Weekend In The Sun

The past few days have been absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Mother Nature! Friday evening we went for a walk and brought the camera.

Maybe you'll think we're boring, but after our walk we just hung out in our apartment. Eric was working on some stuff for HBS (the students all have to take 3 on-line tutorials and pass some tests before they can officially start school) and I made those baskets for my mom.

Yesterday we headed out to Harvard to spend some time by the pool. Eric's parents were on The Vineyard, so we had the place to ourselves. We picked up some sandwhich fixin's on the way and made ourselves pitas with turkey, cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes for lunch. Plus a giant deli pickle on the side. We had plums for dessert (and some ice cream, I'll be honest). We swam a bit and enjoyed the sunshine. I finished my book (American Gods - sooooo good) and Eric had his laptop on the deck and continued his tutorial work (he passed the first test with flying colors, aren't you proud?!).

We ended up staying the night because our friend was also in town dog-sitting for his parents. We hung out with him last night and watched The Wrestler. I had to cover my eyes a few times, because some scenes were just too disturbing, but I thought it was a good movie. I don't know who the heck Micky Rourke is, but he was very believable.

Today we spent more time in the sun and in the pool (woo hoo!) before coming back to Boston.

I have to get a ton of work done in the first half of this week, because we're headed to San Francisco on Thursday! We're visiting Eric's brother, Drew, and Kristen's parents. I'm really looking forward to our time on the West Coast. Don't worry, we'll be bringing the camera.

Were you all able to get out and enjoy the weather? I hope it was nice wherever you were!

A Bee In Purple Flowers

I haven't been stung by a bee in years. I remember when I was little I used to get stung at least once a summer. One year I was stung 3 times in one day! It's likely that back then I just used to be in their territory more often. I'd run around the yard like a maniac, and I wouldn't be thinking about bees until I felt the pain of a stinger.

Now I look forward to seeing bees. I always try to photograph them, because they're a beautiful challenge. I've been interested in insects my whole life, and bees are especially cool.

What do you think of insects? Do they freak you out? Has your relationship with them changed as you've gotten older?

I took the photo on Saturday, in Harvard, MA. Happy second day of summer!

Stop And Smell The Roses

It's Father's Day! So why am I posting a photo of roses? Well, my dad taught me that it's always worth it to stop and smell the roses. If we're driving down our street at sunset or on a beautiful, clear day, he always stops in this one spot, just to take in the view. He doesn't speed by or take it for granted. He's that kind of guy. (That kind of guy is the best.)

I also want to talk about my mom, because I didn't write a Mother's Day post. If my dad got me to stop and smell a flower, my mom got me to appreciate its subtlties in color, texture, and scent. She's an amazing artist and she tackles every project (painting, soap-making, cake decorating) with gusto. She taught me that it's important to try, and that if it doesn't work out you can try again.

I took this picture yesterday at Eric's parents' house. We went to spend time with his parents and do some laundry. When we got there we found out that it was their 28th anniversary (oops, our bad!). We had a really great day, too. The forecast said rain, but that didn't happen. We ate lunch on the deck, went for a great walk, and then had a delcious dinner! I'm so glad we went yesterday, because today was all rainy and grey.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there!

Arts Festival & Friends

How was your weekend? Ours was lovely and delightfully sunny. We spent a lot of time outside; it doesn't get much better than that!

On Saturday morning we headed over the the Arts Festival in Coolidge Corner. I like going to these things to see the way people display their products and to check out prices. I'm investigating because one day I'll be showing Everything Little Miss at places like this!

I also like going to see Jennifer Hill's booth. I can always spot Jennifer from a mile away because of her gorgeous reds and distinctive designs. We worked together at my last job, and she's been full of encouragement for quite some time now. I love her work, and it's nice to be able to see it in person. Anyway, the picture is of her booth. She's in the yellow sweater and her sister is helping her.

We spent Saturday afternoon in Harvard with Eric's parents. Then we headed to The Barking Crab to meet up with friends. Since we arrived pretty late, we weren't there long before the group decided to go to Lucky's, which was about a block away. It great to catch up with our friends and we had a lot of fun!

Yesterday we had lunch with some new friends. We met them at the HBS Admitted Students Welcome, and they were here yesterday picking up the keys to their new apartment. After taking a look at there new place we walked to Harvard Square and got sandwhiches to go at Leo's Place. We ate outside, and there was live musical entertainment in the background. Everything felt very summery. We had a really great time, and I'm looking forward to all of our new friends moving to the area!

Flowers On A Tree In Blue

This afternoon we went to HBS for day one of the Admitted Students Welcome. In all of the literature, Eric is my "student" (sounds like I'm his mom or something) and I'm his "partner." However, when we got there all of the name tags looked the same, I got a t-shirt that says HBS class of 2011, and nobody could tell that I was a partner (rather than a student). So that was a little awkward. Especially when people started asking where I worked and my answer was "well, I was laid off in January." Of course I followed that with "but I'm starting my own design business called Everything Little Miss." It was a large crowd and I think I was a tad overwhelmed by it all. 

Once we split into small groups for dinner, I felt much more comfortable. We ate at Spice with a current student and two other admitted students. The current student told us about her experiences so far this year. She answered all of our questions honestly and was really very helpful. It was interesting to hear the other students' questions and also learn about their interviews. 

Tomorrow our day starts at 7:00 am with a continental breakfast. Dinner is at 7:00 pm. It's going to be a long day, so I doubt we'll have time to post.

Oh yeah! The photo. I took this picture on the campus. Our little Minolta is on its last legs, and I'm not sure what happened here, but I adore the outcome! Blue! I think it's a cherry tree or something like that. Am I close?

Last but not least, today I posted part 2 of my Lost In Thoughts series and about a masthead I designed. 

Boston - New Jersey - Harvard - Boston

Wow. It was a looooooong weekend. I need about 10 more hours of sleep. But it was a good weekend. Better than good. 

Friday afternoon we drove to New Jersey. With traffic, it took us about 5 hours. Our first stop was my grandparent's house (mom's parents) for dinner.  We met my parents and brother there. I've been missing my family a lot, so it was really exciting to see them. Unfortunately, my sister was busy and couldn't come, but my aunt Lisa joined us, and that was a welcome surprise. 

After dinner we headed over to my gramma's house (dad's mom). The next morning I woke up bright and early and had a nice talk with my gramma before we started preparing for the Passover Sedar (we always celebrate the holiday on the weekend). My dad's brother and his wife came around 2:30 and they brought some delicious cheese. The sedar started around 4:30.It was fun and there was lots of laughing. But it was a seriously long day.

Sunday we had fresh bagels for breakfast. Then we hit the road around 10:30 because we were headed to Harvard, MA for Easter dinner with Eric's family. I took the picture from the car. I really like that you can see the city through the gaps in the bridge's railing. The drive took about 4 hours (no traffic!) and we ate at 3:00. Dinner was delicious and the company was even better. After dinner we played the egg game.* I was out first and Eric's mom won. We sort of ate and ran, but we were soo, soo, soooooooo tired. 

The end.

*How to play the egg game: Select a hard boiled egg. Sit in a circle (or around a table) and go clockwise. Tap (or slam - your choice) one end of your egg against your opponent's. If yours breaks, use the other end to try again with the person on your other side (if yours didn't break, use the same side). Then your second opponent turns to her left and tries with the next person. And so on. You continue this way until both ends of the egg are broken, at which point you're out and the chain skips you. The person who is left with at least one undamaged side of their egg at the end is the winner. It's fun - you should try it. 

A Portrait Of A Horse

Eric and I went to Harvard yesterday to do luandry, return the crosss country skis to his parents, and change his tires back to summer tires. When we got there his parents were out, so we decided to take advantage of the unbelievably perfect weather and go for a walk. We saw a few horses, but this one was a real ham. He was practically posing for me - it was great!

When we visit Eric's parents we always eat them out of house and home, and yesterday was no exception. We stayed for dinner (family friends also joined us), and it was delicious. Salmon, salad with all sorts of goodies (avacado, cherry tomatoes, orange and yellow peppers, feta cheese, and some more stuff), rice pilaf, and garlic bread. What a treat! I had mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert (I have a killer sweet tooth).  

Today I don't really know what Eric's been up to, but we're both still in PJs (yeah, I know it's 4:30 pm) and we've been sooo busy. I started the morning by hand-lining envelopes for Everything Little Miss. Then I figured out pricing for the new sets. After that I had to write desciptions for each of the new products and edit and upload photos. So after many hours of work (and some help from my roommate), the new sets are available for sale and featured in the blog!

We were going to work on a top-secret photography project today, but it's been too dark out. It'll just have to wait. We're off to the grocery store and Barnes & Nobel. Catch ya on the flip side. :)

Will + Emma

The Schwarz and I went to Amherst on Saturday, to visit his youngest brother (Will) and my sister (Emma). They're both students at our alma mater, UMass.    

It was a deliciously warm day for early March, and when we arrived around noon Will was dressed for summer. The boys and I went into town to grab sandwhiches at The Black Sheep. YUM. One of my favorite things about going back to visit is eating. We met up with my sister at her apartment around 2:45, when she was finished with dance practice. My parents and brother showed up about 30 minutes later and the Mays and Schwarzes split up for the afternoon.  

Eric and Will went on an errand or two, hung out in the dorm, and ordered wings (yuck) before going to the hockey game (UMass won). 

My family went to Panera to get some snacks before an afternoon of shopping. Not my favorite thing, but it was fun for us to be together. My sister's going to Vegas in 4 days, and she needs clothes and shoes, so we helped her get everything she needed. We ended the day with a great meal at Amherst Brewing Company. Oh. My. God. The sweet potato fries are so delicious. Afterwards we walked (Max and I skipped) back to my sister's apartment and then said good-bye. I got to spend a little more time with Emma before Eric picked me up and we headed to his parent's house for the night. 

We spent yesterday with Eric's mom & dad (and I ate waaaay too many cookies). We went for a long walk with his mom and I sat with him and his dad while the smoked disgusting cigars. 

Today I'm exhausted. I hope this post isn't too long or confusing! 

A Day At The Museum

My parents and brother came to town for the weekend. On Saturday, while my dad was at a chiropractic seminar and my mom was at the Museum of Fine Arts, The Schwarz and I took my brother to the Museum of Science. The Schwarz's mom found out about or plans, and hurried down to the Harvard Public Library to get a pass to the museum so we could get a big discount on tickets. Cool, huh?

We had a great day! We saw tamarin monkeys in the Human Evolution exhibit and we also went to the Butterfly Garden. The museum currently has an exhibit about Mythic Creatures (no photos allowed). It wasn't what I expected, but it was interesting because there was information about how the myths began and why people believed in the creatures. On the other hand, the flow and lighting of the room made it difficult to read about the legends. 

An Apple Story

On October 5, The Schwarz and I picked two full bags of apples in Harvard, MA. I love picking apples; it's so much fun! Plus, I just love applesauce! 

This year I wanted to try something a little different, so I got my Gramma's favorite apple pie recipe and tried it out. It was my very first pie ever, and I think it was quite the success. It looked fairly professional and tasted delicious. 

I only needed 6 apples for the pie, so I had to get busy making applesauce. I used one full bag of apples and stirred two pots at the same time. I had to use a stool because my arm was starting to hurt -- I hate that picture of me (taken by The Schwarz), but I'm including it for my Gramma. I'd estimate that 40 - 50 apples went in to that first batch and we finished it in less than a week (I ate most of it)!  

How to make my favorite applesauce:

• Peel and cut a bunch of apples (7 -15, depending how much you want).
  
• Put them in a pot with a little bit of water - at least enough to cover the bottom - I usually put about an inch of water. 
• Bring water to a boil, stirring occasionally. 
• As the apples get softer, stir and mash like crazy. You're done when it's the consistency you prefer. 
• Stir in a little bit of brown sugar (1 TB) and cinnamon. Add more to taste, as desired. 
• Let cool and eat! 

I know those directions are pretty vague, but that's what I do.