And the Oscar goes to.....

The  83rd Academy Awards are soon approaching--better known as the "Night of Oscars".  Millions of people will tune in to see who gets what from Best Actor, Best Actress, Best  Animated Feature, Best Directing, so on and so forth. It's a veritable who's who of "bests" that the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences recognizes. Along with all the accolades, some of us (including me) will be watching the glamorous display of fashion, jewelry and fanciness that goes along with that night.  It's kind of fun, I think.  Like going out on a fancy date and getting all dressed up. But I digress....

One of my favorite categories, and typically one that they make you wait to the bitter end to find out who wins it, is Best Picture.  This being the 83rd year that the Academy Awards have been presented means that for 82 years there's been a Best Picture. I find that pretty amazing in and of it's self.  So, it got me thinking.  There is one thing that all pictures/movies have in common; one common theme.  And this common theme is key to not only pictures but life it self. For without it, things would be far different. I'm talking about conflict.

As I looked up some of the movies that have won over the years, I can't help but think what they would be like without some sort of conflict.  Take "Rocky"... can you imagine it without the fighting; without the battle of good and evil. Or speaking of good and evil, how about "The Lord of the Rings" saga?  Take out conflict and you are just left with the Shire, good looking Elves, and strong horsemen. (Please forgive me LotR fans!) Or "The Godfather" (Parts I and II) which also won for Best Picture. The Corleone  Family would be unrecognizable. My point is that conflict, however big or small, is key to effecting the story line of movies, characters, peoples and lives.

Let me just finish by saying that I'm "conflict avoidant". I will run to the hills in order to avoid what I perceive as conflict. We could delve deep into why that is, but for now, I won't.  Without some sort of conflict or trials, I would be living in Candy Land--floating through life without really any cares or  without any sense of stress or reason to fight, resolve, and sharpen or expand upon  the amazing life that God has given me. And better yet, because I am not alone in this world, it gives me opportunity to fine tune those relationships around me that mean the most to me.

So, the next time I'm faced with a conflict or trial, I will look at it as opportunity rather than shy away and see only harm.

~Reggie

Laugh. Dream. Grow.

With the birth of my youngest child on the way almost 5 years ago, my oldest daughter and I did a project together to decorate the nursery. We went to our favorite ceramics store and picked out three tiles to paint and decorate. Each tile was to have one word on it; a word that was meant to be a blessing for this new one's life. We pondered it for a while and finally choose these three: laugh, dream, grow.

Laugh. Laughter. Oh,  I love to laugh. It's one of life's simple joys.  It can quickly ease a tense moment. Soothe a restless mind. Calm a weary spirit and bring tears (of happiness) to the one who needs it. It's the antithesis of a frown or scowl and the medicine to cure almost anything.  "Laughter is the best medicine" after all. I hoped that my soon-to-be born youngest child would be blessed with laughter. And now, close to 5 years later, I can easily tell you that she has brought much laughter to our household and enjoys to laugh herself.

Dream. I am a dreamer. It's easy for me to dream; have hopes, desires. Without hope there is despair and without dreams there is a life less colorful, I believe. Google the words "live without dreams" and you will have an onslaught of anything from quotes from Martin Luther King to any and everyone's blog (now including this one!).  We are designed to dream.  Dreaming is the process in which we live out our lives. Maybe that sounds too grand or philosophical or just plain wish-wash, but a life that is deep and rich will have dreams in it. Dare to dream was my wish for this child.

Grow. This one is more literal--grow physically, grow mentally, and grow spiritually.  All of those can be gauged in one fashion or another.  And each of them she has a direct hand in. It has been my experience that growth usually comes in hindsight or the revelation of growth does.  Often we are too close to see it; it happens so slowly that one does not fully recognize it 'til time has past and some form of measurement shows that there's been "growth".  For me, this may come through my relationships with others, too. Again, it's that too close to see it theory.  I'm thankful for those close to me who help me see that growth.  As my youngest daughter grows, it is my desire to give her those tools to help her grow.  Remember: Growth doesn't have an expiration date!



~Reggie

Recipe for a Memory

The sand was warm, the sun was high and the sound of surf rang in my ears; I was feeling confident as I squeezed into that inflatable ring.  I can see the look on my sister's face; one of concern. I can hear my mom sipping her cola through the colorful plastic straw that stuck out of the chilled aluminum can. But mostly, I remember the words of my dad, "We can do this. You can do this--it's not that far out there." And here is the clincher that sealed the deal... "If you swim out there with me, you can pick anything you want off the menu at Farrell's."  That was it, I was sold.

So goes one of my favorite childhood memories.  It's one of the pieces of my life puzzle that still today I can remember so well.  Maybe it's that we talk about it every so often.  Or that when we gather as an extended family and those old slides come out, I relive it all over again.  Either way, it's something that I recall with fondness-- the day I "swam" (ok it was more like "floated") out to that bobbing platform in the Pacific Ocean off the warm and safe beach in Hawaii that my family was pleasantly sunning themselves upon.

I was 5 at the time.  And if you do the math, that was a long time ago. What is it about memories that stir us? Shape us? I know for me, there was all the makings of what I now know creates a good memory: travel, family (or others that I share my travel with), and some other element. In this case, fear and reward.  I was not a good swimmer and I was faced with a challenge that I was quite afraid of.  That  fear and the success of overcoming it and subsequent reward that followed was most likely the most powerful element in this story/memory.

What is your "recipe" for a good memory?

~Reggie

P.S.  While writing this blog I researched Farrell's and discovered that their Hawaii location has returned!  They have removed Kathy's Pink Surprise  from their revised menu, but they suggest "Step through our doors... Step back in time..." Hmmm. They may be on to something.

http://farrellshawaii.com/

The Three R's: Writing, Routine, and Reason

It used to be that you would get your pen and paper out and write; that seems to be a lost art form these days.   Once told by my 1st grade teacher that my penmanship was "very poor", I was marked for life! I have the writing of a chicken and a sick chicken at that and I am positive that cursive is my achilles heel.  However, I love to "write"... that free flow feeling  of consciousness from my mind.  The feel of my keyboard under fingertips. The tap, tap, tap of letters into words, words into sentences, sentences becoming paragraphs until a wonderful piece of thought is woven into something of a story. Those things move me and there lies one of my R's: Reason.

Reason to write can be different for each of us. For me, I hope along the way to discover more of myself. I believe we each have a story and writing brings that out.  Now, maybe all of us don't want an audience to our inner feelings and trials in life, but I feel strongly that writing ones feelings and struggles, ones joys along the journey, ones stories from their past will richly strengthen us.  It was one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, who wrote, "We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason they write so little." If the Sheep lice wanted to know the reason for their existence they may turn to writing!

Writing itself is a practice in self-discipline and self-preservation.  It sharpens your thinking. Broadens your horizons. Allows yourself to think outside the box. Makes you wonder why certain words in the English language are so hard to remember how to spell. Makes you wish you had paid better attention in class when grammar was being discussed and punctuation.  Writing is the equivalent of the  elliptical in  exercise.  And just like that elliptical machine, it pushes me. I have a love/hate relationship with it; however, I've seen it's results before and I like the way it looks.

And just like that elliptical machine that makes me sweat.... and sometimes swear--I would never do it again(!), I know that with Routine it will bring benefits. Why do you think they have something called "Writer's Block"? I think Writer's Block is like having a sore muscle or a torn ligament.  Maybe even having a cold.  When that happens, we need to rest or change things up.  If you hurt your leg, focus on your arm.  If you're sick, rest; take a break.  But, at some point you will come back to it and the more often you come back to it, you will build a stronger mind, have more confidence writing, and quite possibly step outside your comfort zone and try the StairMaster (or in my case, blog!).

Here, of course, are my thoughts; my R's. Just like those basics of "readin', writin' and 'rithmatic", I truly believe that each of us has something to gain by writing.

~Reggie

These are a few of my favorite things. Part One

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, Brown paper bags tied up with string, These are few of my favorite things."

So sings Julie Andrews in the classic show tune from The Sound of Music. She had her favorites--those things that made her happy or made her smile; maybe even just pause for a moment and reflect. We all have them. Some may have a monetary cost and some like "raindrops on roses" may cost nothing at all, but the simple joy that they bring the recipient is priceless.

As I was emptying the dishwasher the other day, I pulled out one of my favorite things; a deep porcelain mug decorated with motifs from Paris.  The mug is white with a violet band of color wrapped around it. On this band are several postcards of varied photographic views of the Eiffel Tower--these cards are black and ecru with fancy cursive writing in sayings like "Bonjour Paris", "L'amour Toujours", and "C'est Chic Paris". This mug with a  matching saucer and was a gift from a very good friend and her daughter many years ago.  We had been shopping at a local French boutique and as a surprise they bought it for me.  Many mornings I have taken that mug out of the cabinet or dishwasher and filled it with fresh coffee or tea and it has always brightened my morning, but as I took my mug from the washer this time,  I noticed something different about it.  I noticed a large chip.

One of the things we are working on in the house is dividing the chores. With five people in the house, the dishes and laundry and dust and dirt and wear, etc, etc seem to be adding up. So, I have given over some of the chore of doing dishes to my older two children.  Now,  let me tell you that my son can empty the dishwasher in less than 5 minutes! However, just like those old typing tests I used to take, his speed may be high, but his accuracy is quite lacking, thus what I can only assume was the fate of my mug. <sigh> My mug is not the same now.....

Fortunately, the chip is on the side and the exposed porcelain is smooth, so I am continuing to use the mug. I have a new found love for my favorite warm beverage container.  If you look closer at it you will see some coffee or tea stains, some fine scratches way down in the bottom from cleaning, and the bottom is well worn from being picked up and put down countless times over the years.  To put it bluntly, I am very much like this mug; a bit worn from life and its experiences. However, instead of looking at the downside of an aging vessel,  I'm learning to look at these as character building flaws. So it is my goal, at least.

What's one of your favorite things?

~Reggie

P. S. The above video version is Pomplamoose's indie version of the song--just to freshen things up.

La Fête Des Rois (Three Kings Day)

Oh joy!

It's only my third post and I get a day to talk about two of my favorite passions: food and France. The dictionary describes passion as, among other things, "boundless enthusiasm". That pretty much sums up my thoughts on good foods and France; I could talk/share about them with boundless enthusiasm for hours.

In France, La Fête Des Rois or Three Kings Day is celebrated on the 6th of January. Just like those ingenious French, they took two holidays--the Roman "Les Saturnales" and the Christian tradition of "Epiphany" and created their own fête or celebration or party: La Fête Des Rois. Today, French families celebrate with a delicious  cake (made from almond meal and puff pastry) and by crowning a king or queen for the day.  The crowning of the king or queen comes when the cake is cut in pieces and each family member is served a piece; however, during the baking process of the cake a small object (crown or toy trinket) is placed in the filling of the cake.  The Roman tradition shows this to be a bean or féve. The one who is served the piece with the féve is crowned the king/queen.   To ensure that the baker doesn't cheat and serve herself (in this case!), the youngest will hid under the table and tell who gets each piece.  This is something that my youngest is looking forward to with much glee.

So, this afternoon, I gathered in the kitchen with my girls and made the cake.  It was a testament to my patience, my baking skills, and my metric conversions (since the recipe was in French--oui !). I must say that I was very happy in those moments--with my apron on and daughters near me eager to help out. Maybe I just might bake more often.  The cake baked nicely to spite the fact that I didn't seal the pastry pieces together very well and that I may have over done the quantity of the filling.  The egg wash gave the scored pastry top a nice sheen and the smell of almond sweetness filled the house.  The filling did ooze out a bit, but I just took that as extra artistic baking points.

Once the family was home, we sat around the kitchen table and got ready to crown someone.  While trying to keep to the festive and royal feel, I pulled out my Wedding China and used the platter to present the cake on.  My youngest did hide under the table and pieces were dispersed to everyone as she called it. Since it was a large cake, I was hoping that someone actually did get a piece with the small crown like charm that we put in it, as I didn't cut the whole thing.  And sure enough, my son discovered it in his piece shortly after starting to eat the cake.  A king was crowned!

The cake, still warm from the oven, tasted rich and delicious and the pastry flaky. I'll call it a success and will look forward to making the cake again next year, too.  As with the "Les Saturnales" festivals which represented a wish for health, prosperity and peace for all citizens, I too wish for that in this coming year.

~Reggie

Galette des Rois - recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry 
140g ground almond (1 1/4 cups)
75g soften butter (1/2 cup)
80g sugar (2/3 cup)
3 eggs
1 yolk

Mix the butter and the sugar until the mix whitens, then add the beaten eggs and the ground almond, mix well.
In the middle of the first sheet of puff pastry, pour the mix. Lay the second sheet on top, and roll the sides of the sheets together towards the inside to seal the galette. 
With a knife, draw diagonal lines in both direction (so that they cross each other) to create the pattern. Then with a brush, spread the yolk on the whole cake to give it a golden colour. 
Put in an over for 30 minutes at 200 degrees (400 degrees F.)  Serve hot, but it is excellent cold too. 

Taking the jump. Now what?

As a young child, I took swimming lessons at our local pool. Since we lived in Washington state at the time, most pools were indoor; including the one where I took my lessons.  I can still remember the smell as you walk in. You probably know what I'm talking about.... the damp air heavy laden with the smell of chlorine. I love that smell.  Here in California, I don't get to many indoor pool areas, so I miss that smell.

As I venture into this thing called "blogging",  I'm reminded of the swimming lessons of my youth. In particular, sitting on the bleachers and watching as everyone jumps off the high dive; the signal that lessons were over and you had completed that session.  For a young girl, this was a huge thing! The moment you've been waiting for; the moment you've seen everyone else do, and accomplish. And all the sudden....it's here.  I'm standing on the edge of that high dive, after climbing the long ladder up, and I'm ready to jump.

 Now what?  I've jumped and I'm thinking, "OH my!!".  This is exhilarating and frightening at the same time--just like this blogging thing.  I'm very rusty as a writer and add in the technology aspect and I feel like an alien from another planet, but I am going to give it a try.  Just like that little girl who took the jump off the high dive, I'm jumping in with two feet.  

~Reggie