Thinking ahead

We attended a new families' reception at my daughter's school last night.  The headmaster was very excited and extremely dedicated--as headmasters tend to be--and he detailed all aspects of the school's mission and how it translates to expectations for the learning environment.  The school "inspires and educates students to engage their hearts, minds and hands to cultivate their full individual and collective potential in the service of a greater good."  The number one value at the school is not academic rigor; it is "character." He emphasized the belief that education without action and strong character is worth little more than the paper you receive as your diploma.

Although you could dismiss these words as rhetoric, I found them thought-provoking and motivating.  I have been blessed with (and have thoroughly enjoyed) an excellent liberal arts education.  I hold a Master's degree in International Development.  I have lived in four countries in the past seven years and have visited more than a dozen.  While I have always hoped and planned to be at home when my children are small, I acknowledge that those years are drawing to a close.  Now that my girls have reached an age of greater independence, I'm starting to look outward and ponder where my next steps should be.  "In the service of a greater good" seems an excellent starting point.

 

Where are your thoughts taking you this week?

Wishing you a happy weekend

This video of a wonderfully elegant flash mob sent happy tears streaming down my cheeks.  So beautiful.  Happy weekend to you!


 Found via DesignMom

Soaking it in

We have entered that window of perfect late summer weather.  The days are still warm but not unbearably hot or humid.  The windows can be open all the time.  All meals can be eaten outside.







One of my favorite aspects of seasonal change is the awareness it brings of now and of what is to come.  We know these days won't last.  A recent cool snap reminded us that autumn is not far off and a colder winter than we've experienced in years (and the girls have ever experienced) will soon follow that.

Right now, there are less than two weeks until school starts, giving us two more weeks of playing, reading, lounging, discovering, enjoying... 
Right now, we are soaking in the warmth, the long days and the freedom our lack of schedule provides.

Early morning fog

A small cold front resulted in three very cool, foggy mornings.
Sunlight breaking through the early morning fog is magical.

Wishing you a beautiful day, friends!

Quickie jam recipe

It has been atypically cool here of late.  I love it...but part of me worries about winter if August is so gentle and kind.  Best to enjoy and not think about it too much.

The good news is the cool-down has helped spur me along in my knitting.  I really lost my mojo this summer (understandably), but I'm such a slow knitter that I know I need to get working if I want to have new things for the girls this year.  I may even finish the cardigan I started for myself over six months ago...(cough cough).

I've also been happier to be heating things up in the kitchen.  I've baked bread, chocolate quinoa cake (and watched that disappear in a flash!)...and this morning, I used up some too-old plums from the farm box to make quickie jam.

Homemade jam is a revelation.  Store-bought cannot hold a candle to it. The flavour (and sense of accomplishment) is top notch.  Do I worry about preserving safely with my self-taught methods?  A bit.  Quickie jam takes that worry away.  Quickie jam just uses up whatever too-old (but not bad) fruit or berries you have and gives you a small jar of something heavenly-good to smear on your bread (scone, muffin, bagel...) or stir into your morning oatmeal.  It takes far less sugar than regular jam and no pectin.  You need to use it up in a week or so, but that is easily done.

You want to try it now, don't you?

The ingredients are very simple: around 1 pound (half a kilo) of fruit or berries and 1/2 cup of sugar or less.  I had less than a pound of plums.  I sliced them up into large but manageable bits (remember it needs to be spreadable when done) and tossed them into a stainless steel pot with about 1/4 cup of sugar.  I cooked it on medium until I bubbled itself down into something gooey and beautiful (30 minutes or so); then, I spooned it into a jar, labeled it with elegant masking tape and put it in the fridge.  That was it!



I've also made quickie jam with a punnet of blueberries and half a cup of sugar.  You could get fancy with cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans or sliced ginger.  It only makes a single jar, so this is a great way to try out flavour combos.

If you want actual recipes and even video instruction, head here to Mark Bittman and the NY Times.

Which flavour jam is calling to you?

Love the Place You Live: The Strip

My mom is visiting this weekend.  She knows Pittsburgh about as well as we do (not much!), so on Sunday afternoon, we did a bit of exploring.  The weather was glorious, so it was the perfect day for a stroll.



Hubby had a bicycle tour of the city courtesy of a friend, so he wanted to introduce us to The Strip district.  Inspired by DesignMom's Love the Place You Live series, I want to share our finds here.

The Strip is several blocks of fabulous grocery stores (hippie, Italian, Indian, Chinese...) and small restaurants.  Food is king in The Strip.  Apparently there is an amazing farmer's market there on Saturdays, but being there Sunday means we missed that this time.  We ate a sandwich lunch in a little bakery/cafe and then discovered two treasures I have to share with you.

First up, Mon Aimee Chocolat.  Such an inspiring variety of chocolate bars, chocolate nibs, chocolate chips (and cappuccino chips!)...  The most beautiful item I spotted was the assorted bag of giant malted milk balls.  Those things were the size of jawbreakers.  Each had a different flavoured candy shell, and the colours ranged from bright red (hot cinnamon) to green (mint) to speckled (various) to traditional chocolate brown.  They were so pretty, and I bet they are absolutely delicious!  What a gorgeous gift that would make for a birthday or a hostess.



Alas, my two small children were tempted to inhale just about anything they could get their little hands on (and who could blame them?), so I left with one photo (by permission) and without the malted balls (though I'll be back!).

Next up was Pittsburgh Popcorn.  My mom wanted to go there after having read about it in a foodie guide.  She has a secret passion for cheddar and caramel popcorn mixed together (who knew?), and the book said Pittsburgh Popcorn had that.  Did they ever!  They had movie popcorn (butter and salt), cheddar, caramel, sour cream and chive, peanut butter and chocolate, caramel and chocolate, chocolate covered pretzel popcorn...it was popcorn heaven.  The shop didn't look like much from the outside, but inside was fantastic.  The smell alone is enough to pull you through the door.

 

My mom was happy with a little sample size of her treasured mix, but my girls each chose "small" (big!) bags of their favourites: caramel chocolate and peanut butter chocolate.  I may or may not have eaten some of each after they fell asleep last night.

Once school commences and I have some solo daytime hours, I will be back to explore those grocery shops thoroughly.  An Italian cheese shop caught my eye, and I am still looking for a good source for various ingredients I like to keep in my kitchen.  I'm guessing The Strip will yield new finds each time.

How was your weekend?

Summer evenings

The mad, intolerable heat of early summer has given way to glorious days and beautiful late summer evenings.  Dinner time has become magic hour for golden sunlight filtering through the trees, lighting up the grass and warming the soul.  I snapped these pictures the other night, trying to capture the gorgeous light, knowing I will need to look back at these images in the depths of winter, reminding me of the warmth and the light...and this new favourite spot of ours that never stays empty for long.







Happy weekend to you!