Post Party Let Down

Well, it's over.  We planned/anticipated/worried/compromised for months and on Saturday we hosted our 40th birthday party.  65 people.  DJ, dancing, photo booth, hot dog cart, beer, wine.  Whew.  I think people had a good time.  We seemed to pull it off.  Being who I am, though, I'm still going over the parts I would have done differently, worrying about the friends I didn't talk with as much as I wished, and regretting that last glass of wine or two . . . .

Bryce and I really had no idea what we were getting into when we decided to have a party.  We just thought it would be super fun -it would be great to have our friends together and it would give them a fun night out.  We didn't realize it would be like planning a small wedding.  It wasn't so much the actual work that was hard it was all the decision making - decorations, food, glassware, music.  Then it was the worrying (my department) - will people have a good time, is there enough food, wine, good music, dancing, is there someone for everyone to talk to?  Then there is the risk of putting yourself out there which if you think about it too much is daunting. 

I'm so glad we did it, though.  I think it was a fun night.  Now Bryce and I are tired and cranky.  I kinda feel empty.  Bryce informed me that in the last 5 weeks we've hosted a Halloween party, Thanksgiving, and our 40th.  Not to mention work, school, illness, and the fact that the girls still want dinner even when I'm tapped out.  It is a lot.  Life is a lot.  But these memorable events are so worth it.  These are the things we'll take with us and reflect upon for years to come.  This party has turned me into a sappy mess - I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends and family.  So lucky.  Life is so much better shared don't you think?  Ah, I need to find someone to hug.  What's happening to me?  I'm softening.  Gah! 

My mind is ready to jump into Christmas crafting and baking with you all but my body is still reeling and recovering.  I've given myself until Monday.  Monday I'll be ready to engage in the holidays.  Yes, Monday.  Until then have an excellent weekend.

xo

photo by good friend, Sullivan Hester

eleven

Yesterday Bryce and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. Thanks to the generosity of friends we were able to get away for a wonderful 24 hours together.

We went to the brand new Pompidou Center in Metz. It just opened in May. Seems fitting as we went to the Pompidou in Paris last year for our 10th.

I know I won't be able to adequately describe the sheer awesomeness of this museum. I'll just let the pictures speak for me.

After the Pompidou we drove to the Ardennes in Belgium. There, we checked into a quaint hotel and promptly enjoyed an aperitif on the terrace. The hotel over looked the Semois river. From our room we could see a fly fisherman with hip waders and all. It was idyllic.

Today we rolled out of bed about 9:00 and then rolled into a chaise lounge in the hotel's garden. It was a wonderful 24 hours.

A Boxing Day Birthday

The 26th was Bryce's birthday. The girls and I had a breakfast birthday party for him - meaning we gave him his gifts along with his morning coffee after he slept in (a gift in and of itself.) Just before noon we joined some friends on their annual Boxing Day walk through the woods. The weather was cold and clear but the conversation was lively. The girls loved running around with their friends. We then joined our friends for lunch and got to taste a few traditional English holiday foods - Christmas pudding, mince pies and parsnip & apple soup. I think Bryce would agree it was a joyful day, perfect for a birthday.

Do you celebrate Boxing Day? Do tell -

10 Years!

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary. And guess what? We're off to Paris for the weekend. Just us. Just the two of us. In Paris. No kids. For 2 nights. I'm jumping out of my skin with excitement. Our train leaves in 5 hours and 15 minutes. Yes, I'm counting.

This weekend wouldn't have happened without the generosity of our friends Mark & Angela who are watching the girls. They insisted we go and do something special- 10 years is a big deal. Thank you so very much. I think we'll bring them home a bottle of wine . . . after a weekend with 4 little girls I'm betting they'll need it!!

Happy Wednesday on a Friday

Look who got a happy Wednesday gift! It was absolutely unexpected and so sweet. Yep, he's a keeper.

Loving Hands

Looking through my parents wedding album as a kid I was always drawn to the picture of their hands. You know the one I'm talking about - a close up, hand over hand, rings predominately displayed. I think that picture stood out for me because there was something so comforting, so familiar and recognizable about their hands. These were the hands that hugged me, held and guided me. I knew the stories of their rings - where they were purchased, why they were chosen. These hands were my parents, not the younger, thinner versions of them in the other wedding shots. When I looked at the hands, I knew I was looking at my parents.

When I got married, I just assumed I'd have a similar hand picture taken. Unfortunately, I didn't mention it to the photographer and he didn't read my mind so we ended up without that shot. During our night away, last week, in celebration of our 9th anniversary, I got that shot. We were waiting for our breakfast at a greasy spoon, east of the mountains when I looked down and there it was. So, I promptly ruined the moment by getting my camera and taking it. And now here it is, 9 years, 2 kids, 1 cat, 1 house, later.


More pictures from our anniversary get away here. For some reason, this picture insists on being tiny. I made it bigger and it was completely pixelated. sigh. wish I was tech savvy enough to get my blog to be the way I want it to be. grrrrr.

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Looking forward to Muffin Tin Monday. Leave me a comment when your post is ready. Don't forget to join the flickr group.
www.flickr.com/group/muffintinmeals
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9 years

Happy Anniversary to us.

Veggie Dreams

I have long been wanting a gardening area for the kids. I envisioned one where we could plant veggies, berries and kid friendly flowers. My husband, Bryce and I talked about this decided to build a raised bed on the south side of our house. We shared our idea with our neighbors, Peter and Michele, in hopes that we could, together, create a small children's garden in between our houses. They became excited about the idea too and decided to build a raised bed as well. Our plan was to have two shared raised beds.

Bryce found great building directions on Sunset.com. The raised beds would be 8 feet X 4 feet and constructed out of cedar. A few weekends later Bryce & Peter had them all ready to go!

Now for the super fun part, deciding what to plant! Michele and I planned on planting different things in each bed so we could have more variety. This would also allow us to gain more experience about what grew well. My mom suggested we try square foot gardening as a way to get as many plants as possible into our beds. The idea is that you get more room in your garden when you plant in squares instead of rows. I looked it up on line and found it was a common practice in urban gardens - perfect for us! Of course our beds are rectangles so we'll be taking a creative approach to the square concept, but hey, should be okay.

The girls and I started 7 different plants in peat pots a few weeks ago and they are ready to be planted. In our bed, we're going to plant: ghost pumpkins, carrots, sun gold cherry tomatoes, and potatoes. We're not sure about the rest. But I'll definitely keep you posted on our progress. Fingers crossed for no more rain, hail or snow, we're ready to plant!

Best Buns

Wouldn't be a holiday without homemade rolls from my husband. He tried a new recipe from his favorite bread book, Artisan Baking by Maggie Glezer. The dough was called Judy Unruh's Wedding Zwieback. And, no it didn't resemble the teething biscuit zwieback. This dough has a touch of sugar in it that gave the rolls a rich, full flavor. Our oldest daughter helped by rolling and adding the small balls on top. Thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest as I saw them together, hovering over the bowl. I can only hope that the smell of bread baking in the oven will forever remind her of her daddy.

Lots of Dough

Although my husband bakes rolls and occasionally cookies, his real passion in the kitchen is bread - rustic, artisan bread. He analyzes each loaf, adjusting the salt, baking time, rising time, flour, cornmeal - always striving to make it just right. He shares his bread baking passion with his uncle and when they get together it's complete analysis paralysis.

This pictures is from his latest loaf. It was as close to perfection as I've ever tasted. Warm from the oven, with a generous smear of butter and delivered to me at my sewing machine. Gulp. Sheer perfection.

My husband is in love . . .

with Barack Obama. Maybe not in love, in love, but there is definitely something going on. It all started when he attended the caucus training last weekend. He left the house in a hurry and returned with a sparkle in his eye and a mandate on his mind. He told me he wanted everyone to know and that yard signs were NOT out of the question. So, as a show of support, I decided to give him this card for Valentine's Day. I'm pretty sure it'll get his attention. It is made by Alcove Press and I found it on Etsy (of course).

He's baking again!

Chocolate chip cookies this time. See how uniform in size they are? Notice how they are placed to cool in straight, even lines. That's the kind of baker he is. Meticulous, precise, concerned and conscientious. The complete opposite of my drop and plop technique. I love it.