Back to Basics

I just read through all my blogs of the past. There was something I wrote at the very beginning--"my recommendations." They were bits and pieces of different things from books to music to food. I just came back from a forum/meeting where people from all over the south who do my job (and similar) come together to share to make our profession and our agencies stronger. We did a group of introductions followed by "I recommend." So this reminded me to get back to that here as well.

I recommend NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. So awesome. Sometimes it is someone I've never heard of and last week is one of my old favorites, the Cowboy Junkies. Good stuff on the music side.

I also recommend The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She has a blog and now a cookbook but sometimes I just like her photographs of family or livestock out there on that large ranch in Oklahoma. She also makes the best cinnamon rolls. I have not tried them although my friend Julie has and God love her for trying. Not easy but they look SO good!

Substitute for french fries? Eggplant fries. Gervais & Vine does them here in Columbia with almost no breading just a coating which is good for my gluten intolerant stomach. Plus they let me feel like I'm eating one of my favorite foods but I'm eating something better for me. Side note--I used to hate eggplant. It was fleshy and icky until my friend Jo grilled it. Leave it to an Italian to show me the light. Now I love it.

I was looking back through background movies--those I can put on in the background while I'm cleaning. Something I've seen so many times and really enjoy. My sister Allison and I share this and many of our favorites...Under the Tuscan Sun, 27 Dresses, The Wedding Date, How to Make an American Quilt, Because I Said So, Gosford Park, Mr. Mom, Amelie, Love Actually, The Ref, and The Devil Wears Prada. I'm cleaning today so I'm sure one of those will grace my TV.

Finally, I've been traveling quite a bit and I feel like I never finish anything. So pick one thing and do it start to finish. I have a zillion projects that will probably never get done but I also have many other things that I can do--finish a book, put away all my clothes, cook a whole meal, write those thank you notes. That is what I'm working towards. If I can't finish one thing per day then definitely finish one thing per week--particularly for myself. I'm great at doing things for others but my stuff goes on the back burner. So that is my new goal. Seems simple but I'll let you know how I do.

I'm signing off listening to Ceremony by New Order. Love that song. Was in the Marie Antoinette soundtrack recently. Love that whole soundtrack and the film is a mix of color, vision, truth and irreverent. Watch it again. Good stuff.