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Showing posts from January, 2013

What's in a Name?

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Me and My Baby The end was near ... then I started looking for a new name for the new blog. And it stalled. We moved 13 months ago, so this blog is nearing the expiration date on it's content. I'm not really talking about the move anymore. Though I'm still decorating the house, but I don't see that ending soon. So, I've been brainstorming a blog title that has some longevity. A title that embodies me and all my thoughts, interests, inspirations, likes and dislikes. I started out with a pretty long list of ideas. Old nicknames, adjectives that I use to describe myself (or other people have used -- ie. messy) and favorite things. And DAMN the internet, because most of my favorite ideas are taken. And some of my favorites are used by blogs that aren't even publishing posts anymore. What's a girl to do?! Get more creative, I guess.   

Shades of Gray?

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Paint Chips It started with a dozen chips in the wall. Well, actually it started with Liza's suggestion to go gray in the living and dining room. Then, it was collecting a dozen chips from all the usual places. Then, taping them to the wall, in different corners to see what how the light hits each shade and which match Mr. Darcy and Ms. Lizzie ( the sofas ).  The Benjamin Moore shades were my favorite, so I got a few quarts and have made some tests on my wall. My goal is to go "GRAY" and not bluish-gray. I don't want anything too dark but I don't want to go do light -- too light that I can't tell. No matter what, it will be a heckuvalot better than the blah Beige.    Which Gray? Darker or Lighter?

'Endymion Spring' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton Read by: Richard Easton Genre: YA Fantasy After the love I had for Seraphina , I thought I'd try another YA Fantasy novel. And this one I'd seen a few times on the shelves, with an intriguing cover of the entwined snakes. Try it! I got about half way into the discs and decided life was too short for a boring fantasy. And turned it off. The book was told in two eras; One from present day Oxford and one in medieval Germany. The story is about a secret book and made of magic paper. It was technically well-written, slow and little hard to follow in parts ... and full of things that bugged the crap out of me. First, the boy in Oxford, Blake -- no idea how old he was. None. I thought it might be part of the mystery, but the longer I waited for that little fact, the more annoyed I got. The difference between a 14-year-old and a 10-year-old is too great to try figure out for half the book (with no hints). And the author was ob

'The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British by Sarah Lyall Read by: Cassandra Campbell Genre: Memoir (Cultural Anthropology?) My first love is British culture, from Mr. Darcy, Lucy Honeychurch and Prince William and Jamie Oliver. I love British literature, culture and lifestyle. London is one of my favorite cities and I used to dream about marrying a man with a British accent. So this book's little dive into British-isms sounded like fun -- a good way to indulge my anglo-love. Not so much! It was such a nasty look into this group of people I turned it off after disc two so I'd be able to watch Downton Abbey without wincing! The author, a journalist married to Brit and now living in London, is clearly unimpressed by the British way of life and its people. In fact, I'd say she hates them. I'm not even sure why she's married to one. I only got through a few chapters which included demystifying sex (Brit men are bad in bed because they were 

Do You Smell the Calories Burning?

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So my New Year's Resolution for about the last five years has been to exercise more. I've got a basement, now. And a gym membership. And the kids are older. Basically, I'm running out of excuses. The fact that I'm still a working mom with a full schedule and unwilling to wake up at 5:30am to exercise still exists, however. Anyway, this year's attempt at checking off that resolution included some exercise DVDs. We designated a spot in our unfinished basement as a gym. Set up an old tv, the old DVD player and stereo. We used the old rug from the living room and placed pads underneath for maximum protection from the cement floor. Dave even installed a pull-up bar he made from plumbing supplies! Dave invested in P90X starring URI grad (Go Rhody!) Tony Horton. And I found Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 at the grocery store. And we attempt to get up at 6am each morning to workout. After a few weeks of doing both I've come up with this: P90X, prefer

Conflicted By the Elves

So the cleaning service came again yesterday. An event I was very much anticipating. When we arrived home, we were, as usual, elated to walk around the house and enjoy that clean, just-washed-my-hair feeling. Then, hold up! On the counter, I found a bunch of cleaning products and a receipt (from evil Walmart, no less). The Walmart was a blow in itself (which is post for another day) but the products were all harsh non-organic products. Lysol, Comet, Pledge (orange-scented!) and the like. Here's where I get all conflicted. I've mentioned in the past about my preference for organic cleaning products. I have kids. They eat stuff off the table and floor. I would like to minimize the family's exposure to bleach and the cancer-causing toxins found in these products. On the other hand, the cleaning service are professionals, right? They know what works. What gets the best results. What they want to work with. If they want to use this toxic stuff, I should just acquiesce,

'The Heights' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: The Heights by Peter Hedges Ready by: Peter Hedges, Amy Ryan and Alison Pill Genre: Lit I have had this book in my To Read pile (on my Kindle) for the last year. I've been a fan of Peter Hedges since What's Eating Gilbert Grape , so I'm usually looking out for what he's doing next. I don't often read "adult" lit. I usually find it too melodramatic and predictable. And, I found that to be true of this book, as well. Tim and Kate are no different than a lot of people I know, but they're just so stupid, they can't see what they have. And when they do have an enlightened moment about the good in their lives, they're completely OK with chucking it all for someone in skinny jeans and an expensive haircut. It's likely why I hardly read about people in my own demographic -- we're stupid. Anyway, this book goes along just as you'd expect it. And ends they way you'd think. And, yes, I did yell at the characters fr

Sometimes...

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Sometimes it's hard to be the little sister... especially when you have to hang out while your sister has a class. And especially an exciting-looking ballet class. Watching Leah at Ballet Class Relate posts: More more and more Alice

'Enchanted' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis Ready by: Katherine Kellgren Genre: YA Fantasy So after a few nonfictions, I was looking to delve into something fantastical. I heard nothing about this book but the cover and blurb were intriguing and since it's from the library, I have nothing to lose if it's a total dud. This lovely cover undersells the delightful and silly story within. Enchanted is a mashups of fairytales you're already familiar with. Sunday lives with her big family in a home that was once a tall-tall tower and now resembles more of a shoe. She's the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter -- which makes her fate magical. She meets a frog in the woods one day, who was charmed by his godmother. She kisses him. Twice. Madness -- that includes charms, beanstalks, cinders, a missing shoe and more -- follows. It's a dizzying ride that had a lot of heart. This audiobook is performed (rather than just read) by Katherine Kellgren, with a sweet Brit

Lefsa Basics

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A tub of lefsa was left at my house after the Christmas celebration. There was a lot of it. Leah and I really had a *difficult* time eating it all. In about five days. Ok, it was awesome. Here's how to make lefsa the Roholt way: 1. Smear on the Butter 2. Sprinkle on the Sugar 3. It Looks Like This! 4. Roll It On UP! 5. Eat and Enjoy! According to my Grams, my Great-Grandma used a lot of sugar. She also would make lefsa by hand in the basement where she had an extra stove -- once a year. Grams says she'd be there all day covered in flour. The lefsa would then be passed around as holiday gifts. 

Little Tennis Star

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She wouldn't allow a photo of herself until she was on the court. She's having fun! Tennis Anyone?

Photo: Neighborhood Fun

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Remember when I was all about Sunday dinner? Yah, so it's not so easy. It's a bit difficult to fit into the erratic Sunday "schedule." But last weekend, we had a few additions at the dinner table; the three girls from next door. Sure it was just spaghetti, but it was fun! Fun at the Dinner Table

'The Difference' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: The Difference by Jean Chatzky Read by: Jean Chatzky Genre: Self Help Perky and smart, I've seen Jean Chatzky on the Today Show a bunch of times but I'd never bought her books. But, I could use some financial tips and, sure, I'd like to be a millionaire, so I pulled this one off the shelf. I figured, if even 1/4 of this information gets through my thick, numbers-deficient brain, it would be a win. What I got was some good advice not all about money. The Difference, Jean states in her clear, positive voice, isn't about being born with a trust fund or knowing your way around Wall Street (although those things certainly help), it's a state of mind. Your attitude. She sent a questionnaire to a bunch of people, including millionaires, and mined some common themes. Interestingly, luck plays no part in financial wealth. In fact, Jean found the more you believed in luck, the less likely you were to be rich. Rich people believe they had some luck, yes

Paella Class & Wine

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For Christmas, our ever-thoughtful friends Demi and Jeff gave us a gift certificate to a paella demo class at Cafe BaBaReeba, a yummy tapas place in Lincoln Park. I'm on a quest to perfect my paella skills -- a dish I've made several times to varying degrees of success. Today's class not only have some useful tips (saffron tea - genius!) but came with a three course lunch with wine pairings. We walked out a little tipsy and ready to make a great paella next time. Ole! The Finished Paella

'Seraphina' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman Read by: Justine Eyre Genre: YA Lit Dragon fantasies are often a stretch for me, but I do enjoy a fantasy now and then -- and this one came highly recommended by my friend Sonja at bookwink.com . So when I saw the audiobook brand-new on the shelves, I couldn't resist. I'm actually not sure how I stayed on the road while listening to this book. I was so caught up in each scenes, picturing every character, imagining their outfits, gestures and looks. Miles went by when I don't remember consciously looking at the road in front me. (Maybe a risk I should think about in the future.) I loved this story. Seraphina is a sweet girl despite the large burden of secrets she carries around. The book is exquisitely written. And Prince Lucian Kiggs is dreamy; I kept picturing Jon Snow from "Game of Thrones." Actually, every character is vivid and full of life. And each is operating in the shadows of good and evil. But the MV

Little Elves

We got home late from Leah's ballet class tonight to a very clean house. A sparking, new house. The cleaning service came this afternoon and worked some magic. Floors I've never cleaned are gleaming, bath tubs are sparkling and windows are actually see-through. Since getting home, I've been wandering around and picking up the papers and detritus I can now see in each of the rooms and disposing or putting them away in their proper place -- further organizing and assigning placement to things I never thought needed a home.  During which, I'm elating over the simple joy of dusted shelves and vacuumed carpets. Yes, completely worth it.

'The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly Ready by: Natalie Ross Genre: YA Lit Not that I'm always swayed by covers, but this one always caught my eye; the brilliant yellow and black silhouettes. And not that I'm swayed by medals, but it's a 2010 Newbery honor recipient for pete's sake. The story did sound cute and I could use a few hours in hot Texas this week. So, I checked it out of my library. Bottom line: Not for me. The imagery was beautiful. My car actually grew a bit hotter with descriptions of a Texas heatwave that sent families inside during the afternoons to nap. And I grew fond of the brisley grandfather and wondered how a turn-of-the-century Mother kept all those kids respectful and in-line. But the story moved slowly and lazily. Calpurnia took too long to figure things out. And the audio quality felt blurry in my ears. Like it was recorded behind a wool blanket.  After disc 2, it got returned to the library. Maybe Ms. Kel

'Bringing Up Bebe' Audiobook Review

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Bringing Up Bebe Audiobook: Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman Ready by: Abby Craden Genre: Memoir I’ve been curious about the book ever since its release but decided I missed the boat, since my kids were already past toddlerhood. But to satisfy my occasional Francophile itch (my copy of Amalie is MIA) I grabbed the audiobook from the library and popped it in. And I’m happy I did. My conclusion: Parisian mothers don’t have it all worked out (glad to affirm that we’re all floundering) but they view some parenting concepts in much different ways. For instance, they embrace day care – mostly because it’s government subsidized and the care givers are practically pediatricians. They often say “the perfect mother doesn’t exist.” And they don’t believe in over-scheduling children but allowing them freedom to discover, or “awaken.” Independent play is hugely important. Their kids sleep through the night at 3 months (mine did too) and are good eaters – though I suspect

Something Big Brewing

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I think we've reaching the end. This blog has been fun to record all the changes we've gone through in the last year -- good and bad -- and to chronicle it all for friends and family. But now it's time to move on. We're certified Illinois-ers now, we've got the license plates and voter registration cards to prove it. But never fear!! A plan is in the works for a shiny new blog that I will have a big plans for. It's all so exciting! More news coming soon..

'Julie & Julia' Audiobook Review

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Audiobook : Julie & Julia by Julie Powell Read By: Julie Powell So I'm a little late to this party. The Julie & Julia blog had a huge following (one of the first blogs to reach mainstream attention), the book came out in 2005 (a NY Times best seller, hello!) and the movie came out in 2009 (was that Meryl Streep?) that I never saw. So, yes, three years later I'm scanning the options at my local library and picked it up. It's so not what I expected. I was expecting Julie to be mousey and quiet -- a quintessential secretary with a passing interest in cooking. In reality, she swears like sailor and drinks like a fish (another gimlet, please). She's depressed, is crazy/dramatic and is a Buffy fangirl. One night, over wine, she jokes about cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her husband takes her seriously. He shows her this new thing called blogging and, much to her surprise, she follows through with it. Managing a year of bu

Basement Planning In the New Year

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We started giving our unfinished (and spider-populated) basement some thought. What would we want it to look like when it's done? What's the plan? What's our goals? Sometimes, when I struggle to fall asleep, I think about how I'd finish the large space. Those plans usually go like this: A large storage area. A closed-off bedroom space, for guests. An area with cabinets and large work table for crafts and other messy projects. An area for home-gym equipment (a mat, weights, Dave's punching bag, a TV for workout videos). A projection TV and u-shaped sofa for movie nights and football games. The ping-pong table, ready for the next match. And a scoreboard on the wall.  Overall, lots of lighting, plushy carpets and bright colors -- so it doesn't look like a dark cave. Light and Lovely Carpet This time, we've gone so far as to call a contractor recommended to us by Dave's work colleague. Because, we can't really know what to save up for,

Gallagher Girls Series Audiobook Review

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Audiobooks: Gallagher Girls Series, books 1-5 by Ally Carter Ready by: Renée Raudman Genre: YA Lit I read Heist Society , Ms. Carter's other spy series and really liked it. (Review of second book in that series is coming.) As books, I had always dismissed the Gallagher Girls books because they looked a little too kid-ish for my tastes. But, as audiobooks, there's less of a time commitment, and these books are universally adored, so I picked up the first one. I was back at the library the next day to check out the rest of the series. The Gallagher Academy is a top-secret, all-girls spy school and Cammie, the main character, is its headmistress's gawky daughter. The series follows Cammie as she matches her education against real-world dangers, and real boys(!), with her best friends Liz and Becks. The miracle of this series is that Cammie grows up a lot. I listened to these books consecutively in the span of about a month, so her growth was easy to chart. She g

Sunday Dinner - Count On It

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Years ago I read a study about Sunday dinner. It stated its importance in a busy family when members don't have time to all eat together during the weekdays. Meeting around the dining room table once a week becomes a sacred tradition the family can count on. It's a piece of information I filed away -- with very young kids, we hardly ate together. Or even the same things. Nowadays, with Leah in first grade and picking up early-evening activities (soccer practice and ballet class), weekday dinners have been less about what we're eating but how fast it gets to the table. Gone are my prepared menus and prep-time. In are the dinners of scrambled eggs and toast! Frozen chicken and corn! Spaghetti ... again! So, I'm pulling out this idea of Sunday dinner. Other than the family time and creating a weekly tradition, I want more time to experiment with recipes that take longer than 15 minutes to prepare. It's about putting different food in front of the kids and practic

Coffee Table Phase 1

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Coffee Table At Last! In my day job, we do a lot of iterative projects. So, I'm doing the same for my coffee table. It's a pretty huge step that I even have one. I've only been looking for the last 10 months, or so. I got lucky, as this one was sitting in the corner of Mom's condo collecting dust (thus, FREE!). She found it in an antique shop after she moved to Illinois. In her latest move, it didn't even get set up. It's a dining table, but I liked the curves and the legs. And it has a leaf! So it extends, which I thought would be a clever feature for a coffee table. A few days before my company arrived for Christmas, I rescued it from Mom's condo, had Dave cut down the legs and, viola! fabulous (if a little wobbly) coffee table. It's the right size and height (I wanted it a bit higher than traditional tables) and displays all the books and magazines I'm in the middle of reading. Even the giant Louvre book I got for Christmas fits! The

A Future Tennis Star

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Future Tennis Star Alice often says she wants to be a tennis player when she grows up. Clearly, Nana's influence. She's always watching tennis with her.  So when Alice got a great tennis outfit and racket for the Holidays, I went in search for lessons at a local tennis club. Today was her first lesson. I begged to get a picture of her before practice, but she forbid it and asked that I wait for her to be on the court. I'm one story up and behind glass to get this photo.  Being new to the class, she took time to look around and watch the other kids. I couldn't hear from my spot, but she had a lot to say to the coach. She had so much fun that I signed her up through February. Possibly a bright future with a racket? Relate posts: More more and more Alice

Staying Ahead While Staying At Home

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It was around this time last year that I made an attempt to be a some-what Stay At Home mom -- all while unpacking and discovering a new town and state. I was also contracting for my old job, which turned into much more time than I originally planned. Needless to say, it was less fun than I thought it would be. Facepainting at the Children's Museum This week I'm home with the girls while they are off for winter break. We're all one year older and wiser, so I'm working on some better strategies from lessons learned. First, and most important, be a step ahead. Plan one big event each day that's tailored for them. I took them to the children's museum on Wednesday and to an ice skating lesson on Thursday. I anticipated hunger, had a plan, and cut activities short to make sure they got fed. We took breaks, rested and had strategic movie times - to keep small tempers at bay. I let them choose some things to do, but never gave up my hold of the master schedul

Cleaning Up

Today I had a cleaning service walk through the house to give me an estimate for an every-other week cleaning. This was a luxury we had in New Jersey and one I had been planning to sign up for here, once the expense of the lawn service died out with the warm weather. Maria was a nice lady who answered my questions and offered references, but I should have spent more time tiding up the house for her. See, I hosted me entire family for two weeks around Christmas and have been home with the kids through winter break. This house isn't used to seeing a lot of daytime activity. She was clearly concerned with the amount of work. She told me the charge for the repetitive service but added, "I'll need to charge you a bit more for the initial cleaning ... It's going to take a lot of time ... For that kitchen especially." I think she was aiming at tactful, while being honest. Please, the job is all yours.

Bunk Bed Are Back!

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Rise up! Clearly I Didn't Get a Chance to Make Them Up for This Picture These are the bunk bed that I had as a kid. Carol and I would take turns sleeping on the top and bottom. I usually got stuck on the bottom, which I eventually decided was okay because if the house flooded, I'd be the first one to know and could escape faster. Carol would likely float away. Our favorite game at the LaSalle Ave house was running from the crocodiles that swam out of our closet. And the bunks made for good sailing out on the open seas. This was also the bed frame we threw Liza against. (Sorry, little sister!) It's been a decade, at least, since these beds have been bunked. And here they are, ready for the next generation to discover new games. Though, they are a bit lower than I remember. Could the bunks be shrinking?! Alice was worried at first, but excited once she saw them in her room. A few practice climbs up the ladder gave her enough confidence to want to sleep ON THE TO