Category: Uncategorized (Page 37 of 40)

Here are the sublime fava beans we got in last week’s CSA delivery!

Fresh fava beans are not easy to find, and we don’t have any Middle Eastern groceries around. We enjoyed these beans in a Moroccan lamb tagine. The smell alone made me miss my adventures in North Africa. It hit the spot!

We have a few blueberry bushes in the yard that we have basically ignored. They were planted by the previous owners, so we estimated they we 3 years old, at the oldest, and wouldn’t produce berries worth eating for a few more seasons. When D and I were checking out the flowers in the yard yesterday, we discovered we have a crop of delicious ripe blueberries! Dash sat in the grass and gobbled up several as I harvested a bowl’s worth (the bowl was fuller before I took this photo!).

We may not have summer here yet, but we have berries that apparently love the misty, still-cool mornings. Sorry to the rest of the States–it is barely 60 here and overcast!

Dashiell is expressing himself with a flurry of signs. He is now signing regularly: water (as in, water to drink), bath, eat, apple, and the old favorite, more. We are working on: book, thank you, mommy, daddy, and I love you.

Just when you thought the summer blockbusters were over, another sequel pops up…click here if you cannot see the video embedded below (your browser does not support HTML 5).

Here is a walking tour of the floors in our house, hosted by Dashiell, with detours to show you things like the remote, our borrowed glider (on its way back to its owners–thanks Hossein and Maureen!), and a hug with Mom.

In four parts:

Part I
Part II
Part II
Part IV

Dear Shelli,

There is so much I want to tell you before I go to Big Boy school! But first, can I play with the knob on the dryer? How about the thermostat? Better yet, let me splashy splash in Pepper’s water dish. Please?!

Shelli, you have taught me so much about talking, walking, eating, drinking, dancing and being gentle with animals. And you tell so many good jokes! I think you are hilarious. I am grinning from ear to ear now just imagining how happy I am when we sit at the table and you sing “Someone’s in the Kitchen with Dasheill…”

I love going to your house and hanging out with you and Pepper, and now Maddy, too. When Mom brings me over in the morning, I get so excited when I see your front door. I like the way your carpet feels between my toes–it helps me go, go, go faster. I like all the good smells at your house too, and the nice breeze that comes in through the window while I sleep. I will miss listening to Maddy playing piano and hope they have a piano and other instruments at my new school.

But the thing I will miss the most is the many hours we have spent napping together. Thank you for holding me close and making me feel safe and loved. It has meant so much to me (and my parents, too).

I love you, Shelli,

Dashiell

Dash has just discovered a new thing he can do…

(If you cannot see the video embedded below, click here to watch the video in a new window).

Last June, we took a quick trip up to Victoria to celebrate Jeff’s MBA graduation.

We had a superb time. It was one of those last-minute trips, hardly planned, in which everything was surprising excellent. It was my first drive through the coastal Olmypic Range, which is stunning. We had two outstanding meals (in Port Angeles at Joy’s Wine Bistro, in Victoria at Camille’s).

Everything about the experience seemed to be extra special. We had sun and a gentle breeze for our visit to the famous Butchart Gardens, and worked up an appetite for devouring their high tea.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stayed at a Marriott, but this one really impressed me. We got upgraded to a business suite (conference call, anyone?) and had a city view.

But the standout of that vacation was…the delight of an oh-so-comfortable bed in the room. So cozy! So comfortable! With exceptionally fine bed linens that you never find at hotels, no matter now luxurious the brand.

After that night of perfect sleep, we knew then it was beyond time to bite the bullet and buy a new bed at home.

It took over a year, but we’ve finally graduated from the old Ikea bed, in which we were beginning to sleep strategically to avoid the dips. We broke down and bought a Sleep Number bed. We were not happy about how long our bed took to arrive, and the delivery process is not customer-oriented at all or what you would expect after dropping such a huge sum for a bed, but now that it’s here and we’ve all adjusted we are waking up rested. Jeff’s back was happy again after 1 night; it took me a couple weeks (and a new pillow purchase) to get comfortable.

So, what are our numbers? I am 50 and Jeff is close to me at 55 (yes, we are supposed to have different numbers…that’s the whole point!). But the beauty of the system is you can change your setting, and I suspect mine will get lower (softer) as I adjust more.

Dashiell likes it too! He has not slept in our bed since he was about 5 months old, but lately, he’s been waking up in his crib before 5:00 am, and he’s too tired to make it to his morning nap, and then he’s overtired and consequently doesn’t take a good morning nap. We had been casually letting him play in the bed with us after we got him up and changed. I noticed that if I wasn’t around he would rest in the bed instead of wanting to climb the headboard and play with the reading lamps. So for the last two mornings, while I write these blogs, D and Dad doze for another hour plus!

We had an excellent Fourth of July–perfect weather, a nice meal in town, and a “beach” adventure at our fave Portland hang out, Jamison Square. Here’s the highlights of our time at the ‘ole swimming hole, in 3 parts.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

From the same eating session as my previous post, here is Mr. Opera practicing his falsetto.

Finally, here is some video of Dash signing “more,” as in, more to eat, please!