Wednesday, June 30, 2010

SERENITY NOW!!!!


Remember when George Costana's father (played by the amazing Jerry Stiller) on Seinfeld, used to yell that?
"SERENITY NOW!!!"
That's how I feel this morning.

It was a lovely evening.
The Cicada Ladies' name was up in vinyl, if not lights.

We were all dressed up and ready to have some fun. And we did.
Owen was wearing the cutest outfit ever. The pair of linen pants I got him at the Baby Gap and a white Guayabera shirt that Mr. Moon and I got him last year in Cozumel before he was born. Hank said he looked like a beach groom, all ready to say his vows as the sun set on an island.

It's a good look for a man, don't you think?

So we ate, we listened, we had beverages. The lovely Cicada Ladies played for us.

Three girls, friends from before high school, all grown up and making music together. And gorgeous.

When the other musician for the night started in on a rousing rendition of Come On, Irene, a little spontaneous dancing even erupted.

The cake was dandy and I think Mr. Moon was pleased. I put the tiniest bit of orange peel in the icing and a few tablespoons of maple syrup. Yes!

The whole bar area of the restaurant sang to him.
Owen wanted cake. Badly. But Lily is standing firm that he doesn't get refined sugar until his own first birthday cake. I think this is wise.
The rest of us had no such restrictions. And after the cake and during the final set of the Ladies, Owen got tired and a bit cranky. His Auntie May gave him a bottle while Kathleen looked on in approval.

And then it was time to come home and so we did.

And this morning I am realizing that my kitchen is OUT OF CONTROL! Somewhere a line has been crossed. I think it all started when I took all the boxes of tea from the little shelves down by the floor because Owen was pulling them all down every time he was over. I couldn't really find a place for those boxes and so they went into a basket on the kitchen hutch and they're in my way and like a slowly spreading flu germ, my entire kitchen has been infected with disorder, disarray and pure-T chaos. It has, in short, become unmanageable.
I sound like I've entered a 12- step program for kitchens, don't I?
Hi. My name is Ms. Moon and I am a damn mess and so is my kitchen.
Because the kitchen is the heart and soul of the house, if it's not at least somewhat orderly, things just cannot function properly anywhere at all. Trust me on this.

So my task for today is to try to create some order in there. Go through all the plastic left-over containers. Throw out anything without a lid. Throw out lids without a vessel to cover. Sort and stack. Throw out the tea, most likely. It's old. We aren't drinking hot tea. It's fucking summer here, y'all. Cold water is the non-alcoholic drink of choice. I may even get up in the cabinets and go through old jars of pickles and preserves and throw out the questionable jars. Speaking of pickles, I need to figure out what to do with the bags of cucumbers, hastily picked and left in plastic bags on the kitchen island.
In short- make some damn room for cooking!
And create a tiny bit of serenity.
Now.
After a walk.

And then maybe tomorrow I'll make those blackberry preserves. No, I still haven't done it. One cannot can and preserve in a kitchen in such disarray. But the blackberries are fine in their Ziplock in the refrigerator which is still fairly organized and clean. They'll wait patiently until I find the time, the space, and the canning jars.

The birthdays are over for another month. My life may feel out of control sometimes but dammit, I can at least create order in the kitchen. And I intend to.

Serenity now. Or at least serenity soon.

Gotta go, y'all. It's gettin' hot.

19 comments:

  1. Good luck with the kitchen reorg.

    Love you tons!

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  2. I forgot to say that I enjoyed the party pictures.

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  3. Jeez that looks like a good time!

    You're kitchen sounds like mine. Maybe you will inspire me from afar. As you always do.

    Xoxoxo

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  4. ah what a wonderful night you had..again...so often when you write about such events i think thats your reward for beeing so brave on the days when you dont feel all that well...

    owen looks so damn cute..and mays dress is so pretty as well...

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  5. Serenity Now! Oh! I'd forgotten about that. I did love that show.

    The party looked fine indeed. I'm glad it was fun and I'm glad you can now.

    The things you say about the kitchen are true. My kitchen is sad at the moment. It misses me. Maybe today I can get something done in there.

    Good luck with your serenity!

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  6. Owen is a fashion sensation and the rest of you look beautifully happy ~ you dancing, Mr. Moon blowing out candles, Aunt May feeding drowsy nephew, the Cicadas on stage ~ looks like another magical evening at the Mockingbird!

    How about some cucumber soup???

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  7. That's SO true about the kitchen; when my house is a crazy mess and I don't have time to address it properly, I always feel better if I at least make time to tidy up the kitchen...Funny!

    Sounds like a great night :0)

    SERENITY NOW! Love it!!

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  8. I love the way you and Owen both look -- the night looks like so much fun!

    Good luck with the kitchen organization -- once you get started, it'll be great! And reserve a jar of blackberry preserves for me.

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  9. Lovely night. What do you plan to listen to while you clean?

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  10. Beach groom indeed, and such a good look for a man :) He's gorgeous.

    And you, in your white dress, nice!

    Can I join the 'my kitchen and I are a mess' programme?

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  11. Ms. Bastard-Beloved- Thanks! I need it. Maybe my higher power will step in. Wish you'd been there last night. We had fun.

    Michelle- It WAS! As to the kitchen- I will keep you updated.

    Danielle- Aw. That's sweet. And true, most likely. My rewards are great. And I know it. And May looks beautiful in anything.

    Ms. Trouble- And good luck with yours, too.

    lulumarie- I know! I HAVE to make cucumber soup. And it was a magical evening.

    justme- I'm an American. I want my serenity NOW!

    Elizabeth- You got it!

    DTG- A book on tape. I have mellowed greatly since my cleaning-to-the-Stones days. Ha!

    Jo- We should all do before and after pictures. Why not? It'll be fun to do it "together."

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  12. Yay Momma! We had a great time last night, it was just lovely. I feel bad that your kitchen is so crazy, I had started to notice there was never a place to put the diaper bag down. (At least if I wanted a seat as well.) It is mostly Owen's fault, so therefore my fault. I would over to help, but as my house is out of control as well, I doubt I would know where to start. I love you though! Thanks foreverything!

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  13. What a great post today Ms. Moon! Happy days are here again....Recipe for the cake...please...it looked heavenly yummy and that photo of Mr. Moon and the cake was fantastic!!!! You looked lovely in white..cool as a cucumber I would say with a nifty Florida tan from all your gardening. And that little Owen...dapper as can be. He is so growing up! Celebration!

    Kitchen mess.... :( clean-up and muck out will be done and you will get to turn around and bake, jam time, and Owen can come over and organize it back to his way...hehehehe!

    Oh..my word veriication ovenest. (oven nest?)...hhhhmmmmm....

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  14. It does sound a bit like 12 step with Serenity Now and my life is unmanageable! I had to laugh. All good stuff. Mr. Moon looks like a happy guy with all that cake.

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  15. Mr Moon does indeed look happy with that cake and with all those candles and a loving family giving him an extra glow.

    Cleaning is Therapeutic! At least for me. That and gardening keep me grounded in this world. Ain't it wonderful, in a way, that the house and garden are always in need of some attention?!

    As for the cuke overload, I love bread and butter pickles. Maybe you, do too? Here's a link to a funny online bulletin which sounds like it must come from the midwest, where my pickle packin' Dutch German G'ma lived. The pickle recipes are down a ways. They have a senf gherkin recipe as well, which is what she would do with the bigger/older cukes.
    http://www.n-connect.net/lynxy/bulletsept1965.html
    Kisses...N2

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  16. I yell Serenity Now all the time....too often actually. Thanks for reminding me of the wonderful phrase because it really is helpful.

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  17. Fantastic night. And you're right, Stiller is genius.

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  18. I need some of that Serenity Now. I would kill to just stay home tomorrow and organize the kitchen.
    I love George's parents on Seinfeld. And Jerry's parents. And Del Boca Vista.
    And Mr. Moon's b0day night! wow! Look at those gorgeous girls! And I love that Come on Irene song. And Owen looks like he is 12 months, no wonder he wants some of that big boy sugar.

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  19. You look positively lovely Ms. Moon, and that cake for your sweetie sounds so delicious. I love the taste of orange peel!

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.