Whew, I almost fell off the wagon with the dinner diary this week - and I don't have very much detail to show. I just barely remember each of our dinners, which I will record for posterity and to complete the bare minimum of what I want to have recorded! Hopefully I'll keep up with this better next week. I'm also experimenting with tracking foods and nutrition most week days (although it's not going to be very effective if I just don't track when I'm embarrassed at how much I eat/don't want to see the actual numbers...if I don't look it didn't happen!!)
August 15th, 2014
On my own tonight for some cleaning and just CHILL time. I made simple cheese, scrambled egg, bean, and leftover veggie quesadillas. I was anticipating a stressful conversation later that evening, so I drank a delicious Sofia blanc de blanc champagne can while my laundry was going - then said convo never happened! Fine with me.
August 16th, 2014
This was a really fun, packed day. We went stand-up paddle boarding in the morning! That was the big activity, and I looooooved it. Worked up an appetite and then had fried oysters and grilled veggies and sweet potato fries and Tackle Box. SO GOOD.
Then it was home to shower quickly and head to Claire's baby shower! While there, I had a glass of prosecco, 2 chocolate covered pretzels, and a vanilla georgetown cupcake. The essentials.
Finally, we went to see Jon Lovitz at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse! I got a small veggie pizza, a White Russian, and a glass of wine to enjoy during the show. Lots of laughs. More laughs ensued when we got home and I needed to show Kyle an example of a hoarded. I just went to Netflix and searched for a hoarder show - of course, there was one available. We're watching the first episode, and something clicks in my mind: I KNOW THIS PERSON. He had asked me out on the Metro five years prior, and I still had the facebook messages to confirm! Crazy!!
August 17th, 2014
went for a run! Thai food and jackfruit chips for lunch. COOKIE BUTTER ICE CREAM
Barbecued pulled chicken breast, sweet potato fries, roasted cauliflower after walk with Ellie. She loved all the food!
August 18th, 2014
Now here's where things are going to get a little...succinct. Dinner was Trader Joe's pulled brisket in BBQ sauce, sweet potato fries, and roasted broccoli. BOOM. Ellie loved all of the components!
August 19th, 2014
Dinner was a big salad with grape tomatoes, romaine, cucumbers, and goat cheese and mozzarella. On the side, I made spiced sweet potato wedges, and roasted broccoli. Mmm so fresh and healthy. I did snack more later. Eleanor pretty much picked out the tomatoes, because they are her favorite.
August 20th, 2014
"Breakfast burritos" with cheese, scrambled eggs, and grape tomatoes. Homemade sweet potato fries on the side. Yeah Eleanor was not really feeling any of this :(. But then she did eat an ice cream cone.
August 21st, 2014
Chicken tacos from District Taco. I had about 2 1/4, and Eleanor had about 3/4 of one taco. I just loved the soft tortillas.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
"Dinner Diary" Week 3
Aug 8th, 2014
Today I headed home so excited for my weekend with Eleanor! The weather was great, and we went right out for a walk to Whole Foods. This is always a fun little trip for both of us, and Eleanor looks forward to her chocolate milk when I strap her into the stroller. I got a bunch of food for the weekend and beginning of the week. For Friday's dinner, I picked up Rustico Romano chicken breasts from Whole Foods the deli, then just steamed broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes. Ellie ate everything with ketchup, of course! After she went to bed, I cleaned and watched some House MD. Then I went too bed waaaay too late.
Aug 9th, 2014
Ellie's and my day started with a trip to the POOL! She freaking loves swimming in the pool, and yells "Water! Water!" between screams of joy the entire time. She likes to both cuddle and feel like she is swimming free - so I put my hands under her chest and glide her through the water. I love watching her joy! We got spit-roasted chicken from Nando's for lunch on the way home. It was deeeelicious! I hadn't been there in a long time, but I am already craving it again.
For dinner, Ellie had a good serving of leftover lentil, chickpea, feta salad with extra cheese (havarti) on the side. After she went to bed, Kyle and I shared a plate of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, honey goat gouda, tomatoes, salty date hazelnut crisps, and melon. We drank red wine, and then I drunkenly ate about a third of the container of hazelnut gelato...ouch. I honestly don't even want to buy it again over that overdose. We watched an episode of UTOPIA, which is probably one of my favorite shows EVER EVER.
Aug 10
What a lovely day with Eleanor - she woke me up BRIGHT and early, and I took advantage of the sprawling morning ahead of us to head up to the Zoo. We both enjoyed ourselves so much walking around and saying "hi" to bears, all kinds of birds, small mammals (MEERKATS), and others. Eleanor did a lot of walking herself, and semi-happily rode in the stroller for the rest. On the way home, we stopped by the Farm Fresh Farmers' Market in Dupont Circle. I bought my first truly delicious peaches and tomatoes of the summer - it would have been sad to not get any of those this season.
Today, Ellie took her first SHOWER. I don't think she loved it, but it was fun to take one together. I couldn't really detangle our hair, though - I was too busy trying to get her to turn around and not get water in her eyes! Dinner was yummy fish tacos from District Taco! With tons of veggies, black beans, and a little cheese and sour cream. Ellie loved these (we shared three small ones).
Aug 11
Ellie spent the night at her dad's tonight, so I went to Trivia Night at Ragtime with friends! It was lots of fun - and we came VERY close to winning - I think we only lost by two points!!! On Mondays, they have a steak dinner special that is really quite good. A New York strip steak with a grilled veggie kabob and a baked potato. Mmmm. It's all very tasty! We metro'd home and watched an episode of UTOPIA and I think I fell asleep sitting up I was so tired.
Aug 12th, 2014
Getting through the day today was TOUGH. SO TIRED. It didn't help that it poured poured poured rain for much of the day, but I felt like my heart was racing, I was short of breath - sleep deprivation really is incredibly bad for you. This experience prompted me to make a firmer commitment to get more sleep!! I had plans to get a lot done after work, but when I got home I just wanted to collapse. I wasn't even feeling hungry because the exhaustion just overwhelmed all other sensations. I did make some buttered toast with heirloom tomato, fried eggs, and pecorino cheese. And then a second toast with hummus and tomato. I rounded out dinner with some blueberries, a peach, and a pear. Then it was time for a shower and BED.
Aug 13th, 2014
We had lovely, fall-like weather today, and so we went for a walk to the grocery store after work for some ingredients to round out dinner. Despite the cooler weather, we had a quintessential summer meal of lemon dill salmon, romaine+tomato+mozzarella salad, and corn on the cob. As always, Eleanor loved her mini cob (I cut one in half for her). I was happy to have some salmon and salad for lunch the next day. For dessert had a pear with some cheddar cheese and blueberries. I also drank a small glass of beer and some half water/half lemonade. I felt a lot better than the days before, but I could still feel some fatigue lingering.
Aug 14th, 2014
I had all of the ingredients for a simple dinner for me and Ellie, so we had extra time for a nice evening walk to Logan Circle! Eleanor brought her ball and made lots of friends, including a sweet three year old girl with a French name that I never fully got...("oh! what a pretty name!"). We had a great time, and Eleanor let me carry her most of the way home while she held onto my neck. Love that. I cooked Cheddar cheese+black bean+veggie quesadillas for us, which we dipped into sour cream. For dessert, we shared a pear! Oh and I did have some half water/half lemonade because it gets me to drink more water :).
At bedtime, the obsession with 13 Words by Maira Kalman and Lemony Snicket is still going STRONG. We read it twice (she loves to point the the BIRD on every page, and she points out every TABLE and HAT.), and then she crawled over later to start reading it again on the floor. I had to pry her away! I love reading it with her so much.
Today I headed home so excited for my weekend with Eleanor! The weather was great, and we went right out for a walk to Whole Foods. This is always a fun little trip for both of us, and Eleanor looks forward to her chocolate milk when I strap her into the stroller. I got a bunch of food for the weekend and beginning of the week. For Friday's dinner, I picked up Rustico Romano chicken breasts from Whole Foods the deli, then just steamed broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes. Ellie ate everything with ketchup, of course! After she went to bed, I cleaned and watched some House MD. Then I went too bed waaaay too late.
Aug 9th, 2014
Ellie's and my day started with a trip to the POOL! She freaking loves swimming in the pool, and yells "Water! Water!" between screams of joy the entire time. She likes to both cuddle and feel like she is swimming free - so I put my hands under her chest and glide her through the water. I love watching her joy! We got spit-roasted chicken from Nando's for lunch on the way home. It was deeeelicious! I hadn't been there in a long time, but I am already craving it again.
For dinner, Ellie had a good serving of leftover lentil, chickpea, feta salad with extra cheese (havarti) on the side. After she went to bed, Kyle and I shared a plate of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, honey goat gouda, tomatoes, salty date hazelnut crisps, and melon. We drank red wine, and then I drunkenly ate about a third of the container of hazelnut gelato...ouch. I honestly don't even want to buy it again over that overdose. We watched an episode of UTOPIA, which is probably one of my favorite shows EVER EVER.
Aug 10
What a lovely day with Eleanor - she woke me up BRIGHT and early, and I took advantage of the sprawling morning ahead of us to head up to the Zoo. We both enjoyed ourselves so much walking around and saying "hi" to bears, all kinds of birds, small mammals (MEERKATS), and others. Eleanor did a lot of walking herself, and semi-happily rode in the stroller for the rest. On the way home, we stopped by the Farm Fresh Farmers' Market in Dupont Circle. I bought my first truly delicious peaches and tomatoes of the summer - it would have been sad to not get any of those this season.
Today, Ellie took her first SHOWER. I don't think she loved it, but it was fun to take one together. I couldn't really detangle our hair, though - I was too busy trying to get her to turn around and not get water in her eyes! Dinner was yummy fish tacos from District Taco! With tons of veggies, black beans, and a little cheese and sour cream. Ellie loved these (we shared three small ones).
Aug 11
Ellie spent the night at her dad's tonight, so I went to Trivia Night at Ragtime with friends! It was lots of fun - and we came VERY close to winning - I think we only lost by two points!!! On Mondays, they have a steak dinner special that is really quite good. A New York strip steak with a grilled veggie kabob and a baked potato. Mmmm. It's all very tasty! We metro'd home and watched an episode of UTOPIA and I think I fell asleep sitting up I was so tired.
Aug 12th, 2014
Getting through the day today was TOUGH. SO TIRED. It didn't help that it poured poured poured rain for much of the day, but I felt like my heart was racing, I was short of breath - sleep deprivation really is incredibly bad for you. This experience prompted me to make a firmer commitment to get more sleep!! I had plans to get a lot done after work, but when I got home I just wanted to collapse. I wasn't even feeling hungry because the exhaustion just overwhelmed all other sensations. I did make some buttered toast with heirloom tomato, fried eggs, and pecorino cheese. And then a second toast with hummus and tomato. I rounded out dinner with some blueberries, a peach, and a pear. Then it was time for a shower and BED.
Aug 13th, 2014
We had lovely, fall-like weather today, and so we went for a walk to the grocery store after work for some ingredients to round out dinner. Despite the cooler weather, we had a quintessential summer meal of lemon dill salmon, romaine+tomato+mozzarella salad, and corn on the cob. As always, Eleanor loved her mini cob (I cut one in half for her). I was happy to have some salmon and salad for lunch the next day. For dessert had a pear with some cheddar cheese and blueberries. I also drank a small glass of beer and some half water/half lemonade. I felt a lot better than the days before, but I could still feel some fatigue lingering.
Aug 14th, 2014
I had all of the ingredients for a simple dinner for me and Ellie, so we had extra time for a nice evening walk to Logan Circle! Eleanor brought her ball and made lots of friends, including a sweet three year old girl with a French name that I never fully got...("oh! what a pretty name!"). We had a great time, and Eleanor let me carry her most of the way home while she held onto my neck. Love that. I cooked Cheddar cheese+black bean+veggie quesadillas for us, which we dipped into sour cream. For dessert, we shared a pear! Oh and I did have some half water/half lemonade because it gets me to drink more water :).
At bedtime, the obsession with 13 Words by Maira Kalman and Lemony Snicket is still going STRONG. We read it twice (she loves to point the the BIRD on every page, and she points out every TABLE and HAT.), and then she crawled over later to start reading it again on the floor. I had to pry her away! I love reading it with her so much.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Eleanor's words, as of Aug 12, 2014
I'm sure I'm not going to be able to capture everything - she says so much now! Her talking has really exploded recently.
I did it!
I found it!
Thank you!
You're welcome
bird (tweet tweet)
berry
snack
chocolate milk
bath
blocks
box
water
shoes
socks
pants
coat
hat
dog (woof woof)
car
truck
bus
train (choo choo)
sit
pretty
crayon
coloring
mama
dada
Sydney
Jake
Kyle
Gran
Pops
baby
chair
dinner
book
frog
fish
bear
hummus
toast
snack
walk
outside
up
down
on
off
iPod/iPad
phone
TV
show
owl (hoo hoo)
door
wall
house
home
sheep
huggie
kissie
ball
"Ash" = Ring Around the Rosie
sleep
nap
Night Night!
hi!
hello!
bye/buh bye!
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
teeth
knee
toes
hand
eyes
ears
elbows
mouth
head
hair
back
pee
poop
potty
juice
stop
NO
"uh huh"
cheese
hot
cool
teddy
cat
rabbit
snail
table
all done!
I did it!
I found it!
Thank you!
You're welcome
bird (tweet tweet)
berry
snack
chocolate milk
bath
blocks
box
water
shoes
socks
pants
coat
hat
dog (woof woof)
car
truck
bus
train (choo choo)
sit
pretty
crayon
coloring
mama
dada
Sydney
Jake
Kyle
Gran
Pops
baby
chair
dinner
book
frog
fish
bear
hummus
toast
snack
walk
outside
up
down
on
off
iPod/iPad
phone
TV
show
owl (hoo hoo)
door
wall
house
home
sheep
huggie
kissie
ball
"Ash" = Ring Around the Rosie
sleep
nap
Night Night!
hi!
hello!
bye/buh bye!
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
teeth
knee
toes
hand
eyes
ears
elbows
mouth
head
hair
back
pee
poop
potty
juice
stop
NO
"uh huh"
cheese
hot
cool
teddy
cat
rabbit
snail
table
all done!
Monday, August 11, 2014
"Dinner Diary" week 2
So, that ended up being just what I'd warned it would be - just a simple account of what we do each day and eat for dinner each night! It does seem a little mundane at this point, but I DO think I will appreciate it so much years from now. I'm forced to really think back to each day as I am writing these posts, and that helps me remember even little details, facial expressions, and thoughts I had during those specific moments. This is a good exercise for me to do, so I'm going to continue with these!
August 1st, 2014:
Today started off with a big fight between me and John, which had my blood pressure niiiiiiiice and elevated for my doctor's appointment. I went to the endocrinologist to work on getting my thyroid hormones in perfect balance. It was a great office - they run on time (!), thanks to several requirements of their patients, and they had a fridge full of delicious Frescas. I really liked my doctor, "Dr. Knee". Yes, Knee. I came home early, cleaned up the apartment a little bit, and put Deb Perelman's everyday chocolate cake in the oven. While it was baking, I got Ellie after her nap for an extended nursing visit. It was about 1.5 hours, which was lovely! We both had a little cake for a snack, and then I decided to have some more for "dinner" with vanilla ice cream and blueberries. I rounded out my night at home with lots of Angie's politely SPICY Kettlecorn, cheeses, fruit and other random snacky things. While watching House MD, of course.
Aug 2nd, 2014:
I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, and then somehow fell back asleep for another hour!! I got up at 8am and made my beloved coffee (The Villager blend by One Village Roasters...mmm I start looking forward to it the afternoon before). I got to have Ellie over for a solid hour, so we nursed and played and had a snack. I only had a few peanut butter puffins before heading to yoga, and I got soooooo dizzy every time I stood up in class. Not cool. I ended up finishing the class, but canceled for the next morning.
When I got home, I had an entire cantaloupe and a LOT more puffins with whole milk. Kyle came over at around 4-ish to spend the evening together. I had Ellie for one more nice visit, and then Kyle and I headed north to Columbia Heights. We really wanted to get a board game, so we first hit up Target and bought Scattergories! I also got a cute outfit and pack of stickers for Eleanor. We then walked over to an old favorite of mine - Room 11. All of the food was deeeelicious (pulled pork sandwich, Korean chicken wings, summer vegetable risotto, roasted cauliflower, honey goat cheese cake) as were the wine and cocktails.
Aug 3rd, 2014:
Kyle left bright and early to go to work, and I made my coffee and had a visit from the Boo! I had to actually kind of hurry to get to the grocery store(s) to get food for upcoming dinners, because then Eleanor came over for an extra two-hour visit! Part of the visit involved a trip to Whole Foods, where evvvvveryone said hi to her, because she looked so darn cute in her little dress! After the grocery shopping and lunch, she went over to John's for her nap, and I rushed over to Filter to meet two friends for coffee. Everything was a little rushed and crazy from here on out, but then I made an easy dinner of pulled brisket (from Trader Joes), spicy sweet potato wedges, and steamed broccoli. Ellie took a nice bath, and then she went to bed - and I mentally prepared myself for the week.
Aug 4th, 2014:
On this Monday I chose a recipe that SEEMED simple, but in reality was a little more complex...mainly because there were a bunch of fresh herbs and lettuce to wash and I do a THOROUGH job of this. So that took like twenty minutes. The herbs (cilantro and parsley) were destined for a caper/herb/hazelnut relish that would be served with butter basted salmon. The relish was delish, as was the salmon, and the meal was rounded out with some fresh butter lettuce. Eleanor scarfed this down and kept asking for more "Sammm".
Aug 5th, 2014:
I was scheduled to pick up Eleanor at 7:30 this Tuesday evening, after dinner, so Kyle and I went to garden district, where we sat outside and ate yummy barbeque! I ordered a brisket sandwich (he got a brat), fried pickles, onion rings, and mexican-style corn on the cob. Yum! Probably the best onion rings I have EVER had. We came home and ate some ice cream with Ellie. After she was in bed, we had a few hard ciders and played Scattergories. I also recall some great conversation. A wonderful night!
Aug 6th, 2014
It was me and the Boo starting at 6pm this evening, and so when I got home for work with 10 minutes to spare, I started prepping this lentil, chickpea, feta salad for our dinner. I managed to slice a red onion and toast some sesame seeds in this time. When Eleanor came over, I finished mixing everything else together and made the yummy lemon tahini dressing. GREAT flavors in this salad, which were complemented perfectly by some lamb sausage that I browned to go with it. Tasty, healthy meal! We both loved it. Next time I would add additional herbs and feta cheese.
Aug 7th, 2014
On Thursday, after nursing Ellie, I met up with Alison, a friend from high school who I had not seen in TEN YEARS. We both agreed that this was crazy and that it made us feel a little older than we would like. It was so great catching up with her - the connections you can have with someone based on shared history and childhood memories are significant. I hadn't thought about those times with my hometown friends in years and years! Such a trip down memory lane. It was cool to see how we both had changed, and the ways in which we were the same. We went to Proof for dinner: I had two glasses of wine, heirloom tomato + mozzarella salad, meatballs, roasted tahini cauliflower, and a Mediterranean flatbread.
August 1st, 2014:
Today started off with a big fight between me and John, which had my blood pressure niiiiiiiice and elevated for my doctor's appointment. I went to the endocrinologist to work on getting my thyroid hormones in perfect balance. It was a great office - they run on time (!), thanks to several requirements of their patients, and they had a fridge full of delicious Frescas. I really liked my doctor, "Dr. Knee". Yes, Knee. I came home early, cleaned up the apartment a little bit, and put Deb Perelman's everyday chocolate cake in the oven. While it was baking, I got Ellie after her nap for an extended nursing visit. It was about 1.5 hours, which was lovely! We both had a little cake for a snack, and then I decided to have some more for "dinner" with vanilla ice cream and blueberries. I rounded out my night at home with lots of Angie's politely SPICY Kettlecorn, cheeses, fruit and other random snacky things. While watching House MD, of course.
Aug 2nd, 2014:
I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, and then somehow fell back asleep for another hour!! I got up at 8am and made my beloved coffee (The Villager blend by One Village Roasters...mmm I start looking forward to it the afternoon before). I got to have Ellie over for a solid hour, so we nursed and played and had a snack. I only had a few peanut butter puffins before heading to yoga, and I got soooooo dizzy every time I stood up in class. Not cool. I ended up finishing the class, but canceled for the next morning.
When I got home, I had an entire cantaloupe and a LOT more puffins with whole milk. Kyle came over at around 4-ish to spend the evening together. I had Ellie for one more nice visit, and then Kyle and I headed north to Columbia Heights. We really wanted to get a board game, so we first hit up Target and bought Scattergories! I also got a cute outfit and pack of stickers for Eleanor. We then walked over to an old favorite of mine - Room 11. All of the food was deeeelicious (pulled pork sandwich, Korean chicken wings, summer vegetable risotto, roasted cauliflower, honey goat cheese cake) as were the wine and cocktails.
Aug 3rd, 2014:
Kyle left bright and early to go to work, and I made my coffee and had a visit from the Boo! I had to actually kind of hurry to get to the grocery store(s) to get food for upcoming dinners, because then Eleanor came over for an extra two-hour visit! Part of the visit involved a trip to Whole Foods, where evvvvveryone said hi to her, because she looked so darn cute in her little dress! After the grocery shopping and lunch, she went over to John's for her nap, and I rushed over to Filter to meet two friends for coffee. Everything was a little rushed and crazy from here on out, but then I made an easy dinner of pulled brisket (from Trader Joes), spicy sweet potato wedges, and steamed broccoli. Ellie took a nice bath, and then she went to bed - and I mentally prepared myself for the week.
Aug 4th, 2014:
On this Monday I chose a recipe that SEEMED simple, but in reality was a little more complex...mainly because there were a bunch of fresh herbs and lettuce to wash and I do a THOROUGH job of this. So that took like twenty minutes. The herbs (cilantro and parsley) were destined for a caper/herb/hazelnut relish that would be served with butter basted salmon. The relish was delish, as was the salmon, and the meal was rounded out with some fresh butter lettuce. Eleanor scarfed this down and kept asking for more "Sammm".
Aug 5th, 2014:
I was scheduled to pick up Eleanor at 7:30 this Tuesday evening, after dinner, so Kyle and I went to garden district, where we sat outside and ate yummy barbeque! I ordered a brisket sandwich (he got a brat), fried pickles, onion rings, and mexican-style corn on the cob. Yum! Probably the best onion rings I have EVER had. We came home and ate some ice cream with Ellie. After she was in bed, we had a few hard ciders and played Scattergories. I also recall some great conversation. A wonderful night!
Aug 6th, 2014
It was me and the Boo starting at 6pm this evening, and so when I got home for work with 10 minutes to spare, I started prepping this lentil, chickpea, feta salad for our dinner. I managed to slice a red onion and toast some sesame seeds in this time. When Eleanor came over, I finished mixing everything else together and made the yummy lemon tahini dressing. GREAT flavors in this salad, which were complemented perfectly by some lamb sausage that I browned to go with it. Tasty, healthy meal! We both loved it. Next time I would add additional herbs and feta cheese.
Aug 7th, 2014
On Thursday, after nursing Ellie, I met up with Alison, a friend from high school who I had not seen in TEN YEARS. We both agreed that this was crazy and that it made us feel a little older than we would like. It was so great catching up with her - the connections you can have with someone based on shared history and childhood memories are significant. I hadn't thought about those times with my hometown friends in years and years! Such a trip down memory lane. It was cool to see how we both had changed, and the ways in which we were the same. We went to Proof for dinner: I had two glasses of wine, heirloom tomato + mozzarella salad, meatballs, roasted tahini cauliflower, and a Mediterranean flatbread.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
"Dinner Diary" week 1
Well, clearly the weekly recipe recaps didn't quite work out as I'd planned. This is partly because it's summer and I just don't want to cook that much! I just don't have that many recipes to share, and the task of remembering what I'd cooked each day was seeming daunting and not super fulfilling. But then, I came upon this blog post, which is really worth a read if you have time:
http://www.dinneralovestory.com/closing-the-book/
This clearly appeals to my sense of nostalgia. I would love to have some record, however simple, of little events of everyday life to look back on 15 years down the road. It seems so far away right now, of course, but time will continue to march on, and Eleanor will be in high school before I know it. So I'd like to keep a "diary" just of maybe the things we do each day, the food we eat - so simple, but just SOMETHING. I'll look back in ten years and say, "so that was what we did on July 27th, 2014, when Eleanor was 1 year old."
So, without further ado:
July 25th, 2014:
I left work a little early to shop for dinner ingredients for fish tacos for Ellie and me. I got home at 5:15, just in time to cut the fish into cubes and mix up most of the marinade. I got Ellie at 5:30 and we came back and put the sauce on the fish. While it marinaded, we took a BATH! Then we came down and watched "show" while I cooked the fish, chopped some veggies, and we sat down to dinner. A lovely night with my boo boo.
July 26th, 2014:
Ellie slept until 6:50 which was pretty good for a Saturday! I love how she wakes up and likes to stand up and watch me sleep, until she finally says, "Mama!" and then I go get her and bring her into bed. I'd been pretty distant with Kyle for a few days, so he took matters into his own hands and showed up at our door at about 7:45am. We had a very good conversation about us and life, and he made me feel much better, as usual. He helped me with Eleanor as we got ready to go meet Claire R. for some time in Logan Circle. I packed snacks and we got a Pattison Street hoagie from Taylor Gourmet on the way. Eleanor ran around in the park for about 1 straight hour. We all returned for Ellie's nap, and Claire and I watched an episode of VEEP. Kyle came over afterward and we took Eleanor to the park and the store. We had hamburgers, veggies, and corn on the cob for dinner. Eleanor LOVED gnawing on her own corn cob! Kyle went home and we got ready for bed.
July 27th, 2014:
We work up on Sunday for quite an adventure. Ellie and I got out the door early to take the metro up to Cleveland Park to go to "All Fired Up." We painted a plate together! We applied a light base color all over the plate with big paint brushes. Eleanor did a great job with this. I then painted her hand with a darker color, and she made little hand prints to decorate the plate. She loved standing on the stool at the sink and washing her hands!
We then made an impromptu visit to the zoo, as the pottery painting didn't last that long. We walked the few blocks to the zoo, and Ellie wanted to get out and walk around. She did so great, and had lots of fun seeing the cheetah, funny birds, pandas (PAAAAAN!) and elephants. We had the usual crying fit when I put her back in the stroller for the walk home, but I got her a pineapple coconut water and all was well. During her nap, I started cooking pork carnitas for dinner (they cook for hours). When Ellie woke up, she was crabbbbby. But we called Gran and played hide and seek under a blanket, and then we went for a short walk. Kyle met us, and then we returned home to finish the carnitas and eat them with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and tortillas. I have never seen Eleanor eat this much food. She LOVED these carnitas. I had to cut her off!
(put pictures up)
July 28th, 2014:
Monday morning was just lovely with Ellie, and she woke me up saying "Mom!" and smiling. Such a pleasant alarm clock! I drank coffee and nursed her and cuddled with her, all the while getting ready for work. This is a pretty standard work morning! It wasn't my Monday night with her, but I picked her up for an hour-long visit. I was feeling sad about not being with her, but I had plans with Claire to go back to the paint-your-own pottery store and have dinner. We had a nice night, and I got Ellie's plate ready for the kiln. We had some calarmari and pizza for dinner. When I got home, I was going to vacuum and clean up a bit before bed, but I started feeling very sick. I crawled to bed, but threw up a bunch of times during the night. I do remember thinking, 1. Here is ONE good thing about Ellie not being here tonight, and 2. I'm not going to get quite as fat now.
July 29th, 2014:
I got to see my Ellie for a short visit in morning to nurse, and then headed off to work at a good time. After another short visit after work, Kyle and I went to Cork for dinner. While we waited for a table outside, we got some glasses of an Italian white. We then sat down in the GORGEOUS fall-like weather, and order rosemary chicken liver pate, grilled asparagus+burrata, lemon pepper calamari and rock shrimp, and duck confit. Glasses of Barbera accompanied the delicious food. We even shared a goat cheesecake for dessert with a glass of Tokaj - a DELICIOUS Hungarian dessert wine. Such a lovely date night and change of pace!
July 30th, 2014:
We had a good night's sleep, and then a morning visit from Ellie! This was an especially happy morning, because I knew I'd have the evening with her. I made an easy dinner of fried eggs, roasted broccoli, and seasoned hash browns. Eleanor chowed down on everything, and ate her entire egg and even started grabbing for my hash browns. We spent lots of time playing and cuddling before bedtime.
July 31st, 2014:
Another evening with my sweet Ellie!! I prepped some spicy sweet potato wedges when I got home, and while they were in the oven for the initial bake, I gave Eleanor a quick bath. She always has fun at bathtime (except for when it's time to detangle her hair.) I fried up some sweet onion hamburgers to go with the wedges, and Eleanor ate a bunch of berries, and some cheese. Kyle came over while we were getting ready for bed and kindly cleaned up my living room! I came down and we talked and had a few Newcastle Blonde Bombshell ales. Good night!
http://www.dinneralovestory.com/closing-the-book/
This clearly appeals to my sense of nostalgia. I would love to have some record, however simple, of little events of everyday life to look back on 15 years down the road. It seems so far away right now, of course, but time will continue to march on, and Eleanor will be in high school before I know it. So I'd like to keep a "diary" just of maybe the things we do each day, the food we eat - so simple, but just SOMETHING. I'll look back in ten years and say, "so that was what we did on July 27th, 2014, when Eleanor was 1 year old."
So, without further ado:
July 25th, 2014:
I left work a little early to shop for dinner ingredients for fish tacos for Ellie and me. I got home at 5:15, just in time to cut the fish into cubes and mix up most of the marinade. I got Ellie at 5:30 and we came back and put the sauce on the fish. While it marinaded, we took a BATH! Then we came down and watched "show" while I cooked the fish, chopped some veggies, and we sat down to dinner. A lovely night with my boo boo.
July 26th, 2014:
Ellie slept until 6:50 which was pretty good for a Saturday! I love how she wakes up and likes to stand up and watch me sleep, until she finally says, "Mama!" and then I go get her and bring her into bed. I'd been pretty distant with Kyle for a few days, so he took matters into his own hands and showed up at our door at about 7:45am. We had a very good conversation about us and life, and he made me feel much better, as usual. He helped me with Eleanor as we got ready to go meet Claire R. for some time in Logan Circle. I packed snacks and we got a Pattison Street hoagie from Taylor Gourmet on the way. Eleanor ran around in the park for about 1 straight hour. We all returned for Ellie's nap, and Claire and I watched an episode of VEEP. Kyle came over afterward and we took Eleanor to the park and the store. We had hamburgers, veggies, and corn on the cob for dinner. Eleanor LOVED gnawing on her own corn cob! Kyle went home and we got ready for bed.
July 27th, 2014:
We work up on Sunday for quite an adventure. Ellie and I got out the door early to take the metro up to Cleveland Park to go to "All Fired Up." We painted a plate together! We applied a light base color all over the plate with big paint brushes. Eleanor did a great job with this. I then painted her hand with a darker color, and she made little hand prints to decorate the plate. She loved standing on the stool at the sink and washing her hands!
We then made an impromptu visit to the zoo, as the pottery painting didn't last that long. We walked the few blocks to the zoo, and Ellie wanted to get out and walk around. She did so great, and had lots of fun seeing the cheetah, funny birds, pandas (PAAAAAN!) and elephants. We had the usual crying fit when I put her back in the stroller for the walk home, but I got her a pineapple coconut water and all was well. During her nap, I started cooking pork carnitas for dinner (they cook for hours). When Ellie woke up, she was crabbbbby. But we called Gran and played hide and seek under a blanket, and then we went for a short walk. Kyle met us, and then we returned home to finish the carnitas and eat them with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and tortillas. I have never seen Eleanor eat this much food. She LOVED these carnitas. I had to cut her off!
(put pictures up)
July 28th, 2014:
Monday morning was just lovely with Ellie, and she woke me up saying "Mom!" and smiling. Such a pleasant alarm clock! I drank coffee and nursed her and cuddled with her, all the while getting ready for work. This is a pretty standard work morning! It wasn't my Monday night with her, but I picked her up for an hour-long visit. I was feeling sad about not being with her, but I had plans with Claire to go back to the paint-your-own pottery store and have dinner. We had a nice night, and I got Ellie's plate ready for the kiln. We had some calarmari and pizza for dinner. When I got home, I was going to vacuum and clean up a bit before bed, but I started feeling very sick. I crawled to bed, but threw up a bunch of times during the night. I do remember thinking, 1. Here is ONE good thing about Ellie not being here tonight, and 2. I'm not going to get quite as fat now.
July 29th, 2014:
I got to see my Ellie for a short visit in morning to nurse, and then headed off to work at a good time. After another short visit after work, Kyle and I went to Cork for dinner. While we waited for a table outside, we got some glasses of an Italian white. We then sat down in the GORGEOUS fall-like weather, and order rosemary chicken liver pate, grilled asparagus+burrata, lemon pepper calamari and rock shrimp, and duck confit. Glasses of Barbera accompanied the delicious food. We even shared a goat cheesecake for dessert with a glass of Tokaj - a DELICIOUS Hungarian dessert wine. Such a lovely date night and change of pace!
July 30th, 2014:
We had a good night's sleep, and then a morning visit from Ellie! This was an especially happy morning, because I knew I'd have the evening with her. I made an easy dinner of fried eggs, roasted broccoli, and seasoned hash browns. Eleanor chowed down on everything, and ate her entire egg and even started grabbing for my hash browns. We spent lots of time playing and cuddling before bedtime.
July 31st, 2014:
Another evening with my sweet Ellie!! I prepped some spicy sweet potato wedges when I got home, and while they were in the oven for the initial bake, I gave Eleanor a quick bath. She always has fun at bathtime (except for when it's time to detangle her hair.) I fried up some sweet onion hamburgers to go with the wedges, and Eleanor ate a bunch of berries, and some cheese. Kyle came over while we were getting ready for bed and kindly cleaned up my living room! I came down and we talked and had a few Newcastle Blonde Bombshell ales. Good night!
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