Italian Prune Plum Cake

We have a tree out behind our place that is heavy with ripe and perfect fruit right now. Darian and I went out this morning to pick a few pounds of plums and we made cake!

It was so delicious served with ice cream! It has just the right mix of sweet and sour and it has a great rustic look to it. The crust is so thick and has a scone-like quality.
I bet it would be awesome drizzled with heavy cream instead of ice cream.

The recipe is great because it is super easy and fun to make. We served it right out of the oven!

Here is the recipe:
3 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 sticks butter
3 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
Blend like pie mix, then roll out on a greased cookie sheet or into a large cake pan, then spread plums on top. ABOUT (3 pounds plums), halved and quartered.
Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes.
Before eating sprinkle with sugar.

Michelle’s 3 Bean Veggie Chili

My chili recipe always goes over so great I am going to post the recipe. It is so easy and everyone always loves it. It is perfect for a casual dinner with friends.

Michelle’s Veggie Chili

1 can of white beans (Drained and rinsed)
1 can of black beans (Drained and rinsed)
1 can of kidney beans (Drained and rinsed)
1 can of diced red tomatoes
1 can of diced yellow tomatoes (if you can't find yellow just use 2 cans of red)
1 green pepper chopped
1 small yellow onion diced
1 med zucchini diced
1 packet of chili seasoning (You can get them in the spice isle at the store, the brand doesn’t matter it is just the perfect blend of seasoning to start with.)
spice to taste
Mix it all together and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer until veggies are soft (about 25 minutes) Leave on simmer until serve. Stir once in a while*

*You can also throw all of this in a crock pot on low in the morning and it will be perfect and ready to serve by the time you get home in the afternoon.

Use chili powder and Tabasco to taste. I tend to keep it mild and put Tabasco on the table.
Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Corn bread and tortilla chips are good side dishes.

It is the perfect comfort food on a cold day and it is always a hit!

Cream Cheese Blueberry Pie

I found this recipe online and really wanted to try it. It appealed to me because it really doesn't use a lot of sugar. I don't like things that are overly sweet.

I just tasted it for the first time and I have to say I really like how it turned out. I think if you like your pie sweeter you could add a whisp of warm bluberry syrup on the plate when serving with a few fresh berries as a garnish and it would be just lovely!

I will definatly be making this one again soon!

---
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
12 ounces cream cheese (1 1/2 eight ounce packages)
1 Tbsp. flour
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tea. salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 9" unbaked pie crust shell
---
Using a fork, stir softened cream cheese until smooth. Mix in flour.
Separate eggs, reserving 2 tsp. of egg white. Beat remaining egg whites and add
to beaten yolks. Add sugar, salt and sour cream. Combine the egg mixture with the
cream cheese mixture, stirring well. Brush the unbaked pie shell lightly with the
reserved egg white. Dust the blueberries lightly with flour and
place in a thick layer on the bottom of the crust.
Smooth the cream cheese mixture evenly over the blueberries and bake in a preheated
350 deg. oven for 45 minutes or until set.

Avocado banana flax chocolate chip cookies! (A healthier Chocolate Chip cookie)

I started with a traditional cookie recipe and changed it up to make it a healthier treat for the kid. 
Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 sticks) butter, softened
1 ripe avocado
1 over ripe banana
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate Morsels (Darker chocolate would be healthier thank milk chocolate) 
3 TBLSP flax seed

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, flax seeds and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, banana, avocado, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Greek Lemon Rice Soup

Today I made Greek Lemon Rice Soup. It is a favorite of my family. We were spending almost $6 per little cup at the local Greek place. It seemed simple enough, so I set out to copy the recipe and save some coin.
I think I've finally succeeded. I like it whenever I've had any dental work because it is easy to eat, it is also a favorite when I've been sick and am starting to eat solid foods again. It is full of protein and easy on the tummy.

Greek Lemon Rice Soup

4 Cups chicken broth
Approx 3/4 Cup of uncooked regular rice
2 eggs
The juice of 3 small/med sized lemons or 2 Large lemons (About 4 TBLSP)
Salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of pepper)

In 2-quart saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat, add rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

In small bowl, beat eggs and lemon juice. Stirring constantly, add 1 cup of hot soup, a little at a time. Stir mixture into soup in pan and heat. Do not boil! Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
NOTE: More rice makes thicker soup. If it is too thick, just add a little water.

Muffins start with Mmmmmmm....

This evening I made these super easy muffins. They turned out perfect. Not too sweet, not too heavy, just the perfect snack. They go great with coffee as well.
The recipe is so simple anyone could make them. It is such a nice base that you could easily replace the toasted almonds with any kind of nuts or maybe add some poppyseeds? (I might try that the next time I make them.)

Olive Oil Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar, for sifting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin.
Blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vinegar and milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Crush the almonds with your hands as you add them to the batter and stir until mixed. Fill the muffin tin almost to the top of the paper liners. Bake until golden on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins onto a platter and let cool for 5 more minutes. Sift powdered sugar over the muffins and serve.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
The Food of Genoa

Yum!

Even though we are in the first days of Spring, it seems the cold and flu season is just starting to kick into full gear right now. Every third person I know is suffering from the sniffles of some sort.
I have a favorite cure all type soup for beating the nasty. It is called Tom-Yum soup. It is a Hot and Sour soup with chicken, mushrooms, lemon grass, chili, and lime juice. (Some people like it with Shrimp or even just a veggie version, it is good any way you do it, but I am chicken soup kind of gal myself.)
If you don't have a Thai resturant on every corner like we do here in Seattle this soup is just as easy to throw together in your own kitchen.

Here is my favorite soup for beating the yuck (This is the shrimp version, the variations are on the bottom):

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock if you prefer)
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced thinly (tough outer leaves and bulb removed)
3 kaffir lime leaves (find these in the freezer section of your local Asian grocery store)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 small green or red chillies (depending on desired spiciness), de-seeded and sliced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
a handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
12 medium or large raw shrimp, shells removed
1 can coconut milk
optional: additional Thai red chillies (left whole), plus other vegetables (like green and red bell peppers), as desired

PREPARATION:
1. Pour stock into a deep cooking pot.

2. Place lemongrass slices in a food processor and process until finely grated, or pound by hand with a pestle & mortar and add to the broth.

4. Add the mushrooms and shrimp. Boil for 8-10 minutes.

5. Turn down the heat to low and add the coconut milk and fish sauce. Stir well to combine. Test the soup for spice and salt, adding more chillies and/or fish sauce (instead of salt) as desired. If too spicy for your taste, add more coconut milk.

6. Serve in bowls with fresh cilantro sprinkled over and quarters of fresh lime on the side. ENJOY!


Variations:


For a vegetarian version, replace shrimp with cubes of firm or deep-fried tofu, and substitute vegetarian fish soy or soy sauce for regular fish sauce. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
If you prefer chicken over seafood, substitute shrimp with chicken breast (cut into bite-size pieces).
This soup can also be made without coconut milk (replace with more stock). Tom Yum is served this way in many parts of Thailand.
For an even healthier soup, add more vegetables like red and green bell peppers, celery, cherry tomatoes, etc. (at step # 4).
If desired, add rice or egg noodles for a nutritionally complete and satisfying meal.

I eat solids now!

Last night Sean had his first taste of rice cereal. As you can see, he enjoyed it very much!

Hanging out with Papa

Baby Sean contemplates eating his blankie while his Papa is writing a new song in the background.

Strawberry Refrigerator Cake- RECIPE!

Since so many people have asked for the recipe, here it is:
Strawberry Refrigerator Cake

For the cake:
1 pkg of plain yellow cake mix
4 oz of reduced fat cream cheese at room temp
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs at room temp

For the filling and garnish:
2 quarts of fresh strawberries (Or any other seasonal fruit that you like!)
1 cup (8ozs) of Sour Cream
1 container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1- Make the cake. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat at 325F. Spray three 9 inch round cake pans line with parchment paper.

2- Place all cake ingredients in large mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until all ingredients are well mixed.

Divide the cake mix between all three pans, approx 1 3/4 cups each pan. Smoothing the batter with a rubber spatula.

3- Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown and the tops spring back when touched. 20-25 minutes.

4- Meanwhile, make the filling. Cut off and discard the caps of the strawberries. Cut into 4 or 4 slices each. Place in a bowl and set aside.

5- Place sour cream, whipped topping and confectioners sugar in a bowl and beat together at med speed for about 2 minutes.

6- Transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool for 30 minutes.

7- To assemble cake: Transfer one layer right side up to a serving tray. Spoon a heaping cup of the filling on that layer and, using a spatula, spread it not quite to the edge of the cake. Arrange 1 1/2 cups of the sliced strawberries on top of the filling, making sure you spread them all the way to the edge. Repeat for the 2nd layer.

8- Place the final layer on top of the 2nd layer and spread the remaining filling over the top leaving the sides of the cake bare.
DO NOT add the remaining strawberries yet!

Place the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours or overnight.

9- Just before serving, garnish the top of the cake with the remaining strawberries. I find it helpful to make a little strawberry wall around the edges and then fill in the middle, that way they do not slide off.

4 Months Old!

And the cutest ever!

15 weeks!!

December 25th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

December 24th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

"The fat man better not even think about coming down this chimney! I'm waiting for you, Mr Kringle!"

December 23rd- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Only 2 more days!!!

December 22nd- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Just hanging with the Yeti!

December 21st- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Everyone is getting excited for Christmas!

December 20th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

For Luck!

December 19th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Too tired for photo shoots today...

December 18th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Only one more week 'till Christmas!

December 17th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Candycane mustache

December 16th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

December 15th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Sean looks like he was just told that a big guy in a beard sneaks into your house at night while you are sleeping.

December 14th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Did some mention a long Winter nap? YAWN...

December 13th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

"Really, Mom?"

December 12th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

December 11th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

It is just what I wanted for Christmas!

December 10th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Visions of sugarplums dance in his head...

December 9th- Countdown to Sean's first Christmas!

What do you think it is?

December 8th- Countdown to Sean's first Christmas!

Just for laughs...

December 7th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Santa Baby

December 6th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Time to trim the tree!

December 5th- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Naughty

or Nice?

December 4th- Countown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Dimples- The 10th tiny reindeer

December 3rd- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

Santa's Little Helper

December 2nd- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

What do you mean, "Only people with teeth get to eat Christmas Cookies?"

December 1st- Countdown to Sean's 1st Christmas!

December 1st- The mailman is dropping off the first boxes full of gifts. Let the countdown to Christmas begin!

 

Before heading to the chapel, here is some advice from the trenches.

I read an article the other day about newlyweds.  It advised newlyweds to seek advice from divorced people about how to make a marriage work.


This made so much sense to me!  There really is no one else out there who could tell you better on what, why and how a marriage failed.  Likely, if they made it as far as quitting, they spent a lot of time agonizing over all of the details of what went wrong, what they could have done better, etc etc.



Of course, as with anything, there are the exceptions to these rules, but those people are pretty obvious.  The rush to the alter types usually end with several failed marriages under their belts and no wisdom to convey other than "Do not do as I do's" 
(I Do's, get it? Haha! Sorry, could not help myself)


I feel like I learned a lot from my marriage and even more from my divorce.  I don't mind sharing some of what I learned with the small masses that read my blog, as I think it is all useful in it's own way.


Having had a 7 year marriage and almost 16 years of an on and off relationship with one person under my belt, I feel like I have some authority on the "what not to do".


1- Be accountable.  Know how to admit when you are wrong.  I spent so many years with, "It wasn't me. I didn't do it" or just an excuse for everything and "Not my fault!".  I have to say, that is the one thing I miss the very least about being married and am so relieved I no longer have to deal with.
If someone tries to "It's not my fault" me nowadays, I react like a person with PTSD and go to a bad place in my brain.  I just want to shake them and scream, "I KNOW IT WAS YOU! JUST ADMIT IT ALREADY SO WE CAN MOVE ON!"
When you mess up, lose the remote, take a left instead of a right on the road, forget to take out the trash, forget to pay a bill, just say "I'm sorry" or "Oops!"  Don't rattle off a laundry list of all of the reasons why it is not your fault, and why the other person is actually the one to blame.  This goes all the way from forgot to take out the trash to serious marriage issues.
All issues take two people, but every now and then, we all mess up.  Be the better person and just fess up when it is your fault. 


2- Be loving.  I know that the person you are with does not look like they did when they are 25 (Unless they actually are 25, then this advice is for the future married you).  I know that you may even get to the point where you are sick of looking at them.  But make a point of telling the person or showing them each and every day that you appreciate them and you love them.
Even when you are fighting over something stupid.  It really only takes a millisecond.  But I will tell you, after several years of marriage, there will be times where you could easily go three weeks without exchanging so much as a handshake and not even realize it.  What you are missing when that happens is the growing rift between you, and how you are slowly getting over one another right under both of your noses.
If you let it go too long, one day you might wake up and realize that you have literally, "lost that loving feeling."
And for God's sake, whatever you do, NEVER use the Jack Nicholson quote: "Show me a beautiful woman and I will show you a man who is sick of f*cking her." That is not an point to win an argument, unless the argument you are trying to win is how to beat land speed records to divorce court.


3- Cohabitation. Live together for at least 2 years before you get married. Physically live together for at least a year before you even think about getting engaged.  I don't care what anyone says, you can't really know someone, or if you can put up with that someone for the rest of your life, until you live with them for a couple of years. 
When I got married, even though we had been off and on for many years and I really thought he was the great love of my life, I realize, looking back, that we never really spent a ton of time together before we got married. We saw each other all of the time, and we spent a lot of time together, but we didn't live in the same house for very long before we got hitched. 
We moved in together in August, were engaged by January and married by July.
Our relationship started out as one of those most perfect long distance relationships.  Where you only get to spend small chunk of time together and all of the rest of the time you spend missing each other.  And then with the amount he traveled for work, we continued to spend amazing amounts of time apart when we were actually living together. 
At about year three, I had the epiphany that we were a great couple when he was away because he had the long distance thing down.  The sweet phone calls, the longing for, the love and misses, everything that makes up the statement "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."  He was a master at the long distance thing.
But what I learned was that even though we were pros and being apart, we royally sucked at being together. 
I know, it sounds backwards, but it is true.
I thought I could not know a person better after all of those years, but when we lived in the same house, I learned things I never knew, and never would have been OK with, and I am certain he would say the same about me.  And it isn't even anything dramatic, it is just compatibility things that we would have figured out had we taken the time to live together!
Examples for anyone might be: how you like your house to look, how many pets you actually want in your house, do you want a TV in your bedroom, do you ever want to live in another state or city, how do you feel about the hours your partner keeps, personal hygiene, food habits, health and weight management, how loud they snore, how they spend their free time, how often either of you expect to have sex, weird kinks, how many hours a day you want the TV on, etc etc... there could be a million things you can never know about a person until you actually live with them.  You may even find out they have a psychiatric disorder like BPD, BiPolar, Depression, etc, that you never would have know before you lived with them.  Don't find these things out after you get married!! 


4- Expectations. I'm talking the big stuff here. Children. Taxes. Money.  Religion... Whatever it is that means the most to you.  Make a list of your future dreams that you know you can't live without and make sure your future partner is happy and willing to go in that same direction with you, or you will have a life filled with regret to look forward to. 
One of the biggest reasons I finally filed for divorce was that he promised children before we got married, which was super important to me, and what felt like minutes after we were wed, he told me what he actually said was that, "He would consider it, and he considered it and decided he didn't want any."
I made it very clear that if I were to get married, I wanted another child as it has always been my dream to actually have one baby the old fashioned way, with two parents who both wanted a child and planned it together and went through all of that fun pregnancy stuff together.  When I turned 35, been married for over 5 years and saw no progress or children on the horizon and so much wasted time behind me, I thought my dream of having one more child had been killed, and I saw the assassin as the person I was married to.
By killing that dream, he killed my feelings for him and I am certain it was not because he was trying to hurt me or doing it on purpose, it was because not having children was as important to him as having them was to me.
As much as he was a disappointment to me, I am certain I was to him in this area.
Luckily, my story had a happy ending.  I've won the lottery and met a man who shared the same dream before I got too old, and am now living that, but I do think about all of the people who stay married and are as miserable as I was because the person they chose to marry are the main roadblock to one of their biggest dreams.
For me, him standing in the way of my dream to be a mother one more time would have been the equivalent of me standing in the way of him making music.  Unacceptable.
Make sure you know all of the answers to all of the biggest questions before you say, "I Do", because if you don't, and you get surprised with the "wrong" answer after the fact, it will ruin your whole life.


5- Get a great therapist!  Love yourself, know yourself, know what you want and expect, and be honest with yourself about your own flaws before handing them to someone else to fix for you.  Because no one but you is going to be able to make you a whole person.  Don't go into a marriage expecting the marriage to save the relationship, or fix the parts of you that are broken.  Adding the stress of marriage on top of all of the voices that are already telling you you are not good enough to be loved, will just make that manifest in your marriage.
 Individuation.  It is a word you will hear a lot when things start to go south.  Look it up, learn it, own it, way before it becomes homework from your marriage counselor. 


That is all I've got, future newlyweds, or the small corner of the internet that actually reads my blog.
I hope no one sees this as some kind of character assassination or something, I don't mean it that way at all, this is just my attempt to be as honest as possible about what I see as useful information for other people who are about to take the plunge.  Learn from my mistakes as that is all history is good for.
If anyone learns from my mistakes and the years I had to suffer through unhappiness before I could come out the other side, than maybe it was a little more than wasted time. 


I still love and respect my ex-husband in a lot of ways, and I hope for nothing but his future happiness.  I just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was so entirely the wrong person for me.  And taking away from those years what I have, I swear they have made my new partnership stronger and more loving than anything I ever imagined possible! 


Everything I ever wanted and dreamed of is coming true.  I have an amazing family, I'm having the baby I always wanted, the way I always wanted, and I am with a partner who is more like me and understands me better than anyone I've ever met.  I wake up happy every day instead of angry and in pain and uncertainty.  I never question the love I have, because I chose wisely this time around and I chose correctly. 


I don't know if I will ever marry again.  Right now, it doesn't seem important to either of us at this time as we have everything we want and we've both lived through broken marriages before, and agree that the best part or those marriages were the weddings. 


And anyhow, we have only lived together for 1.5 years, I'm not about to start breaking my own rules now!  ;-)

Sean Patrick - 32 weeks

Here is the most recent video of his adorable little baby face. They say he is measuring at 5lbs and the 89th percentile.  They said everything is fine, mom and baby both super healthy, he is just a big baby! 

Bad Ideas- By Justin Davis & Sean P Bates at Sugarcomb Salon

My very talented boy, videos from last eve's party at Sugarcomb Salon!

The Hunger

I've found since I've announced this pregnancy, people tend to ask me a few of the same questions over and over.  

The first is always, "Is it a boy or a girl?"  It is a boy.

And the second is always, "Have you had any bad symptoms?"  Aside from some heartburn, I have been symptom free throughout this entire pregnancy.  Not even once did I go through morning sickness, afternoon sickness, or (like with Darian) evening sickness.   In fact, I was so symptom free in the beginning, I didn't really believe I was pregnant until I started showing, even after having it confirmed with an ultrasound! 

And the last question is always, "Have you had any weird cravings?" 

Yes I have!  I've tried to pay very close attention to what my body has been wanting, and coincidentally, a lot of the cravings I've had coincide nicely with what I've been reading as far as what I need at different phases of fetal development!  The body is a weird and wonderful thing when you learn to listen to it. 

 

Months 1-2: Apples everything.  Even before I knew I was pregnant, I wanted apples.  I swear I could even smell them better in the store and my mouth would water.  Apple pancakes, apple pie, apple and peanut butter, apple juice, etc anything apple. 

Month 3: Tomatoes and avocados.  I was eating them raw, with salt and pepper as a salad every day.  I was in love with them!  I actually became obsessed with a Ham and egg sandwich too, but soon found out that Deli meat was on the bad food list, so I had to stop eating it. 

At the end of Month 3 and beginning of month 4: I started to fall madly in love with fresh pineapple hearts.  I ate a lot of them.  I loved the taste, the smell, I was like an animal just tearing into whole pineapples.  So delicious!  I was also starting to find myself falling for dairy again.  Lots of milk, cheese and ice cream!!  And peanut butter and jelly for breakfast almost every day. Yum!

Months 5-6: I find that there is not one thing I'm especially craving, but I have quite enjoyed very ripe kiwi fruit and fresh raspberries.  I've also found myself wanting waffles quite a bit.  

The strangest thing I've craved was at about 20 weeks, we were having Mexican food and Sean ordered a margarita.  They brought the tequila in a sidecar for him to dump into the drink, I caught a whiff of it and for many days I found myself craving it.  This is probably right when I should have known he was a boy.  I don't even drink, so it was especially weird to be cravbing tequila!  Needless to say, he did not get any of that!  

Still waiting to see if that pickles on ice cream myth ever kicks in, but so far this child has steered away from that. I have eaten a pickle or three, but no more than the amount I eat when I'm not pregnant!  Kosher Dills have always been a favorite snack of mine! 

Dear Son, I love you.

Dear Son,

22 Weeks

I only just found out you were a boy last week.  I will admit, I was a little surprised.  I never imagined having a son.  Maybe it was because I've had so many wonderful little women in my adult life, and never really any little boys.  Sure, a few of my friends have amazing sons, but never anyone who lives nearby enough, or that I see often enough to where I feel like I was participating regularly in their son's lives.  I grew up with brothers, but raising baby boys is a mystery to me. It's an adventure I am looking forward to more and more every day.

I've been thinking a lot about the type of person you will be. Sure, there is all of the obvious stuff; will you have red hair and freckles like your dad, will you have grey eyes like your big sister, will you be super tall like my brothers... all of these things cross my mind when I imagine meeting you in a few months.

You have two big sisters who are both very excited to meet you.  Darian will probably seem like another parent to you as the age difference between her and you is about the same as the age difference between she and I.  She really wanted you to be a boy, because she wants to call you "little bro" and wants to teach you about video games, and comics and all of the things that are typically considered "boy stuff" that she really enjoys.  I have a feeling that your relationship with her will be a lot like mine with her.  She and I grew up together, and we have a very Mother/sibling type dynamic between us. Of course, yours with her will be more sibling than mother. I just see how she is with Sylvia, and how she is like a little mother, always trying to give direction and keep her on track in a positive way that only a big sister can, I can only imagine she will be the same way with you.

Then there is, Sylvia.  She is much closer in age to you than Darian is.  She can't wait to meet you. She asks me every week, "Is my little brother here yet?"
We told her on her birthday about you.  She was over the moon.  She is super excited to be a big sister.  She talks to you in my belly every time she sees me.  She has already offered to help with everything and wants you to sleep in her room from the day we bring you home.
I have a feeling she will also try to mother you quite a bit, like you are her own living doll.  She will want to introduce you to Pokemon and play dress up with you.  I think you two will have a lot of fun together.

My little man surrounded by all of these little women. I'm hoping that having all of these females around you will help you become a sensitive man, who has a real compassion and understanding of the fairer sex as an adult.  I don't worry too much about that though, because your Father is amazing, and sweet, and truly a compassionate person.  If you turn out anything like him, I will be so proud.

That is why I am giving you his name.  I've never met a man in my whole life who is kinder or more understanding, or has taught me more about what it is to really be in love or to be loved, than your father.  I could not think of any better tribute to him than to name you after him.  So, when you get older, and ask why we decided to make you a Junior, I will tell you, it is because you were made out of the most real kind of love and your name is a tribute to that feeling and that connection that he and I have.

I'm still kind of walking around in a daze because of you.  I've wanted you for so long, and really thought that due to turns I've taken on the road in this life, I've allowed too much time to pass to ever have you be a reality, but here you are.  I never expected I'd be having you, or that you were even a possibility.
I've seen you in the ultrasounds and now I feel you kicking up a storm every day, even as I write this, you are making your presence known.  You are this dream that is becoming a reality.
Since I met your dad a few years ago, this whole life with him has felt a lot like that.  I've never had so much happiness in my life as I have over this last few years.  And you are the cherry on top.

You have an extra special role in our family.  You are the son that gives our home balance, so your dad is no longer outnumbered by little women.  But more importantly, you are the brother and the son, the only person who is related to every single person in our house!  We are a family created and bonded in love already, but you will be the blood bond that ties each of us to one another forever.  You are the final puzzle piece that completes us and our home.  You are our little miracle.

I am less scared every day about the mystery of having a boy, but I am certain I will make mistakes as all parents do.  If there were just one thing I would want you to know from now until always, is that you are wanted and that you are special and that you are so very loved already.

Love,
Mom

Sean Patrick

I know, it has been a while.  This is the big project I've been working on for the last 5 or so months! Meet Sean Patrick!  We are very excited to meet him!

Art show happening right now!

Here are some of the new pieces as well as a cute picture of Sylvia helping show my work!

More about the show HERE

Sliding Doors

“Wherever we are now is just a step on the way to somewhere else. Whatever we do and however well we do it, it is only a preparation to do something else, something different than what we are doing at this moment.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson

No matter what you believe about fate, destiny, a bigger plan, or if you believe we just happen to exist and whatever will be will be, you must agree that life is fascinating!

The most important players on the stage of my life have all entered and exited throughout the years as if on cue. Sometimes going on nothing more than a gut instinct, I've made major life decisions, and I must admit, I am generally pleased with the outcome.

There has been a lot of change in my world over the last year. The most simplified version of the story goes like this: I got divorced, I met a man, I fell in love, I am very happy.
In some ways, even that story seems too intimate to share with all of the internet, but I feel that if I do not ever address it in any way, I will never be able to go back to the open dialog you have all come to expect from me over the years.

The story I came to share today is one of fate, destiny, or maybe it is just a story of random coincidence? I don't know, but it fascinates me nonetheless, and fills my brain full of romantic ideas and what-might-have-been's.

I will preface this story by telling you that I have always been a strong believer in life finding a way to direct you. If I feel like I am running into one road block after another and the universe is seemingly against me, I know I have veered off course. When I am on the right course, it seems like roadblocks no longer matter and things fall neatly into place.

Ten years ago I was sitting at a table at The Showbox having dinner and celebrating the holidays. The bands due to play that night were bands that my ex boyfriend played in (who turned out to be my future husband). I sat at the table with my then fiance (who I didn't end up marrying) to my right and a newly engaged lady to my left. Next to her was her fiance. Since we were both newly engaged, we spent a large portion of dinner chatting about wedding plans and ideas that we had. We were two young, happy girls, newly engaged and in love. It was a fun night! I was likely introduced to her fiance, but I don't really remember meeting him. I mostly remember talking to her about plans, and weddings, and being a little nervous about seeing Jon play after so much time had passed.

The girl eventually married her fiance, but I didn't marry mine. (Mine eventually met and married a woman who I have a lot of respect for and could not imagine anyone better suited for him. I am so happy they found each other!) I eventually reconnected with and married the ex who was playing on stage that night. I don't recall ever meeting the girl or her fiance again over the next many years.

I had no idea how significant that night was until now.

That night, sitting two seats over from me, was the man I am with now. The woman I spent the evening speaking to was the woman he married and eventually divorced. In those next ten years we have lived this parallel life, never meeting, but many times standing in the same room at the same show, we shared some of the same best friends, worked blocks from each other for years, but somehow never crossed paths until we were both single again. There were so many times we almost met had just one small act been altered, one different decision made.

The more I know him, the more stories we share, the more we find just how much our lives have been intertwined over this last ten years.

Since we met, things have become so easy. My career has taken off, my art has become more focused, my general level of happiness has greatly improved. I feel lighter and unburdened in a way I didn't think possible. Life is really very good. I am exactly where I am supposed to be, I am sure of it.

I've talked a lot about love and fate and destiny over the years, on the pages of this blog. I've shared my stories of how I've followed my heart and where it has lead me. I have lived some wonderful romantic real life fairy tales, and I am not trying to lessen those experience because I have a new, wonderful love.

Those stories were real, and perfect and tragic, and everything else you can think of. But what I have learned is that life doesn't stop once you are settled down. As long as you are breathing, you are growing and evolving as a person, and sometimes that means moving on from one thing and on to something new.

The past was just a chapter in my personal story, and I fully intend on embracing all of these future chapters with an open mind and heart, and a head full of wisdom collected from the past.

There are so many opportunities to love and live and find happiness given to us in this life. Our only job is to keep an open mind and heart, learn what there is to learn, embrace those opportunities and allow ourselves to live fully without regret.

Life is too short for anything else.

Dear Daughter,

As we approach the end of the second to last Summer of your childhood, I've had a lot of time to reflect on the last 17 years.

The Summer I was pregnant with you there was record heat in Seattle. It was miserably hot. I was working two jobs at two fast food chains, from 7AM to 9PM every day and only making $6.75 per hour. I remember days where my feet were so swollen after being on them all day, and it being so hot and me being so pregnant, that I could barely get my shoes off.

I remember turning 20 that August before you were born and being grateful I was no longer a pregnant teenager. I remember thinking that 20 sounded so much older and more grown up that 19, and for whatever reason, this small change gave me comfort that I was going to be OK. That WE were going to be OK.

And we were...

Now I have the advantage of reflection. You are nearly an adult, I've raised you the best that I can, and now I am reaping the rewards of a job well done.

No, I don't think I didn't make mistakes. Those are things that are most glaringly obvious to me in my reflections. If I were to go back and change anything, it would be the following:

I would have given you chores. I just wanted to enjoy you so much, and for so long I was just a child myself, so it seemed somehow "mean" to make you work. But now I think I did you a disservice by not making you clean your room or making you do the dishes, because I didn't make these things second nature to you. Now you will have to learn to do these things, just like I did, when you have your own household someday. (My other option being that I can buy you a lifetime of maid service. I guess we will see how that one pans out.)

I would have let you experiment with your clothes and hair more as a child. When other kids were showing up mismatched and with bed head to the 3rd grade, I made sure you always had a perfectly matched outfit and pretty hair. I was trying to give you what I didn't have growing up. When I was a child, I was always envious of those girls who came to school every day looking all pulled together. After a childhood full of brothers and ill fitted little boy hand-me-downs, I just wanted you to be the pretty little princess that the little girl in me had always wished she could be. By doing all of this for you, I feel I didn't give you a chance to experiment with your own sense of style, and now you prefer to keep it as simple as possible. Which, I guess in a way is your style, but I still feel like I should have given you that opportunity.

But those are simple things. Those are things that if you had been raised by two parents in a house, with a yard, and a white picket fence, you might have learned. But if those are the only things that I look back on and think that I have somehow failed you, then I feel like I've succeeded, and I have faith that those struggles will be simple things for you to deal with in the coming years. (Worst case scenario, when your house is a mess and you feel overwhelmed, you may feel free to blame mom for always doing everything for you, or call her and she will come take care of it for you!)

We have succeeded in more ways than I can count. You, my sweet, wonderful, most brilliant little girl, are the best daughter a mom could ever ask for. You, who still holds my hand in public, who has never told me you hated me, who tells people I am your best friend, who never went through a boy crazy phase, or a "mom knows nothing" phase, or an experimental drinking/drugs/sex phase, who isn't embarrassed to introduce me to her friends, and who never had a public temper tantrum and needed to be carried out of a store kicking and screaming. You, my beautiful little girl, have been a pleasure to both raise and to grow up with.

You have this amazing and strong mind that surprises me a little every day. You are stronger and smarter when it comes to matters of the heart than I ever was. It took me nearly 35 years to get that wisdom that seems to come so effortlessly to you. I'm certain you have taught me as much as I have taught you.

You don't put up with BS, you speak your mind in a way that is strong and concise but not mean. You know how to be empathetic without getting overly involved.
You have the most amazing ability to never let drama stick to you and to walk away from bad situations and make good choices. You have never battled with addiction or drug abuse or peer pressure.
You have never given in to the cast system that seems to plague so many high schools. Cliques and popularity have never meant anything to you and you have a healthy group of smart and interesting friends.
You can walk up on a stage and let your freak flag fly unapologetically in a way that I could never and still cannot do.
You are your own person, who knows your own mind, and who carries herself with a lot of grace and maturity that most teenagers (and most adults) do not possess.

My sweet little girl, I am so happy I am your mother. I am so proud of who you have become. I have loved every minute of watching you grow up and I love and respect the adult person you are becoming.

I have only the following wishes/advice for you:

1- Be strong, but don't be jaded.
2- Love someone with your whole heart at least once. If he breaks your heart, don't let it break you. If/when the time comes to walk away, do it with grace and don't be afraid to love again.
3- Choose your friends carefully, they become your family when you are older.
4- Don't ever be petty.
5- Choose very carefully what you want to do for the rest of your life. Take your time, don't rush into anything.
6- Don't grow up too fast. Enjoy every phase of life, they all fly by and you will miss them when they are gone.
7- Always know that you are loved more than anything else in this whole wide world.
and the most important rule of them all,
8- Always listen to your mother. (Or at least pretend that you are.)


Love,
Mom

Mailman thinks me dumb

Please check out this new Elliott Smith song that I've been listening to all morning long on repeat.

It reminds me of why we create art, music, children... it leaves echos of us behind after we are long gone from this place.

In that instance when you hear an unreleased Elliott Smith song, are standing in front of a Picasso, watching a movie starring River Phoenix, or see your daughter smile in a way that looks exactly like your grandma whose smiles you miss so much, those are the moments where we are immortal.

This is what drives us to create.

This is why we are artists.

It is not the only reason, and probably not a reason we would typically, openly consider. It is that quiet push that makes you pick up the guitar suddenly and strum a series of chords, and not stop until you have an entire song completed. It is what makes you fill a blank canvas, spilling all of your emotions of that very moment all over it in a series of colors and shapes.

We are recording pieces of us in a moment. Capturing who we are right now because we will never be that person again.