miles of smiles.

In February 2009, a ten week old baby named Miles stole my heart for keeps.

In June 2010, I have to say goodbye to his sticky, chubby face.

This is just a taste of the memories I'll be taking with me when I go.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I'm gonna miss you more than you can possibly know, kiddo.

slumber.

this is what i'm craving right now.











or, best yet:



photo credits, from top: lauren treece, dorellana, leriam gonzalez, weheartit, weheartit, allison coleman.

country daydreams.

I've been spending a lot of time daydreaming lately.


My daydreams mostly consist of me weighing about 15 pounds less, twirling around barefoot in a field wearing a sundress with tan shoulders and flushed cheeks, and red hair to my waist.
...Gonna keep waiting for that one to happen.


My dreams these past couple of weeks involve our move to West Virginia.
I want to make some major life changes when we get there. And I know, I know all about how easy it is to say "My life will be better when..." and that there are lots of things that I can be doing now, but in all honesty, I just don't have the motivation to start yet. Everything is still quite daunting.
Anyway, here they are. Not new year's resolutions, but maybe new house resolutions.


1. Our house is right across the street from campus, where they have a brand new gym that is available to me 24/7. for freesies. there will no longer be the distance/price/weather excuse to not exercise. There will still be a monthly excuse, and you do NOT want to see what happens if you try to make me do something I don't want to do that week. So don't even try. But I also want to train myself to go for runs to get to know the area. What better way is there?


2. We'll have a large fenced-in backyard, so my first big project will be to plant a vegetable garden! We'll have a couple of raised beds with everything from corn to parsley. I've been doing lots of research on this, and I think it'll be worth the extra effort to save money on buying all of our produce at Walmart, and this way I'll know exactly where all of our produce is coming from.


3. Don't laugh- but we're planning on having chickens. 3 or 4 laying hens. I want to be able to walk outside in the mornings and grab a few eggs to make breakfast. The main challenge with this will be keeping the chickypoos away from our crazy dogs. But we'll figure something out.


I recently read this book written by this blogger, and I cannot stop thinking about everything I've learned. I'm so motivated to live a cleaner, greener, more sustainable life. I am completely and totally infatuated with the idea of homesteading, and I'm currently consuming every bit of information about it that I can get my hands on.

4. I'm going to commit to learning my banjo. I can do this. I sort of let that actual New Year's resolution fall by the wayside, as resolutions are wont to do, but I'll have all the time in the world to sit on my back deck, fingerpicking away.


Excuse me, now I must retreat back into my country fantasy, complete with gingham tablecloths and candles in mason jars and the scent of corn on the cob roasting on my grill, all set to a soundtrack of crickets chirping, dogs snoring, and bluegrass on the radio.



flickr photo credits, from top: unknown, nessadear, sjs1947, jude_bird_86, blue perez photography, bunny spice, country living magazine.

friends in high places.

Last night we went out for Husbear's older brother Matt's 31st birthday dinner [it took me like eleven tries make this sentence grammatically correct].
I told my boss we wanted a great steak dinner, and she called up her BFF who's married to the owner of this place and we suddenly had reservations for 4 at 8pm.

We sat in the best seat.
We were served by the Maitre'D.
We got a table of free appetizers, including a dry aged meat plate, chicken liver pate (which was not my cup of tea, but was rapidly consumed by the others), pickled vegetables, giant cheesy popovers, and gruyere grilled cheese topped with bacon.
We ordered a tasty Malbec and the biggest, juiciest steaks of our lives.
We ate roasted asparagus and giant stuffed tomatoes and buttery morel mushrooms.
We asked for a couple of desserts and our table was filled with carrot cake with ginger ice cream, little chewy chocolate cookies, ricotta cheesecake, peanut butter chocolate mousse with banana, warm chocolate torte, lemon-blueberry meringue... all "compliments of the House".
We paid the bill (we only had to pay for what we ordered).
We took a cab home because we couldn't walk.

It was such a magnificent night. It felt amazing to be able to let our family experience that, with us along for the ride.



Oh, and they gave us the recipe for the popovers.
I'll be trying my hand at those, and soon.
Our last couple of months here in the city are coming together quite nicely.

(psst...thanks again, Carolyn!)

catching up.

It was pointed out to me that I haven't written a new post since February.
I'm really very sorry.
I don't know how many people actually read this.
I don't have much time to cook lately, or much money for fun groceries to cook with.
I think I might change things up around here.

In order to keep up with posting and everything, I think I may merge my personal blog (which I haven't updated since OCTOBER) with my domestic blog, and start trying to post something every single day.
And when there are no words, I'll give you pretty things to look at.

For now, an update:

My marriage is the best thing that ever happened to me. Husbear is such a good man with such a strong, beautiful heart. I'm ever so blessed to be his wife. He's my world, that man.

***
Right now, his brother and sister-in-law are visiting us from Michigan. We spent the weekend being tourists and Brooklynites both. Brunches and flea markets, Central Park and Times Square. Today they came to see me at work so they could walk across the Brooklyn bridge, which is in the neighborhood where Miles lives.
I love having them here. Love love love it.

brunch.

mornings, charlie's grandparents-style, a la willy wonka.

central park.

Husbear at Brooklyn Flea.
***
On Thursday, MY brother gets here, and he's bringing his beautiful girlfriend. We're going to take in lots of music and cocktails and brunch and sunshine then, too. I love my family. I'm so lucky.
***
As for the Big Move, I haven't even begun to start packing.
I have our packing "plan" all written up neatly in my planner. But now I don't like to look at my planner because it declares me two weeks behind on my packing.
I also don't like to look around my apartment and see how much I've been slacking on keeping it organized. I'm too excited about our next place to be bothered with making this one look good every day.
I also have big plans for the new place.
I want a big vegetable garden, and my own chickens to lay eggs for me.
I want to be more sustainable. I want to be more green.
Like I said, Big Plans.
***
33 days until Europe.

(yes, that is where we're staying.)

45 days until we say goodbye to Brooklyn/hello to West Virginia.

I made "Country Roads, Take me Home" my ringtone on my cell phone.
***
I'm meeting Miles' next nanny today. I hope I love her. I think I will, but part of me (a HUGE part) is so jealous that she's the one he'll remember, because he's still so little right now. I can't even think about how hard it will be to say goodbye, because I get all teary just thinking about it.
Looks like he's gonna be okay, though. He's never had any problem warming up to new girls.

(Miles with his girlfriend, Isa.)
***
There, that's a start.