I wish I could develop a habit for journaling of some sort. It drives me crazy that I let so many days go by without recording at least one or two of thoughts that fleet past me on any given day.
Yesterday was my baby's 17th birthday. It turned out to be an extra-special day because her big sister received her first college acceptance letter and it was for her first choice school, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. First she hollered in excitement and then she showed me the letter and burst into tears. It was a very stressful process for her as last year she was feeling very ambivilent about attending college this year so she only applied to one school, RISD.
In the process of applying she got rather excited about the prospect of attending but then she got put on the waiting list. Very few prospects on the waiting list got in and she was in the last group. It turned out to be a good thing because Chicago has been her first choice since her junior year of high school and meantime she got a lot done with Big Nazo this year. She has yet to hear from Mass College of Art or Parsons. Her friend Michael is currently attending his first year at Parsons but he isn't happy there and is planning to transfer. He is considering Chicago. Personally, my husband and I would have liked if she was more interested in MassArt. Primarily, because it is so close, and secondarily, because she as a regional student she would have a reduced tuition rate. Check out her portfolio for the Parson's application on flickr. Her Chicago portfolio was pretty much the same with the addition of a few more personal pieces.
Ivy was very pleased the acceptance letter came on her birthday. She is generous in that way. She didn't mind sharing her special day with Meg. For the most part, Ivy had a very nice birthday. Her friend Zoe baked her a vegan cake which her other friend Katrina helped decorate. It was surprisingly tasty. I baked vegan cookies using a recipe from a pacakge of Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer. They were very tasty.
Today was incredibly mild and sunny. Later on in the afternoon it got a bit gloomy but as the sun sets the skies have cleared a bit. Ivy was in a mood when she woke up. I had hoped dance class would help but it didn't. It had to do with her feeling like she was nagged into agreeing to attend an event tonight that she had no interest in. She dreaded having to call and tell her friend she really didn't want to go. Eventually, her friend called, they had some words, but it seemed to work out reasonably amicably. She is curled up on the couch next to me, enjoying a doze. It is a dozy sort of day. I spent the afternoon reading in the front office of Providence Ballet. I forgot that rehearsals for the Youth company started today so I was subject to an hour-and-a-half of listening to mostly pre-teen girls gossip and giggle while I waited for my daughter's class to be over. It was strange because I have been seeing these young girls since they were 5 and 6 years old. It is strange to hear them discussing boys, MTV, and entering high school next year. They are all older than Ivy was when she started at Providence Ballet. It was very difficult to concentrate on my book. I'm re-reading Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series. They are like comfort food for me.
Last night we goofed off fooling around with this web toy. I laughed harder than I've laughed since hearing that guy on the Science Channel try to say "the Universities of McGill and Michican". It's very addictive. The picture above is me in the style of Alfonse Mucha.
I managed to get a pit of cleaning done yesterday, although not near as much as is needed. I would have liked to have done more today. It was the perfect day for it but I felt tired out by the afternoon spent at Providence Ballet.
For lunch I made what is fast becoming a favorite of my kids', lentils and rice. It sounds boring but I make it very savory. Here's the recipe as best as I can describe it since it is something I concocted. It varies so I'll just describe how I made it today.
Sauteed in olive oil:
3 shallots, roughly chopped
2-3 large garlic cloves chopped
2 stalks celery diced (I like to include the leaves if there are any)
2 large carrots peeled and diced
salt and pepper to taste
a teaspoon of dry rubbed sage (I have also used rosemary and thyme but I had neither on hand today).
Meanwhile, I cook 1 cup of dry lentils in about 3 cups of water with a bay leaf. Cook just until tender.
When the vegetables are becoming golden and tender, I add about a tbs more olive oil and 1 cup dry long grain white rice, and cook just enough to toast the rice a bit. I also added a small handful of sundried tomatoes cut into thin slivers, and the few pine nuts I had left in my pantry.
By now, the lentils are done and I drain them over the rice so as to use the cooking water to cook the rice. I leave the lentils in their cooking pot for the time being.
I allow the rice to simmer gently, checking occasionally to see if more liquid is needed (generally, it is). Today, when I saw that the liquid had evaporated to quickly, I covered the pan (I use a large cast iron skillet) with foil. The cooking time is about the same as it is for steamed rice, more or less. When the rice is done I add the lentils and give it a quick stir and taste for seasoning.
Yesterday when I made this I added it to cooked bow-tie pasta. My daughter expressed a desire to have it next time without the pasta so I omitted it today. She ate hers with tortilla chips from the natural foods section of Stop & Shop.
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