La Bon Vie

Dressember 2nd: This Is Why They Wore Girdles

2010-12-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Today I chose a long neglected vintage dress from Suzy Q. Very Betty Draper of me, don't you think? There I am, languishing about with my 10 o'clock Old Fashioned. That's 10 a.m.
I realized, about 2 hours in to the day that the sharp pain in my side was not last night's pizza expanding and contracting in my stomach as I had originally thought, but was in fact, due entirely to the teeny tiny waist band of my dress. Clearly my boyish figure would have been trussed like a turkey in 1958 in order to fit in the clothes of the day. Sigh. The things we women have done (and will do) to look presentable.

Happy Dressember 1st

2010-12-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Dressember 1st

It may seem like a trivial thing (no offense, Blythe) in comparison to life's bigger problems, but Blythe's fun Dressember Challenge lured me back to the blog-o-sphere. I need a little levity in my life, and as I told Blythe, I'm lucky to get dressed every day, but if I do, it may as well be in a dress.
I plan on writing/posting more today, but for now, here I am in all my resplendent first snowy day of the year glory. I love the second photo best, the one where Ryan cut my head off.
I'm not sure if we're 'sposed to be posting what brand/designer we are wearing, and I'm a little uncomfortable with that sometimes- don't want it to seem like bragging or unnecessary attention paid to labels. What I'll tell you about what I'm wearing today is that it's a 100 year old skirt cum dress (hiked up over my chest), a 5 year old cardigan (merino wool, natch), cable knit tights the color of a lovely bordeaux wine, 6 year old tweed & leather j.crew boots, and my indispensable army coat.
P.S. I borrowed this look wholesale from my favorite model, Stella Tennant, from a Vogue shoot with her beautiful family (husband David and 4 kids) about 6 years ago.

Wreck This Journal

2010-06-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to give the boys this new book from Keri Smith before embarking on our Virginia trip next week. I gave the boys "How to be an explorer of the world" for Christmas which encourages readers to explore their world as both artists and scientists. It has prompted many fun discussions and discoveries and I'm hoping the same for this "anti-journal".

Altered books are nothing new, and a true artist probably wouldn't need the prompts in this book to experience a true creative process, but after reading some of the reviews below, I felt that the boys and I could use some direction in the art of journal-making and the fun "mistreatments" and alterations described sound like something that will inspire all of us to fully engage in the creative process and hopefully open up our eyes to seeing things(beauty?) (textures, colors) that we otherwise miss. At the very least, it should be a fun collaborative project for the boys to focus on during the long drive there.

Below are a few Amazon reviews:

"When this journal arrived, my heart sank when I saw there was a tiny tear on the bottom of the spine. My first reaction was to contact Amazon and have them ship me a brand new copy. Then I came to my senses; the whole purpose of the journal *was* to wreck it, and in light of what I was going to do to it, a tiny tear would be the least of its worries.

You see, I made a promise to myself: Follow the instructions and wreck the journal, no matter what my better judgment told me.

It took a few days to get started. In fact, I spent those first few days grieving over what I had to do to the journal (yes, I started by reading through some of the instructions). When it comes to my books and journals, I'm a perfectionist and *damaging* any of them makes me uneasy. Even the sight of someone else damaging a book makes me uneasy.

But, when I finally let loose and did one of the tasks in the book, suddenly it didn't seem so bad. (Plus, it helped that I started with such an innocuous task -- sticking a sticker from bought fruit on a page.) Before long, I was flinging the book at the walls, ripping pages, drawing with glue, showering with it, and a bunch of other interesting (yet highly suspect) activities.

At the end of the day, my family members may think I'm a little nuts for buying a journal I would eventually destroy, however, it's incredibly fun, liberating, and therapeutic. Enough so that I enlisted the aid of a Starbucks barista for my recent experiment (and I think he liked it too)."

"I started reading the prompts and blurbs, and it started sinking in: this isn't a book at all. This is PARTICIPATORY. This is a book that doesn't let you sit there, passively, with your coffee, just observing what the author's trying to say. This is a book that makes you get up, makes you smear it with crazy and beat it up in ways that most people couldn't imagine treating their books or journals. Especially not a journal. Wrecking a *journal*?

Over the next few days, I carried this book with me and beat the livin' tar out of it. I followed the prompts. I wrote on pages with food and with my tongue. I ripped pages out and crumpled them up and stuck them back in. I sat with it in a chair with my coffee, for sure, but I also spilled coffee on it -- on purpose. I wrote in things backwards and scribbled really, really hard.

In short, this book went through things that most of us should never have to. I kicked this thing around and waited while it came back for more.

And, you know...? It was TREMENDOUSLY LIBERATING. I beat the snot outta the pages, but when I was done, there was a whole new surface for me to look at and consider. I found new colors (thanks to berry-blue gum and dirt). I found that I really like painting over surfaces that have been scored by ballpoint pens and fingernails, and that watercolor over crumpled paper makes the most interesting texture, always unpredictable."

"What I thought was going to be a disappointment has probably been one of the best books out there for getting me to "lighten up" a bit and just get back to playing freely on a page. From one star in my brain, this book elevated itself with its simple presentation and revolutionary (to me) ideas to a five-star keeper. I'm even considering getting more, to hand out to artists-blocked friends this holiday season."

Get this book. Even if you're not blocked now, or can't imagine defacing a book (even if it tells you to). One day, if you ever are, this book can help knock you out of the rut you're in, and put you on a whole new path."

Guess What?

2010-06-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

Remember when I was waxing rhapsodic over these Bensimon shoes? And wishing I could find them in my size?

Well, I did find them! Or at least the lace up ankle sister-shoe (the ones above were sold out in my size).

I ordered them in gris claire (so french!). I'll pick them up tomorrow and will wear the heck out of them all summer long.

l.o.v.e the rumply canvas and distressed edges. am i crazy for purchasing something this light in color? my other thought was this shade...help me decide?!

Nothing New

2010-06-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise (dismay?) when I opened my new anthropologie catalog this evening only to find this chair being offered...
which looks suspiciously like the one in the first photo and below, which I reupholstered two years ago. "Hmmm, even the fabric looks very similar" I though to myself. But surely that can't be. I used 100 year old homespun jute and flax/linen blend (not entirely sure) from France that I bought from someone on ebay. So I looked at anthro's website and guess what? The Lunet Chair is "upholstered in recycled jute sacks from France...Price $1698".

I don't know whether to be kinda proud of myself or annoyed that something I thought was so unique is now so accessible. Well, only if you have an extra $1698 laying around. Sheesh. Guess it just goes to show no matter how hard you try, there's nothing new under the sun.

Favorite Things: Day 31

2010-06-01T10:31:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 31 This guy..

For being steadfast, loyal, loving, hard working

baby wearer, boy carrying

Papa.

For being my best friend, confidante, encourager, challenger. For patiently putting up with my bleep. For making all my dreams come true by giving me the family I always wanted. But mainly for being the inimitable Ryan. I love you.

Favorite Things: Day 30

2010-06-01T10:27:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 30 Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

You know, I was going to leave day 30 for something like "being a sibling/nurturing siblings", or "community", or "friendship" but decided, what are any of those, really, without a little sweetness? A tiny morsel when the craving hits. For me those cravings are satisfied with these Devil Food Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream. To be honest, I could do without the cupcake. I mean, it is made out of chocolate that I mix with fresh brewed coffee, and for a bite of something chocolatey, it does the trick. But for me it's just a vehicle with which to drive the buttercream into my waiting mouth. Mmmm, as Blythe is fond of saying. And she hasn't even tried these yet.

Brown sugar buttercream was new to me so I went for the same method as I do my lemon meringue white buttercream...egg whites whisked together with brown sugar over a double boiler until warm and shiny, then beaten into a frenzy, in part to cool the mixture off. Then you add the butter. I won't say how much, but it's a lot. The moment it all comes together and begins to look like something you could actually ice a cake with is a glorious one and the point at which my mouth begins to salivate with expectation.

I love the salty-sweet of the butter and brown sugar and have been known to keep the leftovers in the fridge for a pick me up late afternoons when Mama needs a secret treat. Good stuff.

Favorite Things: Day 29

2010-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 29 Sweaters

All I can say is, one can never have too many. Long sleeve, cardigan, pull over, turtle neck, cable knit, fine gauge knit, metallic, 3/4 sleeve, shawl collar, puffed shoulder, boat neck with stripes, cashmere, merino wool, cotton, linen, cotton/wool blend, variegated, handmade, vintage, store bought.

They're all good.

And no, I don't have too many.

Favorite Things: Day 28

2010-06-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 28 Traditions

Ryan carrying Felix up the hill to the hut.

One of my very favorite things is carrying over traditions from both our sides of the family, as well as beginning new ones with our own brood.

Thanksgiving, when I was growing up, always entailed about 20 extra people as well as make shift table of plywood on sawhorses, covered nicely with a starched white table cloth. We pulled out boxes of Noritake china from under the stairs and washed each piece carefully. I loved polishing the silver, ironing the napkins, and setting the table with candles and place markers. The kitchen was a hub of activity, with amazing smells driving us all wild with hunger. There was the year Mom accidentally dropped the 25+ lb. turkey on the floor, creating a scene right out of The Christmas Story, and the other year Aunt Suzie traipsed around our soft pine wood floors in spiky heels, leaving an indelible mark on our floor that nearly sent my father into an apoplectic fit.

Christmas began with the hunt for the perfect i.e. tallest tree in christendom that we would then cut down, tie to our car, and drive merrily home. One year, our eyes were bigger than our strength, and we had to use a pully system, with me standing on the front porch, tugging on a rope through the dormer window to get the tree in an upright position. I think that one was close to 15-17 feet high? Christmas also included copious amounts of yummy food, including the year Mom made a traditional English plum pudding and tried to light it on fire with brandy soaked sugar cubes. Many attempts at lighting failed and then suddenly, whoosh, it seemed to explode and we all gasped then applauded. Good times.

Since we moved to Wisconsin, my side of the family has been traveling here for Thanksgiving. Everyone pitches in for the big meal as well as all the other meals of the week, lots of games of dominoes are played, beer is drunk, but the best part of Thanksgiving is an afternoon at Indian Lake. There is a wonderful warming hut on top of a hill there, with a wood stove and a stash of firewood. We haul in food and supplies and spend the afternoon mostly outside, around the big fire pit, with the hut as a place to warm up if need be. It's become a tradition almost every one in the family looks forward to the most.

Noel starting a fire in the hut's woodstove.

My older brother James also ropes anyone he can into running the Berby Derby with him Thanksgiving morning which I feel conflicted about. On the one hand, I enjoyed the race the year I ran it, but on the other hand, I'd much rather wake up late and eat a large breakfast instead. Either way, it's a fun tradition.

Our family has created lots of other traditions. Some of them will remain the same for years to come, others may change a bit to fit our changing schedule and kids' desires. Either way, it's a lovely way to create memories and an anticipation for the years to come.

Favorite Things: Day 27

2010-06-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sam & Oliver playing on the beach at Sherando Lake

Favorite Things: Day 27 State Parks

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of camping at a place in the Blue Ridge Mountains called Sherando Lake. Camping is only $15 night (still) and the sites are private and shaded with easy access to restrooms and water. We'd go for hikes, rent a canoe, or swim in the lake that also has a nice sandy beach. For a family of 6 on limited income, it was an affordable and ideal vacation.

Devil's Lake in Wisconsin is a favorite place to camp and hike because of how much it reminds me of Sherando and it's proximity (about an hour 15 minutes from our home). We also like Governor Dodge, Lake Kegonsa (10 minutes away) and Indian Lake. For a paltry $25 park sticker fee, we can have year round access to all this free entertainment and exercise.

Most state parks were created by the CCC, a government program FDR founded to give out of work men jobs and to create a service for the people of our nation. I remember my mom telling me stories of my Grandpa Shomon hauling logs up steep hills to make steps and trails in various parks around the country and to this day, I think of him every time we find ourselves hiking one of these parks.

I'll be fulfilling a dream in two weeks when I take the boys camping at Sherando Lake for the first time!

Favorite Things: Day 26

2010-06-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 26 Eating al fresco

Favorite Things: Day 25

2010-06-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 25 Books

Although Cydney makes a great case for the audible book and kindle, nothing will ever replace a good old fashioned bound book in my aesthetic. I've always been seduced by antique/vintage books especially and from a very young age, began collecting them at library sales my mom would take me to. Some of my most prized books are a complete collection of Louisa May Alcott's works my mother gifted me for my birthday a few years ago. She bought them in Hawaii at her friend's book shop and learned that they were owned by two young girls whose family came to Hawaii to be missionaries at the turn of last century. Her father prized books more than anything and built a shelter for their abundant collection before building a house for the family. The inscription reads to either Miss Ethel or Miss Anna Paris from a Mrs. Carter, 1900-1904. I love thinking about these girls, far away from their home and living in a strange land but being transported into Alcott's world just as I am every time I open one up.

I also have the complete works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Thackeray, Guy de Maupassant, almost all antique copies of Edith Wharton and Henry James, George Eliot, and Victor Hugo. I love the gilt edges, the decorative spines, the beautiful illustrations, the different typefaces, and yes, even the slight musty smell some of them emit.

When I packed up my car to drive solo from VA to Seattle at the age of 19, my little Toyota Corolla was packed to the gills with boxes and boxes of books. When my car caught on fire in the Nevada desert, I had all those boxes shipped to my final destination, rather than leave them behind, which just shows my dedication to the printed word. It's gotten a little out of hand, and sometimes I think I need to pare down. But then I sit in our reading room and realize I could never part with any of these friends.

Favorite Things: Day 24

2010-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 24 Journals

I really wish I had done a better job journaling the last few years. My entries are scattered, interrupted, and largely unfinished since I often am scattered and/or interrupted whenever I sit down to write. I'm grateful for the journals I do have...it's so interesting to peruse entries from a decade ago and see where I've grown, matured and changed as well as the things I still continue to work through/think about. Journals are also a great cache for memorabilia (just found tickets from the Eiffel Tower in one), artistic sketches (or in my case, clippings from magazines), and poetic phrases that need to be written down.

I loved finding the entry above from a cross country trip my mom and I took from VA to Seattle in 1998...it made me smile to see that even then, the Wisconsin landscape took a hold of my heart and dragged me in.

I have journals for all the boys, although naturally, Sam's has the most written in it, since Sam was born first and had the bulk of my uninterrupted attention (his is the leather bound marbled paper one above that I purchased in Montepulciano the trip we found out we were expecting him). I've been trying to write more frequently for each boy. I haven't decided when I'll pass them on to the boys, but it will be on a significant birthday when they are much older. For quick use, I love the "My Quotable Kid" journal from Chronicle Books that Blythe gave us...each page has a space for date, place, kid, and then the quote. I keep it within easy grasp so I can write things down immediately that need to be immortalized.

Favorite Things: Day 23

2010-05-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 23 Summer

I first met Summer in the beginning of Summer 1998. I had only lived in Seattle for a year and we met at the graduation party Dana Jill threw for Jared. Within minutes of meeting (along with our other friend Freya, who I also met for the first time that day), we were fast friends. In fact, the 3 of us spent the rest of the weekend together talking art, poetry, faith, spirituality, and of course, boys. Or rather, the boys were in hot pursuit of my 2 new gorgeous friends. I quickly got used to being the "chopped liver" friend. A year later, Summer brought her new beau Colin and her brother Ryan over to the house where I lived to watch "So I Married an Axe Murder", and thus began my relationship with my husband.

Our friendship went through a rough transitional period when we both got married...I think it was tricky figuring out how to go from friends to sisters-n-law. My pregnancy and birth of Sam quickly erased any hurt feelings or misunderstandings as Summer was determined to be the most loving and present auntie ever, a role she relished and has never ceased to fill despite the 2,000 physical miles between us. She drove up from Eugene, OR as soon as she heard I went into labor and slept on a hospital couch until Sam was born.

Later, when Ryan and I were going through a very tough year (that's putting it mildly), she was my constant confidante, my encourager, my listener, never telling me what to do, never judging me, but helping me to process through everything and when I chose to reconcile with Ryan, she once again drove up from Eugene and lived with us until 6 weeks after the birth of Oliver, helping out in every way imaginable so that I could have a healthy recovery. Night after night, she watched Conan O'Brien on our couch and cuddled baby O so that Ryan and I could get some much needed sleep. To this day there is a very special bond between "Olba-bear" (as Sam used to call him) and Mimi (the name the boys call her).

Honestly, the fact that both Summer and Ryan are in my life are evidence that God loves me in a tangible way that I don't think I ever quite got before I knew them. How many women marry a guy and land a best friend as a sister-n-law in the process? Maybe more than I know, but I count myself blessed beyond measure to have Summer as my sister-friend.

Now she's a Mama to two extraordinary girls, my nieces, and we share an ever deepening bond as we journey through parenthood together. Despite the fact that her brother is my husband, we're able to have honest and candid conversations about marriage and what it means to be a wife and I'm constantly inspired to love Ryan better through watching the example she sets with Colin.

She's an incredibly talented photographer who feels too weird about self-promoting to actually make a go of it commercially and a girl whose fashion sense is always fun and boundary pushing.

You'd be hard pressed to find a more loyal, hard-working, dedicated, honest-to-a-fault, fun, creative, flawed-but-determinedly-working-it-out person who I can call literally any time, day or night and know she'll pick up the phone and have something wise and funny to say. She's a one in a million gem.

I love you Summer.

Favorite Things: Day 22

2010-05-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 22 Fun Kitchen Gadgets

If I had to list them in order of importance prior to yesterday, it would go:

1). Microzester

2). Cherry pitter

3). French pastry rolling pin (wood)

4). Terra cotta whole garlic baker

But there's a new sheriff in town, a rookie who completely upset the natural order of things and took top place in the affections of the Baughn family. Who is this upstart gadget? A line of 4 Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma. Received an email from the latter advertising the former (aren't "latter" and "former" just brilliant words? They just make life and communicating so much easier) and since Ryan was literally next door, I capitulated and purchased. It wasn't really a fair fight. I didn't tell the boys but surprised Sam with buckwheat pancakes in the shape of Yoda and Darth Vader the next morning at breakfast (I just couldn't wait the 3 weeks until his birthday which was the intended gifting date) and he was ecstatic.

I then tried them out on his sandwich I packed for his lunch.

Jasper thought they were a hoot.

Oliver tried his hand at decorating with the royal icing and did a phenomenal job (although Bobba Fett, below, is mostly my handi-work).

What will they think of next? (they being the retailers and they do have the same thing as pancake molds but I figured the cutters could do double duty and they work out pretty well).

Unfavorite Things: 2 Weeks of Being Unwell

2010-05-28T09:58:00.001-07:00

Hi all-

I want to apologize for not keeping up with the favorite things project. I have been running on empty for what seems like forever but has in actuality only been 2 weeks. It started with a horrible sore throat that lasted for days, turned into cough and severe headache and just when I thought I was getting better, I got beat up in a street fight. Well, not really. But that's how badly my body ached for several days. Alongside stomach issues and massive fatigue (bed by 8:30pm with a 2 hour nap in the afternoons), I'm not ashamed to admit that I called Summer to cry on her shoulder long distance a time or two. I really really want to indulge in more whining about the state of my house, the massive piles of laundry that have built up, the guilty feelings of not being able to do much more for Ryan or the kids then just get by, much less feeling like a crummy friend for barely (0r not at all) checking in lately...everyone please forgive me and know there was a reason why.

With all that said, the older boys have been shopped out for an overnight and I'm hoping to spend some time catching up on this project, which I've enjoyed immensely. And then I'll kick my feet up with a cup o' tea and catch up on all your lovely postings as well.

Favorite Things: Day 21

2010-05-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 21 Parties!

I love any excuse to have a party. I love preparing for it (I'm kind of a last minute planner even when I know months in advance that one is coming up), love cooking and baking for it, and especially love when everyone shows up at the door, smiling and excited to spend an "occasion" together. One year, my friend Hansi brought her Sam & Remy over for a Valentine's Day party.

Sam asked for a pirate party a few years back. Grandpa hand painted flags and I bought bandana material at Jo-Ann's so each kid could be swarthy...it was a stretch for Esther & Indy who are just too darn cute, but they tried.

I don't claim to be the most creative when it comes to party ideas, I mainly focus on the food and making sure everyone can make it but I've heard tales of Jenn over at Precarious and her legendary parties for her girls and often wished I had her kind of ideas and execution. I suppose in the end, though, no matter what your budget or your style, just getting together with friends and family is about all the excuse you need to have a party!

Favorite Things: Day 20

2010-05-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 20 BBC, Master Piece Theater & Andrew Davies, bless his soul. For bringing all the wonderful classics to life in adaptation after glorious adaptation. Impeccable acting, writing, set and costume design is like candy to this girl who grew up wishing she'd been born a century or two earlier (to blue blood parents on a country estate in Derbyshire, of course), so much so that she set up a wash stand in her bedroom and brushed her teeth and washed her face there instead of the bathroom with all the modern amenities just outside her door. Nerd.

Yup. Officially in love with Richard Armitage, Daniela Denby-Ashe and the writing of Elizabeth Gaskell (who was a close friend of Charlotte Bronte and a well-known author herself in her day, now experiencing a revival of interest in her novels thanks to productions such as this) after watching this 4 part mini. And seriously, I'm going through with season 7 of MI:5 (or Spooks as it's known across the pond) just to continue watching Richard Armitage take on the world.

Ryan and I found this production of Bleak House (with the lovely Gillian Anderson in a role that rivals her turn in House of Mirth) absolutely riveting. "Shake me up, Jenny!" is now a favorite catch-phrase in our house, especially loved by Felix who has absolutely no clue what it means.

And of course, everyone's favorite. I nearly came to blows with a few friends in a debate over the best adaptation of Pride & Prejudice but I still defy ANYONE to find a better adaptation of Jane Austen's novel then this 1991 version. It just doesn't get any better than the chemistry between Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth Bennett and Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy. There are so many memorable scenes but one of my favorites is between these two when Elizabeth receives news of silly Lydia's scandal. Even after 50 sittings it's still swoon-worthy and no one can convince me that Keira Knightley did better. Jennifer Ehle brings an intelligence and maturity to Elizabeth that I found sorely lacking in the latter's performance, and as well as Matthew McFadyn did as Darcy, he's no Colin Firth. Sorry. I'm pretty firm on this one.

As a frequent viewer of period dramas, I'm amazed at how often Andrew Davies' name pops up as the screenplay writer. Well done and thank you from a legion of devoted fans such as myself.

Favorite Things: Day 19

2010-05-20T19:28:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 19 Poetry

This was dictated to me by Oliver and describes a drive to Dan & Beth's old house.

Favorite Things: Day 19

Favorite Things: Day 18

2010-05-20T19:25:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 18 Wood

Favorite Things: Day 17

2010-05-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 17 I've said it before and I'm sure I'll bore you to death by saying it again, but I love it when my boys bake.

Favorite Things: Day 16

2010-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 16 Thrift Stores where you can find things that you need/want for a fraction of the price at a retail store if you have patience and are willing to use secondhand items.

I hadn't been to a thrift store in a while so I was super pleased to waltz into the small Stoughton St. Vinny's and find this ice cream maker for a paltry sum. Ryan said it is just like Bakka's. I liked that the old box it came in said it was made in Virginia, near where I grew up. We both liked the $4 price tag. We brought it home and promptly made buttermilk ice cream. It was yum.

Favorite Things: Day 15

2010-05-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 15 Spontaneous Family Time

We do a rotating date night with two other couples that has been temporarily suspended until expected babies are born...thus, we found ourselves a few Thursday nights ago with no food in the house and some money in the budget for eating out. Sam yelled "Old Fashioned!" and away we went. After eating, we ran across the street to the Capitol lawn and had a raucous game of tag that wore us all out. It was one of those unusually warm early spring days and we had such an enjoyable time hanging out that no one wanted the evening to end. As we were getting into our car, a distinguished looking gentleman with graying hair was approaching his nice Volvo parked in front of us, and Oliver queried matter of factly "is that George Washington?" that sent us all in an uproar of laughter...a wonderful end to a lovely night.

Favorite Things: Day 14

2010-05-18T06:18:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 14 Compost

Why is there a potato chip bag in my compost bin, you ask? Well, Sunchips has come out with the first biodegradable/compostable chip bag, giving me another excuse to indulge in buying a bag of Harvest Cheddar every now and again for the childish glee I get in throwing the empty bag in my compost instead of my trash.

Favorite Things: Day 13

2010-05-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 13 Exercise

I have been remarkably undisciplined with exercise lately, even for me. And that's saying a lot because I can be very undisciplined. But since the coming of spring and warmer weather, it's been easier to find the motivation. Despite how great I always feel after a run or bike ride, I've never enjoyed exercising by myself and yet the better sleep, the better posture and overall health should get my butt out the door. Lately, I've found that even better then exercising is doing a physical activity outside with my husband and kids without the pressure of times and distances. Yesterday morning was light on work for Ryan so we tumbled the youngest 3 into the burley and bike carrier and rode to the coffee shop.

This morning was the annual Syttende Mai race in Stoughton and the boys and I ran the 2 mile Lil Mai race. Oliver and I got side stitches after the first mile but O was a champion and finished in fine style. Here is Sam above (wearing Norwegian colors) who took off like a jackrabbit when the gun sounded and finished a good 10 minutes before Oliver and I. It was so cool to watch Oliver go from tired and feeling like he couldn't finish to sprinting towards the finish line as crowds on either side cheered him on. He got a huge smile on his face when the race official announced "way to go Oliver!" as he crossed the finish and got his race t-shirt. Ryan met us with coffee and donuts and we sat on the curb and cheered the finishers of all the other races before heading home. It was a great experience and I look forward to the whole family running together next year.

Favorite Things: Day 13

2010-05-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 13 Getting & Receiving Gifts (from people I know and love...sometimes you have to make that distinction)

My friend Hansi has a special knack for picking out gifts for me that are so meaningful because they are always unique, usually handmade either by herself or from etsy, and are things that I love love love but would probably not spend the money on for myself. Take the necklace above. Hansi got it from White Owl on etsy (who was just showcased June's Lucky magazine) and whenever I wear it, I get tons of compliments. White Owl uses reclaimed vintage lace to make this one of a kind necklaces and earrings and Hansi knows that I collect vintage lace and linen so this gift was especially meaningful.

oh, and you can tell from this photo how infrequently my house gets cleaned from the spots on the mirror. nice.

Favorite Things: Day 12

2010-05-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 12 Happy Little "Coincidences"

I can't even be sure where I picked up this little mug, but I think it was a garage sale here in Wisconsin, shortly after we moved here. At some point, the poor little handle broke off but Ryan liked the design so much that he absconded it to use as a catch all on his bedside shelf. Imagine my surprise when my friend Jen, on her very first Favorite Things post, had the photograph below of a beloved mug and saucer she uses for tea. I love this happy little coincidence. Jen and I haven't seen each other in person for at least 9 years (oh my gosh, that needs to be remedied a.s.a.p. and should in about a month) and yet here we are, living 2,000 miles apart but drawn to the same aesthetics, sometimes down to the detail. When I saw her post, I got a little teary eyed and was reminded that despite the years and the distance, we have a connection as evidenced by her saucer and my mug. In subsequent days since her post, I've had an entire story line taking shape in my head of these two pieces, separated by circumstances and happenstance, only to eventually find each other, somewhere in the middle, sharing a cup of tea.

I miss you Jen.

p.s. the photo behind the mug is of Mimi, holding a very fat Baby Oliver, and me holding almost 3 year old Sam...this photographer spotted us in, ahem, taco bell, and asked if he could take our photo...one of the shots of Mimi and Oliver later turned up on a Yahoo homepage ad!

Sherando Lake Camping - Virginia Is For Lovers

2010-05-12T11:58:00.001-07:00

Sherando Lake Camping - Virginia Is For Lovers

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Favorite Things: Day 11

2010-05-12T07:14:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 11...what goes around comes back around.

If you live long enough, you will see certain fashion looks come right back into vogue. Laura Ingalls Wilder might have been quite startled had she lived to see Jessica McClintock begin selling sun bonnets and prairie dresses through her Gunne Sax line in the 70's only to have Marc Jacobs reinterpret the look again in the early 2000's. It's like fashion karma. What goes around comes back around, and if you kept the stuff you had back then, you'll suddenly find yourself right in with the trend, which may actually be more of a curse than a blessing if being trendy isn't really your thing.

Take Frye boots, for example. They are ubiquitous now but when I bought mine 9 years ago, I had to take a deep breath before pulling them on and heading out the door. Why? I often was on the receiving end of jokes and comments such as "you going to a rodeo later?" You might say I was a fashion martyr. But I believed in Fryes and no one's jeering was going to sway me from pairing them with skirts and dresses. For one thing, I felt pretty tough and invincible in them, but if I'm honest, the selling point was Meg Ryan.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

But there was a time, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, that Ms. Ryan was my fashion inspiration. There was her short, messy blonde hair, brown boots and sassy walk in French Kiss, leather pants and leopard print dress with even messier hair in Addicted to Love, oxford men's shoes with pleated school girl skirts in You've Got Mail, then came her fall from grace (but elevation in fashion coolness) with the movie Proof Of Life with Russell Crowe. Although many fans, such as myself, equate this rough period in Meg's personal life as the point at which she toppled off the throne as America's sweetheart and therefore the downfall of her career, there is one awesome thing that came out of that movie- the possibility of pairing motorcycle boots with skirts and dresses and pulling it off as if it's a combo that always was. As soon as I saw the movie, I hopped online and ordered myself some Frye harness boots, and every time I took some heat for wearing them in the REI-as-high-fasion city of Seattle, I bore it because I knew deep down inside it was a look that was me.

I know many would argue against the merits of fashion, that it's shallow and leads to vanity. I think that there is much in the industry to decry, but I think there is something wonderful and creative and fun in pulling together an outfit that either tells a story or says something about who the wearer is, and when you are comfortable first in your own skin and then in your second skin (your clothes), you can go about your day with a confidence and ease that is palpable. It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks as long as you like it and are comfortable in whatever you are wearing.

The point of all this rambling is to say that this little grouping of my favorites, my standbys, have been with me for 8 years or longer and prove, in my mind at least, the theory of quality over quanity, although some would argue the quanity is there as well. See the sweet white and cream patent oxfords? I remember wearing those to Elizabeth & Brian Garcia's beautiful wedding, pre-Ryan and pre-kids...they are totally in right now and people are shocked when I tell them how old they are (14 years old). My beloved blundstone boots have a very special place in my heart as they accompanied me to the hospital with each of my children's births (except Sam's)- they were the only things I could pull on to the swollen feet at the end of my 200 lb. body!

My black men's oxfords are in need of new soles and a lovin' spoonful of polish but they are one of my favorite things to pair with rolled boyfriend jeans or opaque black tights and a dress (thank you Meg in When Harry Met Sally). I think those are my oldest pair of shoes besides the bordeaux colored suede desert boots I bought in Budapest when I was 15- I recently dusted them off and started wearing them again. J. Crew is selling a similar pair for $158 right now.

My frye boots also make me think of my father-in-law Terry, who wore his as he escorted his new bride to their VW bus after their wedding in 1973. There is a photo of them sitting in the bus, with that wonderful newlywed glow, but if you look carefully in the lower left hand corner, you'll see Terry's Frye harness boots (just like mine!) peeking out from under his cords. Though my father-in-law is a somewhat quiet man by nature and it's difficult at times to discern his likes and dislikes, I feel a connection to him by the fact that we both love those boots. I think he lost the originals but now has a new pair that he wears all the time (as does my SIL Autumn).

As I'm writing, the realization is hitting me that this post could come off as rather self-righteous and arrogant, which isn't my intent at all. My point is that the beautiful combination of A). knowing your style (with a few mishaps here and there...we all get tripped up by trends from time to time) with B). investing in companies that make clothes and shoes that will LAST (if a company like Levi's or Frye started in the 1800's and is still around making the same product today, it seems obvious that the craftsmanship and design elements are all lining up) = less money and time spent in the long run wondering what you're going to wear every day. And that, you might say, is priceless.

*also, I'm sorry I didn't underline the movies but I can't figure out how to do that on blogger...can anyone help me?

Favorite Things: Day 10

2010-05-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 10 Fashion basics from long-standing companies with impeccable streamlined design and craftsmanship.
A few years back, J. Crew was a washed up and predictable catalog company losing its grip on the loyal following it had garnered from its inception in 1981. Then along came Jenna Lyons, who gave the brand a massive booster shot in its creative arm and began resuscitating the company by infusing her own quirky aesthetic to the clothes and styling. "Jenna's Picks" became a highly anticipated feature of the catalogs and website, and entire blogs are devoted to her practiced look of high high heels, rolled up jeans, long boyfriend cardigan over a tee and layers upon layers of chains and costume jewelry.

Her second move was to begin collaborating with various other companies that have a long history of quality products, getting them to specially design pieces for J. Crew, selling them as collector's items. This appeals to shoppers such as myself who love investing in pieces that you will own for a long time a). because the quality of the pieces withstands the test of wear and tear and b). the design and function is so great that the item is always "in".

One of the first of these collaborations that I remember were pretty floral blouses using Liberty of London fabrics. Now, in additions to more Liberty items offered, J. Crew is partnered with old faithfuls such as Jack Purcell (who makes these fabric dyed Converse just for Crewcuts),

Belstaff (a company founded in 1924 and known for its hardworking jackets, duffel bags, and shoes, and especially coveted by motorcycle enthusiasts for its waxed coated jackets & boots that keeps the rain away).

Can't make it to France this year? Then console yourself with a St. James Breton stripe tee, specially made for J. Crew. This is the same tee that Picasso wore and painted in and it's been around since 1850...mainly because of its ridiculously soft yet durable cotton and strong stitching- it's an icon of the French look, an old fashion standby. I. Want. This. Shirt. In a men's size small so Ryan and I can share it.

I was impressed to see the Parisian based Bensimon, purveyor of impossibly cute and comfortable kids shoes is retailing exclusively through J. Crew. I heartily wish these came in my size.

I know the price tag on these items is pretty hefty, but think about this...I've had my J.Crew oxfords and boots for 12 years now and despite needing a good polish, they are as good as new. Considering I wear them all the time, I'd say I got my money's worth, wouldn't you?

This leads me to...

Favorite Things: Day 9

2010-05-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

I know you're not supposed to have favorites, and I don't. Not really. But I have to say that the stage Jasper is at is one of my favorites developmentally. He's (somewhat tragically) left that true baby stage and is well on his way to being a full-blown toddling boy. He can stand on his own, but is still more interested in crawling. He loves rumpusing at night with us and in fact, if you ask him if he wants to rumpus, his eyes light up, he stands up and catapults himself fearlessly atop the nearest prostrate person on the floor. He is adored by all in this household and the boys recently said to me "oh Mama, we wish we could make Jasper stay like this always...he's just so cute!"

When we put music on, he immediately begins to boogie-woogie in his seat or wherever he is. It's the funniest thing and I wish I knew how to post video here because it'd be a special treat to watch in a few years when this age will be a distant and somewhat hazy memory.

Jasper still is quite a chill little baby, with a dimpled smile that would melt the hardest of hearts. I know it's quite the best thing to wake up to...this darling little boy standing up in his crib, looking expectantly over the bars with a huge grin on his face, ready to start the day!

Favorite Things: Day 8

2010-05-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Definitely one of the most fun meals to make. We love variations on the old standbys like pancakes, we love eggs benedict, but lately, I've been waking up with a hankering for this lovely dish from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights. Baked eggs with onions and swiss chard. Here's what you do...caramelize about 1/2 cup red onion. Meanwhile, chop 1 cup swiss chard. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a ramekin or shallow baking dish. Mix together onion and swiss chard and place in baking dish. Carefully crack one or two farm fresh eggs over the top and pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes. When egg is baked thoroughly, crumble chevre over the top and place under the broil for 2 minutes or until goat cheese is beautifully melty. Crack some pepper on top and voila! Gorgeous and healthy breakfast.

Favorite Things: Day 7

2010-05-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Homemade lemon curd. Just one of the many lovely things one can make by combining butter, lemon and eggs.

Favorite Things: Day 6

2010-05-07T13:49:00.001-07:00

I'm no Julia "Butterfly" Hill, but even at age 33, I still get a special kind of thrill and joy from climbing trees.

Things That Make The Heart Beat Faster:Day 5

2010-05-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

I adore these boys. I adore hanging out with them, listening to their discoveries ("we found duck eggs when we were at Uncle Dan's!"), laughing at their jokes ("it's called a dwarf planet because it's short and has a white beard- get it?"), hearing their confidences, everything that involves being their Mama. That's not to say it's always a walk in the park, but the walks in the park, or even the hanging-out-on-a-blanket-in-our-not-quite-a-park-backyard like the past few afternoons make any hardship and frustration more than completely bearable. It's such a privilege and a joy to share in their little lives, to get to know each unique boy and what makes him tick (and maybe more importantly, explode!) and to help guide and foster their interests, their passions and their character, all the while holding them in my heart as delicately as one would a butterfly. I love how my sister-n-law phrases it with her own wee ones "you are not mine, but the Lord's so seek to honor him in all that you do"...I feel that best sums up my parenting approach- attempting to honor God in how Ryan and I raise them and above all being so thankful for the simple joy of days like this.

Favorite Things: Day 4

2010-05-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late and a dollar short on this favorite things post but that's okay because we were outside...

hanging out with Jill & Ruby, getting advice on the care of my rhubarb plant,

admiring the progress of the onions,

and giving a pep talk to the tomato seedlings Ryan just planted.

I wish I could take credit for our lovely garden space, but I can't. It's all Ryan. He built the raised beds, started bricking in the walk-way, planted the seedlings indoors, and moved our compost bin into the garden where it is now safe from squirrels. I love the care he puts into the garden, from the planning of it and the ordering of seeds from Johnny's in late winter, to the actual hard work in breaking up the soil and laying everything out. It's a wonderful family project and the boys take turns taking the compost out, watering the seedlings, and weeding, once the growing season really gets going. Farm to table is something I grew up with in Virginia because my mom is such an avid gardener, and she would tell you that in addition to being a wonderful alternative therapy, it's a cost effective way to feed a family healthily and organically. "Farm to table" and "slow food" are new fangled names for a very old fashioned concept, long before the industrialization of food. I went to a food canning safety seminar at our local library recently and the woman leading the class said a great rule of thumb when buying food is that if it's something our great-grandmothers wouldn't recognize, it's probably not good for us either. I loved that! That hasn't stopped me from ordering a case of Organic Green & Black's Dark Chocolate from my local co-op, but you get the general idea.

I love what Jamie Oliver (the "naked chef") and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsley (of The River Cottage) as well as Alice Waters and other chefs are doing to encourage people to grow their own food, not only for the economic and health benefits, but for the valuable lessons it teaches kids (and adults) about where our food comes from, the miracle of a head of broccoli sprouting from a plant that started out as a tiny seed, and that the very best foods can come from your very own backyard. I think we've largely gotten away from the essentials and having a garden is one of the best ways for us personally to learn to eat seasonally, to learn to cook with what we have, and ultimately, to enjoy our food more for having grown it ourselves.

Favorite Things: Day 3

2010-05-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 3

I love it when the boys cook and bake with me. Oliver and I have had a lot of time in the afternoons to bake and I think it has made him more interested in helping out with mealtimes. It was his idea Saturday morning to don his chef toque and apron, a gift from Grandma in Seattle a few years back, and he did a wonderful job making pancakes for everyone, even though it meant that he ate last.

Favorite Things: Day 2

2010-05-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

Pleasing Things

I've been editing, editing, editing my wardrobe, the boys' wardrobe, everybody's wardrobe...we live in a 1600 sq. foot house, which isn't huge for a family of 6 and I'm running out of surfaces on which to put stacks of folded and clean laundry. It has felt good to shed so much extra clothing, and it's helped me narrow down my style even more and what I've come to is this: most times, all this girl needs is a scarf, a jacket, and a pair of kick-ass boots to feel put together and the most myself in my clothes.

Things That Make The Heart Beat Faster: Favorite Things Project

2010-05-02T06:01:00.001-07:00

Favorite Things: Day 1

Splashing in puddles with the boys after a hard spring rain (with gusts up to 40 m.p.h. too!)

I'm beginning a collaboration for the month of May with a group of other blogging friends inspired by a Japanese author and court lady named Sei Shonagon, who wrote an equisite book of observations from 967-1000. Little is known of her except her real name and this record of her musings left behind in this book, including lists of things under headings such as "things that make ones' heart beat faster", "pleasing things", and "elegant things".

We will be posting once a day for the month of May, a photograph and quick muse on anything that strikes our fancy and falls into one of those three categories. I love this idea because there is a part of me that loves sharing my favorite things and a bigger part of me that is intrigued and exicited for the glimpse into my blogging friends' world and what they see that inspires them.

The list of collaborators is as follows (and is also listed on the left sidebar under the heading Favorite Things Collaborators: Summer, Annika, Cydney, Blythe, Jenn, Andy, Jennifer, Marianne, Moi(that's me!), and Molly.

Voluptuous Delight #1

2010-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

I want to apologize in advance. I've been cooking a lot from this Sophie Dahl book because it's quite the most visually appetizing book I've read in a while and I'm so excited by everything I've made that I want to share it. Plus, maybe you, like me, are in a rut in your meal repertoire and could use a little injection of zest. If this description sounds familiar, then you are going to love this variation on your standard pancake fare. The combination of lemon zest and ricotta cheese makes these doll-size cakes airy and fluffy, and spring-like, if you know what I mean. Sophie suggests serving them with maple syrup but I layered them with honey-sweetened creme fraiche and fresh berries (the pic here shows raspberries but when Sam requested them a few days later, we used blackberries which was just as yummy). They are also made with spelt flour which is super duper healthy and easy to find at most co-ops or in the Organic/Special Foods aisle of most grocer's. The batter is rather delicate, so make chocolate coin size pancakes, otherwise they will fall apart upon flipping. Enjoy and happy Spring!

Lemon & ricotta spelt pancakes (adapted from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights)

1 cup soft ricotta cheese

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup spelt flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tblsp. agave or maple syrup

sunflower oil for pan

In large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, milk, and egg yolks. Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix until you have a batter.

In separate bowl (I use my pyrex measuring bowl), whisk egg whites until they are foamy and white but not stiff (you aren't making meringue) and then fold them into the batter. Add lemon zest and syrup and stir.

Heat the oil on your griddle (or fry pan) and drop in small dollops...the largest I could safely flip was the size of a child's tea party plate). Cook for about 3 minutes per side until they are a honeyed brown.

If you have creme fraiche, stir in a tablespoon of local honey until well mixed. Place pancake on plate, spread a teaspoon of creme fraiche on top, add some berries then place another pancake on top and repeat. Sprinkle with light dusting of powdered sugar if desired.

This recipe makes about 20 small pancakes, which has been enough for our family of 6 most mornings. I say "most mornings" because there was one day when I had to settle for an egg over potato latke because the boys devoured these before I got to the table! I hope you don't share the same fate.

Simple Joys & Favorite Things #1

2010-04-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

It's hard not to be cheerful when you wake up to these sunny sheets, a birthday gift from my mother-in-law Patti. The dhurrie rug is from John Robshaw, one of my favorite textile artists, a steal from anthropologie friends and family days.

This is post #1 of a little Oprah-esque series I'm calling favorite things.

We're Getting There

2010-04-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here is what we are currently working with between kitchen and dining room. Ryan started the cabinets but then realized he didn't have the tools he needed to do the doors and drawers the way we wanted them to look. Which is just as well because now we are rethinking along the lines of something like this:

Here's Ryan's rough sketch for an open bottom shelf solution. It will actually have 4 legs instead of 2, and feel like a sturdy harvest table with an shelf underneath. The guy who planed our wood is coming over to the house to get a feel for our style because he's going to make the piece for us. He suggested a partial maple butcher block top with the rest being concrete. He showed us some amazing cuts of reclaimed Ash, Maple, Cedar, and Black Walnut that we can choose from to incorporate into the piece to complement the rest of the wood we've used in the kitchen.

The boys loved watching him plane another board for us to use as shelving in the boys' room.

We have an antique wood tool box that will sit on the divider wall behind the piece to hold olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, and some utensils, and on the dining room side, we'll have a concrete breakfast counter with stools. It's a better use of the space we have and will be nice since that area is where everyone gravitates when meals are being prepared.

Our wood flooring is really cool- planed so that some of the original barn red paint is still showing in places. Our friend Kate is helping us find a good environmentally friendly finish that will seal the wood but not ruin the look of it.

When it's all said and done, we'll throw a big party. I'll make fried chicken and a big fat chocolate cake and you are all invited!

Charlotte Gainsbourg

2010-04-22T17:44:00.001-07:00

Lights dimmed, restless crowd began cheering with alacrity as the band filtered on to the stage. And then she walked out. Long legged, gamine in Dune-esque slim leather pants, boots, black bra and loose white tank top, grabbing her straight brown hair to one side as she approached the mic. She grabbed at her chin in a recognizable gesture of slight nervousness before thanking the crowd and launching in to the first song from her sophomore album IRM, a brilliant collaboration between Beck and the "her" in this description, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Staged at Park West in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, this was only the second time in 18 years Charlotte had graced Chicago with her presence and the only time as a musical artist. Betraying a slight shyness, she didn't share much but let the music do the communicating.

In spite of tight musicianship, I am always slightly disappointed at live shows where the songs sound, note for note, the same as what is on the album. While this is fine and doesn't always detract from the experience and energy of hearing (and watching) a musician or band live, I find myself a little let down. The first 3 songs from Charlotte and her band felt the same way, as if I may as well have had my ear phones in listening to it at home. But then they launched in to "Heaven Can Wait", "Le Chat du Cafe des Artistes" (a nod to her late father Serge Gainsbourg)and "Trick Pony" and the beauty of live improvisation and reinterpretation began. Structurally, the songs were still very recognizable, but in the hands of her amazing band, there were extended rhythm sections and ridiculously hooky bass lines that enhanced my appreciation of the songs I already loved. The best song was The Operation from her last album entitled 5:55, a collaboration with Jarvis Cocker and Air.

I personally couldn't keep my eyes off the bassist Bram Inscore, who looked like every math geek you've ever seen depicted on the silver screen. Sure he wore skinny pants and hipster Sperry for Band of Outsiders Black Canvas High Topsiders, but from the waist up, he was ready to buzz in with the square root of 144. Tie, button up shirt, gray vneck sweater and nerd glasses. Math wizard or no, he layed down amazing bass lines on a Hofner-style four string with mathematical precision and an artist's vision. He was joined by the incredible (and fresh faced) Eric Gardner on drums, Amir Yaghmai on guitar and strings, Beck's own Brian Le Barton on keys/percussion and Nicole Morier on guitar. Each musician was responsible for several instruments including an upright marching drum, violin, Korg analog keyboard, xylophone, and a wicked bass drum inclined on an old frame that added just the right wooden sounds on certain songs.

Charlotte herself was enchanting, largely because she is guileless. Perhaps it's because she grew up with such iconic parents and presumably around other iconic musicians, artists, and actors, that she is lacking in pretense, but she seems to have a self-awareness of the privileged life she grew up in and the fact that many may be skeptical of yet another actress cum pop star. There is something very childlike and almost innocent about her and it seemed fitting when she chose to cover Bob Dylan's 'Just Like A Woman' ("she aches just like a woman, but she breaks just like a little girl"). It's not just her voice, which drops to a faint whisper at times, it's in her stance and her lyrics as well. IRM chronicles her stint in the hospital after a brain hemorrhage brought on by a water skiing accident and in a very bizarre coincidence, Beck wrote the lyrics "drill a hole inside my head" without knowing of her accident. The second song and title track mimic the electronic buzz and noises of an MRI machine that she became very familiar with over a 6 month period of intense brain scrutiny. Her lyrics, co-written with Beck evoke the image of a person in the middle of their life, remembering, taking stock, and embracing the inevitable that is to come. In the hands of a far less capable band, it would be a difficult album to tour.

In trying to round out her song list for this tour, she chose a few covers and although she said she'd never dared before to cover her father, she did it on this, her first real tour. She chose L'Hotel Particulier from the Melody Nelson album and I couldn't help but think Serge, Gitane ever dangling from his lips, would've been proud.

Voluptuous Delights

2010-04-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I treated myself to a new cookbook from Anthropologie this week that I haven't been able to put down since purchasing. Aptly titled Miss (Sophie)Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, it reads as much like a short autobiography that is as engaging as the colorful photos that tempt one to make (and eat) every single recipe. Organized by season, as well as meal of the day, it's very easy to find a recipe to utilize the last of the swiss chard from your CSA box or a soup that will use the verdant bouquet of watercress that tempted you at the farmer's market but with no idea of how to prepare. Indeed, Sophie uses many whole ingredients that normally make me nervous. My mother, when we lived in Eugene, Oregon, went through a phase of cooking through the New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook, which on the whole is a very good cookbook, but our family likes to summarily dismiss this period as Mom's barley lentil kasha days...days where, in an effort to feed us as wholesomely as possible, we unfortunately sat down to bland, if not plain old uneatable meals that made me suspicious to this day of anything too, you know, healthy. Things like quinoa (which is not pronounced phonetically, making it even doubly suspect), spelt, buckwheat groats and tofu all make me inwardly quake and turn up my butter-loving nose, but this book has changed all that.

Sophie's recipes are healthy, balanced, mostly vegetarian and you can't help but love a girl who went through a very public weight gain and loss to come out the other side writing appreciatively about all bodies "we have to deal with what we've got, appreciate it and move swiftly on. We all spend far too much time focusing on what we don't have and undermining what we do in the process. It's a cunning little distraction from what is truly important." Lest you think she sounds a little too much like an Oprah clone, never fear. Sophie Dahl inherited her grandfather's wit and writing ability and her personal stories that are interwoven throughout this delightful little tome add rather than detract from the recipes. Having enjoyed a stint as a model working with iconic photographer's from Vogue to being black listed because of weight gain to dealing with criticism for rapid weight loss and rumors of eating disorder (which was mostly due to a major illness she had while filming in India), she has run the gamut with food and come to a place of balance in her approach to food. Clearly, for her, it is about family and friends and the joy of sharing a meal with the ones you love. She summarizes at the end "sexy is inherent in a healthy appreciation for food, in having the energy to romp with your beloved, pick up your baby, cook dinner for your friends, go for a run or simply take a gentle walk to the market. Sexy is in feeling sated, having options and feeling alive." In sharing these recipes, she's definitely given options I feel good about making for our family, in particular these pear & ginger muffins (made with spelt flour) which were devoured by five hungry boys within minutes of coming out of the oven. Loaded with healthy ingredients but never lacking in flavor, moisture, or texture, this is one of many recipes I will be reaching for again and again.

What Jill Missed

2010-04-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

We had the sweetest house guest with us this past weekend, little Ruby (and her Papa Josh, too, who is great but isn't a small, flaxen haired girl with a chirpy voice). Ruby's Mama Jill went to San Francisco with a friend for a much deserved birthday weekend and we got the joy of hanging out with this little lady. The whole weekend was wonderful but here are some highlights from Sunday.

After waking up and feeding the fish (Ruby's morning ritual at our house consisted of feeding the fish and then taking tea, being very careful and studied with both), we set out for brunch at Sardine.

Got home in time for a

bike ride to the Co-op to buy ingredients for...

tea in the little copse nearby, a place my niece Indy would deem a fairy glen.

A creek ran joyfully by and Sam was soaking wet by the end of his exploration of it.

Ruby found the Frog Prince. Who opted out of the kiss in favor of diving back in the creek.

Beautiful warm day, just right for exploring the creek.

Josh and neighbor friend Lily eating scones.

Jasper does not believe in standing on ceremony.

Ruby takes her tea drinking very seriously. A girl after my own heart.

After we picked up O, we went to Joel & Jenny's for a bonfire and fireworks.

I heard that while all this was going on, Jill was having adventures of her own, namely making it on to the Food Network channel while eating wonderful baked goods from Tartine and getting to spend the night with my dear friend Jen (whose etsy shop you really must check out).

It was a sad Tuesday morning when Felix came downstairs, sat down to breakfast then put his spoon and asked "Where's Ruby?" accusingly...I think he, like all the boys, were quite smitten and we hope for another visit soon!

Open Heart Surgery

2010-04-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then ours has been under triple bypass surgery since about a month before we moved in. We are coming up on our fourth anniversary in our snug little home and I simultaneously pat ourselves on the back for what we have done, and shudder when I look around at all the projects yet to be completed. Mainly the latter. In fact, I would say there is very little in the way of patting on the back so just pretend I didn't say that.

I can't remember now why we had access to the house before actually moving in, but we did, and we naively and with great confidence tore into the kitchen one afternoon about two weeks before moving in. With the aid of my younger brother Noel, we ripped out the hanging cabinets and a large wood rectangle frame that encased fluorescent lights in the middle of the ceiling(trust me, it was UGLY). Never mind that we had two young children and were about to see the bright pink plus sign on another pregnancy test. I was waiting for Hansi to meet me at Francoise's bakery when I took it and felt relieved thinking, "so that's why I've been so exhausted and falling into bed at 6pm every night." And thus, all the energy, vision, creativity and back issues of Dwell and Domino that had caused me to triumphantly pull down the only real storage the house had (that the 8 boxes of china, dinnerware, and kitchen stuff in the garage dictated we needed) was swallowed up in a bleary eyed wall of fatigue and nausea.

So yes, this kitchen has been a labor of love. A slow moving, not dilating past 3 labor of love. Kind of like Sam's birth. Fast forward four years since moving in and here we are, with half-finished cabinets, half-painted walls, and in many places, huge chunks of tile missing from where large heavy objects have landed at just the right angle to crack and chip our floor. Despite all this, there are things I really love about our kitchen, like the two "prints" above the sink that are really hand printed paper I bought in Florence, Italy and decoupaged onto canvas...they are pomegranates, just the loveliest fruit you ever saw and even on the dreariest days, they cheer me up. I love our open shelves that Ryan salvaged from friends who live in an old converted dairy creamery and had this extra wood laying around. We've had to explain those open shelves to quite a few perplexed visitors who don't quite know what to make of them, but that's okay, because they make me happy. There's my stove that was an amazingly generous gift from my sister-n-law Summer and her husband when our old one died. Being a baker and someone who enjoys cooking (and has 6 hungry mouths to feed several times a day) it is easily my most prized possession...it is gas, after all and has a convection oven!

Big huge pieces of the puzzle are still missing but part of me, despite the un-doneness of the thing, enjoys the process, even if it is long and drawn out. I'm not sure how I would feel having the means to hire an interior designer or architect to come in and bang it out in a matter of months. I think I might feel a little crestfallen because as some wise person once said "it's not arriving but the journey that's important" (although that might be something I made up or read in a fortune cookie so take it with a grain of salt). Rita Konig shared with Domino readers that "once a house is done, it's time to move" so maybe I'm staving off the inevitable.

We did find 15" wide old barn siding from our local farm and the boards are currently (finally!) being planed and notched and it's possible that we may have our new floor ready for installation sometime this month, so we've been planning and saving and scheming on a sink, cabinets, and counter tops (friends are helping us make them out of concrete)and the prospect of having the kitchen all stitched up good as new makes me positively giddy.

So giddy that I started celebrating preemptively and purchased this lovely roll of vintage 1940's wallpaper. Of course I agonized about where to put it, but in the end, think it belongs here:

Above the stove and the old beam that holds my cook books. I think it looks amazing against the barn wood and old scale, don't you?

So stay tuned and hopefully in a few months, I can put up pics of our work as we install the floor.

We Heart Vera

2010-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Anthropologie, where I work very part-time on the weekends, recently collaborated with the archives of Vera Neumann, the New England housewife-turned-printmaker who launched her own scarf company in 1946. She and her husband used excess parachute silk from WWII for her first runs and soon, her vibrant prints were seen on everything from scarves to plates to slipcovers. I walked into my store 2 weeks ago and immediately honed in on these beautiful mugs, printed with scenes from different places she visited in her many travels. One is ablaze with a sunset that reminds me of Florence in early Autumn, another feels possibly set in Cinque Terre on the Mediterranean. My favorite mug is one that is predominately red, the same red as the tissue paper thin of poppies in Italy. Grasping it takes me right back to a certain bend in the road near Monte Giove, with two tall cypress trees standing sentinel as I watch Blythe stoop just so to photograph the poppies for me.

One of the many things I love about Vera Neumann is how prolific she was. When anthropologie contacted her estate (she passed away in 1993) about collaborating, they found 7,000 prints in the archive. She had a mission to create one print per day and it seems as if she may have met her goal. I love picturing her in the 50's, 60's, and 70's travelling all over the world and using those travels to inspire her work.

We currently carry a proper day skirt that could have been lifted from Gwyneth Paltrow's character Marge in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", a linen/cotton A-line with a gorgeous print of boats and village in strong turquoise, red, and white. If I were the kind of girl who could pull off espadrilles and a white button up shirt with peter pan collar, you can bet I'd be purchasing this skirt. Heck, I may buy it anyway, hang it on my wall, and daydream that I'm in Positano when I look at it.

Anthropologie's label for this collaboration is We Heart Vera. This is printed on the bottom of the well of the mugs in such a way so every time you take a swig, you see the logo. This is particularly heartwarming to me as Vera is the name of Ryan's Grandma who passed away two years ago, and I think of her every time I use these.

Bern, Switzerland

2010-04-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

When I was 15, I spent the summer in Hungary helping build an orphanage. It was truly a life changing experience for so many different reasons and was a pivotal time of shaping who I am as a person today. At the end of our summer, we took trains and buses to Switzerland, where we stayed in the mountains for a two week "debriefing" period before heading back home to the States, our families, and the drastic change privileged American life is to what we had lived those two months.

During that 2 week debrief, I remember walking around Bern, Switzerland, and being struck by how perfect everything was. It is a perfectly beautiful city with perfectly beautiful window boxes out of which perfectly groomed red geraniums bobbed their perfect little heads. I vividly recall being initially impressed that I never saw one stray piece of litter or graffiti and yet something kind of nagged at me in the back of my head until it hit me: Perfection is boring. I was startled to realize that I much preferred the grit and dilapidation of parts of Hungary that we passed on our morning walk to our work site to the post-card perfect scenes in Switzerland . In Hungary, I couldn't stop staring at the deep lines in the faces of elderly men and women who hung about the cafes, and I wondered what suffering they had lived through. Democracy had overthrown communism in their government just a few years prior, but things outside of the government, where the real people lived, were still very impoverished and broken down. Roads were full of potholes where they weren't non-existent. Foundations had deep cracks running up the sides of buildings. There was a lot of work to be done. And yet, those men and women who had seen and lived through so much, seemed very serene and at peace with their corner of the world and what "life" had doled out to them.

I was thinking about all this the other day because the honest truth is that my life, from certain angles, actually, from most angles, is anything but perfect. I don't want to go into it here as it is too much a public forum, but we've been through a lot as a family the last few months. I, personally, have been stripped of much that I hold dear, and I've been thinking a lot about suffering and how it's our natural response to push against it, and yet, without this thing called suffering, I know I wouldn't be the (read: awesome, amazing, wonderful, i'm joking here can you tell?) person I am today. We went through a lot several years ago, too, and I would tell people who asked that the best thing to do when faced with uncontrollable situations is to submit to them, and here I am wrestling with the same thing myself. It's difficult to acknowledge that we don't (not really) have control and that the things we do have control over maybe aren't the things we should be focusing on. But I digress.

What I want to say is that Switzerland really is a beautiful country, with notably clean cities and sparkling water (literally and figuratively). But underneath it all is a country that enables criminals, con artists, arms dealers, and Jason Bourne with its banking system and neutrality. When you look at Switzerland a little closer, it's actually not a very nice country at all, despite all superficial evidence to the contrary. And if I really do believe that there is beauty in broken things, in brokenness, in being broken, and I do, then I have to look at a country like Hungary circa 1992 and see beauty in the rebuilding, the restructuring, the reinvention, despite the crumbling facades and the dirt and grime. And I have to look at the brokenness in myself and in my family and learn to see beauty and hope there too. And it's hard not to when you wake up to the grinning, happy faces of four beautiful boys, full of hope and expectancy. And you come downstairs to your best friend, who also happens to be your husband, who has made you coffee while you slept in and greets you with "pancakes are on the way." This same man who knows you inside and out, has walked through the last 10 years of life with you ("for better and for worse"), been at your bedside while you birthed the children you share, and who is still excited for whatever lies ahead. And the outpouring of love and support from all our dear friends who love us and love our family. It really is a beautiful life.

This was not meant to sound like a Hall Mark Greeting Card found under the "Feel Better About Your Life" heading, but I do hope that any readers facing their own difficulties and disappointments, and maybe even injustices in your life, will find solace in looking at things from a different angle. And if it's any comfort at all, our dear friend Jeremy Bryan reminded us the other day of the Beatitudes, which seemed fitting in light of all the suffering worldwide that we see and hear about and feel helpless sometimes to do much to relieve:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit;

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy Easter!

Angle of Repose

2010-03-10T09:11:00.001-08:00

Lego Synesso

2010-03-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

This is Ryan on one of our date nights at our favorite place in Madison: Bradbury's. Owned by our dear friends Josh & Jill Makoutz, it's enjoyed a great reputation for their sweet and savory crepes made from local organic everything, as well as serving Kickapoo Coffee, winners of Micro Roaster of the year in Roast Magazine. Everything about their shop is done with the utmost attention to quality and creativity and I love going there because even if Josh & Jill aren't working, the place exudes their creativity and passion for good food and drink, and most of all, community. I think it's no accident that Bradbury's quickly became the place to go for a pre-Farmer's Market brunch and nothing could make Ryan and I happier than witnessing their success.
Which brings me to Lego Synesso, the title of this post. A few weeks ago, Josh & Jill hosted a birthday part at Bradbury's (after hours) to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the shop. What Ryan wanted to get them was quite expensive and we didn't have the time or money to put it together, so he and the boys racked their brains and came up with the idea of making a Lego model of the incredibly sweet and slick Synesso machine that makes the lattes and flat whites for all the good hipsters of Madison. I don't know much about these machines, but I know Ryan could wax rhapsodic for hours if you'd let him, and he and Sam and Oliver had a lot of fun pulling up photos from Synesso's website and creating the above model from the hundreds of spare Lego parts we have sitting around.
Sam went a step further and created a robot barista who has apparently rendered Josh, Jill, and all their employees useless, which I guess saves on payroll. He also re-created the handthrown coffee mugs drinks are served in, although in the end, they just gave Josh & Jill the machine.

So Happy Birthday Bradbury's and if you live in Madison or its environs or plan on visiting, make sure you stop in the shop right off Capitol Square.

Homemade Panera

2010-03-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

I know the words "homemade" and "Panera" are not two words that would ever ordinarily go together. But that was before the entrance of Cydney in our lives. Through a set of circumstances that can only be called bizarre (that's me quoting Cydney's blog), Cydney has come to be a close friend of our family and comes over for game night once every few weeks, usually bringing dinner to give me the night off kitchen duty. Last week she brought her version of Panera's broccoli cheddar soup, which is Oliver's favorite. Somehow, she found Panera's recipe online and made the prudent decision to substitute real Wisconsin cheddar for the Velveeta called for, and adding a dash of nutmeg which is nothing less than an awesome addition to the broccoli/cheddar combo.

Bowls were downed, baguette disappeared and we cleared the table for a raucous game of Pictionary, Jr., the drawings from which are nothing short of inspired ("mirror!" "toilet!" "washcloth!")

Spring Hopes Eternal

2010-03-08T20:05:00.001-08:00

I received so many beautiful flowers from friends at my birthday party this year and having them scattered around the house seemed to usher in Spring a few weeks before the snow started melting. I love making a few decor changes seasonally and this runner, which was a gift my aunt brought back from her latest trip to Grasse, in the south of France (where my uncle is from), enjoyed its inaugural run on the table before a glass of orange juice spilled by Felix swept it into the laundry.
It was fun to set up some vignettes with a bird's nest we found and saved from last year.

Daisies from Siv.

This Primula (above) is from the lovely Jill. It's been 17 days and I've managed to keep it alive!

Pork Butt

2010-02-28T05:29:00.000-08:00

Here in Southern Wisconsin, there is still a blanket of snow on the ground at least a foot thick, and as much as I love winter, I'm beginning to long for warmer weather. I'm not even talking about Spring. My vitamin D deficient body has fantasies of sitting on the beach somewhere very very south of here, turning myself over like a pig on a spit and roasting in the sun until my marrow thaws out. The gist of it is this: I'm tired of constantly being cold. No matter how high the thermostat, no matter how many layers, no matter my woolly tights and my rated -23 degree Sorel boots, I'm always cold. Since I don't have the ways and means right now of hopping on a plane for Mexico, I decided we needed to bring the warmth of Mexico to our kitchen table. How serendipitous then that my friend Freya called with a recipe for Shredded-Pork Tacos. Freya has an equally lovely and amazing sister named Annie, who gave her this recipe from Martha Stewart. Freya made it, ate it, and called me raving about it and sent me the recipe quicker than you could say "chipotle!"
When I went to the grocery store with the recipe and scoured the meat dept., I saw nothing with the words Pork Shoulder stamped on it, so I braved the deli counter and asked the butcher. He gave me a disparaging look and said, "it's not called pork shoulder, it's pork butt" and handed me a 3lb. slab of meat. Ryan and I looked at each other, a bit confused. "Is it just me or is the shoulder in an entirely different section of the body than the butt?" Ryan asked and I was just as perplexed, but we crossed our fingers and bought it anyway, seeing as though there were no other likely options.
On the way home, Ryan googled it on his iPhone and sure enough the two are interchangeable. Which is just as well because it made for a lot of laughter over the dinner table. The boys thought it was hilarious because frankly, when you are 7, 5, and 3, just saying the word "butt" can send you into a paroxysm of giggles like nothing else. I suppose the dinner table isn't the proper place for such talk, but we made an exception in this case, and it got the boys to eat their dinner.

All potty talk aside, this seems like an economical meal since it yielded enough leftovers for Ryan and I to eat 3 lunches and 1 more dinner. I didn't simmer it quite as long as it called for because we were all to hungry to wait another 35 minutes but it wasn't too soupy and I wouldn't change a thing. The queso fresco is a must as well as the cilantro and the corn tortillas blackened nicely on our gas burner. So thank you Annie and thank you Freya and "Pork Butt!"

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (3-pound) boneless pork shoulder, cut in half lengthwise
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from a small can), minced (about 4 teaspoons)
16 (6-inch) toasted corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Taking Tea

2010-02-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Those Brits were on to something when 4 o'clock tea became a nationally recognized pasttime/meal/repose back in 1840. Here in our home, we suffer from something I like to call the 3 o'clock slump, which really covers the hours between 3pm and 5:30pm, otherwise known as the witching hour, otherwise known as "partner, please come home because I'm pooped out and the kids are cranky". I suspect that Anna, the seventh duchess of Bedford, suffered a similar challenge because it was she who introduced the custom known charmingly as "afternoon tea". In her home, the evening meal was served fashionably late at eight in the evening, a scenario that must have rendered the fainting couch quite useful, until one afternoon when she requested a tray of tea, bread, butter and cake be brought up to her room (where doubtless she had locked herself in for a break from little Timmy and Bess who were whining in the nursery). Soon she began inviting her friends, and one of them, the Earl of Sandwich of course gets the credit for suggesting something more substantial than butter be placed between the layers of bread, thus creating the world's first sandwich. Pretty soon, afternoon tea became a fashionable social event where ladies and gents would meet to talk over the latest drawing room scandal while stuffing their faces.

Nowadays, afternoon tea is still served in venerable hotels such as Claridges, the Ritz, Savoy and Fortnum & Mason department store in London and is likely to include what we Baughns consider sheer necessity when it comes to the art of taking tea: Devonshire Clotted Cream. If it sounds like a blocked artery that's because eating too much of it will probably result in the former, but nothing says teatime like scones fresh from the oven smothered with clotted cream and fresh jam.
Half the fun of taking tea is the ritual. I rinse the teapot with hot water while the boys get out all the china from the cabinet. Some of it is chipped or handle-less and there are a few less service pieces than we had last year, but nothing gives me more pleasure than watching the boys drink from the same tea cups my great-grandmother used.
The boys delight in the antique monogrammed demi-tasse spoon with the large scrolled "B" as much as I do, so much so that they can't stop dipping them in the sugar bowl. The latter was given to me one Christmas when I was still a girl by my mother. It has lost a handle but it's a survivor and sometimes we use the matching cream pitcher when we can find it.
On this particular day, this was just the pause we all needed, to settle down and be a little quieter. The use of the china requires care and the boys slow down enough to respect their cups and saucers and we find ourselves discussing the merits of the day. Ryan pulled in the driveway just as the scones were coming out of the oven; supposedly he had left a part at home but I suspect he needed the break as much as we did!

Challah If You Like French Toast

2010-02-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

I'll admit I wasn't always a fan of french toast. Good beefy bread was hard to come by in the rural area that I grew up, on a back road in "east" Virginia, as my husband mockingly refers to it. I don't think we ever had anything other than crappy white bread the local grocery, Winn-Dixie (yes, that's really the name. I know because it was my first official employer) tried to pass off as Italian bread, or maybe they labelled it French bread but it doesn't really matter because the only thing it was fit for was the birds. This is a long-winded and roundabout way of saying the french toast I grew up with was something you suffered through, taking long draughts of milk to help the pieces go down.

So bad was that first impression, french toast was not in our family's food vernacular until I came across a recipe in the Barefoot Contessa's Family Style cookbook that recommended the use of Challah bread as the perfect loaf for the job, one that could hold up to a 5 minute soak in a lovely custard of egg and cream without falling apart. I found Challah at Whole Foods, either with raisins or without, but at $4.99/loaf it's kind of an investment. However, unlike your stocks and your 401k, which can be kind of iffy these days, this is an investment that is guaranteed to pay off in the currency known as happy family.
Let your loaf stale in the bag a day or two, or if you are impatient, leave it out overnight. Use a sharp bread knife to serrate it into 3/4" slices. If properly stale, each slice acts as a sponge that soaks up the custard, which when cooked over medium-low heat, yields a perfectly firm yet moist piece of the most irresistible french toast ever. Sometimes we make a homemade syrup of honey, butter and cinnamon but when we have it, our favorite topper is good ol' Wisconsin maple syrup. When we're out of both, we've topped with a light dusting of confectioner's sugar that makes it look quite festive. However you chose to top it, this is a breakfast (or dinner) that never fails to please.

Challah French Toast adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

1 loaf challah bread, stale

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups half-n-half or milk

1 tblsp. honey

grated zest of an orange

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

I put all the ingredients, except the bread, into my blender to get it properly aerated but you can just whisk them all together as well. Cut bread into 3/4" slices and place face down in 13x9 pan. Pour custard over slices and let soak for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat a tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of oil on a griddle over medium-low heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. I prefer this longer cooking over lower heat because I like the custard to be more firm and less, well, custardy. But if you prefer, you can cook it 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat.

The Highlights

2010-02-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

It feels like ages since I've been on here, or been online for any length of time as of late. We've been super busy, had a very full and fun last few weeks but the truth is I've missed writing and posting so hopefully I'll find time to catch up somewhat. Maybe I'll go all Olympic on you and give you an edited view of what's been happening. Here it goes. The Highlights. I promise, no blood.

The above photo is of the newest member of our family. Frank "Gerby" Baughn came to live in Sam & Oliver's room two weeks ago and couldn't have asked for better care takers. Sam immediately read everything he could about Frank and has been a very proud F.O.G. (friend of gerbils).
Kate gave us a book on papier-mache ages ago and the boys have been begging to try. Ryan, who learned from the best - his dad, Grandpa Terry, helped Ryan and his siblings create sculptures such as a life size King Penguin and other amazing creatures when they were younger - began this zebra head, which has yet to be completed and has the unfortunate resemblance at the moment to an anteater but sshh, we don't say that out loud, not wanting to hurt its feelings. Besides, the construction is not yet complete and what you see below is nothing a little facial re-constructive surgery can't fix.

We had the bittersweet joy of celebrating little Jasper's 1st birthday on Feb. 1o. Sniff, sniff.
Lots of baking to get ready for the annual birthday bash my friend Ethan and I have thrown 4 years running.
An amazing evening with St. Vincent. Okay, we weren't really with them, but, you know. It was mesmerizing.
Annie Clark, the musical yeah i'm just gonna say it genius behind St. Vincent is the cutest little pixie. But man, can she play guitar.
The best part was getting to be there with these three lovely ladies: Hansi, Cydney, and Beth
A few days later, the Jedi's were called to the planet Hoth for patrolling enemy activity...
Jasper decide to sleep on the job.
By the time we got home from such an exhausting, yet fun week, all anyone really wanted were hand cut frites. So we made some. And they were good.

The End.

Cheaters Sometimes Win

2010-02-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

You know the saying "cheaters never win?" I've been known to use it on occasion, usually chanting it in a whiny voice to an older sibling, someone I felt had bested me at, say, Monopoly (not that I'm naming names. James.) and probably done in an attempt to assuage my crestfallen ego when losing. I overheard one of the boys shouting that same mantra to Sam the other day and laughed a little to myself because let's face it, sometimes cheaters do win. For example, Ryan and I embarked on a detox diet approximately 2 weeks ago, cutting out dairy, gluten, sugar and caffeine in an effort to give our bowels a break. The fast from caffeine lasted approximately 29 hours, after which I shamefacedly made myself chicory coffee that a friend brought from Cafe Dumond in New Orleans...what can I say? Jasper was up multiple times from teething and my addiction to coffee is stronger than I wanted to admit. But we stuck to our guns on everything else, which is quite a feat for me given my passion for all things bread and butter related. As Ryan noted, the local grocery store probably wondered where the surplus of butter came from. Despite my typical gratuitous dairy intake it really wasn't that hard to stick to the plan. A typical dinner was baked sweet potato, mashed with ground pepper, steamed kale with lemon and pepper, and baked salmon with the same. Lunch would consist of a delicate soup of pureed steamed broccoli and fresh arugula, a simple warm meal that highlighted each vegetable and was a beautiful flecked green. We were feeling quite good about ourselves until we hit a little snafu. A certain time of the month crept up on me and suddenly I longed for pizza like nobody's business. The chewy crust! The salty cheese! There really wasn't even much of a fight before we both capitulated. Sure it was cheating, but who was going to tell? I remembered Karina posting about a pizza of caramelized shallots and chevre that had me salivating at the thought, and I sacrificed detoxing and health at the alter of goat cheese without a second thought and very little compunction. Our dear friends Josh & Jill came over for an impromptu meal together, which was brilliant, both for the company but also for Josh's input in the pizza combination. They had just returned from Mexico and brought a wonderful bottle of Mezcal to share, so while red onions were being caramelized and sausage was cooking, we got to hear all about their trip while sipping some spirits. Josh threw a handful of fresh arugula on the pizza right when it came out and 20 seconds later and I was shoveling in the best pizza I've had in a long time. Ryan and I recreated it a few days later and let Sam and Felix make their own. And despite the distended feeling I had later (what did I expect after eating half a pizza?) in my mid-section, I had the satisfied gloating feeling that only a cheat would understand.

Hair Cut

2010-01-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've never been much for beauty routine being more of a "get up and go" kinda girl, and a tomboy most of my life to boot, however a good haircut is the kind of luxury I never tire of, especially when the grow out from the last cut is flopping around like limp noodles and getting in the way of everything, particularly my eyes. (see fig. 1)

I met the guys at Baci nearly 5 years ago, introduced by a friend, and I've been a loyal customer ever since. It sounds weird to refer to myself as a customer because over the years, I like to think that I've formed a special sort of friendship with Casey, similar I suppose to that of a bartender and regular lush, but without the alcohol. No matter how long I go between cuts (and it's usually 4-6 months), I'm always greeted with a side hug, a shampoo, and we dive right into familiar banter of celebrity miscreants, anecdotal stories from Casey's foray into the world of stand-up, and a general feeling of mutual agreeableness.
All the while, he's cutting and slashing with a fervor that honestly makes me a little nervous at times, but like Edward Scissorhands' ladies, I've never, not once been disappointed by a cut.
For me, comfort trumps style-always. Not having to think about my hair is much more important to me than looking good, but the brilliance of Casey is that I don't have to choose between the two. It's a fine line between edgy/artistic and cliche; today's Rihanna is tomorrow's Kate Gosselin and if I have a vain fear, it's in looking like a suburban soccer mom (which is funny because when you get down to it, that's what I am. And it's an honest job, but that doesn't mean I have to dress the part.). In a world where I just don't have much time to think about my appearance, it's nice to be able to wake up and go without any fuss, feeling the most myself with all my hair gone.
(can you tell how awkward I feel getting my picture taken?)

Sticky Toffee Pudding

2010-01-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

photos by Summer Stetter

"One of these days, I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter to all the good friends I've known..." is a Neil Young song that ran through my head as I mulled over all the friends I've had through the years who have in some indelible way shaped who I am as a person today. What is it that is said about friendship, that you can't put a price tag on it? Good thing because according to Facebook I have 218 friends. And while I value each and every one of those people I have known and the mark they made on my life, the reality is there are very few "lifers", the friends I'll be sitting and laughing with on a porch in 35 years. And every once in a while, you find a person who blurs the line between family and friend and find a sibling that you were separated from at birth. Freya is just such a friend.

Photo by Summer Stetter

We met at someone's graduation party late spring 1998 and have been through some very high highs as well as some low lows together. She's funny and passionate, interested, and sweet, and like any good sister, can be annoying as hell, although I can't remember any such instances just now. She has many lovely qualities but the thing I find so enduringly beautiful about her is her honesty, both of herself and with those around her, and her unwavering pursuit of truth. She's the kind of friend who won't fib when you ask her if your butt looks good in those jeans, but more importantly, the friend who will tell you when you are being a selfish ass. Everyone needs a Freya-friend.

This past November, she and another dear friend, Debbie, flew me out to Seattle for a weekend of rest and relaxation. The highlight of our time together was an amazing prix-fixe tasting meal at the Inn at Langley compliments of the amazing chef Matt Costello. My favorite course was a dessert of Sticky Toffee Pudding with Green Apple Sorbet and Toffee Sauce. Debbie commented that all three flavors together were reminiscent of a Caramel Apple, which was brilliant, if deliberate, since the night we ate there was Halloween.

Freya and I couldn't stop raving about the pudding so as soon as I returned home, I started searching for a good Sticky Toffee recipe and finally hit on a gem. The "sticky" comes from the cup and a half of dates, which carry a natural caramel flavor of their own. After doing some research, I'm still unsure as to the difference between toffee and caramel. In some definitions and recipes, it's the inclusion of cream that makes the caramelization of sugar "caramel", but other recipes claim the adverse to be true. There are those who will tell you toffee isn't toffee without nuts. It's a point I don't care to quibble about; I'd rather get my spoon in my mouth. You will want to as well. It's achingly good. The warm toffee enveloping the pudding with the sharp, tart, cold sorbet on the tongue feels the way my face does after a run in winter, blithering hot with a sting of cold. The warmth of the pudding is the perfect foil to this mid-winter high of 5 degrees, or even Seattle's balmy-by-comparison 35 degrees. It's meant to be shared with good friends, maybe with a finger of Scotch, or savored in bed with the hubby while watching "Spooks".

So without further ado, Freya, here's your recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding w/Apple Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates (I buy Deglet dates in the cold case at our co-op or Calmyra in Whole Foods Bulk Section)

2 cups water

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 stick (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

For Sauce:

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Grease and flour 8x8 baking pan. Preheat oven to 375. Coarsely chop the dates then put them in a saucepan, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then off the heat and add the baking soda. Mixture will foam, stir it well to mix, then let sit for 20 minutes.

While dates are sitting, cream the butter and sugar together. Sift dry ingredients together. Add eggs one at a time, then add flour mixture in thirds. Add dates and quickly fold in with wooden spoon.

Pour batter into pan, set pan into larger pan and fill the larger pan half-way up the side of smaller pan with boiling water. Place in middle of oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Set on rack to cool.

To Make Sauce:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar and mix together well. Bring to a boil, add cream and vanilla and simmer for at least 5 minutes, until mixture thickens.

For Sorbet (This can be made ahead a few days):

8oz. tart green apple puree

8oz. sparkling apple juice or cider

5oz. simple syrup (1 part water to 2 parts sugar, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes)

Strain the puree then mix with other ingredients and freeze in ice cream maker.

I'm Not Going to Lie

2010-01-11T12:55:00.001-08:00

This has been a tough month for us. Not many people know this, but the enduringly popular Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was largely based on our family. The Monday before Christmas, Felix's actual birthday, was spent hovering around the toilet as all of us (except Oliver who had it 2 days prior) succumbed to the worst stomach flu ever. I'm sure there are worse things in life than having 5 family members sick all at the same time, but I can't think of any of them right now. I must have done 6-7 loads of laundry and we still had to use make shift bedding. The down time was spent with all of us huddling around a Christmas movie, holding on for dear life until round two hit. Suffice it to say, it was Christmas Day before I ate my first real meal, and tentatively at that. I missed our usual pre-holiday baking frenzy except our traditional coffee cake for Christmas morning, but the mixer must have noticed my lack of enthusiasm because it didn't rise to its full potential. By the time New Years' Eve rolled around, I was ready to shed the sickies and meet up with friends for a night of games and snacks. But it was not to be. Jasper had 103.2 fever and was in no condition to do anything but stay home, so I kissed all the dearies good-bye and said I'd see them in the New Year. Jasper sat on the floor playing with the measuring cups while I turned to the only decent thing a girl can serve guests New Years morning- homemade, and dare I say artisanal croissants.
Croissants are just about my favorite thing to make, but they are time consuming and require a 14 hour commitment on the part of the baker, including but not restricted to waking up early to roll them for the second rise. It was the perfect activity for a New Years' Eve with just me and Jazz. I put on Handel's Messiah, set him on the floor with a metal bowl and shiny measuring spoons and got to work. It begins with whacking lots of butter and a few tablespoons of flour until you have a malleable mass that you form into what is known as the butter packet. You move on to making the dough and then let both elements chill out in the fridge while you make yourself a drink. Next comes laminating the dough, which consists of rolling out the dough into a sizable rectangle, placing the butter packet in the upper third, folding the whole thing as you would a business letter, sealing the edges, and giving it a quarter turn. You then roll, fold, seal and turn again, a total of four times, which, if done successfully, gently works the butter into the dough in such a way as to create pockets of air when baked, which is what gives a croissant its delicate flakiness. Honestly, the French are to butter what Picasso is to a brush and canvas.

I made half of the batch filled with Bonne Maman Apricot-Raspberry preserves and the other half into proper pain au chocolats, the perfect hand warmer for little boys coming in after sledding. Ryan made a second french press and Jeremy, Hansi, and I fell into a daydream of being together somewhere in Paris or the French countryside. It was nice while it lasted.

Christmas for the Grandparents

2010-01-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas when what should appear but some boxes with jammies to last the New Year.
The boys settled down for Christmas story night than fell asleep to carols sung by candle light.
Papa with his Balvenie and I with my tea, had just settled down for a rest by the tree.
The stockings were ready, the parents were worn, so they went up to bed to sleep hard til next morn'.
The kids awoke early and snuck down the stairs to see if any presents awaited them there.
Imagine their delight when full weaponry awaited these Jedis under the tree.

Star Wars and Legos and a dump truck with dirt as well as Felix's new rumpus shirt ("Where the Wild Things Are" tee that he wore day and night for a solid week before I insisted on washing it.)
Jasper got into the action too; with all of his presents he knew just what to do.
He ripped and he tore with a gurgle and a coo.
The rest of the day was spent in delight, with putting together Legos and a light saber fight.
Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for all of our gifts. We love you and miss you and hope soon for a visit.
Merry Christmas!

Winter's Tale

2010-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

On a lonely country highway somewhere between Mineral Point and Darlington, sits this spectral ghost of a house, empty and forlorn on the top of a snowy ridge. Despite it's forlorn-ness, there was something about this place that drew me in - it had such an arresting effect on me, I nearly drove off the road craning my neck to look back at it as we passed. The unexpected landscape. Yet another reason I love Wisconsin.

The Dude Abides

2010-01-08T19:16:00.001-08:00

Snow Globes

2009-12-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Thank God for Martha Stewart, is all I have to say. Poor tired mothers like me whose creative prowess flew south for the winter some time after baby #2, maybe never to return, can turn to her for cheap and easy craft projects your kiddos will love. Rummage through your recycle bin for glass jars with good, tight-fitting lids, wash them thoroughly and fill with water. Sand the lid a bit to rough up the metal, then use an epoxy glue to affix a small figurine to the lid (I grabbed a bag of old wood ornaments from an antique store for $2 a few years back). Add a pinch of coarse grain glitter, a drop or two of glycerine (available at most drug stores) and voila! your kids think you are a creative genius.

Caution: What these pics don't depict is the sad scene that awaited us next morn...Santa ornament had literally disintegrated overnight, succumbing to a watery grave, limbs floating every which way. It was a tad disturbing and there were tears. Next time we'll use plastic or metal.

Bliss

2009-12-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

Bliss is... going for a late night walk in the first snow fall of the year ("Isn't it magical, Mama?"),

waking up to find the world (or at least our neck of it) covered in this,

the glee in your 3rd born's eyes when thinking about Christmas treats,

seeing a Papa with his boy,

and baby snuggle time.

What's your bliss?

Dawn Treader

2009-12-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

After bravely sailing the seas around Narnia for what seems like an eternity, the Dawn Treader is in dry-dock, awaiting decommissioning ceremonies later this week. No ship sailed more true, sustaining fearsome storms and enemy attack. The brave children on-board reported that her stained glass windows cheered them on many a tempestuous night, when lightening threatened to break her in two and send her inhabitants to the shadowlands. Her flag waved gaily on gentle winds and helped sail them towards exciting destinations. We salute her noble stern, replete with dragon ship mast- pointing ever toward the bright horizon and a hopeful tomorrow, and thank her for countless hours of adventure on distant shores.

When Worlds Collide

2009-12-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't really stopped thinking about Anno since his Papa introduced him to me 3 years ago in the Prologue to his 2003 Yale edition of J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys. I've often been affected by other people's stories, but this one in particular had me firmly in its grasp from the first reading. Perhaps because my own family has been on the receiving end of that phone call that forever changes your life, the one that tells you a soul you loved deeply has been unexpectedly, and without warning snuffed out - those phone calls do something to you; they become a part of your make-up, shaping who you are and what you think about. forever reminding you of the impermanence of our lives and the deep sadness that learns to co-habit with getting on with one's life. perhaps this is why i have been so taken with the story of Anno, his father, and the inextricable link to j.m.barrie and the real lost boys, the five sons of Arthur and Sylvia LlewellynDavies who Barrie wrote to in the dedication of his work Peter Pan, "I suppose I always knew that I made Peter by rubbing the five of you violently together, as savages with two sticks produce a flame. That is all Peter is – the spark I got from you." I won't try and condense Andrew Birkin's introduction (you can read it here) because I won't be able to do the story justice but suffice it to say that he felt in part felled by Barrie's curse "may God blast anyone who writes a biography about me" when his son Anno tragically died a month before his 21st birthday, just as the real Michael had 80 years earlier (also before his 21st birthday), both becoming "the boys who never grew old".

All these worlds collided again for me the other night, when after finishing Jim Dale's wonderful audio version of Peter Pan with my own boys, I hopped online to do some research. I really should have guessed from the last name, but Anno happens to be the nephew of Jane Birkin, (it girl of the 60's and 70's. heard of the famed Birkin bag?) and the cousin of Charlotte Gainsbourg (from Jane's relationship with Serge Gainsbourg) and Lou Doillon (Jane's daughter from a later relationship). Those three names are synonomous with everything that's cool in the fashion world. And not just your run of the mill hipster cool, but genuinely artistic and interesting cool in that slightly kooky, upper middle class eccentric British sort of way. The interesting thing about the Birkins," says Andrew's schoolfriend, the actor Simon Williams, "is that all their brilliance and eccentricity seems to stem from an incredibly tight family unit, and however they arrived at being who they are, it all comes from the fact that they absolutely adore each other." The female side of the family has fascinated me for some time, since Jane, Charlotte, and Lou frequently pop up on the fashion/music/cinema radar, and in the course of my night going down the rabbit hole that is the internet, I found this wonderful reading of Anno's poem to his mother by his beautiful-and-beguiling-as-ever aunt Jane. I hope you watch it because it's tremendous.

I'm writing about Anno today, of all days, because today would have been his 29th birthday. And it is also the birthday of his Papa Andrew. I can't help but think about the entire Birkin family and their deep sadness, but also their courage and generosity in sharing their boys' talent with the rest of us who never got to know him.

The following is a poem Anno wrote two years before his death, which can be found in the anthology Who Said the Race is Over? by Anno Birkin

My whole life hangs tonight – like water –
swelling to the final drip.
My grip on nature fumbles – as I
stumble backwards – over rhetoric & rhyme.

The rumble in my heart could uproot heaven,
and all their ghostly judgement is like air –
is naught at all.

The dust that is my body shall be
one dust once – again –
with all things, not soon... not soon enough –
Ring the bells of murder –
Jesus sleeps –– in every one of you.

Wake! Wake sweet prince & sing!

Fill the avenues – with laughter.
Scream your words of
goodness in my ear –
let me hear – what I have done.

I seek just closeness with my fellow man.

R.I.P. Anno Birkin

Kill Your TV

2009-12-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

One day, I took an old farm road off the main county highway to see where it would take me. It led me to this. An old wood-frame tv, decomposing beside a beautiful tree in a lovely field. It is starting to become a part of the landscape. Somehow, it seemed very symbolic to me, and I was thinking about it for weeks before making it back to photograph it. I am asking the lovely and talented Cydney from Material Lives to write a comment about it- her brilliant mind will able to say what my feeble brain cannot.

Peppermint Bark

2009-12-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Being a parent around the holidays is so much fun. Carrying on traditions Ryan and I had as kids as well as beginning our own with the boys. My mother and brothers and I spent hours making tons of different Christmas cookies that the boys and I have resurrected from the annals of Mom's old Betty Crocker: Berliner Kranz (German Christmas Wreaths), Russian Tea Cakes (that I try to make every year for my brother-in-law Colin, if no one else), Thumbprint Cookies filled with jam, and Gingerbread People. But the boys and I have added an entirely different treat that we look forward to making every year- Peppermint Bark. It's fun and easy and involves the art of whacking, which every good kid will enjoy.

You begin with a package of your standard candy canes- we stick to good ol' Spangler. The kids unwrap them, break them into pieces and put them on a clean towel or flour sack.
Roll the towel up, tucking in the ends so no renegade pieces escape, and watch as your 3 year old dramatically holds up the rolling pin as if it's Excalibur and he's King Arthur, and without further ado, gives the sack a good thump.
"I whacked it HARD, Mama!" Felix shouts with evident satisfaction.

Meanwhile, I'm melting chocolate in a double boiler. The boys saw an ad for fancy-shmancy Peppermint Bark in the Williams-Sonoma catalog (yeah, for only $38 per 9 oz. box. Sheesh.) that had an underlayer of dark chocolate so upon their insistance, we went for the contrasting layer.
At this point, there's no telling how much chocolate has been consumed by these 3. Note the suspicious looking brown mustaches on my not-even-close-to-puberty children.

With the white chocolate melted, peppermint oil added, and the pieces of candy cane stirred in, you spread it across the layer of dark chocolate. I knew I should have waited until the white chocolate mixture had cooled a bit, but nap time was coming on hard and fast...Anyway, 1/2 hour in the fridge and we have a wonderful treat to bag up and gift our friends and neighbors with. It's also the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of sledding, when the sharp sting of the mint meets with the cold air you're inhaling and you have the literal peppermint-fresh feeling all those toothpaste commercials try to sell you.

Isn't Winter wonderful?

Dressember

2009-12-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

I desperately need some fun this month, so I'm playing along with Blythe's Dressember challenge. Ryan took this of me this morning before church. It really is a dress, but I can't quite get it zipped up yet, so I threw on a merino wool tank with a cardi over that...

Catching Up

2009-12-04T15:46:00.001-08:00

I just found these pictures from Jeremiah and Emily's trip here the first week of September and want to post them for posterity. We took a day trip down to Chicago to see the pirate ship exhibit at the Field Museum and Sam wanted to find Art. Above, the boys are hiding from a huge dinosaur that escaped from the Field...good thing he turned out to be a vegetarian.
Catching the last free night of the summer at the Art Institute.My darling Sam. Where has the time gone?

Jasper and I taken by one of my favorite Van Gogh paintings.
Jasper meets Jasper.

And an evening meal on one of the last gorgeous Summer nights that wasn't as blurry as the photos would have you believe.
I want to start writing again soon...something actually worth reading. But there is a lot going on right now, like Jasper beginning to crawl, which means there just isn't much time between sunup and sundown to put thought to paper, or fingers to keyboard or much of anything save the odd dip of spoon into the jar of homemade caramel sauce on the top shelf of the fridge when I desperately need a pick-me-up.

Choo-Choo-Chaboogie

2009-11-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

Ryan's former bosses from Ancora very sweetly gifted our family with a gift certificate to the Mid-Continent Train Museum in North Freedom, WI.

My brother Noel was in LaCrosse for military training and brought his friend Joe to our house the weekend they had leave. I tried to feed them as well as possible, especially since I thought poor Joe may have got more than he bargained for when he agreed to come.
Saturday dawned gorgeous and warm so after a huge country breakfast, we decided to take in the country side by vintage Wisconsin train.
The boys were wowed by all the amazing trains in the yard.
Felix thought this water tower looked just like the one at home.
Inside the train shed were all sorts of trains, some of which had been set up with scenes of rail road journeys in the past (Victorian coach, 1920's Dining Car, etc.).
After looking around, we waited in the lovely station house.
"All ABOARD!"

The horn made Felix very upset, so he spent most of the ride safely encircled in Uncle Noel's arms.
Enjoying our 50 minute round trip ride on a 7 mile stretch of the former branch line of the Chicago & Western Railroad.Sam and Oliver had fun watching the car ahead of us swaying to and fro down the line.

Devil's Lake was 25 minutes away, so we finished the day with a beautiful hike to our favorite look out.
Thank you George and Sue!

Muffin Cookies

2009-11-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

We have been gone so much this month that it seems like we haven't had much time to do fun projects, but here was a quick and easy one the boys thoroughly enjoyed.
The part of me who didn't live through the Great Depression, but thinks I did, can't ever just leave crayons at the table of restaurants -you know the ones that come with the kids' menu? So I stash them in my purse, and every six months or so, when I clean out my purse, those poor crayons go into a box with all the other derelict colored wax bits (it's like the Velveteen Rabbit only with even less animate objects. Sad, really). We spent a good half hour peeling and sorting according to color (here's my one and only parenting tip: If you need a 1/2 hour to make dinner, take a shower, paint your toes red, or read a magazine, this is a great way to occupy your kids).
Put the muffin tin in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, (all the while talking about the properties of a solid vs. a liquid if you're an overachieving parent) let them cool on a rack until they solidify (here's where more Science talk can be inserted) and then pop them out! I was impatient and cooled them in the freezer, so they cooled too quickly and most cracked in half...I'm sure there's another Science property in there, but you're on your own for that one.

p.s. Crayola is the best crayon to use for this. I hate to be a brand-name snob, but all the non-Crayola crayons seem to have an excessive amount of oil in them and not enough pigment and did not turn out as well. See bottom right hand muffin round for proof.

Where I've Been

2009-11-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

In the span of 5 days we logged 2, 227 miles of driving. 4 kids, one ridiculously cute girl, and a crazy Mama with a thermos full of coffee.

Road trip to Virginia.

Ryan left a few days earlier for a training in Nashville and it hit me that the safety of all our children, not to mention Blythe, was in my hands as we drove the approx. 1,114 miles (14 hours) to my brother's wedding in VA.

The trip itself was great. Staying in a hotel with 2 kids, a baby and a toddler late at night was not. Next time, we'll drive straight through. Karen-O's soundtrack for "Where the Wild Things Are" was a pretty appropriate soundtrack for our trip, and the boys wouldn't let us forget it. "I want rumpus song!" was a fairly constant request from the back row, with Blythe patiently reminding Felix to ask nicely before acquiescing.

The drive was spectacular as we hit each state at what seemed like the peak Fall colors. We spent a day exploring Charlottesville, one of my favorite towns to visit when we're in Virginia. The actual wedding was dreamy, on my new sister-n-law's family farm in Zuni. It looked like a scene out of Ang Lee's Sense & Sensibility.

Every once in a while, like when I see a photo like this, it hits me: "I've got 4 boys!!!!"

The reception was held under tents, which was a good thing because it poured buckets about an hour into the dancing.

Noel's wife, Leah, sketched a picture on this canvas and then had guests use the paints provided to paint in a square. The painting now hangs in their first home together.
Felix was very tired by the end of the night and when Ryan leaned over to ask if he wanted to go dance, he responded, "no, I just want Blythe."

The Style Post

2009-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

The luckiest thrift store shopping day of my life occurred not too long after we moved to Madison 4 years ago. I took an evening out for myself and hit up the local Good Will and almost immediately found the coolest top ever. It was utterly fetching with a mock high neck in tightly gathered vertical pleats, the tiniest poof at the shoulders, long sleeves ending in a row of buttons starting 2 inches above the wrist and the loveliest subtly pinstriped brown. It fit incredibly well, and was marked $3.99. Never mind that my co-worker Sascha asked if it was Puritan Day when I wore it to work; he's Australian and clearly doesn't recognize a fashion coup when he sees one.

The top is from Parisian fashion designer Isabel Marant, the it girl of the fashion scene. I love how her clothes project that famous French girl insouciance that so many of the rest of us try to emulate. I have been following her since that serendipitous purchase and was delighted to recognize her Liberty print skirt on Garance Dore (below), the French girlfriend of the Sartorialist. While I could never pull off a skirt that short, I've been oogling her jacket (above) in the same sweet Liberty print. Unfortunately, Marant's pieces are incredibly difficult to come by, especially in the States. Sigh. Perhaps it's time for another trip to the thrift store.

Back to School

2009-09-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

School is in full swing and although I was terrified I couldn't be organized enough to pull it off this year, implementing some discipline for myself has made it possible to do a full schedule with Sam and Oliver, as well as some pre-school with Felix. Ryan helped in a big way by setting our reading room to rights. I found two more vintage desks at Savers for $7.99. We are using a smorgasbord of Classics-based curriculum, plus making up our own for things like art history, music, and the kitchen.
My latest issue of Gourmet paid homage to all the back-to-schoolers by doing a clever alphabet of foods and menu ideas. The boys learned to make a spicy barbecue sauce for our Chipotle Chicken, crumbled queso fresco for the Creamed Corn with Cilantro, and toasted cumin seeds for Cumin Vinaigrette Cole Slaw. That's a lot of C's. I was starting to get bored so we went to B for dessert. Bingo. Buttermilk Pudding with fresh fruit. A few of the key ingredients were missing from my shelves so I ended up using lavender in place of the bay leaf and orange zest. I have to say, I might never go back. It was total luck but the lavender was the perfect accompaniment to the strawberries and wine in the puree, balancing out the sweetness of the former and subtly enhancing the latter. It was the perfect dessert to come home to from our after dinner walk. I was pretty excited because it felt like a risk at the time and I wasn't sure it would pay off. My Mom is a wonderful cook, my brother and Dad are amazing make-it-up-as-you-go home chefs and since I've never been as good at tweaking recipes or making things up as I go along, I've always lived in the shadow of their creativity in the kitchen. For my own growth as a cook this felt like a milestone in my culinary adventures.
Buttermilk Pudding w/Sauce & Fresh Fruit
For the Pudding:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 cup whole milk, divided
6 tblsp. sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup buttermilk

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of milk and let soften 1 minute. Scrape seeds from vanilla pod into small heavy saucepan, add remaining 3/4 cup milk and sugar and bring just to a boil over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture. Stir until well dissolved. Add buttermilk and then cool in an ice bath for approx. 5 minutes. Strain through fine mess sieve into large glass measuring bowl. Pour into waiting cups, cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.

Strawberry Sauce:
1/4 cup dry red wine (I used Malbec from Argentina)
1/4 cup water
3 tblsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry lavender buds
2 3" strips of lemon peel
about 6 strawberries hulled and cut in half

Place all ingredients except the strawberries in small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup. Add strawberries and simmer for another 5 minutes. Carefully puree in a blender. Strain through fine mesh sieve into a bowl and chill for one hour.

To assemble, spoon some of the strawberry puree over each pudding and top with mixture of fresh berries.

Why I Love Wisconsin #37

2009-09-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Family bike rides through the Wisconsin countryside are becoming a fast tradition.
1857 Cooksville Congregational Church. Thinking about throwing our 10th Wedding Anniversary Party here.
From a bridge going across Badfish Creek.

Baby calf.

Lego Jesus

2009-09-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here in our house, we have been in the throes of Lego mania for quite some time. Our friend Ethan gave Sam two huge rubber maid containers of his old Legos to start out with and the boys have since accumulated numerous sets for birthdays and Christmas. The sets are fine (despite what the New York Times thinks) but I love when the boys make things from their own explosive imaginations. For example, Sam was so excited to show us this after breakfast. "It's from the Bible," he prefaced, so intrigued, we walked into the room to find:
Lego Jesus. On the cross. With the two thieves crucified behind him. And Roman guards standing sentry below, one with an axe, one with a light saber. I didn't know what to say or where to look because I was laughing so hard but I didn't want to hurt Sam's feelings because he really was so proud and sincere. I can only hope Jesus doesn't see it as sacrilege and somehow, I don't think He does.
There was also Moses (as a Clone Commander) leading the Israelites across the Red Sea with Storm Trooper Egyptians in hot pursuit. Oh my.

Nothing Ventured

2009-08-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

I finally finished making roman blinds for Oliver and Sam's bedroom. This is a major accomplishment for me because I hardly ever finish anything. Ideas come and go, most of which never evolve into anything more because of my ineptitude for decision making. So many fabrics, so many directions to take things stylistically! Then there is the issue of mistake making. I never thought of myself as a perfectionist until I made the connection that most projects I begin sit around for months and never get finished. My subconscious logic went something like this: If projects aren't finished, then I can't critique the final product and see all the ways it could be better or more professional (or more factory churned?). I realized the flaw in this thinking, as well as the hope I was operating on, that I would somehow learn all these skills I'm interested in through some kind of cosmic osmosis. Now that I am firmly (never mind how firmly) entrenched in my 30's, I figure it's time to buck up and actually take some risks with my interests.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, isn't that how the old adage goes? And speaking of old adages, a plethora of them keep cropping up into my brain in regards to different situations around me. "Marry in haste, repent at leisure." "The Rich man gets his ice in the Summer, the poor man gets his ice in the winter." "Many hands make light the labor." Ryan probably thinks I sound like a Laura Ingalls Wilder version of Mr. Myugai. I'm beginning to realize the full spectrum of how repeated readings of the Little House on the Prairie series made an indelible mark on my psyche. There was that time I tried to dye our butter with carrot juice, and the failed attempt at making candy out of boiling molasses and a cast iron skillet full of snow. But never mind that. I had a brilliant pattern from the French General book Blythe gave me for my birthday and I've been sitting on yards and yards of ticking stripe fabric I bought for a song (I think it was 'Wind Beneath My Wings') at Sweet Petunia seven years ago. In order to have enough width for 3 shades, I ripped up an old Pottery Barn curtain and gave each shade a nice solid border. Early on in the project, I was getting into full seamstress stance, remembering my mother at the table, straight pins dangling coolly out of her mouth, like a beatnik with a cigarette. I tried this and all was going well until something made me cough and I nearly inhaled a straight pin. Fortunately I sort of spit it out before it wreaked havoc on my esophagus. I looked furtively over my shoulder and was elated to see that no one was around to witness. Later, there was the panic over my missing tape measure. At a critical juncture, I of course, couldn't find it anywhere, which is not surprising for someone suffering from a rare type of amnesia called "Nursing Mother Brain"...I found it, 15 minutes later, after an exhaustive search of the entire house, draped around my neck like the pros on Project Runway. Lining them with black out fabric was tricky but I finally figured it out. Ryan helped me install them today and I think they are a nice change from the blankets-over-windows-to-keep-light-out look that we had going for the last 3 years. Now that these are done, perhaps I can finish that sweater I began knitting for Ryan back in 2001?

Fireflies and Firelight

2009-08-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing all summer has been going for runs in the evening, with Sam riding beside me. We start when the sun is just beginning to set and by the time we get to the country roads, the fields beside us are dancing with a million little firefly lights, one of the most magical things I've experienced. With a full moon over head and your first boy beside you, it's lump-in-your-throat inducing and somehow melts all the stresses of the day. A few of these same evenings, we've built a fire in the backyard and stayed up late eating Cherry Heart Piettes and ice cream, or roasting marshmallows. The boys regale Ryan and I with tales of their days' adventures, their dreams for the future (always involving Legos!), and their new-found love of knock-knock jokes and riddles.
If I look exhausted, it's because I was. Plus, campfires have a way of being hypnotic.
Sam suggested we throw an end of Summer bash at our house, complete with Baughn fire. I think he's on to something...

Cinnamon Girl

2009-08-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

We are big Neil Young fans here in our home. He's kind of our go-to music when no one else will do. I love the song Cinnamon Girl, but to be honest, I haven't listened closely enough to all the lyrics to tell you if it's an appropriate song to like, but for a girl who bakes, the chorus alone feels appropriate. We go through what seems like pounds and pounds of cinnamon that we replenish from the bulk section of our local co-op. One of the biggest uses for lots of cinnamon is a sticky bun that shares the same name. Made with a simple cream cheese frosting, these puppies give Cinnabon a run for their money.

We've been having an uncharacteristically cool summer here in Southern Wisconsin, and one day last week found us in our pj's all day long. By afternoon, the overcast sky and cool breeze made the boys think making Cinnamon Rolls would be a good accompaniment to our plan of piling on our bed and reading aloud from our stash of library books. Unfortunately, my camera died before the final product could be photographed- not that it really matters- it was an out-of-focus blur from cooling rack to eager mouths...

.

Winston-Salem

2009-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Winston-Salem, N.C. just got a whole lot cooler.

A dear friend of our family just moved there about a month ago and we miss her terribly. She's the kind of girl who is thoughtful and sweet, creative and crafty, and just plain awesome. The kind of girl who decides one day, "hmm, I think I want to learn to needle felt animals" and then buys a book and next thing you know, is handing you this incredibly cute sea creatures mobile for your new baby.
The kind of girl who knows just what a 7 year old would want for his birthday.
The kind of girl who knows just how to dive into a big pile of french toast, laden with butter and maple syrup and not blink an eye over the calories. Or the amount of noise coming from the 3 crazy boys across the table. The kind of girl who can speak seriously and than has you laughing your butt off at some wisecrack. A girl with limitless creativity who you are excited to watch to see what she takes on next.

A girl who has taught me that great friendships can come from the most unlikely circumstances.

We miss you, Kate. And your little dog, too.

Funeral

2009-08-07T10:22:00.001-07:00

Last week was a very solitary week. I've been feeling low on account of a nagging sore throat and sinus pressure that comes and goes, leaving me tired and, well, low. Much has been made (including movies) of the plight of cubicle workers, who push pencils around (but not much else), and end up chucking it all to become something truly great or else going crazy trying to wait it out until retirement, and sometimes I feel just as futile in my chosen job of stay at home mom. A friend and I were comparing notes on how no job is ever completely done. You finish making, eating, and cleaning up from one meal only to find, oops! it's lunchtime. Mounds of dirty clothes (didn't I just wash and fold these?) that then turn into mounds of clean clothes that need to be folded and put away, disorganized piles of who-knows-what taking up valuable counter space, the mind-numbing amount of small tasks to be done that even when finished, don't seem to amount to much. Tack this on to a week where I'm physically not at my best and it's easy to feel discouraged and more than a little used up.

But then there was a moment, a shining light on the monotony of my duties, folding the umpteenth load of clean clothes in my more than a little messy living room. Arcade Fire. Wake Up. Unable to stand still, there I was, onesie in hand, shaking my head, legs pumping, heart swelling, tears welling, feeling this is it. I felt recognized, as if Win Butler and company somehow knew me, and translated all I've been thinking about - (married love, the bitter-sweet joy of watching my kids grow up, friend relationships, the inherent struggle/sorrow/joy of being a human on planet earth) all into this brilliant song.

Isn't that what great art is?

2009-08-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

I love how some of the best meals are the simplest. A few nights ago Sam, Felix, Jasper and I were keeping the home fires burning while Ryan and Oliver were out fixing an espresso machine together late. By the time dinner time rolled around I needed a second wind and some inspiration. I found the latter in the beautiful tomatoes sitting on the counter, freshly picked the night before from our garden. Luckily, I had some local Crave Brothers fresh mozzarella in the fridge. Sam rode his bike to the co-op by himself (kind of a big deal)to purchase a baguette and some local ham. When he got home, we set to work putting together ingredients. Sam sliced the tomatoes and baguette while I picked basil and found the last of the 2 yr. white cheddar. We assembled ham and cheese on buttered baguette, which reminded me so much of being in Paris, and of course the insalata, the ubiquitous first course at any restaurant in Italy. Eating leisurely outside, talking and watching the sunset - after 45 minutes of this, I realized we had gorged ourselves on two of the above salads. The tomatoes were amazing- I know they are literally a fruit, but I don't think I've ever tasted anything so sweet and flavorful in my life. I can't wait to get to work canning these - it'll be like preserving Summer for the rest of the year. When it's January and -17 degrees out, I'll pop open a jar of these glorious beauties and remember basking in the evening sun with my boys.

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart

2009-08-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Cherries are finally in season and we've been buying pounds and pounds of them. Ryan bought me my new favorite seasonal kitchen gadget, this Oxo cherry pitter from Williams-Sonoma after I exhausted Target and our local groceries for one and came up empty-handed. It's well worth the $13 investment to pit cherries with ease, especially if you're eager to make your own pie filling. While browsing in the store, I saw a contraption that allowed you to make individual pie-ettes in either a star or heart shape. I couldn't stop thinking about how fun those desserts looked so when we came home, I decided to try it without any fancy gadgetry. Guess what? It's super easy and the kids loved helping almost as much as eating them. The best part is cutting out any shape that suits your fancy and personalizing your pie. Someone asked for one shaped like Darth Vader...maybe next time.

Fallingwater

2009-08-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

How awesome is this? The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection(R) collaborated with LEGO(R) to make this Architectural set. What better way to introduce modern architecture's most famous son (and Wisconsin native) to Lego obsessed Sam?

Jasper's Quilt

2009-07-30T09:22:00.001-07:00

When my mom was in town, she helped me finish the quilt I started for Jasper. I fell in love with the fabric from Les Indiennes, traditional hand-blocked fabrics using organic fabric and vegetable dye, after spotting it in a Domino magazine from a while back. It's similar to John Robshaw fabric, which apparently is all the rage, but I like the prints at Les Indiennes better. Unfortunately, it's priced way out of my range because of how much labor goes into making each bolt of fabric (fabric as art). A month before Jasper's birth, I had a rare pregnant-moment epiphany and ordered several swatch books from them and pieced them together into a simple patch work quilt top. Blythe sent me the batting from an Anthropologie quilt she cut down to a smaller size with a note that read: "now you have no more excuses!" although I somehow managed to put it off another few months. It took me forever to settle on a backing fabric but Mom helped me decide on a plain navy flannel for softness. We spent an afternoon basting the three layers together and then sewing it, a mother-daughter activity we haven't done together in 15 years. I'm pleased with the finished product and I can safely say that little Jasper is too.

Blog Land

2009-07-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a strange thing. On the one hand, I've had 2 emails in one day from far-flung friends who told me they love getting a glimpse of what our life looks like and what I'm thinking about, which made me feel like the blog is fulfilling its purpose. However, what I don't want it to be is what I have been critical of in other blogs - a "hey, look at me! look how amazing I am" (not that I even think that of myself), or a place to seek validation from friends and strangers that my life is worth living, or an awkward, if not embarrassing baring of the soul to the whole wide world (or anyone who might stumble on the site).

This is not my journal. That thing is sadly in need of a good dusting and some attention of its own, but when it gets that, it will be for me and me alone. I see this as a totally different annal for our family life and to some extent, me; I like having a place to compile photos with a description of a meal or a family day, or a link to something that caught my attention so that it's not forgotten or misplaced among all the days and events to come. But I feel uneasy about this kind of medium being public because it's so easy to give off the impression that "life is but a dream" and I never have days of despair and frustration. Some would see the answer in blogging equally about the crappy days, but quite honestly, that's too personal a thing for me to put out there in any kind of medium except a glass of wine with some girlfriends, or said dusty journal.

The blogs I enjoy the most are blogs like this one. Anyone who knows Blythe will tell you what an amazing girl she is, but she never gives off the impression that she needs people telling her that. She is able to blog about her interests and likes without the least sense of pretension or superiority and since I live 2,000 miles away from her, I love wandering over to her site every few days to see what's going on in the dear girl's head. Her tagline reads "life is worth writing about" which isn't mutually exclusive- everyone's life is valuable and worth celebrating and this is how I hope my friends and family see La Bon Vie. Until I come to terms with this little blog o' mine, though, I guess I'm writing this to salve my own conflicted conscience.

Mom's Potatoes

2009-07-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

My Mom flew in from Virginia to spend a week with us and to meet baby Jasper. I tried to convince her to pack everything in a carry on to avoid extra charges from the airline, but she declined, saying she had too much stuff to bring. Upon arriving at our home, it turned out that the reason for the checked bag was a considerable stash of vegetables from her garden. I love that the night before she flew out, part of her packing ritual included running out to one of her beautiful raised beds and digging up about 10 lbs. of her gorgeous potatoes and picking close to 2 lbs. of yellow and green waxy beans. Talk about a bountiful harvest!

I felt honored to be charged with cooking such lovely vegetables (although Sam was quick to remind me that potatoes are actually tubers. Sorry for the lapse.) and a little anxious to do them justice. I wanted to do something that would bring out the flavor of both and not hide the amazing flavor of such freshness. Fortunately for the potatoes, Bryan Kennedy came to mind. Bryan is a friend of ours from Seattle and he and his wife Freya enjoy good food as much as we do. Freya and I, when not talking about God and family, have been known to have long phone conversations detailing out meals that we have had or plan to make, as well as generous swapping of recipes. I remembered her telling me about Bryan's invention of Roasted Potatoes with Bacon, Cherry Tomatoes & Gruyere and started salivating just thinking about it. The day before, I prepped 2 lbs. of chicken legs by rubbing them with a mix of salt, cracked pepper and cayenne, refrigerating them for a few hours before dumping in a gallon of buttermilk for them to swim in overnight. The menu was beginning to take shape in my mind's eye:
A little more sophisticated approach to a Southern staple of fried chicken, green beans, potatoes and lemonade. What could be more appropriate, especially for two women with enough Southern blood to insure membership in The Daughters of the Confederacy if we so chose (God Bless the Fain Family and General Lee and May the South Rise Again). I called Freya and traded her my sweet tart with honey sweetened creme fraiche & fresh raspberries for Bryan's potatoes, got to work breading the chicken and got the boys snapping the beans and juicing lemons for lemonade. It all came together like a finely trained orchestra, if I do say so myself (oh dear, I sound like Mrs. Elton from Emma...)
When the potatoes were reaching the end of their tenure in the oven, I blanched the green beans, sauteed a few cloves of garlic in olive oil, added the green beans for a few minutes to heat them through and added a handful of good feta.

The result was a delectable, finger-licking, good-to-the-last-bite meal that was as fun to eat as it was to prepare.

We stuffed ourselves silly and had to go for a walk before diving into the Lilikoi cheesecake Sam & I made using passion fruit butter my mom had brought us from her place in Hawaii.

Could someone please explain why it's taking me so long to lose the extra baby weight?

If you've got a stash of potatoes that need to be eaten up, I highly recommend the following scrumptious method of consuming them:

Bryan Kennedy's Roasted Potatoes:
5 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes washed and cut into bite size pieces
5 oz. bacon
Pint of cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup grated gruyere

On a rimmed baking sheet, pour a few glugs of olive oil on pan. Throw on potato pieces and stir; salt and grind pepper generously. Place in preheated 425 degree oven and set timer for 10 minutes. Chop up about 5 oz. good bacon (I used a local pepper thick sliced bacon that was delish) and sprinkle over potatoes when timer goes off. Set timer for another 10 minutes. Wash and dry a pint of cherry tomatoes. Throw them in, give the whole thing a good stir and set timer for another 10 minutes. Grate about 1/2 cup of gruyere and sprinkle over the mixture and bake until melted and starting to bubble. By this time, many of the tomatoes will have popped, oozing their juices over the bacon and potatoes. If not, bake for another 10 minutes or so.

The Family That Eats Together

2009-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

I don't go out very often these days. For one thing, going out with four boys is more than just a little bit of work, timing everything around naps and meals. For another thing, since the proliferation of legos in our house, there doesn't seem to be the need or desire to do anything but play legos. However, I had the opportunity to hit up a huge sale at bop in Madison and Mom was willing to watch the kids. It turned out to be a total waste of time, not that I didn't find some incredible deals, but after asking myself if I really needed any of said finds and realizing I didn't, I left (after waiting in line for 2 hours) and ended up with nothing but a parking ticket. This, of course, was very upsetting. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but we have paid the city of Madison at least $1,000 in parking tickets since we moved here 4 1/2 years ago. I think they recognize my car, think to themselves, "suckah" and hang around waiting for my meter to expire, knowing I won't make it out in time. Unnecessary expenses like parking tickets really upset me so suffice it to say I was in a bit of a foul mood the rest of the day, that is until dinner. The day before mom arrived, our chef friend Joel and his wife and kids came over for dinner, bringing some incredible local highland beef for sliders. Mom made the leftover meat from Fountain Prairie Farms into burgers, we had local feta and 2 year white cheddar from Hook's Cheese with all the usual condiments.
Ryan made hand cut homemade french fries with sea salt from mom's potatoes as well as a pound of fried cheese curds.

The grill was still hot after dinner so I cut peaches in half, sprinkled them with sugar and melted butter and grilled them for about 5 minutes, cut side down. We filled the middle with fresh whipped cream for a perfect dessert after such a heavy dinner.
At dinner, Ryan added up the cost of a meal like that eating out and it was well over the $20 parking ticket, so I suddenly felt much better about that. But more than the money was the pleasure of us all working together to make dinner- Mom putting together the condiment plate while Ryan fried the potatoes and curds. I prepped the peaches while the boys set the table. Talking and laughing all the while and then sitting down to enjoy the fruits of our collaborative effort. I hope that when the boys are grown up, making and eating food together is one of their strongest memories.

Oh, Anna

2009-07-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Having been a Vogue subscriber for as long as I can remember and counting the arrival of the September Issue (always in August, of course) as an eagerly anticipated rite every year, I can't help but look forward to seeing this movie and getting a glimpse of the real Anna Wintour, whoever she is.

Baby Love

2009-06-30T11:02:00.001-07:00

Scottish Dudes Rock

2009-06-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Officer Kennedy for sharing this video with us.

Posted for Bob Lake and anyone else who might appreciate the joyous and balletic artistry seen here.

Elements of Style

2009-06-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

The Elements of Style is a handy little book for anyone who needs a reminder as to the proper usage of commas, the difference between it's and its/there and their, and any other slippery grammatical slopes. With section headings such as "avoid the use of qualifiers", "do not construct awkward adverbs", and "do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity", the mantra of the book is make every word tell. I sat down with the book over a cup of coffee and enjoyed letting certain phrases roll off my tongue. Pronominal possessives. Sounds scandalous. Paranthetic expressions. Lyrical.

This much loved classic, now in its fourth edition, has the added bonus of Maira Kalman's illustrations. Our dear friend Blythe introduced Ms. Kalman to us through a children's book. Her whimsical paintings for The Elements of Style bring to life some of the basic principles, making the learning experience more colorful and clear.

Now, of course, I write with a little bit of fear, worried that a stray comma or too breezy of a manner will cause the authors to roll over in their proverbial graves...but then, of course, none of us is perfect.

Keep Out: No Trespassing

2009-06-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Little Bunny Rabbit,
Sure, you're cute. I'll give you that. With your soft grey-brown fur and your cute little bunny nose, you illicit "oh's" and "ah's" from our entire family.
Ryan and I have watched you late at night, standing sentinel in front of our house, immobile for 20 minutes or more, only to scamper diagonally across the intersection at some unseen provocation. We wake up early and watch you play leap frog with your gal pal and some of the neighborhood squirrels, and that's cute too. But lately, you've crossed the line. My climbing rose bushes, which were trying to get established and had made quite a lot of progress growing up the trellis, have been decimated by your not-so-cute front teeth and your seemingly insatiable appetite.
I mean, we all like a good meal from time to time, and I'm all for you going to town on all the dandelions in our yard, not to mention the creeping charlie. Heck, you can even get to the compost now that the squirrels have created a hole in the side of the bin.

But please, leave my roses be.

If you do not heed this friendly little warning, I will be forced to take some action in defense of my little 'Blaze of Glory' and 'Jubilee'. Don't push me. I will spray them with pepper gas, or douse them with garlic oil, or any of the measures the garden center recommended, even (gasp) sprinkling dehydrated fox urine on them to get the message across.
We've already had to enclose our garden because of last year's incident. You felt a little too entitled and consumed all our beans, broccoli, and cantaloupe. I would like to remind you of what happened to your forbear, Mr. Peter Rabbit, when he went into Mr. MacGregor's garden one too many times.

Please consider this a fair warning and act accordingly.

Sincerely,
the management

Last Weekend in Redux

2009-06-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

(Warning: Ridiculous amount of family photos to follow.)

We had a very full and lovely weekend last week:
Saturday found Jasper and I at the Maple Bluff Neighborhood Garage Sales, and despite (or maybe because of) the soft drizzle coming down, we had a great time together.
(happy even though I woke him up early)

Maple Bluff is the richie rich neighborhood that sits on the north side of Lake Mendota and houses the Governor's Mansion, so everyone comes out in droves hoping to land the deal of the century. My anthro buddy found practically new Frye boots for $15 (which she promptly resold on ebay for a killing) and a Marc Jacobs coat for next to nothing at last year's sales, so my expectations were high. Whether it was the rain or miserliness, no one can say, but I didn't find any designer deals. I did, however, score a pair of Saucony's for Sam (nice alliteration, right?) for $1:
a great set of vintage enamelware, all with lids, for about $20,

a new compost bucket (the compost was free),
and a gorgeous vintage LBD for $5! The woman I purchased it from used to work on Broadway and said she wore it frequently to events in NYC back in the day. Just lovely!
When Jasper and I arrived home, we found that a sandbox had been built by Ryan:

(which in all honesty, I'm secretly regretting. the sand. gets. everywhere. but the kids LOVE it.)

Some soccer was played

as was some freeze tag:

followed by some dreaming under the trees and clear blue sky.
(photo by Sam)

A good ol' Wisconsin meal of brats and dogs and homemade sparkling lemonade was eaten,
followed by raspberry creme fraiche tart,
finished off with a long draught of baby gazing:

Life is immeasurably full for us right now. My cup, indeed, runneth over.

Put Your Lovin' Arms Out Baby

2009-06-06T15:57:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I like to play a little game in the car (or anywhere, for that matter) called Name That Band. The rules are simple enough- whoever says the name of the artist first when a song comes on gets a point. I don't want to brag or anything, but I kick butt in this game. I think it has to do with my weird memory for things - you know, like license plate #'s, who dated who in Hollywood, and guitar riffs (the important things), but whatever the reason, I crush Ryan. Sometimes we get bored and hit scan and usually, without fail, I recite the band names without hesitation- "Led Zeppelin, The Killers, Lady Ga-Ga, The Shins, um, Mark Knopfler, John Cougar, etc.". However, one particular evening as we approached the exit for Hwy 138, we scanned the hip-hop station and Ryan says, "ohhh, it's Jeremiah." I have a brother by that name so I was momentarily confused until Ryan explained that the song was "Birthday Sex" and the artist's name is Jeremiah.

Now for those of you who know my husband, you will understand why this little story is so funny. And you will find it as amusing as I do that he frequently comes home, as of late, singing inappropriate songs.

Blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol...

P-p-p-pokerface, b-b-bump up the bass...

You say it's 2008 and but you're so 2000 and late...I got that boom-boom-BOOM...

I think Mad Town's #1 Station for Hip-hop has created a monster.

This current shift in our listening habits no doubt has to do with the fact that Oliver and Felix love to dance. So do I. I'm not saying I can dance, but I like to think that given a chance with a Dancing with the Stars kind of set up, I could hold my own. Whatever the case, there is a certain amount of joy and freedom in putting on some good music and just letting loose. This got me to thinking about my personal current favorite hip-hop songs out there. The first, you are probably familiar with if you've ever seen this Adidas commercial:

I mean, can you believe the people they got to come to this party? The Run D.M.C. guy, Beckham, Missy Elliott, and I'm pretty sure I spotted Chris Rock and J.T. as well as a host of "others". I couldn't find the 30 second spot to post, but the full length is better anyway. This is the kind of party I want to go to, minus the excessive making out, drunkenness, celebrities, and licentiousness, of course. But invite all your favorite friends over, let the kids skate board on a half-pipe in the living room (or street)
stay up way too late,

throw on some great music, and dance til you fall over.

That particular song is a re-make of a Franki Valli and the Four Seasons song by Madcon. So fresh. The beat is infectious and I defy you to stay immobile if this song comes on the air.

Echo by Gorilla Zoe is a current favorite around here too. I'd love for Ryan's band to remake this song with my friend Beth singing vocals. Really, such a beautiful song melodically. But hands down, American Boy by Estelle (with Kanye West) is the most requested song in our house. I love questioning the boys -Would you be my American boy?

Parapluie

2009-05-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

This just about sums up our day yesterday.

Oh, and lots of this...