plum

plum {eats}

  {Zucchini Gratin}

Anything could be hiding under this blanket of cheesey goodness and it would be delicious. 

I love cheese.  Three of my all time high foodie experiences center around it.  {a late night Chicago last-course-snack, gluttony and belly-aches at an NYC landmark, and a cheese cart big enough to commute a family in France.}   

Cheese - it's the ingredient that can save a dish or make it a star.

 
As is the case here.   Quite simple to make, it involved nothing more than a minute of slicing, shredding and measuring and then off to the stove top.  The abundance of onion did scare me a pinch, but since they cooked for awhile, it never gave me pause.  Next up, I tossed in the zucchini, spices (who would have thought to add nutmeg!), flour and milk and watched the magic happen. 

Feeling quite proud of myself for making a new veggie dish, I plopped on the floor and finished a grueling match of Candyland {tip, use army guys as players.  they can shoot up oncoming challengers.  awesome}.  It wasn't until some time later that I noticed I forgot to put the lid on my simmering veggies.  Oh for the love of...   So, on went the lid with more time added to the timer.

  **I should have remembered this when it was time for the oven bake**

  The zucchini ended up mushy due to over cooking.  oopsie.  Even still, it was fabulous!! 

As always, I pretty much followed the recipe to a 'T', oodles of onion and all.  But, I did make one adjustment and that was to include fresh Parm to the cheesy topping.  See cheese lover comment above.  Next time, I'm under cooking the zucchini.  Like pasta, I like my veggies with a little crunch.   

 
 

{recipe}

I love Ina!!

 

 

Rue.

 
{tRue love}

 Blasted!  I knew I should have bought this chair ($15!) when I saw it.

I could totally be lounging around my house like this.  Nuts.

 

check out the new Rue.

***

 

Dear Rue,

call me.  I'll pick sand out of lace dresses and wash camels.

kisses, d.

 

 

Kid Care - Part I.

 
Gillian^*.
 
 At-home childcare - the search.  

It was extensive and time consuming (only 100+ applicants to sort through!), but what's more important than who watches your kids??   Every mom and family has their own list of criteria when selecting a caregiver {I went through a similar search 4 years ago when choosing a daycare for Baby Girl.  Prudence paid off, we're still there.}, and no one list is better than the other.  To each their own. 

What matters to me, beyond the obvious - toddler experience, background check, First Aid, etc...?  Take a look.

• outdoor lover.  Our family spends hours outside everyday.  I didn't want a shrinking violet afraid of summer hot spells.
• patience!  Maxi Butt might be a laughin' fool one minute & a screamin' mess the next. 
• creativity.  Pretend play, imaginary friends, art projects.  I hoped to find a candidate with a repertoire of play. 
• language & the arts.  I really, really wanted a caregiver that spoke a second language or played an instrument or mastered some other skill (culinary...)
• and most importantly, "je ne sais quoi".  I wanted that certain something - a spark - a drive - an unscripted quality not evident on a resume.  

  Can you believe I found all that and more!?!   Gillian plays the guitar and piano.  She sews, beads and puts my crafty skillz to shame - i'll share her etsy link soon.  Emerson and Max took to her right away and she's got great style (bonus!).  Like many parents, I want to surround my kids with diverse and positive people from all walks of life.  That Gillian is from South Africa, is musically talented and bi-lingual, has chosen a path of pre-med pediatric neuroscience at Penn (that's the Univeristy of Pennsylvania, my friends, with a full ride!! ) can only enrich my kids lives.  Whether they know it or not!    

Needless to say, I couldn't be happier and this first week on our new schedule went awesome (two days at home, 3 days at daycare).   Here's a peak.

 

(heart-shaped breakfast, potato-stamped monograms and a guitar lesson} 

 
 
 One of my favorite parenting mottos is set your kids up for success.  But, how?  A few tricks in my bag -  curiosity and confidence.  Let little ones get dirty and explore and learn.  Let them love themselves.  And, give them Gillian.  :)

 

***

check back soon for Kid Care - Part II {Daycare}  

 

{footnote:  I used care.com as my hiring tool and could not have been happier or more impressed with the pool of candidates.  Check them out for kids, pets, cleaning and more!}
 

{^*behind-the-scenes:  just as Gillian and I started shooting our impromptu photoshoot, the UPS man walked down the driveway.  "Um, hi.  I have a package here for delivery."  Good stuff.  Made me laugh.}

  

 

what to wear.

 

August is booking up {blog event, jewelry show, movie night, beach week, baby shower}, which means my room will be a mess for a month - all those outings, all those outfits.  

  I turned to the pages of Vogue for their take on Summer and found a timely guide.

 

 
 
In the words of Emily Holt, Vogue writer, "there are few summer moments more vexing than standing in front of a closet full of clothes on a steamy August afternoon, completely baffled as to how to dress for the fun, al fresco soiree that’s happening in less than an hour. It should be so simple, right?  ...why does putting together an ensemble that will be fun to wear and weather-appropriate feel akin to resolving the national debt-ceiling crisis?"

  
 {anthropologie}

I've been laundering, folding and hanging an overload of clothes* all weekend and week to get an accurate picture of all things that I can no longer fit into.  Waaaaaa!!  {*I draw the line at ironing.  Am I the only one that lets gravity and an overstuffed closet do the smoothing?}.  

Dresses rule my world, so naturally, I'll be true to my favorite look.  They're stylish, versatile and comfy.  I'll have a date for most of my August outings - my size-smaller twin {hate that!} - and we're coordinating for fun.  Corney?  No way - so cool! 

 I'll keep you posted.

 

 

{images by Vogue} 

am i the only one...

 

 

 

 

…who, after the umpteenth closet purge, STILL holds onto pieces that I will never, ever fit into again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday.

 
 8:30, breakfast and Toy Story 2.

     

9:00, laundry.
   
 
 

9:30, bike ride.

 
 
 
10:00, baby snack & nap!

 

10:30, gym & kids club.

 
   

11:30, window shopping {don't you hate leaving them behind?}.   :(

 

12:00, birthday party!
 

 
  
 
thank you, Sanya!!

 

1:30 reading.

 

{2:00 NAPS!!!!!!! }

3:00 rain showers

 

3:30, rain play.

{see Monday night's rain - Download MOV09756 }

4:30, projects.

   
 {thanks Billy Webb!! He also cleaned my car!  What a lucky, lucky girl. xxoo}

5:00, Candyland.

 
 
{and a Candyland thief! Maxi steals my man.}

5:30, dinner.

 
{the makings of a killer zucchini gratin!  recipe post soon.} 

6:30, Parkside Place

 
 

...where we closed the joint down!

 

 

To home for a nighttime swim and bedtime all around. 

No blazing heat dome could stop this family! 

  

...and, that's how we roll! 

 
 
 

in love with {kiddie art}

what to do with all those early masterpieces?

 
photograph originals, make cool prints.  I may just do this.

 

{source}

 

Why wait?

 

Why Weight {version 3.1.a.ii} 

IT'S ON!!!!

 

 

{source}

beach iii {the sights}

All that beach time didn't leave time for much else, but we managed to squeeze in a few beachtown favorites - the Boards and the Zoo. 

 Boardwalk, Ocean City, NJ 
  
 

 
Zoo, Cape May, NJ 
 
 

 

 

  

 

 


 and there you have it - the sand & surf, the scene and the sights.  We're about one month away from our next beach getaway.  What to expect from then, Beach IV? 

The Sisters, for sure!  {Ramsey girls, rule!}

 

 

movie date.

This past weekend little girl and I loaded up on popcorn, m&m's and ice cream bites and joined a sprinkling of other families for a showing of Winnie the Pooh.  Just before the feature started, we were in for a treat.  Recently, Disney made the wonderful decision to show short films just prior to the headliner.  I love the idea and I loved the choice -  The Ballad of Nessie .  A tale about tears.  It was a real treat. 

  
 
 Now, about the Bear.  I could sit and listen to him exclaim - "oh, bother!" all day. The film was sweet and charming and fun for movie lovers and word lovers, alike.  The use of typography and letters was a surprising touch and simply delightful.  

In the words of  A.O. Scott, New York Times - "The new Winnie the Pooh directed by Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall, makes witty use of typography, sending its characters scrambling over lines of type, which serve as obstacles, means of rescue and invitations to surreal jokes that are both sophisticated and accessible to newly literate members of the audience".

 And then, a few days later, I saw these lovelies...  I want to fill Emerson's room with the Hundred Acre Gang. 

 

 

{Any childhood favorites you would love to see adapted to the big screen?}