem to mind this, and I admire that. To quote a line I once heard - he is the delight of my eye and the darling of my heart. Happy birthday Chris - xoxoxo!!!