Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Walters

Greta Girl turns 3!

Our little one turned 3 this week!

Unfortunately she had a bad chest cold, reactive airway, and the beginnings of an ear infection, so we spent the first part of the day at the hospital giving her all kinds of drugs.

Needless to say, this is a picture of her from her 'early party' a week prior, because she wasn't looking exactly like the picture of a healthy happy 3 year old. Poor Thing.

But she had a rollicking time running around with her cousins and all of the components that make up a party in her 3 year old mind were there. Cake with candles, cone shaped hats, and at least one balloon. I one upped with crepe paper and bubbles so that her small little world would be blown away.

But festivities aside, it was a happy day remembering 3 full years with our dear little sunshine.

5 Years!

Today we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary.

We started the evening with a visit to the beach where Kent proposed. Have I told you that story? I will have to write up a recap sometime. It's too good a story to whiz through right now, but I will.

There were a few differences visiting it 5 years later. For one, it was freeeeeezing cold. (Not quite the beautiful June sunset of yore.) And probably most notably, this time I was great with child and not quite as spry. But, what does that matter when I'm happier and more in love now.

Afterwards we went to a Virginia Beach Legend called Steinhilber's for dinner. The food was out of this world! The wait staff made you feel so spoiled, and there was so much charm in that old Virginia house with its blazing fireplace and Christmas garlands that we were easily bewitched into romantic conversation and great big belly laughs that lasted all through the night. 

It was such an enchanting evening. I think I will still be smiling when my head hits my pillow.

Old Virginny

After a big day of traveling we arrived in Va tired and happy.

We are spending some time with Kent's family and getting reacquainted with Good Old Virginny. It's been over 2 years so that means we will be eating enough BBQ and Chick-fil-A to satisfy the cravings we've been storing up. We also plan on visiting a couple of our favorite destinations while we are here. First on the list is the beach where Kent proposed to me, a perfect way to celebrate our 5 year anniversary on Saturday. I will try to keep up with postings, but lots of time with family and plenty of rest is on the horizon...

Oh BOY!

image by Leslie Peter Photography

And the gender is...

Monday morning we are having our big gender reveal ultrasound!
Last time I knew that it was a girl before anyone needed to tell me (motherly intuition?). This time however neither of us have a hunch either way, and Boots remains shrouded in mystery.
It will be a true surprise!
Stay tuned tomorrow to see what color our new Baby Boots is. Blue? or pink?

Emily Bronte

Has just joined her colleagues in the shop...

"I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind."
-Emily Bronte

Boots Pardee Walter

Yep, that's what we are naming the baby.
NO. Of course not. But that is what we have been calling this baby since before we were even pregnant.
(I say we, but let's be honest...who's do the carrying here? My back says it's me.)
Kent and I have had a girl's name picked out for over a year, but around the time when we were doing some serious thinking about having another one, we thought we had better brush up on some boy names just in case. Enter Boots.
My apologies if you or your beloved father is named Boots, but that is a ridiculous name. We found it while perusing online baby name lists under headings like "If you want your baby to be a Dr. name it..." which is totally bogus, so it of course deserved our undivided attention. Boots came under the heading of "If you want your baby to be a cowboy..."
Well, the contest was over. We had found our name. But we needed to pair it with something to really ground it. How about a family name? Pardee. The last name was easy, and there you have it.
Boots Pardee Walter. A name we could proudly share with our parents and watch them squirm helplessly between support and the dawning realization that we have lived in Seattle just long enough to lose our minds.
But nothing to fear, family. It's just our little name for in utero Walter baby number two.  If you remember waaay back to the beginning of this blog (back when it was "And a Barley Makes Three") we called Greta The Barley all nine months (and up). It became a dear little term for us. Our little Boots is like that.
Boots and Barley.

Pictures by Leslie Peter Photography

Those Guys.

Greta has so many friends these days!

Most of them are imaginary or stuffed, and a good number live in the Hundred Acre Wood, but that doesn't stop them from being present at every meal, outing, bedtimes, and in between.

Among the finite there is her dearest Pooh Bear (Most coveted traveling companion and most often left behind. Oh what grief until he is found again!) Then there is Baby Sheep, Lambie Poo, Hazel or "Mama Peanut", and Madeline to name a few. But all of the characters from The Winnie the Pooh books (except Dear Pooh) are imaginary.

Collectively, they are called "Those Guys". And it's important when asked to help carry "those guys" downstairs that you don't forget imaginary piglet, because although he's small and easily forgotten, she has a special heart for the smallest and will immediately set out on an "obstetrician" (she means expedition but can't quite pull off saying it... and no I didn't teach her that word or its meaning. But it is funny to hear talk so excitedly about going!) until little piglet is found, grabbed up in a fist of air and put back in her pocket or on the table with the others.

Usually when they gather it's to have a party. There are always hats and cake, but she doesn't fuss over that too much. She spends most of her time as hostess letting them in through the bathroom door (The Hundred Acre Wood) and urging them to eat the foods she refused during her last meal time.
I love this little crew of hers. They are always on her mind. I know because she will interject their names into our conversations randomly, lest they ever slip too far away from her.
Sometimes we are just driving down the road and I'll say...
 Look Mr. Sun is out today!
"Yeah...Piglet."
Or at our friends house for dinner tonight, with our heads down to pray...
Dear Lord,  thank you for this food...
"Pooh Bear."
thank you for bringing friends to our table...
"Pooh Bear."
and for blessing us...
"Pooh Bear."

This girl is never without her friends.

image by Leslie Peter Photography

To the Country.

Yesterday I went to the country. My Grandpa Wayne passed away this week, and was buried in the place he loved the most. Crow, Oregon.
It was such a beautiful day. The long drive to and from was mostly dark and foggy, but Springfield and especially Crow was sunny, crisp,  and altogether otherworldly.
I took this picture (on my phone and in the car) of the tree that lives at the bottom of the hill guarding the Canaday family graveyard. All the old Canadays and Twists have been buried there for centuries, and it was sweet to lay another to rest in such good company.
My grandpa (my mom's dad) was a logger, a cowboy, and character! He said that when he died all he wanted was to be buried in a pine box. So my uncle, being a carpenter, made him the most beautifully crafted pine coffin I've ever seen. (It puts all those Victorian silk and brass numbers to shame.)  And it was made extra long so that he could be buried in his cowboy hat.
Everyone yesterday agreed that his guitar playing and old country songs were a part of his lasting legacy to us. I can remember his singing almost better than I can the sound of his speaking voice. Kind of like Johnny Cash, but totally his own.
He will be missed, but we are celebrating his coming home to Jesus! He is no longer frail, or suffering*, and he has a new song in his heart.

* He was a tough 'un! He had weathered it all, and had been in hospice on and off for 2 1/2 years!

Preparations.

It is officially Thanksgiving Week! Which means I can finally hop to it and it won't be "too soon" to do this or that for Thursday.
To signify the start of the holiday race Colin (our turkey) arrived at our doorstep with a bang and a ring this morning.
His full name is Percival Gobblinger, but we his family (soon to feast on his bones) just call him Colin (affectionately) after this clip. It's quaint to think that last week he was gobbling around, wondering whether or not he was bothered enough to join the Occupy protests, little knowing he was destined to become the jewel of our Thanksgiving Feast.
And what a feast! This year we are pleased to be hosting. And I'm all a flurry with little plans and hopes for our first Thanksgiving at home.
I have wizened up since my last attempt at hosting several years ago. It all went well enough, except for in all my eagerness to play hostess in our tooth sized apartment, I neglected to delegate dishes to anyone else and neither kitchen or hostess were prepared for such a work load. There is one surviving picture of me that day and I was completely sweated through and looked very harassed. (A picture I keep as a reminder to myself when trying to Do it all.)
But this year, everyone is bringing something. I am only in charge of that which can actually fit in my oven or on my stove, the company is cheerful, and I'm predicting it to be a very joyful occasion.
Now to hop to!

image by Jen Huang

Family Dinner

One of my favorite blogs to follow lately is "Dinner a Love Story". A food and family blog written by a husband and wife, who are both excellent cooks and humorous writers.
And it all started for me with this post here..."If You Cook it, They Will Come".
Give it a read through. Isn't family dinner so important? When I try and remember anything between 1990-2000 I mostly remember the family dinners.
The bar we all sat at, the cloth napkins we used, those blue plates, the pot mom cooked rice in (that always reminded me of a suit of armor), the smell of roasted this or that, or maybe smoking this or that*,  those staple dishes that I haven't had the same way since. And we were all there together, even if we were kicking each other under the counter. (I drove my brother crazy with the way I used to wave my knife a little too close to his face when talking animatedly about something.)
 But it is all a good reminder to push through the those 'too tired to cook because I'm pregnant and you're not' blues and the 'Is it really worth the three hour standoff with Greta to bring her to the table?'...because it really is worth it.


*But I'm not ragging on my mom. She's an amazing cook! Most of the time it was just something like burning sugar at the bottom of the oven from oh-so-amazing homemade cinnamon rolls that got to awesomely big for the pan. Even in the houses of the best chefs there will still be the saying "Where there's smoke there's dinner!"


image via: dinneralovestory.com

Big Sister Greta

"Hey! Let's talk about me. I'm going to be a big sister!"
-Greta Girl August 2011

Greta is very excited to be taking on this new role as Big Sister.
At least as much as she can understand it. (I think we are all in for a surprise come May when this idea of another baby actually comes into play.)
But, it's nice to see her taking interest and proudly telling us that "I'm going to be a big sister!" and not immediately reverting to cat-like behavior for attention...which who knows, could very well still be in our future.
She decides the gender on a day to day basis. Last week it was a girl and yesterday she decided it was a boy. (Although not too much stock is being taken in her predictions since she also thought that mommy was a boy and grandpa was a girl that day.)
And she knows the baby's current residence well enough, or the neighborhood at least, since thank goodness the baby is not actually camping out in mommy's tummy. But, knowing the general area will give pats and good mornings and hi baby when she is feeling social.
And why not? They are going to be roommates you know, so let's start observing the niceties. I hope and pray that these two are going to be fast friends. And even if they are as different from each other as night and day, that they would still enjoy one another.
I think seeing how these two live and love each other will be one of the most exciting things that will  happen to us in the next several years.

The Bard!

Has come to join his colleagues in the shop!
Complete with tiniest ever mustache...very suave.

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."
-William Shakespeare

Happy Halloween!

image by country living

Sprucing and Networking

I've been doing some much needed sprucing up around the shop.
Firstly, I am trying to figure out how to use the Hello Grey Day page I made on facebook ages ago...sigh, when did using facebook get so durned complicated? With any luck, it will be a fun place to put shop updates, chat, and squeeze in a little networking.
...networking. I'm the worst at that.  I can't even ask my friends to "like" my shop, because it feels too much like the uncomfortable feeling one gets when asking a boy out in High School...which of course I never did and shudder at the very thought. 
Mostly my tactic then was the same as now. Wait around in the background until someone stumbles in to me (whilst I feign indifference) and all of a sudden showers approval upon my shy and awkward head. I can't say that that worked very well for catching boys* and here to now it's been the same way with this dusty old facebook page.**
But, I'm giving it the old college try anyhow (you may note the new facebook presence on the bottom right of my blog. I added that for the especial purpose of previously mentioned networking and making me uncomfortable. There's also a 'like' button if you know...)
Secondly,
I have several new projects in store this week. Two new products! And I just added some new colors to the shop. All the colors of the rainbow in fact!

*although, I did snag one that way, and the cream of the crop I might add.

**Except, for you 8 friends/family who stumbled upon my page somehow, Thanks!

Sick Thing and Bad Timing.

Sweet Thing is sick today.
A fever and the throw ups means we have settled in on the couch with goldfish, liquids, books, and a bucket (rats). And canceled our plans for tonight and tomorrow (A 40's cocktail attire Murder Mystery Dinner party, and a Costume Party...double and triple rats!)
It's all feeling a little too familiar to two Halloweens ago. Spending all kinds of time and energy on costumes only to stay home in the end for an ill timed illness.
Such is life. (Can you hear that giant sigh?)
At any rate, we are medicating our disapointment with our favorite shows and books and although Greta isn't up to foods just yet, I am doing my best to console her by eating delicious buttered toast exclusively.
But us aside, I hope you all have fun plans and parties to look forward to this weekend.
I hope you get to eat sweets until your teeth get fuzzy!

But wait...now there's 4!

The cat's out of the bag!
Also, this could explain why I have been mostly MIA these last few months. Taking care of Greta through morning sickness was about all that I could do the last while...and even that was a little shoddy at times. "Yes, sweetie let's watch a 33rd episode of Shaun the Sheep...keep 'em coming." If I found a break in the day mostly I spent it sleeping it off.
But enough excuses, I'm back! I'm just starting my second trimester (about 3 months along) and feeling much more bushy tailed (if not really bright eyed...but let's be honest, I don't expect that for maybe another year and a half...at the earliest.)
And we are absolutely THRILLED about our growing family!
Family of 4...wow, now that is the real deal. Those Disneyland giveaways and boxes of drumsticks that come by the 4s are now marketed directly toward us. (And we gladly accept all that come our way.)
So mark May 5th on your calendar. There's another Walter on the way!
More details to come....

Watercolors

Here's another one for the Greta Gallery.
This week Greta got to dabble in watercolors for the first time. I have been wracking my brain lately to try and come up with news ways to entertain on rainy days. And this was a sure hit!
I love how she approached her page. It was 100% Greta with no mommy interferences besides a few verbal reminders to add water to the brush.
And it was so neat to see what she came up with. She paints the way Kent writes his letters and prefers his food to be plated. Everything not quite touching, and nicely spaced.
I was so surprised!  (I think I was expecting one big colorful smudge puddle in the middle of the page, like I was dying to make myself.)
Also, the cloud like thing at the top is the sun, the blue squiggly ball at the bottom is the moon, and the top green smudge on the right is a crocodile.

Can't seem to get enough.

It's no secret we are nuts about the Beatles at our house. 
And while I have listened to Beatles music almost all my life, it's not really been until the last 10 years that I have jumped on board what seems to be an ever climbing escalator to Beatle Mania.
They just keep getting better the longer I have listened to them. How is no other music like that?
We've been collecting their records for years, but the last month or so there seems to be a concentrated effort between us to acquire everything the Beatles have had to offer the world. Who knows why, but
one by one the newly remastered albums are finding their way to us.
Walter 1: "I need to go to Target for...ummm... socks."
Walter 2: Yeees, socks, that's a good idea. I thought your old socks were looking a little thin.
Walter 1 comes back to the car with "Revolver" and "With The Beatles"...oh yes, and socks.
We are watching through the Beatles Anthology on youtube  (I smell an anniversary present.)
And relentlessly quizzing dear girl over her progress with Beatles face recognition. (Knowing their names is child's play, and besides knowing them already, she proudly told us at the dinner table today that "Ringo plays the drums." So clearly it's on to lesson two.)
But it was when I caught myself shopping this evening for Beatle Boots at Anello and Davide that I thought I had better take pause and evaluate the situation.
For one, I would look ridiculous in those boots.
And secondly, why was I upstairs researching historical footwear I could never afford (you know you are in trouble when they don't list prices but throw out vague details like "enquire by appointment".)
when I could be downstairs watching the second part of the Anthology.
I think it may be a sickness.

The Pumpkin Patch

We had a pumpkin hunt over the weekend!
I actually can't remember the last time I've been to a pumpkin patch.  I think I have a few hazy memories of visiting pumpkin patches on school field trips as a wee sma', but at any rate it was time to make more! Here are a few pictures of some of the fun.
(Ps- Pumpkin patches are way more fun than going to the store. What have I been doing the last few years? We got two biggies  and two smallers for 10-ish dollars, (so killer deal). Plus we got to tromp in boots, cut their stems with clippers, and push a wheel barrow! Which may be the reason people buy them at Safeway come to think of it, but I think it's all part of the fun.)

Spaghetti Squash

 Have you done spaghetti squash before?
This time of year squash starts to pop up on my radar. It's so festive and autumnal, and also it's kind of everywhere you turn.  So in the spirit of not letting foods intimidate me I have been taking them home the last couple years and trying them out one by one. 2009 there was butternut squash (I swear that took three hours to cook, and was an overall crunchy nightmare.) 2010 the year of the acorn squash (halved and roasted with a little butter and brown sugar...getting tastier, but still eating it mostly out of obligation to be festive.)
2011 spaghetti squash! Oh my gosh so good.
The trick is to treat like spaghetti noodles and present it to your unsuspecting children as their favorite Italian dish.
Seriously, just cook the whole big squash in the microwave for 12 minutes, halve it, shred it with a fork and it makes the coolest wee noodles.
(We combined it with our favorite spaghetti sauce, some chicken, garlic, and herbs, then topped it with a mozzarella panko crust.)
Then you just bake it and take it out looking all "what I'm just a spaghetti dish?"
Greta ate seconds while her parents smiled on with those smug looks parents get when they feel they've got the best of the situation.
But really everyone did, because it was healthy (I'm sure something as hippie as squash is crazy healthy, or they wouldn't be eating it and making the skins into drums.) and over all one of my better dinners lately!

Picture and more squash recipe ideas by The Pioneer Woman

Out of the country.

Nothing says, "Hang it all", or "I'll deal with that later" quite like "I'm leaving the country." No work, no phone calls, nothing expected of you whatsoever with that wonderful excuse.
We have said no to many a vacation to do the responsible thing (usually funds and time off work has been directed to home repairs...smart...and lame.) But having had enough of money well spent, we decided to leave Sweet Thing with grandma and head to Victoria, BC for a nice little break and change of scene.
We walked, we ate, and ate, and ate (just ask Kent about The Best Burger He's Had In His Life story, and my All Time Best Italian Meal Ever story.) we milled around a few record shops and "esplored" the harbor at night as Kent enjoys it. And I napped mid-day everyday, went to the spa, and read by the fire, much to my enjoyment. It was perfectly perfect with pubs and tea shops around every corner.
Such a charming city, and only short boat ride away!

Sorry So Spotty!

Things have been a little topsy turvey around here with all kinds of new plans, projects, and some major household upheaval underway!
Plenty of posts on all kinds of goodies are up and coming...until then good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!

Uniforms: The Wellie

Fall is whispering, which means it is just about time to dust off the rest of my official uniform! My rain boots. I could (and do) wear a pair about 9 months of the year.
And I often wonder to myself why everyone else isnt? I can't imagine anyone liking wet ankles. Oh, don't get me started on wet ankles. I remember all too well walking to the bus as a kid and sitting in the first three classes of the day with soggy jean bottoms, and when you walked they schlapped so heavily against your ankles, blech. Better to wear boots.
Sadly, my trusty Whaley Wellies are taking in water and it is time to search for some new best friends. But, it won't be totally out with the old and in with the new. Good old Whaleys are only going the way of the Rain Deers before them and living an easier life in the warm closet with better hours as garden and tromping boots.
But there is so much to consider when shopping rain boots. Don't you think? They are not to be snatched in a day willy nilly. I think there is more to consider than even swimsuit or jeans shopping demands. Ok, maybe not jeans shopping...jeans shopping is the worst.
There's Make: Is it a solid one piece design? no glued on soles that will leak come Christmas time.
Style: (I like a rain boot that hits right below the knee. It's the thinnest part of your leg and so dainty contrasted to mid calf boots that hit the thickest part of your calf.)
Fit: I think a narrow cut is best so that they fit snugly with skinny legged jeans, and when you wear them with skirts they don't flop around something awful. Rain boot rash...shudder.
Color: They must be cheerful boot that's all "Hello Hello!" and "Hi I'm a boot, let's be friends!" on an other wise grey and rainy day when people are feeling sulky.
Price: Last, but always the deciding factor. A good rain boot and a cheerful one is something I save and save for. But sometimes, let's be honest, the prices are ridiculous and I think the makers need to be reminded that they are still selling what is essentially 2 medium-ish tubes of rubber.
But look what beauties they are!

Boots by Joules and Hunter

How did they do it?

Holy Smokes! How did they do it?
We used to camp and hike all the time when I was a kid (That's me in the sailor hat) and I have such fond memories from it. My poor mom. I thank you on bended knee.
We went semi-camping over labor day weekend and it was exhausting. (And this was camping with a house on site mind you.)
 When I thought of camping over the weekend, I saw us adults all laughing around the campfire toasting food and playing games while our few small children dreamed snuggly in their tents. So we thought, let's go! We bought our first ever sleeping bags and pie irons and hit the road.
Oh me, what a dear little idea. The reality is our friends (18 adults) all have a collective gang of small kids (15 kids...I think, they keep running away from me in my mind too fast to count.)
So, sitting (hah!), laughing (except at my old quaint ideas of camping), around an open fire of all things did not happen as planned. I counted about 15 minutes around the campfire before we turned wiggly and tired Greta in early, who was not keen on sleeping in a dark tent with "Yowd sounds" outside all by herself. (Yowd sounds including but not limited to a potato gun, a pack of 20+ coyotes howling over their latest kill, dogs barking, squirrels throwing pine cones at the tents, and other baby campers not so keen on sleeping through the night.)
Not to say it wasn't fun! Seeing friends, even through tired bleary eyes, is still seeing friends and we always enjoy our time spent with them.
However, hands down the most fun was had by Greta. She got to run around with her little squealing pals all day getting all of her clothes muddy until I surrendered her to her diaper and bare feet.
Like a lot of things parenting, this weekend was an exercise in letting go of our own fun and passing it on to the kids. So now I know...all the buying, the planning, the packing and the camping it's really for them.
The dears.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

I hope you are up to something fun this weekend?
We are doing a little backyard camping with some friends. No bears, no reservations required, and plumbing a stone's throw away? Sounds perfect to me.  This will be Greta's first time sleeping in a tent and sleeping bag so we are using it as a trial before we dare try the genuine article somewhere remote. Can it be done? Wish us luck!
And Happy Holidaying!

Photograph by Tim Walker Photography

Brown paper packages tied up with string.

I love packaging materials!
And I am wiggly in my seat for these awesome handwritten thank you stickers from K is for Calligraphy to arrive in the mail. I get my usual kicks from all manner of paper products, but these new additions have me doing high kicks!
I think the best part of having an etsy shop is doing the branding and packaging. Look out Hello Grey Day customers, there are some cute wrappings coming your way this Fall!

The Cute Factor

Greta girl is growing fast. She is beyond cute and knows it.
She will sing any song you give her these days.  From Twinkle Twinkle to Can't Buy Me Love, her little voice trips over complicated lyrics in a way so perfectly adult and babyish iphones are always on the ready.
And she has been learning to work this all in her favor.
For example, girl is nuts for Shaun the Sheep. We don't blame her, because it's awesome, but we try and limit it to once a day. So when time is up and all other pleading fails she has used that Blessed tune "If your happy and you know it... clap your hands!" to try and swing the situation around.
Greta: "If your happy and you know it...watch Shaun the Sheep?"
Mom: Nice try kid.
But she's no amateur. She knows that all cuteness involving the bible gets a double cute score. So the other day when she insisted she be allowed to drive us to the store, and being turned down so predictably, she endeavored to ever so gently lull us to her bidding by softly singing in the back seat not "Jesus-Loves-me-this-I-know" but a more timely gospel for her parents... "Babies-need-to-drive-a-car...for the bible tells me so."

For the record, we didn't let her drive the car. But if you ever see us on the 6 o clock news "Local Washington family drives car into crowded Chipotle restaurant"...we blame the cute factor.

Praying for all of our friends and family in Virginia...

"Hurricane" by *intao via deviantart

Uniforms: The Apron

Do you wear a uniform? (Definition being: Something you wear just about everyday. Something you have to actually try hard NOT to wear. )
I have a few trusty items that fall into this category, top of the list I think is the apron. Why is it that people assume you must be cooking if you're wearing an apron?
Chances are on any given day, if I'm in my house I am wearing an apron. Perfect for sparing your clothes unnecessary washings as you scoot through your day shrugging your shoulders at splashes at the sink, coffee spills at breakfast, and little snotty noses (Why do they masquerade giving you a hug when all they really want is to rub their snotty little nose on you. And why doesn't it bother me to the degree it probably should?...Aprons!)
But I think the pockets alone are what really sells me. There you are, everywhere you go you have your phone, your list, your pen, and that spare bobby pin...pockets! You are hanging out up upstairs you find random object belongs downstairs, too lazy to make the trip...pockets! You find a handsome pile of pennies in the dryer and since someone told you once that you could go to jail (destruction of government property or some such rubbish) for throwing them away, you just sock 'em in your pockets to pass on to someone else less bothered by their pointless existence. Pockets for the win.
When I was a kid I used to want to work in corporate America so I could wear heels and skirt suits everyday. But I think I am perfectly satisfied in forgoing Nylons for now. Especially when I look at the sweet frills and tucks on these perfect aprons...
LOVE.

aprons from anthropologie

Laughs.

Something my fella sent my way the other day, and guaranteed laughs for you HP fans.
Spoiler Alert! If you haven't read or finished the books you might want to pass. After all we have a saying around our house that goes "Friends don't tell friends Harry Potter secrets."

Homemade Basil Lemon-Limeade

 

It all started with a box full of Meyer Lemons from Costco. I had never bought Meyers before and was so pleasantly surprised by their buttery smooth skin, orangey tint, and slightly sweeter flavor. I could have almost been content to look at them piled in the kitchen bowl, but today was hot, and it was time to put them to practical use.
The day called for homemade lemonade but I wanted to have a little fun with it. Here's how I did it...

Basil Lemon-Limeade

• 6-7 Meyer lemons
• 2-3 Limes
• The zest of 1 lemon and two limes
• Fresh basil
• Sugar (to taste, but about 1 cup) For fun I made a flavored sugar by grinding some of the zest in the sugar with a mortar and pestle, until it was a cheerful orange color and the house smelled amazing!
• Half a pitcher of water.

I garnished mine with a sprig of fresh basil and a dollop of rum over ice. Yum!

Portal 2

Kent and I just finished playing Portal 2's co-op game last night. (We saved science!)
There are only a handful of xbox games I genuinely enjoy playing (Lego-anything for example), but this game is one of my favorites. It's multi-player so you are working together to solve puzzles so there's a lot less hate going around, which keeps the evenings fun*.
The game is smart, the dialogue is sarcastic humor at its best, and it's science I can get behind, with plenty of speed, momentum, flinging, springing, and of course...portals.
And contrary to what I used to think, not just for boys. Why should they have all the fun?

*I'm dirt mean if I get into a competitive game...of just about any sort.

Love & Marriage

Kent's parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today. All of our congratulations go to them! As well as our thanks, for building a legacy we are so proud of.
Love you both!

Weekend Ahoy!

We had a nice start to the weekend.
Our small group does a Friday night babysitting co-op. Which means 4 out of 5 Fridays are date nights as we rotate out who watches the whole mess of them once.
Our turn to watch the kids was some weeks back and we have been enjoying our free Fridays like a couple of carefree swells. Tonight we had sushi at our favorite place we don't take Greta, and then lazed about the pier with ice cream cones...sweet serenity.
Watching the boats bob in a row put me in a proper state of mind I think. I grew up in a small harbor kind of town and I don't think I realized how much I missed all the good in just sitting on a quiet pier. At any rate, it had a good effect on me because I can't remember the last time I laughed such great deep belly laughs so freely in public. (I usually spend my time in public scanning my surroundings for hidden hazards while nudging and guiding my little chick too and fro.) And it was fun to draw smiles from strangers. (Because who can't help but smile when you hear someones genuine laughter? Isn't it so nice to know that someone is having a good time? Even if it's not you at the moment.)
 Anyways, the weekend is in sight, right off the starboard bow, I hope you find some delicious laughs in it.