Our Lives are Full. Almost.

Moi-meme: Love-filled and bubbly-all-over.

Days like today make me remember why I feel so lucky to be a part of my family.  Things happen, like my little sister calls me to tell me that she's just found out she's having her first son - a new little brother to my niece Ava, a new cousin to my son Roman - and suddenly, my heart, my life, feels so full I could burst.  We have so many good people in our lives, so many happy moments, so much to be thankful for.  Our lives are full.  Almost.

There are a million hopes and dreams that remain to be hoped and dreamed - some more immediately attainable than others - but, in a strange, fortunate way, here lately I've felt like I am truly appreciating and enjoying the life I have rather than focusing on the one I wish I had.   No, life is not perfect, but there's a vision and reality there that feels so right, so attainable that it almost doesn't matter.  And there's so much good coming up in the next six months that, if only for a brief, fleeting moment, it feels like I can do the Ren & Stimpy "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy" dance in-the-now, and minus the depressing, nihilistic undertones.

Tomorrow we embark on a beautiful adventure to visit family in the last days of summer warmth and to usher in the beginning of a new era.  Matt's brother (and he's mine too, actually) is getting married.  It will be a "last hoorah" on many levels and for many people.  Besides the obvious nuptials, Matt's sister is also expecting so it will be their last big family event minus a baby, it will also be Roman's last visit with Nana and Grand as the only grandchild (thank goodness!).  My sister and her husband will be joining in the celebration - also their last vacation / event minus baby #2 due in January.  And, for us, well - who knows what life can and will bring in the coming months.  I feel that somehow it is a last for us too. In a good, very, very exciting way.  :)

So to kick off a great week and a half of fun times, and new memories to be made, here are some photos that visually represent the beautiful spirit of my life and family.  I found them today as I was going through my pictures and couldn't help but smile.  There's an irrepressible happiness that shines through them.  And, as they say, from the mouths (and minds) of babes...

All photography and artwork by Romanorum Master Forum.

This post is brought to you by Mr. Blue Sky - the song by the Electric Light Orchestra and the embodiment thereof in my-personal-offspring-form.

Snowy-Spring-Equinox-Hope: In Crafty Form.

The storm of March 23rd and the Metaphorical Red Birdhouse.

"Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush."

Doug Larson

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I can't take much more of this.  When I said I loved Denver's seasons I had no idea they would involve snow post-spring-equinox.  Eff that.  I'm over the snow.  I did more than my time with four years in the frozen tundra.  I'm done with the ski season (even if Matt intends to try to drag me out there again today and on Easter against my will).

In truth, despite having enjoyed our first Colorado winter thoroughly, I've been complaining about the cold ever since we had one utterly glorious 70-degree day a week ago.  Roman played outside (without complaining once!) for 5 hours.  We had margaritas on the porch.  We got the outdoor speaker-system working and, as if a sign from the Gods above, the first song to play was Abba's Waterloo.  I bought Roman a straw fedora.  Spring was nigh, dammit!  And I, for one, believe that once the flip-flops have been brought out, one simply cannot go back to the Joan of Arctics.  The absurdity of having to bring my newly-planted rosemary bushes inside, covered in snow and frozen, is not lost on me.

I've been so busy springing forward that I actually briefly believed I could will the snow away.  But, no, as I sit here typing, hot coffee in hand, it is a full-on blizzard outside my window.  At least I can cling to a few little projects I've been working on as a source of Vernal hope.  Time to share.

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Snowy-Spring-Equinox-Hope

In Crafty Form

1. Krista! Spoiler Alert: Evangeline's Little Outfit.

The Pinafore

My friend Krista just had a little girl (three months ago!) and her name means "bearer of good news."  Fitting for this post.  
I've been toiling away on this homemade project for her

Evie's Ruffle-y Bloomers.

based on this "cross-over pinafore" tutorial and this bloomer tutorial, (the package should be with them any day now along with some other surprises).
I found the awesome vintage fabric at an estate sale months ago and loved it immediately.  It screams spring.  I chose this outfit because the pinafore serves as a dress for a baby but can be used later as a shirt for a toddler.

It came out really nicely despite being more involved than I originally thought it would be - I swear to never attempt to make ruffles out of linen again - and I hope little Evie gets some use out of it once she's a little bit older. :)


2. Kitchen-Door-Melted-Crayon-Stained-Glass.

Roman's Melted-Crayon Creations and the Snow

We have an almost-all-glass door in our kitchen - our back door, technically - that I use as our seasonal decoration door.  We've had hand-cut snowflakes on it for months, and a few days ago I decided it was time for a little rejuvenating spring-time beauty.  I found several tutorials on how to make melted-crayon stained glass and thought Roman would enjoy it.  I didn't have a warming tray (though I'm seriously considering getting one, now), so I went with the old wax paper and hot iron trick.

Working on the Easter Egg

 We grated and chopped up some crappy crayons Roman got in a birthday goody bag recently, and this was the result: one crazy Easter egg, and two beautiful stars.  I would say that chopping the crayons roughly works significantly better than grating them.  I used colored crepe paper to make the borders.  Roman also did a free-style piece which ended up looking like a tree.  He hung it on his bedroom window so he can "look at it when [he] wake[s] up." :)


3. The Formicarium.
 Roman got an ant farm for Christmas.  I wouldn't be lying if I said it was partly a gift to myself because I've always wanted an ant farm.  I find ants fascinating.  They are intelligent, tidy, empathetic and organized. Some of them are even farmers.  Pretty much a lot of what I aspire to in a nutshell. :)  So when we finally got our ant shipment from Uncle Milton a couple of weeks back, I was thrilled.  It also helped to slightly ease the pain of Frankie's untimely death.

Three tunnels complete; the height of the dynasty.

The Formicarium - God, I love that word - sits in our kitchen.  The ants have managed to make three connecting tunnels and have kept me occupied for many an hour.  Sadly, of late, the whole thing has gone downhill and the undertaker has had more than enough work for his liking.  I don't know if it's too cold, too wet, too much food, but the ants are dying slowly but surely.  Still, they have been a lovely reminder that warmer weather is on the way, what with their industrious and tenacious ways.

Still not sure if I'll order another vial of ants when these are gone.  The fact that it's illegal to ship queen ants means that the formicarium is, essentially, a tomb from day one.  Maybe sea monkeys are next? 


4. Tree-Climbing & Soccer

Nothing says spring more to me than playing outside.  We're lucky that in Colorado, even when there's snow on the ground, if the sun is shining it's warm enough to play outside.  Roman and I have been taking advantage of this and I've even started trying to teach him how to climb trees (something that I rarely see kids do these days).  He hasn't had much success doing it on his own yet, but I am hopeful because the trees in our neighborhood are still young and suited to his height.  Here's a picture of him on one of his first attempts.

 

We also signed Roman up for the spring session of Lil Kickers Soccer, an indoor soccer program at a local gym which provides me with many child-obsessed-photo-ops and Roman, the long-sleeve-hater, with a weekly chance to wear shorts and a t-shirt in the winter.  Oh and Matt gets to indulge his inner-coach.  Win-win-win.

5. Sneak-Peak: The Upcoming Birthday Party

R-Man.

Boom: The Big 4.

As everyone close to me knows, Roman's May-Day birthday always provides me with 3-4 months worth of craftiness.  It always keeps me occupied during the generally-dreary winter months, a distraction that is particularly welcome this year.  I have, admittedly, gotten a particularly early start this year.

If you know us well, you know that I have good reason for looking for projects to keep me distracted so please don't judge me when I tell you that I've already chosen and embellished Roman's birthday outfit and started on the rather-involved project of making Buzz Lightyear wings out of cardboard boxes and duct tape for each child who will attend his party.  No, I have not even sent out invitations.  No, I am not insane.  Just really, really restless.  Oh, and highly efficient. :)  Here's a sneak-peak of what's to come:

 

And here's to Spring showing up.  For reeeeeals, y'all.

My Sartorial Forays & Roman's Super-Cape!

Super-Roman and his home-sewn cape.

When I bought my sewing machine last summer, I embarked on a long and perpetually unfinished journey through the many-splendid worlds of sewing and DIY projects.  Looking back, I've been surprisingly prolific.  I say 'surprisingly' because I'm fairly sure that Matt believed I would never make a single thing once I actually bought a sewing machine.  Part of it is that I have an awesome, dedicated craft space in my house.  Another part is that I discovered how easy it is to make everything and anything, including your own patterns, once I actually just gave it a shot.  What have I made?  Well...  

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Brenda's Sartorial Forays 

of the last year

Roman's blanket!

1. I made Roman this cute little travel activity book.  

2. Then I made (no joke) 6 or 7 baby / kid blankets out of fleece, embellished with felt names (see above) and funny figures: several with elephants for my friend Frances' Ella (pictured above), for my friend Gabby's little Isaac, and two for my friend Sandra's twins Sam & Zoe. Oh and I also made one with a scooting ladybug for my friend Monica's new little Anna.  Then I made a twin-size one with a butterfly for Ava and another twin-size one - Roman's - with a giant blast of color and his name in the middle.  They were fun and by the end I was really good at it. :)

3. I made Roman and Ava both a pair of pants from this awesome tutorial, patches on the knees and all. 

4. I've made three different paintbrush holder rolls, inspired by this tutorial.  One for me, one for my mother-in-law and one for my sister's birthday (surprise Carla :D).  I think Carla's definitely turned out best because it was my third and therefore had the advantage of me knowing what my mistakes had been, but I also REALLY love mine because it is made of a fantasmagoric coral-colored Geisha cotton fabric that I think I'll never, ever get sick of.

5. A couple of months back I also finally made the project that started it all (here's the tutorial), the reason I bought my sewing machine: a super-hero cape for Roman.  I labored for quite a while on the colors to choose and the superhero emblem to use, partly because Roman himself is so conflicted on the superheroes he likes.  He thinks Spiderman is mean (probably because he watches the 1950s episodes on Netflix in which he is kind of mean).  He doesn't know who Superman is.  And he's a little unsure about Batman, though generally that tends to be his favorite.  Here lately he was given a Captain America doll, but, like his father, seems to consider him a bit of a wuss

Flying

given his lack of Iron Man-esque super powers.  All this was too much input for me and in the end I decided to make it a Super-Roman cape.  The "R" in all its glory centered on the back.  And despite the fact that it's a double-sided, reversible cape, I left the inside blank and just made it a kick-ass bright, neon green that looks slightly distressed.  Just thought that would be cool to have :)

 Roman is not SUPER into dress-up yet (despite my desperate wish that he was), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that a cape had great appeal to him.  He LOVES running in it.  He likes how it flies behind him and makes pretending to fly all the more credible somehow.  He didn't take it off for days.  He ate in it, wanted to sleep in it, insisted on wearing it to school, and even though he hasn't worn it for a while, I know he still loves it.  You should have heard him bragging about it and how "[his] mommy made it for [him.]"  It kind of melted my heart. :) 

It was a great choice for a simple sewing project.  And I made it big enough that I know he won't outgrow it for several years.  Score.

*  *  *

So there you have it: my first year's adventures in sewing and the bountiful fruits of my labor. It's really a shame I didn't take pictures of most of this stuff.  Maybe I'll request pics of the sewings in use with the kiddos and update this blog.  Yes, I think I will. :)  And here they come...

Twins Zoe & Sam enjoy their blankets in the garden!

 

Baby Ella and her "Ella"-phant blanket.

My Ava and her Butterfly "car" blanket -
she uses it every day on her way to and from school :)

Little Isaac looking mighty pleased
with his elephant blanket.

Super-Roman!
Don't let his size fool you.

Life is so random.

"Rambling Roman", Baxter Woods, Portland, ME

Life is so random.  Every once in a while I am taken by something surprising or beautiful or strange and re-realize it - that life is so random.  And I am always just so amazed by that and the fact that it all works out so nicely in the end.

Most of the great things that have ever happened to me have been so random: meeting Matt, living abroad (why Italy? why London? WHY Abu Dhabi?!), growing up in Texas, insisting on Notre Dame, teaching in Washington Heights, seeing George McFly ("Hey Biff, get your God-d*mned hands off her...") at the Trump Vodka launch party back in '06...the list goes on. 
My mom is by far the most random person I know but I'm a pretty random person too.  Just look at all the random stuff I write about and like!  It seriously never ends - I'm not kidding!

There are those that would assert that the world is actually entirely organized, even in its randomness (see this highly intellectual and generally beyond me theory).  But to that I say: whatevs!  I think some of the beauty is lost in trying to scientifically create or glean a "TOE" (theory of everything, fyi).  Why create more order than necessary? I always say.

So recently I've been feeling both "good random" and "bad random" at play in my life.  For example, because my life is currently in relocation-limbo, I occasionally feel aimless or restless and start to have random mini-crises about what I'm doing (and not doing) with my life.  Inner monologues include: Why do people think stay at home moms aren't working?  Why haven't I opened my cafe / book shop yet?  Why don't I write my novel?  Why did I choose a stinky cheese this week?  Why do I hate the Jaguar-driving, stiletto-wearing girl across the hall with the tiny dog named Kiki?  On and on the random hating goes and then it just as quickly disappears and I forget it and I move onto the next (yes, random) task on my somewhat-frazzled mental to-do list.

But then there's all the random goodness that has happened of late too.  And that's what this post is about.  I've decided, very randomly, to list the top eleven random things that have happened to me lately, because there's no unifying theme to them really except what I believe to be the serendipitous and good nature of life and its essence.

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Top 11 Good Random Things of Late

in no particular order

11. This past weekend I picked up a flyer for a Strong Arm Bindery Workshop at The Blue Spoon after a glass of delicious Eve Chardonnay (sister of Kung Fu Girl Riesling :)).  I am finally on my way to learning how to make and bind my own books - a longtime interest of mine.

10. A couple of weeks ago I went to a local coffee shop (Bard Coffee); the place was completely not my vibe (and I shirk from using that phrase, believe me).  But I walked by there recently and their sign outside read: "Iced Coffee: Better than Tiger Blood!"

And I just had to smile at that subtle reminder of the gaping hole in my douchebaggery series. :)

9. On our way home from camping at Swans Falls last weekend I stopped at a yard sale where I picked up two cool and aesthetically pleasing books for $1.00: Gyo Fujikawa's Come Follow Me...(to the secret world of elves, and fairies and gnomes and trolls) and Trevor Corson's The Secret Lives of Lobsters.  I am excited to read both.

8. I randomly decided it was high-time Roman was potty-trained.  And he's doing so well!  He even "marked his territory" on two trees in true little-boy fashion at Deering Oaks Park this morning after a romp at the playground and a walk around the farmer's market (awesome local Manchego in my purse).  I have a feeling this development is going to change our lives for the better in a big way!

7. I've recently been on a cheese binge, and discovered 4 new cheeses I absolutely LOVE: Clochette, Comté, St. Angel, and an American goat cheese called Humboldt Fog.  Thankful Yum! (mostly to Vignola).

6. By complete chance, the furnished apartment we have rented for this month is in front of one of the prettiest seaside parks I've ever seen.  We are on the Eastern Promenade of Portland, and every single day I get to walk by a view of rolling greenest of hills and bluest of seas dotted with green islands, sailboats, and little whitecaps if it's particularly windy.  I once saw a dark brown sailboat with an entirely royal purple sail casting off from the little dock there.  That was pretty amazing.

5. My mom just got back from a 3-week trip to Italy where she randomly saw "The Situation" of Jersey Shore Fame walking down the street in Florence with his peeps and an entourage of photographers.  More scarily, she actually knew who he was and that his "name" was "The Situation."  I find this cosmically unbelievable and equally absurd / hilarious. :)

4. I finally bought a sewing machine!  I bought one in Abu Dhabi a few months before we left and literally had to sell it before we moved without having ever taken it out of the box.  But now that we're back state-side I know my Viking E20 will be with me for many wonderful crafts and whatnot to come.

3. I randomly saw this amazing little felt activity book posted on my current obsession - PINTEREST - and decided to make a boy-version for Roman.  This was decided pre-sewing-machine so it is all hand-sewn and taking forever, but so far he loves the little dress-up boy I made.  I'll probably write a post on the finished product but thought I'd just mention that I love this project for reminding me that I find hand-stitching extremely relaxing.

2. Inspired by the beauty of Portland I've decided to resolve to take up Sea Kayaking and Cross-country Skiing this year.  I don't know how often I'll do either but I would like to try.  And I would also like to take a foraging class - maybe through the Maine Primitive Skills School or maybe Matt will take me on this Mushroom Foraging and Cooking vacation. :) 

1. I've recently come to admit to myself that my favorite ice cream flavor (a defining tidbit of info, if you ask me) is no longer Mint Chocolate Chip.  I am officially declaring to the world that I am firmly in the Cookies-n-Cream-lover territory (has to be made with Oreos though!), and that I retract my hatred of Ben & Jerry's because I single-handedly finished a pint of freakin' delicious Cherry Garcia last week and think Half-Baked is a legitimately delicious flavor too. There.  Glad that's out there.  All of it. :)

My Fictitious Mad Men.

I don't know why but I felt the need to write this post a couple of days ago as I sat in my car waiting in the 20-minute line at the gas station.  Not that I was taking inspiration from my surroundings, because, let's face it - I can't actually recall the last time I saw a shockingly good looking man here in Abu Dhabi (husband excluded), but I can say with a certain degree of certitude that it was not at the local ADNOC.

Matt and I started watching the television drama Mad Men about a week ago or so.  We are about 4 years late in jumping on the bandwagon with this, much to my now-horror.  Matt's dad had mentioned the show before but only in the context of how people used to smoke and drink in the office all the time and that in and of itself never piqued my interest.  It was only when I was faced with unfathomable possibility of suffering through 8+ hours of Paul Giamatti as John Adams (great story but seriously, kill me now), that I desperately searched for another series to dive into and found Mad Men.

Much to my delight, Mad Men is far more than just men drinking and smoking in the office (though I will admit that's about 75% of the show): it's an intriguing account of Advertising and Life in 1960s New York City through the lens of the "Mad Men" themselves: the Madison Avenue Males Elite.  Even luckier for me, the main Mad Man is a man by the name of Don Draper, or Jon Hamm if you must be petulantly accurate.

And so while sitting there in my Nissan Murano, waiting to request a full tank of "special" grade gas, I deeply pondered whether I'd rather - in another life - end up with my previous crush, Stringer Bell of The Wire, or  my current one, Don Draper of Mad Men (who, oddly, kinda looks like a better-looking Steve Carell).  That's when this list was born.  These two men, or rather their characters - and let me be clear that I don't think I'd like either of them much in real life - to me are infinitely attractive for one reason or another.   And just for the record a disclaimer:  No offense or disrespect is intended with this list to the only non-fictitious Mad Man of my life and dreams. :)

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My Top Six (Fictitious) Mad Men

as in, the very fictitious men of my dreams

6. Jimmy Darmody of Boardwalk Empire

Sorry, no matter how good of an actor, nothing in the world could entice me to include Steve Buscemi on this list.  I feel infinitely sorry (and kinda grossed out) for Kelly Macdonald in having to kiss him as much as she does in this show (even if it is her big break).  No, let's leave Enoch out of this conversation.

While I will admit to the somewhat tangential nature of this crush, I do find something intriguing and attractive about the troubled Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt, not of Brad Pitt-relation, fyi).  This actor is about as close to a full-on typecast as anyone.  He only plays weird, screwed up young men with ghost-like complexions. It was true in that episode of Law & Order SVU, it was true in Murder By Numbers, and it's true in Boardwalk Empire.  And yet, there's something endearing about Jimmy: he went to Princeton, then fought in the Great War, then omes back to Jersey to try to be a father and husband only to find he has lost himself along the way.  Oh and he's kind of cute.

5. Michael Scott of The Office (American version)

Is this so wrong?  Is it wrong to think Steve Carell is kinda good looking?  I know my Tia Ita agrees with me, but is she really the only woman out there who does?  Michael Scott is an idiot, but he is so genuine and desperate that you almost can't stand but want to give him a hug.  And I know he has unconventional looks, but I do think he's good looking actually (go ahead and judge).  I felt a serious dislike of Jan in those episodes when they were living together and she'd lost her job and was essentially running him into the ground by funding Candles by Jan.  And I rejoiced with him when he almost got the job at corporate, or almost got fired but didn't with the sell-out, and I continue to love him, through the female-suit wearing incident, despite him crying at the office olympics award ceremony, and because of the way he said "I do delcare!" in the Murder Mystery episode.  Ah Michael Scott, if you didn't inspire real loyalty, even Dwight would have left by now. :)

4. Jeffrey Lebowski, The Dude of The Big Lebowski

Wild card! I know.  There's not much attractive about Jeff Bridges, much less his incarnation of the bowling, pacifist, doobie-smoking Dude.  But there is something very appealing about him - and I don't mean in the way Maude Lebowski found him appealing.  He's funny (though he doesn't mean to be), he's constantly alternating between being completely frazzled and completely high, he's smart enough to know Walter is full of shite, and yet, he accepts the offer to be courier in the very-obviously fixed case of the missing trophy-wife.  Oh and he compulsively drinks White Russians, which is both tasteful and ridiculous at the same time.  I can't even begin to count how many times this guy made me laugh aloud, and that has to count for something in a man.

Always privy to the new shit, the Dude abides.

3. Tony Soprano of The Sopranos

Was it just me or did you also alternate between loving and hating this guy?  I will be unequivocally clear about kind of really hating James Gandolfini (isn't his last name nauseating?! Mini-Gandolf[s] is what is means!), and also feeling that he has essentially turned into Tony Soprano, never to return to normal life again since the series ended.  But, there reached a certain point in the twisted tale of sex, murder, and family-life where I actually found myself feeling attracted to this monster!  It was like I had temporarily turned into Lorraine Bracco (slow accent and all), oscillating between disgust, pity and affection for a probably legitimately screwed up, yet kind of sweet, Italian-American Mafioso.  I guess the producers did their job.  Ah well, whattayagonnado?

  

2. Russel "Stringer" Bell of The Wire

Ah Stringer.  I almost didn't want to admit this tv-crush to anyone (even though Matt totally called it after the first season) and not only because he's a ruthless drug-dealer-thug who double crosses his best friend.  He also wears pleated pants and 80s sweaters, which kinda weirds me out.  And let's face it, we were all a little grossed out that time he kissed Dawnette, and I was definitely put-off when he started schmoozing with nasty old Senator Davis, but I loved Stringer.  And when he died, I almost didn't want to keep watching (but I did) and even so, I mourned Stringer deeply when Omar finally "popped a cap" in him in that ridiculously intense chase-scene in the empty building.  And frankly, I'm not ashamed to say that mourning was extended further when McNulty found the Samurai swords and a copy of  The Wealth of Nations at Stringer's rather tasteful Baltimore apartment.

1. Don Draper of Mad Men

This is the real deal ladies.  I had no idea who Jon Hamm was until I saw this show, and I am still not really sure I want to know who Jon Hamm is.  I'd be satisfied knowing he was just Don Draper for the duration of Mad Men and then once it is over - poof!- he will just disintegrate into tiny little molecules and be gone with the wind.  This harshness is necessary because you and I know that Jon Hamm cannot live up to Don Draper.  He's not as handsome, not as persuasive, not as madly manish.  Don Draper would never be scruffy or wear boho chic clothes while sipping a Latte in L.A.!  No, he's got the slicked back hair-tailored-suit-neat-whiskey thing going on, even though he is seriously screwed up. 

Yes, yes, he grew up a redneck on a farm, was beaten severely by his father, then stole someone's identity in World War II, but these are all just details!  What's really important is that, despite serially cheating on his pretty little cream-puff of a wife with women of questionable taste (seriously), he manages somehow to come off as genuinely caring, interesting, intelligent, driven, and even devoted.  How is that possible?!  I don't know, I don't care.  Bring on the next episode and don't let it end!

Little Lovely #5: A Grown-Up Night Out.

image credit


Happy One-Day-Late-Valentine's Day!

These days spare time and alone time are both equally scarce and precious. I take whatever I can get and love to indulge in a nice nap on the couch below our mini olive tree, a quick read of 10 pages or so of the latest novel I'm getting through sentence by sentence in between Roman's demands, or writing snippets of future blog posts when midget-beast isn't looking.

But real-deal grown-up alone time, where midget is nowhere to be found and I get a short and much-needed respite from growing multiple arms, eyes and ears to be omniscient in my house, is all but non-existent for two ex-pats such as Matt and me. With no family nearby, babysitters are a serious issue that we have not fully ventured into for fear and knowledge of the unknown and Jean Benet Ramsey.

Luckily, in the flat downstairs we have a very sweet Malaysian neighbor with a quick wit, a penchant for delicious southeast Asian food, and a love for my manly child, things all of which I appreciate and share (maybe except the first in the latter regard).

Our neighbor has agreed to babysit Roman and tonight Matt and I will be going on our second alone-date since Roman was born. A lovely little French / English restaurant called Emile's awaits.

If that isn't a small miracle to be thankful for, then I don't know what is.


PS: Happy Year of the Tiger!


This post is brought to you by an almost nauseatingly French song called "Je Cherche Un Homme" by Eartha Kitt. I may not be searching anymore, but I love it anyway. :)

Little Lovely #3: Teacakes

When I say that "teacakes" are little lovely #3 you probably suspect that I'm going to wax poetic on the beauties and virtues of little perfect patisserie creations found only in the most elegant of high tea settings and eaten only with the whitest of gloves, the finest of teas and the bubbliest of champagnes. Well, you'd be wrong.

* * *

Little Lovely #3: Tunnock's Teacakes

why they're lovely; in trifectal, anecdotal form

The First "1st"
Last weekend we took Roman to his first "1st Birthday Party." It was a surreal experience in many ways, some involving premature empty-nest syndrome, abundant comments on Roman being bigger than all the other kids despite being one of the youngest, and some involving an attention-seeking, jealous 4-year-old throwing plastic balls repeatedly at Roman's head.

Despite that, there were also lots of wonderful surreal things: a lovely little half-Colombian, half-Turkish girl dressed as a ladybug, copious amounts of wine, and these odd little ladybug shaped snacks that were essentially chocolate covered marshmallows with jam in the center. The latter are of greatest interest for the purpose of this post, because despite having had chocolate covered mashmallowy-thingies before, this was when my friend Stacey said, "Oh, these are like teacakes."

Hmmmm, teacakes, I thought...what are those?

Duly noted. Attention piqued. Appetite whetted.

* * *

Afternoon Tea & Cake

I embarked on a separate chocolate-covered voyage later in the week when I decided to do a practice run for Matt's birthday cake after last year's semi-fiasco. (Sorry Matt, guess now you know.)

Matt is the world's biggest fan of Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars. He eats part of one every single night and makes me buy them everytime I go to the grocery store. Much like me with eggs or shrimp, Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars are the food Matt will and can never get sick of, as he has professed on many occassions, chocolate, fruit and nuts hanging out of his mouth.

For this reason I decided to try to make him a chocolate fruit & nut cake - to kind of recreate his daily foodgasm in birthday cake form. In the meantime, I also invited a few of my friends and their wee ones over to help me eat said cake before Matt discovered my ingenious plan. (Again, sorry Matt.)

Anyway, the cake turned out mediocre (big surprise there) - despite my friends' protests to the contrary. It was too dry, not almondy enough, and the raisins did not taste of rum despite being soaked in it for five days. And yet, there was a light at the end of my cake party: Stacey brought a pack of Tunnock's teacakes for me to try!

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Tunnock's Teacakes: A Chocolate-Marshmallowy-British-Revelation
If you'd asked me a few days ago after describing a Tunnock's teacake to me whether I thought it would instantly become my new sweet addiction, I would have said "absolutely impossible."

Marshmallows get on my nerves. They are only good when combined with something else - on their own they are too sweet, kind of annoyingly chewy, and often just downright gross. I can have them in smores, hot chocolate, ambrosia...but I'm not a huge fan.

Then I met a Tunnock's teacake. The sweet, dense milk chocolate covering. The melt-in-your-mouth borderline-peanuty shortbread. The soft, pliable, almost-creamy marshmallow filling! Oh the beauty! The exquisite British sweet deliciousness of it all! They may be odd looking, impossibly British, and seem a wrong fit for teatime, but I swear I almost had a religious experience when I finally ate one a day after the tea & cake party.

*dramatic pause*

Tunnock's teacakes - buy these little lovelies for your Valentine. But get an extra pack (or two) for yourself. :)

tiny, tempting and tantalizingly lovely

This little lovely is brought to you by Moi Je Joue a lighthearted French song by Brigitte Bardot that screams nothing if not "go eat something decadently sweet and lovely!" That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

Little Lovely #1: Hallelujah Already - He's 9 Months Old!

It doesn't take much for lovely to happen.

In the words of a wise man (aka Tom Jones), "Love is in the air!" And like last year, it is time for me to pay homage to Valentine's Day by providing the blogosphere with a brief and random list of things I consider rather lovely.

This year's theme is "little lovelies" as I have a far less expansive amount of time to consider and deal with these posts. But the quality won't suffer - after all, good things come in small packages. Like me. :)

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Little Lovely #1: Roman, the 9-month Old

I love the first day of the month. It starts off a new and clean slate, full of possibilities and potential happiness and excitement. It is also now a harbinger of Roman's next coming-of-age. He turns another month old on the first of each month, which makes it both convenient and pleasant for us.

Nine months, apart from sounding really old in baby-terms, has really done it for me for a couple of reasons, all of which you will find - no doubt - as significant and thrilling as I did. :)

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Top 5 Reasons "9 Months" is Lovely.
little as it may be

5. Little Green Giant...or should I say Hulk?
Roman is freaking strong. But never has it been more apparent than in the last week or so, with his abilities to cruise, move things, and lift himself in surprising ways. His crawling has really blossomed into a full-on method of transportation now. It takes far less than a remote control to motivate him to sprint across the room and fling himself at whatever piques his interest. And once he has it in is kung-fu grip, good luck getting whatever it is away, especially if it's a blackberry, which he is particularly fond of chewing and sucking.

Yesterday morning he impressed his dad by doing a near pull-up on the bathroom counter. He can JUST reach it while on tippy-toes, and I just know he'll end up falling and hitting his head if he continues down this route, but he's determined to reach the mouthwash, and who am I to take that away from my little muscle-midge? :)


4. Time for REAL Food.
Apart from the fact that special baby food items are ridiculously expensive, and generally not that delicious, with Roman they were actually somewhat unnecessary from the start. Given the way he liked to eat, he was probably babbling "where's my damn roast dinner?" in baby talk when he was 3 months old for all I know. Yes, he did indeed love to eat from day one, and in fact the only times he's ever refused food are when he's been obviously teething or really sick. He's not finicky about texture, quantity, sweet or savoury. He rocks out on the broccoli as much as his fromage frais or beef stew.

I started giving him table food a little before Christmas. In that time he ate ham sandwiches, tried menudo, had cake, brownies, mole de olla, shrimp and even the tiniest sip of champers. :) Now that he's 9 months old, I see no point in holding back anymore. He's on full oatmeal, toast and fruit for breakfast (with the odd scrambled egg thrown in), he eats pb&j with Matt and me on the weekends for lunch, and the other night even indulged in the wok-fried bok choy with garlic and Matt's chicken Lo Mein at our local Chinese takeout. (That's ma' boy!) Let the games begin.


3. "I Don't Know Why You Say Goodbye. I Say Hello."
In the words of The Beatles, Roman has learned to wave. And it's a silly, lovely fat-baby-handed wave that I could never get sick of. He did it, really did it (there had been some questionable halfish attempts for the past month) this morning as Daaaa (as he calls Matt) was saying goodbye before leaving for work.

It's amazing when babies do something for the first time because it's like a magical tinkerbell goes off somewhere unidentifiable in the universe (a kitten is born, an angel gets its wings, someone eats an excellent brownie, etc. etc.). You think, "wait? did he--?" and then you realize that every time you ask yourself that question the answer is yes. Yes, he did wave! Yes, our baby can "say" hello and goodbye now!


2. Hemingway, here we come!
I think it'll still be a while before I'm reading Hemingway to Roman, or he's reading it on his own, but I have been reading to him a lot lately. And whereas before he would just look around or stare blankly at the pages, now, he turns the pages, touches the pictures, plays with the flaps or textures or whatever doodad is in the book, and actually gets excited.

I'd found his books scattered around his toy area a couple of times over the past weeks but thought nothing of it until yesterday I caught Roman flipping through his Pat the Bunny book. Pat the Bunny is a book that involves texture, smelling, mirrors, peek-a-boo and holes. He was going through each page and doing the activities, one after the other, with a focus on the peek-a-boo. It is his favorite, after all. I couldn't help but stop, hold my breath and think: When did that happen? Where did the time go?


1. Was it Ferber? Or was it just ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME?
Four days ago I embarked on what I considered to be the most epic of epics: the attempt to get Roman to sleep through the night, without feeds, without rocking and soothing, without my bed. The psychological toll it was having on me just knowing that I had literally not slept an ENTIRE night without waking in almost 9 months was more than I could bear any longer.

A friend recommended "ferberizing" - that sounds a lot more clinical than it actually is. It simply involves putting the baby down for bed and letting him cry for small periods of time with you checking in on him (but not picking him up) at regular intervals until he falls asleep on his own.
I was dead-set against this for the first nine months of his life. And then fatigue REALLY hit. Crazy-this-is-no-longer-doable-cuz-I'm-turning-into-a-monster kind of fatigue. The kind I can only imagine a Mom feels. And so Matt and I tried it out.

Only four days later, on his 9-month birthday Roman slept through the night in his own crib, not waking up once, and crying a total of 20 seconds, for the first time in his life. Seriously, I could kill myself wondering how much sooner I could have done this and how much sleep deprivation I would have saved myself, but the truth is, I just wasn't ready until now...and apparently neither was he.

So, was it Ferber or was it just about freakin' time? I don't care.

All I can say is: HALLELUJAH ALREADY!

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Stealing Hopi's Bed.

Mama and her guard dog: little, lovely and ferocious.

This little lovely was brought to you today by one of my favorite songs to kitchen-sing-and-dance to with Roman: Michael Jackson's (RIP) unforgettable, eternally danceable P.Y.T.