Portrait Finale! (or, "End of Photo Project")

Ta da!  End of the month = end of the photo project.  Here's what happened this past week:

• a fave photo of you -- this is probably the coolest spontaneous shot that our wedding photog took nearly 3 years ago.  It's up on our dining room wall, one of the prominently displayed wedding shots in our house.  Soooo much more "us" than all the posed line-up pics that were taken outside the church!
• where you work -- "the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States."  This is my extremely battered membership card.  Represent!!
• your shoes -- I actually wore heels to work that day, but since I walk over a mile between the train station and the office I brought my new Tieks (pictured) along.  Hubs's company gave out gift certificates for these shoes as gifts at the corporate holiday party.  SCORE.
• inside your bathroom cabinet -- not room for much other than some toothbrushes (inc. the mini one for HD)
• green -- my brother and I had a blast on Saturday taking HD to the park and local library.  Green swing set, green trees, green jacket.  Seemed right to me!
• night -- this former LA girl is still a sucker for the Oscars, despite the fact that I never have time to see more than 1-2 of the nominated flicks anymore.  I think my obsession is less about the speeches and clothes...and more about the fact that I'm pretty excellent at making Oscar picks (it's all about knowing the Academy's politics, which I'm a bit ashamed to say isn't hard to pick up).  Guess what I did all Sunday night after HD went to bed?
• something you ate -- second time this topic was on the monthly list.  This is one of my favorite home desserts: vanilla ice cream, lots of chocolate sauce, and dry roasted peanuts sprinkled on top.  The perfect salty-sweet, and still good even if the IC and syrup are low fat :)
• money -- in an effort to pretend I have some, here's a glimpse at my wallet.
• something you're listening to -- this was today's shot.  And I was extremely tempted to put in a pic of HD screaming with gumdrop sized tears and snot obscuring her face.  Let's just say that teething incisors makes for a pint-sized drama queen.  But I spared myself the agony of trying to get that shot, and focused on my refuge (iPod) instead.  Play on, Zeppelin.

Have I mentioned my recent obsession with the older model of Fisher Price Little People recently?  These are the ones that any person who was a kid in the 60s-90s will remember.  Apparently they were deemed a choking hazard after 40 years in production, and the new models are a but more...rotund.  I scooped up some of the oldies on eBay and HD is IN LOVE.

Portraits of a February, Thriceover (or, "Photo Project 3")

Welcome to another glimpse into daily life of the DP Mama!  We have photos from my once a day photo project at the ready, for Sunday Feb 12 - Monday Feb 20.  Let's have at it.  Explanations and daily topics are below the photos.  Please excuse the haphazard formatting.

• Inside Your Closet - a close up of some of my fave items.  You didn't really expect to get a full shot of my bedroom's designated disaster space, did you?
• Blue - HD, wearing blue henley and cardigan.  Whenever we put either of these items on her, she insists that she's "blue like Toodee."
• Heart - apropos topic, as it was Valentine's Day.  Hubs and I have never gone out on V-Day, not even in our dating days.  We've always stayed in to cook together.  We made sea scallops with bacon and spinach...the heart is the bacon bits :)
• Phone - HD's Fisher Price phone, courtesy of the Grand Admiral Madre.  It was hanging out in her room next to her fairy door.  [Sidenote, HD loves to knock on this door and try to ask her resident fairy, Elizabeth, to come out.  I've explained to her that Elizabeth is nocturnal, so HD inevitably whispers "sleeping" whenever Elizabeth does not appear during the day to the knocking.]
• Something New - Hubs and I decided that our big present to each other for the holidays would be to attempt some decorating in our bedroom.  You know, make it a space that isn't a haven for baby toys and story books with a bed in the middle.  So all the pillows in the photo below are new-ish, but the headboard is all of a week old.  West Elm is my fave, and totally affordable when they have sales and you cash out credit card points to get gift certificates to the store!
• Time - best depicted by my always full calendar work planner.
• Drink - on Saturday, Hubs went out with a friend.  Once HD was asleep, I enjoyed a bit of scotch.  Nom.
• Something You Hate to Do - potty training.  HD's totally cool with using her potty, but she's still not so adept at always telling us when she has to (but she's getting there!).  Which means to avoid accidents, we basically take her into the bathroom every chance we get.  DP Mama's lower back is not loving sitting on that cold tile to read Green Eggs & Ham for the 12th time that afternoon.
• Something You Ate - who says Panda Express doesn't have healthy options?

Portraits Revisited (or, "Photo Project 2")

And for week 2 of my one photo a day month...Here are the daily topics from Sunday, Feb 5 (kind of) through Saturday, Feb 11:

- 10am (I forgot to take the photo last Sunday!  Which would have probably been a pic of HD on the potty, so you're welcome on being spared that sight. You have Monday morning at my desk in the office instead.)
- dinner (awesome Hubs made a pizza with pine nuts when I wasn't feeling well.  And yes, he made the pizza.  No frozen ingredients whatsoever.  My hero.)
- button (courtesy of my cardigan and coat)
- sun (another make up pic from the next day. I was home with a sick HD on Wed so I snapped this shot of a building near my office on Thurs)
- front door (Hubs was home with sick HD this day,  and they came to meet me when I arrived home.  Nothing makes a working woman happier than that.)
- self portrait (note the tired/stressed tension in facial lines.  I was once an actress, but that's hard to fake with such accuracy unless you're Meryl.)
- makes you happy (napping kid definitely qualifies)

In case you can't tell, I'm having tons of fun playing with the photo effects, playing up various colors and lighting and faux old-timey qualities.  That's it for this week! More to come...

A Romantical Tradewind (or, "February's Date...with the Kid")

Remember the Christmas gift for Hubs?  The one pre-planned date a month deal?  Well, February's date was a doozy.  Mostly because we opted to bring the kid along, as it was a day excursion.

We drove out to the coast to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.  It's this gorgeous expanse next to the Pacific with a rocky coast that's perfect for tide pooling.  And the weather!  It was a crazily beautiful day in the mid 60s, wild with sunshine.  Tide was lowest at 2:38pm that day, so we got there after her nap, about 3:10pm.  Kid had on her ladybug rainboots and was all set to go charging into the ocean.  She adores the beach, so how could we not bring her along?

Winter in CA?  Yeah, it's not just like this in the movies.

We had a blast charging over the sand, chasing gulls, and gazing up at the bluffs.  We had to teach HD to be extra-super-insanely gentle with every creature we came across.  There were anemones, hermit crabs, barnacles, and seaweed everywhere.  HD had a fabulous time quoting every book/tv show she'd ever heard regarding sea life, insisting that there were octopi in the pools, etc.  It was definitely perfect (FREE) entertainment for a kid, but roping in our ball of energy wasn't the easiest task.  After close to an hour of romping and "HD-BE-GENTLE-touch-it-niiiiiiiice" we were off to the car for a snack and the drive back.

HD admires her "lagybug" boots.

Sandbluffs make her seem even teenier.

Hubs is wearing his best date face.

From there, we went out to eat.  Since salt air gives you a case of the starves and all.  We hit up Jack's Prime, a neighborhood place that's your basic upscale burger joint.  This place is genius, y'all.  To quote ...myself (I wrote a Yelp review on the place), "Love and hearts and puppies and cuddles abound."  Jack's obviously strives to be a family place (smart idea, considering the area demographic)!  It was hopping on a Saturday eve, but we were seated after a mere 10 minute wait.  Huge booth, instant crayons & coloring sheet, local craft brew (delectable Full Boar Scotch Ale for interested parties) for the parents and a superfast served kid's plate  ofwhite meat chicken fingers & crazy fresh fruit plate.  And the juiciest burger I have feasted upon in a long while, besides my precious In'n'Out.  It was such good food and service, I made a point of telling the manager how much I appreciated having a swell local resto to which we could bring our toddler.  [Y'all like my awkward I'm-not-ending-a-sentence-with-a-preposition bit?  You can't ever unteach an English major...]

Daddy, you can't expect me to pose when there are fries to be had.

Back home to wind the kid down for bed and for us to snuggle up to watch Sherlock (grab on Netflix Watch Instantly; it's a fun miniseries).  A perfect Family Date Day, although next month we're definitely taking off for some adults only time.

Roguish Desires (or, "I Like Stuff")

I don't exactly consider myself a tastemaker. I'm usually in that last tier of folks who hear about whatever internet/tech trends are going on.  I primarily listen to music from the 1970s (honest to God, I'm still trying to figure out who Bruno Mars is).  And my fashion sense is probably more Annie Hall than Olivia Palermo (ooh, did I just reference someone who's actually semi-recent?!).  But, boy, I do love getting all bossy and giving unsolicited advice.  So on that note, here's the things this week that I adore, and you should too:

• Giada's Winter Minestrone Soup.  Holy mackerel, is this stuff tasty.  It's garlicky, slightly smokey from the pancetta, and chock full of delicious and healthy veggies.  Serve with a hunk of bread and you are all set.  Plus, the reruns of this soup are even better since the tastes have melded even more.  Although, I suppose that's true of most soups.  Anyway, I demand you make this one immediately. But only if you send me some because I'm almost out of my supply.
• Our country's men and women in the armed forces.  Sure I'm thinking of this because it's Veteran's Day later this week.  But these folks (AND their families!!!) deserve to be thanked every repeatedly and often.  Not everyone in the military or national guard fully agrees with the politics of this country -- hell, how many of you agree with every choice your employer makes?  Yet they serve strong and proud because it's their job.  Please, please make it a point to say "hey, thank you for what you do" to anyone you know who's serving or has served, or even to any stranger you see in uniform.  I promise you it really does mean a lot to them, and that they do not hear it enough.  Stepping down off the soap box now.
• Kids toys from Ikea.  Their stuff is all about creative play (lots of puppets, art supplies, play kitchens and tools, doctor sets).  It's colorful, durable, and cute.  And it's gloriously inexpensive.  I'm well on my way to having HD's Christmas all planned out and under budget, not to mention battery free.  Tack så mycket, Ikea!
• To all those folks who get amped over the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte...well, yes, I like them too.  But I go completely bonkers for Trader Joe's spiced cider.  It's made from whole, pressed apples and pre-marinated with all that lovely cinnamon/all-spice/orange rind.  All you have to do is heat.  And it's only $2.99!!  This single product takes a company that I adore and projects them into the stratosphere.  Especially if paired with some gingerbread (as made by their mix from a box).
• Working out and getting my Mardi Gras fix all at the same time.  (Although, Jasleen, I totally miss doing the Bollywood dance with you!)
• Old Navy kids' clothes, particularly this awesome sweatshirty jacket thing.  Old Navy peeps -- pretty please make one in my size?

Vittles, Part Dos (or, "Statis Check: The Kid Continues to Eat Whatever")

So food is pretty much one of my favorite things on the entire face of the planet ever.  There aren't too many things that I'll refuse to try (aside from creatures that are still squirming, or cool ranch Doritos).  When the zombie apocalypse happens, I call pantry-raiding duty.  Hubs loves to play guinea pig to my culinary experiments.  It wasn't always thus -- he subsisted only on butter noodles, cheese pizza, and chicken nuggets for the first 17 years of his life.  I'm forever grateful that dorm and fraternity life beat that finickiness out of him, as (in complete honesty) I would never have gone out with him if he maintained such a strict diet. 

Naturally, we've been pretty curious to see where HD would end up on the foodie spectrum.   I last wrote about this in April, when the kid was really fully getting into solid foods.  Back then, she pretty much ate whatever we placed in front of her until she was no longer hungry.  Now?  It's more or less the same.  Only she gets bored sooooooo quickly.  She's very much a grazer, and loves variety.  Kid would be right at home in a tapas restaurant.  Sure, she enjoys regular kid fare like peanut butter or mac'n'cheese, but she also loves roasted brussels sprouts and shrimp gratin with feta.  Which means she pretty much just eats what we eat -- which is flipping SWEET.  Mama certainly has no plans on being a short-order cook.

Although, I keep hearing that kids get picky with food starting around age 2.  And goodness knows toddlers love nothing more than changing their minds on a dime.  I'm hoping that's one "milestone" we can avoid entirely.  I'll gladly take the "I heart being naked" phase instead.  HD had sushi for the first time last night.  Before you call CPS...no, we did not feed our baby raw fish (just veggie rolls and cooked shrimp dumplings.  But kid scarfed seaweed, fresh ginger, and soy sauce like nobody's business.  All topped by her very first popsicle, since those wicked incisors are trying to push through.

Edemame (kid calls it, "mommy") and her de-contructed veggie rolls.

Mmmm, kiwi strawberry.

Incidentally, HD was super into chopsticks.  She kept wanting to use mine, but couldn't quite figure them out.  I think we have our next assignment.

An Extrarrrrrdinary Grog Fest ("First Birthday Run-Down")

We celebrated our little monster's Shipwrecked Birthday a couple of weeks ago.  Being a former sorority girl, I still love to plan parties and I always forget to take photos (we always had hired photographers; those were the days).  Lucky me, I have a very good friend [hi, Jen!] who takes glorious pics.


Hard to tell, but that is an awesome mermaid birthday hat by Stell & Livi (love Etsy!).



Who: My Mama (Admiral Granmadre?) flew across country for this, y'all.  That's love.  Also in attendance were almost all of Hubs's local extended family, my own local bro & future sis-in-law, and a handful of friends who don't have kids but are awesome enough to [pretend that they] like HD. 

Where: Our backyard, on a partially sunny mostly windy/cold day.  I shook my fists at the sky and thrust a sword into the wind while bellowing curses at Poseidon, like any proper pirate when weather is uncooperative.

Vittles: We went Caribbean-style on the food in light of our theme.  On board was a light grapefruit & jicama slaw, some slammin' Caribbean rice & beans, "salty sea dogs" (yeah, that would be hot dogs), mango salsa, homemade guac, and grilled jerk chicken.  By the way, I highly recommend wearing gloves if you chop habanero peppers.  Better yet, don't chop them at all (just de-stem and seed) if putting them in a marinade, in order to avoid fire-hands.  One better on that?  Don't touch your nose after chopping said peppers -- you will end up frantically Googling "habanero in nose" from your phone, then stuffing pats of butter up your schnoz while your husband screams with laughter and takes pictures.  Ahem.

Hubs in all his wisdom insisted that cooking standard food was enough, and I shouldn't bake dessert.  So we go some amazing mini cuppy cakes from Sibby's:

Random Fun: 

Pirate ship pinata!  Thing was indestructible, just like in Parenthood (movie, not tv).



HD chewed on beloved Pink Poochie!!



We used awesome props from LittleRetreats on Etsy for some piraty photo fun!!!

Thanks to all who came and played along with my piratey obsession.  I love folks who feed my inner crazy.  Until later...set sail, me matey!

Vittles (or, "The Kid Eats Whatever")

Hubs was one of those kids who only ate chicken nuggets and pasta
with butter. On the other hand, I devoured "liver mush & eggs" (Daddy's specialty), garlic ANYTHING, and whatever was served at the Strange Seafood Festival my family attended. I am extremely pleased that HD has landed on my side of the foodie fence.

To set the scene, on weekdays Hubs and I eat on the couch while HD plays on the floor next to us (she has supper before Hubs is home from work most days). Her favorite activity as of late is to sidle over to me (managed by cruising alongside the coffee table for support).  She then bobs up and down, attempting to grab anything on my plate. I take this a my cue to then give her bites of my supper. HD loves baba ganooj, brown rice, chicken pie, cornbread, extra garlicky spaghetti, avocado, you name it. And yes to any worrywarts out there, we are very careful about restricting non pediatrician-approved items.

Part of me is supremely proud...the other part just wants to finish my damn meal in peace.

Here are some pics from the past two weeks. Apologies that they're sideways...when I post shots by blogging directly from my phone, that's the way they post. Tried several fixes, but to no avail. If anyone has suggestions on that, comment below (which i always love anyway) or email me!

Scurvy Lasses O' The Green Isle (or "Happy St. Patrick's Day!")

A couple of years ago (or should I say, last decade...!), March 17 would mean the following:
- many green beers!
- whiskey!
- Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphys or any other band of remote Irish descent!
- green food coloring mysteriously dying the lining in my purse!

Flash forward to 2011. Today's evening routine will be:
- train home while listening to Flogging Molly, et. al.!
- pick up my little leprechaun from day care!
- bastardized Irish lamb stew in the crock pot!
- U-C-L-A FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Teach baby the 8 clap!
- one green beer after HD goes to bed!

The luck of the Irish has smiled upon me :)
 

Sailing Solo and Buried Treasure (or "The Cap'n's Day Off")

Avast!

This Saturday, I got a super duper treat.  Hubs took the baby and headed out to see his folks for the afternoon, and magnanimously urged me to spend the day on my own.  Now, it must be stated that Hubs and I try to give each other occasional breaks.  One of us will spend some quality time with the kid and allow the other to go hang with some friends.  But last Saturday was different.  This was a day to myself, no plans with friends or family, no errands, and most importantly -- no plan.  An incredible break for a lady who usually over plans, and who loves to spend time by herself.

I threw my book (Middlemarch) into a bag, put on my comfiest cute flats (Cole Haan outlet!), and cranked my new iPod playlist (Raphael Saadiq, the Faces).  The destination -- my beloved San Francisco.  No way I was wasting my afternoon of freedom in the 'burbs.

I found myself in the northern center of town and scored free all-day parking.  It was just that kind of day!  I headed east on foot with no idea of where I wanted to end up.  Meandered east past a few main thoroughfares and then went up into Russian Hill to wander past all the pretty historic apartment buildings and hidden parks.  Went down the Vallejo steps (one of my fave parts of the city), jamming to my music and occasionally hanging out on a bench strategically placed to take in the fullest bay view possible.  Cut through Chinatown and glanced through the insane weekend markets.  By then, I was hungry and near a beloved spot of mine, Mario's Cigar Store.  They don't really sell cigars; just Italian food and wine/beer.

Beer and George Eliot ("one of these things is not like the other...")!

Panini with salami,  cheese, roasted peppers, and peppercinis.   Nom nom nom.

I proceeded to enjoy my read and a crazy tasty sammie with beer.  Chatted up a doctor who loves college basketball; my kind of lady.  My server warily asked if I was taking pics of my food to put on Yelp.  I told him I was going to send them to Hubs to make him jealous.

I then headed straight up Union street, and called my Mama.  My mother is one of the absolute best people I've ever known -- and I'm not just saying paying my dues when I say that.  She really is a wonderful friend, hilarious and a good listener to boot.  She also has a firm love of San Francisco, so I called her on my walk and gave her the blow by blow of my day (Mama -- now you get photos to go with it!).  In true Mama-Cap'n fashion, we caught up on family gossip, an upcoming trip, our respective days, and baby updates in about 15 minutes flat, talking a mile a minute.  Our conversation ended because I stumbled upon the Most Splendiforous Stores Thar Ever Be, Molte Cose and Belle Cose, and immediately had to enter.  This place made me feel just like Mikey when he saw One Eyed Willie's "rich stuff" for the first time.  Picked up a couple of surcies (Charlestonian for "present for no apparent reason") for my beloveds.  An ultra-cool Lil' Helper's tool kit for HD, Art Deco tray for the house, SFFD carved box for Hubs.

Old, cute, shiny things!  A pirates treasure trove!

By that point, it was time to wrap it up.  I basked a bit in the sunshine, blew a kiss to the bay view before me, and headed home.  And on the way back, was lucky enough to catch up with one of my best  (and busiest!) friends via phone [Hi, Jazzy!]

One happy sailor, enjoying some gorgeous weather.

And just a bit later, this fully recharged captain was once again reunited with the finest first mate in the seven seas.  Nothing like an HD monster hug to round out a perfect day.

Who, me?