BACK TO LIFE, BACK TO REALITY

 Hi! This week I've been eating well. Hell, I eat well alot. BUT i've come to the serious realization that I stopped eating with my health and weight in mind. I sort of stopped giving a damn. For many months in a row. So imagine my horror to see the continue pile up of post holiday pounds....the kind that don't stop piling! i siad CONTINUAL! Check Yo Self time.

Hence really good food. LIKE NEWSFLASH CHEILA...you do NOT have to eat a sandwich for all three meals per day. YOU DON'T? No. no. 

Like today. I'm having a delightful chicken salad with dill on top of boston lettuce nestled next to curried roasted veggies and green apple slices. ALL LEFTOVERS. (i'm patting myself on the back)

Earlier in the week we had fish. I made it with a lemon butter white wine sauce and threw in some capers too.  Even earlier in the week Nate baked some fish with cornmeal coating and I made us a cabbage slaw that puckered the tongue.  So...back to life, back to reality. 

and the thing is...good food taste SO DAMN GOOD. and good for you food looks SO DAMN PRETTY. even after it's gone and all that's left is a puddle of scarlet. Wish me luck. eating healthy takes alot of work. I have to remember how much i enjoy it. then just cook. just freaking keep cooking.  you enjoy it, remember?

VINYL BRUNCH CLUB 10~ ASIAN FUSION EDITION

Back to BRUNCH! For our 10th get together we decided on an Asian Fusion theme and the hosts were Jess and Chad.  What a lovely spread they prepared.  I surely felt like they put on an full-swing event and that's no joke. 

Chad and little Eleni were side by side in the kitchen quite often. Can you stand her pig tails?Maybe she'll be top chef someday?

Here are some of our other children eating fresh rolls with dangling noodles hanging from their mouths.

and here they were, prepared with love and bursting with flavor. accompanied by a delightful peanut sauce.

Next was my Tom Yum which I learned to make way back in 2007 from a lovely Thai friend of mine.

The Kings made a curry to beat the band!

and the McGrann's made crispy lettuce wraps with turkey meat and other delicious niblings in them.

 Later on there was birthday cake in honor of ME and TULIA!

 and to the probable horror of Brandy Keener and definite delight of ALL children and some of the adults, there were TWINKIES! this was tulia's first twinkie ever.

Come on Brandy, how can you be mad at the ol' Doc?

Actually at one point, (as I have done at many a brunch) I stepped back and watched my friends talk to each other, help out their kids, kiss their mates and eat and laugh.  I pulled Jeff to the side with me and we watched them and took it in and remembered that even though there was a little chaos, we cherish these times.

I'm glad we do this brunch club. I'm so glad, because I love them.

TULIA's 7th Birthday and Fridays at Longwood

HI! This week Tulia Luna turned SEVEN. I'm one proud mama! AND my proud mama made tulia this cake. Belgian Chocolate with Peanut BUtter frosting! Hot dang!

We kept it low key with a family partay.

Hey, I'm not shy to say this....Tulia Luna is the BEST GIRL IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!

Here she is making her very best dearest wish. I hope it comes true.

Look at Longwood. Yes I'm beginning to go there all too often. I'm very pleased about this. AND since

 x-mas is over, a whole new design set up is in the process of being installed. what a glorious site too. (ps, look at the girl drawing and painting the flowers!)

Today we say LOTS of yellow, pink, blue and purple. Gearing up for spring maybe?

Let me tell you this: today was an especially AWFUL january day where the wind was chapping our cheeks and we couldn't get into the conservatory fast enough. Denise (my permanent longwood chaperone) and I ran from the main building, teeth chattering, cursing the cold.

Don't these blooms look like Q-tips?! 

 Also look at how many ways you can look at one perfect flower.

 Playing with focus

and noticing the bee's view.

I ended the visit sitting on a lovely wooden chair over looking the fountains, gazing at birds of paradise, feeling blasts of warmy-hot air from the floor vents, basking in the sun....ON A 32 degree winter day. What an escape from the january mundane. and what a nice start to the year. Happy birthday LUNA!

Winter Thinking

Hello again. It's been a little while since I've posted.  The holidays flew by in a whirlwind of gatherings, celebratings, eatings and presentings....and it was great....and we are still tired.  But I don't want to really get into it and talk about Christmas because well..i have some coolness to share.

and the coolness is Radiolab, the podcast.  

So I've known about it for years. years? Yes years. My friend Denise told me about it and I even listened to several episodes thinking, yeah, this is cool.  But lately? Lately I have a slight...well more than slight obsession with it and I've come to think that maybe radiolab has changed the way I think, given me opportunity and TIME to think and has heightened my enjoyment for listening to a story and heightened the process of just, well, thinking exponentially.  

See, I have this routine. I suit up, clip the dog onto his leash, plug in the ipod to the earbuds and walk through Blossom Hill for 30 minutes to an hour several times a week all while listening to what I might call PROLIFIC radio.  And when I picture myself, walking outside in the cold of January I smile because I've caught myself laughing outloud, grimacing with disgust, glancing quizzically in question, and even crying real salt tears.  

Back to the photo above.

Today I listened to an inspiring bit about the theme of "words".  There was a musical break, I was walking down a huge hill while the music swelled.  I looked up at the sky only to see the sun in that afternoon rich yellow-orange color.  A huge flock of birds scattered across the sky, soaring, just like the music.  By the time I reached the bottom of the hill I had this feeling like life had just given me my own theme music. It was great. 

Oh and if you want to hear an episode that's really wonderful, start here.

CHRISTMAS IF

Last Sunday....WE WENT TO LONGWOOD AGAIN!!! This time is was with both families, so that meant that the Husbands came too. I was so excited to get a second chance to photograph and take night shots with the three of us.  HOWEVERRRRRRRRR....when i pulled it out to take my first shot, the battery had DIED. straight. Up. died. 

So I'm posting shots from last time and you can just imagine them as IF they were in the dark for yourselves, only it won't ever be as amazing as in real life.  ever. **Side note** On Sunday, there were Decked out Christmas Carolers singing traditional songs right here at the entrance. They were A+.

Imagine these at night. all glassy looking at the entrance to the Bee Tree House. love it.

Bee Tree.

Inside tree.

Now, close your eyes and and see IF you can imagine this tree lit up to the nines. there. better.

Anyway, one thing was clear. My daughter and I like Longwood more than Nate. 

Mostly because on Sunday we were like cattle being herded through the place, shoulder to shoulder and it was hard to be leisurely and peaceful....oh and also everyone was STARVING.

So we left and got Mexican food. which was also pretty fun.

The End. 

Christmas Bloggery

My dear friend DD has only heightened my love of Longwood Gardens this year. We usually go every year, maybe every season but Denise and I are like kids in a candy shop when we go there. I'm talking gasping and clapping and insatiable merriment, EVEN outside in DECEMBER! If only we could manage the membership! Anyway, I'm so grateful that she coaxed me to go not once but twice this month so far.

Tulia and Adeline are like little sisters.

and my dear darling and I decided to skip school for a day of Longwood last week.

AND COME ON! It's worth it. I asked an employee there if she liked working there and she smiled and replied "I love it. I wake up everyday excited to come to work to be in such a beautiful place with such wonderful people".  Man, I totally want to work here. and so does Denise. so if this music therapy thing falls through, I'd totally do it.

And lastly, here is a shot of the cookie baking that me and my neighbors whipped up. I won't say HOW many cookies I've eaten but let's just go ahead and say that it's too many. oh too many.

FIRST WEEKEND OF CHRISTMAS-ING

It is the first weekend of December.  You know, when people get their trees and decorate. Amazingly, Nate and I got our tree and did our lights LAST weekend mostly because it was the 5th Annual Blacksmith Extravaganza this weekend.  Anyway, this year I'm totally into it. Maybe more than ever before. I'm even considering doing a "CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY" sort of deal with the family where we try to be in the spirit of things at least once a day.  SO....long story short, while the men hit metal, me and Denise took our girls to Longwood gardens....AT NIGHT! and it was the best thing on earth. I love Longwood Gardens maybe just as much as Denise does and we were both freaking out over every single plant and every perfect detail.  Sadly, I forgot my camera. DAMN IT. 

Recently, I was looking online for tips on how to decorate and the one thing that stuck with me was the idea of having a little bit of Christmas in EVERY room.  So, kitchen advent calendar.  

I've never had one of these. But this morning at Denise's house, Adeline got to open a little token present and it was totally sweet. So I decided that we'd make our own when we got home. Nate helped out with the numbers and cutting while I wrestled with making the bows and hanging things up.  Just between us, Nate spent like an hour making that 25...and it looks awesome. Oh and I did forget to mention that certain numbers have chocolate coins on the back of them.

In other news, Tulia had her holiday play with the 4 girls and GG.  She got all dolled up and went to see Alice in Wonderland at the Fulton Opera House.  So while Nate was away and Tulia was away, I cleaned the house all day :(

It was ok though. I love a clean house. 

I did manage to snap a few photos of Tulia and Adeline. I plan to do THIS silhouette project as a gift for Denise and maybe make one for Tulia with the photo below.

I mean why not? She's a doll. 

 And lastly, VANILLA MINT CHOCOLATE POPCORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!