Chris' Graduation

Had to post this when I got it today....my little baby cousin graduated from high school this weekend. He's the last of our generation and now he's going to college. I feel so old! I remember when he was born! Anyways, congratulations Chris and good luck at Auburn! War Eagle!

Fun Baby Things....

Okay, so I have no idea where my dad found this...but I just wanted to post a quick pic of what might be the most awesome binkie EVER!!!

Whine Connoisseur????

How perfect is that...little Millie is so spoiled (and so are her parents!)

Wines for the Weekend...

Barefoot Bubbly ($9-$11)
Ahhhhh.....I am finally back in a routine to do my weekly "Wines for the Weekend" post. This week, however, I'm feeling a little worn out and weary, so I'm going to write about an easy standby of mine: Barefoot Bubbly.

My love for Barefoot Bubbly was really thrust on me by chance. Every summer when D and I were living in Boca Raton we would work the Miami Boat Show and come home with 5 or 6 cases of the stuff. What were we to do but enjoy a bottle (or two) whenever we felt like it! It began to become tradition at the 'Berg household. A great, fizzy pick-me-up that was perfect whether we were having cocktails with friends or watching Heroes on Monday nights.

We prefer the Extra-Dry, bringing a touch of sweetness that matches perfectly when paired with Dole's Orange-Mango-Papaya juice that they sell at the grocery store. THE perfect mimosa...

Now there are a total of 5 varietals: the original Brut and Extra Dry, a Sparkling Chardonnay, Sparkling Pinot Grigio, and a Sparkling White Zinfandel. All to add some variety to your standby sparkling. ( The latter will soon undergo a namechange and become "Sparkling Rose".) I urge you to pick up a bottle or five to have at the house for unexpected guests. Because what's more unexpected than having a nice, refreshing glass of bubbly in the fridge for lounging on a hot weekend afternoon?

Coming along...

We arrived home Saturday from a rainy one-day journey to Nowhere, AL to see my Mom's "people," as she calls her relatives. It was an exhausting day, only to become an exhausting week as D and Dad continued with their wainscoting project in Miller's room. I was hoping to post some 'finished product' pics by now, but unfortunately I only have 'coming along' pics. It's turning out that making all of the fine measurements, cuts, and miters have taken a little longer than expected.

Dad and D worked together like PB & J

Lacking chair railing and crown molding, hopefully to be finished today

Started painting last night (don't worry, low VOC paint here, people) You can barely tell the color difference in this picture.

R.I.P. Slammerhead!!!

Once the chair railing and crown molding pieces start going up the project will start coming together at a faster rate. We are so excited to have it all done so that we can start training Nellie to stay out of the room. She's starting to learn that she should stop at the door and lay down (which is really cute) but it will take months of repetition to make sure that she knows that Baby Miller's room is off-limits.

Vacation's Over...

So we are back in Nashville and the vacation is definitely over (even though we still have 4 days left). Mom and Dad will be rolling into town today and the list of projects to be done is overwhelming! We will start the process of moving D's office upstairs, which means a tad more than just your typical spring cleaning. Getting all of his papers and gear transferred to a new spot will take all of the energy I have stored up so far on our restful week.

(P.S. Rest in Peace Wine Fridge...unfortunately we have no room for wine storage in our new nursery, darn!)

At least I'm looking forward to finally decorating the new baby room. My Dad and D are putting up wainscoating this weekend (see inspirational picture) and soon we will have baby furniture to buy. Thankfully we're not painting the room...we're going to leave it the same khaki-ish color with white wainscoting. I'm hoping it turns out in real life like it is pictured in my head.


Okay, so it won't be as fancy as the inspiration room, but I think you can get the general effect. I'm thinking that it will really help this room have some identity, being that it is the only one in the house without any real architectural feature to it.

I'm also really excited about our first gift for the room. Lately D and I have been like the Goldilocks of Glider/Rockers. This one's too small, too big, too Grandma, too right-off-the-set-of-Miami-Vice...there really are some ugly, ugly rocking chairs out there. My Mom finally found the PERFECT combo for D and I and I'm really still just in shock that she dug it up. (And it even has a recliner, to make those sleepless nights and little easier to take naps through!) I can't wait until everything's finished!

Here's Dad and Nellie checking it out!

And Oh, Joy! It is finally time to say bye-bye to Slammerhead...may he rest comfortably in the garage...(see original post)

Rothenbergs on Vacation

“The Gastonian” circa 1868
Darren and I arrived in Savannah yesterday for a 3-day babymoon/anniversary/last vacation we’ll ever take by ourselves trip. We’re trying to soak it all in and unfortunately it’s soaking outside as well. But what we’re lacking in activities our B&B is making up for in charm. The Gastonian was built in 1868 and we’re directly across from the beautiful Forsyth Park in Historic Downtown Savannah. Our room is quaint with a real working fireplace (that may come in handy since it’s only about 55 degrees outside at the moment.) Our room is the “Mary Hillyer” room, named after the wife of the president of the Savannah Gas Company in the 1940’s. From what I can tell she was very involved in the historical preservation movement in downtown Savannah after the war. The once-family-residence has a beautifully restored parlor and kitchen where they serve high tea in the afternoons, cordials in the evening, and family-style breakfast with the other vacationers in the morning.

There are actually two residences that are a part of this bed & breakfast, connected by a wrought iron passageway over a perfectly maintained courtyard. We’ve peeked into all of the opened rooms in each building already, all but one. The Caracalla Suite. Listed as one of the “1000 Places to See Before you Die,” we’re strategizing as to how we will sneak a look inside the first-floor suite before we leave. Any ideas, please let us know.

(We made it! Here's a picture of the bathroom in the suite...a-MA-zing!)

Last night Darren surprised me with a lovely dinner at the famous “Olde Pink House” restaurant. It was superb for both of us, although D agreed that the braised pork shank I ordered was to-die-for. Yum.

Well, we’re about to head out to explore. Toodle-ooo!

The Olde Pink House...too bad the girl who took our picture couldn't work the flash!

Must-See Movies....

Waitress
Starring Keri Russell, Cathy Hines, Adrienne Shelley, Nathan Fillion

This quickly became my one of my favorite movies of all time (and not just because I love Keri Russell from her days as Felicity, THE best tv show of all time.) The story is sad, but the comedic genius of the three main actresses keep you roaring laughing. I can't even describe, so I'm going to post a video clip....



P.S. This gets the Darren stamp of approval....he even jokes around with me with one of the quotes from the movie: "Now you have to promise you will NOT love this baby more than you love me!" So funny.