Happy New Year

It is the first day of 2010 and I am not sure how I even feel about that. Right now I feel like my head is full of thick fog; extremely thick fog. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that yet another year has flown by and I am not sure where it went. We have had an interesting year and in all honesty I am happy that it is closed out and a new year full of new memories, challenges and drama awaits.

I have been ignoring the blog for awhile now and have not been on here to really write. Too many other things that have been keeping my brain in overload mode such as family in from out of town, an intimate relationship with my sewing machine, hosting holiday dinners and all of the usual craziness that accompanies the holiday season. So instead of writing or reading during my down time I have been in front of the television indulging in past episodes of Mad Men (all time favorite show) and getting caught up on Weeds before the new season starts thanks to Netflix.

But now the holidays are done. And there are still so many things to do in this first month of 2010. I want to sit down by a fire and bury my head in my new books, yet I can't. Too many other things racing through my mind. This year is a big change in our household. Many changes to take place. A child turning 6. Another one turning 3. The 3 year old will be starting school. I will hopefully be starting school. Trying to figure out how to pay tuition for three on one income. Maybe getting a part-time job. Potty training. Garden planning on a budget. Sewing my heart out to try and make some extra $. And the list goes on. And whatever else the universe has in store for us. Change is good; not always easy, but good. So welcome to our lives Ms. Change and I embrace you and all you have to offer us! And I hope you do the same this year. And I wish you a new year full of prosperity, love, joy and peace.

Tis the Season

For some reason during the holiday season I always hear people talking about how surprised they are at how generous and kind the general population is at this time of the year. And every time I hear it I can't help but to smirk. I think to myself hmmm...that is interesting because isn't that how we should live our lives on a daily basis? Whether you believe in Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, or are an atheist doesn't matter because this a basic tenant that we try to live our lives by, right? You know, do unto others as you would want done unto you kind of thing?

I can't help but to say I feel the exact opposite at this time of year, which makes me dread the holiday season (yes, I say holiday because I have many friends who don't celebrate Christmas or the birth of Jesus) just as much as I LOVE it; because I DO love it! But, I feel that it is this time of year that brings the worst out in people. The, "I am the only one who matters, get out of my way, my life, kids and presents are better than yours" attitudes along with people's pure selfishness. The last two weeks I have witnesses so many accounts of this type of behavior that it has depressed me deeply as well as created a level of stress in my own life.

Seriously, in two weeks here are just a few of things I have witnessed:

Too many drivers COMPLETELY blowing through stop signs in store/mall parking lots to even count!
2 people running red lights that were REALLY red.
One old lady hitting my child in a grocery store-YES it did happen, and was beyond crazy and my claws came out on this one!
3 grocery store clerks getting their ears chewed off by customers for things they had no control of or responsibility for.
Being cut in front of twice while trying to shop for gifts.
And this list goes on, but I will leave it at this.


Why is this I wonder? Is it really THAT stressful this time of year? I just don't get it. The sad part of it all is that this always makes me want to stay in and do all of my shopping online, which is just not acceptable, especially with the economic condition of our state & country. So I venture out day after day just hoping to spread a little peace in this world and ofter a smile and kind word instead of a nasty growl and insult and I challenge you to do the same! :)

Los Dios De Los Muertos

Day of the Dead is something that our family has celebrated the last couple of years. It has been a wonderful way to teach our children the importance of remembering members of our family who have passed away. We take time to tell stories that keep memories alive, we make favorite foods of those who have died and we set up an alter with photos, flowers, and candles to remind us to say prayers of thanks for all that our ancestors did to help us have the lives we have today.



It has been an excellent tool to help my five year old daughter be able to talk about death and start to understand it is part of the natural life cycle of every living thing. It also has been a great way to teach my children that through death we celebrate life.



This year I picked up this awesome fabric for our altar (Pink Chalk Fabrics) as well as some fun tissue flowers and skull trinkets from Mexican town. For those of you who are not familiar with this holiday, it is one that primarily celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans in the United States. It is celebrated on Nov. 1st & 2nd (in connection with All Saints Day and All Souls Day) and the celebration includes trips to the cemeteries to pay respects, special meals & treats and altars that are adorned with flowers, pictures, sugar skulls & food to honor the deceased. One thing that I have found very interesting is that scholars have traced the origins of this holiday back thousands of years to an Aztec festival in honor of a goddess, Mictecacihuatl, whose role is to keep watch over the bones of the dead. Her cult is sometimes held to persist in the common Mexican worship of Santa Muerte; this I find VERY fascinating!



I encourage you to make this holiday part of your family festivities at this time of year, especially if you have little ones who are curious about death and you are having a hard time approaching the issue with them.

Here is the recipe that we use to make the traditional Day of the Dead Bread, Pan Muerto:


Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)
Ingredients 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup (half a stick) margarine or butter, cut into 8 pieces 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 package active dry yeast 1/4 cup very warm water 2 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted 1/2 teaspoon anise seed 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions: Bring milk to boil and remove from heat. Stir in margarine or butter, 1/4 cup sugar and salt.
In large bowl, mix yeast with warm water until dissolved and let stand 5 minutes. Add the milk mixture.
Separate the yolk and white of one egg. Add the yolk to the yeast mixture, but save the white for later. Now add flour to the yeast and egg. Blend well until dough ball is formed.

Flour a pastry board or work surface very well and place the dough in center. Knead until smooth. Return to large bowl and cover with dish towel. Let rise in warm place for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Knead dough again on floured surface. Now divide the dough into fourths and set one fourth aside. Roll the remaining 3 pieces into "ropes."

On greased baking sheet , pinch 3 rope ends together and braid. Finish by pinching ends together on opposite side. Divide the remaining dough in half and form 2 "bones." Cross and lay them atop braided loaf.
Cover bread with dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix anise seed, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar together. In another bowl, beat egg white lightly.
When 30 minutes are up, brush top of bread with egg white and sprinkle with sugar mixture, except on cross bones. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I LOVE holiday breaks!!!

I love celebrating holidays! I love that we have such a long holiday break this year and I love that I actually have some down time and I get to hang out with my family and do nothing if we choose to do so. I also love baking so I took a full day to make cookies with the kids and after about 18 dozen of cookies, I am done with even wanting to eat one, although the lemon ones in the picture are excellent and not too sweet.
Since Christmas we have being doing a lot of chilling out at home (in pajamas) and catching up with friends who we don't see often enough. We had one of our best friends from Vancouver stay with us for a couple of days, which was wonderful and we have had numerous evenings full of wine, food and great conversation with those we love the most. I also was able to host my first Feminist Potluck with a diverse group of feminists from all stages in their lives. I had a lot of fun catching up with the women from WIF and I can't wait to host my next potluck in February. We also have been catching up as a couple. It has been a lot fun reconnecting and actually spending time together when we have energy as oppose to the usual schedule. Did I mention we have actually been able to sleep in until 8 every morning?!

The holiday was fun, we hosted Christmas dinner for the Simon family for the first time and I think it was pretty successful. Since we are vegetarians we decided to just do a yummy spinach, walnut, Gruyere' lasagna and go with a lot of Italian sides and appetizers. We went to a wedding the day after Christmas that left me breathless; partially from laughing, partially from eating and drinking and the other part was from all of the beautiful Arabic dancing. Wow! If you have ever been to an Arabic wedding you know what I mean, if you have not, try to get invited to one! I have been to a few in the last nine years and I am always amazed and in awe of the dancing. At the reception the bride and groom were escorted in with a live Lebanese band and the dancing didn't stop for two hours. We finally ate dinner at a little after 9 p.m. and then continued on with dancing the night away. Congratulations my friends!!

Speaking of weddings...I am very happy to be celebrating my 6th wedding anniversary today! Not only are we celebrating the arrival of the new year, or our wedding, but also our first kiss. We kissed our first kiss as the ball dropped in 1999. I am so happy that Gregory kissed me that night because my life has been full of love, life, laughter and joy ever since. We have started a beautiful family and have a beautiful life. I truly feel blessed.

Before we leave in a few hours to celebrate this holiday/anniversary with our friends and family I wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone a peaceful closing of this year and a prosperous year for 2009.

For the final entry of this year I thought it would be appropriate to post the prayers of the faithful from our wedding. These prayers mean a lot to us and as I approach this new year I will meditate on these prayers once again as they are still relevant in my life. Peace be with the world, and peace be with you...Happy New Year!

Creator of All, we rejoice that You make Your presence known in the beauty of human love. Filled with this faith, we make our needs known to You.

For this couple-that they grow in love through the realities of their lives together, we pray to the Lord~

For the parents, relatives and friends of Gregory and Lacey- that they continue to support and encourage this couple with their love and good example, we pray to the Lord~

For the relatives and friends of Lacey and Gregory that have gone before us- that they rest in peace, we pray to the Lord~

For the community leaders-that they always serve in the best interest of the people they represent, we pray to the Lord~

For all those who fight for the social justice of themselves and others, we pray to the Lord~

For parents, teachers and clergy- that they pass on a message of compassion and tolerance for all people, we pray to the Lord~

For those struggling with poverty, hunger or sickness-may Your grace protect and guide them, we pray to the Lord~

For our leaders-may they choose peace over war, love over hate and equality over privilege, we pray to the Lord~

Be with us, Lord, as we strive to do your will. Be with us to give fervor to our aspirations, fortitude to our resolves, comfort in our failings, gentleness to our care for others, and constancy to our love. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord~ Amen.