Pinned!

Yogurt Brulee | Not Without Salt

AmandaCatherineDes

Banana Dog | The Village Cook

Jenna Wagner

Design Sponge

Finding Happiness in the Crazy

My apologies for being completely absent this week! Life has been crazy with appointments and disappointments, the perils of public transportation, and a sad laptop with some boo boos.

Still, I found some little things to appreciate...

My job requires a boring uniform of navy slacks or skirt, white button down, and a navy blazer. I like to punch it up with accessories when I can, and this week I did it with fun little necklaces.

Okay. Here me out on this. It's crunchy peanut butter on a sandwich thin. With a sprinkle of Trader Joe's Flower Pepper. That's right. Flower Pepper. It comes a grinder with black peppercorns, rose petals, calendula, lavender, and cornflower. I know! It sounds so weird! Flowers in your pepper? Pepper on your peanut butter? But it's SO! GOOD!

I've been spending a lot of time travelling into New York City for various projects, which means lots of time waiting for trains and walking the city streets. Leg warmers have been my savior! They're cute and they keep my stems nice and toasty.

Eggplant chips! My mom fried these up the other night and they were SO DELISH! She lightly dusted them with some flour before frying, and then sprinkled them with some tangy spices. Nom. Nom. Nom.

Please excuse how strange Nickolaus and I look in this screen shot. As I said, I've been having some laptop troubles, so we've been resorting to FaceTime. It doesn't always work too well, but the technology is still impressive when you think about what our cellphones could handle just a few years ago. All in all, I'm thankful to have this available.

This Week

Simple things that made me love this week...

Trader Joe's Lemon & Triple Ginger Snap Ice Cream. Magic in a carton.

Nickolaus joined Pinterest! Best of all, he has an entire pinboard dedicated to his dream bathroom.

I bought a book at Barnes and Nobel and my receipt recommended other books I should read.

 The Anatomy of a Cupcake! 

I wasn't so much a fan of Shit Girls Say, but White Girls Say to Indian Girls, White Girls Say to Brown Girls, and Indian Girls Say definitely made me giggle.

I'm on Pinterest!

My favorite pins this week:

DIY bud vase from soda bottles

Yellow submarine tea infuser

Lettuce Turnip the Beet 

Regenerate green onions

Savory oatmeal

Male Models

Today is a big day. Three years ago on January 11, my life changed. At the time it was for the worse, but now I choose to believe it's for the better. I'm a stronger person, not only for myself, but for those around me.

I spent my last couple of anniversaries trying to distract myself and crying a lot. This year, it's pretty much a normal day.

Except I wrote. And I wrote with intention. And that was how I reclaimed this day.

This morning I posted the first piece on MasculinityU, an initiative geared towards engaging young men in redefining masculinity and encouraging them to take an equal role in ending gender based violence. You might wonder what I, as a woman, am doing writing for MasculinityU, and when founders Sacchi and Marc first asked me to write for them I had the same thought. But I figured out how to contribute in a meaningful way with my new column, Male Models. Every week I'll be spotlighting a lovely gentleman who is helping to end gender based violence in his own way. 

I'm really excited about it! You can follow along here every week.

Today was such a fantastic adventurous day!

It started off with some great conversation with my brother as we both caught a train into the city. We split off at Penn Station so he could catch a bus back to U Penn and I could go audition for a production of The Vagina Monologues.

I got there a bit early so I wandered around the Upper West Side searching for a bite to eat. Even better - I found a flea market on Columbus and 76th! I found so many cute antiques and such and it was absolutely delightful. I didn't buy anything, but the flea market is there every Sunday, and I'm sure I'll be stopping back after some upcoming rehearsals. The most delicious smelling old books, fantastic wooden holder thingies, colorful old brooches... I was in heaven! While I managed to keep my wallet in my bag for the most part, I did get some delicious spanakopita and a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie - sugar and butter free, and absolutely tasty! I definitely hope that woman is regular vendor there because I want to learn all about the magic tricks she uses to bake these cookies.

The auditions themselves were so wonderful! This will be my seventh year involved with V-Day, the organization behind The Vagina Monologues that focuses on ending violence against women and girls. This year I'll be involved with the production by the Fourth Unitarian Universalist Society. What a wonderful group of women! I'm so excited to have the opportunity to be part of this community and this experience.

After the auditions and a sharing circle (that touchy-feely stuff is one of my favorite things about being involved with The Vagina Monologues!) I went back to the flea market and I bought the cutest red sweater skirt for $2. Such an awesome find!

I happily trotted back to the C train...but wait, the fun doesn't stop there! I got myself a strawberry beet smoothie for the train ride back home. AND THEN, I spent the train ride listening to the best pod cast ever.

That's right! The lovelies at Stuff Mom Never Told You (Whaaaaat? You've never heard of SMNTY? Where have you been? What are you doing for entertainment? You need to go download their podcast as soon as possible. You will thank me. I promise.) did an episode on the history of thong underwear. Fascinating stuff.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the makings of a perfect Sunday. Siblings, flea markets, delicious healthy cookies, thrifted clothes, and the history of wedgie-inducing underpants. Love!

(c) Sara Rosso

Have you seen these little delights? Move over, cupcakes - Macarons are here! These little French pastries have been popping up all over my internet feeds for a while now and, even though I had no idea what they would taste like, I knew I had to have some.

Bakeries all over the New York City area have started serving the treats - two layers with thin, crunchy crust protecting a moist almond meringue, sandwiching a ganache,  jam, or cream center. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? YES IT DOES!

You know what makes it lovelier? It's gluten free! That's right, macarons are traditionally made with almond flour, making this trendy treat perfectly safe for our friends who stay away from gluten...including my dear boyfriend!

Poor Nickolaus was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease over 15 years ago and, even though gluten free diets are much more popular now, he still misses out on so many of the lovely things I get to eat.

And thus, the Prerna and Nickolaus Macron Crawl Extravaganza was born! With stops at Payard, Mille Feuille, Bosie Tea Parlor, and La Maison du Chocolat we got to experience the magic of macarons.

First Stop!
Francois Payard
116 W. Houston St

Nick's pick: Raspberry Lychee
My pick: Chocolate

Granted, these were our first macarons ever, but we both thought they were fantastic! A great balance of crunchy crust and chewy cookie. You could appreciate the flavor both in the cookie and in the filling. I think Nick was surprised that I didn't pick a more exotic flavor, but I'm happy to report that both of our picks were delish!

Stop Two!
Mille-Feuille
552 Laguardia Pl

Nick's pick: Cheesecake
My pick: Passion Fruit

These macarons were definitely good, although we both agreed that we liked Payard's better. Nick wasn't a fan of the Passion Fruit, but I think that has more to do with the fruit itself than the macaron. These macarons were definitely the chewiest that we tried, and while I do appreciate that quality in my sweets, I think macarons need that thin crispy crust to seal the deal.

Third Stop!
Bosie Tea Parlor
10 Morton St

Nick's pick: Eggnog
My pick: Maple Bacon

Bosie definitely had the most creative flavors. I liked the texture and taste of both of the macarons we tried, but I wasn't a fan of the fact they kept them in a refrigerated case. The temperature made them a little weird to eat and the fillings were so cold that it was actually distracting! We ended up taking a few macrons from Bosie home for my mom, and definitely liked them better at room temp.

Last Stop!
La Maison du Chocolat
30 Rockefeller Plz

My pick: Pistachio
Nick's pick: Milk chocolate

I kind of felt like it was cheating because they actually fly their macarons in from France, but they were in amazing condition after surviving that trip! I don't know why I expected different from a place whose name translates to House of Chocolate, but I was thrown off by the fact that the pistachio macaron had chocolate ganache filling. Nick definitely loved them though! I think the milk chocolate was his favorite of the night.


We were only able to make it to four places to try eight macarons, mostly because we were trekking around Manhattan in the freezing cold, but it was definitely worth it. They were delicious treats, and unleashing my inner foodie was so much fun!

(c) Amy Rubin Flett - Pinwheel Designs

It's a new year and it's time to bring the blog back!

I started Crafts Service a long time ago with the idea of blogging about crafting, community service, and food...and it never really worked out. I mostly blogged about my life and musings. It sometimes, but rarely touched on the three...Which is fine, but not what I had intended. And that's part of the reason why I'm resurrecting this blog. Intention.

Scrapbooker Ali Edwards has a concept of one little word - each year, picking a word to be your catalyst. For 2012, I pick

in·ten·tion \in-ˈten(t)-shən\
1: a determination to act in a certain way
2: the product of attention directed to an object of knowledge

This year I want my actions to be more focused, more purposeful...especially in regards to crafting, community service, and nourishment - not only for my body, but also my mind and soul - and I have some resolutions for each.

Crafting:
I've been a paper crafter for a few years now, and I want to continue learning and growing as an artist.
This year...

• All of my gifts will have a handmade element, even if it's just a cute tag or a beautifully addressed envelope.
• I will organize my crafting supplies. Because I don't have a lot of space, everything gets packed away and I barely even remember what I have. I want to fix that system, not only to have things in order, but also to have them accessible.
• I will continue with 52 Weeks of Mail - sending at least one card or package every week.

Service:
After finishing up my AmeriCorps terms, I've definitely had a lack of service in my life, and I need it back!
This year...

• I'm working with the Interfaith Youth Core as a member of their Alumni Speakers Bureau, helping to spread the awesomeness of interfaith community service. As in the past, I want to put a lot of thought and work into my speaking engagements.
• I'm blogging at Masculinity U, an initiative started by some friends of mine geared toward engaging young men in redefining masculinity and encouraging them in taking an equal role in ending gender violence. I wasn't quite sure how my voice would fit when they asked me to write for them, but I decided to take on a column applauding real men on the work they have done towards ending gender violence.

Nourishment:
I've definitely neglected feeding my body and my mind recently.
This year...

• I will be more mindful of my food choices. I have no intention of cutting out things I love, but I want to make healthier choices that I still enjoy. I plan to cook more. I will drink more water and less of other junk.
• I will move more. I'm not going to be concerned with keeping up a gym schedule, and I may just cancel my gym membership altogether because, let's be honest, I'm not really using it. What I do want to do is be more active. I want to stretch. I want to want to move. I want it to feel good. Losing weight will, I'm sure, be a bonus, but it's not my immediate goal. I found the Couch to 5K program, which I think is perfect for me - I even found a treadmill version, which will probably come in handy this winter.
• I will remain active with my Move More, Eat Well challenge. I think having a community will keep me going, and documenting my journey will keep me accountable.
• I will read more. I think I say this every year, but this time I really do have more time and no excuse not to. After college, I've found that fiction doesn't really appeal to me anymore, but that's not reason to not enjoy the wonderful work of nonfiction! Thanks to a friend, I've joined an interfaith book club and I think it's a great way to start the year.

It's going to be a good year. I can feel it! I hope you'll follow along!

Blog for Choice

Today is the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the 5th Annual Blog for Choice Day. This year's question, as posed by NARAL, is What does Trust Women mean to you?,in reference to the pin that Dr. Tiller often wore.



Abortion aside, choice is something that is very important to me. I like knowing that I am in charge of my life, both in the moment and in terms of my future path.

I've made a lot of choices in recent years. I chose to go to Syracuse University, where I chose to major in International Relations and Political Science, and I chose to be involved with Res Life, The Vagina Monologues, Alpha Phi Omega, and Habitat. I have chosen to have long hair, to have six piercings in my ears, and to wear contact lenses. And I made all of those choices because someone let me.

Why was I allowed? Because I was trusted to do what was right for my own life. Did I make mistakes? Hell yes! But my decisions were respected. The respect from my family, my friends, my society, and my government gave me the opportunity to paint my own picture.

As an adult, I am respected enough to be able to choose my own career, car, home. And I am glad that right now my decisions about my body are respected. It says that I am acknowledged as an intelligent person, one with the ability to understand my situation and choose the best path.

I am very confident in my own decision making skills. I think I'm able to look at my own situation, understand the problem and possible solutions, and choose the best course of action.

So what does it mean when people try to restrict access to abortion? It means they don't trust us, which means they don't respect our intelligence and our ability to do the right thing. And that makes me angry.

To trust us is to respect us, to let us make the decisions about our own lives, to let us choose.

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It

Part of my job with Volunteer Services includes faith outreach. In fact, that's a major reason why I applied for and picked this position. But having been there for several months now, I've come to realize that while the intentions are there, the money isn't, so I haven't done a whole lot of actual reaching out to new faith groups. However, every now and then, they reach out to me.

Last a week I was forwarded an email from a woman from United Methodist Church who is organizing a District Youth Retreat for this spring. As she explained, "Our theme for the retreat is So You Think You Can Praise?!. We will be doing various workshops on different ways to praise the Lord, and it was suggested that one of the workshops be on praising the Lord through mission work."

Cool, I thought. I really identified with the designated theme because I believe wholeheartedly that there are so many different ways to express faith. Personally, I express my faith through what Hinduism calls Karma Yoga, basically, community service. And that's exactly what Habitat's mission is.

Habitat is a partnership founded on common ground -- bridging theological differences by putting love into action. Everyone can use the hammer as an instrument to manifest God's love.

Habitat founder Millard Fuller calls this concept "the theology of the hammer," explaining, "we may disagree on all sorts of other things... but we can agree on the idea of building homes with God's people in need, and in doing so using biblical economics: no profit and no interest.

Habitat for Humanity welcomes all people to build with us in partnership. "The Bible teaches that God is the God of the whole crowd," explains Fuller. "God's love leaves nobody out, and my love should not either. This understanding drives 'the theology of the hammer' around the world, steadily building more and more houses in more and more countries.

I'm pretty familiar with the concept of The Theology of the Hammer. I identify with it strongly and continue to work with Habitat because of it. I've written several applications and essays on the topic. I even did a presentation on it en español for a class in college. So I was pretty surprised when my boss turned around and asked me

Are you comfortable doing this?

At first I didn't understand her. I do speaking engagements all the time! At least a couple of times a week I'm out on the worksite in the morning giving a speech to a volunteer group. I've made presentations at many companies and schools, speaking to people of all ages. I couldn't figure out why she thought it might make me uncomfortable.

And then it dawned on me. I'm not a Methodist. I'm not even Christian. She wasn't asking if I would have stage fright; she was asking if I was even capable of speaking to Methodist youth about mission work.

Well, I think I am. They may do it in the name of God and Christ, and I may do it in the name of human spirit, but we're still all doing the same thing with the same purpose: service to our human family is the right thing to do. It's what strengthens us as individuals and as a group. It's the ground that Habitat stands on. It's why I'm an AmeriCorps member. It's the common thread that runs through most people.

So, yes, I will be speaking to a group of people about a principle of the faith that they hold and I do not. But the fact remains: the Theology of the Hammer binds us all.

Reading Rainbow

As previously mentioned, one of my new resolutions is to read more. I used to devour books, and I simply didn't have the time to read for pleasure while I was in college. And now I've just fallen out of the habit of reading. So my solution is to simply make myself. My goal is to read for at least an hour every day, and so far it's been pretty good.

I'm currently in the middle of three different books. I didn't read like this in high school, but this seems to be working for me, so I'm sticking to it. I think the combination of books is what's keeping me interested. With a good variety, I always have something on hand that I'm in the mood for, so I'm not diverting from my goal due to lack of interest.

Currently reading:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen.
In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets.
With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief, her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor and begin the difficult process of healing.
In the hands of a brilliant novelist, the author narrates the THE LOVELY BONES through the eyes of her winning young heroine. This story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching story about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe by Greg Epstein

With the current state of the economy, the ongoing wars that rage across the globe, and the unsettling changes to the earth's climate, questions about the role of God and religion in world affairs have never been more relevant or felt more powerfully. Many of us are searching for a place where we can find not only facts and scientific reason but also hope and the moral courage needed to overcome such challenges. For some, answers to the most challenging questions are found in the divine. For others, including the New Atheists, religion has no place in the world and is, in fact, an "enemy."
But in Good Without God, Greg Epstein presents another, more balanced and inclusive response: Humanism. With a focus on the positive, he highlights humanity's potential for goodness and the ways in which Humanists lead lives of purpose and compassion. Humanism can offer the sense of community we want and often need in good times and bad, as we celebrate marriages and the birth of our children, and as we care for those who are elderly or sick. In short, Humanism teaches us that we can lead good and moral lives without supernaturalism, without higher powers ... without God.
In this constructive response not only to his fellow atheists Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris but also to contemporary religious leaders such as Rick Warren and Jim Wallis, Epstein makes a bold claim for what nonbelievers do share and believe. At a time when the debate about morality rages more fiercely than ever—and when millions are searching for something they can put their faith in—Humanism offers a comfort and hope that affirms our ability to live ethical lives of personal fulfillment, aspiring together for the greater good of all.

Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs

“As a little boy, I had a dream that my father had taken me to the woods where there was a dead body. He buried it and told me I must never tell. It was the only thing we’d ever done together as father and son, and I promised not to tell. But unlike most dreams, the memory of this one never left me. And sometimes…I wasn’t altogether sure about one thing: was it just a dream?”When Augusten Burroughs was small, his father was a shadowy presence in his life: a form on the stairs, a cough from the basement, a silent figure smoking a cigarette in the dark. As Augusten grew older, something sinister within his father began to unfurl. Something dark and secretive that could not be named. Betrayal after shocking betrayal ensued, and Augusten’s childhood was over. The kind of father he wanted didn’t exist for him. This father was distant, aloof, uninterested…And then the “games” began. With A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs makes a quantum leap into untapped emotional terrain: the radical pendulum swing between love and hate, the unspeakably terrifying relationship between father and son. Told with scorching honesty and penetrating insight, it is a story for anyone who has ever longed for unconditional love from a parent. Though harrowing and brutal, A Wolf at the Table will ultimately leave you buoyed with the profound joy of simply being alive. It’s a memoir of stunning psychological cruelty and the redemptive power of hope.

With a combination of a popular novel, nonfiction, and a memoir, I'm whipping through my reading. And I'm really excited about it!

Coming up on the list:
A Lesson Before Dying By Ernest J. Gaines
Angela's Ashes By Frank McCourt
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life By Barbara Kingsolver
Bowling Alone By Robert Putnam
The Case for God By Karen Armstrong
Cheating on the Sisterhood: Infidelity and Feminism By Lauren Rosewarne
Dreaming in Hindi By Katherine Russell Rich
The Jefferson Bible By Thomas Jefferson
Jesus : A Story of Enlightenment By Deepak Chopra
Laid: Young People's Experiences with Sex in an Easy-Access Culture By Shannon T. Boodram
Let Your Life Speak By Parker Palmer
The Prophet By Kahlil Gibran
The Purity Myth By Jessica Valenti
Religious Literacy : What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't By Stephen Prothero
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife By Irene Spencer
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood By Koren Zailckas
The Spiral Staircase : My Climb out of Darkness By Karen Armstrong
The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore By Deepak Chopra
Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Wake Up : A Life of the Buddha By Jack Kerouac
You Shall Know Our Velocity By Dave Eggers

That should keep me occupied for a while! Let me know what you're reading, what you thought of the books on my list, and if you have any suggestions!