April 24th - Taste

"Taste is the younger sister of our sense of smell,

dependent on her sibling's guidance for a head start

but eager to strike out on her own as soon as she's able..."

Did you know that children have more taste buds than adults? And that they wear out and regenerate? And that as you get older they don't always regenerate, that's why the older you get the more salt you like to put on your food because you can't taste as much. 

"The primary definition of 'taste' describes the sensory faculty 

that enables us to distinguish substances dissolved in the mouth 

as sweet, sour, bitter, or salty.

But the other definition of 'taste' describes the mental faculty 

by which we discern or appreciate things for the joy they bring us.

Today let us explore ways to increase our capacity for pleasure

-our taste for life-

by delighting in this simple, yet highly sophisticated sense."

Sarah suggests first going to ethnic grocery stores, 

and to be open and curious. 

Second she suggests cleaning out your spice cabinet next. 

"Variety, after all, is the spice of life, 

and fresh spices provide our sense of taste with variety."

She tells the story of how when she finally cleaned out her spice cabinet, the first time in 11 years, she found she had 11 cans of poultry spice and pumpkin pie spice. She purchased new spices every Thanksgiving because she was "a frazzled, disorganized homecarer [who didn't have] a clue she had spices left over from the previous year and of course didn't want to be caught short."

I can't wait to show you my ethnic grocery store finds, 

and the contents of my spice cabinet.

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Gratitude Journal

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1) A busy and productive day. I got so much laundry done, and a grocery list done, and the piano tuned (even though I didn't actually do that, Mr Fritz did), and Costco done, and swim lessons done, and dinner done, and helped a friend (although, Robbie did that, not me)...When you lay it all out like that it doesn't sound like much, but today was go go go and it was good. Tiring, but good.

2) Swim lessons. I'm so grateful that we got in the first week, the training week, at Jan Thomas, because that means that it's half the price! And when you've got three kids, it adds up quick. I'm also very very grateful that we can afford to pay for lessons, because I would really hate to do it. I get enough crying during the day, I'm glad I don't have to dunk them under water too.

Before

 3) Chocolate. 

4) Beans and rice.

5) Old movies. Rewatching Casper for the first time in YEARS.