January Balance

I am on the mend from my holiday hangover and trying to restore a bit of balance back into my/our lives.  I have created a balance reminder in my entry way with these smooth river rocks and installed 12 little stacks to symbolize each month of the year.  Grady is also working on his balance by watching Ralph Macchio in the original Karate Kid and gently reminding me that karate lessons are on his New Year's resolution list for 2011.

We had a full moon this week and a King Tide on January 19th and 20th.  Usually these King Tides happen at night and we miss them, but this one was happening mid-morning and I woke up to NPR talking about a photo contest to those who would help document this high tide and submit photos.  I couldn't get to beach, but knew that a King Tide also meant a really low tide and I'm always seeking the negative low tide action.  I'm kind of like low tide's bitch and a slave to my Tide Log.  Did I mention January was my favorite month?  Well, the tides are lovely and the weather is always dramatic here on the coast this time of year.

I signed up to take my first ever e-course in photography called Wading In: Dipping Our Toes Into Self Portraits.  It's a lot harder than you might think taking pictures of yourself in a mirror, but I think that's the point.  This is a month-long course and I'm also learning to use flickr (a photo sharing website) and Picnik (a photo editing tool).  I'm not too tech-savvy, so this is a big stretch for me.   I'll be posting a few me photos throughout the next month and hope to see some progress.

I know I gush about how beautiful it is up here, but it is.  This week has been crisp and cold in the morning, the skies are clear and blue all day and we have had the most amazing sunsets.  This is a big change from last year where we suffered flooding and torrential rains, as well as school being closed.  I guess nature is working on her balance, too.

I had a spare 45 minutes before picking up Grady from the bus and decided to grab the dog and take a run on Middle Road.  The afternoon was warm, my iPod was loaded with motivating running music and I was ticking off New Year's resolutions in earnest this week.

Prior to my run, I noticed that my friend's goat was out and about and quickly texted her regarding same.  They were in Mexico and she asked me to help get the goat back in her pen.  I'm going to make this long story short because it was so ridiculous how things went down on this bucolic afternoon.  This crazy goat reared up on his hind hooves and tried to attack me with his horns, ripping my shirt that was tied around my waist, narrowly missing my left butt cheek and putting a fear in me that I hadn't had in a long time.  It all ended well, but let me tell you this: If this goat gets out again, I'm not telling anyone!

Nicole, Shannan, Me & Peggy @ Welcome Wagon on 1st Day of School

This week was our monthly PTA meeting at Grady's school.  I serve as the PTA President, along with the lovely ladies pictured above.  I'm nearing the end of my two-year term and we're actively looking to recruit a new board.  I look forward to having new members installed on the board and taking a little bit of a breather from all of the service work I have been doing on behalf of the school.  In an effort to work on my balance, I realized that I had to resign from a few of the volunteer positions that I hold this year.  I feel like I'm running out of my volunteer mojo and definitely need to recharge.  I also serve on the school site council and am learning a lot about how monies are funneled through our district and cut out from the large Parcel Tax pie and distributed.  I also get a vote on these matters and that feels really empowering during these times of budget cuts and teacher layoffs.  Grady has been at this school for three years and I'm just finally feeling like I understand how things work.  

Speaking of volunteering and doing less, I was recently appointed to the position of Vice President of the 38th Annual Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival.  I know, I know.  I just got through telling you how I'm taking it down a notch, but this is a really important organization and I'm looking forward to working hard to help the non-profits of the area earn their allocations and see the money get into the hands of those groups who count on our festival to fund important programs and project improvements.  This festival also falls around the weekend of Grady's birthday and he thinks it's the best birthday party evah!

So, we've been busy this week - but not the insane kind of busy that crept up on us in December.  Grady has started playing for an indoor soccer league on Sundays and LOVES it.  Finally a sport that I can enjoy, too.  He gallops like a horse down the gym and makes this mama's heart swell.  His style is off the charts and cracks me up.  Tiger shirt, lightning bolt  socks and thrifted soccer shorts.  He just had to have a new pair of shoes to help him run faster and "be like the other kids".  Ouch.  That one hurt a little, but I understood.  He had been waiting for so long to play on a soccer team and just wanted to fit in.  He's now the proud owner of a silver and red pair of Adidas.  The silver part made this mama proud.  He still has his flare, even if it's just for a little bit longer.

Steve was gone for most of this week on his yearly solo pilgrimage to Southern California to visits friends and family.  Of course, I rearranged some furniture and moved some art around while he was gone because I wouldn't want him to come home to the same house he left.  This is a running joke with us.  He doesn't understand my need to rearrange furniture and I don't understand how to download software, transfer music on iTunes or read any instructional manuals.  I think that makes us even, right?

We celebrated his return with our homemade pizza night.  We've been successfully making pizza every Friday night and playing games or watching a movie with just the three of us.  I loved this concept when I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  We don't have a wood fire oven, but my breadmaker does most of the work and a quick stint in our conventional oven does the trick to finish it off.

Pizza Dough in the Breadmaker
Makes one large pizza - 1-1/2 pounds

1 cup, plus 2T water
1-1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 T olive oil
3 cups bread flour
2 T instant dry milk powder
2 tsp yeast

Put in breadmaker in above order and turn to dough setting (#9 on my machine) and 1-1/2 hours later...Voila!

I lightly cover pyrex bowl with olive oil, so dough doesn't stick.  Put in fridge to slow down rising, leave on counter top covered with clean dish towel to help aid in additional rising.

I sauté onions & italian sausage.  I spread tomato sauce on first, then the onions and sausage and cover with grated mozzarella last (doing it last is key to melting and sealing in all the good stuff you just put on it).  Throw it in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.

I purchased this print from Victoria's etsy shop and finally went out and got a frame for it.  I think this says it all.