Beach Time, Besties, and Books...These are a few of my favorite things

Last weekend was pretty much a dream come true.  On Saturday I went to Cannon Beach with two of my besties, and my sister, Julie, even came to join us for one night.  Two nights away with two of my best friends AND my sister?  Time to read, go on walks on the beach, go out to eat without a 3 year old, AND not have to parent first thing in the morning?  Heaven, my friends.  Pure heaven.

There's not much to say except: long walks on the beach, girl talk at sunset, two delicious bottles of rosé (one for each night, of course), a jigsaw puzzle of Paris, meandering through the Cannon Beach bookstore without interruption, and did I mention not having to parent first thing in the morning?

Saturday afternoon with Sarah and Sarah 

 Saturday night fun

We like to live life on the wild side.

Sunday morning I went on a walk with Julie 

while Sarah and Sarah went for a run.  

It was a little cloudy, but no rain on the beach.  

Julie had to leave mid-morning on Sunday to get back to her family, 

but we were really glad she joined us for the time she did.

Sunday late afternoon we took a blanket and a bottle of wine to the beach and got to hang out and watch the sunset.  The weather was gorgeous, albeit a bit cold, and we made it through the good part of the sunset.

Our attempts at a selfie at sunset 

On Monday we went for another walk in glorious (cold) weather before heading home.  While I enjoyed my time immensely, I definitely missed Trey and was ready to get home to see him.

Our January picnic on the deck 

The week was pretty uneventful.  Work is super busy right now, so the days feel like wake early, go to work, come home and do the dinner-bedtime routine, read a little, go to sleep, repeat.  I haven't been very successful with my New Year's goal to try a new recipe each week, but I did cook dinner every night last week, so that's a success in my book.

I was really looking forward to this weekend to spend some time with Trey, but he has spent his Saturday feeling a little sickly, so we haven't left the house.  I'm hoping tonight goes okay and that he's back on the mend tomorrow.  I'm also really hoping that Randy and I skip the bug and don't come down with it ourselves.

The only good part about being homebound today is that I finished my book and am ready to start the next tonight.  I decided to read the Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett when I was at the beach, and I really enjoyed it.  I also picked up Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri yesterday at the library.  I've had it on hold since October, and I finally got it.  I can't wait to read it.  I really love her.  I also have a new food lit book to read that looks good called On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome with Love and Pasta by Jen Lin-Liu.   Hmmm...while I was finding my links, I found out that the Noodle Road one also comes in audio.  That would be perfect for my hours spent in the car.

I had a conversation on Thursday about books which inspired me to count how many of my books I have actually read.  Tonight I counted my fiction and have 211 books.  When I went through and counted how many I've read, it is only 60%.  (I actually had to get my book diary out to see what I've read because there were a few I couldn't remember if I'd read or not.)  I guess I need to go to my own shelves more frequently instead of getting stuff from the library.  I have been doing this more than usual which has led me to read She's Come Undone and One True Thing.  Apparently, I need to do it more.  Do you have books on your shelf that you keep passing by again and again even though you want to read them someday?  I think the ones on the top of my list are Tale of Two Cities by Dickens and anything by Alice Munro; however, whenever it's time to pick something new, those don't speak to me.

Late Night Downton Abbey

Midnight on a Friday night and I'm still awake...this is unheard of.  I blame it on the caffeine I had this morning, but I am finally watching the Downton Abbey premiere and enjoying some hot cider adult beverages.  I'm counting down to Girls' Weekend which starts tomorrow morning.  I'm heading to the beach with Sarah and Sarah, two of my besties, and I can't wait.  I know I'll miss spending the weekend with Trey, but I'm excited about him spending some quality time with Randy and, of course, I'm looking forward to some time away with my friends.

Speaking of friends, Randy and I were lucky to celebrate Kellie's 40th birthday with her last weekend.  Kellie and I have been friends since 1993 when we pledged together at Pi Phi at Willamette University.  We lived together for at least two years (I might be forgetting something), and we spent a fair amount of our 20's together causing trouble.  When Randy and I lived in northeast Portland, Kellie and her family lived about 10 blocks away.  It was such fun to spend seven years with Kellie just around the corner.  Spontaneous walks, happy hours at Breakside, and getting the boys together to "play"...it was a true gift to have her nearby and it's honestly one of the things I miss most about being in our old 'hood.

Her husband, Ethan, threw a great 40th birthday party for her, and it was great to have a night out.

Ethan's sister created this great poster of all things we love about Kellie. 

Getting ready to blow out a shitton of candles... 

Okay, maybe there weren't 40. 

One of the best parts of the party was seeing Joy.  

Joy, Kellie, and I lived together for our senior year in college, 

and we had such fun.  The only downside to seeing Joy was it made me

really miss Jessica, the fourth Musketeer.   

Ethan, the DJ 

Saturdays are extra special when we are in the throes of the school year.  I love spending time with Trey, and there are moments when I have to consciously put aside chores so I can sit and spend quality time with my boy.  Last Saturday we were driving to swimming lessons, and as we drove down our street I saw a glorious rainbow in the sky.  I pulled over and unbuckled Trey from his seat.  We have talked a lot about rainbows and read about them, but he's never seen one in real life.

If you look closely, you can see that there was actually a double rainbow.   

Trey and his first rainbow 

I came in on Trey during "quiet time" (I use the term loosely) on Saturday and found him in his "nest" of pillows on the floor reading books.  We have read these books so many times that he is able to pick one up and "read" it to himself.  I've been trying to expand Trey's horizons when it comes to books...mostly because if I read one more Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Doc McStuffins, or Jake and the Neverland Pirates book I might just poke out my eyeballs.  Luckily, Trey has been enjoying Henry and Mudge books and I have been introducing some other early chapter books like the Ant and Honey Bee and the Bones mysteries.  I cannot tell you how much I love that Trey loves books.

On Sunday, we spent some time with Grady.  I also cannot tell you how much I love spending time with Grady and how much I love watching Grady and Trey together.

playing with Legos 

Someone has discovered the dog door.

This could be a problem.  

I forget how close of an eye you have to keep on a two year old.

If you look closely, he has Randy's shaver in one hand.  

Randy is in football heaven right now with the Broncos being in the playoffs.  He has been trying his hardest to get Trey to wear his Broncos jersey, but for some reason Trey is totally opposed.   Fingers crossed that this Sunday goes well, as I won't be home to keep Randy from raising a ruckus if his team starts to lose.

Tuesday was Randy's birthday, and we celebrated with a dinner at home.  We got some short ribs from Gartner's and had some smashed potatoes and delicious wine.  Trey had helped me bake cupcakes the day before which we enjoyed along with gifts.

I am feeling pretty disappointed that my book didn't arrive at the library before my trip to the beach this weekend.  I have selected some books off of my shelf, but I'm not feeling super excited about them.  I have been on such a good run of books lately that this lull in reading (even though it's only a few days) feels sad.

I've chosen Sense and Sensibility by Austen which I've never read and Ann Patchett's first novel which I've had on my shelf for years.  I have read all of her others, and I'm sure this will be good too.

I know I'll get notified as soon as I hit the road for the beach that my library book has arrived, but I guess I'll just need to be patient.

It's 1am and I'm almost caught up on Downton Abbey (and the blog).  Still not feeling tired.  Damn caffeine. I know I shouldn't drink it but I still do...

Back to the Grind

I knew I should have blogged about our last week of vacation before school started again, but I never got around to it.  Right now I am sitting in the garage, blogging and hiding, while my husband does bedtime.  Just got back from the store and I am way too thrilled that I spent $3 on $10.60 of laundry soap.  This, my friends, is what bargain shopping is all about.  I'm also thrilled that I got my errands run, child-free, on a Thursday night.  How do working mothers get anything done??

Tomorrow is Friday, finally, after what feels like the longest week ever.  This first week back at work after a blissful vacation has been brutal.  Early mornings, late bedtimes for Trey, early-ish bedtimes for me, and early mornings that come back around way too soon.  We have been having trouble getting Trey back into a routine, but, to be honest, it is really hard to get home between 5-530, get dinner on the table between 530-6, and then basically start the bedtime routine around 630 if we want lights out by 8 o'clock.  Really?  It feels impossible to me.

Compared to the hibernation I engaged in during the first week of break, the second week of break was the complete opposite.  Trey and I had playdates every day, we went to see Peter Pan, and with him spending 1.5 days in daycare I got a shitton of chores and errands done.  The weekend was very relaxing (aka lazy) which was just what I wanted before returning to work.

The Saturday after Christmas we went to Kris and John's engagement party.  It is always such a treat to spend an evening with just adults, and we were so excited to celebrate the engagement of two of our favorite people.

Cute cheese plate...ahhhhhh...how sweet.   

I really loved how Kris's friend organizes her baking supplies.  

Some day I will have a pantry that looks like this.   

Maybe it's because I was right in the middle of reading Mastering the Art of French Eating (and LOVING it), but I was mesmerized by her shelves of cookbooks.  I especially liked this photo of the hostess with Julia Child.

The couple being toasted 

This cracked me up because it's like we were in the presence of celebrities.   

On Monday night Mindy and I took the kids to see Peter Pan.  First we wanted to take them out to dinner.  Ha.  Trey fell asleep on the way downtown thanks to his lack of naps, so he spent the entire meal pouting and not eating (hey, at least he wasn't crying). 

Camille really loved the parmesan cheese. 

Waiting for the show to start 

I was so proud of Trey during the play.  He sat enthralled through the whole show, watching every move, and clapping his hands after each song when the rest of the audience clapped.

Cookies during intermission 

 I love this picture because they look like two little people in the middle of a great conversation.  What happened to our babies???

Cap'n Hook! 

Get him, Peter Pan!  

Trey and Camille with Peter Pan after the show 

Meeting Captain Hook 

Trey has been very interested in talking about actors and costumes.  One day when we were driving somewhere and I had explained to him about actors and actresses and learning parts and wearing costumes etc. he was quiet for a few minutes and then he said, "Tell me more about actors and actresses, Mommy.  Tell me more about that."  I am loving how his brain is processing information right now and how much he is learning.  We are in such a fun stage of him asking questions, figuring things out, and learning new things.

One day over break Trey wanted to play games, so he pulled out Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.  He has no interest in the rules of the games, so I guess we are working on turn taking.  I follow the rules when it's my turn, and he does whatever he wants on his turn.

Our friends Adam and Jenny were in town from Colorado, so we got a sitter one night and went out for a double date night.  We hit two bars/restaurants in Hillsboro, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them.  I am still a little pissed off that Randy's Guinness cost $7.25.  I mean, seriously???

 My sister's husband had surgery this week, so I got to spend the morning with Grady and Case and take them to daycare.  I can't believe Case is almost one year old.  It seems like just yesterday that he was born.

He really likes to get the spoon stuck between this teeth and move it up and down like a lever.  It's hilarious.

So my reading update:
I was over the moon to read FOUR books over Christmas break.  FOUR.  (If you read between the lines that means my son watched a lot of tv, but whatever.)  Right now I am reading my book club book and it's one of those books I want everyone to read so we can talk about it.

This is a story about a family during Hurricane Katrina.  I am in utter disbelief that some of the things that happened after the disaster happened in our country in modern time.  I cannot stop thinking about this book, and I wish there was something I could do to make any sort of change in how people were treated.  This is a must-read.

Have you made any new years resolutions?  I like to make some and call them goals.  Right now the goal I am working on is to try a new recipe every week. I think I tried four in the first week of January before I returned to work.  I'm pretty sure I have another goal, but right now I can't remember what it is.  Must have been really important.

Time to sneak into the house, put the groceries away, and crawl into bed.  Tomorrow is Friday.  Thank God!!!

Holiday Staycation

I think when people have a staycation it means that they stay in town but do lots of fun things around their home city.  I am choosing to take the term staycation a little more literally, and for the first week of break we have barely left the house.  If you know me well (or maybe even a little), you know this is very unlike me.

I could blame it on the holidays, which, of course, is part of it.  I could blame it on contemplating potty training Trey.  I could blame it on friends being out of town or having family visiting.  I could blame it on Trey wanting to stay home to play with his toys.  But, what it really comes down to, is that I've been lazy.  And it's been awesome.  

Since Christmas happened, I ask Trey in the mornings, "What do you want to do today?"  and he almost always replies, "Stay home all day and play."  Ummmmmm, okay.  I have very few pictures from the past few days, and that's because...well, we haven't been doing anything.  And did I mention that it's been awesome?  

Cuddling with my boy

One day last week, Trey crawled in bed with me at 6:15am.  He proceeded to fall back to sleep until 8:15, and it was the latest I've stayed in bed in months.  It was fabulous.  Later that day we spent a fair chunk of time (I'm embarrassed to say how long and, actually, I lost track) lying in the comfy bed (aka guest bed) watching Trey's shows and me reading my book.  It was heaven.  

I've been doing a lot of reading over the break.  I had a bunch of books come into the library at once and wasn't sure if I'd be able to tackle them all.  So far I've been making good progress.  

First, I read the Tao of  Martha by Jen Lancaster.  This book is about the author spending year trying to follow the guidelines of Martha Stewart.  It's not going to win any awards, but it was light and funny and a great read for getting through the holiday stress.

Next, I read one of my favorite books that I've read in a while.  It may be my dream book: a combination of travel and cooking that takes place in FRANCE!  I am super motivated by this book to try some new recipes.  I also may venture down the path of trying a cassoulet some day soon, but this book says it takes three days to make and Julia Child's recipe is six pages long, so I'm not too sure.  But I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy reading about travel and cooking and FRANCE!  

Now I am going to start the Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.  I read Me Before You which I really liked, so I hope I like this one too.  Next on my stack are the last Maisie Dobbs novel and a book about chickens...

I think we will get out more next week.  I'm going to try some new recipes (tonight is chicken shawarma...who knew it would be so hard to find tahini) and even try some that take more than five ingredients and longer than 30 minutes to cook.   I have some playdates lined up, and Mindy and I are taking the kids to see Peter Pan (Trey is obsessed with Peter Pan right now so it should be AWESOME!).  And don't forget New Years, the greatest holiday of all... <insert sigh>