Deer Park Farms: Wiped out, but excited!

Aaaah, I FINALLY finished packing for Los Angeles...I packed way, way, way, way too much...but that's part and parcel, right? I'm incredibly excited to see everyone while I'm down there, as well as introduce my Oregonian friend Amy to so many of my old pals. My schedule is packed - just the way I like it! :-) Bar Lubitsch is scheduled for tomorrow night...Avalon's Blue on Blue on Friday night...house party Saturday night, then somewhere downtown to close the night off...lunches and brunches and visits during the days. And still tons of things I won't get to, I'm sure!

I got it closed, believe it or not!

I think I might be a little weird: I just came in from sitting outside, listening to the breeze whisper through the trees, disturbing the water that had collected on the leaves of the trees during the rainy day - I loved the sound...it's so relaxing to me! One of these days, I think I want to build a little covered area outside the door to our bedroom so that I can just sit and enjoy the cold and the rain without having to get wet! Unfortunately, while I was out there, I was hit with a sudden intense headache, followed by nausea; I'm now inside, hoping that it's a passing thing and that I'm not actually SICK. I probably should skip writing tonight, and just post pictures...because every few minutes, I'm running to the bathroom dry heaving. YUCKY!!!! I have a feeling I didn't eat enough.

Ellie loves saying good morning to the dogs...and they love the drips from her milk bottle...I couldn't help but snap these shots of the three of them in their morning routine.

I finally had the time to put away the spices I bought at Penzey's last week - I still need to buy storage for the big bulk spices, but was able to at least fill my spice drawer. It has been hanging over my head, and I didn't want to come home from a nice time away to have them still sitting on the counter in the Penzey's bag! I have to admit, there's something incredibly satisfying about seeing all those uniform jars full and waiting to be used!

yes, they're in alphabetical order - as long as Jake hasn't been cooking!

Once Victor and Lorena got here, I started thinking about what else needed to be done to prepare for my time away from the farm...and frankly, I just didn't want to do any of it! So, I went to my closet to see about packing, and realized that I no longer fit into most of my clothes. I'm not sure how to say this tactfully, but...um...my body changed since nursing. My tops HANG on me now. My jeans are fine, and I'm back into the ones I was wearing before pregnancy, but lord almighty, I certainly don't fill out my shirts like I used to! The answer to that problem? New clothes...which meant a trip to Marshalls! Yes, Marshalls - I was in the mood for some bargain hunting! So, as soon as I got Ellie Graye down for her nap, off I went. I had a fabulous time, and got some great deals...and lots of Christmas gifts on top of it!

When I got home, Ellie was playing with the dogs again. Her new favorite thing is to play chase with Boots around the kitchen...usually pretending she has food for him. She stretches out one of her hands, clutched as if she's holding a treat, he does his best to gently smell, but she runs away, and he follows. It's adorable to hear her laughs as she pitter patters around the kitchen. Her other new thing is "riding" Jax - who is the most patient and tolerant dog ever, I think. Between Ellie Graye and Boots, Jax has no reprieve from mischievous companions!

GENTLE HANDS, ELLIE GRAYE!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to sit in Jax's lap...

"S-T-I-I-I-I-I-I-T!"

This looks like fun!

I think this is how mommy gets on Avdou...

this is AWESOME!

Get up, Jax!!! (Boots is saying, "Thank GOD that's not me!")

ok, I'll just play with mommy's lock on this cupboard then

One of the things that was important for me to do before I left for LA, was to have a least a couple things for Jeffrey and his mother and EG to snack on, lunch on, or what not. So, I cooked up some steak and macaroni and cheese (a Martha Stewart recipe that I had made a few weeks ago and frozen)...EG and I had it for dinner along with some Rosemary bread from the La Brea bakery and zucchini from the garden. Ellie wasn't a fan of the mac 'n cheese (not surprising, since she tends to like more "clean" foods), but loved the steak and zucchini. The steak was easy enough - I just used Penzey's Bangkok Spice mix and some wine to simmer it in. It was decent, and will be devoured by Jeffrey, I'm sure. I do wish I had had more time to prep a few meals for them, but Jeffrey doesn't mind driving to town, so they can go out to eat.