una tradizione di famiglia Notarianni

Translation: "a Notarianni family tradition."

Like any tradition, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when/how this all started. It seems to have evolved over the years until it became a formula of sorts. Several years ago my mother, aka Grandma, thought it would be fun to teach her seven grandkids how to make pasta, as taught to her by her father-in-law, Gregorio Notarianni, who was taught by his wife, Della.

You know, I do remember making pasta with our Grandpa when we were kids. Specifically ravioli and gnocchi. He even taught us how to make ricotta cheese.

Greg, Cindy, Adrienne, Lissa

making ravioli with our Grandpa

November 1969

We seemed to settle on gnocchi, probably because it is a bit more practical to make by and for large crowds. Gnocchi - pronounced nyocky - is made with mashed potatoes kneaded into the pasta dough, which is then cut into little pieces and rolled on the gnocchi board to get the ridged texture.

Erin and Kelly

making gnocchi with Grandma

December 1999

(same kitchen, same table....30 years later)

In recent years, more than one grandkid has been heard asking if/when we were going to be making pasta for Christmas Eve - as early as mid-October.

Then we would all gather on Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house to feast on the fruits of our labor, topped with homemade sauce: ragu - pronounced rah-ooh in our family's own dialect, and served with homemade bracciole - bra-jhole -, meatballs and sausage. Let me tell you: it's heaven on earth.

***

This year, Grandma decided it was time to "pass the torch" and let us kids and grandkids take over everything, from making the ragu to hosting the dinner. Kelly and Aaron offered to make the ragu and bracciole at their place a few weeks ago. I hosted the gnocchi-making party at my place a week before Christmas...you gotta let the pasta air-dry for a few days, then freeze it (my sister Adrienne was in charge of that part).

Wisely, Grandma stepped back and only offered input when called upon for clarification, like "Do we add the potatoes to the flour "volcano" before or after we fill it with the beaten eggs?" (there was a serious debate going on here); she was also called upon to poke her finger into the dough to determine if we had kneaded enough flour into it.

Aaron and Kelly offered to make the ragu and bracciole at their place a few weeks ago. I hosted the gnocchi-making party at my place a week before Christmas...you gotta let the pasta air-dry for a few days, then freeze it (my sister Adrienne was in charge of that part).


MAKING CHRISTMAS DINNER from Cindy Swainson on Vimeo.

***

My brother Greg and his wife Lynn hosted dinner for 17 people on Christmas Eve, complete with dozens of luminaria (Lynn hails from Albuquerque) and a White Elephant gift exchange.

This year's celebration was extra special because everyone was home for Christmas, so Grandma had all her children and grandchildren gathered around her.


CHRISTMAS EVE from Cindy Swainson on Vimeo.

Buon Natale!

xoxo

Cindy

destiny

From a very early age it was understood that my husband Bob (RW) would follow in his father's footsteps and become a police officer. For over 28 years he honourably "served and protected" his fellow citizens, first in Toronto and later here in Lakewood, Colorado. He loved being a street cop.

Sgt 523

Metro Toronto Police

Early in his career he took up competitive shooting in order that he might be well-trained in the use of his sidearm: the one tool on which his life might depend. Bob's enjoyment of the shooting sports quickly grew into a passion for weapons training, which he in turn shared with his fellow officers. For 25 years he trained fellow officers in firearms proficiency and tactical safety. He eventually specialized in Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT).

MetroToronto's Emergency Task Force (ETF)

Team 6 Leader

Since his retirement in 2009, he has built his own business, RW Firearms Training. To say that it is his pride and joy is an understatement.

photo courtesy of Grant Leighton

But it's not just about the guns. Widely known in shooting circles as RW (Robert William) - Bob is definitely a people person. Remember the bit about his sidearm being the one tool on which his life might depend? Well, before he would ever allow himself to draw his weapon in any given situation, he made sure that he had exhausted all other options. In SWAT circles, it is known as the Three T's: Time, Talk, Tactics. In other words, a police officer needs to rely on his people skills to do his job well. In Bob's case, that includes a wicked sense of humour. They still talk about Bob's many witty "Swainsonisms" at Lakewood.

And, by the way, just because you have a skill doesn't mean you can teach it. Just ask his many clients, students, and fellow officers over the years if RW has taught them well. He is truly a gifted teacher. And he manages to make it fun, too. Bob counts many of his clients among his closest friends.

Running your own business is hard work, but we both acknowledge how truly blessed he is to be doing what he loves. And, as he likes to say, "I get to sleep with the boss's wife." LOL.

Enjoy this short video, borrowed from Bob's website and produced by his good friend and colleague Chris Mailliard, President and CEO of Fusion Preparedness.

Happy Birthday Bob!

May you continue to enjoy
the fruits of your labour
for years to come.

xoxo

Cindy

For all you photographers and fellow bloggers, I used one of Kim Klassen's storyboard templates for Photoshop. I scanned the old snapshots, then did some adjusting to even out the varied color tones among the group. I dropped them into the storyboard file, then layered a couple textures, including one of my own scans of a bit of textured fabric to convey the nostalgic/childhood/home feel I get whenever I look at old snapshots.

a flat tire for erin

If my art - and this blog - is going to be about Life, then I must include its challenges as well as its joys. That means writing the backstory with each image.

I posted this image last week on Erin's Facebook wall in response to her Black Friday post, which read simply this:

Thinking of all the miserable ingrates today that are scrambling for stupid crap that will never make them happy...all I want for Christmas is my health back, for the pain to stop. I'll never want anything so much as long as I live :(

I debated whether to share it here on my blog, but with Erin's blessing, here I sit at my keyboard.

The pain Erin speaks of is caused by IC - Interstitial Cystitis, with which she was diagnosed in August. I won't trouble you with any details, but you can imagine what her life has been like since then. On a side note, Erin is no stranger to painful challenges in her life, so she is already somewhat of a learned philosopher at the ripe old age of 21, thus meeting this situation with considerable experience under her belt.

For anyone who has experienced a painful and/or potentially life-altering physical condition - yourself or that of a loved one - you probably already know the words to this song. 

We - her family and friends - continue to support Erin on this journey, doing what we can to help her deal with the myriad of issues that crop up. Often that means just listening to her work things out in her own mind/heart. These are treasured, if bittersweet, times together indeed. Truth be told, I think that I have learned more from her than she has from me.

Erin is learning to navigate the world of medical specialists and surgical procedures, therapies and diets, etc., and the complexities of medical insurance - all necessary life skills. A well-informed, responsible patient, she comes to the table with her homework done, thoroughly researching every medical term, medication and its potential side effects, usually before she's even seen the doctor. She actually told the doctors that she had IC! She has also learned much from the experiences of other sufferers, mainly via the internet. She, in turn, lends her support to others, sharing her experience - and wisdom - with others via her Tumblr.

But she is learning so much more...in a nutshell: what really matters in life...and what doesn't.

I don't know where all this is going, but when do we really know that in this life? For now the situation is like a good trail: challenging terrain, full of twists and turns, seemingly impossible steep, rocky climbs, and heart-stopping descents...and if you lift up your eyes every now and then, you are blessed with some awesome scenery along the way.

And - for Erin - maybe a little insight into Life. (Seriously...it's how I ride.)

Now, for anyone interested in the genesis of the first image, there's this:

1. While I was searching online for the exact wording of a favorite half-remembered quote on adversity, I stumbled across the one above. I quickly forgot the one I was looking for.
2. I then searched my hard drive for an appropriate bike photo...and found the one above, from our trip to Fruita, on the Utah border. This photo was taken by my husband Bob, with a little Nikon point-&-shoot camera, just moments before we got separated and I got lost. Out in the middle of nowhere. In the hot sun. With not a soul around. I digress.
3. I cropped the photo down to just the bike tire on the right, then cloned away the distracting shadows. Then just some tinkering with color, light, textures, adjustment layers, etc. until it looked like I wanted and said what I wanted it to say. I actually started with one of Kim Klassen's wonderful tutorials, but it took on a life of its own and ended with probably way too many layers.

5 facts about me

The other day Kim and Xanthe invited us to join them in a "linky" party.

You know, you can tell a great deal about a person by the books on their shelf (okay, so I keep my Honda Owner's Manual in the glove compartment, but it is a book).

With that in mind, here's a random sampling - in literary form - of five facts about me:

1. I am Roman Catholic. Born and raised...and kinda re-born in recent years.
2. I am a huge Dennis Prager fan. I podcast his radio shows and listen whenever I can to his wisdom and clear thinking on assorted issues. My favorite is his Happiness Hour every Friday. I've just begun his newest book on my Kindle, Still the Best Hope.
3. I drive a Honda mini-van. I used to call it the Mommy-mobile. It has over 100,000 miles on it and it's on its second transmission, after years of hauling kids to school and swim team practice, camping and summer vacation trips. It seems like a big vehicle now that the girls are grown up and on their own...but our two bikes fit in nicely.
4. I love donkeys. For that matter, any critter with a sweet face. It's been that way since I was a little girl.
5. I don't enjoy cooking. I eat pretty healthy, though, for the most part. TBQH, what really attracted me to this cookbook - besides the South Beach thing - was the "super quick" part. 

I did some quick editing with RadLab: Lights On, Oh Snap!, Highlight Separator, Vario-Tone, Divine Light, and SX-70 (reduced in strength-30%, and flare-50%) Then I grabbed Kim's kk_autumnBurst - Soft Light 70%, and masked that layer in the center, where the books are.