Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Manifesto of Encouragement

right now:

There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.

Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.

Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.

Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.

A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."

Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie. Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you -- for free.

Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.

The next great song is being rehearsed.

Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.

Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.

Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. They just can't see it from where they're at.

Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want -- and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."

Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche -- this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.

Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.

Someone is fighting the fight so that you don't have to.

Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable.




You. Me. Some. One. Now.

Courtesy of white hot truth

Friday, December 17, 2010

Cooking With Saki

Tidings of comfort and joy to you, dear BlogFans! Are you enjoying the holiday season? I know we are, here at the Costa Casa. Christmas goodie making has been in full swing since last week, and I thought since I can't give my beloved readers tasty treats from my kitchen, at the very least I can teach them how to make it their damn selves :)

Jingle all the way to the store, because you will need:
One box of cake mix, any flavor
The ingredients to bake said cake
A tub of pre-made frosting that will taste delicious with the cake you picked
1 bag bittersweet chocolate
Vegetable shortening


Mix up that cake batter - I'm not going to hold your hands on this one, kids. Read the box. Bake your cake in a 9x13" pan according to directions. Cool completely. This is very important. We used funfetti cake. Who doesn't lurve funfetti?
Our helpful friend Charlie Chameleon supervises



Break that cake into pieces in your mixer, and scoop in the tub of frosting. We used creamy vanilla, but the possibilities are endless, really.
All set to mix in the fancy Kitchenaid stand mixer



One more gratuitous shot of the stand mixer. I think I hear angels heralding.



Turn that bad boy on and watch it go. Be sure to scrape the bowl frequently, as this creates quite the sticky mess.
Mmmm....Delicious goopy goodness



Cover this mixture and put it into your fridge. It will get sort of hard, the way cookie dough does. Using a cookie scoop, or any sort of spoon, scoop out spoonfuls of the dough and set them on a sheet of waxed paper. Try to keep them all the same size. When you're all done scooping, rub a tiny bit of shortening onto your hands (gross, I know, but trust me, BlogFans, it's for your own good). Carefully roll the balls between your hands until they're nice and round. *this would be where I would put the picture of the naked cake balls, had I not accidentally deleted it from the camera* Put all of them and the waxed paper onto a baking sheet and stick it into your freezer for an hour or two. When time is almost up, melt your chocolate in a double broiler, adding enough vegetable shortening to make it easy to work with. For us, this is usually 1-2TBL per 1.5lbs of chocolate. One by one, drop the frozen cake balls into the chocolate and then fish out with a fork. Put them on waxed paper or parchment paper while they cool and the chocolate sets. The chocolate will set very quickly on these, since they are frozen, so if you want to add any sort of sprinkles, be like the wind, BlogFans.
Somewhere around the 100th cake ball I begin to detest the smell of chocolate and cake.



Once they are cooled and set, transfer to your fridge. They will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge in an air tight container.
Sidenote: If your Hubbin' is like mine, consider hiding the cake balls, lest you not have any to share with the neighbors.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Go Saki, it's your birfday!

Cecilia: Mommy, do you have a birthday dress?
Saki: No, I don't think so.
Cecilia: Let's go look at your dresses
*as we flip through my closet*
Cecilia, slightly horrified: None of these are fancy.
Saki: I know. Mommy has boring dresses
Cecilia: I KNOW! How about your wedding dress? That is VERY fancy!