The Sparkle in Mom’s Eye

Unlike roses and chocolate, jewelry does last, it can be passed down and somehow, even though it is a material thing, it feels good to put on a beautiful piece of jewelry. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be expensive, you just have to love it. I have pieces of jewelry that my aunt’s gave me when I was little and I’d open their jewelry boxes, like the biggest treasure chest I’d ever seen and pick up each piece admiring them all one by one. I have a necklace that my grandfather gave me from his jewelry shop in Peterborough England. I have my grandmother’s childhood bracelet engraved with her initial, my middle initial. I have my mother’s ring that she gave to my husband and he proposed with. I have my funky jewelry I bought in college and I have new old pieces I picked up at Brimfield recently.

I don’t know what their actual value “in the jewelry world” is but I don’t care.  They’re all just as valuable to me. Recently, I had the chance to learn about a new concept in jewelry shopping. At first I was a bit hesitant because it involved design and it was online but I was also excited to try something new. I got to play with the designs online, perhaps fantasize a bit about ruby-laden rings, fanciful cocktail rings, and elegant understated rings with fancy gems, but then have total control over what I wanted style-wise, price-wise, and meaningfulness. In fact, as I’m writing this I just remembered that I had my ring engraved. I pulled it off to look closely and there it is, just as I wrote it. Not only did I enjoy the process, I love my ring, and it just makes me happy.

I hesitated because I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t use the fitting ruler thingy right, or I didn’t like my design. My worry was put at ease though because the ruler thingy is easy to use, but if for some reason something changes, Gemvara offers one free resizing within 101 days of delivery. They also have a great customer care team that can guide you through the process if you need someone to bounce ideas off of.

Gemvara is based in Boston and most of their jewelry is made in the United States. Some of their chains and findings are imported. They also do everything they can to use only recycled precious metals. Aside from some of the findings like earring posts and chains, their gold platinum, palladium and Argentium sterling silver are a minimum of 95% recycled in origin.  In addition, Gemvara sells only natural stones. Although it is difficult to trace where the gemstones originate after being cut and polished, but Gemvara chooses suppliers carefully and do their best to sell responsibly mined gems.

As a guest at Gemvara’s preview I was given a gift card to try out the site and order a ring. I loved the experience (Gemvara may be my new Pinterest when I need a little distraction).  There’s nothing I enjoy more than sharing the things I love, so now it’s your chance to try it out.

Whether you want to treat yourself to the perfect Mother’s Day gift made by you, for you, because you deserve it or you want it for your wife, your husband, your significant other, a friend who is like a mother, enter for a chance to win a $250 gift certificate for yourself or someone you love.

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The Mother’s Day Gift vs. The Gifts of Mothers

Crystalized rose petals reassembled in whipped cream.

In some ways mothers are like flowers.  Each beautiful in their own way.  Some have strong stems but very delicate petals.  Others are like roses with layers upon layers upon layers of petals but you only see the ones on the surface.  Some speak softly with a delicate fragrance that catches you off guard when you take a moment to take a deep breath in like the honeysuckle, others.  Others speak so the world around them can hear without even trying, the scent of the lilac.  But, as Shakespeare says in his sonnet, the one characteristic that flowers, like summer, have is that they are more ephemeral than we are.  Spring, summer, fall or winter, moms are there for you (whether in person or not).

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade…”

Shakespeare – Sonnet #18

Like flowers, chocolates come in all flavors, textures, and shapes, but like flowers, chocolates are also enjoyed in the moment and then the experience of the sweet smooth taste on your tongue and the joy of biting into something so delicious fades.

I love flowers, and I enjoy more than my fair share of amazing chocolates. When it comes to Mother’s Day, I don’t necessarily want either.  In New England the buds are all in bloom and all the flowers I want to take in envelope me the moment I step outside, look out the window, pick my children up from school.  As for chocolates, it’s warm outside, swimsuit weather is coming up and local fresh fruit, starting with rhubarb, is making its way to market stands and grocery stores.  (NB I’m only speaking for myself here.  I know plenty of people who still would love a bouquet of flowers or box of chocolates on mother’s day.)

My mom used to say, she didn’t want anything for mother’s day.  She just wanted the house clean, or for us to clean up after ourselves.  If you ask me what I want for mother’s day I don’t know that I’d have any better answer.  The job of mothers is everything and nothing.  It’s exhausting, devastating, frustrating, exciting, priceless, fun, and fabulous all in one single day, let alone a lifetime.  How do you find the perfect “token of appreciation” for such a thing?

There really isn’t the perfect way to celebrate motherhood.  The appreciation we capture is always  in the little things, tiny accomplishments, unplanned moments, and unexpected things heard/told/overheard.

(to be continued… because there is one material thing that can be a game changer.)

Petit Palmiers Recipe: Simple After School Treat

These are such a simple and fun treat.  Palmiers are simply sugar and puff pastry…and whatever other little things you might want to spice it up with. I chose some lemon zest.

I made these today for a bake sale tomorrow to support No Kid Hungry.  Stop by Middlesex Commons in Burlington tomorrow from 11 to 3 for all kinds of delicious treats prepared by local bloggers.

The hardest part of this recipe is to remember to thaw the puff pastry.  Or stop at the store on the way home from school and let it thaw while you help with homework, practice piano, and play outside.

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.

Ingredients:

• Puff Pastry (I like DuFour, Pepperidge Farms or Good Wives)
• Sugar  (I used India Tree sugars because they are beautiful)
• Lemons (for zest)

Thaw and unroll a sheet of puff pastry.

WIth a rolling pin roll out the sheet on a clean surface.  I use Freezer paper on the counter if I’m in a rush and it helps keep the pastry from sticking.

Sprinkle the pastry with sugar until it is completely coated.  Roll over the sugar with a rolling pin to have it stick  into the pastry.  Take a lemon and zest it over the sugar, so that the zest and the oils are captured.

One 1/2 at a time, lengthwise roll tightly to the middle.  Do the other side. Once in the middle roll over the entire “log”.  If you like sprinkle more decorative sugars on the freezer paper and roll the “log” on that as well.

Slice into thin strips (1/8 inch).  If the dough is difficult to work with you can freeze the log for a little while and then cut it into strips.

Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.  Grease the paper.  Place each palmier down on the parchment at least 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for a total of 15 minutes, flipping the cookies over after about 6 minutes.

Let them cool completely on a rack.  The sugar will caramelize and become nice and crunchy.

Bon appétit.

Trouble Finding Joy

There’s no question that this has been a rough week for many of us. Devastating for others. Whatever we’ve been through, I appreciate the resilience of my city, my neighbourhood, and the support of the global community. I also understand all too well that I am dealing with nothing. My friends are safe, my family is safe, and things are all in place to get back to normal.

I know no one is forgetting those recovering and those lost. I know that slowly my twitter feed is changing back to check ins at bars, latest meals out, and the best spring recipes. But, while everyone around me seems to be getting back to life, I feel frozen, walking around in a haze. True, it’s already allergy season, but I’ve taken my Claritin and still nothing is clear.

Well one thing is clear. What ‘s clear is that some people are more like springs. Under stress and pressure they squeeze down tight, but as soon as the pressure lifts, they bounce right back. I now know I’m not that person. More importantly, I know that it’s okay… perhaps a bit more difficult, but okay to not be that person.

Unlike a spring, I’m more of a ball of yarn that ‘s been knitted tightly, as pressure builds the stitches get tighter and then when it’s all done you pull out all the stitches. The yarn doesn’t pop back all smooth and as it was in a nice near ball. The yarn comes out all kinked up and even perhaps felted in places clinging desperately to it’s own fibers. But, with a little time, and a gentle hand you can get the yarn workable again. Perhaps what I really need is a really good soak.

I used to think I had to be a spring. The more I thought about how unspringy I was the harder I tried. The cartoon visual I have of myself trying to get a piece of yarn to act like a spring almost makes me smile. I may have more grey hairs but at least with this older age… little threads of wisdom are starting to appear.

Television Free and ‘No Live TV’ Safe Places for Vacation Week

For vacation week, after a local tragedy, it is important for families to be able to find TV free and TV safe spaces and places (read more). Here us a growing list of places:

TV Free Places and Spaces

-Playgrounds: Go to your old favorite or visit a new one. Cambridge has a playground map.

-Visit the farm: Drumlin Farm, Codman Farm, Wilson’s Farm (get groceries and visit the animals)

-Mass Audubon Society: From Belmont to Cape Cod, short hikes, to day long adventures.

- Appalachian Mountain Club

-Trustees of Reservations

TV Free Businesses:

Hi Rise Bread Company
Sarah’s Market
Johnny’s Luncheonette
Diesel Café
Bloc 11
Sacco Bowl / Flatbread Pizza
Full Moon Restaurant
Crema Café
Henrietta’s Table (beyond the bar)
TAZA Chocolate
Gather Here Stitch Lounge
Made By Me
Art Beat
DwellTime
Whole Foods Market
Panera Bread

Heartbreaking way to start Spring Break: Now What?

On the calendar it says, ‘Vacation week’. It was going to be a week of lazy mornings and fun spontaneous outings staying in town. I usually love to stay home because the weather is nice and it’s the first days that feel like Spring in New England. After the bombings at the 117th Boston Marathon, that feeling has just been pulled out from under me. Where my feet stood on a plush soft rug with warm fuzziness under my toes, now I just feel frozen in place on a cold, hard, splintery old floor. I’m afraid to make any plans, take a step in any direction because of that splintery old floor.

‘Keep to a routine,’ the experts say. ‘Avoid repetitive images of the tragedy (or any at all)on tv,’ the experts say. Well it’s vacation week where routine, no matter how much some of us try, is thrown out the window. As for television and tv news, these days just about every other business has one playing somewhere and I don’t keep a running list of tv free spaces.

Even on a good week our family appreciates some sort of routine so we’ll create one of our own. We had planned to go to Wellfleet for a night or two, but now I’d rather stay home. We ‘ll enjoy days at the farm, relaxing at the library, meeting friends at the playground, a day pass at the Sonesta pool, a visit to Treat Cupcake Bar, a trip to our fave frozen yoghurt bar, baking and cooking together, planting more seeds for the garden, and taking advantage of the weeklong local events.

Avoiding media images being played over a over again is going to be a bit harder but not impossible especially if you, local businesses, are willing to help. Many if us are home in Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, Boston, Newton, Wellesley, and beyond this week. We’re taking kids out for a slice of pizza, we ‘re bringing them into the gym to go swimming, we’re bowling, painting pottery, we’re heading out for dinner, etc. If you, local businesses, can be sensitive to a family, walking in the door and either switch the televisions off, run old cartoons or movies, during our visits, I know that parents will get through this week just a but better.

It is not just for the children. As parents, we all have our own way of processing, acting, and reacting to news and the images we see. A week without live tv or at least no live tv during certain hours would be a huge help.

Thank you all for considering this proposal and letting us be able to be out and about around town together.

Businesses leave a comment and I will compile a list of ‘tv safe’ or tv free businesses for this week.

p.s. For those of you looking to help those in need because of yesterday’s events there are many resources. Facebook and twitter have ideas flowing. Including finding places to put up those displaced by the event.

Bagels and Lox Love in Cambridge

A couple of people across from me are having the most delicious looking Bagel and Lox sandwiches Sarah’s Market in Observatory Hill / Huron Village Voice . It is loaded with lox, tomatoes (yeah I know its not the season but just wait…they’ll only get better.), and onions. If you want capers you can have them thrown on. I had to do a triple take when I looked at the chalkboard $5.99 ! It has got to be one of the best deals in town.

 

I love Iggy’s bagels (Sarah’s uses Iggy’s as well) and they also make a great lox sandwich that are all ready to go, but I am not a fan of capers. The Iggy’s lox sandwich has lox, cream cheese, capers and onions. It is also a nice price at $6.00.

Henrietta’s Table has a smoked salmon platter with house-smoked salmon, tomato, bagel and chive cream cheese. I think that chives are the perfect thing on top of smoked salmon. Especially freshly ripped out of the garden, and snipped over smoked salmon, but if I’m going out for breakfast and I want to relax and enjoy a slow peaceful morning I love Henrietta’s Table. Not only because what’s not to love about Chef Davis, the space is airy, sunny and filled with local art, and it’s a hotel so you’ve got people from all over the world dining around you. It’s like a mini vacation with a side of people watching.

Darwin’s is just about as far opposite as you can get from Henrietta’s Table. You’ve got the bustle of the locals who like their routines, and might scrunch their noses at anyone who doesn’t know “how it works” here. Local or visitor though, Darwin’s is a spot to try. Stand your ground, and settle into one of the cushy chairs or a table in a sunny spot. The Brattle is their smoked salmon sandwich. It is smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, tomato, capers and onions, but it is made to order so you can choose what to leave off or add in. The Brattle is $8.80.

Other places to try: S&S Restaurant, Crema Café, Hi Rise Bread Co.