Photo an Hour!!!

Here it is folks, my day today, every hour, in pictures!!!

8am - Ella's breakfast

9am - playing with stickers before getting dressed

10am - ready for our playdate!

11am - playing with the sit-n-spin

 12pm - wiping her mouth after a yummy lunch

 1pm - our little Mardi Gras parade!!!

2pm - heading home for nap

3pm - folding laundry while Ella sleeps

4pm - sad because the dog bumped her

5pm - playing with the dog and stringing beads

6pm - dinner of homemade mac 'n cheese with chicken and peas

7pm - bath and then bed time

8pm - actively avoiding dishes

9pm - I'm not leaving this brown chair for the rest of the evening!

10pm - watching bad (cheesy) TV

 11pm - finishing this post and then to bed!!

Well that was fun!  I'd like to say thank you to my iPhone, since I used it to take all of these pictures :)  So what did you do today??

On the train...

(at the Western stop looking down Western Ave)

Last week we had a couple of car-less days, which is inevitable when two busy adults share one car.  Lucky for us, we live in a city with pretty great public transportation - sure, not perfect, and people will gripe about the delays, the smells, the routes - but at the end of the day, I could still go about my business because of my easy access to the train (and buses too).  The downside was that an outing that usually takes a bit over an hour took three!  Ella was a trouper, though, making friends with fellow train riders on the way into the city and sleeping in our carrier on the way back home.  I took the opportunity, while she slept, to take some blast photos of the urban landscape passing before me. 

(garages on the brown line)

Prior to Ella, I rode the train daily to and from work, as well as on errands and other outings.  We don't ride the train as much anymore, our world has shrunk to our neighborhood, and though we are certainly still in the city, I miss my daily rides downtown (especially in the morning when I could quietly read the paper or just sit and think, two luxuries I don't have as often now that we have a little one!!) 

(alleys along the tracks)

I saw some neat things while riding the train - the old burned out roof with the exploded air conditioner, the loft with the huge windows and neat light fixture, and little signs with messages directed to train riders. 

(backyards with a view)

Then there are the passengers...the guy who only danced while the train was moving and stood still at each stop, the proselytizing gentleman who walked between moving cars, the flirting strangers.  When I was pregnant, riding the train was a daily social experiment - I laughed (on the inside) at the riders who pretended they didn't see my 9 month belly hanging in their faces, watching other standing riders give me sidelong glances as they wondered what to do, and then (sometimes) someone would offer up their seat.

(a passing train)

We used to joke that upon her birth, Ella would be comforted by three voices: mine, Ben's and the train voice that announces each stop and that the "doors are closing."  Based on how quickly our little Bean drifts off when on the El (the train), I think we may have been right! 

Oh how I missed you...

 (I took a quick snapshot before the performance began!)

On Saturday we went to the Joffrey ballet and we agreed - we dearly missed these types of events!  It was a beautiful night, warm(ish) and clear.  Ella was home sleeping and we were out on the town!!  The performance we saw was called All Stars and was beyond wonderful.

(The opening act of After the Rain)

 

As a child, I remembered the ballet being fun...for the first few minutes...and then it would slow down.  I was a touch worried that I was going to be bored, or worse, fall asleep!  But, as it turns out, 20+ years did mature me (in ways).  Not only was I not bored, I was in love!  We laughed, we sighed, it was over entirely too fast.  One act, called After the Rain, was by far the best of the four vignettes we saw - I could have watched it again and again quite happily.  It mixed hypnotic and beautifully slow piano and violin music with equally stunning and fluid movements of the pair of dancers.

(The second act of After the Rain...stunning.)

We have tickets for two more shows this season and I think we're hooked!  The reason we moved to the city was for the cultural events we love.  Ironically, before having Ella, we rarely actually went to these types of outings!  With both of us working, we were often too tired and missed being at home, and quite frankly, if you let it, the couch will suck you in.  Now that we have a little one, we have a new appreciation for moments that are fully adult - no baby talk, carrying only my purse, and only having to worry about one person instead of two!

Not quite ready...

...For this cold that has swept in - temperatures in the 40s?!  Blasphemy!  Going to the dog beach proved to be a brief affair both Saturday and Sunday, though our anxious dog was happy to stretch her legs and get out a bit of energy.  The lake seemed to be angry that it was so cold, but the windsurfers could not be happier. 

Most of the weekend was spent among friends - brunch on Saturday with one of the easiest-going couples we know, shopping Saturday afternoon with my best friend from college who recently moved back to town (dream. come. true!) and a lovely first-year birthday celebration on Sunday.

Miss Ella-Bean spent a big chunk of time on Saturday alone with her Daddy while I regained my sanity (and sense of self).  It was our longest time apart during the day (I don't count our nighttime dates since Ella doesn't have a clue we have even left and returned!)  It was a lovely afternoon for us all with very few tears.  And the best part of going away?  Coming back to this (an illustration as to why we have outlet protectors - I swear they are baby magnets!)...

And this...

I mean really, how can you not smile?!

Love love love lazy summer days...

We are having such a nice time relaxing here - it's been nice not being "plugged in" though I did have a bit of a heart palpitation this afternoon when my iphone ran out of batteries (not that I get service, but still...)

On Saturday we went to Hospital Days - essentially it's a small town carnival complete with rides that make you dizzy and carnival games aimed at children (and their parents' wallets!) with large, smelly stuffed animal prizes.  Ben and I meandered through the melee (which, by Chicago standards, was pleasantly tame).  Our favorite sighting was that of a 12 year old boy who won a framed picture of Megan Fox and did everything but run to his parent's car to stash his newly prized possession.  Ahh to be young again...

For those who care (or just wonder what macabre event we are attending) Hospital Days is a weekend where proceeds go to (surprise) our local hospital - growing up it was the highlight of the summer - my sister Lexi and I would be giddy with the freedom of roaming alone through the carnival (which, by the way, is located on the town green).

Ben got to enjoy our little Hospital Days parade, which mainly features old cars...and I remember the floats being much more impressive when I was a child...but it was nice to see that same excitement in kids as they watched the floats go by and enjoyed the last lazy days of summer...

Be right back...

Goodness - it's been almost a week (A WEEK!!!) since I last posted!  We have been busy busy again (play dates, visiting family, and a baby that just doesn't want to sleep.)  Summer seems to be revving up and winding down all at the same time...and I cannot entirely say I mind.  It is like not enjoying being happy without knowing what it is to feel sad...you cannot enjoy fall without really knowing summer...and what a summer this has been!

We are back in New Hampshire with fun fun fun on the agenda.  I'll be back tomorrow with more pics, but so far our plans include:

- Cookies!!!
- Hospital Day parade (will be explained more later...Ben laughs whenever I talk about Hospital Days...)
- Hiking up Kearsarge *sigh*
- Picking (and eating) more blueberries than one could imagine
- Fast and slow boat rides
- Yummy dinners a la my mom-o
- Shenanigans (in a good way, I swear)
- Fabric shopping - HOORAY!!!
- The Sunapee Craft Fair (one of the largest in the country - full of beautiful artisan goods)

Yes, yes, I do so love New Hampshire :)

Weekend outings

(source)

Even though I'm home with Miss Ella-Bean during the week, I still love and look forward to the weekend as much as I did when I worked out of the home.  Granted, I no longer get to sleep in (ever.) but I do get to enjoy cooler early mornings at the dog beach and late-night movies that aren't too late!  We sang songs, went on walks and stopped by a coffee shop.  

But the BEST part of this weekend was an old favorite...mini golf!  I know mini golf isn't for everyone.  Some people find it hokey, others are quick to brush it off as nerdy, but to us it is good 'ol cheap(ish) fun!!  We first trundled out to the suburbs to a course that is purportedly one of the best in the country.  Unfortunately, we found out the hard way that they are sticklers about their rule that everyone must be over 48" to enter the course...Ella is only 27"...and even strapped to Ben's back they turned us away.  Thanks to some quick thinking on my sweet husband's part, we found another fun course much closer to home and were still able to make it home prior to any baby melt-down.

If you haven't been mini golfing in a while, I encourage you to give it a try again!  What fun things did you do this weekend?

I want to live in a barn

No really...I do!  My dream home (at this moment in my life) is a converted old barn on the East Coast somewhere.  I found one once online...it was beautiful...but try as I might I was never able to find it again (believe me, I've done many many google searches to re-find it *sigh*). 

Last week I was reminded of my dream when visiting a friend's new house.  It had a beautiful detached barn complete with old-barn smell, chewed horse stalls and antiques in the process of being refinished.  Yep, pretty much heaven.

(The barn sits on a hill overlooking the White Mountains.)

(The best part about those blinds on the right window?  That's a horse stall, complete with salt lick and feeding bucket...and apparently lace blinds!)

(I love this weathervane.)

Scenes from my childhood (today)

Last week I got to revisit a lake house that I spent countless hours in as a child - it belongs to my cousin's grandparents (does that make sense?)  We thought it was the best because of the detached annex where we could play away from adult eyes (though I'm sure they were still there!) I hadn't been back in easily 15 years...probably closer to 20.  It still smelled the same in a wonderful way that reminded me of swimsuits, ferns and water.  I forgot (or maybe didn't realize in my youth) how rustic it was - but in a cool, easy, laid-back way.

 

And best of all?  The bathroom wallpaper...seriously, it's fabulous!  What I liked the best about it (beyond how graphic and fun it was) is the realization that this paper has come full-circle, from being current to dated to retro.  

Glub-glub...how fun!!!

On a jet plane.

(Airplane)

I'm leaving for some celebrating and visiting.
For some good eats and old friends.
For my home town on the east coast.
For my family.

...but I'll be back!

Getting away...

Originally uploaded by Kate Pulley

just us three (and an anxious dog)
little home near the lake
forest berry pie
dappled sunlight
no schedules
breakfast at 11
fans
a beach nap
a homemade tent
time alone
a great weekend.