Author: Cara St.Hilaire

running

Published by

I was always athletic, even as a child starting, I suppose, with softball.  Add to that tennis, years of basketball camp, and volleyball.  I even scored a small tennis scholarship to a school I decided not to attend.  I spent my high school years training, lifting weights, and running suicides when not actually playing in competitive games.  If you played sports in high school, the word suicide likely just made you cringe. I always hated distance running. At the start of each new season and sport, we’d always start with distance running and oh how I dreaded that. When I was 25, I began running.  I wanted to stay in shape, train for a long-distance bike ride, and I was broke.  Running is free. Near my apartment in Brookline, Massachusetts, there was this great running location called The Emerald Necklace.  I didn’t have a routine.  I’d run there in the afternoon or even–eek–at night (oh the things I’d go back and tell my 25 year old self). I was in the best shape of my …

green glass, green vase

Ten on Ten May 2013

Published by

Well, here I am on May 30th posting photos from May 10th!  That’s how life has been lately.  I think in blog posts, yet there isn’t always time to actually write them or unload photos from my memory cards.  Now that photography is incorporated into my work life, I’m not always using my personal computer, and I’m sometimes using loaner cameras, my photo organization is an utter mess.  Next up for me: some sortof photo workflow.  When working on photography books at my last job, there was always this term floating around: workflow.  It never really mattered to me.  I totally get it now. Oh do I get it.  I think I see Lightroom in my near future. Anyway, back to Ten on Ten.  You can read more about the Ten on Ten project created by A Bit of Sunshine here from my very first Ten on Ten last month. This happened to fall on a day I was working from home and I headed out on a solo road trip that evening, so I …

12 things I never thought I’d do before becoming a mom

Published by

We buried my sweet, lively grandmother this past weekend.  She left us in December and we were finally able to have closure on Saturday, though I miss her an awful lot.  Here she is in 1954 when my father was just an infant. I wasn’t able to say Happy Mother’s Day to you all because things were so hectic.  So, to lighten things up a bit, I’d like to share with you some of the crazy, funny things I simply never could have known I’d ever do. Pick undigested grape skins out of the washer after washing diapers. Do a full song and dance routine when a certain little dude doesn’t want to eat dinner. Make loud razz/fart noises with my mouth/hand merely because it makes my child laugh. While out for a jog with the stroller, actually run HARDER because the jiggling/speed makes him laugh.  Normally I’d, uh, probably stop running if people were laughing at me. Memorize a full library of children’s books to use when needed (fussy car rides or full blown …

letting go

Published by

I love hot yoga.  I love my yoga studio.  I love my yoga partner, Scott.  I have a particular love for a certain yoga teacher named Tony.  He is a naturally gifted yoga instructor.  He doesn’t rush.  He makes sure you set yourself up properly in each pose so that you get the most from every second of class.  It is easy to forget to square your hips to the front of the room while setting up your Warrior I, but Tony reminds you.  He makes you work hard for your Savasana; you feel like you’ve truly earned it.  He also continually reminds you that you have to let go.  Let go of the nagging thought. Let go of the hectic day.  Let go of your to-do list.  Let go of a jealous feeling you have about someone else or a negative feeling you may have about yourself.  Let go of the chaotic mess in your brain that accumulates throughout the day. I’m not able to spend an hour and a half with him as …

raising a child in this crazy, beautiful world

Published by

Before our babies are born, we agonize over what to eat and what not to eat.  We spend days pondering over what crib is safest and what kind of swaddle will prevent SIDS.  We then feed our children pesticide-free food and surround them with things labeled “organic” because we only want the best for them.  We spend the majority of our time making sure our children are safe in the car, at daycare, at school, in our homes with high end car seats and well-researched schools and gates to keep them away from stairs. These  pure little beings are our world and they depend on us to protect them. All we want is create a beautiful life for our families in this usually beautiful world. The  Sandy Hook parents sent their children to school in December last year in mittens and hats to keep them warm.  They fed them breakfast and packed lunches for them.  They made sure they got enough sleep the night before.  Yet, they couldn’t keep their babies safe. The day of …

happy Earth Day – what will you do?

Published by

Earth Day is extremely important.  We should live like Earth Day is everyday, but we all need reminders to step it up a little.  To do more.  To take one extra step to make the world a better place for our future, the animals, and our children.  Imagine our world without clean air; green spaces, clean water, enough food, edible fish, enough room for all of our trash, animal diversity, and so on? We all know the little things matter the most.  If we all avoided throwing one battery in the garbage a year, imagine how many batteries wouldn’t leak toxic stuff into the landfills every year?  If we all planted just a few vegetables, imagine how much food we could collectively grow that is organic and not tainted by this wretched GMO business (more on that someday when I feel I can write without cursing)?  If we all used a water bottle that wasn’t plastic once a week, imagine how many bottles wouldn’t go in a landfill?  If we turned off one more light …

faux chicken tart

Published by

In the midst of an everyday sort of setting, I had a moment today when I thought I’d burst with love for my family. I was sitting next to Chris on the sofa.  Anderson was crawling around the living room after one of the cats yelling “cat” at the top of his lungs (which sounds more like cah).  Maybe it was the James Taylor song playing or the look on Anderson’s face?  I don’t know.  I just sat there smiling and thanking my lucky stars.  I love them so much that my heart feels like it will explode sometimes. Today was really slow and sweet.  We didn’t even talk much and we didn’t  have anything on the agenda other than some cleaning and grocery shopping, so we just sortof hung out. I also made a new dish inspired by “Rustic Chicken Tart with Spinach and Brie” from The America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook.  I don’t like Brie and we don’t cook with chicken, but the concept seemed really easy.  I just adapted the ingredients …

Ten on Ten April 2013

Published by

I love A Bit of Sunshine.  It is just that — a bit of sunshine in my day when there is a new post up.  Rebekah Gough is the author of this lovely blog and she is a crafter, a mom, and a photographer.  Her photographs are to die for.  She has an amazing style and she captures the spirit of her subjects, particularly children. Oh, and I got to meet her last week while she was in Boston.  Yup.  She’s even better in real life. She created the idea of Ten on Ten.  Every 10th of the month, take one picture each hour for ten hours.  I’ve been excited about it for weeks and finally, today (the 10th) arrived.  I admit, it was harder than I thought it would be while working.  I was working from my home today, so I did indeed take a quick photo break each hour.  I think the idea of an assignment like this is good for a few reasons.  First, it forces you to take the time to …

seed starting tips

Published by

I’m beyond giddy.  This is my very favorite time of year. Between packets I had, packets I picked up, and a special care package from my dad, I have most of the seeds that I need (thought I still need to place a last minute order from Johnny’s). Last week, I started… Marketmore and Sweet Marketmore cucumbers California Wonder 300 and Orange Sun peppers Russian Tarragon Tomatoes: Mountain Magic Vine Hybrid, Ananas Noir (won from Down to Earth Digs), Best Boy, Supersweet 100 Cherry Hybrid, Amish Paste Heirloom, Crimson Cusion Beefsteak Heirloom, Burpee Big Boy, and Brandywine Red. Red Velvet Celosia Marigolds Nasturtium: Jewel Mix and Empress of India Gigante Verde Tomatillos I’m particularly excited about tomatillos.  I’ve never grown them before and I love them as a snack if they are fresh from a garden (not the ones in the grocery store – ew). We have a grow light shelf similar to this one, only deeper and with four shelves (and we bought ours on Craigslist a few years ago because the price is …

change is good

Published by

A close friend sent me this text message recently and it brought tears to my eyes. I have always loved you sweet friend, but I like this Cara who is slowed down.  Your job was killing you.  It’s so nice to see you in this space. I haven’t yet mentioned a huge change in my life that took place two months ago. After nearly nine years of blood, sweat, and tears at my last job, I decided to leave.  2012 was a dramatic year for me in terms of my career.   I left for my maternity leave extremely stressed and unhappy at one company, working 10-12 hour days preparing the division I managed for an acquisition.  I returned from maternity leave to a brand new company that provided a much happier, healthier experience.  Returning from maternity leave is, however, an emotional and tumultuous experience in itself and probably one of the most stressful things a new mom can go through.  One day, you are a full time mom with the important job of caring …