More Visitors And More Adventures

Whew! I'm way behind on the updates. This past weekend we were in Rhode Island for Thanksgiving with a break schlepping to Boston for Nutcracker Opening Night.

The previous weekend my mom came to town! She arrived Friday afternoon and I forced her to stuff annual appeal envelopes and watch a Hallmark Holiday Movie. Surprised she didn't up and leave right then. We enjoyed a lovely Mexican dinner at Agave (and large cocktails) before retiring home to try to beat Simon at games. We didn't succeed.

Saturday was a fun day with a beach walk in Rye, strolling through the downtown shops and entertaining friends who stopped by during their overnight to Portsmouth. Simon jaunted off to a Gala for a local non-profit - the NHSPCA where we adopted Merwin! He then jaunted home with a brand new television that he successfully bid on during the auction. It is sublimely hilarious because this kid REFUSED to entertain the idea of us needing a larger TV despite me squinting during Rangers games and him having to pull a chair closer to play video games. He relented and we're done with our Christmas gifting to each other. Two birds!

On Sunday we did some outlet shopping, tried our hand at more games and cozied in for a nice home cooked meal. Always such a pleasure every time she visits and I'm glad she is willing to make the drive!

Breaking Rules

I've been trying soooooo hard, but I just couldn't resist anymore. I listened to some Christmas music. To my credit, I created a Pandora station that blended some non-holiday music into the mix, but against my credit, I also lit the Balsam Fir candle and fired up the cozy gas stove. And I really, really want to get the Christmas tree this weekend when my mom is in town. My justification for doing all of this before Thanksgiving is simple. We're taking a New Years trip so all of the decorations will need to be stashed away before we leave, shortening the season. Totally legit reason to go nuts earlier than usual. Right?

Visitors And Adventures

Wonderful weekend with some extra fun guests! My aunt, uncle, and their son were down in Boston on Friday so swung north for an overnight adventure in Portsmouth. Saturday was brisk and gusty so we walked around downtown then settled in for a late lunch at the River House. It was the last day of Portsmouth's Restaurant Week so we got a nice deal on a three-course lunch with (gasp!) midday cocktails. Then we dashed to nearby Wallis Sands Beach for a walk with Merwin before the sun settled in for the night. After some hemming and hawing, we ended up catching Bradley Cooper's new movie, Burnt, about a once washed up chef who's striving to achieve a third Michelin star. Yummy - both Bradley Cooper (teehee) and the scenes of delicious meals. We ended the night with a trip to Flatbreads for some pizza and the second brownie sundae of the day.

After our guests left Sunday, Simon, Merwin and I headed over to Maine to explore the York Land Trust's Highland Farm and Smelt Brook Preserves, two conservation properties tucked in the marsh just past Kittery. We spent an hour and half on the trails, and although I dread its arrival, I realized how much I love November. Walking in the woods with that distinct crunchy leaf smell and the brownish tan hues of the trees and brush. I can't make it sound like the way it made me feel, but I'm a big November advocate now. Go November! Be brown and crunchy! Ok.

Mid Week Day Off

Everyone in our office chooses from a few different Floating Holidays to take off, and I ended up with Veteran's Day this year, which originally didn't make me so excited. I would've much preferred one of the Monday holidays to make a nice three-day weekend. What could I really do with a day mid-week? But it turned out to be relaxing and fun! Besides, I got to take a day that is actually really, really important. While we should honor our veterans every day, it felt nice to pause and celebrate them on Wednesday.

Simon and I started with a yummy breakfast at the Golden Egg over in Rye. Mmm. Then he dropped me off at the new French pastry place downtown, La Maison Navarre, where I ordered a delicious cafe au lait and an even more delicious chocolate petite choux. Drool. It was serene in there (and so very French!) and it was great to kill a little time before the natural foods store opened and I could grab a few items I needed to tackle a little DIY project. 

After sprinting home in the rain, I spent some time with Merwin and checked out the On Demand movies for some pre-holiday action. If you haven't seen Holiday in Handcuffs starring Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez, you're really missing out. A waitress in the midst of a nervous breakdown kidnaps a handsome diner guest waiting for his girlfriend to arrive so he can propose. Instead he is forced to pose as the waitress's boyfriend for Christmas with her family. Amazing, right? I was pumped to get a little Christmas spirit (and have definitely broken all of my own pre-Thanksgiving Christmas enjoyment restrictions) before heading out to do some outlet shopping. 

I will admit that I watched a second Hallmark holiday movie that afternoon (The Mistletones, eeee!) after an unsuccessful DIY attempt (will spare you the details on that). Simon then finished up at work and we ended the day with a yummy dinner at Moxy's cozy little bar. 

Can't all days be like that? 

A Poem For A Monday

Sometimes Mondays feel so Monday-y. Amidst my own Monday blues today, I spotted this poem titled "Last Day On Earth." Seems appropriate. Speaking of, I really hope my last day isn't a Monday. Add insult to injury why don't you. Anyhow, this one is actually quite lovely. With each re-read, it seems more and more positive, optimistic and almost joyful around the idea that the common day and all its simplicity would be the most beautiful last day. Perhaps I should re-boot my Monday.

Last Day on Earth
Lawrence Raab

If it's the tide of a movie you expect
everything to become important -- a kiss,
a shrug, a glass of wine, a walk with the dog.

But if the day is real, life is only
as significant as yesterday -- the kiss
hurried, the shrug forgotten, and now,

on the path by the river, you don't notice
the sky darkening beyond the pines because
you're imagining what you'll say at dinner,

swirling the wine in your glass.
You don't notice the birds growing silent
or the cold towers of clouds moving in,

because you're explaining how lovely
and cool it was in the woods. And the dog
had stopped limping! -- she seemed

her old self again, sniffing the air and alert,
the way dogs are to whatever we can't see.
And I was happy, you hear yourself saying,

because it felt as if I'd been allowed
to choose my last day on earth,
and this was the one I chose.

Merwin's Mid-Century Must Have

It's a well-known fact that I tend to be slightly obsessed with anything related to Merwin and dogs in general. That's a dramatic understatement. Massively obsessed to the point of an unhealthy relationship to canines is more like it. I like dogs better than people. 

As the holidays near and my obsession with Christmas collides with my dog obsession, I get pumped thinking about holiday goodies for Merwin (yes, I understand he doesn't have a clue). Plus, my mom is interested in receiving a Christmas list of potential gifts, which is reinforcement that scouring the internet for generally useless doggy products is an okay use of time.

That is how I stumbled upon this gem of a gem. Simon and I recently learned that "mid-century modern" is a style of furniture we really like. Our bedroom is slightly mid-century modern. Merwin sleeps in the bedroom so the logical conclusion is that this completely reasonably priced item is a MUST HAVE. Mom and Dad, do it for your grand-dog! He NEEDS this!!!!! Plus, it's really quite the deal at the bargain basement price of $695....