Go Marnet!

My friend, Van, mailed me a mix CD a few months ago, and it has been the source of many o' dance parties in our kitchen, starring mostly Margaret, with occasional guest performances by me, Josh, and Louise. Margaret is the star, though. Since my hips don't really do what dancing hips are supposed to do, I channel my inner Kristi Yamaguchi and try a few single axels. Margaret on the other hand, has quite the moves. 


Our favorite song on the mix is Gwyneth Paltrow singing Cee Lo Greene's "Forget You." This one really gets her (us) going. At the peak of the performance, she chants, "Go Marnet, Go Marnet." Then, Josh and I chime in, "Go Margaret, Go Margaret, Go, Go, Go Margaret!"


It's really fun. Here are some of her moves:

Hope you have as much fun this weekend as Margaret has on the dance floor!

Slow Food at Oakland Farm

A few weeks ago, Josh and Margaret picked up a flier at the Baton Rouge Farmer's Market for "Dinner in the Field" held at Oakland Organic Farm and Plantation. The event was sponsored by:

Slow Food is a national organization with a local chapter that supports organic farming and "food that is good, clean, and fair." We signed up for the event with no expectations, and turns out,  it was fantastic.

Oakland Farm and Plantation is in Gurley, Louisiana and owned and operated by a couple named Hutch and Prentiss. Here it is:

 The plantation home has been in Hutch's family for generations. Hutch, Prentiss, and their four children now live on the plantation and farm the grounds with the help of volunteers called Woofers. 


For "Dinner in the Field" we actually ate in the original dining room of the home, predating the Civil War. We thought it was beautiful:

Two peaks inside:

The beamed ceilings were something special...

...as was the candlelit dining room.

We ate family style courses of homegrown vegetables, sausages, pate, risotto, couchon de lait, etc. etc. prepared by chefs from local restaurants like Juban's, Beau Soleil, and City Club, to name a few. The meal was finished with rosemary and strawberry gelato from Latte e Miele on Highland. (It's authentic gelato...take it from the girl who packed on 20 El Beeezs while studying in Italy in college.)


We sat at farm tables with soon to be friends, one of which was Hutch. We learned that the now farmer and family man was a former banker (whom I may have developed a slight crush for. Turns out I wasn't the only one wooed by Hutch's stories of hunting in Africa, his courtship with Prentiss, and life on his plantation. On the drive home, I confessed my crush to Josh and his response was, "Well, me, too!" :)

The night ended with Hutch toasting to growing food slowly, the old-fashioned way. Though I'm not very educated about organic farming, I can recognize that the produce we ate that night was some of the most flavorful food I've had. Thanks to Hutch for opening your home to us and to Slow Food Baton Rouge for great food and a great cause. 

Next Stop...A New Home

My big sister, Caroline, lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her two adorable children, Ann and Matt. She's a great sister and a great mom and was a great wife to her husband, Lee. 

Lee passed away two years ago in August. I've watched in amazement as Carol pulled through the ups and downs of the past nearly two years to get to the point where she is now. She, Ann and Matt are just weeks away from moving into a new home. So, I want to dedicate this little post to her and say how proud I am of her for carrying her children through these past couple of years and arriving at the place where she will land in a few weeks. Congratulations on your new home, Carol! Can't wait to visit and love you!

Here's to you, sis, and your new home!

Tee Tee on the Teepee

Strike two for the teepee. Margaret is warming up to it, but apparently our dog isn't a fan.

I guess next stop is the washing machine. Maybe it will be a fresh start for it.

Great Expectations

Here it is...the teepee I've been making over the weekend for Margaret:

Doesn't it look like it would be a magnetic force for little girls?

I expected love at first site (had camera ready to capture excitement). In reality, it was not love at first site...nowhere close. It was tears at first site, seriously. This is how the debut of the teepee played out:

      Me: "Margaret, I have a surprise for you outside! It's a teepee!"

      (We walk in the backyard. Margaret takes one look at the teepee and cries.)

      Margaret: "I don't want teepee." (Sob Sob) "I want fruit snacks."

I proceeded to crawl into the teepee to try to lure her in:

Me, calling out for Margaret from inside, "It's so much fun in here..." blah, blah, blah.
She is nowhere in site. There is no one to lure in except for our dog.
Margaret is probably in the pantry searching for her beloved fruit snacks.

I don't know what it is about those little sugar-filled packs of fruit snacks, but they are powerful. Apparently, at least one two-year-old finds them more appealing than a custom made teepee. For now, I'll admire my finished product sitting empty in our backyard. I'm going to drop the subject with her and hope she'll wander in there before long. In the meantime, it may end up serving as a little retreat for Josh and me when we need to dodge the next meltdown:)

On the bright side, it was a fun project and pretty easy to make from this pattern. The fabric and embellishments are from Hancock Fabrics, and the pvc pipes, etc. are from my favorite local hardware store, Goodwood Hardware. A little word to the wise, enter this project with no expectations, even though I'm still expecting her to love it one day:)

Blooming and Dance Skating

It is GORGEOUS around here. It's our first Spring in the South in years and, we are amazed at the azaleas and camellias blooming in our yard. In New York, it was the tulips, especially on Park Ave and in Riverside Park, that blew me away each Spring. In Baton Rouge, it's the bursts of azaleas that are everywhere I turn. A few pics from both places:

This sea of azaleas is about to POP in our front yard!

Riverside Park NYC Spring 2008

While searching through old pics for this post, I came across snapshots we took of  something great that also debuted in the spring in NYC. In Central Park, there was this group of dedicated men and women who made up the Central Park Dance Skaters. They were highly skilled in dance skating and drew quite a crowd. Participation in the CPDS was not for the  amateur, or so it seemed. Based on their performance, I'd say that membership involved some sort of try-out or training or interview process or something along those lines. 


Here you go:

Introducing my personal favorite, the Dolly Parton look-a-like

Dolly in all her glory. She has quite the physique.
Guess that's what multiple seasons of dance skating will get you.

This guy wins the award for "most confident on his skates."
He was really good.

If you make a trip to NYC anytime in the Spring, these guys are definitely worth a stop... around 70th Street toward the center of Central Park. 

Speaking of skates, I better put mine on and get rolling. Happy Spring and have a great weekend!

Thank You for Being a Friend

This bag of Zabar's dark espresso made its way from 80th and Broadway at the hands of our best man, Jon. He and his brother, Steven, ship us this coffee sort of regularly now. It makes our mornings happy and today, it has sparked thought about our friendship. 

I'm sure  Jon would be happy to know that the Golden Girls theme song was the first thing to pop into my head. If I had to pick the GG that he most resembles, it would be Sophia. 

 

Well, maybe not so much in looks, but they are both witty, Italian firecrackers, with rather large, but tasteful eyewear.

After getting past the fact that Sophia and Jon are counterparts, I began remembering the ways Jon has supported us. Remembering a collection of these little events, reminded me of how big he is to us. Here are some snapshots:

The boys on our wedding day

Getting ready for Margaret at 85th and Broadway

NYU hospital

Hanging out in 8D

In closing, Jon, I raise my mug of Zabar's espresso to you and sing:

"Thank you for being a friend,
traveled down the road and back again. 
Your heart is true. You're a pal and a confidant..."

Hope we see you soon!

Her Happiest Time of the Year

For our two-year-old, Margaret, the happiest times of the year are when two certain little rascals descend on our front yard. It happens once every few months...when cousins, Ann and Matt, make the trek down from Birmingham, Alabama to Baton Rouge. We don't tell Margaret they are coming until half an hour or so before they arrive. The anticipation is so great, it can only be tolerated for a brief period of time:) So yesterday, Ann and Matt said bye for a week to their Mom and hopped in the back of Sugar's car for the two day trip further south.


This morning, the reunion of the cousins was as blissful as ever. You can't help but to feel happy when you watch this:

THEY'RE HERE! And HERE'S MATT debuting his new race car to Margaret against the car window.

Hey buddy!

Cousinly Love

Wild Man Matt

(I was just as excited as Margaret was to see these cute kiddos.)

Big cousin Ann with our littlest, Louise

Lucky us, we'll be hanging around our cousins for the next week. Thanks, Sugar and Papa, for bringing them down and keeping them and thanks Aunt Caroline for sharing them for a little while!

Josh, My Better Half

Josh is my husband. We just celebrated seven years of marriage, and I adore him. We've lived side by side in Memphis, Manhattan, and now in Baton Rouge. In my 31 years of life, I'm not sure I've met a better man.


Here we are pre-kiddos and post. I'm surprised our hair isn't falling out or standing up in the post pic. Wine, beer, laughter, and dinner dates help prevent us from coming unglued.

March 6, 2004, New Orleans, Day 1 as  Husband and Wife (with mom in the middle. She kind of still is in the middle. Just kidding, but she does serve as a chief advisor:)

Seven Years Later, Baton Rouge, March 6, 2011, with Margaret and Louise

Van, Like the Car

This is Van, "like the car." That's how I should introduce her because that's how she introduces herself. Sometimes people think she is saying Sam or Fran, so she gives them something to hold on to.  If I were her, I would say, "I'm Van, like the artist, Van Gogh." She's pretty humble though, so she picks the car:)


Van is my best friend and believe it or not, in some ways, she reminds me of Oprah. There will be lots of little things to log about Van and my friendship with her. This serves as a brief introduction of what will be a lifelong friendship with Opr...I mean Van.

New Years Eve 2010, Baton Rouge

I'll add more pics of Van. I have tons, thanks to the my husband (who Van nicknamed the paparazzi).