So Far This Week....

We've had our first local sweet corn. Its been ripe before now but, I just finally got a chance to pick up an armful and haul it home to douse with butter and salt. YUM. It was really, really good. Am contemplating making some corn chowder in the near future. What else do you do with fresh sweet corn besides eat it on the cob in volumes? I'd love to hear your ideas.

We watched Nib coo and gurgle and chortled together over his increasingly charming almost giggle. He is so close people...so close! Argh! He's an incredible little morning bird. Wakes up full of little wet and cheery things to say, all wreathed in smiles. He's a darling dear. No other word. We continue to be amazed at his ability to sleep at night. I am a fervent co-sleeper but, with this baby I really haven't because he wakes up once a night and seems to prefer his own private slumber in a little basket on the floor next to our bed. Quite incredible. I am very astonished at this phenomenon and have never really seen anything like it before although of course you read of such urban legends in books. (I thought they were lies, all lies!) We are having far more trouble at nighttime with his big brother Dee. I guess they don't call it terrible two for nothing.

Also, there was baking. I realize I am supposed to be savoring the chilly last bits of my air conditioned existence before moving into a big house with no cooling mechanism of any kids BUT...I can't go on a very long baking fast. I love to bake. So, I fell prey to a dreamy sounding recipe for pound cake...a classic that I had never made (Can you believe it?). And it was just okay. I'm not wild about pound cake I guess, I'm all give or take about it after the experience and a little reflection. Yes..but LOOK!!!! Isn't that beautiful? That was my very favorite part of the whole event, right there...that beautiful creamy, smooth, angel wing batter. Mmmmmm......stunning, no? 

And we had a date this week! Its been an age. We're budgeting out money and trying to be careful not to spend any more than we have to (house down payment) and one of the things that took a serious cut for a while was our babysitter money. That meant no dates for a while which was kind of hard to swallow but, oh it felt good to go out again. We just paid for the sitter, no dinner, no movie...we went for a walk on the foggy seashore instead which fit my romance bill. Yay New England!

Beauty In Small Places

So many lovely moments today somehow.

Nib is smiling away all the time now and just tip-toe edges from those wonderful first giggles...he's just teetering on the edges over and over. Big open mouthed grins where his eyes twinkle madly and he makes the very smallest of "ha ha ha" noises. I am quite preoccupied with catching his eye and trying to push him over the edge. Makes it a little hard to focus on the laundry or the receptionist I'm on the phone with.*sigh*

Other lovelinesses:

• Was blazing hot today but in the middle of the scorching 94 degree (35C for those in Europe) heat we had a sudden torrential rainstorm. There was a beautiful moment when we were sitting in traffic alongside road construction and the rain came slanting in sideways and bouncing like miniature ping pong balls off the hood of the car and all the sweltering construction workers stopped their work and just stood there in their hard hats and day glo orange vests and grinned up at the sky and got very gleefully soaking wet. Then the rain swept on somewhere else and the temp was suddenly 83 degrees (28C) and the blacktop was billowing rolls of round, swirling steam into the air. Beautiful.
• The cornflowers are all frothing along the side of the road and they are set off stunningly by the creeping bird's food trefoil that's glowing brightly up from the ground. What an amazing color combination! Wish I stopped and taken pictures. Maybe tomorrow.
• The woman at the UPS factory where I stopped to pick up a missed package had terrible, terrible teeth and frankly, there a bit of an ick factor initially  (I am that shallow folks) but, then she started talking to me and she was so incredibly nice.We ended up standing there talking about where we were from and how a home shapes you and how many children we were both meant to have etc. etc. And I left waving fondly over my shoulder and glowing all the way back to my car. Truly, I almost asked her for her name and number. People are so lovely sometimes.
• This morning at breakfast I made blueberry pancakes with the blueberries we picked over the weekend with friends and when I uncovered them in their basket this morning, and filled my hands to pour them in the batter, I was just struck by the beauty of that very fine, misty film that lies all silvery across the navy base color on each berry. Somehow they look purple and silver and grey and blue all at once...like they were all dipped in a fog first before picking. I love a good dose of beauty before breakfast.
• I took the car to have a handwax job at the local discount car wash this morning. And wow. The most incredibly friendly gents whisked through the whole job in a half and hour and when I opened the door and slid back into my seat I found that they'd not only waxed the outside, they'd also vacuumed the inside (better than I ever seem to be able to), washed off the dash and all the little plastic crevices like the cup-holders etc.) and also washed the windows, inside and out.....for 60 dollars. I could have kissed the forehead of the sweaty, grinning Hispanic man who told me go "Have a good day now!"

And since I don't have pictures of any of those things....I'll share photos of our berry picking outing instead.