Take Time to Notice {December 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21}

December 17...Ornaments that mark the passage of time. 1999...Last Christmas of the Century, and 2000...First Christmas of the Millennium.

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December 18...Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! Macy's Herald Square windows in NYC celebrate the 50th anniversary of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." 

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December 19...The Christmas at One World Trade Center. It's a simple but elegant tree, but if you stop and think, this tree points to the top of this building, 1776 feet high. Merry Christmas and God Bless the USA.

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December 20...This tree stands outside of St. Paul's Chapel in New York City, just blocks away from Ground Zero. St. Paul's was built in 1764 and is the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. After the Towers fell, this tiny church became a relief center for emergency personnel. In the shadow of One World Trade Center, this tree sends the Christmas message of hope and peace.

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December 21...With today being the shortest day of the year, here's a photo to bring you lots of light and sparkle! May your days be merry and bright ~ 

Take Time to Notice {December 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16}

Well, am I ever running behind...time to catch up before 2015 ends!

December 12...All is calm, all is bright as we stroll around UD's campus on this 61 degree night!

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December 13...Christmas take on the personalities of their locations. Makes perfect sense for Warped Wing Brewery to use their beer cans to decorate their tree...Flying Rye, Ermal, and Self Starter are delightful ornaments!

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December 14...Time for the Christmas Card marathon! 

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December 15...Every year my friend Denise, a few of her sisters, and her daughter bake dozens and dozens and dozens of cookies. They package them up and deliver them to their friends. I've lost count of the number of years we've been fortunate enough to receive this beautiful gift. The cookies are great but the friendship is priceless! Merry Christmas!

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December 16...Christmas cards! My usual routine is to walk out to the mailbox, sort through it as I walk to the garage, and then toss it all into the recycling bin. Not this time of year! And to receive an original work of art is extra special. I look forward to the cards from my college friend Patricia Saxton with her message of peace. Her artistic handwriting even makes the envelope a work of art! Merry Christmas and PEACE to all ~ 

Take Time to Notice {December 9, 10, and 11}

December 9...These lovely photos come to you courtesy of my New York City girl! Sara called me on on her way home from work as she was walking through Washington Square Park. The tree had just been lit. Christmas lights are always beautiful regardless of where you live.

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December 10...It was a beautiful night to walk around Lincoln Park, enjoy the Christmas music that was playing, and look at the light display that sparkles from one end of the Commons to the other. (PS...15 days until Christmas!)

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December 11...Took a drive down to the Oregon District to admire this marvelous painting created by my friend, very talented artist, and owner of Gallery 510, Loretta Puncer. Compared to many cities, the Dayton skyline isn't very big, but it sure is pretty...a real gem!

Take Time to Notice {December 7 and 8}

December 7...I can hear snickers from some of you when you notice that I still have a landline phone! The reason we have a landline is that our cell phone service is spotty in the neighborhood. Anyway, it's always a treat when the phone rings around 8:15 a.m. and it's my sister who lives in Philly calling as she's walking to work. The calls are a joy, lasting anywhere from 15-30 minutes. These morning chats make life a little more bearable...

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December 8...This evening's light show is brought to you by colorful Christmas lights and a magnificent sunset!

Take Time to Notice {December 6}

December 6...This is one of my Christmas treasures. Just a few years ago (I'm not going to tell you what a few is!), my dad was in the Army and stationed in Germany. I was born in Germany. My parents bought this hand carved creche for 39.50 Deutsche marks. I was curious how much this would cost in today's US dollars and the conversion came to slightly under $22.00 I can only imagine what it cost those "few" years ago...It is priceless to me.

Take Time to Notice {December 4 and 5}

December 4...Lincoln Park Commons now sparkles with Kettering's Christmas lights!

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December 5...Ice cream cone ornaments from the kids' preschool days. I can't believe they haven't disintegrated after all these years!

Take Time to Notice {December 3}

December 3...These guys are part of my Santa Claus collection. There are 6 in total...one for each member of my family. A couple years ago, the Santas were on a shelf, eye level with a little puppy named Bernie. Of course Santa looked like a toy and Bernie snagged him off the shelf to play with him, hence the teeth marks in the middle one! At first I was upset with the teeth marks in Santa, but now it's a sweet memory ~

Take Time to Notice {December 1 and 2}

A lot of my Facebook friends posted daily gratitudes during the month of November, with Thanksgiving as their focus for being grateful. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over and the holiday season is in full swing, it is easy to get overwhelmed with what needs to be done, where we need to go, shopping, baking, parties, Christmas cards, getting the house ready for guests, and so on, and so on...

I am making it a point to notice things each day during December that bring a smile to my face and let me catch my breath during this magical but exhausting season. And I want to write again...

December 1…My Christmas tree is a collection of memories: ornaments the kids made when they were little, ornaments hubs and I bought when we were first married, ornaments handed down form parents, and some new sparkly ornaments that celebrate the present. The tree topper is a mitten that my dad wore as a little boy during the brutal Chicago winters. And hanging from the thumb is a Cincinnati Bengals helmet. Dad was a Bengals fan and I’m sure he is smiling at the successful season they’re having. The Cleveland Browns are also represented for my loyal Browns fans, and maybe someday that Christmas miracle (or any miracle) will happen and they will have a decent team! Here’s to a month of twinkling lights and happy memories ~

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December 2...This, my friends, is how Dayton, Ohio does Christmas! Last night was the inaugural lighting of this 200 foot tree made up of 20,000 lights. It is the largest tree of lights in Ohio! While it was breathtaking to be up close at Carillon Park, it was also fun to drive around town view the tree from different vantage points. Merry Christmas!

September 27, 2015

September 27, 2015...what a celestial event!

The Super Moon-lunar eclipse-blood moon brought the neighborhood out to watch the night sky. People sat on their front porches and on blankets in their front yards; I sat on the curb in front of my mailbox to get the optimum view.

I love the night sky and especially moon watching. The Space Age began in my lifetime, 1957 (the year of my birth) with Sputnik. The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions were the explorations of the '60s. John Glenn, an Ohioan, was the first man to orbit the earth in 1962, and then Neil Armstrong, an astronaut from Wapakoneta, Ohio (just an hour up the road on I-75) walked on the moon in 1969. The space shuttles took the place of the rockets leading to a different kind of space exploration. And then there's the hometown pride...Orville and Wilbur Wright...the two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, who flew the first airplane over the sands of Kill Devils Hill, North Carolina.

This moon and the eclipse and the colors were spectacular. Bright white to gradual darkness to coppery red. And this won't happen again until 2033. I took some photos with my little Nikon Coolpix but they don't do justice to what was happening in the sky.

"I've never seen a moon in the sky that, if it didn't take my breath away, at least misplaced it for a moment." ~ Colin Farrell 

Point of View...

Let Them Eat Pistachio Cake!

I love to go out to eat, but Valentine's Day is one of those holidays where I would rather stay home and cook a nice meal.

We celebrated Valentine's Day at our home with my mom, my two brothers and their lovely wives, and our oldest child. A standing rib roast was the star of the meal accompanied by oven roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, and fruit. As much as a chocolate dessert screams "Valentine's Day!", I did not want to go that route. I wanted something not too sweet, but something that carried its own wow factor.

Hello, pistachio cake.

The mainstays of this cake are ground pistachios and almond meal. Fresh orange juice, orange zest, and rosewater add a valentine-y fragrance. A thin layer of tangy orange-lemon glaze tops it all off.

And everyone was nutty about this dessert!

Lemon-Frosted Pistachio Cake

Cake Ingredients:

8 oz. butter
1 c. plus 1 T. superfine sugar
3 large eggs
1 c. finely ground pistachios
1 c. almond meal
Juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 t. rosewater
1/2 c. plus 1 T. all purpose flour

For the icing:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. orange juice
1-2 Lemon and orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350.

Butter the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick cake pan and line with parchment paper. Butter the top of the parchment paper.

Cream the butter and superfine sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, the add the ground pistachios and almond meal. Add the orange juice, orange zest and rosewater. Mix well. With the mixer on low, add the flour just until blended in.

Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake until the top is firm and a light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Lightly cover the top of the cake with foil and continue baking for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Allow the cake to cool for several minutes and then carefully remove from pan and cool on a rack.

When the cake is cool, make the icing. Mix the powdered sugar, juices and zest together in a small bowl and then pour over cake. Let the icing set for 30 minutes before serving.

From the New York Times magazine, March 5, 2006

52 Haikus {#14...Evolution White}

Evolution White

At the end of a

long day, it's time to evolve.

Chill. Pour. Sip. Chill. Ahhhhh...

Going Nuts in February

February, the shortest month in the year, seemed like it was never-ending. The month started off with that little varmint, Punxsutawney Phil, seeing his shadow and skittering back into his hole for another 6 weeks. And what a wintery month we had...lots  of gray days, bitter cold temperatures, above average snowfall, school cancellations and slippery roads. But it's winter in Ohio and that's what happens and even though the cold and snow got old and cabin fever set in, I thanked my lucky stars that we didn't get the brutal pummeling that hit Boston.

But I did go a little bit nuts...in a good way.

And the nuttiness was all about pistachios...pistachio cake, pistachio colored sandals, and February 26, National Pistachio Day.

Pistachio Cake

  

In  a nutshell, I didn't want to fight the restaurant crowds on Valentine's Day. A fun family dinner came together and this was dessert. Ground pistachios and almond meal flavored with rose water, orange juice and orange zest made this not-to-sweet crumbly cake. Topped with a citrusy powdered sugar glaze, everyone went nuts over this!

Pistachio Sandals

You know, sometime in the middle of winter, when you should buy a new pair of boots because your old ones have a hole in the toe and aren't water resistant and you will be shoveling snow a few more times, you have to follow a nutty impulse and buy a pair of pistachio colored sandals.

February 26, National Pistachio Day

Who knew. There's a day to celebrate everything. Time to get crackin'!

52 Haikus {#13...Comfort Food}

fifty-two haikus

three lines and seventeen beats

snippets for a year

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#13...Comfort Food

There are times when a

pile of mashed potatoes makes

everything OK.

52 Haikus {#11 and 12...Valentine Love}

fifty-two haikus

three lines and seventeen beats

snippets for a year

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Valentine Love (#11)

he loves me he loves

me not he loves me he love

me not he loves me

♥

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Valentine Love (#12)

It's one way to his

heart...pepperoni, some ex-

tra cheese and mushrooms!

♥

Winter Salad {Kale + Clementines}

It's winter in Ohio: cold and varying shades of gray outside. Winter dishes usually consist of meat and something beige so it's time to bring a burst of color to the dinner plate. Most people don't think of winter as salad time but I'm a year 'round salad lover. Salads are such an easy way to get your daily portion of veggies into your diet and to help you stick to that new year's healthy eating resolution. 

Hardy, crunchy kale paired with sweet, juicy clementines and some nuts come together to make a fulfilling lunch salad or a cheery side to dinner. It's good, it's healthy (what a way to load up on all kinds of vitamins!) and it's easy. Dress with a little olive oil and vinegar and boom, you're done.

Kale and Clementine Salad

6-8 leaves of Lacinato kale
2 clementines
¼ cup pistachios**
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Holding one end of the stem of the leaf of kale, use your hand to strip off the leaves.
Rinse and dry the leaves then cut into ¼ inch strips and put in serving bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and massage into the kale.
Peel the clementine and cut each segment in half. Add to greens.
Roughly chop the almonds and add to salad.
Dress with oil and vinegar and season with pepper. Add more salt to taste, if needed.

**I have made this salad quite a few times and have used toasted almonds, pistachios, sweet chili pistachios, and toasted pine nuts. They're all good!

52 Haikus {#10...Birthday!}

fifty-two haikus

three lines and seventeen beats

snippets for a year

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#10...Birthday!

Today is my first

daughter's (second child) birthday.

Twenty-eight years young.

52 Haikus {#8 and #9...Marion's Pizza 1 and 2}

fifty-two haikus

three lines and seventeen beats

snippets for a year

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#8...Marion's 1

Marion's pizza

Cut into squares, not slices

Dayton's tradition.

#9...Marion's 2

warm pizza box that sits

on my lap makes the drive home

so very cozy

Hello 2015!

My mom, who is 83 years old, subscribed to an old wives' tale at the end of each year. It went something like this, "You need to have a clean house before the new year comes. You don't want to take old dirt into the new year or else your house will be dirty for a year." 

Growing up, our house was clean all the time. It was Mom's nature to have a clean and organized house. Amazingly she did this with four kids whose age difference was five years. She cooked all of our meals. She ironed Dad's shirts. She got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed and waxed floors. She volunteered at school, went on class field trips and was PTA president. 

Well, the clean house gene skipped a generation. My house isn't messy and dirty, but it keeps that lived in look. Every year after Christmas, this old wives' tale starts whispering to me and I do my darndest to put all my Christmas decorations away and have a clean a dust-free house and every year, I bring my old dirt into the new year. And it frustrates me.

So I needed to solve this problem.

Rather than focusing on a chore, I focus on something I enjoy, which happens to be cooking. On January 1, I fixed a meal which revolves around foods that symbolize good things for the new year.

Pork Roast: 

Pigs are a lucky symbol because they root forward, thus symbolizing moving forward in life.

Hoppin' John: full of black-eyed peas, lentils, ham and collard greens.

Black-eyed peas...show humility and invite good fortune.

Lentils...because they are shaped like coins, an abundance of the tiny seeds symbolizes wealth.

Ham...because of its fat, it is served to bring a new year rich with happiness.

Collard greens...green is the color of money so greens symbolize wealth.

My sister-in-law's pasta salad:

Noodles...symbolic of long life.

Grains...stand for abundance.

Sauerkraut Soup with Kielbasa and Potatoes

It is believed that eating sauerkraut will bring blessings and wealth for the new year. Before the meal, those seated at the table wish each other as much goodness and money as the number of shreds of cabbage in the pot of sauerkraut. There was a lot of sauerkraut!

Circular foods or coin-shaped foods bring prosperity to those who eat them. These foods also symbolize coming full circle.












We shared this New Year's meal with dear friends while watching the Ohio State Buckeyes ROLL OVER the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

May this new year be full of good things for you. Happy 2015!