New Cooking Blog

Because I'm so busy, I've decided to start a new hobby (ha!). It's my new cooking blog. I'll be attempting to add new recipes & comment on my trials with these recipes. Hope you'll join me on these adventures & let me know how your experiments go as well.

Here's the site:

http://www.haystacksandchampagne.blogspot.com/


As can be seen below, there are some who look forward to my "experiments" in the kitchen.

Spring Sprung Forward

But we are terribly behind on capturing the last few months. Though we were not able to celebrate Easter this year due Caroline being sick and then passing the virus on to her mother, we still enjoyed time together as a family at home. Here is our little "funny bunny"....



And these are the budding trees in our backyard announcing Spring.

Life has been very, very busy for our family, but we are glad spring is here; we welcome more sunshine, the fact that we can take Caroline outside (her favorite place ever), flowering trees, and longer days.

Here is the view of the horses in the neighbor's yard behind our house:

I will miss the chill when the oppressive Memphis heat that I despise so much rears its ugly head in a month. But at the moment, we are making the most of Spring. It's going to be a busy one!

Here is our little darling enjoying the weather on the porch.

Many mornings, it feels like we wake up in the aviary section at the zoo. Due to the amount of trees around our house, we have an overabundance of bird friends (but not compared to the squirrel population). This is the discovery we made in our front yard on Easter weekend: a Robin's egg.

It's herb planting weather-I was fortunate to have Cort plant these for me because I was too busy with Caroline....love him! So if all works out, I can't take credit. Like last year, we have planted basil and parsley, but this year we added dill, lemon verbena, and a couple bell pepper plants. The bell peppers are my first experiment with vegetables. Should be interesting. If it goes well, we may try tomatoes and squash and/or green onions next year. Fun to see it grow!

This is a terrible night shot & you may be able to tell that my rosemary bush in the middle may not come back....may be time to replant.

It's also grill season! Woo-hoo! We've been eating dinners out on the porch as a family now on nights that it's pleasant outside & loving every minute of it. There's something about eating outdoors....

Cort has been at Le Bonheur (the children's hospital) during the months of February & March and taking call every 4th night. It's been vastly different from his Baptist months, but for the month of April, he is enjoying his rotation at the women's hospital. He still has some short calls (5pm-2ams)-not so fun.

In addition, our new hobby has been to look up in the attic & in closets to see what we can purge & sell on Ebay. I finally have learned to sell on ebay (just a little) & I can see why it's addictive. Spring cleaning is in full force.....we just need more time!

Hope everyone is enjoying the incredible blessing that the Spring rebirth is providing. I'll be trying to catch up with events from the past few months in posts after this one (if you've kept up with us from FB, please excuse repeats).

Holidays 2009/2010 (Monster Post)

Hope you all enjoyed the holidays! We sure did. Our little trio was able to spend Christmas morning together. It was our baby's first Christmas and Cort came home from another night float in time for whole grain chocolate chip waffles and presents. It was wonderful to have him home!

And it was fun to see Caroline tear apart wrapping paper and try to climb out of the boxes.

Spencer was feeling generous and let Caroline get close to him. Of course the treats on my knees did help. He actually thought she was taking them away & sort of smacked her--to which she giggled.

I got this from my friend, Kaylee, another stay at home mom that really "gets" it (b/c I never stop "working")!

Later that afternoon, we drove up to Chicago to see my family--where they were eagerly awaiting their first grandchild. When we got off the highway at 11pm on Christmas night, we played Christmas music and watched the snow fall peacefully on the eerily quiet and empty streets of the western suburbs. Even Caroline Reese sensed that something different was happening; she awoke to gaze out the windows at a magical world with mouth agape. What moments! We had a white Christmas after all. Here is a video of me breaking the law because I "forgot" what it's like to drive in snow......:

Cort was so sweet to go help Dad clear the driveway of snow the next morning.

My parents loved spending time with Caroline.

And since Caroline is bigger now, we put her in the booster seat for the first time & brought her to the table with us. She enjoyed that very much. We had our Romanian meal and she had puffs. Of course.

Here is our little snow bunny with her uncle:

We enjoyed spending time with cousin Matt, who was home from his nursing program at Florida Hospital; Aunt Cami and Uncle Gabi who were so happy to show her snow and teach her to play with her new toys.

We had a terrific dinner out in the city with Ryan Kelley--a classmate of Cort's from Mount Pisgah Academy that recently moved to Chicago. It was great to catch up and flip through old pictures. We are hoping to see more of Ryan from now on--thanks to him, we now have a love for Flat Top Grill.

In addition to the night above, Mom & Dad also got us a gift certificate to this wonderful Italian restaurant (Antico Posto) and we had a great night out just the two of us again. Thanks Mom & Dad!

We drove back home in time to spend New Year's Eve with Cort's parents--it had been a long time since they last saw Caroline too. I must admit that although CST midnight found us in bed, we were still able to toast the midnight hour on EST (we're wild & crazy like that). And as our annual New Year's tradition continues, we enjoyed a fabulous Gruyere fondue dinner.

On New Year's day, Caroline had a third Christmas with gifts from the Asheville/Knoxville/Greenville crews. Lucky girl. This is going to be a hard habit to break. I think we're going to need some new Christmas rules. She received a bunch more toys and clothes. We are SO blessed to have such a generous family.

Here she is with Grandparents Sommerville & the new doll she received from them:

Here I am helping her put together the new wooden train set she received from Grandma Luci & Grandpa Mike. (The abacus in the background will hopefull be used as a numbering tool & not a standing prop as has been the dangerous case lately.)

Here is Caroline feeling out her new doll (Polly) made by Great-Grandmother Marje. Polly is a recession doll (Great Grandmother Marje was born during Depression years).

I'm SO proud of Caroline! This is the first documented case of sharing. Her favorite thing in the whole world, right now, is puffs. And here she is sharing her puffs with Grandma Carol:

Holidays are so special when shared with children!

Caroline apparently LOVES to play the piano! She first played with Grandpa Mike in Chicago & then played with Grandma Carol. This is her "jazz face".

We're still ironing out this gchat business, but we somehow managed to see Jen, Ryan & cousin Elle too! Elle's shriek at seeing "Ca-lick-a-line" was priceless!

Unfortunately, as has been the pattern this winter, we contracted some other virus (are there any left we have not met?) and spent most of the weekend hacking. Even so, I had a wonderful highlight that weekend: Carol taught me to make her famous double almond toffee. If anyone has had this toffee....they will know how incredible it tastes and what a lucky girl I am! Here we are making it:

And here is the finished product...I've been caught chocolate-handed:

It was also very good to get some rest before facing the work of the new year.


Happy New Year to all of you! Our daily reminder for 2010 will be: "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

The 2009 Sommerville Christmas Letter

Well, it's that time of year again. THE CHRISTMAS LETTER. This year it's virtual. For those that have kept up with our blog, there isn't much to catch you up on. We find ourselves in an entirely different place & with different roles since the last letter. Recently we read that people have a love/hate relationship with Christmas letters. Everyone loves to read updates, but often the letters come across unrealistic--no one wants to read that life is too perfect. Well, we will be the first to tell you that we very far from perfect. Life is hard, there are constant obstacles & bad days, we don't get everything we want when we want it, and there are fears & un-met goals; Yet we find ourselves, still, very blessed. We're betting many of you out there feel the same way--especially given the hardships that have befallen this country in 2009. But, here's a recap on us:

The BIG Event (Offspring):

I'll get the bragging out of the way first: If you don't already know, we had a baby this year. And now we know why people are so obsessed with their kids & act as if they're the first people on earth to ever have a child. We've been indoctrinated. Caroline Reese, has been a joy since the day she was born (April 29, 2009). They always tell you time goes by faster when you have a baby, but what they don't tell you is that it feels like you are riding a speeding train and the emergency brake is broken. Before we knew it, our child was smiling, talking, sitting up, eating solids, crawling, teething, and generally responding to the world. Unfortunately, there is no guide book on parenting; so we continue to stumble along & be awed when Caroline Reese continues to thrive despite our interference. Overall, Caroline has been an easy and calm baby. And really through no doing of our own. A few things about her:

1) Her disposition has been happy, happy, happy all the time.
2) She has fallen in love with our cat, Spencer. But alas, the feeling is not reciprocated & heartache is written on her face when he is near.

3) Her penchant has been for the kitchen--especially discovering the contents of drawers & cabinets. She's going to be a great little helper one day.
4) She follows me all around in her walker and I take her just about everywhere. She has learned to flirt with the salespeople and customers at Target. I'm hoping she can talk them into some deals.....

5) Traveling is a breeze for Caroline. So far, 9 flights with no tears & several long road trips. She has a good sense of people. Undeterred by the businessman who was not thrilled to be our seatmate on the last flight, she attempted relentnessly to charm him by tugging on his watch, sleeve, and newspaper. She smiled without mercy. I had horrible flashbacks of business travel, but in the end, he seemed impressed (thank God for patient people!).

6) She goes to a Mother's Day Out 2 half days a week (something from which she & I both benefit). While there, she is building antibodies & learning to be social.
7) She may be a fast talker. Just after 6 months, she said "duck" & "cat"--with witnesses. We're ok with that as long as she doesn't say "American Express", "boy", or "car".

8) She has conned her grandparents into thinking she can do no wrong.

I could go on & on, but we'd risk losing readership. And I fear, we're dangerously close already.

Since we can claim no family in town, we are overjoyed when they visit or when we get some babysitting from our awesome neighbors as it gives us a chance to go on dates that don't involve Costco. Cort & I have come to realize that we've had more visits this year than all our years in Memphis totaled. And it has nothing to do with us. But it might have a lot to do with why our daughter wants to be held all the time..... As new parents, we have found ourselves capable of a joy we never knew possible. Once you get past the inital phase of sleep deprivation, it is an amazing experience to see the world through a child's eyes. It's as if you never knew what you were missing.....

CORT:

Cort is halfway through his 2nd year of Radiology (3rd year of his 5 total years of residency). This year in particular is more difficult and he has been working really hard. He has worked some long stretches of nights where he was the only resident responsible for reading studies from several hospitals (all the guys in his program rotate through these weeks). Caffeine & the fear that he could miss something life-threatening have kept him going. He enjoys the dark side very much--all that technology, I suppose. He seems to be mastering a significant amount of anatomy. Though he's been doing a lot of interventional procedures (for those that have asked, he does breast, thryoid, liver, & bone biopsies, vascular access, angioplasties, abcess drains, IBC filter placement, etc.); he's reached his goal of never having to perform a pap smear again (so far). Another major accomplishment this year was passing the Radiologic Physics boards. Now, Cort's entertaining the thought of a fellowship after residency. What's another year at this point? I'm happy to report his dry sense of humor has remained intact. He is still tweaking with our home technology. The goal is keep the wife on her toes and see if she's paying attention (apparently not). I am amazed at all the things he knows & wants to do. But, I count it a real success that he became convinced that he really doesn't have the time to build a wood-burning pizza oven/fireplace from scratch for our patio. One day, we're going to have to get this guy a "manshed"--a place where he can tinker with tools, wires, & wood (safely).

A lot of Cort's "free time" (really a laughable term this year) seems to be tied up in yard work. Who knew that moving from downtown to a neighborhood with trees also meant raking & blowing & filling up countless bags of leaves? Sure makes up for gym time. Unfortunately, shoveling a truckful of mulch caused a shoulder injury & derailed his hopes of improving his golf game; thus teaching us that there really are some jobs worth outsourcing. Then again, there's no time to golf--much less keep up with his fantasy leagues--he will tell you his teams are "suffering". Since I am writing this letter, I can go ahead & tell all that he is a great dad. Though she spends all day with me, when he walks through the door, Caroline's face lights up like a Christmas tree. Nothing could make me happier. Well, maybe that & the idea of a housekeeper.

ANCA:

My glamourous life of travel has ended (ha!). I no longer shudder on Sunday evenings thinking about packing & setting alarms. I also, do not miss the management duties of mediation/training/teleconferences/performance evaluations/raises/hirings/firings, and all other aspects associated with corporate life. Unfortunately the remnants of that life are still in boxes in what we've dubbed, "the room projects go to die". Motherhood has surprised me--it's a natural transition, really. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was the scarcity of time. I'm learning that parenting helps cure selfishness--something I had in abundance, it now seems. My "to-do list" is getting longer--something every mom can relate to, surely. I've never had to fight harder to prioritize: there are mornings where there's a mountain of laundry to be done, bottles to wash, phone calls to return, etc. But instead, Caroline & I pull out the toys and sing "Baby Beluga" & "Day-O" while we dance & I remind myself that work will NEVER, EVER be fully "done".

In addition to being a mom & wife, I participate in a bible study and have kept social engagements on my weekly calendar. My mission statement these days remains somewhat the same: keep the customers happy. The only difference is, this time, it's fulfilling. And, happily, jeans is the dress code every day. I find myself just as busy, but somehow life feels calmer. I am exactly where I'm supposed to be for now & that is a peaceful feeling. Financially, it has been a major adjustment; but in the end, we decided that we just couldn't buy time. I used to think parenting would be limiting, but instead we feel like our roles have just expanded--unfortunately, the new roles are often intimidating. There has been a demotion in my status (for the better really) from domestic diva to housewife that specializes in 20 minute meals. "From scratch" is not a term we throw around lightly in this house. As much as we love cooking & entertaining, these days, we're just grateful to have food & friends at the dinner table--whoever's table it is & wherever it is! Simplifying our life has been great a change.

PETS--(they get a big section because they take up almost as much time as the baby for Anca):

Maggie continues to preside as dame of the manor. We've become the facilitators of inappropriate behavior such as feeding her all our leftovers in the spirit of fattening her up (nice problem to have, wouldn't you say?). She has settled down a bit & seems disinterested in most things except receiving attention & barking at servicemen (which sadly, we've seen too many of lately). There is a lot trepidation by delivery men when they spot her. She keeps her distance from the baby & is very protective. So much so that in a fit of desperation over hearing Caroline cry one night, she chewed up an ottoman downstairs. Her opportunity for walks have lessened as a stroller was enough to contend with. A pregnant lady being walked by a Great Dane was one thing....but a new mom holding on to what looks like a pony in one hand and a bulky stroller with a bewildered child in another, is quite a different story. As our guilt set in, we have given Maggie free reign of the front yard also; yet there are few things more unpleasant than watching your dog squat in the front yard just as your neighbors are coming home from work. At least we're getting some organic fertilizer. Unfortunately, she is still a fair-weather dog & often refuses to leave the garage on rainy/snowy/cold days & therefore leaves her business for Cort to attend to. Which, as a non-morning person who considers it a feat just to get to work on time, is no easy task. We've worked on some "attitude adjustment" with her electronic collar and joyfully share that the windows & doors are no longer being torn to shreds. (There is no cure for her separation anxiety, though. If it were up to her, she'd have herself surgically attached to our legs.)

Spencer is still the feisty cat. He keeps up with calisthenics & active sprinting up and down the stairs. He continues to push things off the counter in the middle of the night in attempts to entertain himself & awaken his "captors" (as we assume he considers us). We let him think he gets one over on us when he sneaks up to the attic. Little does he know that he's earning his keep by scaring off the squirrels who seem to have made the attic their second home. Spencer has made several escape attempts this year. The big one happened after we came home from the hospital with the baby. Because he is clever, he unlatched the screen door; he hadn't planned for the rain that curtailed his plan & he returned, defeated, with his tail between his legs. But not without first punishing Cort for bringing home competition by having him walk around the dark yard, soaking wet, with a flashlight. In the end, we all put our bruised egos aside and popped open some champagne to celebrate the homecomings. Unfortunately, Spencer also antogonizes Maggie, knowing full well that we'd admonish her to behave when hearing the skirmish (because she's the bull in the china shop). For a while there, we could have purchased some stock in the dog bed industry as he persecuted Maggie for simply existing by desecrating her happy spot. As of today, the two have brokered some kind of peace for the sake of the child (or so we'd like to think).


MISCELLANEOUS:

Our travel has been more limited this year (surprise, surprise, right?). We started the year in Portland & the Wilamette Valley with our friends Jason & Misha. But, we've also been up to Chicago several times (especially Caroline & I) and Maryville, TN. We even had a whirlwind road trip that involved fireworks at the Colburn lakehouse in Greenville, SC. And in October, we were able to meet the Sommervilles at Kiawah Island, SC, for Caroline's first beach trip, where she had a grand time both in the chlorine & salt waters & delighting in the presence of her cousin, Elle.

The other big production this year involved the remodel of our kitchen and the preparation of a nursery. We learned a lot. I guess googling "drywall supplies" 15 minutes before the hardware store closes, and hanging drywall at 1 am the night before the cabinets are to be installed, will do that for you. We can now tile, grout, & caulk. Cort & I were able to refine our negotiation skills when dealing with errors by workmen & the entity that is Lowes. Being that necessity is the mother of invention, I found myself soaring with joy, wielding power tools--sanding and painting furniture we bought off of Craigslist in the latter part of my 3rd trimester in preparation for the baby's sanctuary. Somehow everything got done in time. All in all, they were growth opportunites & we were grateful for them. And as with most things, no pain, no gain.

I guess that's an awful lot to say for people that really don't have too much going on! We're happy to report that as the Christmas season is here, we're finally seeing horses near the barn, just beyond our backyard. We have not had snow yet, but we are hopeful. And as we are shaken by what seems to be happening in our own country, we are reminded that Jesus isn't just the reason for the season, but our reason to hope in a tumuluous world (theme of last year's letter).

We welcome all visits! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, blessed, Happy New Year!

The Sommervilles: Cort, Anca, and Caroline Reese

The Holiday Season Begins

Caroline & I went up to Chicago again the day after Thanksgiving as Cort started another week of night float. We managed to get great weather (55 degrees downtown on December 1st-almost unheard of!). Aunt Cami had the great idea to take Caroline to see the Christmas tree at Bloomingdale's.

And with ulterior motives (we think), Cami thought that since Caroline had her first picture at Bloomingdale's with Santa, that should be a yearly tradition now. That could be problematic. But "A" for effort on ensuring the child comes to see you guys every year. Ha, ha.

I think she liked Santa. That beard looks awful interesting......

And since Cort & I have wanted to start an ornament collection for Caroline, I was able to buy the first one here with meaning. Here she is picking it out with Grandma Luci:

We had some good girl time too & got our favorite tomato-basil soup & Tuscan Roast Salmon. Here she is at Nordstrom Cafe being sweet to her Aunt Cami.

Grandpa Mike was her caretaker in the evenings. He let her play in the makeshift bathtub (tupperware box) a LOT. They got her a new rubber duckie & we let her splash & talk up a storm. This is definately a water baby.

Even Uncle Andrei got in on the love....

In other news, we finally broke down & purchased a high chair when we came home. Now everyone can stop worrying about the child falling out of the bumbo. As you can see from the dirty socks below, she is quite mobile & has even made it out to the garage. Or maybe it means I'm a bad housekeeper......

Puffs are still Caroline's favorite thing to eat.

And we really need to be baby-proofing more. She also has the same affinity for the tupperware drawer. Maybe I'm wrong & she's taking inventory for our next shopping trip....

It is near impossible to get her to sit on her own in front of the tree....we have diagnosed her with Christmas tree OCD. So this is our best attempt since she can't get out.

Should we tell her there is no real Santa yet?

And since Cort has been working so much, we are learning to go to church by ourselves. Luckily, we have good friends whom we can sit with--here she is focusing on her boyfriend, Reese (how cool is that? They share the same name!).

I used to think I was the only one that would get excited about mail, but as you can see below, I am not the only one. I imagine she is thinking, "enough with the bills, are there any more Christmas cards?"

But of course, life's always better when Dad comes home from work.

And as you can see below, they have a special relationship. Makes me melt.....

Gingerbread lattes are seasonally available at Casa Sommerville.....come on over.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far!