Muesli: My Favorite Breakfast

     Muesli is a Swiss cereal made of oats, dried fruit, and nuts.  My mother used to buy boxes of it, and it was really expensive, even back in the '70's.  Today, I make my own out of old-fashioned oats, sugar, and a variety of dried fruit and nuts.  I get the big bags of nuts from BJ's Wholesale, and most of my dried fruits from Trader Joe's.  I'm also very fond of candied ginger root, which I obtain from Atlantic Spice, on Cape Cod.
     Shown above is a version I made right in the bowl, using dried blueberries, walnuts, toasted cocoanut, brown sugar, a touch of cinnamon, and just a kiss of Tahitian vanilla.  Fresh fruit is fine, also.
    Sometimes, I'll make a big batch and store it in the round container that originally held the oats.  It's my favorite summer breakfast (next to pastry, of course, but that's naughty...).

Winding Down

     Nothing like bathing with high-quality soap and slipping into a cotton nightgown for relaxation.  The soap pictured above is Lily, from Crabtree & Evelyn.  It produces a lot of creamy lather and the perfume remains light, but lasts for several hours.
     The nightgown in the background is a tea-length by Bali Studio, and is spring-green with white roses and touches of lace.  I can't say enough about the Bali Studio line of nightwear.  Their designs are just to my taste, and they wear very well.  I get them for an excellent price at the Hanes Outlet stores in Massachusetts.

Sweet Dreams: strawberry grand marnier torte

    I am also a confirmed pastryholic.  Just looking at pastry makes me happy, so I will be passing on photos from the great pastry of our world.  Do you live near a bakery with a really enticing window display?  Send me a photo!  Do you own a bakery?  Send me a pic of some really great pastry, and I'll feature it here.
     This is a strawberry grand marnier torte, featured at Pastry Art in Sarasota, FL.  Looks pretty great!  Read more about the bakery at http://www.pastryartbakerycafe.com/

WeekendTunes

  This week's happy song suggestion: Brown-Eyed Girl.  Break out that iTunes card you got for your birthday and treat yourself!  Click the icon below to get there:

See you on Monday!  

Pet your Pet!

"Well?  I'm waiting..."

     Did you know that petting your pet can reduce blood pressure and produce other calming effects?  Works for me!

Kids Today: 13-year-old inventor

Mallory Kievman

     How often, when thinking of kids, do we share the sentiment expressed in Bye-Bye Birdie, "why can't they be like we were/perfect in every way?"  As part of our journey together on the positive side of life, I am going to post a regular feature about a child who has done something really good.  If you have any submissions for this, feel free to pass them on and I will try to present them.

     On May 16th, dogonews.com reported that 13-year old Mallory Kievman of Manchester, CT (USA) has invented & will market a lollipop that helps to cure hiccoughs. Mallory's creation, Hiccupops, won top honors at the 2011 Connecticut Invention Convention.  She started to work on her invention 2 years ago, when she got a bad case of hiccoughs, and tried one remedy after another to get rid of them.  It was then that she hit on the idea of blending two remedies together.  After trying over 100 ingredients, she settled on apple cider vinegar and sugar.  (I personally can vouch for the apple cider vinegar as good medicine.  I use it to acidify my dog's diet, and it's saved me big $$$ in vet bills).

     In the next few months, The University of Connecticut's Innovation Accelerator Program will help Mallory find a manufacturer, after which she hopes to market them nationwide.

    The full article from dogonews.com is here:

http://www.dogonews.com/2012/5/16/13-year-old-concocts-sweet-recipe-for-pesky-hiccups

Looking Forward to Vacation

     I don't know about you, but this warm weather has me longing to get away and be free for a week in the sunshine and sand.

A Sweet Anniversary

     It was just one year ago this week that my sweet, little daughter made her First Communion.  May is so full of joy and happy occasions.

Looked at the Moon Lately?

     You should!
     It looked exceptional on this particular misty night, like something out of a storybook.  Remember, beauty is all around you; you just have to look for it.

Tea from your Garden

     A great way to take the chill off a cool, rainy Spring afternoon is to brew a fresh pot of tea.  This lovely tisane was prepared by simply snipping a handful of chocolate mint from my garden, giving it a rinse, dropping it into the teapot, and pouring boiling water over it.  I was amazed at how much nicer this tasted than brewing it from dried mint.  The flavor was so very full.

Pansy Bowls!

     This may be my favorite table decoration of the year, and it is made with what I would have, otherwise, thrown away.  Each Spring, I buy pansy plants for my window boxes.  Once I have them transplanted, I always snip off all of the blossoms, so the new transplants can turn all of their energy into re-establishing their roots.  I hate to waste all those pretty flowers, so I fill a clear bowl (usually a crystal one, but I was lazy today) with some water, tap in a drop of blue food dye, and place the flowers carefully on the surface, where they remain for days, through the magic of surface tension. Be sure to snip off the stems to about 1/4".

Mother's Day Rewind

     I couldn't resist posting one more image from Mother's Day.  This is how I started my day this past Sunday.  The flowers are from my husband.  I treated myself to coffee in my little pot, something I enjoy doing on Sundays, having fulfilled my religious and fitness responsibilities on Saturday.  I also took the biggest strawberry.  I usually indulge my little daughter with the biggest strawberry, but I made an exception for Mothers' Day, and enjoyed it more.  It's funny how doing for one's self is always so much sweeter when it follows sacrifices made for others, even little sacrifices, like the biggest strawberry.

Beauty is All Around You

     You just have to be paying attention, or you miss it.  This morning, as I was enjoying a lovely, lightly lemony slice of Italian rice pie, I was struck by the detail on this old spoon.  As I was photographing it for you, I also noticed how nice this paper napkin looked.  Neither are anything special; the spoon is one of a bundle I picked up at an antique store for not much money, but it is heavy, well made, and thoughtfully designed.

Happy Mothers' Day!

     Wishing you a Mothers' Day full of joy and positive thoughts!  This is the sight that greeted me today.  Aren't they beautiful?  If you live where these do not grow, they are informally called Johnny-Jump-Ups here in New England.  I bought a plant years ago, and every year, they self-seed and return.  They always come up in a few other places, as well.

Music Appreciation - Free!

     My free classical music appreciation course is up and running at:

http://classicallygail.blogspot.com/

The blog will feature a different classical composer each month for the next year.  The course is for anyone who wishes to learn more about the world's most beautiful music, but may not have the time or money for a traditional course.  Perfect for homeschoolers, too!

     Today, I have decided to launch a new blog: a classical music appreciation course.  I have so many ideas for this new endeavor, but I wish to keep it simple.  I am inspired by Kahn Academy, the wonderful website that hopes to provide access to education for anyone, worldwide.  They don't have music appreciation yet, so I am ready to take up that cause.
     Watch for my new blog, which will focus a different composer every month for the next year.  Yes, I realize there are more than 12 composers, but this is purely introductory; excellent for a student who desires to take a year of music appreciation, or the adult who never had the opportunity to learn of the world's great composers.
     Wish me luck!  I hope you are all doing well in moving your lives in positive directions.

Rainy Days: a good thing!

     It's a rainy day here, which I consider a good thing.  Rainy days are so full of possibility, and shift my perspective.  It's great to be inside, and warm, with plenty to do.  I'm looking forward to a productive day.