a visit to charleston

Ah, Charleston. What a sweet thing my husband is to have introduced us to one another. One of the reasons I married him is because his family has a beach house on Folly. Just kidding. It's one of our favorite places -in fact, we spent our whole first summer as bride & groom here- so we were pretty excited about taking our girl for the first time. Of course, that excitement translated into a new wardrobe for her weekend visit. She was a champ on the flight, and is quickly becoming quite the frequent flyer.

Driving into Folly, down East Arctic, and up the driveway feels like driving home. Nancy always has the house immaculately clean, fridge stuffed with all of our favorite things, and fresh sheets on our bed. She foresees every detail and takes care of it in the happiest way. Bringing a baby along was only opportunity for an even more hospitable host. Baby crib? Check. Stroller? Check. Walker, diapers, high chair? Check check check. She even had specific baby foods I like such as Gerber's Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice Cereal, and Sprouts packs. (I'm a first-time Mom, get over it.) And she's a first-time Nana! What fun it all is...

Kevin's uncle Bob is an EXPERT handyman building anything from benches to boats - he set up this swing for Ivy and needless to say, she loves it!

We took a stroll down King Street since it was a beautiful afternoon, perfect for (window) shopping. Actually, two purchases were made: one doll, and one little-itty-bitty bag from crewcuts :) Also on the agenda: eating out and sleeping in.

Charleston is known for it's southern cuisine, and believe you me, we always try to pack as much in as we possibly can. It was a short trip, but we managed to fit in some favorites: Melvins and Magnolias, and gave McCrady's a second (and probably last) try. We had a traditional low country boil at the beach house for Uncle Bob's 60th birthday and a nice little celebratory dinner at The Library in honor of Kevin's acceptance into grad school!

It was a little too windy/cloudy to be on the beach, but we're headed back in June. And being inside watching tv with jars of chocolate chip cookies wasn't all that bad. Go Spurs!

sporting her first crewcuts purchase for the flight home

Thanks McConnells.......See ya in June!

8 month photo shoot

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Asparagus: 3 ways

With Spring comes a whole bunch of asparagus around this house. I can't get enough. Here's a few of my favorite ways to have them.

Asparagus with Wild Rice and Almonds

Saute several spears in a little butter over medium heat, until desired tenderness. Cover for a minute or two (adding a splash of water) to quickly steam, if the process is taking long. Add sliced almonds the last few minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Prepare Uncle Ben's 5 minute wild rice. Toss all together. I eat the whole thing by myself as a main course. Or you could be nicer and share, but I don't recommend it.

Simple Asparagus Soup with garlic croutons

for the soup:
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped 1baking potato, chopped small
2-3 cups chicken stock, low sodium
1 bunch or so asparagus
1/2 tsp or so nutmeg

for the croutons:
2 slices bread (I use multi grain)
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
or pinch of garlic salt

In a hot oven (375 -400) roast the asparagus spears, by laying them on a baking sheet in a single layer, tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Let roast about 10 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium soup pot, saute onion in a little olive oil over medium heat for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped potato and pour in chicken stock. Bring to a boil until potatoes are tender. In a blender, add half the soup and half the roasted asparagus and puree. Repeat with the second half, returning everything to the soup pot. Season well with nutmeg, salt and pepper. For the croutons, cut the bread into small pieces and saute in a little butter or oil until browned and add a little garlic salt. OR, rub the bread with the fresh garlic before cutting. Both ways do the trick.

Asparagus Tart with gruyere
{from Martha Stewart's Every Day Food}

RECIPE: here

enjoy!

Easter

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic Church
the communion of saints
the forgiveness of sins
the resurrection of the body
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

*************

With Kevin away in India, Ivy and I celebrated her first Easter with family in Beaumont. Ham, cheese potatoes, beautiful music, chocolate bunnies, mod podged eggs, peach cobbler and sunshine were enjoyed by all. It was a blessed occassion. Hopefully next year, we will get to teach Ivy the significance of this holiday. For now, she's pretty happy with the straw.