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

inside/outside

Keep sweeping,
Martha

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. 

rut

It's funny. Molly Wizenberg (over there at Orangette) and I are living weirdly parallel lives. She was in graduate school; I was in graduate school. She loves food; I love food. She had a baby and postpartum depression; I had a baby and postpartum depression. Aside from the fact that she's a successful blogger and has a book that's been read by more than ten people, we're nearly the same. In another life, we might even become what Anne Shirley called "bosom friends."

Then, this weekend, I logged on to see her latest post - one I had been planning on writing just as soon as life settled down. Okay, maybe not exactly the same, but I had planned to write about how we've really gotten into a rut around here with our dinner menu. I feel like we've been eating the same thing "over and over and over" each week. Yesterday, when we returned from a weekend trip to Pennsylvania, all I could think about was how much I didn't want to food shop. 

So, I got it into my head that I'd write a post, soliciting my dear readers for their tried and true standby meals - in the hopes that some of these recipes might become my tried and true standby meals (and shake up our dinnertime routine a bit!). 

I'll share one of mine if you share one of yours. Just don't make it for zucchini.

Keep sweeping, Martha

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.

 

bloom watch

Here's one long overdue photo from our picnic at the cherry blossoms. Someone seemed to enjoy himself.

More to come.

Keep sweeping, Martha

kiss the cook

Someone wanted to wear an apron like Momma the other day and stir up the stew that was cooking on the stove. I'm lucky that I got to kiss the cook.

Happy Weekend! Martha

it's the great pumpkin

a few good dips

This post is long overdue.

When we moved last spring, we received this really thoughtful housewarming gift from my college roommate of four years (!) and her family.

It consists of some terrific recipes, but the true beauty of it rests with what you can't see in this photograph. There is a pocket in the back that contains tiny slips of paper that list a bunch of terrific dips that we went to college with (I won't name names). The recipe book has been on my mind lately because I've been thinking a lot about my roommate and her family, because our fifteen-year reunion is on the horizon, and because Mr. Beeton and I have gone to two parties in the past week where we've had to bring something (and dip is what we brought... nevermind that we had to leave both parties early because it was Baby Beeton's bedtime and he let everyone know it). In my new mom frenzy, I fell back on a tried and true dip - taco dip. But, like my roommate who I always considered one of the most fearless people I've ever met (even if I didn't ever tell her), I should have been more daring and branched out. After all, I was promised I'd impress at least a couple of people.

Tried and True Taco Dip

• Mix half a container of cream cheese with half a container of sour cream.
• Add taco seasoning.
• Transfer to a flat casserole pan or other fancy dip dish.
• Top with salsa, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, and tiny tomatoes.

Keep sweeping, Martha

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

eating too much lettuce is soporific

Things around here lately have been a curious mix of the good (for instance, a birthday celebration at Founding Farmers with delicious non-alcoholic Cranberry Cucumber Coolers), bad (for instance, giving up our garden plot), and some events that were decidedly mixed (great - yet scary - beginnings). As a result, I haven't blogged about my second baby shower as of yet... and I figured I'd better do so soon because baby shower #3 is just around the corner!

At the end of April, my mother-in-law decided to host a shower at her house in Loudoun County for Mr. Beeton and me. She decided on a Beatrix Potter theme, which is right up our alley and extremely appropriate given that Baby Beeton will be born in The Year of the Rabbit.


The invitations (and stamps!) featured Peter Rabbit, and the whole place was decked out according to theme. There was an adorable "Welcome Baby" banner with Peter in the background, a spinning carousel with Potter characters, and cute Potter character cutouts on top of the cupcakes.


The tables were decorated with glass vegetables, and some of Mr. Beeton and his brother's baby clothes with Peter Rabbit on them were hanging about the house. The favors came in these adorable little Peter Rabbit gift bags and included small plants for everyone's own gardens. If you've ever met Mr. Beeton's mother (or better yet been invited to her house for a party), you know that she knows how to throw a theme party in style. She even had a Beatrix Potter game where you had to guess the Potter character (I did not fare well on this one even though I had just been to see a really compelling lecture by a former University of Delaware professor of mine about Miss Tiggy Winkle).

The food, too, was amazing. My mother-in-law had invited all of her neighborhood friends, as well as some close friends and relatives in the DMV area, and they each contributed dishes. There were excellent finger sandwiches, delicious salads, and my absolute favorite - deviled eggs.

(Sidenote: I've been getting asked a lot lately about my pregnancy cravings. I have to admit that I haven't really had them. When I first found out I was pregnant, there were definitely foods I could not stomach and foods that I could stomach - see here for details. But, in thinking it over, this last month, I really do crave deviled eggs and fruit, mainly watermelon! Many thanks, too, to The Baraness for sending the deviled egg recipe my way.)

All of the women present were so generous. They gave us so many wonderful gifts! A scrapbook, a pewter dish and cup, a snugabunny bouncer, blankets, books, and many, many more terrific items! In particular, I'm excited about the Beatrix Potter teacup and saucer, which will go in Baby Beeton's room along with the banner my mom made for the shower at her house to remind Baby Beeton of his/her two loving grandmas.

Speaking of the nursery, the stripes are finished, the fan is up (thanks to Handyman T), the crib is in, the changing table's last coat of paint is drying, and the blinds have been ordered. It's coming along nicely. Pictures will be posted soon, I promise.

In the meantime, I've got to get this house cleaned before our friends descend on Saturday for our final May shower.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched The Dilemma and Please Give (so, so good!)

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).

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

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.

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???

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.

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!