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. 

keep on keeping on

We really haven't struggled to come up with good things to eat at home. We like to cook, and we like to eat. But, we have terrible memories, so it's a challenge to keep them all in our head. It's especially hard when you want to put an online order in that you might not get for several weeks.

Here's a few so that next time we have to put in a big order we will be better prepared.


Balsamic chicken, asparagus, and tomato

Sloppy Joes and roasted potatoes

Salmon and asparagus

Shrimp tacos and salsa

Steamed artichokes and crab cakes

Asian style pork and noodles

Thai noodle salad

Mediterranean pitas or any kind of pita really

Grain bowls

Shrimp scampi

Chickpea hot pot recipe

Tomato carbonaro

Avoado Caprese Chicken Salad

Smoked sausage and potatoes

Black bean, sweet potato enchiladas

Keep sweeping,
Martha

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

coronavirus comfort

It's been forever and a day since I last wrote, but in light of the last few weeks, I've been feeling an itch to get back to writing. Like reading, writing has always kept me sane. I think the insanity of late might feel a tiny bit less insane if I check in here.

It also seems appropriate to resume writing on what would have been Ella's birthday. In my last post I talked about her death... and since then, I've felt pretty depleted, meeting daily parenting, marriage, and work challenges. Again, writing will help.

Plus, I made this Thai noodle salad last night. It was so good, but then today, I ate it cold, and man, oh, man, it was even better. Highly recommend.

Keep sweeping.
Martha

Finished reading The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close

long ago and far away

If I still have any dear readers, they will have noticed that I took a significant hiatus from the blog. It wasn't intentional... I just kind of got busy, out of the habit, preoccupied, and it fell by the wayside. I've been good at chronicling life in images (my Instagram handle is mrthbtn), but in terms of writing, I think I've just been depleted.

I love teaching - don't get me wrong - but I have been experiencing serious burnout. The prep, the grading, my mind has been numb. And, of course, all these tasks take precedence over any type of researching and writing that I should be doing. It's easy to push something off that has an indeterminable deadline; it's much harder to ignore a stack of papers, written by students who are awaiting their feedback so that they can appropriately address their issues in their next draft.

And, then, spring came and with it some very, very dark days. We lost our dear Ella. At 16-years-old, she was holding up pretty well, but then (just like Marley in Marley and Me), she ate something nasty, and it was downhill from there. When we first took her into the vet, we didn't think it was anything serious, but over the next couple of days it became clear that things were not looking good. Thankfully, we got to bring her home and have a few days with her before we came to the decision that we would have to put her sleep.

I can't even put into words the true awfulness of that period of time. It was devastating, and for me, the grief was all consuming. Ella died over my spring break, which I was so grateful for. It gave me a few days to mourn without the distraction of class. Mr. Beeton was not as lucky. He had a job interview two days after she died. I can't imagine how he did it. And, of course, Boy Beeton, well, that was his sister. A few days after her death, we were in downtown Takoma, shopping at Magic Carpet. The owner asked Boy Beeton if he had any siblings - always a difficult question for a single child to navigate - but a particularly difficult one now. When we were leaving, he pulled me aside and whispered, "I said, No, when she asked me if I had any brothers or sisters. Was that okay?" My heart broke.

I can't even put into words how it feels to miss her. I remember Fiona Apple writing a heartfelt letter about her dog, Janet, and I thought to myself, "How is she so lucid?" For me, the words wouldn't come; my heart was too twisted. Just looking at old photos and videos makes me feel sick.

Right after Ella died, I bought a bracelet from a seller on Etsy. It says, "Once by my side, forever in my heart." On the outside is a paw print and Ruby's name. That's the closest I've come to verbalizing anything.

The house was too quiet for a while. Mr. Beeton, Boy Beeton, and I would come home and just be overcome with sadness. It wasn't long before we realized that what would help us most would be to bring another dog home. Without a dog, our lives felt incomplete.

And, so, at the end of April, we adopted Ruthie - a rescue dog from City Dogs Rescue. She's got floppy ears, black/grey shaggy fur, the top of her head is brownish. We think she has some Schnauzer. But, she has a terrier snout and terrier eyes, and a little spot of white on her one paw, which makes us think of Ella. She's perfect. And we are lucky to find another dog to love.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

Reading the newest Mary Higgins Clark, Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, and Stephanie Danler's Sweet Bitter. Recently finished The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty and Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.  Watched Marley and Me. Captivated by Southern Charm.

How did it get to be September? September 2017, that is?! So much time has passed without my posting. Lately, I've been recording life mostly on Instagram - partly because I'm lazy, partly because I'm busy, and partly because I feel like my creative writing muscles haven't been flexed in a while.

I thought I'd catch you up on things with a picture from each month that I haven't posted. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with something interesting.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

And since I let August slip by...

Read The Turner House, Shelter, Big Little Lies, The Husband's Secret, Station Eleven...
Watched lots of kids films including Nine Lives and Inside Out, LaLaLand...

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.

bleck

This is how I feel about life lately...

But, I read this great article about the 15th anniversary of one of my favorite films. That made things a bit better.

Keep sweeping,
Martha

Watched Kissing Jessica Stein, I Love You, Man, Love Jones, and Maid in Manhattan.

lump in my throat

Obsessed with this song right now.



This is worth a watch, too.



Keep sweeping,
Martha

Read Judy Blume's In Case of Emergency.

the write stuff

I've been writing most of the afternoon for the first time at my new little space in our office. We cleared out Boy Beeton's nursery a while ago, but this summer we finally got the space in order. The walls are grey; the desk and bookcase are red. The accents are yellow and turquoise. I made an inspiration wall above my desk complete with some paintings from my Nana and Poppop's house, a sweet little drawing by Boy Beeton, my I Love Takoma woodcut, and a framed cover of Good Housekeeping from back in the day (a 40th birthday present from C & A). The black and white photo adds to the romance of the writer's room.

Summer updates and photos to come very soon.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Read Afterbirth by Elisa Albert.

inside/outside

Keep sweeping,
Martha

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.

american crime

Mr. Beeton started his first week at Johns Hopkins. That means - for all intents and purposes - I'm doing the stay-at-home mom thing from here until the fall semester starts. Darn, if it isn't hard. Tonight, all I wanted was for everyone to go to sleep so that I could plop myself in front of the television and completely zone out.

I thought I'd watch the first episode of American Crime - a show my students highly recommended. It seemed fitting, given this week's (month's? year's? decade's? century's?) cultural climate and devastating circumstances.

Yesterday, Boy Beeton and I were role playing. He was being Peter Parker to my Mary Jane. In my narrative, Mary Jane's mother heads off the circus so that Mary Jane has to move in with Peter and Aunt May. That's how she and Peter become best friends.

Peter asks me, "Hey, Mary Jane. Is your mom at the circus?"

I respond, "Yes."

Then, he says, "Where's your dad?"

I pause to think - this is a part of the narrative I hadn't yet considered.

Before I can even come up with an answer, Peter says, "Oh... wait. You might have two moms. Maybe both your moms are in the circus?"

He said it with such matter-of-factness in his voice, no hesitation that not all families look alike, that this family structure, different from his own, wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Oh, how I wish that all Americans would embrace Peter's loving acceptance. In his eyes, I saw a small glimmer of what our future could be. Our world could use a little more love and a lot less hate.

Thinking about Charleston tonight.

Keep sweeping,

Martha

Finished reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Watched most of Wild.

summer sickness

I've been struggling with a virus this week and ended up at the Minute Clinic getting treated for pink eye. Yuck. So here's something to make me smile, courtesy of Cherry Bombe.

Keep sweeping,

Martha

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.