a 'personal' day

after waking up with the baby at 6a and waffling for about an hour, I made the super-best-most-awesome-and-unexpected choice for today: I rescheduled my audition and 4 hr session this afternoon to stay home and rest. which doesn't actually mean I spent the day on the couch or anything, but I *did* rest my voice and have a lovely, relaxing day at home drinking lots of hot things and leisurely puttering. which, I'm fairly positive, is the total opposite picture of the day I *would* have had had I gone and slug it out. *quick edit: I needed this day 'off' for more than my scratched up throat - I was reminded Saturday night at my meeting that the first, first, first thing is to take care of myself, and I'm suddenly aware that I've not been working my program very well. the evidence is in my mood swings, my thought processes, everything. here's to a step in the right direction.

this afternoon brought a sad note as I learned about the passing of a friend's dear grandmother, and I'm reminded of PaPa's passing last year. it almost seems trifling to blog about babies napping and pulling up and a lovely pile of bacon-y, shallot-y greens on days like this, when life reminds you how hard it really is to participate in the living of it. I'm thinking maybe that's why we do post about the sweet things and moments both important and inane, of kitties and 'bitties, because at the end of the day we want to hold onto connection and hope and memorialize those things we hold dear while we can. in that spirit and with deep, deep gratitude for the day I've been given, here are some things I'm happy to share today:

preparing to nap with musical seahorse! usually she's not this happy to be put down for a nap... I'm pretty sure she started bawling as soon as I walked away and was asleep in about 10 minutes.

out cold this afternoon. before falling asleep, she tends to fuss and cry and 'talk' and scoot around the bed, rubbing her face in the sheet, until she finally finds a comfy spot to settle.

playing in the kitchen while mama does dishes and makes lunch.

look what I can do! I ended up picking her up pretty quick after taking this photo, afraid her hands would slip and she'd bust her face on the cement floor. we spoke today of needing to crawl around and officially babyproof the house now. the other thing about babies crawling around on the floor, aside from making sure they don't hurt themselves, is that you're constantly looking for gross things for them to stumble upon. I mopped and Swiffered today. again.

discovering Daddy's record collection:

and now, because I really do like you guys, I want to share this recipe for delicious swiss chard. grab a couple of slices of bacon and chop them up (we love our Pederson's Farm Uncured Apple Smoked variety) :

roughly chop some shallots - you can use regular onions, sure, but shallots are milder and sweeter and way better in this dish, to my taste buds:

and chop some garlic, as much as you like:

your swiss chard should be washed, drained, and patted dry if needed. this was two bunches:

I take my knife and cut out the hard stem, stacking the leaves. I don't know what to make out of the stems and usually toss them - does anyone have another idea?:

splitting the pile into two bunches, I chop 'em all up:

in a large pan with a lid, cook your bacon and shallots, adding a little extra virgin olive oil if you need to (the bacon might render enough oil, might not). when the bacon is cooked and the shallots translucent, add in your garlic, and after a minute or two throw in the chard:

*do not be alarmed at the disembodied bear head in the photo above. it's Magz' pacifier clip that we now use to keep her from throwing her spoon to the floor at mealtime. so, you've put the chard in the pot. now for the extras... go ahead and season it with salt and pepper, add a good pinch of brown sugar, and a nice drizzle of sesame oil. the sesame oil makes it awesome and delicious!! careful, though, depending on how much oil you used back at the start it can get TOO oily, so take care in the beginning and remind yourself to leave room for the sesame oil:

mix it up, cover, and cook on med-low heat for, oh, five-eight minutes. you can always taste it to see if it's ready... it should be wilted and have lost any bitterness. sometimes, if I have a really strong, tough green, I'll cook it down and then add in some spinach to lighten it up, but this chard was delicious all on it's own:

voila. this was the plate mgb and I shared for lunch. yes, those are crunchy fish sticks. not pictured is the sriracha ketchup for dipping. gourmet all the way.

and now it's time to get ready to celebrate husband's birthday by eating at one of our favorite restaurants and then walking across the street to see this band's show. they're one of mgb's favorites; from my limited listening I'm under the impression that the lead guy just yells alot. :)

love, everybody.

-m.y.