"I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying."
- from John Masefield's "Sea-Fever"
... because I'm betting by the time this holiday is over, I will have lost them on account of all the sweets I've consumed.
This past weekend, Jack, Amelia, and I attended a holiday cookie exchange, so I just whipped up these pretty little macarons to take with us.
Only kidding. :o) The beautiful little things are the handiwork of THE Rebecca Masson of Houston's Fluff Bake Bar.
The pinky red ones are peppermint, and I cannot remember what the white ones are. But they are even better than they look, if you can believe that. Can you see the sparkles on the peppermint ones? The white ones look just like great big pearls. They are incredible!
Mike met Rebecca at an event recently, and he brought me home a box of those macarons, fluffernutters, and these ...
Once again, I forget what he called these, but they are chocolate with some salty pretzels (I think??) mixed in. They are shockingly smooth in texture and , unfortunately for my waste line, irresistable. In fact, we had already both been into this bag before I bowed it back up to take a picture of it. I'm fairly certain there are only two left ... and that is strictly due to will power.
If you live in or near Houston, I would highly recommend these as stocking stuffers. Or party favors. Or whatever else you can think of. I fully guarantee you will not be disappointed!
As for the cookie exchange, I took Neiman Marcus bars or, as they are known around here, Texas gold bars. I think I like the latter name better. Whatever they are called, they are easy as brownies to throw together. I got this recipe from Kiki, and it has never, ever failed me. Or her. And it won't fail you either.
They are made with two cups of pecans and a box of butter pecan cake mix. (And two sticks of butter, a box of powdered sugar, and cream cheese ...)
I did make sure to leave all of them at the party. However, I came home with plenty more sugar.
There's a little sneak peak of my pink kitchen. ;o) I have white twinkly lights on the backs of the counters, and it feels so festive. Everytime I walk in it, I feel like I'm in Nigella's kitchen.
It just makes me want to spend all my time in the kitchen.
But I won't blame it all on the white twinklies. My pink oven is a little bit to blame.
That is what I have said to Mike all along. Poor man. There is no doubt the thought probably crossed his mind to just steal away in the night and leave me in good ol' Georgia. But, thankfully, if that thought did cross his mind, he didn't pay it any attention.
Because he delivered me and Jack and Amelia in Texas.
To be more specific ... Dallas.
It had been our plan for months to settle in a small town outside of Austin, but at the 11th hour (literally), our stars realigned and led the way to Dallas. At the risk of sounding premature, I must declare that I am falling in love with this city! I keep fighting the urge to pinch myself. Because, just in case this is all a happy dream, I sure don't want to wake up from it. We were blessed to have found a little house in one of the old neighborhoods right in town. It is the best of both worlds. I have everything that downtown Dallas has to offer, but I feel like we are living on a quiet, little street in some quiet, little town.
Our neighborhood has turned out to be nothing but wonderful. On the day we moved in, I met more neighbors than I have ever known in all my life. Everybody came over with offerings of help, advice, cookies, dinner, and wine. According to the life-long Dallasites I have met, that is very typical of this area.
Packing up our Georgia home was surprisingly easy. I only cried at the very end when all of the rooms were emptied, and I was doing the last (of at least 5) final walk-throughs.
Just before we rode away, I drug Mike up into the attic to help me write each of our initials on a rafter. I, of course, chose an inconspicuous spot on a rafter way in the back ... but a place that would eventually be seen. Seen, Lord willing, by someone who loves that house as much as we did.
As for our new little abode, I am finding it suits us very well. The first time I saw it in person was just before the moving trucks arrived. I was happy to see I had inherited twelve rosebushes and the most gigantic rosemary plant I have ever seen. The roses are scraggly as all get out, but by nature I am attracted to diamonds in the rough, and I wouldn't have been near as happy about those roses had they been perfectly manicured.
Like the outside, the inside of the house has proven to hold other little pieces of charm...
I also happened to inherit a pink kitchen. Yes, pink. Mamie pink. A 1950s Mamie pink kitchen, y'all. And well, it just deserves a post all it's own.
As for Jack and Amelia, they have handled the move without any hiccups. They have big neighborhood full of sidewalks, a backyard with a great climbing tree, and they are sharing a room with twin beds. And they are as happy as clams in butter. As a mother, I don't guess there is anything I need beyond that.
We have been suffering from a bad case of wanderlust, and so to remedy it we have a little time away planned in the not-so-distant future. Somewhere in my aim to ready our gear, I decided my trusty boat & tote was in high need of some decoration.
And, behold ...
As you can clearly see, it's a leather personalized tag. I ordered it from an Etsy shop called "Of The Fountain" whose owner is a fellow Georgian now living in Boston. There are some ready-to-ship items, but most of it is custom. Here are some of the other tags offered in this shop ...
Are they not beautiful?? I'm sure they last a million years, so I can only imagine how incredible it is going to look once it gets some good, honest wear to it.
I really liked the one with the latitude and longitude coordinates, but I couldn't think of what place I could use for it. I also think the last ones pictured would be perfect for so many things ... groomsmen gifts, Christmas tags (or even to hang on a stocking), or maybe even take-home place cards at a party. Endless possibilities...
I know what some of the people on my Christmas list are getting. And they are probably reading this right now ... surprise! ;o)
**********
For whatever the reason, I am having trouble establishing the link to the shop, so here is the address:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/OfTheFountain
Our long weekend of fun ended today when we dropped Auntie Lisa off at Hartsfield-Jackson this afternoon. I wasn't sure if Amelia was going to let her get away, but after explaining that Jake (Lisa's dog) was missing her and likely laying in the floor crying, she was alright. Although, if the child hadn't been in a five-point harness, I would bet she woulda tried to climb into a suitcase.
On Saturday, we girls ventured up to Roswell for a little shopping.
I picked up some jingle jangles, which I'm always in the mood for ...
... and wouldn't you know I found exactly what I set out to get! Don't you love when that happens?? Because we all know that only happens a few times in a lifetime.
I have been on the lookout for a small-ish table for Jack and Amelia for them to do some of their "work" and maybe even eat some meals. My criteria: small, but large enough to for them to use for a while, very sturdy, and pretty (of course).
And here she is:
The table met all of my requirements ... and even threw in a couple bonuses. ;o)
It is a pretty little piece that makes me smile. Hopefully, it will serve us for many years.
This morning, I found Amelia downstairs practicing her letters. They are crude and out of order, but they are the product of her sweet little efforts.
On the Jack Jack front, I am trying to piece together a few ideas for his new room in our new home in Tejas. I am not one for a themed room, but I do like a little direction and cohesion.
His room will have a pair of painted twin beds. And maybe one day, he'll have a brother to go in one.
... and that only means one thing: my babies are all keyed up on company, crayons, and chocolate. They are wound up tighter than eight-day clocks, as you can imagine. And I'm pretty sure they are going to just wear Auntie Lisa's skin right off.
There are definitely happy faces around here tonight (all be them filthy).
Especially when Mike and Lisa start reminiscing and performing...
My Amelia had her first ballet class today. As I mentioned before, she is taking a few little classes in town. I had looked and looked for something for her that wasn't too strict or serious (she is four, after all), but it seemed that all of the classes at the local dance halls were that and then some. Anything involving make-up and the words "princess" or "diva" is instant repellent for me. I was fortunate to find some short-term (5 week) classes that allow her to be in small groups for half an hour at a time once a week ... and on Thursdays she gets to wear something pretty and pink. Although she is the first one to be digging in the mud or attempting to climb a tree, she certainly enjoys putting on something pink and floaty. I smile at the balance that just comes natural to her.
We really didn't do anything too awful fancy today.
But we did hit up the Varsity ...
... and we inherited a little red wagon.
I guess our day was kinda fancy afterall. ;o)
An un-welcomed guest, of the viral nature, managed to invade our home the past couple of days while Mike was on a business trip. On the bright side, his visit with each of us was staggered, and my symptoms were far worse than those of Jack and Amelia's. On the not-so-bright side, we didn't have a three-tier cake at our bedside.
Before the afore-mentioned guest stuck a hot poker to the backs of our throats, we had been having such a fun week. I mentioned Amelia was taking a few little "classes." On Wednesday, she had a science class, which is probably the one she and I have both been looking forward to the most! The lady who teaches them (a group of about 5 children) is one of the sweetest ladies you would ever want to meet. I first met her about a year ago, and I knew instantly she was someone I wanted my children to experience. She reminds me a lot of my Aunt Sue, my mother's sister. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to her. Maybe that is why Amelia is so drawn to her, too.
Now that Mike is back home, we can hopefully all fully recuperate ... just as soon as he bakes us that three-tier cake ... just kidding. ;o)
