book scout

Posy

I feel like this is probably connected to the post I wrote last week, but one of my biggest regrets in life (aside from obvious things like writing a lot of terrible poetry in college and the bad pixie cut that took three years to grow out) it is that there are so few photos from our first restaurant. There was not much money and even less time back then for "extras," but looking back, I wish we'd taken the time to document our life, our family, in that space a whole lot better. The place saw pregnancies and baby showers, birthdays, and family gatherings. It was the place where Ewan went from newborn to toddling around like he owned the place (he did). It was the place where I nursed him next to the walk-in in the office basement, and the place where we spent so many long hours, pouring everything we had into what we hoped would someday become a restaurant that people really cared about. It was not unlike losing a family member the night we closed those doors, and we have very little photographic evidence to show for our time as a family there. I was determined, determined, not to let that happen again with our new restaurant.

Enter, Posy. 











I may have very mixed feelings about social media and the like, but I am also fortunate enough to have met some incredible people through it. I was "introduced" to Posy on Instagram through a friend, and immediately admired her work, her wicked sense of humor, her humility and kindness. I began to realize that our children were eerily similar (despite gender and a five-year age difference), and started opening up to her and she always knew just what to say when I was struggling. We eventually became friends in real life. I knew when the time came to take photos at the new restaurant,  she was the only person I could imagine doing it. I once told Aaron that talking to Posy felt like talking to someone I had known for a very long time. It's a rare feeling, and one I don't take lightly. A photo session with her feels much the same way. Like spending time with someone who sees the real you. Totally effortless. She took photos one recent morning at both of our "homes" (our house and our restaurant), and I wanted to share a few of them here. There are lots more over on her blog if you are interested in taking a peek. I think it goes without saying that I cannot recommend her enough if you're looking for a lifestyle/family photographer. 







Thank you, Posy. We are so lucky to have these photos and you in our lives. xx

 

There and here.

Right now, I have very simple fantasies. I picture myself walking in to a cafe, ordering a double short latte "for here," putting on my headphones, and spending a few hours writing. I also fantasize about peeing alone. These are the top contenders. This is not a 'time to write' or 'pee alone' season in my life. I have mostly made my peace with that, especially in these months full of events and holidays on the restaurant front. The busy season used to end in August. Now it's November. It feels not unlike seeing Christmas decorations in the stores before Halloween. You start to wonder when we all collectively decided that this new schedule was okay. But the problems, if you want to call them that, are good ones to have. If I must pee with the bathroom door open, at least I get to hear an enthusiastic two year old sing/shout the Daniel Tiger potty song at me and clap when I'm done. He is very proud of my potty abilities. And if I can't write, can't afford to carve out that space anymore, then at least I can go to the restaurant and hold a perfectly cold drink, and watch Ewan eat oranges next to the pass and see the faces of a hundred happy customers. Now is just as good a time and place to be as any. Aaron brings home a peace offering of a baguette and freshly ground coffee every night for me to wake up to in the morning. It's not a locking bathroom door or a writing desk of my own, but it goes a long way. A long, long way.

 

I took these photos last month, during a really neat event that takes places on Mount Hood every September. You can see the photos from last year here. It is one of my favorite industry events, not only because the competition is fun, the food is great, and having so many friends and makers and chefs in one place feels like a party, but also because industry families are welcome. It's one of the few times where Ewan and I are able to tag along and watch Aaron work. Also, we get to remember what a clear sky with stars looks like and eat unlimited waffles for breakfast. Everyone wins. Yes, trying to keep a toddler happy (and well-behaved) around a lot of knives and fire on a verrrrrry steep mountain is not without its challenges. Sleeping exactly no hours in three days also takes fortitude. It's worth it. How could it not be?

A lovely Portland blogger recently interviewed Aaron and I about our relationship and what it's like to have a family in this business. It was interesting putting to words some of the things that swirl around my brain but don't have much of an outlet anywhere. Especially now that I'm staying at home full time. I'm not sure there's anyway to describe the vortex-like nature of owning a restaurant without actually having lived it. But it's worth a try. This blog will always, mostly, be about books. I will always be a former, and maybe-again-someday librarian. And there is a story I still need to write. But this is now. And it's nice to check in from time to time and say hello. To talk about the view from here.

Favorite Book of 2013

 

Hi, all! I've got a backlog of 52 weeks photos to post (amongst other things), but wanted to pop in to mention I've got a lil' review up over at The Art of Seeing Things today. Shari was one of my very first online friends, from way back when the internet was basically thirty blogs and this crazy new thing called MySpace, and I adore her and the way she sees the world. She is also a voracious reader, and has asked a number of writers to share their favorite books of  2013 over at her blog this month. Yours truly chose Eleanor and Park  (a YA book, OBVI), but the other featured books are also fantastic. You can find my review here.

PS. Because I didn't know it existed the first time I talked about the book, Forever Young Adult has put together a FREE PLAYLIST of all the killer music Park puts on his mixtapes for Eleanor, and you guys, it is goooooooood. You are all invited to the New Wave dance party in my living room.

Best New Holiday Books

Hello and Happy December, friends! I am in complete denial that this month is a third over already. Nope. I refuse to believe it. We are busy holiday-ing it up over here and pretending like January doesn't exist. The garland is hung, the cookies are baking, the terrible renditions of carols on the piano have started, and the tree is up! And sometimes down, thanks to the toddler. No seriously. I am going to have to tie that thing to the wall.

I have been meaning to put together a little post on some of my favorite new holiday books for aaaaaages, but then I missed Thanksgiving and Chanukah completely and wondered if I should even bother with Christmas, because here's the thing about Christmas books: they're just...not very good. As a whole. Now, don't get me wrong! They are often beautiful, and they tug at our heart strings (because: CHRISTMAS) and there are thousands to choose from, but there's not a whole lot of original content out there. And even those that retell traditional stories tend to use such cliched language, that it's no wonder some folks (my husband) prefer the Grinch.

I'm not saying there aren't some real gems out there. You've got your Christmas Magic, your Gift of the Magi, your Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, and so on, but you've also got a whooooooole lot of other formulaic stuff designed by the book-publishing industry to simply rake. in. dough. Those are not the books I want to give to my little fella this Christmas. Those are not the books I want to read to him in front of the tree that will likely be completely bare by the 25th thanks to his ornament thievery. We have decided to read one special book each Sunday of Advent this year, and I am trying to be intentional about choosing books that actually mean something.  

So I thought I'd put a little list together of some of my favorites this year (both silly and spiritual), if you're interested. or still looking for  gifts to give in the coming weeks. There are a few re-releases, but for the most part these are all newer titles well worth checking out of the library or buying at your local bookstore. I was actually shocked at the number of quality books that were released this year. I had originally intended to compile a list of four or five titles, but you guys I could hardly narrow it down to SIXTEEN. Maybe things are turning around in the world of holiday publishing? It's like a Christmas miracle! Check out the full list after the jump:

Halloween Reviews!

You guys, Halloween is tomorrow. How did that happen? October is a blur. A big, beautiful, orange blur. I have been seriously remiss in linking to my last set of reviews for Northwest Kids Magazine, so if you're looking for some fantastic, last minute, spooky (but not scary) Halloween books for the littles in your life, pop on over and check them out. I can't wait to share photos of Ewan in costume with you all. (Eeep!)

Things I Grew Up With

   31/52

We took a very quick trip to Seattle this past weekend to visit friends and eat excellent food and walk on the beach, and while watching you and their little girl pour sand onto each other's jeans and pick up tiny shells and wave to passing coastal trains and seem completely impervious to the fog and cold, I was struck once again, as I am so often these days, that this is your life. Your childhood. These are your memories. Maple trees. Restaurant kitchens. A house full of animals. Eggs for breakfast. Or at least, I try to guess what your memories will be one day. I don't know. I hope you will remember the good things. Not the way that I am sometimes very tired, or that we work long hours, or that I have failed to help you sleep any better than you did an entire year ago, or the fact that we are having Chipotle again for dinner, or that the animals were always in need of a bath. Yesterday we were driving home from the library and the trees were so beautiful that I actually exclaimed out loud, 'HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?!' and nearly bawled on the spot. I guess I have reached the age at which one cries at the beauty of trees. Don't worry, I wanted to make fun of myself too. I don't know what you will remember when you are grown but do I hope you will remember that things were beautiful, even when they were very hard. I have been making a mental list of things I grew up with, ever since reading this post a few weeks back, and thinking about what your list might look like one day. Our childhoods could not be more different, but I wonder if there isn't a common thread in there somewhere, underneath it all. When I was a child, I felt loved. I hope you do too.

Things I Grew Up With

Hot air balloons in the sky

Richard Scarry books

Heat

Decorative soaps

White keds

Mountains all around

A tidy house

Dolly Parton

Angel food cake

The Baby Sitter's Club

Matching, hand-sewn dresses

Sunday dinners

Locking diaries

Remington Steele

Dates stuck on the pavement, shoes, tires

Our home phone number

Sand storms

The oldies station

Yucca trees

...

and so on.

 

52: A Portrait A Week  

. . . . . . . .


Care to share what's on your list, friends?

 

A Book-Scout Halloween Costume Round-Up!

My little strongman. (Ewan, last year.)

Can you believe Halloween is only a few short weeks away? And that I have been sitting on these literary Halloween costumes since September and have yet to post them? Gah. Where is my time machine? I don't know about you guys, but we have been laid LOW by sickness these past few weeks. I thought I'd lost the will to blog, but then it miraculously came back once I could breathe through at least one nostril. Nothing serious of course, just one cold on top of another as it happens when your toddler must touch ALL OF THE THINGS in the germ infested world. Not to mention the fact that we are all terrible sick people. Not one stoic, take-it-like-a-man person in the whole bunch. Nope. There has been a lot of sniffling and complaining and throwing ourselves onto furniture in melodramatic ways. So yes, FUN. It has made for a much mellow-er fall than years past, with only one trip to a pumpkin patch (with terribly-lit, cliched photos to come, I promise), but no apple picking or raking of leaves or  any other twee, face-book clogging activities of which to speak. Instead,  I am looking forward to Halloween, and dreaming about dressing my sweet little boy up in his first real trick-or-treating costume. 



Completely precious Olivia the Pig costume, by OneLittleMinute

I am a firm believer in ridiculous, literary Halloween costumes (I was everything from Raggedy Anne to Alice in Wonderland as a child), and Ewan will be carrying on the tradition this year. I gave a little sneak peak on Instagram awhile back, but I promise to take BILLIONS of photos once I can actually wrangle him into it. I've got one, maybe two years left before this kid wants to be a Transformer or Ninjago or Diego or something, so I am going to go ALL OUT while I still have the chance. In the meantime, can you believe these amazing get-ups? 



I mean, this Family Peter Pan costume WINS Halloween.  (By A Beautiful Mess)

I am filing this adorable James and the Giant Peach costume away for next year. It would be perfect for a ginger-headed, balloon-loving toddler. Or just MY ginger-headed, balloon loving toddler. Also, check out the equally darling Flloyd from Stuck costume. Both over at SmallFry blog. Oliver Jeffers forever, amirite?

These Madeline and Miss Clavel costumes by Erica Holland are basically the reason to keep having babies until you have twin girls, right? (JUST KIDDING. sort of.) 

Cutest, tiniest, Mary Poppins costume by Emphasis Added.

And in case you weren't dead yet:



Baby Charlie Brown costume. (Originally posted by NichThomas.)

 
Last Halloween, Ewan was just a wee, half-bald little thing of two months. I remember it had been an extremely difficult, fussy day, full of intermittent rain. It was around that time the not-sleeping started for both of us and postpartum stuff was hitting me hard, and the thought of taking a tiny baby out of the house to join in the holiday festivities felt so completely overwhelming. But I forced myself to try, and I put his little lion hat on, and tucked him into the Ergo and left the house for a long walk at sunset. And I will never forget that walk, and the odd surge of hope I felt in seeing all our neighbors and their families. It was a little spark of light in an otherwise dark time,  all the glowing pumpkins and happy children, and I remember thinking that next year Ewan would be one of those children and it would all be okay and we were going to make it through and it would be good. And oh has it ever. Oh my, has it ever been good. 



So what do you guys have planned? Any other cute, bookish costume ideas? Feel free to share in the comments!

How To Tell a Story

 

 

Well, this is  completely delightful: How to Tell a Bedtime Story in 5 Steps, by (new-to-me illustrator) Charlotte Trounce. I am partial to Twinklemist Rainbowstar and the Black Ham Forest, but you know, to each his own. I still remember some of the bedtime stories my parents made made up for us as kids, especially when we were the main characters. Check the whole thing out over at realsimple.com or in the latest print issue.

Also,

Reading Aloud

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

A Bedtime Lullaby That Actually Works.

 

Tiny Things

So are you guys familiar with Maggie Rudy? I'm sure you are, but in the off chance that you haven't seen her work, then wait, what are you doing here? To the library with you! Or go read this lovely little article. I'll be here when you get back. Her book, The House that Mouse Built, is astonishing, really. The mice she makes and the worlds she creates for them are so intricate and full of emotion. This one is a particuular favorite of mine. As is this one. (Don't I know it, Mama Mouse. Don't. I. Know it.) Not to mention her tributes to Maurice Sendak and Brian Jacques, which are achingly sweet. If you enjoy tiny things (I do), dioramas, miniatures, mice, The Borrowers or Beatrix Potter stories, fairy houses, chairs made of seashells, or boats made out of leaves, then her work is for you. Or your child. I won't tell. She happens to live in Portland, and I count myself very lucky that she and my boss are pals. Because, people, SHE HAS MADE A MINIATURE REPLICA OF OUR BOOKSTORE. WITH MICE. IN  HALLOWEEN COSTUMES. And now I am dead. My photo up there does not do it justice. It will be installed in the store until Halloween in one of the diorama boxes nestled in the picture book section, so you can check them out in person if you happen to be local. If not, you can take a peek at the characters here. That is all.

Book-Scout over and out.

P.S. 

Two words: mouse. bikini.

 

Friday Feature: Fall Walk

Sigh. Doesn't that cover just make you wanna put on a grandpa sweater and sprinkle cinnamon on everything like some kind of cinnamon fairy? No? Maybe it's just me. I am hoping September isn't too early to delve into fall books, you guys, because I just cannot resist. This summer with Ewan has been a dream. We explored. We went to parks. We blew bubbles. We wore swimsuits and played in multiple bodies of water. I went from the lightest shade of my foundation to the SECOND lightest shade of my foundation. I said yes to everything even when it wasn't wise, and holy crap I am exhausted but it was totally worth it. I think today was the first day I was really ready to say, 'COME AT ME, FALL,' without any remorse or regret. Tonight it started raining (okay pouring) right on cue and the bookstore looked particularly glowy at closing time the way it does in autumn and I was actually giddy with the thought of these months ahead. Like Anne Shirley levels of giddy. Fall and I are BSFF (Best Season Friends Forever), and Portland does it right. I can't wait to share all of my favorite things and favorite books with my little man in this beautiful city, and take him to the pumpkin patch and go trick-or-treating and oh my gosh I am getting carried away, so right. Back to the book.

Fall Walk by Virginia Brimhall Snow, caught my eye last week and I think it's one of my favorite new fall titles. The story is sweet (a walk with grandma), but the illustrations and non-fiction aspect are what set it apart. I have always loved illustrations that incorporate lots of pencil sketches, and each page features a different tree and leaf as they appear in the fall. It manages to be both quiet and vibrant. I think it would be a particularly lovely reference guide for kids, even in more urban neighborhoods. I will likely be reviewing this one for the fall issue of NW Kids but wanted to give you guys a heads up, just in case you've got a bad case of the Fall Fever like me.

I've been adding books (this one included) to my 'library' board on Pinterest and while I do not own everything I've pinned, it gives me inordinate amounts of pleasure just to see all those pretty books displayed up there in such a visually pleasing way. Are you guys on Pinterest? I realize that is like asking the people of the internet if they BREATHE AIR, but I have been wondering lately how people actually use it and if they use it for books? I have never been much of a GoodReads person. I know! Sacrilege! But that site has always felt very much like it was designed by 'book' people, and while I definitely self-identify as a book person and appreciate the reviews, I also really appreciate the value of beautiful design, you know? Like, would it kill them to hire a good graphic designer? Anyhow, I used to just use Pinterest to covet furnishings and fashion and such, but it's starting to become my favorite way to wishlist books as well. I've even put up a few Book-Scout posts (both the Summer and Autumn reading lists), as well as your usual microwave chocolate chip cookie for one recipes, and things of that nature. (Which for the record was terrible but also kind of amazing? You should try it and then report back here so I can stop feeling bad about myself.)

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. The chef husband (the Chusband? the Hus-chef?) is competing in the Wild About Game event on Mount Hood and the little and I have decided to tag along. We plan to eat our body weight in bacon and apples. Happy Fall!