A Weird Age

When we wished her a happy 14th birthday, Tayta commented with her ever present smile , "it's a weird age." At 14 one is not really a child, nor is one considered an adult. And, as the youngest child I suppose that Tayta has witnessed a fair amount of 14-year-old-weirdness in her siblings. She informed me that 15 is also a weird age--16 is moving into normalcy.

Tayta enjoying her weird age

Happy Birthday, Tayta!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...the Fourth of July??

Tayta's meant-to-be-red-and-green-Christmas apron was indicative of the challenge to deck our halls, trim our tree, and bake our usual abundance of Christmas treats this year. Given our just-visiting status and our temporary home, we didn't put up a Christmas tree but instead the kids helped Grandma decorate hers. Tayta designed a two foot by two foot Christmas corner (poinsettia, candy canes, and few ornaments) for our basement apartment--and giving up even that small surface was a sacrifice.

Constrained by space, we had to simplify our baking efforts and so I instructed Tayta that she could make only gingerbread this year--gingerbread men and the pieces for the house that has become a tradition for her and Artist Son to design and make together.

Tayta's Merry Men


2010 Gingerbread House

With everything else that is going on as we transition back to Jordan, it has been nice to simplify the holiday preparations this year. As we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us, with family and friends on this side of the world, we are comforted by the reminder that where God was homeless, we are at home.

Merry Christmas to all!

On-the-Road November

And, in the air: it took us only four four flights to get from Boise to Springfield, Illinois, where we made a 48 hour stop to visit Dear Husband's family, and another two flights to Oberlin where we enjoyed meeting Oldest Daughter's friends, her beloved teacher, and attending her junior recital.

Oldest Daughter, her teacher, and her dear friend, with whom she performed her recital

Returning to Boise, we planned to make a quick turn around (kiss the kids hello, re-pack, sleep, and eat) , and head out the next morning to drive to Bozeman, Montana to spend Thanksgiving with more of Dear Husband's family. We were so very thankful for the loaned Ford Expedition we were driving as we set out in blizzard conditions. Arriving in Idaho Falls, the roads closed behind us and before us and at 0 degrees (or lower) we were grateful for the Shiloh Inn and their special stranded travelers rate: Room for five plus breakfast--$65. I think it must have cost at least half that just to heat our room and water, it was so cold outside.

Dear Husband prepared our stranded traveler dinner: microwave nachos (with real cheddar cheese--not the icky saucy stuff) and I curled up to enjoy Active Son's latest read while the wind howled outdoors. Cozy!

Highway fifteen opened in the morning and we were on our way--much better driving than the day before when we had witnessed over 20 cars off the road.


Active Son and Artist Son get a lesson in shoveling snow from their cousin. He's had lots of experience.

Artist Son zip-lining from the backyard fort to the back of the house

Lots of cousin fun

Thanksgiving feasting

Hanging out by the fire with Grandpa

So much fun sledding! I find the screaming that one must do as one must do as one comes down the hill, especially when one's sled turns backwards, to be exhilarating.




The boys grew tired of "normal" sledding and decided to try some stunts.

This was the first one--pretty tame--just holding their sleds together.

The pyramid looked a little risky, but they made it down without spills. Artist Son's good balance came in handy here.

Next, they tried what I call The Dogsled. The "dogs" ate snow but I think Artist Son had a pretty good time.

A Happy Family Thanksgiving

Autumn

Does the blogosphere really need another amateur photographer's inadequate attempts at capturing the vibrant beauty of fall? Probably not. And yet I've been smitten anew by the exquisiteness of the leaves as they put on an awe-inspiring show of of changing colors. I remarked that I was so enjoying the display of fall color, having it missed the last 15 or so falls while living in the Middle East. Artist Son trumped me: "I've never before experienced the fall colors." We are daily thanking God for the opportunity to experience his artistry in creation during this particular autumn in Boise.








A neighbor friend hired Tayta to rake leaves. He asked her, "What is the going rate for leaf-raking in Jordan, " to which Tayta replied, "I don't know. We don't rake leaves in Jordan."

I couldn't pass up the chance to bring her some hot cider while she raked, completing the autumn moment.

So Happy Together

Our time together was brief--just about 30 hours if you include the time in the car to McCall and back--but our mini family retreat was just perfect. We enjoyed beautiful weather and beautiful scenery as we hiked together, we ate pizza and popcorn, we sipped tea/coffee/hot chocolate by the fire, we watched I Love Lucy, we played Bananagrams, we slept in, and we prayed together and for each other. As we looked into God's Word together, Dear Husband shared yet more wisdom from Psalm 127:

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies at the gate."
~Psalm 127: 3-5

Flowering Jordan 2011 Wall Calendar-or-Calendars for Music

EDIT: My calendars are no longer available on Amazon but I still have about 20 or so, so if you'd like one contact me at desert mom 88 @ gmail. com (leave out spaces). At least for now you can still view the imagines on the Amazon page. Thanks!

I guess this would be the right time of year to mention that my last 50 Flowering Jordan 2011 Wall Calendars are now available for sale at Amazon. If you've read my blog for awhile you know that I enjoy appreciating the beautiful wildflowers of Jordan. I also enjoy taking their portraits, highlighting the unique beauty with which God has adorned each flower.

In the spring I produced my first Flowering Jordan calendar, a project inspired by my desire to raise money for Oldest Daughter's continuing music education. The previous spring, thanks to Tayta, we had Muffins for Music, and this year it is Calendars for Music. What a lovely way to combine three beauties in my life: Jordan flora, music, and Oldest Daughter.


Product Description from my Amazon Page:

The unexpectedly stunning wildflowers of Jordan, from cyclamen to capers, to the enigmatic black iris, bloom on each page of Flowering Jordan's 13 month wall calendar. At the crossroads of three continents, the country of Jordan enjoys great biodiversity, boasting some of the most diverse flora of any place in the world. Although nearly 80 percent of the nation is desert, Jordan has more than 2,500 plant species, including many flowering plants, and several distinct ecosystems.

• The calendar is eligible for free shipping.
• More images from the calendar may be viewed on my Amazon page.
• Jordan residents may purchase calendars from Karis Kraft located near 2nd Circle.

Fashionable Frugality

Since returning to the US in June, Tayta and I have noticed a recession-induced reality: frugality is fashionable. People seem to be thrifting, consigning, and "repurposing" (we called it recycling) like never before--and they are talking, blogging, even bragging about it! I read in a recent article in Time, those who save the most money are now the "popular" ones; says a woman in a neighborhood mom's group, "Saving is like a sport in our group..."

Maybe this is my time to shine. Today I took Active Son to a thrift store by campus to buy him some winter sweaters . In a brief stop we snagged him a beautiful wool sweater from Cabela's and a cotton zip-up from Old Navy for about $4 each. I'm also working on a recycled denim quilt for his dorm room. I've found many clothes for the kids and myself in other around-town thrift and consignment stores and ebay has helped me save lots of money in the new shoe department.

In the spirit of our re-kindled frugality I offer two new hearty lentil recipes which we've embraced. Both are great cold weather comforts. The first is a recipe from my much used, much stained, and much-loved copy of More With Less, by Doris Janzen Longacre. My kids love this dish. Really!


More With Less

Lentil Barley Stew/Casserole (my version)

2-4 Tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
6 cups water
1 cup lentils
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup barley
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon rosemary (or thyme)
1/2 cup grated carrots

Saute celery, onion and garlic until soft. Add water and lentils and cook for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes, barley and seasonings and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Add grated carrots and cook 5 more minutes.

I cut the amount of liquid in the original recipe so it turns out more like a casserole, served on a plate rather than a stew served in a bowl. But, you could increase the tomatoes by a can, add a pinch more salt, and serve it as a stew.

The second recipe, for French Lentil Soup, was found on an advertisement laying around my mom's kitchen. I don't know how authentically French this soup is, given the source of the recipe, but it is very good--thick and hearty. We ate it tonight with quick-under-the-broiler flat bread topped with mozzarella and fresh tomatoes.

French Lentil Soup

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
a little canola oil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 (or more) teaspoon pepper
6 cups broth
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup lentils
3 T brown rice
fresh parsley for garnish

Brown onions and garlic in oil. Add chopped carrots and spices and saute a little longer. Add broth, lentils, rice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour (mine simmered while I was at the thrift store with Active Son), until lentils and rice are cooked. Puree 1 1/2 cups of the soup and return to the pot of soup. Serve with fresh parsley.

I double both of these recipes as the leftovers make nice lunches.

In Which We Are Vegetable Gardeners

In Jordan we love to grow flowers in our garden, but due to the lack of water and relatively low vegetable prices we've never attempted vegetable gardening. However, the house where we are staying until the end of September has a small but well situated vegetable garden and last week was harvest time. Truthfully, we are not really vegetable gardeners but merely vegetable harvesters. The homeowners planted the crops before they left for Alaska in April and programmed their drip hoses to water without even so much as a flip of the switch by us. We have done nothing but harvest the literal fruit of their labor.

Tayta has never worked in a vegetable garden before and delighted in finding treasures amongst the vines. And although she can identify fig trees, olive trees, and caper bushes, she surprised me by asking me the name of this crop:

Yikes! She didn't know what a corn stalk looked like. Not a popular crop in Jordan, corn is primarily used for feed. It is sold in the supermarket but I don't buy it as it has never tasted like anything but feed corn.

Our bountiful harvest
Enough for us, some friends, and a couple of neighbors

The tomatoes are amazingly large and delicious. I've been eating tomato sandwiches for lunch every day for the past two weeks or so. Family and friends are asking me to discover the secrets of growing such beautiful tomatoes. Theirs, carefully tended, are not amounting to much this year, and "mine"--at least for this month--are plump and plentiful. The real gardener, in absentia, claims his secret is neglect--the bushes haven't been tended since April (!), but I'm prying further. There must be some yet undisclosed tomato gardening knowledge that he can share.

And here are a couple Armenian cucumbers we missed picking the first time around. Salad for a week!

So, what to do with our bumper crop of tomatoes besides make tomato sandwiches? If I weren't feeling so transitional I would make salsa or pizza sauce. Instead, I determined to use these fresh and/or give them away; I've made two new and well received tomato dishes.

~Tuscan Bread Salad~

Last week I made this salad twice, a modification of this recipe from the Food Network.

Ingredients

• 8 large vine ripened tomatoes, cut into large cubes
  
• 8-10 cups cubed artisan bread (I used sourdough), cubed, a little stale, and lightly toasted in the oven.
  
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• a couple cups cucumbers, cut into cubes
  
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  
• 1/2 cup Italian extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 /2-1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped thinly
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, mix the bread with the garlic, oil, and vinegar, and let sit for 15minutes at room temperature. Add the rest of the ingredients toss to combine. Serve. Delicious!

~Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup~

This recipe was easier to make than I expected it would be when I first read the title. Neither the peppers or the tomatoes require peeling and everything is given a final whirl in the blender. I found this recipe in "Cooking With Paula Deen", a magazine which comes to the house in which we are staying. As usual, I've modified the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
  
• 2 T. olive oil
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 4 cloves minced garlic
  
• 10 medium tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1 cup chicken broth
  
• 1-2 tsp. salt
  
• 1 /2 fresh basil leaves, or 1 tsp. dried basil
  
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil , arrange pepper strips on the sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until soft and a little brown around the edges. In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic in oil. I add a couple teaspoons of sugar when I saute the onions and garlic so as to caramelize them. Add the tomatoes, broth, and salt, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Puree tomato mixture, roasted peppers, and basil leaves in a blender. Return to pan and add the balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper.

This soup was good served with open faced broiled cheese sandwiches or toasted sourdough bread.

The Future is Here

Three and a half years ago, when Active Son turned 15, I expressed a few thoughts about his future manhood, recounting the wonder-filled and faith-demanding process as I experienced it then. I pressed on through the next three years with the aim of "looking at the present and seeing what it will become, by grace and good works"(Douglas Wilson, Future Men). God's grace. We both needed a lot of it and he generously provided.

Active Son, Senior Picture, Amman, Jordan, Spring 2010

As we prepared to leave Jordan for an extended time (six months) in the States, I had nary the moment to chronicle those last days of high school, that senior piano recital and reception filling our home with beautiful music and dear friends, that last Boys Scout Court of Honor, that last baseball game, so excellently pitched, and those last good byes to long loved people and places.

And now, the future is here.

And Active Son is on the move. Upon our arrival in the Idaho last June, both Dear Husband and I noted the increased twinkle in Active Son's blue eyes. He was ready for action, the action of moving on and moving out into the the world, to take the place that God was preparing for him.


With in a few days Active Son passed his Driving Learner's Permit exam and in another week, he was a licensed Idaho driver. Just in time as he had begun volunteering at two local hospitals first two, and then four days a week.

On our last evening together before Active Son moved to his dorm room at Boise State University, Dear Husband recalled Psalm 127, a favorite Psalm of our family's and one that Dear Husband had put to song when Active Son was very young:

Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves...

From his humble dorm room at Boise State, Active Son would begin to "build his house".

As as we said good-night that evening, Active Son produced cards he had written for each of us, cards full of gratitude and love. Dear Husband caught my eye and whispered, "Did you suggest he write these?" I had not. These were the conception of a thoughtful young man growing in godliness, kindness, and grace. Yes, the future is here.

Making Beautiful Music Together

Oldest Daughter arrived home last night from a master class in the Czech Republic with just enough energy to give us hugs, eat some lentil-barley stew, pop a melatonin, and head for bed. But today I enjoyed looking at the pictures and hearing the stories with which Oldest Daughter enthusiastically regaled us. This was Oldest Daughter's second time to attend this master class, held in the beautiful Czech town of Litomysl.


All dress rehearsals and three of the public concerts which take place during the master class are held in Litomysl Castle, one of the most revered Renaissance castles in the Czech Republic, and birthplace of the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana.

Litomysl Castle

20 young musicians participating in the master class received private lessons and quartet coachings every day with four internationally renowned faculty (Milan Vitek, Oberlin Conservatory; Peter Slowik, Oberlin Coservatory; Niels Ullner, Carl Nielson Academy of Music, Odense, Denmark; Stephen Clapp, The Julliard School).

Oldest Daughter's Quartet

Smetana Quartet Performed in Smetana's Birthplace

Mr. Milan Vitek, Founder and Artisic Director of the Litomysl Master Class

Oldest daughter counted it a privilege and blessing to spend three weeks interacting with other young musicians, exchanging ideas, and submitting to an intense regime of practicing and rehearsals, resulting in the generation of musical and personal growth and many stimulating performances.

Performance of the Fiser Sonata, Litomysl Castle

Below is a spot on Czech news highlights the opening concert. (Most of it is in Czech, but English snipits of Oldest Daughter, Stephen Clapp, and a Danish cellist are all included.)

Litomysl International Strings Master Class, 2010

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

My inspired and ambitious summer reading plans got off to a slow start this summer and now that summer is nearly over I'm resigned to the fact that I manged to read only a few good books. It seems that transitioning a family of five to a temporary home for six months, graduating and preparing Active Son for college this fall, etc., etc., required much of my time and energy. By early July I had not completed a single title and desperate for a quick, interesting read and the satisfaction of finishing a book I took up this memoir, which is also the "first read" for Boise State University students this fall. Artist Son and Active Son have also read it.

In The Boy Who Harnessed Wind, young William Kamkwamba tells his story, the story of a young boy growing up in poverty and famine stricken Malawi who was deprived of many resources, including education; he had to drop out of school when his father couldn't pay his fees. Undeterred and with a driving desire to learn and help his family, he studied old physics texts on his own, experimented using cast off "junk", and eventually built a windmill that produced electricity for his family home. Villagers mocked him as he worked, remarking that he must be crazy, but after his homemade windmill produced electricity he became a local hero, was "discovered", and sent to school on scholarship. Later he was invited to speak at the global idea conference, TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) and now, he attends Dartmouth College.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind seems a great choice for a Boise State students' first read as William Kamkwamba's story reveals the value of an education which is gained from the motivation to learn and to help others. William Kamkwamba will speak at Boise State on August 26 and I plan to be in the audience and maybe I'll bring my book along to be signed.

Idaho Rocks

Last year, Artist Son began selling his unique artwork: Jordan fauna painted on rocks. This turned out to be a versatile niche so now that he has temporarily re-located to Idaho he has discovered that, when in Idaho, paint Idaho fauna on Idaho river rocks. He began with lizards, frogs, and dragonflies, and per the suggestion of a customer has added what has turned out to be his best selling rocks: butterflies.

Artist Son was accepted as a "Budding Artist" at the Boise Market, a local farmers and artisans' market held in downtown Boise every Saturday from 9:30am-1:30pm. If you are in Boise, Artist Son will be selling at market this Saturday for the last time this summer. After Saturday his rocks will be available by special order--he's already taken a couple Christmas orders!

Chicken in Basil-Coconut-Curry Sauce

It's time to begin harvesting some of the basil I planted when we arrived in Boise last month and though my seven plants aren't yet producing enough basil to make this favorite recipe , there was enough to make some basil-coconut-curry sauce tonight. Variations of this recipe can be found around the web but my recipe comes from a 1997 Better Homes and Garden magazine. It was a "Prize Tested Recipe" submitted by Neeraga Narayanan, who won $400 for her recipe. Note the 30 minute "marinade" time.

Chicken in Basil-Coconut-Curry Sauce

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 large red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (or, to taste)
cooking oil (I use canola)
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tsp. snipped basil (I use about 1/3 cup)
1 Tsp. finely chopped ginger root

Rinse chicken; pat dry. cut into 1-inch (or bite size) pieces; place chicken in a medium bowl. In a small bowl stir together the salt, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, black pepper, chili powder, and turmeric. Sprinkle the chicken; toss to coat well. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet medium to large saucepan, cook onion, garlic and jalapeno in hot oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add chicken. Cook and stir until chicken is cooked through. Combine coconut milk and cornstarch. Carefully add to skillet. cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Add basil and ginger root. Cook 2 minutes more to heat through. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh basil if desired.

(I use at least 2 or 2 1/2 lbs of chicken for my family of six. I adjust all the ingredients accordingly except I only use 2 cans of coconut milk even I more than double the chicken--it is still plenty saucy.)

Every Birdie Welcome

From the back porch of our borrowed home we are enjoying a bit of birdwatching. When we moved in a few weeks ago we heard the faintest chirps coming from yellow birdhouse...


...and within a couple weeks, there were visible signs of life.


Caring for three teenagers and one home-for-the-summer college student, I couldn't help feeling some connection with this busy mother; with no prompt from me, Dear Husband noted the home-scene resemblance.