Tuesday, June 30, 2009

getting organized

Actually, I am not getting organized, but I want to. There are just so many things I want to do in the summertime, but I'm highly aware every minute of how fast the summers always go, that it is almost paralyzing. I do have a realistic knowledge that I can't get everything done-- I'm just not sure how to prioritize at this point. I did this little "mind mapping" exercise, but am just not sure what to do with the list. By the way, see that cute mug? A birthday present from my brother--he rocks. You can get a little button to add to your browser so that you can add non-Amazon stuff to your Amazon wish list. So he saw this from my Amazon list then just clicked through to here.
I picked all this basil last night and made pesto again (using this recipe). It was great but the only problem was that it turned dark this time, not bright and green like before. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I've heard of pesto turning brown, but last time it stayed so green and nice--even as leftovers in the fridge. The only thing I did differently was use homegrown basil instead of grocery store basil.
Roses drying for a little project I have in mind. I just thought they looked pretty out on the picnic table.
Last night we started up our summertime tradition of "Monday Night Performance Theater." This year we're following an "open mike" format (or is that "mic"?). Rainer came out as a "little gnome" and did a little show. Dieter performed as a frog. And Ken did an interpretation of "The Little Red Hen" using the wooden animals. Ben played piano.
In other entertainment, Ken and I are watching "LOST" season 4--finally. Last year we watched seasons 1 through 3--it will be sad when we finish with this last season--I'm pretty sure there are no more on DVD. One thing that annoys me in LOST is that Claire is always trekking through the jungle without putting the baby in a sling--so unrealistic, I think--her arms would get so tired. And it would be such a good opportunity to promote babywearing!

10 comments:

Joy said...

Rainer as a gnome is an adorable sight. WTG brother for the cute little birthday mug. :) I love the idea of an open mic night...I think my kids would love it even more! No ideas on the pesto. Mine stays pretty green unless it's open to the air for too long. Hmmm...

j o n i said...

no ideas here on the browning pesto either--ours always stays beautifully green! the open mic night is a great way to bring the family together! what a great tradition to institute in our household once noey's old enough!

Maribeth said...

Love the mind-mapping. I'm going to give it a go later today.

The pesto usually discolors where it hits the air. The type of nut or oil you use may also alter that oxygenation process. I suppose there may be different varieties of basil. I imagine that supermarkets would carry basil that is most likely to stay bright and cheery green.

Jessica said...

I love that open mike night idea--Rainer is great as a gnome! When I make pesto I lay wrap right down on the top of the pesto so it doesn't brown. Then again, I don't really like plastic touching my food so I normally just make a one-serving batch..

tawnya said...

I always squeeze a little lemon juice into the pesto. Seems the acid keeps the bright green color going - not very much, just about 1/4 of a lemon's worth.

Alicia said...

We just finished watching Lost Season 4 a few weeks ago! We're very, very tempted to buy Season 5 on iTunes, $35 for the season almost seems like a bargain when I'm this impatient to know what happens next! Almost. (You don't need an iPod to watch iTunes on the computer.)

briar said...

Loving the idea of theatre mondays- how cool! We sre in the middle of winter ove rthis side of the world, so I guess the plays would have to invlove wooly socks and blankets! Teehee...bring back summer- sigh. I think its the air thing Joy mentioned for the pesto...not 100% sure tho, but makes sense (like an avocado??)
Bless

Anonymous said...

I just saw this on Martha. Funny because I only saw this segment and haven't watched in years. Anyways they took a bunch that was rubber banded at one end and holding that end swirled the leaves in some boiling water for a few seconds then put it in ice water to stop in from cooking. This does some enzyme thing.

Rachael @Mogantosh said...

Just found your blog recently - so sweet. I love it. Theatre Mondays sound great. I've always loved that old-timey notion of everybody in the family having their 'party piece' they trot out to entertain the others. A gorgeous tradition.

liz said...

Aaaa, Rainer in his little gnome hat is the cutest thing ever! I love the idea of open mic night Monday. You should make some doorway curtains a la Soulemama. :)