So what do you guys do when company comes? Drag them to two baseball games in 40º temperatures (one where it's sleeting) and an emergency orthodontist appointment? Cause that's the kind of fun we have around here. Don't I just know how to show people a good time? Seriously. Can I host or what? Cal had this funky wire pop out of his braces on Friday morning (parenting side note: why do these things always happen on a Friday?), so I made a quick call to the ortho. Of course he had two big tests that day, so we had to squeeze his appointment in between them. And of course the office we normally go to is closed on Fridays so we had to go to a different office about 5 million miles away from where we normally see the ortho. Of course. AND. When I picked him up he told me that his baseball team was taking a field trip at practice that afternoon that he very much wanted to be part of, so of course we had to hurry in both directions. Of course.

We made it. After we got him back in time for practice ("But not too soon, Momma, because I really don't want to go back to class..."), I took my mom and Mike on a tour of Cal's school. I might finally be learning my way around. Nearly three years in.

It's finally warming up here, so lots of catch was played in the yard this weekend. In between the two baseball games. Our Saturday game was on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, about an hour's beautiful drive from us. Thank God we won because A) I had a migraine and B) it was (as previously mentioned) 40º so otherwise I'm not sure it would have been worth it otherwise.

On Sunday, Ama got Callum new shoes (that's the thing she does when she comes, and he actually love the first pair he tried on), Neel gave a tour of his garden. His lab and office are all wrapped up for HVAC upgrades, so not open for tours, and afer hours more of pitching and catching in the yard (thank God Mike actually likes to throw the ball!), we had Neel's famous Beer Butt Chicken for dinner and Ama's now-famous Chess Pie for dessert. Guess what? More throwing of baseballs might have happened after that.

How was your weekend peeps? I'm worn out! Back to back company, no matter how lovely, can do that to a gal. I have a busy and fun week coming up and I'd better get cracking on it. What's going on?

1. I think I'm so excited to share that a photograph of mine has been included in an article on mid-century aarchitecture in a publication called Inform! The article highlights my friend Bill's work and uses one of his beautiful homes as an example, and I couldn't be more thrilled for him!

2. I think my friend Theresa wrote a wonderful and vulnerable post about blogging this week. Most of you have already seen it and I found the comments section just as thoughtful and moving as the post itself. We all go through these moments of self-doubt and self-reflection about why we're in these spaces, and Theresa captures those moments so beautifully. I'm glad she's here! I'm glad you all are! I'm committing to be a better steward of our relationships and my own space here. (Having trouble linking to Theresa's site right now, but as soon as I can get it up here, I will.)

3. I think I'll just have to say there's no shame in saying out loud that I adore diamonds. There. I said it. They are my birthstone, and I have always loved their clear bright fire. Neel and I just had some old diamonds of mine repurposed into some simple earrings and we finally picked them up this week. There's a lot of sentimental allure to these particular stones for me, and I'm so happy to have them.

4. I think I'm so happy my mom is here! She and her friend Mike arrived yesterday afternoon, just in time for Callum's game. We stood in the chilly 40º weather as our boys scored some runs and got out in front of this other team. Callum finally made it up to bat (he's one of the less experienced kids on the team, so while it happens every game, it doesn't happen often in every game) and got a walk-off hit to end the game! On the way home he told us he'd scored 100 on a pop quiz in math! What a day! That night at dinner he said that getting that 100 felt as good as getting that hit. I'm totally emailing his math teacher and telling him that today. And my mom was here for it all.

5. I think this is why I take pictures of food. Yesterday, after popping up a picture on facebook of the ham and bean soup I made using our leftover Easter ham, my friend Jan left me this note: Hambone soup. My sister in law Florence who passed away in December looked forward to a ham just for the leftover bone and she made the best soup with it!! Thanks for sharing this photo. It made me remember that the little things are the best way to remember someone. For me, food is all about connection and intimacy, and I try to capture that when I take pictures of food. This comment was honestly one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about one of my photographs. It says it all, doesn't it?

On our way to a great weekend! I'm the lucky loan-ee of a 40mm pancake lens thanks to a friend in my photography group, so you can bet I'll be trying that puppy out. Baseball game on Saturday on the exotic Eastern Shore (now hopefully arson free!), and lots of time with my mom and Mike. What are you up to my lovelies? Anything thing fun planned? Oh, and I still hate all my clothes. Given the fact that it was SLEETING by the end of Cal's game, I perhaps hate them even more now.

weekend recap, april 8 edition

five things, april 5 edition