Rosanna Warehouse Sale

Friday, June 4th 2010
Noon to 6:30p
Saturday, June 5th 2010
9a to 1p

Where: 440 S Holgate St - Seattle, WA 98134

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Unexpected Blessings

Since the release of Coming Home I’ve been on an extended adventure around the country known as a book tour.

Though I’ve done many “dish signings” and public meet-and-greet events, I’ve come to realize that book signings are something special. It’s been a surprising and gratifying experience. I am touched when people approach me to tell me how the book has touched their lives, inspired them, and how they used the suggestions inside to make their lives more satisfying

I’ve been consistently delighted to bump into people from my past at these events. At one book signing I reconnected with a woman I knew as a toddler and young child in Portland, OR. I love these moments of unexpected connection with people after many years of silence, in some case 50-plus.

I am most proud of Coming Home for its ability to serve as a point of reconnection. It is a wonderful gift to rediscover people I never would have seen again had I not written this book.

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What I Learned From My Daughter...A Voyage From Childhood to Graduation From Brown University

I am very excited. On Thursday we are flying to Providence, Rhode Island to see my oldest daughter Alessandra graduate from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She is a creative nonfiction writer who wrote a thesis on style in nonfiction writing, and will graduate with honors. Needless to say, I am very, very proud of her.

Motherhood has been full of wonderful surprises for me. When I gave birth to Alessandra 22 years ago, I had no idea that my child would teach me as I raised her! What a great boon that we, as parents, learn and go new places through the endeavors of our children.

Raising Alessandra has been an amazing journey. I’ve watched her academic achievements grow more impressive with each year of her life, and taken such delight in watching her interests grow, an occasionally take me to places I’d never traveled—like Oklahoma City for the national mock trial championship competition. I had been a lucky spectator at countless plays from 6^th-12^th grade in which Alessandra had starring roles, and later watched plays Alessandra directed at university. I’ve reveled in her prose, and spent time with her friends, vivacious young adults full of promise and potential who reinvigorate and inspire me.

This moment is both a time for celebration and a time for reflection. As I think back, all I can see now is a little curly-headed blur streaking across my memory. Clearly, Alessandra’s energy as toddler was an early sign of the dynamic young woman she has become today. I am so excited to see where she will run next.

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Rosanna @ Fireworks

In a world increasingly characterized by perfunctory relationships and hectic schedules, the warmth of the personal connection is largely lost, rendering rituals hollow and meaningless when they are observed at all. Noted dishware designer and author Rosanna Bowles seeks to reverse that trend with her book Coming Home: A Seasonal Guides to Creating Family Traditions.

Drawing from her childhood and the tight knit community of siblings, relatives and neighbors with whom she grew up, as well as her experiences as a mother, wife, and designer, and the lessons gleaned from the country villages during her family's yearly visits to Umbria, Italy, Bowles shares her memories and offers advice on creating new moments and taking advantage of existing opportunities to engage family, friends, and neighbors in forming stronger, healthier bonds—over meals, over coffee, over the fence during a chance encounter in the afternoon.

Organized by seasons, the author addresses the common tasks facing all kinds of families, placing the activities in the context of history, tradition, and the moods of the weather, towards the goal of establishing new and lasting traditions, while deepening and expanding existing ones.

Acknowledging the strong custom of bonding over meals, the book presents over 50 recipes geared with modern sensibility towards healthsome, fresh, organic ingredients, coupled with entertaining and decorating ideas to complement the meals. Much more than a book of recipes, Coming Home is a recipe for life, a life more emotionally fulfilling. Hardcover; 183 pages with full color photographs; measures approximately 11¼″ × 8¾″.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Since beginning her successful dishware company in 1982, Rosanna Bowles has received a number of awards for her designs, including the Gift of the Year Award, recognizing excellence in the giftware industry. Her designs have been highlighted in the New York Times,Country Living, Family Circle, O magazine, Real Simple, Harper's Bazaar, and other publications. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.

UNIVERSITY VILLAGE

2617 NE Village Lane
Seattle, WA 98105
206-527-2858
Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

A perfect Mother's Day gift for Mothers of all ages - Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide To Creating Family Traditions

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Traditions Winners

Thank you all for participating in my first blog giveaway! It was such a treat to read your traditions. I had a difficult time choosing just one...so we have a Grand Prize winner that will receive an autographed copy of Coming Home & Gelato. And 3 honorable mentions that will receive a copy of Coming Home.

CONGRATULATIONS to Gina...our Grand Prize winner! I love this idea of capturing a moment in the life of a child. The ritual is poignant. It is a significant gesture in the history of a family.

Gina's post: Love everything Rosanna .... am waiting to get my hands on your book! One of our family traditions is to create a time capsule when each of us turn 10 and open it with your child when they turn 10 (and create their time capsule.) The moments and memories this has created cannot be described. I still remember creating my time capsule and opening my moms. My daughter turned 10, 2 years ago and we did this - its an awesome moment with memories that will always be cherished. xoxo Gina

Runner Ups:

Diana (Diane) Maria's post: Whenever a girl in our family enters 'womanhood', all of the women in our family of every generation takes her out to celebrate at a favorite restaurant. It is a grand event in which all of the women and girls participate. At the most recent celebration, the ages ranged from 6 months to 77 years old. (Some of us travel great distances to attend.) The tradition started with my great great grandmother and continues on. No female in our family has ever crossed that threshold without having experienced a huge celebration.

Diana (Diane) Maria - I grew up in a family of girls. We had strong women as role models. This ritual demonstrates the power of women in the cycle of life. A fabulous tradition.

StunningAnnaK's post: When I was small my mother would collect all the tubes from toilet paper and paper towel. As the holidays would come around we would decorate them with the theme of the season. Using construction paper, pipe cleaners and whatever else we thought was appropriate my younger sister and I would create seasonally themed decorations. To this day I still get calls when my mother is unpacking the "toilet tube pilgrims" and the "toilet tube Santa's." It is great to see how we progressed in our creativity over the years...as well as how our craft improved!

StunningAnnaK - Being creative and using simple items that are normally thrown away gives meaning to the celebration of daily life. Great idea and wonderfully sweet tradition to share with children.

Rocky's post: Growing up, our family would have Sunday supper once a month at my grandmother's house. It wasn't to celebrate a holiday or birthday, just to celebrate family. And we always left with a coffee tin full of grandma's cookies!

Rocky - I also left my grandma's house with candies and treats gathered together in a big paper napkin. When you bring away a part of a tradition you are celebrating your connection with that person. What a wonderful connection and ritual to share with your grandmother. Food is love.


*All winners will be notified by email. If you are a winner and do not receive your email by Monday 3/8, please email monicaf@rosannainc.com, so that we may send you your prize!




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Crispy Kale

Alessandra brought this recipe home from college. It was an instant success— everyone’s favorite new way to eat kale!

I love this preparation because it is absolutely delicious, different and healthy. It’s also unbelievable how good it tastes considering how easy it is to make.

Ingredients:
1 or 2 bunches of Purple or Curly-Leafed Kale (this is the ruffly kind, but any type will work)
olive oil
sea salt
spices of your choice

1. Wash kale and strip the leaves away from the tough ribs. You can either tear them off with your hands or use a sharp knife.
2. Loosely shred or chop the kale leaves into bit size chunks
3. Arrange in a baking dish. A cookie sheet will also work.
4. Drizzle kale with olive oil (you don’t need much) and sprinkle with sea salt. (Add your other favorite spices if you want a specific flavor. My family likes spicy Italian pepperoncino flakes. Curry, cumin, or miso paste are other options.)
5. Leave kale in the oven until crispy. About 15-20 minutes depending on the amount. Check on the kale once or twice, turning over with a spatula.

Crispy kale makes a great side dish for dinner, but also works as an appetizer. It’s easiest to eat the chip-like kale flakes with your hands. Alessandra tells me she’s made this dish on numerous occasions and won over even avowed kale skeptics.

Bon Appetito!




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*photo courtesy of Daily Fill blog

Rosanna's Spring Giveaway

One of my fondest childhood memories is of May Day. Every year on the First of May, my mother would take us into the garden were we would gather spring blooms in an old wicker basket. Once we had filled the basket, we’d go inside to make paper cones and arrange our May Day flowers inside. Then came the fun part. With our May Day baskets in hand, my sisters and I would sneak up to our neighbors’ houses, place a bouquets on the stoop, ring the doorbell and run. From behind the cover of a bush, we would watch as our neighbors opened their doors to find a spring surprise. I made sure to teach my children about May Day like my mother did for us. I also taught this tradition to the little girl who lived next door. A few years later, the family moved away. But to this day every year on the First of May, Caskey still leaves May Day flowers on my doorstep. This tradition of leaving May Day bouquets has nearly faded out entirely. Nevertheless, it is still one of my favorite seasonal traditions. I look forward to it every year.

In honor of my new book Coming Home, we are having a giveaway that focuses on the theme of tradition. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite tradition. Tradition is about creating moments with those you love most, again and again. It can be a tradition you share with your friends and it doesn’t have to be seasonal. The contestant with winning submission will receive an autographed copy of Coming Home and a set of my Gelato cups. The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 28th. The winner will be announced by Friday, March 5th.

I am so excited to read about your traditions. My hope is that with these stories we will inspire each other to share new experiences with our loved ones.

May Day photo courtesy of skiptomylou.




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