memorial day weekend - at tanyard creek

We spent this morning splashing, hiking, running, and playing at Tanyard Creek. I am not sure how we never visited this great little nature trail before, but it was a great place for a morning outdoors.

memorial day weekend - at the zoo

Our annual zoo membership expires at the end of the month and, with our moving plans, it seems silly to renew. So we skipped church to spend a day at the zoo.

Zoo trips are so much better when Daddy gets to come along.

We ended our zoo trip with a carousel ride. Obviously, we were all very excited about this.

Really, the kids were more excited than me and Gabe.

And can you believe how big River looks perched by himself on his polar bear? It's strange to think that just a year ago, we were at the zoo with him nestled in the Ergo carrier, only a few weeks old. And now he rides the carousel and cries when it is time to get off...

Look who's walking now

still here

I keep meaning to get back here and post something, but Liam has kept me constantly on my toes and at my wit's end the past few days. Let's just say that he is still testing boundaries and intentionally stepping over them. All. Day. Long.

And, yesterday, we had our first house showings. Not just one. Two. The first came with a 20 minute warning. I scrambled around the house like a madwoman, trying to corral the day's clutter with a crying one-year old clinging to my legs. And the three-year old saw this as the oppprtune time to poop his pants (like I said, he's been a challenge). And it was thunderstorming outside. And we didn't have the car.

For the first showing, we just walked across the street and spent some time with Trish's dog Ozzie in their living room, and for the second showing several hours later, we walked downtown under umbrellas for some tea and hot chocolate. 

We still ahven't heard anything back from the realtors, but our house looked remarkably tidy considering the circumstances. 



When Liam and I were talking about the people coming to look at our house, and how we are going to get a new house, he looked at me in all serious and said:

They are going to need my scissors.

What? Why?

To cut my room up. It won't fit in their car.

So then we talked about how we are leaving our house here for the new people to live in, and we are going to live in a different place.

He paused, thinking  this through, then gestured to the couch next to us:

Can we take the couch?

Yes, we'll take all of our stuff with us.

Oh, okay.

And he went back to playing.

chicago trip: good eats (or not)

On our first trip into the city, my mom and I were discussing the food plan, and we emphatically agreed that, along with deep dish pizza and Chicago dogs, we were not going to eat anything that we can get in Arkansas.

What was the first thing I ate? A Jimmy John's turkey sub. And, yes, those are available at a handful of places in AR.

I was hungry, and our hotel wasn't near any eateries, and the train station conveniently had a Jimmy John's inside. So much for foodie plans.

But we still managed to eat pizza at the founding restaurant for Chicago deep dish. Spinach, mushrooms, cheese, and sauce piled thick on a crispy crust. Yum.

 

The Chicago dog. Also good.

On Friday, I went to the city by myself for the day. I started at the Lincoln Park Zoo, but didn't stay long. The zoo was amazing. So wonderful that all I could think about is how much I wish my kids were with me to enjoy it. I left before I got to weepy, and spent some time walking around the Lincoln Park conservatory.

After that, I hopped on a bus uptown, and ended up walking a number of blocks to make my connection. In my wandering, I chanced upon Wrigley Field just before a cubs game.

This was unplanned, but I snapped my picture and continued on to somewhere oh-so-much more exciting: Anthropologie. Now I understand what all of the fuss is about. Their clothes: so stylish. Their houseware selection: I'd like one of everything. Their price range: way out of my thrifting budget. But it was inspiring. And it gave me all kinds of DIY ideas. But, really, just being able to browse around a store on my own was all that I needed. That and the porcelain egg carton for our countertop.

After some shopping, I stopped at Southport Grocery and Cafe for some lunch. I enjoyed my lunch (ramps and asparagus omelet) with a pot of tea and a good book.

Saturday afternoon, the weather turned cold and drizzly and miserable. Which made the trip to Chinatwon all the more interesting.

My mom and I huddled under the umbrella together, discovered that a good bathroom is hard to find, and all of the shops will call the police according to bright signs on the front windows.

The bakery cases held all kinds of treats, some more appelaing than others. Bean paste pastries? No thanks. But we split a flaky coconut cream turnover and it was tasty.

But the real excitement was in the Chinatown Market. I ended up buying all kinds of groceries: tea, dried mushrooms, gummy candies, cookies for the kids, and black sesame seeds. I would have bought more if my carry-on bag would have allowed.

But the poultry at the meat counter? That wasn't so enticing. Not even the black chickens.

Over the course of the weekend, I also enjoyed a Jamba Juice smoothie and some Dunkin Donuts, neither of which can be found in AR. But a Starbucks stop also sneaked in at one point. But since they were at almost every corner, it was inevitable.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by Amanda.

chicago trip: getting around

Our first full day* in Chicago, I started my morning with a 90 minute massage, compliments of my sister Molly. I know. Amazing: The massage and my generous sister. While my mom and her boss, Erin, spent the morning at their conference, I studied maps and transportation options to get us into the city that afternoon.

* Our flight was scheduled to arrive at O'Hare in the early evening on Wednesday, but we ended up sitting on the tarmac at XNA for over 2 hours before taxiing back to the gate to get out and stretch before our plane was finally cleared to leave at 9:45.  The spring storms made for a turbulent flight. Not my favorite thing.

We stayed at The Westin North Shore, about 25 miles from the dowtown loop, because that is where the conference was located. But getting to the city was no big deal once we discovered how easy it is to hop on the Metra commuter train for a ride to Union Station. And it only cost $4.50. That's a real bargain compared to the $60 cab fare (with surly driver) from O'Hare to the hotel. Yikes!

A short 45 minute train ride later and we were in downtown Chicago.

Here is my favorite thing about visiting Chicago: public transportation. Especially, riding the "L" above the traffic bustling down below.

From Union Station, it was just a short walk to the brown line, which circled the Loop. From there, we could take a number of different bus lines.

And going down to the subway, that was especially exciting.

I know this seems silly, getting so excited about trains and buses, but, remember, I live in Arkansas.

 We don't see a lot of this:

 Or this:

And taking the late train back towards our hotel, along with some inebriated revelers, that only added to the adventure.

Another day. Another giveaway.

Grosgrain is giving away a sillhouette machine. If you've never seen one, follow the link below. They're amazing.

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GIVEAWAY!!!!

back from Chicago

I spent the last 5 days in Chicago, tagging along with my mom for a work-related conference in the Windy City.

This was my first trip away from Liam and River. It was nice to get a break, but I was more than ready to see them after so many nights away. Gabriel was Mr. Mom while I was gone, along with the help of some wonderful friends (Thanks, Mary Ann and Crystal).

I have lots of pictures and stories to share, but it has been a long day of jumping back into the swing of things here: grocery shopping, house cleaning (for our first potential buyer scheduled to come and tour the house tomorrow...), and a hematologist visit with River. The doctor visit was routine, very informative, and overall a positive one, but just added to an already tiring day.

scoot

He can't walk yet, but he can ride:

at the creek

How to enjoy Mother's Day on a hot afternoon when everyone is feeling cranky:

Walk down to the creek.

Watch the boys wade in the shallows.

Find rocks to kerplunk.

And jump from the big rocks.

And jump again and again.

Watch them play while wearing my new Toms for Moms.

And then take them all home for a nap.

tiramisu: a review

A friend of a friend contacted me last week about sampling some goodies from the Sharis Berries website in exchange for a review. While browsing through all of the various strawberries covered in chocolate, a different dessert caught my eye and decided to come home with me: a 6" tiramisu cake.

I know. This is a cake made in New York and shipped overnight to Arkansas. But, it's tiramisu. Need I say more?

UPS was supposed to deliver the package on Saturday. See the big orange Saturday sticker?

Saturday came and went. No Tiramisu. Disappointed Dorothy. Disappointed Gabriel.

On Monday, UPS delivered the package. The freezer packs were completely melted, and the cake looked like it had waited through a long layover. It wasn't pretty. But the high temperature over the weekend and through Monday was chilly at best, practically a refrigerator. So, we ate it anyway. It tasted much much much better than it looked.

When I contacted Sharis Berries, they discovered that UPS does not deliver to rural areas on Saturdays. Apparently, our little town is rural. They promptly sent me a replacement cake, and assured me that if I were a paying customer, I would have been given a replacement cake or a full refund.

Cake #2 arrived yesterday afternoon, still frozen, but with a huge hole in the packaging.

When I contacted the company again, they assured me that their products are 100% guaranteed, and if I were a paying customer, I would have received a full refund.

But on the bright side, this cake came with the ingredients listing unlike cake # 1. I was glad to see that there weren't too many crazy preservatives or additives, and we decided the cake was probably still safe to eat despite the broken packaging.

Like the first one, the tiramisu tasted delicious.

I have sampled may versions of tiramisu. While this one is hardly traditional, the layers of cream and mascarpone cheese with just enough booze and coffee to pull it all together was more than edible. Gabriel liked it more than traditional tiramisu.

The only part I didn't care for was the sponge cake layer on the bottom. It was tough and chewy, not at all delicate like the usual espress-soaked ladyfingers. But did I eat it anyway? Every last bite.

I am not the type to mail-order desserts. If I want a treat, I usually make it from scratch myself, and occasionally I'll get something from a local shop. All of that said, there have been times that I have wanted to send something special and edible to loved ones who don't live nearby, and in that case, this could be just the thing.

If you feel inclined to do the same, Sharis Berries is offering my readers a 15% discount off any product on their site with the coupon code: BERRYGOOD.

I probably wouldn't order the tiramisu again, not because it wasn't tasty (it really was delicious), but because this seems like a problematic cake to ship. But they have lots of great options on the Berries and More page.

Thanks, Sharis Berries.

it's official

We are trying to get out of here. Again.

This is old news to some, maybe a shock to others, and probably is causing a few of you to roll your eyes and think those Halls are always talking about moving. Well, this time it's for real.

Before Christmas, we caught the moving bug again, and spent a lot of time perusing job postings in California, Oregon, and Washington. Our search field was pretty simple: anywhere on the West Coast.

There weren't many options for someone with Gabriel's skill set: his degree is in Construction Management and work experience is with architecture. The more he looked at job descriptions, the more he realized that what he really wants to be is an architect. And for that, he needs to go back to school.

There are a number of schools that offer a Masters of Architecture program for those coming from a related field, and the University of Colorado at Denver seems to be the best fit for his background and his career goals. And since we have already missed the application deadline for this coming fall, the soonest he could enroll is fall 2012.

We are hoping that our house sells by the end of the summer so we can go ahead and move to Denver in order to establish residency and save a lot on tuition.

That's the plan.

The planning is the easy part. Now we are at the mercy of the market.

But if the details all line up perfectly, we may be saying Hello, Colorado very, very soon.

kazoo

chicken salad, a visitor, and a little earth muffin

I love it when it rains. Wait: I loved it when it rained and I had nothing better to do than to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. Now that I have little ones who want to be outside, I like rain in smaller doses.

We are in the middle of another string of rainy days, and the temperature has dropped back down into the 40's. It's almost hard to remember that just a few days ago it was like this:

Liam and I spent some time digging up weeds in the garden and passing them along to the chickens. Liam made bucket after bucket of his special chicken salad, sometimes with a bit of worm thrown in for added protein.

We had a surprise visitor in our mulberry tree. Liam liked the possum a bit more than Dahlia, who saw it as her duty to bark him out of the tree. We all went inside to give the critter a chance to make his exit in peace, and he did.

And because the day was so warm and River's rash is still raw, some more naked time was just the thing.

.................................................................................................................................

I saw my doctor this morning and came home with a prescription for a muscle relaxant and some pain medication. I also picked up a package of Tiger Balm adhesive pads. They are amazing and I feel a bit better already... It also helps that both boys are napping. May they sleep long and wake happy. Amen.

celebrating

You wouldn't know it by this blog, but we did celebrate River's birthday last week.

I threw my back out at the beginning of the week, and I am still in a lot of pain. I am planning to go to the doctor on Monday if I am not significantly better in the morning, but in the meantime I am moving slow. Add to that the stack of 60 bibs that I sewed for Baby Vardo in the past few days, some major home cleaning, organizing, and decluttering, and a three year old who poops his pants twice in the same morning and tells me that he did it on purpose... It's been a hard week.

We celebrated River's birthday with my family the day before Easter. I made a cake (Maple Carrot with cream cheese frosting from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes), hanged up the birthday banner, and finished his birthday crown that he refused to wear. He just wanted his cake asap...

Much better.

Notice the groovy amber teething necklace from Tia Molly and Tio Andres. You can read about baltic amber's benefits here.

On Thursday, his actual birthday, two packages came in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa in California. One was full of books (thanks!), and the other was full of presents.

 Liam helped River open the gifts, an arrangement that surprisingly worked for both of them.

 And because Grandparents know better, there was also a special gift for Liam. He was thrilled.

Crystal, Simone, and Everett came over for a visit in the morning, and we shared blueberry muffins with more of that yummy cream cheese frosting.

It's still crazy to think that he is a one-year old.

On Friday, a package came from Jim and Janelle on the farm in Iowa. Janelle, this video is for you: