Rituals

I am listening to Eat Pray Love, a book by Elizabeth Gilbert, for the second time. I listened to it a few years ago, but I think I only made it through the Eat and Pray sections before having to return it to the library. It was mentioned to me a few times recently which I took as a sign that I needed to hear it again. As I listened this morning while running errands, trying to get everything done before the holiday, this passage struck me. It seemed particularly fitting given my plans for this eve.

"We do spiritual ceremonies as human beings in order to create a safe resting place for our most complicated feelings of joy or trauma, so that we don't have to haul those feelings around with us forever, weighing us down. We all need such places for ritual safekeeping. And I do believe if your culture or tradition doesn't have the specific ritual you are craving, then you are absolutely permitted to make up a ceremony of your own devising."

My friend Jen and I have taken rituals from many cultures and combined them to make our own that we now practice on New Year's Eve whether together or apart.

According to Chinese tradition, the entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. Therefore, I spent the entire afternoon cleaning. The floors are swept and mopped, dishes and clothes are put away, and my bedding is washed. I like the idea of welcoming the year with a clean house. It leaves lots of room and space for the new.

In Mexico, those who want to find love in the new year wear red underwear and those that want money wear yellow. I will be wearing red again this year. I have quite a collection of red undies.

Unitarians practice a burning bowl ritual. The ritual is a way of letting go of what no longer works for you. You write on paper, things, ideas and situations, that you no longer wish to have power in your life, that you want to release in the coming year, and symbolically "burn" the list and get rid of them. The second part of the ritual allows you to ask for what you wish to bring into your life to create a clean, fresh start of your hopes and desires in the new year.

Spanish tradition has it that for good luck in the New Year, and all year long, 12 uvas de la suerte (grapes of luck) have to be eaten at midnight on New Years Eve. My grapes are in the fridge and thanks to an idea I discovered earlier this week, this year they will be presented on skewers. Last New Year's Eve I brought grapes with me to the bar. I even provided extras for the bartender who happily participated in my ritual.

In the South, it is considered good luck to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day because they are thought to symbolize wealth (they look like little coins). They also swell when they are cooked, which is another sign of prosperity. Eating greens is thought to bring good fortune because they resemble money. Tomorrow I am trying a recipe I found hanging on my aunt's fridge when I visited her last week. It is called Southern New Year's Day Soup. Among the ingredients...you guessed it, black eyed peas and your choice of greens.

With all of these rituals, 2009 is bound to be a year full of love, luck, & prosperity and I am ready for it to arrive.

Holiday Magic

I have to admit I am a little sad that the holidays are over. Today I will be taking down my tree and packing up all of my holiday decorations. Soon this season will be forgotten, but there are a few magical moments from this holiday season that I would like to pack up to remember.

One Sunday in the middle of December, I took the T to the Macy's at Downtown Crossing. I was searching for some dishes that my mom wanted to give to my aunt and I picked up a Boston sweatshirt for my dad, from the same cart that I've visited every December since I can remember. I had just stopped at Starbucks for my favorite holiday drink to enjoy on the train ride home. I got on and after a few stops the entire Harvard marching band entered my car. They must have been coming from a holiday parade of some sort. They were decorated in Santa hats, their crimson blazers were dressed up with red and green accents, and one guy even wrapped himself in twinkling, colored lights. The band members awkwardly tried to manage their instruments as they walked about the moving train seemingly discussing some sort of plan. From what I gathered, they wanted to play, but didn't have the courage. After some more quiet planning and encouragement from each other, the band moved into position (the tuba came to sit right next to me). One short, bank geek type boy gave a count and the band began. It started out slow and soft, but soon the music swelled into the most beautiful version of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You I have ever heard. Passengers were smiling, swaying, and tapping along. When I got off the train, the driver stuck his head out and asked if I enjoyed the concert. He asked as though it had made his day. I was grateful for the music that afternoon, but also took pleasure in watching a group of people take a risk and enjoy it's results.
The weekend before Christmas I lost my keys in a snowbank. I was trying to be a good neighbor and shovel the sidewalk in front of my building and somehow in one swoop dropped and shoveled them into a mound of snow. I had just spent over an hour digging out my car and didn't have the patience to look very hard. Luckily, I had left my front door open and could enter my apartment by punching numbers on the keypad. I had spare house and car keys, so the loss wasn't that urgent. I couldn't get mail or do laundry, but I figured I could live without that for as long as it would take me to either find the keys or get new ones. Everyone I told kept urging me to go look for the keys. It was starting to get annoying. For some reason I didn't feel a need to do this. I did email all the people in my building asking them to keep their eyes open for my keys as the rain predicted for the next week would begin to melt the snow away. One resident suggested I locate a metal detector, another recommended that I pray to St. Anthony. People were on this case. I left for the holiday with only my spare keys, thinking that if I had to I would work on getting replacements made when I returned. But, as I knew all along, the keys were found. My mom called it a Christmas miracle. At 7:30 on Christmas morning my phone rang. It was someone ringing my doorbell (it is connected to my phone). When I answered, my downstairs neighbor reported that she found my keys and wished me a Merry Christmas. The call was the best present 0f the year. Not because it saved me the hassle of getting new keys made, but because it restored my faith in my gut. I believed all along that my keys would be found even if others were worried that they wouldn't. When my beliefs start to waver in the upcoming year, I will remember the keys. The real key is listening to my gut and believing it is right.

Time to Sweep

Once I went to a psychic who said that I had a lot of mental energy. This did not come by suprise because I have always been a thinker and spend much of my time in my head somewhere. After talking with the psychic for a while, an image came to her of a person sweeping. It made a lot of sense. At the time, I had a lot of old that needed to be swept away.

I love the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. The days are meant for cleaning and organizing. Days given to us to prepare for a new year, a fresh start. This year I have felt some anxiety about having enough time to get all of my sweeping done, literally and mentally. So, some of what needs to come out of my head is about to flood this lonely blog with posts. The floors will have to wait.

An Old Favorite

These are one of my family's favorite cookies to make during the holidays (we have many). They are soooo yummy, especially when first out of the oven like mine are now. Absolute perfection!

Peanut Blossoms

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Cook at 375 degrees for 8 mintues. Put Hershey's Kisses on top and return to the oven for 2 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

A New Find

I love finding a new recipe that I know right away will become an old favorite. This soup is that good. I had to buy a lot of ingredients to make it and was at first annoyed at how expensive they all were. It was well worth it though because I will be making this soup again and again this winter.

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

(From Cooking Light, December 2008)

4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 (5 3/4 ounce) package pad thai noodles (rice stick noodles)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (13.5) ounce can light coconut milk

2 1/2 cups shredded chicken breast (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and snow peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to the spinach mixture in bowl.

Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to the pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to the pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, sugar, and fish sauce; cook for 2 minutes

Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in the bowl. Stir in crushed red pepper and cilantro.

Makes 7 servings
Serving size = 2 cups

Snow Day(s)

I've been "snowed in" since Friday. I love snow storms when I am allowed to not go anywhere for days. I usually get a little stir crazy when I am home for long periods of time, but for some reason I rather enjoy it during blizzards. There is nothing better than finding ways to entertain myself in my cozy home that I am so lucky to spend this blizzard it in. It is kind of like winter vacation started early this year.

I have been...

making lists

dealing with online "errands"

making cds & crafts

listening to holiday music

lighting candles

catching up on laundry

cleaning my fridge

shoveling my car out (luckily with the help of a stranger)

looking for the keys I dropped in a snowbank

chatting on the phone with friends

cooking & baking (recipes to follow)

watching movies

reading books & magazines

googling & facebooking

making plans for 2009

taking naps & hot showers

venturing out for winter walks to Highland Kitchen

drinking hot cider & coffee & chocolate

and watching & hoping

for one more snow day!

Discoveries

Yesterday I made my annual trip to the South End Holiday Market. I'm always excited to come across new artists and crafters. Here are some of my favorites...

Pretty Necklaces

Amazing Blankets

Funky Bags

Lovely Letterpress

December

December is (very) merry.

She is filled with joy.

December speaks many languages.

She hears hope in every voice.

December makes angels in the snow.

She is happiest with open hands.

December loves the smell of evergreen.

She comes bearing gifts (and cookies).

December sparkles with goodwill and tiny white lights.

She lights candles in the dark.

December is a great last act.

She can experience things spiritually.

December wraps its packages carefully (and ties them with ribbon).

She dances in the arms of the world.

December has red & green slip covers (and coasters).

She believes in things unseen.

December gives and receives.

She is a revelation.

(Mostly from the KOCO She Calendar 2006)

A Few of My Wishes

Duvet Cover

Brown Clogs

Silver Necklace

I love this word

My friend came over to help me decorate my tree and as we were unpacking my box of holiday decorations she asked, "Why do you have so many things that say BELIEVE?" I told her I like to remind myself often.

This weekend...

I brought crochet back, shopped the sales and holiday craft fairs, drank eggnog latte, decorated with poinsettas, attended a cookie tasting, baked my own, bought a tree from the boy scouts, mulled some spices, watched Love Actually, planned a holiday gathering, made party favors, and listened to last year's holiday mix over and over. The holidays really deserve to be the fifth season of the year.

One for the Holiday Mix, Vol. 2

Ingrid Michaelson is one of my new favorite singers. I saw her play recently and she is one of the best live acts I have seen in a long time. She is funny and quirky but writes and sings deep, sometimes sad songs. I kind of like that about her. Today I found out she has a new holiday song called "Snowfall Kind of Love" and you can listen here. Also check out this video she made for "Be OK" the song playing from my cell phone these days.

This could be a fun event made even better with a seasonal drink from Gargoyles after a bit of shopping. I would have to choose between the Pomegranate Martini (house infused vanilla vodka, pomegranate juice, triple sec, sparkling wine) and the Hot Tub (absolut citron, chambord, house sour mix, cranberry juice, topped off with sparkling wine). Want to join me?

Traditions

Every year, for the past 7 years, my mom has visited me over the Thanksgiving holiday. We do a lot of shopping and eating and walking while she is here. We go to the Christmas Tree Shop and I stock up on mulling spices for the coming winter season while she buys surprises for her secret santa. We have a sandwich at Oxford Spa and a dinner at West Side Lounge. We see a movie and hit up no fewer than 3 malls. We have eaten turkey dinners at various restaurants around Cambridge and have even cooked for ourselves a few times.

And every year, a few hours after my mom has left, I find a present hidden somewhere, usually under my pillow or under the blankets of my unmade bed. It is always wrapped in Christmas print paper or in colored tissue paper carefully placed in holiday gift bag. One year I found flannel pajamas, another year Betty Crocker's Cookie Book, and this year I was oh so excited to open the bag to find an Aunt Sadie's Candle that smelled of balsam. (My mom knows I have been in love with these seasonal treats since I received one as a gift last summer that smelled of coconut.) Along with the surprise, my mom always includes an advent calendar. This is a tradition that goes back to when I was little and couldn't wait to open the door to find the mini treasure it hid each day of December.

So, to mark the beginning of the season, tomorrow my house will be filled with the scent of balsam and I will be opening the first door of December.

Autumn, the year's last, lovliest smile.

-William Cullen Bryant

Just. Add. Paper.

I heart calendars. Especially ones that include images or words fitting for each particular month. I also heart Etsy and love this printable calendar I found today in Little Brown Pen's Shop. It is only $5 and you can print as many as you like. The gift possibilities are endless!

Four Months Ago & Today

I can only go on Polyvore.com once a season because I get obsessed with making the perfect outfit for the day and can waste hours and hours. This morning I was brought back to the summer days of wearing lightweight dresses and bare legs. Today I searched for boots and scarves because it is 28 degrees outside. I noticed that the outfits I create are very much color coordinated. I recently read that dressing too "matchy-matchy" ages a person. I am trying to break out of this habit for the sake of looking young, but I can't help it, I like my clothes to match and change is hard.

Perfect Timing

One of my favorite bloggers, Marta of marta writes posted about lovely letterpress holiday cards today. They can be found over at Linda & Harriett. Wouldn't it be cute to send these out introducing friends and family to my new blog?

Sunday Soup

Every Sunday in the fall and winter my mom makes soup for dinner and then brings it for lunch the rest of the week. My Aunt Sybil also makes soup once a week and puts it in individual servings to take for her lunch. She usually makes muffins too. Today seemed like a good day for soup, so I called my mom for the recipe of one she made when I was home last year. Unfortunately, I didn't get to making the banana muffins I was craving.

Sunday's Vegetable Beef Soup
4 ½ cups water
1 package of McCormick Au Jus
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup frozen mixed vegetables

(carrots, peas, corn, green beans)

Bring the above ingredients to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Then add:
1 can diced tomatoes
¾ cup Ditalini pasta
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Continue to simmer until pasta is done.
Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (this makes the soup!) and serve with a side salad, muffin, or my favorite, crusty bread (for dipping).

Comfy Cozy

I wish I had this to wear right now.

When I was home last weekend, I put on an old grey hooded sweatshirt of my mom's and it made me think about how I don't have any good sweatshirts any more. In college, sweatshirts were my go to when I wanted to feel comfy cozy. I think I may need to add this J. Crew one to my wardrobe. The fleece lining is tempting me. It makes it all the more perfect for a day like today.

'Tis the Season for Red Cups

They are back and filled with treats that are better than ever. Usually at this time of year my red cups are filled with Peppermint Hot Chocolate. I think that era may have ended because tonight I tried Starbucks's new Espresso Truffle. It is like a deluxe version of my regular mocha latte. Perhaps I am in love because I forgot to say, "non-fat, no whip" like I usually do.

"We’ve combined Starbucks espresso with our premium European-style cocoa blend used in our Signature Hot Chocolate and steamed milk, and topped it with whipped cream and a touch of chocolate powder. This sophisticated beverage delivers rich chocolate flavor with a velvety mouth feel balanced with a smooth coffee flavor."

I will miss the white cups for the next few months. I always find it comforting when they return. It confirms that the holiday craziness is over and the routine of everyday life is back. I already miss The Way I See It quotes. I will just have to read the one that I keep in my kitchen to keep me inspired while the red cups are here.

November

November convinces the yellow leaves to stick around.
She keeps a gratitude journal.

November likes to linger on the last chapter.

She is self reflective.

November has a campaign scrapbook.

She creates real connections.

November’s voice can be heard by all people.

She gives with all her heart.

November turns departure into arrival.

She listens. And reaches out.

November inherited the first recipe for pumpkin pie.

She is a historical fact.

November can hear winter’s voice.

She moves with simple grace.

November always remembers to say thank you.

Her wisdom is her intuition.

November loves to celebrate human qualities.
She dances holding hands.
(Mostly from the KOCO She Calendar 2006)

Arrival

I stumbled upon the world of bloggers a few months ago and since my discovery I have been a silent reader and collector of many blogs. I so look forward to reading them each day. My favorites always seem to inspire me and I keep finding more and more to follow. Lately the world feels cold, damp, dark and nearly barren. So I figured, 'tis a good season to begin my blog. What better to do during a time like this than to write, collect, photograph, share, and hopefully even inspire.