Tales of Me and the Husband

a valentine’s day playdate.

last friday we had three of parker’s friends over for a valentine’s day playdate.  a few weeks back, rachael had suggested a tea party and, well, i just ran with it.  remember what i said about february?  and how the only redeeming things are valentine’s day and samoas?  add toddler tea parties to the list.  
i got some acrylic paints in various shades of valentine’s day, canvases, and set them to work on a painting.  there’s not much cuter than four toddlers at work on their paintings around your kitchen table.  then they made their own parfaits which, for parker anyway, is about the best thing ever.  doling out his own ingredients and carefully spooning them into a cup to then eat his fill?  especially when berries are a part of the deal?  heaven.
meanwhile, the mothers drank coffee and mimosas, ate quiche, and donuts (by union square no less!).  i think all playdates need those things from here on out.

happy valentine’s day!

happy valentine’s day, friends!

i know, i know, some people have downright animosity aimed at this day stuck in the middle of february and i get it but hear me out.  at the very least, it’s a day to be reminded that we love one another, that we are loved.  surely by someone, to someone.  and, at least in this part of the world, mid-february need something.  february through march are one big gray and slushy mess here in massachusetts.  the days just run into one another and outside is a steady white and you’re not sure up from down.  a couple chocolates, a handful of conversation hearts, and some red balloons are a little gift to shake things up.  oh, and girl scout cookies.  they arrive right on time.
a few things i love right now:
// samoas, of course.  and has anyone ever tried their hand at the homemade samoas that i’ve seen pop up on pinterest at least two dozen times?  are they worth the trouble or are they just a poor, pathetic attempt at the real thing?
// this post by my friend kate which is, in a way, apt on a day such as today.  i was going to share my favorite line but then realized that would be the entire post so just go read it.
// this book.  we got it out at the library the other day, it was a childhood favorite, and i remember why. the best.
// watching the kids sled down a small hill we have in our backyard.  you can see it from the kitchen window, right above the sink, and it’s a sweet scene.
// my newest playlist.  it’s good!
// strawberries.  they feel especially decadent in the dead of winter (and a nice mix-up from the normal potatoes and carrots and parsnips and other booooring winter produce)
// this cool diy from my friend sara’s blog.  i haven’t tried it yet but i am all about the painting-on-clothes.
// this ‘friday i’m in love‘ shirt.  fun shirt, fun song.  i love a good cure line.
// the way steve and i sometimes look at each other and say, half a statement, half a question, mostly joking, “i think we have a good marriage, don’t you think we have a good marriage?”
// an impromptu family movie (captain phillips!  and i still stand by my oscar nominations!) yesterday afternoon with william and lindsey.  they had a snow day, and parker was napping, so steve grabbed it at the red box and i made popcorn.
you got any fun valentine’s day plans?  i’m hosting a playdate today.  the kids are making valentine’s crafts, and yogurt parfaits, and things are gonna get craaaazy.

have a nice weekend!

my own oscar nominations.

so, i’ve managed to see four of the nine oscar nominees for this year’s oscars.  which, by the way, is march 2.  and ellen is hosting.  so, i’m looking forward to it.  let’s carry on.

the four i’ve seen, worth mentioning since i’m about to dive into a post about them, are:

dallas buyer’s club
wolf of wall street
american hustle
12 years a slave

anyway, four out of nine is… approximately 0.44444 repeating.  almost half, not quite, odd number bullshit.  thus, i’m no expert.  but since there’s a slim to none chance i’ll see them all, i’m just diving in head first.  plus, i am pretty confident i’ve seen the best four out there.  (though, her looks pretty cool.  and philomena… i mean, judi dench.  and gravity has me intrigued, confused, interested.  you?)

so let’s go.

best picture: dallas buyer’s club
// now i’m not sure it’ll actually win.  but it was so dang good that i sort of want it to.  i’d be pleased if 12 years a slave won too.
// is it just me or does it feel like there’s more stellar movies this year than usual?  maybe just cause i actually started watching movies again?  whatever.
// fyi: 12 years a slave is amazing but be prepared to cry the biggest tears.  it is a really hard movie to watch and i have a really high threshold for “hard.”  it’s one of those movies that, in some respects, i think we have a responsibility to see though.

best actor: matthew mcconaughey in dallas buyer’s club
// i know, i know, i tweeted how christian bale was so good in his and he waaaaas!  but damn, matthew mcconaughey.  and not just because he lost a bunch of weight for the role.  he was just so great.
// i’d also be thrilled if chiwetel ejiofor won for 12 years a slave.  and who am i kidding, if christian bale wins, that’d be awesome too.  he’s probably in third place more because i hear he’s a real life jackass than anything.
// and no doubt, leo was awesome per usual, but i don’t know, i’m not putting him at numbers one or two.  also, was sort of repulsed at the whole culture of that movie.  and there were scenes where steve and i looked at each other like, “did this REALLY happen??  how did they sustain this lifestyle?!”  (the boat going down, THE quaaludes scene with leo and jonah hill.  holy moly.)  and i’m not convinced the real life jordan belfort has made some huge turnaround.  watched a few interviews with him, not impressed at all.  in fact, sort of pissed that he’s still raking in the big bucks with book sales, etc.  that said, the yuck nonsense aside, really well done movie.

best actress: amy adams in american hustle
// it’s the only best actress nominee i’ve seen soooo… i guess i gotta give it to her.  though she was really, really good.  and bra-less for the entire movie, i’m pretty sure?  award for that alone!

best supporting actor: michael fassbender in 12 years a slave
// after seeing dallas buyer’s club i was all “jared leto has to win.  he must.  no question.” but after seeing 12 years a slave… michael fassbender, woahhhh.  you will feel such hatred for his character and that is good acting.  though if jared leto wins, i’ll be thrilled.  but honestly, bradley cooper was so good too!  look at him in those curlers!
// and honestly, jonah hill was amazing (and disgusting) in wolf of wall street.  if only one wolf of wall street nominee wins, it should be him for best supporting.  though, i still hope it’s one of the other two.

best supporting actress: hands down, hands DOWN lupita nyong’o in 12 years a slave
// this category is the one where i will actually be pissed if anyone else wins.  YOU HEAR THAT ACADEMY?  she played the hardest role by far and knocked it out of the park.  no one else comes close.  no, not even jennifer lawrence and i feel the need to apologize for that statement.

alright, i want to hear your thoughts.  have you seen the other films?  do you disagree with me on the above?  agree?  let’s have at it!

Fear.

Good luck with that.
Fear – and let’s just let it be synonymous with anxiety, depression, worry – sucks.  
I struggled with feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and sadness last week.  “Leave your fear behind” as the saying goes (in this particular image, anyway).  But how?  Leaving it behind seems to only happen after I’ve gone through it.  Exercise, meditation, prayer, music, a glass of red wine.  They often seem to do very little while the only true cure is to simply walk through it, wait till you’re on the other side.  And as long as you’re still walking, you’ll eventually get there.
It’s pretty lonely when you’re in the midst of the walk, though.
I’m hoping that today we can find some sort of community in the comments.  Find camaraderie in the commonality, or something. Is it misery loves company?  Maybe a little, but for whatever reason, we’re  often so reticent to talk out what’s really ailing us.  Embarrassment, shame.  Transparency would do a world of good.  Whatever fear you’ve got, write it out here if you’d like.  Anonymous comments allowed (cause sometimes, myself included, we’re not ready for total transparency).

The perfect winter minestrone.

Big shocker: Bridget’s sharing yet another soup recipe (and looking suspiciously like the last one–I promise this is a new picture, a new soup!).  If it’s not a soup, it’s a chili here in my food archives, I’m afraid.  At least this time of year in the frozen tundra-like state I’m currently living in.  Do the southern California readers of this blog just skip posts like these?  Skip these posts and head to the beach with coconut-scented sunscreen in hand?  I hate you all.
I saw a picture of this soup on Instagram the other day and as someone who’s always game for a soup, as we’ve already established, my interest was piqued.  Add to that, I saw the word Ina so… it was good as made in my dutch oven right then and there.
And who doesn’t have chicken broth, celery, carrots, onions, and some canned beans at the ready most of the time?  You?  Get thyself to the store and keep those stocked at all times.  Everything good in this life starts with a mirepoix (you like how I got fancy there?).  This is no exception.
I changed it a bit, surprise surprise.  Another reason why soup will always win.  The butternut squash got swapped out for some sweet potato because really, the difference isn’t huge, and who in their right mind enjoys working with a butternut squash?  Not I.  I once hacked at one with a tool whose name escapes me now but imagine a kitchen-approved sledgehammer and there you have it.  I can’t bring myself to buy it already cubed from the vegetable section because, I don’t really know, but I’d have saved myself a lot of grief that day.  And while spinach is great in a hot soup, I am die-hard about cabbage in my minestrone.  Growing up, my Mom’s always had cabbage and while Ina can generally do no wrong, I do believe the soup was elevated a bit by that substitution (did I just change Ina?  Is that sinful?  Like editing Shakespeare or something?  My apologies.).  Oh, and the pasta.  I couldn’t find whatever little pasta she referred to so it was a mix of some other teeny noodle and I also added farro.  I know.  I really took some liberties with this one.  It was delicious though.
I doubled it and had some for lunch the next day with some chopped chicken, so that’d be a nice substitution too.  Particularly if you have teenage boys who sometimes come to the kitchen all wide-eyed until you throw meat in their direction.  You know.
Winter Minestrone Soup
serves 6-8
4 ounces pancetta, 1/2 inch diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups diced celery (3 stalks)
2 1/2 cups butternut squash (or sweet potato!)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 26-ounce box diced tomatoes, such as Pomi
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
salt and peper
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked small pasta, such as tubetti
8 to 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves (or cabbage!)
1/2 cup good dry white wine
2 tablespoons store-bought pesto (this is amaaaaazing in it)
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
Heat olive oil over medium in a large heavy pot or dutch oven.  Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes till the vegetables begin to soften.  Add the tomatoes, 6 cups of the stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper.  Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Discard the bay leaf.  Add the beans and cooked pasta (I cooked the pasta at this point, and it was fine!) and heat through.  The soup should be thick but if it’s too thick, add more chicken stock.  (I added the chopped cabbage at this point, about half a head?)
Just before serving, reheat the soup and add the spinach.  Stir.  Cook till leaves are wilted (this takes no time at all).  Stir in the white wine and pesto.  Depending on the saltiness of the stock, add some more.  Serve alongside garlic bruschetta, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe source: Ina Garten

five things i’m enjoying lately.

01// this trusty ipod dock and the music that streams from it.  music is a game-changer for me.  with great music, even cleaning the kitchen is, dare i say it, actually fun.  as soon as i wake up, music goes on, and it pretty much goes nonstop throughout the day though the type changes.  we start with louis armstrong or thomas newman or classical and we end the day, almost always, with motown.  think itty bitty pretty thing, anything stevie wonder, or michael jackson.  it is good stuff.  dance parties on the reg.
02// playing around with the doterra oils i purchased last month (that links you to the doterra website under my account; when i ordered my set, i got an account, so fyi: it will give me some “points” if you order, or at least i think that’s how it works!).  i’ve used them nearly every day but have been reticent to talk about them until i saw the evidence, i guess?  i’ve seriously enjoyed using them so i’ll start to share piecemeal as i go.  on the left: hand sanitizer (sans some of the not-so-great stuff found in other ones).  this is water, a few drops of vitamin e, and about 15 drops of onGuard.  and on the right: homemade diaper cream.  get a glass jar (or baby food jar as seen here) and just slightly warm up organic coconut oil by putting about an inch of water in the pan and placing the jar with coconut oil in the pan (double broiler style) on low.  it takes no time at all to turn.  once the oil is cool but still liquid, add 15 drops of lavender oil and about 5 drops of melaleuca (aka tea tree).  replace the lid and shake.  we’ve never really had a “diaper rash problem” but i do like this.  if you decide to make your own, be sure to use glass jars.  essential oils shouldn’t be stored in plastic.  (find glass spray bottles here.)  keep in mind, at warm temps, coconut oil becomes liquid again!  since we’re in the middle of winter, we don’t have this problem. :-
03// ina’s blueberry coffee cake muffins.  if i’m browsing for a flour-based recipe–pancakes, cake, bread, muffins–and i come across one that calls for a substantial dairy portion, it’ll always be the one i choose.  this one calls for a pretty decent portion of sour cream and it makes all the difference.  moist.  not too cakey.  not too sweet (though i did decrease the sugar by about half a cup).  if you don’t typically have sour cream on hand, i think plain yogurt would do just fine.
04// these two colors: meet me at sunset + turquoise and caicos.  i keep going for these over the winter colors and it can only mean one thing: move aside, winter.  (in related news: we all have a snow day today.)
05// when the kids get crafty.  i love seeing them sit and use paints and crayons and pencils over staring at a computer or tv screen.  i suppose we’re all this way, but sometimes i think i’m this way on overdrive.  we fought the “technology fight” big time with the two older boys, so i suppose i’m always waiting (and fearing!) it with william and lindsey.  anyway, she’ll sit for a good long while with a book or a craft.  i love it.  i also just bought this the other day and i’m trying to put a sheet of it, some paints or crayons, some scrap paper, these scissors (toddler-approved and they spring back open by themselves!) and some glue (not necessarily all at once) out on the counter for times when imagination’s running low.  parker sits at the counter and traces his hand over and over.  (as i write this, parker is currently watching cars.  so, you know.)
what are you enjoying lately?

a night at loon {and four tickets to the ice castle!}.

we spent a night up at loon mountain this weekend (at the mountain club on loon which is a fabulous place to spend the night if i do say so myself–right at the base of the gondola!).  it’s so nice to get away from your typical routine, if only for a night.  i sometimes get a bit stir crazy in the winter time, a common cry of stay at home mothers (probably everybody, actually) i’m sure, so to pack it in and head north for a bit was a nice, albeit short, vacation.  new sights, new surroundings, new air.  
we visited the ice castle which was sort of mind-blowing.  basically it’s a castle made of icicles (you don’t say!) and enormous… blocks of ice?  i can’t even fathom how the building process starts let alone is completed but there you have it.  tunnels, a roof, and rooms of ice. and at night it’s lit up with various colors which is really quite cool.  not to mention there was someone dressed up as elsa walking around to complete the whole scenario.  a pretty cool thing to see, and time-sensitive too.  this one’s gonna be around for about one more month!   
the following day, william, lindsey, and steve went skiing.  it’s been four years since any of them have skiied so it was nice for them to get on the slopes.  parker and i rode a train (a little one that takes you between parking lots — he was quite excited about this as you can imagine), had breakfast together (a buffet!  all the berries he could ever want!), and stood at the base of the mountain dodging skiiers zooming past and trying to find the rest of our people so i could watch them ski.  like looking for a needle in a haystack, i never got to spot them, but they had a great day and so did we.  this was my first time at loon, and i really liked it.  fires going inside the lodge, people drinking beer and eating popcorn before noon, hat head and mittens all askew, there is a certain laissez faire aspect to the day in the life of a skiier that i found refreshing (generally i’m of the “skiing is soooo expensive” mindset which is boring and unoriginal).  
GIVEAWAY: in case you live near any of the three ice castle locations, i’ve got four tickets up for grabs today.  the three locations are: breckenridge, colorado + midway, utah + lincoln, new hampshire.  
if you want to enter, just be sure to leave your email address WITH your comment below.  (in other words, if you don’t leave your email address, i’ll assume you’re not entering the giveaway but just commenting as normal!)  
giveaway closed.  alyssa is the winner.  thanks for entering!

my photography site.

i’m the type to keep working on things and perfecting them and changing this and changing that and never feeling like it’s complete and then, you know what, that never ends.  i’ve been sort of doing photography, sort of making some money, sort of working on it while never really taking the plunge and declaring it so for over a year.  today that ends.  hurrah!  i worked on my website all day yesterday (sorry children + husband!  i sorely neglected everyone.) and i feel like i’m ready to share it.  or at least, i want to.  still a work in progress but, i feel like i’m getting there.  so, check it out.  there’s definitely going to be some repeat pictures, if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time but i’ll do my best to keep the photography bit over there and the personal bit over here.  i’ll keep updating it, adding pictures, changing pictures, etc.  may add a blog section too.  
thanks to my friend ashley for my gorgeous logo.  if you need any graphic design work, she’s amazing.
and finally, if you like my facebook page, or are in the boston/new england area and feel like sharing it with your friends, i’ll be forever grateful.  
xoxo.  you’re the best.
my photography website | my facebook page

gray + black.

{dress: stylemint}
{jacket: asos}
{necklaces: c/o shop strands}
{hat: f21}
{shoes: c/o shoemint}
thoughts in no particular order:
// clenched fists are a dead giveaway of the temperature.  frigid.
// fashion posts in the winter are exponentially more rushed than the summer ones.
// shop strands is giving you all a 15% off with code HUNTLIFE.  happy shopping!

giveaway with the providence story!

i wholeheartedly love this shop (and the owner behind it — my real life friend alison).  i’ve been known to wear/carry some things from this shop a time or two (here, here, and here!).  alison makes it all by hand from her home in pennsylvania.  and it is so well-made.  today alison’s giving away  $100 from the providence story!  
to enter, follow the directions below on the rafflecopter (i’m not a rafflecopter fan, but they seem to be easiest way for people to enter?).  open to u.s. residents only!
giveaway closes on saturday.  good luck!!
giveaway closed.  trudi is the winner!
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