Young House Love

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Turning 30

A bunch of you have been asking how turning thirty was for me, so I’ll take a break from painting something (yes, there is paint going on a formerly untouched bathroom wall! wahoo!) to admit that Monday was a really nice day. So far thirty is all good. And I don’t feel a day over 29. Hah. My theory is that every birthday sort of feels like not much has changed since I wake up feeling the same way I did the morning before. By comparison, I always feel older when life events happen (graduating college, getting married, having a baby) but for some reason a birthday to me is just a fun day when I get to eat too much dessert. Which I most certainly did this time. So here’s the play by play.

I woke up to a kitchen that looked like a big ol’ present.

Decorated Kitchen1

John had strung ribbons around it like the prettiest spider web I ever did see:

Decorated Kitchen

Is he a man or what? I love a guy who isn’t afraid to get his ribbon on in the name of birthday madness.

John also secretly picked up my favorite lunch ever: pastina (although it never says that on the box, so maybe that’s just what my Italian mom calls it). It’s basically tiny little pasta stars that you make and then add butter, milk, and salt. I used to eat it after school growing up and it always feels like a treat when John remembers that I love it and surprises me with some.

  Pastina1

It was the first time Clara ever had it, and she LOVED it. That’s my girl.

  Pastina2

We worked a normal day, except that we decided to unplug a few hours early (at 5:30!) and head over to Stonypoint, which is an outdoor walking mall here in Richmond. John said since we’re always too full to make it to dessert that he thought we should get dessert before dinner, to ensure that we had room. It was really cute and he told me to pick any restaurant I wanted and it actually became this tour of reading every dessert menu and picking the one that sounded the most amazing…

  Stonypoint1

… which ended up being this trio of strawberry cheesecake, brownie, and gooey cookie topped with caramel from Champs. And yes, at the same moment John and I busted out laughing because we realized that the bowls looked like the chairs from The Voice. Yes, I might have even turned one around while singing “this is the voice.” And the waiter might have seen me. So you’ll be pleased to know that I’m not any more mature or less embarrassing in this new decade that I’ve entered.

  Stonypoint2

Of course we ducked into Anthropologie, which I love to peruse just for all the creative ideas that they have going on with displays (check out the awesome burlap upholstery webbing that they used to create a woven wall behind Clara in the picture below).

  Stonypoint3

But enough talk about the background. How cute is my kid in the foreground? Love that girl. She actually sang happy birthday to me about seventeen times, so it was extra sweet. I even got some encore presentations on Tuesday and Wednesday, which never failed to make me grin like a fool.

Along with a card full of sweet nothings from the hubby and cute scribbles from the bean, John got me this book called The Happiness Project that I’m already loving. The first chapter is all about paring down and I swear it made me want to drop the book and go all organization-crazy in my house. So beware, there might be some cleaning/organizing/basket-related madness going on along with the landscaping, bathroom, and deck-building plans that we have on the list.

  Happiness Project Book

He also got me this sweet ceramic elephant box (you know I can’t resist a sale, so I actually sent the link to John with a wink and a mumble about someone’s birthday…). John also surprised me with a gift card for a massage at my favorite place (he gets me one every Mother’s Day, and I must have raved about that annual tradition so much that it might have become a semi-annual thing – wahoo!). Momma’s still got some knots from laying a bunch of cork flooring, so it’ll definitely come in handy.

  Elephantbox

Then after we tucked Clara into bed, instead of DIYing something or flopping on the couch to size photos and write posts, John made me my favorite dinner: a chicken and leek stroganoff recipe from Jamie Oliver (I know it sounds gross but it’s the most delicious thing ever). We ate it outside on the patio with candles to the sound of the rustling wind and the baby monitor that we brought out there with us. Haha. It was great.

Leek Stroganoff Outside

Over dinner, we got to talking about how much we love this house, and if we think we love it as much as our first house (our first love! our first baby! that house was our everything for a very long time). The verdict: yup…. but it’s a tie. We will always have a place in our heart for that first home of ours, where we got married in the backyard and brought Clara home. But I think it surprised us to realize how much our hearts swell when we think about this house too. Especially because it didn’t feel nearly as warm or cozy as our first house at first, but it definitely does now. It was a fun chat because the conversation also turned to us brainstorming things we can’t wait to do (as it tends to do at least once a week, haha). I guess we get love by giving love, so talking about all the ways that we want to show our house some love fills us with excitement and makes us love it even more.

All in all it was an amazing thirtieth birthday and I have so much to be thankful for. I love my hubs, my bean, and my pooch for making me feel so special along with all of you who sent such sweet birthday wishes my way. I know I get mushy on you guys a lot, but you really are the best. I’m so happy to share my house, my thirtieth birthday, and my random little DIY life with you.

Psst- You can check out John’s big 3-0 here, Clara’s first birthday here, my last birthday here, and Clara singing her unique rendition of happy birthday here.

Comments

  1. Miranda @boucksy says

    I LOVE the Happiness Project! I picked it up last year and read it again this year. Such an important message and just a great jump starter.

    So glad you had a great birthday!

    Reply

  2. Ettie says

    Happy Birthday $herdog (I can totally relate, never had a cool nickname ever…) May this year bring you and your family much health, happiness, love, and laughter! The chicken + leek recipe you posted looks amazing!

    Reply

  3. Trianna says

    Hello Sherry, You are so lucky to have a great guy like John who knows your likes so well and makes sure your special day is the best! I love your little elephant box and on sale makes it quite a score too. Your daughter seems like such a wonderful cheerful little person who might have daddy’s looks but sure has mommy’s tastes. Look she is loving an animal right there in that picture just like mommy. I read the happiness project just a little while ago. I started out getting it from the library but read about half way through and new it was a book I would want to read time and again so I went and bought a copy. I thought is was very uplifting and inspiring though it sure got mixed reviews on Goodreads. Many great practical ideas to be happier. Your kitchen looks so bright and cheerful now too, I vote for keeping the range hood the way it is…it just seems like the bigger it is the more your eye would be drawn up to it and is that really what you want the focus of your beautiful new room to be? I hope 30 is your favorite year yet, all the best!

    Reply

  4. Lindsay says

    I ADORE the Jamie Oliver cookbook that houses that recipe. We make something from it pretty much every week~ YUM! And your 30th looked really wonderful, relaxing, and filled with the things you love…there isn’t a better way to celebrate. Cheers to another wonderful and happy year!

    Reply

  5. Nicole says

    I love that you eat “pastina”! We ate them in as kids in our house, too. My mom would put them in chicken broth when we weren’t feeling well. We refered to them as “ninja stars”, and i still think they are nice to have when you’re under the weather.

    Reply

  8. C.E.R. says

    Your mention of pastina made me smile wide. I’m a 100% Italian gal, and that’s what my mom made me when I had the ickys as a kid. Now, whenever I’m feeling under the weather, I ask my hubby to make it for me.

    Happy 30th, Sherry!

    Reply

  10. mamaJ @TheSecretLife of a Scientist'sWife says

    It doesn’t say “pastina” on the box? Maybe I’m so used to living in this city (we have a pretty significant Italian-Canadian pop) and I should be very grateful. I always say that I am Italian by osmosis!

    Happy belated birthday, Sher-Dog!

    Reply

  11. Kathy says

    Happy belated birthday. Love the blog. I keep up with it just about daily, although this is my first comment to post.

    I’m really excited about the book you received. I picked it up rather impulsively at Target last week. I haven’t gotten very far, but I love it. I’m curious to know what you think of it.

    Thanks,
    Kathy

    Reply

  13. Aurora says

    Happy Brithday, Pastina in Italy is mainly a term used to refer to “tiny pasta”. It’s usually cooked and eaten with any clear “brodo” broth (often home-made)and frechly grated parmesan or pecorino. As children my Nonna used to mix in some procesed cream cheese which made it creamy like you describe.
    If you haven’t aready, give the pastina a go with brodo!

    Reply

  14. Christina says

    Pastina! My 100% Italian family has been making pastina for as long as I can remember. I thought we were the only ones! And you are correct, you’ll never find “pastina” pasta, only the stars. Happy belated!

    Reply

  15. Elizabeth says

    Happy belated!! What cute surprises and ideas (dessert before dinner)You had me cracking up about those bowls and the seats on the voice

    Reply

  17. Lauren Bee says

    Happy birthday, Sherry! Someone may have already told you–sorry I didn’t read through all 400+ comments, but Barilla brand pasta DOES call it Pastina!! We love it too!

    Reply

  19. Melissa says

    o.m.g. I LOVE pastina. I add a generous handful of parmesan to mine because my motto is “cheese makes everything better.” It looks like you had a GREAT birthday. the chicken leek dinner out on the patio looked awesome–so intimate and sweet. Happy belated birthday! I hear 30s are way better than 20s ;)

    Reply

  24. james malone says

    Last week was my birthday! Although you may have had a better day I was on planes all day long, but in the end I was in California!

    Reply

  25. jessica o says

    sherry!!! happy birthday! I was so excited to read about pastina! my grandmother & mother pronounced it “pastine” bc the a would always get lost in translation lol! kroger is the only place in richmond I can find the actual pastina pasta, but I make it with stars for my 1 year old daughter too :)

    Reply

  27. Amy says

    Happy Birthday!! Pastina is the comfort food of all Italians I think. My mom and grandmother always made it for me when I was sick. My latin husband has chosen it as the perfect “I’m a little hungover” food, haha. I make it with chicken broth instead of water or milk (dairy intolerance) and it’s soooo good, just a pat of butter and some pepper. My 3 yr old son adores it too. Ronzoni sells it labeled as “pastina” – both in Long Island where I grew up and in NY South (aka Florida) where I live now. I can’t tell, but in the picture of Clara they look like the stars are the size of a lentil and the kind I grew up with the stars are the size of a pin head. Either way it’s delish!

    Reply

  28. Marie says

    I love that your hubby gave you The Happiness Project for your birthday. My friend just passed it along to me because the author reminded her of me! I’m halfway through and I’m really enjoying it. So much so that I’ve attempted to start a virtual “Book Club” on my blog WatchMeDIY. Come on over when you get a chance and share your Happiness Project thoughts!

    Reply

  29. micg576 says

    http://tinyurl.com/estimate5vr
    a really neat new site that allow users to have estimates and pretty much anything else done for $5. i am in now way affiliated with this site just thought i would share it as i came acros it a few days ago and used their service for my renovation project.

    Reply

  30. Kate says

    Happy (belated) birthday!! Last Monday was my birthday, too – I think it’s good day to be born! (Though, I’m a math dork who was very excited to be turning 2^5 – 32!)

    Reply

  31. Lauren says

    I grew up eating pastina too, but ours is a little different. We cook it up, drain some of the water and then add some fresh water back in. Then add an egg with the butter and salt and stir it up as the egg cooks. SO GOOD! It is my favorite comfort food EVER!! Gotta love Italian moms!

    Reply

  32. Ashly says

    I loved the Happiness Project! Here are two more suggestions if you’re interested: Free Range Kids by Leonore Skenazy and The Sewing Book by Alison Smith. The first one was eye opening for me about teaching independence to my children and the second is just a very beautiful sewing reference book that I think every new sewer should have. Happy Birthday!

    Reply

  33. Livia says

    Happy birthday Sherry!!
    This was a wonderful post, so inspiring as usual.

    I see that there were a lot of comments about it already but just wanted to confirm and explain the “pastina” thing a bit more, since I am Italian.

    “Pastina” means “small pasta” (-ino, -ina is a suffix that is put on words to make anything small and cute), so this is the actual common name for it, while the pasta itself usually comes in a set of different shapes that have accordingly different names, like small stars=stelline, rice-shaped pasta=”risoni”, “filini”=tiny spaghetti but much shorter, “puntine”=little dots, and a couple of others.
    I never heard of it being cooked with butter and milk, but maybe it is a regional thing.
    In my family (center-south Italy) we cook it in broth (made with stock-cubes or actual broth of veggies/chicken, if you have the time and patience to prepare it) and add a teaspoon of olive oil and parmesan in the dish once it´s ready. I love it too, it is so simple, healthy, cheap and fast to make and I used to eat a lot of it as a toddler (even with some pieces of boiled chicken in there, so that would constitute a whole meal – that is actually a lot of work, but it is delicious).

    I barely ever comment but I read your blog very often, and I love it. Keep up the good work and all the best for your family, your house and your projects! Can´t wait for the book to be published as well, I will have Amazon ship it to Europe. A big hug, Livia

    Reply

  34. Livia says

    I forgot to add, I moved in with my boyfriend in the summer last year, and it was the first time I had to furnish a whole apartment. I had no idea where to start and I spent one whole week of holidays at home making projects, scrapbooks and visiting furniture store, but I was still very puzzled. Which style did I want? Which colour did I really want? Nothing I saw in magazines or online seemed to fit my style. I was almost desperate. Then I found your blog and just loved your can-do attitude, so I simply started.

    Now, about 6-7 months later, we still haven´t finished but thanks to you guys me and my bf we were able to furnish a whole apartment in our own style and there is no object, no piece of furniture in our house that doesn´t have its own story and doesn´t reflect our taste (ok, there is a light fixture that I love and my bf hates, but that´s it).
    I painted, upholstered, painted furniture I got for free (including our own bed), got some amazing stuff at second-hand stores, and I am so happy about all of it. I do not have any before picture to send but it was all empty and white, I always tell myself that once we will actually be finished with it we will share some pics with you guys.

    We definitely owe you – thank you so much.

    Reply

  35. Amy says

    I LOVE that little ceramic box. I had been looking for a little something to put some of my jewelry in so I hopped right over to C Wonder and got the elephant box! It’s perfect :)

    Reply

  36. Abby says

    Love the post, tried the Jamie Oliver recipe (except over a small pasta because I was out of rice) soooooo delicious! Thanks for sharing and you’ll love your 30s!

    Reply

  37. jennie says

    Happy Birthday! I absolutely love The Happiness Project…every chapter made me want to drop the book and do whatever that month’s goals were. Here’s to a happy year!

    Reply

  38. alg at rental house rules says

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, $HERDOG!!!!!!
    I know it’s pretty belated… sorry… we’ve been SUPER busy for the past couple of weeks deconstructing the Pittsburgh house, packing the moving van & hauling our happy booties back home to AZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    (We couldn’t be more stoked, in case the copious exclamation points didn’t give it away — We adore Tucson, plus now we have a whole new rental property to “us-ify” which is like the cherry on our big ole’ DIY cake!)
    Rental House Rules will be getting a bit of a makeover, but I’m certain it’ll be even more fun now… I’ll let you know when I start posting again in case you feel like “dropping by” our new place :)
    So glad your big day was tons of fun — the 30s decade is a cool one. More relaxing than your 20s & less back-throw-outy than your 40s ;-> ;->

    Reply

  39. Essie says

    Just made the Stroganoff tonight .. why have I not cooked with leaks before???? Amazing!! I love any meal cooked with white wine. Oh and I used coconut milk (not the fatty kind that actually tastes like coconut) instead of cream to make it a bit healthier and it was still great!! Thanks for posting it. I love getting new recipes.

    Reply

  41. Ashley says

    Aww looks like you had a amazing birthday! Ok so maybe you can help me with this… I have had pastina in the past but I can never get it to taste just like grandma use to make it lol.. This is they way I have tried to make it in the past
    1 cup “little stars”
    3 teaspoons salt
    3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1/2 cup warm milk, plus more if desired
    Am I doing something wrong?? It always seems so salty!

    Reply

  44. Jenna says

    First…this blog is my inspiration for DIY shenanigans! Saw this post and I felt the urge to share my pastina love. My mom told me this years ago and I got such a kick out of it. These little stars were my first “solid food” they tried to get me to eat all sorts of things with only rejection (i.e. food on the floor) and then my mamanette (grandma) put on a pot of water with chicken bouillon cubes and introduced the magic of the tiny stars that I still eat today!

    Reply

  45. Emily says

    I absolutely LOVE that book! :) I’m actually rereading it now, which made me think of this post of course.

    Reply

  46. Jennifer says

    Sherry,
    I’ve been wanting pasta stars since you posted this. My grocer had a b1g1 sale on pasta. Bam! next to the elbows, you guessed it Pastina pasta! Yep, and it was labeled that way on the box! It was a box(12oz.) made by Ronzoni. Maybe your mom is working for them without your knowlege? lol. :)
    Oh and sorry if someone has already posted this info.

    Reply

  47. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    I am on a hunt to find out more info about your couch and happened to stumble upon this post….the part about the pastina caught my eye instantly.

    My father always made that for us when we were little (and not so little ;-) ) – It is absolutely the best. I am carrying on with that tradition and my little man is loving it. Both parents are from Lago Italy. Anyways, just made me smile and reminisce a little. Thanks for that.

    Reply

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