Pay It Forward day

Have seen the movie Pay It Forward? It's about a young boy who did 3 good deeds for others in need. In return, all that the child wanted was that they pass on the good deed to three other people and keep the cycle going. One good deed might not seem like much, but if everyone did something good for someone else, then the cycle of generosity and kindness can spark us to become better people.

Today, International Pay It Forward day, do a good deeds for someone else without asking for anything in return. Instead the recipient should be instructed to pay it forward to someone else in need. The difference we can make is phenomenal

Here’s some ideas:

1. At a drive through, pay for the car behind’s meal.You could do this at the train station, at a coffee shop – anywhere.
2. If it is raining, give your umbrella to someone who does not have one. (it might be worth taking a spare one with you
3. Visit an elderly neighbour’s house and ask them if they need to have anything they need repaired.
4. Donate some money to your favourite charity – perhaps collect some donation money from people at work.
5. Tell the manager of a restaurant how great your server was. This can happen in any store / business you visit. Aim at brightening someone else’s day
6. Top up other people’s parking metres to stop them getting a fine.
7. If you are washing your own car or mowing your own lawn, do the same for your next door neighbor
8. At your office, thank the “little people”. Everyone’s part is essential and no one’s job is purposeless. Thank the mail guy, the girl who cleans, or the door person.
9. Be a mentor for someone who needs some support.

Need more?

Making cheese at home from a kit

On Sunday, Max and I made our own cheese. We used this kit: http://www.amazon.com/Roaring-Brook-Dairy-Mozzarella-Cheesemaking/dp/B003XLWTIO

Turned out well and it was fun!

Heating the milk. At 85, add citric acid. At 100, add rennet.

Draining the curds. A towel under the curds would have been helpful.

Trying to remove as much whey as possible.

After stretching the cheese

Cooling the cheese.

The money shot!

Sliced mozzarella

Added to the pesto pasta salad

Opening day of the West End Farmers Market is May 1, 2011

May 1st marks the first day of the 2011 season of the West End Farmers Market! The market is open EVERY SUNDAY from 9am to 1pm.

Frida Salmoran will also be playing the acoustic guitar from 10 a.m. to Noon.

There will be face painting, balloon hats, and small treats for the kids. Please come out and support the West End Farmer's Market!


Who will be there?

• The Dressed Up Nut: Small batch, gourmet nuts
• On the Gourmet: VA grown and made gourmet condiments, foods, ice cream
• Fresh Joseph: Fresh squeezed orange juice and scones
• Pearl Teas
• Tommy Tompkins: Cheese Store and more
• Penn Farms: Vegetables and herbs
• Normas Produce: Vegetables
• Medina and Sons: Vegetables and herbs
• Papa’s Orchard: Fruits
• Billie’s Flowers: Fresh cut flowers
• William’s Flavor Station
• Lucia Stolberg: Gardener
• OPK Foods: Homemade organic sausages and meats
• Cavanna Pasta: Homemade Pasta and Sauces
• Vera's Bakery: Sweet rolls, muffins, breads, cookies, pastries
• Great Harvest Bread: Breads, rolls, muffins

Fresh herbs from my garden

I'll be adding some to my pasta salad tonight!

My new favorite granola bar

Recently I was challenged to keep a whole grain cereal bar on hand. Initially I bought a box of Peanut Peanut Butter Kashi TLC Chewy Granola Bars. They were definitely good for me - but they were kind of dry. Not something that I wanted to eat. Then I tried Cascadian Farm's fruit and nut chewy granola bar - I found a winner! They are tasty and chewy. And organic! The only thing that would make them more perfect is if they were a little bigger.  :)

Currently reading

Radio Shangri-La: What I learned in Bhutan. the Happiest Kingdom on Earth by Lisa Napoli. Just came out in February.

Read up to the end of chapter 2 before bed. Love it so far! And I feel like I can totally relate (not that I'm 40 or burned out or overwhelmed by regret... but I am looking for a way to recharge my life).

I'm fascinated by the idea of National Gross Happiness. Sounds like a wonderful way to live! Looking forward to learning more about Bhutan and their way of life.

Cherry Blossoms

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Sometimes you just hit it out of the ballpark!  This was a huge hit at today's potluck lunch. Using canned beans and canned corn makes the cooking go a lot faster!

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

• 1½ cups quinoa
• 1½ cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned
• 1½ tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1½ cups cooked corn, rinsed if canned
• ¾ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

For dressing
• 5 tablespoons lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1¼ teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil

• In a bowl wash quinoa (in 4-5 changes cold water), rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off most of water, until water runs clear. Drain.
• Using a rice cooker (or saucepan) of salted boiling water cook quinoa 10 minutes. Line the steamer basket with a fine kitchen towel and drain quinoa, saving the boiling water. Set steamer basked over the boiling water (quinoa should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered, until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool.
• While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with red-wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the quinoa is cool, add beans, corn, bell pepper, and parsley. Toss well.
• For the dressing, whisk together lime juice, salt, chili power, cumin and oil in a small measuring cup.
• Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
• Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

Based on a recipe from Epicurious.

23rd Annual Potomac Watershed Clean-Up

ASA is partnering with the Alice Ferguson Foundation again this year for the 23rd Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. We will be cleaning up the trash and recyclables along Hooffs Run, and gloves and trash bags will be provided. This volunteer event is open to everyone!

When: Saturday, April 9 from 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon
Where: ASA, 1500 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 22314

RVSP

Bucket List

I have often wondered about this but only today actually looked to see if there was any research into the matter.  I found this article:

Why Time Goes Faster as You Get Older by Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D.

The article itself proposes that it's all about new experiences. Additional comments point to savoring the moment. (And then something science-y about your brain hardening which may be true but I cannot speak to that.)

If it is about new experiences (which studies have also linked to increased happiness and a better marriage), that's something I can affect. To that end, here's some things that I have never done but would like to do (in no particular order):

• get a tattoo
• take a trip to Italy
• go up in a hot air balloon
• learn Spanish
• take a trip to England, Ireland, and Scotland
• ride on a helicopter
• go to Antarctica
• see the Northern lights up close
• try indoor rock climbing
• learn how to golf
• go horseback riding
• take a trip to Australia, see the Great Barrier Reef
• see the pyramids in Egypt
• see a moose in real life
• take a trip to Moscow
• take a trip to Tibet
• see the New England Patriots play at Foxboro Stadium
• go to the top of the Statute of Liberty
• go to the top of the Washington Monument
• ride on a motorcycle
• travel to New Zealand, see the hobbit houses
• go to Universal Studios in Florida to see Hogwarts
• watch a meteor shower
• take a trip to Japan
• attend a gala
• learn how to belly dance
• take a trip to Hawaii
• ride on the Orient Express
• go on a cruise
• learn how to surf
• take a trip to Kenya, go on a safari
• take a trip to Morocco
• ride a segway
• get my teeth straightened
• be an extra in a movie
• see the wild horses in Carova
• visit an Amish farm
• ride in a stretch limo
• spend Canada Day on Parliament Hill
• help my Dad sell one of his wood carvings on Etsy
• walk on a glacier
• get a palm reading
• get a tarot card reading
• go to a maple syrup farm when the trees are tapped in the spring
• make my own cheese

I just wish that so many of these things didn't cost so much - time and money. Just joined Bucketlist to keep track of all of this - and probably add more!

Increasing Engagement through Video Story Problems Teaching Idea

My friend Ben Rimes has a great idea:

Increasing Engagement through Video Story Problems Teaching Idea

Description

Increasing engagement with real world problems is a lot easier if you bring the real world into the classroom. In collaboration with another teacher, I've created several math and science related video story problems for teachers to use when introducing a concept, or looking for a way to give students a more real world example than what's printed in the text book. From exploding jars of applesauce to calculating distance, problems related to content area are shared via Vimeo.

Education Level(s)

Pre-K/Kindergarten, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12

Subject(s)

Math & Science, Student Engagement & Development, Technology & Innovation

Learning Objectives

Students will be solve authentic problems, complete with distracting data and information that have to be carefully separated from the pertinent information. Both conceptual and procedural problems will be presented to the students in the areas of science and math. Students will view video story problems that take place around their school, community, in addition to problems from other schools and scenarios in order to make connections between school and real world problem solving.

Materials

Handheld camcorders, cell phones, and webcams will be used to capture video for the story problems, with iMovie, Movie Maker, and other movie making tools being used to produce the story problems. Vimeo.com will be used to host the videos for easy sharing and embedding of videos between school buildings and school districts.

Other Information

There are a few example videos already hosted on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/album/1545575). The quality of the videos changes from movie to movie, as the quality of the camera I have available to me is never a constant. Having a camera that could be dedicates to the project would be helpful. Vimeo is the choice for hosting the videos as it's easier to get schools to unblock it than YouTube. Getting a premium Vimeo account would mean the videos could upgraded to play on Apple mobile devices too.

PLEASE VOTE FOR BEN!

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

Yesterday I went to the volunteer orientation for the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. There was a group of about 15 people. Not only did we learn about what they do, how they do it and why, we also got a tour of the facility. I filled out the application and hope to help out in whatever capacity they need me. If you would like to do the same, they have the application available online. And for those of you thinking about adopting a pet, they have cats, dogs, rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, hamsters, and sometimes even birds! Here's a look at some of the animals that were up for adoption yesterday:

Lots of kitties available

This guy just had surgery. He was so friendly!

What a cute little guy! I definitely see the appeal - he would totally fit in my purse!

This guy just came in from running around outside.

Bunny!

And if you're considering adoption, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has a "Sweet Sixteen" promotion running right now. There are 16 pets that can be adopted for just $16! Check out the photos on their Facebook page.

Help support outdoor seating for Food Matters

In 1996, Greenvest L.C. purchased Cameron Station in Alexandria, Virgina. The mixed-used residential plan consists of 2,510 units including single family, townhome and multi-family dwellings with first level retail space.

Food Matters is located in a building run by the Cameron Station Condo Association but pays rent to Main Street, LLC. According to the Main Street Board President of the Condo Board, Steve Maquire, Greenvest was the one that setup the Main Street, LLC. Which seems a little convoluted to me but I guess that's not unusual for commercial real estate.Under the current terms, the condo association is liable if anything bad happens, not Greenvest, and so this spring the condo association decided to restrict the restaurant's use of outdoor seating.

As a long time Alexandria resident, I am strongly in favor of having outdoor seating at Food Matters. In fact, I would love to see the seating expanded! Part of what makes the community of Cameron Station so great is the gathering of people throughout the neighborhood. It enhances the entire neighborhood and makes it a really great place. Food Matters provides a meeting place so popular that when Max and I went there for dinner this weekend, we had to wait to be seated because all the tables were occupied. Even the barstools were full. And it was a shame that the outdoor seating was not in place - it was the perfect night for it.

If you are in support of the outdoor seating please politely express your opinion to Main Street Board President of the Condo Board, Steve Maquire.

Playa Flamingo a la Sunrise Earth

Costa Rica

Went to Costa Rica for the weekend with a bunch of friends. We had SUCH a good time. Delays coming back, plane didn't get in until after midnight. Luckily I took today off of work!

West End Farmers Market

Last week was less than stellar and this week seems like it is going to be very busy, so I'm just trying to make it to Friday. That's the not so good news.

The good news is that the website I designed for the West End Farmers Market went live today! I've been working on the marketing since January and this morning when I saw the site for the first time was so exciting!

Take a look and let me know what you think.

p.s. Opening day is May 1

Beer

I've never liked beer... until I tried Lindemans Framboise Lambic IPA. And now I know why!

The Lambic brewer uses old dry hop. He doesn't want the bitterness of the fresh hop, but the conservation property of the dried hop. The lager brewer uses young hop, which has that typical bitter taste.

So if you're like me and have always just assumed that you don't like beer at all, try something that uses old, dried hops - you might change your mind!

Busy weekend

Max and I spent the weekend in New York with his brother Marvin and Marvin's girlfriend, Helen. Went to the Natural History Museum, the Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum. Also had lunch with Aunt Rosy and Uncle John in Queens.

Max at the Met

Manhattan Skyline

Lunch with Uncle John and Aunt Rosy

Max waiting for the subway

Guggenheim Museum

Not too much snow, just enough to be pretty!

Knock, knock

As with most things in our house, it usually takes awhile for Max and I to agree on something we both like. Which is why, when we had our front door repainted and the old hardware removed, it was no simple feat to find a suitable replacement. I found this door knocker on Etsy and we both loved it immediately:

Check out FourRDesigns on Etsy for more of her work!

Valentine's Day

Max and I celebrated yesterday. First with some goodies from Sephora!

  

For dinner we went to Willow. Delicious!

Margarita flatbread with pepperoni, to share

Max's Flounder

Veal two ways

Strawberry shortcake layer cake

Chocolate covered strawberries and sugar cookies