Meatless Monday: keep it simple

Hey friends! Happy Monday!

Just look at this gorgeous salad. It's got it all: fresh veggies, lentils, barley, and my fav--goat cheese! Definitely making this, this week:)

What about you? Any fun meatless recipes you're trying this week?

Five Gratitudes

Ah, what a week. Getting back into the swing of things after my brain-lapse last week! My pile of projects-to-grade is down by two thirds. Today is sunny, and fully, freshly spring. Trees are blooming all over the place, and wind is brisk, but not bone-chilling. And I'm smiling. (I hope you are, too!)

Here's what I'm grateful for today:




1. This song has been my jam all day--perfect for a sunny day in the city--and I'm grateful for that.

2. I'm grateful for poetry. Most especially (today) the poetry of this sweet-hipster-looking-dude, Ezra Pound. For example:

Love thou thy dream 

All base love scorning, 

Love thou the wind 

And here take warning 

That dreams alone can truly be, 

For 'tis in dream I come to thee.

 

3. I'm grateful that I get to hang out with my friend, Jamica, tonight! (and we're going here, which looks like a really cool pub with delicious sounding food-yay!)

4. I'm grateful for this dancing polar bear, that brought an instant smile to my face:)(and this amazing article, which made me laugh out loud!)

5. And, last but certainly not least, I'm grateful for napping. Since it is the weekend (and a holiday at that), I am looking forward to doing some major napping--before, and hopefully after, a lovely family dinner.

I do hope you can get a nap in, too!

What to Wear to Work

Hey all! Check out my guest post for Whitney over at her teacher-fashion blog Between the Lines. She has a really refreshing, honest voice and posts lots of creative "real-life" outfits that she puts together. I was excited and really flattered that she asked me to participate in her weekly feature, "Women who Work." I got to share some pics of outfits I've put together for teaching, as well as answer some interesting questions about fashion and my job. So check out my answers and outfits, and give Whitney some love!

book talk: adaptations of a favorite

When I think of film adaptations of books, there are a lot of miserable examples. Few--very few--succeed in capturing the essence of a book well--even if they are fabulous films in their own right. One of my favorite book adaptations ever has to be Emma Thompson's version of the Jane Austen novel, Sense and Sensibility. I just love it--love the humor and warmth that Thompson brought to the screenplay, love the gorgeous direction of Ang Lee.

Which is why, as you can imagine, I almost didn't even give the Masterpiece Classic version by Andrew Davies a fighting chance.

I may have been mistaken. I can't believe I waited so long!

This newest version is fantastic--with much of what made the Thompson/Lee version so dear to me, but with it's own twists. For instance, there is a deeper development of the Edward-and-Elinor romance, which was lovely.

talk about the weather

I also just loved the fact that there was a darker, sort of "raw" quality to the setting. Since Great Britain's weather is roughly on-par with what we get here in the Mitten, I sometimes roll my eyes at period pieces that are all sunshine and teacups. But the un-varnished, and sometimes pretty bleak-looking weather in this film only gave it more depth.

Not that I could ever forget the classic (at least in my mind) version! In fact, when I stumbled across this excerpt from Emma Thompson's diaries from when she was filming, it made me remember all over again how smart and witty she--and her version of the film--is. Don't you just want to be friends with her? I do!

Ok, so I'll probably just need to be content with reading her reflections instead. Still fun, probably:)

Meatless Monday, halfway

Hey friends! I hope that wherever you are, you're having as gorgeous a Monday as we are here in the Mitten. It has been cheerfully sunny all day, and I'm happy about it. Also, I may be in denial about the stack of to-be-graded papers that is really not shrinking as fast as it needs to. Ok, maybe not at all.

But of course, we are in denial, and so we will turn our attention to far more entrancing matters, like dinner.

Doesn't this meatless pasta dish look incredible? Penne, cauliflour and cheesy, mustard-y goodness. I'm totally sold on this one.

Ok, so I know that this lovely-looking salad isn't completely "meatless" (there's tuna in it), but it just is so pretty. Also, I'm sure that you could sub out the tuna and add in more greens, or maybe a different type of bean, to round it out. This is a dinner that just screams spring, don't you think?

What about you? What are you planning for dinner this week?

Five Gratitudes

Man-o-man, am I grateful it is Friday! Still working on finding my mind...and totally glad that now I have two days of weekend to seriously try and locate it:)

Here's what I'm grateful for today:



1. It's been raining here in the city all afternoon. And, while this has made for some pretty adventurous dashes to and from classes, I am grateful for the soft, meditative sound of rain.

2. I'm grateful for laughter. (I'm also grateful to Jo for her tip on this hilarious tumblr, a definite source of out-loud laughter for me today!)




3. I'm grateful for this beautiful look at the grace and precision of ballet.

4. I'm grateful for the da Vinci glow.

5. Last but not least, I'm grateful that my sister is hosting a little girls' night tonight--an excuse to try out this fresh, easy-seeming appetizer.

What about you? What are you grateful for this week?

go find yo mind!

***

Hey all! Sorry for the long silence...I've been trying to get a handle on things. So much to share with you! Last week, I was in St. Louis for this professional conference, which was fun and interesting. However, I feel like my life/schedule/brain has been thrown off-kilter by that chunk of traveling. As I slowly attack the pile of projects I have to grade, I'm also trying to get back in the swing of my own personal writing and blogging--so, I hope to see more of you all here, soon:). Hope this post finds you all well, and with at least some idea of where your brain is!