busy week

Thom and I flew to Chicago this weekend on a whim and visited our good friends Ryan and Melissa. We attended their wedding just a few short months ago, and it looks they're settling into married life just fine.

Thom had a few meetings out there Monday morning, and since I'm not working on a show or film, it was easy enough for me to get away. It's been a long time since we've been able to be that spontaneous and I'm really glad we took the trip.

I love seeing Melissa in person. We can both get lazy about keeping up with news by phone, but even more than that, there's something about talking face to face with her that makes the conversations we have more substantial. I always walk away from those talks feeling a bit of catharsis.

After we returned home I got busy getting ready for hosting a houseful of people. After a day-long shopping adventure, a major kitchen overhaul, and a floor to ceiling clean, I finally feel ready for Thanksgiving. It seems like I've worked on a million projects these past two weeks--all of which have the added bonus of making the house baby-ready.

Thanksgiving is going to be fantastic this year with both sets of parents, my brother and niece, and my grandparents all in attendance. Kevin and Crystal will share hosting and cooking duties which should take some of the pressure off.

I'll pick up my mom tomorrow morning and the rest of the family will trickle in over the next few days.

I hope all of you out there are able to celebrate a wonderful day with family or friends!

mutation

I know it's scientifically impossible, but I think some kind of genetic transformation takes place at the very core of your cells when you get pregnant. Like all of my old "Summer" DNA has morphed into an entirely different strand of "Mother" DNA. How else to explain the near irresistible urge I have to constantly decorate, clean, and CRAFT?

exhibit A:




















I made this mobile to put over the crib yesterday, deciding to forgo, you know, buying one, because it would be "too impersonal."

Okay, yes, I have way too much time on my hands these days, but at least I can feel good that I'm using this time off from work in more creative endeavors than eating bon bons and watching Montel. I may be insane, but at least I'm productive.

My new favorite place to visit is a website called NotMartha, a great how-to site dedicated to crafting, cooking, and bringing adorableness to the world. I'm getting a lot of great inspiration there and looking forward to bringing my own 3-D cookies, tiny pinatas, and spider cakes to life.

exhibit B:

If you're still skeptical about my genetic transformation, consider this: I am utterly consumed by the idea of filling my house with Holiday Decorations. This week at Kohl's I bought Halloween candy dishes and mugs on sale in anticipation of putting them out next year. Every fiber of my body wants to go out and purchase full dinnerware sets in Thanksgiving and Christmas patterns. Images of themed table runners, cloth napkins, and salt & pepper shakers dance through my head, calling to me with all of their kitschy charm.

Why?! Why, I ask you?! I used to be sensible; I used to be able to appreciate Christmas without vomiting green and red all over my house. I'm not even annoyed by the fact that we haven't come to Thanksgiving yet and the stores are full of chestnuts and cheer. In fact, I love it--I'm excited about getting a jump on my shopping!

As much as I liked the old Summer, I think the new one is here to stay. There's something about starting a family that has put an entirely new emphasis on hearth, home, ritual, and celebration.

My mother-in-law, Julie, has complete sets of decorations for every holiday (and I wouldn't exclude Flag Day or the Chinese New Year from that list). Front lawn to back, floor to ceiling, decorations fill their house nearly year round. She likes to send Thom and I themed hand-towels or little wall hangings at Valentine's Day or Halloween. I used to think she was well-intentioned but a little insane about it all (sorry mom). I never understood why someone would take the time and energy to transform their home that many times a year.

Well everything comes full-circle, doesn't it? I TOTALLY get it now. I don't just get it, I am in the thick of it. I'm sure this is just one incident of many that will have the mothers of the world smirking to themselves, thinking, "Now she knows what I went through."

So be it.

I'm okay with evolution.

p.s.

A big Happy Birthday shout out to my dad today! I love you, Pops!

post halloween recap

Perhaps he was tired after waking up for a 5:30am flight, or maybe his heart just wasn't in it, but I guess Thom decided White-Trash-Lounge-Singer-Priest was as good a Halloween costume as any. I, on the other hand was pretty psyched about my Biker Dude costume (even if it kind of freaked out my husband to kiss me).














Upon closer examination, however, this is more than just a Biker costume. Check this out:


















It's like someone smooshed my parents together and dressed them as one of the Village People.

Crystal and Kevin were very cute as Hansel and Gretel in their lederhosen.














Hansel even let me put the moves on his girl:



















We spent the evening watching whatever scary movies we could find on cable--Freddy vs. Jason and Jeepers Creepers--and handing out candy to the half a dozen kids that actually came to our door. Once we were good and warmed up on the blood and gore, we headed over to Brattle Square for Evil Dead II.

Along the way, Crystal gave out her spare candy to people walking on the streets in a little reverse Halloween experiment (results: men are much more likely to take candy from strangers than women--suggesting one more reason our lifespan is longer than theirs). Of course, I didn't want to ruin little Sesame Seed's first Halloween by giving away all his chocolate, so we left a stash at home.













After the final credits rolled on the movie, I was a jumble of nerves with my guts rolled into a rock hard ball. Thom insists that it's good for the Sesame Seed to experience a wide variety of emotions through me, and he certainly got a good dose of "scared" that night. Of course it's nothing a little candy can't make better...