Solitary Confinement

I love my children so dearly. They bring me joy and new perspective as I watch them grow and learn and develop. However, living with chronic pain is often very taxing on not only my body, but my mind too. Simply put, sometimes I really need a break.

I am so incredibly blessed with a husband who understands my need for quiet and rest. This last weekend he took the kids (and the very energetic dog) to Meemaw and Boppa's house while I stayed behind.

I had as much silence as I wanted. I slept as long as I needed. And I bathed when I got around to it. I didn't once leave the house all weekend. I read my book, caught up on some recorded shows, and even did some cleaning and laundry. And I did this all without panic, frustration or pressure. I think it is so easy as a mother and a woman to want to be everything to everyone (usually a self-imposed goal).

A guy I know once told me that he believes that a mother should ALWAYS want to be with her children. I wholeheartedly disagree! I believe a mother should always be there for her children and should always love and guide her children, but there is no shame in needing a little time away from the constant noise and energy.

As a result of my weekend of solitary confinement, I feel transformed. My head is clear, my energy is restored, and the enjoyment of being a mother and a wife has returned. And as I listen to my kids argue in the next room, I can honestly say that I am very happy to have my lovely family back home.

Getting Out

It's officially day three of the Pink Eye saga. Though I am sure that my daughter is no longer contagious, the way her eyes looked this morning told us that it would be best to keep her from school one more day. The poor thing cried because she longed to go back to school. But hey, at least we can give her real hugs now!

Not wanting to be cooped up in the house any longer, we headed for the public library where we ...

... browsed the selection...

... and enjoyed story time.

We also colored and put together puzzles (even I had a great time putting the pink crayola markers to use). Plus I got a kick out of this:

In the movie You've Got Mail the "Shoe" books are mentioned, and I was excited to find Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild on audio book for my daughter!

Honeymooniversary - Wine Country

I know, I've been keeping everyone in suspense about the last leg of our trip to California ... or not. Well, I'm going to tell about about it anyway.

There truly is a difference between the big city of San Francisco and the quiet,easy pace of Napa Valley. There are fewer incidences of blasting car horns and police sirens, parking is more abundant, and instead of sewage the smell of fermenting grapes fills the air. Ah Napa, where have you been all my life?

A grape leaf in Autumn.

We stayed at a quaint little place known as the Old World Inn that was within walking distance of many restaurants. We were treated to hors d'oeuvres and wine in the early evening, as well as chocolate desserts to indulge in later on. Our room was cozy with feather-top beds and projector televisions that made watching a movie a comfy experience. And since our room didn't share a wall with any other room, it made the fact the the place was packed to capacity, totally acceptable.

The food? Let's just say that I still haven't weighed myself since our excursion over a week ago. The filet mignon was to die for as was the tri tip BBQ we had after an afternoon of wine tasting. Which brings me to the point of going to Napa Valley ... THE WINE!

It may be shocking to some that we actually only went to one vinyard for a tasting. We did tast six varietals at the Arger-Martucci Winery, and it was a eye opening experience. Concentrating mostly on the reds, I was able to smell, taste and see the differences in each wine we tried. For the first time in my life I truly tasted wine. I detected notes of vanilla, oak, chocolate, cinnamon and fruit. Each wine was unique and inspiring. Plus, sitting in the courtyard by the pool, in the heart of wine country had quite an influence. It's like my senses came alive!


We attempted other places but found the admission to taste mediocre wines at a contrived castle to be too high, and another winery had a fire alarm situation, so a drive in the surrounding hills was perfect for us.

The Tuscan castle at Castello di Amorosa winery in Calistoga.

A view of the valley from a country road. Now that's a lot of grape vines!

Time with my husband away was a dream come true. Of course I enjoyed all of the sights and tastes of our travels, but being with him was the best part. And even though it was my hope to go to Europe or Tahiti for our 10 year anniversary, I still feel that I got the perfect second honeymoon. Besides, I did get to see palm trees, the ocean, a Notre Dame inspired cathedral, a Tuscan castle and walks through breathtaking vinyards. Mmm, life is good!

Grape vines at the Robert Mondavi Winery.

Honeymooniversary - More From The City By The Bay

To say that there is a lot to see in San Francisco would be an understatement. The question is, is there enough time to see everything you want to before it's time to leave? I am happy to say that my husband and I saw pretty much everything we had hoped to.

Day 2

Our hotel was in the Union Square area of town. Honestly, I am not used to city life! It was fascinating to watch the valets park Bentleys and Ferraris across the street from our hotel room window, as the homeless walked the streets asking for change. There is such an energy downtown, a combination of sirens, honking horns, and busy shoppers. Walking along the streets was no leisurely experience, I could just see the headlines "Small town girl trampled to death on Powell Street over big sale at H&M".

Our hotel, the The Warwick Regis Hotel, had a nice European feeling to it. We had a suite just above the overhang (see window with open curtains), that provided a great view of the city streets of the Theatre District.

After breakfast at a nearby diner, we checked out of the hotel and continued our journey. The first stop: Grace Cathedral. This was probably my favorite thing to see. In fact, I was overwhelmed with emotion as we entered into the doors of this massive structure. It is truly beautiful.

It's probably a good thing that the rose window is back behind the congregation, I just know that if I went to that church, I would do nothing but stare at it during the entire Mass.

Can you just imagine what the choir and organ must sound like in this place? And the way the stained glass windows projected a kaleidoscope of colors on the pillars was magnificent.

Next, since we had a rental car we had to go down Lomard Street! Yes, it is the crookedest street in the world, but I wondered what it would be like to actually live there. The homes were quite beautiful and no doubt expensive.

Then it was off to Coit Tower to check out the panoramic views of the city.

The Financial District and the very top of the Coit Tower.

The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District was breathtaking. The Roman and Greek inspired architecture provided the perfect backdrop for at least three weddings we saw taking place. And while we saw many ducks and tourists, we did not run into any Russian sailors (don't worry, that will be my only So I Married an Axe Murderer reference today).

And finally, it was time to head over that famous bridge toward wine country, where a totally different experience awaited us.

Honeymooniversary - City By The Bay

Long time, no blog! The thing is, I have been out of town and doing so much that there hasn't been time to even check my e-mail, let alone blog. Celebrating ten glorious years with my husband, we escaped to the Bay Area for some good food, great wine, a taste of city life and quality time together. We called this weekend "Honeymooniversary" since it really was like a second honeymoon.

Day 1

Our first destination was San Francisco. Our flight from Oregon left at 6:00 am, which meant that we actually had an aerial view of the Golden Gate Bridge as the sun was rising. It was beautiful to say the least! From the time we arrived, everything fell into place: our baggage was easy to find, there was a (desperately needed) Starbucks near the baggage claim, there was no hassle getting our rental car, and the weather was gorgeous! Our first plan was to go to the Fisherman's Wharf area to get a little breakfast and wander around Pier 39.

Tourists weren't the only ones hanging around this popular attraction!

We were treated to perfect views of Alcatraz as the weather was cloudless and in the 60s.

My husband really likes boats, and there were ample opportunities to photograph them.

We walked miles that day as we ducked in and out of shops and eateries. And I am not ashamed to say that our lunch was an ice cream sundae at, where else, Ghirardelli Square!

The weather was so sunny and breezy, I decided I needed to buy a hat to wear for our continued journey. I will always remember this day when I wear it.

Our first day ended with a hearty dinner at Johnny Foley's Irish House and a bedtime of 9:15. Hey, we were up at 3:30 that morning so restful sleep was welcomed!

La Mer

It is FINALLY starting to feel like Autumn around here and I love it! I am also grateful that we had a chance to enjoy some truly spectacular weather at the beach earlier this month. Here are some highlights of our weekend:

Our maritime adventure included meeting a mermaid, building sandcastles, Mo's clam chowder, barking sea lions, camel rides (yes, you read that correctly, camel rides ... for free at the beach), cloudless skies, pinky-orange sunsets, the quintessential beach house, and lots of fun and laughter with Meemaw and Boppa!

Sea Level

"The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."
--Jacques Cousteau

As long as I can remember, I have found comfort at the beach. It is a place I long for and perhaps even more so now that I live in the high desert, a whopping six hour drive from the Oregon Coast. I live where it is dry, the trees are primarily of the pine and juniper varieties, and the mosquitoes are abundant. So as I spent a few days in Gleneden Beach, I was reminded of my special kinship to the Pacific Ocean.

My hair never looks good when I am out on the beach. It's true, some women look glamorous with long mermaid-like locks, blowing gracefully in the breeze. Mine looks haphazard and stringy ... but I don't care as I breath in the cool, salty air. It rains all the time at the Coast, thwarting plans of lounging around on the sand in my swim suit. But I will happily snuggle up in a blanket inside a beach house as it drizzles, over turning on my air conditioning on a hot fall day. And the foliage is glorious at the beach! The lush ground cover, thriving hydrangeas and soft green lawns make the tumble weeds of the high desert less than appealing!

There is something quite extraordinary about enjoying breakfast while watching a seal swim through the breaker waves for fun, or straining hard to see if there is a whale surfacing in the distance. Mmm, my idea of the perfect start to my morning.

Still, I doubt I could live at the beach full time. It is the perfect escape and I never want it to become ordinary.

Spoiled Rotten Weekend Part II

After a long day of eating delicious food and shopping, my mom and I thought it would be fun to see a movie. We chose to see Julia & Julia. This film depicts events in the life of chef Julia Child as she learned how to cook French cuisine in Paris in the 1940s. It's also about a girl, Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I LOVED this film! What was not to like? France, humor, cooking, blogging, a Nora Ephron film, beautiful scenery and seeing it with my mom = the perfect combination.

What is probably even more special than the experience of seeing the film is that I inherited my own copy of Julia Child's famed cookbook. The 1961 edition was my grandmothers who gave it to my mom, who gave it to me. And some day, I will pass it along to my daughter. I am a sucker for all things sentimental, and I feel honored to have this book in my possession. Thank you Mom!

I have already started to look through it, drooling over the desserts such as "Crêpes Fourrées, Frangipane" or Crêpes with Almond Cream, but quite turned off by some of the more exotic sounding dishes like "Foies de Volaille en Aspic" or Chicken Livers in Aspic (if you don't know what aspic is ... see the movie!) Some of the ingredients are a little foreign to me like "arrowroot" but on the other hand I think it just makes me curious enough to find out what it is. I am not, however, very curious about how to cook brains.

Spoiled Rotten Weekend Part I

This last weekend I escaped to my old stomping grounds to have a mother/daughter weekend. It was a weekend of firsts for me. First weekend away since my kids were born that I got away without them and my husband. First time at IKEA which was a five hour experience and very fun, not to mention hectic. And it was the first time I partook of the most perfect French pastry.

Which brings me to the subject of the day: French pastry

On Saturday morning, before driving up to Portland, my mom and I started the day at Le Patissier, a charming pastry shop with everything from swan shaped puff pastries to les pain au chocolat. My mom and I ordered three things to share, both finding it difficult to choose from the two cases of unspeakably delicious looking treats. We settled on a blueberry cream cheese danish, a fruit tarte and an almond cream croissant.

I managed to snap a photo of the fruit tarte we enjoyed. The berries were perfect and the crust ... made of butter of course!

Can I just say that the almond croissant was eye-rollingly good. I don't think I have ever truly fell in love with a piece of food until that moment. When I first dug into the flaky layers, it made a sound that I am convinced sounds like the word Frreeennnnchchchch (say it out loud slowly and you'll know what I mean). Then with the first bite, I tasted the butter. Ah better, there is nothing better. It was sweet, it was crispy, it was light, it was heaven. The fruit tarte and danish were heavenly as well and I enjoyed every bite.

Then there was the coffee. Not wanting an upset stomach from espresso, I chose a cafe au lait. Coffee and milk. In my past experiences in ordering this drink, I had been handed a cup of coffee and was directed to the carafe of milk where I could serve myself. Le Patissier does things a little different in this department. I was handed a cup of regular coffee, but with a snowy white cap of steamed milk, floating on the top. It was gorgeous!

My coffee, served in a real mug. All I can say is ... perfection!

I don't have to guess that this place is popular among Corvallis residents. A blogging friend even mentioned it on her blog and the place was hopping when we were there. I especially enjoyed listening to a male patron speaking French with the pastry chef. And then there was this woman sitting a couple of tables away. She was probably in her 80s and it was a true pleasure to see a huge grin appear on her face as she cut into her pastry. A simple thing to do, but that provided a pure moment of joy.

It was quite moment of joy for me too.

Knit Together

This last Saturday I had a "Knit Together" at my house. I invited several people to come over for some good food, time to work on knitting or crochet projects (very good for me as I have had NO time to work on knitting lately), and a chance for some mothers to have some time away from the kids for a couple of hours.

We had fun! We were small in numbers so it was a great time to get to know a couple of people better as we gabbed on and on about our weddings, knitting and crochet techniques, and of course our kids. And the food was good! Seven layer dip and chips, fresh fruit, southwest pinwheels and Mexican chocolate brownies for dessert.

We will definitely have to so this again!

Southwest Pinwheels (makes 4 wraps that you then cut into 1" pinwheels)

1/2 packet Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch powdered dressing

8 oz. cream cheese

4 large flour tortillas

baby spinach leaves

16 slices smoked deli turkey

shredded Mexi-blend cheese

Mix 1/2 packet Fiesta ranch with cream cheese, blend well. Lay tortilla flat and spread cream cheese mixture thinly onto tortilla. Add spinach leaves, covering most of the cream cheese with leaves. Add 4 slices of deli turkey in single layers, covering all of the tortilla. Sprinkle on shredded cheese. Then, tightly roll the tortilla, tucking in any escaping ingredients. Pack the wrap tightly in a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, remove wrap from the refrigerator and with a serrated knife cut into 1" pieces and secure with fancy toothpicks.

It Was Just Beachy

After seeing our new nephew, the second leg of our vacation began ... we went to the Oregon Coast! I had been nearly three years since I had seen the Pacific Ocean so this trip was long overdue. We stayed at Surftides in Lincoln City, which is right on the beach. We chose to be economical on this trip so we opted for the least expensive room, and that meant one king sized bed and a partial ocean view (in other words, a small strip of the ocean was visible over the rooftop in front of us). We also took a cooler packed with sandwich makings and milk and it was a godsend! I don't even want to imagine all of the fast food or expensive food we would have had otherwise.

Here is a list of memorable things that happened on the trip:

- warm chocolate chip cookies in the lobby of the hotel

- the salty air

- sharing a bed with our daughter, who despite her young age, snores like and old man

- flying the kite in perfect beach weather

- microwaving Easy Mac and forgetting to add water (imagine the smell of burnt, dry pasta!)

- drinking "Three Buck Chuck", or the Charles Shaw wine from Trader Joe's that only costs $2.99 a bottle, from the hotel mugs - classy!

- stunning sunsets

- watching our son sort of freak out when introduced to sand

- eating sugared cereal as a special vacation treat. Mmm, those Golden Grahams were as good as ever!

- going to a yarn store that took up the bottom story of a house. The yarn was gorgeous and tempting, yet I didn't buy any.

- eating at Mo's. You can't go to the coast without making a stop there. I even ate clam chowder and a bite of my husband's fish 'n chips despite my aversion to seafood. I am very proud of myself.

- making sand castles

- driving along to coastline and admiring the cute little cottages and not so little vacation homes that over looked the ocean.

- going to the hotel swimming pool. Unfortunately it wasn't very warm.

- the kids took a bath and my daughter made a bubble tiara for her brother and called him a "boy princess".

- my daughter's first tooth came out. The Tooth Fairy managed to find her way to our hotel and left some money.

- wearing earplugs to drown out the sound of my daughter's snoring, only to be thwapped in the face repeatedly - she is a very restless sleeper.

- driving down Highway 101 to Newport in the typical coastal weather - overcast, windy, and drizzling.

- having a massive headache due to the weather; just call me a human barometer.

- going to the Devil's Punchbowl and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

- driving along Newport's historical bay front and seeing that things have changed very little over the years.

- getting home safe and with very minimal whining from my son.

The kids, happily getting sand up in their britches.

A wonderful moment: Daddy teaching his girl how to fly a kite.

I think my son enjoyed his first trip to the beach because it was okay to get dirty!

Yeah, I'd say we all had a great time ... especially my daughter to is begging to go on vacation again ... she likes to stay in a hotel ... she likes to sleep with Mommy and Daddy!

I'm glad to be home.

Weekend Getaway

Getting away with just my husband is such a treat because it doesn't happen very often, so it makes it all the more special. This last weekend we had this opportunity, thanks to Meemaw and Boppa who took care of our little ones. We celebrated nine years of being married; our real anniversary was in September but this was the first opportunity to get away. Knowing our kids were in good hands we headed over to Ashland, Oregon for a weekend of quiet, relaxation, and not having to change any poopy diapers.

This was the second time we stayed at the Ashland Mountain House Bed & Breakfast. I recommend this place to anyone who likes good food, a comfortable room, and a beautiful country setting. Trust me you will be spoiled! This inn was once a stagecoach stop and is the oldest building in Southern Oregon. The house has an old fashioned feel as it is filled with antiques and preserved original craftsmanship, and with modern amenities you are staying in true luxury.

The Setting

Located on several acres, there are views of mountains, valleys, and the grounds are well tended with lovely flower gardens and tall trees. It takes only 10 minutes to get to downtown Ashland, but it feels like you are miles away from the hustle and bustle.

Here I am going into the Ashland Mountain House. Isn't it quaint? ... Okay I am totally kidding! I actually don't know what this little shack was all about. It looked like an outhouse!

The owner of the inn took this photo of us. The yellow color of the house is so welcoming and cheerful.

This is Bert - quite possibly THE ugliest thing I have ever seen. I am also completely fascinated by him. Whenever the rooster would crow, Bert would gobble. There are also egg laying chickens and a Jack Russell Terrier named Teddy on the premises.

The Room

We stayed in the Russell Room which felt like a small apartment and was located above the kitchen. It had a separate entrance, two beds, comfy leather armchairs, and a mini-fridge which came in handy when we brought food back to the room. Perhaps next year we will try the Brick House which is a separate building and very private.

The Food

When you have breakfast at the Ashland Mountain House, you will want to bring a big appetite! Everything was amazing, decadent, and beautifully presented. Some of the things we enjoyed were fruit and yogurt parfaits with apples and Asian pears, cornmeal waffles with blackberries picked from the property, local pears with bleu cheese, scrambles eggs from their chickens, and sausages. The coffee was excellent, and one night they even had a pear torte as a special treat.

The Hospitality

The couple who owns the inn are so nice and seem to really enjoy what they do. John showed us to our room, served us breakfast, and has great ideas for where to eat and what to do in Ashland. Kathy prepared the food and decorated the house down to tiniest detail. She has done such a great job with the house that it's a little depressing to come home to my undecorated walls ... but I always leave there feeling inspired.

A few details from our stay.

In conclusion, if you have the opportunity and the funds to get away to Hawaii, go there. But if you are looking for something less expensive, relaxing, charming and are in the Southern Oregon area, consider the Ashland Mountain House ... it is worth it!