Rhubarb & Linen: February 2013

Oscars Dinner

The Oscars are like my version of the Superbowl. I like to prepare party food, hunker down for the pre-show (aka Ryan and Giuliana on E! News) and enjoy the glamour, fashions, sights and sounds of the telecast.

Luckily, since my mom shares in my love of the red carpet and we're living at their home, we devised a delish meal to accompany the festivities. Oh. And in case you're wondering we haven't really seen any of the Oscar nominated movies. Don't tell. Is it really about that anyway? Frankly, I picked most of the winners just by what I've heard on TV.

Oscar day started out with an early trip to the Milwaukee Public Market. We grabbed coffee and a quick muffin before heading to St. Paul's Fish Market for a lobster tail, 3 lbs of mussels, shrimp and salmon-on-a-stick (a quick treat for Mr. Evans)!

On the home, we stopped for lunch at Water Street Brewery. I can't help but post this photo from lunch... I am a sucker for big bows. The bigger the better! She started young, remember?

Later that evening, the "party" began. TV was on. Champagne was poured. Food was made. Here's a summary of our menu. Did you do anything fun for the Oscars? One year if I'm ambitious, I'll do something like this!

Lobster caprese salad - a la RPM Italian in Chicago.

Shrimp cocktail - fresh and simple.

Ina's mussels with basil bread crumbs - warm, garlicky, perfect for dipping.

Terrible photo of Ina's peanut butter and jelly bars - needed something sweet and unfussy.

Settling...

We're starting to get settled here in our new "home" away from home. Nina is confuddled, but Mr. Evans and I are doing just fine. We're enjoying the wine, lake views and extra help. I'm hopeful over the next few days Nina will settle in and return to her normal self. A bad cold isn't helping matters.

In other news, doesn't Nina's bath time hairdo look like the top of an ice cream cone? Or a Hershey's kiss?

Happy Weekend!

Love this...

via

A few things I'm loving...

1. I'm yearning for fresh flowers and the first glimpse of spring. I'm tired of gray, mucky snow. However, in other news my sun lamp seems to be helping! Love it.

2. At church on Ash Wednesday instead of the usual sermon on "you are dust and to dust you shall return" my pastor talked about reflection, preparation and attentiveness. He specifically said "we need to get out of our own way" (which really hit a chord with me). In addition, he shared a quick video about Selective Attention - click here. Who would think a quick video about people throwing a basketball with white shirts would teach us that unless we're looking for something, we might miss it. Couldn't we all do a better job at paying attention, truly being present in life? What are we missing or failing to see because we're so focused on something that might not even matter?

3. I recently came across this quote on a blog I read. I had to share. Happy Wednesday!
"You weren't an accident. You weren't mass produced. You aren't an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman." — Max Lucado

Moving on

We moved out of our house this past weekend. Our first house. The house we purchased right after we got married. The garage we pulled into with our sweet new arrival, Nina. The backyard ... home to our first garden, evenings spent with friends and our daughter's first birthday party. It was a house we made a home. I cared for it with great pride and it's bittersweet that we're moving on. However, I'm very thankful we sold our home quickly (in 7 days!) and very proud that our hard work has afforded us a beautiful new home... that we will be moving into soon.

I mentioned here that we'll move into our new house in a few months. So, until then, we'll be living with my parents. What fun! And no, this was not sarcastic! We feel very lucky to have a place to stay and will enjoy spending time on the lake (I only wish it was summer).

Cheers! Here's to moving on!

(We drank this perfect bottle of wine as we packed up our last boxes on Fair Street.)

Happy Valentine's Day

It all started on Halloween.

I was a flapper and he was an 80's basketball player with short shorts. It's a great story. We'll tell if you ask.

Just a few months later after I'd returned home from Kenya we really became serious. It was Valentine's Day. And it was his birthday. Double whammy. I made Frozen Oreo Cake. His favorite.

We were hooked from the very beginning. We both knew right away.

Nine months later, we were engaged and got our first apartment.

Nine months after that, we were married. A perfect husband.

Nine months of being pregnant and Nina Lorraine arrived. A perfect father.

What could be better? Happy Valentine's Day and Birthday, Mr. Evans!

DIY Valentine's Cards

In anticipation of Valentine's Day tomorrow, we made these fun DIY cards for Nina's grandparents. I think they turned out pretty cute!

P.S. DIY Halloween craft here
P.P.S. DIY winter/Christmas here

Love this...

I love this and had to share. How true?

via

We bought a new house!

Things change. Like our address for example. We bought a new house!!

It's now official and we couldn't be more excited.

We started to keep our eyes and ears open for new home opportunities, and just like that we found one that couldn't have been more perfect. It kind of fell into our lap (thanks to a few special people) and never was even on the market.

A neighborhood we love? Check.

Did it have four bedrooms? It did!

An open kitchen? Yes.

Subway tile in the kitchen? I couldn't believe it. I've always wanted it because of this restaurant.

A sunroom?

Spot for my baby grand?

Pergola in the backyard?

Fireplace?
Yipee!

Stay tuned for more updates. We don't move in for a few months, but I'm already busy pinning and planning!

Weekend Trip

Last weekend we visited family in Hudson! What fun! I love a weekend trip! My SIL and BIL (they blog here) were in town from Montana, so we stayed with my other SIL, BIL, godson Evan and my MIL and FIL. Got that all?

We arrived late Friday night (we drove after Nina's bedtime) and woke up to a delicious breakfast of Pioneer Woman Breakfast Bread Pudding and homemade cinnamon rolls. At sunrise we watched hot air balloons rise into the morning glow. What beautiful colors and energy they brought to a frigid and snowy morning. After coffee time and lots of chatting, we did a little shopping (Home Goods and Ikea) while the men went on an impromptu pub crawl around town. The next day, my SIL and I went for mani/pedis. Much needed!