food — 2 comments
28
Jul 10
After several weeks of talking, negotiating, and general discussion within the house of waffles Jen and I have come to an agreement. I will post occasionally about food. Mostly what we are eating and serving at home. Occasionally there will be a half-ass attempt at a recipe.
Basically a photo filled food porn site. If you don’t like it just filter out my user or skip posts that only contain the food category.
The photo above was Jen’s birthday cake. recipe was from Epi. It was the Coconut Layer Cake from Bon Appetit 1999.
Cake Recipe Link
Humor / every day life — 1 comment
28
Jul 10
Here lay the shredded remains of my favorite flannel pajama pants, much beloved these last several years. Purchased for cheap in a post Christmas sale from my arch nemesis (old navy, with whom I have a love/hate relationship–the clothes sorely tempt me but rarely hold up to the quality standards I would prefer), you nonetheless provided me with many, many nights (and, okay, let’s be honest, DAYS) of comfort and coziness. You defied those that strove to define you as simply another seasonal clothing article–flying reindeers be damned–you marched to the beat of your own drummer and made yourself available and attractive for wearing season after season, winter, spring, summer and fall. You kept me warm when camping. You made me feel less bloated when I was having “one of those days.”
Never a fashion maven, you still projected a certain image, one of comfort rather than slovenliness, even on the mornings that I wore you to dash out to roll the garbage cans to the curb. You didn’t shrink away from the neighbors, but called out, here I am! I am blue reindeer flannel pajama pants and I am not ashamed!
Today when I pulled you from the dryer I knew–just KNEW–that it was time to say goodbye. I have been keeping you here, though your destiny calls, though your elastic waistband is all but useless. I release you onto the great unknown. I grant you the freedom to live on in the way that you find most comfortable now, in the rag pile. I promise to think of you fondly as I mop up spills and clean windows and wooden furniture, because you, dear pajama pants, mean more to me than any old pit-stained former tshirt rag could ever mean.
Farewell, dear friend. May you find comfort and happiness in what lies beyond.
Friendship / food — No comments
28
Jul 10
Adam and our good friend Jill share a birthday and a penchant for good food which means, despite the hazards of having two Leos in the room at the same time, we get to have an awesome standing date with Jill and her husband Andy (he and I are both Cancers and get along awesome) every year on July 27th.
Last night we went to Downey’s after drinks at Trattoria Vitttoria. It did not disappoint!
Family / Humor / Marriage — 1 comment
27
Jul 10
This is the fifteenth (15??!!!??!?!) birthday of yours that we have celebrated together and, damn Babe!, you keep getting finer every year. Like a fine wine, you are. I love you, my younger man. Here’s to many more: many more years, many more tears, and, most definitely and beyond a doubt, many more laughs!
P.S. Nice hat.
Family / Humor — 1 comment
26
Jul 10
Anna takes her job as the most responsible person (her perception) in the house extremely seriously. Just now, Adam and I are sitting here on the couch in the living room talking in low murmurs as Anna plays (grrr, should be sleeping) in her room. She calls out, just a moment ago:
“Mom?”
“What?”
“You should go to sleep because you are going to be a little bit tired in the morning if you don’t get some sleep now. You should go to bed now. I’m in bed!”
“Thanks. I appreciate your concern.”
“Yes, because tomorrow is Daddy’s birthday–it’s a big day–and you don’t want to be a little bit tired so you should go to bed. Why aren’t you and Daddy in your bed?’
“Good night, Anna.”
“Why not?”
“Because we are grown ups and you are a kid and kids need more sleep than grown ups. Plus, it isn’t your job to have to be in charge of me. You don’t have to worry about me and my sleep, just worry about yourself and go to sleep.”
“Ok. Good night, Mom and Dad.”
(both of us, slightly exasperated and definitely weary): “Good Night, Anna.”
Family — 2 comments
26
Jul 10
Tomorrow Adam will finally (finally! It’s about time!) join me as a 34-year-old adult. These last three weeks since my 34th birthday have been peppered with jokes, many many many jokes, about my oldladyhood. I’ll tell you what’s old: that joke about me being Adam’s old lady.
Anyway!
I asked Anna today what present she wanted to get for Daddy’s birthday.
“I have an idea,” she said.
“Ok. What is it?” I asked.
“I think…I think we should get….a ‘spresso* machine….that one that Daddy wants, the fancy one!”
Do you think she’s been coached? It’s a little outside the realm of our usual birthday budget.
If you feel the urge to buy him something, go check out his Amazon Wish List. If nothing else, it’s funny in a sort of scratch your head and chuckle to yourself kind of a way. Because I know no one else in the world who deeply desires a book on Basic Butchery of Livestock and Game.
*Surely she is referring to the espresso machine that Adam has been coveting for quite some time now.
food — 1 comment
23
Jul 10
We had lamb for dinner tonight. Anna kept asking for “more of that meat!” and we told her it was lamb. “Oh, Lamb!” she said. “Like my lambie!” (small stuffed animal). “Lamb is delicious!”
We have deliberately chosen to speak truthfully and explicitly to her, from the beginning, about where our food comes from. Just as she knows how fruits and vegetables come from trees and plants, she knows that animals are killed for our consumption. She knows this and yet….I still wonder if she is going to, at some point, experience an “Ah-Ha” moment about it and feel sad and refuse to eat it. She loves animals….she understands (well, as much as a 3 year old can understand) death, but she also really, really loves to eat meat.
Cancer — 2 comments
22
Jul 10
To her, it is just a place. It is just a bench in front of a building, not the entryway to the place where my life started changing, bits and pieces at a time. Not the doorway to the building where the awful drugs came from, the ones both terrible and wonderful because they zapped my strength and took my hair and made me sick, but they also saved my life.
To her it is just a place, just a bench. Just a place to stand and pose for photos, sweet innocence and enthusiasm abundant.
Uncategorized — 2 comments
21
Jul 10
This is so sweet it kind of makes my heart hurt a little bit. My chemo appointments have been scheduled for pretty early in the morning (8:30) and I was telling one of the nurses on Monday that it was challenging to get everything ready to go that early when I have a kid who sleeps until about 8 every morning (I know, those of you whose kids wake at 5 am like clockwork, you hate me now. I am sorry. Sort of).
Anyway.
This schedule change just came in the mail today. The handwritten note reads: “Hi Jennifer, I changed your times to 10:00 except for the Dr. appointment on 1-10-2011. Hope this helps. I remember being a mom to a little one. : )”
So. Sweet.
Those nurses at the cancer center? They are good at their jobs, not because of clinical skills (though they are amazing at that, too), but because of their skill in empathy, tenderheartedness, and love.
Ok. Hmm. I see on my laptop that this post that I wrote from my iPhone has an upside down picture. I think I need to do something different but…I don’t have time at the moment. Bear with me. Technical difficulties. Mumble mumble mumble must fix mumble mumble mumble.
Family / every day life — 2 comments
20
Jul 10
Anna has taken to calling me “Mint Chip.” I have no idea why.
(Her Daddy is the one who takes her out for ice cream.)
She has also been telling me frequently–many times a day–that I am her very, very favorite. Favorite what? Favorite everything, she says.
house of waffles.