The Third Human

Happy New Year friends & family!

In 2009, we resolve to... add another Human to the family! And we are on our way, as I'm 9 weeks pregnant today. We waited until Christmas to begin telling everyone, but we've known since the day after Thanksgiving. It was hard to keep quiet - we are not good at keeping secrets, and actually we blabbed to a couple of people early and swore them to secrecy til Christmas.

On Christmas Eve I had my first doctor's appointment. I did not think it would be too exciting so I told Mike to skip it and go to work as usual. The doctor gave me a mild fright when she examined me - she said that we probably would not be able to hear the hearbeat until I was 10 weeks along, and I was only 8 at the time... but the moment she touched my belly she ran out of the room saying "I'm going to get the Doppler!" I lay there thinking, holy crap what if I'm like 12 weeks along and didn't know it?? But when she came back she said that because I'm so slender we might hear it... and sure enough, she found the beat - strong and fast, at 144. I wish Mike had been there for that - it was so cool - but he will hear it next time. 

To answer the most commonly asked questions: Yes, we were trying. Yes, we will find out the sex as soon as we can (it will be at the end of March). No, we don't really have a preference but we are both guessing girl. We do have some ideas for names but nothing we want to publicize just yet. I feel really well, I have had no morning sickness, have been a little tired some days, but not every day, and other than that don't have any unpleasant symptoms. I do want to eat everything in sight sometimes, and at other times all food tastes like wood. But overall I'm great. The doctor did clear me to work through my pregnancy and said that I should wear a mask for safety, but that paints these days are pretty harmless. And my estimated due date so far is August 6th. 

We're really excited and it has been so much fun telling everyone. We've gotten the best reactions from people we know who already have kids - they all tell us it's the best thing in the world and we're going to love being parents. I figure if the battle-worn still get excited about kids, it must be a pretty good experience, haha. We will be updating frequently so check back to hear more as my belly grows....

Christmas 2008.

Christmas was pleasant and mellow this year. I was at the tail end of the Black Death Plague, trying not to cough all over everyone, and I sounded like Joan Rivers with a touch of laryngitis, but other than that things were swell.

We had our potluck-style dinner with the family and I brought along a homemade buckwheat noodle casserole from my favorite cookbook, The Flexitarian Table. Although some said they enjoyed it, I was pretty unhappy with the casserole. The noodles had all clumped together when I was making them, and in the cooked casserole they were very lumpy and dense. Buckwheat flour is VERY STICKY and hard to work with: lesson learned. If I ever made this again, I would probably cut the buckwheat in half and use more regular flour instead. Why I choose never-before-tried recipes for important family dinners, I will never know... not the best idea. But I'm crazy. Luckily Mike's family is very gracious and would never tell me my food sucked!

On Friday night we went to some friends' house and watched Burn After Reading, the Coen brothers movie out on DVD. Coen brothers films are kind of hit or miss with me, but there was something about this one I really, really liked. I even liked George Clooney, whom I normally can't abide. The characters were a bit over the top but so well played, it was hard not to love them. And Brad Pitt always plays the slightly crazy bimbo ever so well. There was an attention to detail in this movie that just tickled me. I think our friends were bored by it, though.

On Saturday night we attended a party to welcome back a friend who has been working abroad and is home for a short vacation. The attendees were a mix of friends and business colleagues for both Mike and I so it was fun to schmooze and celebrate the season, and wonderful to see my friend, who's been away for several months.

Today, sadly, it's back to work. I've had plenty of vacation, but I always feel I could take one more day.

We did the unthinkable.

We canceled our cable TV service.

And our landline, so if you need to reach us, call our cell phones. We just couldn't stand paying Cox almost $180 a month every month anymore. I had a bit of a wakeup call recently when Mike's mom was asking us what TV shows we liked to watch, and we had a hard time naming any. We watch TV every day, but we can hardly name a show that we really love? What a waste!

We always thought that if the budget started to get too tight we would cut cable, but "not yet." Now, even though we're doing fine, the time is here. We canceled our phone & cable service - keeping the high speed internet because we haven't completely lost our minds - and signed up for a $17/mo Netflix account. We can still watch the really good shows on Netflix or at Hulu anyway. All told, if you add in the Netflix, we're going to save $120 a month! That's $120 extra to put in savings, to travel, to dine out... any of which will be a lot more worthwhile than the hour of television per day that we were spending it on before. 

Happy Tilapia Day!

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. We certainly did... we had a small, simple seafood dinner with Mike's brother and sister-in-law and their kids since most of the family is out of town this year. We had homemade clam chowder and corn pudding prepared by my sister-in-law, which were both delicious, along with roasted veggies and broiled tilapia that I brought along. It was fun to have something a little different for Thanksgiving dinner, and the company was wonderful. At one point during one of those natural lulls in conversation we all heard my nephew call out "I see you pee!" His older brother had played the classic trick of asking him to spell "I cup." We all cracked up as we saw him slowly realize what he'd said. Nothing like some well-timed potty humor! 

After dessert we all went to see the new Disney movie, Bolt, in 3D. It was a really cute movie, genuinely funny, and I almost cried a few times... what can I say, I'm a sucker for a dog story, even if it's only an animated dog. The 3D effect was fun and the animation was pretty impressive - computer drawings have come a long way. Even the fur looked like fur - pretty cool.

Mike is at work this morning, but probably only for a half day. I am avoiding the shopping madness today. Tonight we're invited out for a glass of wine with a colleague of mine and may go stroll around downtown to see the Christmas lights in the Gene Leahy mall.

Aliens

This is my current work project. Mike thinks they look like giant cocoons. To me they're reminiscent of Easter Island heads. In any case they are pretty creepy... there are two of them in the spare room, and they're about five feet tall and three feet wide.

Feliz Cumpleanos x 2

Last week was Mike's birthday, and being that it fell on a Wednesday, the festivities extended for a few days. Actually, being that my willpower broke down and I gave him his birthday gift on the Sunday before his birthday, it kind of extended for a week. I had kept the secret for almost an entire month and I finally couldn't take it anymore - I'd managed to snag a Garmin Nuvi 250w at a great discount on ebay in September and kept it hidden in a purse in the back of the closet for weeks.

On the birthday day itself, I got us a pizza from Whole Foods (the best pizza in town hands down! And we've tried a lot of pizza places) and I also snuck out and bought Mike's favorite ice cream (mint chocolate chip) and managed to hide in the freezer until the big reveal, which involved a Batman candle holder and an amazing interpretive dance to the Happy Birthday song.

The following weekend we went out to dinner with Mike's parents and brother and his family. I hope they won't mind me posting this photo of our nephew, who is turning one year old soon. How cute is he??

Dinner was at Julio's Tex Mex restaurant in downtown Omaha, a spot Mike chose for the giant sign out front advertising their margaritas. In order for him to fully partake of the margarita goodness, I volunteered to be the driver for the evening.  The restaurant was probably more aptly described as a bar, at least in terms of ambiance - long and narrow with a large bar and a few tables. The food was your standard Tex Mex fare, with a fair number of vegetarian offerings included. I had a Portabella mushroom burrito, served with rice and refried beans. The flavor of the burrito was good, mostly due to the mushrooms being marinated in something tangy, but the burrito itself was quite small. Normally I don't mind a reasonably-sized restaurant meal, but I was actually still hungry by the time I had finished my meal, and had to 'help' Mike finish his shrimp fajitas. The rice was okay boxed rice, and the refried beans were completely flavorless. Overall, I'd say it was another Omaha dining experience that was fine at the time, but which I won't be eager to repeat.

After Mike's birthday festivities were over, there was this election thingy, not sure if you heard about that. My favorite wrapup of the election came from The Bloggess, who wrote: Also, I don’t keep up with the news but apparently Barack Obama is getting a puppy!  And something about him winning something too.  Some kind of raffle, I think. 

This weekend we had coffee with friends at the Blue Line in their new downtown location - or NoDo (North Downtown), as I've heard it called. This is a happening little part of Omaha that's undergoing a revival with an artsy-collegey kind of feel. They've also opened up an Urban Outfitters and American Apparel on that street, where the all-ages music venue The Slowdown is also located, as well as the non-profit art house movie theater Filmstreams. They're showing Kubrick all month, so we concluded our evening by seeing Dr. Strangelove.

Last night we were invited out to dinner with a coworker of Mike's and some friends he was bringing along. The whole party aside from Mike and myself were Mexican, and they took us to a place in South Omaha that Mike's coworker loves, called Guaca Maya. We had high hopes and things started out well as we all ordered Mexican beers and snacked on some pretty tasty warm tortilla chips and hot salsa. Two different musical groups played songs by request at our table - the company was great, the conversation was fun, the atmosphere festive. Unfortunately the food did not exactly live up to the anticipation, to say the least. Mike and I both ordered shrimp dishes, as our non-meat options were limited to the seafood menu. I had "Tequila Shrimp" and he had the "Shrimp a la Diabla." Each were served with soup or salad (we had salads, which were typical restaurant garden salads), baked potato or french fries, and rice.

My "Tequila Shrimp" was literally, and this is not mere description but actual fact (according to my taste buds), shrimp covered in Campbell's Mushroom Soup. What exactly is "tequila" about this is a mystery I will ponder for the rest of my days. I'm not sure what else to say about it. Mike's dish was shrimp covered in a sauce he later described as "ketchup and chili powder." The rice was orange boxed rice. I had a small baked potato with a dollop of sour cream, he had french fries that looked pretty anemic and I imagine did not taste like much. What pains me the most is that each of these dishes cost about $13 and everything in them obviously came from a box or a can. I'm a pretty adventurous eater, but I also love to cook my own food, and the bare minimum that I ask of a restaurant is that the food is at least partly made from scratch. It should be something at least as good as what I could make at home - hopefully better - but if it's worse than my own cooking, well, disappointing is an understatement.

However... I still want to stress that we had a lot of fun. While we ate and talked, we were at times laughing so hard that we all were crying. And Mike's coworker's friends brought their six month old baby, who was super cute and well behaved. After we were done eating, Radio Lobo, the local Spanish radio station, set up a dance floor and played some of their hits. We all went out and danced to a few songs before we left.

So the search for a Mexican restaurant in Omaha continues, but happy birthdays abound.

Sundried tomatoes are the vegetarian's bacon.

This is an improvised recipe I threw together last night. It was wonderfully delicious and may be something I bring to holiday dinners in the future. It's seasonal, comforting, yummy, and a full meal by itself, though it would make a nice side dish as well. Bonus: it's super easy to make.

Autumn Roasted Vegetables

About 1/2 lb whole fingerling potatoes

About a dozen brussells sprouts

One carrot, chopped into big chunks

One tomato, chopped into big chunks

About a fourth of a butternut squash, chopped into big chunks

About a fourth of a red onion, chopped into big chunks

Three or four (or more) whole cloves of garlic

About an ounce of tempeh, crumbled (you could substitute beans if you don't like tempeh, but if you don't like tempeh, you are crazy)

One sundried tomato, cut into tiny slivers (I like to use the vacuum-sealed ones rather than the ones floating in oil - they are cheaper and healthier! Bonus tip: use kitchen shears to cut them up small)

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add dried herbs - I had tarragon, sage, and thyme - and some salt and pepper. Mix well until all veggies are nicely oiled up and dump into a baking dish (about 9x9). I then threw a pat of butter (about 2 tablespoons) in there for good measure. I had preheated the oven to 425, then turned it down to 400, put the veggies in, and cooked for an hour. About halfway through I stirred the veggies so nothing would dry out on top.

This recipe makes two decent but not overly generous portions. We were satisfied but probably could have gone for seconds if there were any!

I almost forgot the best part... I topped each of our bowls with a little shredded Gouda. I know it is a sin to ever forget about Gouda.

One Year Down

Today is our first anniversary! The year has flown by, but at the same time, it seems like our wedding happened a million years ago. When we got married, we had no idea that we'd be homeowners within six months... at that point, we had only a vague idea that we didn't want to stay in our dingy apartment for another full year. We didn't really see ourselves as qualified to buy a house yet, but I when I went into our bank to change my name on my checking account, they encouraged us to try for a loan through the Nebraska First Time Home Buyers' program, and here we are!

We celebrated our anniversary over the weekend by taking a short road trip down to Lincoln, about 45 minutes away. Neither of us had been there for anything but brief work-related stints, so we enjoyed exploring a town that, while not far away, was new to us.

A few people had recommended we check out the Haymarket District, and so we did. We did a little window shopping first... and both totally fell in love with a store called Ten Thousand Villages. It's a gift store that sells fairly traded items from around the world, and organized in the store by color, which makes for a visually delicious experience. The handmade objects were all exquisitely beautiful, and we were especially taken with a set of green onyx wineglasses, not shown on the website, but similar to this one:

Trust me, the photo does it no justice - it was gorgeous. Unfortunately $24-apiece wine glasses are not in the budget at the moment, but maybe after we hit the lottery.

After that we stopped into a store called From Nebraska, hoping to score some Nebraskan wine - and what do you know, they just happened to be having a little wine tasting from the Soaring Wings Vineyard in Springfield. We liked both the LaCrosse, a dry white, and a dry red De Chaunac - we picked up a bottle of the latter for later in the evening, plus a bag of locally made chocolates for dessert.

Once we were done wandering, we went to The Oven for dinner. It's an Indian restaurant in Haymarket that came highly recommended (via my online research). We sat outside, where it was pleasantly cool, and people watched while we ate (Lincoln was pretty quiet due to an out-of-town football game, thank goodness). We shared a piece of garlic naan, which was garlicky and light, and each started with a bowl of Mulligatawny soup. I thought the soup had a wonderful flavor, light but lively, with a nicely balanced mix of sweet squash, warm spiciness, and the crispness of lemongrass. It set my expectations rather high for the entrees, which were, to be honest, slightly disappointing. I had Bengan Bearta, an eggplant dish, and Mike ordered Shrimp Goa, made with coconut milk. I thought his was tasty but a little one-note, and mine was frankly bland. The rice was fine but not special. We enjoyed the meal but have certainly had better, even right in Omaha at Jaipur.

(randomly googled picture of mulligatawny soup)

We stayed overnight at the Rogers House Bed & Breakfast in Lincoln, also chosen after much online research by me. Since we stayed at a B&B (in Rhode Island) for our honeymoon and loved it, we thought we could recapture some of that romance - and it worked. We checked in with one of the propieters, Nora, and she showed us around while giving us a little history of the two buildings that make up the inn. We stayed in the Barrister Room, which is the master bedroom of the West House - a beautiful 100 year old Craftsman style home. 

To keep things somewhat within a budget, I did not shell out the extra $30 for a room with a jacuzzi, but might if we ever go back... or maybe we'll try one of the fireplace rooms in chillier weather. The room we had was nice though, with beautiful solid wood furniture and everything clean and tidy. In the morning they brought our breakfast right into the room - setting up a table and two chair at the foot of the bed, at a time preselected by us. Breakfast was two courses, starting with juice, coffee, and yogurt with fresh fruit, and followed by an egg casserole, coffee cake, and more fruit. 

The personal touch was lovely, and the whole experience spurred us to daydream (yet again) about opening up our own B&B someday. Mike would be the friendly proprieter, I would cook... we'd love to have one that opened to the public for Sunday brunches. We just have to think of a suitable location and come up with a ton of capital - no problem!

We did not bring gifts or cards on the trip but over dinner we both spilled the beans. Mike said that since the first anniversary is traditionally "paper," he got us a subscription to the New York Times Sunday paper. We used to love getting the paper on Sundays in Boston, but the Omaha World Herald really is not the same, and the Globe is not delivered here - but the NYT is. Now we have one more reason to hang around in our PJs drinking coffee! On my end, since the first anniversary is (in the modern tradition) clocks, I had snuck his old favorite Tag watch out of the house, gotten the battery replaced and a new band put on for him. Tonight we dine on year-old cake and exchange sappy cards (you did remember to get me a sappy card, right honey?)....

Nebraska Food Cooperative

While in our local health food store buying dog food for a certain spoiled cocker spaniel, I recently spied a business card for the Nebrasaka Food Cooperative.  To my surprise, this was exactly what I had spent hours googling and never found... a local CSA (community supported agriculture) group that would enable us to buy local food and goods year-round and support family farms in the area.

Mike and I are big fans of the Farmer's Market that takes place downtown, but it only runs during the summer and early fall months, and of course there is the added downside that if we are too lazy to make it downtown by noon on a Saturday morning, we miss our weekly opportunity to buy the beautiful, delicious, and inexpensive produce they have to offer.

The NFC seems to have all the variety of the Farmer's Market and more, with a wonderful selection of produce, dairy, baked goods, handmade gifts, and even (were we so inclined) local, sustainably-raised meat products... and the best part is, it goes all year round. This particular CSA group operates on a monthly basis (many are weekly) and all orders are delivered to Jane's Health Market in Omaha, which (lucky us!) just happens to be right in our neighborhood.

NFC membership gratifies two of our pet passions at once: supporting local businesses, and eating local, healthy, environmentally friendly food products. Most of the items available through their catalog are organic or produced with minimal chemicals, and are farmer-friendly. They even sell a large variety of fair trade coffees for the same prices we already pay at Whole Foods.

More information on CSAs can be found online at Local Harvest.

Labor Day Vacation

Mike and I made an epic journey back East this past weekend for a friend's wedding in my hometown, so we also got to see my family and some friends. Let me just say that if you haven't flown for a while but have heard a lot of horror stories about air travel these days, IT'S ALL TRUE. We had two broken planes, three or four delays, were bumped from a flight, ate a lot of airport food... all told I think we traveled for over 24 hrs and spent about as much time with our loved ones. And yet, we had a great time and it was awesome to see everyone.



I am making a weird expression in this pic but don't my husband and sister look adorable? We spent Sunday afternoon just hanging around in my dad and stepmom's backyard with the kids. It was a gorgeous day and totally relaxing.

Here we stopped by the restaurant/gift shop my little brother manages and had lunch. Trev is rocking a kickass mustache these days. We only got to see him for a few minutes due to our packed schedule, but he's looking good!

Here we stopped into see Pops, my paternal grandfather. He was sleeping so I didn't wake him up, but I just wanted to say hi and get a pic with him. Pops has Alzeimer's and is under Hospice care in a private apartment in my aunt's home. He hasn't recognized me for a while and only recently stopped remembering my dad.

My cute littlest sisters on the swings. Ashley is outgoing and funny; Cassie is becoming more reserved and loves to read (a girl after my own heart). They are both a lot of fun, and so gorgeous... man I am jealous of that long hair.

Mike with Zipper, in serious contention for Cutest Dog in the World. Don't tell Russell I said that.

My dad set up target practice in the backyard and everyone took turns shooting balloons and cans with this BB gun rifle. This is good old fashioned fun... it's nice that playing in the yard hasn't gone out of style completely yet!

Look out Russell, Zipper is making a run for it!

No More Sam I Am

The Suess room is gone.

We Love Tomato Sauce

My tomaters are in! We have them coming out the wazoo now and are eating many variations of tomato-based sauces and salads. Tomatoes out of the garden taste soooo much better than the ones at the store, it's crazy. I especially like them fresh picked just seconds before... there's something almost magical about feeling the warmth of the sun still on their skins. Or maybe I just miss eating dead animals, har de har.

My tomato plants totally outgrew the original plot so I spent a couple hours on Sunday ripping out grass and digging a bigger plot to accomodate them. There were some seriously weird bugs in there. And my shoulders are still sore. But the plants responded by seeming to explode even bigger than ever, and greener, and with more and more new fruits.

I'm finding that gardening is pretty intuitive. I was apprehensive at first to try something about which I knew absolutely nothing. But for instance, when I see tomatoes sprawling all over the ground and being swallowed up into the shade, I can figure out pretty quickly that I need to stake them up a little better. Not saying my garden's going to win any beauty contests, but it's growing like mad so I must be doing something right. Or not terribly wrong.

And let's not forget the basil of course. I have two like this, and it's all I can do to keep them pinched back so they keep getting fuller and not spindly and tall. I'm really pleased with the health of them too. I obviously have a few critters out there, and some bug bite marks, but nothing really out of control at all.

There is this weird tomato though. It's had this dead, flat white patch since it was green, and now getting the brown spots. I think what happened was the stem was twisted around and half of the tomato wasn't getting any nutrients as it grew. I guess I should have tossed it long ago, but I'm curious about what's going to happen to it. Eventually I want to pick it and cut it open and investigate. Gross, right?

A wider shot of the yard. The shadow is from the garage at left. In the evenings Mike and I stand in the shady area there to hit wiffle balls out to Russell.

This is the facial expression we have to endure from the moment we get home from work until we go out and play, and then once he's caught his breath, again all the way until bedtime. Please play ball with me, please please oh please play ball come on please I'll be soooooooo sad if you don't play ball with me. Dogs are truly wonders of evolution. They don't have opposable thumbs but they have mastered the art of emotionally manipulating humans with great subtlety.

Kitchen Makeover

Work has been slow for me lately. So what do I do when I don't have work? I work at home! Not really, but I did find some time to get a few things done in the house. Most notably, I put an acrylic (not true) Venetian plaster finish up in the kitchen. I got sick of looking at the pale, wilted-celery walls and I had some plasters on hand in the right palette.

To refresh your memory, when we bought the house the kitchen had dark red walls (barely seen here) and the backsplash matched the yellowish cabinets.

Just to get a better, fresher color up, I painted walls & backsplash in pale greens.

The plaster I put up is still green, but has a little more life to it. The application gives it movement and depth. I think Venetian plaster is a great finish for kitchens because it has a cool feel (true lime plaster is cold to the touch) and wipes clean easily. For a client, I'd typically do something like this in warm neutrals and kind of an old Italian palette... but at home I love to bust loose with color!

Mike's comment was "it looks like a Van Gogh painting," which I take as a high compliment coming from someone who loves Van Gogh landscapes. I think it's cheerful and happy looking.

A shot of my wall mounted spice rack. Right next to the stove. One of the little conveniences of life. I actually love cooking in my little kitchen. I barely need to walk a step to go from fridge to counter to stove to sink.

Due to work being slow, the grocery budget was a bit tight this week. We went shopping last Saturday and this is what our fridge looks like today:

And the tomatoes were free! I was pretty resourceful with few ingredients all week. But in truth our refrigerator is usually on the bare side. Since we don't eat meat or drink much besides water and beer, we don't have much to refrigerate. I once listened to an NPR story about a vegetarian family who got rid of their refrigerator completely and I sometimes wonder if we should consider it. All this stuff would probably keep in the basement in winter and in a cooler in the summer!

A bonus shot of Russell, and hard won. He does not like to pose for the camera. But look, he still falls for the "I have a treat in my hand" fakeout.

Pinkney Garden

When the previous owners of our house moved out, they removed their children's swingset from the backyard and left behind a small square patch of dirt & mulch in the lawn. I immediately decided it was the perfect place to plant a little garden. Only problem is, I know nothing about gardening and have had a poor history with houseplants. In college I used to name them as an added incentive to keep them alive, but alas even Esau the wandering Jew and Julius Caesar the mystery fern did not survive my haphazard nurturing.

But I was determined to at least try to grow a garden, so I read up on gardening in some dusty old library books and hit up the farmer's market. I purchased two basil plants and two varieties of tomato. I bought topsoil, natural fertilizer, and a basic set of tools, and planted my garden.



It rained for most of June, and yet there was plenty of sun as well. I hear that's what plants are made of. And mine shot up like weeds. The basil is Genovese, a strong, spicy variety that is the preferred kind for traditional Genovese pesto. I learned that one should begin to pinch off top leaves once the plants grow past six inches or so, to help them grow bushy and full. In the last few weeks I have so much basil out there that I've made pesto two weekends in a row and it just keeps coming.




I have two kinds of tomatoes, one determinate and one semi-determinate. Lest you think me a smarty-panty, this was explained to me by the farmer who sold me the plants. Determinate means it puts out one batch of tomatoes and that's it for the season; semi or indeterminate means it will keep putting out tomatoes until the season is over. The tomato above is my semi-determinate, I believe it was Super Sioux. The tomatoes are medium-sized and the plant is quite large, already almost three feet high and sprawled all over the place. It completely outgrew the cage and is staked up in three or four places. The tomatoes are heavy but still light green.

This would be my Siletz, an early-maturing determinate. This little tomato huddled in the center of the plant is just beginning to ripen. The tomatoes here are also medium-sized but a slightly darker green and the bigger ones are a little striped. It's smaller than the Sioux but still quite proliferate and healthy looking.

I haven't had any pest problems, or, surprisingly given how many rabbits run around the yard, varmint problems yet. But if I do I'll have to research some natural non-chemical ways to combat such things. I'm so pleased with my bounty thus far that I'm definitely planning to expand next year. I'd love to plant things that we already love to eat - cucumbers, a squash or two, peppers, perhaps even some lettuce. I also have three window boxes, one with a miniature rose and the other two idle, that I would like to turn into herb gardens for next year.

Five Things: Mike

What was I doing ten years ago? I was plotting my escape from the evil clutches of Indianapolis, Indiana. I lived there for exactly one year, it only took 4 months before I realized that this was not the place for me. (people out there harbor great resentment towards blow-hards from the East coast). I was on the verge of my great California experience, planning my move to San Francisco.

Five Snacks I Enjoy: Soy nuts mixed with Wasabi peas, bananas, pineapple, Natures Valley peanut butter crunch bars, any kind of cookie my wonderful wife bakes.

Five Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Invest in solar and wind energy, because that is the next big thing. I would also become one of those loony animal loving philanthropists who cares more about dogs than starving children in Africa. I would buy one of those ABA basketball teams that cost like 10 g's and name them the "Assmen" or the "Short Bus Kids". I would create a scholarship for student atheletes who want to get involved in criminal justice and name the scholarship after my father. Finally, I would manage a cover band that performs nothing but Tool songs acoustically and name the band Stool.

Five Places I've lived: I will list them from favorite to least favorite. 1. Boston (love the town, hate the traffic) 2. Omaha (love the traffic, hate the fact that bands like Radiohead and stores like Ikea will never come here). 3. San Francisco (Love the food, hate the hippies on Haight street) 4. Nyack, New York (Nyack should be number one, I miss the pizza, bagels and the deli sandwiches) 5. Los Angeles (Big ups to Cheetah's, Ye Olde Rustic Inn, and The Vista movie theatre!)

Five Jobs I've Had: Dump truck driver, Ice Cream maker, Doorman at a nightclub, videostore clerk, and a concessionaire on the ferry to Alcatraz.

Five Things: Erin

What was I doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago I was taking a year off from college. I had dropped out of Rhode Island School of Design and was searching for a liberal arts school that would suit me better. I spent one school year living in Providence and working as a teacher's aide in an after school program at a Catholic school. My parents were separating and heading swiftly toward an official divorce. I took a cross-country road trip, the highlight of which were the Badlands and Black Hills in South Dakota - I also saw San Franscisco (intimidating - Big Sur was beautiful), Los Angeles (just like in the movies), the Grand Canyon (too big to compute), and lots of Big Sky. I got kicked out of a casino in Nevada because I was underaged (oops).

Five Snacks I Enjoy:

1. Raw almonds.

2. Fresh fruit - especially Packham pears.

3. Cheese with crackers... or bread... or more cheese.

4. Homemade cookies - especially chocolate chip.

5. Dill pickles.

Five Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Pay off all my debts, including the house.

2. Do a historical restoration on our house, reviving the woodwork and floors and doing everything top-to-bottom in 1920s Craftsman style furnishing - but with updated environmentally efficient fixtures.

3. Create a "social investment" portfolio that would invest my money in socially & environmentally responsible funds only.

4. Donate generously to Omaha public schools and other nonprofits focusing on education, animal rescue, and environmentalism.

5. Buy a wind power farm.

Five Places I've lived:

1. Martha's Vineyard.

2. Providence, RI.

3. Southern Vermont.

4. Boston.

5. Omaha, NE.

Five Jobs I've Had:

1. Custom t-shirt painter at a tourist t-shirt shop.

2. Nanny.

3. Human-hair wig washer at a hair replacement salon.

4. Accounts Payable Administrator.

5. Faux Finisher Extraordinaire.

Tag, Mike, you're it!

Happy Belated Birthday to Me

I'm three weeks late in blogging my birthday, which was, as you might guess from the candles, my 30th. We had a party at the house on my birthday itself - a Saturday - which just happened to fall the day after a major thunderstorm that knocked out power to thousands of Omahans. We were lucky enough to get power back six hours later, but some of the people on our guest list were still picking up branches and fixing the damage and had to miss our little bash. Still, the family and a few friends from work made it and fun was had by all.

I spent Saturday preparing food, and I regret not taking photos of some of the delicious and picturesque dishes I made (purple potato salad and corn avocado salad being the standouts, I think), but my camera completely slipped my mind. Fortunately, my sister-in-law April snapped a few and gave me this one of the cake. Believe it or not, Mike actually found this at Whole Foods ready made. I do believe this is the best birthday cake... ever?

As for whether I feel old - the obligatory question on one's 30th birthday - I do not. In fact I was mistaken by an elderly librarian for an 18 year old just last week. He burst out laughing when I told him I was 30.

Secret Society of Short Shorts

Mike & I have noticed a disturbing trend in our neighborhood: men in short shorts. At first it was just the neighbor across the street, mowing his lawn in teeny tiny cutoffs. Then it was the neighbor next door to that neighbor, also mowing his lawn in little Daisy Dukes. On another occasion a third, unidentified man walked down the sidewalk in front of our house, just taking a casual stroll. In short shorts.

We must ask ourselves, have we moved into an enclave of the Secret Society of Short Shorts? Or have we stumbled upon a fashion forward neighborhood so forward that even Heatherette has not yet caught the wave of man thigh mania?

I Saved Us From a Tornado

Peonies are my stepmom's favorite flower, and it's easy to see why. They're big, exuberant flowers with a messy beauty and an intoxicating scent. The neighbors who back up to us have peonies all along the length of chain link fence that separates our yards, and I have been compelled to clip a few - just the ones leaning temptingly over in two-foot shoots, some bending almost to the ground. This bouquet on the dining room table fills the whole house with its sweet, heady fragrance.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit stressful as it's been rainy almost every day or night, and Mike doesn't have work when it rains, or even when the ground's gotten soaked. I remember June being a rainy month when I was a kid, or at least it seemed that way. We'd usually get out of school shortly after Memorial Day, and just as we achieved freedom, a streak of gloomy rainy days would begin and last until my birthday at the end of the month. It was only as an adult that I recognized that dusty, thick smell of impending rainfall as a weather-related phenomenon - when I was a kid I always thought it was the smell of dust on the window sills, since that's where my nose would be planted as I stared out in hopes of a glimpse of sun.

Saturday night we went to bed without knowing that a storm was coming. We fell asleep with the windows closed and the air conditioning on, but at about two thirty in the morning I woke to a rather faint sound of a siren. I tried to rouse Mike: "Is that the tornado siren?" He said calmly, "No, no...." I prodded him, "I think it is." He replied confidently, "No, it's just... part of the promotion." "Hon," I told him, "I think you're dreaming." He claimed he wasn't, but the siren pealed again and I got out of bed - "Okay, that IS definitely a siren." Finally he woke up and realized what was going on.

I scrambled in the dark to put on sweatpants and a hoodie since it would be cold in the basement, and the three of us - dog included - went down to the half bath (aka Man Cave) underground, grabbing a boombox on the way down. Mike had to briefly resurface to grab a flashlight from the kitchen and reported that it was "crazy" outside. We sat down in the bathroom - me in a collapsible camping chair, Mike & Russell on the floor - and listened to AM radio. The storm and possible tornado was moving right through Central Omaha. Power was out in parts of the city, but not for us. Safe in the basement, I worried slightly about our cars, which we only put in the garage if we know there's a storm coming, and we hadn't... mine in particular was sitting directly under the large maple tree in our front yard.

The tornado warning ended at three a.m. and we went back to bed under calm skies. In the morning, despite some downed trees and a few cases of property damage in the city, our neighborhood appeared unscathed. Even my spindly tomato plants made it through intact.

On the local news last night they said that a lot of people slept through the siren and that it's really only meant to alert people who are outside at the time of a tornado. Who knew? They don't give you an instruction manual when you move to tornado alley. Apparently we're all supposed to buy emergency weather alert radios. The funny thing is I had always worried about sleeping through a tornado siren and Mike swore he would definitely wake up if he went off... yet he was the one who thought it was "just part of the promotion," haha. And I, normally a corpselike sleeper, saved our lives. That's right... he owes me bigtime.

Housewarming

This little vase is a gift that was sent to us by Jenn, who is my oldest friend... we first met in the first grade, stuck together when the leader of our sixth grade clique dumped us, and have managed to stay friends for over 20 years. It is rare for two people to continue to share common interests for so long like we do, so her friendship is very special to me. We were lucky enough to reconnect in Boston a few years ago and spend time together after not seeing each other for a while after college. Jenn is still as unique and creative and funny as ever, and she always sends me the cutest little things, handmade cards and knitted items. She's getting married this summer and Mike and I can't wait to come celebrate with her and her husband to be.

We also received a package this week from my mom and sister with more housewarming gifts, woo hoo! Leave it to mom to take note of our colors from the photos we sent... everything she gave us goes so perfectly in the house. Above is a beautiful handprinted cotton tablecloth and set of napkins - in need of a little ironing but I was eager to display them right away.

Mom & Leah also sent this little plaque that I hung over our console table/bookcase by the front door, where we stash our keys and ipods. Two tin bluebirds perch over the words Home Sweet Home written in wire. Very cute and one of a kind... they also sent us a collapsible in blue with brown butterflies that I put in our master bedroom.

Last week we were waiting with bated breath for our economic stimulus payment, but it didn't come. I suppose because we owe some back taxes (oops). The government made a mistake on that one, because we were ready to do some serious stimulating. We were hoping to buy a washer and dryer and end the hellish routine of trudging to the laundromat every weekend. As it happened, though, a coworker of Mike's was looking to sell a practically-new set for $375, and we picked it up last night. This has been a crash course in DIY for us - really for Mike, since he's doing all the work - involving rewiring the plug and blah de blah. But it looks like by day's end we will have a functioning washer and dryer in our house. In the actual house. Here. In the house. If I ever complain about having to walk down a set of stairs to do a wash, please slap me.

Also this weekend I supported our local Benson Farmer's Market. They tried to get it started last year but there wasn't enough interest. As much as I love the Farmer's Market downtown, I'm keen on helping revive Benson so I swung by. There were only five stands and one was from the health food store, but I picked up two tomato plants, some green onions, and rhubarb. I also have two basil plants (doing okay) and a small dwarf rosebush - all still indoors. I want to start a small garden in the backyard where the previous owners had a swingset (now a square patch of mulch in the lawn) but am spacing out my purchases... I still need topsoil, fertilizer, and a set of basic gardening tools. I have a black thumb and have never been successful with plants, that won't stop me from trying. I'm bound and determined to raise some veggies.

Shrimp for two.

Like this bouquet of hydrangeas? I hope so, because we spent $15 on it while laughing in the face of a nationwide recession. Haha! Now that we're official lifetime residents of Benson we're supporting local businesses whenever possible, which this weekend included these flowers and a half dozen dinner rolls at a new bakery that just opened on Maple Street called Sweet Georgine's. And really, thems are some pretty hydrangeas.

Mike and I had a little cocktail party to go to hosted by someone who worked with me in faux finishing but is leaving the business. You can be sure you enjoyed a party when all your laughing muscles hurt by the time you leave. We made our exit around 8 pm and were famished, but didn't know where/what to eat, so we just headed downtown. By the time we found a parking space we were starving and it was raining hard, so we literally dashed across the street to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be Vincenzo's in the Old Market.

Apparently it was prom night, because half the tables were taken by young ladies and gents in formal wear, which of course prompted much reminiscing about high school and how lame our proms were etc. Mike ordered Shrimp Scampi with angel hair and I ordered the Shrimp Trittata with bow tie pasta. I never prepare seafood at home but it's often an indulgence for when we eat out and have limited vegetarian options (or particularly appealing seafood options). We were served warm rolls (fine, not great) and house salads (ditto). I thought the pasta and sauce were fairly good, but the shrimp was quite tough and had very little flavor. Overall it was a pleasant enough meal but I don't think it will make the list for a return trip... there are far too many other restaurants we'd like to try before we'd even think about going back to Vincenzo's I'm afraid.

When we got home Mike brought out our high school yearbooks and we played a little game called "guess which people were my friends." Mike did pretty well. I badly misjudged the girls in his class - all the girls I picked as the pretty, popular ones were actually outcast, cigarette-puffing headbangers who hung out by the auto shop. I say he missed out, lucky for me perhaps.

The Master Bedroom

Unfortunately we have no photos of our bedroom before its makeover. The listing didn't show it and I never took any because it was so unremarkable - duh, all the more reason to capture it for contrast's sake. The master bedroom, as I like to call it, is the entire top "half" floor of the house. It is a dormer ceiling but high enough for Mike to walk comfortably at six foot two. Right in the center is a low but roomy closet that bisects the room into sleeping area and dressing area (the latter could be used as a nursery someday).

Before, the walls and ceiling were flat white and the wooden floor had been painted a matte brown that was not terribly attractive. I knew immediately that I wanted to paint the floor in a high gloss white urethane paint, and Mike & I agreed on blue walls. The green-blue trim was Mike's creative idea that I think looks very nice. The results:




The bedroom perfectly embodies the peaceful quality that I wanted up there. It feels clean and quiet and soothing. Shown above is the one area rug we've bought so far and that our dog has of course fallen in love with. Hairy black dog, white rug, makes sense, right?

One small oddity: this post at the foot of the bed. The inspector said that it's the exhaust chimney coming up from the furnace. It's a bit weird looking but ergonomically not a huge problem. We still fit our king sized bed easily in the space. This is the first time since buying a king that we've had a frame for it, and wow the difference in comfort is amazing. Who knew (everyone but us). The bed, rug, night tables (not visible) and dressers below are all from Ikea.

Our dressing area on the other side of the closet. Could use another area rug. The dressers are cute and roomy for their size, but mine is all screwed up... the bottom drawers don't slide in and out so well which is kind of an important quality in a dresser.

Russell approves.

Living Room Before & After

Living Room Before: The walls were painted a pale beigey gray, with the wall facing the door being the dreaded accent wall in a dark taupey gray. The main sofa, just barely pictured, faced the front door and front windows, which we felt was a bit of an odd arrangement.

Living Room After: We painted all walls a greeny blue, which makes the natural woodwork and floors pop nicely. (Oops, please ignore the stack of plastic bins in the dining room there.) The TV setup is temporary until we get furniture in the family room downstairs. The TV will then reside downstairs and this room will be a sunny, electronics-free sitting room where we can read and entertain.

The hallway going up the stairs is painted in the same blue, which transitions nicely into our paler blue master bedroom. The sofa here is a piece we bought when we first moved to Omaha, at Nebraska Furniture Mart, at a significant discount because it's an incomplete sectional. We think it just looks like a groovy asymmetrical sofa (and the right end is finished so doesn't need to be hidden by a wall).