Where Old T-shirts Go To Die

This is my first post sent via my phone. Extremely lazy or amazing potential?

I thought I would discuss this t-shirt quilt, an unfinished project that has moved with me to every apartment and home I have lived in since 1999.

Looking at all of the memories of concerts, camps and some of my poor fashion choices gives me a sense of where I have been and how much I have evolved.

I love snuggling up at night under a blanket that took me over a decade to finish the final stitch. But I'm not sure how Gregory feels about cuddling with Cookie Monster and my old Dashund shirt on a daily basis...

(This post made possible by Gregory's ultimate patience with technology)

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It's About Time!

 I've been a Mom for almost 5 years now, and yesterday was the first time I made baby food. This blog may be a testament to the fact that I love to try anything homemade rather than buy it in a store. I'd rather toil and garden than buy lettuce, beans, eggplant or tomatoes during the summertime. So, it is a bit odd and out of character that I've never tried to make my own baby food.

Maybe I don't have any time or inclination after washing, folding and using cloth diapers! I don't know.

Regardless, I was inspired to make roasted banana and blueberry puree. I saw it in my new favorite magazine, the Food Network Magazine, a recipe by Tyler Florence. I have bought several packages of his new baby food line - Sprout. I like that he offers different flavors from your standard Beef & Pasta or Chicken & Stars. When you are feeding your baby during the in-between stages of plain purees and regular diced food, the flavors and varieties can become redundant. And the packaging is very convenient for traveling and reheating.

 Elliot has been enjoying tastes of Tyler's Lentil Bolognese and Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese for months, so I was super excited to see the recipes in print. Talk about baby food fate!

 I made (with the help of budding chef Ayla) Roasted Bananas and Blueberries in under thirty minutes. I highly recommend it, even for your older kids. We buy a lot of packaged applesauce in our house - so it's great to have an alternative that Ayla and Jackson can enjoy as well.

And while we're talking good eats, I know a lot of mommas out there have been making their own for years. Any recommendations for easy recipes that I can try now that I've caught the baby-food-making bug?

Three bananas, one pint of blueberries on parchment paper.

Roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes - until the blueberries burst and the bananas look like they've been in a campfire.

 Puree the fruits in the blender or food processor (minus banana skins) and then enjoy the show! Elliot laughed maniacally when he tasted his new treat.

FEED ME MORE.

So I have blueberries in my eyebrow, so what?

Rollercoasters and the Ring of Fire

 Fireworks, parades, hot dogs, sparklers and catching fireflies. These are the memories of Independence Day, from my own childhood and now for my children.

Add something new to the list of 4th of July activities.

 ROLLER COASTERS.

  In characteristic fashion, our kids are nutso over holidays and recount their favorite parts of any given holiday over and over all year long, until it returns again. The 4th has always been about the parade that came down Broad Street in Leetsdale, directly in front of our house. Ayla would lunge at the candy tossed from firefighters and keep her hoard safely tucked away for months afterward.

 This year was different, obviously, but I think we definitely upped the ante of 4th of July excitement. A traveling carnival (yes, with real carnies!) set up in Lancaster in the local grocery store parking lot. Holy hell, those were some serious rides! I put the fact aside in my mind that all of the mechanical parts had been recently assembled (and then unassembled and assembled again) as Ayla and Jackson boarded their first "real" rides.

Ayla, like the true stunt-woman that she is, showed no fear and loved every ride. Jackson handled this first one okay with Gregory right next to him... but freaked out in the little water taxis, wouldn't attempt anything else and finally enjoyed these cars.

 Oh, and did I mention the Ring of Fire? I never had the satisfaction of riding the Laser Loop growing up; they tore it down before I was tall or brave enough to try it. This traveling Ring of Fire was not a comparison - but after several years of not riding any rollercoasters (I've been pregnant during three of the last six summers!), it might as well been 150 feet up in the air.

 As a side note, I was searching on Wikipedia for Laser Loop stats and found this . Maybe someday I will make it to Mexico City and get my chance to ride the infamous Pittsburgh loop.

 But the Ring of Fire in a grocery store parking lot in Lancaster, NY was pretty awesome. I was laughing and crying and scared out of my mind as Rachel, Genevieve and I hung upside down only slightly bracketed by cushioned pieces of metal.

"Grumps" just casually walking by...

Jackson was happy to have us back on the ground... he had started crying as soon as we got on the ride.

 We will be talking about fireworks and parades until next year, of course, but only as a side note to the ridiculously unsafe rollercoasters we rode (and loved!) this 4th of July! Well done, carnies.

Fizzy Lifting Drink

 The addiction began when I was pregnant with Elliot - nothing else could satisfy my irrational thirst like soda water. Yes, bubbly, calorie-free, sodium-free soda water. It is perfect to have in the kitchen at all times. Mix it with juice and you have an exciting breakfast cocktail. Keep it at your bedside and it relieves the middle of the night dry mouth. It is far superior than water which is terrible because it is stale by 2 am and tastes like your own morning breath.

 Gregory soon picked up the same habit and we were going through ten to fifteen bottles of seltzer water every week. Our taste buds started to get sophisticated and it was frustrating that the plastic bottles would lose their "oomph" and we'd always end of up with a flat glass of soda water with every bottle. We knew that cans of seltzer existed - we had seen them in grocery stores in North Carolina - but were nowhere to be found on the shelves of Giant Eagle.

 Lo and behold, it only took a move to New York to find all of the seltzer our hearts could desire! Both Tops and Wegmans (our most frequented grocery stores) carry a wide variety of canned seltzer flavors: Lime, Lemon, Pomegranate, Cranberry Lime, Mixed Berry and Orange. The assortment in bottles is even wider - including Pink Grapefruit and Vanilla - but those are only good if you are going to drink it all at once. (And don't worry, I usually do.)

 I am a complete convert from drinking regular or even diet soda now. It might be blasphemous in my family to say that I've renounced Pepsi (a photo album was made about 30 years ago, showing many family members using Pepsi for household chores, filling pools, watering gardens, etc. as a gift for my grandmother because she loved it so much.), but why would I ever go back? I can drink seltzer all day long without the calories or the worry of what aspartame is doing to my liver.

 Of course, there is the problem with excessive recycling and use of tons of aluminum cans and bottles. But water just doesn't cut it anymore. We have tried homemade versions of soda water with our iSi, but that would be an expensive habit.

 Imagine my delight when I saw seasonal flavors at the grocery store this past weekend! Apparently I am easily excited and I bought every one. Hello banana (it's better than you think), pineapple passionfruit, orange mango and pina colada! I haven't tried the last one yet, but I am still brainstorming as to how I'm going to mix that one with alcohol.

 Not to speak unkindly of PA and its' pride Giant Eagle - but this is one instance where I know I've upgraded. I can binge on seltzer to my hearts content and only hope they market even stranger flavors in the fall. Apple? Pumpkin? Keeping my fingers crossed.

Le Jardin Pathetique

I can't take credit for the rose bush... the previous owners planted it. But Ayla is really appreciating the flowers.

 My luck with the garden this year has been spotty, with a success rate hovering around 50%. I am adjusting to a new climate - where spring didn't really hit until late May and the yard was flooded with heavy rains for a few weeks after planting seeds. The seedlings that started indoors were promptly planted outside when their roots began to wind together, where many of them quickly perished (or were eaten by a pesky rabbit!). The strange thing is that some plants died right next to ones that are flourishing. It's as if there are dead spots in the ground. Others, like my cauliflower, aren't exactly dying but aren't growing either. Those plants have been outside for over a month and haven't grown an inch.

So what if there are more weeds than plants? The lettuce is in there something, and I finally wised up to using weed fabric by the tomatoes.

Tasty, tasty snap peas - they enjoy the Buffalo weather much better than Pittsburgh.

Can't wait to harvest!

  I put a lot of hope and faith into the ground every year, when I try new varieties and spend hours of time digging, weeding and mulching. My standards might be too rigid for realistic gardening: I am a little devastated every time a tomato plant dries up or the spinach looked healthy one minute and then was spindly and near-dead the next day. I know that gardening is all about trial and error, and I'm happy to be successful with at least one new venture every year. But, I have to admit, I probably get disproportionally upset when something completely fails.

 Like the potato condo.

I am almost positive that is it dead. We have no idea what went wrong, but when we returned from our week-long vacation, the greenery at the top of the potato box was almost non-existent. This is a complete change from the flourishing, out of control growth we had a few weeks ago. I thought it had good drainage and enough sunlight - it's possible that we may have built up the remaining plank levels too soon and caused too much shade as the sun shifted in the afternoon. Regardless, I've been digging into the potting soil and have yet to find any life. Only marble-sized potatoes at the very bottom and nothing else. They're too small to even pretend that we intended to grow baby potatoes!

 However, the front porch and full-day sun is working very well for our container plants.

Parsley, dill, lemon thyme and a bush bean plant.

Lettuce, basil, more snap peas and monster tomato plants.

Upside down bell peppers and potted eggplants - grow, eggplants, grow!

 Maybe there is enough time left in the season to make another attempt with the potato condo... but if not, I will just have to wait until next year. For now, I'll try to look on the positive side of my "jardin pathetique" and be happy that the snap peas are almost ready to pick and we've already enjoyed radishes, lettuce and a plethora of basil.

Happy 4th!

2009... with a baby Jackson!

 I hope everyone is having a fantastic, relaxing holiday. We are having a great first 4th of July here in Buffalo, all in part to family visiting AND Gregory getting the day off. Really, there isn't much more to ask for!

 We attended the parade in our new suburb small town of Lancaster. It satisfied the patriotic desires to clap for our veterans, volunteer firefighters, high school band and Girl Scout troops. Being in New York, though, is just not quite as relaxing as watching the Leetsdale parade from our front porch. Alas, that time in my life is over!

 And with more reasons to celebrate: I have to mark my second blogiversary!!! Amazing! I can't believe how time has elapsed and how cathartic this writing really is for me. I am honored that anyone shows an interest and comments on the random rantings spewing from my brain. I look forward to writing posts and hope that I come across in an honest, genuine way. I write here on the blog as a means to document my life and form cohesive thoughts about all the complications of being a woman, mother, wife, citizen and friend.

 So thank you for reading and supporting me. I know "Mom" blogs are very common, but there must be a reason for this. We are proud of our children and want to share their accomplishments. But we also need a voice amongst the hours of cleaning, wiping and diaper changing. This outlet gives me the opportunity to reflect in the midst of to-do lists, rapidly growing children and attempts to pursue grown-up interests as well. Every post helps me slow down  and get a hold of my feelings one at a time.

 Have a great holiday that hopefully includes lots and lots of fireworks!

Summer Vacation

  Promptly after graduating preschool, we got out of Buffalo and took our first road trip of the summer - ultimately to Diana (Gregory's cousin) and Jared's (now cousin-in-law) wedding in Virginia, with bookend stops in Pittsburgh.

 Last Thursday, I was lucky enough to arrive in Pittsburgh on Erin's real, actual birthday. It's virtually impossible to plan seeing an out-of-town friend on their birthday - but we were rolling through town just on chance! I arrived just in time to get a tasty honeydew margarita with Erin and her fiance (ooohhhh- kissy kissy!) Rob at Mad Mex. I do miss me some Mad Mex.

 Onto the scenic drive into Virginia to the wedding at Veritas Vineyards. We were kindly invited to a dinner the night before at Michie Tavern , where we feasted on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, beets, black-eyed peas, peach cobbler and ice cream. It was pretty fascinating to be inside a well-preserved historic tavern, although we did discover some horrific drawings hanging on the wall. Without getting too detailed, the drawings depicted some colonial sexual assault and then betrothment? It was weird.

 The wedding itself was stunning. I'm beginning to think there isn't a better backdrop to anything than a vineyard, let alone the tranquility of a wedding ceremony. (Okay, beaches are awesome too.) The food was amazing - it's not often to find a fantastically fresh salad in any banquet situation! Kudos, Diana and Jared! I only wish that bringing our three well-dressed children to a party with family meant that we actually got to spend more time catching up with said family. From attempting to take pictures, to running Jackson into the bathroom every time he announced he had to go (we are faltering at potty training, so we'll run anytime he says he has to use the real bathroom), to feeding Elliot and finding a wandering Ayla - the night sped by too quickly.

Ayla sat at the grown-up kids table! What a little lady.

Heartbreaker. He's wearing the "tie" shirt under that blazer!

Passed out by 9 pm. Jackson has a hard time even falling asleep in the car, so this surprised me.

A happy bride and groom!

Dinner companions - so what if we had the rowdiest table?

 We then returned to Pittsburgh for a graduation celebration for Genevieve. Woo hoo! "Quaker Valley" graduate! I'm sad to say we didn't pull out the camera that night until the unveiling of the cake.... sorry, Genevieve! But congratulations, we can't wait to visit you at college and tease you in front of your new friends! "Guys, stop teasing him!"

Luscious... and it was MY job to cut this bad boy!

"It's so much cake I can't handle it!"

 

 The timing for our trip was a perfect segway into the somewhat lazy summer days ahead of us. (Lazy for the kids, almost ulcer inducing for me.) I really loved seeing so many of our friends and family back in Pittsburgh, for even a few hours. It was very surreal to be less than a minute's drive from our old house and not be able to stay there. I'm realizing now that it was relatively easy, at least psychologically, to slink away from "home" in the dead of winter, rather than in the beautiful, green, energized power of summer.

 Alas, these are the kinds of weekends where you do a fair amount of looking backwards (old gardens, old neighbors, old familiarities) and realizing what the future can be (new marriages, another year of children growing, new jobs and cities).