Hurray it's the weekend

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This week went by painfully slow, so I am more than happy that the weekend is finally here! I'm doing a clothes swap with some friends, taking photos with my dear friend Saena who is coming in from out of town, and hopefully sleeping a little more than usual. Hope you have a great weekend! Some fun links from the monster web:

1. A good article about our brain on love.

2. Doesn't this place look like something out of Narnia or Lord of the Rings?

3. The coolest rocking horse ever.

4. I am a fan of this letter that Robert Pirosh wrote in order to land a job as a screenwriter - I like words, too!

5. More news about how chocolate can be helpful to the health. But remember, eat REAL chocolate, not the fake stuff (check yo ingredients).

6. Fairy tale inspired Elie Saab

7. I like this mint and perriwinkle blue combo

8. This is totally out of my price range, especially for a beach towel, but I love it anyways.

9. I'm excited to try making these frozen yogurt drops this weekend.

10. I love this Eames rocker in white....Some cheaper versions here, here, and here.

11. Norah Jones is coming out with a new album May 1, produced by Danger Mouse, and its a different sound than her previous albums. Here's a single from the album, Little Broken Hearts, called Happy Pills. What do you think?

12. And in more music talk, have you heard Patrick Watson? Here's a lovely song called, Into Giants, and The Great Escape.

s'mores pie

It's been a funky kind of a week. There were too many hours of work and the weather turned bipolar. It is what it is. Maybe it turns into a complex, maybe it effects your mood. So what does a lady do with this sort of a thing? So far the answer has been: try to get as much sleep as she can and also, make a s'mores pie.

I love s'mores. I love pie. Combined, it makes for a decadent chocolatey, marshmallowy, gooey concoction. The chocolate filling for the recipe below is from Tyler Florence and it is bonkers delicious.

look at that poof!

Receipe from How Sweet It is

To make the crust:
1 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 sticks of melted butter

To make chocolate filling:
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. milk
10 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbslp sugar
1/3 tsp salt
2 eggs

For the topping:
1 large bag of marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Add melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together until a crust forms. Press in to a 9 inch pie plate.

3. Combine milk and heavy cream in a saucepan and heat over low heat. Watch carefully and once it begins to simmer, remove from heat and add in chocolate. Stir with a spatula until chocolate is melted, then whisk in sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the 2 eggs. Slowly add eggs to chocolate mixture while whisking.

4. Pour chocolate filling in to graham crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Check every 5 minutes after 20 minutes pass until it is no longer liquid.

5. Take out of oven and top with marshmallows. Put the oven's broiler on low and stick the pie in there for about 5 minutes, or until the marshmallows melt.

6. Let cool then refrigerate for 1-2 hours before cutting. Spray a knife with non-stick spray before slicing. Enjoy!

If it is messy coming out of the pan, it's okay. It's still glorious.

photo spin-off

I love this polaroid by Jen Gotch - I'd put it up in the kitchen or maybe the dining room.

Here is a collection of pretty things, inspired by the colors in the photo.




1. double breast trench over some pink and orange 2. botkier caravel satchel 3. maxi pleated skirt 4. top with pleated shoulders 5. two tone sandal 6. blood orange and white pepper body wash 7. orange lipstick 8. kitchen aid 9. scuba colorblock dress

Snappy shots of a weekend

Weekend, I am so sad to see you leave. This past weekend felt incredibly short, but thinking back, I was able to do a lot of non-work related things, for which I should be glad. I watched K. play and win the finals game with his men's volleyball team, watched a really good movie (Warrior), tried to sleep in, did some house cleaning and clothes organizing, did some pre-natal yoga, got some quick shopping done at Clemintine's warehouse sale, watched a documentary about natural births (The Business of Being Born), went to church, and saw some lovely ladies and their men for a viewing of The Hunger Games. K. also had some friends over this weekend and had a randy time. Unfortunately, the weekend ended with a late night tire burst and waiting around for a tow truck while contemplating cost of repairs, all of which majorly cut into some sleep time, but lets focus on the good, shall we? Here are some peeks into what I saw during such a weekend:

grapes and kiwi are quickly becoming my favorite snacks


repainted my nails mint sorbet and then felt like going pink and orange for the last finger




warehouse sale at clemintine's this weekend and next weekend


my new key chain


blah blah dolls at world of mirth! in carytown


a new store opening...


pink blooms on a cloudy day


fluff


carytown cupcakes


can dogs recognize themselves in the mirror?


rusty in the spring


belly, a bird eye's view


Here we go with another week. Weekdays and workdays, please be kind ....

Friday is almost funday

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Hallelujah, Friday is here! I still have to work late into the night today, but afterwards I'm going to crash and sleep as long as my body wants to. Interrupted by frequent trips to the bathroom, of course. Thanks to all the lovely friends who encouraged me and prayed for me this week, it carried me through! This weekend some friends of K.'s are coming down and then on Sunday we are going to go watch The Hunger Games! I'm excited. Here are some links from around the world wide web:

1. Have you noticed I haven't posted about cooking in a while? For some reason, being pregnant has decreased my desire to try new recipes for dinner. It may mostly have to do with being tired, but in the meanwhile, check out my sister and her boyfriend's nifty food blog, Urban Provincial! It's awesome.

2. So many ways to wear the eyeliner.

3. Hey, 20 cool decorating tricks.

4. My hair is getting bonkers long, so I just tried this. It works best if you sleep in the coils overnight.

5. Need to feel like you are somewhere else for about 20 seconds? Click here.

6. A nifty idea for where to put your cellphone while charging it.

7. 33 ways to stay creative

8. 10 of the best drug store beauty buys...I'm interested...

9. This website has been one of my many companions while I work; I love the concept of creating and sharing playlists!

10. What a fun print!

11. If you want to give yourself a quick spa treatment at home this weekend, try one of these.

corn and food photography

I have been craving corn for so many months, and finally this week they appeared in the grocery store! K. made some for dinner last night, and while we miss using our grill for such things, the oven sufficed and I ate through two ears of glorious corn, all while standing in the kitchen.

photo from What Katie Ate

If you love food and photography and don't already know about the blog, What Katie Ate, here is your prompt now. It's my go-to place for when I need to look at beautiful pictures of food. No need for further explanation, just go check it out. And I will leave you with another of her glorious photos of something I hope to make and put in my belly very soon.

My friend Martha sent along this seemingly simple recipe for homemade mascarpone, so I'm feeling like I could make some magic happen.

22 weeks

If I look a little tired...why yes, yes I am! Even though this week is a busy one, I decided I had to take a few minutes to snap a photo and document the 22 week mark because this is when the baby's flutters have turned into kicks! Or punches.. i'm not sure which, but the first time I felt it, it was THRILLING. My heart raced, and I was all, 'well, HELLO!' It felt like what those cartoon heartbeats look like when they are trying to thump out of the chest...a very soft thump that I can feel both inside my body and with my hand, too. The baby is moving around a lot more this week, and feeling her move is making me more aware of her and I am sort of falling in love.

mint, pastels, and neon

Do you need some eye candy?

I am so tired that everything on my face aches, as if I fell face-first into a cement pavement, but I made it to Wednesday! I am celebrating the little victories. Yesterday was the first day of spring, but it wasn't until this morning when it truly smelled like that earthy, blossomy air. Rusty smelled it too. The warmer weather fills me with hope and makes me feel fondness towards pastel colors and color combinations that catch you by surprise. For your viewing pleasure, here are three of my favorite color trends for spring 2012 off the runway. It makes my eyes feel lighter and I'm inspired to eat some sherbert while lounging by the pool in a silky tent dress.

From Left: Diane von Furstenberg, Vera Wang, Tibi

From Left: Preen, Prada, 3.1 Phillip Lim

From Left: Nanette Lepore, Rag & Bone, Peter Som

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berry-filled birthday breakfast

Sometimes love may have something to do with getting up before the sun to celebrate with a birthday breakfast. It was our dear friend Laura's birthday today and some ladies got together with some berry-full treats to start her day off righttt. We got to feast on crepe cake, scones, sausages, stawberries with vanilla rum cream, and time with each other. I'm sharing these pictures because pictures of strawberries and such for breakfast can help put you in a good mood.

That's 20 crepes in there, that's right, TWENTY.


Good morning Simonee


Birthday girl and birthday girl husband sporting her school spirit


I could live in there


These scones were soo good...


light 'em up


what if every breakfast looked like this?


27!


lovely lady


birthday girl with psalm, who is thinking about helping


strawberry white chocolate marscapone crepe cake... and again.. TWENTY.


the ladies with our 6:30 am faces (minus ms. amanda:( )

Happy birthday laura!

this week will/will not be terrible...

The week has barely started and I’m having fits of anxiety because work has gotten extremely busy and I shall not elaborate here, but will share that yesterday was the kind of morning where I had to take deep whiffs of a chamomile tea bag to calm down and did some angry eating through most of a box of wheat thins. Rather than more venting, like I am prone to do, I decided that really the best way to stop feeling upset is to mediate on the things that I am grateful for. I have found that gratitude is usually one of the best remedies for things like this.

Things I’m grateful for:

1.I’m grateful for my husband… who listens to my rants and frustrations and does things like wash the dishes and pick up dinners for us. I’m also grateful for his chest, which is the best place to smoosh my face in when I’m feeling bad.

2.I’m grateful for my family…I think it tremendously helps maintain the sanity of a person to know that people exist who love you unconditionally.

3. I’m grateful for my friends…who offer sweet and encouraging words when I need them. They teach me of what ‘growing up’ and ‘doing life’ together is all about.

4.I’m grateful for the people who are genuinely happy for us that we are pregnant. It still surprises me for some reason how glad people are for us that we are expecting a little one. It makes me feel loved and it makes me remember that this is truly a wonderful gift.

5. I’m grateful for Rusty… even though sometimes he is bad and runs away and tries to eat other dog’s poops. He still makes me smile unexpectedly and petting a furry animal from time to time can be very therapeutic.

6. I’m grateful for all and any prayers that are prayed for me, my life, our family.

7. I’m grateful that even a quick 15-20 minute walk can refresh me. I’m extremely relieved that it is no longer seemingly cold and dark all the time.

8.I’m grateful for my health. I am doing a happy dance about the fact that the crazy congestion spell I was having has mostly passed, that I’m not constipated, and that I haven’t been sick.

9. I’m grateful for my faith. I’m grateful that I believe in redemption, transformative grace, and hope.

10. I’m grateful for a job. No matter how stressful it gets and no matter how tired I am, I am quick to remember that many people don’t have a job even though they really want one.

11. I’m grateful for podcasts. The day would be so much harder to get through without them. It reminds me of a world outside of my cubicle and it keeps my brain moving. There are so many good ones, but this week I find myself repeatedly going with the New Yorker’s Fiction podcasts.

12. And as sleepy and tired as I am, I am grateful for today. At least, here I am, trying to be!

Have a relaxing weekend!

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Friday, it is so good to see you! The husband is out of town this weekend so Rusty and I will be fending for ourselves. The plan is to lay low - probably working as many hours as I can stand, getting some sun, and crossing things off my to-do list. Here are some fun links from around the web:


1. I might make a quick stop at Sephora this weekend to try these products: 1) Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in Electric Blue, yes, BLUE! 2) Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil 3) Philosophy Hope in a Jar

2. The Hatch Collection. It's definitely out of my price range, but a great concept...

3. Gap and DVF get together

4. I love this Emilia Ikat Zigzag Maxi Dress !

5. MEAL PLANNING TIPS- so important

6. If you like your libations with a little music, check out this site called Drinkify. You type in a song or an artist, and it generates a cocktail or drink that is a good pairing with the tunes.

7. Plastic surgery on dogs? This is horrifying.

8. a great (and inexpensive) idea for bringing color to a room without painting.

9. 'Don't wait until you know who you are to make things.'

10. To go with the sunny and happy weather we're getting these days, check out the artist, Kishi Bashi. Here is one of his songs, Bright Whites. Sidenote: he records out of Norfolk, VA!

things i'm loving right now

left to right, top to bottom:
1, For the dining room 2, i like imagining my baby girl wearing this 3, love this. if they had it in my size, i'd want to wear it. 4, i could probably live in this dress 5, both comfy and good for work 6, i'm on the lookout for a good summer wedge 7, the cutest, softest-looking bunny i ever did see 8, a print for the nursery 9, so pretty, and i would use it as a diaper/carry-all bag

baby mamas

(Sorry for the crappy photo quality)

Here are a couple of baby mamas at 5 months and 9 months. My friend Julia is going to meet her little girl any day now!

I thought I was getting big, but looking at this picture makes me realize 9 months is still far away and I still have a lot of growing to do... In the meanwhile, it is so nice to have friends to talk to and ask questions from who have already gone through what I'm going through!

some thoughts on maternity clothes...

If you haven't noticed already, this season's major statement is COLOR: color blocks, pastel, monochrome, graded... and I can be all about that. I'm not always the biggest fan of wearing pastel pink but I found myself admiring this blouse from Tobi because 1) it combines color blocking and pastel in a refreshing way and 2) it's loose and flowy, meaning room for my growing bump. I'm finding the loose blouse + blazer/ cardigan combo is the most comfortable and appropriate for work, which is an important revelation because I spend the majority of my time there.

So I've been keeping my eye out for outfits that will harbor the swell in a neat, compact, and stylish way. There are lots of options out there, but usually I end up gawking at the prices long enough to walk away. It seems the label of 'maternity' drives prices up so I decided I was going to have to start looking elsewhere. I'm finding that as long as you keep a few things in mind - where the waistline falls, buying a size up, sweating, etc. - you can find clothes wear outside of the maternity section. Among others, I came across some nifty (and a little more affordable) finds at forever21. They are loving on some maxi and/or flowy dresses this season and I say, let's do it. Here are some that I think can definitely work for a mama with growing belly:

From left to right: 1) floating feather maxi dress ($24.80) 2) textured maxi dress ($29.80) 3) polka dotted dress ($27.80) 4) striped slub henley dress ($19.80) 5) balinese smock dress ($22.80) 6) colorblock maxi dress ($29.80)

friends, a wedding, and the sea..

We had a lovely weekend with family in Virginia Beach and a wonderful time at our friend's wedding in Kitty Hawk. It was great fun celebrating such a happy time with friends and here's to wishing Meghan and Kevin the best kind of start to their marriage.

Also, I was so happy to see that daylight lasted until 7:30PM today. I'm looking forward to a week of warmer weather and a few more hours of daylight!