A BABY TALE

i wanted to share a few photos that i took this past weekend of my friend laura's lovely sister, elise, who is full of life, literally and figuratively, in order to point out that: 1) i love those tall, spindly trees behind our house, 2) it makes me happy to be able to document a mama-to-be (i loved being a part of laura's weekly photo documentary as she was growing her babe) and 3) these photos make me think of a fairy tale - you know, the kind where the unexpected comes first in the form of a trial, then maybe some sort of a miracle or a victory and then always, love.

MAMA STYLE, BABY STYLE

 I'm pretty sure I'm in the camp of not wearing identical outfits with my daughter, but for this match-up I might be convinced. The adult version is sold out and the baby version is pricey but how adorable are these, especially together! We'd be a pair of foxes ...

mama's sweater/baby's sweater

CHILDREN'S MUSEUM AT SHORT PUMP

This past Saturday, we found ourselves with outdoor plans cancelled due to the rain and so hup hup, it was to the children's museum we go!  Richmond has several locations, the Short Pump one being smaller and more toddler-friendly, so we drove out there and it wasn't until we were on our way that I realized I failed to consider that rainy days make for crowded museums.... we walked into a giant room with different subsections filled with what felt like hundreds of little ones and running around and parents draped over chairs and leaning against walls. yeah, i'm gonna say it, i was a little scared. 

This place was less like a museum and more like a giant play area for toddlers, which was great because it meant that the tykes could roam and play with so many things, but also not so great because, imagine a giant room with so many tykes and a parent or two attached to each one.  I think all of us (Ken, Sloane and I) instantly felt overwhelmed; we walked around in a slight daze and Sloane was doing her wide-eyed, big-cheeked solemn face taking everything in. All in all, it is a good idea for a play space for little ones when playing outside is not an option, but it was a pricey ($8 per person over one year old) and way too crowded.  We marched around regardless, introducing Sloane to various things and watching our little one discover this space.

at the 'grocery store'

walking around with papa

both of us were feeling a little petrified on this train ride

we realized, hey sloane's first time on a slide!

she was into it

she found treasure!

whenever she gets two of something, she always make sure to share.

she gets such a kick out of pushing a shopping cart around. also, a shopping cart for a toddler! 

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

this rain is such a bummer. the way it has been going, it feels like it might be grey and rainy forever.  be reasonable, i tell myself.  it can't rain forever.  if i'm going to complain, i would say that going into a monday without a couple of hours in the sun feels like i haven't had a weekend at all, but if i'm going to be grateful, i would say that i got to spend a good amount of time with sloane today and that i am so lucky to have this sweet babe in my life.  sure, i don't get a lot of grown up things done during such a day, but play has never felt so meaningful as when i am playing with her.   i introduce the world to her through my eyes and she shows me how to see the mundane things again, through the wonder-filled glint in her eyes.  i am marking today because today was one of those days where i was aware and appreciated every moment that i had with her.  that doesn't always happen because sometimes we are all bleary-eyed or distracted or busy and get caught up in the motions.  but today, i stayed wide-eyed and present.  i chose her over all of my other things on my to-do list, every time, and i guess i'm saying i'm proud of that.  we tried venturing out for a walk that was stopped short by more rain, but we found a dandelion to sniff along the way and saw some geese fly above in a V-formation and kept staring at the sky long after the geese disappeared from sight.  sloane had climbed up and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck as we watched, and i thought, as i often do, that i will never get enough of these moments.

KELLY CLARKSON AND SIBYLLE BAIER

Two very different ladies, two different styles, two different songs - that i've been listening to and loving especially hard this week.  Happy Friday!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE WITH SAUSAGE AND KALE

Okay I know in my last post I was embracing autumn (what I call it when I'm being fancy), but now all of a sudden it's winter? This cold weather has got me looking for my winter coats already and I'm feeling like I need to stuff sloane in so many layers and she is probably not going to like it one bit. Although, she is no longer whipping off her socks any chance she gets so there's hope.

Along with the cold, there is the grey. So much grey and rain; rain, rain everywhere. And then on top of the rain is the fact that since I've stopped nursing a month ago, my cycle is trying to return and with that we have bloating, acne, cramps, exhaustion and crabbiness this week. I had forgotten about the monthly gift that keeps on giving but oh boy is it coming back to me now!

I didn't mean to take this route but I guess this all brings us to needing a plate of hot and delicious comfort food on a cold rainy day. Ready?  

This here is a tub of peeled and cut butternut squash.  B-squash is a beast of a thing to cut and I derived great satisfaction from filling up this tub here. One squash can yield 3-4 cups so even though it's a pain, you save money and have some in reserve to cook other things. (Steamed cubes of butternut squash make great toddler food). If you are trying to save on time, Trader joe's has pre-cut butternut squash in a bag!

I am most recently in love with whole wheat pie crusts. I usually double this recipe when I make it, freeze one portion of it for another time, and pre-bake and refrigerate the pie crust the day before I make the pie. (That is so much planning I know, but it makes life easier).  For the pie crust, 1 and 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/8 teaspoon of salt are mixed together. Cut in slabs of 7 tablespoons of butter with a food processor (I don't have one so I use a hand mixer) until you get a dry mixture with pea-sized pods of butter throughout. Slowly add 2-3 tablespoons of ice water, a little bit at a time until the desired texture. (My friend suggested using frozen butter for extra flakiness!)

1-  Once you refrigerate the ball of dough for at least 30 minutes, roll it out, place in pan, crimp and then bake it in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes with an aluminum foil and pie weights (or dry beans) on top. Take out of oven, and bake just the crust solo in 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

2 - In a skillet, heat oil and saute 1/2 pound of sausage until almost cooked through. Add 8 ounces of kale and cook until wilted. Add half of a diced onion and cook until translucent. (Make sure the sausage doesn't burn!) Pour all of this into the pie crust. 

3 - Mix 1 cup of puréed butternut squash with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan, 2 eggs and 2 egg whites. Pour this on top of the kale and sausage mix and make sure the top is even. Sprinkle another 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes in 350 degrees.

Done and done. Enjoy for dinner with a side of potatoes or better yet, for breakfast. It goes really well with a side of apples.

recipe adapted from My Kitchen Addiction.

OKAY, NOW IT ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE FALL? AND I LIKE IT.

see that above? this is how i said my official welcome to fall. say hello the butternut squash savory pie with sausage and kale.  we had it for breakfast with a side of apples and it was delicious and hearty and so weather appropriate. i will post the recipe soon!  

it was after this breakfast that i walked outside, saw these red and orange dyed leaves on the ground, gasped a little, and felt really glad about it being october.  october is just a really good month. i have plans for you, october, and i just have one tiny request - take it slow, please.  

okay, but back to breakfast. and now, for the most delicious little dumpling at the table...eden! i have to  always refrain from slurping her up.  it is so much fun seeing how much she changes each week and i love seeing her and her mama together. 

watching a beautiful sleeping babe does a heart good.

you're welcome. 

HAPPY (OCTOBER!) WEEKEND!

i'm going down to Asheville, NC this weekend to celebrate this lady's wedding!

i am excited about it, but also, it's my first night away from Sloane...so wish me luck.

(is anyone else in shock that it is october? but loving it at the same time?) 

SLOANE AT 14 MONTHS

 okay, this is official the spell of the fourteenth month, wherein I MISS THIS LITTLE BUG ALL OF THE LIVELONG DAY! don't get me wrong, i enjoy my time away as well, but my goodness, she is so much fun right now, i think about her so much when i am not with her, and i am starting to get this feeling like she is actually my little sidekick.

hearing her try to say words and make new sounds gets me feeling all tingly and yes it's true, she says words like ball and shoes and run-ruh (for rusty), and lights up when she hears the word 'papa', but STILL has not said mama or know what i am called, but that's okay. i know she thinks i am the proper bee's knees and loves me to a million pieces.  i ask her for a hug and she gives it, i ask her for a kiss and she leans in, cheeks puffed up, lips pursed. she runs to me, she hugs my knees,  and she rests her head in that space in between my neck and shoulders.

i recently told my co-worker that i get now why parents are obsessed with their children now.  for a non-parent, the best way to describe it is that it is as if you have a stuffed animal that just lies there and then eventually you see it come to life and start to walk and eat and speak and smile and laugh and point and understand and respond and copy everything you do, and you are like, "HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!?!?!?!"  it is a miracle, and you fall more in love with every new thing you learn about her. (you also start realizing that your capacity to worry is infinite, but let's save that for another post). i marvel to myself all the time these days about how she understands so much of what i am saying to her.

i'm getting more insight into her personality. for example, she is such a good sharer! whenever she hug snuggles with a stuffed animal (which she is doing now), she wants to hand you one as well so that you can snuggle too.  when she holds a block to her ear to pretend it's a telephone, she wants you to have a block, too.  when she is eating a banana and you ask her for a bite, she is happy to oblige.

she loves babies; she will keep hugging and patting and kissing a tiny babe until you put an end to it. 

she is developing a sense of humor; she laughs at silly things and then acts accordingly, expecting a laugh in return.

she is independent; she wants to walk on her own and has the happiest of trots when we are out taking a walk.

the past couple of days, however, she has been needing a lot of hugs and cuddles...which i have to admit, i don't really mind one bit.

HUNT.GATHER FALL RETREAT

I had a great time this past weekend at the Hunt.Gather fall retreat (the first one was in the spring earlier this year!) The handmade fair kicked it all off and it was great fun seeing the things that people created with their hands. For the first session of the retreat on Friday, I took the Herbs and Body Care session where we made body lotion, hair mask and sugar scrub using natural ingredients, and learned about making body care products at home.  For the second session on Saturday morning, I took the Quilting class and sewed together a beautiful pattern for the first block of a quilt! I love learning how to be more active with my hands and creative mind; these sessions provided both the space and motivation.