Sun & Moon & Stars

Tis the Season…

sunandmoonandstars — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:02:54 +0000

To go completely insane decorating every surface of your house in preparation for Christmas. For most of my twenties I lived in studio apartments and the only surface available for me to bedeck with Christmas cheer was the back of the toilet. But now, I have more space and, as a mother, it is my duty to cram Christmas down the throats of my family until they are begging for the Epiphany. Here’s a sneak peek of what we have going on this year…

Who is that crazy lady behind me?

This last photo was supposed to be a cute shot of mommy and sous chef smiling by the Christmas tree, but at 18 months old she does one of two things every time she sees a camera:

1. Pretends not to know me.

2. Turns her body into a rigid board and slides out of my grasp.

Merry Christmas!

Cousins

sunandmoonandstars — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:29:42 +0000

My sous chef loves other children, especially her cousins. She calls all children, regardless of their age, “babies.” She walked up to an eighteen year old at the grocery store and said, “Hi, baby.” He grunted. He probably hears this a lot. She told my six-year-old nephew he was also still a baby. To a six-year-old boy this is the ultimate insult, but he took it all in stride because he loves his little cousin.

So, we’d like to introduce you to her cousins in their icing moustached glory.

This is J. She is lovely and smart and incredibly witty. She’s going to grow up to be the most beautiful woman in the world, but she doesn’t know this yet.

Likes: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Reading. She’s a bookworm.

Dislikes: Canned beverages. Seriously, she’s a coke-a-phobic.

This is D. He is incredibly sweet and sensitive, but he’s six years old, so if he heard me say that he’d be really mad. He also has the most beautiful singing voice I’ve ever heard. Move over, Justin Bieber.

Likes: Dinosaurs, Battles, Soldiers, Pirates, Karate…you get the point.

Dislikes: Vegetables (Mom & Dad are working on that one).

This is Little D. Please note that he and his brother have matching pjs. This kills me. Little D is the most mild-mannered, serene baby I have ever encountered. He makes my sous chef look like she’s at the end of a caffeine fueled-sleep deprived-pull all the pots and pans out of the cupboard-wail like a banshee-color yourself with a permanent marker– bender. Oh wait, she usually is in the midst of one of these benders.

Likes: Mommy, Daddy, J and D. And Ipads.

Dislikes: I’m not sure he has any. He’s too cool for all that.

Thankful For…

sunandmoonandstars — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:02:58 +0000

For the past year and for all the people who shared it with me. I love you. Happy Thanksgiving.

A Perennial Favorite

sunandmoonandstars — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:36:04 +0000

We just returned from a quick, yet surprisingly relaxing trip to Chicago. While there, we had the very good fortune to eat brunch at Perennial Virant, a deliciously innovative restaurant in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. It was the kind of dining experience that made me weep a little on the inside knowing that, later in the day, I would be returning to the land of the Bob Evans brunch. In central Illinois it’s very hard to find creamy turkey sausage gravy over flaky buttermilk biscuits. Or farm fresh eggs with roasted broccoli and bacon, cooked to perfection in an iron skillet. *Sigh* I can guarantee that we’d be hard pressed to find omelettes filled with creamy chevre, then topped with prosciutto and radishes sliced so thin they melt in your mouth. And most of all we don’t have poached pears served with sage infused shortbread and fresh, orange scented whipped cream. *Sob* That last dish I ordered for my sous chef and then ended up eating it all myself. I’m a nice, considerate, Mommy like that.

Perhaps a brunch like this exists here the heartland, but it remains elusive. In the meantime my sous chef and I are going to get in the kitchen and do our best to recreate that omelette. It will probably take us ten years, so wish us luck. If you live in Chicago save yourself the effort and go to Perennial instead.

My sous chef would like now to include her review of this restaurant. While she arrived at the same conclusion as I did regarding our dining experience her criteria for success were a little unorthodox. Please see below:

Luckily for Perennial they kept the butter flowing, no questions asked. They even sprinkled it with fleur de sel for bonus points. It’s as if they knew there was a butter hound in their midst.

Thumbs up, Mom.

This Is What Madness Looks Like.

sunandmoonandstars — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:58:07 +0000

I didn’t really feel like writing a blog post today. In fact, I didn’t feel like doing much of anything except gaze out the window while eating chocolate covered pretzels (seriously, why do I keep buying those things?). What, you ask, has left me feeling so utterly stupified? Well, it could have something to do with the fact that since yesterday I have found in my house, not one, not two, but three…erm…how do I describe them…harbingers of doom? Yes, I believe that’s the appropriate phrase.

I’m not sure exactly how these creatures arrived in my home. Okay, that’s a lie, grandma brought them, all of them. She spaced it out over a few days though, because she’s a tricky grandma. And, before we knew it, we were overrun.

Perhaps you would like to see these little demons in action? Please watch the video below. Be warned, however, excessive watching may cause you to retreat to a corner of your kitchen to eat chocolate covered pretzels, or if you’re a baby, to chew nervously on a comb.

I think it’s time to call our priest and get this house blessed already!