life lately

cherry blossoms on their way

my recent pastime

garden fun

only boring people are bored

Keep sweeping, Martha

sleeeep

A few weeks ago I sent an email with the above subject line to the listserv for my moms' group. Baby Beeton had started to rebel. Nighttimes, as you know, were never easy with him, but in the last two weeks, he began to resist the crib mighty hard. (Being the offspring of parents both born under the sign of Taurus, his stubbornness isn't surprising.) And, now that he's extremely verbal, he could find the words to express his discontent in a way that pulled at my heartstrings. "My crib isn't comfy cozy!" he'd wail. He'd gotten used to sleeping in our "yummy" bed for naps. And, when he was in Pennsylvania for two wedding weekends, he slept in a grown-up bed there. I didn't really blame him. In comparison, the crib wasn't particularly comfy or cozy.

When I sent my message to my moms' group, I was looking for some tips to transitioning to a big boy bed. And, can I just say that my moms' group came through again?! My thread on gmail says there were twenty-five replies to my original post! Just one more reason that the Takoma Mamas 5 rock. Thank you, ladies!

So, we did it. We bought a mattress and a box spring from a little place on Georgia Avenue which should really market itself as a mattress store and indoor gymnasium for children. Baby Beeton ran and ran and ran around that showroom. We ordered crib rails. And, we set the big boy bed up in the same spot that the crib was occupying. We'll be getting a frame from Grammy who - like my mother - saves everything (thank goodness)! Baby Beeton has taken to his new bed like a champ. Tonight, he was playing with his figures (Green Lantern, Batman, Batgirl, etc.), and I heard him say, "Do you want to go up and sleep in my big boy bed?" So cute.

With this new transition, Mr. Beeton and I realized that we'll probably need to move Baby Beeton into the guest room and transform his nursery into an office. He needs more space. The sweetheart room - as our electrician called it - just won't cut it. Plus, I've got big plans for stars on the walls, this tent, and a pirate treasure chest which I will be making from a cool little piece of furniture our neighbor threw in the trash. Of course, I realized as I excitedly began planning this big boy room that I never posted pictures of our nursery. So, here they are! (Right before we took the crib down.)

Sleep tight and keep sweeping, Martha

A full shot of the room. Our electrician said that rooms of this size - which are common in this neighborhood - are called sweetheart rooms.

Baby Beeton's crib 

Our wall collage inspired by this collage over at Young House Love. You'll see Little Mr. Beeton and Little Mrs. Beeton, Tintin and Snowy, and Little Orphan Annie and Sandy.

The banner made by my very talented mother for my baby shower. And a make-your-own mobile off to the right, using alphabet cards like these given to us by Grammy.

A repurposed fruit basket from our old apartment, which housed tiny animals. A great distraction for baby while changing dipes.

Henry and Ribsy!

Another repurposed shelf - this time from the childhood bedroom of Little Mr. Beeton.

A little marble-topped table we found in our neighbor's trash.

What I thought was an insect door stop from my Great Aunt Mary... it's actually a boot remover, according to my father-in-law.

P.S. - My new favorite Baby Beeton saying... "I love you, Baby Beeton." "I, too, Momma."

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

out like a lion

Dear April:

I bid you adieu.

Good riddance.

Admittedly, you were not without your bright points - cherry blossoms, the family reunion, Mad Men: Season 6 premiere, gardening, the return of the screened in porch, the Cosmos Club dinner. But, overall, you displeased me. I didn't care for the two rapid succession ear infections, broken up by a terrible stuffy nose. Nor did I enjoy the projectile vomiting the other evening. I could have done without that.

So, so long, April. I can't say that I'll miss you. I'm ready for May - for birthdays, Mother's Day, and warm weather that will kill all those nasty, nasty germs.

Keep sweeping, Martha

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.

in three quarters time

Before my due date, I remember there being a lot of discussion from "seasoned moms" about the best baby gifts that they received. Some said that the casseroles they received were life savers; others thought that nothing could be better than a month's subscription to a cleaning service. But, to me, the best gift that anyone mentioned was the one that my sister-in-law A got from her sister L.

I remember A telling me how when my niece was born her sister would get up each morning when Lil M awoke and take her downstairs so that A could get a few more hours of rest after a restless night. I remember thinking how thoughtful it was of L and how grateful A must have been for the additional rest. And, since Baby Beeton's birth, I often think about that story, how wonderful it must have been to drift back to sleep, knowing full well that you needn't worry because someone you loved and trusted was with your baby.

Around here, it's been me, Mr. Beeton, Ella, and Baby Beeton most of the time. We don't have lots of friends and family stopping by to visit or help out. And, we haven't found a babysitter that we trust. While I love our little family, sometimes it would be nice to have a bit of a break - to have a glass of wine at Cedar Crossing with my husband, to paint the basement without having to first mastermind a safe space down there for Baby Beeton to hang out while we work, to nap without worrying that we're letting each other down.

We got that little break over Christmas when we stayed at my parents' house in Pennsylvania. Nana, Pops, and Auntie M were all on hand to play with Baby Beeton, to keep him entertained, to hold him while I tried on some desperately needed new clothes, to watch him while we went out to eat. While we didn't sleep well, I napped and felt more relaxed than I have in months. Having that kind of love and support not just over the phone but in person was wonderful. I didn't realize how much I needed it until I had it.

So, while we've gotten some great presents and eaten some fabulous holiday food, what I'll remember most about this Christmas is that time we spent in Pennsylvania, feeling like it wasn't just us against the world, feeling like we had a little extra wind at our back.

To me, that was the greatest gift of all.

Happy New Year!

Martha

april showers

This past weekend, my sister, sister-in-law, and mom hosted my first (of three! yikes!) baby showers in Pennsylvania. They each know me well enough to know that I'm not one who craves being the center of attention, so they planned a very low-key celebration with family and a few of my closest friends. While there wasn't an obvious theme, I think they were going for "old-school" or "retro," which was perfect since that's the code by which Mr. Beeton and I live.

My sister and mom made adorable invitations using their combined crafty-ness. Since Baby Beeton's sex will be a surprise, they couldn't find any good, gender neutral invitations and came up with their own. I think they should go into business.


They decided on having brunch, which consisted of a delicious egg and sausage stratta, a French toast casserole, bagels, and some yummy danishes in a variety of flavors. My mom does not love cooking, so I even doubly appreciated her going to all this effort (and will be getting the stratta recipe from her because it was so darn good!).

They also asked guests to bring children's books instead of cards, which I thought was such a wonderful idea, especially given my chosen occupation. Very fitting. We got everything from Harry the Dirty Dog (from Honorary Aunt J) to A Day at the Seashore (from Cousin M). And, the gifts that we received from everyone were so wonderful! The thank you cards are in the mail, but I wanted to also say here just how much we appreciated everything!

My mom had the living room decorated so cute, too. She put out the cradle which has been used for several generations and filled it with books. A yellow sweater and hat that my Aunt Ruth had knit for me when I was born was hanging from it as well (Aunt Ruth is the one who collected "falling-down men" - a habit I have acquired... I told you I like old-school). And above it was hanging an alphabet banner, which my mom had made, which we absolutely love! In case you didn't know, banners are all the rage on various baby sites (see here, and here, and here). We're going to hang ours up in Baby Beeton's room (check out lil Ella).


And, for favors, my mom made these cute little pinwheels. She found candy sticks at a candy store in town in all different flavors, and she attached yellow and green pinwheels in a variety of patterns with yellow and green ribbons, also in a variety of patterns. They were adorable and looked very cute sitting in vases in bunches throughout the room.


Overall, the weekend - despite my stressing about it - was a great success. Everyone had a good time, and they all seem even more anxious to meet little Baby Beeton when he (or she) arrives.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Cleaving by Julie Powell (depressing).

2010

Our travels in the year 2009 are complete. After trekking up to Pennsylvania for the holiday and then out to Virginia for Christmas - Part Two, we are home in the railroad apartment to ring in the New Year. We're staying in to watch 500 Day of Summer, the Jersey Shore (we were battlin'), and Ryan Seacrest. We've got arugula salad with beets and goat cheese, clams, and chicken stuffed with cornbread courtesy of Whole Foods to make. Should be fun.

For Christmas this year, we were much less ambitious with our home-cooked gifts for family. Last year, you'll remember we made all this. This year, we had a grand plan. It involved this instant cocoa (which we succeeded in making), these homemade marshmallows which Martha made with Clare Danes on her show two weeks ago, and this caramel corn. And... a candy thermometer. Which we couldn't find at Whole Foods - the only food store we had access to with all the snow on the ground. And, since we discovered this little problem after the big snowstorm and the day before we intended to leave for Pennsylvania, we needed to shift gears. We ended up making the cocoa, the peanut blossom cookies from last year, and some homemade gingerbread, which turned out really well.

Wishing you and your families all the best in the new year!

Keep sweeping, Martha

P.S. - Mr. Beeton's already a bit disappointed in 2010; he thinks he should have his own robot and a flying car by now.

Watched The Hangover...again.

chicken dance

It's off to Pennsylvania tomorrow to do a little chicken dancing at Musikfest before we head out to the Pacific Northwest for some fresh salmon. Enjoy the start of a wonderful August, readers.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Amanda Hesser's Cooking for Mr. Latte (thanks, JJ!). Watching Mad Men: Season 2.

click three times

Vacation does not really produce many "homekeeping" moments, I've noticed. When you're far from home, you can't cook, clean, and garden in the way that you would if you were. Vacation is all about eating out, shopping, and visiting with family and friends. A good vacation doesn't involve tearing apart someone's kitchen to make yourself scrambled eggs or ripping out their hydrangeas so that you can grow some tomato plants.

Mr. Beeton, Ella, and I have been on vacation, traveling first to Pennsylvania and then spending Saturday night in Virginia with Mr. Beeton's parents to celebrate his mom's 60th birthday with a sixties-themed party. The entire week was filled with fun though not particularly filled with "homekeeping" moments (though I'd love to get and post the recipe for some delicious cheese puffs stuffed with olives that Mr. Beeton's aunt made).

Perhaps the farthest we strayed from home was in our visit to the Sands in Bethlehem - the casino built on the South Side of Bethlehem, which used to house the massive steel plants. After a bit of a battle with city residents, the Sands was finally built at 77 Sands Boulevard in Bethlehem (though locals will know that Sands Boulevard is a fictional street... it's really off 412, near Fourth Street and the Minsi Trail Bridge). 

When I first heard talk of the plans, I didn't really know how I felt. My brother, his wife, and their baby girl live near Atlantic City, and I've heard first-hand the potential problems that might come with slots in the Christmas City. Yet, I didn't really feel like this would be the city's downfall. Not being much of a gambler myself, I also didn't feel as though this was the next best thing to Musikfest. The Sands had to prove itself.

My family decided to venture down on Friday night. They were curious to see for themselves, make their own judgments. My Pop-Pop had worked for Bethlehem Steel, so like many residents, we felt like we had a vested interest in whatever went up in those abandoned plants.

And, I can't say we were disappointed. As cheesy as casinos are (and cannot avoid being), the architects at the Sands did a great job of retaining the integrity of the building. You drive right under a steel structure as you enter the grounds, which firmly cements the contemporary building in the history of the city. Inside, too, the designers went to great lengths to connect the casino to what came before. In particular, there were orange and reds lights hanging artfully from the ceiling, reminiscent of molten steel. 

While none of us came away big winners (my dad won $6.50), it was definitely worth going. And, besides, a fancy casino is about the furthest thing away from our D.C. railroad apartment so being couldn't have felt more like a vacation.

Keep sweeping, Martha 

Watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

breather

I'm taking a little breather right now from the chaos that is my living room. Actually, it's research paper chaos - spread out all over the floor of our apartment. I'm working my way through a pile of source packets, checking to make sure that my students did, in fact, copy all the sources that they cited from directly or paraphrased from in their research projects. And, I'm making piles - good, less than good, and ugly. The ugly ones will be there to greet them when they return from the Thanksgiving holiday. Sorry kids.

My break from this mess involves cleaning and packing. We're headed to Pennsylvania for the premier domestic holiday - Thanksgiving. We'll be going to my aunt's in Wyomissing, PA to celebrate, which will be good. My mother hates to cook, and she doesn't like others in her kitchen... so my aunt's house seems like the best place to be. After all, we do call her Martha Stewart Jr., so there will be all kinds of yum waiting for us.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, I need to make some progress. Back to my piles.

Enjoy the holiday and keep sweeping, Martha