She's moving in and She won't be leaving anytime soon

So we have acquired our Piano. She will reside in our dining room and class up the joint. (HA!)

Of course she isn't actually in the house yet. Apparently it takes a large effort, wheeled dollies, strong backs and a sense of adventure to move a Piano. Professionals advise against it...But the quote for moving the instrument more than quadruples what we paid for it soooo...we're leaving it to the nonprofessionals and hoping for the best.

On Saturday night I went and saw my VERY talented brother-in-law READ MCNAMARA* playing with a band he's a part of, Erica Brown and the Bluegrass Connection. Seeing them smile at each other and radiate pure joy playing their instruments made me so thankful we've found our Piano.If I can give my children the opportunity to experience that kind of musical zen evident with those blue grassers ( who have all been playing something or other since they were very young) then I will be happy. And Jess take and I plan on taking Piano and singing lessons too! ( Which will be great for me since the drums didn't pan out :)
So anyway wish us luck!



*he's the handsome one playing the banjo with a huge smile on his face!He's been playing with Erica for about 6 yrs now. check them out on youtube or www.ericabrownonline.com

10 Tips for Toddlers...

1.) Pushing your riding toy up to the stove to give you a step up to steal my spatula while I am frying latkes- Not a good idea.

2.) Just because you are using the words excuse me, (excuse me, excuse me exxxcuuuse meeeee mama mom mum Mandy! ) Does not not mean you are using your manners.

3.)Pushing a chair from the dining room to the kitchen pick up sharp knives from the dish rack- Not a good idea.

4.) A full blown, screeching, back arching tantrum is NOT a good color on you.

5.) I'm sorry you don't want to wear socks...but this is Maine. In November.

6.) Bathwater is NOT an acceptable beverage.

7.) Giving loves directly after wacking someone in the head with a toy does not fool your parents.

8.) The soap will NEVER taste good, no matter how many times you try it.

9.) As much as Naked Time is a blast, it doesn't mean it should happen during playdates.

!0.) Coming down the stairs with a big smile and a "I taked a good nap" would be more convincing if you waited longer than five minutes.




This photo is from last spring :)

The Scorpio

In the tradition of my most favorite bloggers*, and in honor of all you fellow Scorpios, here's a drink to try:

The Scorpio***

3 oz sloe gin
3 oz ginger ale
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp grated peel fresh ginger
Ice cubes
2 lemon-peel twists for serving

MIX sloe gin, ginger ale,lemon juice, ginger and ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into 2 ice filled glasses. SERVE each with a lemon-peel twist.

Enjoy!







* click on the links on the right side of this page to check out some great blogs!
** I have not been a fan of Gin in the past, but I am intrigued by this fruit infused sloe gin. Also I was charmed by the rest of the ingredients and a sucker for anything named SCORPIO. I'll get back to you with the results.

*** This drink is featured in Martha Stewart Living November issue

Saturn Returns

So today is my 28th birthday and its a big one. I've read that every cell in your body has been replaced every seven years, so I have that going for me. Also, many say it is the year Saturn Returns. Wikipedia* explains this as:

"The Saturn Return is an astrological phenomenon that occurs at the ages of 27-30, 58-60, and finally from 86-88, coinciding with the time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun. It is believed by astrologers that as Saturn "returns" to the degree in which it occupied at the time of birth—approximately every 29.5 years—a person crosses over a major threshold and into the next stage of life. With the first Saturn Return, a person leaves youth behind and enters adulthood. With the second Return, maturity. And the third and usually final Return, a person enters wise old age.

The first Saturn Return is famous because it represents the first test of character and the structures a person has built their lives upon. According to traditions, should these structures be unsound or that a person is living out of touch with his or her true values, the Saturn Return will be a time of upheaval and limitations as Saturn forces him or her to jettison old concepts and worn out patterns of living. It is not uncommon for relationships and jobs to end during this time of life restructuring and reevaluation.

But the Saturn Return is not all about painful endings. During this time astrologers note that goals are consolidated and people tend to gain a better vision of where they are going in life. There are added responsibilities and a person may reap the rewards from his or her hard work. Many major life milestones seem to happen around the ages of 29 and 30. This is why astrologers believe that the thirtieth birthday is such a major rite of passage because it marks the true beginning of adulthood, self-evaluation, independence, ambition, and self actualization."

That being said, it has been a doozy of a month and I sure hope all that self actualization is really going to happen! So to all you out there celebrating birthdays, Happy Birthday and hold on tight! ( personally I think i could handle just skipping to thirty)


* I published full text because I still am having trouble linking!

My little people/Kennebunk Beach

a sunday drive

The waves were 8-10 feet today at Kennebunk Beach and the surfers were all in the water. We arrived just in time for low tide. There was a fluffy foam being pushed along the shoreline by the pounding waves and the kids were just thrilled with its consistency.Sea mist hung on the horizon and slowly sunk into the sand with the setting sun...

I saw a post of a friend the other day that read " There's not a lot that a trip to the Beach can't solve." There truly is something meditative in those waves and the vastness of the water. The tide rushing in and out tends to mimic our breath, and I find myself breathing deeper in its presence. I always come away feeling completely refreshed from these trips. Knowing that this water has been here long before me and will continue its cycle after I'm gone completely comforts me. Anything that was nagging my thoughts before I came just seems so feeble by comparison to the constancy of these waves.

I am thankful to be living so close to an easy lesson in perspective :)

The Avett Brothers - Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise

Loving this track