Saturday, March 28, 2009

march twenty eighth...

today is the 27th anniversary of the birth of my first child. i am really wondering how this could have possibly happened? how the time slips away. he is as amazing today as he was the first moment i met him. even better. happy, happy, birthday love, and thanks for making my life complete. and continuing to fill it with surprises. you surprised me the day you arrived 2 months early and pretty much have been ahead of the game ever since.
wishing you a fantastic year ahead.

i love you - mom xox

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

vacation....

so we are going to take a vacation... i can't tell you how excited i am about this. it has been the coldest, longest winter, or so it seems. we have decided that seeing as michaela is going to be heading off to sunny places we should be able to also... she will be heading off on a cruise with a friends family and some other folks who are fond of boats. me - i like to have both my feet planted on the ground and if i am going to feel tipsy i am hoping it will be from some alcohol that i have consumed. a few emails back and forth and we decided that aruba is it. why not? it's sunny, it's warm, the beaches are beautiful, they have great food and you can even gamble if the spirit moves you. all i care about is shedding, coats and scarfs, and boots in favor of a pair of flip flops and shorts. just the thought of it lifts my mood....

christine i promise...


we are here. all of these set backs are not fair. but we are going to win this battle. xox

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

restaurant week...


so if it weren't for vinny i would have missed restaurant week and i would have hated that. but lucky for me vinny looks out for us. he called to ask if we were interested in going to ruth's chris steak house. he just so happened to have a reservation available. i had heard a lot of good things about it. even though it was monday night we rallied (what a surprise) and we took the trip to boston. the wind chill was only at about zero degrees so what the heck. honestly i could not believe how cold it was. it felt like a january day instead of the end of march. but... i have to say it was worth it. it was by far the best steak i have ever had. it must have been all the butter they cook it in. so i cast my cholesterol worries aside and devoured it. and all of you who know me so well know how much i worry about these things :)
ruth's chris is located in the old city hall building, it's a cool building and i loved the little white lights on the trees outside. vinny is always open to fun and new things i like being on his list of people to call when you want to do something -especially eating. he always knows the best places.... thanks vinny for another memorable night.


Sunday, March 22, 2009

thank you....



these folks invited us over to their house for a mini reunion. makes you realize how lucky you are to have people like this in your life and wonder why you see them so seldom. thank you both for such a wonderful night. it was great to see everyone and we had so many laughs. all of this came about because of facebook. when your 70+ aunt is on facebook you know she is pretty hip. then she moves her bed out of her room to
accommodate the crowd and is disappointed because people are leaving and it's midnight... i know i got some of those genes. thanks so very much. we love you !!!!

Friday, March 20, 2009

i am trying ....

i have been such a bad blogger lately. the kitchen project has taken up so much time. and i can't say i have hit the fun part. i have spent endless hours cleaning up dust and that is NOT fun. but like i said before - patience. i haven't blogged in so long i forget where i am at. i did go to see dirty dancing and i would give it a B- the scenery was amazing it truly was but the musical itself was a bit slow. not like abba when after seeing that i wanted to go back the very next night. if you have a choice i would save my money and go see jersey boys later this summer. since i last spoke we had another movie night at my neighbor kayes. another great success. we watched the holiday and it's such a good movie, i love a sweet love story. we also went to see slumdog millionaire which was a really good take. some of the scenes are disturbing tho, the poverty and some of the violence was hard to watch.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Monday, March 16, 2009

spring break......

oh that's right i don't get one... andrew left early this morning to head out to jackson hole to ski. he is hoping for knee deep powder. i am hoping for no avalanches. the education system figured out long ago that there was great value in taking a week off midway through the semester to clear the brain and recharge your motivation. i think the same reasoning should apply to all jobs. we should all take a break to recharge... i think i need a vacation...

Saturday, March 14, 2009

hello saturday...


good morning the sun is shining looks to be a great day... i am heading over to miss c's house with a basket of muffins. i feel like little red riding hood saying that but... she is home and we can't wait to sip coffee with her and give her a BIG hug... even though she wishes she was on a beach in the caribbean sipping a cocktail instead.
will catch up on the week a little later...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

on tuesday

i needed a superhero… and someone saved my life – you know who you are.
thank you… xo

“if i wasn’t hurting so much i would think i was dead”

i am chewing on a really crusty bagel, it was purchased by the cfo - our finance department has a great set up where every thursday some manager buys bagels and even the cfo is not exempt - a plastic bagel is hung on your office/cube the night before it's your turn and you know you are IT. although secretly i know the wife of the cfo is really the purchaser… it’s a nice gesture. today i am happy to have this bagel, i chew down hard and take out some of the frustration of the week. some weeks are better than others and this has not been the best one. i am trying to live with the long view - sometimes uncertainty can be overwhelming and you need someone to help you through. often the potential good that is incubating during an uncertain time will reveal itself only with the passing of time. we have to devote ourselves to making the best of whatever comes our way. it’s march and it’s always a month of change, it signals the end of a cold dark winter and the coming of a warmer brighter spring. i love to see the crocus peek out from the earth, they bring me hope of lighter days. days with more sunshine and warmth. these flowers know that they have had to turn inward and endure hard times but this doesn’t stop them from being strong and pushing forward and fulfilling their beautiful potential. i will look to them for inspiration. often times throughout the cold months of winter these flowers not only survive but grown and become stronger. i want to enjoy every good day i have, it can’t be over shadowed with sadness. i want my trials to motivate me to be brighter and stronger during the good times rather than live in fear of another “winter”. as march transitions from winter to spring it doesn’t mean there will not be more blizzards - you can look to monday to know that. and it doesn’t mean there will be no more rainstorms but it does mean that more sunny days are on their way.
i hate sadness and i avoid it whenever possible but lately there have been some
rough patches… so i am reaching down to find my courage – i know it is there. i just have to shuffle a few things around…. the months are changing and so am i...

Saturday, March 7, 2009

demolition....

can you say holy crap??? for a very,very, long time i have wanted to knock down the wall that is between by kitchen and my dining room. you see our kitchen is small and i am not a formal kind of dining room person. i love to entertain but not formally so. so.... i don't really need a formal eating space. i wanted an open space. so if we knocked the wall down in between the kitchen and dining spaces it would open it up and be airy and sunny and i would love it. and.... i know i am going to love it - eventually. i just hate BIG messes and... well you can imagine wallboard dust and electrical plugs being moved and cabinets being emptied can make for... well yes quite the mess... but i am ready and i can already tell that this is worth it... the sun shining in this morning is fabulous it is so bright. and it is going to be 50 today !!!! oh spring I can feel you .. and tonight don't forget to turn the clocks ahead. we have a birthday party later today for the sweetest little boy in the world and dinner tonight with some great friends at a really sweet little restaurant we haven't visited for a while. well.. i am off to go look for some flooring....i am thinking wide wood pine country look.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

more food ...

Growing up food was always the focus of all our family gatherings, I guess that is where my food passion comes from. I love to cook and I strongly believe that the beauty of the presentation only enhances the flavor. So when I saw this beautiful dish I just had to share it. Simple and Healthy.



Sole en Papillote
Serves 2
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, cut into rounds
3 sundried tomatoes, soaked in olive oil and cut into strips
2 tablespoons small black olives, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 fillets of fresh sole
salt and pepper for tasting
thyme sprigs for garnish
parchment paper for wrapping fish

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Start with an ample amount of parchment paper, according to fish fillet size. Fold in half and eyeballing fillet, cut a heart shape leaving a one inch space for folding around fish.
Open up the parchment heart and begin by laying down 2 lemon rounds, then the fillet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and thyme. Scatter the sundried tomatoes, olives and garnish with thyme sprigs. Fold over parchment and starting from the top outer edge of heart, begin folding and crimping edges making sure to seal tightly. Work your way down to the bottom edge, forming half a heart. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat for the other fillet. Bake for 12-15 minutes in oven.


Herbed Wild Rice
Serves 2

1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup wild rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

Wash and drain rice. In a medium saucepan, mix in rice, chicken broth and salt. Soak for 30 minutes. Cover the saucepan and bring the broth to a boil, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15 more minutes. Mix in butter and herbs, fluffing with fork.

Monday, March 2, 2009

writing project...

directions to where i am ... start in the blue collar city of somerville, massachusetts. see the city in all it's wonder good and bad. 1st daughter, 3rd child in a family of six. jump and run most days. be tough, fight sometimes because it's a tough city and you are a survivor. grow up with a few bumps and bruises and with such a strong mom - a fighter herself. feel safe. be surrounded with love. attend catholic school, learn to feel lots of guilt. get a ring at 12 years old, and a toy poodle with a radio inside. beg in high school to go to city school - succeed. drink wine before your time up on the hill. work a job in boston that your aunt got for you and ride home on the handle bars of your friends bike free as a bird. fall in like with a series of boys, a hockey player whose family loves you and you love them. think you'll marry him - know you wont. spend a few romantic nights with a boy who takes his guitar on dates and sings tiny dancer to you. get your first real job. buy your first car and cry a lot because it breaks down all the time. work, babysit, travel, dance your days away. marry the man of your dreams at a young age, buy your first house and make it into a happy home. dream your days away in wedded bliss, decorating, sewing and baking everyday. have 2 beautiful baby boys and be so amazed at the dept of a mother's love. dress them up like dolls, play everyday, ask questions, follow their lead. make many friends, open a craft store, teach, learn, be so content. one day lightning strikes, someone changed their mind, some dreams lost their way. draw on your earlier education of fighting for your life. know what it's like to be the saddest anyone could ever be. but remember two little people are totally depending on you. promise them you will not let them down and stick to it. this is only temporary, get a job, god will not let you down if you believe. move forward. meet the most caring man ever, the children fall totally in love with him. hold hands, believe in the future again. be afraid. have faith. see the sun again. take another chance. believe. move to a new house. have another child - a beautiful baby girl - could life be perfect again? spend 20 more years watching children grow, sleepless nights, proud moments that take your breath away, trials that you think might kill you, baseball, hockey, football, basketball, lacrosse, gymnastics, tennis, swimming, ski trips, ccd, driving, bad stuff, good stuff, graduations, moves across the country, births, deaths, still dreaming..... know that life has many turns and detours along the way - continue believing you are right where you should be ... embrace it all, everything is going to be okay. start a blog. write this. you are here...

Sunday, March 1, 2009

oh what a night...


Congratulations


joe and kim. the bride and groom looked beautiful and everyone had such a wonderful time. thanks joe and stacey for having us. it's really hard for us to believe the kids are heading out on their own - starting their own journeys. i wish them a lifetime of happiness, hold on to the way you feel today - forever. you could feel their joy just being next to them seeing the way they look at each other.
these friends have been friends for decades so the partying just goes on and on. the history is something people would die for. these people know what F.U.N. means for sure....the love, the friendship, the caring for each other is amazing. and now as the next generation moves forward we can only wish them the luck and happiness most of us have been fortunate enough to share.

kara i know you didn't want to be on the blog but you looked to cute to miss...

family....


sometimes you are lucky enough to have family that are also friends... and sometimes your family might have some similar passions like trying out a new restaurants. food is used for celebrating, commiserating, weathering life's storms oh and yes to sustain existence. we had a great time....these are not the real relatives. i am not allowed to post their pictures in cyberspace.....

the food was fabulous and the wine well that was pretty good also, we probably should have tried one more bottle just to be sure :-). so if you are in the cambridge area don't miss gran gusto's find it here