The Weepies - Be My Thrill

From the new Weepies album, "Be My Thrill".  Very upbeat song by The Weepies to start your weekend off right!  Happy Friday!

via last.fm

Pins of the Week

Here are a few things I've spotted and loved this week (clockwise from top left):


*The Lovely Anne Hathaway - Well, it's confirmed.  They are making 'One Day' into a movie, with Anne as one of the two main characters.  It'll be a heart-wrencher - looking forward to it!
*This is officially my dream vacation home.
*Bookshelves - I just never grow tired of them.  
*Racing Club print - More inspiration for the little guy's room.  I've officially declared his colors:  blue, yellow, green, and black.  
*Bedroom Routine - If only it were always this easy, right?  We've actually been in a pretty good place lately with our evening activities.  Balancing the two little ones seems to be getting easier.   
*Apple and Cheddar Sandwich - I ran out of tomatoes yesterday, so it was time to transition from my favorite summer lunch (tomato and mayo on wheat) to my favorite fall lunch (apple and cheddar on wheat, with just a touch of honey mustard).  Mmm.  


These are just a few of the photos I've recently pinned on my pinboards at Pinterest:  Mary Loves

Quote of the Day

This has always been one of my favorites.

Kitchen Inspiration

***

More beautiful kitchen dreams.  White with fun pops of color.  I like the rug and the flowers in the window sill.

First Words, Horses, and Crickets

***

This week's Three Beautiful Things:

1.  The little guy's first word:  "hi", spoken while waving a silly little sideways wave.  So stinking cute.  He's also attempting to say "truck" - he points at every one that passes by, but it doesn't quite sound like truck yet.  "tuh", perhaps.
2.  I pass by a farm every morning, and I adore seeing the horses grazing in the fields, especially when they are close to the wooden fence lining the road.  Such majestic creatures.
3.  The sound of crickets and the twinkle of fireflies in the cool September evenings.  Sometimes I love spending a few minutes on the porch after the boys go to bed just to enjoy the noisy silence.

Letters to Dead People

I recently ran across a fun tumblr site entitled "Letters to Dead People".  In some cases, the letters are not quite what I would write to the person, but in many cases they are spot on, and in all cases they are interesting and fun to read.  

 images via letters to dead people

Want to Take a Trip?

Well, then head on over to Fairy Tales are True, where I'm appearing in my very first guest post, writing about my awesome city of Boston.  It was fun writing a post all about the city I love - hope you enjoy!  Thanks so much Sarah for having me!

One Day

I started reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet, by David Mitchell.  I put it down after the first 100 pages and decided that I needed to take a break and read one last summery book before embarking on such an undertaking.  David Mitchell is brilliant, but his books are not easy.  So I picked up One Day, by David Nicholls.  It had been recommended by several friends and had also been sitting on my nightstand for a while.

I found myself staying up way too late, and I finished it in three days.  It is easy to read and addictive, and since I am of a similar age as the characters (a few years younger!), I found it to be easy to relate to and interesting, thinking back on the culture and social climate of each year.  It was fun to think back on my life in my early 20s in the 90s, for example.  Being one of the last people I knew to own a cell phone.

I assume you've heard of it, but just in case....each chapter describes the two main characters on the same day - July 15 - for twenty years.  It's a beautiful and often frustrating love story, and you can definitely compare it to "When Harry Met Sally".  It is easy to picture the movie they are bound to make from it as well.

Here's the review from the Times if you want to read more.

Okay, now back to 1799 Japan...

Weekend Recap

It's hard to believe how many hours of entertainment can be had with just one free balloon!

I was by myself with the boys this weekend, and as usual, I'm pooped.  These little guys just sap every last ounce of energy I have.  I wouldn't trade it for a second, though.  We had tons of fun.  There was a town festival on Saturday morning, which meant face painting, a moon bounce, quality time with the fire trucks, popcorn and ice cream.  Then an afternoon playdate with a friend who has little ones of the same ages.  Sunday was cloudy, but we ventured up to the farm to play, pet some animals, and pick some apples.  The cloudy and cool afternoon provided a good excuse to bake something - one of our favorites, this garden harvest cake.  (Note:  I added bran and used whole-wheat flour.  Can replace raisins for walnuts, if you so desire, or add both!  So yummy, and the kids love it.)  Then lots more playing outside - swinging, biking, chasing, pushing, running, throwing - until it was time for dinner.  And so another weekend draws to a close.  I hope yours was wonderful as well!

Blitzen Trapper - Dragon's Song

Song from Blitzen Trapper's latest album, Destroyer of the Void.  They are a cool folk-rock band based in Portland, Oregon.  Enjoy!

Croatia - August 2011

It's September now.  Is it too early to start planning for next August?  Judging by villa availability, I'd say not.  Besides, sometimes the best part of a vacation is the anticipation of it.  Okay, so hopefully the actual vacation is more fabulous than the anticipation, but it sure is sweet, isn't it? 

I've begun planning our next big trip.  We're planning to travel with family to Croatia next August.  We will be bringing little ones, so we have a lot to consider, and our itinerary will probably look different than if we were traveling sans kids.  I just started doing some research, and I'm already so excited to go.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I just want to take a walk through a little village, buy some fresh fish and produce, bring it back to our villa to grill up an afternoon meal, and dangle my feet in some clear green water. 

How about you?  Any exciting trips planned?

*all images via lonely planet

Pins of the Week

Here are a few things I've spotted and loved this week (clockwise from top left):


*Barnacle Whale - Love this canvas art illustration from Vermont.  Where can I put it in our house?  
*Leo - He is aging well, don't you think?  We watched 'Shutter Island' last weekend.  (Well, I watched, and my husband slept beside me on the couch.)  Creepy, and ultimately not all that surprising, but not a bad movie.  And I love watching that Leonardo.   
*Mason jars - There is something about these old jars I just love.  The simplicity, the soft shade of blue.  Gorgeous.
*Music - Okay, so you can't really read it in the small picture above, but the record says "Without Music, Life would be a mistake."  
*Pancakes - Smoothie-season is ending, and I need to introduce some high-fiber breakfast items into our rotation.  I've been adding bran to our regular pancake recipe, but I'd like to find a whole-wheat version that actually tastes good.  These look promising.  
*There's Always Room for Ice Cream - My life motto.  


These are just a few of the photos I've recently pinned on my pinboards at Pinterest:  Mary Loves

Smoothies

source unknown - sorry!

I mentioned how much fun I've had with homemade popsicles this summer.  I was a little worried that the big boy would be upset when they ended, but he's transitioned nicely back into the nights where fruit is the only dessert.  I haven't stopped making smoothies yet, though.

A few times a week, I have enjoyed making smoothies as a part of our breakfast routine.  Besides being yummy, it's yet another way to sneak things into his diet.  The big boy now refers to flax seed as his "special ingredient".  I had never made a smoothie before, and now that I know how easy they are, I will continue to do it quite often in the warmer months.

I basically wing it, but the general outline goes something like this:

1/2 cup of plain organic yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp honey
1-2 tbsp flax seed
1 cup or so of fresh/frozen fruit

If you use fresh fruit, you'll need to add ice cubes to give the smoothie the consistency you want.  I prefer using frozen fruit, or a mix.  Freeze those brown bananas - if you use 1/2 a banana, you really don't need to add the honey, because it helps sweeten it up.  My favorite is undoubtedly strawberry/pineapple, although this morning's mango/pineapple/banana was pretty awesome.  The big boy claims that every single one is his favorite, although I think he likes the purple varieties (berries!).  If you use blueberries, you can also sneak in some spinach or other greens without the little ones noticing.

Now I need to start thinking about what my cold-weather breakfast/dessert go-to items will be.   I'm thinking I need a yummy recipe to get the big boy to request oatmeal more often.  Any ideas?

Kitchen Inspiration

via housetohome.co.uk

Pretty wide open space.  I like the faucet, the knives magnet strip (I will definitely replace my old chopping block!), and those huge windows!

Thought of the Day

I love this...

Weekend Recap - Labor Day

***

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  The unofficial end of Summer.  Ours was great.  We have had such a wonderful summer, and we were able to check off every single thing on our 'Summer of Fun' to-do list.  I had thought we'd have to leave one unchecked - 'take advantage of friends that have a beach house' - but we managed to take care of that one this weekend!

Some friends had invited us to come hang out with them at their family's house on Cape Cod.  We decided to splurge, book a hotel room, and make a trip out of it.  We packed the car and headed out Saturday after lunch, arriving in time to play in the pool for a while.

Hurricane Earl was gone by then, although he did leave some wind behind.  It was sunny and warm, though, so the wind wasn't so bad.  The big guy loved practicing his swimming in the pool, and then we went out to eat for dinner and ice cream.  There are tons of great ice cream spots on the Cape, and K is still dreaming about his almond joy cone.

The hotel room was great, and the boys seem to thrive in different and new environments.  They both ran around the hotel room, giggling and giddy with excitement.

We didn't take any pictures, except this one, which shows the view from our room.  I guess we were too busy having fun.  There was a gorgeous sunset, which we watched from the ice cream place.

The next day, we spent time with friends on the beach.  It was still a bit windy, but wonderful nonetheless.  The big boy could spend all day running and jumping in the waves.  He completely wore himself out.  Don't you just love the exhaustion you feel after a day at the beach?  At about 7:30 that night, back at home, he declared, "Mom, it's time for bed."  And about halfway through the first story, he said, "Mom, I'm just going to go to sleep now.  You can keep reading if you want."  And off he went to dreamland...

***

Monday brought a re-entry day.  These are so essential to a good vacation, I've come to learn.  Time to do laundry, tidy up, mow the lawn, and get ready for the week.  In addition to those things, we found ourselves sitting in the yard with our neighbors, enjoying a few drinks while our boys played together.  How fabulous it is to have a playmate right next door.  And nice for us, too, to be able to sit for a few moments and relax.  

I think back on this summer and am so happy at the memories we've created.  I truly do believe that making these little to-do lists and focusing on getting out there makes a huge difference in our lives.  Most of the things we did were very little and easy - bubbles, playgrounds, picnics...  But at this stage, having a toddler and a preschooler, it is so easy to drown in the must-dos and forget to focus on having fun.  I'm happy that we're keeping up with it, and I know we're all happier as a result.  

A Few Words on Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is probably the most-requested meal in my house.  With this recipe from Cooking Light, I always feel pretty good about making them for my family.  They're healthy, and this is one of the few dishes that gets my son to clean his plate.  He's a good eater, but he's not a big eater, and he's a skinny little thing.  This recipe is great, because it is doable for a weeknight - meatballs don't have to take forever to cook, and cooking them together with the sauce aids in clean-up.  It also makes a lot, so I am guaranteed to have leftovers for a second dinner that week.

I ran across this recipe on Heart of Light a couple weeks ago, and I love the idea of adding veggies to cut down on the meat.  This one uses grated carrots and zucchini.  I also love the idea of baking the meatballs, because it gives you the flexibility to make a bunch and then freeze some for later.  It's not a weeknight dish, but that's okay.  I made a batch with the listed herbs, and they were yummy.  If you're going to serve them with spaghetti, I'd steer clear of rosemary and stick to basil, oregano, perhaps garlic powder, but if you're going to have them on their own, use whatever herbs you happen to have on hand. My son adored these.  I made enough to freeze a bunch, and I am now using them in my son's lunches.  Awesome.

Another lunch idea for the little ones (or for you!) - Chicken and Apple Bites.  It's another way of getting healthy items into your kids' lunch, and you can eat them hot or cold.  Great little finger-foods, and my son approved.  I don't have the recipe online - it came from a cookbook called "Healthy Cooking for your Kids".

1 apple, peeled cored and grated
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
scant 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp chicken stock
whole wheat flour, for coating
oil, for pan-frying

Spread the apple out on a clean dish towel and press out all the excess moisture.

Put the chicken, apple, onion, parsley, bread crumbs, and stock in a food processor and pulse briefly until well combined.

Spread the flour out on a plate.  Divide the mixture into 20 mini portions, shape each portion into a ball and roll in the flour.

Heat a little oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the balls for 5-8 minutes, or until golden brown all over and cooked through.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Serve hot, or cold for a lunchbox.

City and Colour - The Girl

City and Colour is Singer/Songwriter Dallas Green (get it?).  Just a guy with a guitar, making sweet music. I'm thinking perfect for a Sunday morning while you're making pancakes.

Pins of the Week

Here are a few things I've spotted and loved this week (clockwise from top left):

*Clogs - This pair is pretty expensive, but I really love the look.  If only these were my size - $20!   If you are a size 7, please go buy them.  I'm going to be on the lookout for clogs I think.  
*Peaches - It seems like peaches have lasted a long time this summer.  We picked up a big box of them last weekend, and we all enjoyed eating them, especially the little boy.
*Outdoor Shower - Okay, so it perhaps wasn't this glamorous, but I did enjoy a wonderful outdoor shower at the lake last weekend.  It's funny that taking a shower outside can feel like such a luxury.  Being able to wash your hair in the sunshine is awesome.
*Hammock Chair - I love this picture.  Doesn't it make you want to kick off your shoes and pick up a book and a cup of tea?    
*Dive - You know what I'm thinking?  I'm thinking we should squeeze out every last second of summer that we can.  I'm a little worried about the storm headed our way, but if it passes by quickly, I'm hoping we can head to the beach one last time so I can jump in the water and stick my legs out just like this.  
*Vermont - Now that summer is coming to an end, I'm allowing myself to think of Fall.  And that includes a weekend away (without kids!) in Vermont.  Can't wait!

These are just a few of the photos I've recently pinned on my pinboards at Pinterest:  Mary Loves

Is it Time to Start Hinting for Gift Ideas Yet?

I am not a jewelry person.  I don't own much at all, and most days all I have on are my wedding rings.  But I do enjoy wearing jewelry.  I like small items that aren't too showy.  I'd love to add some more to my jewelry collection, and I think I found the perfect place to start.  I love everything in the Elephantine Etsy shop.  Small, but with enough sparkle to dress up any outfit.  Here are a few of my favorites...

*All images from Elephantine Etsy shop, found via The Little Things We Do