in the herb garden

They say you shouldn't plant your garden till after Memorial Day, but we live in Vermont's banana belt for heaven's sake and I just couldn't resist picking up a few things at the garden shop this weekend when it was SO nice outside. I had to extend the garden in order to fit all of the new goodies (rosemary, French tarragon, salvia and pineapple sage—that was Colin's pick) and am quite pleased with the result.

Colin helped me excavate some rocks from the back hill (he worked on the stone border while I worked on the plantings). I even found some forget-me-nots literally growing on top of the gravel in the parking lot. So I transplanted them to a delicious new home in my garden with lots of compost, dirt and pine mulch. And a good dose of water too. There, all pretty now!

two new favorite coffee spots

There are quite a few great places to get a good cuppa coffee in Burlington: the good ol stand-bys are Uncommon Grounds, Speeder & Earls, Muddy Waters, Radio Bean, even Lake Champlain Chocolates serves some really good espresso. They're all worth a try and deserving of our patronage. I love coffee so much and I love all of our coffee shops so much, I like to share the wealth and give them all some love every now and then.

If you really want some special coffee, it's worth it to go a little off the beaten path to find it. There is a wonderful little tea and coffee shop on Center Street right around the corner from Church where the army navy stored used to be called Sapa Tea & Coffee. I'm pretty sure is the only place downtown where you can get Vietnamese-style coffee: a strong brew in a demi-tasse traditionally served with sweetened condensed milk (I like it with half & half). The flavor is nutty, chocolately and smooth. They also serve madeleines (French tea cakes) which are pretty good. And the atmosphere is a welcome low-key get-away from the crazy Saturday bustle of Church Street. I went there for Mother's Day last week when my parents surprised us for tea time. I enjoyed the coffee so much, I brought Colin back today after the farmers' market. Here's my picture of the coffee and then Colin's artsy pics below.

Oh, and our second new favorite place to get coffee? Village Wine and Coffee in Shelburne. They have this cup called the Ultimo, which is a strong brew of espresso with half & half and maple syrup. It's pretty much speed in a cup and it's amazing.

lil update

Mid-May is here and with it more snow and frigid air. I've yet to go out and play in the garden. Will my little herbs survive such fickle weather?

Despite the cold, we had a fun little weekend. Yes we did. Impromptu BBQ with friends. An afternoon with Sapphie. First farmer's market of the summer (HELLO fresh asparagus, spinach, rhubarb and more! Hello spring quiche and rhubarb compote).

Colin found a beautiful chandelier at a local consignment store and bought it on a whim. Installed and wired the thing as soon as we got home. It worked on the first try and looks so beautiful and perfect in our bedroom.

Saturday night met up with the girls—quelle soiree indeedy!

Yours truly had a fun (little) bathroom demo on Sunday morning. And I successfully caulked a bathtub! Why oh why it was never done in the first place is beyond me. But there you have it.

And then my parents surprised me on Mother's Day (shouldn't it be the other way around?). They "popped in" for tea right around tea time. We went to the little place by the daily planet and had some of the best coffee I have ever had in my life. Note to self: I MUST go there again.

Already in to another crazy week at work. They seem to melt all together these days... And trying to keep up with friends/family/reading books/cleaning house/making dinner. Oh yeah and relaxing too!

pics from my iphone

Oh yeah, did I mention I have a cell phone now? Colin got me an iPhone for my 30th birthday. Pretty nifty huh? I told him that going to the AT&T store gave me more anxiety than the actual big 3-0 itself. But once all was said and done, it felt pretty good to be all growed up. So... I'm addicted now. Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks. It's been a weird weather kind of week. We had a snow storm a few days ago. Burlington only picked up an inch or two and it melted in less than a day, but they got a foot at my parents' house in Derby and even more than that at Jay Peak. (Jay even opened back up again for the weekend—Col went there today with Kev and Isaac.) So here are some pics from my iPhone:

Sapphie eating a grilled cheese at Al's French Frys:


Au Lait enjoying the sun:


Sapphie pushing her stroller down Church Street:


Col waiting for lunch before we went hiking at Mt. Philo last Sunday:


Freak snowstorm this week:


Snow in the garden:


Pretty sunset:

Retrospect: Newport 1990-1998

Welcome to the fourth installment of the first-three-decades-of-my-life-in-chapters: Newport, Vermont. I was 10 years old when we arrived and 18 years old when I graduated high school and left home to go to college. Papa got a job preaching at the Newport Church of God (that's why we moved there in the first place). Twenty years later, he's still the preacher, only the church is in Derby now—the next town over. I've been putting off writing this chapter, because not only did I live there longer than any other town, but also because these years include some of my most important and formative moments. So you can probably imagine all of the memories I have. Here are just a few:

• The first house we lived in was on Pleasant Avenue. We all had our own rooms. My room had a door up to the attic, which we used as a playroom.
  
• There was a garden shed outside that we called the turret, because it was shaped like a castle turret. We used that as a playhouse too. There was a stone chimney in the turret. One day, my friend Courtney and I wrote a fake love letter and hid it behind a loose stone in the chimney. I wonder if it's still there?
• Mummy and Papa had their biggest garden yet at the house on Pleasant Avenue. Mummy let me have my own plot. I was really into fairies then, so I called it my fairy garden and grew mini roses for the fairies.
• The elementary school was about a 20-minute walk away. I was too shy to take the bus, so I walked home every day. One time I really had to go to the bathroom, but I still had about 5 minutes left to go. I didn't make it. :-(
• The Junior High School was in Derby, so I eventually had to start taking the bus. Then I started making more friends. Maybe sometimes my friends and I weren't the best influence on each other. One day Monique and I were making fun of our teacher and she yelled at us and said that we were mean and would never have any friends.
• Another time, Monique and I got in trouble for prank calling the sheriff. We didn't know it was the sheriff at the time. And the prank that we did hit below the belt... The next day, the sheriff came to our house (they had call waiting!) and Monique and I hid in the attic. But Mummy and Papa made us come down and apologize.
  
• But for the most part, I was an angel. My sister Emi hated me and called me a "little princess" because I was perfect all the time. (She was always getting in trouble.) And indeed, I always got straight As. But getting good grades and being a dork does not a perfect princess make.
• High school was back in Newport and I got to ride with Emi from then on. (Hannah had moved to Florida by then.) Emi and I started bonding little by little. We eventually became very close.
• Freshman year, I was going to try out for the soccer team, but had major anxiety about the try outs and decided not to. So when I found out my friend Mandy was joining cross country skiing, I decided to do that instead. (Who knew that Mandrake was such a skiing machine?!) No matter, it was the best thing I could've done.
• I also joined chorus and make the select choir sophomore year (or was I a junior)? I went to Allstate 3 times as a Soprano I and senior year I made it to New Englands. I can't even remember where it was that year. Maybe Providence? But I was very proud. My try-out song was O Shendoah. I had to record it and mail the cassette in to the judges. I still think of New Englands and Ms. Douglas coaching me whenever I hear it.
• I was a much better singer than I was a skier.
  
• But I did meet my boyfriend Kyle on the ski team. We dated for two and a half years. We went to 2 proms together.
• Sophomore year, we moved to the house on Shattuck Hill Road overlooking Lake Memphremagog. It was a great little house.
• I also got my first car that I shared with Emi: a red 1993 jetta. Great car that one. Except that every time it rained, the engine would squeal.
  
• I graduated as the valedictorian of a class of about 250 kids. Not bad!
• I only applied to 2 colleges—Dartmouth and Middlebury—because Kyle and I were still dating and I wanted to stay near home. I got waitlisted at Dartmouth but got into Middlebury. So I decided to go there. It had a much nicer vibe I thought. Kyle and I broke up pretty soon after I left, but I never regretted going there.
  
• Fall of 1998 I moved to Middlebury for my first year of college and never moved back home after that.