what brooke does

Dear Ruby, Last year my mom gave me a daily journal she kept...

Sat, 07 May 2011 18:09:07 -0400

Dear Ruby,

Last year my mom gave me a daily journal she kept when Shannon and I were about 18 months old. Since you were born only a couple weeks after my birthday, I really enjoyed following along each day and comparing your development to our development. I’ve kept thinking I want to start a journal of the things you do that amaze me on a daily basis but it’s just not something I can seem to find the time to do. You turned two last Saturday and at your 2 year check up your doctor asked me standard questions about you and I felt sad that I couldn’t answer with certainty some of his questions. Particularly, do you speak in 3 word sentences? I hesitantly answered yes since you are a very good communicator, but in reality I couldn’t think of an actual sentence you had ever said to me. Now that I’ve had a week to reflect on it and more consciencely observe you, I feel silly for my hesitation. And after being awoken by your sweet little voice coming from your room at 4 this morning, saying “I want you to read Corduroy bear, Mama”, I realized how much I really do want to document this stage of your life where you are learning so much so quickly.
You love singing, “The wheels on the bus”, “Where is Thumbkin?”, “Old McDonald”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and “Farmer in the Dell” are your favorites. Of course since you are learning all of these songs in school, there are many tunes you sing that I don’t recognize. You love colors, you name them all correctly very quickly except for white and black, you really have to think about those two for a while before you can name them. You seem to be very sensitive about getting answers wrong and you think very carefully when you are unsure. You count to eleven. You know your abc’s. You are very good with shapes, you even know pentagon, which really surprised me. You know all your animals and imitate their sounds. You love to jump. You have an amazing memory, on our walk home from school each day you tell me about the things we’ve seen at particular spot weeks and even months ago. The other day when I showed you a picture of you on the ferry boat, you pointed to it and said “We took the car on the boat and went to the island. We played on the beach with the bucket.” Which actually sounded exactly like this “car on the boat and the car on the boat and the car on the boat, island. yah. play beach, play beach. yah. bucket.” But I understood you meant perfectly.
I can’t believe you’re two years old already, it’s scary how quickly time passes and I often wonder if I’ll regret choosing not to stay home with you. But it’s obvious how rewarding school is for you. And it makes me savor the time I spend with you so much more. I remember a conversation I had with my dad one summer evening after my first year of college. I had thanked him for everything he had done for me and told him my fear that I would never be as selfless as he had been throughout my life and I hoped I could be as generous when I had kids. He said he felt the same way about the opportunities and fortune his parents had afforded him when he was my age, but as soon as he met us he instantly wanted everything for us rather than himself, and one day I would understand that. I look at you now and know that I would give up everything for you unquestionably and I am so grateful to you for teaching me that about myself. I realize I work so that you can go to school because it’s clear to me that you benefit so much from the relationships you are developing there.

I love you so much and I’m going to make an effort to document you more, especially during this exciting time for our family. And since visiting your dr. I’ve been thinking of all the three word sentences that you use. “I love you, Mama”, “Mommy, where ARE you?” and “read me books” are the ones that warm my heart the most.

XOXO,
Mommy

Daryn and Ruby enjoying a summer’s evening under the...

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:27:16 -0400

Daryn and Ruby enjoying a summer’s evening under the needle.

Ruby is 3 months old. This has been my favorite month so far.

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:32:24 -0400

Ruby is 3 months old. This has been my favorite month so far.

I hate you super cute yellow house! I hate that you cast your...

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:04:28 -0400

I hate you super cute yellow house! I hate that you cast your spell on me and made me offer WAY too much for you! I hate that despite my ridiculously high offer on you, I was still outbid! I hate that Daryn and I nearly got a divorce over you! I hate that you made me make an offer on a hot pink house after I lost you! I hate that I adored your new owners! I hate that your new owners spent a lot more money to remodel you into my *true* dream house! I hate that every Christmas since I lost you, I’ve dreamt of Christmas morning in you! I hate that you inspired me to spend way too much on remodeling my current house to look just like you! But most of all, super cute yellow house, I hate that ever since I saw you listed back on the market, I really really really want to buy you!

Photo

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:13:04 -0400

I’ve been bidding on various CADO wall units over the past...

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:11:07 -0400

I’ve been bidding on various CADO wall units over the past month and I’m now convinced that it’s entirely impossible to win an ebay auction. It’s so frustrating, I really want one for Daryn’s office.

Ruby told me she really wants this chandie for her...

Thu, 07 May 2009 21:01:12 -0400

Ruby told me she really wants this chandie for her nursery…

Ruby Lucille

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:14:37 -0400

Ruby Lucille

yay! let the nesting begin!

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:56:18 -0400

yay! let the nesting begin!

I had kicked off my shoes as soon as I got to work this morning...

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:50:31 -0400

I had kicked off my shoes as soon as I got to work this morning and I was walking around the office in my socks all day today. When I tried to put my shoes back on at the end of the day, they no longer fit. I lifted up my pant legs and pulled down my socks and to my horror discovered that my ankles had doubled in size!

Seesaw ‘85

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:52:23 -0500

Seesaw ‘85

Lapdog

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:31:25 -0500

Lapdog

I don’t know what has gotten into me today, maybe this is...

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:18:35 -0500

I don’t know what has gotten into me today, maybe this is what nesting is all about and since I still don’t have a guest room/closet/nursery to organize and decorate I’m just taking it out on other parts of the house, but I spent way too many hours reorganizing the bookshelves in our kitchen just to put everything back the way it was when I started. I was flipping through this month’s Elle Decor and was inspired by the kitchen pictured above. It may be difficult to tell, but the cabinet to the left of the fridges has stacks and stacks of cookbooks piled high in it. We have a cabinet similar to that one that is currently purposed as a dish hutch, but, upon seeing this picture, I thought it might be better used as a cookbook hutch. So I removed all of our dishes and glassware from it, rearranged the shelves so they were all perfect book height, and moved all of our books from the open bookshelves into the hutch. Then I arranged all of our dishes on the open bookshelves, only to find that the shelves are *just* too shallow to hold our dinner plates, which really bothered me. So back everything went to its original spot.

I really can’t explain why I just wasted the afternoon doing that. Have I gone crazy?

We stayed at the Encore while we were in Vegas last weekend and...

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:42:38 -0500

We stayed at the Encore while we were in Vegas last weekend and I totally fell in love with the decor of the entire place, but particularly, the use of black trim in the rooms. It accentuated the taupe walls and houndstooth wallpaper so beautifully. I really wanted to paint all the trim in our dining room Benjamin Moore’s Night Shade, but was having trouble convincing Daryn that this was a good idea until he saw black trim in action in our room. I think the black and white stripes in the dining room would be set off so much more beautifully with black trim to outline them. Though I’m still considering the stripes a temporary fix until I can convince Daryn that we should install this wallpaper in black. So far he’ll allow it in the powder room, which I think is a step in the right direction. And while we’re on the subject of our powder room, we had a total breakthrough yesterday when he realized how high our ceilings are in there. He actually approached me to tell me how perfect a chandelier would look in there! Something I’ve been trying to convince him of since we moved in 3 years ago. But I won’t remind him of that, as long as I let him think it’s his idea I have a better chance of actually getting it.

My favorite way to spend a cold winter afternoon is in the...

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:49 -0500

My favorite way to spend a cold winter afternoon is in the kitchen stirring up a batch of my famous baked macaroni and cheese. I’ve been asked dozens of times to share my secret recipe, and the only reason I’ve held out for so long is that my secret is: I don’t have a recipe. I use the same basic ingredients every time I make it, but the quantities are a mystery to me, I just add what feels right. The key to a truly amazing finale is in using the best ingredients you can find. The only two cheeses I’ll ever reach for are the classic Tillamook medium cheddar, or Beecher’s flagship. You don’t want to use anything too sharp or it will separate and you’ll end up with a gritty, oily, and not very cheesy, sauce. And if you’re expecting me to post some magic ingredient that makes my mac n cheese a delicious yet healthy treat, you’re looking to the wrong girl. Don’t let my size fool you, if there’s a way to make a dish less healthy, I’ll find it. My magic ingredient is the half pint of cream that goes into every pot. In an effort to be able to document my recipe here, I actually pulled out some measuring devices the last time I made it and did as little eyeballing as possible, and here’s the recipe I came up with.

3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
2 Cups Milk
1 Cup Cream
1 Pound Cheese, shredded
salt, pepper and nutmeg (optional)
16 oz. Box of Elbow Macaroni

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Start the sauce by melting the butter in a large shallow pot, once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until smooth. Continue stirring over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until it turns a lovely golden color. The objective here is to cook away any floury flavor. Slowly add the two cups of milk while continuing to whisk. After all of the milk is incorporated, add the cream in the same manner. Lower the heat to low and continue to stir the sauce until it thickens slightly, feel free to switch to a wooden spoon if you prefer to gauge your thickness by the way it coats the back of the spoon. I prefer to do less dishes so I stick with the whisk. Add salt and pepper generously and, if you like, nutmeg to taste. Once your sauce has thickened slightly, start adding your cheese a handful at a time, waiting for the previous handful to melt entirely before adding the next handful. Continue on this way until all but a handful or so of the cheese is left, reserve this for sprinkling on the top.

Meanwhile, boil your pasta in salted water according to the instructions on the box. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Slowly pour your cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Pour the cheesy pasta into a buttered casserole dish and sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top. If you like, you can also add bread crumbs that have been doused in melted butter. I personally prefer my top crust to consist of only cheese, so I leave the buttered bread crumbs out. Bake until the sauce bubbles up thickly and the top is golden, about 20 to 30 minutes.

This recipe is just a jumping off point, once you’ve mastered the cheese sauce, the possibilities are limitless. One of my favorite variations is in the addition of cauliflower, simply toss in with your pasta when it has about 6 minutes left to boil. Another delicious variation is substituting fontina and gruyere for the cheddar, and bowties for the elbows, and adding peas and chopped prosciutto.

Stop it Neiman Marcus! I don’t even fit your clothes...

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:08:45 -0500

Stop it Neiman Marcus! I don’t even fit your clothes anymore.

Nursery Inspiration

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:25:16 -0500

Nursery Inspiration:

I’m decorating the baby’s room based on the super cute Eames hang-it-all. The colors are bright yet “gender neutral”, and, like I said, it’s just super cute and I need an excuse to own it. We’ve decided to stick with the birch Oeuf crib that we have because we prefer the look of the lighter wood. We also already have the Eames arm shell rocker in yellow with birch rockers and the Nani Marquina Topissimo rug in fuchsia that we’ll use in his room. We just need to find an appropriate dresser now. We like the Oeuf dresser for its matchiness, but it is kinda expensive, even with my discount. Shannon and Jim have this dresser in yellow that I really like, though I’m worried that the yellow rocker will clash with it. I’ll have to check the colors before I consider it too seriously. We also have to decide on an appropriate paint color. We (or I, mostly) were considering this wallpaper, but I think we’ll stick with paint. I kinda like the idea of painting one entire wall in chalkboard paint and then using a projector to help us draw a cute design on the wall, since neither of us are very artistically inclined. But I just came up with that idea as I was typing this so I’ll have to run it past Daryn.

Nursery Furniture

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:49:25 -0500

If anybody knows of someone looking for a crib, I’ve got an extra one I’d be willing to sell for a song. It’s The Oeuf Crib with the birch base. It has never been used, however, it was a floor model at Velocity for a couple of months and the paint has a couple of scratches on it and is scuffed on some of the corners. I bought it when I found out I was pregnant, but have since been offered the entire Oeuf nursery suite in walnut at an unbelievable bargain that I can’t pass up. Let me know if you’re interested.

Kekrops in the snow

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:00:23 -0500

Kekrops in the snow

We’ve been a little lazy in finishing projects that we...

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:07:48 -0500

We’ve been a little lazy in finishing projects that we start around the house. Daryn posted this picture of our freshly demoed guest bedroom at the beginning of September. Today, 2 months later, it looks exactly the same. I’ve decided we need some accountability as motivation to finish what we’ve started. Rather than look at our list of home improvements as a whole, I’ve decided to break it down into smaller goals that will be easier to manage. To begin with, I’ve narrowed my list of home improvements down to the top 3, in order of importance, that I’d like to be done by May:

1. Finish the guest bedroom. This includes installing a new window to replace these two ugly vinyl clad windows. Installing a new window on the east side of the room so we can take advantage of the better territorial view. Closing off the closet in this room and opening it up in our bedroom. Installing a pocket door instead of the regular door. And insulating the outside walls, putting up drywall, and installing new trim work.

2. Fix the powder room downstairs. This includes tearing down the plaster and lathe and the shoddy trim work that the previous owners installed themselves. Removing the stained glass insert above the door. Installing a pocket door. Wiring the ceiling for a pendant fixture. Insulating the outside walls, putting up drywall, including filling in the gap where the stained glass window used to be, and installing new trim work.

3. Paint. This includes the walls, ceiling and trim in the living room, I’m thinking Benjamin Moore’s “Coventry Gray”. The walls, ceiling and trim in the foyer, stairs and upstairs landing, which are currently what I like to refer to as “Masking Tape Yellow”. We’d like these areas to be Benjamin Moore’s “Vanilla Ice Cream”. And our bedroom, the guest bedroom, Daryn’s office, the room that I am currently using as my closet, and the bathroom. I haven’t decided on colors for these rooms yet.

My first goal is to finish 1 by the New Year. This may change to accommodate doing 1 and 2 simultaneously, as much of the same type of work needs to be done in both projects.