On my run this morning I randomly picked a Craft Sanity podcast and was lucky enough to hear this hope-filled story about a family’s triumph for others through their own tragic loss. The story is all about quilts and was so fitting with this weekend’s opening of the Gee’s Bend quilt exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Art (check out their new website - just launched yesterday). There are events all weekend long starting with a dialogue with some of the quilters this evening at 5:30pm in the museum theater (buy tix here). I was lucky enough to get into the small quilt piecing class on Sunday with two of the quilters. I am so excited for the opportunity to learn from these amazing ladies. And, making the class even better is that I get to take it with my mom who is an amazing quilter!

Also tonight, Sierra Arts Gallery has a closing reception for “Significant Other” in their gallery.

There is also an exhibit opening next Thursday, February 11th at the Stremmel Gallery in conjunction with the museum’s Gee’s Bend show. And, then on Friday the 12th the Biennial Valentine Auction at UNR, which is not to be missed, kicks off at 5:30pm. Lots to see and do this weekend and next. Hope to see you out taking in some art. Have a lovely weekend and stay warm.

Quilt for Finn by my loving girlfriends, mom, and mother-in-law.

My friend Anne sent this to me and I had to share it. It’s an excerpt from a short story by Patricia Hampl.

First body memory – rainwater sluicing down my tadpole self with fabulous force from a drainpipe at the side of my grandmother’s house in St. Paul, theatrical thunderclaps and lightning jags above me. “Stop that screeching this minute!” my mother called from the kitchen. “You sound like you’re being murdered out there.” But you can’t silence delight – I kept screaming and the gorgeous cold water kept gushing.

From Momma Zen by Karen Maezen Miller:

People will tell you so many things, passing on their hindsight and regrets. Love them when they are little. Cherish the early days. I would say it all again, but I’m not sure you can hear it until you reach the other side, open your eyes, and let the tears of recognition come. There is not one piece of life that you can grasp, contain, or keep, not even the life you created and hold right now in your arms.

Over and over again we endured those words from friends, nurses, others’ mothers. “Enjoy them” they would tell us. I actually felt insulted. How would I not enjoy my own children? Then, my friend had her little girl - early, like our boys. I caught myself wanting to say the same thing to her, “enjoy her”.

I held that sweet little angel in my arms, still on oxygen, still connected to a heart monitor. All those things somehow weren’t scary to me or even present at this moment. All I saw was this little bean, still weeks away from her due date yet already home with her mom and dad. She was so tiny, sweet, squishy, new. I instantly missed my boys being that small. It seemed like forever ago but I’m sure it was just the deliriousness of being a new mom with no sleep and twin boys. Still, I felt myself wishing I’d paid more attention to every little detail of that early time of their first year, wondering what I’d missed in the haze of new motherhood. The smallness, the newness, the baby smells are fleeting. Thankfully, so are the hormones and the sleeplessness.

If there is anything that is constant in this journey of motherhood it is “letting go”. That has become my mantra. As much as I want to hold on to every precious moment I am constantly learning to let go. Often, letting go allows me to see those fleeting moments much more clearly.

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Momma Zen is always on my nightstand. I’m revisiting chapters that refresh my senses as I move through new stages of being a mom. Karen Maezen Miller also has a new book in the works, Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life(available for pre-order). Listen to an excerpt read by the author over at Superhero Journal. And, check out a couple from Momma Zen here.

Thanks to our generous friend, Heidi, I got to make up some of my favorite winter soup. She gifted us a bunch of food from her CSA basket, most of which just happened to work into the Summer Squash Soup recipe (below). I know, it’s not summer. I rarely follow a recipe or any instructions, for that matter. This recipe is really flexible just be careful not to overdo the carrots or the whole thing will taste like them.

What I did this time around:
- doubled/tripled the recipe
- subbed about half of each butternut and carnival squash for the summer squash
- didn’t have any carrots so skipped them
- one each of a red and yellow onion (oh, did I cry with the red one! took me back to my days of cutting onions at JJ’s Pie Co.)
- three large white potatoes
- two cups apple juice (clearing out fridge and making up for the sweetness lost without carrots)
- 5 cups chicken bullion (out of veggie stock that I usually use)

Summer Squash Soup

2 tbls olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 tsp salt
2 lb yellow summer squash or zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced (I just break them in threes and throw them in)
1 yellow-fleshed potato (1/2 lb), peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

Heat oil in a 6-8 quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat, add and cook onion and salt, stirring until softened, about 8 minutes. Add squash, carrots, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool soup, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup (use caution as this stays hot for a long time!) in a blender until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Return puree to cleaned pot and thin with water, if desired. Simmer 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

I usually crisp some rosemary from the yard in a little butter and sprinkle that on the soup. Or, serve with the fried rosemary and/or a drizzle of browned butter. Oh, and also delicious with crumbled goat cheese but what isn’t!

Other things I’ve added/subbed: beets, beer, milk, quinoa.

Let me know if you try it and what you changes you made. Enjoy!

The boys’ first outing in the snow, complete with red toboggans!

photo by David

Come visit me at the Nevada Museum of Art’s first ever Museum School Open House, tonight from 6-8pm. I’ll have some of my most recent pieces of jewelry on display and will be doing a demo on how to make a wire and bead cuff bracelet. The bracelet is just a glimpse into the many things that you can make in my upcoming class on October 17th: Wire Sculpted Jewelry & Accessories (sign up here). There will be many skilled museum school instructors showing their talents and available to answer any questions. Sign up for classes during the Open House and receive a discount - non-members receive the member discount and an additional 10% off for members.