domestic drudge

The other day we were eating our dinner outside. It was unseasonably warm, and we decided to get out the porch furniture so that we could enjoy the nice weather. Our neighbors were on the porch as well. They asked what we were eating, and we told them chicken and artichoke stew. The mom replied, gesturing to her son and daughter,"Wow. I bet you wish you were eating that, kids."

Now, chicken and artichoke stew is nothing fancy. You cook the chicken in a skillet, add some carrots and onions, add some flour and chicken broth, and finish with the artichokes. We usually have it with rice. But her comment got me thinking about how unpleasant this whole social distancing thing must be for people who hate to cook. I feel like - COVID-19 or not - dinner is the bright part of our day. I look forward to making something - new or old - having a glass of wine and chatting over dinner. If you didn't like cooking, though, this whole corona thing, which is already pretty unpleasant, would be downright awful.

So, for anyone wishing for inspiration, I give you the link to Martha Stewart's Everyday Foods (the magazine from which we got the chicken and artichoke stew recipe) - https://www.marthastewart.com/274264/everyday-food-recipes. We've gotten a lot of good recipes from here, including this one which we have with margaritas - a necessity during a pandemic.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

fly to the sky

She's no Vanessa.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

happy fourth

We are loving our new Fourth of July tradition - the Takoma Park parade at our friends' house on Maple Avenue (they throw a fabulous party!). Nothing says the Fourth like the 9/11 Truth Seekers and the Attachment Parenting Group all marching together in harmony.

2014

And flashback a year...

2013

I realize I've been missing in action a bit lately. I promise to return soon with a more complete update of our summer adventures. 

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch (loved).

so this happened

swatch watch

mccormick and schmick's

republic happy hour

brunch at bread & chocolate - twice

drybar bethesda

georgetown cupcakes

lucky strike bowling

the friends

the family

the exhibit

If this, my friends, is forty, I'll take it. 

Keep sweeping, Martha

putting the lonesome on the shelf

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of celebrating two of our favorite people - M & B! They were married in Bethlehem, and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday marked three days of fun with family and friends. There was a fabulous rehearsal dinner at Sagra in Hellertown with the cutest party favors - Granny Smith apples and Baby Ruth candy bars, packaged with an inscribed maple leaf. On Saturday, we had the ceremony at Peter Hall along with the reception at the Banana Factory. (Again, Sagra provided the food, and it was ah-mazing! As were all the little details that my mom and sister worked so hard to put together!) Then, Sunday, we gathered at Perkins - in true Peanuts Clay fashion.

One of the more challenging moments of the weekend was my giving my bridesmaid speech. At first, when I was asked to be the matron of honor, I refused to give a speech. It seemed way too intimidating. But, as the months passed, I realized that I wanted to honor my cute, funny, smart sister (Baby Beeton's quote) in some way. And, I also realized that doing things which make you uncomfortable can provide an opportunity for growth. I've had a couple of requests for my speech, so I'm posting it here. (Get inspired B - you're next!)

Good evening everyone. I’m M's sister, and on behalf of my family, I’m here to thank you for joining M &B as they collect the first moments of their married life together.

I thought I might begin by recognizing some of the impressive marriages on both M's and B's sides of the family.

In doing a little research, I found that on both sides of these families there have been some very long lasting, strong marriages, and it seems appropriate to give these couples a shout out.

To start, B’s parents – if my math is correct – will be married thirty-six years in April. M’s parents mark their forty-first anniversary in just a week or so. And, M’s grandparents who unfortunately couldn’t be with us today have been married sixty-nine years.

B’s grandparents – his Nana Marie who is here today – was married to her husband since 1949. And, Mr. R’s parents who are no longer with us were married in 1939. Finally, my Nana and Poppop who are no longer with us were married almost seventy years when my Poppop died.

You can see why, after reviewing this list, I was a little intimidated to offer my own marriage advice. I wasn’t sure what advice I – with my five years experience (Frank stands and corrects me, holding up six fingers) – could offer the newlyweds.

But then I realized that M & B are already familiar with the best metaphor that I can think of for marriage – that of the tennis doubles team. For a successful doubles team, you try to match up partners whose strengths compliment their partner’s weaknesses. You have to move together as one unit. You have to communicate. You have to celebrate the wins together and mourn the losses together. And what I’ve learned most recently in my marriage is that you have to realize exactly when you don’t have the strength to book it back to the baseline for that lob. And your partner, in turn, has know when to say, “I got it.”

Now, I know that there are a lot of expectations, given my profession as an English professor, for me to come up with the perfect quote that sums up what marriage means. So, I didn’t want to disappoint. I went through my volumes of Shakespeare, my Austen, and the Romantic poets in the hopes of finding that perfect quote. And, I found it. In a little known text, Orange Is the New Black, a Netflix original series. In this show, there’s a scene where the protagonist Piper is helping her best friend Polly get ready for her wedding day. While the two are talking, Polly shares her advice for a strong relationship. She notes that her soon-to-husband rarely gets angry when she puts her cold feet on him in the middle of the night. She also says that he always knows when it’s time to order Chinese food. But, it’s this quote that really resonated with me regarding M & B's relationship. Polly says:

“You have to find someone that you can spend two weeks with in a cramped time share in Montauk in the rain and not want to kill… He made jigsaw puzzles fun and competitive.”

And that’s when I knew. M & B. They’ve got this one.

So, raise your glasses as we celebrate M & B's new partnership. We love you. Best of luck.

I don't have many photos to share, but here are three of my favorites. If you're on Instagram, you can try #smithruthwedding. There are some super cute ones posted!

Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - A HUGE thank you to Grammy and Poppa for trekking up to the Little Town to watch Baby Beeton during the wedding festivities! It was much appreciated. We owe you a dinner (at least).

Finished watching Orange Is the New Black. Onto Homeland: Season Two. 

some type of way

We've been in some serious denial that summer is over here on Quackenbos Street. But, now that Labor Day has come and gone, I think it's time to face the facts - even if select splash parks in D.C. are still open. 

In these waning summer days, I noticed more and more people posting on Facebook about things that they were pleased to note they had finally crossed off their "summer bucket lists." I find the whole concept of a bucket list to be perverse (who wants to actively think about their impending doom?), but I did want to post about a few places that were especially special to us this summer - places that we visited more and more as the impending first day of school loomed.

Trohv - I cannot even explain the magic that is Trohv. If you haven't been, you need to hop on the red line and head on up there. After all, where else can you find an A-Treat soda bottle carrier that you'll transform into bathroom wall art? (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Pleasant Pops - This place was one of my most favorite summertime haunts - the pop shop! (Thanks, MB, for tipping us off to it!) When you combine it with a picnic in Meridian Hill Park, nothing says summer more. 

Van Buren Playground - Yes, folks. The playground is finally open! We'd been dreaming about it all summer, and I have to say that the final product is waaaay better than what we imagined. We spent so much time there the past few weeks that I think the maintenance men thought we had set up permanent camp in the little treehouse. And, again, when combined with a picnic... aaahhh. As Baby Beeton would say, "This is the life!"

AFI Silver Theater - How did we not know this was in our backyard? Mr. Beeton and I had a date night not too long ago (only the second of the entire summer... a crime, I know). We followed it up with a drink at Sidebar. I had a "Tennis Is More Interesting When You're Drunk" in honor of the U.S. Open. It had Pimm's in it, and you know how I feel about that.

Takoma Park Farmers' Market - We loved going to market all summer. Frequently, the much anticipated La Mano coffee bar would host pop-ups, and we could shop for fresh veggies while drinking cold brewed coffee. Baby Beeton loves, loves, loves the yogurt drinks and guitar player. And, this past week, we did our best to convince our former neighbors-now-friends that they really need to move here (please, please, please! we'll watch your cats when you take trips... er... I mean vacations).

When I think of summer 2013, these are the places that I'll think of... the places that make me "drop down to my knees, thankful for life today." If you can guess who made that quote famous, I'll buy you a cold-brewed coffee.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Blue Jasmine.

 

the new normal

This weekend signified, for me, what I'd like to think of as "the new normal." Pre-Baby Beeton I spent a lot of time complaining about how much work I had to do - papers to grade, articles to write, committee work to accomplish. And I spent even more time avoiding all that work so that it often seemed insurmountable, mainly because I had whittled down my time so that there wasn't really any way to get 45+ hours of work done in 2.5 hours of time. It was a vicious cycle.

Perhaps one of the biggest blessings that Baby Beeton has brought with him is a sense of perspective. I've realized that I'm not as busy as I pretended to be, and I certainly can finish up what needs to get done - as long as I use my time wisely. And, this realization means that weekends, for me, have now become weekends... the kinds of days where you head out to Rock Creek Park and take a nature walk or stop by Trohv to visit a pop-up coffee shop. It's pretty blissful.

Winter break followed along the same lines. The end of 2012 was filled with a certain craziness that only the holidays can bring - Christmas Eve service, followed by dinner at Lia's, Christmas Day festivities in Purcellville, an unexpected ice storm, a trip to Pennsylvania for more family time, wedding dress shopping, and an unexpected snow storm.

When we returned, we took it easy. Some trips to Silver Spring to watch the ice skaters and dance to the music as H&M. Two trips to Zoolights since we love it so much. And a fantastic spur-of-the-moment visit to the Baltimore Aquarium where we saw dolphins - aka pishy, pishy - and picked up a penguin puppet - aka guck, guck. We finished that night off with dinner at Phillips.

I know it probably shouldn't have taken this long, but after nineteen months, I feel a lot more comfortable with this new life I've got. And, while Mr. Beeton and I question ourselves everyday about our parenting choices, I think - hopefully - that maybe we're not doing all that badly at raising this little one.

I have to say that one of the absolute highlights of the winter break was Baby Beeton's finally embracing the word "Momma." He learned "Dada" very quickly and would use it in reference to both Mr. Beeton and myself. Sometime over winter break, though, it clicked, and now it's "Momma, Momma, Momma." I particularly like it when he says, "Momma. Sit," and pats the floor space next to him. In fact, he's doing all kinds of word combinations now - "Tickle, tickle, Ruby" and "Bye-bye Geek Geek (read: Curious George)." It's adorable. This is also probably why he decided for a week straight to wake up at 2:30 am, 3:30 am, or 4:30 am to face the day. He has a lot to say, and he won't let sleep stop him. I'm trying to take it all in stride, though.

I like this new normal.

Keep sweeping, Martha

PS - If you're looking to support a good cause, head over to Enjoying the Small Things where Kelle Hampton is raising money for The National Down Syndrome Society. She's already raised around $200,000!

Finished reading NW by Zadie Smith.

'tis the season

I've been feeling a little down lately. I think the holidays are catching up with me. I was going strong for a while. We decorated the house with our Moravian star, outdoor lights, and window candles. We've been listening to Christmas carols at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, singing along loudly. And, I've drunk more than my share of gingerbread lattes. But, this week, this week, I crashed. It wasn't just the fact that TWO tree lots we visited were closed and that we ended up getting our tree at Home Depot where a bird pooped on my head. And, it also wasn't the fact that while we were enjoying blueberry pancakes at IHOP our Christmas tree - strapped to the roof of our car - was getting rained on in a torrential downpour. It certainly wasn't the fact that our credit card got declined at the IHOP for insufficient funds due to our overzealous holiday shopping. Instead, I think I've come down with Elf on the Shelf Syndrome.

Let me explain.

If it hadn't been for Petula Dvorak and her article in The Washington Post this past December I probably wouldn't have the language for what's been ailing me. But, when I read her article, it all made sense. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my deepest desires is to be "together." I want containers filled with crayons. I want to organize my jewelry in a spice rack. I want to be able to find my house keys. For goodness sake, why do you think I take my pen name from "Martha Stewart" and "Mrs. Beeton!" Those women have(had) it together. Yet sadly, there are no labeled containers of sugar here. No toile covered ironing boards on my watch. In this house, chaos seems to reign. And, the holidays are, for me, all about magnifying my inadequacies.

(Yes, that's laundry on the couch along with a frog, a Santa, some ornaments, bubble wrap, and a vacuum to show my good intentions.) 

As one friend once described me: "Caroline has the uncanny ability to channel Bridget Jones (which means, while she might not actively seek out mischief and embarrassment, it finds her nonetheless)." Yup. That's me in a nutshell.

Dvorak's article helped to explain things a bit, though. If my stress is ten fold during a normal holiday season, imagine how intensified my anxiety becomes as a new parent. Not only must I find the perfect gifts for everyone on my list, but I've also got to find the perfect gifts for a pretty special little someone. And, I've got to secretly assume the role of that magical, marvelous "Ho Ho" - all while feeling pretty un-magical and un-marvelous. And now, according to Dvorak, I'm facing off not only against my inner Martha but also the crazy over-achieving parents she mentions in her article - the ones whose elves are having pillow fights and baking cookies! What's a mediocre mom to do?

Well, I think tonight this mom is going to stop sending her husband out to the store to find Christmas lights for the tree in the hopes that they can finally (FINALLY!) decorate it. And I may also just ignore this chaos in favor of a glass of wine and an episode of Revenge. I know the elf is watching. But quite frankly, I don't care.

Keep sweeping, Martha

lunch is the new dinner

Dearest, dearest readers. I don't know what kind of voodoo magic you all have been doing on our behalf but whatever it is I thank you for it. Following that last post, we entered a divine week of really, really good sleep. And, as a result, I had been feeling like a million bucks. Of course, minor disruptions have set in again, but the memory of that week keeps me going.

I think another mood booster has been our commencement of "Date Fridays." Fridays originally began as a day devoted to work. It's the day when our babysitter C (who's so wonderful!) spends the afternoon with Baby Beeton, and it was our intention to spend the four hours that she's here working on whatever it is that we need to do (thinning plants, writing grants, revising chapters, assembling promotion materials - yikes!). But, after the first few weeks, we realized that all this work could be done outside of our home, that we could actually leave and return when her shift was done. So, we began going out to lunch and then heading somewhere to do work. This past Friday, we went to Busboys and Poets, and in weeks past, we've gone to Takoma Bistro, Adega, and Wasabi. And, we've found ourselves typing away in the Silver Spring Whole Foods, the Stamp Student Union, and the McKeldin Library. It's been the best way to end the work week and begin the weekend.

We even managed to sneak in a dinner date. We had intended to use a gift certificate we received for Christmas from two years ago (thanks K & B) to Marvin in the U. Street Corridor a few weeks ago. But instead, we spent the evening in the veterinary hospital with Ella who was attacked by a nasty, nasty dog on the Sligo Creek Trail (I'd love to track down the dog's owner who walked away rather quickly after the vicious attack and who most likely lives in one of those mansions lining the parkway... it would give me great satisfaction to present him with the $2000 bill!). Once Ella - and we - recovered, we decided to try again, and thanks to Grammy and Papa who came to sit with Henry, we were able to not only have a terrific meal but also join our friend E for her 30th birthday. I can't say that I've ever had a cocktail as delicious as the one I had that night (even if it cost $12 and took me 20 minutes to get). Unfortunately, I can't remember the name and googling "champagne" and "marvin" has produced ridiculous results.

In any case, that's a brief update from here. I realize that I'm long overdue for a post about Baby Beeton, but in order to do that, I need some photographs so that you can see our growing boy in all his glory (maybe today... we're headed to the pumpkin patch). Let me just say that lately, I feel a lot like I live in a zoo - "minou, minou, quack, quack, woof, woof."

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched What to Expect When You're Expecting and Conception. (I realize that there's a theme here, but don't worry, dear readers, it means nothing. Believe me.)

setting the summer sun on fire

If you don't know who Andy Cohen is, you should. I've been a fan of his as long as I can remember - or at least since Bravo began airing Real Housewives reunions. Mr. Beeton and I would laugh and laugh and laugh when Andy asked a ridiculously rude question that was supposedly sent in by a viewer but which was probably just something he wanted to know. He's cool like that.

We've also been seriously addicted to Andy's late night show - Watch What Happens Live. It looks like it might be filmed in his mom and dad's basement; he and his guests play outrageous games; and it contains a crazy combination of guests (Anderson Cooper and Camille Grammer, Rachel Maddow and Jenni Pulos, NeNe Leakes and Michelle Obama... okay, I made that last one up). The show is so wacky that it was spoofed on Saturday Night Live. (Just for the record, they are a little too mean to Andy for my taste in this one.)



Well, I found out the other day that Andy is having a contest. You see, another quirky aspect of Andy's show is that he has a bar on set, and in each episode, there is a different bartender. The grand prize for his contest, Raise the Bar, is to BE ANDY'S BARTENDER FOR A NIGHT! So, of course, I entered. You had to submit a written piece that was 200 words or less explaining why you are WWHL's biggest fan and why you deserve to be behind Andy's bar.

Top Ten Reasons Why I Deserve to Be Behind the Bar in Andy’s Clubhouse

10 – Because as an English teacher, I swoon every time you say, “Hello caller. What’s your name, and from where are you calling?”

9 – Because I make a mean Pimm’s cup.

8 – Because you took my D.C. housewives away. You owe me.

7 – Because I go to the Jersey Shore every summer, and I never wear sunscreen.

6 – Because I can’t wait to see your parents' basement. (That’s where you film, right?)

5 – Because my husband and I played drinking games to WWHL before you did.

4 – Because if I were a real housewife, my tagline would be – In this capital city, there’s only one president. Mazel! (Said in Heather’s voice.)

3 – Because last year, at age thirty-seven, I had my first baby, and I didn’t hire Rosie Pope.

2 – Because if you think Jiggy’s cute, wait until you meet my Westie, Ruby.

1 – Because if you didn’t pick me, you’d be MY jackhole of the week.

If you are a true Andy fan, you'll understand what I've written above. And, if you're not, then you won't, so you'd better tune in every week night on Bravo and get up to speed!

Keep sweeping, Martha

burning in my heart

For those of you who may not have heard, the DMV area found themselves smack-dab in the center of a heat wave these past few weeks. As a result, it's been too hot to blog. I've started several posts but haven't finished them. Today, however, it's a glorious 75 degrees and cloudy. I'm still recovering, though, so all you'll get from me is a top ten list, some photographs, and a short little video. Enjoy!

Top Ten Ways to Beat the Heat

10. Pick radishes. You've read about our past experiences with container gardening here and with our community garden plot here. Well, I think we finally got it right. We constructed our own little raised garden plots at the side of our house, and we've got radishes!

9. Read Ann Patchett and watch Weeds. No explanation needed.

8. Visit the National Gallery of Art. This D.C. site has lots to offer in a heat wave - air conditioning, gelato, Leo Villareal's Multiverse, and a nearly empty contemporary art gallery where little ones can crawl around until their heart is content.

7. Follow up visit to art gallery with a visit to RDF. After strolling around the art museum, we stopped off at RDF for some hummus, beer, and white sangria. A great halfway stopping point between the museum and the metro.

6. Trek out to Tysons Corner. We window-shopped, played at Barnes and Noble, and dined at Gordon Biersch. Unfortunately, a lot of other people had this same idea. As a result, Tysons Corner wasn't much cooler than our living room.

5. Learn new tricks. We thought we could make this video go viral by replacing our silly jabbering with "I'm so mad at Pepco!"

4. Drink Pimm's Cups. This drink really is the ultimate heat wave drink. Combine a quarter of a cup Pimm's with three-quarters of a cup of ginger ale. Add ice and a slice of cucumber.

3. Make baby-friendly popsicles. There are so many creative sites out there with recipes for popsicles! I made mine with yogurt and frozen blueberries, and I put them in the rocket pop molds that I bought at Whole Foods. Yummy!

2. Make your own country club. Combine one inflatable pool with one goofy grin. What heat wave?

1. Get a haircut. Yup. We finally did it. A few tears were shed (mine, not his), but around these parts, it's a hundred percent cooler.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Watching Weeds: Season 7. 

Happy day-after-birthday to Fairy Godmother M! We love you lots around here.

more of the birthday boy

A few more pictures from our big day. These were taken by our very talented friend CPP. Thanks so much to her!

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown.

may oh may

Mother's Day pancakes at Zest in Eastern Market. The only way to celebrate.

Keep sweeping, Martha

shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen

One morning, I woke up, and my hair was curly instead of straight.

Okay. So maybe the transformation wasn't that dramatic, but it feels like it's been. Save for two exceptions, I've always styled my hair in some version of the classic bob, but since Baby Beeton's birth, my hair has been slowly falling out. And, the hair that's coming in isn't straight; it's curly, which means my sleek bob can no longer be contained. I've had to find a whole other way to wear my hair.

In the grand scheme of all things that a new baby brings, this change in my hair isn't really that significant. But, to me, it serves as a tangible manifestation of just how different I've felt since Baby Beeton's arrival. It's hard to explain this feeling to people, how, most days, I don't recognize myself. Most people don't understand. Having a baby changes things, they tell me. And, I understand that. But having a baby shouldn't change you this much. It shouldn't make you unrecognizable to yourself. In the moments where I begin to doubt my sanity, to wonder if what I'm feeling is actually true, I look in the mirror. My hair, for me, confirms these changes.

Thankfully, there are more and more moments lately where I feel a glimmer of my old self sneak to the surface.  I had one the other night, standing in the middle of Dupont Circle after a wonderful dinner at the Cosmos Club (D.C.'s country club for intellectuals). Mr. Beeton's parents had come into town to babysit Baby Beeton (thank you, Grammy and Papa!), and Mr. Beeton and I had our third night out alone since Baby Beeton was born. There was good food, interesting discussions. And walking back in the dark through Dupont Circle to our car, I began to feel like everything might one day be right again. In that moment, I knew that my old self was coming back, however slowly.

When I look in the mirror, I try to remind myself that once before - in college - my hair totally went haywire. And, at that time, I did the same thing I'm doing now. I let it grow; I got some layers; I didn't try to fight it; and I rode it out. It may be only in my imagination, but I feel like when my old hair made a reappearance it was even better than ever. I've got my fingers crossed.

Keep sweeping, Martha

my oh my

I love mornings.

I know. Who would have ever thought I would write those words? Mornings have never been my cup of tea. I cried each and every morning I had to get up to go to high school. I gagged my way through breakfast when I worked as a teacher's aide in a junior high school for two years after college. That's why I've always taught college classes that began after 10 a.m. (except for one miserable summer in graduate school when I was assigned "Business Writing" at 8 a.m. ... I must have made someone very mad).

But, lately, mornings are my favorite part of the day. Baby Beeton will wake up and nurse. We'll head downstairs to take Ella for a walk. We'll come back and have breakfast. Since Baby Beeton is mostly interested in finger foods, I'll try to give him some oatmeal and fruit, but he'll end up just gobbling down cheerios dipped in yogurt, toast with fruit spread, and chunks of soft fruit like bananas and pears. Feeding him is so much fun. He loves to eat and gets to excited to try out any little thing he can pinch! Then, when he's done, we'll head downstairs to the basement playroom (which, while carpeted and painted - finally - has no furniture in it as of yet... it's actually a good thing because head-hitting hazards have been eliminated) for a while. And, then before you know it, it's nap time. Baby Beeton is usually so tired from eating and playing that he'll go down very easy. These mornings have a sweet predictability, which I've come to love.

And, when a morning like this is followed by a two hour nap, that makes it all the sweeter. If it hadn't been 10 am when this respite started, I would have made myself a cocktail - a Pimm's cup to be precise. This drink is going to be my new drink of summer because it's just so tasty (and makes me feel like a Grantham). You just take Pimm's, mix it with lemonade (I like the sparkling kind), and add a few slices of cucumber. When our tax return comes rolling in, you can find me sitting on something like this on my screened-in-porch with lanterns like these reminding me that summer is the best time of the year. I'll be drinking a Pimm's cup and toasting to breakfast.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Young Adult.

road trip

The last weekend in July, we traveled out to Chicago to celebrate a milestone for another Baby B - our nephew who was born about a month before Baby Beeton. Many people thought we were crazy for driving out to Illinois; after all, the trip is ten hours. But since Ella has serious separation anxiety, we thought it best to opt for our own little National Lampoon's vacation rather than head to the airport.

Mr. Beeton, Baby Beeton, Ella, and I headed out on Thursday morning, staying at our friend's house in Cleveland on the way out and back. Honorary Uncle P was in Ireland for ten days, so his townhouse in Ohio City was all ours. On the way out, we arrived on Thursday night, grilled steaks, rested, and got up the next day, heading to the West Side Market for lunch. That night, we drove to Cold Water, Michigan where we stayed at a lovely Red Roof Inn and enjoyed Applebee's Curbside To Go. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, we arrived in downtown Chicago, settled in, later meeting up with family for a barbecue. Sunday we celebrated Baby B's big day and relaxed with family that evening. Then, on Monday, it was back to Cleveland and then home to D.C. the next day. My sister-in-law recorded the whole weekend in her blog post "Holy Weekend" - it's complete with adorable pictures of all the cousins who attended.

I have to admit that aside from the Peach Snapps wine coolers from the Walmart in Cold Water, the three egg sandwiches I ate over the course of the weekend (two from Panera and one from Frasca), and Ella's walk down Michigan Avenue, a definite highlight of the weekend were the delicious salads from Whole Foods that we had at the barbecue. In particular, Mr. Beeton and I were taken with an orzo salad - so much so that when we came home we reproduced it in our own kitchen. Scrumptous. And even better the next day.

Greek Orzo Salad

• Make as much orzo as you like.
• Saute spinach with a little garlic.
• Drain orzo. Add spinach, feta cheese, black and green olives.
• Dress with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Enjoy.

Thanks to K & B for a wonderful weekend! We can't wait to see you and Baby B soon!

Keep sweeping, Martha

don't call it a comeback

The long awaited comeback meal post...

I have to admit. The first three months of this journey were not easy. I'm a little slow to warm up to change to begin with, and then when I began to lose my appetite and feel just generally "blah," I began to wonder what Mr. Beeton had gotten me into. Never before had I realized just how much I use food to celebrate, well, just about everything. (I blame my Nana Beeton for this who met both the good and bad in life with green jello salad, sugar on tomatoes, and lobster.) Students groveling over grades? At least beef stoganoff was waiting at home. It's the weekend? Time to celebrate with salmon and lime butter sauce. All of the sudden, though, the only thing I could stomach was tomato juice, banana strawberry smoothies from McDonald's (no other kind would do), and rice cakes... so many rice cakes.

And, then, Thanksgiving weekend, the baby said, "Well, I guess we're done with that," and my appetite kicked back in. Everything tasted good again (well, actually, everything except tomato juice... anyone want a case?). I could eat; I could cook; it was wonderful. I guess it's true that you never really know how much you love something until you don't have it anymore.

The second trimester arrived just in time for our monthly bookclub meeting, which I was hosting. It's a wonderful group of a half-a-dozen women from the D.M.V., and we meet about once a month to talk about whatever book we've selected (appropriately, December's selection was The Persian Pickle Club... pickles were also something I had no trouble eating from Day 1). I decided that I had enough energy to finally remove the wallpaper glue from the living room walls and paint as well as prepare a winter meal for the meeting. I convinced a reluctant Mr. Beeton to help. The morning of the bookclub we finally finished painting the ceiling, and we set up like we were on some kind of design show challenge. But everything looked beautiful. I'll post before and after pictures soon. With the progress we've been making on our house, I almost feel like it's a real home (or at least I will when the sticky tile is out of the kitchen for good).

And the meal. I made Amy's Vegetarian Chili, but I made it in the crock pot - easier and better, I think, because the flavors really have a chance to meld. I also made Nigella Lawson's Ultimate Greek Salad, which never, ever disappoints; it's a Beeton party staple. Mulled wine was also on the menu for those who weren't expecting. I've tried mulled wine in the past, but this recipe is the best I've come across. Our friend E brought an assortment of desserts from a cookie-making party that she had attended, which really saved the day in the dessert department.

And, this weekend, we have our housewarming party! Having all our friends (and some of our family) in to show off what we've done will be so fun... now only if I could have a cocktail.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched The Kids Are All Right, Dinner for Schmucks, Going the Distance, and Cyrus. Watching Big Love: Season 4.

Finished reading The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas and The Atlas of Love by Laurie Frankel (an old graduate school friend).

enough said

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

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.

super saver