Wednesday, October 31, 2012

.....our own version of Oz......

....I always laugh in circumstances when I am getting the kids ready for a big occasion.....not necessarily big, as in monumental; but usually big for me.....the experiences I want to enjoy and bask in which always seem to have a few snags......

....this Halloween was no exception.....


....Halloween was actually canceled tonight and postponed for next Wednesday.....there are too many people without power and there are still several trees down from Sandy......our church decided to throw an impromptu plan B together and we had an hour and half window to head to the parking lot so that we could "trunk or treat"......I am sure, like so many other children; our girls would have lost it if I told them they had to wait another week to celebrate......this plan would at least give the kids an opportunity to dress up and beam over their candy.....brilliant.....

.....well, we began getting ready 3 hours ahead of time and it was hardly enough time......our lion hated his costume......Glinda's dress was too long and after pinning it evenly, she threw a fit because now it didn't look very pretty anymore....then she decided that she actually wanted to be Dorthy and the girls got into a fight because Elsie hollered that there can't be two Dorthy's and she thought of the idea first.....Callie proceeded to cry about this....

.....whoa boy.....

.....Glinda got to wear the special eye shadow because good witches always have sparkly eyes and Dorthy thought it was unfair she only got lipstick and blush and no sparkles.......little Dorthy's wig kept falling off and you would have thought that the whole costume was ruined.....

....at this point, I did start to raise my voice and threaten that Halloween was off this year.....

....I also told the girls I would put on my witch costume and turn them into frogs if they didn't shape up.....I never ordered the witch costume, but I meant to.....

......after a 20 minute fight to get Brody in the car while wearing the lion costume, we hit rush hour traffic on our way to pick up Stefan from work.....luckily, we actually made it to the parking lot with enough time to let our littles run around for 20 minutes and ecstatically fill up their candy containers......


.....and at that point, it was like the 3 hours prior hadn't even happened.....we were all happy Halloween goers......



.....the parents who were able to get there on time and decorate their trunks did a fantastic job and it really did end up feeling like the kind of Halloween I remember.....





....the whole town seemed to have heard about the event and the parking lot was a crazy good time with a lot of cheer and festivity during the aftermath of the storm......




....and it made for some very happy babies who basked in the joy of a good holiday.....



....Happy Halloween.....

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

.....Sandy's surge.....

....we relished in the coziness of an apartment that was pounded by rain and shaken by wind as Sandy blew through here last night.....we had our candles lit, our bath tubs full and our windows taped.....we cooked, baked, prayed, played dress up, prayed some more, cleaned, snuggled and waited.....

.....an inside day that was truly a treat for a Momma who has two girls who love to be girly.....








.....Callie pulled out my wedding gown that has moved from closet to closet over the years and begged me to wear it so she could be a flower girl......I obliged and for the first time since my wedding day, I slipped on the most beautiful gown I have ever worn and you would have thought from the girls' responses that I was a true princess......


....and then it was their turn to try it on before we actually had our own family wedding.....

....our long hallway served as a great aisle.....I had two flower girls who carried my train and a hubby waiting for me at the end of the hall in lounge pants and a soft cotton tee; holding a happy toddler boy who was rolling two trains over my groom's head as we said our vows......the girls giggled with excitement and each claimed it was their turn to marry Daddy next.....



....we painted, we crafted, we colored, we baked cookies.....all while we were glued to the TV, expecting to lose power any minute.....





.....when the wind began to scare us from its howling off the Long Island Sound just several feet away, we prepared for what we thought would be a long night.....




.....but the worst never happened......we didn't even lose power, although I would claim that we are the only ones within several miles who do have working power......there are thousands without and will be without for a long time....

.....we drove around Stamford and Darien, just 30-35 miles north of NYC first thing this morning and there were generators running everywhere.....

....there were several streets that we could not get to due to the flooding......yet there were other streets that were driveable to a certain extent before fallen trees blocked the roads.....many areas still need help, but their assistance hadn't arrived yet.....





....the streets were bustling with neighbors.....friends wanting to talk to friends about the storm and the damage that ensued.....and we drove around wanting to yell out to anyone, "we have power! follow us for a hot shower and a warm meal!".....





.....the beach that has welcomed us so gracefully has been eroded....


.....steps are gone, wooden walkways have been washed away, mountains of rocks we used to climb have been submerged several feet under the angry waves.....




....and this isn't even the worst of it.....the Jersey shore, Coney Island, Staten Island, the coast of Queens, parts of Long Island, the financial distict in Manhattan......there is so much damage and there are so many people who are suffering........they need our thoughts, our prayers, our help and our support....the damage done certainly rivals the extent from which I have seen from past Florida hurricanes.....we are grateful that our apartment complex has generators, staff that is cleaning up leaves, branches, and debris from rising water.....but many are not as fortunate....many will be waiting and working for weeks, if not months to come just to have their basic necessities......

....our role as a family will be to open our arms and our home to as many people who need the help.......shelter, water, warm baths for babies, hot meals for families who will live without power for several days, if not over a week.....and the power of prayer.....

.....the northeast is resilient.....we will prevail......

She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
Proverbs 31:20

Saturday, October 27, 2012

.....scram, Sandy, scram.....

.....it's been a soggy fall.....

....lots of rain, gusty wind and many days of practice for what's to come in the next few days for us......





.....now, I am a Florida girl and hurricanes were a dime a dozen growing up in the southeast part of the state.....the Atlantic churned and crashed into the coastline more times than I can remember......and my family had the ritual down......we would make sure we had water and batteries, my Mom would tape X's all over the sliding glass doors that surrounded our pool with brown masking tape, we'd fill the tubs to the brim, turn on the news and then we would wait.....

.....now, it's not that there haven't been bad hurricanes......we certainly had a few; but we did spend a lot of time waiting.....the post wait was always full of adventure, however.......there were many afternoons jumping in puddles or heading to the beach with our boogie boards to ride out the last of the surf from the final bands of the storm.......

.....hurricanes up here are a different story.....people are freaking out......I pulled into the grocery store today, not even thinking about the fact that Sandy is 24-36 hours out and couldn't find a parking spot anywhere close to the store......the water, juice and soda isles were trashed; their shelves empty to only cracked water bottles left alone to dribble their slow leaks......the canned soup aisle was bustling with a rowdy crowd and batteries were being pulled off the shelves faster than they could be restocked.....the wine and liquor stores were the same way.....I only know this because I dragged all three of my children into the wine store to buy a few bottles to hold us over......we made a hurricane in there ourselves when Brody and Callie flew off the rocking horse in the section of the store they have for kids.....I must say, that was a first for me today.....a play station in the corner of the wine store???......

.....yes, I dig Darien, CT.....

....sorry, I digress......

......I will say, in my new state's defense, most of our county did lose power for over a week during hurricane Irene; so there is reason to prepare......but over half the people in the grocery store today acted like the second coming was happening.....we have one more errand to run tonight and then we will hunker down.....and wait.....and pray......and hope it isn't as bad as the media is making this storm out to be.....

.....we will relish in our inside time......I have loved being a homebody lately, even though this home is temporary......it is where we rest, we play and we thrive......we have several recipes left to try, so baking and simmering will certainly be happening around here.....

.....we got a head start earlier this week.....


....it was the first time we let Brody loose during our mixing, sifting and folding.....he was particularly fond of the eggs, so we let him crack away.......of course, we were left to pick the shells out of the batter.......although, all worth it to include him.....





....and certainly worth the laughter of watching him figure out the best way to lick the bowl.....


....the girls decided to drop globs of icing on the cinnamon bread, opposed to drizzling it in wavy lines so that every bite would get a sweet kick to it.....but then again, we also made it apple cinnamon bread since I am still trying to use up our apples......so anything goes in this kitchen, really......


....and once the dessert was in the oven and the kids had lost interest, I searched the pantry for dinner.....

.....there is nothing better to me than feeling so in tune with my home that when I want to cook, I have every ingredient on hand for what I am craving at that moment......it goes something like this:

.....I begin to get ideas of what to throw in my what's for dinner tonight thoughts and I reach for everything that comes to mind.....the kitchen is full of what I need as I am opening, chopping, slicing, simmering, roasting and sauteing.....it is a blessed, secure and satisfying feeling to whip it up effortlessly......I can hear the kids playing and laughing down the hall and I am alone in my kitchen as the creativity flows......uninterrupted kitchen bliss.......it does not happen often, but when it does; I am in my element....

....small joys.....

.....then Stefan comes home after a long, wet commute to the aroma of a hearty meal......a full home, the smell of family......there is nothing better for my husband, either......this past week it was *beef and veggie tomato soup.....my grandfather was an executive for Campbell Soup in his heyday and as we would always say in his presence, soup is good food......

....this concoction is a keeper......


.....also a keeper is my baby brother, Chad.....


.....a bachelor party brought him to NYC from the west coast and he carved out two days for some time with us.....the kids loved the visit because if anyone knows how to play, it's uncle Chad.....

....he also does things I would never do.....like encourage an entourage of seagulls to hang with us.....





....I could hardly take pictures there were so many of them......I am always jammed up they will poop all over us and drop their potential germs or disease on our skin......I have had that happen enough to know it's a disgusting experience and honestly, I have never really liked seagulls......so I shooed them away as uncle Chad and the kids waved saltines at them.......

.....talk about mixed messages......



....post seagull experience, though; we ate, we laughed, we talked, we played with the kids, we explored Darien, we drove by the new house and then I accompanied Chad to the city.....just in case he needed an escort.....

......besides, it had only been 6 days since my last visit and I was feeling a little need for city speed......








.....it still awes me how I can be in the city and all of it's familiarities one moment and 38 minutes later hop off an express train and set foot on our coastal suburban city......I am truly living best of both worlds......

....time to hunker down....



*Beef and tomato soup recipe-

1lb ground grass fed beef
16 oz tomato puree
1 chopped white onion
1 cup of chopped spinach
2 cups of chopped green beans
several garlic cloves
chopped black olives
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

Saute onion and garlic. Add meat and brown until no longer pink. Move into a large pot. Add remaining ingredients. Add water to desired consistency. I also added salt, pepper, cumin, chili pepper, and paprika. Simmer for a few hours on the stove.

Delicious and easy to re-heat!