can't stop the nesting

Most of the things I've been doing as of late aren't exactly interesting, unless you're me. Like making lists and crossing things off ever so slowly. Last night I made it through one half of one item... Frame prints and photos that have been neglected for months and in some cases, years.

Successfully framed two cute prints for the kitchen:



We still have a few more to go, including two neat prints from Australia. Sadly I think those will have to be custom framed because they're weird dimensions. Why is framing so expensive??

Also in the baby list department, we found our Doula! So excited. She's awesome.

And baked those amazing chocolate chip cookies last night. Note: they're still delicious even if you don't properly age the dough overnight.



I made this yummy soup on Monday and we managed to have it for dinner for 3 nights in a row. So convenient. I substituted beet greens for the kale because I had 2 huge bags left over from farmer's market purchases. And I added parsnips for more fall flavoring.



(sorry, no link. Martha's food team has apparently been slacking in the "upload recipes from magazine to website" department).

I've also decided to give in to early Christmas mania. Peppermint mocha lattes, Christmas carols in every store, decorations have been up in Santa Monica for weeks... why fight it, you know? I'm going to break out my Julie London cds, drink egg nog in my coffee and start preparing for the crafting of gifts. Even though it's only the middle of November.

culinary treats I dragged home from the bay area

Look! We really did go on vacation. I have spices and oils and things to prove it.



So many delicious things to buy and bring home. I did pretty well in restraining myself. At least that's what I think. My traveling partner might disagree.

From Boulettes Larder: Garam Masala and Smoked Sea Salt (in the little plastic bins below).

And from Whole Spice at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa:



Fennel Pollen - for the dusting of things yet to be determined.

Black Cardamom - I'd never seen it before and I LOVE cardamom so of course I had to get some. It's sweet like green cardamom but really smokey too. I can't wait to make something with it.

REAL Cinnamon - did any of you read that little blurb in the last Gourmet? Most cinnamon is actually cassia. Which according to the cinnamon guru, does the trick in mulled cider but is nothing like the real thing. I shall report back. See, now how am I going to find out crucial things like this without Gourmet??? If you're into culinary nerdery, you can buy the real deal on Epicure Pantry.

Urda - Sweet sticky turkish chili. yum.

And a Yemeni spice mix. I can't remember the name, but it smells divine.

And I also stashed away a few different olive oils and a cabernet vinegar. Yum.

things I learned from visiting a newborn (and his mom)

In my preparation for welcoming our first child into our life, I've started to compile a list of both practices and products I should not continue life without. Visiting Laura in Georgia was such a sweet (though way too short) way to see how a mom I know and love and admire is handling the first weeks of parenthood, and also an excellent way to test out must-have products to add to our registry. Not that we have one yet. But say we do make one, at least I'll have some things to add to it.

Full disclosure, this post is most likely only of interest to pregnant people and moms. Just want to let you all know that I'm aware that I'm stepping into new territory here.



I'll start with practices and then move on to the arguably more exciting products. If anyone out there has suggestions, please do share!

Lighting: Laura is great about setting the mood for herself and for Judah when she's up in the middle of the night. She has her lights in their living area/kitchen on dimmers so she can leave them on really low all night. That way when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she doesn't have to shock herself awake with bright lights. (I smell a home improvement project coming).

Music: She's also conscious to turn on music when she gets up, which I thought was a really great way to create a nice space for nursing. It keeps her company if Jason isn't up with her and makes being awake so much more enjoyable. Definitely making a few "wee hours" playlists before February.

Diapers: We're going to use cloth diapers for our little one and I was pretty certain that we'd go the diaper service route (despite industrial strength bleach and all of that). But seeing how things go in their house, it's actually pretty easy to wash everything yourself. And I learned that we won't be using strictly pre-folds anyway (which are the old school cloth diapers that diaper services carry), because there are so many great options out there now. So if we're going to wash half of our diapers at home, we might was well just wash all of them. I'll report back on how that goes.

And I'm sure there's much more I'm forgetting. But I'm quite pleased with just these few little kernels of wisdom. Sadly for Brock, they also mean more projects added to our expanding pre-baby list. But quickly, look what a good sport he is: Friday night... we went to Ikea. Yes, either the happiest place on earth or the seventh circle of hell, depending on the day. We are so FUN! But we also have a much more organized laundry room/service porch. The joys of minor home improvements. And yes, nesting is kicking in to full gear.

And now for products that we clearly shouldn't live without:



Moby Wrap. Damnnnnn, those things are like large pieces of cloth miracle. I want one in every color and I will wear it exclusively for the first few months. They are like insta-quiet-sleeping-baby.

Ergo Baby. I'm going to say it, they're kind of ugly. But the coolness in function outweighs the styling. Laura's sister Becca wore her son Elan on her back to our wedding welcome cocktail party in her Ergo and it was the cutest thing ever. Plus they're supposed to be better for baby than the Bjorn. What do I know? Nothing. I just go with what I'm told.

Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe blankets. According to moms in the know, these auto-swaddle numbers are awesome. Especially for little babies when big blankets are just too much fabric.

Aden + Anais muslin swaddling blankets. I forget why (except that they are really pretty), but Laura said these are a must have. Okee-dokey.

Sound Machine. Anyone else use one of these? It seemed pretty nifty.

Kissaluvs, Fuzzibuns, and other cloth diaper alternatives. Aside from being much cuter than those kooky raincoat-style diaper covers that go over pre-folds, these are apparently really excellent from a functional perspective too. And I've been instructed to get the "one size" versions since baby can wear them from newborn to whenever he/she is potty trained or we give up on cloth diapering. haaa. And this leads me to the nifty washable diaper bin bag. Which played a big roll in convincing me that washing diapers myself isn't that bad. You just throw the entire bag into the washer and that's it. See, not too bad.

And, I haven't even entered the etsy black hole. I'm sure there's tons of cute handmade options for both diapers and diaper covers. If anyone out there uses or used cloth diapers and has any favorite recs, please share!


And then there's clothes...

Because I can't help myself, I've also started a bookmark folder of the cutest baby clothes I can find. Wondering this: do we actually register for SPECIFIC onesies and stuff? Like we want this onesie in blue stripes size 3 - 6 months?

Also, we are 100% committed to waiting until birth to find out the baby's sex, but um, shopping for clothes would be much easier if we knew.



Polarn O. Pyret- In love with these stripey clothes. I will start a stripes only registry on their site.

Kate Quinn Organics- Simple and pretty with great colors.

ittikid- Why do europeans insist on making much cuter fabrics than we do? Need one of each, again.

Bloume Baby- Just found this site. They don't tell you which brand their products are (annoying), but what they have is pretty cute.

So this was kind of a long post. I promise I will not be posting exclusively on baby stuff from now on. But it's kind of on my mind since we have, oh, ~3 months left until birth day.

Leggings report

Last year around this time my friend Becky, who is lives dangerously on the cutting edge of style, debuted these awesome "fancy" leggings with little gold zippers dressing up her ankles.

I was pretty taken with them. But when I stopped by the boutique next door to her house to pick up my own, sadly they didn't have my size in the right color and I never followed up with much heart. But I've rued the day I gave up on them ever since. Like when I take what was previously a cute mini dress out of my closet and find that it has become a shirt (tunic at best), I've been saddened over and over again that I missed out on those zippered darlings.

Actually, it turns out I didn't. I just haven't been scouring Shopbop on a daily basis for the last 6 months, which means I'm totally out of the loop when it comes to fall fashion. (Side note: this has been immensely satisfying. It feels so good not to NEED to shop. Even if it's because nothing fits me).



I bought mine at Tucci in San Diego. I was pawing through the sale racks looking for large sizes of cute things that at 70% off I could justify as a pregnancy necessity, all but ignoring the lovely regular people clothes. And then I saw them. THE ZIPPER LEGGINGS! A whole stack of XS with one lonely size M at the bottom, clearly waiting just for me and my ever larger belly. HALLELUJAH!

Shopbop is carrying two different pairs (probably more considering they have like 300 pairs of black leggings on their site)... by LNA and David Lerner.

If you are even remotely on board with the leggings thing, pregnant or not, you'd best be purchasing a pair of these. If you do happen to be pregnant, they sit low and have a nice wide waist band that's been perfectly comfortable so far.

And now the second part of this post. As I was lost in the world of designer leggings this morning, I discovered something curious. Something I NEVER in 1 million years would have considered up until pregnancy. Denim leggings?



Could they actually fit and look cute with a long shirt/tunic/mini dress? They have an elastic waistband which gives me hope. I never thought I'd be so excited about elastic. But I'm scared to order them. Has anyone tried these on? So intrigued.

These are by Seven and Joes, but there are tons more options online.

Happy weekend. Please don't spend 2 hours lost on the internet looking at fancy leggings like I just did.

lust-worthy Heath

This is easily my 7th post about Heath Ceramics. Do tell me when you get tired of this particular blog topic. At least it's not an official category.

I saw a little photo over on Joslyn's blog of a factory shelf crammed full of delicious ceramics and was especially taken by what looked like huge rustic canisters. And then immediately I was like WTF are those and how do I get them???

They are, it turns out, a collaboration with Commune and Alma Allan. And I do in fact need one. AND they're at the LA studio, which means I will be making a trip over that way this weekend.







Know what I'm saying?

georgia, very briefly

I managed to leave georgia with mostly pictures of pigs. But here are a few snaps of fall in babyland...



big winter squashes ready for dinner.




pretty little vignette at olivia's house




a very sweet baby




more babies of the porcine nature. sadly i missed seeing the teeny piglets because mama pig had them covered up with straw when we stopped by. smart mom, but how selfish.




and the quiet woods surrounding laura's house. good place to take sleeping baby walking in the moby wrap while his mom naps.

colors, flavors, fall

As I was going through my photos of our trip I realized I'd taken a few the week before that were so nice and fall-like, it seemed it would be a shame not to share.



Katya's shower was sort of the christening of fall cooking for me. Loads of colors and root vegetables from the market. I love roasted vegetables. For dinner I made a bunch of different types:

Winter squash (kabocha, butternut, and acorn) with thyme

Beets with balsamic and rosemary

Carrots with cumin seed and cilantro

Heirloom potatoes with dill flowers




I'm kind of getting hungry just remembering. The beets with balsamic and rosemary were a new combo for me, inspired by a Jamie O. episode and the bride's obsession with Balsamic. They are here to stay. OMG.

And the dill flowers were kind of a neat addition. Very delicious. Plus all of the combos included the essential olive oil, salt, pepper, and in some cases a little garlic. Cannot go wrong when you toss and set in the oven on high heat.



And we had a yummy salad of Maggie's Farm stellar mix greens (the secret to any successful salad) with persimmon, gorgonzola and toasted walnuts. Plus a bunch of other things that I'm not remembering at the moment.

So looking forward to simple, delicious meals. And lots of squash. And beets. And persimmons.

But first, I'm off to catch an early flight to Georgia this morning to visit Laura and her little man, Judah. And visit the farm and dine at Farm 255. And then I'll be back with lots more photos. I think they might even have piglets right now. The farm, not the restaurant.

nouvelle parfum

I DO want to share photos and such of our trip up north, but I have to run early this morning to go track down a swine flu vaccine and still haven't sorted through them all. So annoying really. UCLA ran out "very quickly." Um, you have many pregnant patients in the OB practice, perhaps you should have ordered more? Anyway, how about some perfume to tide you over?

In general, not really a perfume person. I usually rely on fine scented lotions for making myself smell pretty. In particular Kai and Laura Mercier Coconut Almond. Actually the only perfume I ever wear and have ever worn is Jo Malone's Orange Blossom. Oh my, if that isn't the most perfect scent.

But I found another. And while I tried (I SWEAR) to leave the shop without this pretty box in hand, my powers of rationalization were too strong.



To start, because I'm so particular about perfume, I thought, well... if I really like this one, then I should have it because I don't like most. (Genius, I know). But then I was thinking, it's our anniversary in a few days and we're going on a nice trip and wouldn't it be fun to have a new perfume to mark our first anniversary? Yes, yes it would.

And so I am now the owner of Do Son by Diptyque. It's so yummy and warm. I recommend giving it a smell next time you see it in person. But then, don't buy it! Come home and shop online. Seriously, even Amazon sells it. I'm not going to say how much I actually ended up paying for it, but it was more than I discovered the standard online price to be this morning. At least it will last me like the rest of my life. Okay, at least until I'm 50.

currently reading/read

Not sure if anyone actually pays attention to what I'm allegedly reading over there in the right column, but in case you do I'd like to take a moment to discuss. I have not been reading Farm City for the last 2 months, just so you know. (Finally changed to Three Cups of Tea yesterday, as you can see). I'm terrible about updating that little bit and in the meantime have read many good books that you might want to pick up, if you're into that sort of thing.



Farm City was awesomely inspiring. If you're into growing food, or even just the idea of growing food, you should definitely read it. I tried to convince Brock we should get a pig. He wasn't keen.

And since then, I've read:

The Tipping Point - I know, it's super old. But I just found it while cleaning out our magazine basket and realized I hadn't read it. I love pop social theory books. (is that what you'd call them?)

Harry Potter, book 7 - FINALLY. I'm such a nerd. I didn't want to read it because then the entire series would be over. But I'm glad I did. It no longer stares at me from the bookcase.

Never Let Me Go - Excellent, sort of haunting and grey but thoughtful and lovely too.

Olive Kitteridge - I wasn't sure I was going to like this one when I started, but I did of course. The format is really interesting, little vignettes about a small town that all weave the story of the title character together.

Her Fearful Symmetry - I was a little uncertain about reading this one too. The Time Traveler's Wife was just so beautiful that I didn't want her next book to be less good. It was excellent. Completely different, but she has this way with language and storytelling that draws you in instantaneously.

I'm always terribly sad for a moment when I finish a good book. It's like you have to meet all new people again, just when you've really started to become friends.

My mission is to read as many books as possible before February. As if reading tons now will somehow fill up my reserves so Iwon't need to read for all of next year. Doubtful, but I'm giving it a go.

cutest kids clothes ever?

I have a feeling these have already made the rounds, but I'm new to the baby thing so I probably wasn't paying attention when I saw them the first time. Jillian sent these over because while 100 Layer Cake does like all things beautiful and nicely styled, we don't usually post baby stuff. Even from periwinklebloom.



Seriously, how cute? But don't they throw up on white clothes and get grass stains on their pants and cake all over their dresses? These children seem so angelic and prop-like. I'm not sure mine will be anything like that.

Also, we had an amazingly delicious time up north. There is now a layer of butter covering my entire body, directly beneath my skin. More on that soon. Need the day to collect my thoughts and go through photos.