Marblehead, MA

Since I was in the Boston area last weekend I took advantage and planned to see my friend Erin and her husband Ryan.

Erin and I met in college. The first day we sat at the same table, we started chatting and by the end of the conversation we had hugged. I went home that night and told my boyfriend at the time that I had just met my best friend. She went home and told her boyfriend the same thing.

We leaned on each other through the ups and downs of our early twenties. When I was super college-doing-this-on-my-own poor and couldn't afford groceries she would pack an extra lunch for me and bring it to school. She has held my hair back for me when I puked (more than once) and always laughs at all my jokes. One time we went camping in February ( I know what the hell were we thinking right?) and while we lay in our tents in the below freezing cold darkness she whispered to me that everything would be okay and the sun would come up and the bears wouldn't eat us while I cried my eyes out scared to death. Even though I know she was just as scared as me she was strong for me. That's the kind of girl Erin is. If I had describe her with one word it would be sacrificial. If I got to use two words I would throw beautiful in there too.

Eventually Erin fell in love and got married and moved to Boston. I have never been more sad about a person moving ever in my life. But, I was falling in love myself and so that distracted me from becoming a complete mess about the miles that separated us. I stood next to her at her wedding and she stood next to me at mine. Being all grown up and married and 600 miles away from each other has changed things, but no matter what we love each other. This will never change.

So Erin and her husband Ryan picked me up from Bridget's house and we spent the day together catching up and doing lots of and lots of walking. It was the perfect way to wrap up my trip to Boston.

Lets lead the photos off with a couple adorable ones of Westley shall we?

We bundled up and went for a long walk around Marblehead...

 Westley eventually fell asleep.

 We walked and walked and watched the sun set over the water.

 And when we got home I put the baby to bed whlie Erin baked us an apple pie.

I only ate a few bites because Westley woke up very very upset and it took a long time to calm the little guy. But what I was able to eat was gooooood.

It was too short a visit for sure, but it was so good to see them both.

And if you are wondering, the flight home went pretty good. We had two seats all to ourselves which was great but Westley wailed for about 20 dreadful minutes and there was nothing I could do to calm him until he just collapsed into sleep.

The trip to Boston was so so good for Westley and I. Westley came home more chatty and smiley and giggly than ever and I came home feeling refreshed and so much more confident as a Mama. I felt like I had accomplished something with him. I also feel even more bonded to him because we took this trip together and had a lot of memorable sweet moments. But, we were happy to see Daddy's face when he picked up us that's for sure. Westley smiled so big that all of his gums were showing. It was great.

Living Pinterest: Slow Cooker Soup and Easy Parm Knots

Poor Drew Jones. I wonder if when he married me he knew that I was kitchen-challenged.

He was sitting next to me as I typed that sentence so I decided to ask him...

"Hey, did you know when we got married that I didn't really like to cook?"

He shakes his head no.

I laugh.

He says, "Wait, I guess...maybe? I don't know."

The best part of this is that he is sitting next to me eating a bagel and chips for dinner at 10:14 p.m.

Poor Drew Jones.

But there is HOPE Drew Jones! A shining light of sweet sweet hope called PINTEREST.

Beautiful photos of yummy looking food are always all over Pinterest. At first I only pinned pretty cake and cookie and caramel exploding brownies but then I started seeing recipe ideas for things that looked real darn good to me. So slowly I started pinning soups and wraps and crock pot meals with the best intentions to actually make them. I felt good about trying these things because I figured if a crap ton of people pinned it, it must be worth making...because part of what I dislike about cooking is spending the money and time to make something and having it turn out gross or even just okay.

So I decided to make Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup (original pin) & Easy Parmesan Knots (original pin) from my Food Glorious Food pinboard.

And not only did I resolve to make these things, but I decided that I would pack them up in our car along with our adorable baby and suprise Drew Jones with a homemade lunch at work.

That's like 6 wife points around here.

I liked this recipe because:

a: it is a slow cooker so-easy-an-eight-year-old-could-do-it recipe and my kitchen IQ is that of an 8 year old. (or less)

b: it is vegetarian and I am always looking for good meatless meals.

c: soup is good when it gets cold and it's getting cold around these parts

The recipe is here.

 Drew Jones doesn't even really like mushrooms (subtract 2 points)

The recipe calls for an "envelope of white sauce mix". I figured that I would go to the grocery and there would be a packet of seasoning called "white sauce mix". Not so. So I just picked something that said "tortellini" on it since that is what I was making.

 I always have this stuff on hand. So much quicker that peeling and mincing up garlic.

 The Easy Parm Knots were SO EASY. It's just Pillsbury rolls tied into freakin' knots, baked and then brushed with this delicious concoction of olive oil, seasoning and parm.

This is that concoction.

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This was the finished meal. AND IT WAS GOOD.

Drew Jones even LIKED the mushroom part of it. ( 2 points reinstated.) AND I have already made it again and took it to share at a party where it got some rave reviews.

So seriously, try it. And be sure to use that Lawry's Tortellini seasoning packet,  because I think it is probably better than  "white sauce mix" if that even exists.

Time to link up and show off how you've been Living Pinterest too! I love visiting your links and seeing what you are up to...

Blog Friends Weekend in Boston

Friday morning Westley and I got on a plane to Boston to meet 4 woman and 3 babies we had never met in real life before.

After two years of writing this little blog I've become legit friends with some very sweet woman and we were finally meeting.

Honestly, I was so so nervous. The night before I sat on the couch with Drew Jones and told him, "I'm not going."

I was half kidding.

Mostly I was scared of flying alone with Westley.

I was also jittery about spending an entire weekend away from our home, our schedule, Drew.

And honestly, I was anxious about seeing these woman for the first time. What if they thought I was better on my blog? What if they are disappointed in real life me?

But Friday morning came, bags got packed up in the car, kisses were exchanged and we were off to the airport. All of a sudden my nerves were gone and it was just time to go for it. If Westley cried all the way to Boston so be it. And hopefully the girls would like me, but if not I would have Westley there with me and I knew they would LOVE him.

The flight went great. Westley was a happy boy and only fussed a little. We sat next to a really nice guy named Fred who baby talked Westley and teared up thinking about his own kids when they were little. I've never nursed Westley while sitting so darn close to a stranger ever, but he didn't blink an eye. Thank God.

Bridget and Parker picked us up at the airport and from there the weekend officially began. We had a couple hours together just us to talk and hang out and it was wonderful. We walked downtown Boston and ate huge slices of pizza with our babes strapped to our chests. It was surreal to meet someone I had only seen in photos. I had read her thoughts and stories and now here her and little Parker were! It's so strange to feel so comfortable with a person I had just officially met in real life.

We finished our pizza and were off to pick up Molly. Molly! When we pulled up I hopped out of the car to greet and hug her! Again, the surreal feeling was there. How awesome to feel such closeness to a friend I'd only exchanged words online with!

Our babies cried all the way to the Villa. I sat in the backseat trying to assuage their discomfort with little success. We made it to our house, got the tour, put our luggage in our rooms and then literally talked for hours until Shannon and Elizabeth came in later that evening.

So then there we were. All five of us under one roof, plus our four adorable babes. I almost couldn't talk because I was too interested in taking it all in. Hearing all their voices and laughs. It was so fun.

It was a really great weekend. If I were you I would be asking me, "So what are all these woman really like in person?!"

And so I am going to tell you.

Molly - God. I love her. I knew I would. First you must know that she has a very proper, lovely, dignified southern accent. It's awesome. She is very funny and quick and dry in her humor and is so so sincere. Molly is one of those people that you look in the eyes and immediately tell that she is trustworthy and good through and through. The first time she held Westley he fell asleep in her arms. She is a great story teller and has great stories to tell. She is even more pretty in person. Sigh. I love Molly. If we lived close to one another I think we would be inseparable. Did I mention we were roomies? We spent Saturday night whispering to each other into the early morning hours. Molly is a rare woman with a strength and grace and peace to her that made me feel so comfortable in her presence. I missed her the moment we left the house.

Bridget - You think Bridget is awesome on her blog? Even BETTER in person. Seriously. She is one of those uncommon women that is confident and beautiful and funny and strong without an ounce of arrogance. Bridget is the type of girl you just want to be around. She is really kind and thoughtful and obviously completely funny. Some people are funny when they write but not funny in person...not Bridget. Funny in person too. Totally. Another thing I really liked about her is she was an open book. You ask her something and she answers you honestly. And she looooooves Parker so tenderly and sweetly, something that she talks about on her blog of course. But in person their bond  is so evident and strong it brought tears to my eyes.

Shannon - Shannon is such a high impact person. She had no fear of taking on the escalator in the subway with Behr in his stoller. And when the escalator was no where to be found she just scooped up the stroller and stinkin' carried that beast down a flight of stairs. Shannon seems to me to be the type of woman that can take on big tasks and get things done. She is a leader and knows what she likes and what she doesn't like and isn't afraid to tell you that. She has so much energy and her smile is just as pretty in real life as it is in photos. Oh and Behr? He is deeeelightful. A sweet, smiley, squealy little guy full of life and joy. What a sweetie.

Elizabeth - Elizabeth has a southern accent that I was not expecting and it's adorable. She speaks first with looks and body language and second with words. She can say a lot to you with an eyebrow raise and a smile. She is even prettier in real life and if it is possible Everett is even cuter. She is kind and self assured with a touch of mystery. You could almost see her writing stories in her head about all that was happening around her. If you read her blog you can obviously see that she is a writer, but meeting her in real life confirms it for me because instead of being chatty she takes things in and listens well. But, she is also a fantastic storyteller (duh). Also, I saw in her this weekend a sweet soft heart that cares deeply for people she loves and people she doesn't know at all (readers). I believe that she blogs and puts her life out there so openly so that those of us who read can in turn be open.

And now for an onslaught of weekend photos...

The Villa we stayed in was perfect, the weather was beautiful, Boston was invigorating, the women did not disappoint and the babies? OH THE BABIES. Too much.



Believe it or not I have more to share of my trip! On Sunday and Monday I visited an old friend and her husband in Marblehead, MA. Tomorrow I will have a Living Pinterest as scheduled and then Monday I'll wrap up my trip with photos and thoughts.