What a neat place this is

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." Marcel Proust

Okay, I'm not going to lie and pretend to know much about Proust. Even though I graduated with a Humanities degree- somehow Proust was missed. I'll be sure to look him up soon. I actually found this quote on a card that I bought at my dear friend Diana's shop. I intended to give it to someone as a proper thank you card, but of course I never did and it is hanging on my bulletin board instead. But I do like the quote- very simple. I thought it was appropriate for the way I'm thinking at the moment.

I've enjoyed so much putting together this blog and it's been quite a fun diversion- maybe too much! But it has helped me establish and sort of organize my identity a little bit. You tend to get lost in the everyday housework, the kids overwhelming life forces, things pulling you in every direction. You become someone's mom, whose name no one ever remembers or who isn't recognized without a child attached. I do enjoy this life as mom and household engineer, but it's nice to blow off steam and have some fun here.

I also have been so excited that my friends have been enjoying this place. I do it for you too. I'm excited to be able to have these chats- even if they are one way a lot of times. I know you're out there! I miss you all that are so far away, and even the ones that are right down the street. We are all so busy these days it's hard to make time for each other. The internet is such an amazing place. You hear all the bad stuff regularly, but I think it's a wonderful and amazing thing. Imagine, you read a book and enjoy it- you feel as if you've become the author's friend. So you find her blog and leave her a note- and amazingly enough she writes you back the next day! What a cool little world this has become!

Thanks for being my friends, old and new.

Banana cake not bread

Banana cake, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Okay, I've gone on a bit of a dessert mania. I made dessert last night and tonight. I rarely do that. Last night I made blueberry cobbler, using the recipe from Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone" - that I've had for a thousand years. Her recipes always are a bit complicated, or maybe I just have a hard time reading them. I was reading and re-reading and really it was just a simple recipe. It turned out very good, but mostly because of the marvelous blueberries, who doesn't like warm, gushy fruit? 

Anyhow, I decided tonight that I had to absolutely use up the dying bananas, instead of throwing them away as usual. I used to have this amazing banana bread recipe, it tasted more like cake, it was smooth and light- not dense like most banana breads. But, I can't find that recipe, so I Googled 'banana cake." I soon discovered this recipe and website, which of course was calling to me across the ether to find it! The author is David Lebovitz- who I had never heard of but should have. He has a very, very nice website with some fantastic recipes and beautiful photography and he lives in Paris! I'm very excited about it, can you tell? So anyhow- I printed up the recipe lickity-split and stood in my kitchen and churned this baby out. Wow! What a nice texture, firm, not dry, very spongy. The addition of the chocolate chips and the whipped cream sent it over the edge. We all enjoyed it greatly, even Lilah who ate some of the cake instead of just licking off the cream!  I used the Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips- they are divine- be sure to use very little, they pack a powerful wallop of chocolate taste- not so sweet. I thought they would be better than the super sweet waxy ones I had in the pantry and not add to the super sweetness of bananas. I was right! 

Please try it if you like banana bread- it is very easy and you will not be disappointed. And as the author points out, these are not high in fat or other bad stuff. I do love his take on the difference between muffins and cakes and how people insist muffins and sweet breads are healthier- but really just the same thing in a different form.

True Confession

The big mess, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Lest you think I have a really neat house, this is what it looks like for real. That last picture was an extreme close-up. This is all the laundry from last night unfolded and exploded all over the living room and the lunch dishes still on the table at 5 pm. Now it will be a mad dash to get it all back in order before Mark gets home. Don't want him to think I spent all day on the computer!

Take a peek

Birdie S & P, originally uploaded by bossamama.

You know, I still think like a merchandiser. Even though it's been a million years since I did windows at a Hallmark store and a Linens 'n Things (Hello, this is Linens 'n Things, we have lots of nice things at lots of nice prices!- they made us say that when answering the phone.) the merchandising bug stayed with me. (As well as all my best friends that I met at both of those work places!) I have certain areas of my home where I have things on display as if it was a store. Nobody ever touches these things, they just sit there and collect multiple layers of dust. But occasionally, I'll remember to look at them and think- oh, yeah, I have some neat things! Here's a few...

My favorite birdie S & P shakers from Missouri, a very old mixing bowl and wisk from my Nana, a Swiss trivet from Alex and Kendra, a 1944 edition of "The Joy of Cooking" from my Grandma Betty, a hand painted wood Hawaii S & P shaker from the Ritzie's, and a rubber pea-pod dog squeeze toy that I could not resist from the lean days in college. Oh, and the blue book is called "The Way to a Man's Heart- Your Gas Range Cookbook" from a trip to Kansas. It's a real hoot, I'll have to scan it in separately soon, along with a few recipes.

French by Heart

I am reading the most enchanting, wonderful book right now.  It's called "French By Heart" written by Rebecca S. Ramsey.  It's a memoir of her time spent living in France with her 3 young children, husband and old cat.  It takes place in the early 2000's.  I totally relate to it in so many ways.  First off she is obsessed with France and the charming villages, the history, the culture, etc. Her French isn't great and she is speaking it with a South Carolina accent (can you imagine?) Then there's the travails of school, but this time mixed with the language barrier and the chain smoking, snobbish teachers.  What I most relate to is her older neighbor, who is constantly watching her house, dispensing advice and generally bossing her around.  I laugh the hardest at those moments.  She is admonished for her gardening and housekeeping (check), given so much advice on raising children the French way (check- but different culture) and surprised to have strange pills forced into her mouth without warning (I have had strange food pushed into my mouth without warning.)  She is poked and prodded and her house is invaded by this neighbor- she is constantly subjected to rants about the right way to do things.  The big difference is that her neighbor is across the street, with full viewing privileges of her house. Mine is next door and I am only on display as I enter the yards.  I have been known to take a step out, see activity in the next door yard and hightail it back inside.  The author can't even walk around in her house without being watched!  I got this from the library, but I think I might buy it- I can see myself wanting to read it again.  

Ye Olde Malle Shoppe

I loved these little containers, they had sweet little ceramic spoons inside. I can't buy things like this anymore. I have too many trinkets and my house is quite size restricted.
I love these aprons and the colors. It's the prints and the edging that get me. I would want to wear these all the time and that just might look silly.

Went to Anthropologie for an injection of inspiration the other day. Is it sad that I am inspired by a company's well thought out retail plan? I realize that there are people who sit around in a room and try to decide how to appeal to a certain population who will fall for this concept and spend lots of money. I don't actually spend money at Anthropologie- so I guess I'm not being completely hoodwinked. But boy, if I did have money, I would spend it there for sure! They pick out the most amazing fabrics and designs for their clothes. I am totally enchanted by their whole vintage/world market style, I'd really like to live in the store itself. The creative displays are a reason enough for me to check out the store. Once there was a huge pile of mattresses loaded with all their latest bed coverings- a la Princess and the Pea. Another time there were hundreds of bars of Ivory soap nailed to the wall in the shape of a wave. Unfortunately, there were no exciting displays this time, as they were getting ready to start new ones. There was even a note on the door apologizing- they obviously know some people come to see them. I was so excited last year that I got to buy my maid of honor dress for Lora's wedding there- the only time I paid full price! Otherwise I limit myself to trinkets that have been marked down. I bought nothing the other day- couldn't find anything in my $5 limit- but I did take some pictures. I was having a good time in the store- you might say I was in sort of a reverie. Until I was rushed back to reality when I heard a giant splash of ice and drink and turned to see my daughters with shocked looks on their faces. Thank goodness nothing got hit with sticky Coke and the sales clerk was very nice about it. I was trying to find ideas for my house. I'm really tired of my red dining room. It's been almost 8 years and it's starting to wear on me. Stay tuned, we'll see if I actually do anything about it.