Hello from G

This is what you get when you mix one independent baby and one jar of pureed sweet potatoes.


Daddy's biggest fan.



Hello from G.

Oh, a quick update on the computer (cause I know you are all waiting with baited breath.) You can uncross your appendages already! It didn't work!! The computer witch doctor was here on Friday. I had to leave work for 2 1/2 hours and come home so he could do his funky voodoo, and it still didn't work. Boo Hoo!! I had to corral a fussy baby and a nosy dog away from this guy sitting at my dining room table with my computer reduced to little tiny pieces. He took it all apart, replaced the mother board, the USB ports, the memory, and something else? And no go. So, he is coming back next week to replace the harddrive. If that doesn't work, they damn well better give me a brand spankin' new computer, I'll tell you what!

Guess What? I love my Husband!

So, John and I decided a few weeks ago, while EVERYONE we knew was out of town, that we could use a little break from parenting. If you have kids, you know that this is a difficult proposition. You absolutely love your kids and the time you spend with them. But sleep deprivation and constant vigilance take their toll, and sometimes you just want a break...even though you don't want to NOT be with your kid. It's a weird dichotomy. But look at me, 24 baby free hours and I can use big words again! Anyway, we dropped G off at Nana's house yesterday around noon. She had a pajama party with Nana and her 3 cousins, Sophia, Alana and Dante. (Poor Nana!) The other kids were not there when we dropped G off. She immediately set to crawling around and playing. John and I said our goodbyes and headed for the door. She started to crawl after us with this dubious look, like, wait a minute....what are you doing...I smell a set up! Quick, that girl! But she did fine after we left.

John had an appointment for work, so we drove out to the hills of Conklin...my old childhood stomping grounds. He went in for a visit and I sat in the car and read an actual book. Uninterrupted. Nice. This place was beautiful. We were on top of the mountain and the trees were all beginning to turn. John parked under a big old tree, maybe oak? So, I sat with the windows down, under the shady tree, listening to the sounds of the country, feeling the delicious breeze and smelling the fresh air. It was really quite nice, even though I was just sitting in the car.

After he was done we went to lunch at Tony's for our customary Portabello Panini sandwiches. DELICIOUS!!!! I spent some time deconstructing mine so I can recreate it at home. I can't figure out the sauce they use. It is some sort of Italian Dressing, but spicy. I will try doctoring up some italian with red pepper flakes and see if I can make it. OMG, those sammies are sooooo good!

At home we did have to suck it up and do some housework. We cleaned up the disgusting yard and John mowed (maybe the second to last mowing of the year? hmmm, its definately fall.) and I cleaned out my car. But, after that, it was sitting around doing NOTHING. I read more of my book, John watched golf. I didn't have to make one bottle, change one diaper, prevent one spill, pick up shredded magazine pieces or straighten strewn cookbooks. However, I also didn't get silly baby raspberry kisses on my arm so it was a definate trade off.

We walked to a late (8pm!) dinner at Lampy's on Main St. It was a beautiful evening for a walk. We had never been to Lampy's before, and, although it was mucho dinero, it was so worth it! Wow, we had complimentary bruschetta drizzled with the best balsamic vinegar I have ever had! It was so sweet and thick! They do a "spice tray" at your table where they mix fresh roasted garlic, parmesean cheese, red pepper, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar to your liking for a dipping sauce for fresh italian bread. Umm, yum. Next, possibly the best french onion soup of my life. John had a ceasar salad that he wasn't impressed with, so there's that. BUT, then they brought out our entrees........WOW! I had Veal Chops Saltemboca. A huge veal chop stuffed with proscuitto and fontina cheese, covered with marasala sauce and mushroom caps. With grilled asparagus on the side. Words literally fail me as to how good this was. John had a filet mignon drenched with hollandaise and asparagus. It was cooked to absolute perfection.

We walked home...I must admit to being a little tipsed after the 2 yummy glasses of chardonnay. I seranaded John while we walked with a lullaby that has been stuck in my head for days now. And we played Trivial Pursuit at home. We ended up calling that a draw around the middle of the game...which is always a good thing for our marriage, as we both have a wee bit of a competitive streak...

And this morning. We slept in. Till 9:30am! Unheard of around here. And I didn't have to get up once in the night to do anything.

But, I miss my little chicaboo. So, we are off to get her soon. I hate loosing 24 whole hours from her life. But I hear she has had a great time at Nana's. She ate well, and played hard, I'm sure. And I bet I get a nice welcome when she sees me. Ah, that's nice, too.

There is hope for my computer

Yay! The Sony guy is coming to my house tomorrow to fix my laptop! Yay!! I don't know if he will lay hands on it and speak life back into it, or do some shaman dance, or maybe sprinkle fairy dust...whatever, I just hope it works. It would be ok if he did some wire/micro chip funky magic, too. Keep all appendages crossed, ok? Thanks!

A Season of Change

Well, I packed up all of G's summer clothes this weekend. Little baby skin baring sun-dresses and shorts. Adorable tiny bathing suits. All packed away in a big plastic bag.

John was kind enough to point out that she will never be small enough to wear any of it again. Yes, I know that, I am trying not to think about it. But sometimes I can't not think about it. We are moving into fall, a change of seasons, and a season of change. It seems it is always a season of change when you have a baby. They just don't stop changing, growing, needing you a little less each day as they learn to do more for themselves.

I got out all of Giuliana's warm fall/winter clothes. Here is her fall closet.

Heavy on sweaters, long pants, turtlenecks, stockings...very little soft, bare baby skin. She will need to be wearing shoes soon, too. She is inching closer and closer to that inevitable time when she stands on her own, then takes those first wobbly steps. She will need a good, strong shoe for that. No more bare little piggy toes.

Another change is coming soon, too. Here is G trying out her big girl car seat.

Still a little big for her, but she is growing out of her carrying seat. She will be in this seat in the next few weeks, as soon as I can let her go enough do it. Oh, some things will be easier when she is in this seat. I won't have to carry that heavy car seat around-12lbs of seat, 20+ lbs of baby is a killer on the back. But this change will mean I will have a big girl who rides in the front of the grocery cart, not a baby who is strapped in her car seat on top of the cart. It will mean carrying a wide eyed girl on my hip into the world, not having a tiny newborn who sleeps peacefully unaware through most trips, snuggled tight in her seat. And soon enough it will mean holding her hand as she walks into her own world.

Her new word is baby. She learned to say that this weekend. And everytime she says "baby," it reminds me again that she is quickly outgrowing this word, and soon we will have a little girl.

New Layout

Whatcha think? I worked really hard on it, but I'm not sure it all works. Comments and suggestions welcome. Thanks!

Scenes from my kitchen, again

Geez, what is it about impending autumn that makes me loose my mind? I haven't nested this bad since I was 8 months pregnant. I can't seem to get out of my kitchen these days. I like to cook. I would even go so far as to say I love to cook. But ever since I brought home a squalling, needy, energy-sapping newborn (a very cute one, though) my urge to be anywhere near my stove has been about zilch. But for some reason, it's back, with a vengence! Fall has always been my favorite season to cook. Nobody enjoys being in the kitchen in the summer. Summer is all about grilling in the back yard, which is usually John's domain. So, come fall, I relish getting back inside and domesticating up some yummy, warm, comforting foods. So, I guess my 9 month hiatus has given my natural proclivities a major boost this year.

Anyhoo, here are some scenes from my kitchen today. On the menu:

Chile con Carne
Apple-Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Homemade Applesauce




This is what else was going on in my kitchen today.



That's the hole John cut in the basement door for the cats to use. (Ignore the ugly door, it is getting painted really soon, I swear.)


Peekaboo!



A busy kitchen



This one is from yesterday. It was G's first trip to the Binghamton Farmer's Market. That's where we picked up the apples, peppers, onions and three cute little mini pumpkins.

Tomorrow, I endeavor to get out of the kitchen and into G's closet. I have to change out her summer clothes for her fall/winter wardrobe. Stay tuned!

The Joy of Cooking (ok, this is one book I don't actually own)

I am the proud owner of 4 generations of family cookbooks. I love having these treasured books and clippings and recipe cards in my kitchen if for nothing more than inspiration. There is the tattered Better Homes and Gardens ubiquitous red and white checked tome that belonged to my father's mother, the grandmother that I never met. She passed away while my mother was pregnant with me. This book came to me surprisingly when my step-grandmother passed away. She had it in her cookbook collection. While my mother and I cleaned out her little kitchen in her retirement apartment I surreptitiously eyed those books and the overflowing recipe box that sat beside them. My mother must have seen my desire and I went home with several well-worn volumes spanning at least 4 decades and the aforementioned recipe box. I was thrilled to discover later, when I sat down to flip through my treasure, that that old BHG had belonged to my grandmother! I also have about a dozen pieces of a McCall's homemaker library from the early 60's that were my mother's when she was a new bride. I have another entertaining guide (complete not only with recipes, but centerpiece designs, etiquette rules, party games, cocktails, etc.) that was inscribed from my great-grandmother to my grandmother in 1959 "for your love of entertaining." And I have a cookbook that must have been my great-grandmother's as it is dated 1936. This is the one I consulted to make blueberry jam, which turned out to be blueberry conserves.

I have to admit that I cheated a bit and used store bought blueberries. Unfortunately I haven't found the time to go blueberry picking. I also decided to make stewed rhubarb using a recipe I learned in my childhood. My grandmother (who we lived with, my maternal grandmother) would pick fresh rhubarb from her garden right outside the back door and cook it down with sugar, a little water, a little salt and lemon juice. Then we would eat the warm stew over crunchy toast-rye is the best. YUM!!




The blueberry conserve in my great-grandmother's recipe book turned out to be so easy I really didn't even need a recipe. 1 cup berries to 3/4 cup sugar, smash some berries to start the juice and cook till desired consistancy. This is literally about all the recipe consisted of. I love that old cookbook. It doesn't bother with temperatures or even necessarily measurements. This was a book designed for women who knew their way around the kitchen and just needed the barest guidelines to produce something wonderful. "A temperate flame," "a handful of flour," "a hot oven"...I love it.

Here are my smashed blueberries, perhaps my favorite part of this exercise. I do love to smash produce!


G, of course, accompanied me in the kitchen. She had a wonderful time banging on the dog's water dish. It makes a delightful clanging sound! (This proves I am not uptight about a few germs, right?)


And, G too, appreciates my vaunted cookbook collection. Hopefully these books survive long enough to be passed on to her.

While I was at the store, these delicious concord grapes called out to me. I had to pick up a quart. Aren't they the very essence of those first days of fall? Before you really get into the whole pumpkin, apple, corn-husk fever that overtakes you somewhere around late September.



Here is my finished blueberry conserve. I think I may have let the sugar crystallize a bit...hmmm, that old cookbook forgot to warn about that. Those women...they just knew. Anyway, I won't make that mistake again. But I am pretty proud of my blue jelly jar.

And, at the end of a long kitchen session, this was my reward. A cup of tea (Tazo Calm, Kate) and a piece of toast slathered in rhubarb. Perfect!