Who knew we needed knee-high lace-up shoes?
Now I do.
This amusing new product surprised me as I moved rapidly through women's shoes in a nearby store.
Pursuing excellence? Persistence is key to success
February 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Inspiration is guaranteed each and every Olympics.
Watching the best in the world compete in so many sports is a powerful reminder of what it takes to excel.
It reminds us, as well, that if you're pursuing excellence of any type, being able to push over, around, or through the barriers you inevitably find somewhere on the road to your goal is an important part of success.
Here are a few pursuit of excellence thoughts from others who knew the path, too:
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
Thomas Edison
Nothing at all will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
Samuel Johnson
A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary.
Seneca
We will either find a way, or make one.
Hannibal
Sometimes difference counts and sometimes it doesn’t
February 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Some differences count in the final outcome.
And some differences don't.
I had no idea that eggs come in so many different colors – including light blue – but they do.
And if I want eggs for a photo, it's the visual interest of either strong differences or great symmetry that I want.
But if I'm making an omelet where the inside of the egg is what counts, then any of these fresh eggs will do.
What decisions do you have to make soon?
Which differences count in your final outcome, and which ones don't?
Grow new opportunities
February 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Watching the Olympics drives the lesson home:
You make many of your own opportunities, and for others, adapting well to whatever happens is the best course.
Here's what a few others have to say about opportunities and growth:
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford
Life is not advancement. It is growth. It does not move upward, but expands outward, in all directions.
Russell G. Alexander
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
Sir Francis Bacon
Gifts arrive of many types
February 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Gifts can come in many different shapes and sizes over the course of life.
Some of the best ones have no wrapping at all.
They're the gift of a moment, a sight, a shared laugh, story or thought.
Like a beautiful cloud, they can be subtle, rapidly created, suddenly here, and just as suddenly, gone.
Such moments are ones you could miss if you don't see them for what they are…one of life's best, brightest, sweetest presents.
This is the view – a gift itself – that our son, a high school senior, and I shared during a leisurely lunch as we drove north up the California coast, returning home after college visits.
I knew when I took this photo that it was capturing a glorious day at one of the world's most beautiful spots.
But I knew even more as I caught it that this photo was recording an experience I felt very thankful for, Matt's and my shared lunch. Those opportunities will soon be more limited when he goes to college in the fall.
Catch the gift and be thankful for the beautiful, often fleeting, perfect moments that life offers.
They're so quickly here, and just as quickly gone.
The oasis of friendship and laughter
February 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It's easy to forget how energizing time with good friends can be.
We spent much of Saturday with friends we hadn't seen in a very long time in the "stretch out, relax, refresh" way we shared.
As one friend noted, in recent times when we've been together it was usually for organized events and celebrations of life milestones. There were in each case many guests, formal clothes, ceremonies, schedules to maintain, and little time for more than a hug, a smile, a "good to see you!" exchange of good wishes.
Those were times we were very glad to share with them. Yet they were not times to really talk, laugh, or catch up in any substantial way.
This time was like the long January beach weekend we used to share each year as our children grew from babies to teenagers.
It was an oasis of creative chatter and laughter and really catching up, a perfect counterpoint to the sometimes-rough-and-tumble of life.
Times like this with good friends refresh, renew, build a reservoir of great memories and create energy for life's challenges ahead.
Make time, take time for the oasis of good friends.
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
February 14, 2010 By
I
tried Red Velvet Whoopie Pies for a dinner with good friends right before Valentine’s Day, and the recipe turns out to be a real keeper.
For bite-sized whoopie pies, use a melon baller to scoop the dough. To make large cookies, I used an ice cream scoop.
Red Velvet Cookies (adapted from 3 other Red Velvet Whoopie Pie recipes I had)
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons red food coloring
Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat
oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.*
Make the Red Velvet cookies:
Whisk together flour, baking soda, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth
Use an ice cream scoop to drop batter at least 2 inches apart onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and cookies spring back when touched, 10-12 minutes.** Transfer with a spatula to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the cream cheese filling/frosting:
Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps.
Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be
careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure (the
filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in
the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before
using).
Assemble the whoopie pies:
Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up).
Spread a generous portion of frosting onto the flat side of the cookie. Place another
cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Repeat until all
the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for
about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.
The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator.
*I use Silpat Baking Sheets
instead of parchment paper
** I baked them for about 22 minutes, ultimately, because they were not baking completely in 10-12 minutes.
You never know quite what you’ll see next
February 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Turn the corner – any corner – and what will you see?
What you expect? A standard sidewalk perhaps.
Or something unexpected? Here, an otherworldly scene of surprise and wonder met us as we made our way to an evening event.
