Capital, Capitol, Cap-it-all!

Entirely too fun of a class I had this past Saturday. We met at the Rotunda at 9 a.m.
I thought I would share some of the shots as I prepare them for class. The assignment? 

To shoot the capitol in a way that it has never been seen... through our own eyes. 

Ma Ferguson

This is actually a door knob! (above photo)

I had to use my shoe to turn this water fountain on for this shot! 

The hinges on some of the doors are fabulous! (above photo)

Underground skylight view of the capitol. 

"Hey!!? What's Dr. Spock doing in Austin!?"

I don't know these kids. But it was kind of sweet. 

I absolutely love feedback, so please feel free - talk to me! Comments are welcome here! 

Winner~Winner~Chicken~Dinner!!!!!!

In this house, we have a favorite way to roast a chicken and I thought I would share it with you tonight.
It comes from a decade old Suzanne Somers cookbook - maybe even a little older. But oldies are goodies and Suzanne knows what's good. (Are you rolling your eyes thinking "Is she seriously talking about Suzanne Somers AGAIN!?!?!")

So I decided to get the weekend cooking out of the way on Saturday night. Our Swiss Family Robinson DVD came today and we're gonna dine on delish and unwind to an old school Castaway!

jdflas;kkk (That was Gigi - on my lap giving a little 'hello.')

Roasted Herbs of Provence Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken of 5-6 lbs. (or double the recipe like me!)
• 2-3 tblsp of olive oil
• salt & fresh ground black pepper
• 3 Tblsp Herbs of Provence
• 1 large bunch of fresh tarragon
• 3 yellow onions
• 2 parsnips, peeled & roughly chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine 
• 1 tbslp butter                                   

 STEP ONE: Preheat the oven and begin chopping ingredients and prepping bird.                                  

I like getting those onion tears out of the way! 

It's kind of nice to make your mis en place (Meeez-in-plaws - french for 'everything in it's place' or known as your culinary prep.)

These are parsnips. (See above photo)

 It's so much easier to crack pepper if you have one of these babies - they ain't gorgeous or anything, but they get the job done with ease! (See below)

Chopped tarragon is so pungent of the licorice-y "quality" it has. 

Isn't it beautiful - you can really see the lavender!?!

Grab your prepped bird (prepped in that you've removed giblets, rinsed and dried it, and have now placed it in the roasting pan.) 

Rub the bird with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, herbs of provence. Place the tarragon under the skin, in the cavity, and all around the bird. 

Stuff the cavity with about 1 onion and some tarragon. 

Lookin' ready to go in the oven. It's fine if your onion/tarragon is spilling out of the bird. It'll just roast in the chicken broth for sauce! Sprinkle the remaining onion around the chicken in the pan and do the same with the parsnips. Drizzle a little olive oil on the vegetables and pour the chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. 

Now, make a tent for the bird out of foil so that the breast doesn't overcook and become dry before the rest of the bird is done. (If you are out of foil, just cook that baby breast side down!)

Bake for one hour @ 350 with the tent in place. 

At one hour, remove the foil and allow the bird to brown for another 30-40 minutes. The total cooking time is about 20 minutes per pound. 

Now, remove the chicken from the roasting pan and place it on a serving platter. 

(I like to insert a temperature probe to make sure we've hit the ideal bacteria kill-off point.)

It's time to prepare the sauce, so pour off most of the fat from the pan - reserving 2-3 tblsp. 

Place the roasting pan on the stove and head the drippings over high heat. Add the wine... 

and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan to make a sauce. Reduce for 5-7 minutes, or until desired thickness is achieved.

 Adjust seasonings to taste (salt/pepper.) Turn off the heat and add the butter. Stir until well combined. Carve the chicken and serve with a spoonful of sauce. 

Serving suggestion - steamed broccoli buttered and squirted with a few drops of fresh lemon juice, salt & peppered. A side of brown rice or cous-cous cooked to your liking or if you're low-carb, make some cauliflower or cauli rice by processing your steamed cauli-florets in the food processor. Of course it never hurts to double up on your greens - a side salad is a nice touch! 

Hang on to that carcass, y'all! 

It's just dying (or dead) to become the most delicious chicken soup for the soul you've ever made! 

  Get your soup on! (A few of my favorite things to toss in fresh, homemade stock are veggies from the crisper drawer (even citrus from the fruit bowl), onions, barley, wheatberries - really just anything I've got on hand! If I've any leftover chicken, you can bet some will be tossed in!)

(I've taken the bones (cooked onions/parsnips from the dish and some of the herb-covered skin) and tossed them in my stock pot. Then I added remaining parsnips, a bunch of green onions, a few handfuls of baby carrots, a clove or two of garlic, some peppercorns... you get the picture. Then I filled it with water and brought it to a boil. I immediately turned the heat down and am leaving it to simmer for several hours. I'm fortunate to have a stockpot with a colander-type insert, so I will discard the carcass and sogged-out veggies with style and ease! I will be left with a beautiful, flavorful stock that will become an amazing soup to nourish my pink-snowman-pajama-wearing toddler and douse her fever with immune-boosting natural goodness. And hopefully, the rest of us will remain well!)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Stay well, stay healthy, stay happy!

NOTE: I've shifted the recipe in other ways. Sometimes I don't have fresh tarragon and parsnips, so I skip those two. I've actually come to rub Ghee (or clarified butter) under the skin and directly on the flesh of the bird. If you're wondering what clarified butter is, you can usually purchase it at a health food store and if you've ever had lobster or crab and a small ramekin of melted butter with your dish at Red Lobster (or wherever), then you've had it. (That's what the super-duper buttery flavor in that ramekin really is.) 

There are times that I've not had a dry white and sent my husband to the store in which he returns with a moscato (white dessert wine and SWEET! But at least it's not an Eiswein (Ice wine) where it's so sweet because the grapes stayed on the vine until the first freeze and the sugars have just soared - it's delicious, but not really for chicken cooking!) I ended up using the moscato and it wasn't bad, it was GOOD! But if you're watching your weight, you're watching your sugars (natural and refined.) So dry white is the best way to go on this.) If you're going organic on the bird (and for your sake, I hope you are) you're going to want to keep your ingredients primo. So use a wine you'd actually drink, leave those bottles of cooking wine on the shelf. They're packed with strange chemicals and I'd probably only buy those if I had a beach house pantry to stock! Besides, it's fun - swig of wine for mommy, swig of wine for dish. Taking turns is NICE! Hee hee!

I take a moment to grind my own peppercorns. I like my herbs in the old-school Herbes de Provence clay pot that you can find at the finer kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table because it tastes amazing enough I could chow down on it straight out of the jar and the pieces of lavender are super obvious! It literally comes from The South of France! It costs a bit, but when you're going to the trouble, you might as well - and it'll last.) Parsnips aren't a real common ingredient these days, so I'll just go ahead and tell ya. They usually hang out by the carrots. They're those weird white carrot looking things. When you chop them, they smell kinda minty fresh. 

One last thing...

Kevin's hard work on my special "wife cave" was featured on IHEARTORGANIZING's facebook page, and you can check it out here!

If the link doesn't appear, just visit this site after signing into your facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150102339722044&set=a.495316457043.282725.150354767043

Yea, Kevin! You're awesome and I'm proud your work is appreciated by random strangers! Haha!

Small Doses of Inspiration

My mind wanders alot. I kind of like that it does because it's like an ongoing movie reel. I am never bored inside my own head. I guess that's why I prefer to space out in it.
SO... I was spacing out and realized that I take my inspiration in small, sporadic doses.
Like flipping through the pages of a forgotten cookbook that I've had on my shelf for years. There are photographs of delicious foods that inspire me in wonderful ways. One of my favorite images has the author of the cookbook sitting in her bed. It's not any bed. It's a gorgeous four poster with lace curtains hung in such a way that it has created a lacy sanctuary of this bed. Antique battenburg sheets crumpled ever-so-slightly around a gorgeous silver serving tray. Upon this tray has a bowl of fresh, bright red berries, and a beautiful intricate teapot (no doubt that it's antique.) The beautiful author is sitting in a pair of cream silk pajamas and is holding a saucer and teacup that match the detailed little teapot. She is smiling in this beautiful nest of antique lace she's created for herself. When I look at this photograph, I can almost smell hints of chamomile steaming out of the pages of this book that has been sitting closed on my shelf for at least four years. It always surprises me how looking through this cookbook and seeing the photos create a haven for me. I am enveloped into the pages as I turn them. Just a little housewife and her cookbook. Really - it is something special. Do you have a book that pulls you in? Is it the words written inside or is it an illustration or a photograph? 

So this week's assignment is to photograph a fable.
Well, I don't own a book of Aesop's Fables and earlier this week I sat on the couch reading "One Minute Bedtime Stories to Hunter, Juli, and Gigi - I remember that it told the story of the Lion and The Mouse (that's an Aesop!) No mouse and no lion on hand. It had the boy who cried wolf. Short of pulling out Grandpa Wolf's old chain with the (yeah - redundant, I know) wolf on it and having Hunter put it in his mouth and cup his hands around his lips so that I can photograph it, I am at a loss. And then I think of the Maiden and the eggs. Moral to the story - don't count your eggs before they hatch.
I have an old wire egg gathering basket. I have eggs. I also have a backyard I can bust one in. So here ya go.
Homework. Done. Almost. 

The one above shows Lines - horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. 

This one covers the elements of light/dark. (Your eye will naturally go to the lightest part of the frame.)

The above shot covers focus. (Your eye will naturally go to the sharpest area in the image. The shell and grass are in focus and yolk falls out.)

And finally, the last design element requested in this project: Motion. The egg goo is drifting away from the shell and yolk which shows movement - or that movement has occurred. 

So in an effort to not count my chickens before the hatch, I shall get off my bum and go see if Walgreens has finished processing my prints. When I've printed my contact sheet and picked up my prints, I can officially say that my homework is DONE and enjoy my Friday night!

And I'm in an ongoing project of re-creating the identity of my IKEA mirror. In that process, I've found a fabulous place to display some of my Grandma's costume jewelry in all it's fabulousness. 

Here - take a peek! 

As always, more to come! 

'Till later, enjoy your weekend, family, kids, and whatever small doses of inspiration happen upon you. 

Much love, 

Jessica Ann

I thought we were in this together.

Here's how I look at the world, flawed as it may be:

We're just a bunch of humans and we don't really know what the big picture is. If we have faith, we believe in a higher power and that serving this higher power will please it and we will be okay.
We meander. We nest. We procreate. And if we're fortunate, we evolve into better beings.
This world - it's not an easy place to navigate. We have moods and insecurities. We need one another to witness our lives. Desperately.

We are in this together. Thank GOD! (Or whatever higher power you believe in!)

So I don't understand why there is so much anger, backstabbing, hatred, abuse....

I don't understand why my twelve year old cannot attend school without being physically assaulted. This past week it was a slap... if you can call it that. To explain it, a slap is normally an open hand that lands on the side of the face and covers a cheek. What happened to my kid was an open hand 'slap' - if you will - to the middle of the face. It was hard enough that my daughter's nose was swollen.

The girl who was kind enough to administer this blow is a girl who has had no luck bringing my daughter to tears by calling her a "transvestite," explaining that since the name "Julian" is a boy's name, and "Julianne" is a similar name, it must mean that she is a boy. And the girl gets in her face and screams "Fight me! Fight me, !#$@!" And this girl's "posse" chases Julianne. Julianne has plenty of friends, too. And they've seen this stuff and they don't like it either.

I had a visit with the principal today. We didn't want to even bother. After last year's dealings with St. Helen Catholic School's administration, we've learned that we'd just rather call the police and file charges. It'd be easier.
The principal did seem concerned. She acknowledged that the 'slapper' had confessed later in the questioning. And she promised that a zero tolerance policy existed and that the 'slapper' would be punished. We did give her the background from last year so she could understand our hesitance in allowing the school a chance to impact the situation and our expectation that it be handled or that we would involve law enforcement. (We just don't play anymore!)

And I know there are people with the attitude "Yeah, girls do that at this age. No big deal."
So my daughter should walk into a school (where I'm told you're supposed to learn), and she should expect to have physical harm come to her. Because that's just what girls do? Really?
I suppose I should lower my standards and teach my children that abusing another person is okay to do. Apparently the general thought is that 'girls do this at this age.'
Wow. My girl doesn't. She doesn't go around hitting people. Or slapping them. I suppose I've failed as a parent because she's not in the normal group of kids who begin their criminal lifestyle in middle school? Bummer. Shame on me for higher standards. Shame on my moral barometer. Maybe we shouldn't expect to walk into the grocery store to buy our produce and walk out. Maybe we should expect to walk in and be beaten to a pulp with a mango? Have a pineapple shoved up our....




...nostril. (Bet you thought I'd say 'ass'!)

Especially when 9 year old kids are committing suicide because they were bullied. Heard about that? It's all over the news.
What about the fact that 'The View' is interviewing children who have survived bullying? NFL football players are coming on the show and presenting gifts to survivors for their bravery in speaking out. Elizabeth Hasselbeck is ranting that the NFL heroes need to get involved and send the message that bullying ISN'T cool afterall.
Heard about it? Check the news.

When I pay taxes (which I'd rather NOT pay), I'm purchasing an education for my child.... and when I've got no children in the public school system and continue to pay taxes, I'm purchasing an education for other children. I would at least hope that those dollars I spend in Round Rock taxes will actually go towards the good of the child, rather than a reason for the child to enter therapy later in life.

And there's also the school of thought  - FRY THEM! Lock 'em up and throw away the key! There are helicopter parents who will never allow their child to attempt to work through these issues on their own. And that is necessary. (And should your child be unable, you must not be so laissez-faire that you will not be bothered. That is a parenting crime.) And as much as the child who has hurt your own causes you to want to rip the hair out of their head, you must act as an adult and not act out. If we are to be christians, we must have compassion. Believe in rehabilitation. Pray that it works and works for the long haul. We must shake off the inclination to judge.

Here's a solution. If there is a child who cannot keep his/her destructive hands off of another child, remove them from the normal population. Mainstream them when they can behave civilized. (Because it is barbaric to hit!) There is no point in allowing them time cause damage to the psyche of the children who thought they were going to class to turn in homework and begin a new lesson.
In a perfect world the normal population should not suffer through the rehabilitation process of an aggressive and abusive personality. In an imperfect world, we should at least not have to CONTINUE to suffer until someone demands the offenders to be rehabilitated. Yes, we must learn to deal with others/other personality types. That's a given.

But if I were to walk into a 7-Eleven and slap the living shit out of another adult, I would be thrown in jail. If I were to chase them back to their car, I'd probably be admitted into Shoal Creek Mental Hospital.

Why are we more interested in protecting adults than CHILDREN who depend on us?

So, in an effort to NOT be part of the problem I am lifting this prayer for the bully, the school admin, and of course tonight will bring a special prayer for my daughter.

Dear Lord,
I humbly come before you in need. There are children hurting, some are hurt at the hand of another child, and some are hurt for reasons I don't know, but are inflicting pain on others. Please fill their hearts with innocent Godly love, fill their souls with hope for a life better than the one they live presently, and cause their anger to fade. Let them feel no need to hurt other children who could be the friends that they might some day lean on.
Allow children who are hurting to feel acceptance, healing, and an understanding that they do not deserve the pain they've been given. Give them peace. Please give them courage to come forth and request the infliction to stop.
Give our leaders, be them in an administrative setting, in office, or in a classroom the knowledge that we are all born with dignity and must be treated as such. It is our God-given birthright of which we have not earned, but deserve all the same. Give them the desire to swiftly end the suffering, and the patience to deal with frustrated parents. When they go home at night, please allow them to sleep well and gain a fresh perspective so that they can be a part of the healing.
Allow families to come together to bring healing to those hurt, and solutions to problems unsolved.
Because this power is yours and yours alone, I bring these issues and lay them at your feet.
Your child,
Jessica

To no more heart-breaking expressions this week...

Things I dig - (and the list forever grows!)

1. Yoga - And please don't give me the hooey about how it is not in line with christian beliefs because rhythmic breathing encompasses all beliefs. If you're Catholic, rhythmically recite the Rosary. If you're protestant, recite a favorite hymn or the Our Father. A Buddhist chant would work. Heck - if you're a mime, you could just be quiet! Yoga increases flexibility, peace, and benefits respiration and circulation. Not to mention that it brings about awareness within your being. If you are a faith-driven person, yoga could become a way you connect with your higher power. 
2. Books - I love a good book! And I'm not bound to one particular type. I will read fiction and non-fiction. The thing about me is that I don't like to just own books. I don't like but having a few on hand to read or else it becomes overwhelming and I cannot select one to read. (I guess I really dig the Kindle concept, but I will say, a virtual book needs to be no more than $2.00. No tangible item in my hands. Maybe one day, those will be less expensive. Until then - to me, there's nothing better than a big gift card to Barnes & Noble! Coffee---books.YES! 
3. Coffee - I love it. I love the taste of it. It's rich, decadent and I'd take it over most meals. Especially with flavorful notes of caramel or chocolatey mocha! I have a Nespresso Citiz machine. Love it! It's delicious. I would rather drink my own Nespresso coffee than get sub-par coffee at Starbucks. I love coffee. 
4. Scented Markers - they brighten my day. Seriously. 
5. The idea of being a tea lover. I have this huge stash of tea and accessories. I want to love tea. But my heart is about coffee. One day, I'll find a way to love the translucent flavors of tea. But at this point, I'm still a snob for the rich, foamy crema that settles in my mug just waiting to adorn my upper lip. 
6. Scented Foam Car Washes - The kind you drive thru. For me, it's some kind of therapy. One terrible day instantly brightens when I crack the window just enough for that flourescent foam to come close enough to my nose to fill me with that cherry-ish yum-yum! Yeah, I'm a cheap date. 
7. Cuddles with babies. Do I really have to explain how a fresh-from-God being can fill your heart with all that is good and right in the world just by being able to touch them for a moment? Nah - I didn't think so! 
8. The way my baby lifts her arms up when she wants me to pick her up. I waited for this. And she's my third child, so I know just how long I will have this. I'll miss it when it's gone so I treasure it while I have it. 
9. The way it feels when you get to witness a child experiencing something wonderful for the very first time, especially if they knew nothing of its existence. (Along with that - the birth of a healthy baby!)
10. The way a cushion cut beaded rosary feels in between my fingers. 
11. The way an easy friendship is - no matter how long it's been since you've seen one another, the friendship is a given. You'll pick up where you left off. 
12. Lighting. It makes a home feel cozy. I think a lamp belongs on every table in your home. And if you run out of tables, it's time to go for floor lamps. 
13. Scrolling design and cabbage roses. I'm not sure why - but it's me. 
14. Jadeite dishes and anything mint green. I'm certain that if I could get away with it, my home would be the monochromatic shades of mint green. But for now I shall enjoy it in the jadeite and the beautiful KitchenAid mixer my husband gave me years back. 
15. Corner booths.
16. Suzanne Somers. She won my heart in middle school as she starred as Carol in the sitcom Step-By-Step. She was the mom I wanted to be. Loving, funny, and imperfect. Oh, and beautiful. Her philosophies seemed fresh and well thought out. Then I married and needed cookware. So I bought her mint green handled cookware (which I love and have nourished my family with many, many meals using.) And her rotisserie/convection oven. And her books. And her delicious shakes. And her skincare. And.... 
17. Wrought iron and pewter. They make for such lovely things. 
18. Crafts. Arts. But since I do not live in a nursing home, I do not partake in 'arts and crafts.'
19. Darla Shine. (Yeah - all you feminists are rolling in your graves. And that's okay. I believe that there is something beautiful about the rhythm of a man being the head of the household (should he be worthy of that status) and the woman being the neck. Heee hee! - Seriously. I like being submissive. And I love being appreciated for NOT being a feministic ball buster. While I love Marlo Thomas and Free To Be You And Me - I never could latch onto the philosophy. I cannot pee standing up, and I never shall. And that's okay. 
20. Purses. Because like every woman on the face of this earth, I am on the quest for the perfect bag. If I had the money to design one and sell it - I have a beaut of an idea for primo functionality. Dad always said 'Too often things are form over function." I would marry the two. I would take my mother's eye for style and my love for tunnels and secret compartments and come up with the slickest little bag you ever did see. But alas - I've got no investors. You won't be seeing Jessica-ized form and function anytime soon.

Well that's it for now. I'll make a new list as I add things to it.