Lights, Apples, and Family Portraits

Alas, our great weekend has come to a close. Pittsburgh's slight snow has begun, little flurries that seem to happen at least once a day and dust over everything but don't make getting around difficult - not yet, at least. Ben left us this afternoon; he decided to head back to Maryland a day early to escape a supposed storm that's to hit sometime this evening. Before he left we took a quick trip down to the Pittsburgh Public Market so I could show him where I work. My co-workers, Emily and Natalie, were delighted to see Olive, as usual. We left the goon with Auntie Em while we meandered through the market, checking out other vendors. We got a few good family shots before we left. He'll be back in three more weeks, so we won't have to go nearly so long without seeing him as we did before. Maybe Buggy will be able to say his name by then.

Christmas card photo? I think so.

Also, the topic of a Christmas tree has come up several times. With our living room serving as Buggy's play area, there was just no way we were going to set up a tree in there, inviting her to clamber up into the prickly branches. That would be begging for a mess. Instead I opted to put in a more or less permanent installation that harkened back to my days of Display Coordinator at Anthropologie. Last night, Rob, Olive, and I took a walk through Highland Park in search of some good fallen branches. We selected two good ones, I biked to The Home Depot to pick up a string of white lights, a spool of jute, and a package of eye hooks, and returned home to make this little number. Now our living room is far more pleasant than it was before, and Buggy's eyes light up when she sees it.

I know it's hard, but do me a favor and try to ignore the hideous gridded paneled ceiling.

For the last month we've been swimming in apples since an apple vendor set up shop across from Cosimano e Farrari. Each week I've been coming home with bags upon bags of Braeburn and Pink Lady apples, but we were unable to make a pie since I seemed to be eating them at a rate that was incompatible with filling a pie. They are just too, too good. Tonight we buckled down, though, and Rob sliced eight apples while I biked to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the Family Dollar (through the wind and snow with bum brakes, no less. And in a dress!), and we turned out a handsome deep dish apple-cranberry pie, heavy on the cranberries. Mighty tasty.

I've always been a sucker for the apples that still have their leaves. They remind me of my dear pal, Rita, who loves them just as much. See the Trivial Pursuit box in the backgound? Rob and I played last night and he actually beat me. One of the million reasons why I love him so.