And So It Is

The last day of 2012. I won't be ending the year with any profound philosophical waxings. The year had its highs and it had its lows. I've learned a lot, but need to learn more. I started to focus more on myself, but yet aim to keep my boys (all three) of them at the center of my universe with a strong gravitational pull.

The new year will bring more joys, hopefully few sorrows and lots to keep us busy. I hope that you all have a fantastic New Year's Eve and a sparkly start to 2013. D and I are definitely starting 2013 with a focus on health and sticking around for a long time ... but more on that tomorrow :)

Happy New Year!

My Last Restaurant Meal of 2012

I've been hesitating to write this post. On one hand, it's because it cements the fact that the year is coming to a close. A year that has allowed me to enjoy some very fine dining experiences that I will replicate to the same scale in 2013 (Wine Club is going back to hosting at our homes for our sixth year.) And on the other hand, I don't want this little secret gem to get out too well-known.

D and I enjoyed a lovely evening with his sister and her husband at a quaint little place called Phil's Tara Hideaway. It's a tiny log cabin in Stillwater. We went there on a Thursday night - they don't take reservations - and when we arrived, it was crazy crowded. We put our names down and were told we had a 90-minute wait. So we headed over to the local Mexican restaurant for cocktails (the bar at Phil's was far too crowded for us just to wait there.)

We came back about an hour later and were promptly seated. The energy of the place was palpable, and you could tell that since it was the holidays, everyone was sharing this little gem with their own family members. I started my meal with a grilled octopus:

This was the most amazing appetizer I have ever eaten. It was truly grilled perfection - and then sprinkled with lemon juice. I could have just eaten five plates of this and been perfectly happy. I also enjoyed a light, dry Greed red wine with my meal. I ordered it because I've never had Greek wine before and it was delightful.

For the next course, I had a crispy skin and duck confit salad. Now, I will say that I think this is the one place where the waiter failed to listen to my request about being gluten-free, but I removed the battered fried item from the salad and enjoyed the rest of it.

I loved the duck confit and the crispy skin and mushrooms. Yummy. My mother-in-law says that this restaurant has the best duck she's ever tasted. Unfortunately it came on a bed of gnocchi ... and since I didn't want to get the dish as it was not intended, I instead went with the Tara Steak Gorgonzola. The steak was perfectly cooked ... it melted in my mouth like butter, it was so ridiculous. The Gorgonzola sauce added a nice complement, but what I really loved were the sauteed wild mushrooms and caramelized onions. The Parmesan potato puree was a nice complement as well ... but my full belly didn't allow me to consume it all.

D enjoyed bread pudding for dessert, and the other couple enjoyed a butterscotch budino. They both looked amazing. I was far too full to eat another morsel. But I did cap my night off with a bailey's Irish cream. (And yes, I was taking a risk with the alcohol since they don't claim to be gluten-free, but after reading such a diverse response to if it affects those with gluten intolerance, I decided to risk it and fortunately, no adverse reactions! Yay!)

So, again, I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this little gem, but if you happen to be in Stillwater and want to try some of the most amazing food out there ... then Phil's is where you should go!

The Calm After the Flurry

It's hard to believe Christmas as arrived and is now just a fond memory. There's only a few more days of 2012. And I am enjoying a week of blissful vacation. (For the most part, but we'll get to that in a bit.)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were lovely. We spent time with both my family and D's family. I wish we had more time to just enjoy everyone's company and relax. Alas, with little kids you spend a lot of time just ensuring they aren't destroying someone else's house. But you gotta love 'em, because watching the holidays through their eyes ... that is what it is all about. (Now, of course, my boys definitely had their spoiled brat moments ... which meant brief but meaningful lectures on expectations and graciousness and generosity, but they are only three and six.)

I felt very lucky to be on the receiving end of some amazing gifts, but I always prefer to watch how others respond to the gifts I pick out for them. It's the anticipation of "did I do a good job?" "Do I really know the person?" It's fun, but it's agonizing, too.

However, my biggest mistake of this holiday season was the foolish idea to schedule O's three-year-check-up  the day after Christmas at 8:15 and then to schedule D and my dental check-ups for 11 a.m. (Due to the crowds in the respective waiting rooms, I'm not the only one who had this idea.) However, it meant we couldn't sleep in this morning ... and I would have loved nothing more than to have been able to sleep in.

And ... I don't like the dentist. I have horrible teeth. No matter how well I do my home care ... something is always awry with my teeth. I clench my jaw terribly during the day, and so I was waiting to hear that I've ground my teeth away ... close. I have a severely cracked tooth which means I  will need to get a crown (my third one.) Yikes. And the expense ... it's awful. So, D and I emphasize with our boys constantly how they just practice good dental hygiene. I'm hoping that  my diligence today can save them pain and money in the future.

A Roomful of First Graders

Friday I had the extreme pleasure of volunteering at K's holiday party. I arrived to a room full of energy, organized chaos and laughter. I recognized a few of the other moms (even only in the first grade, you quickly realize it's the same parents over and over again who show up for school events.)  And yes, it was only moms, slightly disappointing and I made sure I told D, so that next time he considers volunteering. (Of course, that means I couldn't volunteer, so we'll conquer that opportunity when it arrives.)

There were five stations kids were able to complete activities. I was over the Grinch-making station. The kids had to cut out pieces to make a Grinch and then assemble them. It's amazing the variation of skills and ... whining. Oh, the whining. I can't believe how much kids whined. I don't know how the teachers handle it. It would drive me crazy.

There were also definitely the bossy little kids, the know-it-alls. Everything I remember from elementary school game rushing back and I would look around for K and find him very focused at whatever station he was at doing his task and being polite. (Now, trust me, he had energy and was enjoying himself, but in general he was good at completing his task.)

K asked me to stay with him for lunch. As a treat, the kids got to eat picnic style and watch a movie in the cafeteria. Sitting on the floor was not my ideal lunch time situation, but I joined him and we talked about who he usually sits with and he told me what he did and didn't like about his lunch. And seeing how kids eat the hot lunch, it just reaffirmed that K won't be participating in hot lunch. (Even though they give the kids fruit and vegetables ... the kids don't eat them.)

I'm glad I got the opportunity to spend K's holiday party with him. And I admire the teachers even more for being able to handle all those kids every day.

How Time Flies

It is so hard to believe that O turned three today. Of course, we should have guessed based on his arrival, that he was going to be a stubborn little man who demands his way most of the time. He's lived up to that take-charge attitude since day one. Including his denial of turning three today. It wasn't until big bro K told him that turning three was a good thing that he actually accepted what he could not change. (Thank goodness for big brothers.)

O got to spend his special day hanging out with mommy and daddy all day (yes, we multi-tasked an adventure to Creative Kids for him to play with a bunch of toys with our need to cross those last few items off our lists. But we're officially done with shopping ... with four days to spare ... which means wine and relaxing for me.)

Now, the boys are nestled on the sofa with me under our favorite faux fur throw, with the wood stove on, playing a wii game like the best of pals. I love how my boys get along so well (they do fight ... I don't live in a cloud of haze ...) I hope as they grow older they will continue to be great friends who give each other random hugs and kisses.

I also look across the room at D, who's sitting on the other sofa, engrossed in a game of Words with Friends (most likely playing against his mom) and I have to feel very fortunate to have a strong, silly patriarch for this little family.

And with our stockings hung on the chimney with care, the stocking stuffers hidden away, and Christmas confections all ready to give ... I couldn't feel more fortunate.

Another Great Year of Wine

Today was the last wine event at my favorite little wine shop, where they host a tasting and all the wine is on sale. I went at the beginning and tried a few, including a $90 Cab that was like sipping perfection. I was able to select a bottle for a gift and then a really good bottle for Christmas Eve and a couple of other treats to sustain me for a bit.

Then it was off to wine club. This year we decided to do restaurants, but next year we are returning back to home hosting. I am a little sad, because I love going out to restaurants ... and D takes some convincing to eat out ... he always loves it when we do it ... but it's getting there that is the main obstacle. So, yes, I am a little sad that I won't have a monthly treat at the restaurant du jour ... but I'll still have the good company of my ladies and some good liquid treats to enjoy.

Tonight's venture had us at Eat Street Social. The original "social" is in Northeast and so when they decided to open a location on Eat Street, the local food critics were all abuzz, and the reviews were glowing. I knew we had to end our year here.

If you're not familiar with Eat Street, finding the spot can be a bit difficult. There's no glowing signs or large letters calling your attention to the restaurant. Fortunately, I drove with my sister and she is much more familiar with the area. Eat Street has a reputation for its cocktails, so while I usually don't imbibe, we all did start our meal with a fun little cocktail. Mine was called the Winter Cup and was made of gin, some cranberry and lime stuff and some other things. (See, I'm not a cocktail person.) The first two sips had me suck in my cheeks, I wasn't ready for the strength. But by the third sip (and a lot of melted ice) I was in good shape.

I decided to start my meal with their rutabaga soup:

First, it was a huge bowl of soup. Second, it was a huge bowl of divine creamy goodness. I love root vegetables, and this was pureed root vegetable utopia. I could have been satiated with about half the serving since it was a first course, but did that stop me ... no, I ate the whole darn bowl.

For the second course ... big surprise ... I had the duck:

Yes, I think I've ordered the duck at the majority of the places we've dined this year ... but this duck had butternut squash puree ... and there is no way I could pass that up. N-O W-A-Y.  It was also served with a chestnut, apple green hash that was sublime. Seriously, it was a plate of perfection from a flavor standpoint. I could combine anything on the plate and it tasted like a well-balanced marriage. Melt in your mouth goodness. The duck was crispy on the outside and tender and lush on the inside with just the right amount of fat layered in between. I also had a light Pinot to pair with the dinner, making it even more wonderful.

Alas, when it came time to order dessert ... I just couldn't. I was too full. (And of course, the only gluten-free dessert was a chocolate creme brulee ... good thing I like custard.) But, I just couldn't push myself to the brink this time. I ordered a cup of coffee while my companions selected their desserts. The looks on their faces with their first bits of dessert were evidence of the deliciousness they were experiencing, and so I enjoyed it vicariously through them. If I were to go again, I think I'd split a first course so that I could enjoy dessert.

It's with joy as I look back at a great year of wine club. It's amazing to thing we've gone five years strong ... and I look forward to another great year next year.

Precious Life

With the many recent shootings, everyone is being a little more reflective and appreciative of their loved ones. People are making public declarations about how they plan to squeeze their babies a little harder each day. The lesson is very clear: life can be taken at any moment.

Unfortunately, this lesson hit our house directly this weekend when D's grandpa passed away. At 89, GH lived a long good life. He raised amazing children, provided guidance to a number of grandchildren and got to play with his great-grandchildren. He embraced me as a part of the family and always had a good story to share.

I am glad that the last time I saw GH I was giving him and grandma a ride home and we were able to engage in a 45-minute conversation. Grandma fell asleep in the backseat. We talked a little about a lot, and I feel lucky that will be my last memory of him.

It will make the holiday season a little sadder this year, but I hope that we can all look back at the fond memories of a great man and smile and laugh, too. Life is precious, whether you're a small child or an old man. While the death of someone who got to live a long and fulfilling life is definitely much easier to understand than a child who had life ripped from them violently and unfairly, all life is so very, very precious.

Love you, GH!

The Power of a Two-Year-Old

First things, first. I can't believe it's already December 11 and I have not written once. I can attribute much to this delinquency.

Of course there's the constant search for the perfect gifts for my lovely family. I'm actually feeling pretty good about our gift purchasing status at this point. We only have a few gifts left to select and two weeks to do so. We still have to tackle the annual edible gift ... but I'm not going to stress out about it ... at least, not yet anyway.

There's this crazy project at work that I've been dedicating a lot of time to. It's sort of one of those things that by the grace of all the powers that be ... you're able to pull off. Then again, I'm an eternal optimist (because I like to keep things in perspective) so even with the craziest of timelines I always feel like you can do anything you put your mind to. (However, my warning to others is this is not a universal mindset and not everyone has the ebb and flow, course-correct mentality to handle these types of projects.)

There was this little 15-inches of snow on the ground storm (which resulted in my unbelievable sore body for the next two days ... because I decided to use it as an excuse to exercise and did it all with a shovel ... yeah ... D kept telling me "at least it's the good pain.")

But on to the point of this whole post ... most importantly, there's me spending as much time as possible with my boys. The boys did excellent shopping with me this past weekend. In fact, O was in non-typical form. I actually wondered who I had with me they were so well-behaved.

Which takes me to the bedtime routine. Since D gets the joy of the morning routine, it's only fair that I take on the responsibility for bedtime each night. This means ... every night I get to hear O tell me he doesn't love me. You see ... he hates bedtime. He's afraid to miss out on any action ... so going to bed is an ultimate punishment to him ... and since I am the enforcer ... I am the bad, bad guy. So, yes, every night he tells me how he doesn't love me and he only loves daddy. After I read him his story, I tried to plant a kiss on his cheek, but he brushes it away and once again reinforces his non-love for me, stating how he wipes my kisses off ...

Then for the next hour, he stays awake reading books, singing and talking ... anything that is not sleeping. Until it's K's bedtime. Then, suddenly ... and almost magically ... he loves me. He wants hugs, kisses and professes his love ... it's the ultimate manipulation to delay him having to go to sleep. I am amazed at the strategic mind a toddler can possess. It frightens me for what the future can bring ... but at least it will keep me on my toes.