Phoebe in the Spring

Phoebe in the Spring, originally uploaded by 207 Living.

We took a trip to Berkeley Springs, WV this weekend to celebrate the mister's 40th Birthday and to see the beautiful fall foliage. Click on the picture to see some of what we saw on this enchanting trip.

Holy Week

For some reason I sat down today and processed through some of the pictures we took during Holy Week last spring. Maybe because Advent is peaking through the fall leaves? (It will be here before we know it!)

The last few years I have appreciated more the changing of the seasons within the church calendar. And with that I have explored some of my own creativity through aesthetic worship. Last year I designed and helped execute the aesthetics for Holy Week at our church. We are a young church that doesn't have a closet full of alter frontals, banners, or even candles. So with the help of the mister and some friends; banners were made, and alters were decorated to help tell the story of Palm Sunday through Easter Morning.

Here are some of the pictures from our services. (The stuff from the Easter Vigil was made for 2009 and reused this year).

A Poem for your 40th Birthday

Do you recall your younger days
before the Internet,
when MP3s and DVDs
were not invented yet?

Pac-man, Pong, and Donkey Kong
were games you liked to play.
"Who shot J.R.?" and "Where's the beef?"
were questions of the day.

Cordless phones the size of bricks
helped some communicate.
Actresses with fitness tapes
helped chunky folks lose weight.

Designer jeans and mullets
were considered cool and sporty.
If you remember all these things....


You must be turning 40


*from a card the mister received

Making a Plan

Last night a few friends and I gathered around the computer to verify the opening day of the Harry Potter Movie. We are working on our plan to experience the movie together before we all take off for Thanksgiving. Oh, I cannot wait to see this!

Book 7 is on my night stand ready to be read- again- before November 19.

life is so full of life

This month has been so full...full of fun, family, friends and forty.

We have been on the go since the beginning and we just keep going. After we got home from Nebraska, a dear friend had her third baby so we got to hang out with her second child for the day while they got used to their baby girl. Then my Aunt Lalani came for a three day visit which was full of chatting, knitting, sight seeing, and general Phoebe play.

feeding the ducks with Aunt Lalani

Last weekend we had a fun trip to Pittsburgh to see the mister's family. We saw almost all his Aunts and Uncles, his parents, a few cousins, a sister, and some of P's cousins. Phoebe continues to be obsessed with her cousins. Every morning she wakes up and says, "my cousins?". So, we look at pictures.

playing with Opa and Cousins

Tonight a few of my girlfriends are coming over to make a cute little fabric garland for the newest baby in our community (mentioned above). This little girl, Olivia, is going to be one of the most awesome little ladies, she has great parents and TWO! older brothers plus she has jet black hair and blue eyes...what could be better? So, we are showering her momma with lots of love and lots of pink.

Today also marks the beginning of the wedding weekend for Claire and James. We have 4 friends staying with us, a rehearsal dinner to attend, wedding to celebrate, and lots of hang out time in between.

And just to make the celebrating go a little further? Sunday will begin Matt's birthday week; a lovely little dinner with neighbors to start the celebration of year 40!

Life is full! And so fun!

here we go...

here we go..., originally uploaded by 207 Living.

Phoebe and I have been to Nebraska...and now we are back. We had a great time; playing outside, visiting horses, playing outside, picking pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, playing outside (you get the idea), and Phoebe got lots of time with two of her uncles! Now we are home, just in time for another trip this weekend.

PTL!

Aubrey is a spunky 2 1/2 year old. She loves dancing in the aisles and playing with her sister. When Aubrey's family moved to town Phoebe loved her the day they met. They became fast friends.

Aubrey got sick recently....and now...

Our dear friend, Aubrey, is getting better! She is shocking the docs! It is amazing to see our community fighting for this young one by praying and fasting. Check out the updates here.

http://believingforaubrey.blogspot.com/

second shooter

My friend, Carrie, is a Photographer. She does weddings, events, family, and commercial photos. She has a great style; she is on a search for beauty through the lens.

I have joined her at a couple weddings as her second shooter and assistant. It has been great to learn from her and to remember some of my basic design education of balance, proportion, and composition. Plus I get to watch a wedding (through the lens), which can be one of the most beautiful and intimate days of a person's life.

Here are a few shots that Carrie sent me as her favorites of mine from the second wedding I worked with her. Of course she does all the processing, so the style is all Carrie!

Beautiful Spaces

Today I had an afternoon adventure sans bebe. It turned out to be an afternoon full of beautiful spaces.

First I stopped by a new yarn shop in Dupont Circle named Looped. It is on the second floor of a building on Connecticut Avenue. When you walk up the stairs and enter the space you are close to the middle of the narrow rowhouse like space. From there the front is the living room and the back is the dining room and yarn, beautiful yarn, lines the walls. The women who own this little shop have decorated the two spaces to be places that yarn-ies would want to sit down and just start creating; bring your friends and make a scarf! It is lovely. Here is a gallery of pictures, take a look. With all the natural light in the space it even feels beautiful.

Then I went to Immortal Beloved to get a hair cut. This was my first time at this salon and I really loved it. I love the design of the space; it is earthy, homey, and industrial all at the same time. The living tree potted in the bathtub in the center of the space really made the experience complete. As you sit back and let someone else wash your hair (thank you very much) you can stare out the old school skylights and begin to wonder if you are outside or inside because there is a tree waving in front of the skylight and one waving outside the skylight. Simple and beautiful. The wood furniture that was built specifically for this salon has and edgy amish feel to it, raw edges with refined spindle backing. And the unfinished industrial look to the place makes one feel like they might have just walked into the woodshop where this furniture was built, I wouldn't be surprised to see sawdust on the floor rather than hair. But all of these pieces compliment each other well. I felt like I was in the right place. Not to mention my hair stylist, Nate, was fantastic and he reminded me so much of my brother, Lance. Here is a little video of their space.

meatless monday

This week we had Risotto Stuffed Peppers and fresh baked bread. I used a few recipes to help guide this tasty meal. And of course it was paired with some fresh from the oven artisan bread. This was a huge success; Phoebe even ate her share!

Grape Harvest

IMG_3447, originally uploaded by whitneyporter.

Last weekend we joined some friends in Virginia for Grape Harvest. It was a fruitful day, full of great harvest analogies. Phoebe loved being outside, running through the vineyard, and eating her fill of grapes. (She is now the new face of Sandy Branch Vineyard.)

We were picking a Cabernet Sauvignon grape that will be pressed and made into wine by Gabriele Rausse Winery. After picking the grapes we had a feast and the wine makers joined us for some wine when they came to pick up the harvest.

It was a beautiful day in the Virginia countryside.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."John 15:5

meatless monday

I read about this idea on some blog...I have no idea where I got it, but I was inspired to try Meatless Monday as a step in cutting back on our meat consumption. The mister approved, so we are on our way. The last month (at least?) we have successfully gotten enough protein in our evening meal without any meat. Seriously people, you can do this! To us Midwesterners the idea of a meal without meat is kind of scary. As long as we are prepared for what is to come I don't get any questions about when the rest of the meal is coming to the table.

Tonight we had Potato, Pepper and Artichoke Frittata with goat cheese and a fruit salad, last week we had Black Bean Burritos and the week before that Vegetable and Tofu Stir-fry. It is a fun experiment because we end up eating things that we normally don't eat. And we are doing our tiny part in not buying or consuming as much meat which is supposed to matter on a number of levels that I haven't learned about yet.

Let me know if you have any good vegetarian recipes, or if you want to join us in the experiment, we can trade ideas!

mommy's cousins

P loves her cousins! All of them. She has special little connections on both sides of the family. On the misters side she has two boy cousins born the same year she was, one actually on the day of her baptism. On my side she has two girl cousins that she fits nicely in between, almost as if they were meant to be sisters; Scarlett, Phoebe, and Vesper. Phoebe asks for her cousins often, and she loves any little connection we can help her make: phone calls, daily pictures, videos sent via e-mail, they all make her smile. We love to encourage these relationships.

So, when mommy's cousin came for a visit, Phoebe was thrilled! One of my (many) cousins, Brian, came to visit for Labor Day weekend. He took the bus from Fort Lee to DC; he is stationed there for his post boot camp training (there is some other more formal name that I don't remember.)

Phoebe LOVES Brian, sometimes she called him Rhino, I am not really sure why - it is just how she remembered his name for some reason. And if she couldn't remember his name she just called him Mommy's cousins.

We had a great time!

check check

Successful Surgery - Check
Successful Party - Check

Recovery - In progress

Monday

Sometimes Monday feels like a blur to me; the weekend is gone, the Mister is back at work, and P and I struggle to find our rhythm. This week is a little different because there is a lot to do, and little time, so this Monday afternoon I am making lots of lists:

-Party Menu
-Grocery List
-What to do before the Party
-What to do before the Surgery
-Phoebe's Schedule for the nanny

You see, lots to do. I am having a minor surgery on Wednesday(cyst removal from ovaries) and before that was scheduled I had already sent out invitations to a cocktail party for a dear friend. So this week is a full one, mostly because a full weeks worth of party prep has to be done in two days. Wednesday morning is the surgery and Thursday evening is the Party. Thursday and Friday we will have in home care for Phoebe. So, here I sit making lists, hoping all goes according to the plan.

Lucky for me I have a party team; one of them here from Denver for the week and unfortunately the other one is on crutches (kind of a sorry hostess team). None-the-less; we will divide and conquer, host with the most, and celebrate our dear friend together.

And Phoebe, she mostly takes care of herself these days anyway! Minus the desire to be carried, "carry-you-please".

happy weekend!

hope you get a chance to chill...

To Maine and Back

Final Swing, originally uploaded by 207 Living.

We did make it to Maine and back and have a few pictures to highlight the trip.

a moment

a shared kayak
momma and little girl
one moment of peace
on our way to explore the world

the ladies

Phoebe and I are headed on our first girls only vacation! We leave in a few days for Maine to meet up with P's godmother and two other lovely ladies. I look forward to getting back to this fantastically cozy cottage...


and this amazing view...

Ah, summer in Maine, this will be a nice treat.

last day at the lake

Phoebe says, "bye bye sand, bye bye water."

Phoebe has loved our time at the swimming beach. She could play here all day if we didn't insist on a nap every afternoon. I love that our baby loves the water and the sand I look forward to many more days in the sand and water with this child!