The Birthday Party!

We pulled it off! LittleBird’s First Birthday party was so fun, and I think it all came together really well. What makes this such a big deal? We never host parties. We’ve  done brunches and movie nights, wine and cheese, even a couple of Thanksgivings for family (with Turkey, even!)…. but no parties. There’s a [...]

Hello Again, Old Friends!

One of the best things about having a child is the excuse to read children’s books again… not that I ever truly stopped, mind you. Faery tale collections and some truly beautifully illustrated children’s stories have nestled in with Jane Austen, an evolving monthly relationship with fashion magazines, and historical/literary fiction as permanent residents in [...]

Living After Bedtime!

Living after midnight. Rocking till the dawn Loving till the morning, then I’m gone. My band covers Living After Midnight by Judas Priest. The original is here, and it has become one of my favorites. It’s one of those songs that–no matter where we play–people start screaming and headbanging, fist-pumping and dancing around. Plus, I [...]

Year Three

Happy Anniversary to the husband! 11 years of friendship (mostly!), 8 years as a couple together, and 3 as Man n’Wife! …And of course, nearly 1 year as parents. Which is a wonderful, amazing thing–a subject upon which I promise to wax more poetical in the near future (you just can’t wait, can you?). To [...]

My Cup Overflows with Modest Indulgence: Tacoma Treasures

True, the very nature of indulgence is having—or at the very least, aiming to have—too much. But what if your idea of indulgence is rather small and unassuming? What if you seek luxury in small bites, in slips and sips? For my birthday this year, I told the husband I didn’t really want to do [...]

Housekeeping: Maternity Leave

Ha ha! Housekeeping? Ah hahahaha! Here I sit at the computer on a very rare and very short free moment, surrounded by piles and stacks of unopened mail and laundry drifting through the living room like so many giant October leaves, all of it liberally dotted with the ubiquitous cloth diapers delivered unto this house [...]

7 Days That Changed the World

Properly, it should be just “ONE Day That Changed the World”… but so far, each of the other 6 days since then have been just as amazing, surreal, magical, overwhelming, love-building, exhausting, and –yes– world-altering. Monday, October 10th 2010 Robin Carolina Ellen decided pre-determined schedules were nothing more than metered shunts for the faint of [...]

Maternity Photos from Ginger Jacobs

A couple weekends ago, our friend Jenny—owner and moment-capturer extraordinaire over at Ginger Jacobs Photography—gave us the best present ever: A Maternity Photo shoot  in the park! We had thought about taking pictures in Point Defiance, but as the week wore on and the rain stuck around, we realized that might just be a bit [...]

Secrets of the Stars

Wow… please find below one the most apt horoscopes I’ve ever had the pleasure to stumble across (courtesy of Tacoma’s Weekly Volcano): For the Week of Thursday, Sept 23 2010 AQUARIUS: In his opening comments on an episode of his TV show, Stephen Colbert announced, “I have butterflies in my stomach. I just ate a [...]

September Showers!

Last weekend, I attended The Best Baby Shower Ever. Even better, it was for me! Truly, I always count myself blessed to have what Mom calls “Such Nice People” for girlfriends, and this fantastic little event was just one more occasion for gratitude. I was already overwhelmed two months ago when at least 5 people [...]