Savor the Recipes and lend a helping hand!

My sweet friend Aimee is an amazing cook. I found this out when we both were in college and I visited her one summer in Knoxville. She made an amazing risotto. I had never had risotto, but after that, I was hooked! Since that time, Aimee has been sharing her recipes and wisdom with all who know her. Her cookbook Savor the Recipes is more than a cookbook. It's a collection of memories of friends and family who have gathered around the table to celebrate each other and great food. Through her stories, you feel as though you are in her kitchen as she cooks and reminisces. The book is packed with yummy recipes including my favorites: risotto (of course), Mexican grits, cantaloupe soup, zucchini bread, key lime pie, orange juice balls... The list goes on and on!

I thought I couldn't be any prouder of my friend until this past week when she announced that a portion of her cookbook proceeds will go toward helping the victims of the Nashville flood. I encourage you to purchase her cookbook so that you can "savor" the recipes and the stories behind them. And, in the process, you'll contribute to the great city of Nashville. Visit AimeeFortney.com for more information on how to purchase Savor the Recipes.

Aimee's (yummy, creamy, cheesy, lovely) Risotto

5 cups chicken broth (I use vegetable broth, though, because I'm currently vegetarian - I'll blog about this later)

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups arborio (risotto) rice

1 cup white wine (Chardonnay that you would drink)

salt and pepper

freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, heat broth. In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter into the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about three to five minutes. Add garlic. Now add the rice, and stir to coat the rice. Cook for just a couple of minutes. Now add your wine, stir and let the rice absorb the wine. This will only take a minute or two. Add, one ladle at a time, the broth for the next 25 to 30 minutes. Each time you add the liquid, stir as it is absorbed, and repeat. The rice will absorb the broth, and you will be able to tell that it is time for the next ladle of broth. Use all of your broth, stirring constantly, or the rice will stick to the pan and burn. At the end, add the cheese and any salt and pepper needed.

An unexpected day

Today is Mother's Day eve. My in-laws came to town for a visit, but I didn't get to visit with them. My sons had soccer games, but I didn't go see them. My middle child scored his first goal of the season, but I missed it. And to top it all off: I spent the day scrubbing mold and mildew off of damp basement walls and peeling carpet off of damp basement floors. But you know what? It was the best Mother's Day Saturday I've ever had.

Last week Nashville was inundated during the heaviest rains of at least the past century. As a result, water seeped into my parents' basement. Just a little water. No big deal, they thought. They were wrong. When they peeled back the 1960s faux-wood paneling adorning my childhood playroom, they found ugly black mold and mildew growing from wall to wall and an ugly cracked foundation.

Last night, while my sweet husband took over soccer-practice duty, I headed to Home Depot, then Lowes, then back to Home Depot in search of mold annihilating spray. I loaded up on said spray, mold inhibitor, spray bottles, scrub brushes ... a veritable mold-killing arsenal. And this morning, I headed to Bellevue, the town where I grew up.

On my way to my parents' house, I noticed heaps of furniture and carpet and toys that had been destroyed in the flood lying curbside. I wondered how the homeowners must have felt dragging these things that surely held special memories to the curb to be collected with the trash. It made me especially sad because most people here had no flood insurance. There was no need; most of the neighborhoods aren't in flood plains. Yet, I knew from watching the news every night that the people of Nashville were not defeated. They were calm and confident that life would go on. As I drove, I wondered HOW these people, whose entire lives worth of things had been destroyed, could remain hopeful.

When I arrived at my parents' house, every bit of dread that I had about spending the day cleaning mold from walls disappeared, and I was overwhelmed with gratefulness. Though water had seeped into their basement, it hadn't destroyed anything but carpet and wall paneling. Nothing meaningful would be dragged to their curb today.

While working in mom's storage room, I came across my dad's old collection of jazz albums, so we listened to Ella Fitzgerald while we scrubbed and scraped and scrubbed. And we talked. And we laughed. And when it came time for lunch, disgustedly dirty as we were, we decided to eat outside on the patio together. Our own little Mother's Day picnic.

At the end of the day, my entire body ached. As I type this, I am so tired that my eyelids are drooping. But my heart is full. I know now WHY the people of Nashville are so full of hope and peace. They have seen the best of each other through this difficult time. And once you've experienced the joy of the human spirit, no THING means quite as much.

I'll never forget this beautiful Mother's Day weekend. God bless all you mommies out there... especially those of you in Nashville. :-)

Flood

This past weekend it began to rain here. And it rained. And it rained. And it rained. As a result of the unprecedented amount of rain, my hometown experienced historic flooding. My family and I were extremely blessed that our home was not affected. However, many many Tennesseans lost everything in the flood — all of their belongings, their homes, their cars, their pets ... and most devastatingly the death toll has risen to 18 and is expected to continue to rise as the flood waters recede and reveal what's underneath.

I wanted to use this blog as a tool to hopefully gain support for those in need here. I was born in this beautiful state. My family lives here. My friends live here. I love Tennessee and am so sad to see it suffer through such a trying time. But I also am confident in its resilience. They don't call it the volunteer state for nothing. In the coming days I know neighbors will contribute what they can, be it money, things or time. Strangers will bond over food drives, bake sales and clothing drives. Volunteers will roll up their sleeves and dive right in. And once the murky waters recede, we will renew this lovely land. And we will be stronger.

Please help if you can.

• According to the Nashville Business Journal, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is partnering with the Mayor's Office of Emergency Managment to collect donations to support local flood relief and clean-up efforts. Donations can be made online at www.cfmt.org/floodrelief.

• By texting "REDCROSS" to 90999, you can donate $10 to disaster relief or visit www.redcross.org to offer a donation.

• Hands On Nashville also is coordinating many volunteer efforts. To see what you can do, visit www.hon.org.

Every little bit counts. Every act, every prayer, every penny. Thank you!

Happy Earth Day!

Today I ran across a quote I quite liked: "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." I thought those words by Ralph Waldo Emerson were especially fitting for today, Earth Day.

A few years ago, I became determined to do my part to preserve a bit of nature for my boys to enjoy as they grow. I started buying those twisty light bulbs. I became more vigilant in recycling. I became more disciplined in using my reusable grocery bags. I switched to as many natural cleaners as I could. I began buying more organic groceries ... I was determined to tread lightly on this earth.

I had no idea, at the time, that those actions would instill a since of responsibility on my own children to do their part. Now they remind me when I forget my bags. They remember to turn the light off (most of the time) when they leave a room. They help their father take recyclables to the local recycling center on the weekends. It has become a way of life.

Today I plan on planting something with my boys. I plan on using my reusable bag at the store. And I plan on being just a little more patient, as Mr. Emerson says is nature's secret. Most of all, I plan on being ever so grateful for this beautiful earth with which we've been so blessed.

Happy Earth Day!

A painful reminder

Today I was making up my oldest boys' bunk bed and my littlest son was in the room with me playing with the pile of pillows and stuffed animals I had tossed on the floor in the process. All of a sudden I heard a little thud. He had accidentally bumped his head on the bunk-bed ladder as he bent down to retrieve a toy. Crocodile tears welled up, as he began to cry. In a rush to finish the bed before the timer for the cookies in the oven went off, I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and said, "See? All better!" and turned to get back to work. I didn't have time for a full fledged pity party. I had work to do and the day quickly was passing me by. As I turned to finish making up the bed, I promptly bonked my head (very hard) on the upper bunk (which, in my opinion, is too close to the bottom bunk, but I digress...). Talk about a little message from God. I got it loud and clear... painfully clear. Ouch!!

Now my little man and I both have little red marks on our foreheads. A little reminder to him to be more careful as he learns to maneuver himself through this world. A little reminder to me to be a little more empathetic to his needs.

The house work can wait. Crocodile tears must be wiped. Hugs must be given. Sometimes it takes a bonk on the head to remind us. :-)

Thank You

Just when you think that you have them figured out, they go and surprise you again. That's the amazing thing about children. Earlier today, my middle child, who's 5, brought me a picture he'd drawn of a little guy smiling with his hands up in the air. I said, "What's he doing?" My son said, "He's reaching for God... to say, 'Thank you.'" My heart melted. How precious is this child of mine, I ask??

These are the moments that make every day worthwhile. Here we were just doing our own thing. I was typing away on the computer, he was drawing in his notebook and my littlest was trying on hard hats and playing with his Woody the cowboy toy. An ordinary day. Then all of a sudden my 5-year-old brings me this picture — totally out of the blue. We hadn't even been discussing God or being thankful. We even forgot to say our bedtime prayers last night. So I was quite surprised to see this picture. I don't know why I should be surprised, though. That's the truly fascinating part about parenting ... watching your children grow into their own little people, with defined personalities and their very own thoughts. It's the most gratifying part of my "job" as mom.

After seeing his picture, my own thoughts immediately reached up to God to say, "Thank you." How did I get to be so blessed?

Spinning plates

Have you ever seen those performers who spin plates on the end of sticks? Once they get one going, they start another one spinning. On and on it goes until the crowd applauds. As a mommy, I feel like I'm one of those plate spinners.

Eight years ago I had my oldest son and started the first plate spinning. Completely devoid of motherly knowledge (I had never even babysat an infant), I was scared to death that plate would fall and break. But it didn't.

Five years ago, I set the next plate to spinning when I had my second son. With experience under my belt, I was less concerned about letting that plate fall. I knew what I was doing. However, when post-partum blues hit me like a brick, that stick got shakey. On the advice of a wonderful friend, I sought help from my doctor, and a situation that could have spun out of control didn't.

Eighteen months ago, I added another plate to the repertoire. I was a pro at this by now. Everything has run amazingly smoothly, and every day I am thankful for my three blessings.

In addition to those mommy plates, I have set other plates spinning. When you're a mom, you take on other responsibilities all the time to enhance the lives of your children. Whether it's helping with homework, having one-on-one conversations about the bully in class, reading bedtime stories, wiping tears of frustration, patching up skinned knees, being the loudest cheerleader on the soccer sidelines... There's much work to be done. By now, I'd say I have at least 50 plates spinning. It's a delicate balancing act.

I read the other day about another mommy who just couldn't seem to find time to focus on herself because life had become just too hectic. She had written in on a forum asking for advice. It was a nice reminder that even though we as mommies feel it is our duty to put everyone else first, we also need to set some time out for ourselves.

I am extremely grateful to have a husband that allows me to do this every day. The minute he comes home from work, I hand him the kids, and he becomes the juggler for at least an hour. During that time, I workout. They know not to bother me unless someone is bleeding or unconscious. We don't even answer the phone. So if you call my house between 6 and 7:30 p.m., chances are no one will answer. I'm busy with "me" time and he's busy with "buddy" time. I think every mom needs that time to reboot, collect herself and remind herself that she is important too.

After all, without her steady hands, who would keep those plates spinning?