{utah} blogger meet ‘n greet in video form

friends! how was your weekend? we returned home late last night and have jumped right back into our regular routine here in boston. our kiddos had a great winter vacation in utah – we packed every minute with play dates, our favorite food, and activities. they were sad to leave so i’ve got to keep reminding them in the next few days about what is great about living in boston! homesickness does not look good on little ones.

i’ve been so excited to share with you the highlights, photos, and videos of last weeks {utah} blogger meet ‘n greet. for me, the best part was seeing this event i’d worked on with shelby come together so beautifully. for a long time i’ve wanted an opportunity to gather bloggers + readers of blogs to tighten the unique community that is most often, only virtual.

second, it was so fun to meet some of my readers! i’ve said this before on seejaneblog, but i’ll say it again. i truly appreciate every one of you – those who leave comments + those who stop me in public to introduce yourselves because you read this blog + those of you who silently read — i appreciate you all so much.

we had the best sponsors, and the event was incredible because of each and every one.

KSL Studio 5 which is a morning show in utah was one of those sponsors in attendance at the meet ‘n greet.
just prior to the event, i was interviewed for a segment highlighting my brown kraft paper crafts —

action shot:

if you would like a peek at our event {and doily obsession!} you can click here.

there is now ha utah bloggers site that is up and running! {this will evolve in the near future – it’s a bit raw right now} you can click here to read more about the event + see a slew of pictures!

the meet’n greet was all, in one word…awesome. really. truly. awesome.

utah bloggers has great plans for the future – we can’t wait till the next event! {we’re planning good things for June} if we didn’t see you this past week, we hope to see you next time!

xoxo.

{photos via becky kimball, video via KSL}

Posted in husband, jane, KJ, KSL Studio 5, myla, sela, the howell boys, Uncategorized, utah bloggers | 7 Comments »

the boston common frog pond.

i would like to write this post & simmer down my passion for such events. because, to be honest – most of the rhodes family excluding myself are pretty darn awful at ice skating. husband and i managed to keep sela safe for one full lap.

…kiana squealed and screamed as she almost kept falling – nearly killed herself while we sweat over the thought of her being hurt for dance. myla and kj voluntarily left the rink after one lap {clinging to the wall & myla took a hard fall on her bum.} both more excited about the cocoa being sold than the ice skating. and, the howell’s all seem to be pros. weird.

however, when you’re in the city after dark in the winter, and you stumble upon this scene —

how can i not ooze and ooze about how amazing it was?

…put frog pond ice skating on your radar. it’s magical. even if you’re not good at skating.
{click here for more info.}

Posted in boston, family adventures, friends, husband, jane, kiana, myla, sela, the howell boys | 3 Comments »

fenway park, tour…

when the howell boys were visiting, we headed to fenway for a tour…

fingers crossed we get to go to a bruins game before this season ends!

fenway park tours, click here for more info!

*****

dear readers, my images/photos lately look a bit grainy & i haven’t changed anything on my side. do they look this way on your screens? please let me know… thanks! xoxo.

Posted in baseball, boston, friends, husband, jane, kiana, KJ, myla, red sox, sela, the howell boys | 3 Comments »

can you think of a better thing to do for thanksgiving, than visit…

“The first outdoor living history exhibit you will encounter on your visit is the Wampanoag Homesite, located on the banks of the Eel River. Here you’ll discover how the 17th-century Wampanoag would have lived along the coast during the growing season; planting their crops, fishing and hunting, gathering wild herbs and berries for food, and reeds for making mats and baskets. You’ll see different kinds of homes including a mat-covered wetu, the Wampanoag word for house, and a bark-covered long house or nush wetu, meaning a house with three fire pits inside. Food is cooked over an open fire using only the ingredients that were available in the 1600s. At the riverside you may see men making a mishoon – the Wampanoag word for boat – using fire as a tool to hollow out a tree.”

“The 17th-Century English Village is a re-creation of the small farming and maritime community built by the Pilgrims* along the shore of Plymouth Harbor. In the Village, the year is 1627, just seven years after the arrival of Mayflower. The Museum selected this year for re-creation because it is well-documented in the historical sources and shows the plantation (a word that was used interchangeably with the word “colony” in the 1600s) just before the colonists began to disperse beyond the walled town and into other parts of what would become southeastern Massachusetts.

The English Village brings colonial Plymouth vividly to life. Here, you will find modest timber-framed houses furnished with reproductions of the types of objects that the Pilgrims owned, aromatic kitchen gardens, and heritage breeds livestock. Engaging townspeople are eager to tell you about their new lives in Plymouth Colony.”

“Visiting the ship Mayflower II is an extraordinary experience. The original Mayflower that sailed to Plymouth in 1620 no longer exists. Plimoth Plantation’s full-scale reproduction, Mayflower II, was built in Devon, England and crossed the Atlantic in 1957. The details of the ship, from the solid oak timbers and tarred hemp rigging to the wood and horn lanterns and hand-colored maps, have been carefully re-created to give you a sense of what the original 17th-century vessel was like. Come aboard and learn about the 1620 voyage of Mayflower, the perils of maritime travel, and the tools of 17th-century navigation. Explore the cramped quarters of the ship’s passengers. Peer down into the lower level “hold,” where the food, clothing, furniture, tools and other items necessary to start a colony were stored. Admire the “spacious” Master’s cabin, and compare it to the wet and windy accommodations of the common sailors. You will also hear the tale of a modern Englishman’s dream to build and sail Mayflower II as a symbol of American and British unity after World War II.”

***

all quotes/information taken from the plimouth plantation site, found here.
i definitely recommend visiting these sites if you are in the area,
historical + entertaining. we loved it!

Posted in boston, family adventures, friends, husband, jane, kiana, KJ, massachusetts, myla, Plymouth, sela, the howell boys, Uncategorized | No Comments »

thanksgiving 2011

…i had attempted to get most of the cooking/baking done the day before so i could enjoy the festivities with our gang.

we started the day at our local high school football game.

wellesley vs. needham
this is the oldest h.s. rivalry in the nation!
is that so cool?!?

sadly, we lost…

but, clearly, we still had fun!
look at all of us cheeeeesin:

we have this tradition that on thanksgiving,
we have “snacks” for lunch -
crackers, deli meat, cheese, veggies, pickles, fruit, dips…

and then – the real turkey bowl begins!

pre-thanksgiving dinner traditions:
kids’ activity books!

and, the big feast + our grateful hearts.
{photo prop mini chalkboard signs were from here.}

…i am still deeply in love with all these people, and they love me regardless of my holiday meltdowns. for that, i am extremely grateful.

xoxo.

{i am going to be mixing thanksgiving/christmas posts for the next few days while i still play catch-up.  please forgive me.}

Posted in football, friends, husband, jane, kiana, KJ, myla, sela, thanksgiving, the howell boys, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

turkey brine *thanksgiving eve*

i will be honest. when cooking thanksgiving dinner is a one-persom-job, it is really overwhelming. Everyone was so helpful, but really, i was still doing it alone. and, i have no idea why… but, Thanksgiving dinner always overwhelms me. Christmas doesn’t. Easter doesn’t. I can plan 20 activities for Halloween and i’m fine. I get really emotional with Thanksgiving – all that gratitude on my mind + a big meal to prepare = everyone was lucky i only had one meltdown this year. sometimes it’s worse!

the yummy side of things: we tried a turkey brine this year for the first time. i also chose an organic turkey for the first time. so, i’ve yet to decide if our turkey was so delicious & moist because it would have been regardless, or if it was so good because of the brine.  any thoughts on this?  do you brine?

i followed my friends advice & used the pioneer woman’s recipe, here.

{the perk of using a brine – the obvious – it’s beautiful simmering in the pot + your house smells soooo good!}

for my record:

Ingredients

3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider
2 gallons Cold Water
4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1-1/2 cup Kosher Salt
2 cups Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
5 whole Bay Leaves
Peel Of Three Large Oranges

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.
Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

my girls all donned aprons & were very helpful with the  potatoes, desserts, etc. – there is something magical about being a momma with your girls in the kitchen helping. it’s a beautiful thing.

Posted in friends, jane, kiana, KJ, myla, recipes, sela, thanksgiving, the howell boys | 4 Comments »

sushi dinner party

our daughter’s party was saturday night & on sunday evening we hosted a dinner party sushi-style to celebrate danny’s big 4-0. needless to say, it was one big weekend full of party love!

who is danny? well, if you are new-er reader to this blog… he is “our” bff. quite often known as “the howell boys,” because he has three handsome sons. these three boys are like three marvelous big brothers to kj. the howell boys even have a label, over ‘on the blog’ list because they are a very frequent visitor in our life.

have you seen the movie ‘you, me, & dupree?” well. yeah. that sums it up.

you, me, and danny.

husband brought home these beautiful seashell lantern lights for me on his last trip to the philippines. he hand-carried them for 20+ hours to make sure they arrived safely {that’s true love.} we plan on hanging them in trees in our backyard this summer. so, it was fun to use them pre-warm weather for this event—

our sushi chef, kaya – he was incredible. for lack of a much better word.

have you {or your kids} tried ramune’ drinks? they are another fun asian beverage. at the top of the bottle is a little cap you remove, then press a marble down in to the bottle which activates the carbonation. you can order them at the local ‘happy sumo,’ and purchase them at most foreign food markets. kiana also used them here, for school birthday treats a while back.

are you a fan of edamame? we all love it, in our family.

a new little thing we like to do to add amazing flavor:
after you steam it, add some bacon & bacon oil {i fried the bacon earlier in the day to be ready & saved some of the bacon oil too, then also cut the bacon into smaller chunks.}

quickly stir-fry the edamame with the bacon & oil. just long enough to heat them together & serve…

{you’re gonna looove it! if you’re a fan of bacon…}

{danny: the walrus—}

crazy-big pocky… this is a treat i have liked long before all the time i spent in asia… have you ever tried pocky? typically, they are much smaller than this.

after our typical busy weekdays, i love how time slows down on the weekends. even with two big events this past weekend, we had time to chill & hang out in sweats while preparing for the next fun plans. hours pass so smoothly, kids lounge & relax, we focus a tad more on family and friends. we sat around our kitchen table for hours with kids coming and going during the sushi party. my cheeks were so sore at the end of the evening, from laughing.

it’s like we make memorable deposits in to life’s account, and after this past weekend, our account grew richer. happy 40 danny. xo.

Posted in birthdays, husband, jane, kiana, myla, party plans, recipes, sushi dinner party, the howell boys | 7 Comments »