Commonplace

You Are Invited

Come on over:

A Commonplace Life.

See you there!

-Amy

Colors of My Day

Yellow.

This vase was a wedding gift and it lives on our mantle. Niall put it there, on the end next to the window, because he said he likes how it catches the light.

Me too.

And yesterday's color:

Blue.

If the shot was a bit wider, you'd see all the toys that usually live in that bucket spilled all over the floor.

Things that are exciting me today:

Counting down to Inauguration Day.

Niall is taking the day off and we are attending brunch at friends'. Quinn is too young to appreciate it but Jake is pretty excited. (Nothing like inflicting one's views on our children.) He seems to understand the significance and we're hoping to be present in a moment that is certain to become something we look back upon.

In the evening I'm planning to attend the opening of The Obama Show at Eyebuzz in Tarrytown. I don't know whether I'm more excited to see these in person, or to meet Tara who is one of my favorite bloggers.

Watching Jake perform.

Any mother knows what it feels like to watch their child be happy. It's an indescribable feeling that affirms your entire being.

My son has struggled, more than any ten and a half year old should, to be happy. He continues to struggle still. But when he is playing the keyboard or singing on stage, he is as happy as I've ever seen him. I love to witness this and tonight and tomorrow I will.

If you missed any of my video posts of him, you can watch them here if you're so inclined (he's the little one).

Making new friends.

Kathleen at Mamas Always Write has an insightful and honest style that encourages me to write. I have been compelled by her 'prompts' since my first visit. It only solidified my interest in her when I found out that she lives in the city of my heart.

Stephanie at The Letter's Edge writes with a straightforward and quirky voice that is just a little self deprecating and I want to have a cup of coffee with her. She has has recently posed a question that's got me thinking: what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? I'll be guest-posting on her blog and addressing that question later in the month.

Meeting both of these women and reading their accounts of motherhood, career decisions, marriage and creativity, further confirms my suspicions that I am not alone.

What is exciting you today?

Thanks for visiting.

Victory!

Did you see? I won! Over at Springtree Road, Maya had a contest and the winner got to choose an eight by ten inch print of any one of her beautiful photographs.  Maya's photos are calm and observant and they often make me curious or tell a story. I don't know how I'll choose. Do you have a favorite photo of hers?

It may interest you to know that this here teeny tiny post is my ninety-ninth one. You know what that means, right? Tune in next time...

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Thank you all for graciously letting me complain about the situation in my living room. Sometimes it really does help just to get it out (and to have someone say "hell yeah, I'd be annoyed too, that sucks").

Moving on.

It was finally cold enough here today that soup for lunch was more than just a good idea — it was almost necessary. I find that the first few really chilly days, despite how good they feel, get in my bones in a deeper way than later in the season. It somehow seems harder to keep warm, like my body has to acclimate to the chill. Or maybe it's that I still refuse to wear socks. Either way, this soup was perfect for lunch and kept me warm through the rest of the afternoon and now we've got weekend lunches at the ready.

This recipe was given to me by my friend Natalie (who is not Hungarian to the best of my knowledge) many years ago. It couldn't be easier or more delicious. It even wins compliments from Jake (who rarely looks up from his PB&J long enough to notice other food groups).

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I mix baby bella with white button, but any old mushroom will do)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons tamari
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, tamari and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, melt remaining butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add milk and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and thick. Pour flour mixture into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, stir in the lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Season to taste. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve immediately.

Aside:
I thought for a while about what I wanted say about last night's vice presidential debate. I'm not at a loss for words. Actually, I have quite a lot to say about it. I think though that this post over at beauty that moves just about sums it up for me. So if you just can't get enough of this mess, click on over and have yourself a read.

Cool Weather Goodness

This is my favorite scarf.

I loved knitting it. I love the pattern. I love the yarn. I love the luxurious color and I love how it feels on my neck. I love the first day cool enough to wear it.

This is a new scarf.

I just finished it this week. It was a fun pattern and it's always satisfying to use scraps from my stash. I'm going to throw it in the rotation as the weather continues to turn and see if it earns a place of honor. Something about it isn't speaking to me though. We'll see.

In the spirit of the frost being on the proverbial pumpkin (do James Taylor lyrics count as proverbs?) and the wool scarves wrapping up our necks, I've also got soup simmering on the stove as I write this post. I'm getting a jump on Jessica's Soup Swap which is set to start on Monday. I'll be posting photos and the recipe then, but I'll give you some hints. It's my mother's recipe and it involves beans, barley and flanken. If you don't know what flanken is, then you probably didn't grow up in a Jewish household. You're in for a treat!

My question for today: If I were to give up television all together (in order to set an example for my boys), would that include Jon Stewart as well, or could an exception be made for his show?

Giveaway Alert

Alexis of Knot Sew Crafty fame is having her 200th post giveaway. She's got very cool taste so I'm sure the surprise items (yes, there are more than one) are going to be super. Head on over and check out her excellent blog. If you haven't been there before, you have 200 fun, thought provoking and sometimes silly posts to discover.

Since this is a whine-free blog I'm sorry to say that I've not much else to share today. I'll return when the urge to complain has passed.

Blog News

Hi. I changed my blog address and didn't realize that it would mess up blog readers and feeds. I misunderstood TypePad's instructions regarding domain mapping and default weblogs blah blah blah. The point is: '4Patch' is now 'commonplace' and if you happen to read me on a feed, I'm sorry but you'll have to re-subscribe. Come on over and see what's new.

Oops. I think I've got it now with no changes or re-subscriptions required. Sorry for any trouble.

-Amy