Saturday, April 23, 2011

That's a Wrap!


My family requested that I contribute a green bean dish to Easter dinner tomorrow. I really didn't want to make the standard heavy (but delich) green bean casserole. So I am making an alternative, which is a bit fancier and has a nicer presentation! Thanks Paula Deen!


Green Bean Roll Ups!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh green beans
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Bacon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Blanch green beans for 3 minutes. Toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper. Bundle about 5 green beans and wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until bacon is cooked.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The last child in the woods...


The Last Child In the Woods...


  "Nature Deficit Disorder", a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, refers to the alleged trend that children are spending less time outdoors. When I was a child my fondest memories consist of playing outdoors using imaginary play, including using a large backyard rock as my play "house", catching worms and lizards at my grandmother's vacation home, making a fort behind my childhood beach house connecting to my best friend's back yard, days spent outdoors with my horse, and pretending I was a "mermaid" with a tail made out of sand on an imaginary island (or..a crowded beach). I am honored to assist my daughter's preschool in transforming their play area into a "natural playscape".  

What is a natural playground? Simply stated, a natural playground, natural playscape, green playground or natural play environment is an area where kids can play with natural elements such as sand, water, wood and living plants. Think about when you were a child. Did you have a favorite place to play in a natural environment? Chances are, you did, maybe in a nearby vacant lot, a field, wood lot, a park, or even your back yard. Today, many children simply lack the time to engage in this kind of play. Many families' calendars are filled with obligations; children spend most of their day in school, daycare, and organized after-school activities. Moreover, when children finally have some time to themselves they tend to flock to electronic games and television instead of going outside. In addition to much diminished exposure to the natural world, children lack the free, self-directed playtime needed to invent their own activities and games. Planned, adult-coordinated activities during and after school, as well as electronic games and television, limit a child's ability to engage in exploration and free expression. Research indicates that this ability, along with access to natural settings, is critical to children's development in every major way: intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically. Benefits of increased free time and access to natural areas include improved concentration & impulse control, emotional coping & stress reduction, stimulation of creativity, reduced symptoms ADD and ADHD, and improved motor coordination. Luckily, an increasing number of schools, daycare facilities and municipal park departments are starting to understand the link between these benefits and built play environments.

Natural playgrounds look very different from conventional playgrounds. Most playgrounds we see today are comprised of pre-manufactured play equipment selected from catalogs, typically constructed of steel tubing and plastic elements and emphasizing active, or 'gross motor' play. In contrast, natural playgrounds focus on creating settings to enable the type of play most important to our youngest children: social play (pretending) and constructive play (building). Natural playgrounds encourage children to use their imaginations while simultaneously experiencing the smells, textures and wonders of the natural world. Natural playgrounds are typically very safe because they include few or no tall structures and no equipment with moving parts. In addition, natural playgrounds can be relatively inexpensive to build by using natural materials and avoiding often costly catalogue structures. 

Fairy Houses built from natural resources...just adorable. The Flo Gris did an amazing event last year creating the most artistic structures


Here is an excerpt from Louv's Book...Our society is teaching young people to avoid direct experience in nature. That lesson is delivered in schools, families, even organizations devoted to the outdoors, and codified into the legal and regulatory structures of many of our communities. Our institutions, urban/suburban design, and cultural attitudes unconsciously associate nature with doom—while disassociating the outdoors from joy and solitude. Wellmeaning public-school systems, media, and parents are effectively scaring children straight out of the woods and fields. In the patent-or-perish environment of higher education, we see the death of natural history as the more hands-on disciplines, such as zoology, give way to more theoretical and remunerative microbiology and genetic engineering. Rapidly advancing technologies are blurring the lines between humans, other animals, and machines. The postmodern notion that reality is only a construct—that we are what we program—suggests limitless human possibilities; but as the young spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically, and this reduces the richness of human experience.

An edible vegetable garden teaches cooking skills, responsibility, a sense of accomplishment, and team work. Try a "pizza herb garden" or scallion herbs to add to cream cheese for a yummy snack.

Yet, at the very moment that the bond is breaking between the young and the natural world, a growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature—in positive ways. Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorders and other maladies. As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.
Reducing that deficit—healing the broken bond between our young and nature—is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends upon it. The health of the earth is at stake as well. How the young respond to nature, and how they raise their own children, will shape the configurations and conditions of our cities, homes—our daily lives. The following pages explore an alternative path to the future, including some of the most innovative environment—based school programs; a reimagining and redesign of the urban environment-what one theorist calls the coming "zoopolis"; ways of addressing the challenges besetting environmental groups; and ways that faith-based organizations can help reclaim nature as part of the spiritual development of children. Parents, children, grandparents, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, environmentalists, and researchers from across the nation speak in these pages. They recognize the transformation that is occurring. Some of them paint another future, in which children and nature are reunited—and the natural world is more deeply valued and protected.

Vermicomposting teaches children the full cycle of life. How kitchen scraps turn into worm food, then the worms turn it into fertilizer which when then use on our gardens to nourish our food.

Exposing children to natural playscapes and implementing the "returning to nature" ideas into a learning  is undoubtably going to provide quality experiences that can only be delivered though this type of environment. 

If anyone has ideas, gardening experience and wants to help, and/or garden perennials/herb  to donate.. contact me!



Wednesday, April 6, 2011

A pair Affair!

"I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes."-Oprah Winfrey

Usually I blog about home projects, decor, and interior inspiration. Tonight I am writing about a conversation that I had with a special man who couldn't understand why a women would spend a large amount of money on a pair of shoes. Men and women are different in several respects, but the moment you get on to the subject of shoes, a chasm opens between the two sexes; it's only for some women that shoes become an all-consuming obsession.


To some women a beautiful pair of shoes is a piece of art. Other women would rather spend money on weekly manicures/pedicures, jewelry, or whatever. Call it materialistic or a love for fashion, but I look at my shoe collection in the same way a collector looks at her art collection. I am lucky to have found a fabulous group of friends who share the passion for shoes as I do.... enough to share a symbolic photograph on facebook of my designer heels thrown on the floor after a long night of holiday entertaining....now that's mutual appreciation. I also remember my wedding day, asking my photographer to take a good shot of my heels. After all, they literally carried me through the most magical day of my life.


A lot of living life is as simple and clean as standing as tall as possible — not lying on your back, letting things come to you.


Our intimate relationship with shoes begins shortly after we learn to walk. As soon as we want to feel "grown-up," we slip on a pair of our mother's or grandmother's shoes high heels, instantly heightening our sense of what it means to be female. I will never forget my grandmother, "meme", and her endless sea of colorful shoes. I just admired her beauty, class, and style.  And then what happens? We grow up and get to be the same size as Mommy and our personality begins to assert itself with the first independent purchase of shoes. As adults, we ask shoes to be our representatives. At any given moment, they are indicators of our age, mood and desires. I openly admit that fabulous pair of heels make me feel powerful and attractive.


For a long time, the obsession with luxury shoes has been the prerogative of a select tribe of actresses, socialites, "It-girls" and millionairesses whose members could be identified by the accessories with which they adorned themselves. Their distinguishing tattoos were the label - Hermes, Gucci, Caovilla, Ferragamo, Blahnik, Laboutin - which they procured by putting their names down on the special waiting lists of international boutiques.
But what was once the preserve of the elite has turned into a trend for the masses.


My favorite designer:



Christian Louboutin. Far from a pop culture icon or fleeting Hollywood darling, this couture designer is the essence of inspired footwear.
Born a Parisian in 1963, Christian Louboutin grew up heavily influenced from a natural source, like that of his three sisters. However, the first true lightening bolt came in 1976, while at the Musee des Arts Africains et Oceaniens in Paris. What was this inspiration you ask?  A rare jewel? Perhaps a magnificent shield or sword hilt. Alas, the inspiration that catapulted the creative mind of Christian Louboutin into overdrive was much more basic.
As the story goes, a sign forbidding the wearing of ‘spiked’ heels, or stilettos was posted at the museum to deter damage to the wood floors.  Upon seeing this, Louboutin became fascinated and indeed obsessed with these shoes and sketching them.  In fact, Christian was so enthralled by sketching stiletto heels that his attention would become devoted entirely to this pursuit and he would ultimately be expelled from four schools (source).
A formal academic education is not always the best route to creative pursuits. Design training combined with travels around the world to Egypt and India would become the major influence and foundation of the elaborate designs for which Louboutin is known.
One of the most intriguing parts of the Christian Louboutin story is the origin of the infamous red soles.  The actual story varies slightly depending on the source, but most versions go something like this: When looking at one of his sketches, Louboutin felt something essential was missing.  Inspired by the scarlet nail polish of his assistant, he painted the sole of the sketch with the very same red.  Voila!  Instant trademark and “an element of flirt” according to the man himself. 
Other fascinating aspect of the Christian Loboutin story are the sources of his inspiration and his alternately quirky and down-to earth personality. This trapeze-flying, yacht-owning individual also rides a humble vespa to work and professes not to own a television. This is an interesting dichotomy Louboutin who can count media mogul Oprah Winfrey among his devotees.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Spring seedlings!

I am super ready for spring and one of my favorite hobbies, gardening! I am most excited to share my love of flowers and vegetable gardening with my little girl! Every year my mother discourages my vegetable garden from seeds (it is a lot of work...and time..she says, "just go buy them"), although she is the one of the best gardeners I know. She can miraculously make everything come together with life with no "plan" in mind...almost like making a great soup with no recipe. There is nothing like fresh air, sun, and exercise. Making my yard gorgeous and cleaning up from the winter makes me feel accomplished and refreshed. Today "C" and I shopped for seeds to start our seedling project, gathering everything to potting mix, compost, and pots! With excitement, she kept saying "whoa, momma, look at these flowers...ohhhh those are pretty!". Tomorrow, we will be setting up our new potting station, taking out our gloves, gardening tools and all things stored in the basement all winter! The potting station was a "super" find last fall found by the OL gardening club, so this will be my first season using it! Constructed out of an old bed frame, it is totally vintage and unique... It is gorgeous! I can just see all of my different sized glass vases, mason jars, and pots lined up! Next project...starting a worm composting farm!


Check out BHG tips for starting seedlings...
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/seed-starting-essentials/?sssdmh=dm17.516720&esrc=nwgn033111ho&email=1106834018


Worth adding..look at this pergola made out of old doors! LOVE!

Spring seedlings!

I am super ready for spring and one of my favorite hobbies, gardening! I am most excited to share my love of flowers and vegetable gardening with my little girl! Every year my mother discourages my vegetable garden (it is a lot of work...and time), although she is the one of the best gardeners I know. She can miraculously make everything come together with life with no "plan" in mind...almost like making a great soup with no recipe. There is nothing like fresh air, sun, and exercise. Making my yard gorgeous and cleaning up from the winter makes me feel accomplished and refreshed. Today "C" and I shopped for seeds to start our seedling project, gathering everything to potting mix, compost, and pots! With excitement, she kept saying "whoa, momma, look at these flowers...ohhhh those are pretty!". Tomorrow, we will be setting up our new potting station, taking out our gloves, gardening tools and all things stored in the basement all winter! The potting station was a "super" find last fall found by the OL gardening club, so this will be my first season using it! Constructed out of an old bed frame, it is totally vintage and unique... It is gorgeous! I can just see all of my different sized glass vases, mason jars, and pots lined up! Next project...starting a worm composting farm!


Check out BHG tips for starting seedlings...
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/seed-starting-essentials/?sssdmh=dm17.516720&esrc=nwgn033111ho&email=1106834018


Worth adding..look at this pergola made out of old doors! LOVE!