do-nut

short list

times I almost spun out last night on the way home: 7

hills I almost didn't ascent successfully: 4

times I was happy to park my car and walk into my house alive:1

times philadelphia got so much snow: not so often?

best mail day ever

things that came in the mail today:

1. most beautiful wedding invitation I've ever seen for my cousin Lizzi's wedding.  There is nothing as pretty as your name written by someone whose job it is to write names in a very pretty way.  Also makes me feel like I'm in Pride and Prejudice.

2. new bathing suit with what my mother refers to as a "modesty panel" but what I will call the "awesome and fun ruching" ...made by the Esther Williams company. 

3. before the basics by bev bos. 

valentine

marathon heart cutting extravaganza.

something delicious

My official new favorite breakfast at home...As healthy as something that looks like this can be, and as delicious as I can imagine.  In case you're intrigued...here is my recipe:

Poached Eggs with Leeks, Spinach and Mushrooms

2 eggs poached (Boil 2 inches of water in large, flat, straight sided  sautee pan with 1 tsp. vinegar of any kind.  When the water boils, turn off the heat, crack eggs individually into a small bowl, partially submerge the bowl and slide eggs gently into the water one at a time.  Cover pan and allow eggs to cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes depending on how you feel about yolks.  Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon in the same order you placed them in the pan.  Set aside covered, to keep them nice and toasty).  

Meanwhile...

1 leek, white and light green parts, sliced in half and then chopped medium-ish (or how you like them.  I like big pieces of leek, my mother finds them not so good.)

6-8 baby bella mushrooms sliced how you like

several handfuls of baby spinach

Begin by heating 1 tsp. olive in whatever pan makes you happy.  Begin sauteeing the leeks, about 3-5 minutes, until soft and somewhat clear.  Add the musrooms and cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Add handfuls of spinach as you like.  Cook until the leaves are less fluffy, turn off heat, slide veggies onto a plate, top them with the eggs...

And if you like...

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. dijon mustard...

great dressing over the top, but also not entirely necessary.

buen provecho!

winter in philadelphia

My first snow angel of the season...at the art museum, where it seems that snow is always falling.  I was so happy I stopped on my way home from yoga and decided to see what it might be like on the mall of the museum.  It was me and several tourists in the perfect, wet, gloriously falling snow.  Today most of it has melted.  Secretly, I'm looking forward to pretending to be a fast running hungry shark on the playground at school instead of a slow moving, ice-wary grownup.

simple is always great, and i'm simply exhausted: perfect!

Having gone so far as to make a list of the bizarre things I've witnessed in the past two weeks to blog about, I will now not talk about any of it...as these things seem relatively mundane and unimportant at the moment.  To the point now.   This weekend I spent many hours studying and practicing astanga yoga and the perfect and simple result is that I want to do it again and again.  This morning, it was sun salutations upon waking early.  Tonight as soon as I got home from work, I practiced primary series up to janu sirsasana C and gave a try to the finishing postures.  And though my house is like a freezer and I'm sure I never got warm enough as a result, it was perfect.  For most of fall, for whatever reasons (I'm still trying to figure out why, even if it is not essential) I withdrew from practice and was in general feeling disconnected.  And in hindsight, perhaps a bit sad without it.  Having slowly returned in the past few weeks, I've been feeling better, and after this weekend I'm nothing short of extremely excited.  So, at 11:55, i am in pajamas, completely ready for bed, surprised I'm not asleep already, and about to roll up the rug in my living room, roll out my mat, and get the space ready for the morning.  After morning practice, I have the wonderful surprise of putting on fresh pajamas for pajama day at school.  we'll be making wheat-free vegan pancakes all around.  I will now go to pack the whisks.  goodnight.  

sparkle motion

After a rousing eight days on the South Shore of Massachusetts, I am safely returned to Germantown.   Stats on my holidays:

1. Times my vegetarianism was lamented by various family members: approximately nine (note, I haven't had meat in 15 years, this is not surprising)

2. Statues received: One, but she has two objects in her hands that detach, so I'm counting it as three.

3. Pairs of pink sneakers worn: One (but sooo worth mentioning)

4. Jackson Five songs danced to: Three

5. Food poisoning attacks: one, but over 12 hours that I am glad to not relive.

6. Pages read: somewhere around 1600...which brings us to sparkle motion, because (and I admit this with some trepidation) about 1300 of those pages were part of the Twilight series...but upon finishing, there was an amazing blog about how ridiculous they are, which made the experience so much sweeter and found a creative way to connect it to Donnie Darko and the dance group I have forever wanted to be a member of.  In case you are doubting your commitment to sparkle motion, check this out: 

http://cleolinda.livejournal.com/2008/08/02

7. Just to redeem myself: the other 300 pages belonged almost solely to David Sedaris.  I want to be in his family sometimes.  Or just near the skeleton in his bedroom.  nothing short of phenomenal.

8. Hours on trains: 16

9. Formal dresses worn: 1

10. visits to the library to not read books: 1

11. dreams about work starting again and being unprepared: 1

12. days of vacation left: 4.5 (going to go do something fun with that right now)

love,

ma