Dream Kitchens

We're moving house in a few weeks and while most of the new place is the exact footprint and layout of our current house, our new home has a much bigger kitchen - woo hoo!! We'll still have the constraints of a rented property in terms of opportunities for updates but a new larger space for feeding our family and friends will be brilliant.

It has got me dreaming about the (possible) day when we'll own a house again, and, if money were no object, what my dream kitchen might look like. Here are some looks and fixtures I would love:

It would be grey or white with a Belfast sink.

 As a lover of order my perfect kitchen would have handy, accessible storage.

Drawers under the sink would be much better than a cupboard where things get shoved to the back.

As a cuppa makes all things well - hot water on tap is the order of the day.

 

 Tea is my drink of choice, I do like a wee coffee. A built in Miele coffee maker would do the job.

 Having a kitchen with its own green house window- yes please!

I love this idea of the outside meeting the inside!

Off to dream so more about my ideal home!

Och wod ye to pass me the te-pie?

With an 18 month old in the house our celebrations of the appropriate use of a word has rocketed. A 'pease' and a 'tank-oo' make the provider function of parenthood bearable; while any parroted sound brings delight all round.

I love that Miss O has developed her own 'word' to name anything for which the proper noun escapes or alludes her: "Te-pie." I've no idea of its root or origin but she's following in the great Irish tradition of the likes of the the word "Yoke" or "Yokeybuzzer" as it's often embellished by The Beloved.

Last month The Guardian newspaper invited leading writers to talk about the words they cherish. Eimear McBride chose "yoke'. I'll let her explain:
" Yoke is a great word so I think I’ll claim it for the west of Ireland, although that may not be completely true. Rather than a wooden bar used to hitch two, or more, oxen together for the purposes of pulling a load or vehicle, the Irish yoke is a term of indeterminate identification applicable to any and all objects or people, which means it means “thing”, as in “Gimme that yoke, would ya?” or “Leave your bike, we’ll take my yoke instead” or “What’s that weird looking yoke on your chest?” Its showier cousins yokeymabob, yokeymajig and yokeybus can be applied in much the same fashion."

Other wonderfully rich words such as : nesh, gloaming, thrawn, whiffle-whaffle and widdershins, all get the author treatment in the deliciously titled "From plitter to drabbletail: the words we love" article. Some are dying words, ceasing to color our everyday chatter just as the aging characters who use them fade from sight.

Others are bound by cultural topography which confines their usability. One of the great challenges of moving to the US, and one of the great reliefs brought by the presence of fellow Ulster-folk, is being understood. It would appear we Northern Irish have quite the turn of phrase.

Nick Laird from Co Tyrone highlights our quirky colloquialisms:
"If you’re from elsewhere (in my case, County Tyrone) and move to the south of England (as I did, to attend university), you might be surprised to find – like Molière’s Monsieur Jourdain, who learns he has been speaking prose his whole life – that what you talk is actually “dialect”. It is an alienating process – certain locutions and words that you’d always spoken naturally suddenly involve a sense of performance, a self-consciousness, and either you choose to use them, and become “characterful” to the English listener, like one of Shakespeare’s comic turns, or you trim your spoken language accordingly and revert to your first speech only with family and school friends.

One problem is “standard” English is dull in comparison: the Ulster dialect is very good at certain things; drunkenness (stocious, half-tore, half-cut, blootered, lashed), violence and threat (a leathering, a lacing, an oilin, shut your bake, keep your neb out), landscape (gullion, clabber, sheugh), insults (gype, mingin, cipher), insects (clegs, midges, moolies) … Off the top of my head, the words I’m saddest to lose from the tip of my tongue are thrawn (stubborn), thole (bear, put up with), fornenst (opposite), lock (some), cowp (tip over), foreby (besides, as well as), hoke (to rummage), scundered (fed up, disgusted), bap (head), boke (vomit) and hardy (tough, able)... The word I use subconsciously all the time (as does most of Ulster, and Scotland), and which the English call dialect, is not quite a word but more an interjection halfway between language and breath: och (from the Gaelic ochanaigh – sighing). It signifies anything from frustration to anger to grief. With that kind of range you can see why it’s handy."

I think this week as we head into the July 4th weekend celebrations of our adopted home, I shall honor my first (and always) home by hoking about for all the stickin out words that only my oul muckers will understand! Apologies in advance my American friends!

Sabbath Reflection: June 28th, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Psalm 130

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Mark 5:21-43

Psalm 130 The Message (MSG)

A Pilgrim Song

130 ^1-2 Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life!
    Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears!
    Listen to my cries for mercy.

^3-4 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings,
    who would stand a chance?
As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit,
    and that’s why you’re worshiped.

^5-6 I pray to God—my life a prayer—
    and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord,
    waiting and watching till morning,
    waiting and watching till morning.

^7-8 O Israel, wait and watch for God—
    with God’s arrival comes love,
    with God’s arrival comes generous redemption.
No doubt about it—he’ll redeem Israel,
    buy back Israel from captivity to sin.

Saturday Digest: June 27th, 2015

We're hosting a church BBQ brunch today and trying out these recipes:

> Chicago Dogs and Taco Dogs from the Food Network

> Patriotic platter of strawberries, bananas and blueberries

> Cucumber, avocado and feta salad

And for your enjoyment in a week when I've been terribly homesick for the Motherland - "Once" the musical, comes home to Ireland with a gift to the shoppers on Grafton Street, Dublin.

"Guy meets Girl in the SMASH-HIT, MULTI-AWARD WINNING MUSICAL ONCE
Winner of 8 2012 Tony Awards® including BEST MUSICAL, ONCE is a truly original Broadway experience. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights… but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, ONCE draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. It’s an unforgettable story about going for your dreams and the power of music to connect us all."

Neighborhood Gem: The Happy Tart

Last week I told you about a new neighborhood favorite, Stomping Ground in Del Ray, Alexandria. Right next door is a fantastic gluten-free patisserie - The Happy Tart. Oh boy! It's a very happy place! We try to eat gluten-free in our house the majority of the time and we have a number dear friends for whom gluten is a definite no, no. So to have a great gluten-free bakery 10 minutes from home is brilliant.

Petite cakes, macroons, cupcakes, cake pops and cookies all get The Happy Tart treatment. They also make stunning wedding and special occasion cakes that will keep all your guests happy. The thing is their baking doesn't taste gluten-free ... I mean it doesn't taste synthetic or bland! It tastes yummie! Couple this with friendly, knowledgeable staff and you're on to a winner. 

Gluten-free or not, this neighborhood gem is SO worth the visit!

Great Day Out: Theodore Roosevelt Island

Looking to escape to a wooded wonderland a stone's throw from DC? Then take GW parkway to Theodore Roosevelt Island (or Teddy Roosevelt Island as the locals call it).

Maintained by the National Park Service the island is actually a living memorial:

"In the 1930s landscape architects transformed Mason’s Island from neglected, overgrown farmland into Theodore Roosevelt Island, a memorial to America’s 26th president. They conceived a “real forest” designed to mimic the natural forest that once covered the island. Today miles of trails through wooded uplands and swampy bottomlands honor the legacy of a great outdoorsman and conservationist." 

We headed off with a picnic on an overcast weekday morning and at times it felt like we'd the whole island to ourselves. We sidestepped a few joggers and exchanged pleasantries with a couple of dog walkers, and we spotted one family of tourists; but other than that it was us, the trees and the birds... Ok to be honest the island is, at certain times, on the flight path for DCA, and Rosslyn's skyscrapers and Georgetown's hubbub are right there. However, on the forest paths you can block out the hum of the city and the mechanical birds, and lose yourself for a little while on the short trails.

There are three short trails around the island - the Swamp Trail, Upland Trail and Woodlands Trail. They're not marked on the ground which is really quite freeing! We just wandered happily - going whichever direction the wildlife, sunlight or Miss O's feet, led us. Towards the center of the island is Memorial Plaza with it's imposing statue and large quotation columns of Teddy Roosevelt. Unfortunately the decorative fountains and moats on the plaza have been drained for repair - I'm sure they'll be stunning when they're fixed.

It's a great morning out with a toddler - there is plenty of shade, lots of nature to explore and few others to navigate or distract. Picnic spots are limited - there are some nice spots right on the Potomac River - romantic for adults, asking for trouble with a little one. So just bring a rug and perch on a fallen tree at the edge of the forest. Perfect!

Grow what you can, not what you can't

So I can grow this ....

 This ....

 And this ....

But when it comes to orchids I always end up with this ....

Oh dear. Yep I'm a serial orchid killer. No matter where I put them, how much I water or don't water them, they never flourish under my care. What the heck?

Having just read the WikiHow page on 'How to care for orchids' I think I've overwatered this one (and all the others I've killed). They seem so terribly temperamental. This much light, this much moisture ... not too much now!

I've seen the orchid display the United States Botanic Gardens - this is how they can look:

I guess I should play to my strengths and leave the orchids to the experts. It's such a life lesson - run the race set before you with the gifts and talents you been given. Nurture the tender plants that you've been entrusted with then beauty will flourish all around you. 

For the birds

I really like patterns with birds. I don't actually own any clothes or house fabrics with birds on it (yet!) but I'm always drawn to the design. It's like peacocks, I'm always wooed by that fabulous greeny blue color of the feathers. Gorgeous!

In Northern Ireland it's not a compliment about someones' ornithological advocacy when someone says "You're for the birds." Instead one's grasp on reality, amount of common sense and general mental health are all in doubt. Today feels like one of those days when I'm quite happy to be a bit for the birds! Maybe it's because we're under a heat advisory in Virginia with the heat index set to hit 106 later. For whatever reason here are some bird fabrics I'm coveting for me and our home.

Anthropologie's Enna tank

As always Anthropologie offers beautifully feminine designs in fabulous fabrics.

 Bird Wall Print

Nordic designers INKE have an amazing collection of vintage inspired wallpapers and decals that are truly stunning! Thankfully they ship to the US :)













 

 Peacock Feather original watercolor

Good old Etsy (which turns 10 this year!) comes up trumps with a beautiful peacock feather by Tuscon artist Megan Harrington Diaz. Megan also has paintings and prints of Ireland in her Dusty Shamrock Studio - a little piece of home! You should check out her work.

 Blue Bird Chair Makeover

The website Living Creatively Inspired has some lovely ideas - all I need now is time to redo our tired dining room chairs!

Consider the flowers

Where do you go when you need to reset? 

For me, I need a garden. There my soul rests, my spirit soars and equilibrium is restored. The flowers recalibrate my perspective, reminding me to quit worrying and know that my heavenly Father has it covered.
  
 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?"  (Luke 12 v25-28 The Message)

I took these photos of flowers over the last couple of years. They've become Ebeneezers for me - reminders that thus far, the Lord has helped me. The flowers call me to faith that today and tomorrow the Lord will help me again. 

 

Sabbath Reflection: June 21st, 2015

I pray you hear God's invitation to you to come sit with Him a while.

The Collect for today:
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The lectionary readings appointed for today:

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49

Psalm 9 v9-20

2 Corinthians 6 v1-13

 Mark 4 v35-41

Mark 4:35-41

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

 

Saturday Digest: June 20th, 2015

This weekend at our house:
It's Father's day tomorrow - just in case you didn't remember! Here's what Miss O got for her Daddy:

- To feed his passion for feeding his family: Joe Carroll and Nick Fauchald's
"Feeding the Fire: Recipes and Strategies for Better Barbecue and Grilling" 

-  To indulge his love of Jimmy Fallon and reading to Miss O: Jimmy Fallon's
"Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA"
_______________________________________________
Insight of the week:
The New York Times on personal responsibility and poverty:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-its-not-just-about-bad-choices.html?_r=1
__________________________________________________
Song for the weekend:
Given the past week U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday seems appropriate:

I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
 

How long, How long must we sing this song
How long, how long
Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight

Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

How long
How long must we sing this song
How long, how long
Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, tonight

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die

(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)

The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday

Songwriters
PAUL HEWSON, DAVE EVANS, ; ADAM CLAYTON, LARRY MULLEN ; (U2)

Published by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Key West Art

One of the things I enjoyed about the weekend in Key West was the possibility of finding an artful treasure around any corner. Local artists fashioned pieces out of ceramic, steel, old bikes and cars, wood, fruit, fabrics and photographs. At times there is a distinctly 'island' feel to the art and other times the blow-in nature of the Keys inhabitants brings echoes of modernity and ethnic diversity.The styling of houses and stores, bars, restaurants and food, accompanied by natures delights, were all a feast for the senses. 

Here are some of my favorite finds!