a life beyond running shoes.

absolute indulgences. nothing more. nothing less. probably enjoyed more than most because of the recipes, which i actually read most (not all), and because much takes place in and around brooklyn. my curiosity was totally peaked with all her talk of authors from brooklyn she dated that published books that got famous. killed me not to know who she was actually talking about. interesting to see how cooking shaped much of her story, or was the frame in which she told her story through. wanted to see her end up with the guy but that is not always the story. i still like a good memoir. simply passed the time. interesting characters all living in the same building. interesting new york premise. love washington square park as the back drop to the apartment building. did not like the infidelity..... the sex was pass-over-able. perfect for sitting on a beach.... which i was on a lake but same difference for types of books to be reading. just pages i read. i have it if you need to kill s...

.....is an experience. it can make you believe, forget, remember, feel...... it can also make (help) you grieve. especially when during the opening scene my mother-in-law remembered that this was one of g'pa's favorite movies, knew all the words, and would sing them to her all the time. well her tears only provoked my tears. it is amazing what moves me to the places where i realize what is missing in my life. but it was a sweet missing, as my mother-in-law put it. the missing of what another person loved, enjoyed, was passionate about. the sweet missing of how another person helps expand who you are, stretches you, enriches you. that is the sweet missing.... and we do miss, a lot.

one should not potty train and sleep train in the same 24 hour period. one should not let a 2 year old try and "tee tee" by himself because then he tries to do it like his brother.... standing up....... "tee tee" can actually end up on the wall behind you when you are too short to actually pee in the toilet and it ricochets off the toilet seat. one should take her antibiotics as prescribed because if she forgets to take two pills during the day, mastitis can come back in the middle of the night. a smile from a five month old can make up for the hour she was awake at 2:00am. new bunk beds are a hit for little boys. sleeping in my own bed is awesome after almost 4 weeks on the road.

.... but who knew it would be like this. after a 14 hour drive yesterday in our new mini-van (thanks to giving up cable, a car loan, and other cutback in our household)..... i knew today would be difficult. especially since we had to put the boys room back together. my husband sanded and stained the hardwood floors in their room. he also made more progress on their bunkbeds.... to be completed today. both look awesome!!! little did i know that today would consist of: one allergy attack in the parking lot of the grocery. one suppository for one non-pooping infant. one rocking session for one toddler that has not happened in over a year because he could not calm himself to get to sleep. one night without a baby in my room.... all children have been moved to the kids room (plus the addition of the monitor which has also not been used in about three years. i never used it with little bit). one bottle of wine for mommy and daddy to settle us down after this mania of a day. i'll post p...

when you spend three days in an airport mostly with a five month old who sleeps off and on for a couple of hours.... i found that i got through my book rather quickly. much quicker than at home, funny that. well, i finished it really with the thought that i was excited to see the movie. i think perhaps it will be a better movie than book but that being said, it was a good book. not fabulous. not a page turner, at times a bit confusing.... but good. i'm glad i read it. i know there are those out there that probably loved it since i have seen it on top book lists..... but not on my top favorites but not on my "waste of time" list either. this was a quick read. entertaining.... interesting premise... but it more just passed the time while sitting on the beach on the one day i got to go this summer. i liked her mode of story telling and the characters were slightly interesting.... but not a compelling love story. it made time traveller's wife much more appealing. i rea...

can't believe how much i loved it! i read the book julie & julia in 2006. i read the other book the movie is based on last summer, my life in france . it was so fun to see meryl as julia. what a delight. i highly recommend.... i almost went and saw it again but got the times wrong... so i got my toes painted. that hasn't happend since before sweet pea was born. our time in florida is almost to a close but we will soon be at a lake house with daddy for a week. the boys have REALLY missed their dad..... i do too but if i have to battle one more bedtime without him it will be too soon.

three days of airports, one funeral, one day at the beach, one friendly reunion, two traumatic swim lessons, throw in some naps and a very accommodating g'ma.... and you arrive to today. my granny passed away two weeks ago and since i was already flying down to florida to be with my mother-in-law... i left the boys and flew up to louisiana for the funeral. lots of delays that limited my less than 48 hours on true southern soil with one amazing baby girl afforded me the chance to celebrate my granny's home-going. it was refreshing for my heart to be reminded of what it means when someone who loved jesus so passionately goes home to glory. her earthly body suffers no more.... her mind is whole again.... and she is greeted by a glorious reception. i needed to hear about her home-going because i got to hear more about the grandmother that i had. she was amazing. she loved god's word and his church. she was a member of her church for 70 years. i don't even know people ...

well, boo (husband's cousin) has been here a week...the boys LOVE her. we have tried to fill our days with some "new york" things. friday: central park - zoo and all. saturday - prospect park - farmer's market and all. monday - serendipity for frozen hot chocolate and shopping in china town (all things girl - no boys allowed) throw in a trip to chuck.e.cheese, the beach in the rain, uncle louie-g for icee, our favorite restaurant, a doctor's appointment (sweet pea weighs 13 pounds even), a few playgrounds, and the bachelorette and i would say that was a full week. now we pack for two full weeks in florida with g'ma. i am also flying with just sweet pea to louisiana for my g'mother's funeral on friday. it is the kindness of the lord that she went home to heaven in the quietness of her slumber. grief is such a strange thing.... i can't ever predict when it will hit me or overwhelm me or underwhelm me......i miss my father-in-law at the stran...

into thinking it is the real thing. it just ain't...tofu cream cheese that is. i got my new cookbook, passion for baking (thank you ms. made in brooklyn ). and having a child that is allergic to milk means lots of substitutions . the author says to not substitute butter for margarine but in our case health is the issue.... so we do. for the most part, it doesn't make that much of a difference. i mean it is the difference between yummy and "oh my gosh" yummy. we can deal. but for their vanilla cheesecake filled brownies..... tofu cream cheese just didn't quite do it for us. the brownies were more than delicious and thus made this treat edible but in terms of delectable - nope. not sold on us. other fun things we have made.... grilling! one of the things i love most about summer. homemade biscuits - simple recipe from joy of cooking . i made the boys with margarine.... then added some sugar and cinnamon to compensate for the yumminess i made the adult o...

i know, i know.... you are thinking.... "what, there are beaches in brooklyn?" why, yes... there are. not white sand and blue water like the gulf of florida. more like brown sand, brown water..... similar to california. since the boys don't like the water, i am still trying to figure out why i bother putting on bathing suits. but i did. we had fun making sand castles, digging, and playing on the playground. we might actually venture out there again. (thanks for the pics, robin)

i don't always know how i stumble across things. i found a blog. funny since i don't go looking for more blogs to read. perhaps i was looking for a recipe and google search lead me to her . i think that was it.... anyway, she lists books. some cookbooks, some foodie reads, some just related to food in a round about way. she had this book on her list and since i really do want to be french... or at least eat all things french or cook all things french or just appreciate things like french wine and chocolate and coq au vin, i checked it out from the library. there is part of me that wishes i had bought it because he includes lots of recipes that he took the time to adapt for the american cook..... other parts of me know that i will never really make financiers at home. i can dream. anyway, i finished today while both boys were asleep and it was just sweet pea and i sitting on the couch. she was amused by the package of wipes and got to finish my last three chapters. i fee...

about living in new york are the cool things that happen around town. like free puppet/theater shows in the park.... this was midsummer night's dream . one of the other fun things about living in new york is getting out of new york. on friday, we left the city and head to a state park. we got to have a picnic, ride scooters (peanut got a new razor from a stoop sale), and ride bikes (little bit got this after a failed attempt to make the wooden bike short enough for him). (the strider bike is the only bike on the market that can go low enough for him). it was so quiet and peaceful. we had a wonderful time that came to a screeching halt when the skies opened up with rain and hail. everyone slept in the car on the way home.

i usually try and have a running list of books i want to read. i look it over at the beginning of the year, evaluate where i am by summer and then see what i can finish by the end of the year then total up how many books i read. this year one of my goals was to read the little house on the prairie series. i am reading it along with an 11 year and an 9 year old from our church. we are bonding over laura ingalls. we all love her simplicity and joy in picking berries. i love the seasonality of their life. having just finished farmer boy , i love his love for the land and horses even at the age of ten. in true, competitive fashion i am struggle with how to "calculate" this series. do i count each book as an individual book? do i count every two as a book? do i call the whole series one book? ah, the inner struggles of someone who likes to cross things of a "to do" list. funny where my pride comes out.... like why is it that important that i be able to count u...

july has been a full month to say the least....and we are only half way done. my mom just left on thursday and let's just say she was ready to leave after all the running around the city we dragged her through (not really, she never wants to leave). here is a brief re-cap of our adventures with mimi..... after a morning at the playground that included bubbles.... the anticipated "icee" adventure with mimi included rainbow for little bit and cherry for peanut. in true peanut fashion he thought his brother's looked better..... taking full advantage of our zoo pass, we hit the central park zoo and saw the beautiful new snow leopard. we also ate hotdogs in the park, climbed on rocks, and then headed home for mommy to get her roots done. phew! a night at the park. the new york philharmonic concert - FREE! that was how we finished our day going into the city for the farmer's market, playing at the playground, making ceviche for the first time, and setting up a full p...

....to sit with my lady friends outside on a summer night watching fireflies, drinking wine, eating fresh cherries, and discussing a book. what a delight it was!!! as with all of our book discussions, i always leave with such a greater appreciation for the book than when i walked in. i would have given this book a B rating.... now i give it an A-. patchett is a flawless writer who captures the characters with glimpses of imperfections and humanity in the fabric of a good story. it was not a deep thinking book but it was a feeling book with characters to attach to, a plot that moved forward, and an ending that was satisfying. this is one of the first books in awhile that we have all really liked AND lended itself to good discussion. it was not just entertainment, but a well crafted piece.... yet not too cerebral that it can't be a good summer read. i recommend!

....is such a small thing and yet it made me so very happy. i am almost a little embarrassed to admit how happy it made me..... almost. but i love it so much that i have to share it. my chalkboard menu board. it helps me plan my menu for the week, know what to buy, and get approval from the other reading member of the family. when i have planned through wednesday and i have those empty spaces for the rest of the week.... i feel compelled to figure out what to make that completes the week.... one night fish, one night vegetarian, one night simple, one night turkey, one night chicken, and so forth, and so forth, and so forth. it also gets me that much more excited about the farmer's markets and what is in season and figure out how to make things with zucchini. yum!

i forgot to mention that at 4 months old, she is 12 pounds 4 ounces. 23.5 inches long. little bit is 26 pounds at 2.5 years old....uh, and not very tall. peanut is 30 pounds 8 ounces.... this 4 ounces more than he weighed at his 4 year check up in april. not so much that the pediatrician was impressed.... he needs to gain more.

it was awesome to have my dad and his wife and her daughter come visit us for the weekend. we literally dragged them around brooklyn for three days straight. but what a fun visit for us. peter luger's (oldest steak house in new york city) restaurant in williamsburg. the botanic gardens and prospect park for some baseball and a picnic. also, sweet pea is 4 months old. and what a cutie!

something fun about living in new york is seeing people from all walks of life: television, theater, politics.....all i really care about is the tv or music people. last week after mamma mia! we saw allison janney formally from the west wing now from the broadway production of 9 to 5 (which i saw and found totally entertaining). then at the farmer's market yesterday we saw carla from bravo's top chef . that was fun since we all knew who she was and her "crew" that she was with were enamored with sweet pea. they all treid to convince me that she did not look like a boy even though she was dressed in blue. awhile ago, i saw lee anne from bravo's project runway .... she was the winner. i saw her at the brooklyn botanic gardens. hubbie thinks he saw keri russell today at a local park slope coffee shop (but of course, he wasn't sure since he was not a huge felicity fan).

we did the city. three very full days. .... four very fun cousins. day 1 - all things brooklyn: the botanic gardens, prospect park, the zoo, the bridge. day 2 - natural history museum, central park, playground. day 3 - columbia university, grant's tomb, time square, bryant park, grand central station.... finished with mamma mia! for the ladies. hubbie was with all 7 children. i've been singing abba songs ever since.