The Importance of Visual Communication

I am a communications major and love to, well, communicate. I've been told I'm articulate and have a way with words but you know what, I've recently learned the importance of visual communication. Don't get me wrong, I'm a visual person and an artist that paints guess what? Words. My art is RiverLights Originals, I pen inspirational words on river rocks, add metallic inks and then photograph the rocks in shallow running water. The combination of the running water, metallic inks, and sunlight creates beautiful mosaic like images.

A few days ago I learned yet again, the importance of communicating with images. Many of you know that Mason and I have spent the last two years raising money to improve his elementary school kitchen. Ultimately, the school got an upgrade to the school cafeteria and a full blown culinary science lab so the students at the school can learn about science, nutrition and how to cook. Mason raised $26.052 to put in the CSL, but now they needed money to buy the supplies to conduct the classes.

I had posted several notes asking for donations and Mason even offered up $200 from his Chopped Junior prize money to get the donations ball rolling. A local business offered up $100, a fan who saw Mason on Food Network message him saying he had also sent $100 to help. Keep in mind, at this point, the principal of the school has been paying the $100 a week bill to get this program off the ground out of her own pocket. I did some quick calculations and deduced that the school needed $1400 to get through the rest of this school year and posted letting my circles know we needed $1,000 more in sponsorship. At the same time I was posting asking for help, I saw a post from one of the parents at the school with photos of that days cooking class. I asked if I could repost and when I got permission, I posted this:

A few days later Mason and I stopped over to our friends house to deliver some of Mason's famous tacos (they've been under the weather and couldn't come out to Max's with us) and Mason came running out with a check for $1,000! WHAT?!! I went in the house and thanked them profusely. I asked why and Gary said, "I saw the photos and I want this program to continue." I saw the pictures. Look at those kids, they're smiling, learning about food and science and math and food and nutrition... I saw the pictures.

The Mountain Mandarin Festival has been a big supporter of Mason and this project. They have given the school the opportunity to work the festival for the last three years for a percentage of the ticket sales and this alone was a large part of that initial money to put the CSL in to begin with. Yes, the MMF has been a huge supporter, but they stepped up again because they "saw the pictures."

Incredible and wonderful. Communicate and share, do these things with intention and watch the good come flooding in. Now we need a local grocery store to step up and sponsor the CSL for the whole school year. Mason and I are working on that, but rest assured, this is a great program and it will change lives, I know it's changed mine.

Who Is This Kid?

Mason's postcard

My son Mason is 12 years old. For the most part, he is a normal 12 year old boy who is strong willed, determined, obstinate, and can be a real pain in the butt for his dad and I. He loves to play video games, ride his BMX bike and skateboard, he skis and snowboards, and of course he cooks. When it comes to cooking, he's quite exceptional. He loves to perform and he can rock a live cooking demo or television performance like a seasoned professional. Last year he had the opportunity to compete on Chopped Junior on Food Network and he won, holy cow, he won!

Our hometown has been so excited to have a Chopped Junior Champion on the map that our local Max's Restaurant asked if he would put one of his recipes on their menu and he went with his spicy street taco from the show. Last night Mason was scheduled to be at the restaurant to meet and greet diners, talk about the show and see how they liked his tacos. I expected him to chat with people as he's quite outgoing but I did not expect what I saw last night, not at all.

Mason had dinner with the restaurant manager and people walked up to the table to talk to him as he was wearing his CJ chef coat so they knew who he was. When he finished eating, he washed his hands, grabbed his postcards and started working the room. He walked up to each table in the lounge and then he made his way to the dining room. I tried to get in behind him to take a photo or two, but I was intercepted by diners asking if I was Mason's mom. By the time the night was done, so many people had come in to see him, he signed photos, took pictures, and answered questions about cooking and competing on CJ. One of the people who came in to meet Mason was a young man with autism, Mason made that child feel like a million bucks! I was so proud of my child last night.

When the night was over and we were getting ready for bed, I asked Mason what he said to people in the dining room when he walked up to the tables. He replied, "I just walked up and said, Hi, welcome to Max's. I'm Mason Partak. I'm guest cheffing and my spicy street tacos are on the menu this month." WOW! WOW! I can't imagine having such a sense of myself at 12 years old. Now I know why people were stopping me and complimenting me. The truth is this though, Dave and I cannot take all the credit for who Mason is, to a large degree our kids are who they are and it is up to us as their parents to either foster those qualities or squash them. Are you tuned in as a parent? I think being older parents has really served us and obviously, it's been good for Mason, too.

Tune in to your kids, listen to who they are and then find ways to support them to be more of that. Be okay when that changes and when then want to explore different things in life, you will be so glad you did when you see your kid step up and as someone said last night, "live on purpose" at the ripe old age of 12 years old.

The Power of Intention

New York, Central Park August 2015

Mason is just 12 years old, but he has spent all those 12 years watching and hearing me talk about the power of intention. He hears me frequently say, "Whatever you think, you're right!" It's my favorite quote. Even though Mason will squawk about something being difficult or life not being fair, I know he understands that his thoughts guide his actions which in turn, create the immediate outcomes for his life. I say immediate because contrary to popular belief, changes can happen in an instant. It is a combination of immediate outcomes that when they come together make a successful future.

While Mason and I were in NY for the Chopped Junior competition, we talked a lot about what an honor it was to just be invited to compete on Food Network. The morning of the competition Mason and I had a little chat in our hotel room. I said to him, "You know Mason, I am completely confident that you have everything you need to win this thing. You have practiced and studied, you have the skills. With that said, more than anything I want you to understand that it is cool just to be here and to have fun today." He hugged me and we went down to breakfast. We met the other kids and their moms and the staff in the hotel restaurant moved a little 2 person table to the end of an eight foot table and Mason and Hannah's mom sat at the little table. During breakfast Mason playfully announced, "Hey, there is 100% chance that the Chopped Junior champion is sitting at this table." All the kids chuckled and nodded and Mason added, "No, this table" as he placed both hands on the little table only he (as one of the kids) was sitting at. They all laughed but I got it, it gave me chills the way he calmly spoke with such conviction - he absolutely set his intention and went on to win the competition. Coincidence? Some would say yes, but not me.

Our kids absolutely mirror what they see, and they see more of us as their parents than other people, especially at younger ages. Mason is now starting to spend more time socializing with other people in other environments and he will often tell me, "Mom, they don't think like we do." That pleases me that he gets how much power he has to control his life, and I'm sure to also share that the things he can't control, he can control how he reacts to and what his next action is. That is just as important in the manifestation process, don't you think?

Mason Made Roasted Onion & Garlic Cheese Balls

Kristy DeVaney from cavegrrl.com invited Mason to create something using cream cheese. Mason is not one to shy away from a challenge, especially when it involves Challenge cream cheese!

Mason created a cheese ball that when rolled in different coatings, adds variety to the flavor. Make them for your next party. Hey the big game is coming, February 7th, your guests will love this snack and it's not the same old thing.

If you are interested in Paleo and gluten free options, visit Cavegrrl.com and you will love what Kristy is doing with real food.

Mason Made Roasted Onion & Garlic Cheese Balls

2 pkg Challenge cream cheese

1 med yellow onion

1 sm red onion

1 lg head of garlic

6 sage leaves

2 springs of Rosemary

1 pkg chives

1C Italian blend grated cheese

1.5C fresh grated parmesan

1C chopped or sliced nuts (we used almonds)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Quarter the onions and top the head of garlic. Create a wrap around the garlic with foil so it sits up, it does not have to be closed up. Drizzle the onions and garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until soft. Set aside and let cool. Once cool, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their casings, Mason thought this was way fun how they pop right out.

Finely dice the chives and place them in a bowl, set aside. Dice the sage leaves and Rosemary. Once your roast onions and garlic are cool (don't have to be cold, just not hot), place them in the food processor and pulse until they are almost a paste consistency - not quite though. Add the cream cheese, Italian blend, 1/2C parmesan, sage and rosemary and process unit it is all completely mixed. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. You may need to scrape your food processor bowl and mix again to be sure you don't have cream cheese lumps. Turn the whole thing out on to a cookie sheet being sure to scrape all the cheesy goodness out of your processor.

Form the cheese into four logs or balls and roll in the chives. When you start to run out of the chives, add the other cup of parmesan and coat with that. Do the same with nuts if you want. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. 

Serve with a French baguette and crackers, it's delicious!

Mason also notes that if you have leftovers, it adds a delicious layer of flavor to casseroles or we added it to white chicken chili, it was so good!