Bad Timing - Hot Chocolate, Memories and a Diet

Bad Timing.  It happens now and again. 

I started my HCG diet again. Beforehand I prepared myself mentally and have been looking forward to enjoying the bounty of spring vegetables.  For the past week things have been going well and I have been watching my weight on the scale go down each day.  I've enjoyed swiss chard, asparagus, grape tomatoes and even the celery is crisp and better tasting this time of year.  Peppermint or Apple Spice herbal teas have been my comfort treats.

And then this morning darling daughter said she'd found a new recipe and she begged me to make it.  I love cooking and don't even mind doing so for other people when I'm on HCG and its restricted diet but today's request was the ultimate test of will-power.  Now what sort of concoction should put me on the verge of throwing out weight loss, healthy eating and all self-restraint? 

Nutella Hot Chocolate
3 Tbs Nutella
1 1/3 Cup Milk

Put the Nutella and 1/3 cup milk into a small saucepan over low-medium heat.  Stir until Nutella is melted.  Add remaining milk and increase heat to medium and whisk until hot and frothy.


Keeley Greig Photography

Ever since our first trip to France, Nutella has been a staple in our home and diet.  I love chocolate and I love hazelnuts, it's a match made in culinary heaven as far as I'm concerned.  By the time the Nutella Hot Chocolate was done my mouth was salivating and I just had to have a taste.  It was oh, so creamy, and rich.  Memories of being a kid coming home after skating to find my Dad had made hot chocolate & Cheez Whiz on toast flashed before my eyes.  Then I was off to France and sitting in the cafe in Monet's garden sipping dark delicious cocoa.  And finally I saw myself sitting around the campfire with whipped cream and marshmallow topped hot chocolate in a blue & white speckled tin cup.

It's a bit of a rainy day and all I could think about was the comfort a good cup of hot chocolate brings.  I took one extra sip and handed it over.  Keeley tasted it and smiled dreamily.  Bad timing for me but I did find contentment in knowing that "the first time we had Nutella Hot Chocolate" made a very good memory for her.

Salynne ©2011

Poetry - Fifty Years Gone

Insomnia strikes me from time to time and last month was no exception. During these times I sometimes don't remember what I write and like today, I come across a file and wonder how it got there. The following was obviously inspired by my in-laws approaching 50th wedding anniversary, which was beautiful, by the way.

Fifty years gone
Promises and vows of long ago
Not remembered but lived
Youthful dreams relinquished
Family grows and pales
Youthful vigor slides away
Leaving only fraility
And two hearts sitting close
Moving to and fro on their own
But on the same path
Till death do us part

Salynne ©2010

The Home Library - More than Decoration

Years ago I read a book called Decorating Rich: How to Achieve a Monied Look Without Spending a Fortune. The authors show how to get the feeling of opulence through a collection of items that you would expect to see in a wealthy persons home; an animal print chair cover, a paisley shawl and the ever regal and organized floor to ceiling library.

For book lovers like myself having a library is not about decorating but about surrounding yourself with the things that you love. Sometimes its the words written inside a book, the way the lines and verse speak to your soul; other times it's the publication itself, the quality and feel of the paper or the vibrancy of its illustrations. Holbrook Jackson said it well, "Your Library is Your Portrait".


Now there's even more reason to fill your shelves with books; research shows that having a library gives school children a decided advantage over their peers. The article "Home Libraries Provide Huge Education Advantages" explains that researcher M.D.R. Evans has compiled data to show that a home library is a "reflection of a family’s “scholarly culture,” or a “way of life in homes where books are numerous, esteemed, read and enjoyed." If children are used to reading and find enjoyment in books while growing up the chances they will enjoy and do better in school is that much higher.

The writer of the article Tom Jacobs concludes that "mom and dad don’t have to be scholars themselves; they just have to read and respect books, and pass that love of reading down to their children." I cannot think of a better reason to have a library.

Salynne

My husbands parents will soon be celebrating their 50th anniversary. During a family meeting to discuss plans for their anniversary party we bantered ideas back and forth about what to get them for a gift.

Our first thought was a gift of experience, specifically a trip somewhere or a stay at a bed & breakfast. The idea of an Alaskan cruise came up but that would be a repeat vacation for them plus they don't have passports and don't seem in any way to be inclined to get them. Next we considered a Rocky Mountain Rail Tour which starts in Vancouver and ends in Calgary but then there is the hassle of getting them home. Neither of his parents like flying so we would have to get the round trip train route making the gift about double what our budget is. We finally decided after talking for an hour and getting nowhere to shelve talking or thinking about a gift for a time in the hopes that the ideal "something" would pop up.

We started discussing our relationship with his parents and we all concurred that it was too bad that they weren't Internet connected because it would be so much easier to keep in touch with email. I exclaimed how sad it was that Bruce's mom did not have access to either of our blogs or facebook as a way of knowing what was going on in our lives. I recounted how last fall I had explained to Bruce's mom that I was writing a blog and although she was not at all familiar with the idea she was very interested especially when I explained that it was a great way to keep connected to friends and to share things like writing and poetry. Suddenly Bruce's face lit up and he said he knew what to get his parents for their anniversary! A new Internet able computer and a one year subscription for the Internet.

It's makes perfect sense, at least to us. There is so much of our life that is now related to computers. Like the many grandparents who keep in touch with their children via facebook and email I hope his parents will be ushered in a new type of relationship with their laptop, mp3, Internet-savy granddaughter. Bruce's mom has already taken several computer courses and the world-wide web may still seem a rather scary place for her but I don't think it will be long before she will be comfortable with it. What freedom it will give these two seniors! No longer will they complain that we don't send photos because they'll be able to go to one of our photo storage sites, upload and print any picture of their granddaughter that they want to stick up on their fridge. We'll be able to share poetry and maybe I'll be able to help "Momma" set up her own poetry blog to showcase some of the wonderful things she's written.

The anniversary party is coming up at the end of the month and we're looking into what we have to do to get their gift in place. It's true, the gift is for them, to give them a better connection to our life and to our world, but I have to say that I'm feeling a little guilty and a little selfish in this choice. This gift is for us too. It will mean that we get to see Bruce's parents in a new light, get to know more about their daily lives and what is important to them. We'll simply be getting "more" of them. I absolutely cannot wait to send Bruce's mom one of those "Get to know Your Friends" emails that ask all of those questions: What are you wearing on your feet right now? What three things did you eat last night? or what is your favorite color? The answers to those questions might be mundane but I'm really looking forward to getting to know another side of the mother and father-in-law whom I so dearly love.

Salynne ©2010

The Write & Wrongs of Free Writing

On Wednesday when our C&W Closet Writers Group at the hospital meets, it oftens takes around fifteen or twenty minutes for everyone to arrive. This was the case this week and so we all worked on a "Free Write" while waiting to get officially started.

For those of you who have never heard of the term "Free Write" before, it is a popular and contemporary "no rules" excercise. There is no write or wrong way to get your words on paper. You are given a word prompt and you are free to do with it as you wish. Your mind is allowed to go in whatever direction it wants, you can write prose, poetry, create a list of associated words, whatever strikes your fancy; the idea is to put down whatever pops into your head. I guess if there are any rules it is that you just keep writing and don't stop to criticize, change or agonize. You can set a time limit or write until it feels like its time to stop. For specific detailed instructions check out:
http://www.wikihow.com/Freewrite

We chose the word "Compass" because one of our members, whose keys were sitting on the table, carries a small globe compass on her keychain. My offering was short and to the point. I stopped writing not because the time was up but because it felt right to do so.

Compass
Backpacking in the woods,
The direction of my life,
Taking steps forward, taking steps back.
I watch my 17 year old daughter struggling in that place between childhood and adulthood. She doesn't know where she is going, what she wants to do after school.
As a parent I want to give her my compass, my beliefs, my set of values but in the end she will create and choose her own. I have tried my best to guide her and be there for her while she finds her way but she is on her own journey, her own path.

Other members wrote on a similar theme-the direction of life. Some did not. Some wrote prose, some wrote poetry, and some wrote word lists. Every single piece was unique and wonderful.

Between now and next week we have the assignment to write on another prompt: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear "Shanghai"? I'm looking forward to a jaunt over to my local Starbucks for some writing time with this one and to hearing what everyone else comes up with at our next meeting. What comes to your mind?

Salynne ©2010

Family Traditions

Sunday evening is quite often family night and this week after dinner we decided to play a family game favorite, train dominoes. It was one of those evenings that you see on those commercials that show a idealic family sitting around the table enjoying each others company. We chatted, played and laughed at silly family jokes until tears ran from my eyes and my sides hurt.

Every family has a number of sometimes quirky traditions and we are no exception. Keeley and I have been going to a certain tea shop once a month since she was three years old, we all take the first really snowy day of the year off from school or work and have a sleep-over in the livingroom at least once every summer and winter. One custom that we cannot wait to do again this year is to indulge in making crazy and unique snowmen. In previous years we have created entire snow families-mom, dad and children, or sometimes large dogs and cats. Last year we created Winnie the Pooh during one snowfall and then during a later one we created two of our cats sitting on the hood of our vehicle as well as a snowman who had been hit by the car and was laying injured in front of the vehicle.

This particular family tradition started years ago with my love of Calvin and Hobbes so I thought I would share some of the cartoons that have inspired us. I don't know what we have planned this year but when we do get out in the snow to create some kind of art we'll be sure to share photos!
Salynne ©2009

Pawns in a Political Game

My apologies for not blogging. Life has completely taken over and my time has not been my own. I'm writing in my head and have had snippets of time to get some words on paper each day but I just have not had the energy to blog.

The first thing that happened is that my husbands company told us to go ahead and start making plans for a move September 1st. We actually went house hunting and found a home in Kamloops but were leery of putting in an offer until we had written confirmation. We also started manically working on our home to get it ready for sale. My hands are raw from gardening and moving bricks as well as painting and staining-not to mention a myriad of colors. It's amazing how much "clean" up work must be done before you sell a house.

So we were all gearing up and then we got a call that things are stalled. The company and union seem to agree but the labour board is involved and there are some political goings on that are hampering our case. It's contract time and there are a lot of tactical operations going on. Then several of the key people involved left for holidays on Monday meaning we will have to wait at least three weeks until they get back.

It was extremely disappointing-we were all geared up emotionally and had started gearing up our physical environments too so it has been quite a let down. The Union representative is saying they are "cautiously optimistic" about our case but the company representative says that it may not happen at all due to the maneuvering. We appear to be stuck in the middle of a political game.

Our life is completely upside down, we don't know what is happening but we are keeping the same schedule and getting everything into place in our current home just in case. My husband will be able to apply for job postings in the area but we may be delayed in our quest to get to Kamloops.

I wrote a couple of posts last night and have scheduled them for the next few days. We also decided last night that we need to slow down a little and live a little in between all that needs to be done--that should mean I will have more time for writing.

Salynne ©2009