Introducing...

Louis William McCarley Gale
Born at 7:03 am on September 23rd, 2009.
7 lbs, 13 oz.
20.5"

Likes: sleeping, music, dim lighting, rooting on his right hand, and Goodnite Moon.

R.I.P Bread Machine

We had a good run, didn't we? Nearly 6 years of kneading, baking,and let's not forget Sunday night pizza dough. You survived 2 coasts, 4 different moves and some miserable recipies at my hands and yet you kept plugging along. Until last Friday. I don't know what did it. I salvaged the Cornmeal Molasses Dough that you were working on and it turned out great. Yet you decided you'd had enough and jumped off the counter. Surely there was a better way to go. A yard sale or Goodwill Donation box perhaps? But with a very loud crash, you ended it all. You will be missed. The question now is what to replace a bread machine with? My mixer is on the fritz, but still hanging on and I've heard you can use a good mixer to knead dough. So maybe it would make sense to limit kitchen appliances and get a new mixer that would also serve the dough kneading purpose. But then you can't leave it for 3 hours and have it magically be done, since it can't bake it for you too. Has anyone tried both and ended up with a preference? Bread Machine vs Mixer?

It's almost rug season

The last rug we had in the living room was puked on by a sweet little boy who couldn't hold his milk. Since summer is so hot in DC we didn't see an urgent need to replace it (we tried to salvage it, but people who came over would ask "What's that smell?" We finally figured it out). Anyways, with fall and the cold weather approaching we found a new rug that we both like. It wasn't too expensive which is perfect since this rug runs a high risk of meeting the same barfy fate as the previous one.

A sneak peak at the Swiss Chard we will be eating in a few months.

The end is in sight!

Here are some pictures of the baby's room. You can see how we needed a day at the beach. Check out the photo of the room from the day we moved in when it was still bright blue. A few more things to do and we will be done! Just in time.

Beach Break

Lewes Beach, Delaware. Mid-Atlantic beaches are so weird. There's never any waves. When the kids next to us with boogie boards were screaming, "Here comes a brutal wave!" the California girl in me was horrified. They have no idea how deprived they are. You couldn't even drown in them if you tried! What happened to the days of kids getting pummeled by waves and getting stuck underwater not knowing which way was up until you surfaced and had sand in every facial orifice, a pint of water up your nose, and thus developed a healthy respect for the waves and the ocean and what they were ultimately capable of?
At that very moment I made a silent promise that my child must not be fooled into thinking that bumps in the water are waves just because he is growing up here. If I have my way, San Clemente will be the first beach he visits.
And I'm not even finished! The jellyfish don't have tentacles and apparently don't sting (although I wasn't taking any chances), and there's huge horeshoe crabs that just wash up on the shore! What the heck?! Someday I am going to try a beach further south like North Carolina and see if that's any closer to what I have known of beaches. Of course, as I admitted to Andy, it's entirely possible that I am a beach snob. And quite honestly, I am okay with that.

Living Room

We are so excited about these record shelves. They make our living room seem way bigger and obviously more organized. Here are some before and after pictures.