Write in the Water

I learned about this great product because a friend retweeted someone's tweet on twitter.  (Thanks, Naomi, for retweeting!)  Who knew social networking could be so rewarding?

It's called Aqua Notes.  I don't know about you, but I get some seriously good ideas when I'm in the shower.  Something about the hot water gently massaging my brain that brings thoughts to the surface.  The only problem is, once I turn the water off and get blasted with that initial chill, my brilliant ideas go down the drain, leaving me with mere droplets of thoughts.

So here it is.  The paper is water proof.  It really works.  You can literally write under water.  I bought the 5 pack so I wouldn't run out any time soon.  The pad adheres to the tiles with suction cups, so you can stick it wherever you want.

http://www.myaquanotes.com/

Starting Anew

We are back in the city.  School started late this year so we really stretched out our summer.  Even the pool closed before it was time to go back.  Which meant it was time to go back.

We returned to our apartment to find that the scaffolding was finally taken down after two years of living behind a curtain. No more ugly planks of wood and ripped muslin swaying dangerously in the wind.  No more thinking that every day is overcast.  Sunlight was swimming through our loft.  It was so bright that turning on all the lights barely made a difference.

Then we came home from a party on Saturday night and I realized what I'd forgotten.  I can see into all the apartments across the street.  And they can see into mine.  Ahhh, city life.

After being out in the country for three months, there's something about waking up on a Sunday morning to the sound of jack hammers ripping into the asphalt, taxi drivers leaning on their horns and motorcycles revving their engines that creates an inner sense of tranquility and peace in my mind.  No wait, it creates a new migraine.

Oh well, like anything else, I'll get used to it.  Again.

New (School) Year's Resolutions

I took the summer off.  Not from writing.  From blogging.  I continued working on my manuscript, sent out some queries to agents, received two rejections and two willing to take another look if I make some a lot of changes.

My new school year resolutions are to...

1.  Write more.  Starting with this post.

I cut out 30,000 words.  Now it's time to add some back.

2.  Exercise more.  Tennis doubles just doesn't burn that many calories.  Must be all the in-between-game chatter.

Found this article while getting a pedicure.  

3.  Eat better.  I never got to that summer juicing I'd planned on.

Finally, the first red tomato in my vegetable garden.

Wrote more already.  Goal #1, check.

A Melvin Inspired Smoothie

I do have a few things in my cooking repertoire that the whole family will eat. Like smoothies. Okay, drink. Well, not Ella, except for occasionally. Depends on her mood. It's about as close as I'm going to get to a family meal, so I'm going with it.

Recently I went to a juicing party at this amazing place called Miss Lily's. It's a hip restaurant on Houston St. in the village offering many things, including Jamaican food, a bake shop and great coffee. But I was there to learn about juicing by the juice legend, Melvin Major Jr. He's entertaining. He's fun. He knows how to make a good juice. He made a spicy beet juice with ginger and cayenne and I drank so much I spent the entire afternoon peeing. Sorry, TMI. And I don't even like beet juice.

He also showed us how to make smoothies. I learned a thing or two about my Vitamix. Like I've been using it all wrong. Before Melvin, I threw in all my ingredients, blasted it up to high for a minute, and, well, that was it. Wrong, said Melvin. You're cooking your smoothie. Uh, that's kind of gross. Seven. Turn it to level Seven. He drew out the word Seven, sort of like in Spinal Tap when they turned the volume up to Eleven. I should stop, I'm showing my age.

I went home, played around with ingredients, found something for the whole family. Here's what I came up with. All credit to Melvin for showing me the way.

Ingredients
4 apples, juiced
1/2 - 1 inch cube of fresh ginger (we love ginger, so I go for the inch)
1/4 - 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup blueberries (I use frozen)
few handfuls of kale (I loosely fill the blender)
1 banana
scoop of protein powder (optional)

makes about 18 oz, so adjust accordingly.

I juice the apples ahead of time, like the night before. Our mornings are crazy enough without adding a whole juice project to it. Or I juice a bag of apples and use them during the week. Even if we don't make smoothies, the girls love fresh apple juice.

Peel the banana and toss it into the blender.

I love my Vitamix, no need to slice the banana.

Take a nice bunch of kale, wash it, and stuff that in.

Peel the ginger (or just cut away the skin), slice it, and throw it in.

Pour in the protein powder if you're using it.

Throw in the blueberries. I use frozen. It's so easy, they're always in the freezer when I need them and they keep the smoothie cold.

My mouth is watering. Hello, gorgeous!

Squeeze the lemon half over everything.

Pour in the fresh delicious sweet apple juice.

Blend. If you're using a Vitamix, blend on Seven. Are you stretching out the word Seven? For about 45 seconds to a minute. Or until everything is completely blended.

See that beautiful color? Don't get used to it.

Okay, so the color is not the pretty pink you get when you use strawberries or raspberries with peaches and mangos. Which sounds really good. Another time. But trust me, this is so delicious you'll soon go color blind to it.

Drink up. Your body and taste buds will thank you.

You could even throw in some grapes (a Melvin inspiration) if you want more sweetness. Just a thought.

I'm Bored

"Only boring people get bored."

I just saw this Cole Hahn poster in the subway. It is brilliant. I can't wait to say it to the girls, who never miss an opportunity to tell me they're bored. Usually right after I've banned the iPad, iTouch, iPhone or other device. Let's see how they respond to this!

Subway lighting, not the best.  Keeping the flash on didn't help.

Halibut Ceviche

I haven't made ceviche in ages. I know this because Oliver keeps reminding me. So today we're having the family over for dinner, and it just happens to be Friday. Some family members (you know who you are) don't eat meat today, others only eat meat. I'm used to making multiple meals, so I'm including ceviche on the menu. It should pair well with the chicken schnitzel that Oliver's going to make.

Ceviche isn't really raw fish, but it isn't exactly cooked either. The lime juice causes a reaction that changes the protein so that it has similar properties to being cooked. But you should still always use fish that is safe to be eaten raw. For some people it doesn't make a difference. We tell my dad it is cooked fish, but he's not about to taste it. Oh well.

It is so easy to make ceviche. Just make sure the halibut you use (or whatever fish) can be eaten raw. I got mine at the fish market down the road. He let me taste a sliver of raw halibut.  It was a little slice of heaven. I was tempted to scrap the ceviche idea and have sushi instead, but then I'd never hear the end of it from Oliver. So here goes...


Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds halibut (or other white fish)
juice of  6 limes
cilantro
2 tomatoes
1/2 onion
jalapeno pepper (optional)
capers (optional, I put them on the side)
orange slices (I use clementines, easier to peel)
red onion
red leaf lettuce

With a very sharp knife, cut the fish into 1 inch cubes. Throw them into a non reactive bowl (glass or ceramic is good).

Seed and dice tomatoes. Throw them over the halibut.

Dice the onion. Throw that in too.

If you are using the jalapeno pepper, finely dice it and remove the seeds. I usually use about half the jalapeno. Throw that in the bowl.

Take a bunch of cilantro and chop it. If I'm in a rush, I use my scissors. Quick and easy. You know what to do with it.

Throw in a few teaspoons of capers if you're using those. Oliver doesn't like capers. Ella can't get enough of them. So I put them in a little bowl on the side. Works for everyone.

Using a citrus juicer, squeeze out as much of that lime juice as you can. Pour the lime juice into the bowl and give it a good mix.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight. You can mix it once or twice during that time if you want.

When you're ready to serve, use a slotted spoon and spoon it onto a platter covered with red leaf lettuce. Garnish with orange slices (or clementines) and red onion slices. It looks gorgeous with all the colors and textures and tastes fresh and delicious.

Spa Party Extraordinaire

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. Which is a good thing, because my daughters like to have big birthday parties. At home. No bowling, skating, gymnastics party for us. I resist. I attempt bribes. I try (unsuccessfully) to convince them to do something else. I procrastinate. What, your birthday was last month, you don't need a party. And then eventually I accept defeat. That's when I jump in head first and really get into party mode. It's a lot of work. I swear I'll never do it again next year. And then I do.

Spritz hanging paper bubbles from Target

comes 3 in a package

For her seventh birthday party, Amelia wanted a spa party. For fifteen of her closest friends. No problem. Here's what I did...

White waffle spa robes for all the girls to wear at the party and take home. Got them at bycase.com.  $7.99 each and they got here fast.

I hired some wonderful middle schoolers to be my spa ladies. Plus Ella and Sophia, my two older daughters, got in on the action. First we had all the girls lie down and we gave them homemade facial masks while listening to a relaxing meditation. There was a lot of giggling, not too much meditating. I forgot to take the cucumber slices out of the fridge. But, it wouldn't be a party if I didn't forget something. Here's where I found a great recipe for a safe, kid friendly homemade (and edible) facial.

www.discoverygirls.com

Then we made a body scrub. I planned on buying a case of those Ball jars, but I didn't order them in time, so I made an emergency run to the Container Store and bought these really cute jars. Here's the recipe for our body scrub:

3 cups brown sugar (better for sensitive skin than regular sugar)
1/2 cup olive oil
4 T honey
15-20 drops lavender essential oil
1/2 t vitamin E oil (as a preservative)

The girls made it (with a little supervision) and scooped it into their jars (after decorating them with stickers and sharpies).

Then... on to the pampering. Manis, pedis and foot massages for everyone!

Melamine bowls from Target. The leaf place mats were a gift (thanks, Janice!)

Here's a before picture of the mani/pedi room

It was a busy day at the spa

These acrylic cups will be great come summer

From Crate & Barrel.  Love the color!

What a pretty spring table

I may keep these up for awhile, they match my pendant from DWR

Some dried fruit to nibble on during their pedicures

Fresh lemonade, made by Ella.  Pitcher from Target.

When the moms arrived for pick-up, they inhaled the beautiful aromas of lavender, honey and vanilla. One mom said I was giving the girls a glimpse of their future. Absolutely. Although after today I'm thinking their future may already be here.

Jello wedges in an orange cup. So easy.  Make them here

The feedback was music to my ears. One mom called later for the facial and body scrub recipes. Her girls were creating their own at-home spa. Another told me her daughter used the body scrub in the bath and then wanted a foot massage. Amelia told me it was the best party ever. Maybe this party was worth it.

All this spa conversation puts me in the mood... just in time for spa week. I think I may have to get myself a facial. And a massage...