29 April 2008

Old Vagina Book Club

met this past Thursday night at Sam's house. Her house is so absolutely amazing. It is on Caroline Street, overlooking the river, and we sat out on her covered porch and drank wine and admired the view by candlelight. Everything smelled like lilacs.

We were supposed to be discussing last month's selection, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison. But it was hard to stay on topic and discuss such a sad story in such a beautiful setting. I thought the book was beautifully written. I loved the language. But the story - blecch. It was so sad. It was almost a little ridiculously sad. Racism, poverty, injustice, rape, incest, more rape, beatings, humiliation, oh, and let's toss in a creepy pedophile, too, just for good measure. All this in a relatively short book.

Most of us gave it a thumbs down. But I did like the writing. Some of the others have read more of her later books, although I think Cindy was the only one who had read The Bluest Eye before. Anyway, they recommended I try Song of Solomon. So perhaps I will. If I feel up for more crying in the bathtub.

I chose this next month's selection and I vowed No More Crying in the Bathtub. Not right now. So I picked David Sedaris. And I am loving him. I am seriously laughing out loud as I read. And I am surprised by that because I think I am a tough audience. Everyone has always raved about how hilarious David Sedaris is and I always kind of shrugged him off. I am the kind of humor snob who doesn't usually laugh when people are trying too hard to be funny. Do you know what I mean? Like most stand-up comics just annoy me. It's too rehearsed. So I figured if that is David Sedaris' reputation, if that's his thing - that he's funny, then I will probably not find him funny.

But he is. He is really funny. Leila, if you are reading this, pick yourself up a freakin' David Sedaris book, woman, because the man is seriously funny. And while you're at it, join the Old Vagina Book Club, too!

28 April 2008

long time no speak

Things are afoot here at Young house. Big, big things. Changes. Changes I cannot discuss yet so I must remain mysterious and since I am a big fat blabbermouth I may not post again until these Changes are set in stone.

PS I am NOT pregnant. So don't even go there.

22 April 2008

20 April 2008

first (real) haircut

the boy before:

the bribe:

the breakdown:


So after three lollipops and watching Daddy and Blue get their hair cut and much muuuucch crying, the poor woman finished Lion's hair. What a complete disaster. We have no after pictures because he was such a blotchy, sticky, snotty, hair-covered mess.

19 April 2008

psychic friends

I am baking today. We're going to a cook-out at George & Leila's later. So I am baking cupcakes and, just because it is so freakin' awesome I can't stop fantasizing about it, my friend, Jen's outrageously delicious corn pudding.

I just went out to get the mail, and I got a postcard from Jen! Coincidence?


my friend, Jen's Superfly Corn Pudding:

1 can cream-style corn
1 can whole corn, drained
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 8 1/2 oz pkg corn muffing mix (I use jiffy)
1 cup sour cream.

Mix everything together, Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. 8-10 servings. Can add cheese, jalapeno peppers, etc. Sometimes I grate in a small amount of nutmeg.

sleeping arrangements

Lion is no longer sleeping in a crib. A month or more ago we took his crib apart and put his little crib mattress on the floor in the corner of his room. He sleeps there. I look in in the night and he looks so little, over there in the corner. I cannot believe our days of the crib are over. I remember when I was pregnant with Blue, watching Jonathan put the crib together. How I would catch him sometimes, standing in the empty nursery, watching the mobile.

For the past couple of nights, we have tried putting Lion's mattress in the corner of Blue's room. But after a while, we wind up putting him back into his room, amid much weeping and clinging together. They really want to be together but Lion is still too young to settle down. Blue is fine. She lays in her bed and tells Lion to stay in his bed, but he jumps up and down on his mattress and runs around her room, exploring.

But still I keep trying. Because it is so beautiful to watch them play together. Because for so long they could not be in the same room without fighting! Because I never had anyone to share a room with growing up. And because I love listening to their little high-pitched voices having a conversation.

Maybe I'm crazy. Messing with a good thing, because they both sleep great in their own rooms...

Jonathan Adler's Manifesto

We believe that your home should make you happy.

We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right.
Unless the husband is gay.

We believe in carbohydrates and to hell with the puffy consequences.

We believe minimalism is a bummer.

We believe handcrafted tchotchkes are life-enhancing.

We believe tassels are the earrings of the home.

We believe in our muses: David Hicks, Alexander Girard,
Bonnie Cashin. Hans Coper, Gio Ponti, Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman,
Yves Saint Laurent, and Madonna.

We believe in the innate chicness of red with brown.

We believe in being underdressed or overdressed always.

We believe in infantile, happy emblems like butterflies and hearts.

We believe celebrities should pay full price.

We believe in rustic modernism: Big Sur, A-Frame beach houses,
raw beams, and geodesic dome homes.

We believe in Palm Beach style:
Louis chairs, chinoiserie, Lilly Pulitzer, The Breakers circa '72.

We believe our designs are award winning even though
they've never actually won any.

We believe in Aid to Artisans.

We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants.

We believe in mantiques - suits of armour,
worn chesterfield sofas, heraldic tapestries.

We believe you should throw out your Blackberry
and go pick some actual blackberries.

We believe colors can't clash.

We believe in blowing your nest egg on our pots.

We believe our lamps will make you look younger and thinner.

We believe in irreverent luxury.

16 April 2008

15 April 2008

best party ever

If I do say so myself. Jonny and I hosted a birthday party for Olivia Saturday. Which she does a much better job of recapping than I ever could so definitely check out her version of the day.

I love that the weather was perfect after Livi and I stressed all week about the potential rain and thunderstorms that were being discussed by local weathermen.

I love that everyone brought such fabulous food and so I was free to completely mingle and not fuss in the kitchen all night.

I love all of Olivia's friends and family.

I love the homemade Thai iced tea ice cream that Kelly brought.


I love Olivia's friend, Davey. I love that he tells the most entertaining and bizarre stories I've ever heard. (I overheard one story where he was admitting he owns a prosthetic leg. A black female prosthetic leg.)

I love that Jonny got to really relax after a horribly hellish week at work.

I love that Olivia's sister, Katie, and her husband, Brock, (who are so awesome) were able to make it into town for the party -- and let me bum a couple of cigarettes. (I know, I know, but I was a little drunk.)

I love the freakin' delicious lemon sour cream pound cake Adrienne made for the party. I love that it was dusted with confectioner's sugar which blew all over the place when Olivia blew out her candles.

I love dancing to Thriller with Olivia. I love that I said to her, all drunk and disappointed, "Nobody is paying attention to us."

I love that my stepsister, Roxanna, was able to make it and then able to stay for hours when we had thought she would have to leave almost as soon as the party started.

I love that Leila called me during the party to tell me she was home from Iraq.

I love that people stayed until 12:30, making this the longest party I've ever thrown because we had people hanging out at our house for over nine hours.

13 April 2008

welcome home!

My sister-in-law, Leila, called me yesterday.

She is finally home from Iraq! I am so deliriously happy and relieved... I cannot wait to see her!

Welcome home, Leila!

it's a small world after all

So I just had a moment. An epiphany.

My BFF, Andrea, as I have mentioned a billion times, is a dancer. She went to Juilliard and dances with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She is fabulous. She has a brand new blog that makes me so happy.

Another awesome, terrific, beautiful friend of mine, Jen Perry, designs costumes for a dance company. She travels a lot and lived in New Orleans for a while but her home base is still here in Virginia. So I am a big idiot and never asked her the name of the dance company she works for. Or maybe I have but promptly forgot it. Yeah, yeah, I know. I am not big on details like that. (If you think you know where this little story is going, you are wrong. Jen does not design for Andrea's company. Sit tight. Wait for it.)

So I am sitting here this morning, with an immense hangover, sipping my coffee and reading all of my friends' blogs. First I read Andrea's blog. She put up a link today to a Times article featuring 2 close friends of hers who are fellow dancers. One of them is Brady, who I met some 15 years ago while she was at Juilliard, but who I remember to this day because he has this bright red hair (so he reminded me of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and because that guy could tapdance like I had never ever seen. Anyway, Brady now dances with the Mark Morris Dance Group and is mentioned in today's New York Times.

Next I click on Grumpy Editor's blog and she is raving about our friend Jen (who is currently staying with Katherine and Olivia) and how much Jen rocks the house and ... yup, here it is ... she designs for the Mark Morris Dance Group. How crazy that I never knew this. And that if I hadn't just read these two blogs back-to-back I would probably never know this. What an amazingly small world. That my very dear friend and fellow DWAFS member should work with one of Andrea's dear friends and former schoolmates...

Anyway. Maybe this isn't as cool as I think it is. But here I am with my head pounding and my mouth tasting like an ashtray, sipping my coffee, looking like hell, and I'm like, Wait a second here. Mark Morris... Why is that ringing a bell?

10 April 2008

dinosaurs

Blue has been learning all about dinosaurs this week at preschool. She told me about them last night during dinner.

Blue: Dinosaurs just don't live anymore.

me: They don't?

Blue: No, they don't. They could crash our house. And they poop outside.

06 April 2008

6 years

ago today I married my best friend.

04 April 2008

text messages

me to Jonny: I heart you

Jonny to me: I fart you

03 April 2008

check it out

My BFF, Andrea, has finally, finally succumbed to my wishes and started a blog of her own! I am so excited because now I will know where in the world she is (literally -- that girl gets around) on any given day and get to hear all about her amazing adventures traveling and dancing and drinking wine...

As Katherine would say:
Super Sonic Girly Noises!