Opening up my world...

Pinterest is really fabulous. I know I've commented previously however...aside from being just mindless relaxation, every single thing I've tried from other pinners has been wildly successful. 

From THE most delicious chili, to the simplest of cakes- to designing collages or tablescapes- it's really never let me down. 

I highly recommend it. 

If for nothing else but to admire the creativity of others. 

It's just very, very cool. 

Gathering of the Girls....

I don't get to see my friends really but once or twice a year. Gone are the monthly potlucks, weekends visiting friends at the beach or even the quick dinners occasionally. Life is full of sporting events, homework, and other gatherings involving little people. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world- and we have plenty of time to do those things once the kids get older- but I'm not going to lie...I miss my girlfriends. 

So I decided to plan a get together that was unlike any other we've ever done. And with some assistance from Kitchensurfing, we found a fantastic private chef to come and cook for us a fabulous plated meal. We set the budget, we work on a menu- and they make the magic happen. 

Almost best of all, was that for the first time ever- I got to enjoy my dining table, my meal and my company- without having to clean. That's right... My kitchen was left as pristine as it was when they arrived. Mmmyeah, I'll be doing this type of soirée again. 

What WAS best of all....was the laughter. Oh, I loved the laughter. Hearing it. Participating in it. Thinking about it again now. We laughed and laughed...and that my friends, was exactly what made the whole night worthwhile. 

So now I share with you a few snapshots of our Real Housewives of the North Shore- but without all the drama! 

Bread of life...

Making bread is a labor of love. 

I discovered this tonight as my son and I made two loaves of home made bread for his humanity class. They're donating a loaf to charity- and we get to keep the second loaf. 

This, my friends- has been a 4 hour project. 

But the house smells soooo good. 

It also further reaffirms why I cook, rather than bake. I don't have the patience for it! 

That being said, while the dough was rising, I took a moment to do something I've always wanted to do but never have--and that is to sage my house. 

There's no negative energy here, outside of typical famijy tensions- but it just made me feel like it was a fresh start to the season, and I look forward to winter to do it again. 

Nothing like a little warm, fresh bread and a smudge of sage to say "happy autumn". 

It's hard being at the top of the food chain...

You always hear that moms "don't get time off..."

Ain't that the truth. 

I've got myself a lousy cold- that I actually think is becoming an ear infection- and I'm just really tired. Tonight, I'd love to go to bed at like 730 and just try to get a good nights sleep....

But between the kids, dinners, homework (thank god we have no activities this evening)-oh and the dog- I'll be lucky if I make it sleepy time before 930. 

Thank goodness for Advil and extra strength Tylenol to get me through the duration.....

Nom nom nom...

I equate food with happiness. 

Not in the sense in that I eat to feel happy or that I'm an emotional eater; but in the sense of sharing food. 

Cooking makes me happy. I look forward to football Sundays and thinking about what I want to make. Or holiday dinners and a room full of people. 

Food shopping makes me happy or rather the look of the cabinets full afterwards. 

Food is a gift that we can share- it binds us and bonds us closer together. 

And- it's delicious! 

Mary Catherine Elizabeth Cheyenne Louisa Theresa Anne Marie!

I am cracking up right now. 

I'm watching the show that's on CMT about the Dallas cowboy cheerleader auditions. 

Let me tell you- the names are a riot!  Everyone either must want to be a model, an actress or they just don't believe in last names! 

Ashley Lynne. Tessa Christine. Paula Marie. Jennifer Kathryn. Jenna Denise. 

You get the picture. 

It's really, really funny. 

Yawn...

It's funny how busy my life is now and yet so boring. I don't mean boring in the sense of dissatisfied- I mean in the sense that I don't have anything fun to blog about anymore. 

My job is awesome- so I don't have any gripes there; my kids are older so we don't go on fun "mommy and me" adventures any more so much as they are scheduled events:  basketball games, singing lessons, tennis lessons, after school activities and such. 

It's not that I don't enjoy blogging because I do- I just feel that I don't have any interesting insights or even randomness to share at the moment. 

But like life itself, I'm sure in time this too shall pass....

Life is....

Always moving. 

Busy. 

Calm. (Then suddenly chaotic)

Draining. 

Energizing. 

Frustrating. 

Genuinely enjoyable at times.

Happy.

Ideallic, occasionally. 

Joyful.

Kooky. 

Lazy. 

Manic. 

Nice. 

Optimum. 

Peaceful. 

Quiet. 

Restless. 

Sleepless at times! 

Terrific. 

Unexpected.

Very, very...

Wonderful. 

Xtra-ordinary. 

YES. 

Zag nab it good. :)

Summer hiatus...

Yes, it's been quite some time since I've posted. This summer has been incredibly brief- and incredibly busy!  From yard renovations to family reunions- complete with family from out if state staying with us, never mind school getting out late and starting early- it's just been go, go, go! 

So rather than my jotting thoughts to sum it up, here's a quick pictoral review- with the caveat being that we're still not done yet!! Schoolyard be starting, but we still have some summer fun left to have. 

By the way- I'm posting this via my iPhone so I have no clue how the pictures are going to come out or in what order... But you get the idea. 

Aaaaagggh

Yup. That about sums it up. 

'Nuff said. 

Ok. So that's vague.  Sorry. 

The yard is down to the wire. It looks AMAZING but it's not done and while I try hard to be the eternal optimist - I'm worried. 

I'M worried. I never worry. 

Throwing a party, doesn't worry me. Having my yard not ready- worries me. 

It is what it is--right??

It'll be ready.... It WILL be ready. 

Hi, My name is Rebecca and I'm addicted to.....

Pinterest.

Listen, I know it's not mascara or lip gloss -and it's certainly not a good pair of boots; but it IS a really rocking source of inspiration these days.

It's funny because I avoided it for a long time; I'd hear people talk about recipes they found on Pinterest and I browsed it casually.  I thought "eh, so it's a corkboard of things I like....big deal".
Well.

The big deal is that once I started pinning things I liked - I was amazed at how many things were out there that I didn't even know that I liked - or even knew existed!  And that is the exciting part of it all.

I've used new recipes, come up with new ideas for decorating and gift giving - and the great thing is - the things you find such as recipes or craft ideas - really do work!  Sometimes it's just fun to type things in for inspiration, and then voila - I'm excited to see how it easy it is to go out and do it myself.

Best of all, I love that it's not another Facebook.... I don't have to talk to people; I don't care if someone "likes" my things.  While it's nice to see people I know and sometimes share their pins - there's no obligation to chit chat, or even acknowledge one another.  It's not meant to be social hour, it's meant to be browsing and exploring time.

And I love it!

Summer winds....

This school break is going by in a blur of sunshine and chlorine.

I can't believe the kids are going back in a month!  Where does the time go?  We've had lots of fun in the yard, and even squeaked in a beach day; the kiddies have half day camps this week and in another week and a half - but other than that, we haven't done a whole heck of a lot.

It's funny, when I was a kid - we did nothing.  Literally.  I'd wake up in the morning, throw clothes on and run outside to play with any one of the kids in my neighborhood who may have gotten up early like I did.  All day games of 7 Up, bike riding, exploring, walking, kickball - you name it.  The summers seemed endless and were filled with sunshowers, playing with the hose or sprinkler - walking to the MDC pool - or hanging out in the park at the end of my street. 

So I wonder why I feel like my kids aren't having the time of their lives if I am not taking them places or doing things?  It's funny how we try to over compensate as parents.  It's not as if at the time I felt like I didn't have a great summer each year; at the same time - as an adult, I realize how much I missed out on, even simple things like going to the beach.

Life is good.  They're having a blast just laying low and enjoying their yard and down time.
I wish it didn't have to end so soon!

Black + White still equals Black & White.

I'm beyond disappointed with the verdict in the Zimmerman trial.

To me, this was not a case about racism. (Though I do believe that Mr. Zimmerman was criminally profiling based upon race.)

When does a fist fight equate to gunpower?
When does a person standing up for themselves because they feel threatened equate to being murdered?

Why is it that Mr. Zimmerman "felt threatened" and so it was okay to murder someone?  So Trayvon Martin's death doesn't matter because Mr. Zimmerman was "scared"?  Because basically, to have not given any semblence of discipline for the taking of another man's life in a deliberate manner just screams "unimportant".   Didn't this physical altercation that Mr Zimmerman claims happened - take place as a result of Trayvon Martin -- feeling threatened and defending himself?  So why is Mr. Zimmerman's fear more important than that of  Trayvon?  What if Trayvon was the one that had the gun?  Somehow, I feel that might have played out differently.... "Thou shalt not kill" is a phrase that I do believe the Bible Belt state needs to revisit.

This is a stupid law, plain and simple.  Mr. Zimmerman was told to stay away and leave the victim alone, and he didn't.  Don't fault the victim for standing up to his assailant; that's like blaming a woman for being raped because she wore perfume.

It's disturbing, disgusting and disappointing.  To me, it's irrelevant if the prosecution didn't play fair, if there was evidence withheld or if it all was presented as is.  The bottom line is that people should not have the right to kill another person just because they feel threatened.  Define threatened.  Define "in fear for your life".  It's all subjective and up to interpretation, isn't it?

If a person puts a knife or gun or baseball bat to your head - then yes, you may feel your life is in jeopardy.  But an unarmed person, who may have just handed you an ass whipping because you aren't capable of defending yourself otherwise - does not give you the right to take that person's life.

And there's absolutely nothing else that anyone can say, that can justify it in this girl's mind.

Summer, summer, summertime.....

Six days and counting to the yard renovation......that we keep adding on to!

Princess Petunia's birthday is next week and I'd been planning on taking her to NYC for a night.  But we may have to postpone it because a cousin is coming in that week who has the same birthday and all the girls in the family want to get together to do a little Girl's Birthday Celebration.  So I might take her in August instead, before school starts.

The poor thing had surgery on Monday in her mouth to remove an extra tooth embedded in her gum.  It took over 60 shots of Novacaine/Lidocaine & Marcane and almost an hour and a half to numb her.  But she was a trooper - and her recovery was fantastic as well.  I'm so proud of her.  Sure she's sassy, but she's such a good kid in general.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day - all my kids' 1st cousins will be over at once!  I'm hoping to get a few good group pictures because I don't know if that will ever happen again... and it's the last get together before the yard as we know it changes forever.

I can't wait!

Who knew?

So I'm a little frustrated with my brocolli.
It's grown tall with flowers but nothing really resembling the vegetable.

So I googled it - this mysterious, flowering condition..

It's called BOLTING.
Cilantro does it as well... which I always wondered why it bloomed for a short time and then became very stalky!!

So, it seems my brocolli's soil was too warm - and that caused it to bolt.  Basically, seed as opposed to flower. And my cilantro, bolts because it's what it does in warm weather.  Optimum planting/growing time is spring and fall - but when do we all rush out to plant here in MA?  In the summer.....

So you get a very short window of time for delicious yumminess.

I think I'm going to pull my brocolli and try planting something different that will yield later in the season; I saw some mature seedlings at the farmer's market this past weekend, so I'll find something there.

These are just the little lessons that I, the black thumb gardener - have to learn.
But that's the fun of a garden anyway - it's trial and error!

I am a little bummed that I won't have brocolli though...

Sometimes the best laid plans....

...just don't go the way we hope they would.

So, we bought a new hot tub because the one that was here in the yard - the original owners did not take good care of, and the pump died.  Since it's a ThermaSpa and is only serviced directly by them out of Connecticut, we decided to say ixnay to the ottubhay - and get a new one.

Today was the delivery day.

And it started off great...they were here early.
But...

It seems the deck that the hot tub was sitting on, rotted out underneath so when they were trying to remove the old tub, it completely fell apart.  So the new tub is on there, but off to the side and not connected.  And now...in addition to all the other construction we're doing in the yard, we've got this additional expense of putting in a synthetic decking for the new tub to rest upon.

I'm bummed because I feel like the yard is just a mess - and construction hasn't even started yet!
Plus, I really was hoping to go into the hot tub tomorrow.

Que serah serah....whatever will be - will be.
I guess it just means a little more time.... and a little more mess.
And a lot more money!!

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep....

...In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep....
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru...
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing....
the dream that you wish will come true"
 - Cinderella

Thought of the day...

Opportunity is missed by people
because it's dressed in overalls....and looks like work.

Antsy, antsy, antsy....

We are having some serious renovations being done to our yard in a few weeks.
I didn't think I'd be this frustrated waiting for them to take place, and yet....here I am, actually almost irritated at having to wait until the 15th of July.

We have a beautiful yard, and I think I'm a little irked that our landscaper has sort of shrugged off maintaining what isn't being modified at the moment; because it's all going to be done when the "project" is completed.  But, we have so much that has to be maintained in the mean time...

...and it's making me... antsy.  irritated.  frustrated.

The "project" is we're clearing out about 6-8 ft deep of woods, about 50 yards wide - which really expands our yard (which is already quite big, truth be told...) and we're expanding the patio around the pool and building an outdoor fireplace.  Fun, right?  But, ugh - the wait is ridiculous.

I didn't think I'd be quite this excited, and yet I am.

Yes, I'm borderline whining, but it's only because I hate the fact that my landscaping is a bit overgrown. I don't like it messy.  I like it neat and weeded and pretty.... !!!

Ok.  I feel better now.
Sort of...

The Not So Real Peeps...of the la la world

I'm sorry but ....does anyone watch the "Real Housewives of OC" -- and notice how different Brooks is now?

It almost accentuates the fact that he was clearly so over the top fake last season.   He's probably being more real and himself this time - but it almsot makes him seem worse than before. 

Gross.

And I'm sorry - I know that the lovely Tamra Barney just married her boyfriend Eddie Judge.
But.

I don't know.
He just doesn't seem like her type.
Actually.  It's more like she doesn't seem his type.

I just wonder how long this one is going to last....

Time keeps on ticking....and how quickly it flies.

It's almost the end of the school year for the kiddies.

Yesterday, Princess Petunia had a function in school where we were invited to see their "Wax Museum".  All the 3rd graders were assigned a historical character and they've worked on speeches, presentation boards and costumes leading up to yesterday.  They were all in costume and as we approached them, they came to life as if they were figures in a wax museum - and gave us informative speeches about who "they are".  Everyone from Tituba to John Hancock, to Myles Standish - which is the person Princess Petunia was assigned to be.  It was really fun - and a great format to teach the kids history in a way they'll never forget.  We certainly didn't have that kind of thing when I was a kid...!  (Of course, if you ask my kids that was back in the "olden days"....)

Today was a function at my son's school - a Celebration of Learning.  We got to see all of the different projects they've worked on all year in each subject and they had fun little activities for us to do with them while we were there, like origami and art.  The best part of it for me, outside of just being there - was the fact that my son was still okay with being affectionate with me in front of his friends.  Actually - most of the boys were, now that I think of it!  He still was grabbing my hand to walk me to each class room and didn't hesitate to give me a big hug and a kiss and tell me he loved me as I was leaving.

It's hard to imagine that this fall I'll have a 7th grader and a 4th grader.
It seems like just yesterday I had two little kids, giggling and laughing...
I just want to keep their little hearts with me always......

Be the change you wish to see in the world....

Finally, fortunately, fabulously Friday....

Okay, so today it's 55 degrees and monsooning out.
Rewind to a week ago today and it was 99 and tropical.
What's the weather in New England?  Um, wait a minute....it's bound to change!

So, I poured myself a nice big glass of Pinot Noir and made a chili for dinner.  It's the perfect meal for a raw day like today.  Even though a "summer" 55 is still warmer than a winter one.  It's amazing how relativity works....

It's a pretty laid back weekend on tap.  Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a lazy day around the house, catching up on things - like polishing my hardwood floors.  I love, love, love to do that.   Then, my Son has a Red Sox game so we'll drop him off at school to meet the bus and then take the Princess Petunia out for a bit.

Sunday is supposed to be gorgeous once again....and I'm thinking poolside.  A little bbq...a little splashing...a little sun.

However you spend your weekend - I hope it's filled with laughter and love. 
Maybe even a little more sunshine than what we have here at the moment...

Ben, the two of us need look no more....

 I've mentioned before - we have pet rats.
We love "our boys"... they're affectionate, lovable, clean and just fun.

So, imagine my reaction when I received a text today from G saying that one of my sister in law's friends (who also is a fancy rat owner) said that she was given a rat that was abandoned - and surprise - she was pregnant.  So on Tuesday, her new girl gave birth to 6 teensy tiny babies.  Of course, the next question was -- did we want one? (or two....)

To my shock, G said "yes"....
(Insert big smiley face here....)

So, while I do have to buy a new tank and condo top - since we have to do that anyway, we might as well take two.  Two rats are no more work than one, and honestly - we'll have 6 rats at that point.  (I know, you're thinking "intervention", right?)  Well, truthfully - 6 rats go through no more food than 4 do.  And they're so clean!!  They don't smell, they keep their cages neat (except for oldest boy Snake who is a bit messy....) and sadly, they don't live for very long.  Two and a half years is the most usually.  Snake is a year with us in July, and he could've been 6 months when we got him so....we don't know how much longer he'll be with us; Pop Tart will be with us a year in September, and while we know he was younger, it may not have been by much.  Stefano & Wilfork are just babies....and then we'll have these new guys.

(Honestly, my house is big enough that these guys basically have their own floor!  They're up in "Kidtown" which is sort an au pair suite, so it's not as if we're over run with animals.  It sounds worse than it actually is. )

We've determined that these will be "Pokemon" boys.  The kids each get to name one after their favorite Pokemon creature.

We can't get them until their 21 days old, so we have about 14 more to go.
...the countdown is on!

Hiatus Haiku

Sure I have been gone
Life had just got in the way
But I am back now.

Quiet with out the blog
Miss speaking my mind out loud
Feels good to write again.

So much has happened
Will be tough to fully express
But I will try to.

Summer is here now
Life is full of excitement
Looking forward to share.

Hope that I've been missed
As much as I've missed being here
Sit back and enjoy.