One Shot, or Two?

There are moments in our lives when we stop and think about how short life really is. Or how precious life is. As a mom of a new-ish 10-month old baby and soon to be 4-year old, I'm reminded quite often about this fact. I watch my children change every day. It's marvelous to see the curiosity in their eyes when exploring a new subject of affection. And then to watch the transformation from curiosity to joy or "glee" on their innocent faces when they make a new discovery.

So in addition to enjoying one or two shots of espresso as a sleep deprived mama, I think about how life is a one-shot deal. Whatever my belief, I know I am here for a limited time. I can't imagine living to be 120. Why, when it means I extend my old-age habits for another 20 or 30 years?

So why not enjoy these moments of "middle-age" and give it my best shot? I often think about playing the lotto so I actually have a shot at winning. But then my strategy is that life is, in a way, a lotto. So why not play my hand at several different entrepreneurial ideas, to see if one of them is the winning ticket?

With one shot, might as well make it the strongest, boldest espresso each and every day.

The Mystery Soda

My husband is not really a soda drinker. (I call it soda because I grew up calling it soda, or pop, or soda pop). I occasionally relish a diet coke, and during the summer it seems like my default drink when I am not hankering for a micro brew of the local sort. I do like me a good Manny's pint on occasion! But one day, when I was hot and we were going to the Festival for Wooden boats on July 4th with the kids and we parked in his work garage, I asked if there was a d.c. in the fridge upstairs near his office. He said probably not, but to his surprise, there was a nice shiny can of diet coke. Sitting alone on the shelf. Looking lonely and unwanted. So he grabbed it without thinking too much about it. Or so I thought.

It turns out that, just last night he confessed to me that he bought a case of diet coke and it's been under his desk at work. "That's funny. Why?" I asked. Well, he proceeded to tell me about how guilty he felt about taking someone's coke from the fridge, so he replaced it.
"Trouble is", he proceeded to tell me, "I've taken it out and replaced it about a half dozen times so now half the case is gone". We both laughed at the ridiculousness of this Steve Carell or Will Ferrell type moment where he continues to trudge to the fridge with a warm coke in hand, replacing the missing coke he took hours earlier, repeatedly going back. Most likely looking suspicious from doing something bad.

I guess it's called, living with a conscience! I told him his next career move is to become a comedian. That, or to go to d.c. anonymous because maybe he's a closet soda drinker!

Simple Recipes

It's summertime, and the livin' is easy. We are spending time in Montana with family, celebrating birth years and reminiscing about our youth. There are some funny pictures of our family (and the clothes we are wearing!) But all in all, I can see the smiles on all of the faces as they thumb through photo album after photo album of our past. This family reunion is a savory recipe of one part nostalgia and one part creating new memories.

Our family reunions are always potluck style. Julie brought Goulash, a macaroni and hamburger stew with tomatoes (Dode used Tomato Soup); Deanna made baked beans with bacon, our favorite, Vonda made a healthy salad with huckleberry dressing, Connie made old fashioned fruit salad with cool whip, and Marci brought granola baked in a pan with melted chocolate chips on top. Mom, dad and our siblings contributed to A LOT of meat, and Paul grilled it up. We all ate too much. So now I am thinking about something I want to try to make (of course - food obsessed!)

Marci's Granola recipe goes something like this:
2 cups granola
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 pack chocolate chips (melted)

I guess I need to try making it, but I'd like to start with home-made granola and use Adams or 365 brand peanut butter (no lard). Let me know if this works for you!

Sleepless in North Seattle

I have two beautiful daughters. Absolutely the light of our lives.

And yet I am so very sleep deprived, there are days I can hardly think beyond the perfunctory. Wake up, drink coffee. Get dressed, drink coffee. Change diapers, dress and feed children, and maybe one more espresso for the road en route to school drop off and work? It is no wonder working parents cannot keep up with the news, or put much thought into which local or state initiatives really matter to their families. That is why, when I do get involved in an event, I need to care enough about it.
Seattle BioMed is one of those "causes". I was so very touched by the event my husband and I attended at Seattle BioMed's Passport Event, and thrilled to see the work they are doing. Selfishly I felt the glowing pride of a "mother" who also helped to define the new brand personality of their organization. The birth of a 30 year old organization who has spread its wings, or the birth of our baby and toddler who have yet to really define their place in this world... I guess there are so many things that matter, and it is so very hard to prioritize it all. But I feel the rewards far far outweigh the sleepless nights.

Coffee and China

Most of us drink tea in our fine China, or we drink tea when traveling in China. In this case, I was drinking coffee (there is an ongoing theme of sleep deprived mama) while HEARING someone speak about China! I was at an APCO sponsored breakfast talk at an ungodly hour (like 7:00 a.m.) which featured good coffee and guest speaker James McGregor, an expert on China relations. This gathering was for the Seattle business community to learn and discuss how to effectively do business in China. James McGregor was both entertaining and compelling. At times, even depressing when he mentioned some very real problems with both the Chinese Government and the U.S. Government. But he might have been foreshadowing the recent Presidential nominee when he was giving glowing reviews about the former ambassador to China - Jon Huntsman. James seemed invincible when expressing his admiration and respect for someone who would be an incredible loss in his role as ambassador, and in the same breath he exclaimed "Jon is truly a class-act. He is presidential material". I'm probably not stating his exact words, but you get the picture. This event took place on April 26. Fast forward to earlier this week when Huntsman, officially announced his candidacy for the Republican party. Coffee talk turned presidential candidacy, now that's some breakfast!

Where are all the women?

I was looking at a new neighborhood company that sprung up in the online travel space and was excited to see a venture near Greenlake. When I went to the site, I was interested in the bios of this distinct team of executives who put it all together. To my surprise, there were no women. One founder came from Microsoft, one from Marchex, and so on. Each time I see these Seattle based tech-y start ups, I have to ask, where are the women? I think I'll go drink an iced tea and get my nails done.

Did I Mention Fiddleheads?

From the various comments I've received, many of you have been asking this question, what the heck are fiddleheads?

I was at the University Farmer's Market with mom and saw these green spirals that almost looked like alien forms from another universe. So I bought a half pound, par boiled for 2 minutes and sauteed with bacon. They were still somewhat crunchy but tasted fresh and healthy. Well, except for the bacon part of it. That part tasted decadent. Okay let's face it, bacon is a spice. So anything sauteed with bacon is mighty flavorful...Paul even subscribes to bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. But he IS Canadian, afterall.