Where have you been all my life?

I have been on a quest for a better veggie burger. I've been trying to avoid pre-made veggie burgers- we were eating way too many of those- and I'm growing concerned about overdosing on soy these days. Having been a vegetarian (and current fish eater) for over 20 years now, I have tried many varieties of burgers made from vegetables and such- TVP, tofu, mixed vegetables, beans, sawdust, cardboard, etc, etc. Two weeks ago, I discovered the best mushroom burger, ever. And to make it extra special, I cooked it myself. I found this amazing recipe online- here, it was the first recipe I clicked on when I searched the web. I had all the ingredients, it sounded do-able, so I proceeded. We were all amazed! Hazel, who doesn't like mushrooms- loved them. Mark thought they were meaty and good. I was amazed at the complex flavor. Lilah, well, she is fickle and changed her mind with each bite. Try it, you'll like it! And yes, they do taste like mushrooms, so if you don't like mushrooms, don't think the flavor has been magically transformed! (I think of my friend Doug when I say this.)

A moment to catch my breath

I have been busier the last two days than I can remember. Each minute was filled with work and anticipation of the next thing to be done. I accomplished quite a bit in the last few days. But the week is not over and I have much more to do. I am excited to have a chance to look at the book the library sent me today. It's Super Natural Cooking, I requested they order it, they did and I get to look at it first. Almost as good as shopping, just have to give it back in a few weeks!

Check it out...

Sacrifice at Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Just in time for Halloween, found this postcard with possible horror overtones. Stare at it long enough and you'll see what I mean. What exactly is going on in this picture? I'm frightened for the poor souls crammed into the Cypress Gardens Queen, the guy steering at the back has menace in his eyes. That Giant Turquoise Belle is communicating with him telepathically, I'm sure.

I see you

I see you, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Orange finger nails, marker drawn on hand, reading a book of knock-knock jokes... what else could it be but and 8 year old girl? She's also wearing her Brownie uniform. Hazel told me this face on her hand was so she could see with her eyes shut. She would hold up her hand and clamp her eyes closed tightly saying, "I see you!" She thought it was quite amusing.

For Mom!

A little gift for you on your birthday! I couldn't decide- here is another and another.

Ants in the Shirt

Yesterday, Mark and I went to an important meeting of parents regarding our school. It was at someone's house and the room was packed with folding chairs. Everyone was paying close attention to the speaker who was diagonally a few feet away from me (in other words most people in the room were looking in my direction.) I suddenly felt something crawling around on my back- inside my shirt. I tried to gracefully tap at it, I tried to gently shake a bit, I looked behind me to make sure something wasn't simply hanging down and tickling me. My friend behind me smiled- was she doing something? But then it started biting. I was wedged beneath a wall and people surrounding me on the other three sides. In a sudden semi-panic I had to jump up, scramble over Mark and rush to the bathroom. I frantically whipped my button down shirt up over my head and flailed around trying to knock whatever it was off me. I couldn't find it! And there was no mirror in the bathroom! (This seemed somehow cruel to me, because I knew when I whipped off my shirt, my hair got messed up.) Finally, I saw a big red ant crawling on the floor. I quickly dispatched him into the trash can. Then I gracefully reentered the room and sat down- hoping that I had put my shirt back on properly.

Le Grand Disaster

Le Grand Disaster, originally uploaded by bossamama.

The cat loves it when rooms are a mess. This has since been cleaned up, but is in danger of happening again. Two girls, one room, a thousand books and toys, it's inevitable.

My New Shoes

I fell down a couple times on the way into the grocery store, but it was worth it!

Baby's Growing Up

Three is an amazing age. They start out as babies and end up on the other side as pre-schoolers. Lilah has done so much in the last few months. Her language has expanded, she can play a single note rhythm on the piano, she is all potty trained- even at night! And today she did this- wrote her name all by herself. It's the first time we've tried it- I wrote her name and she copied it and added some pictures. (I'm thinking it's her in the future, with really long bangs- lifting barbells.) She's also a jokester- today she handed me something (I forget what) I said "Thank you" and she bowed at the waist and said "You're Welcome" very seriously- then she giggled and ran off.

School Project Confession

Hello, my name is Simon Bolivar and I have come to burn you.

Hazel came home with a massive project a few weeks back. She had to write a paper with sources, an oral report with a poster and create this creature out of a two litter bottle. Subject picked for her- Simon Bolivar- South American revolutionary. Try to explain colonialism, revolution, despots, and such to a third grader who is not interested. This morning as we were driving to school I was drilling Hazel on points to help her with her oral report- Q:What's a dictator? A: Someone who makes themselves the boss and puts you in jail or makes you leave the country if you don't like it!

It was hard editing her paper without doing too much. I would say "read that sentence out loud, does it sound right?" She would figure it out. I was also impressed, she didn't use spell check while she was typing- it was on- but she would figure out how to spell it herself, not use the suggestion. After a few hours she ended up with a page and a half- double spaced. That was sufficient, I thought. She managed to add her voice- something that a lot of college kids can't accomplish. Here is a quote that Mark and I found amusing...

"The King and Queen from Spain thought they should be in charge of South America. But Simon Bolivar didn't want that because they were so far away from each other and it really didn't make sense!"

Hazel wrote the paper, she did a good job- but this 2 liter bottle thing. I had to do it! Hazel couldn't cut the felt (it was very difficult to cut with our dull scissors) and I couldn't let her use the glue gun, which was the only thing that will hold felt, by the way. We tried other glue and his clothes just fell off after an hour. She did draw the face and oversaw what I was doing. I was so mad while working on it, especially the several times that I stuck my fingers in hot glue. Wouldn't a poster be enough? Then to make it worse- Lilah reached across the table and burned her arm on the tip of the glue gun. It was awful. I realized I didn't know how to deal with burns, since we never burn ourselves! Lilah cried and cried, she kept yelling something about it being my fault. Really. At 3. She's okay, but she did point out the burn this morning mournfully- probably thinking "this is all your fault!"

I don't want to be one of those parents who does their kid's homework. I felt caught with this one. At least I didn't get too fancy- (she wanted to add arms and get all crazy)- and as I glued I would say "Is this where you want it?"Does that count for something? Sigh.

Beatrix Potter-palooza!

This is for all you Potter fans- Beatrix- not Harry. Last night I was browsing the classical music section on iTunes. I was looking for new dance music for the girls. I found a collection of ballet music that included selections from something I had never heard of- The Tales of Beatrix Potter Ballet.

I couldn't believe it!!! How have I not known about this??? Did you know, and why didn't you tell me? The music was delightful and charming, I immediately found the whole ballet and bought it. Then I searched youtube to see if there was a video sample. Glorious day! I found many. The ballet was originally composed for a TV version in the UK in 1971. Later it was adapted and performed on the stage. Here is a sample of the stage version:

I mean COME ON! I thought I had seen the most adorable Beatrix Potter adaptation with the animated series as seen here... The Tale of Two Bad Mice. But this ballet is just over the top, I could hardly take it last night as I was watching it with the girls. I was squealing with delight as each new character appeared. The TV version is even more delightful because of the sets and lighting- (I tried to embed this but couldn't) Here I present to you my dream come true-- the dancing squirrels of Squirrel Nutkin! You can get the whole 1971 TV show on Netflix. Ours is coming this week!!! EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Raphael Saadiq

I was trying to watch some clips from the Austin City Music Festival, but missed all my favorites. Then while I was perusing the ACL Flickr photo stream I ran across this very swell-looking guy. I thought, what a great look- he's got the whole 60's thing going and I could just tell by the pictures that the music was awesome! I found his name and looked up some videos. Loved them, who is this new guy? I was thinking a 20-something from the UK- who's caught on to the whole soul revival over there. Boy was I surprised to find that wasn't the case at all! I loved that song "Feels Good" by Tony Toni Tone in the 80's. I never thought about what might have happened to them. Well I found out about one third-- he is Raphael Saadiq and he's awesome. Here he is performing behind a desk in the NPR Tiny Desk Concert Series. An awesome way to listen to music, if you ask me. Imagine- in your own cramped little office space! This is amazing...

Songs to soothe the restless heart...

Mexican Sage Time

Mexican Sage, originally uploaded by bossamama.

It's in full bloom and gorgeous. My yard resembles a lavender field- sort of. I think I may split this up and fill a whole bed in the front- I have some ideas and it is starting to cool down.

Book Challenge

I have checked out some books from the library. I will attempt to read them all the way through- as opposed to reading a few pages and then just looking at the pretty covers while they sit on a table. I grabbed these books rather quickly yesterday, had only an hour on the meter and kid's books to search for. Oh, hey! I just remembered I finished one yesterday!

I have discovered the brand new Graphic Novel section in the library and I always try to check out what new things they have. I've been so curious about them and I've never known where to start. So the library is perfect for trying them out. I've already read "French Milk" by Lucy Knisley which was a sweet travelogue of a college age girl's trip to Paris with her mother. It was drawn in simple black and white, with a few photos thrown in, lots of drawings and descriptions of food! Yesterday I sat down and read "The Eternal Smile" by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim. It was a pretty quick read, three stories- all entertaining. Each drawn in a separate comic style. Each story had a little twist, that turned them from slightly ho-hum to delightful. I also checked out "Berlin, City of Stones" by Jason Lutes. It's very good so far, set in Berlin, between the wars, it follows the lives of an artist and a journalist, it looks to be very compelling. It's drawn in black and white, traditional comic style. I have to learn the proper names for these. I've been enjoying graphic novels- they are easier to jump into than traditional novels, when I don't have a lot of time. They suck me in faster. The visual style sets it all up, there doesn't have to be descriptions of what things look like, where things are located- it's all just there- drawn out for you. Not that I don't enjoy that element of reading- creating pictures in my mind. But quite honestly- sometimes my brain is too tired.

The other books I grabbed in haste after being attracted by the cover (yes, that's what I look at first) and then quickly reading synopsis on jackets... and yes, they were in the bestseller section. I can't just run into the aisles- without looking for something specific:

"Sunnyside" by Glen David Gold

"Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler

"The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo" by Stieg Larsson

I realized later, I had seen ads for "Sunnyside" and "The Girl..." in the New Yorker. I always earmark those pages and never follow through. I guess I had stored them in my brain. I know that "The Girl..." is not my usual fair, but it's been so lauded and promoted- I thought I might give it a try- or at least pass it on to Mark. I was inspired to grab the Jane Austen book after listening to the Penguin Classic Book podcast- regarding the undying love for Jane Austen by human beings everywhere.

I'll let you know if I actually read any of them.

Jazz Birthday Celebration

I've missed plenty of my real friend's and family's birthdays this year, but this one popped onto my radar this morning thanks to NPR. Lester Young's- 100th year birthday. He was one of the many, tragic jazz musicians who self destructed and died too young. But he left behind some beautiful music. It's amazing we can still watch and listen...

After that, if you are so inclined (like me)- you will want to hear this, the gorgeous "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" by Charles Mingus. Mingus wrote it for Lester Young- whom some say was the original hipster with his pork pie hat and snazzy dress. Charles Mingus, yeah... that is another story for another day.

15 Movie Game

From Facebook... Pick 15 movies off the top of your head. I did without much thinking and came up with this list. Then I tried to sort it out.

1. Flirting With Disaster

2. My Man Godfrey
3. The Awful Truth
4. Rushmore
5. Desperately Seeking Susan
6. The More The Merrier
7. Now, Voyager
8. Laurence of Arabia
9. Something Wild
10. Mildred Pierce
11. Raising Arizona
12. Amelie
13. Please Don't Eat the Daisies
14. Blue Velvet
15. A Room With A View

Movies are like old friends. I enjoy watching movies repeatedly, it's like reminiscing. I collect classic movies and love so many of them. These are the movies that rose to the top in my brain for better or worse. Many are from my youth and formed my future tastes. There are no recent movies on this list- it takes a while for a movie to sink into my brain. So if I just saw it last weekend, even if I thought it was profound, it won't be in my memory bank yet.

1. My desert island movie. I love the comedy, I love Tea Leoni, Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Jenkins. "Is this a musical table?"
2. Profound feelings come from this movie- just a lighthearted romp about the Depression. Carole Lombard + William Powell = Near Perfection.
3. The funniest movie about divorce you'll ever see. Irene Dunne is a revelation- funny and modern in a way you don't often see in classic movies. Cary Grant sparkles.
4. I adore this movie- the music, the pacing, the set design and Max, the lovable delinquent who stages Serpico as his school play. Also highlights the art of calligraphy!
5. This movie shaped my youth. I wanted to be Susan (not Madonna- although were they different?) Actually, I think I wanted to be Roberta (Rosanna Arquette,) who escaped her mundane existence to become a cool NYC hipster. I gained many fashion tips from this movie.
6. My very favorite romantic comedy. This movie caused me to become obsessed with Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur- chemistry like you've never seen before.

7. My first honest viewing of Bette Davis- this movie is amazing. Sure it's a bit hokey, but if you aren't crying at the end, you're made of wood! "Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars".
8. The first time I saw this movie was on the big screen. I will never, ever forget the sight of Peter O' Toole's blue eyes coming over the top of the desert sand. SO beautiful.

9. I saw this when I was 18 years old. I wanted to be Lulu (Melanie Griffith) -without the larceny, sluttiness and alcohol abuse. A free spirit. And I wanted to marry Charlie (Jeff Daniels) -an extremely decent man. Which, I kind of did.
10. If you haven't seen this movie- do yourself a favor and do. This is Joan Crawford at her finest. Forget about Mommie Dearest- this is the real deal.
11. One of the funniest movies of all time. It follows the screwball format and goes even further. "Hi! You better go in there and get me one of those toddlers!"

12. A perfect movie, perfect casting, perfect music, enchanting story. I could watch it every day.
13. This movie sticks in my head as my first real Doris Day encounter. Her voice is the most soothing one in history to me. She is an awesome mom (in the movie) and a real lady (in real life.)
14. This movie got into my bloodstream when I saw it. I became a huge David Lynch fan and saw everything he did. But one day I woke up and thought- why? Degradation, even if done stylishly is not to my liking anymore. I can still appreciate it's qualities, but I don't think I could enjoy it like I used to. Think it's the kids.
15. This is my favorite E.M. Forrester adaptation. So full of beauty, love and light- perfect to watch and escape dreariness. The antidote to David Lynch perhaps?

Blossom Dearie

Somehow I missed the passing of one of my very favorite singers, Blossom Dearie (her real name) in February. She was one of a kind. I've always loved her interpretation of standards. She was still performing in Manhattan cabarets just a few years ago. I think this quote from the New York Times describes her perfectly:

"A singer, pianist and songwriter with an independent spirit who zealously guarded her privacy, Ms. Dearie pursued a singular career that blurred the line between jazz and cabaret. An interpretive minimalist with caviar taste in songs and musicians, she was a genre unto herself. Rarely raising her sly, kittenish voice, Ms. Dearie confided song lyrics in a playful style below whose surface layers of insinuation lurked."

Here's a song we listened to a lot when Hazel was a baby...

Classic Movie Sickness Part 2

Been going through my classic movie collection tonight. It has gotten out of hand, perhaps. I have amassed approximately 502 movies. This does include a few purchased DVD's but most of them are movies I recorded from TCM. It all started with the idea that we were going to cancel cable and I needed my classic movie fix. Now it has become, I NEED every movie with Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, etc. etc. This month of the stars has not helped my addiction as I have begun new collections of stars. Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Fredrick March. How can I resist recording them when they are all there calling out to me... Corrie, we aren't on DVD... how are you ever going to watch us again??? Believe me, I haven't even begun to watch all these movies. I've seen the beginnings for sure of all of them, to make sure they recorded I've fast forwarded through them. I think what also fueled my obsession is my DVDpedia database. I can collect them all, download their descriptions from IMDB wherein it will be cross referenced with all the others. I can simply type in "Preston Sturges" and all the movies that he wrote or directed will appear together. Then there are the movie posters. The chance to collect those beauties may be the most fun part of all. Do I need to enroll in a 12-step program? Perhaps.

Refurbished Glider

Refurbished Glider, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Did this over the weekend. Have had this glider since Hazel was born. It was looking worn out. I decided to recover, not completely done- the footstool is just pinned on the bottom. I was trying to find something neutral, but modern. Mark promptly said it looked like the back of playing cards- but what else did I expect from him? Does it look less baby like? Less leftover furniture-ish? Another view.