a peek inside the fishbowl

Tomorrow is Operation Feelin’ Great, in which I buckle down and concentrate on feeling great, and happy, and everything that comes with that.

BUT, at this moment I’m not sure whether or not I’m actually going to be able to pull it off. I was home with a sick kid today. Emma had “tummy troubles” this morning and I was asked to come pick her up.

We spent much of the day watching TV, reading the first Sisters Grimm book (it’s shaping up to be a good one), and watching Fairy Tale: A True Story. (I took a few minutes to get crafty, but more on that later!)

I hope that she’s better by tomorrow. For both our sakes. *sigh*

Perhaps this whole Operation is just an excerise in selfishness. I looked over my list of Things I Could Do To Make This a Great Day and it’s mostly about me me me.  

Am I being a jerk? Please tell me.

In the meantime, here’s a mosaic I made for myself, and I thought I’d share it with you. It’s a visual gratitude journal.

I wanted to reflect on a few things for which I am grateful. I’ve started a new set on Flickr, which I’ll be adding to it regularly. I don’t want to forget the things that make my life a good one.

1. Windy palm, 2. DSC_5503.JPG, 3. DSC_5473.JPG, 4. Peanutty Thai rice noodles, 5. Hopscotch, 6. Sarah is our expert “drip castle” builder and architect, 7. The gratuitous canoe-on-the-lake shot, 8. Art-is-in baguette, 9. DSC_3663.JPG, 10. Emma peeks in the cave, 11. We had a bit of this, 12. Sarah is holding a prince of a frog, 13. Sunset, 14. Second of two baskets, 15. Close-up of my DIY pots, 16. Emma, 17. Mummy is hoping for rain, 18. Maman, 19. Parliament Hill, 20. La Maison Jeanne D’Arc, 21. Apples, 22. my favourite thing about camping…, 23. Ah., 24. remember spring?, 25. Sarah Bear, 26. Bluejay sneaks a peanut, 27. Mark

[Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.] 

If you have a gratitude mosaic I’d love to see it. Let me know.

First, you buy a coconut:

 

(Emma picked this out the last time we were at Farm Boy. Each kid was allowed to pick one healthy item. Emma picked the coconut, Sarah picked pistachio nuts.)

This is a good time to teach your kids how to pick a fresh coconut. Do the old shake and listen. If you can hear splashing inside it means the coconut is fresh. 

You children will think daddy is the most Amazing Person in the World for figuring out how to open said coconut.

Drink the milk over ice.

The white fleshy part of the coconut will pop away from the shell, but sometimes you will need the wedgy power of a butter knife.

Use a sharp veggie peeler to take off the brown “skin.” Give the kids some to taste and put the rest in the fridge.

Next day (or whenever you’re ready to try the recipe) bake the coconut in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Don’t forget to peel the brown stuff off! It’s edible, but a little tough.

Throw all your white peeled chunks in the food processor and chop and spin until the pieces are itty bitty. If you don’t have a food procesor you can also grate it fine.

Then, make this recipe.

The result was pretty darn good. If you like coconut macaroons, you’ll love this.