The Pop Five

My mom arrives on Sunday for a two week stay. I cannot wait! Here’s what I’ve rustled up this week.

I’m all about a cute dog collar for our boy, but the cause behind the company Satos is as fantastic as it is stylish. One collar gets one stray dog in need a full vaccination.

The ultimate hostess (and fixture on the Atlanta society scene), Danielle Rollins, just launched her first book, Soirée: Entertaining with Style. I cannot wait to read it cover to cover.

After being on backorder for several months, my diaper bag arrived in the nick of time. So cute!

This piece in last Sunday’s NYT magazine profiling the island of Ikaria and its residents is fascinating.

Image: Courtesy of Andrea Frazzetta/LUZphoto for The New York Times

Doesn’t the latest documentary by Warren Miller look awesome?

A Room of Her Own

“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

I’m nearing the end of making a home for this being in my belly. We’re going to meet her on the other side very soon (as in any day now). Which is both surreal and exciting to think about. I’ve been so used to her personality in my tummy. But, within days she’ll have another home. Virginia Woolf’s famous line about women writers needing a room of her own goes beyond the professional. I think all mothers need a space of their own away from their child and I’ve hopefully given both myself and our daughter that place with her nursery.

Since I don’t love the connotation that both diva and princess have when it comes to little girls (Ladies, is that the best message we can give our daughters?), I knew any of those types of themes weren’t my style. Really, I just wanted her room to be soft, calm, and feminine.

The nursery’s inspiration began with me scrolling through photos on my computer and stumbling across several gorgeous shots from a botanical garden we visited while on a family vacation in Vancouver years ago. The original theme was based on those images with the idea of an English garden in mind. Thankfully, I’ve had tons of help to create that vision.

I enlisted my talented good friend, Heather Hogan Roberts of HHR Interiors (and also principal of the fab eCommerce site, Ivy and Vine) to make it all happen. She synced us up with custom painter Kristen F. Davis of Kristen F. Davis Designs. Here are a few shots of the after.

Nursery Images: Courtesy of Erin Cantrell Photography, styling by Heather Hogan Roberts

Mushroom Fennel Meatloaf

Growing up, we didn’t eat a lot of meatloaf. In fact, we didn’t even know of its existence. It was not a favorite dish of my father’s as his mother’s version came out (surprise, surprise) a really funky texture and supremely bland. It was a dish, according to him, that even heaps of ketchup couldn’t save.

But, my husband loves the stuff. It really is the ultimate in man food. I’ve always liked meatloaf just fine, but it’s taken me a while to find a recipe I truly loved. My version is tweaked from the tried and true Better Homes and Garden Cookbook (the one with the iconic red and white gingham cover) using traditional beef, but adding finely chopped fennel and mushrooms into the mix. It’s filling and good, but pretty rustic, as I like to keep it with very little binder so it still resembles something edible.

Mushroom Fennel Meatloaf
1 beaten egg
¾ cup dry breadcrumbs (I sometimes do a breadcrumb/panko combo)
¼ cup apple juice (or hard cider)
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped fennel
¼ cup finely chopped mushroom
2 tablespoons parsley
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons ketchup (or tomato jam, which I highly recommend)

In a mixing bowl combine egg; breadcrumbs, apple juice, onion, fennel, mushrooms, parsley with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Add ground meat and mix well.

In a shallow baking dish pat mixture into a 7x3x2 inch loaf.

Bake in a 350° oven until no pink remains. Bake loaf for 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Drizzle with ketchup (or tomato jam, which is what I top mine with and it really puts it over the edge!).

This makes one loaf. For variation, you can make smaller versions in muffin tins or ramekins, which freeze especially well. Just thaw out and reheat a few and you have a hot meal in an instant. This recipe also works fantastically with ground turkey instead of beef.

The Pop Five

What are your plans this weekend? My in-laws arrive tonight, so we’ll be lying pretty low, enjoying their company. Hope you had a good week—here is a roundup of my favorite finds.

Doesn’t this Halloween bark look amazing? The recipe sounds pretty simple, too.

I stumbled across Julie Bee’s flats after hearing about a trunk show in Atlanta on Tuesday night. The eco-friendly line is functional, gorgeous, and sustainable. A win-win-win (well, except for the wallet … cheap, they are not). Julie Bee’s officially launches November 9 and is currently taking pre-orders.

I’ve had outfit envy a ton lately. Thinking these cobalt jeans will be a good goal to work towards post-baby. Here’s hoping brightly colored skinny jeans are still on trend in 2013.

I had a couple of days this week where I was totally cranky. Then, I reread this and love the idea of no complaining for a week.

Image: Courtesy of quotepictures.net

So, this happened. Justin Timberlake finally made an honest woman out of Jessica Biel. Isn’t her petal pink custom wedding gown stunning?

Mojito Mocktail

I so miss alcohol. I know I’m probably not supposed to say that. I’m supposed to be one of those pregnant women who claim they didn’t even want it and the thought of a glass of wine made them nauseous. Believe me, the experience of carrying this baby for the past nine plus months has been worth every sacrifice, but I so miss alcohol. I can’t even remember what I like to drink anymore.

But, not partaking has made me think of it a bit different and my habits surrounding it before I got pregnant. Covering Bonnaroo for four days surrounded by overindulgent festivalgoers was quite an experience. So was being the sober fly on the wall at countless media dinners where the wine was flowing as irresponsibly as Amanda Bynes’ bad driving.

In lieu of it though, I’ve become a master at the mocktail. My favorite is a virgin mojito. It’s just a bunch of muddled mint, the juice of about one lime, and soda water. It makes me feel like I’m drinking something much more special than bubbly water with herbs and an acid. My friend Asha told me about this all-natural pre-made mix from Mo’ Mint & Thyme. I’m now obsessed with it. It’s so refreshing and available at local farmers markets if you live in the Atlanta area.

I actually feel like I’ll continue sipping this one post-pregnancy when I want something fancy in a glass, but don’t want the alcohol.

Trick-Or-Treat

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a child I would get so excited for the occasion. But it wasn’t really for the candy; for me, it was always about the costume.

Every year my mom sewed our Halloween costumes. And they were the most creative of the bunch—though sometimes, a bit too outside the box. There was the time in second grade my twin sister and I dressed as Laurel and Hardy despite being in two different classrooms and people thinking each of us were Charlie Chaplin. We didn’t know who Laurel and Hardy were, and neither did the other kids or even our teachers. That’s a costume fail.

Any given Halloween one, of the four of us kids could be a California raisin fashioned out of black garbage bags, a Rubik’s cube assembled from a perfectly square cardboard box, a bunch of grapes made out of purple balloons attached to a leotard, or a daisy with poster board acting as petals and my sister’s face poking out of the center.

Two of my favorite costumes were when the four of us went as a collective group—a caterpillar made from a green bedsheet in height order with me taking the tail and my older sister (who happened to be taller than my older brother at the time) having the head duty. It was a cumbersome outfit, all of us walking in a straight line all night long, but we got a lot of comments about how we were the best costume anyone had seen.

My other favorite—and the story most often told about me within my family—is the infamous mouse costume. When I was about three, my mother made this amazing mouse outfit out of gray sweatsuit material complete with a little pink tummy and an awesome hood with tiny rodent ears. I wore that thing for weeks leading up to Halloween. I loved it so much, and if memory serves, I even slept in it.

In all my excitement though, I managed to make myself sick when October 31 rolled around (it didn’t stop me from dressing up and posing for photos). I had to stay back with my mom while she passed out candy to all the revelers, my dad took my brother and sisters trick-or-treating, and my twin sister carried around an extra plastic pumpkin bucket to collect candy for me.

And it’s still sort of like that—me, sick from excitement on big occasions. Do you know what you’re dressing up as for Halloween this year? I’m betting that Honey Boo Boo costumes will be in full force. Bleh.

For creative inspiration, check out these adorable artsy kiddo costumes … Frida’s my favorite. Actually, the entire homemade costume series on ohhappyday.com is fantastic.

The Pop Five

I feel as though my life is in a bit of a hurry up and wait stage. There’s a bunch going on with last minute baby preps and house stuff, but at the same time, it all feels very different than the pace I’m accustomed. I’m normally juggling multiple work projects and last-minute deadlines. Right now, I’m just trying to relish in this quieter space, which is admittedly feels very in-between existences of my old life and new.

My friend, HollyBeth Anderson, sent me the sweetest bundle of goodies for the baby and I from her fabulous line, HollyBeth Organics. Love!

Image: Courtesy of Phillip Vullo

My twin sister, Ann, and business partner, Kirby, signed a lease on their gallery space! That’s right, the Santa Cruz Institute of Contemporary Art is slated for a winter 2012 opening!

We feasted on an incredible hearty weeknight vegetarian dish of mushroom stroganoff and enjoyed the leftovers throughout the week. It was almost better reheated. I love meals like that.

It’s amazing that discovering a ratty tennis ball on our routine morning walk could make Otis so proud of himself. He strutted all the way home with this dirty ol’ thing in his mouth.

My husband surprised me with a lovely bouquet of flowers for our anniversary yesterday. The arrangement even contained sunflowers, native to the state where we got married.

Date Night

Today is my ninth wedding anniversary.

I remember back when I met my husband, when we were “just friends,” dressing up one New Year’s Eve with him in mind. A mutual friend used to throw epic NYE parties, and while getting ready I had that wonderful butterfly feeling in my stomach. The flutters you get when you’re excited to see someone and wonder when and if they’ll show up to the party.

I still remember the exact outfit I wore that night (and not just because there’s photographic evidence). It was a fitted pale purple blouse from Urban Outfitters that my mom bought me in SoHo over the holidays, paired with black trousers that zipped in the back. He did show up to the party, and I still smile thinking of how I felt when I saw him walk into the kitchen where I was talking with a friend. Our “just friends” status changed roughly a week after that, and about a year later we were engaged. While I had no clue what sort of wedding I’d want, I did know the type of ring I would want to wear the rest of my life.

A decade later and my engagement ring and wedding band set is my most cherished possession. It was designed by the jeweler my husband’s family uses in his hometown of Cincinnati, and it resembles the Tiffany & Co. Étoile collection. It means star in French and it makes me think that anything is possible with love.

We’re headed here tonight for dinner. I can’t wait to dress up a bit, albeit the clothes this time around won’t be as form fitting.

Au Naturale

Do you know who this woman is? This sweet-appearing lady was the bone of contention in our house recently. You see, Ina May Gaskin is the number one midwife in the country. And part of me (a really big part) wanted her (or one of the midwives on her farm—yes, farm) to deliver our daughter next month (or whenever she decides to make her appearance).

But, the second you mention the thought has crossed your mind to deliver a baby on a farm in the middle of Tennessee with the closest hospital an hour away folks start to freak out. Or just get real quiet, secretly thinking you’ve gone mad from hormones. I’ve been interested in Ms. Gaskin’s story since I saw her profiled here back in May. Realistically, I cannot see myself holed up in a cabin in the middle-of-nowhere Tennessee while I twiddle my thumbs and wait for the main event, but bringing a baby into this world in such an amazingly spiritual and pure way sounds absolutely magical to me. A stark contrast to the Pitocin, epidural, and episiotomy nightmares I’ve plugged my ears to as countless friends recount their own baby’s birth stories. The second the conversation turns to water breaking (and way worse descriptions), I’m usually out the door with my tires squealing.

I don’t expect birthing a child to be a jolly good time over pints of beer while watching a puppy play with a piece of string until it passes out from sheer excitement, but I do believe that through the pain (that our bodies are made to go through) there is a beautiful part to all this beyond the prize at the end. For me, it’d be wonderful to experience this next phase of my life the most natural and holistic way possible.

My husband and I are a good team when it comes to compromise. We’ve met in the middle between his IV-drip hospital scenario with every heartbeat closely monitored and my vision of a sacred birth with stars twinkling in the night sky only enhanced by spirited chants of kumbaya, a birthing playlist that would make Joan Baez proud, and ridiculously over-priced sage and lavender candles that’ll burn for days.

But, there was a good while we thought each other bat-shite crazy and wished good luck to our unborn child for having to get stuck with the other one. Ultimately, the best fit for us was having the baby at a hospital with a doctor and doula we both completely trust helping guide the way. Though, that’s not saying things won’t still get a bit primal in there. Here’s to the best laid plans.

Image: Courtesy of thehappywomb.com

The Pop Five

This week went by quickly, making way for a jam-packed weekend loaded with finishing up house projects and a child-birthing class. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

I loved this piece on last Sunday’s 60 Minutes and it stuck with me throughout the week.

I was on the hunt to replace my dresser (which was going to be converted to a diaper changer/storage), but ended up finding this vintage gem for the nursery. I spent a few days this week folding teeny newborn clothes in preps for her arrival.

I recently started watching Call the Midwife after reading an article comparing it to Downton Abbey. It’s not exactly the drama on par with the Crawley family, but certainly worth the marathon on TiVo when home alone. (My husband went in another room while I was watching an episode, which was better than his constant commentary and eyerolls prior to that decision.)

Image: Courtesy of the BBC

A clever art opening reception tonight in Buckhead. Huff Harrington’s show titled, Fifty Shades (inspired by the book) runs October 12-26. Color me intrigued.

Image: Laurie Adams, Lovers Found

I adore so many of the recipes on everybodylikessandwiches.com and these double chocolate cherry muffins are amaze-balls. Though, calling them a breakfast item is a stretch (even with coffee) these suckers are good enough to be dessert (or my daily afternoon snack).