President's Box at the Opera

We're at the Kennedy Center to see the Washington National Opera's dress rehersal for Turandot and we're sitting next to the President's box. No President, but cool just the same.

Book Worm

Here is Lydia Violet with one of her favorite pass times, reading books, well kinda. She does love books, I'm guessing for now the words aren't as important as the colorful pictures and turning the pages.

Much to our chagrin, she doesn't know the difference between her books and ours. She makes a daily mess of our bookshelf in the living room. But, how can one get angry when she is so gosh darn cute.

Unofficial First Phrase

On our walk to school today Lydia was being very squirmy. At one point she threw her body weight forward, more or less stopping in a parallel position to the street with her face pointing down. At which point she uttered the "words" "uh oh!"

She has of course said this phrase many times before and at completely inappropriate times. But this time felt different, she was reaching for the ground and was trying to look around my hip to the back. On a hunch I turned around to see what had sparked her attention and there it was, about 15 feet behind us, her pearly white mitten.

Vapor

Today on our walk to school it was 40º outside. I decided to show Lydia my breath vapor. I picked a sunny spot and took a deep breath. She looked at my puffed out cheeks, I'm sure trying to figure out what Papa was doing. Then I opened my mouth and slowly let puffs of breath out. Lydia looked on in amazement.

At one point she leaned her head forward and tried to chomp on the vapor as it passed by her face. She giggled and had a puzzled look at the same time.

Getting ready for the job.

Construction Baby, sporting the latest in Long Johns, jeans and work boots.

Go Go Lydia

Here is Lydia wearing a dress she received from our friend Victoria. She looks like a blast past, from circa 1967.

I really should...

...get around to writing something. It's been too long. Yada, yada. I haven't even posted about Lydia Violet's first birthday! So, to tide you over, I've posted the obligatory, covered in icing photo. At least I got it up before she turned 13 months.

There's been too much going on around here to blog about it. When we catch our breath. I'll be back. It shouldn't be too long... but in the meantime, don't hold yours.

If there were an award, she'd win it.

I just need to take a moment to toot our baby's horn. I realize I say this at the risk of it coming back to haunt me at some point, but knock on wood, etc.

So, on to my point: Our little girl is the coolest kid. Period. Full stop. End of sentence.

Allow me to explain: We just got back from watching the fireworks. We power-napped LoVE around dinner time so she would be able to check them out. But honestly, we weren't sure what to expect. Would the noise freak her out? Would she be too tired to take it? But we were ready to give it a go and if she wasn't into it we could easily leave, right? Well, what were we worried about folks? She loved it. (Though she did sleep through a Howitzer at the evening parade last summer, so I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised.)

We got a perfect spot on a neighborhood side street. She sat quietly while we waited for the show to begin and when it did she sat on my hip (while Dima and our friend Jen alternately covered her ears) completely entranced by the pyrotechnical display. She wasn't tense. She didn't jump. She just sat back and enjoyed. At one point she even—literally—oohed and ahhed while she reached out and tried to grab the shimmery lights.

After it was over... and the finale was stupendous... we got in the car and she proceeded to sleep the all the way to our exit, where she woke up and pleasantly cooed until we put her in bed. Then she immediately fell asleep.

Who could ask for a better night? Happy 4th of July! Lydia Violet, you rock! Love, Mama & Papa.

Barefoot and in the Kitchen

My latest culinary adventure is again thanks to Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Last night I made her Chicken Picatta—my first. Quite delicious from the chicken standpoint. The sauce ended up being CRAZY, lemony-tart. Not sure if it was supposed to be that tart, or if not, what I did to make it so much more tart than it was supposed to be. No matter though, despite the mess I made on the counter dipping flattened chicken in flour, egg and then bread crumbs, I will make this again. I think I might come up with my own sauce though. I'm thinking garlic, cilantro, lime... mmmmm.

Mother's Day Feats

Last Saturday, during a break in the rain, we had all the local mother's in our family over for a feast. What fun! It gave me an excuse to cook, which I love, and helped me meet a goal. For the first time in my life I hosted a party where I wasn't running around at the last second, frantic, and not nearly ready for anyone to arrive, let alone be entertained. The house was clean, the food was prepped and either finished or ready to be finished off for serving. Amazing!

As I'm writing this now I'm wishing I took pictures! Not just of the food but of the day. It was most excellent. So, I guess, though we weren't rushed or stressed we did fall down on the job there. (Aside from all the tender family moments, my food staging was superb and it's a shame we didn't capture it. Just kidding!)

We served:

• Crud d'ete
• Olives
• Various cheeses with Simply Enjoy brand Apricot & Jalapeño and Balsamic Onion jams. Simply delicious!
  
• A variation on the Barefoot Contessa's Curried Couscous that is becoming a cookout/party standard (Thanks, Nati!).
• Organic Simply Enjoy hot dogs for the boys and their dad, my brother.
  
• Latin Pork with Lime Marinade from this random medical Web site. No matter it's origin though, it was SCRUMPTIOUS, so we can feel good about it being good for us too. Dima grilled it to perfection, as always.
  
• Spice rubbed chicken (our secret: McCormick's Season All. Basic and tasty, it let's your sides be the star.) with avocado salsa (I actually forgot to put this out. Whoops!).

Now, for the rest of this and the avocado salsa above, I need to give props to The Domestic Goddess and her minions at Everyday Food. I got a subscription for Christmas from my aunt in-law and I love it, love it, love it! Every single recipe was delicious and easy. You can't beat that with a stick!

• Cucumber-Carrot Bites - yummy little bites of hollowed out English cucumber stuffed with grated carrots in a sour cream/vinegar sauce. They were billed as after-school snacks. Whatever! I ate them on the weekend and am still eating the leftover carrots as a side salad.
  
• Mini Corn Cakes with Scallions - these were super cute and tasty. A little cayenne pepper gave them a bite that was balanced nicely with... more sour cream.
  
• Two-pea Pasta with Ricotta and Tarragon - This was delish and easy to prepare. The key is not over cooking the peas so they stay nice and bright green. Next time I think I'll try basil instead of tarragon.
• Honey roasted baby carrots - again, quick, easy and divine.
  

For desert, we offered up a strawberry-orange ice cream (see recipe at the bottom of this post)—a variation on my constantly morphing ice cream recipe: avocado banana and ginger pumpkin—with my sister in-law, Carey's, fabulous fudge brownies. What an excellent way to finish off the meal and an excellent day. Yeah for moms! They rock! A point I especially appreciate now that I am one.

Strawberry-Orange Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cups light cream
1 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange extract
a dash of salt

Throw everything in the blender and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to freeze. Blend a few more seconds before pouring into the ice cream maker just to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Follow your ice cream maker's instructions for freezing.

If the shoe fits...

Well, mine doesn't anymore. I never believed it could be true but I think my left foot DID get bigger when I was pregnant. And is it possible? But I think my right foot got smaller.

I just bought a pair of Women's Converse® One Star® Skimmers in Glitter, which are ridiculously cute/cool. Normally a 10, I ended up buying a 9 1/2 because when trying them on in Target the 10 was flying off my right foot while the 9 1/2 on my left seemed to fit OK. But now my poor left foot is suffering. Out of the store, my big toe is smashed up against the end of the shoe and more than once I've checked to make sure I bought two shoes of the same size. (Yep. 9 ½. 9 ½.) The only explanation is that post-pregnancy my feet are two different sizes. (I really should go check on one of those foot-measuring devices to be sure.) I'm actually considering buying a second pair so I can have a good fit. 9 ½ for the right. 10 for the left. Crazy. But maybe worth it, because they're oh, so cute.

Ah, Spring!

I just had to post this: a street-side view on my new walk to the Metro after work. (We moved to a new office and a new Metro stop in February.) What a beautiful day. What a beautiful little postage stamp of a front "yard." And for once in my life my allergies aren't even that bad, so I can actually enjoy a scene like this without the requsite sniffling/itching/runny nose that usually goes along with it.

So, I say it in full voice, "Ah, Spring!" and to all the things that go with it: flowers, green trees, outside time, campfires, grillin', longer days, sandles, etc. But I especially say, "ahhhhh," to new beginnings. We've had a rough couple of months 'round these parts, and all of it, at the very least, has kept me out of the blogosphere. I haven't even been updating Baby in a Carseat. (But that said, I will today. Check it out in an hour or so: http://babyinacarseat.blogspot.com)

So, long story short, I want to catch up. And I will. See you around here soon.

Today we went to visit and meet Jake S. for the very first time in Annapolis, MD. Jake and his parent's had not had the pleasure of meeting Lydia until today as well. We had a great time catching up over lunch, talking about what seems like the inevitable downfall of our former employer A.I. As well as my new job prospects since I was laid off in January.

After spending some time with our friends and letting the kids get acquainted we hit the road, homeward bound. The directions home are pretty straight forward if you're paying attention. Needless to say, Jen and I were discussing my future when we zipped right passed our exit for MD Route 50. Not sure which route we had gotten on, I decided we'll turn around at the next exit and get back on the correct path. 8 miles down the road is our opportunity to make a u-turn. We took the exit for Route 32...but wait...it was an exit with no return to wherever we had just come from. An adventure begins.

I was under the impression that Route 32 intersected at least one maybe even two north/south bound roads near our house and we would be fine if we just continued on. At some point in our trip west Jen suggested we take I-95 home, but I suggested we just continue on, since it was a relaxing drive. Before I knew it, the sun had shifted from right in front of to our left, we had turned and were now headed north. Not good.

To make a long story short, we ended up on I-70 which connects Fredrick, MD to Baltimore. Oops. Jen quickly whipped out the map and told me to take Route 97 south. As it turns out, Route 97 took us south towards Olney. As we approached Olney we decided to stop at the Olney Ale House for dinner.

The photo shows Lydia gnawing on a carrot stick from our order of Old Bay seasoned wings. I guess two teeth is all you need to have a quick evening snack before bed.

Stranger Than Fiction?

The strange truth of this is that this book is actually one of my favorites... WAY before Oprah promoted the crap out of it. Everyone else LOVES Love in the Time of Cholera, which is nice for all sorts of reasons. But me, I am held spellbound by the saga of the Buendías and their hometown, Macondo. Now, whether I actually am One Hundred Years of Solitude as it is described below, that is up for debate. But I love that I took a random quiz and this is what came back at me.

You're One Hundred Years of Solitude!
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Lonely and struggling, you've been around for a very long time. Conflict has filled most of your life and torn apart nearly everyone you know. Yet there is something majestic and even epic about your presence in the world. You love life all the more for having seen its decimation. After all, it takes a village.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

almost a month

Sigh. I just looked at the date from my last posting. It's been almost a month since I last blogged. I wish I could say I've been suffering from withdrawal, but I can't. I've been too busy. And I wish I could say that you missed me, but I can't. Not a single desperate e-mail, wondering where I've been, has graced my inbox.

Since I last posted:

• We FINALLY got the sink and toilet back into the upstairs bathroom. (Pictures coming soon.) And I chose a shower curtain. Wait for it... after all that whining and moaning about how there are no good-looking shower curtains to be found, what did I buy? A plain white one. At first I felt like it was a cop out but now I think both Dima and I are pleased as punch. It really helps maintain the illusion of space in this tiny bathroom. And on the same shopping trip I picked up some really cool stark-white, patterned bath towels. Those, in combination with some large artic blue bath sheets that coordinate with the new paint color, are really helping me feel like the project is coming together. Now, the threshold and the door... well... not yet. The weather has been too unpredictable to finish prepping the door to be repainted. And we've discovered that the marble threshold we bought is too big for the application. So, hopefully we will tackle these last tasks soon. It's cold taking a shower in a bathroom with no door.
  
• I got a glass kiln for Christmas! We finally finished the bulk of the work in the garage studio and both Dima and I were able to get out there and start working on some projects. I've run two glass loads and turned out some interesting little stuff. I learned some lessons about glass incompatability and why you should plug the vent hole in a kiln. I've got big plans though. And practice makes perfect. Dima's got a painting going too. Giraffes and daisies.
  
  
  
• We've been trying to get Lydia Violet on a sleeping schedule. We thought we had it for a while and then she went into full rejection mode. Now it seems that we're back on track. The ratio of how much she cries before she falls asleep and if she sleeps through the night seems to have to do with how much she bounces in her Bumper Jumper beforehand. The more she bounces once she's home from daycare, the easier it is to get her to go down for the night.
• Lydia has gotten a second tooth. Right above the first one. Soon she's sure to resemble Baby Herman of Roger Rabbit fame (see above). Those cheeks, those eyes, that tooth!
  
• We're full on into solid foods. And I'm elbow deep in homemade baby food production. What we've learned: Lydia dislikes anything that isn't orange/yellow colored. She loves carrots, butternut squash, yellow squash and sweet potatoes. Other than that, I've tried giving her green peas and plain ol' potatoes. Bleck. You should have seen the look on her face. I might as well have given her wallpaper paste. (I actually think the consistency of the potatoes wasn't far from wallpaper paste. The food processing seemed to bring out the glutens and it WAS sort of sticky looking.) So, we'll try again at some point with those but for now, when we're seeking success, I think we'll stick to the yellows. Up next: zucchini. Perhaps its squash like nature will help her make a leap to the greens. Actually, I guess, once pealed, zucchini would be yellow too. So never mind.
  
• Lydia is taking big-girl baths and she loves it! Her Sassy Snap and Squirt Sea Creatures from Tia Carmen are her favorite! Tonight she learned how to make big splashes with her hands. It reminded us that we need to take her back to the pool and sign her up for swim lessons. Can't wait!
  

Udvar-Hazy Museum

Here we are. Rosie and I visiting the Air & Space Museum in VA. (We just ran into Katia P. and the twins.) This place in huge. Worth a visit.

breakfast at Kay's Diner II

blogging withdrawal

I'm feeling behind. I have so many things to blog about and so little time...

1. the garage studio project wrap-up post
2. my new glass kiln, which is technically a Christmas present, so I guess I can wait to post on that until Christmas has arrived (but it's already in the newly finished garage studio folks! V. exciting!)
   
3. wind-powered donuts (yes, wind-powered donuts AND espresso for that matter)
4. a new recurring theme post "LoVE Loves..." where I detail Lydia Violet's latest obsession. Examples of posts that are waiting to be written: LoVE Loves... Papas paintings, her newly discovered feet, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, etc.
5. Lydia Violet in general. The only regular blog time she's getting lately is over on Baby in a Carseat. I think she's actually going through withdrawal herself.
6. I've been reading a great book, Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business and I have no time to say all the great things about it that I want to. Sigh.

Well, that's six things (a total of eight potential posts, one of which I've already begun writing), just six, out of the dozens that are swirling around in my head. I've got a break from work coming up over the holidays. Rosie Bee will be visiting from England for TWO WEEKS!!! Maybe I can get caught up then? Though, her visit I'm sure will generate all sorts of new potential topics. Sigh. I really need to figure out a way to get paid to keep up with this blog. Then all my problems would be solved.

Click on my ads people! That'll be a start. :^)

I've got a load

This is sort of a metro.texture™, which would normally be an image over on my other blog by the same name, but this a story with no image so it can't, by definition, go there. Although it relates to this image that I took on the Metro this morning. (Sardines). Anyway, I digress...

While I was in the maternity time warp I somehow forgot all about my favorite Metro train operator. Well, I had the pleasure of riding into work with her today. I have no idea what her name is but if you ride the Red Line, you know exactly who I'm talking about. If you board one of her trains in the morning you can look forward to a zany running commentary all the way into the city. You'll know you're on one of her trains when you hear a deep and soft female voice that sounds like it should be jockeying jazz on the radio say, "Please enter quickly and safely, quickly and safely, people."

Really what she's got is a special talent. A superpower if you will. With that voice and her strange storytelling ways, she can make the most hectic, crowded, backed-up of commutes (1) fly by, and (2) seem painless. On a chaotic commuting day, everyone within earshot will fall under her spell and forget how they normally conduct themselves on the Metro, which under stressful circumstances would be with hostility and attitude and might even involve pushing and shoving. Hypnotized by the lilt of this woman's voice people actually DO step away from Metro doors that are bursting at the seams when she asks them to. On any other train, with any other driver, you'd find those same people trying shove themselves into the smallest of remaining spaces. Spaces that are not meant to be occupied by human forms. At least not full-sized adult human forms. But when she asks, people listen. It's fascinating.

This morning the Red Line was especially backed up, slow and crowded. And instead of cross words and attitude the only utterances to be heard from this woman's passengers (and in some cases people on the platform AND on other trains) were giggles and chuckles at her peculiar chatter. The man sitting next to me had clearly never ridden with her, because he resisted cracking a smile until we were all the way to Metro Center. But even he could not withstand her powers. I finally saw him smile after I had laughed out loud for about the 10th time.

One quote from this morning as the full train was rolling into the already packed station: "Good morning, good morning, good morning. As you can see, I've got a load." She then proceeded to tell the people on the platform how to be courteous to the passengers that would exit and how they should "quickly and safely" enter the train. But best of all was "if you feel touching or wigglin' don't despair. We've got a load. It's tight in here." That, I think, may have been what finally broke my seatmate's composure.

I think I must tell her I missed her next time I ride with her. It's really a nice way to start your day. Laughing. It sets a standard for the rest of the day to come.

Work

It's really interfering with my bloggin'.

Well, work and all the house projects, and the fact that we were ALL sick earlier this week.

... really crampin' my bloggin' style.

*Sigh*