I borrowed this fun idea from Ordinary Life Magic, one of my favorite unschooling blogs. The idea is that your kids answer questions about you, and you get some insight into their view of you. I thought it was pretty fun, so I interviewed my two. Try it with your kids - it's a lot of fun!
Dryst, age 14 (well, 15 in just one week):
1. What is something I always say to you?
I love you.
2. What makes me happy?
Cats.
3. What makes me sad?
Arguing.
4. How do I make you laugh?
Usually by laughing yourself.
5. What was I like as a child?
Shy.
6. How old am I?
Forty...um...one? Is that right? (yep)
7. How tall am I?
Five foot one-and-a-half. (he’s very aware of this, having recently passed me!)
8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Uh, have fun, I don’t know...you enjoy a lot of things.
9. What do I do when you’re not around?
Rejoice (heh heh). That’s funny, come on!
10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
Your Feline Dreamers.
11. What am I really good at?
Um, smart things. Writing. Cooking.
12. What am I not very good at?
Sports.
13. What do I do for a job?
Feline Dreamers.
14. What is my favorite food?
Uh, Indian food?
15. What makes you proud of me?
Lots of things. How smart you are, how nice you are, everything, I don’t know!
16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
I don’t know, that’s are hard one... Wait, Velma!
17. What do you and I do together?
Uh, swimming a lot. We haven’t really done anything just the two of us for a while.
18. How are you and I the same?
We’re about the same height, we have about the same color eyes, and we’re related. Oh, and we’re both Virgos.
19. How are you and I different?
You’re a chick and I’m a dude. Um, I’m sporty, you’re intelligent.
20. How do you know I love you?
Because you’re nice and loving.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
This test is interesting. It seems like it was made for younger kids, though.
ElvenTiger, age 12:
1. What is something I always say to you?
Hmm. You say "meow!"
2. What makes me happy?
Kitties.
3. What makes me sad?
Um, arguing, and when kitties pass away.
4. How do I make you laugh?
Your smile.
5. What was I like as a child?
Quiet, and you loved to read all the time.
6. How old am I?
41.
7. How tall am I?
Five foot one-and-a-half, almost two.
8. What is my favorite thing to do?
I have to say either swimming or reading, but you love a bunch of stuff.
9. What do I do when you’re not around?
Read, be quiet.
10. If I become famous, what will it be for?
Writing.
11. What am I really good at?
Grammar - you’re an English major.
12. What am I not very good at?
All the sports, except for soccer.
13. What do I do for a job?
You write.
14. What is my favorite food?
You don’t really have a favorite food, you like all kinds of foods.
15. What makes you proud of me?
Um, well, you’re always happy, even when things are tough.
16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
This is gonna be a fun one (thinks about it). The cat on Tom and Jerry!
17. What do you and I do together?
A lot of stuff, mainly swimming, but also reading together.
18. How are you and I the same?
We both love to swim. We both don’t like fighting. We’re related. Our eyes. Oh yeah, and how much we love cats!
19. How are you and I different?
Our hair is one of the ways. I don’t know...
20. How do you know I love you?
Because of the way you smile, and just... you! I know you love me because you’re you.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
You’re awesome!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Mermaid Goes Wandering
I've found myself wandering, as Rob Brezsny tells me, in exile this past few weeks. Not a permanent exile, but definitely a place outside the comfort zone. When I'm feeling positive about it, I think of it as the wilds of the imagination. Wandering in exile tends to conjure a mental picture of an emaciated fellow trudging through the desert. However, my personal form of exile is more like being a mermaid swimming in the far reaches of the deepest emotional seas.
As I wrote in my journal, "swimming and floating, never touching the bottom. Sometimes it's stormy, sometimes quite calm. Can it be called wandering if you're swimming? Well, why not?"
It's not quite time to come back to the mainland, for there are still lessons to be learned. Yet I have found some new allies, and alerted some longtime friends, and they have sent me messages in bottles and texts on my shell-phone, so I know I'm not entirely alone. I expect that I'll return with new thoughts, ideas, and ponderings to share. Stay tuned, dear readers, and perhaps I'll swim back with some pearls for you.
As I wrote in my journal, "swimming and floating, never touching the bottom. Sometimes it's stormy, sometimes quite calm. Can it be called wandering if you're swimming? Well, why not?"
It's not quite time to come back to the mainland, for there are still lessons to be learned. Yet I have found some new allies, and alerted some longtime friends, and they have sent me messages in bottles and texts on my shell-phone, so I know I'm not entirely alone. I expect that I'll return with new thoughts, ideas, and ponderings to share. Stay tuned, dear readers, and perhaps I'll swim back with some pearls for you.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
My Favorite Movies
For as long as I can remember, when asked what my favorite movie is, my answer has been The Princess Bride. And then the Lord of the Rings movies came out, and as a fan of the books, I truly loved them and thought they did a fabulous job. Well, now the Harry Potter series of movies is complete, and we just saw the final one tonight. And now they are right up at the top of the list. Wow!
Seventeen of us, the core members of our Maine Wholeschoolers group, filed into the movie theater ten days ago, ready to watch the final installment. We had our 3D glasses, popcorn, and candy, and we were ready! But before we even got to the previews, the electricity went out in the theater. Yikes! We waited a while, but the theater staff came back and said that they were canceling that showing, and we'd have to come back. Right. Just try and get 17 people from four busy families to all come back at the same time.
Well, time passed, but we did it! And the movie was just so fabulous. Yes, I cried. I also laughed a lot. We spontaneously cheered when Bellatrix LeStrange met her well-deserved end...even though we loved how Helena Bonham Carter played her to the hilt. I had goosebumps several times throughout the movie. They just captured it so very well! And yes, I absolutely love the books.
My favorite characters are all women: Hermione, of course. As a fellow bookworm, I can relate, and I love how she grows into such a powerful witch. Luna Lovegood, oh yes, I also identify with her. I was just reading about the actress who played her, Evanna Lynch, and a quote about how the other actresses who tried out for the part could certainly play Luna, but Evanna IS Luna. So true! And of course, Professor Minerva McGonagall. I adore Dame Maggie Smith anyway, and she turns into a cat, for heaven's sake! Perfect!
Well, that is all for now. I freely admit that my first words after the end of the movie were "again! again!" And I might just have to do that.
Seventeen of us, the core members of our Maine Wholeschoolers group, filed into the movie theater ten days ago, ready to watch the final installment. We had our 3D glasses, popcorn, and candy, and we were ready! But before we even got to the previews, the electricity went out in the theater. Yikes! We waited a while, but the theater staff came back and said that they were canceling that showing, and we'd have to come back. Right. Just try and get 17 people from four busy families to all come back at the same time.
Well, time passed, but we did it! And the movie was just so fabulous. Yes, I cried. I also laughed a lot. We spontaneously cheered when Bellatrix LeStrange met her well-deserved end...even though we loved how Helena Bonham Carter played her to the hilt. I had goosebumps several times throughout the movie. They just captured it so very well! And yes, I absolutely love the books.
My favorite characters are all women: Hermione, of course. As a fellow bookworm, I can relate, and I love how she grows into such a powerful witch. Luna Lovegood, oh yes, I also identify with her. I was just reading about the actress who played her, Evanna Lynch, and a quote about how the other actresses who tried out for the part could certainly play Luna, but Evanna IS Luna. So true! And of course, Professor Minerva McGonagall. I adore Dame Maggie Smith anyway, and she turns into a cat, for heaven's sake! Perfect!
Well, that is all for now. I freely admit that my first words after the end of the movie were "again! again!" And I might just have to do that.
Monday, August 01, 2011
First Harvest
Happy Lammas everyone! No, not llamas, although they are pretty cool. Lammas is the Pagan celebration of the First Harvest. Abundant early crops like wheat and corn are featured in the celebration - so homemade bread and corn on the cob, along with tomato dishes featuring fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, are often included in the feast. A friend of ours has an overabundance of zucchini to share, so our own celebrations this week will have grill-roasted zucchini as part of the menu. Yum!
Along with the literal harvest, we can also give thanks for that which we're harvesting in our lives. The projects that we conceived of in Winter and planted as seeds this Spring are now, perhaps, coming to fruition. They may not yet be complete, but hopefully we can see the energies coming together. It's time to patiently continue to nurture them as they grow. Not everything we've planted will thrive, so there may be things to let go, too.
I'm tending to some cherished creative projects that are still coming together. One big project that I thought I'd given up on has rallied and is progressing well, and I'm in the midst of writing several articles that I can visualize being completed in the next couple of months. I'm letting go of my expectations in other areas, and seeking some new options for financial abundance. What is your First Harvest? Are there things you're ready to let go? Are there others you will continue to tend carefully?
Blessings of Lammas to you! May your gardens thrive and bring you a bountiful harvest!
Along with the literal harvest, we can also give thanks for that which we're harvesting in our lives. The projects that we conceived of in Winter and planted as seeds this Spring are now, perhaps, coming to fruition. They may not yet be complete, but hopefully we can see the energies coming together. It's time to patiently continue to nurture them as they grow. Not everything we've planted will thrive, so there may be things to let go, too.
I'm tending to some cherished creative projects that are still coming together. One big project that I thought I'd given up on has rallied and is progressing well, and I'm in the midst of writing several articles that I can visualize being completed in the next couple of months. I'm letting go of my expectations in other areas, and seeking some new options for financial abundance. What is your First Harvest? Are there things you're ready to let go? Are there others you will continue to tend carefully?
Blessings of Lammas to you! May your gardens thrive and bring you a bountiful harvest!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
So Busy, and It's Not Even August Yet!
Summer is one of our busiest times, as a family. I've told folks for years that to try and schedule things in August is challenging, because there's already so much going on - lots of birthdays, the Maine Highland Games, our family reunion, and the start of soccer season, just to name a few. It's my busiest month. Well, we're not even into August yet, and we've been super busy! Today is the first day in a while when I've had time to post, and to really catch up with my online reading and networking.
Some of our recent summer adventures have included: hosting a Red Temple gathering, volunteering with my Mom and ElvenTiger at a local museum, role-playing game sessions, a fun day at the waterpark with the kids' Aunt Molly, seeing our friends in the play Narnia, celebrating a dear friend's 40th birthday (which included an awesome massive water fight with a posse of kids on one of the hottest days), a lake party with unschoolers, fundraising on the air for my public radio station, lots of swimming, hanging out with friends, and family potlucks. Oh my!
I apologize for not having pictures to post. I still need to get a battery for my camera. We've been relying on others' photos, and just living in the moment and enjoying what we're doing.
I'm also looking for some paid work to supplement our income. This is both a disappointment and kind of a fun process. Fun because I'm networking and exploring in order to find something that fits my quirky self, my needs for a flexible schedule, and my unusual skill set. Disappointing because I still haven't (yet) been able to create my right livelihood, a way to use my creativity to help support my family. However, it's an interesting process of discovery, because I'm feeling like a lot of the information I'm searching through is leading me back to those same creative talents that feed my calling. I'll let you know how it goes...when I have a moment!
Some of our recent summer adventures have included: hosting a Red Temple gathering, volunteering with my Mom and ElvenTiger at a local museum, role-playing game sessions, a fun day at the waterpark with the kids' Aunt Molly, seeing our friends in the play Narnia, celebrating a dear friend's 40th birthday (which included an awesome massive water fight with a posse of kids on one of the hottest days), a lake party with unschoolers, fundraising on the air for my public radio station, lots of swimming, hanging out with friends, and family potlucks. Oh my!
I apologize for not having pictures to post. I still need to get a battery for my camera. We've been relying on others' photos, and just living in the moment and enjoying what we're doing.
I'm also looking for some paid work to supplement our income. This is both a disappointment and kind of a fun process. Fun because I'm networking and exploring in order to find something that fits my quirky self, my needs for a flexible schedule, and my unusual skill set. Disappointing because I still haven't (yet) been able to create my right livelihood, a way to use my creativity to help support my family. However, it's an interesting process of discovery, because I'm feeling like a lot of the information I'm searching through is leading me back to those same creative talents that feed my calling. I'll let you know how it goes...when I have a moment!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Dreamwork Transformation
The past few nights I've been doing some more new dreamwork as I sleep. Not like a dream in the conventional sense, but more like the dream healing I was doing last fall, which I wrote about here. This recent dreamwork is difficult to explain in words, but I'm going to try.
Oddly enough, it centers around part of the song "Kandi" by One Eskimo, a sort of bridge or chorus that was actually originally part of an older song, though I'm not sure of the history. The part I'm talking about goes "he called me baby, baby, all night long." I heard the song on The World Cafe on Saturday night, and since then it's been woven through my sleep.
As I rise up toward the surface, between deep sleep and dreaming, I hear that part of the song playing. And it feels like a spell or type of magick, and the word that comes up about it is "transformation." When the song-spell plays, I go through the process of transforming something within me...energy? old patterns? I'm not sure what it is, or how to describe it. It's a deep feeling, and it seems like a positive thing when it is happening. Last night I remember noting the fact that I was doing the "spell" backwards. The music was still playing as usual, but somehow it seemed like I had learned to reverse something, and that too was a good thing.
Sorry to be so vague, but I wanted to try and capture it here. The reason I recalled it was that I didn't remember any traditional dreams this morning, so when I was thinking about dreams, this is what popped into my memory. Don't look so puzzled - you already knew I was strange!
Oddly enough, it centers around part of the song "Kandi" by One Eskimo, a sort of bridge or chorus that was actually originally part of an older song, though I'm not sure of the history. The part I'm talking about goes "he called me baby, baby, all night long." I heard the song on The World Cafe on Saturday night, and since then it's been woven through my sleep.
As I rise up toward the surface, between deep sleep and dreaming, I hear that part of the song playing. And it feels like a spell or type of magick, and the word that comes up about it is "transformation." When the song-spell plays, I go through the process of transforming something within me...energy? old patterns? I'm not sure what it is, or how to describe it. It's a deep feeling, and it seems like a positive thing when it is happening. Last night I remember noting the fact that I was doing the "spell" backwards. The music was still playing as usual, but somehow it seemed like I had learned to reverse something, and that too was a good thing.
Sorry to be so vague, but I wanted to try and capture it here. The reason I recalled it was that I didn't remember any traditional dreams this morning, so when I was thinking about dreams, this is what popped into my memory. Don't look so puzzled - you already knew I was strange!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Cake(s) of the Month: June
I'm way behind in posting about it, but don't worry, June was full of cakes! And I think I got pictures of most of them.
This cake was made, believe it or not, to use up the extra frosting from the past couple of cakes. I mean, otherwise it just sits around in the fridge feeling sorry for itself. And despite the yumminess factor, no one seems to want to eat frosting by itself. So I made a square 9-inch One-Egg Chocolate Cake, a recipe from my great-grandmother, Nana Drew.
Thanks to the wonderful response I received to a cake I made for a friend's birthday dinner party in late May (chocolate maple, and delicious if I do say so), I might have even gotten a couple of special orders for cakes! Which is a totally new thing. Here are some photos...
And finally, since it was my namesake Starhawk's 60th birthday on June 17th, I made some pentacle cupcakes, also using up some of the previously-made frosting (as you can tell by the powdered sugar on a few of them). Not that I know Starhawk personally or anything, but the folks at the Fireside Gathering that night loved them!
Let me know if you're local to southern Maine and need a cake for a special occasion!
This cake was made, believe it or not, to use up the extra frosting from the past couple of cakes. I mean, otherwise it just sits around in the fridge feeling sorry for itself. And despite the yumminess factor, no one seems to want to eat frosting by itself. So I made a square 9-inch One-Egg Chocolate Cake, a recipe from my great-grandmother, Nana Drew.
Thanks to the wonderful response I received to a cake I made for a friend's birthday dinner party in late May (chocolate maple, and delicious if I do say so), I might have even gotten a couple of special orders for cakes! Which is a totally new thing. Here are some photos...
And finally, since it was my namesake Starhawk's 60th birthday on June 17th, I made some pentacle cupcakes, also using up some of the previously-made frosting (as you can tell by the powdered sugar on a few of them). Not that I know Starhawk personally or anything, but the folks at the Fireside Gathering that night loved them!
Let me know if you're local to southern Maine and need a cake for a special occasion!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Monday's Doings
It's been a pretty mellow day here today. It's been nice hot sunny summer weather, and the fans are going. Laundry, kitchen cleaning, and grocery shopping, along with doing some work on our business, Feline Dreamers. Lots of hangout time and conversation. BlackLion, ElvenTiger, and I took a lovely bike ride just a while ago, once the sun wasn't quite as intense.
Our late dinner is veggie burgers and potato salad; we were all too hot to be hungry earlier. We're using the last of BlackLion's sesame rolls to put the burgers (Morningstar Farms Grillers, Dryst's favorites) in, along with fresh greens, red onions, and tomatoes. I'll have to write out the recipe again for our Two Cats Potato Salad (made by us cats, not of cats!) - we lost the recipe when our external hard drive crashed, but I've been making it from memory.
Tonight there will probably be some Netflix watching on the agenda - Buffy and Angel, most likely. We're on seasons 5 and 2, respectively. I love those shows! It's nice to have a quiet start to the week.
Our late dinner is veggie burgers and potato salad; we were all too hot to be hungry earlier. We're using the last of BlackLion's sesame rolls to put the burgers (Morningstar Farms Grillers, Dryst's favorites) in, along with fresh greens, red onions, and tomatoes. I'll have to write out the recipe again for our Two Cats Potato Salad (made by us cats, not of cats!) - we lost the recipe when our external hard drive crashed, but I've been making it from memory.
Tonight there will probably be some Netflix watching on the agenda - Buffy and Angel, most likely. We're on seasons 5 and 2, respectively. I love those shows! It's nice to have a quiet start to the week.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Down to Earth Homemaking
Today I hosted a small gathering at my home, sort of an afternoon tea for women in the Red Temple group of Pagan women. I had set a batch of herbal sun tea out on the picnic table this morning to steep (Indian Spice flavor). I washed and hung out two loads of laundry, and BlackLion and I tidied up the house. I put a batch of strawberry-orange muffins in the oven just before the meeting, and set out plates and cups. Along with the muffins, I served homemade strawberry jam that a friend had given me, Cabot butter, and some homemade salsa with white corn chips. There was also local honey for the iced tea. One of my friends brought along some banana-walnut muffins she'd made.
During the meeting, as I went to the stove to check on the black beans I was boiling up for dinner, another friend asked about how I managed to cook beans from scratch without them ending up mushy. I told her about my methods for cooking beans, and then I had a little mini-realization - I should blog about my experiences as a homemaker and how I do things.
I haven't wanted to put myself in a category, such as locavore or vegan, because I really don't fit fully into any particular box. We are vegetarians, and we do eat dairy and (local) eggs, but we also eat a lot of vegan foods. We like to buy local veggies, but we don't focus solely on that. We enjoy organic food when it's possible, but sometimes it's too expensive for us. See what I mean? Purists from any of those categories would look askance at me.
But I suspect there are more families like mine, and some who would want to get tips and hints on how to do what we're doing. Our intentions are to eat healthy foods, make a lot of things from scratch, choose local and organic foods when we can, be kind to the environment, and keep to our budget. The things that, to me, are just part of our lives now, such as cooking with all kinds of dried legumes, making up our own recipes, and making more things on our own (like salad dressing, bread, and mustard), might be a new interest or goal for someone else. I guess I shouldn't assume that just because I'm not doing everything from scratch (yet?) that I don't have valuable information and wisdom to share. I don't have to be "finished" a process to share about how it's going. A revelation! Heh heh.
So, along the lines of one of the blogs I like to read, A Handmade Life, here are some photos of this weekend's projects.
BlackLion made these sesame bulkie rolls for Friday night's dinner, which was homemade falafel patties, kale salad, and oven fries.
These are the strawberry-orange muffins, adapted from my Mom's orange muffin recipe.
Indian Spice herbal sun tea. Some of us had it plain over ice, while others added honey. Mmmm!
Our family's semi-famous homemade salsa, a regular dish for us. This batch was made by Quester and I, with some help from the hungry and impatient kids.
Two loads of laundry today, plus the swim towels from the jaunt to the lake that BlackLion and the kids took during my afternoon gathering.
And just for fun, some roses from Quester's flower garden. These are "my" mini yellow roses - the original bush was a gift from my Mom. Quester has nurtured them along, though.
And finally, a red rose that Quester rescued from a friend's rose garden. It was small, but is doing well here.
Please comment with your feedback! Let me know if you'd like to hear more about this aspect of my family's life.
P.S. I forgot to mention (or photograph) the Cherry Chocolate Chip ice cream that I made (my own recipe). My friend said it tasted like Cherry Garcia, and BlackLion said it's the best he's ever had (and that's his favorite flavor). Wow!
During the meeting, as I went to the stove to check on the black beans I was boiling up for dinner, another friend asked about how I managed to cook beans from scratch without them ending up mushy. I told her about my methods for cooking beans, and then I had a little mini-realization - I should blog about my experiences as a homemaker and how I do things.
I haven't wanted to put myself in a category, such as locavore or vegan, because I really don't fit fully into any particular box. We are vegetarians, and we do eat dairy and (local) eggs, but we also eat a lot of vegan foods. We like to buy local veggies, but we don't focus solely on that. We enjoy organic food when it's possible, but sometimes it's too expensive for us. See what I mean? Purists from any of those categories would look askance at me.
But I suspect there are more families like mine, and some who would want to get tips and hints on how to do what we're doing. Our intentions are to eat healthy foods, make a lot of things from scratch, choose local and organic foods when we can, be kind to the environment, and keep to our budget. The things that, to me, are just part of our lives now, such as cooking with all kinds of dried legumes, making up our own recipes, and making more things on our own (like salad dressing, bread, and mustard), might be a new interest or goal for someone else. I guess I shouldn't assume that just because I'm not doing everything from scratch (yet?) that I don't have valuable information and wisdom to share. I don't have to be "finished" a process to share about how it's going. A revelation! Heh heh.
So, along the lines of one of the blogs I like to read, A Handmade Life, here are some photos of this weekend's projects.
BlackLion made these sesame bulkie rolls for Friday night's dinner, which was homemade falafel patties, kale salad, and oven fries.
These are the strawberry-orange muffins, adapted from my Mom's orange muffin recipe.
Indian Spice herbal sun tea. Some of us had it plain over ice, while others added honey. Mmmm!
Our family's semi-famous homemade salsa, a regular dish for us. This batch was made by Quester and I, with some help from the hungry and impatient kids.
Two loads of laundry today, plus the swim towels from the jaunt to the lake that BlackLion and the kids took during my afternoon gathering.
And just for fun, some roses from Quester's flower garden. These are "my" mini yellow roses - the original bush was a gift from my Mom. Quester has nurtured them along, though.
And finally, a red rose that Quester rescued from a friend's rose garden. It was small, but is doing well here.
Please comment with your feedback! Let me know if you'd like to hear more about this aspect of my family's life.
P.S. I forgot to mention (or photograph) the Cherry Chocolate Chip ice cream that I made (my own recipe). My friend said it tasted like Cherry Garcia, and BlackLion said it's the best he's ever had (and that's his favorite flavor). Wow!
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