Yesterday morning, when I realized that Ben truly had organized my shoes while I was sleeping, I didn't take a picture. This morning, when I saw the results of another night of him organizing my closet, I had to present you all with evidence. I don't doubt at all that I have the best husband in the world.
on our drive to the climbing gym in newburyport (which we haven't been to in a year, probably), we saw that there seemed to be a huge wind turbine that we had never seen before, so we figured it must be new. when we got there, it turned out it actually lives basically in the parking lot of the climbing gym. who knew?
our contingent at the big family reunion in rhode island. (wait! didn't i just see these people at my party in new hampshire last night? i love my family.)
and
Just after Ben walked out the door this morning, he called our landline. I thought it was a little odd, since he knew I was in the middle of washing lettuce, but soon found out why. He very quietly told me to walk onto the porch quickly and quietly with my camera. I did, and saw this cute little guy. I've seen him before, but never when I had my camera handy. Thanks, Ben, for pointing him out to me and for waiting to walk over to your car and scare him away until I was done picture taking! Also, happy birthday eve day to me!
It's "how many things can Janine cook at once?" day again! From left to right -- slow cooker is on the edge of the shot, making strawberry rhubarb apple compote, bowl of custardy part for coffee ice cream is cooling, batch of green tea ice cream is in the ice cream maker, meringue is mixing in the mixer (what else do you do with egg whites when you make ice cream?), bread is being baked in the breadmaker (which will later turn into bruschetta), dishwasher is being unloaded so I can reload it and get rid of the evidence of this crazy kitchen scene.
When I went to my yoga class on Sunday, I found that my hair was fairly unmanageable. It had gotten long enough that I can put it in a ponytail. So I had done that, but then we were doing work on our backs, and I couldn't lay down with the ponytail where it was, so every time my hands were free, I'd be trying to do something to get my hair to be out of my way, and not painful. When it was down, it was totally all over and in my face, and when it was up -- either it wouldn't all stay up or it would be situated in a way so that I couldn't put my head down. I must have redone my hair more than 10 times during class. It was distracting, if not embarrassing. So today, I thought about it before I went. I was going to grab a headband, but they have a tendency to fall out sometimes when there's a lot of head movement, especially when I lean my head back. I settled on trying pigtails, which I haven't done for a while. They were perfect. Totally cute and comfy. I would say that they'll be my new stand-by, but I'm on my way to get my hair cut, and even though I really just want it to be a little trim, these pigtails are so little that it might take a little while for me to get them back... At least they served me well today!
ben is really against kitchen unitaskers (see alton brown), but after our first pick up from the farm share, we decided we really do need a salad spinner. also, he's been wanting a banana hanger for a while. so we took a field trip to bed bath and beyond with the last of our gift cards from the wedding and got a couple of unitaskers (though i've been told a couple times in the course of the day that a salad spinner wouldn't be considered a unitasker). then, we went a step further and ordered a pressure canner and an ice cream maker... hmmm... i can justify the first, but not sure about the second...
what a good musician!!
(further proof that ben loves toddlers)
Went to a conference-y thing in Manchester today. Ate good food there. Came home to get some work done, and got a video chat request from two of my favorite people: V and her little man R. After I took this picture, I brought it up on the camera screen and held it up so that V could see it on our video chat. Funny.
Cold and rainy day. Got a lot done. Internship contract signed, schedule established, fingers printed, picture taken for ID, summer faculty/staff parking pass acquired. Needed soup for dinner. GOOD DINNER. Made broccoli soup and caesar salad (first one I've ever made) and bought sourdough bread and a triple creme cheese.
(after having done the heavy lifting tasks that were assigned to them) the boys played frisbee golf while the girls helped with plates and table cloths and whatnot.
we rappelled off the dam. Ben and A are featured here waiting for it to be time for them to spot so we can go canooooooeing!
gorgeous ceremony. we got to sit in the shade. didn't realize till later how hot the wedding party must have been over there in the sun!
will they leave in a tractor or in a helicopter?
cornhole during cocktail hour.
pbc past and present staff picture. 
ben carried his new little friend away from the party and into the kitchen for a little while so F's parents could eat their dinner.
lots and lots of dancing.
bride and groom on the school bus.
we took a stop for everyone to get out at Bottle King before we went to hibachi.
he actually dropped this egg because i scared him with my camera's flash. whoops!
one round of irish car bombs at the BTI (mostly for old time's sake)
time for bed!
So, when I arrived at my mom's house on Sunday, this bowl of wasabi peas was almost completely full. By the end of that day, it was somewhat depleted. By the end of Monday, since the bowl was right at the table where I was trying to get work done, it was more depleted. When I woke up on Tuesday, it had changed tables, but was still in the same room, so I continued to enjoy, though a little more slowly. When I woke up today, it had moved to a different room. I thought to myself, "Do these peas really think that just by changing rooms they're going to keep me from eating them?" Well, it turned out to work pretty well if that was their goal. I went out of my way to eat them in the next room over once or twice, but definitely not at the same rate I had been. I somehow didn't feel as if it was within my power to move the bowl back where it had been before. I've been outsmarted by a bowl of wasabi peas!!!!
