Glad that's over

I have not been looking forward to August 26th. In fact I've been trying very diligently not to really think much about it in hopes it would come and go very quickly.

Today was the day I went to contest my speeding ticket. Well, actually - if you are familiar with Massachusetts traffic ticket laws then you'd know today was the 1st of 2 steps in doing so.

I, of course, bowed out of the 2nd step by taking the reduced fine offered by the magistrate (who, disappointingly wasn't even wearing a robe!) in lieu of going before the judge at a future date.

So - points still go on my license, but I saved us $160 in the short term.

I might add - I'm lucky to have a last name that is near the end of the alphabetical list. Turns out there is a lot of traffic on the highway in the middle of the day. So many cars that it creates thirty five minutes of gridlock (according to the smart traveler phone number), which, in combination with a horrid map provided by the District Court and difficulty finding a parking lot made me 45 minutes late. Nice. However they were proceeding by last name and were only on the "s"s when I got there. At least I worked that pretty well in my favor!

Delightfully Unhealthy

It seemed to me that we were eating just a bit too healthy around these parts. In fact it had been weeks (gasp) since I'd made any desserts.

Luckily - quick, decisive action remedied the healthy eating problem...



I'll try not to let it get out of hand anymore.

North End Anecdote

When you are walking through the Italian neighborhood, it really makes you wonder to see a Mercedes with a carpet cleaning machine being unloaded from the back. I'm just saying, Mercedes owners tend to hire people to clean their carpets. So what is it that the Stanley Steamer guy can't be trusted to see?

Green soup

Veggie adventures continue.

This week was kale soup!

I thought I'd have to wait until the fall to make this but luckily it's been raining buckets for more than a week so soup was definitely needed.

I used this recipe : Potato Kale Soup in Yankee Magazine

With my own adjustments:

Using a tip I read in a magazine, I substituted 1/2 of the potatoes with turnip to slightly reduce the fat and greatly reduce the carbohydrates. Actually what I did was double the recipe because the smallest turnip I could find at the grocery store was easily the size of 4 medium potatoes.

I also didn't saute the potatoes or turnips, I just started boiling them (in the chicken stock) while I cut everything else up, so that I could get it done faster. I boiled the turnips for 10 minutes before putting the softer potatoes in.

Oh - and I should add - despite the fact that it looks like green cream of wheat - the result was DELECTABLE & NUTRITIOUS!

Wagamama - Year 2

Friday I was taking it easy, planning to finish a book I was reading, perhaps do some cleaning. Not on my list - change out of my sweats - casual Friday after all!

Then Aaron emailed me an invitation to meet him in Boston for lunch. I would be crazy to turn something like that down! So dressed I got and Tessa and I met Daddy for lunch.

Looks like our yearly lunch at Wagamama has turned into a tradition.

Last year:

This year:

The afternoon also included a walk through the North End and some gelato! Kudos to Daddy for the fun date!

Not happy

Because they are happening more and more frequently, but only in private (which is a positive really), I thought I'd share a picture of Tessa throwing a fit because she didn't get her way/mommy is so mean.

Before:

During:
Trigger - removal of the binky

After:
The saddest baby ever.

Lessons from Daddy

It is okay to close the door (leaving the baby on the other side) when you are going to the bathroom.

Sigh - it is much less stressful to "be in the bathroom" if you don't have a toddler trying to get to the pile of dirty dishrags, the garbage can, the under-the-sink, or the litter box.

It took me months to catch on to his wisdom but I'm a full convert.

What Not to Wear

A little background: Aaron has been holding on to some of his clothes for a long, long time. I won't comment too much on my psychological interpretations of his reasoning... Finally, however he went through all of his clothes in order to donate some of them to friends who lost their house in a fire. Among his shirts he found a real gem - which he claims I never let him wear. So he decided that before he gave it away (lucky recipient) he'd wear it one last time.

I got the following email on the day he wore the shirt...

-------

RE: Fashion

From: Aaron U**

Sent: Fri 7/25/08 4:53 PM

To: Emily U**

So, you wanna bring me a shirt? ;-p I'm glad that people feel comfortable enough with me that they don't have to hold back the comments. Andrea laughed at me the second I walked in the door. Allan was over at Jenny's desk snickering at me. I'm lucky I'm so self confident, I told them it's retro friday. Some people tell me they like it, then they laugh, so I pretty much get my answer. I wish Tony, Nancy, & Moe hadn't been having a meeting at Regan's desk when I came in, it only added to my self awareness.

Oh well, at least a bunch of people are getting a good laugh out of it. Who knew I was so out of style? ;-)

Oh right, you did.

I love you.

Aaron Udy

**+* Architects **** Boston, MA 02114

-----

After reading this I realized I hadn't really been doing my duty as a wife...to make sure my husband looked presentable when he left the house. On the other hand, he wasn't really taking full advantage of the benefit of having a wife by not taking my word for it when I said something was not (and hadn't not been for some time) in style.

100% increase

In TEETH!

After months and months of waiting I can both see and feel two shiny new top teeth in Tessa's mouth. Those pesky things have sure taken their time showing up and I think two more are on the way. I hoping for some relief from the late night fussing that the still-sleeping-Tessa has been doing for the aforementioned months and months.