camp topridge

A few years ago, Mr. Beeton and I were introduced to one of D.C. finest gems - Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens. Boy Beeton's French teacher told us about a celebration happening there - La Chandeleur - and we decided to explore with a new school friend. The place was magical, and we loved it so much we decided to become members. 

The owner of the estate, Marjorie Merriweather Post, is a fascinating figure who owned a number of houses included the what is now known as Mar-a-Lago Club. (Yes, unfortunately, there is a present day Trump connection.) One of her homes - Camp Topridge - was a "rustic retreat" in the Adirondacks. 

Well, remember how I told you that we looked at three properties in Chincoteague the other week? We bought one - on Ridge Road - and decided to name it Topridge, after dear Marjorie's "rustic retreat." 

We closed on Halloween weekend and had a lovely time enjoying our new place and walking down Main Street in our Greek heroes and heroine costumes. We got this amazing picture of Poseidon by the sea.

The woman who sold the house to us also gave us all the furniture, and while some might call it "taste specific," it's our taste specific - old woman chic. So, we've decided to work with what we have and upcycle as much as possible. I got this beautiful set of dishes on our local "Buy Nothing" group. The name of the pattern - Adirondack.

Stay posted for most photos and updates. It's going to be fun.

Keep sweeping,

Martha

happy accident

 The other day, we had the happiest of accidents when it comes to cookies. I've been told that my cholesterol is a bit high (and by a bit, I mean dangerously close to 300), so I was on the lookout for recipes that were heart healthy. I have a big sweet tooth, so to me (especially without ice cream being a daily option anymore) that I find some way to satisfy my sweet cravings. 

I figured oatmeal cookies might be safe, but I'm not a fan of raisins. I reasoned semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips might do the trick instead. I found this recipe and got to work. 

Only thing was we didn't have any oats... or white sugar... and I already told you about the raisins. So, I adjusted the recipe, and it came out so good we are keeping it this way. Even Boy Beeton - picky eater that he is - liked it.

Lower Caroline's Cholesterol Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup sugar in the raw

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup of applesauce

2/3 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 3/4 cups steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Directions

1) Beat the egg whites with salt and sugars.

2) Add applesauce, vanilla, soda, and cinnamon.

3) Stir in chocolate chips.

4) Stir in oats.

5) Add flour and mix.

6) Chill dough for an hour.

7) Form into small balls (1 1/2 inch) and bake 12 to a sheet at 375 degree for about ten minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on a rack for a minute. Then, use spatula to transfer to a plate. Store airtight. Makes 36 cookies.

Another happy accident? A beach house. Well, not for sure, but we've been looking. 

We've always wanted to have a vacation house, especially with the luxury of our long summers thanks to our jobs. And, with Ella and now our two new - high maintenance beasts - it can be difficult to find a dog friendly place to stay. Having our own place - with a yard for them - would make traveling so much easier. And, as others have attested to, the pandemic really opened our eyes up to what we value most in life. Having a space to go with access to the outdoors is a big bonus, especially if we would have to return to remote work and school. (Fingers and toes crossed we do not!)

Why Chincoteague? Not sure if I ever wrote about our trip to Chincoteague several years ago, but shortly after Mr. Beeton got his PhD, we decided to visit and had a wonderful week. We hadn't been back until this past Easter when we decided to spend the holiday there. Then, we spent a week there this summer and had as much fun - if not more - the third time around. Chincoteague is close (and the drive makes it seem so much closer since the scenery is gorgeous), cheap, and charming.

How in the world is this possible? Mr. Beeton is a real estate genius. Not really, but he did make a good call when he encouraged us to buy this house. Most importantly, we love it, but it's also given us amazing equity; it's more than doubled in value since we bought it. So, we took out a HELOC out for a down payment and are taking it from there. We plan on renting to cover the mortgage which our real estate agent has assured us will be doable.

If it sounds like a done deal, it isn't. We did put an offer in on a house that we loved, but the woman who was selling - after verbally agreeing to our offer - decided to hold onto the house. I guess we reawakened her love of her home. 

We just got back from another visit where we looked at three very cute and very different places - some better investments than others. I'll keep you posted, dear readers. 

Keep sweeping.

Martha

Watching The Mysterious Benedict Society. 

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

sun on the carpet

The world has been moving way too fast lately, and I feel as though I haven't been able to catch up. The fall was hard. The spring was harder. And now, we're headed into summer, which I hope will just be nothing but lovely.

In these moments, I tell myself to breath. And, I hold tight to the little things.

Boy Beeton and I stumbled upon this Little Free Library on the way to a birthday party. These gems are scattered throughout our neighborhood, but this one was particularly sweet.

Mr. Beeton was reading poems by Charles Bukowski. I'd never read Bukowski, but I definitely had a clearly formed image of him from my graduate school days. I opened the book to this poem, which took me by surprise. Completely at odds with the poet I thought I knew and so expressive of my own feelings about parenthood. 

Marina
majestic, magic
infinite
my little girl is
sun
on the carpet-
out the door
picking a flower, ha!
an old man,
battle-wrecked,
emerges from his
chair
and she looks at me
but only sees
love,
ha!, and I become
quick with the world
and love right back
just like I was meant
to do.

Keep sweeping,

Martha

Read My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. Watched Carol. Watching Catastrophe. 

we're having...

...snow much fun!

Keep shoveling,
Martha

Watched Sofia Coppola's Somewhere. Finished reading Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies. 

my view at dusk

Today was a good day.

I haven't been able to say that for a while now. When my pericarditis hit this fall (update soon, I promise), I didn't realize how much it was affecting me physically or emotionally until the cardiologist finally said I needed to take it seriously. I had thought - as I did after Boy Beeton was born - that I was just an inadequate mother. I had thought - because I was so tired all the time - that I was just selfish. I had thought - because I had no patience for anything or anyone - that I was just a bad person. But, it was just the illness, which on top of being physically painful, was also making me tired and depressed.

I know this because today was a good day. I woke up with energy. I played with Boy Beeton this morning. I put away the porch furniture. We went to school. I took a walk. I graded. After school, we picked up some groceries. When we got home, we played soccer in the yard until it got dark. I made dinner. We had a dance party. I calmly dealt with a before bed tantrum. I was myself again.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

Watched The Peanuts Movie.

boo

2015 shots of Halloween... and an oldie but goodie. "The sun will come out..."

Keep sweeping,
Martha

Read Mary Higgins Clark The Melody Lingers On.

happy birthday, you're really sweet

Boy Beeton made this video for Uncle T's birthday. Since he couldn't open it via email and since I couldn't figure out how to send it in a different format, I'm posting it here. Boy Beeton looks a lot different than he did celebrating the big 80.

Happy Birthday!

Keep sweeping,
Martha

Watched While We're Young.

a grain of sand

We got a sandbox this weekend, and it is already changing my life. Boy Beeton played happily while I read Roiphe. Today, he and our neighborhood friend S played while S's mom and I enjoyed a glass of wine. Cheers to a summer of this!

Keep sweeping,
Martha

a wonderfully messy life

I've been reading Katie Roiphe's book In Praise of Messy Lives. I know I'm not supposed to "like" Roiphe, but I love the title of her book. And, since my own life - of late - has felt incredibly messy, I thought it might be comforting to read the words of someone who not only has a messy life but goes so far as to praise it.

The book, which is a collection of previously titled essays, was inspired by an article that Roiphe wrote for The New York Times on Mad Men. It's an interesting read about the phenomenon that is the AMC series, about Roiphe's mother, and about the pursuit of happiness. In reading it, I was struck by the closing passage:

In the 17th century, the metaphysical poet Andrew Marvell wrote, "But at my back I always hear/ Time's winged chariot hurrying near." He also wrote: "The grave's a fine and private place,/ But none, I think, do there embrace." Mad Men seems to be telling us the same thing, in its own stylish, made-for-television way: we are bequeathed on earth one very short life, and it might be good, one of these days, to make sure that we are living it.

Could we use, in other words, in these fine healthy times, just a little of the madness?

My grandmother died this past week. She was 94 years old, and this summer would have been her 71st wedding anniversary to my grandfather. The next day I had to go to New York City for a conference. Before we left, my colleagues/friends and I stopped to take a picture of ourselves at the Don Draper bench near the Time Life building. When I got home, I walked up the stairs, past this fabulous photo of my grandparents, read this chapter in Roiphe's book, and went to sleep.

To me, that's more than a little madness.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

Finished reading Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill.

warm woolen mittens

March has never been the easiest month around here. And this winter has been particularly hard. We've been slogging through, overwhelmed by ridiculous administrative work, preschool decisions, job interviews, and defense scheduling.

It's times like these that you need to focus on the simple things and breathe.

Sewing draft blockers

Roasting vegetables

Eating lots of "jolly soup" (i.e. homemade vegetable soup)

Newspaper wrapping

Coloring

Heavy whipping cream in coffee (accidentally)

Keep sweeping,

Martha

Watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

longest/shortest

I don't want this video to be a metaphor for parenting, but I think it might be.

Today was almost spring-like. We spent it baking Valentine cookies and practicing riding our tricycle.

Keep sweeping,

Martha

Read Superfudge by Judy Blume and The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer. Watched Disney's Peter Pan and Lost In Translation (again). 

9 stones (but post-Christmas), alcohol units 1/2 glass of champagne, cigarettes 0, new baskets bought 2

My New Year's resolution.

To get organized.

You can laugh. I know. It's cliche. I am a scholar of women's magazines. I know from the research that I did for my dissertation and subsequent book that January is THE month that women's magazines exploit women's insecurities and make even more outrageous promises about how they can fix your body, your clothes, your hair, your skin, your home. I also know that if they did fix you then their magazines would fold. Hence, the promises never actualize, and you keep needing to buy their magazines because you have not yet perfected your body, your clothes, your hair, your skin, your home.

You can also laugh because, if you know me, you know that I am constantly struggling to tame this home. On one hand, I swear it has a life of its own - its cosmetic challenges, its strange, pulsing energy (which a good smudging ever once in a while tends to erase - thank you, EB's dad). On the other hand, it has two pretty serious hoarders and a toddler living in it. The bottlecaps, the magazines, the toys. Ugh. I need Mehran to perform an intervention.*

But then I remembered. My sister-in-law K (who seriously has it together) swears by baskets. I remember she had a ton on her wedding registry and then on her baby registry. At the time, I laughed. Who needs so many baskets, I thought? I was seriously, seriously naive. And, K was apparently seriously, seriously enlightened.

SIXTY-SEVEN NEW WAYS TO BRING ORDER TO YOUR HOME!

THIRTY-TWO SURE FIRE WAYS TO ELIMINATE CLUTTER!

NINETY-NINE PROBLEMS AND HOME ORGANIZATION ISN'T ONE!

TWO NEW BASKETS AT THE SMITH STEARNS' HOUSE!

I am waaaaay too excited about these baskets.

First of all, let me just say that about two days before Christmas I discovered the Marshalls in Silver Spring. How I did not know it was there, I will never know. But, it's there, and as every Marshalls is, it's fabulous. The basket at the top came from there. It's housing the magnetic blocks and the Marbleworks sets that Boy Beeton received from Grammy and Papa for Christmas. Chaos contained.

The second basket comes from the Marshalls in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which has... wait for it... A. FULL. ON. HOMEGOODS. COMPONENT. (KPP knows the beauty of this!) This basket will house all our mittens, scarves, hats. They will no longer be strewn about the floor as though a Patagonia store exploded in our living room.

Despite the beauty of these baskets, you'll notice in the corner of the second photo is the handle from a long abandoned push toy, covered in Marbleworks blocks and ribbon.

This is what I'm up against, people.

Small victories, I suppose.

Keep sweeping, Martha

* I was simultaneously horrified and excited by the episode of True Tori where her hoarding was revealed. Oh, how I can relate. Thank goodness I'm an academic and not a reality star.

but a whimper

I wish I could say I ended 2014 with some excitement, but the energy level around here lately hasn't been conducive to merriment. I'm feeling positive about 2015, though, making resolutions at Bridget Jones's breakneck speed. Though my time - right now - would be better served working on my reappointment materials (which are almost - miraculously - done), I am going to follow in the footsteps of my truly inspirational undergraduates this semester and binge watch Vanderpump Rules. Forgive me.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer and Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham. Watched Gone Girl (!!!) and Girls: Season Three.

life lately

We finally got our dining room painted, and we rehung these shelves so we could showcase this glassware.

While we aren't in preschool yet, we've been enjoying more group activities... soccer, for one. Go Turkeys!

And nature class with the Community School...

Boys in the woods

Friends

And weekly storytime with our favorite librarians at the Takoma DC Library, followed by lunches at Soupergirl. (Of course, that's Boy Beeton's favorite place to eat.)

Lantern, spider, snow globe, and falling down man

And some Halloween decorating...

And so very many good books!

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched This Is Where I Leave You and The One I Love.

iii

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading (or listening to?) The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham.

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

life lately

cherry blossoms on their way

my recent pastime

garden fun

only boring people are bored

Keep sweeping, Martha