prosperous in war

It's been awhile. I'm sorry. I have a good excuse. I swear. Actually, I have four good excuses.

We've been dealing with a lot around here. End of the semester stress, mice, cockroaches, and on the bright side - finding out that - in June - there will be a Baby Beeton! That's right. Our household is about to grow. And, we can't be more excited.

I've held off on posting because we wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat, tell our families, all that good stuff. And, to be honest, I haven't felt like eating a lot these past few months, so there hasn't been much to report (rice cakes? ginger pops? they don't make for good blogging). But, I've turned the corner now. And, next time, I'll post about my comeback meal. Stay tuned. I won't be away as long as last time. I promise.

Keep sweeping, Martha

These next few days are going to be rough for Mr. Beeton, his family, and me. We've all lost someone very dear to us. Keep us in your thoughts.

Stay tuned. I'll be back. I promise.

like a polaroid picture

abbondanza

I'm re-reading Plenty today in preparation for a paper that I'll be giving at the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association conference in Alexandria, Virginia this weekend. The book, which chronicles the local eating adventures of J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith in Vancouver, far surpasses Barbara Kingsolver's local eating manifesto. Don't get me wrong. I love me some Kingsolver, but this co-written memoir is more deftly written, in my opinion, and much more compelling on a number of levels.

We've been in a rut here on Quackenbos. In part because it's that time of the semester when students seem a little less patient (and sometimes even less kind), when the work just piles up (preliminary exams, grants, grading, applications for sabbatical), and when the air starts to get a bit colder promising that winter is on its way. To add insult to injury, we've been feeling a bit under the weather, our appetites not what they used to be. What we needed was a little reminder of the plenty that still surrounds us in fall.

I headed up to the Takoma Park Farmers' Market this morning. Mr. Beeton was studying, but I needed some apples. Correction. I needed some apples, some cucumbers, the last of the garden fresh tomatoes, some sourdough bread, some sweet potatoes, and some string beans. $45 worth of fresh produce. Totally worth it. I toasted the sour dough bread and smothered it with tomatoes, garlic, basil from our garden, oregano, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I mashed up the sweet potatoes, melted some butter on top, and sprinkled them with salt. I made applesauce according to Laurie Colwin's directions (another author I'll be talking about in my paper). And tonight, we'll make a modification of Rachel Ray's tomato soup accompanied with grilled cheese on sourdough bread (of course).

Slowly, the stresses of fall are fading away. We've got plenty of other things to occupy our time.

Keep sweeping, Martha

wood-working

While there has been lots and lots of excitement this fall in the Beeton household, very little of that excitement has had to do with homekeeping. Instead, we've been enjoying time with new friends (Grapes With the Apes), old friends (a fabulous Washington and Lee 10 year reunion), and family (a happy 65th birthday at Old Ebbitt Grill). The fall has also been jam packed with regular old back to school madness (see here and here for previous examples of such), which is why our home renovations have come to a halt.

Until this past weekend, when Mr. Beeton and I decided to paint the woodwork in our guest room - a big move for us since we have been committed to keeping all the original trim original. But, we realized that in this one room in particular our best bet would be to go white. You see, this room is the one we deem our own little "crack den." When we first looked at the house, it was the room which had large black stains in the middle of floor (miraculously removed by our awesome floor refinishers). It also literally has dirt caked on the walls (I want to again apologize to K&D for making them sleep in that room when visiting!). And, the window sills looked rotted out. Our guess was that an air conditioner had leaked, causing the discoloration.

We really did want to try to keep the original wood in tact, but we also realized that painting all the woodwork white would immediately eliminate a major eyesore. So, on Saturday, I sanded the stained woodwork and painted the first coat. I think it's going to look terrific once we get the walls themselves painted a beautiful sea glass (thank you, Martha Stewart). Our other plan is to wallpaper the alcove in the room and install bookshelves. Should look good once all the work is finished.

Maybe come June? Now that would be exciting.

Keep sweeping, Martha

golden times two

It's my 100th blog post...



And, I have to say that despite the failed GW alumni day lecture, the stacks of grading that Mr. Beeton and I have to do, and the hole in my heart from missing a trip to Savannah we had a pretty darn good weekend. I mean, not many people can say that they had their dog blessed at the National Cathedral and that they hit #100 all in the course of 24 hours.

Cheers to me.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched City Island.

the windows of my chambers

If one more person asks, "Are you all settled in?" I'm going to scream.

Okay. Maybe that reaction would be a little harsh, but seriously, sometimes that's how I feel.

I don't blame these interested parties. After all, it's a logical question to ask. And, if you've ever watched HGTV, you might think that all home design projects can occur within the span of 48 hours and for under a $1,000 (sorry... that was a little bit of a rant a la Michael Pollan's tirade against the Food Network). But, if you've been to our place, you'd realize what we are up against.

I haven't blogged about the true horror of it all (pornographic light plate switches, dirty underwear, possible blood stains on the hardwood floors?) because Mr. Beeton didn't want me to lead readers to believe that the only reason we could buy in the city was because of all the imperfections. It's actually a lovely, lovely place - very sound structurally. It just needs a lot of TLC. And, it's presented us with an array of challenges (messy woodwork, two-pronged outlets) that have taken time to overcome and which are not necessarily noticeable (unpacked boxes, paint on walls). You can see some of the horror (as well as our small attempts at remedying the situation) here.

For instance, perhaps the best example of what we are up against rests with our windows. Original to the house, they are gorgeous. But, they are dirty and broken. They have ropes.


We have to prop them open with bricks.


Everyone who went through the house - the inspector, the lead paint inspector, the structural engineer, the contractor who did our floors, our parents - said we should replace them. And we understood. But, I love them, and Mr. Beeton really, really loves them... so he committed himself to their repair. One window at a time.

He bought a book - Working Windows by Terry Meany. He took them apart. He emailed Terry Meany with questions. Terry wrote back. He visited the hardware store down the road - Galliher and Huguely - to buy parting bead and chains. He took out the ropes, added chains, worked with glaze, and painted.

Slowly, one by one, they'll be replaced, and they'll be even more lovely. The two in the front of the house are finished, and every morning, when I opened them up wide, when Ella jumps into her window, and when we breath in the fresh air, we think, "Boy. Are we lucky to have Mr. Beeton."

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Chloe.

PS - If you want to see the most recent updates to our house, including the painted master bedroom and the slipcover we had custom made for my Nana's camelback sofa, click here.

in the fall, in the fall when the tide took them all

Menu: Peanut butter milkshake and chocolate malt at Chick and Ruth's. Guacamole, fish tacos, gazpacho, and braised pork burrito at The Latin Quarter. Tomato carbonara (Eat, Pray, Love style) and piadina parma at Carpaccio Tuscan Kitchen and Wine Bar. Fancy drinks, oysters, crab cakes, and soft shelled crabs at Hell Point. Crepe florentine and a nutty banana at Sofi's Crepes. Sashimi, a California roll, and a spicy tuna roll at Joss Cafe and Sushi Bar. Pizza and grilled cheese ordered through in-house dining at the Westin Hotel.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Watched Get Him to the Greek, Killers, Me and Orson Welles, and Shutter Island.

500 days

The other day, Mr. Beeton and I had the horrible realization that the summer had passed us by without our having engaged in some of our very favorite summer activities. We've been so busy visiting family, entertaining friends, writing treatises, and repairing atrocities that we had neglected to eat ice cream, visit a farmers market, and see an outdoor movie. This past week, we tried to correct these mistakes and cram these last few days of summer chock full of fun.

To start, we visited Moorenko's in Silver Spring, Maryland just a short drive from Quackenbos Street. While parking was terrible and an aging hippie less than welcoming (not to mention not very deft at packing a cone - my two scoops became one after the first lick!), our ice cream - Guinness flavored and ginger - was delicious. And, we were equally delighted when the shop got a shout out in the most recent edition of the Post's Sunday magazine. The Post also mentioned Summer Delights in downtown Takoma Park, so we headed over there last night. The ice cream wasn't quite as good, but you can't beat downtown Takoma Park on a hot summer night.

Last Friday, we went with our new neighbor and friend, The Rockstar Librarian, to the Petworth Farmers Market, which despite having lived in the adjacent neighborhood since May, we had not yet visited (read about it here). We walked around, bought beautiful red peppers, a big purple eggplant, some yummy tomatoes, and cucumbers. And, with our leftover change, we picked up two pieces of Dangerously Delicious Pie - Baltimore Bomb and raspberry. The Rockstar Librarian then headed to DuPont Circle to pick up some obscure DVD, and we headed across the street to the newly opened Sala Thai for sushi. Afterward, we took a long walk with Ella around the neighborhood. She especially likes to run in the fields by Coolidge High School.

While we still haven't seen an outdoor movie this summer, we did go see the summer blockbuster Eat, Pray, Love. And soon, very soon, we're headed out of town for a little 72-hour vacation before the madness that is school starts - just me, Mr. Beeton, and Ella.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Date Night and Eat, Pray, Love. Been re-reading all kinds of food memoirs.

mess o'

I blame the picklebacks for my absence of late. They really derailed my progress in a number of areas of my life. But, I'm back on track now - writing book reviews, painting, organizing, and blogging. Oh, and picking peppers. While my tomatoes did not fare very well in our (sometimes) neglected garden plot, Mr. Beeton's peppers have been growing like gangbusters. Here's just a few we picked this past week.


Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - Check out our new Flickr photos. We've made quite a bit of progress on both our master bedroom and bathroom.

enough said

This link speaks for itself: http://randasfans.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/pickleback-crush-following-up.

flickr

For those of you who are interested in seeing the (slow) progress on our house, check out our flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehappyhomekeeper. There are a few photos uploaded of the changes that we've made (mainly of our swapped out gross! ceiling fans and light fixtures - check out the one that looks like it was made of pipe cleaners). We'll be adding more as we (slowly) progress.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished Dexter: Season 4. May need to order Showtime.

giveaway winner

Congrats, JJ! You're the giveaway winner for the week. It was a tough decision, but I think the best woman won.

Send your N.C. address to mrthbtn@gmail.com. I'll get your copy of Reichl's book out to you early next week. (And thanks for being a loyal reader.)

Keep sweeping, Martha

wood stress work

I should be writing right now in a serious way about postfeminism and the kitchen, but instead I'm fixated on a little house problem that we're having - cleaning the splattered paint off the woodwork. You see, one of the reasons that we decided to buy our little house was because all of the wood trim had been left untouched - a rare find on the D.C. housing market. Well, I should qualify that. Untouched, that is, except for the fact that whoever painted it before sometimes like to randomly spray paint across the baseboards. Grrr. I'll admit this caused me some concern when we were making a decision about buying, but I thought, "No problem. I can handle this - especially if it means preserving the original wood trim."

But, I'll be honest... it's a huge pain. And, it's presenting us with the only serious obstacle to painting the walls of our house. I don't want to paint until the baseboards are clean, but I really don't want to clean the baseboards. So, that's why all our furniture is still scattered throughout the house - dressers in the office, cardboard boxes filled with pots and pans, clothing stacked on the guest bed.

We did have a breakthrough last night though (in part because our blueberry, rum, and basil cocktails and a new episode of Top Chef made it a bit less painful) - finding the perfect combination of Goof Off, scraping, scouring, and sponging to get almost three-quarters of the bedroom clean. This weekend (keep your fingers crossed), we'll be prepped and primed and ready to paint.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Hooked on Dexter: Season 4 (and loving Debra Morgan). Mr. Beeton watched the other three seasons without me because I boldly declared the show did not interest me. Little did I know.

lucky number ?

Sometimes I'm amazed at how many comments some bloggers get on their sites, and I wonder how to make that happen. Recently, while in OCNJ, my sister (who knows all the good blogs) turned me onto Young House Love - a couple who blogged about their DIY home renovation projects so successfully that they are now make a living as full time bloggers (so jealous)! I've been wondering what I can do to further promote my site. Have my post updates announced in my Facebook feed? Change the name of my site? (Did you know that the term "homekeeper" has strong Christian connotations? I'm wondering if people stumble upon my site and leave confused...)

My sister insists that the only way to have a successful blog is to have giveaways. Yes, giveaways. (Apparently, she is of the belief that to make money you have to spend money.) At first, I thought that was just silly, but then, when I accidentally ordered two copies of the same book the other day, I thought, "Hey. Maybe I'll give this a try."

I'm sure that some of you have heard of Ruth Reichl - food writer extraordinaire. My new book - which is about contemporary women's food memoirs - deals a lot with Reichl because she loves, loves, loves to write memoirs. I stumbled across a book she wrote, Not Becoming My Mother, the other day and decided to order it. Then, I noticed that there was another book listed For You Mom, Finally, so I ordered that, too. They are the same book, however; Reichl changed the title when she got some flack for seemingly bashing her mother.

So... if you'd like me to mail you a FREE copy of For You Mom, Finally (the paperback edition), just post a comment on this entry. Next Friday, I'll pick the lucky winner and send whoever it may be a copy of the book. Sound good?

Now get writing.

Keep sweeping, Martha

greetings from...

We've just returned from a week at the Jersey shore so filled with ups-and-downs that it made my stomach flip-flip the way it did when I rode the tilt-a-whirl with M & m. When we returned to our house, it wasn't necessarily calming. Painter's tape was still up in the alcove; the woodwork had not magically cleaned itself (as I had hoped); and the bathroom was still un-primed. At least our bed was back together; Mr. Beeton assembled it mid-week when he was back in D.C. for work (just before leaving we had split the box spring ourselves so that we could finally get it up our narrow stairs).

And, of course, the refrigerator was bare when all we wanted was a little comfort food to make it seem - on some level - that we were home. I rummaged around and found some arborio rice, and of course, we always have white wine and parmesan cheese. A quick stop off to the grocery store for chicken stock while on our walk with Ella completed the necessary ingredients for this easy risotto I found at ThinkInsideTheIcebox.com. We've done risotto before, but I think this one is my favorite. It's good enough to make the ugly tiles on your kitchen floor disappear - almost.

Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - Look for a future post about a really sweet little homemade cookbook I received! I'm hoping to debut some of the recipes at our housewarming party.

Finished reading The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark and Little Bee by Chris Cleave. Watched Hot Tub Time Machine.

1/30/11 Update - Yikes! I linked to my favorite risotto recipe tonight and a scary SPAM message came up! Sad, too, because we tried to find a replacement recipe, and the one we settled on wasn't nearly as good. What happened to you - ThinkInsideTheIcebox.com???

hiatus

Salt air here we come. I am ready.

first paint

We have finally put the first paint on the walls. We were inspired by a visit from some very old friends - a visit I will post about soon! Admittedly, we started small, tackling the alcove first, but at least it's a start. It looks good. And, if you get the allusion in this post's title, you'll know what color it is, too.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl.

call me betty

If you're a loyal reader, you may remember a time when I fretted over all the things that we would be sorry to leave behind when we moved from Glover Park to Brightwood. To be honest, I was mainly concerned about exchanging Breadsoda and Surfside for McDonald's and Subway. In fact, my anxiety ran so deep that when our friends from Savannah (who I blogged about here) came to visit last week (bringing us the most adorable housewarming present!) I panicked and planned a whole night out in the old neighborhood - Cactus Cantina and Alliance Tavern. Mr. Beeton has been determined to change that. He's fully embraced the Brightwood area. So, on Friday, he suggested that we walk up to Takoma Park, Maryland and explore the old downtown.

It took us only twenty minutes or so to walk from our house to the old downtown, and while it was no Wisconsin Avenue, there were a few little restaurants scattered on the main street that will certainly suit us. We chose Roscoe's where we had some yummy gazpacho, roasted marinated olives with bread, and two pizzas - a margherita and a proscuitto arugula (Two Amys better watch out). And, then, yesterday, after picking up an old antique glider which we found on craigslist (see previous post) and a brand new mattress from a local mattress store for our guest room, we stopped at Julia's Empanadas on Georgia Avenue for the lunch special, which fortified us for a shopping spree at the Georgia Avenue thrift store where we purchased an ah-mazing china closet that matches our refinished wood floors perfectly. All in all, a weekend of eating that could rival our best days in Glover Park. Maybe this Brightwood thing isn't so bad after all.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Youth in Revolt and Leap Year. Finished reading Spoon Fed by Kim Severson.

summer solstice

treading water

Mr. Beeton has assured me that last June felt this way as well - like we were swimming in circles, gliding endlessly over the same space. Since the start of the summer, we've been to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and now Cleveland. I've hit blockades in the form of book club, visitors from out of town, and Cats. It will get better, he promises. We will unpack. We will paint. I will write again. But now, it doesn't seem that way.

So today, I will blog about the perfect piece of iceberg lettuce that we ate while we attended the wedding of K & B in Cleveland. I have to admit - any town with as good of food as we ate can never be deemed "the mistake on the lake" in my book. We ate at Lola's our first night (oysters, "bacon," scallops, and mango parfait for dessert!), Dvine (delicious tapas and flights!) on our second, and Fahrenheit on our third (ribs, ravioli, and amazing desserts!). The dinner at the Ritz-Carlton where the reception was held was equally impressive, but for some reason, that little piece of iceberg lettuce stands out in my mind. It was remarkable in its understated elegance, sitting on its plate with walnuts and shredded apples surrounding it on either side. So classic, just like the wedding itself.

We had a wonderful time! And, we wish K & B all the best as they embark on their journey to Greece and their life together!

Keep sweeping, Martha

Read The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton.

curve ball

Life certainly has a knack for throwing some major lows alongside of some pretty spectacular highs - at least it did this past week. But I guess, by now, that's what our family should expect from the month of June.

In the meantime, we've managed to replace an old sink with a new one. Thank goodness for small victories.

Watched Valentine's Day and Letters to Juliet. Finished reading Anna Quindlen's Every Last One (depressing!).

beautiful bliss

Whew.

That was a production.

It's been over a week since we scheduled our U-Haul for the big move and look where we are. Nearly a week later, we were still moving all those little things that you forget to pack, cleaning out the dust balls which had taken over, and scouring the old tub. And, today, in our new place, we're still struggling with the chaos. There's so much to be done. Lining the kitchen cabinets, finding the perfect shower curtain, painting, and unpacking boxes and boxes and boxes of books. But, this is the fun part. That's what I keep telling myself.

People have been asking, "Does it feel like home yet?" And I can say honestly, "No. It doesn't. I couldn't find my toothbrush for three days!" But, the other night when we made our first home cooked meal, it started to get close. We didn't have much in the fridge, so we made do with a delicious tomato salad (a simple recipe from an old boyfriend's Italian mother - sliced tomatoes with garlic, oregano, basil, balsamic and olive oil) and an Orangette special - Pasta with Hashed Brussel Sprouts and Pine Nuts. (Ironically, Molly's post title is "Refilled and Refueled." Appropriate in this case as well.)

We sat on our new screened-in porch at an old table that the former owner left behind (along with a lot of other interesting items I'm too polite to mention here). The sun was beginning to dip behind the police tower, and we were hungry and tired from the week of stress. In that moment, yes, it felt like home.

Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - When this post first went up, I should have given a HUGE shout out to the four wonderful, wonderful men who helped us move - our neighbors-now-friends, the Chemist, and the Nutty Professor! We couldn't have done it without you guys!

PPS - How could I forget to thank my wonderful Brother #3! Without his pick-up truck (and muscle) we might still be on Calvert Street!

so long, farewell

movin' on up

I'm getting a little teary-eyed. It's not easy leaving an apartment and a neighborhood and people that you really, really love. I'm excited about the new place, but when I walked into our dismantled living room last night, it was hard not to cry. Luckily, the girls next door to us clogged up their sink drain. It backed up into our sink, and I thought to myself, "Okay. Maybe, I'm ready to move on."

So... to make the pain less painful, I thought I'd make a list of all the things I won't miss about my wonderful railroad apartment. (Because going to the Greek festival tonight and a party at Breadsoda on Monday night is not helping.)

1) The cleaning people. They have an uncanny knack for arriving just when I'm about to head out to walk Ella. Doesn't matter what time of day. On a Tuesday or Thursday, they are always waiting right outside the door as soon as I open it (though I do appreciate the great work that they do on our hallway!).

2) Talking Ella down the stairs at night for last call.

3) The creepy laundry room.

4) The marginally insane neighbors. Sinks backing up, walking around naked with all the shades up, calls for house meetings, the inability to pick up newspapers and junk mail, none of this I will miss.

5) Our kitchen. It's tiny. Very tiny.

6) No windows in the bedroom. Okay, we have windows, but they don't go outside.

7) The no good, terrible, horrible carpeting in the back (though we are exchanging it for no good, terrible, horrible carpeting in the basement, but we can replace it!).

8) No parking after 9 pm! That really irks me.

9) The construction at Stoddert.

10) Okay. Maybe that one about the neighbors should count for two.

In any case, tomorrow we are moving the big furniture, and I hope it works out for us. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous, and we have some friends coming to help. Those two facts alone put us at an advantage with our other D.C. move, which consisted of me and Mr. Beeton (and Ella, of course, but she just cries rather than lifts).

Okay. Back to packing. Is that the drain gurgling again?

Keep sweeping, Martha

you're about as old and piled

Yesterday was Mr. Beeton's 32nd birthday. Since he had been called to jury duty on Tuesday, we were afraid to make any big plans in case he needed to continue to fulfill his civic duty throughout the week. Instead, I decided to cook some egg rolls and make Chicken, Edamame, and Noodle Stir Fry. For dessert, Georgetown Cupcakes - red velvet, carrot, chocolate peanut butter, and vanilla birthday. I've blogged before here about their deliciousness.

Little did I know, however, that TLC has started filming at Georgetown Cupcake. The women who own the store - Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis - have been featured on television before, including a stint on Martha the day before Obama's victory. Apparently, the two have snagged a reality series entitled Cupcake Sisters, which you can read more about here. Any trip to Georgetown Cupcakes is sweet - especially if there is no line - but yesterday, the camera crews made it even sweeter. Thank goodness I had gotten my haircut that morning!

Watched Whip It, An Education, and It's Complicated.

super saver

closing time

As my loyal readers (and Facebook friends) may know, we have been embroiled in a bitter battle with Wells Fargo. I'm happy to report that we triumphed yesterday - approximately 24 days after our original closing date. We are now the proud owners of a house in the Brightwood neighborhood of D.C. on Quackenbos Street. We celebrated last night by taking some yummy food from Surfside, the bottle of champagne from Wells Fargo, and Ella over to the new homestead. Ella was pleased as punch, running in circles on the first floor, up the stairs and down again, and through every inch of the yard.

Sadly, though, the railroad apartment will be no more - in about a month - so until then, I'll need to savor all the things that still make it special.

1. The short walk to Whole Foods, Surfside, Breadsoda...

2. All of our neighbors-now-friends

3. Our little container garden, which we've cultivated with lots of love

4. Being on one floor. There's something to be said about not having to do stairs in the middle of the night to get some iced tea.

5. Stoddert Elementary School

6. Our cardboard fireplace

7. The fake windows in our bedroom

8. My bathtub - it's my favorite so far in the whole world!

9. Our walks through the woods

10. My super, super, super short commute (in car) or super, super short commute (on foot)

Watched Up In the Air and The Apartment. Watching Thirtysomething: Season One (ah-mazing!).

i'll huff and i'll puff

Our apartment is falling apart. Last night, due to the heat, we had to turn our air conditioner on. Since our bedroom is in the middle of our railroad apartment, this requires some finagling. We have to shut the door to the kitchen and seal the entrance to our doorway in order to capture the cool air. However, last night, our bedroom door refused to stay shut, probably because it has finally succumbed to the weight of the ironing board, which hangs on the back of the door. So, now, the ironing board is in the dining room along with boxes of junk, overstuffed Easter baskets, and wedding shower gifts. It's hard to navigate and to concentrate.

All of the chaos wouldn't bother me so much if there were an end in sight. In part, we've allowed ourselves to revel in this squalor because we thought we were closing on our new house... March 24th. But, we haven't yet closed, and we're still not sure there is an end in sight. First, we were told that our inspector's report - which we paid $460 for - was not good enough. The bank wanted us to get a structural engineer through - for another $350. Then, after we submitted that paperwork, the bank had additional concerns about the lead paint that might be lurking. This required not only hiring a lead-based paint specialist - for another $500 - but also having our contractor come out to the property, estimate how much the work would cost, and then submit that paperwork to the bank. Once this was done the bank wanted a copy of our termite report, which we had submitted weeks ago. Now, they wanted us to sign it and the seller to sign it.

Today, it appears as though everything is in, but I'm not holding my breath. One more puff from the bank, and I'm worried they'll blow our brick house down (even though that's not the way the story goes).

Watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Finished reading The Help.

article one

crazy eights

If you're a longtime follower of The Happy Homekeeper, you may have read previous posts about my love for my dog, Ella, or about our theme parties we have to celebrate her birthday. Well, Ella just turned eight, and we celebrated with a Bloody Mary Birthday Brunch.

I'd like to say that we went all out and made a fabulous spread. But, it was a little weak food-wise. You may recall that last year we baked a red-velvet cake and made tequila lime popcorn. This year, we scrambled some eggs for breakfast burritos, assembled a fruit salad, bought some bagels, and baked some blueberry muffins (from a box). Our Bloody Mary bar was outstanding, though, as were our bellinis. And, the guests who attended were some of the finest - The Chemist included.

I have to say, though, either three Bloody Marys in an afternoon are a bit too much or there was a full moon. Our day ended with a strange request for us to attend a house meeting to vote our downstairs neighbors off the island for a party that they threw the night before (one which we attended, thank you very much) and a late afternoon visit to those downstairs neighbors who apparently keep their apartment unlocked when they are not home. Apparently, everyone has stopped being polite and started getting real here on Calvert Street. Maybe there will be a rose on my doorstep tomorrow morning.

Watched The Secret Lives of Pippa Lee.

garden clean-up

for rent

We are not homeowners today. Maybe early next week. Keep your fingers crossed.

race around the track

When I finished up with graduate school, the number one question I got asked by people in academia was, "Did you get a tenure track job?" I didn't, and I didn't care. My job pretty much has all the perks of tenure. I can become an associate professor, if I like, and I can also become a full professor, if I work hard enough. I scoffed at the naysayers. After all, they were the ones who said I couldn't write a dissertation on chick lit. I'd show them. I'm always happiest at the margins.

Until yesterday... when my reappointment files were due. Since I don't have a tenure track job, I have to reapply for my job every three years, which means writing a teaching statement, a research statement, and a service statement as well as compiling an enormous pile of extraneous material including past syllabi, writing assignments, and student samples. Since I take my job seriously (and since March marked the start of Women's History Month and our "capstone" event for our program), I patiently waited until the start of Spring Break on Friday afternoon at 5 pm to begin compiling these documents. It took forever. Forever.

Only now am I emerging from this trauma. The sad thing is that I just wanted to get it all done so that I could have some time to grade. That's what spring break is for, right? Okay... I lie. My calendar is also filled with doctor's appointments, a haircut, and having my taxes done. I'm looking forward to a slight reprieve at the end of the week when we head to the sandy beaches of the Lehigh Valley.

P.S. - A big welcome to Baby B! So glad you could make it in time for St. Patrick's Day!

Watched The Informant. Re-watched half of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Still watching Weeds: Season 5.

the great pretenders

Mr. Beeton and I have a knack for pretending (see "surf's up"). That's what we did this past Saturday when we walked around Brightwood, imagining that it was already March 24th. We parked in front of our soon-to-be home on Quackenbos (love that name!), got out, and walked Ella (who hadn't yet been officially introduced to her new neighborhood) around such sites as Whittier Elementary School, Coolidge High School, and the Takoma Community Center (known to Brightwood insiders as Healthy U).

And last night, we ate gazpacho. The sun has been feeling a bit warmer these past few days, and the birds have been chirping with joy now that the mounds of snow are slowly melting. It is starting to feel like spring. So, I jumped the gun a bit and made one of our favorite summertime meals. I tasted the farmer's market, endless hours of reading, and sun in every bite.

Gazpacho

• 3 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 8 plum tomatoes, seeded, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced, seeded jalapeno chili
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine 1 cup tomato juice, half of tomatoes, half of cucumber, and half of bell pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Stir in remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper. Add onion, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, green onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Transfer 1 cup mixture to blender. Add 2 1/2 cups tomato juice to the blender and puree. Pour back into large bowl and stir to combine. Thin with additional tomato juice, if desired. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cover; chill for 2 hours... though we usually can't wait.

march into the madness

Watched Three Coins in the Fountain. Watching Weeds: Season 5. Finished watching Big Love: Season 3.

brightwood: one month to closing

Watched Couples Retreat and The Apartment. Watching Big Love: Season 3.

snowverkill

snowpocalypse

We're in the midst of another snowstorm. They're predicting up to 30 inches, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll beat the previous snowfall record in D.C. from 1922 - 28 inches!

The good news is that we kicked off the snowpocalypse with some neighbors-now-friends at our ultimate Glover Park spot - Breadsoda. The bad news is by the time we were done celebrating the snow the grocery store was closed. I had to raid our cupboards to see what exactly you could make with an apple, sour cream, and pecans. I came up with the Inn at the Park's Praline Apple Bread Recipe. We're hoping it tides us over until the Whole Foods opens again.

For now, we're just hoping our neighbors-now-friends invite us over for dinner.

Keep shoveling, Martha

Finished reading The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel.

outside the oval office

Why does the cast of The Real World D.C. never leave their house? Lame.

Keep sweeping (but don't forget there's a big world outside, too), Martha

Watched Jennifer's Body.

surf's up

This semester has gotten off to a particularly rocky start.

I'm teaching three classes on two different themes this semester, which, in general, I'm very excited about. Two of the classes are themed around women and food, and the third class is about Mad Men. I'd envisioned a pretty enjoyable spring, reading Diana Abu-Jaber and contemplating Peggy and Peter's relationship.

But, due to a series of events outside of my control, I've had to rewrite the syllabus for all two of the classes that I am teaching this semester. Now, for most people, this wouldn't be a problem. But, in our program, we're required to have about ten pages of front matter. This, in combination with my own obsessive-compulsive desire to start every new semester off with a clear sense of my overall trajectory, makes for a fifteen-page syllabus when you add in my detailed calendar. Now, I'm in the process of reworking all my dates to accommodate the demands of "the Others."

When Friday hit, I needed to visit Surfside. This summer, when all was right with the world, we'd go there about once a week. They have all kinds of delicious food and even more delicious margaritas. And, the best part about it is that we can walk with Ella down to Wisconsin Avenue to pick it up. If we call on the way, it's ready when we get there. I ordered the Nevis; Mr. Beeton ordered the Andros. It felt like summer when we ate.

Perhaps all this beginning-of-the-semester stress is compounded by the fact that we began our house hunting yesterday. The most memorable house - the one with the creepy horror movie music coming from upstairs. The quote of the day - from our realtor who said, "I feel like I'm going to get shot," in the same house.

Keep sweeping - especially when you can't see through the dust, Martha

Watched 9 and The Proposal.

new semester, same emotions

organically grown

One of the things that I like best about living in Glover Park is our proximity to the Whole Foods on Wisconsin Avenue. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I hadn't been into a Whole Food store until I first visited D.C. to apartment search with my then roommate, E. The two of us, completely clueless (we thought Glover-Archibold Park was a body of water when we looked at our D.C. street map) wandered the city, looking at a dank, dark, English garden apartment in Adams Morgan and one sunny studio at 2800 Wisconsin Ave. At the urging of E, I took the studio (E was afraid I would "Plath-out" in the English garden unit), and elated, the two of us walked down the street to see if we could find some food. We passed a bar, the Grog and Tankard, an old haunt of Mr. Beeton's, and I knew I'd made the right decision. And then, when I entered the mecca of Whole Foods, I felt even more sure that I was on the right track. The apple I bought was one of the best I had ever eaten.

Since that day, I've visited the flagship Whole Foods store in Austin, Texas (Mr. Beeton was in graduate school at the University of Texas), but nothing compares to my Wisconsin Avenue Whole Foods. It's one of the things I'll miss the most if we ever move out of this neighborhood... which we just might. Someday.

Tomorrow, we go to see a realtor. Before Christmas, we met with the bank, just to see if it might be possible to own our own place. And, it looks like it might. So, tomorrow, we're off to see what D.C. has to offer us. I'll keep you posted. For now, Mr. Beeton, Ella, and I will curl up in front of our cardboard fireplace and enjoy our "second floor living without a yard."


Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Night at the Museum 2.

apartment therapy

A friend of ours had her nursery featured on Ohdeedoh. To see the pictures of the adorable room click here.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched 500 Days of Summer.