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!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
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!
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:
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.
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!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
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.
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.
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