on feeling sorry

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Sometimes it takes a few moments (or hours) of feeling sorry for yourself to turn around and kick yourself in the ass… So here’s the story. I left the house the other day with a little birdie who really needed to nap, but didn’t want to nap more than a little bit. Sooooo outside we ventured. We wandered around the neighborhood to see all the pumpkins, goblins, witches, spider webs, acorns and leaves. We found ourselves in front of the pink house, which houses thirteen (13!) children. Just as I was chasing my one (1) child as she was darting into the road, The Mom came out of the house. As usual, she looked fantastic. She’s probably a bit too old to be wearing the trendy little dress and leggings she was confidently sporting, but because she has a great body she seems to be able to pull it off. As we chatted, I thought about what I had thrown on. Oof. The pants were fine, but the rest? Oh my. The comfy (read: too big and dowdy) sweater WITH the pants? Not a good choice. And because I couldn’t find my default black boots, I was wearing a pair of old running shoes. And my Mom Hair — always a pony tail, now about a year overdue for a real haircut–nice. The only thing that looked good? My toes. But only because I had a pedicure about two weeks ago. Of course, The Mom could not see those…

But it gets worse. The Mom asked me what Wren was going to be for Halloween. Side note: although she has 13 children, she always is the first one in the conversation to ask about my child. I didn’t really want to tell her that I was thinking of dressing Wren up as Andy Warhol because I’m not sure she’d quite understand so I told her that I was thinking (which I had been!) about making Wren an apple costume because she’s obsessed with apples (which she very much is), but I wasn’t quite sure “if I could get it together by then.” Then I remembered with whom I was speaking. The Mom. She went on to sweetly tell me about all her (13!) kids and their costumes. Sigh. At about that moment, the only thing that saved me from continuing down this soul-sucking road was that Wren tried to dart into the street again, another one of her recent obsessions. So that was my out.

The little birdie and I kept walking and I decided that a coffee would really perk me up. With some sugar. Yeah, caffeine and sugar, that’s what I needed. I ordered a pumpkin pie latte, which friends had been raving about, but, ahem, gag. Do not put a pumpkin pie into a cup of professionally-steamed espresso. Repeat after me. That’s about when it dawned on me. No amount of caffeine and sugar was really going to make me feel better or more confident as I walked around with a sad excuse for an outfit and a ‘do. And a “woe is me” attitude.

Hair appointment is tomorrow. And I’m getting IT back. Myself, that is. But not like my old pre-baby self. She’s gone, but that’s OK. Because I’m here and I’ve got everything I need. Nothing like a swift kick in the ass.

you used up all the glue on purpose

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Chris asked me the other day how I would know when I was finished with my entry in our local Goodwill’s Reinvention Convention. I would just know, said my former art major self. In reality, I decided I would likely be finished when I used up all the glue. On purpose! This indicator reminded me of the night I went into labor with Wren. Chris ate my last Tum’s (for once in 39 weeks, his heartburn trumped mine) and I joked, well, I guess this means I’m going to have the baby! Wren was born the next morning, bringing a not-so-subtle end to my voracious Tum’s habit.

So… I used up the rest of my glue today and I’m delivering the artwork soon! Have you voted yet? Disclaimer: their site is NOT very user-friendly and I’ve already grumbled to them about it so my sincere apologies.

on green

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I’m really excited about this: my entry into Goodwill’s Reinvention Convention! In exchange for a $20 donation to Goodwill this past summer, I received certificates to spend at our local Goodwill store on whatever I wanted. Like a mini shopping spree with the idea in mind that I would upcycle my finds into something. What fun! And it’s all for a good cause. The finished pieces will be on display this coming Friday, October 8 at a gallery in downtown Traverse City. Everything is for sale and all the sales benefit Goodwill. Isn’t this cool? And here’s where you come in, dear readers. You get to vote for the winner! The catch is that each vote costs $1 and you can vote as many times as you like. Yes, that’s right, it’s a popularity contest. Sort of. Another fun thing is that you can vote online here. Now! When you vote online, the minimum donation is $10 (10 votes) so vote early and vote often. Please and thank you!

So here’s what I did. I bought a bunch of old t-shirts and then cut them up. Then for about two months I stared at the pile of them, not exactly sure what I would do with them. As you can see, Wren was a big help. Eventually I decided to create an abstract meditation on the color green. Chris thinks the piece (almost finished!) reminds him of an aerial view of fields, which wasn’t my intention, but I can see that. What do you think? I’m going to deliver the finished piece this week. Yahoo!

So when you go online to vote (please and thank you), click on the picture of the pile of t-shirts, which is on the first page of the artists. I think when you hover over the photo, my name (Ashlea Walter) shows up. I believe you can vote through this coming weekend and if you happen to be in Traverse City, come on downtown and check it out!

Can’t wait to see what everyone has done with their stuff. I will take photos of the pieces on Friday night and show you some of my favorites… woot woot!

Have you voted yet?

Tomato jam

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Thanks, Internet, and thanks, Food in Jars. My life has so very much been enriched because of this tomato jam. Who knew?! I was perusing the Internet for ideas of what else to do with all this $%^&*@#$#$%^&**!!  (lovely) deluge of brandywine tomatoes and stumbled upon this recipe for tomato jam. It is SO GOOD. I mean, really really good. Spicy, sweet, but not too sweet, just plain delicious. We had it with some cream cheese on crackers. It is a fantastic use of five pounds of fresh tomatoes. Did I mention that this stuff is really good? Have you ever had such a thing? It reminds me of a pepper jelly, but richer, fresher and a bit more complex. Can you say “stocking stuffer” ?!

love me some tomatillos

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Growing tomatillos in our garden this year was a really great idea because I love their tanginess and their beautiful little lantern husks, but I had no idea how big the plants would get (yikes!) and how wide their arms would stretch. So wide that they created a roomy bear-hug around the pepper plants and completely shaded them from the sun. Oh well, those didn’t make it.  There are still lots of tomatillos out there on the vine and I’m hoping they hang on another week or two. Or three? 60s and sun should allow that to happen, right? Crossing fingers…

I just added two pints of roasted tomatillo salsa to our nest’s larder. Looking forward to saving a jar for a sure cure to the mid-winter doldrums when our souls are hungering for a fresh bite of summer.

What do you like to do with tomatillos, dear readers?

the Pflaumenkuchen days

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Leaves–some orange, most green with the ends dipped in color–danced more quickly across the sidewalk as the needle plunged into the low 50s. I tightened up my scarf and pushed the stroller with haste, purpose. Let’s go home and snuggle up, I said to the little birdie. That’s pretty much all I felt like doing last week when the World’s Worst Cold hit our nest. Oof. The only other thing I felt like doing was baking something beautiful and delicious. Pflaumenkuchen – a German plum tart-meets-cake slice of loveliness. Yes.

I picked up some beautiful plums from the farmer’s market and truth be told, I don’t LOVE the taste (maybe it’s the texture?) of a fresh plum. But I cannot resist their beauty. I love how they perspire when I take them out of the fridge and let them show off their blue and purple swatch books.

Most fruits I prefer in their raw, unadulterated state. But plums? Slightly caramelized in a not-too-sweet crust with a hint of almond? Um, OK, bend my arm. Sooo, I turned to my buddy, the Internet and perused for Pflaumenkuchen recipes. I ended up combining a couple and tweaking them a bit to create this perfect fall treat, which uses simple ingredients and reveals a great plum taste. Aah, fall.

Give it a try!

Pflaumenkuchen

I used a 9 inch spring-form pan, but any shape/type baking pan about that size will do fine.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
About 15 or so fresh plums, pitted and cut in half.

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and almond extract. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and combine. Butter your 9 x 9 inch pan. Spread batter in pan and then press the sliced plum wedges into top of batter, cut side up. Yes, I told you I was keeping it simple…

Then bake  your cake 375°F for about 40-45 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold, maybe with a dollop of whipped cream and a cup of hot tea! Or with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a cup of coffee, like I just did. Sorry, waistline. Maybe tomorrow.

I’m thinking of using this post to start an “Ode to Oktoberfest” series. All things fall, German and fun, wrapped up in a Cyber-bundle. What say you, dear readers, does that sound like a good idea? What fun fall things do you have planned?

Best!

Happy Anniversary #6

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Happy Anniversary to us! We’ve been married six years. Actually, we both thought it was our fifth anniversary until two anniversary cards from our parents confirmed that it was indeed our 6th. My, how time flies… I thought I’d take the opportunity to peruse some photos from our special day. Of course, a wedding is just the beginning of a marriage, but it was a beautiful, thoughtful beginning anyway. We got so very lucky because late September near the 45th parallel can be like it is today, blustery and chilly. Or it can be like our wedding day, 75 and sunny. My Dad would call it a “Chamber of Commerce” kind of day. A few pics for you to enjoy!