I'll Take My Thursday with a Side of Nature

I'm having an "I am woman, hear me roar" sort of moment as I look upon my garden space. I am tooting my own horn because I have accomplished this- by myself! I dug up all the grass and tilled it with a pitch fork and shovel. I picked out all the weeds and added bags of garden soil. I went to Home Depot and bought 12 inch pavers to create pathways. I had to carry them one paver at a time with my scrawny muscles but it was all worth it- my garden is ready for planting.
Oh, there were many "I Love Lucy" moments along the way. Gardening, it turns out, is not for the faint of heart. It is not all Gerber daisies and radishes. I came across many "eeeoooh, gross, sick" types of creatures: worms, beetles, grubs and other types of larvae (barf). It has been an education well past googling- "how to grow cucumbers in NY". I have spent hours researching dirt, organic material, insects and pests. Each time I dig up something new, I run inside to google it. Today, I was digging and turning the soil when I thought I had dug up an eyeball! I chucked it across the grass before I realized that it was actually just a marble! I guess after you've been sorting through worms and other creatures, your mind quickly wanders to the dark side. Let me put it this way- I think a good pair of gardening gloves may be the most important tool in gardening. Anyhow- here are a few shots of the completed space- tomorrow I am starting the lettuce, snap peas and carrots. I was going to start those today but I need to watch the sunlight once more before committing. As you can tell, planting a garden is much more than just putting seeds into the ground.

Here is a shot from Friday, after I planted snap peas, lettuce, and carrots...
I constructed little teepees for the snap peas to climb. At this point, just need to cross my fingers, water, and hope for the best!

Puppy Love

Last Saturday we puppy-sat our friends' new dog, Tuck. Tuck is a Golden Lab and is just over 9 weeks old. He is adorable! I was a little unsure about this adventure because Adam was on a 24 hour shift at the hospital- so that left me with Gavin, Starsky, Max, and Tuck! Oh boy! Fortunately the weather was nice so we all ran around in the backyard.
Animal instincts are very interesting. Starsky quickly assumed the alpha-dog role and Tuck knew to not push his patience too much. Max, on the other hand, must give off a wimp vibe because Tuck pretty much wouldn't leave him alone!
Gavin chased the dogs around and threw sticks for them to fetch. He is such a little boy!
Max and his new shadow...
Gavin- reassuring Max that he is his doggy!

Max just didn't know what to make of this dog...
More reassurance for Max as Gavin cuddled him and said, "good doggy!" (or some sort of baby babble that sounded close to it)

Fishies go to Beantown!

On Friday, we drove to Boston. Unfortunately, we did not have the best weather while we were there. We drove through some of the heaviest fog- couldn't even make out the car in front of us. Once we arrived in Boston, we parked and headed over to our hotel. It was absolutely pouring!
Lunch was the first thing on our itinerary- and we knew exactly what we wanted- LOBSTER ROLLS! Gavin enjoyed the french fries and Sarah's lobster bisque. I don't think I have seen him eat so much in one sitting! "Mmm..." "Mmmm..."
We walked over to the Quincy Market and through Fanueil Hall. Julie loved Boston and was trying to figure out which college she wants to attend. Harvard, perhaps? Keep getting a 4.0 and that just might become your reality, little bug.
It's nice that you can depend on Julie to pose for silly pictures.
The North End is gorgeous- we felt like we were walking through our Department 56 snow villages. Boston has such beautiful architecture- a mix of old and new.
Ok, I'll live here - if you insist!
Wondering where Sarah was? This isn't the best picture, but it's Lulu's Bakery! Aren't you shocked?!? Sarah picked up some cupcakes and canolis.

We walked the Freedom Trail from Boston Common to the North End- passing Sam Adam's grave, City Hall, Fanueil Hall, and Paul Revere's House.
Due to the bad weather and an exhausted child- we decided to hang out in our hotel that night so Gavin could run free. Sarah and Julie ordered their dessert via room service- Boston Cream Pies!
Gavin thought his aunts were the coolest as he begged for little bites of pie! Little did we know, we'd soon regret that decision. Gavin spent the next few hours screaming and resisting bed-time.
We went shopping on Newbury St the next morning- it's a beautiful street full of shops located in brownstones. That made it very difficult with a stroller, just too many stairs.
Gavin didn't seem to mind- he crashed out while we took turns wandering in and out of shops. Actually, this is how we all felt by the end of our day. We decided to buy some fresh veggies at the farmer's market, some pasta at an Italian grocery store and head home to make dinner.

All in all, I'd say that my family enjoyed their spring break touring the east coast. We're going to miss the company! There is a lot more to see- come back!

Kathy, Sarah, and Julie take Manhattan!

My mom, Sarah and Julie came for a visit last week and with such an action packed itinerary- I will divide it in two posts. One for NYC and one for Boston- chapters, if you will. These are amazing cities and worthy of their own focus! So let's begin with our two day whirl-wind tour of NYC!
Times Square at night- it really does energize you! We got out of the taxi and were in awe of all the action. I find this part of the city a little too touristy but it's a must-see for anyone visiting- especially at night! We did a quick walk through on our way back to our hotel- not to mention, it's a good place to pick up all that I (heart) NY paraphernalia.
After a successful afternoon of shopping we decided to grab a bite at Cinema: Brasserie. I had been here previously with Adam over the summer. Happily, this place came through again.

We all had a great time here. We ordered dim sum, edamame, and some delicious pizza. We had an awesome waitress who also tended the bar- she served up some of the best cosmos I have ever had. Sarah and Julie had Shirley Temples and a raspberry napoleon to complete their meal. This restaurant delivered everything you want in dining out- fun atmosphere, excellent food and drink, and a waitress that took everything to the next level.
The next morning, we started out by walking over to Rockefeller Center to scope out the Today Show. As luck would have it- Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Natalie Morales were outside. It was actually really fun to see them in person.

Say Cheese! We all shook hands with Al and Julie asked for a pic- cool, right?
We then made our way over to the subway and walked past Bryant Park. For all those Project Runway fans- this is the mecca of fashion week!
We had breakfast at Clinton St Baking Co in the East Village- this was after walking for miles and miles through Greenwich Village and SoHo. This restaurant has been voted one of the best places for brunch in all of Manhattan. Julie ordered their award winning pancakes.
Here is Sarah posing in front of what she considers the best form of art. It was an incredible bakery located in the West Village. She had a very hard time figuring out what to order! Or should I say, what NOT to order!
Central Park- we were so lucky to be in New York on a 60 degree day. It was beautiful to see the trees beginning to bloom. Yet, there were still ice skaters on the Wollman rink. I think Central Park is my favorite part of NYC- without question.
Finally, before we hopped back on the Amtrak- we went to Serendipity 3 for sundaes. These sundaes are enormous! Having just finished that sentence, I realized that it appears that our whole trip was centered around food! I must clarify- this girls trip was centered around shopping AND food! Now isn't that the perfect diet/cardio solution?!?! It was a great time!

Hi Again From Gav

Hi Everyone! It's Gavin. My mom is busy entertaining Grandma Fish, Aunt Sarah and Aunt Julie so she asked that I update her blog quickly. Afterall, not everyone gets to come see us so must keep them happy too! So, I'm going to tell you about my trip to the Saratoga Children's Museum. It's a cool house that was converted to a children's museum and has all kinds of different themes to play dress-up and make believe. You can pretend to work at a restaurant, a bank, a hospital, a firestation- it's really awesome and I don't get in trouble for touching things! Because it's JUST FOR KIDS!! YAHOO! Here are some pictures of me being tortured by my parents once again- they think I'm just a toy for their amusement. Good Grief!
Ok, yes- I look pretty studly sitting behind this big desk- but Mom- I do not want to be a bank executive!
And Dad- I don't think I want to go to medical school. I think it's too early for us to be having this talk!
Now we're talking! Firetrucks are awesome!

Ok, that's all guys! We're going to have a fun week with our visitors- we're going to the Boston Aquarium on Friday. We'll post all about it next week!

Bye!

The official end of winter and comfort food season!

It's finally here- the last day of winter! It's a bit dreary here today. We got some pretty heavy rainfall last night which has left our lawn looking like one giant mud puddle. Of course, it didn't help that I started digging up grass for my vegetable garden plot. I spent a few hours playing in the mud yesterday afternoon trying to lay a nice foundation for my future garden. From all the research I have done, it's very important to make sure the soil is top-notch prior to planting. There are still several weeks before planting begins so I will be spending the next month or so playing with dirt. I have drawn out a diagram of where I want everything- I am going to place bamboo poles and trellis for the tomatoes, beans and peas to climb. But, the first thing I did was scoop up some of the soil and drive it down to my local garden shop. Here is a thrilling picture of my dirt- if you look close enough you can almost visualize the watercress and basil... 
The man at the garden store told me that my soil is in pretty good shape. I just need to get it all dug up and pull the remaining grass roots and weeds out. I will need to add some organic material and fertilizer but overall it's not too full of clay nor too full of sand. It's exciting to think that in a few short months there will be beautiful green plants growing in this space. I can almost taste my garden salad of freshly picked lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, and cucumbers.

Speaking of garden salads- it's official: comfort food season has come to a close. I brought in the new season of spring cuisine last night with Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Homemade Potato Chips. Simple yes, but tasty also.

Chicken Salad:

2 cups shredded chicken* 

3/4 cup mayo- maybe more? I really didn't pay that much attention- start with less and then add until you like the consistency

1 stalk celery diced

1/2 sweet onion diced

1/2 c toasted almond slivers

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix together and serve on bread or a roll with lettuce and tomato- how easy is that???

* Barefoot Contessa has an easy method for preparing shredded chicken- just take bone-in chicken breasts, drizzle with some olive oil and salt & pepper and bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. After they cool, pull off the skin and shred the chicken. I had made about four cups worth and used half for tortilla soup the night before. Nice way to prep a couple of meals during a busy week.

I will keep you posted on the progress of my gardening... if you happened to watch 60 Minutes last weekend- there was a nice piece on Alice Waters. She's leading a movement toward eating local and organic foods. While I think it's difficult to fully adapt to that lifestyle- a few simple changes are worth trying. If you aren't going to plant a vegetable garden- try hitting up your local farmers market and experience the beauty of freshly picked crops. For no other reason than the food simply tastes better when it hasn't been sitting in a box and shipped across the country. Yay for Spring! 

Follow up photos of my freshly painted and redecorated bathroom...

The bathroom has been freshly painted and I put up some new decor. I feel I achieved the tranquil vibe I was seeking. Here are the photos:

The color is "Santorini Blue" by Benjamin Moore. Benjamin Moore partners with The Pottery Barn for the colors in their catalogs so obviously I had to go that route in selecting a color. It turned out a little more baby blue than I had wanted but it definitely brought the room to life.
Here are my new plants. The plants on the outside are "angel plants" and the middle one is a "lemon button fern". I felt they had uplifting names and that was as good a reason as any in making my selection. The plants were just $2 each and I found these cute little containers at Home Depot which match perfectly with the paint color. I found the wall ledge at Target. All in all- a pretty inexpensive way to decorate.
Adam's dad took a beautiful photograph of an ice field in Washington State and emailed me a copy. I had it blown up and bought an inexpensive frame for it at JoAnn Fabrics. The ice looks like diamonds or crystals- very cool photograph.

A trip to the Berkshires!

Earlier this week we decided to take a drive over to Berkshire County in western Massachusetts. Around New England, this area is referred to as the Berkshires. It's a large countryside made up of rolling hills with little towns settled in between. It used to be where the wealthy "summered" and it still has a very cultural reputation. As a side note- Canyon Ranch is also located in Berkshire County- the luxurious health resort that offers fitness classes, walking trails, etc for thousands of dollars per stay- oh to dream :).

There are many museums, galleries, theaters and historical landmarks scattered throughout these small towns. However, I'm certain that the drive through the Berkshires would be far more beautiful in the summer or fall. There is still snow on the ground but just enough to remind you that it's not quite spring. The trees are bare and while we were driving I imagined them stretching their limbs toward the sun, awaiting their imminent foliage. Fortunately for us - it's only an hour drive from Albany so we'll be able to return when the landscape finds its color. Until then, we decided to stay warm and head over to the Norman Rockwell Museum.

I didn't know very much about Norman Rockwell other than his illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post. The museum has a collection of 323 magazine covers- spanning from 1916 and 1963. In addition, there are exhibits of his original paintings, which are incredible. I am always in awe of how life-like paintings can be- right down to the wrinkles of a man's skin.
The above picture is of Rockwell's last studio. He spent the last 25 years of his life in Stockbridge, painting in this studio which is located on the museum's grounds. It wasn't open for public viewing when we were there. It is open from May until November. Oh- and an added bonus- museum entry is free on Tuesdays- we just happened to show up on Tuesday and that translated into a $30 savings.
Front/side of studio

This is the view from his studio. You can see what I mean about the landscape. Sure, it has its own New England winter charm but it also reminds me of Bee Movie, when the bees stop making honey and all the plants die from lack of pollination.
I am not totally sure if the house above was Rockwell's but it's located near the studio and I thought it was pretty enough to take a picture.
We made a stop in Williamstown, home of Williams College. Williamstown was settled in 1749 and the highly ranked liberal arts college was established in 1793. It's a very tiny town, quaint and cute- very New England. It was a nice place to grab lunch.
Ok, so we really only stopped to take this picture because we're dorks- but whatever. We knew we were dorks because when Adam slowed down so I could take this picture- a lady pulled up beside us to make sure we were ok. Yeah, we were fine- ya know, just people who live in New York, welcoming themselves back to the state! Oh well- sometimes you have to create your own fun when you take road trips. We are going to be here for a while so we might as well roll with it and take in as many sights and memories as we can. And don't you worry, my dear blog readers- we'll keep you informed along the way!

Don't Forget about the Little Things...

Ok, so maybe I was a bit over-reflective in my last post... (is over-reflective a word??) I am still every bit as confused about my future career endeavors but I have a somewhat level head. Luckily for me, I have this hilarious little sidekick around to remind me that my greatest achievement is him! So this post is about some small things that may have gone uncelebrated had I not decided to write about them on the world wide web. 

Gavin is beginning to soak up knowledge like a sponge. He is very close to saying "thank you" and likes to mimic animal sounds. He pets the dogs and says "hi doggy." He walks around, pretending to be talking on a cell phone. He dances to American Idol and is starting to do a little singing himself.

I am staying very committed to my workout schedule and for the past two months- I have worked out five days every week. I bought a treadmill in February and can now run a 5k without any trouble. I have set my next goal to run a 10k and have a half-marathon in the back of my mind. Gavin likes to climb up on the treadmill and pretend to run. I feel good that I am setting a good example for my son by getting regular exercise. Maybe someday he and I will run 5ks and 10ks together.

I had two fabulous achievements in the kitchen today. My mom makes a wonderful poppyseed cake and I have tried making it twice before- each time was just a wreck. I almost cried earlier this week when my cake was flat and it crumbled out of the bundt pan. This morning I decided to give it another try and it turned out beautifully. That success inspired me to take on pot roast. I have been struggling with pot roast all winter long. They always turn out dry but after a little research, I realized that I have been buying the wrong cut of meat. I was buying bottom round and trying to braise it. Bottom round is better when oven roasted for a shorter time period. Chuck roast is the appropriate cut for braising. I used Tyler Florence's recipe which I have a link to on the side of the blog. I changed it a bit by using 1 cup of red wine in place of water and used stewed tomatoes in place of crushed. It was fantastic and I encourage you to try it out as your farewell to winter meal. My next challenge to myself is to take on gnocchi- my last batch turned into mashed potatoes as soon as they hit the boiling water.

Now, I have saved the best for last. I have no idea how I did not know about the greatest cleaning supply on the planet: The Magic Eraser. I discovered this beautiful invention today and am so giddy about it. I vaguely remember someone mentioning it to me years ago when their child had drawn all over the walls with a marker or crayon. Oh my gosh-these things are genius! The previous owners of this house used flat paint on all of the walls- including the kitchen (hello, moronic!) Well, naturally kitchens get dirty and there were finger prints and stains all over the place. I figured I was going to have to repaint the kitchen this summer. The magic eraser actually cleaned up all the stains. I then started running around trying to find stains to see if I could "erase" them. There were scuff marks on the bathtub- gone! Black paint from picture frames had rubbed off onto the walls- poof! gone! If you have not tried these out- you are seriously missing out. If you have kids or pets and you did not already know about magic erasers- this post could dramatically improve your life. 

Adam is on vacation this week- we will likely take some kind of day trip. Stay tuned for a new East Coast adventure. In the meantime, I hope you celebrate the small things going on in your lives. 

March Madness- a post of random thoughts

Well, it's March 2nd. March has always been my toughest month and I think many people feel the same way. We have roughly 20 days until the first day of spring but if you looked outside my window, you wouldn't know it. We actually weren't hit bad by the latest east coast snow storm. We only have about 2 inches but the wind chill is fierce and makes the outdoors very uninviting. 

I am just ready to be warm and go for walks outside in a t-shirt. I'm ready to plant my garden and set up the patio furniture. I'm ready to watch Gavin chase the dogs around outside and teach him to kick a soccer ball. I'm ready to put away the dutch ovens and break out the barbeque. I'm ready for winter to be OVER!!!

I think I'm going to paint my bathroom this week. It's a dark coffee color right now and I feel like it just drags me down further into my March gloom. I think I'd like a pretty shade of blue and some green plants. I need to wake up to a more cheerful atmosphere. 

I have also come to the realization that I'm going to need to buck up and get a job pretty soon. I am having such a difficult time figuring out what I want to do. I have a new idea daily, yet, I have never felt less ambitious. I am not sure how to feel about a loss of ambition. I think it is sort of dangerous territory but yet freeing at the same time. I have really enjoyed my time home with Gavin and have no regrets about quitting my job. At the same time, I like working and connecting with people. I try to evaluate my skill-set and then search for jobs that compliment. I have been debating becoming a pilates teacher but don't know if I just like doing pilates for my own well-being; would I enjoy teaching it? Should I go back into banking? I must have enjoyed the field considering I spent so much time in it. My latest thought was to go get my teaching certificate and become a high school teacher- my original plan when I chose Western Washington University eleven years ago. I am seriously all over the place. I know I'm not alone in this struggle. There are many people out there, and I suspect some of my blog readers, that feel the same way. What do we want to be when we grow up? Or is it simply that careers are overrated?

Anyhow, this is why the month of March drives me nuts- I always end up spending too much time in my head. It's quite ridiculous.  I think for now, I will go for a run and clear my head. I will paint my bathroom and buy some kind of live plant. I will open all the blinds and try to let more light in. Spring is coming.