For all of those reasons plus the fact that hubby is gone during the week means that many nights you can find me working – trying to cut down just a little bit on the to-do list for the next day.

But after an amazingly hectic June, I decided to reward myself with a Kindle.

Ah, the beautiful Kindle. I did not know how much you would remind me of how much I love reading and wrapping myself up in someone else’s world.

Yes, I thought of buying an iPad or tablet or even a Nook.  I debated and played for a long time (for me – which means not as long as my dad would have, but several weeks). And ultimately, decided to go for the Kindle.

And I am in love. I love that when I look at it, I don’t feel as if I”m looking at another computer screen (which I fear would just make me feel as if I need to be working instead of slacking). I love that I can read it outside and not have trouble seeing the screen. I love that it takes a nanosecond to download a new book. I love all of the samples that I can read before I decide what to buy. I love the number of $0.99 books. (I have probably bought and read 20 books in the last 4 weeks – more than I read all of last year.) I can’t stop singing it’s praises.

I’m sure that I’ll revert soon to my workaholic ways, but for now – if you don’t see me, I’m off reading a new book.

Or window shopping on Etsy.com.  As you may remember, my birthday is coming up soon. And really what’s a great birthday without buying yourself (or making yourself) a gift as well?

Well, I’m off to start another book …

1. Working on a Fundraiser, 2. christmas bird ornaments, 3. Eco Market Tote, 4. Hard to resist, 5. Casal 20! , 6. Bird Ornament, 7. Καρφίτσα : Η πολυταξιδεμένη Γατούλα_softerror, 8. Pillow Talk Swap (ready to send), 9. Molly’s Sketchbook: Sunny Tied Quilt, 10. YIP 365.153 :: Twinkle mini pillow, 11. Untitled, 12. a gorgeous gnome and girl pillow!

and now back to working on my own projects!

from xkcd

Kinda funny that after <many years>, the lesson about Schrodinger’s Cat is the one that sticks with me.  Loved it then … love it now.

Today, I am grateful that saying didn’t apply.

Today, I am thankful that we prevailed.

Tomorrow we’ll face the challenges still ahead and how to navigate this new terrain, but today, I am dancing on the inside.

source: abc.com

Congrats John McCain – you’ve managed to convince some people to vote for you out of fear. And how right you are – it is so much better to have people vote for you because they fear the unknown, then heaven forbid, have people vote for you for your beliefs, policies and stances on important issues. No, let’s make sure it’s about obama’s funny name, which of course, ties him to the big bad muslim world. (all, i can think of to say is “really” we’re that rigid?)

Please, please, please people – i don’t care who you vote for – but for goodness sake, educate yourself. Educate yourself about Palin. Educate yourself about Obama and his stance on guns, taxes and the economy.  But for god’s sake – vote for what you believe in - not for what you don’t.

As many of you may know, I voted for the oposition originally and given the chance I would do it again. Emotionally, I’m still saddened by her loss. Strategically, I think either candidate was a good choice. Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about him and I’ve grown to respect him and his vision – but I wasn’t that excited by him.

When it came time for the speech; it felt late and I debated not even watching.

I was underwhelmed for the first few minutes. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed the story about her family and understood why they chose to include it. But, dang it, I’ll be truthful – I wanted a speech that was worthy of an Emmy; something that would make me want to stand up on my chair and cheer. Something that would make me want to talk about it with everyone. And it just wasn’t there.

He talked about “The world as it is” and “The world as it should be.” And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and we settle for the world as it is – even when it doesn’t reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us that we also know what our world should look like. He said we know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves – to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be.

And there it was. So perfect that my breath caught.

I’ve dedicated my adult life to this – fighting for the world that I believe should be and not the world that is. I fight to change a world that allows children in developing countries to die because they lack clean water and sanitation. I fight for a world that helps children live to their full potential. I fight to change people’s views of themselves and what they can accomplish. I fight against the thought that people can make it on their own and their success is related to the individual and not to the world around them.

The world and our country is destined to be so much more than it is.

My fear is that we will have another 4 years of …  war to resolve issues that were personal, “big man boasting,” destroying natural treasures so we can have more for our cars, politics over humans, and irresponsible spending, shafting those people who are just trying to get by while the rich reap the benefits.

And one day, they – and your sons and daughters – will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. They’ll tell them how this time, we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears. How this time, how this time, we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming.

Yes.

The big news – in case you couldn’t see – is that L caught her first fish. I’ve been dying to get her and S to the park to go fishing. She’s quite the fisher – this impatient child can actually concentrate on fishing longer than I can! For the past few months, all I’ve heard is “I just want to catch something.” I figured that if she was ever going to catch anything, S. could help her. We had originally planned on going the next day, but S unfortunately had to work, so we went after C’s party since L was going to spend the night anyway. That hubby of mine is a fishing genius – he picked the perfect spot for her; as soon as we put her line in the water, she started to get nibbles. and then her bobber went down – and it was on! We managed to keep the (baby) fish on the line and reel it in – no small feat. It’s a smidge bit complicated to pull up while reeling, but she did it. She couldn’t stop yelling – “I caught something, I caught something!” Luckily the fisherman around us, just laughed. Several came over to congratulate her. That was the only fish for the night, but she did also manage to snag a turtle – which I didn’t get a picture of. I think the turtle-catching was actually a bigger deal than the fish was.

So, now, we have a new word – turtle-ishing (fishing for turtles!)

In other news, I sewed this weekend – I know, gasp! I wanted to make a tote bag for C to go with the “Creative Family” book I got her. Mom loaned me an old machine – that I love precisely because it’s so old. I figure that I can’t mess it up too much – it’s obviously lived a lot! Anyway, a huge thanks to my Mom, who rescued the day by showing up early Sunday morning to help me figure out the whole threading thing. It turned out great – I even lined it, which really for me, is a huge step. It turned out really nice. S. even said that he thought his daughter would be “all over it” and I should make her one for her birthday. HUGE compliment, I tell ya. Normally, he just puts up with my crafting, but this one … well, it was really cool.

Then to top it off – I made another bag on Sunday – this time for me. It’s beautiful. Heck, I’m loving it so much that I may make everyone bags.

Nothing else too interesting going on – a birthday party for L on Thursday and then her birthday with her friends and a wedding to go to on Saturday. Thank goodness for Sundays!

Before I leave – here’s 2 of my favorite pictures from the weekend, ’cause who can resist these 2?

although she doesn’t look it, she was actually quite happy – i didn’t even have to bribe her to take her picture (really). love, love, love this face

how’s this for some cuteness? why is it that i only get this smile when he’s beating on me? LOL

I took my ballot, mumbled thank you, walked 10 steps and then … paused.

Deep down, I missed the beauty of my first election. I missed the feeling that comes from being so excited about a candidate that I couldn’t wait to get to the polls. I missed my heart palpating a little bit faster because I knew that I got to vote. I wanted to feel that way again. I did. I paid attention. I read/debated/wrote about politics. But it just wasn’t there.

So I watched West Wing and dreamed of the day when Josiah Bartlet would become our president.

On Tuesday, in that moment, outside that booth, I felt the momentous of it – deep in my bones.

The truth is that I am exhausted by the partisan rancor that is raging around us. I long for this country to be healed. I long for us to heal our relationships with other countries. I long for us to stop judging people based on their religion and whether someone might or might not be Muslim. I long for us to bring back with honor and glory the people who have chosen to put their lives at risk for a meaningless war.

I stared at the two names on my ballot. Drew a deep breath and marked it. Ultimately, I voted with my heart.

I voted for Hillary.

But this week, I have been all about creating something – about pulling together food that not only looks good but tastes great. First, I was inspired by her to try to return to my vegetarian phase. (For those of you who don’t recognize her, she was my sitemate while in the Peace Corps and he was, well, if not a sitemate, an adopted one anyway.) Reading her entry brought back memories. I mean I used to love pulling together fresh ingredients and coming up with something totally amazing that I couldn’t wait to make again. After reading her entry, I thought I probably just needed some inspiration, so I was off to epicurious to see what I could find. I had really only 2 rules – that it be simple and quick. I just wanted to see what would inspire me… just to get my feet wet, you know?

I started with the lentil salad with tomato and dill. Let me tell you, freakin’ amazing. Then I found a recipe for lentils, butternut squash and walnuts. And because I simply could not just use a recipe as written, I kept the spirit of it, but ended up with something totally different, I’m sure. And let me tell you, I was a little bit concerned, but it ended up utterly amazing – if you like lentils and butternut squash, try it – I promise you’ll love it. Then I ran across this recipe for a Chickpea Salad from Orangette. Again, because well, I like to use what I have on hand, I ended up just using it as a jumping off point (although, I’m sure that this recipe as it stands is utterly amazing). And let me tell you, she’s right, there is something about the lemon juice that just brings out the flavor of the garbanzo beans and the tomatoes. (Orangette says it much better than I do.) I really wanted to lick the bowl out when I was done with it – I mean, I didn’t, but I really wanted to. I know that I am slightly biased, but seriously go out and buy yourself some lentils and chickpeas and make these two recipes.

Moroccan Lentils + Butternut Squash

1 small squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 c. raw lentils
although if I ever found canned lentils, I would certainly give them a go!

1 small red onion, diced

1 tbsp ras el hanout
I got mine from my sister for Christmas and I believe she got it from here. The smell brings back Morocco for me. Thanks C!

1/4 – 1/2 c. dried cranberries or sour cherries

Preheat your over to 450. In a shallow baking pan toss about 2 tsp olive oil with the squash until combined well. Bake squash in middle of oven until almost tender, 20 minutes. Then remove pan and add in your diced onion. Cook another 5-10 minutes until the mixture is tender (or in my case, caramelized).

While squash is baking, in a saucepan of boiling water cook lentils until just tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils in a sieve and transfer to a bowl.

When the squash is done, add mixture to bowl. Add your ras el hanoot, cranberries and salt and pepper to taste.

That’s it. The cinnamon and cumin of the ras el hanout makes this dish simultaneously savory and sweet.

Garbanzo’s Salad

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 c cherry tomatoes

1/8 c feta cheese

olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt + pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients – except the feta – into a bowl, stir to combine. Add feta and gently mix.

Then grab yourself some crusty, rustic bread and a spoon. It’s got the feel of a winter meal, but it also tastes like spring – probably the cherry tomatoes, huh?

Really, they’re good. I even think my husband might like them.

Give them a whirl and let me know what you think!