July 31, 2010
Hafla
Hafla? I know it isn't an incredibly common term, especially if you aren't involved in the bellydance community. Bellydance community? I know, you wouldn't think it, but there are bellydancers everywhere... your book keeper, your store clerk, your Barista, your cousin's roommate, your fill-in-the-blank. You get the idea.
Back to the hafla! A hafla is a bellydancers party for family, friends, and other dancers. There is music and dancing and food and drink. Pretty fun eh? The Camster attended her very first hafla last night at Minnie's in Modesto. It started at 7:00pm BST (bellydance standard time) which was really more like 8:12pm and included solo performances as well as group/troupe performances.
Camster loved the fast paced dances best. She was mesmerized by all the sparkles, makeup, and eyelashes the girls were wearing. Camster has been onstage bellydancing since her time in the womb, so she felt quite at home with the music and trills.
Back to the hafla! A hafla is a bellydancers party for family, friends, and other dancers. There is music and dancing and food and drink. Pretty fun eh? The Camster attended her very first hafla last night at Minnie's in Modesto. It started at 7:00pm BST (bellydance standard time) which was really more like 8:12pm and included solo performances as well as group/troupe performances.
Camster loved the fast paced dances best. She was mesmerized by all the sparkles, makeup, and eyelashes the girls were wearing. Camster has been onstage bellydancing since her time in the womb, so she felt quite at home with the music and trills.
July 30, 2010
Garden Love
Being a "stay at home" mom, I hate staying home. Sometimes you just have to get out and see the world. I'm not sure going to my parent's house classifies as seeing the world, but what are ya gunna do? For the last two months my parents have been working on a huge garden and lately it has been producing food ready to pick. It is full of crookneck squash, kale, lettuce, eggplant (why is it called that again?!), cucumber, green peppers, turnips, radishes, carrots, beets, watermelon, cantaloupe, and blueberries. I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but as you can tell from that list, it is a substantially large garden.
Yesterday when Camster and I ventured over to visit, Pops was out picking various veggies for lunch. I used my handy-dandy iPad to search Epicurious for some turnip recipes since there was an abundance of ripe turnips. Do you use the term "ripe" for roots? Anywho- we discovered that you can eat turnip greens too! Who knew? Here is what we came up with for lunch entirely out of the homegrown garden... With the exception of the butter and garlic salt. It was delish!
Delicious Garden Love
Serves two very hungry people
2 medium turnips chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups of turnip greens, chopped
1 cup of kale, chopped
2 yellow crookneck squash, sliced
1 tbsp butter
A pinch of garlic salt (substitute with minced garlic if possible)
Heat a large fry pan on medium and add the butter. Once melted, toss in the chopped turnips and garlic salt and sauté until slightly golden brown. Add the squash and continue to fry the mixture for roughly 2 minutes. Add the turnip greens and kale. Cover and reduce heat to simmer until leaves look wilted. Serve and enjoy!
Yesterday when Camster and I ventured over to visit, Pops was out picking various veggies for lunch. I used my handy-dandy iPad to search Epicurious for some turnip recipes since there was an abundance of ripe turnips. Do you use the term "ripe" for roots? Anywho- we discovered that you can eat turnip greens too! Who knew? Here is what we came up with for lunch entirely out of the homegrown garden... With the exception of the butter and garlic salt. It was delish!
Delicious Garden Love
Serves two very hungry people
2 medium turnips chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups of turnip greens, chopped
1 cup of kale, chopped
2 yellow crookneck squash, sliced
1 tbsp butter
A pinch of garlic salt (substitute with minced garlic if possible)
Heat a large fry pan on medium and add the butter. Once melted, toss in the chopped turnips and garlic salt and sauté until slightly golden brown. Add the squash and continue to fry the mixture for roughly 2 minutes. Add the turnip greens and kale. Cover and reduce heat to simmer until leaves look wilted. Serve and enjoy!
July 27, 2010
Playtime is Serious Business
Playtime is hardwork around this house and Camster takes it VERY seriously! She acts like playing is equivalent to long division or filing taxes. It always involves lots of sighs, various grunts, and odd facial expressions that always include exasperated eyebrow movements. I suppose for babies playtime is handwork... lots to learn and figure out in this world... one wooden block at a time.
July 5, 2010
All-American
We started off our Fourth of July holiday with good intentions- check out the happenings at Columbia State Park, go over to my parent's house, do a little grilling perhaps. Hmmm, well, it didn't quite turn out that way.
We did start out by going to Columbia. Husband and I had never been to their Fourth of July celebration before, so we thought we would see what it was all about. While we were browsing around the shops I found a set of school books that were originally published in 1836. Neat-o! Buying the first two of the six book set was in my budget so I snagged 'em. Score! After saying hello to my girlfriends at Kamice's Photographic Establishment (notice the name drop?), we decided it was a bit too crowded for the Camsters and left. Next year maybe.
As we headed up the hill to my parent's house we decided we were too lazy to pick something up and hoped my mom had something to grill. Does anyone else use that expression frequently? "Up the hill"? As if there were only one hill... THE hill... that everyone traveled up and down. I digress.
The five of us spent the afternoon under the grapevine filled pergola chatting and reading the odd old expressions in my new books. No one felt like cooking and everyone just sat outside until dinnertime came. My mom went and picked up some burritos from the nearby Mexican restaurant and we were all quite content with that. Now THAT is patriotic! Mexican food on the Fourth of July. I guess I expected all-American fatty cheeseburgers or something. Maybe next year.
We did start out by going to Columbia. Husband and I had never been to their Fourth of July celebration before, so we thought we would see what it was all about. While we were browsing around the shops I found a set of school books that were originally published in 1836. Neat-o! Buying the first two of the six book set was in my budget so I snagged 'em. Score! After saying hello to my girlfriends at Kamice's Photographic Establishment (notice the name drop?), we decided it was a bit too crowded for the Camsters and left. Next year maybe.
As we headed up the hill to my parent's house we decided we were too lazy to pick something up and hoped my mom had something to grill. Does anyone else use that expression frequently? "Up the hill"? As if there were only one hill... THE hill... that everyone traveled up and down. I digress.
The five of us spent the afternoon under the grapevine filled pergola chatting and reading the odd old expressions in my new books. No one felt like cooking and everyone just sat outside until dinnertime came. My mom went and picked up some burritos from the nearby Mexican restaurant and we were all quite content with that. Now THAT is patriotic! Mexican food on the Fourth of July. I guess I expected all-American fatty cheeseburgers or something. Maybe next year.
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