Hope, a book for stormy days, pizza dough, mother ≠ machine
With increasing episodes of extreme weather, I have found myself noticing and appreciating these beauties a lot this week. They remind me, if just for a minute or two in my busy mind, to still hold on to hope when I find it easier to feel despair.
May your eyes feast frequently on reminders of hope this week, wherever you are!
A book for stormy days
After the recent cyclone and storm, I read the story of the family who had lost their two-year-old in the wild weather and felt a physical shock and grief in my body. As I pondered the unfathomable thought of losing my own two-year-old, I felt a fraction of this family’s immense pain.
Being a mama, I think, has made it harder for me to move on mentally and emotionally after the storms even though our household emerged unscathed. During the storm my eyes were glued to the news, I was constantly filling up water vessels as we used water and the whole time I worried about the power being disconnected. A day or two after the cyclone I was driving out with my baby in the back seat and it started to rain. It was by no means heavy rain, but I was instantly on high alert, ready to turn around and go home if needed. I don’t know when I last checked the weather forecast so frequently!
Despite our best efforts though, so much is truly out of our hands.
Sometimes all you can do when storms are happening, aside from preparing what you can and holding your loved ones close, is just to turn your mind to the arts to uplift you. I can recommend this for both scorching and stormy days:
Bee! I’m expecting you!
Was saying Yesterday
To Somebody you know
That you were due -The Frogs got Home last Week -
Are settled, and at work -
Birds, mostly back -
The Clover warm and thick -You’ll get my Letter by
The seventeenth; Reply
Or better, be with me -
Yours, Fly.- Emily Dickinson, Bee! I’m Expecting You!
included in A Poem for Every Summer Day
I followed my nose recently in Ponsonby, Auckland and arrived at Copain. Delicious treats lined the cabinets and shelves, and the decor added to the sensory appeal. This is a great spot for an artist date!
A yummy pizza dough recipe
Everyone with an oven at home needs a reliable pizza dough recipe for happiness!
I have found my favourite in this recipe. Pasting it below for easy reference. Note: I find that gently easing the dough into a circle with my palm and fingers works better than using a rolling pin. I also rub a little extra virgin olive oil on the border before putting it into the oven.
Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 teaspoons of surebake yeast mixture
1 & 1/2 teaspoons caster sugar
300g of high grade flour
1 teaspoon salt
Method:
In a bowl, mix together 200mls of warm water, caster sugar and sure bake. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the yeast has activated and began to foam.
In a large bowl, place the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix to combine. On a clean, floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes or until smooth. Place in a clean bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch the dough down and divide into 2. Shape into balls, cover and set aside for 1 hour to rise again.
Heat oven to 220°C fan bake.
On a clean, floured surface, roll pizza dough into a large circle and place on a greased baking tray. Add the toppings and bake for 10-15 minutes or until pizza bases are crisp.
Our favourite toppings:
For our kids: passata or sugo, pineapple, fried ham, cheese and mozzarella cheese
For us: passata or sugo or pizza sauce, lightly sauteed garlic + chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped anchovies, tinned mussels, prawns (tails and shells removed), pepperoni optional
Thoughts for mamas
Mother ≠ machine
“Becoming a mother doesn’t detract from the person you were before you had a baby, but actually adds another facet to your identity. Above all else, know that you and your values and goals count. When you become a mother, you do not become a machine solely dedicated to the satisfaction of another human being. You have not stopped being you. Both you and your baby have separate identities to cherish and grow. I hope you love your baby and yourself unconditionally. It’s good for both of you.”
- Natalie Flynn, Smart Mothering
“confident that we shall be embraced instead of smacked”
“Everything just as it should be, you see. Off we skip like the most heartless things in the world, which is what children are, but so attractive; and we have an entirely selfish time; and then when we have need of special attention we nobly return for it, confident that we shall be embraced instead of smacked.”
- J M Barrie, Peter Pan
Till next time, take care,
Mel