Food for Thought...

- and a Little Love for the Kitchen!
For most individuals, the bedroom is their sanctuary, their place to go to unwind and to get away from it all.  But for me, my sanctuary is easily the kitchen, and I'll tell you why. 


For starters, the kitchen is easily the most common room in the house.  Cooking at least three meals a day, the constant backdoor traffic, the smells are amazing :) ... you get it. It stays the busiest, and I'm a bit in love with all that it entails.  I love to cook for others, but lately though, I've had another itch in the kitchen.  One to give it a facelift.  If I spend all my time in there (pretty basically), then it should at least have a few touches of our personalities and flare.

Skinny galley kitchen, but it's still got potential!

Canisters received as a wedding gift. These will definitely stay!

Oh yeah. I said it, "flare." Nothing speaks more flare than the lovely blue wallpaper with the endless green leaves (catch the sarcasm).  Don't get me wrong - I love leaves and all, but it's got to go!  Yes, this may be a starter home, but it's at least time to dress it up a bit.  It's been on hold since Andrew and I became overwhelmed with removing LAYERS of wallpaper in the bathrooms, so we gave up on the kitchen. (That was three years ago).

The plate is another piece that I love, but the leaves? Not so much :/

Inspiration?  Country homes. Not the themed cows and pigs you're thinking of - I'm drawn to big country kitchens - kitchens of days past with doors left ajar to let the breeze through the screens and large and small stools for grabbing, shelling, and taking a break.  Hoosier cabinets, old wooden spoons & cast-iron skillets, mason jars and canisters passed down through generations, and of course, the old wooden highchair of the same.  Find me vintage anything for the kitchen and I'm sold (even more so for pieces that tell a story). I yearn for the aged and classic yet simple things in life. Call me old-fashioned.

Antique Hoosier cabinet from early 1900s

Hoosier cabinet that I scooped up in antique shop in SAV.  Multipurpose! (used as a changing table for now)

I may not get to have the big kitchen of my dreams just yet, but I have found a few ideas that may just work for our skinny galley kitchen of today.  It has to be warm and inviting, since I spend most of my time in there, and I want it to be a cooks kitchen.  Everything a cook should need should be within arm's reach...I'm working on it!

A Cook's Kitchen: 

Everything's within arm's reach, and I'm digging the chalkboard for quick ideas!

Not only do I love to cook, but I feel as though I can express myself through my food - whether it be a steak and potatoes chicken divan kind of night to please my man or chili/slaw dogs to embrace and actually feel summer through our food (baseball game, anyone?); EVERYTHING just tastes better homemade!  We grill as often as we can in the warm months too, so I am thankful to Andrew for enjoying the cooking process right along with me (I'm no grill gal, that's for sure).

Who doesn't love a sink so lovely?

I don't cook just for the fun of it either (although it can be quite entertaining).  Every single one of us cooks to keep ourselves satisfied & content, but there's more to it than just "getting something on the table."  I like to escape to the kitchen, to get away from the toys and the TV, put on a good album and put my heart into my food.  There's something calming to me about getting in the kitchen, putting thought and love into the food that's going to be served to my family & friends.  I strive to bring home the freshest and tastiest seasonable fruits and veggies to compliment a sale meat or fresh slab of fish. Making it taste as good as it looks and smells.. There really ain't nothin' better than coming home to the sweet smells of sumthin' cookin' in the kitchen!

Spice rack and the colors!

When the season's right, you can get some great produce for a steal of a price, and please let me know if you know of ANYONE who doesn't like to save money and buy fresh! :)  When the pickin's right, scoop up as much as you can!  No one with any sense about them would pass up on strawberries and blackberries straight from the farm for pennies on the dollar, and what about the succulent GOLDEN YELLOW summertime squash?! Oh my yall - with all this talk, I gotta get in the kitchen.

epitome of a country kitchen - check out the old fridge, sink, and desk!

Before I'm off to make my mama's tweaked version of banana nut bread (I add banana nut granola & pumpkin pie spices), I'd like to add that cooking should not be considered a chore or taxing event.  It's not degrading in the least to cook my man a meal (although some women enthusiasts would disagree), and I take pride in the dishes that I serve.  It makes me happy to make others happy, and I am delighted to serve.  With these and a few more inspiration pieces, I will soon be able to make my haven the little kitchen that could. :) Happy cookin, yall!

LoVe the ceiling beams, island, straw-backed chairs, and the colors.

"May your family share laughter.."

visiting with GG in Albany before the trip to FL!

State Park in Cape San Blas

Wow!  What a busy month it has been!  I am finally taking the time to write this long overdue blog post, and to the delight of some (Gramama, you there?), we're going to relive some of the highlights that have made this summer so very special, and to think it's not even summer yet!  We've been living life in the fast lane lately, and after a visit from our Colorado, I mean Boston favorites, who are now traveling up the eastern seaboard to Jersey, it's nice to slow it down a bit and take the time to sit and write.  The laundry's gonna have to wait on this one!

Gorgeous sunset after gorgeous sunset..

Indian Pass Raw Bar - DE-lish!! Plus who doesn't love a serve-yourself bar?? :)

After our trip to Gulf Shores, AL, Andrew, Naomi, and I packed up and headed east on the coast of the panhandle toward our highly anticipated family vacation with the Lees to Cape San Blas, FL.  Cape San Blas is a very small and remote peninsula located just outside of Port St. Joe and close to Mexico Beach and St. George Island.  If you've never been to "Florida's Forgotten Coast" then you are really missing a treat - beautiful beaches, gorgeous sunsets, fresh seafood, and supposedly some of the best scalloping and crabbing around (best time for the catch is usually late July and August).  We kayaked along the coast, sat on quiet and almost private pristine white beaches, and watched sunset after sunset slowly melt away. And as the days went by, way too fast as they always tend to do, we grew more appreciation of each and every fleeting moment because before we know it, we're all back to the daily grind of it all.  That's the best part of family vacations, especially as we all grow older and move away and have children of our own - taking the time to come together, for one week to celebrate family.  That's what it's all about.  Building the family memory bank one vacation at a time. :)



The week was extra special because of our May festivities - not only was it recently Naomi's first birthday & Mother's Day, but we had the delight to celebrate Gramama's 60th birthday the first night there.  We called it Gramama's birthday week, and her boys made sure to remind her of it.  I think she had the most fun of all. ;)
Bocce ball, frisbee golf, kayakin, state park trips, motorcycle rides with sweet Unkie T - we did it all!  Of course the festivities continued in the kitchen - grillin out just about every night and then the highly anticipated low country boil served on the porch as the sun went down - in rocking chairs, might I add.  Oh my, I want to be back!  We all felt the same way about leaving, and lucky for us, we were able to extend our stay through Memorial Day.  Three more days together under one roof - and proud to say that we survived!! Haha, and we'd do it all again in a heartbeat! ;)

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.  It was a great family treat, and we are already planning the next one.  I hope you and your loved ones get the opportunity to plan a trip together this summer or sometime soon.  "When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." xoxo

Why would you take your kids to a music festival?!

Well, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that, but my question right back at ya is this: Why not??? Many critics believe that a music fest is no place for children because of adults behaving irresponsibly, to say the least.  But I have to disagree.  A music festival is just that - a place where music lovers of every age can come together and have a great time - responsibly - with each other.  At least that is what it's all about for me, anyways.  I agree that there are many folks out there who let it all hang out and check their responsibilities at the door, and that's all good!  Been there, done that, but we are in a different stage of our lives, and we want Naomi to experience life with us - activities and adventures that we enjoy and want her to enjoy with us along the way.

Rock on, Hangout!

A festival experience is like no other.  The energy alone is contagious - everyone is there to have a wonderful time, meet new, kind souls and smiling faces with similar interests, and of course, to see their favorite bands all in one place.  We've thoroughly enjoyed the scene before and after baby.  Before, we enjoyed having the opportunity to bring along bikes, hike without a lot of gear, and enjoyed not having to worry about 3 solid meals a day (haha).  After baby, we still enjoy being able to see live music with our smallest little love, yet we do things slightly different than before!  I wouldn't change it for the world!!
We took the littlest Lee to Hangout Fest - Gulf Shores, AL (May 20-22, 2011) for her first ever festie.  She is a natural and loved every second of it, and we will certainly be back next year with our little one in tow.


Hangout Fest is located directly on the beach, and with us living 20 minutes from the beach here in GA, we knew it was a good one to start with.  Omi is a beach baby - she LOVES the water, sand, and sun, so naturally, she had a wonderful time.  She is also an "easy baby," and I have said that more than once with all sincerity.  She laughs and smiles more often than not - a true delight to be around. I suppose that if she were on the crankier side, we would have thought twice about bringing her or would've planned a little differently.

View from top of the sand mound. 

Speaking of planning, A LOT went in to making sure this festival went off without a hitch.  Lots of snacks, drinks, baby carriers, coolers, sunscreen, hats, etc - typical baby stuff that doesn't need to be left behind!  The biggest necessity (that I hope no one would forget) is ear protection.  Children's ears are much more sensitive than ours to loud sounds, and it is a disservice to not provide protection for them.  You wouldn't let your child in the sun without sunscreen, so it's the same concept with loud music/sounds to me.  We took earmuffs and waterproof kids earplugs...so glad we picked up the earplugs!! The muffs were just too big, even though they're kids sized, so the plugs worked really well!  She didn't like them being inserted because it literally suctions to your ear, but once I got them in, she was fine with it.  I'm hoping the earmuffs will fit a little better next year.  They are just too heavy right now.

Note the Kelty Kids backpack on left (a must have for any Dad), and her beach tent! 

Family fun and great tunes at the beach. What's not to love?! (**note earplugs!)

Another definite perk to Hangout was the ability to go back to the hotel whenever needed and have a cool room, warm, comfortable bed, and free breakfast (not to mention the pool). We also made sure to pay a little extra for closer parking to the venue which was worth double the money now that I look back on it.  We were able to leave the festival grounds as often as we wanted, and we made frequent pit-stops to the car throughout the day for extra supplies and to drop things off that we didn't need. The stroller stayed in the car until night-fall due to it's bulkiness in size and the difficulty level of pushing it through sand.  It was definitely a necessity for the night time shows.  She had a comfortable, safe, familiar spot to lay down right next to Mama and Deddy.  She was set!

The BEST part of waking up was having her there with us!

Not only was Hangout a "child-friendly" event (meaning kids 10 and under were free - lots of fests are not this lenient), but they had friendly and responsible staff members on site at the kids stage helping children build sandcastles and play in the sand.  A 15-20 foot mound of sand was the highlight of the trip for any child, and Hangout provided sand buckets and shovels to boot!  I was ecstatic to see one of my favorites, Railroad Earth, play the kids stage while simultaneously playing with my daughter.  Nothing beats that happiness and joy.  Now THAT was the highlight of the trip for me.

Believe it or not, she climbed it all by her big self! :)

I met a wonderful new friend during this time who came with her two kids (ages 2 and 4), and her brother's family too.  All the way from Missouri!

Railroad Earth - a special treat in the sand

Below, I've made a quick list of pros and cons to taking kids to festivals.  This was our first and certainly won't be our last!  Happy festival season, yall!

Pros:
-we get to take our kid! :)
- baby carriers ROCK.
- close parking
- great bands ROCK
- culture and kind folks are in abundance!
- hotel or camping, we havent camped with Omi yet, but the packnplay would be a necessity then
- no out-of-the-way drop-offs to grandparents' house
- kids get in free
- friendly, helpful, and courteous staff members
- security was more than accommodating (allowed us to bring in PACKED cooler)
- free water fountains
- accessibility to VIP bathrooms - this wouldn't have happened without her there, that's for sure! :)

Opening song, and she was out

Cons:
- unkind, simply rude people.

Allow me to elaborate: We got a few unkind glares, and a few people felt the need to speak unkindly to us.  95% of the folks were kind-hearted and shot smiles...we were even applauded by a staffer for ear protection and by another man there with his pregnant wife during Warren Haynes' unbelievable set with Grace Potter.  The expecting couple loved seeing Omi there having a blast playing in the sand - they, too, want to continue to enjoy festivals - with their growing family. But there is the 5% that wanted to voice their disapproval.  We did hear: "She's out too late," (when she was asleep in her stroller - yeah) or the popular "Why would you bring your kid to a music fest?"  But we also heard a lot of "Awe..I miss my kids!"  And, like I said before, "Why not bring them?"  She goes where we go, and we don't party like the rest of those fools who can't remember what band they saw when.  It is a music festival for all ages.  Sure, we could've had a blast like it was our honeymoon again without her there, but we chose to bring her on purpose!  Haha.  Really though, I felt an explanation was needed. Unfortunately, there are buffoons there who like to cause a raucous, but those fools are everywhere - college and pro sporting events, large cities, small cities, the airport, the neighborhood behind you. I mean, really.  Parents are responsible for their children and their safety.  Take cues from your kid- if she had had enough, she would have let us know, and we would have left in a heartbeat. But she was great and had a blast! Bluntly, judgmental and "concerned" people need to take a hike!  Music fests, with or without the kids, are enjoyable, but I had a much better time experiencing it with the littlest Lee, who safe to say, had the best time of all!

Naomi's first WP show - asleep! She wore herself out in the sand!