Ice cream and tea parties

Come to suburbia and check out the Kid Birthday Party options. We are guilty of such indulgences after years of at home birthday parties. But I always think back to my own childhood celebrations in Mozambique which included no one but those of us in the household, and a cake of our choosing. Zero birthday presents, or at least I cannot recall any.

Mrs. Potts hosts a tea party where the girls learn table manners.

The birthday girl is the Princess and all others are Ladies.

"Introducing Lady Gisella!"

Temporary and seasonal art

Hand carved by wee hands.

Education enriched

Deep inside my person lies a drive to learn, to know, to understand. Parenting is a complex experience where I am aware of me, her, the other parent, the sibling, the school, the friends, and education is intrinsically weaved in all of it.

We are grateful to have opportunities to offer them rich educational experiences.

Don't Script me

I really love this one:

Jesus' approach is always fresh, surprising, new, and unexpected. Consequently, it always provoked a direct reaction.... He shattered firmly formed convictions and beliefs. He often used nonreligious language, avoiding the religious language of his contemporaries, a language that had been used so long, and so often by so many people, that it had lost its meaning almost completely. He continually used examples from everyday life to express himself.
- Joseph G. Donders

Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel

Restless inquiry

Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry [people] pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.
- Paulo Freire

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Zalouk

The Soul of a New Cuisine

I flip through the pages, checking list of ingredients, looking for clues as to what are manageable recipes to start with. My pantry is not stocked with smoked herring or the various - and there are many - types of chilies.

I chose a variation of Zalouk, a Moroccan dish, named "Warm Eggplant-Butternut Squash Salad."

This weekend, me and my shopping list will dash to the food store (I have 3 favorites), and bring home the beginnings of my masterpiece.

Red alert! -Taste buds are salivating!

The Soul of a New Cuisine

My "One woman" project. One woman doer, one woman audience, one woman customer/critic.

Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelson, returns to Africa, his birthplace and explores the continent through its cuisine.

I'm going to attempt to follow some of the recipes in his book "The Soul of a New Cuisine".

Details later.

~ Chef D ~

:-D

What is a friend?

You know those conversations you can have with some someone that leave you feeling rich, full, and peaceful? The kind where you and the someone feel valued by each other? Th kind where transparency and honesty are absolute basic ingredients? I have those conversations with very, very few people.

Ultimately, the friends I want to have are those I can have such conversations with... On the other hand, I'm very satisfied with a reasonably intelligent interchange with anyone.

The ultimate experience? Combine the two.

The process of developing a friendship like this is just that, a process. In the beginning one experiences the satisfaction of having found someone with whom you communicate well. They get you. They like what you have to say. You admire them. You learn from them. Polite exchanges are everywhere. Then, the thing happens... things cool off... you consider your next step... you wait it out... you decide to test that honesty level mentioned above. This will determine the next level of the friendship. Let's see what happens... She may have the makings of a friend.

In memory

All that creativity is, depth, color, texture, I can now use to honor the lost ones.

I find myself noticing combinations of three. We are three, the left ones.

I can do that...

They would be the kind of kids who would ride that thing endlessly... as I would :-D.

Fall Break and cooler weather

Girls are off and Momma works. Mid afternoons are for short trips, and there is always something different to do at the zoo. Heck, we can always use our new cameras and spend our time there capturing fun stuff. These creatures were toasting in the mid afternoon sun.

The Phoenix Zoo.

Parenting for High Potential

Here's a list of selected resources for high ability children. Items are chosen based on their WOW! factor.

In our house we started exploring the game "The White House". I look at my 10 yo's willingness to learn about presidential election in amazement.

You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you.

- Ruth Smeltzer

Some guy in church on Sunday said something similar. I call that true giving, but I often find myself expecting my gifts to be used fruitfully...

Majesty

I strive...

Humility is attentive patience.

- Simone Weil: An Anthology by Siân Miles 2000

The Blessing

The great mystery of God's love is that we are not asked to live as if we are not hurting, as if we are not broken.

In fact, we are invited to recognize our brokenness as a brokenness in which we can come in touch with the unique way that God loves us.

The great invitation is to live your brokenness under the blessing. I cannot take people's brokenness away and people cannot take my brokenness away.

But how do you live in your brokenness? Do you live your brokenness under the blessing or under the curse?

The great call of Jesus is to put your brokenness under the blessing.

- Henri J.M. Nouwen Lecture at Scarritt-Bennett Center

Psalm 127 3

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. "

Mind over Splatter

Pick your pottery piece and paint way. The 7 girls at the birthday party brushed their colors on vigorously. Some made boxes, but most picked a favorite animal.

Example pieces

More examples

A useful example

I have a thing for..

I didn't have a chance to look for the name of the kind of art that replicates nature.... I really love it. Could it be its sense of permanence?

A garden at Desert Breeze Park

Framing nature

Taken with my new camera. I can do things I could not do with my other one. Must read the manual.

Indoor Party Places

The local indoor wave pool.

You best shower after a folly in this pool or your skin will scream from the effects of the chlorine.

Math and Science

Education is a fascinating endeavour to be involved in. Learning for me is like water. I succumb to less than optimal mental/emotional states if I am not permitted to let my mind entertain questions and pursue trains of thought as they come alive in my head. Education becomes the perfect realm to let loose. I become better prepared to guide my daughters in their journey to brilliance... Yes, I expect brilliance.... Just today I learned that females are considered a minority when taking photography class in high school.

Yesterday I heard a strong proponent for math and science improvement in public education and how the students of today are the work force of tomorrow. Today, I smiled as the art teacher didn't see the value of math and science. As a parent, for now, I will focus on exposing the young ones to many different subjects, while I also am vigilant of specific talents that can be nurtured.

A learning mind is a happy mind. :-)

Whispers

I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.

- Henry Ward Beecher

Quoted in How Shall We Live by Joan Chittister, OSB.

Flow Charts

Diagrams or flowcharts are staples in company meetings or presentations

Fresh, Sweet, Unique...

Edible Arrangements

Lovely and really fresh....

As I started removing the fruit to store in the fridge, I noticed that I could also use the greens for stir fry or soup.

But I was more amazed by the head of iceberg lettuce that served as the floral green sponge that held all the arrangement together.

Isn't it nice getting extraordinary gifts from your co-workers? It's an EDIBLE ARRANGEMENT.

How to celebrate a birthday - my way

Do it all week long. My young ones are game for that. Eat out. Enjoy friends and family. Then, there's the inner, private, grateful celebration. Happy Birthday to me. :-)

Since you've been gone...

A month.

It finally opens

Tempe Center for the Arts

Main entrance

The lobby

The outside pool

Childsplay stage

The Childsplay productions will be worth every penny. The place rocks!

Church

Sundays are for church going and family lunches. Today, I left the Sanctuary feeling full, happy, and safe. The general message was about tolerating differences in others as they walk their way to Christ. The music is always one of my favorite parts, and I sing in full expression. There is no singing like church singing. OK, maybe African music is also high on the list too. But, in song, one praises the Beloved in ways that words cannot. God is Great.

Mini Pizza

Made by a little cook in the house. She used flour and water to make the dough, ketchup for the sauce, and Cheddar cheese for the topping. Talk about using available ingredients. It was cut in four pieces with a pizza cutter and we ate it. :-)

People say, "What good can one person do? What is the sense of our small effort?" They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time. We can be responsible only for the one action of the present moment. But we can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform all our individual actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes.
- Dorothy Day
from Loaves and Fishes

Inspiration

See what no eye can see, go where no foot can go, choose that which is no choice–then you may hear what makes no sound–God’s voice. - Angelus Silsius

Quoted in How Shall We Live by Joan Chittister, OSB.

When the sun rises.

O cafe da manha. O meu favorito. Duas canecas, e tudo comeca bem.

Closer, this time...

Last time we were in the area, we saw her from across the river. That would be no more... I wanted the young ones to step on that island and get as close as possible. One can spend half a day there, it's pretty amazing.

The Hilton of Short Hills