Author Archives: Rebecca

feeling special

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A couple weeks ago I received an email from Peter. He let me know that we would be attending a ‘special event’ on July 10th and that we would need a babysitter. I love a good surprise, so I didn’t ask questions I just set about finding a babysitter.

Turns out the ‘special event’ was a special preview viewing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie before its release date. The showing was arranged by a company that Peter’s company does business with and they had bought out a local theater. There were several other people from CBD in attendance as well as folks from other companies. We were given complimentary snacks and a goodie bag with HP glasses and some jelly beans (not earwax flavored!). The bags also had raffle tickets in them. My ticket was actually drawn and I won a Hogwarts key chain 🙂

I am feeling slightly privileged to have gotten to see the film early. Heck I wasn’t even planning on seeing it anytime soon! I won’t write any reviews or any thoughts because there are folks that read this that wouldn’t appreciate it.

In any case, the night was quite fun and I hope you enjoy this pic we took once we got home!

Independence Day!

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We had a very nice, very low key Independence Day. Peter, Catherine and I were joined by Bethany in celebrating with a picnic at the park. We ate lunch, played at the playground, had some ice cream, tossed a frisbee, bounced a ball and waded in the water.

There were no concerts, no parades, no fireworks (well, just the illegal ones that the neighbors keep setting off!) and no crowds. It was just the kind of day we were hoping for. I hope you had the kind of day you were hoping for!

Here are the rest of the pictures from today!

New Wheels

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There are some of you, dear readers, who may remember Hedwig, my white Subaru Legacy Wagon. Purchased in September 2001, her time with me was cut short by a drunk driver who smashed her late one night that following December. I barely had time to know her.

The insurance check covered the cost of a replacement and Stewart (the 95 Golf) entered the picture. Stewart served me well for a good 5 years. While he looked small on the outside, he had an ample amount of space inside. I loved that he got great gas mileage and was small enough to fit in most parking spaces.

Time, however, took her toll on Stewart. At 12 years old he was showing some wear. He got tired, he got rusty and the speedometer died…mostly. After much deliberation, some repairs and a little juggling of the budget we decided to replace good ole Stewart.

I really wanted a Subaru Outback Wagon. I love the way they look- outdoorsey, hip, spacious… So we looked…and as much as I wanted one there were none that fit our criteria. I was forced to put aside my car vanity and widen my search and I found my newest set of wheels.

Hedwig’s niece (or nephew, I’m not sure yet) is now parked in the driveway. We got the 2002 Subaru Legacy L last night and so far I’m quite happy with it. Truth be told, though, it wouldn’t have taken much to satisfy me. I’m giddy over having a glove box, working speedometer and room to take a friend along on some adventures!

 

Babywearing

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Peter and I have been pretty dedicated to babywearing over the past year. The stroller comes in handy for long walks and some shopping trips, but there are times when it just isn’t necessary or convenient to lug out the stroller. And there are times when we want to keep Catherine close.

Our two babywearing mainstays have been a ring sling and a baby backpack. These have both worked well for both of us: Peter with Sling, Rebecca with Sling, Peter with Backpack, Rebecca with Backpack. Each has its own pros and cons so we switch between them depending on the situation.

For a while now I’ve been wanting a new carrier; one that is soft and can be used in the front carry or the back carry position. I thought that it would come in handy when the external frame backpack (with its wonderfully large pocket) would be more carrier than I needed.

Something like this:

Thanks to a couple of online tutorials I was able to sew my own Mei Tai carrier. After studying the pattern for several weeks I finally found the time to visit the fabric store. Thanks to a good sale and a gift card I scored a great deal on some beautiful fabric. I was excited to get started, so as soon as we were home and Catherine was tucked in for her nap I broke out the scissors and sewing machine.

A handful of hours later I had a finished project! The carrier is beautiful, fits perfectly and Catherine seems to like it.

Green Printing

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Another in a series of posts dedicated to making conscious decisions for living a better life.

Since finishing school Peter and I have found that we rarely need to print from our computers. Maybe for craft projects or directions from Google, but not the multi page papers we once printed. It is easy to say, “put scrap paper in!” before we printed something, but much harder to do it.  It was often that we forgot and would print something inconsequential on a beautiful, white, clean piece of paper. What a waste!

To solve this problem we’ve taken all the new paper out of the printer and replaced it with ‘scrap’ that has printing only on one side. Now when we print something it automatically goes on the recycled paper. If we’re printing something nice we remember to put clean paper in.

It is such a simple, free, earth friendly solution…I’m sorry I didn’t think of it sooner.

Curtains!

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Slowly, but surely, we are settling into our new place. Boxes have been unpacked, pictures are up on the walls, the cupboards are filled…and now there are curtains hung.

In Catherine’s room, at least!

Catherine's Curtains

I spent the afternoon sewing up those little beauties. It is such a wonderful feeling to start and finish a project and have it look so nice. I’ve made curtains before, but I think that these are, by far, the nicest. Catherine definitely has the best room in the house! See more detail in the curtain gallery.

Today was also the maiden journey for my new Gingher Shears. Oh bliss!

Momma’s Day

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I’ve had the title “Momma” for 50 weeks now. Almost a year! I’ve had GREAT-Mom days and WORRIED-Mom days and SLEEPY-Mom days and SILLY-Mom days…

But today is my first Mother’s Day.

Peter planned a wonderful day for me. We went to church, scooted out and made a quick stop at home where I received a yummy “Edible Bouquet“. The fruit was just an appetizer to hold me over. Lunch was still yet to come.

We hopped back into the car and took off for destinations unknown (to me, at least). 62 West, 128 South, 1 South, the Tobin Bridge, the Leverett Connector…The Boston Museum of Science? Yes! Even as we pulled into the parking lot I still didn’t know the plan. Would we see the butterfly exhibit? The Planetarium Show? Was there a new exhibit I hadn’t heard about yet? It was a game of 20 questions, but the only answer was “I don’t know…”

I followed Peter into the lobby and up to a registration table for the “Mother’s Day Brunch”. At the MOS? Indeed. At the top of the elevator, the 6th floor; at the end of the hallway; in a room surrounded by windows with views of the Charles River, Boston and Cambridge; was a lovely Brunch by Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Above BostonThe food was wonderfully elegant without being intimidating. The view was post card perfect and I couldn’t have asked for better company. Catherine was a perfect little lady and graciously accepted compliments from the hostess and waitstaff. It was a delightfully grown-up and special outing. It was tempting to spend the whole day there looking out over the city.

After lunch we wandered the museum. Catherine was particularly taken with the Cotton Topped Tamarins and the baby chicks. I never get tired of the MOS. What a perfect day.

Today was actually our second day in Boston this weekend. Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day (or Nonni’s Day) with my Mom and Dad and Corey. We all met up in Copley Square and went to B Good for lunch.

Three burgers, a chicken sandwich, a spinach salad, two orders of fries, two shakes, a cranberry juice and a water later we were back out on the street headed to the Public Garden. On the way we paused for a three generation pic in front of Trinity Church.

Mom had wanted to ride the Swan Boats last year on Mother’s Day, but anyone in the area will remember how incredibly rainy it had been last year. By postponing to this year Catherine was able to come along! As usual the Swan Boat ride was peaceful and offered sights of some lovely scenes; a sweet group of goslings, Romeo and Juliet (the resident swans), three sunbathing turtles, and a bride and groom taking wedding photos.

We found a park bench and a sweet treat to end the day. Catherine surprised us all by going crazy over frozen lemonade. One taste just wasn’t enough! She would do whatever possible to get another mouthful!

Now, if only we could have swung an outing with Grandma Ellie the weekend would have been complete! Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!

Check out all the pics from Saturday and Sunday!

the State House, Poison Ivy and a Play Date

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Per usual, it has been busy here in the Wood Household. Daily life plus anything extra leaves little time and energy for blogging. Many apologies.

Catherine and I spent most of Wednesday morning at the Massachusetts State House. I’m honestly not sure I had ever been in before. What an experience. We met up with 10-12 other moms and did our part to help protect the rights of Breastfeeding Moms here in the Bay State.

I’d never lobbied for anything before and was surprised by how low key the whole process was. I called and made appointments with my legislators last week. It was easier than making a doctor’s appointment! Yesterday we met up with the whole group for some orientation and then were sent out on our own to speak with the senators and reps. Everyone at the State House was hustling and bustling around but we were able to speak to a few people and get the word out.

I’m glad to have had the chance to speak up for women’s rights as they pertain to nursing in public. I wish with my whole heart, however, that this wasn’t even an issue. There are so many other bigger, badder fish to fry-it is a shame we’re spending our time on this.

Bandaged!

In other news, I have contracted my yearly round of poison ivy. I swear, all I have to do is think the words “poison ivy” and I break out into a rash. This year seems particularly bad. I’ll save you the gory details but I am having trouble bending my left elbow.

Girls

Last, but not least, Catherine and I took advantage of the beautiful weather we’ve been having and took a jaunt up to Gloucester. We met up with some friends-Roselle and Maggie- and walked the boulevard. After some playtime on the slides and swings we picnicked on the beach at Stage Fort Park before heading home.

Catherine and Maggie were cute together; curious as to each other’s existence, but not too interested in playing with each other 🙂

Fluff Momma

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fff|ppp|Catherine and Jennifer|ppp|fff

Who knew that a visit to Building 19 would be so wild and woolly? Last week Jennifer came to visit and between trips to the beach and Johnny Rocket’s we came across these “Fluff Momma” Ugg boots. I have a hard time believing that people actually wear these…never mind shelling out the $300 for them!

We had a lovely time with Jenn. I only wish the visit could have been longer. Check out her site for a much better tale of her trip!

Pictures (mostly of Catherine, big surprise!) are here