Ants, Organization, and Baking: One Thing Leads to Another

Well, nothing says vacation is over like ants swarming all over your pantry. And that is exactly what we had last week.

We tried everything. We double-checked to make sure we had everything closed up, and we did. Then I found some Jolly Rancher suckers of Amelia's that seemed to be their target, so I threw them out. Then they seemed to zone in on some balsamic vinegar, so I threw that out. We tried ant baits. Darryl read that all-purpose flour would smother them, so we tried that. Each time, I think the ants just laughed at us, shook their tiny ant-heads, and kept on doing what they do.

And then we called the exterminator, and he shut the ant-party down.

(Question to ponder: Have you ever noticed that exterminators are SO NICE? I mean, seriously...what's the deal?)

ANYWAY, because we had to dismantle the pantry somewhat, I decided to get all organized as I put things back in their place. I didn't take any "before" photos (just trust that it was bad), but behold the orderliness of my newly organized pantry:

The good news: My cupcake liner game is STRONG.

The bad news: I might want to invest in some canned goods because if we ever have a "weather event," my one can of diced tomatoes is going to get us only so far.

I also moved a few things around in my kitchen (no riveting photos of that, sorry), and all that cleaning and organizing made me want to cook and bake all the day long.

And this leads me to the fact that thanks to the American Girl (Doll) of the Year, Grace, who runs her own baking business and spends a summer baking with her uncle/pastry chef in Paris, Amelia has been all about wanting to learn to bake. Now, here's the thing: Do I think Amelia should learn her way around a kitchen? Absolutely. Does teaching her to bake require every ounce of patience I can muster? Absolutely.

So Saturday afternoon, we baked these chocolate chip cookies. And honestly, once we got going, Amelia did pretty well. After I showed her what to do, she pretty much handled scooping the dough on the sheets, putting them in the oven, taking them out, and taking them off the cookie sheets.

The earbuds crack me up because we were listening to music through the TV (the soundtrack to the American Girl movie Grace Stirs Up Success, of course), but Amelia wore the earbuds because Grace wears them to bake in the movie. Of course.

This week, we are supposed to make some 4th of July-themed sugar cookies.

Be near, Lord.

Trip #2, Part 2: Family and Food (a.k.a. Lake Tahoe and Napa...Again)

Okay, the slide projector is all warmed up...

So the whole reason we went to California is that some of Darryl's extended family were gathering at a condo/resort in Lake Tahoe. A few of his family members used their timeshare points to spring for condos for everyone who could come, and we so appreciate their generosity. It was such a fun time with family!

Several other family members did a better job of getting photos of the whole family, and I haven't seen those yet, but I thought I would share a few of the photos I have.

On Tuesday, we went to nearby Zephyr Cove and enjoyed a day at the lake, complete with kayaks and paddle boats. I probably enjoyed this time more than anything we did in Lake Tahoe. I mean, come on...how about that view?

You know the problem with getting in a 2-seater paddleboat with a kid who weighs about 60 pounds? Let's just say Darryl got quite the leg workout.

One day, we took the Heavenly Gondola up to the top of a mountain, where we thought there would be some activities for Amelia and some of the other kids to do. Apparently we did not read the fine print that those activities wouldn't be open for a few more days, but we still got to see some cool views of Lake Tahoe.

Darryl..finally at home where he belongs. (Can we get one of these for the backyard?) :-)

Another cool thing about this trip is that Amelia got to hang out with some of her younger cousins. She so enjoyed having other kids to play with.

We had an awesome time!

On Saturday, we needed to head back to San Francisco to catch our plane EARLY Sunday morning, but we were able to meet up with Darryl's cousin Malorie and her friend Ashley (and their Instagram-famous dog, "Frannie the Frenchie") in Yountville/Napa. Darryl really wanted to try Thomas Keller's Addendum, which is an offshoot of his restaurant Ad Hoc. Basically, Addendum offers takeout options of several dishes, and there is a gorgeous, mostly shaded picnic area where customers can eat their takeout meals. All of us opted for the fried chicken, and it did not disappoint.

And, of course, we walked over to Bouchon (yes, the second trip there in a week for Darryl, Amelia, and me) and had some dessert. I had to have the homemade HoHo again because, because, because.

Amelia enjoyed her time with Frannie although she kept calling him BonBon, since that is the name of the dog in the latest American Girl book she read. Of course.

She kept feeding him treats, so basically, Amelia was Frannie/BonBon's BFF that day.

We were so happy that Malorie and Ashley could meet us. It was a fun, delicious, leisurely afternoon...a perfect way to end a great week!

The next morning, we had to get up at 3:30 Pacific time (ugh! UGH!) to make our 6:00 a.m. flight. As much fun as we had, and even though we were sad our vacation was coming to an end, we were excited to be heading home.

This was Amelia, approximately 30 seconds after we walked in the door. I think this photo pretty much sums up how we ALL felt.

Vacationing is hard work, y'all.

Trip #2, Part 1: Trolleys and Tall Trees (a.k.a. San Francisco and Yosemite)

The thing about vacation posts is that sometimes it feels akin to Grandpa pulling out the slide projector and insisting that his family and friends look at the 427 slides of the cruise he just took.

(And that example is based on real life, as I vividly recall my grandfather -- whom I called "Papa" -- hanging a sheet up in my parents' living room so that he could show us slides and movies from his Mexican cruise. This was circa 1977, of course.)

The point is...I'm not sure that anyone is all that interested, but for the sake of posterity, I will forge on.

SO...

We had an afternoon flight on a Saturday, and while I AM A FAN of the afternoon flight, it really encouraged my procrastination tendencies. An hour and a half before we left, I still had nothing in our suitcases. (My mother probably just fainted after reading that statement, as she is a fan of packing DAYS in advance.)

But we made it, and here we are, ready for our journey:

We were really too tired to do much Saturday, but Sunday, we took in some of the sights of San Francisco.

We walked along the Fisherman's Wharf, visited Ghirardelli Square, and rode a trolley. ALL Amelia wanted to do in San Francisco was ride a trolley, so we couldn't let her down, right?

A nice parting gift for our time in San Fran was a $60 parking ticket that Darryl received because he did not turn his wheels toward the curb on the hill where we parked. The San Francisco parking cops don't play, y'all.

Darryl was not amused.

Then we headed in the direction of Yosemite via Napa...really just so we could see Napa. We also made a stop at Thomas Keller's bakery, Bouchon. Darryl gave me the Bouchon cookbook about a year or so ago, and if there is one word I could use to describe Keller's technique it would be meticulous. ANYWAY, I had a homemade Ho-Ho that was nothing short of life changing.

Amelia enjoyed a chocolate macaron. She obviously has a refined dessert palate.

Then we made our way to Yosemite. We enjoyed a nice dinner outside at our hotel (y'all, that California weather is perfection), and woke up on Monday morning, ready to pack in as much of Yosemite as we could in one day.

Yosemite is pretty much amazing, and we wish we could have spent more time there. We plan to go back there in a couple of years, probably when Amelia is a tad older and can take on more of the hiking. (That's right. I said hiking. I mean, you have to work off those homemade Ho-Hos, right?)

We were pretty impressed by these giant Sequoias.

We stopped at one place with a spectacular view, and Amelia wanted to get out her notebook and sketch the scene. :-)

And here are a couple of other mountain photos, because YOSEMITE.

And Amelia dipped her toes in some cold water.

After a full day in Yosemite, we made our way to Lake Tahoe. I just need to switch over the slides in my slide carousel...

Trip #1: A Visit to Florida, Complete with Pirates

I think I mentioned that Amelia spent a fun week with my parents. The week before last, I went to Florida to pick up my girl and to visit with my parents for a few days.

My mom had been wanting to take Amelia on a pirate cruise that several people had recommended, and I was game, so on that Monday night, that's what we did.

(My mother would probably like me to add that I thought, until we were practically in the car and on our way, that this was also a dinner cruise. I'm not sure where I got that idea -- she said that she never told me that it was a dinner cruise -- but for the record, I'd like to point out that she never said it wasn't a dinner cruise, either.)

Anyway, it was a fun evening, and I highly recommend it if you are ever in the Panama City Beach / St. Andrews area. The adults have to do absolutely nothing other than enjoy the sunset cruise (but not a dinner cruise!), and the pirate crew entertains the kids the whole time. I was even impressed by the low cost of the concessions and souvenirs they had on board.

This is Amelia, after she had collected her treasure from the sunken treasure chest they found. She was a happy girl!!

Another highlight of the trip was having lunch with my Aunt Winifred; her daughter-in-law, Leigh; her granddaughter, Lily; and Aunt Winifred's mother, who is in her early 90s (but still cuts her own grass!). I hadn't seen any of them in ages, so it was fun to catch up over some fried chicken and other Southern delicacies. I could kick myself for not getting a photo of all of us. We enjoyed some good laughs, especially as we reminisced about a trip we all took to the Smoky Mountains and Dollywood about 8 years ago. We might need to do that again!

Another day we took Amelia to see Tomorrowland, which, frankly, was BORING. I had been warned, but Amelia was still insistent on seeing it, so I went with very low expectations. And those expectations were met. (And while George Clooney was not enough to keep that movie from being a songfest -- dadgum, I swear he gets more attractive as he ages.)

And before we knew it, it was time for Amelia and me to head home so we could get ready for our next adventure: California.

Just a quick break

I know I have a tendency to drop off the face of the "blog earth," but I'm just taking a quick break this time around. (Many of you might not really care, but I wanted to assure my mom and my Aunt Winifred that my blog absence is brief.)

More posts next week. Surely it will be riveting!

Food and Friends

Amelia is having a blast with my parents this week.

Exhibit A:

Meanwhile, my summer so far has consisted of friends and food.  Our friend Rebecca was in town for a conference for the weekend, and she was able to add an extra day so she could visit us. I picked her up from the Marta station Sunday afternoon, and we immediately went to Nordstrom to scout out their shoes. Because that's what we do. Then we came home and feasted like kings (queens?) because again, that's what we do.

And I'm not sure what it says about me as a friend, but I took absolutely zero photos of Rebecca and me, but I took a couple of the food we ate. And here is where I want to present to you the DELICIOUS brie baked in a pastry crust that I prepared. I was so proud of myself.

This is the recipe I used. I opted for raspberry preserves top of the brie, and I also did an egg wash over the top of the crust. SO. GOOD.

I also made one of Rebecca's favorite desserts, an old school cherry-cream cheese pie.

And in between that, we had steaks, grilled vegetables, and Ina Garten's easy risotto.

(And I was aghast -- AGHAST -- and the number on the scale Tuesday morning. Denial, anyone?)

(However, I feel the need to add that Monday morning, Rebecca and I did go to the gym. Maybe that made a tiny 300-calorie dent in the thousands of calories we consumed the night before.)

Before Rebecca left Monday afternoon, we went to see Pitch Perfect 2, which was just as fun as the first one, in my opinion. (Also, it made me a teensy bit homesick for LSU, as that was where much of the movie was filmed.)

Last night, I met up with my friend Tim at Shorty's Pizza. I've been wanting to go back there ever since I returned to Georgia, and it was just as good as I remembered. And of course, we had their freshly baked cookies (with homemade whipped cream!) for dessert.

Good friends, good food...not a bad way to begin the summer, eh?

Postplanning: That's a Wrap!

I'm now officially REALLY done. Post-planning is over; let summer begin!

(Now that I think about it, the term "post-planning" is a bit of an oxymoron, right?)

I was worried Tuesday that my week was getting off to a bad start when I went to the English Department fridge to help myself to some blueberry dessert, and this happened:

I texted this photo to my friend Jeff, who responded with, "That is the saddest photo I have ever seen." Indeed. INDEED.

(In retrospect, that might have been the universe telling me that the last thing I needed was a fattening dessert.)

Anyway, aside from dessert catastrophe, meetings, paperwork, and classroom cleanup, the week did include a couple of fun moments. Wednesday night, I went with a few friends from work to see the musical Hands on a Hardbody at Aurora Theatre. It's about a group of people who are trying to win a new truck by placing their hands on the truck; the one who can stand there the longest wins. It was entertaining and fun, but I don't know that it is one I need to see again. (Related note: This is the third production I have seen at Aurora, and all three have been top-notch.)

(See how clever we are, with our hands on the truck in the poster?)

And Thursday, I joined some friends for a "last lunch of the year." I've gotten to know Bethany, Shannon, and Jeff really well over the past six months, and I'm so grateful for their friendship. (Perhaps we even got into the habit of going to a local bakery for cupcakes on Fridays. And maybe we also called it our "cupcake club." Again, another reason why I didn't need that blueberry dessert.)

(Fun Fact: Bethany, sort of next to me/behind me in the photo, was in my advisement group when she was in high school. I feel old.)

Now, as I sit here in my PJ pants, drinking coffee and watching Good Morning America (ah, summer, how sweet you are!), I'm trying to motivate myself to go to the gym because that's the price you pay when you have been a charter member of a cupcake club.

Summer 2015: Here and Now

Well, that was an unintended, REALLY LONG break from blogging. And my last entry really was a bit of a downer, yes?

Quite a bit has happened since I last blogged (we bought a house! I began and ended my first year return to the world of high school teaching! Amelia began and finished first grade! Darryl ran races like he's Forrest Gump! Darryl and I went to the Rose Bowl! We all went to Baton Rouge for Spring Break! and more! so much more!), and the truth is, if I had taken the mindset that I needed to recap all that, then I would never blog again, because OVERWHELMING. So I am just going to start with the Here and Now.

Literally, right now, I am sitting on our screened-in back porch, drinking coffee. This is pretty much going to be my morning routine this summer.

(Dear Neighbor, it is way too early to be running your lawn mower. Thank you.)

This screened-in porch is about 85% of the reason I loved this house when we saw it (I love other things about it, too, of course), and this past weekend, I have been reading and napping on this porch like it's my job. Granted, I realize that in a few weeks (heck, maybe even as soon as next week), it is going to be too hot to be out here any time after 7 a.m., but I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Also, at the beginning of summer, my domestic goddess-ness comes out in full force, as though I am apologizing for the lack of home-cooked meals I've produced in the last six weeks. (Don't judge unless you are a teacher who knows what the post-Spring-Break school year is like. It is both a marathon AND a sprint.) And after watching several Barefoot Contessa cooking shows yesterday, I have never been more inspired to make pesto in my life. I'll keep you posted.

Also, Here and Now, Darryl is showing off his mad carpentry skills (that I was not aware he had) by building some built-in bookcases on both sides of our fireplace. Amelia is assisting at times.

I'm looking forward to the summer days ahead. We have a few things on the agenda -- a family trip to Lake Tahoe, a trip for me to visit my parents for a few days, a possible girls' trip with my friend Rebecca -- but other than that, my plans include the pool, reading, and catching up on some TV. (I think The Good Wife is going to be my official "binge-watch" show of Summer 2015.)

(Technically, I'm not completely finished with school. I have post-planning this week. Womp womp.)

I'm hoping that my blogging mojo will continue, but if not, maybe I will at least blog again before Amelia graduates from high school. Just kidding...I think. :-)

The Funk

I hesitated writing this blog post because it is a bit of a downer, but I'm hoping it will contribute to some perspective down the road, when I'm sure things will be better...

But I'm in a funk.

It is identical to the funk I went through shortly after we moved to Baton Rouge. When we moved to Baton Rouge a little over two years ago, after we had settled in, I did a lot of these kinds of things:

--thinking, "Oh my gosh - we've really MOVED here. We aren't just visiting! What have we done?" (You would think that fact would be pretty apparent, but I liken it to that realization, a few days after bringing a new baby home, that you aren't just babysitting that baby, but but the baby is there to STAY. FOREVER.)

--looking at photos and reminiscing about all the great times we had in the place we just moved from (who doesn't like to romanticize the past and forget all the not-so-great times?)

--feeling disconnected and isolated from everyone in the place I just moved to and wondering if/when I will ever feel connected again - it's a bit lonely, to tell the truth (To clarify: No one is to blame for this. Summer is kind of a crummy time to move to a new place because people are busy, on vacation, doing their own thing, etc. But still...LONELY.)

The good news is (I think, I hope) that the funk is temporary...at least it was two years ago. I distinctly remember sitting in Amelia's classroom at her then-new school, listening to her teacher talk about the plans for the year, and I just had this feeling of "Whew. Everything will be okay." And as we settled into routine - Amelia started school and I started teaching, and friendships were formed and cultivated - the funk was gone. I have a feeling that after we get into our routine here, and that will be very soon, the funk will disappear once again. Fingers crossed!

The funk has set in a bit heavily this week. I've had a bit of a pity party for one. Actually...maybe it has been for two because I think Amelia misses her friends as well. This is technically my last full week of summer before all the workshops, new employee training, and preplanning begin (!), so we've been doing some fun things to fight the funk.

Like eating ice cream with sprinkles...

Our First Month (Plus a Few Days) in Atlanta

I can't believe it has been over a month since that last post that I wrote our last evening in Baton Rouge.

Also, warning: this might be a very discombobulated post.

We've been adjusting to life back in Atlanta. It's been great reuniting with old friends (and, I must say it, old restaurants - ha!), and we really have enjoyed the area we are in.

I'm not going to lie: that move WORE. ME. OUT. Darryl did most of the physical labor (with some hired help), but just the planning, the packing, the getting here, the unpacking, the things we had to do to be "established" here (new licenses, new car tags, doctor visits to get Amelia registered for school, etc.) AND the emotional toll of all of it has just made me really tired. (Speaking of emotional toll...we miss our BR friends something fierce.)

And the sad truth is that I really just have one full week of summer left before I start going to workshops, "new employee" training/orientation, and pre-planning. Amelia and I have plans to "live it up" next week. :-)

Anyway, here are a few highlights of the past month. I realized that I didn't take many photos at all, so I'll just use what I have.

I am SO glad our kitchen doesn't look like this anymore. Those boxes make me tired all over again.

QT and I had a sweet reunion in the form of Diet Dr. Pepper over crushed ice. (Publix and I also had a passionate reunion - I think I had three Publix subs the first week I was here. Man, I missed Publix and QT!!)

My parents were awesome to keep Amelia the first week we were back so that I could get lots of unpacking gone. This was our first night together as a family of three.

This was Amelia after I registered her at her new school. She was excited!

We celebrated school registration by getting cupcakes. Anyway, I saw this sign and agree wholeheartedly.

From cupcakes to running, of all things...Darryl and I registered for the Peachtree Road Race this year. My parents kept Amelia AGAIN for us, so we stayed in a hotel near the starting line and went out to dinner at Capital Grille the night before.

Here we are post-race on the somewhat fragrant MARTA.

This past Sunday, I went to Florida for a few days to pick up Amelia and visit with my parents. On Monday, we went to the beach. It was beautiful weather for beaching!

This girl wants to stay in the water the WHOLE time.

We also visited with Darryl's family. This is Darryl's sister's dog, Lily. Y'all, I love this dog. Ashley won't let me have her. 

(I was such a terrible photographer on this trip. I must do better.)

And now we're back with a pretty long to-do list for the next few weeks. Maybe I should put "blog more often" on that to-do list. :-)

Last Night in Baton Rouge

When we moved to Baton Rouge a little over two years ago, we thought we were going to be here for the long haul.

This weekend, we're making the move back to Atlanta.

I never really explained why we were moving back. Mostly, it has to do with Darryl's job. As he has accepted a new job and I have been offered (and I have accepted) a job at my old school, things are falling into place as we head to Georgia.

As much as Atlanta really feels like "home" to us now, and as much as we are excited about the journey ahead, leaving Baton Rouge isn't easy. We've reunited with old friends and made many new friends, especially through Amelia's school and my job. Over the past few weeks, there have been many farewell lunches, coffee meet-ups, and playdates--lots of partings that we refuse to call "goodbyes" and instead call "see you laters." This was hard when we left Atlanta, and it is hard again as we leave Baton Rouge. I know we will be happy in Atlanta and this feels like the right move for us now, but Baton Rouge definitely has a piece of our hearts.

When we left Atlanta, I created this list of the things I would miss about Atlanta. It seems only appropriate that I should show Baton Rouge that same love, right?

So here it is, folks--The Top Things I Will Miss Most About Baton Rouge:

1. Just like the list for Atlanta, obviously friends are what we will miss most. Any time I think about giving up Facebook, I think of how much I have enjoyed keeping in touch with my friends who live far away. And thank goodness for texting as well!

2. Amelia's school. Amelia is about to go to an excellent school in Georgia, and I am so excited about that. But the little school under the oak trees that she has attended for the past two years has been such a nurturing environment for her (and honestly, for all of us), and it was fun just to see her thrive both socially and academically.

3.  The food. Y'all. I'll just list some of my favorites -- French Market Bistro (where I had lunch today with my friend Martha), Bistro Byronz (I guess I have a thing for bistros), Roberto's, Zippy's Burritos, Fat Cow Burger, Coffee Call (for beignets), DiGiulio Brothers, Sammy's (for crawfish, especially). The food is no joke. (Also, Atlanta friends...if you see me soon and I look a little "puffy," you should know that we have eaten at almost all these restaurants in the last week. Don't judge. It was our Farewell Tour of Food.)

4.  The HUGE oak trees -- so beautiful and majestic. (This is also a family joke because when we lived here about 14 years ago, Darryl's dad came to visit and would NOT stop talking about the oak trees. Any time one of us goes on and on about the trees, the other one will say, "All right, Benny. You and your oak trees." Also, this really may be a "you have to be there" situation to find this humorous. At all.)

5.  LSU / Life in a college town. I love LSU's campus (stucco buildings and oak trees, for the win), and I enjoyed my job there. I also just love the energy of a college town. Even though I am far past college age, the town just seem alive...especially during football season. :-)

6. Louisiana in the spring. Okay. Admittedly, I complain (A LOT) about the weather here. Last week, it felt as though the air was a warm, wet washcloth. Gross. But there are a few weeks in the spring where the weather is beyond words -- it looks beautiful and smells like a gardenia. It's pretty awesome.

7. Cool traditions and holidays. Obviously, Mardi Gras comes to mind. (And to me, Mardi Gras means king cake. Also, if you live outside of Louisiana, that dry king cake you buy at Target or Walmart is not even in the ballpark of how king cake is supposed to taste.) However, things like the fireworks along the bayou on Christmas Eve (to light the way for Santa) -- so fun!

Oh, Baton Rouge. This isn't goodbye; it's a "see you later."

The Last Days of Kindergarten

I can't believe my baby girl has finished kindergarten.

On Friday, I took a couple of pics before leaving for school and then drove Amelia to school and walked her inside so I could help her deliver a few end-of-the-year teacher gifts. Then I had to get out of there in a hurry because I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, and I didn't want to be "that" mom bawling in the hallway.

(To add insult to injury, she also lost her first "top tooth" this past Wednesday. So far, all her lost teeth have been bottom ones.)

It isn't so much the "being finished with kindergarten" that was upsetting to me, but it was saying goodbye to many of the people who have been a huge part of our lives for the past two years. (We are moving back to Georgia in a couple of weeks -- more on that later.) We are excited about what the future holds for us, but saying goodbye is never fun.

(You should also know that because I am a glutton for emotional punishment, I decided to finish cleaning out my office after dropping off Amelia for her last day. The Dixie Chicks' version of the song "Landslide" came on Spotify, and I got all teary-eyed again. Pull it together, Amy!)

While I'm on the subject of the end of kindergarten, I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ridiculously precious kindergarten play that Amelia and her class put on the week before.  The play was called "Our Year in Kindergarten," and they essentially went through the year of special events, with each student dressed as something or someone who represented that particular event or holiday. (You know you are in Louisiana when there is a Mardi Gras King and Queen and the class sings "Mardi Gras Mambo.")

Amelia was the Snow Queen, and her friend Marshall was the Snow King. I was so proud of how they sang their duet of "Winter Wonderland" loud and proud in front of an audience of parents and students!

(I tried to include the video, but I am apparently technologically challenged and cannot get it to upload successfully.)

(I realize that the video might be of interest only to me and the grandparents, so you don't really care if I can get the video to upload.)

(That's okay, because TRUTH: I rarely watch videos on other people's blogs. So there you go.)

Here are a few pics from the day...

We have made some sweet, sweet memories in the past couple of weeks!