children – Peaceful Reader

Merry Little Holiday

December is here and nearly gone and then we’ll move into a brand new year. We’ve enjoyed most of the month together both at school and here at home. The holiday season is different when you have adult children instead of small creatures running about the house. Adult children help you in the kitchen, and they don’t require the same kind of toys under the tree. Oh, don’t get me wrong I vividly remember the pure joy of the holiday time for children; it’s a different joy when they are older. The three adult children like each other much better now. There is no awkward competition except for the fun banter over games and gifts, the kind of banter that is learned through good relationships. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Our holiday time was spent talking about current politics, eating excellent food, playing a few new board games, and watching Christmas movies. Hot Frosty, The Merry Gentlemen, and The Noel Diary were top of our list. We drove Kaylee to the Minneapolis airport so she could fly home and Japhy, Greg, and I had the opportunity to see a beautiful play, The Heart Sellers, at the Guthrie Theatre.

We made vegan pho for Christmas dinner and it was the loveliest, so warm and nourishing. I used the recipe from Love and Lemons to make the broth a day before and were inspired by a NYT and Cookie + Kate recipe for topping choices. The broth was very aromatic with deep flavor, didn’t take me a long time meaning I’ll make it again. We added in shitake mushrooms, carrot slivers, sprouts, green onions, edamame, and tofu plus lots of love. We made a double batch so we had plenty to eat that night and Tristan took a full Ball jar home with him and we had a full jar as well which Japhy ate today for lunch. I love leftovers.

I have some wonderful gifts to take me into 2025 including a new yoga bolster (Tristan), a mini Kindle (Japhy), and a beautiful brown sweater from Quince (Kaylee). My husband ordered a heated vest for me to wear because I am always cold. I’ve read a lot of books in 2024 (more on this next post) using the Kindle app on my phone so I think it will be a nice change of pace to have this Kindle for reading instead. My phone is plugged in away from me overnight so that’s a problem if I’m reading a great book digitally.

I hope you’ve all had a merry holiday season and have your feet firmly on the ground, bracing for 2025. With love and peace to you…

April Gifts

She’s home! Our traveler returned a week ago and she’s happy to be home. She missed cooking in the kitchen so she’s made several fantastic dinners. It is so appreciated to have someone else making food to eat. That is an unexpected treat. She is very creative with her recipes.

I love listening to her traveler tales and am grateful she had a positive experience each step of the way. She’s grown up a bit and seems to be more confidant because she’s had to be out there making her own decisions, figuring things out in a different country. I am very happy to have the next few months with her here before she steps in a new direction.

It is finally feeling like spring out there and my tulips are showing their colors. My daffodils didn’t have much of a chance after blooming early right before a cold snap. The weather is very up/down, topsy turvy but I’m grateful for warmer weather. I love spring weather and it means summer is around the corner.

My last three books made for great reading!

1. The Maid by Nita Prose-fun little cozy mystery, I’m ready to read the second one.

2. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson-interesting family story, with alternating narratives, time periods, and countries.

3. Her Last Affair by John Searles – a creepy mystery with a set of bizarre characters!

Enjoy whatever gifts come your way…be it sunshine, a good book, or family time.

Christmas morning

The stockings are all hung and filled. We have an abundance of presents under and around our tree. Creatures are stirring somewhere in the house. The sunrise this morning was beautiful with shades of orange, pink, and lavender. It’s a new day, a Christmas morning. I’m thankful I no longer have to pull off the ruse of Santa for the children who are now full grown adults.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve together. In the afternoon Kaylee, Sam, Greg and I made the trek to Waverly to see my mom and play a round of Spite and Malice with her. When we returned I got cooking. I did a lot of early preparations so I didn’t have to spend long hours in the kitchen. I’ve also gained a sous chef in Kaylee’s boyfriend Sam. I put him in charge of the Roasted Squash Salad, same salad we had at Thanksgiving and it was just as good the second time around. For dinner I made Thyme and White Bean Pot Pies. Earlier in the day I created the filling and then the dough so all I had to do was assemble them and slide them into the oven. I added small florets of cauliflower and spinach to this recipe because I could imagine the flavor mixing well. I owe our dinner spread to Dana @Minimalist Baker.

Does everybody have a routine for their holidays? We do thanks to the Holt side of the family. We open up stockings with everyone taking a turn. It’s a calm way to start the day and after we eat breakfast. I am making a vegan scramble with sweet and gold potatoes, spinach, and vegan sausage with grits on the side. Then we get into the fun of opening up the presents under the tree. Again we take turns. Japhy used to wear the Santa hat to pass gifts around to each person.

For dinner I’ve made two soups I’ve made before and all I have to do is reheat them. I will make bread to serve with the soups. Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup and Corn Chowder from Natasha’s Kitchen. I made the corn chowder vegan by omitting the whole bacon step and using a combination of creamy oat milk and coconut milk. I usually don’t do the bacon step but the milk switch is new. I’m pretty confident it will taste similar.

My people are all still sleeping and I’m enjoying these last few minutes of quiet time. Our family is growing with the addition of Sam and Courtney, Tristan’s girlfriend and I’m enjoying getting to know both of them as we play games (a hilarious round of Scattegories last night), cook together, and chat. today we will play a round of Spite and Malice, work on the music puzzle that is spread out on the dining room table.

I hope you have a peaceful day whatever your plans. Take care of yourself. Happy holidays from us to you.

Natural Wonders

This summer I’ve been lucky to see a lot of natural beauty around me. I took a kayak day trip down a beautiful river with friends, looking up at gorgeous cliffs. And just yesterday I returned from 10 days on the road from Iowa to upstate New York and many cool places along the way. One of our first stops was South Bend, IN so I could check out Brain Lair Books and just to be in former Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s homeland. We had a delicious dinner there and then went onward across the country. Near Buffalo we veered over to see Niagara Falls for the first time. I’d only thought of this as a major tourist attraction and was delighted to behold the actual beauty of the water and the power it held. It roars over the edge but before that as you walk over the bridge you witness an almost ethereal blue color in the water. It was difficult to leave but the masses were starting to descend and we spent all of our vacation trying to keep ahead and away from the crowds.

We witnessed another amazing wonder at the Watkins Glen State Park in upstate New York. This gorge is a beautiful masterpiece carved into rock from erosion. The layers are striking as the waters rush through from up top. We hiked all the way up which took us behind two waterfalls and many, many wet steps up. It took us half the morning to climb up and then we spent the rest of the afternoon on a rental boat in the south side of Seneca Lake looking up at the rolling hills and waterfalls. Our trip out into the lake was cut short when a rainstorm rushed us back to the marina but we had fun tooling around on the boat and jumping into the chill lake in the time that we had. Some of our group went horseback riding into the hills and others traveled into the town of Corning to enjoy museums. Vacations are like that; there is something for everyone. Including wine slushees and Grateful Dead cover bands – thanks Hazlitt Vineyards. We had a fantastic time exploring the great outdoors and when we had to go indoors we masked up.

What really matters…

Recently I wrote posts on the love I have for my three children and my passion for politics; now I have food on my mind. This might be my life trifecta: children, food, and politics and intersecting through that is working with students as a librarian. I love my work, enjoy helping students find books, information, and fresh ideas.

And at the end of most days I love coming home and cooking in my kitchen. My kitchen is too small for a lot of cooks in the kitchen and in fact it is only enough room for Groovy Girl and I to cook together. And we have to do a well-executed dance to not bump into each other. Having music on helps. Usually I just play my own jams but if she steps into the kitchen to help then she she plays her own music. Just like with anything good in life it is most perfect when you have all your ingredients right there and ready. I like a well-stocked pantry and when I have the space and time to put things together, relaxed with a glass of wine. More often though it’s rushed after school but even quick I can pull something together that is unique and delicious.

{Curried Lentils}

Last week I made Maharajah’s Rice from Meera Sodha’s Fresh India cookbook and it was very easy to make right after school. I loved the flavors of the basmati rice mixed with the soft apricot, almonds and aromatic cinnamon. It’s quite similar to this basmati rice recipe from Analida’s Ethnic Spoon. And while browsing her site I found this chickpea and lentil recipe that I’ll have to try soon. A few weeks ago Groovy Girl said she needed some comfort food when she came home the next time; something like lentils she said. That’s like a special invitation connecting your children with food. I searched for the perfect lentil recipe and found a curry that we all loved and will make again. She said “this is the perfect comfort food, mama” while holding the bowl up and breathing in the smells and heat. I found that easy recipe, Creamy One-Pot Curried Lentils and Quinoa on Yup..It’s Vegan! That same weekend I also whipped up blueberry lemon muffins for her to take back to school.

My second favorite place to be in the kitchen is at my brother’s house where I can just be the sous to his chef. He has a beautiful kitchen and makes a wide variety of foods. It’s nice to relax there and not be in charge of the meal. I can watch him cook or help along the way.

Now why is Prince gracing this post about food? Because I often listen to music while I write and today I thought he deserved to be on top. Let’s go crazy.

Each and everyone of us are multidimensional and hopefully you’ve found things in your life to feed your soul. Enjoy!

Showing UP: a love letter

I love the three children that grew up in our house together. I tried my best to show up and be a good mama. It didn’t happen every day or every moment but I hope my children remember times that I was there for them, that I supported and encouraged them. All three are adults now off in the world doing their own things.

Kaylee, the oldest of the three and my stepdaughter, produces a podcast, Heavyweight, for Gimlet Media and she lives in Brooklyn, NY. She’s been stuck in NY throughout the pandemic learning to live there without the restaurants and live theatre that brought her great joy in previous years.

Tristan, my first born but middle in our family, manages the McGrath Kia & Hyundai dealership in Hiawatha, IA. He finished a degree in Political Science at the U of I two winters ago and loves working with cars.

Japhy, my youngest and better known here as Groovy Girl, is in her freshman year at U of I in Iowa City. She is learning to navigate college life through a pandemic with virtual classes and a very different dorm life than expected.

All three children enjoy spending time together, and I hope will continue to seek each other throughout their adult lives. After a few ups and downs with each child I’m most interested in their happiness. I hope they find good life partners who bring out the best in each other. I hope they enjoy their work and lead socially responsible lives.

I’ve reflected back recently on my talents as a parent and I realized I am good at cuddling and we spent hours curled up reading or talking together. This makes me a great emotional support animal: you can bring me anywhere. I’m also a pretty good personal chef. My kids have a wide variety of food they eat and don’t eat. Kaylee eats chicken but not red meat, Tristan went from begging for meat in our mostly vegetarian diet when he was a middle school student and is now a fully committed vegan. Japhy eats a wide variety and loves to cook but learned this summer that she is allergic to eating tomatoes after she did the elimination diet. She has had digestion problems throughout high school and we can’t seem to find all the culprits.

I am there for them when they need food or drink-most of the time. I’ve faltered a few times. In my beginning stages of learning to cook vegan I had some rough patches but as we usually do- we made it to the other side. Forgive me if I can’t remember who likes apples, kiwi, cranberries, or extra cheese! I love all three of these amazing adult children with all their unique personalities. I know they will show up for me as well. The empty nest feels strange but I’m happy to share these three humans with the world.

Dr. King's Legacy

It was 50 years ago; April 4th, 1968 at 6:05 tonight. It’s chilling. I think of how far we’ve come for there has been progress. Signs for “Whites Only” are gone, people of all races, colors, and genders are given their right to vote, outright segregation is no longer present. Yet we’ve not come far enough. There is still segregation hidden by poverty and neighborhood, by opportunity. We’re still waiting for a certain amount of change in this country. At least many of us are. Dr. King did bring us to the mountaintop and I think of the bodies lined along the way; not only his but Robert Kennedy, Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X, but Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Stephon Clark, Eric Garner, Samuel DuBose, Freddie Gray, Natasha McKenna, and Christian Taylor, just to name a few-the list is too long.

Last night I attended a staged reading about the last night of Martin’s life as he talks with a maid at the Lorraine Motel. It was a good look at Dr. King in a very humanizing way. He wasn’t perfect but he was an amazing speaker who loved all people, who wanted to see the good in what could happen. As I talked with friends before the play my friend Rita made an interesting comparison to the weather we are all humbled by-very winter weather at the beginning of April-she said it was like we were in Narnia. Quickly we made the leap to Trump as the White Queen. So much change still to be made and a madman in the White House who considers gun violence a local issue and continues to offer his “thoughts and prayers”.

We need stricter gun laws (and we don’t mean your hunting or handguns appropriately used and registered. We are talking about guns that should not be covered by the 2nd Amendment. This president ~ not going to do it.

We need better immigration policies, DACA to continue, and this president is going in the opposite direction.

This list is long but I see hope in the students of Stoneman Douglas as they lead the march, I see hope in the #MeToo movement as women insist on calling out those who use power as a weapon. I see hope in the Black Lives Matter Movement as they fight back against police brutality and twisted realities. I see hope in my 15-yr-old daughter as she rants to the radio over Trump’s immigration plans and quotas that rush people through an already dismal situation.

Keeping Dr. King’s dream alive should be every person’s mantra out there every day as you fight for civil rights in your neck of the world and beyond. Hold your own candlelight vigil tonight as 6:05 ticks by…

Holiday Hoopla

Christmas is over and thank heavens. The holiday is a bit of a mountain to climb; all the preparations of gifts and food, keeping everyone happy and moving in one direction, the right amount of drinks and frivolous fun balanced with close family time. I would think this would all get easier as the kids get older.

There were many parts of the holiday that I enjoyed and will savor over the course of 2018 and I plan to put a little more thought into next year’s plan. Next year I don’t want to be the one person constantly in the kitchen preparing food. We’ve always had interesting meals for holidays, we don’t tend to have a big platter of meat as the main course. This year we had two vegans to work with and it was no easy feat. As per my last post I did prepare an almost all vegan spread and they were delicious recipes. Even with a perfect spread it was still off. Next year I’m just going to have a ton of Indian food pre-prepared, ready to heat back up and served around the table.

Everyone has expectations for the day and I have a sinking feeling that somehow I was not a good cruise director. Although I think whatever plans I had made or not made wouldn’t have mattered. What is it about holidays and family gatherings that bring out the negative or at least hurt feelings? It begs the age old question “why can’t we all just get along? It takes a lot of empathy to understand trauma and depression and while I am a caring person I feel like I’m being slowly pulled down the rabbit hole. So instead I’m putting my whole spirit into ushering in 2018. Let it be a good and peaceful year.

Happy Halloween

We spent a whirlwind two days in La Crosse, WI exploring and then my husband ran a trail race on Sunday morning. We loved La Crosse and found many cool things to do there.

{very windy at the top of the cliff}

We loved Old Crow, The Charmant Hotel, Skeleton Crew Brew, Grandad’s Bluff, Stacked Turtle Brewery (named for Yertle the Turtle) and Duluth Trading Co. The sights of the bluffs around town were amazing even with much of the foliage stolen by cold weather and rain. We would not go back to Two Beagles Brewery; the service was good-the beer was tasteless. We had trouble finishing our flight and left the Oktoberfest with most left in the glass.

{Charmant Hotel Bloody Mary}

We stopped in La Crescent, MN on our way home; who knew they were the apple capital of the Minnesota? We pulled in at a farm stand and bought three bags of beauties and an apple fritter to share.

The beautiful Halloween photo at the top is courtesy of my friend Sarah and her 3 adorable children. We love their pumpkin glow! My girl carved a pumpkin of her own but with friends and I have yet to see photos. Happiest of Halloweens to you and stay safe out there.

Happy Father's Day…to all dads

Dear Dad;

You’d be so happy to see how all your children have turned out. Well maybe; we might have happy separate lives but a few of us don’t have much of a relationship. You would have worked hard to help us mend that because you had faith in family. You knew it was important to let the little things go and the big things to because no matter what family is family and they are your first source for love.

Grandkids are good too. You’d be proud of Tristan at University of Iowa, studying and applying himself to make a difference. His major is political science and you would have loved to talk current events with him. He has a real handle on how the world is and loves discussing the bigger picture. My Groovy Teen (the artist formerly known as Groovy Girl) begins 10th grade in the fall. She is a bright light, a dancer, a imaginative thinker, a designer, a friend, a messy multi-tasker, a foodie, and struggles with her idea of perfection. You’d be beyond proud of Kaylee; she still shines in photos and is making it in the big city! She is thoughtful, loves theatre, has an amazing sense of humor, and writes and interviews like a pro. Her posts, tweets, and podcasts keep us all amused.

I’ve talked many times about how much I miss you as evidenced by this Father’s Day post from 2010 and 2016 version and this birthday post from 2016. You are missed. Damn that cancer.

Today as we celebrate my husband with a delicious brunch I’ll be thinking of you, wishing you were here at the table with us, touching my hair, and throwing me that smile that tells me everything is going to be okay.