Lately I’ve been trying to get a little more freelance work. I had mentioned this to my good friend Lisanne who said that she’d pass on my name to her boss at the local paper she writes for (they have an edition for the county that I live in as well). Well guess what? This week I got two assignments! I am super excited about them, but a little nervous too. It’s been such a long time since I’ve interviewed people. I was such a ball of nerves calling to schedule my interviews but the people were both really nice and I was able to schedule both of them on Friday so I can go from one to the other. I’m writing about the 10th anniversary of a local jewelry shop and about a new gourmet burger shop. I think it will be really fun to meet people in the community as well as write about and support small businesses. So thanks again Lisanne! I *so* appreciate it!
Month: August 2008
Fair Time!
I’m so excited! This afternoon we are going to the Dutchess County Fair over in Rhinebeck. We haven’t gone in a few years, and I think the boys will really enjoy it. I picked up discounted tickets last week, and kids are free, so I was able to save a little money on admission (only to spend it on food I am sure)! The last time we were there (probably four years ago) I tried a fried Oreo. It was OK. I liked it, but I probably won’t waste my calories on that again. I am hoping to indulge in some fried dough (preferably apples & cinnamon or powdered sugar — though Drew likes tomato sauce on his). We’ll see what else they have. Maybe fried mushrooms… or a loaded baked potato… or candy apples. Mmm! What are some of your favorite fair foods?
Genius!
There is certainly something to be said about the quality of old homes vs. new homes. Don’t get me wrong — I love my house, I really do. But we are discovering that the builder was not exactly… uh… top-notch. Last night Drew was ready to pull up the bluestone hearth in front of the fireplace. We were hoping to salvage it as a single piece to use elsewhere. If it had been on a piece of backing board it would not have been that much work. Of course, we discovered that the slate was glued directly to the plywood floor. Ugh… It was impossible to get it up in one piece, but Drew was able to carefully get it up in chunks that we can use outside for a path, at least. Still… disappointing.
Oh, and then there was the electric socket that we learned was behind the fireplace too (remember that the corner of the room had been blocked off. Maybe it wasn’t a fire hazard, but I’m not sure! At any rate, it is all open now and I feel good about that.
Crazy.
Three!
Yes, it was birthday weekend around here! First Jake, then yesterday was Noah’s third birthday. Hard to believe that in just three short years we’ve gone from crib bedding and baby toys to Spider-man sheets and Hot Wheels cars. He had a great time and got loads of wonderful gifts from our family. Since Jake had a party with his friends on Saturday, he agreed to make yesterday more Noah’s party — isn’t that sweet?
At three Noah’s favorite foods are strawberries, breakfast sausage, and Cheerios. His favorite TV shows are Wow, Wow, Wubbzy! and Blue’s Clues. And he loves playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos, cars, and whatever Jake is playing 🙂 He’s a a big goofball and is so different from his brother.
Happy third birthday, cutie! I hope you had a great day yesterday.
Happy birthday, little man!
"But now I am Six, I’m as clever as clever,
So I think I’ll be six now for ever and ever. "
— A.A. Milne
Six years ago it was hard to imagine that the tiny (well, not so tiny, really!) newborn would so quickly grow into my crazy sweet little boy. And yet here we are. Today Jake turned six. So how about some fun facts? At age six, Jake’s favorite food is pizza. He loves to do arts & crafts, play with Legos and Transformers, and run around outside. His favorite TV show is Spongebob Squarepants. He’ll be entering 1st grade in September. He is wildly affectionate and a fantastic big brother. He cares very much about the world and is very sensitive to other people’s feelings. He’s a darn good kid.
I think he had a good day today. He was thrilled with his presents (minicon Transformers, a Lego set, and a Magnetix set), had a yummy cupcake, had a perfect check-up at the doctor’s, and then got to eat at Burger King for dinner (hey, he’s six — BK is the place to go, LOL!). I have five kids coming over on Saturday (assuming that the people who did not respond are not attending). And Sunday we’ll have the family party, so the birthday celebration will extend straight through the weekend!
I expect that I shall be partied out 😉
How time flies…
CSA Share, Week 12
Wow, I can’t believe we’re three months into our CSA with Sisters Hill Farm! Harvest season is clearly upon us and yesterday’s haul was, I think, the prettiest yet. I was also relieved that the eggplant situation was much more managable this week. Our distribution included 2 watermelons, 1 cantaloupe, 1 zucchini, 1 squash, 1 cucumber, 2 peppers (I picked one red, one green), 2 eggplant (Whew! Thank goodness it wasn’t 5 again.), 2 heads of lettuce and 3 leeks. Then I had to measure out various pounds of: swiss chard, tomatoes, beets, onions, carrots, garlic, and beans. Plus PYO scallions, dill, basil, cilantro, and 20 stems of flowers as usual.
A friend on Twitter was suprised that you can grow cantaloupe in New York. I was suprised that anyone would think you can’t! You can grow it right up to Zone 4, which extends well into northern Maine. Granted, you have to plant it well after the danger of frost has subsided, but sure — melon is a great summer crop and my uncle grew it in WMass when we were kids!
I haven’t really thought too hard about how I’ll use everything up. Assuming I can find tahini (where does Stop & Shop keep it? They have to stock it, I mean it’s a little hippie up here), I’m going to make baba ganoush for the party this weekend. Drew plans on making a sauce. Maybe I’ll do another jar of pickled beans and carrots. I think I’m going to figure out the best way to freeze the beets for beet cake another time. The rest I’ll figure out as I go along.
Week’s Eats
Nothing terribly exciting on the menu this week, but it seems there is a bit of comfort food. Must be the cooler temperatures influencing me! It’s been great not having to have the fan on at night, and actually wanting to snuggle up in my blankets! No complaints here. I’m anticipating that we will get more eggplant tomorrow (gah!!!), but luckily we have two parties this weekend so I think I’ll make baba ganoush or caponata. Or both 😉 Here’s my plan:
Sunday: Sandwiches
Monday: Fried chicken, green beans, pasta salad
Tuesday: Bacon-cheddar-jalepeno burgers, potato soup with leek and fennel (from the freezer)
Wednesday: Roast beef, au gratin potatoes, CSA veggies
Thursday: Penne a la vodka, salad, special dessert for Jake’s birthday
Friday: Out (I think we’re going to surprise the boys with a birthday visit to Kid’s Kingdom, and a quick dinner at McDonald’s).
Saturday: Chicken fajitas (Jake’s party is in the afternoon, so I want something easy since I know I’ll be wiped out!)
Actually, the party is pretty easy since it’s just snacks and cake. That shouldn’t be much trouble. Then, on Sunday our family is coming up to celebrate the boys’ birthdays. (Plus, my BIL’s birthday is on Sunday as well! He and Noah are birthday buddies!). I’m going to grill London broil (which is on sale this week, making it super cheap) and make black bean salad, some other kind of salad using CSA veggies, and have the usual pretzels, chips, etc. For the kids’ party on Saturday I’m making a “dirt” cake and then on Sunday I’m making a “sand” cake. Yeah, I know I am taking an easy way out. Trust me – I am well aware. But the boys seem happy with the idea and sometimes less is more, you know?
For more idea, check out Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie.
Country Living
Busy weekend here. Drew finished up our deck and the railing is all done. We picked out a wood stove yesterday and measured and tomorrow we’ll order it. Then we can knock out our fireplace! This morning we ran a couple of quick errands and I’ve been cleaning and organizing. I probably will go grocery shopping later this afternoon. I also have to make out lists for the birthday parties this weekend. So far only one “yes” for Jake’s, so it might be more like a playdate, but that’s OK. We’ll see. Hopefully at least a couple other kids will be around! (At least the little girl who is coming is one of Jake’s very best friends!) Hope you all are enjoying your weekend as well!
Random Blather
- Yesterday I made a delicious potato soup with leek and fennel. I actually made two batches of it and froze it all for the fall. It seems so far away, yet September is just around the corner.
- I just got a new card for a credit card I’ve used like once, maybe 10 years ago. I signed up for it in college and got one of those company logo shirts that the credit card companies used to give away. I was going to cancel it, but it’s not hurting my credit score, so I’ll just shred the card like I always do.
- Other than that kind of a boring day. “Speeders” is on in a couple minutes, though. Yay! My kind of “brainless” TV 🙂
I hope the birthday won’t be a bust
Yesterday I mailed out the invitations to Jake’s birthday party. While in one way it is nice to have a summer birthday, there is also the risk of everyone being away on party day, especially when the birthday is at the end of the summer. I’m a little afraid that is what is going to happen this year. Tonight we got our first RSVP, and unfortunately this particular little girl will be away with her family on the day of Jake’s party. I am hopeful that most of the kids will be able to come, but I guess if not, we can do a harvest party or Halloween party or something like that in the fall. It would be fun designing Halloween invitations and putting together fun fall activities, too, so there’s always that. But I know Jake is really looking forward to his party so hopefully it will all work out!