We have been in a dinner rut. We tend to make our favorites over and over again. A friend recommended Blue Apron recently and sent me a free week to try it. We received our first delivery yesterday. It arrived earlier than anticipated which was a welcome surprise as it was in time for dinner. I was excited to try something new.
I made General Tso’s Chicken, something I would not likely make on my own. My son was happy to help.
Pros:
They provided 99% of what is needed and there is no waste. For example, they included just two scallions
The directions were easy to follow
It arrived nicely packaged and labeled
It forced us to try something new
Cons:
It is more steps than this home cook is used to. However, I liked learning new skills that I can apply to other dishes.
My boys (6 years old and my husband) can be picky. However, we did eat everything.
The ingredients are not organic
The two portion size worked for my small family. I skipped the sauce for my son and I skipped the rice (which I would have done anyway). I plan to try other services. I am also looking at how to better plan meals for the week. Please comment with any menu ideas and strategies that work for you.
From the time I can remember my earliest memory, I wanted to be a mother. I thought about what my kids would be like, where I would live and taking them to school. I pictured at least three to four kids. I did not waver from this. I wanted a career as well and wanted to establish that first and then juggle it all. I carefully watched others in the workplace do their juggling act and had concerns about how it would be done and where the sacrifices would be made.
I took me a long time to find my husband and along the way I had multiple careers. We had our son later in life and it was not easy to get pregnant. I feel so grateful that I am now a mother and also know that Mother’s Day is a tough day for a lot of people. My third date with my husband was the night before Mother’s Day, ten years ago. He had lost his mother twelve years before that. It was a hard day for him. For many years it was hard for me too, waiting for my turn and wondering when and if it would happen.
I feel honored and lucky to be the mother of my incredible son. He constantly surprises me with his old soul knowledge and then follows it up with silly Kindergarten antics. He and my husband planned a very special day for me that included a drive to Santa Barbara and a lovely brunch at The Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch. We had recently celebrated our Anniversary with an amazing meal at their other restaurant Plow and Angel . My husband had the brilliant idea to do a day trip for their Mother’s Day Brunch. It was flawless.
XO,
JAE
Quick stop at the Biltmore to look at Beanie BabiesBeautiful menu at The StonehouseEntrance to The San Ysidro RanchAmazing MealGorgeous Dessert BuffetLearning to make Creme Brulee
Exploring the San Ysidro Adobe built in 1825Always about the shoes
My father-in-law passed away five years ago. I did not have the chance to get to know him that well. We were thrilled that he attended our wedding reception in California. He lived in the West Village in New York City a few blocks from where I had lived when I lived in New York City. He lived a a full life that included being a published author, professor and partner in a law firm. My husband was given his watch. His father loved the watch and likely had not taken it off very much since the eighties. My husband immediately took it and had it serviced and refurbished. His plan was to enjoy it and pass it on to our son, who is currently in Kindergarten. My husband is a watch lover and has a couple of others, so he wore it for a while and then placed in our safe deposit box for safekeeping when we were moving.
I had another watch that was an anniversary gift that always ran fast. I had it looked at couple of times and serviced. Recently, I took it in for service again. There was a theory that self winding watches would just run fast on me. I did not think so. I figured that would also mean a fast metabolism, which sadly, is not something that I have. I asked my husband if I could wear his father’s watch in the meantime. It seemed a shame for it to just sit in a safe deposit box. So I went to pick it up after it had been in the safe deposit box for almost two years. When I took it out of the safe deposit box, it was running and on the right time. I found that odd. A few weeks later, I had the flu and did not wear it for a few days and, of course, like a self winding watch, it stopped. Since I have been wearing the watch (which keeps time perfectly, by they way), I have started this blog. I have said that I wanted to write for a long time. Wearing the watch coincides with a burst of creativity for me.
We all have these talismans – some are very conscious and this one was not at first. It has a navy face! My father-in-law and I also share the same sun sign, Gemini. We both loved New York City. I only lived there a short time, but would definitely live there again. Somehow I think the watch was waiting for me in the safe deposit box. I doubt it was running the whole time, but it was on time and ready for me to begin this adventure. It holds a lot of power and encouragement for me now. I am the custodian for my son and I plan to take really good care of it. In the meantime, when I am having writer’s block, I look at my wrist and keep on going, as I imagine my father-in-law did many times.
My husband and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary last week. We were married at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on a day and time chosen by a vedic astrologer (as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in this post). We had our reception a few months later where I grew up. It was the best of both worlds, something simple with little fuss and a great party to follow.
Our wedding day 2008
On our first anniversary we returned to Santa Barbara and planned to do it each year.
Riding bikes to and from the Courthouse on our first anniversaryOn the steps above where we were married
The next year to we went to Santa Barbara in April with our newborn son.
Just before our second anniversary
Then life got in the way. We lost my husband’s father the day after our third anniversary. Two years ago we moved into a house we built. This year, we felt we needed to connect to that time and place. We manged to get away on the actual day.
It made us realize how important couple time is and how important it is to get away and unplug (as much as possible). We were only there for twenty-six hours and we enjoyed every minute. It brought us back to the essence of why we are together which is easy to forget in the day to day.
My maternal Grandmother’s name was B. Actually it was her middle initial and she was only given a middle initial. She really disliked her first name, which is a great name and one that became very popular a few years ago. I won’t mention it here out of respect, she really disliked it that much.
B at sixteen
Grandmother B was feisty and spirited and also incredibly energetic, giving and kind. She was nothing short of a dynamo. She kept a vigorous fitness routine well into her early nineties. My friends would often comment when we were in our twenties that “we did not work out nearly as much as your Grandmother”. She made friends wherever she went.
Grandmother B was living a retirement community near my parents when a childhood friend’s Grandmother Roz moved in. Grandmother B had only known my friend and had never met Roz. My friend mentioned that Roz had just moved across the country to this same place after losing her husband and was having a hard time. I mentioned it casually to my Grandmother and she tracked Roz down by waiting in the lobby for Roz to come back from a trip shopping and introduced herself. They became besties. It was so inspiring to see them build this great friendship so late in life when most people are set in their ways.
Roz and B
Grandmother B died the day before her 100th birthday almost five years ago. The whole family was in town for her party. She lived her life to the fullest and with gusto until the very end.
Grandmother B with my son on her 99th birthday
Whenever I see something with a bee on it, I want to buy it for her. She had all sorts of bee sweaters and shirts. So when I saw this at J.Crew, I had to have it. It is also a bonus that it is about “BEE the change” and fifty percent of the retail cost will go to saving the bees. More on that here.
The night before I saw the t-shirt I had an intention bracelet made with “BE ME”. “BE ME” sounds so simple, but it is what I am working on. J.Crew has a crewcuts version for this collection that says “Let me bee”. If we all bring our true selves to things, magic happens. Grandmother B was very authentic and said what she meant and meant what she said (and did not always filter). She also really did not care what others thought of her, she had fun. She lived to be 100 years old, so there must be something to it.
the navy leopard 