Colorado Renaissance Festival

We’re in Colorado. Marcy, Baby Lorenzo and I arrived late Friday night. On the way from the airport we saw signs for the Colorado Renaissance Festival, so that’s where we went on Saturday, along with my sister-in-law Liza and her son Paolo. I hadn’t been to one of these since I lived on the east coast, back when I was a kid. My favorite things were gnawing on a roasted turkey drumstick, cheesecake on a stick, and seeing all the eccentric people in their period costumes. Other highlights included rides (for Paolo), a petting zoo, a juggler, a fire eater, fencing, madrigals, belly dancers, instumentalists and a “Joust to the Death.” I also treated myself to this silver necklace as a token of such a fun day.

The Grand Entrance

A Juggler

Marcy & Baby Lorenzo with Knight

Paolo modeling a pirate hat

Paolo & Liza on a swinging ship

In the petting area

Fire Eater

 

Driftwood

This is a piece of driftwood that David found while we were fishing along the Wilson River. We both could see right away a strong resemblance to a bird skull in its formation. Too bad neither of us work in sculpture, because it would make quite a focal point.

Fresh fruit and cream meringue pavlova

This is the dessert I made yesterday – a layered meringue with a freshly whipped lemon cream filling topped with vanilla whipped cream and garnished with fresh organic fruit. I made the meringue layers using this recipe, but instead made two 8″ circles. Then, using a pint of heavy whipping cream, I made a batch of freshly whipped cream, which I divided into two bowls. The first bowl was for the filling. I added about a half a jar of lemon curd and about a 1/3 cup of sour cream and mixed it all together. The second bowl was for the topping, to which I added only some Swedish vanilla sugar (from Ikea) and some regular powdered sugar, until it was slightly sweet, enough to balance the tartness of the lemon cream. Then I decorated the top with freshly sliced strawberries and blueberries.

This dessert got rave reviews (and requests for second helpings), but I made a tactical error in assembling it too early. In order to keep the meringue crisp, this dessert should be assembled just before eating. Otherwise the meringues become soft, just like the whipped cream layers. It didn’t alter the taste, but the texture was all creamy, no crunch. I think if I decide to make this dessert again and want to do it ahead of time, I’ll scoop the creams and fruit into individual cups, and then top with a piece of crisp meringue, right before serving.

Plain & Simple Maternity Swimwear

Okay, finding a swimsuit is hard, but finding a maternity swimsuit is ridiculously difficult. And it doesn’t help that I am as picky as they come on this topic. As a matter of fact, my favorite pre-pregnancy two-peice is a red halter-style bikini top with boy short bottoms. It is a few years old now, but back then I drove to three different Targets in order to finally find my size. So you can see, during the rare times that I find one I like, I am willing to go the distance.

After doing a fair amount of internet searching and perusing the racks at a couple nearby stores, I saw a lot of ugly maternity suits. I really wanted PLAIN – no polkadots, animal prints, plaids, ruffles or hardware. It is bad enough that my stomach is becoming an ornament in itself. I don’t want to be baring it to the world either, so I’ll just take a one-piece (or a two-peice with respectable belly coverage), thank you very much.

So. I finally found three acceptable options. Each one simple (some would say boring) and no frills. Budget-wise they can be described as:

The extra fancy pro: gorgeous, con: expensive
Middle of the road pro: somewhat more affordable, con: two-piece
The big cheapster pro: cheap, con: not a very good fit

I deliberated for quite a while, but knew with the summer months ahead and a pregnancy swim class starting soon, that I had to make a decision. I’m kind of embarrassed to even admit which one I prefer, but it might just end up being my one big splurge. Am I just being crazy?

The extra fancy

Middle of the road

The big cheapster

A lazy, sunny weekend

ceanothus ‘victoria’ & heather ‘c.d. eason’

lithodora ‘grace ward’ & yellow swallowtail butterfly on wallflowers

It feels like it has been a while since we’ve enjoyed an entirely sunny weekend. On Saturday we took a ride out to our favorite nursery (again!) to pick up some color for the two bare spots still left. We decided on shade tolerant impatients for under our front yard japanese maple, and a contrasting mix of spreading blue lithodora and rich magenta heather to add color to the back border of our “round” garden. The only spur-of-the-moment purchase was a lovely blue flowering evergreen called ceanothus victoria. We just couldn’t pass it up, and used David’s 30% off coupon on it. No idea where it’s final resting place will be just yet, but it needs full sun

On Sunday morning we woke up early and decided to head out to Ikea. We weren’t looking for much – a couple replacement 365+ square plates that mysteriously got chipped, a cushion for my office chair, two small vases and a couple of other kitchen and house gadgets. It was also a good opportunity for us to look at the nursery furniture. I thought I’d pick up some fabric, too, but nothing really appealed to me this time around. And if you ever find yourself at Ikea in the morning, their $1.99 breakfast is a tasty value (scrambled eggs, bacon, sticks of crispy french toast and breakfast potatoes).

The butterfly photo was shot moments after we pulled into our driveway. With our side garden in bloom, we always take a moment to admire the flowers when we get in or out of the car. This butterfly was taking a quick dip into our wallflowers and I was able to snap just a few pics before it fluttered away. The rest of the day was spent reading, helping David briefly while he installed irrigation to our vegetable garden, and a quick run to the grocery store for some Ben & Jerry’s and other staples. A sweet way to end the weekend.

In Our Neighborhood

While on a walk with Barkley last night I noticed that one of our favorite houses in the neighborhood was going up for sale. The previous owner was walking to his car just as I approached, so I was able to introduce myself and ask a couple of questions. Sadly, the house is smaller than I’d hoped, only a bit larger than ours, with 2 bedrooms, one bath, and a one car garage. Plus they are asking one of the highest $ per sqft in the neighborhood. Sigh. I guess when you know your house is this cute, there is no need to start pricing at the bottom.

What I love about this house is its mid-century modern lines. To some people, this building is probably no better than a track house, but to me it is so elegant, with a charming simplicity. There is such potential with regard to our style of living and sense of aesthetics. I love its flat roof, high vaulted ceilings and huge picture windows facing the sunny, landscaped backyard. If only it was bigger (and if only we could afford it)! As it is, I only hope that the next owners appreciate it and care for it as well as the previous owner did. He said it was perfect for when he was a bachelor, but now that he’s married, they decided to find somewhere with more space. I can’t blame them. With our growing little family, I already wish for the same thing.

Photos taken from the rmls website.

Maternity Shopping 101

The morning after we shared our Big News with David’s family, Sandy (David’s mom) took me for my first foray into the world of maternity clothes. I had just reached my first trimester, and because I was still under my pre-pregnancy weight, I could still fit a couple of my largest pants with a rubber band through the button loop. However, even I agreed that it might be time to see what was out there.

The shop we ended up in was called Motherhood Maternity. It wasn’t a big place, but it had the kind of packed in feel that usually overwhelms me when shopping. I remember initially feeling lost without David there to help me “see” through the compact racks of clothes (I rarely shop without him). I shouldn’t have worried though, because Sandy stepped right in. She claimed us a dressing room and immediately began to sort through the possibilities.

In many ways, I’m not very fun to shop with because I tend to wear simple basics, and mostly stay away from prints or too much color. Sandy was great though. She didn’t get offended on the pieces I declined, yet continued to find me nice items I would have missed, like a good-looking pair of khaki twill pants, and a feminine printed top that I normally wouldn’t have tried, but ended up loving.

Each dressing room contained a cushion attached to a velcro strap that you could fasten around your waist to show what you’d look like 3 months down the road. Whoa! Seeing that pillow stuffed into my waistband really put things into perspective. My little pooch is downright petite compared to where I’ll be at the end of summer, and I’ll be getting even bigger throughout the fall. Knowing this helped me to decide that maybe the “secret fit belly” waist panel was not such a bad idea (even though I originally thought they looked weird). Turns out comfort and fit really does makes all the difference.

By the end I was pretty tired, but was rewarded with two simple tees, two nice looking and comfortable pants, and the printed tank top. All mix-and-matchable, nice enough to wear out, but comfortable enough to wear in. I am surprised to find how happy I am with each item. Thank you Sandy, for making it such a good experience!

Pics from Colorado

I was just looking through the few pictures I took while in Colorado recently and thought I’d post a few to share. My camera has seen very little action lately and I had to really try and make myself pull it out once in a while, which is pretty unusual for me.

On the afternoon we arrived David’s brother Andrew and his fiancée Aundrea took us to a lovely little creperie for lunch, appropriately called Crepes ‘n Crepes. They make them fresh with an array of fillings for you to choose from. We started off with bowls of delicious french onion soup, and then I devoured my butter, ham and chevre crepe. For dessert the four of us shared the dreamy concoction shown above: a strawberry banana crepe with extra Nutella and cream cheese sauce on the side. OMG. So divine! I hadn’t had crepes this good since I was a college student studying french in Quebec for a summer. And of course, I washed it all down with an Orangina.

Although we didn’t do too much sight seeing this trip, the day before we left David’s “Uncle David” came into town. We enjoyed a nice dinner that night and the next day we took a little drive to see the Garden of the Gods and had lunch in the small, picturesque town of Manitou Springs. It was warm and sunny, so after lunch Sandy and I stopped into a Pikes Peak Chocolate for my first taste of Josh & John’s super yummy ice cream. I couldn’t decide so I went ahead with a scoop each of mint chocolate chip and double chocolate Oreo. I wish I had gotten a picture of that!

On the way back we stopped for a tour of the Van Briggle Pottery Studio in Colorado Springs. I had been here before, but I gathered that Uncle David is quite an antique collector. I can’t say I’m wowed by the pottery, but I certainly respect its history and its surprisingly high prices. I was actually amused to see a sign that said something like “Please handle the pieces, we will be responsible for any breakage.” Since I get tired easily these days, Sandy and David joined me on these cool vintage chairs near the door. I just like this picture of the two of them.

Birth announcement

Recently a very good friend of mine asked if I would do the honors of designing a simple birth announcement for their new baby girl. Of course I was delighted. There is something extra fun about designing announcements and invitations, although I often get somewhat nervous designing for friends. It is just so important that they end up with something they like.

In this case, I did two versions – one in traditional pink with a classic black-and-white photo and a more modern pink and brown version (shown above) which was ultimately chosen. I just love how the card highlights Ava wrapped all snuggly in that gorgeous pink and brown baby blanket.

Best of all, the cost of printing these announcements were a steal compared to specialty companies which usually charge $1.99+ per card (not including shipping). After doing a little internet research we settled on psprint.com where we purchased (50) 4×6 recycled matte postcards with pre-printed return address on the back for less than 50¢ a piece, including shipping! I’m pretty sure we’re going to use the same printing service when we design our own this winter.

Flickr Collage Meme

(1) Emily (2) Comfort Food (3) JEB Stuart (4) Blue
(5) Angelina Jolie (6) Chocolate Malts (7) Anywhere Relaxing with Warm Clear Water (8 ) Creme Brulee
(9) Content (10) Happiness (11) Introspective (12) Paperseed

I was reading this post on Pina’s blog about making a collage of Flickr photos that correspond to the answers below. Seeing as I’ve never made a collage before (that I can recall) I thought I’d give it a try.

The Questions
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name

The Concept
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker).

Photo credits can be found here.

The Big Surprise + The Big News

Just a hint at the personalized service provided by The Capital Grille

Last Thursday we flew to Denver to surprise David’s mom for her 60th birthday. As far as Sandy knew, she was simply going to meet Alan after work for a very nice dinner at a restaurant called The Capital Grille. What she didn’t know was that Andrew and Aundrea (her youngest son and his fiancée, who live in Denver) and David and I were going to “crash” their little dinner party about 15 minutes after they arrived.

The restaurant did a magnificent job of playing along. The host apologized and said that their table for two wasn’t ready, and would they mind just waiting a bit at the bar? Not too long afterward, the four of us arrived and were ushered quickly into a cozy and elegant private room where we waited for Sandy and Alan to be alerted that their table was finally ready. SURPRISE! The host opened the door and there we were. Sandy was floored, practically glued to the doorway in stunned surprise. It was priceless. Utter disbelief mingled with tears of joy. So gratifying for all of us. I wish I had taken pictures, but at the same time I was really glad I could just enjoy the moment.

Eventually we all settled down long enough to place our orders and enjoy our delicious food – crispy pan-fried calamari, fresh basil mozzerella and mango salad, porcini rubbed Delmonico dry aged steak, lobster, grilled pork chop, lobster mac & cheese, creamy potatoes au gratin, fresh asparagus with hollandaise, heirloom tomatoes… I was lucky enough to try at least a bite of almost everything, and my taste buds were singing.

Right before dessert (crème brûlée and a taste of coconut cream pie), we shared our Big News. David handed his mom her “birthday” gift from us, a little photo album. We left it practically empty, except for the first page where we included a scan of our early ultrasound. I think it took about a heartbeat to register before she looked up, wide-eyed, at both of us for confirmation. Is it true? Yep. We’re pregnant!