Scenes from Maine

We took a little trip to Maine last weekend to visit friends.  I got a chance to go to my favorite pizza place Flatbread in Portland, Maine.  All the ingredients they use are from local producers and most are organic.  There is a giant wood-fired, clay pizza oven in the middle of the restaurant, everything I have ever eaten there is delicious.

anxiously awaiting our pizza....(#1 son couldn't make the trip as he had to work )

I loved this sign they had hanging behind the pizza oven

and also this wine label...

then on our way home from Maine we stopped at this little fish and chip place on the Canadian side of the border.....it was so good.....

I guess this post was all about food....go figure.

Run Forrest.....Run!

OK I wasn't going to tell anyone but  I am attempting to become a  runner.  I was afraid I would quit but now I am on week 6 of this program: Couch to 5k and there is no turning back.  If you could see me....I'm not really built like a runner....and at 5"3 I am hardly a gazelle but you know...I'm getting it done.

My friend Lindsay and I were motivated by my sister-in-law who started the program in January and now runs 10k several times a week.  Oh and did I add that my sis-in-law is 57....so we thought there was no excuse for us not to try.  We run in the evenings along a dirt road beside a lake and the scenery is lovely and we chat as we run (when we are not doing the "ugly breathing" as Lindsay calls it).  It's fun and I hope we can complete it....we are going to reward ourselves with some new running clothes even though we have decided "spandex is a privilege, not a right".

Oh...and have you seen anyone wearing these?  All I can think of when I see them is...tree frogs.

Because I'm your mother....

This guy....son # 1 was escorting  his girlfriend to her graduation  prom tonight

Yesterday he had quite a scruffy, unshaven face so I said "make sure you shave before you get ready to take Emily to prom".  Which was met with this reply " Emily told me not to shave...she likes my scruffy beard...are you really going to make me pick between my mother and my girlfriend...and besides I have to go with my girlfriend because isn't a mother's love unconditional....and a girlfriend's love is not."

How do you argue with logic like that?  And besides I am really fond of Emily so I  want to keep her around.

When I met up with them tonight in the park, he was cleanly-shaven....apparently Emily had a change of heart......she's great like that.

  As the only woman in our house I've grown accustomed to making all the fashion decisions....but I guess it's time to make room...there's a new girl in town. 

Father's Day

This is my first Father's Day without my Dad.  Here he is last summer with my mom, my two sisters and I (I'm on the far left....and my mother has the pink sweater on....I have to tell  you which one my mother is because she often gets mistaken for our sister....it's kind of annoying...not for her....:

After almost 30 years of heart problems, his heart just got too weak and he passed away last October.  I think we are all managing but today kind of brings it all back.  In looking through my pictures I  came across this one of my mom hooking Dad with an umbrella at my sister's wedding:

I had to laugh....a lot.

For the rest of today I'm going to enjoy being with my husband....and my father-in-law but you can be sure I'm thinking of another Dad as well.....

Can you keep a secret?

Does your family know you have a blog?  Mine didn't....until this week.  It's not that I was hiding it...I just wasn't ready for everyone to read  it.  In fact there is only one person that I have met....in person...that reads my blog (Hi Amanda!).  I haven't shared it on Facebook, or sent anyone the web address.  My husband and sons know that I have a blog (because I am constantly taking pictures of everything we do) but they don't know where to find it on the net.

My sisters, aunts, friends, mother, mother-in-law...they don't have a clue about my blog.  Should I keep it this way?  I'm not sure.  I love being able to write whatever I want....and not censor it.  I worry that if I knew everyone close to me was following my blog it would change what I write.

What are your thoughts on my dilemma?

Why?

So, I went to "Bridesmaids" with my bookclub girls (kind of tells you how relaxed our bookclub is eh?).  It was funny.....but......

Why oh why does there have to be a vomiting scene is almost every movie?  As you may already know....I have a vomiting phobia....I avoid vomit.....at all costs.  So please tell me why....after I have paid a scandalously high price for movie theater snacks....do I then have to watch people puke?  I don't get it.

Good news, Haircut and a Hot Date

Well our #1 son came home today with the good news that he is not yet on academic probation.  Apparently one professor hadn't entered the marks for a course he was in and so it appeared as incomplete on his transcript which lowered his GPA to a bargain basement level.  But after a trip to the registrar's office he is good to go, not on academic probation .......with empty promises to me  that he will raise his marks in year 3.  For once in my life I'm going to go with that ...and not worry this summer about things that I can't control (this is foreign territory to me, I usually like to preemptive worry.

On a lighter note, I've got a new haircut and am going on a hot date with my husband tonight to see "The Sadies" at a club in a nearby city.

Now....what to wear....I bought a pair of these last week;

I tried them on so that my Mom could hem them for me (yeah, I know...I'm 42 and my mother hems my jeans for me...but I'm not much of a seamstress) and she was a little distressed about the hole in the knee...something about buying jeans that were already worn out.  I have to admit I was a bit distressed too when I tried them on and my big toe went through the hole and I almost fell down in the changing room..but that's another story.

It's very hard to strike a balance between between "mom jeans" and trying to look like you think you are a teenager...where are the jeans for 42 year olds?   I got the thumbs up on the jeans from my 16 year old so I took that as a sign...I'm wearing them....holes and all.



Scott is in the shower as we speak....I'm sure he is agonizing over what to wear too (not).  Wouldn't it be great to be a man?

10 on the 10th

After my melodramatic post yesterday I thought I should bring it down a notch with some of the more mellow things that happen around here:

inside:

in the garden:

seedlings:

these two:

the pottery studio:

work in progress:

 The screen porch (the flies here are ferocious) where I plan to be tonight...with a big glass of wine in hand:

This picture doesn't do justice to the lovely, robin-egg blue pottery bowl I bought on our little anniversary road trip from another potter (Darren Emeneau), I love it.

See it's not always about the drama around here.....

Academic Probation....say WHAT????

Ok, blog friends....if you are waiting for another heartwarming episode of "fabulous things my kid does"...look away.  Our oldest son received a letter in the mail today from the university he attends...."you are on academic probation for the next year....if your marks improve in the upcoming year you will be removed from academic probation....if not you will not be able to attend your 4th year".  (Did your hear my blood pressure skyrocket?  Did you know I tend to be a little...shall we say "high-strung"?

I sent him a text...letting him in on this "dirty little secret".  Within 10 minutes he called me, which is a miracle in itself.   He was all "oh Mom, I'm an adult, I can get my marks up next semester.....don't worry".  And I was all "you have been saying this since grade 8....you need to stop procrastinating, you need to focus"....in a high-pitched, screechy, mother-voice.

Cameron is a lovely almost 20 year-old, I am so proud of the way he treats his younger brother, his grandparents, parents and his girlfriend.  He is turning into a lovely almost-adult....but a super student...he is not.  He did quite well in elementary and middle school when I had a bit more control of his assignments and homework.  When he got to high school I backed way off, mostly because I realized that I couldn't follow him through his life making everything work out.  His marks slipped  but he managed to graduate with an academic diploma (and is completely bilingual as he was in french immersion since grade 1) and get accepted to university.  I know he will find his way, and will probably pull off a last minute miracle next year and get himself off academic probation and this will all be a funny story in 10 years...but I am his mother...therefore...I worry.

What is it about kids that can make you beam with pride one day...and cringe the next.  Why can't I accept that he is his own person, and not hinge my happiness on his success.  Why, indeed?  I recently read a blog written by an artist....who had no children.  She was criticizing the amount of "mommy blogs" out there, you know the ones she said " full of pictures of fabulously gifted, beautifully dressed children in aesthetically pleasing environments", I had to laugh out loud.   It's true, babies and toddlers and young kids make the best blog material....because YOU still control their lives.  It's a lovely time....but be prepared....almost adults are not nearly as blog-worthy.

Don't get me wrong, I adore my teenage boys, they entertain me so much and for the most part make me proud, but they're not perfect....and neither am I, or my husband, or our house, or our lives.  Don't let this blog tell you any different.

Yarn Along

This week I am participating in Yarn Along which gives a snapshot of what you're reading....and/or knitting.  To participate visit Ginny at Small Things.

Anniversary

 Because it was our anniversary Saturday we decide to ignore the yard work...and go for a drive...over covered bridges...

then we took this ferry...................

to cross this river...

there were cows................

and a stop at this little pottery shop............

we had a picnic for lunch....

ok, I had a beer with my picnic lunch.............

We ended up in a cute little town and had a mediterannean platter with spanikopita, skewers, pita chips, hummus and greek salad...it was yummy

Oh..and I had a wine sampler (isn't this the best idea?).  I couldn't pick my favourite, because usually I pick my favourite wine by the label (I shouldn't admit that).  

It was a little embarrassing when the waiter brought this contraption holding the three wine glasses to our table....but I got over it.

You've come a long way baby....in 23 years...

Tomorrow is our 23rd anniversary.  Good thing I was a child bride, or I'd be old.  Actually I was 19 and Scott was 22.  These pictures are black and white but we're really not that old, I just liked our wedding pictures better in black and white than in color.

We got married a year after we met...and we were pretty young.  Funny thing is that at the time I didn't feel too young to be getting married.  We were together constantly and I knew from our 2nd date this was the person I was going to marry.

 When I look at our son who is 19 now, I can't imagine him getting married, I would lose it.  He can barely keep track of his car keys...but at his age I had a  house, a job, a dog and a husband.  We bought a very old farm and with the enthusiasm of youth began to fix up the house, the barns, the fields, it was exciting and a lot of hard work.  We didn't have a lot starting out but it was an adventure, we had so much fun together...we still do.

After a few years our lives would be filled with babies;

sometimes we would put funny hats on those babies

we would get dressed up for weddings...and someone would make faces for the picture

 over time those babies would grow taller than their parents;

One of us gained a bit of weight...one of us lost a bit of  hair....one of us needed glasses (not naming any names).  We haven't become millionaires, made a scientific discovery, wrote the great canadian novel or became famous but all in all it's been a pretty great 23 years, I don't think I'd change a thing.  I think I made a pretty good decision....for a 19 year-old.

mmmm...Fruit Pizza

I decided it's a dessert kind of Wednesday.....and hey, it has fruit in it..............and is pretty easy to make.

First the base layer: 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup icing sugar, 1 cup flour

Pat into the bottom of a tart pan, springform pan...or even a pizza pan..

Prick the top a few times with a fork, bake in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes, remove and cool.

Then make the  2nd layer:  8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla...whip together and spread over base;

Arrange a variety of fruit on the top:

3rd and final layer:  In a saucepan combine 1/3 cup sugar, 2 T cornstarch, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 cup of pineapple juice...cook on medium and stir with a whisk until it starts to thicken and turn clear

Pour quickly over the top of the fruit and refrigerate for at least an hour....yummy...

On a completely different subject...while I was baking I looked out the window and spotted this;

I wonder why I haven't been getting many birds at the feeder lately?