Tales of Me and the Husband - Page 130 of 207 -

August 21, 2012

lake winnipesaukee, part 1.

the first week at the lake, we woke early to try to teach william and lindsey to get up on skis for the first time. unfortunately they didn’t, but william was really close. he was up, ever so briefly, but then went down again. it was quite early, like 6 am early, and the lake was practically empty. he and lindsey were troopers out there when the air was barely 70 degrees yet.

we took trips to wolfeboro (our favorite town on the lake), got some food at a cute, new-to-us cafe, ice cream, and walked around. we explored new territory on the lake–it seems there is always some new waters, islands, coves to discover there–and relaxed on the deck.

more pictures to come… but don’t worry, i won’t drag this out into too many posts.

{black and white by mandy leigh}

August 20, 2012

we’re back.

we’re back, we’re back. and while being on the lake was a totally lovely time, it was really nice to drive up our own driveway, back to our routine, back to what we know. there’s a beauty in knowing what to expect, isn’t there? and, in large part, i was ready to get back to a more baby-proofed house (being surrounded by water is not what most would consider baby-proof!).

still, lake winnipesaukee amazes us with its beauty–the trees and rolling mountains in the background, miles and miles of shoreline to discover. it’s a beautiful place, one of our favorites. steve goes into a bit of a depression when boat-season is over and it’s time for school to begin. he’s loved that lake for a long time and i have definitely come to love it too. i can understand it’s two translations: “smile of the great spirit” and “beautiful water in a high place.”

thanks again, lake winnipesaukee.

{i’ll be back with more pictures soon!}

August 14, 2012

boys on the boat.

parker gets cuddly on the boat so everyone loves to hold him. it’s about the only time when he’ll stop moving and let you. (seriously… fellow mamas & papas… does your one year old wake up, start moving, and never stop until they fall asleep?!?) especially if the boat’s moving fast. he lays on your lap, wind whipping through his hair, and just chills out for the ride. a glorious thing! william and nathaniel, in particular, are always asking to hold him on the boat. it’s pretty sweet. they want in on some cuddle time with this never-still-always-moving baby.

August 13, 2012

early mornings on the lake.

mornings on the lake with this dude are eaaaaarly. he didn’t get the memo: “vacation time! sleep in!” rather, he likes to wake even earlier. i’d like to think that he appreciates the beauty of sunrise on the lake. the passing loon and its song. the way the sun burns up the fog that’s pouring over the mountains onto the water. mornings on this lake are gorgeous. it feels as though the world is asleep and you should only speak in a whisper. before parker, i’d sleep in. i missed all this. it’s pretty spectacular.

August 10, 2012

greetings from the lake!

we’ve been enjoying some time on the lake. lake winnipesaukee that is. we love going here, there, and everywhere, but this lake is one of our favorite places in the world to come back to.

lots of pics over on instagram if you want to see this awesome place for yourself…

have a great weekend, folks.

August 9, 2012

a (baby) boy + his dog.

since parker came along, i’m not gonna lie. gracie hasn’t totally kept her top-dawg status. my mom said it would happen. i believe her now! it was an adjustment, i’d say. for her and for us. she led a pretty cushy life complete with an invitation to cuddle in our bed sometimes. when you co-sleep, the dog’s invitation to the bed… well, it doesn’t exist. at least not in our house. she still got (and continues to get) lots of love but, like i said, it was an adjustment! she’s all, “wait a second. he is above me?” eyeing parker suspiciously. but, for the most part, she has been a stellar dog to have with a baby around. i mean, you saw the fetching (at the end of the video!) didn’t you? holy crap, when we discovered that she’d fetch with even him, my love for her grew (even more than it already was). and when he thinks throwing his little bits of carefully inspected, organic, sauteed-with-so-much-love-and-a-little-bit-of-irish-butter cauliflower all over the floor is the bees knees? well, i call gracie over and she cleans up the floor so thoroughly, your kitchen floor is sparkling. sparkling, people!

so, what i mean to say is, thanks gracie. we love ya. parker does too.

(pictures from my phone of parker fetching with gracie yet again. those two! i see ‘best buds’ in their future, i tell ya!)

August 7, 2012

black bean burgers.

these are just so, so, so good. and not just ‘good FOR a vegetarian burger’ but actually good. we had ours on buns with iceberg lettuce + melted cheddar. you could probably do some ketchup or mayo if you wanted but i don’t feel like these need it. a beef burger, however? pass the condiments please!

| ingredients |

makes about 6 burgers

1/2 cup flour

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t dried oregano

1 small jalapeno, minced (i leave this out)

1-2 T olive oil

2 cups black beans, mashed

1/2 cup corn niblets

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t salt

2 t chili powder

| the how-to |

set aside flour on a plate. sautee onions, and peppers with garlic till semi-soft and add dried oregano. in large bowl, mash the black beans (or food process like i did!). stir in veggies (corn comes in here!), bread crumbs, spices. mix well and shape into patties. heat up some oil on a pan, coat patties with flour, and cook on pan until browned on the outside. just a few minutes each side. medium/medium-high heat.

recipe source

August 3, 2012

i double dog dare you.

the game: gallop down the street on toy horse

the rules: don’t stop galloping. don’t break character even if a passerby or car passes. don’t break southern accent. yell things like: giddyup, ride ’em cowboy, woah, nelly (or something in the same vein)

why?: lindsey’s been begging for horse-riding lessons for the past few days (after watching a movie with a horse and a girl in it, of course). steve and i told her we can’t afford it, it ain’t happening. she still begs. you know how it goes. we do, however, have this toy horse for parker and i suggested, as straight a face as i could, that she take lessons with that. “around the kitchen island, lindsey! three times! say ‘giddyup!’ work on your posture! that’s it, shoulders back!” she tried really hard to act annoyed but that didn’t last long. then… i double dog dared her and william to go down the street doing it. can’t say no to a double dog dare, come on!

totally shocking, but william won. even when a car drove by. (he’s typically the ‘gots to keep up the appearances all the time’ guy, but not this time!)

and that’s how it’s done.

August 1, 2012

lately.

i’m not even going to talk about what month it is today. nope. i am going to talk about what’s been happening in our neck of the woods recently though. playgrounds, and driving toy cars around the front lawn, and library trips (lindsey is reading through the nancy drew series right now!), and first birthday parties.

the party went off without a hitch (except for it being rescheduled because of weather). the menu: quiche, cinnamon rolls, muffins and hash browns, watermelon, coffee and lemonade. brunch! my favorite kind of menu. we brought it all to parker’s favorite spot, and swam and talked and ate with some friends. it was simple and perfect and i’m so glad we did it.

and that’s that.