grill it. roast it. bake it. indulge in it.

It's definitely no secret that I am a foodie. Lately I have been on a cooking kick, and I am loving every bite! Here are some of the tasty delights I've been devouring lately...

NEW recipes found on my recipe blog

Summer Vegetables. I grilled everything here, even the peaches. Sad to see summer go!

One of the best things about New England is the clam chowder. I got this at a restaurant called The Grog in Newburyport, a darling little town!

We went apple picking in Concord,  and although I didn't get a chance to take pics of the apple crisp before my roommates and I gobbled it up, this fruit was perfect. So sweet and tart, and amazingly crispy!

This is where I spend my money. This is Russo's, a grocery store in Watertown that sells delicious veggies and fruits from local farms. The cheese selection is amazing as well. Definitely a place for a foodie!

This dessert was the highlight of my week. I wanted to test the recipe before teaching it to my students. It is an egg pastry puff with vanilla pudding in the middle and chocolate sauce on top. Such a stellar creation!

This is one of the ymmiest dinner's I've made in a long time. Basmati Rice with a Korma Sauce I bought at Whole Foods. I added potatoes, chicken, carrots and peas and viola! Easy and amazingly tasty!

 Roasted Acorn Squash with Homemade Cheesy Creamed Corn. I got the idea for the squash from good friends in South Africa three years ago. I couldn't forget it. It isn't complicated to make and is perfect for warming up in New England. This has to be why fall is my favorite season!

sometimes we need little reminders...

and I am so incredibly grateful for this one this week. Listen, and savour the goodness of President Uchtdorf. Even if you are not a member of my faith, I hope you listen and that this message resinates with your heart the way it did for me. Have a wonderful week!

the waiting place...

Lately I have had various conversations with friends and family about the stage of life I am in. I love this city that I moved to, and teaching school is going well. I have wonderful roommates, live in a nice neighborhood and I have even lost ten pounds in the past month. All. Good. Things. This post is in no way meant to be a complaint about my life, because I have a great life.

However, if I am looking deep into my own pursuit and where this Holly life is leading, I feel like it is best described as "the waiting place" which is perfectly illustrated in a favorite Dr. Suess Book called, "Oh the Places You'll Go".  Truth be told, I have been a lot of places. I have lived all over the United States and have experienced the world. I am grateful for that. Very grateful. But still, I am waiting. Waiting for what I don't even know. I think that is the confusing part. Waiting to go some where? Waiting for a new opportunity? New people in my life? What? And why am I waiting? Again, I have a good life. I don't love the fact that I am waiting for anything at all. I guess the best I can do is just enjoy the waiting, enjoy the people I am waiting with, the city I am waiting in. Thoughts?

thoughts on a rainy tuesday eve...

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain

Alright, so most of you know that I am passionate about many things. But right now, in the thick of my second week of teaching my thoughts and inspiration for this post are turned towards education. I just moved into the most lovely home where three other lovely roommates reside. Tonight I arrived home from a busy day at school and went to the fridge (naturally) to forage for food. One by one the roommates came together in our kitchen, snacking on Cranberry Seltzer and Waldorf salad and began a discussion. You would think that our chat would have been about the long weekend, the boys in our lives, etc. But I am impressed and pleasantly surprised that our mingle turned into a passionate discussion about education, politics, religion, inspiration and ambition. My roommate Rebecca shared some goodness with me that I will share with you. We were reflecting on our great teachers and their ability to inspire curiosity in the classroom. Curiosity in itself, is a sign of intellect.  Of course as a teacher I have that desire. This teacher of the PS22 choir seen in the video below definitely has created a room full of believers. Most importantly, the students believe in themselves. That is the most beautiful gift a teacher can give to a student. Watch the expression on the faces of the children. They are so into the music. In an interview, one of the students said, "I was scared to raise my hand in class before. I didn't want to share what I knew...but then I thought, if I can sing a solo in choir, I can raise my hand and speak in class". What an exquisite lesson of confidence learned. Readers, I would love to know your thoughts and memories of your great teachers. How did they challenge you to accomplish great things? What did they do to lift your confidence? What teachers inspired you and why?

And also to my readers I want to say to those of you (hopefully most of you) who have tasted the fruit of having a dream,  enormous or small,  to you I say...Don't Stop Believin'!

sew...

I am making attempts to pick up new hobbies and skills. Fall seems to be that time when I get overly ambitious (the other time is January 1st), and make lots of new goals and I get hankerings to try new things. I have resisted sewing in the past, but this summer I finally decided to stop fighting with my inner fear that there are too many rules in sewing for Holly. I broke out the sewing machine, spent $80 at  fabric store (when did this hobby become so expensive?) and here is the result. I completed a couple of pillow cases first and I am still working on pajama pants. I shamefully will admit that I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I You Tubed "how to thread a bobbin" but atleast there is something wearable in the end. Now I have to figure out how to teach it to my students. Yikes.

once upon a time i moved to boston

So here I am. Finally back on the blogging scene after taking the summer off to move across the country to Bean Town. And lemme just say...I LOVE IT HERE! Everything about this city is lovely, well not the traffic, but almost everything. In May I landed a job as a teacher in a high school just outside Boston. I start next week, yikes. I get to teach what I love (child development, cooking, and fashion design), and for that I am grateful to have a job that I will enjoy.

For the summer, I took care a couple of really awesome children from Ireland. I had so much fun with them going to the Children's Museum of Boson, Outdoor Movies on the Charles, Painting Pottery, Painting Paper, Running through Sprinklers, Swimming, Revolution Game, Red Sox Game, Board Games, Making Volcanoes and Mermaid Castles, and Enjoying BBQ's and Walking Katie Dog. It's been a while since I have been in the nanny world and I loved every minute of it. I was so sad to send them back to Dublin.

My nephew Hayden came out for a visit and we enjoyed a very busy week touring around Boston, Cambridge, Newport, RI and New York. It was stellar having him here and I hope his stories and pics prompt more family and friend visits to this glorious part of the country (wink).

daily creed...

And so it seems that every time I am in need of a little spice in my life, a pick me up... the right little message is sent to me when I least expect it. I received an e-mail from my Aunt Marty the other day, sent to recap the family reunion I'd missed in Utah this past weekend. My grandfather who is a legend, a hero, and the most optimistic person I'd ever met, used to have this on His refrigerator, and would repeat it, out loud,  daily. I feel inclined to follow his tradition.

“This is the day I will live a happy, serene, and useful

 life, repelling promptly any thought of antagonism,

 discontent, anxiety, discouragement, and self-seeking.

       I will cultivate a spirit of tolerance, cheerfulness,

 magnanimity, charity, and a love of serving others.  I will

 set aside some time each day to read some uplifting

literature, and for the practice of quiet meditation.

       I will practice generosity in giving, economy in

expenditure, carefulness in conversation, diligence in

assigned duties, faithfulness in every trust, and a childlike

faith in God.

       In particular, I will be faithful in those daily habits of

prayer, work, study of the scriptures, physical exercise,

eating, and sleeping, which I believe, the Holy Spirit has

shown me to be right.”                    

                                                                   John Heidenreich

another thing to check off of my bucket list...

I have been wanting to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge ever since I moved to New York for the first time...TEN YEARS ago. I love bridges, and I love cities. Finally, and with much satisfaction I did it. Now, this is not a huge accomplishment, not like climbing Kilimanjaro or Skydiving (which are also on the bucket list just by the way), but this bridge is something extraordinary. The views of Manhattan were incredible. I got to share this journey with some very special people. Return campers from Camp Rising Sun joined me from Spain, Colorado, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Poland. A true symbol that no matter where we are in the world, love and tolerance builds bridges. So for today, I am thankful for this experience. And thankful for this incredible, simple day. Carpe Diem!

loving boston

I am a little late on this post, but I recently moved to Boston for a job and I wanted to say that I am loving it here! This city is amazing. It is full of culture, history, water, cool people, and delicious food. I landed a job at a High School just outside of Boston teaching Child Development, Fashion Design, and Cooking. I am very excited about the opportunity but also feel like I have a lot of work to do and a long way to go before I feel completely comfortable in my classroom. There are some skills I will need to polish before I start teaching including sewing. I haven't sewn in years and now I need to somehow teach 25 students how to sew from scratch. This is my challenge I guess At the end of it at the very least I will have obtained a good domestic skill.

In the meantime, there are so many great things about living in Boston. I am lucky because I have the summer off. I have been spending my time developing curriculum, cooking, riding my new bike, swimming, eading on the beach, watching Boston sports team kick bum, and playing piano. I feel like after the last semester of my master's degree and student teaching where it was chaos 24/7, I am finally feeling like Holly again. Just by the way, anyone is welcome to visit and I will gladly host you!

Thank you for reading, I will do my best to update more often.

congratulations boston

 It was so fun to arrive in Boston in time for the Stanley Cup Hockey Finals. I admittedly don't know as much about this sport as I want to, but it was a nice welcome to Boston anyway. Yesterday we ventured down to the parade and we happened to get a prime spot where the players and said Cup were 15 miles away. It was a great celebration to a stellar Hockey Team. The Red Socks are playing great as well after a rocky start and I must say that although I love my Salt Lake City roots, it is so much fun to live in a city with major sports teams that happen to be doing very well. More later on the move.

Masterpieces

Hi Friends. Just want to share a couple of videos from my dear friend Steve Nelson (the cello player). Here are a couple of  is new pieces Steve has created in his musical mastermind. I love Steve as a person and I adore his music. I think you will too! Please watch these and share them with others!

sugar and spice and everything nice

Once upon a time...the ladies of the Harris family got together for a tea party. It was a most exquisite event! We dressed up. Drank tea. Ate Cake. A perfect Saturday afternoon!

happy endings, happy beginnings

I did it! I completed my Master's Degree and Students teaching last weekend and yes, it feels dang amazing to be done! 

My Bestie of 16 years! We've come a long way lady!

These girls are so cute I can't stand it!

The dad's and their little peanuts! 

easter thoughts

parts

I know I know...I said I would be better about blogging and then I got worse about it. I'm averaging 4 hours of sleep and I look like a walking dead person half the time. But let's be honest, I expected this right? Right.

Student teaching is a ton of work, but a ton of fun! I officially took over classes and grades last week. I'm teaching Child Development, Early Childhood Education, and Life Management at Cottonwood High School. Next week I will add Interior Design. Yes, I get to teach the best subjects in the school and yes I am loving it!

I probably sound more confident than I should. My very first lecture, I was to teach...wait for it....dun dun dun...Human Reproduction and Sexuality! Yep...awesome. Basically I was like, "Hi, my name is Miss Harris and now I am going to teach you about your...um...parts". Speaking of parts, this Children's book actually saved me and served as a nice segue to the lesson. I read the book to the class and then began with my Power Point. LOVE LOVE LOVE Power Point. Couldn't teach without it. Well, I could but you get my drift. So anyway, earlier that morning my good friend challenged me with a $5 wager to use the word "junk" in my lesson. Done and Done! My first slide to the power point had a picture of "The Birds and the Bees". I asked the students why we use that phrase to talk about, well you know...(in an effort to not come up in Google searches for that word I am opting to leave it out of this post). None of my students knew. Straight faced, I added..."So sometimes we use other phrases like junk to describe our reproductive parts"...enter smirking and snickering from students. I went on to  ask, "If you were from another country and were trying to learn American English, what would the word "Junk" say in your dictionary?"...Needless to say, my students got the point. Four days later, a box with my $5 and three box's of Samoa's arrived in the mail. Thank You friend, you know who you are!

Now I realize all of this probably means more to Miss Harris (Me), than any of you, but I figured a small update and funny story wouldn't hurt. I feel really lucky to teach what I love and to have such amazing opportunities.

Have a fun rest of March! More soon!