Adrian and I just finished this wedding gift: a portrait of Randy and Teresa. Working with your spouse is quite an adventure, we both have our own way of doing things. And much like doing chores around the house, we don't shy away from sharing our opinion about how things should be done. But in the end, we made something whimsical.

Below is a memory of my friend Sarah's wedding. Sarah's reception was in her parent's backyard and downstairs. At the end of the night, her brother and his band played in the garage (there had been a DJ earlier.) Randy and Teresa had their wedding in an old theater and was very old Hollywood glam. Adrian and I could not believe the amount of food at their wedding. We thought what was at the cocktail hour was the main course and couldn't believe we we got to the reception and had 5 more courses!

As I mentioned in my first blog entry, Adrian and I were married a year ago. We did not have a wedding, but instead went to city hall. There are many similarities in weddings, but each one I have attended has been distinct, as has each marriage. To each their own & celebrate!

Happy Valentines Day!

This year I have been later than usually getting holiday treats out. We never sent our Christmas cards, so I was hoping to make it up at Valentines. While Amira sat in her seat gnawing on a cracker, or hanging out with dad, I was (over the course of three days) able to make these cookies inspired by Martha. I have to say, it was pretty fun, and this was the first time I baked without burning.

They are sugar cookies with fresh lemon and royal frosting with fruit and vegetable dyes and sprinkles. For Adrian I made a special batch of Linzer cookies, as they are his favorite, with an almond cookie and instead of black currant filling, I made strawberry rhubarb preserves, as he loves rhubarb.

This winter I haven't been able to spend a lot of time outdoors, though I should admit that though my roots are in upstate New York, I have never been a fan of-or gotten used to the cold. Now with Amira, I am especially sensitive to the cold winter winds. So we have tried to have a warm and interesting home to spend our winter. But there is something beautiful about bare trees especially when covered in snow, and we have been able to view this season through our living room windows.

Thanks to "I want to dream about owls" blog for getting me to pick up my Andrew Wyeth, The Helga Pictures to appreciate winter even in February.