Friday, May 28, 2010

the first 3 months, iphone style

3 months, that's one quarter of his first year, have passed. ONE QUARTER OF HIS FIRST YEAR. He is going to be in preschool (if we get into one), before I'm prepared. I'm quite sure.

Here's a brief, low-res recap of the first 3 months. I love iPhone for it's handiness. I'd never changed the wallpaper on mine until I had a baby. Now it changes all the time.



He was so tiny! And had so much hair. Now he's big and does important things like suck his fists and rollover and screech. And he's also mostly bald except for that little bit on top. It can either be styled as a combover or a mohawk. The later being preferred though I think it's slowly, hair by lost hair, getting too thin for even that.

Happy weekending. Perhaps we'll be back with more frequency next week. We can hope.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

lullabies for parents, sort of

So some weeks are better in terms of keeping up with the blog. I was in San Diego for a long weekend for my friend Deja's engagement party and I haven't exactly gotten back into the swing of things yet. Tis more work that you would think to go out of town with the babe alone. (Brock on the other hand enjoyed a weekend in Palm Springs with his friends for a bachelor party. He owes me. And will begin to repay me by letting me spend the weekend in the backyard planting things. BEGIN.)

Now then. It turns out that babies actually do like that higher pitched kid-friendly music that you associate with mobiles and musical toys and lullabies. And here I was trying to make it through the first year with just slightly more mellow grown up music.



But Michael pointed me in the direction of Rockabye Baby!. Which is a whole collection of lullabye renditions of adult music. Saved! And it's not that gross synthesized stuff either. Just real percussion instruments doing their thing. Kind of like kindergarten music class, but hip.

So far I just have the Bob Marley album and I have to admit, I kind of love it. We start nap time by doing the baby sway to One Love on the glockenspiel. It's pretty sweet. Check it out, mamas! You can get the albums on iTunes and Amazon.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

peonies too beautiful...

to keep to myself. You can get them at Trader Joes at the moment. $5.99 per bunch. Insane, right? They are perfectly gorgeous and get bigger and more luscious every day. I literally watched them open on Sunday evening. It was amazing.








Tuesday, May 18, 2010

see kai run

While we're on the subject of cute kids apparel currently on sale...



My friend Becca (who is gloriously pregnant with her second little bean) posted a link to See Kai Run's sale. I popped over because I find it hard to resist a kids sale these days, and did not leave empty handed. I mean how cute are those little suede shoesies! Dashiell will need shoes in the winter so I am being budget conscious by buying them ahead of time ON SALE. Yes, that's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Check them out... 50% off, baby.

parasols boutique clearance!

This is like an emergency post so listen up people who have babies, are having babies, or know people who are having babies and need baby presents. Parasols, the boutique I posted about a few months ago with the most cutest handmade clothes ever, is clearing out their merch. Like super cute tees for $5. Impossible not to stock up for upcoming months of babydom.



I bought a bunch of things last night so it's safe to share now. I very nearly bought one of her super super super cute dress/bloomer sets. The ones I've been obsessed with for months. I mean, ONE day we might have a girl? And then I will be prepared? But I resisted. Not because I'm good at restraint... because I don't know which month she'll be born so I don't know which size to buy for summer. WAY over thinking this, obvs.

Go now. Buy cute dresses and bloomers that I cannot. Please. Someone take advantage.

Monday, May 17, 2010

family pictures

Getting family pictures taken feels like a milestone. Or no, maybe that this whole thing is very real and very normal and very amazing.

Jen Rau came over again and this time took pictures of Dashiell outside the belly (as opposed to our first session). Much cuter if you ask me:











Yes, I'm still wearing the same dress, not pregnant. But for the record it's not technically a maternity dress so I'm going with it. Plus it fits. GAAAAAAHHH, losing pregnancy weight is sucking. I digress.

She posted a few more on her blog too. We almost didn't do it, the professional photos thing... but again, so glad we did.

Thank you again Jen!

Friday, May 14, 2010

a few things for friday



Beer traps really do work.

They're supposed to catch slugs, but in one night I ended up with about 100 earwigs and 1 slug. Earwigs are the bane of my gardening existence. (See the teeny arugula sprouts on the right? Saved!) Also those are eggshells, which are supposed to deter slugs too. Jury still out on that one.




Lentils look like teeny snow peas when they're on the plant. Cute.




Chioggia beets are delicious, and more so when marinated in rosemary, olive oil, and balsamic and then roasted.




My son is sometimes very serious. Especially when watching the Lakers with his dad. Brock is teaching him to be a sports enthusiast at an early age.

Happy weekend!

Hope you're all up to something excellent. I'm getting a facial from Melanie's friend Juliana. She's the best. If you're in west LA, definitely try her next time you're in need.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

mother's day (or any day) picnic supplies

We had a busy weekend last weekend. We were down in the OC for a friend's shower/pre-wedding party, stopped in to see another friend's new babe born 3 days after Dashiell, and then zipped back up here after brunch on Sunday for an evening picnic organized by our neighbors. I did not have time to prepare lovely homemade picnic, as you can imagine.





But that was a good thing, because it meant that we got to stop by the Zinc Cafe in Corona Del Mar for the most delicious picnicking supplies. I love the Zinc. I find any excuse I can to eat there when we're in the neighborhood. There's a smaller satellite location in Solana Beach near my parents' house, but it's no where near as delicious as the one in CDM. Think perfectly prepared deli salads, wines, soups, cheeses, sandwiches... and that's just the to go stuff.

I picked up:

Marinated goat's cheese with lemon and thyme
Cured french olives with orange and garlic
Roasted cauliflower
Edamame salad
Hummus
Crackers

And 3 soups for dinner this week. The Tuscan white bean was insanely delicious, but I only got a taste because I was afraid a huge bowl of beans might send the baby into a panic.

ZINC ZINC ZINC ZINC. I love you.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

roasted carrot salad

I'm into roasted carrots at the moment, have you noticed? They're non-gassy and acceptable for baby who seems to be sensitive to many things. I came up with this salad last month and have made it approximately 7 times since then. It's actually become a go to dinner recipe as of late. Paired with quinoa of course.

It's easy and delicious and as you all know I'm not one for exact recipes, especially if I've made them up me-self. But here's an approximation:





Roasted carrot salad with chickpeas and fennel

A LOT of carrots. Like 3 big bunches from the supermarket or a big bag full if you're buying them from the farmer's market

2 or 3 small fennel bulbs, or 1-2 large (save some of the fennel fronds for flavor)

cumin seeds

1 can chickpeas

I bunch cilantro

feta (I'm using sheep's milk at the moment, but the other is fine too)

lime

salt, pepper, olive oil


Heat oven to 375. Peel and slice the carrots on the diagonal, so you have nice oblong pieces, not too thick and not too thin. Trim fennel bulbs, cut in half from top to bottom and then into thin wedges. Toss carrots and fennel with cumin seeds and a nice bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Line a cookie sheet with foil, dump carrots and fennel onto it, and slide into the oven and roast for as long as it takes the edges of the carrots to crisp a bit and the centers to be cooked through. Make sure you let some become nice and done so you get the crispy, caramelly taste every few bites.

While carrots are roasting, chop cilantro roughly. You might not need or want an entire bunch in your salad. I LOVE cilantro and believe it could almost be used as a salad green, which means I like a lot in this dish. But you can adjust the amount as you see fit. And you don't need pick the leaves off the stalks. Cilantro stems are just as delicious as the leaves. Pick a little pile of fennel tips off the fronds and set aside with the cilantro.

When the veggies are done, dump them into a large bowl. I usually heat the chickpeas in a saucepan first so they're nice and soft, but you certainly don't have too. Add chickpeas to the bowl, along with the cilantro and fennel tips. Drizzle a generous bit of olive oil over the top and mix everything up well. Add juice of one lime or so, depending on how limey you like it, and salt & pep to taste. Crumble feta over the top and eat. Out of the bowl is fine, but less civilized than actually heaping it on a plate.

I like to eat this with mixed greens and quinoa. But it's delish by itself or rolled in a toasted tortilla with avocado slices.

Friday, May 7, 2010

mother's day, for reals

This little hallmark holiday is definitely taking on a new meaning this year for me. But let's not be sentimental... this is what it's really about at the moment:



Amazing card by Fugu Fugu Press on Etsy.

Happy mom's day to all the mothers and mothers to be. It's the best job I've ever had.

Via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

rhubarb jam for moms

Saturday was an out of control kitchen day for me. I think I was trying to make up for the last few months all in the space of one afternoon. After a nice morning of spinning (Yay! I can go to an adult workout class!) and then a stroll with the family around the farmer's market, I came back to our house and proceeded to turn the kitchen upside down. For no good reason at all, except that I was apparently desperate to make things.



One of those things being jam for our moms for Mother's day. (Hi Mom! If you're reading this I spoiled part of your pressie.) I love making jam. It's so simple and so charmingly old fashioned. I have a bunch of jars on the shelf in our service porch (read laundry room, extra pantry, seed storage, etc), but instead of eating those, I continue to make more. Ah well. When a woman needs to create, she needs to create.



This time, Strawberry-Rhubarb. I love rhubarb. One day I will have my own plant, but I think I'll wait until we buy a house (or our house?) because the plants are perennials and last for decades. Neat.

This recipe is crazy simple. I found it through the magic of google on the most random site: rhubarbinfo.com. If you're looking for rhubarb recipes, this is a good place to start, though can't vouch for any of them .

Here it is:

2 pounds strawberries (4 cups, mashed)
2 pounds rhubarb (8 cups, cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
6 cups sugar

Cover cut rhubarb with half of the sugar and let stand 1 to 2 hours. Crush berries and mix with remaining sugar and combine with rhubarb. Place mixture over low heat until sugar is dissolved, then boil rapidly, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Cook until thick.

I turned my batch on and off 3 times to tend to baby and definitely burned it a titch. I don't recommend this technique, but it's still pretty good. If you DON'T mess around with the timing and burning, I'm sure it's delicious.

UPDATE:

The jars are Weck, which are entirely superior in design to any other canning jars out there. You can buy them from a few different places, but the only one I can think of at the moment sans google search is Heath.

And, I did actually "can" the jam so it can be wrapped properly as a present. It's so super easy. Don't be afraid. Especially with something like jam that isn't known to grow botulism or anything fatal. It's the green beans you need to worry about. Or other things without enough salt, acid, or sugar to properly preserve whatever you've made.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Misa Jewelry

My friend Misa makes the most gorgeous jewelry. I posted about her a long long time ago, but she's come out with 2 new collections since then and they warrant a little sharing on the internets.

I NEEEEED this necklace. It's so perfect.



This one is pretty good too.



And here's a little sample of some of her other pieces.




She's also one of the absolute nicest people I've ever met. You know how there are those kinds of people? They're rare, I find. Most people have some mean-ness in them somewhere. But seriously, not Misa. She is amazing in that way. And in her jewelry making too.

She makes all of her pieces herself so you can feel great about supporting a independent artist when you wear her lovelies. I have a few from her Shima collection and I love them. But I might need to add that root choker very soon.

Monday, May 3, 2010

growing out back this minute

Sadly there's not much of a spring bounty this year. But there are some things coming in that I have absolutely nothing to do with, which I'm going to be happy with for now.



Berries



Grapes



Flax (sprouted from chicken feed)



Kumquats (would be so nice in a gin & tonic on the patio)

And the SAD SAD state of our vegetable garden...



Empty boxes. Plus a few herbs. I'm trying to work on that in the next few weeks.