Meanwhile, this basketball belly is now more of a beach ball and is getting bigger and bigger!  Here are some recent photos Adam shot of me:

Me at 36 weeks! Photo by Adam Reid

I made these ones in black and white to try to make them a bit artsier…

Me at 36 weeks! Photo by Adam Reid

Me at 36 weeks! - Photo by Adam Reid

Oh yeah… I’m getting up there!

Anyway – I was very excited this weekend because I was bitten by the photography bug once again.  It’s actually been a little while since I’ve been super inspired to pull out the camera and go to town.  It started with these tulips I got over the weekend.  They are those peachy ones that have a bit of yellow – they’re my favorites.  Anyway, as I was sitting over breakfast, I was staring off into space – transfixed by the gorgeous tulip sitting on my kitchen table.  It was opened up pretty wide and the inside was just magical looking.  I instantly grabbed my macro lens and thus began a little twenty-minute photo shoot in my kitchen.  I just started snapping away with the macro lens… enjoying all the different colors and textures in my kitchen.  Here are some of my favorites:

"Inner Tulip" - 100mm Macro

"Pair of Tulips" - 100mm macro

"Tulip in Window Light" - 100mm macro

"Green Glass Jug in Window" - 100mm macro

"Red Rose in Window" - 100mm macro

"Window Woman Giggling" - 100mm macro

Aren’t those tulips delicious?  They were so inspiring to me.  I must say – I love taking pictures of flowers.  They are so intricately designed – with such gorgeous colors and textures – and they’re all natural?!  It’s amazing.  Plus – I don’t get nervous when I take photos of flowers (vs. people)… flowers don’t care if I take a long time and I find I can really get in a zone.

I also really love that green class jug photo – the texture in the glass is so cool.  It’s almost fluid-like – like an impressionist painting.

This weekend I’ve signed up for a free photography workshop all about photographing newborns and babies! I thought that might come in handy.  The workshop is through a site called creativeLIVE.  They offer a bunch of different photo workshops – and you can take them for free in the live version… which basically means, I’ll have access to it live through the internet over the course of three days.  You can also opt to pay for it and watch it at your leisure… but this is my first, so I figured I’d try out the free version.  It feels good to be feeding my photography brain once again after a little break.

Finally – since September, I’ve been meeting with a group of pregnant gals from the neighborhood once a month.  We found each other through a local list serve and it’s been great gaining a community of women going through their pregnancies (the first for all of us I believe) at the same time as me.  The best part – is once all our babies are born, we’ll now have a local network of new moms to hang out with!   So, Sunday we hosted the February get together at our place.  This time we invited husbands/partners along so they’d have a chance to meet as well.  Adam was the amazing pizza chef (he cooked up nine pizzas over the course of the evening – with the help of a few of the other guys) and we all had an awesome time.  So here is our group photo.  I think by the end of March, all our babies will be born (half the group already had their little ones).

The Preggy Gals (and Jessica, who now has an actual live baby)

The Preggy Gals With Hubbies

Adam’s obviously behind the camera.

So to my fellow preggy mamas reading this… it’s going to be a big month for all of us!  Good luck my new friends!

That’s all for today.  Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday.

xoxo

My second cry of the day happened a little later.  I was so excited because all my furniture was scheduled to arrive yesterday between 11:30 and 2:30 (I’ve been waiting MONTHS).  As I anxiously anticipated my furniture’s arrival, I washed all our new bedding so that I could make up the crib as soon as it came!  Meanwhile, the furniture didn’t come until after four.  Everything was beautiful and in great shape (thank goodness).  But as I started to make up the crib, the sheet didn’t really fit on the mattress.  It was too small.  I don’t know if it shrunk in the wash or what – but that thing just wouldn’t fit right!  I also didn’t really like the way the furniture was arranged and I was having trouble visualizing what to do with it.  I had promised Adam I wouldn’t move around the furniture by myself (I’ve been known to do dumb things that he gets mad at me for… like climbing up ladders and trying to fix things at nine months pregnant)… so I’m on lockdown.  Anyway – between the sheet not fitting and the furniture not looking the way I imagined, naturally, I did what any rational person would do.  I called my mommy and started crying.  :)

And that’s not all.   My parents came to visit this past weekend and when they left on Sunday, we realized that the next time we see each other, I’ll either be in the throws of labor or I’ll be a mother.  That thought did it to me as well.  As they were walking out the door to drive back to Massachusetts, waterworks again.  Adam walked them down to their car and by the time he came back upstairs, I was in a full bawl.

I swear I’m not sad at all.  I couldn’t be happier.  It’s just all so big – you know?  I think I’m just overwhelmed by the enormity of what’s about to happen.  Having a baby is something I’ve looked forward to and anticipated my entire life – and now we’re only a month away.  And once he comes, nothing will ever be the same.  I’m getting prickles in my eyes again just writing about it now.

Meanwhile, here’s a photo (iphone photo) – so you can see the baby’s little nursery area.  I’m still waiting on our cream shag rug, which should be here in a week or two.   And I actually just ordered a different bedding set.  This one just wasn’t doing it for me!

I’ve ordered this one instead – from Rickshaw Design:

Bombay Bedding by Rickshaw Designs

This one just looks more Anthropologie-esque (my fave)… and goes better with the overall aesthetic of our apartment I think.  With the apartment being one big studio loft space, everything sort of has to jive with everything else – you know?  I’m just digging this feel a bit more.  It’ll also go so nicely with our blue glider and the creamy shag rug.  I’m happy.  :)

I also ordered this changing pad cover by Oilo:

Changing Pad Cover - Oilo Cobalt

Now we just have to see if the tree wall decal goes with the new look… hmmmmm.  We’ll dive into that this weekend.

That’s all for today.  Hope you all have a happy Thursday!

 

xoxo

 

So I give you – Florence & Millie:

Florence & Millie is a collaboration between two twenty-something friends/photographers/artists named Paige and Rebecca, who live in Savannah, GA.  PS – I’m dying to go to Savannah someday!  It is high up on my list of US destinations I’m itching to visit.  Meanwhile, the blog was born as a dedication to both Paige and Rebecca’s grandmothers, Florence and Millie.  Sweet.  Mostly, Florence & Millie highlights the work of artists that inspire the blog’s creators.  And we must be kindred spirits of some sort where inspiration comes in – because nearly every artist they feature, I totally dig.  Everything has a sense of whimsy and magic to it – along with a DIY spirit and a vintage aesthetic.

Here are a few of my favorite artists they’ve highlighted since I’ve started reading.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Food Photographer: Charlotte Tolhurst

Charlotte Tolhurst is a food photographer who got her start in Sydney, Australia and now lives in England.  I think her photography is gorgeous and her love of food is evident.  Check out the images of her studio, where she uses mostly natural light.  Beautiful right??  She inspires me to one day marry my passion for food with my love of photography (definitely on my list of career options for the future).

Here are some of her photos:

Photo by Charlotte Tolhurst

Photo by Charlotte Tolhurst

Photo by Charlotte Tolhurst

Tattoo Artist: Amanda Wachob

I’m not super into tattoos or anything, but I think Amanda’s work is so unique that I was moved by her.  In her bio, she states:

It is my intention to expand the boundaries of the tattoo medium.  In the past, tattooing has been looked upon as a trade or craft.  I am re-imagining its potential as a fine art form.  In the same way that a brush can paint the interior of a house or render a fine oil painting, I see the tattoo machine as a tool that can make art.

Here are some photos of her tattoos:

Tattoos by Amanda Wachob

Tattoos by Amanda Wachob

Tattoos by Amanda Wachob

Tattoos by Amanda Wachob

Illustrator/Designer: Justin Mezzell

Illustration work by Justin Mezzell

Justin Mezzell is a designer and illustrator based in Orlando, FL.  He has this vintage vibe going on that I really gravitate to.  Check out some of his work:

Illustration by Justin Mezzell

Illustration by Justin Mezzell

Illustration by Justin Mezzell

Illustration by Justin Mezzell

Illustration by Justin Mezzell

And finally…

Design/Graphics/Animation Studio: N9ve

Based in Turin, Italy – these guys define their work in their own words:

We are not just a studio, we are story tellers! We always try to combine the best narrative and visual solutions to create engaging works, that speak for their selves!

Here are two alphabet/font-inspired videos that were posted on Florence & Millie this week.  I love them both.  Now that I know a little about animation from Adam and my friend Beck, I have much more of an appreciation for this type of work – and I can even visualize the process behind it more.  I think it’s fascinating and beautiful!  And I love the music.

So there’s lots of inspiration for you for a Monday morning!  A big thanks to the blog Florence & Millie (be sure to visit them) for exposing me to all these wonderful and unique artists.  Looking through their work and learning about their process is a kind of fuel for me.  Paige and Rebecca at Florence & Millie are such talented curators – I will be sure to continue to follow their blog to see what else is floating their boats in the future.

Have a great day all!

xoxo

I decided to hire a doula for the birth of our first baby NEXT MONTH (holy shitake) mainly, because if everything is medically normal, I am aiming for the most natural birth experience possible.  This means, in my perfect world, I will labor at home (with my husband and doula there to support me) for as long as possible before heading to the hospital.  My doula (who has assisted in over 200 births) will help me know when it is the best time venture off to the hospital.  Of course, since it’s my first baby – I’d probably head over the second I started to feel a contraction!  The goal of waiting is to avoid arriving at the hospital super early into the labor process – because if I arrive at the hospital and am not very far along, I will likely end up getting induced to speed things along.  From what I have heard/read/learned, being induced does speed things along – but it also causes more intense and often more painful contractions than if labor was allowed to occur in it’s own time.  With more painful and intense contractions, it’s often more appealing/necessary to get an epidural or to seek medical pain relief.

Now – before I became pregnant, I always thought I’d have an epidural.  Though my mom and sister both delivered their babies without pain meds, I didn’t want that pressure.  In my mind, I figured… why not?  I totally see the appeal.  I have friends who had epidurals who raved about how easy their labor and delivery was and how they were actually able to enjoy the process instead of being in pain throughout.  Sounded great to me.

Then – something changed in me.  I think it started when I had a conversation with my close family friend and pediatrician (from when I was a little tot).  I asked him what he thought of getting an epidural and he said that any interventions (getting induced, getting an epidural, etc) can quite often lead to more interventions, which can lead to yet more interventions, etc.  In other words, something that could have happened quite naturally on it’s own – is now in a spiral of medical procedures and interference, none of which was ever really medically necessary.  He also said that birth is the most natural thing in the world and women since the beginning of time have been doing it – without epidurals.  He wasn’t judgy at all… just honest – and it resonated with me.

Then I started thinking about my pregnancy.  Here I am – not drinking coffee (mostly), not taking Advil, not taking cold remedies, not drinking soda or eating sushi or drinking alcohol – all of these comforts I’m going without are in an effort to keep my baby protected from anything that might have any potential to harm or affect him negatively in any way.  It started making sense to me that I’d apply that same logic to my labor and delivery.  Plus – it’s true… women since the beginning of time have been delivering babies without medical pain relief.  I’m a strong person.  If they can do it – so can I!

Thus I set out along the path of natural childbirth.  I hired my doula, Megan.  I started reading all kinds of books – my favorite was Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth.  Reading about all the intimate, natural childbirth experiences these other women had made me excited, nervous, emotional, proud to be a woman.  Seriously, I’d bring this book with me on the subway and with every birth story I read, I’d start crying uncontrollably.  It was embarrassing.  I had to stop reading it in public.  But really – I started feeling more and more that I wanted to experience every minute of this.  I wanted to feel it – to trust in my body’s ability to navigate it – to have the satisfaction of surviving it.  I don’t know – it might sound silly, but that’s the way I felt.  And now as it’s getting closer, of course I’m a little bit scared… but I’m also excited!  I’ve learned so much and I feel prepared and I feel supported.  I know that there is really no planning and that anything can happen, but at this point, I’m actually feeling kind of ready for this adventure.

Meanwhile, since my doula Megan and I have started to get to know each other, she learned about my obsession with cheese.  She happens to also have an obsession with cheese (I knew she was a good match for me from the moment I met her).  In our last meeting, she told me about this Australian Feta cheese she had at the Bedford Cheese Shop in Williamsburg.  She said it was completely off the hook – unlike any other feta she’s ever tasted.  Unfortunately, they only had a limited supply and for months after the first time she discovered it, it was no longer available.  Then on Friday, I got an email from Megan.  She made a stop at the Bedford Cheese shop and they had the feta!!  She grabbed a little for me because I just had to try it… and when could she stop by and bring it to me?  So on Sunday she stopped by my apartment with her two adorable little boys and her husband and she delivered to me this heavenly gift of marinated Australian Feta.

I mean really – Megan already ruled in my mind.  She is so knowledgeable and confident about the birth process.  She also has this chill and relaxing demeanor (without being hippy dippy), that I know I’ll find soothing and comforting during labor and delivery.  But now she officially made me fall in love.  She brought me cheese.  She is now more than my doula.  She is my friend.  So thank you Megan – I’m so happy to have you along for this wild ride.

Now – for the cheese.

All I knew – was that this was an Australian goat and sheep’s milk feta, so I called up Bedford Cheese shop to learn more about the producer.  This delightful feta is made in Victoria Australia by Meredith Dairy, who have won numerous awards for their top notch goat and sheep milk cheeses and yogurts.  It comes marinated in olive oil with peppercorns and herbs (I only had thyme with my sample… but it looks like there’s some rosemary in the picture below).  The feta is unlike any feta I’ve ever tasted.  Instead of the typically drier and crumbly texture feta usually has, this feta is smooth, luscious and creamy.  It is spreadable – like a cream cheese.  And it has this delightful perfect tang.  Yes, I actually just sat and ate mine with a spoon.  It’s that yummy.  I’m usually a cheese purist and tend to like it best without any other flavors involved, but the olive oil marinade only adds to the luscious texture of the cheese in this case, it enhances the flavor and it also helps to preserve it so it lasts longer!   I totally need to go find me some of this feta.  Now I’m craving a big Greek salad and some crusty bread with this magic goodness spread all over it.  Mmmmmmm.

Meredith Dairy Marinated Feta - Photo from Molly's Menu

Oh – and side note… in searching for more about this cheese I stumbled upon this blog – Molly’s Menu, which looks to be a great resource for yummy recipes from a seasoned chef and passionate foodie.  And the beautiful food photos on her site are taken by her photographer husband.  Love it!  I think I’ve found myself another new blog to read.

Have a great day everyone!

xoxo

Of course, I’ve been wanting to document the loveliness so that I can share it here, with all of you.  Normally, I would be walking for miles with my camera and a couple lenses and I would do it up right.  Unfortunately, with the extra pregnancy poundage and the sore butt/back – that’s been a little tough and the thought of schlepping around my camera bag has not been too appealing.  Luckily (glass half full), I dropped my Droid cell phone in the toilet a few weeks ago, forgetting it was in my back pocket (pregnancy brain), which was the perfect excuse for me to go out and get myself a long-awaited iPhone.  And I must say – the iPhone camera is far superior to my old Droid camera.

Thus begins photography fun with my iPhone…  lightweight, fits in my pocket… and the photos are not too shabby.

First – there is South Portland Street.  This is one of the most beautiful blocks I’ve seen – in Brooklyn, in Manhattan – pretty much anywhere.  It is lined with trees and gorgeous old brownstones.  It’s a special street.

When you stop and pay attention to the details, you notice the little things – like the railings and balusters decorating the front stoops and entryways to these beautiful brownstones.  Just on this one block alone, I spotted more than ten different styles.  Here are a few:

Then, within a manner of blocks, you experience this amazing variety of architecture:

A modern, renovated Brownstone:

Next to a beautiful renovated church (at least it looks like a church – I’m not sure):

Then down the street – buildings like these… which to me, make me feel like I’m not even in New York anymore:

And this is all within about six blocks of my apartment.  I can’t wait until the spring, when my pain (and extra weight) is hopefully completely gone, my little man is born and fits snuggly in his stroller and I can strap on my proper camera and go out on walking photography adventures to see and document everything this fascinating neighborhood has to offer.

Oh – and for those of you who are interested in learning more about Fort Greene and the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods, there has been a documentary airing on Showtime recently called Brooklyn Boheme (future airings listed here).  The film, made by Diane Paragus and Nelson George, chronicles the black arts movement that exploded in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill during the 1980′s and 90′s.  Filmmakers (Spike Lee), Musicians (Wynton and Branford Marsalis), Comedians (Chris Rock), Poets/Hip Hop Artists, Writers, Actors, Photographers… they were all part of a cultural renaissance and it all happened right here in this neighborhood.  Here is the trailer for Brooklyn Boheme:

To make matters more interesting, the apartment we now live in, housed Spike Lee’s production company 40 Acres and a Mule for over twenty years.  So a lot of this meeting and creating and magic happened right here… now that’s inspiring.  Here is an old photo (clipped from the doc) taken on what is now our staircase – featuring Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, Chris Rock and many other creative players from that time:

Photo from "Brooklyn Boheme"

Crazy.

Anyway – that’s all for today!  Looking forward to watching the game later and being the sole person in New York rooting for the Patriots!  GO PATS!

Happy Superbowl Sunday.

xoxo

PeteZaaz was written about for their inventive and playful approach to pizza.  The featured pizza that totally grabbed my attention was the Chili Con Carne pie… described in Nona Brooklyn here:

PeteZAAZ Chili-Con-Carne Pizza - Photo from http://nonabrooklyn.com

It’s got an ancho-based sauce. We use dehydrated ancho chilis and we rehydrate them with Sprite. We add garlic, onions, some lime zest, and we puree all that to make a nice little chili sauce. We braise some pork shoulder in the sauce, then we incorporate the rest of the sauce with a tomato sauce for the base for the pizza. We top it with the chopped braised pork shoulder, and I make a cream cheese burrata to top it as well.

We make our own fresh mozzarella in-house, at least twice a day. To make the burrata, I stretch some of the mozz and heat up some cream cheese, then stuff the warm cream cheese into a balloon of stretched mozzarella, and seal it up like a burrata. It’s like a mozzarella and cream cheese water balloon. After cooking it on the pizza, the cream cheese just oozes out.

When we pull the pizza out, we sprinkle it with cold pickled corn kernels, to give you a little acidic burst. Have you ever had Gushers candy? When you bite into a Gusher the juice comes shooting out, and I like that effect. With the cold pickled corn kernels, when you take a bite of the slice you get this burst of acidic flavor.

For crunch on that one we do a Cheez-It gremolata. I love Cheez-Its. I’ve been eating them forever. I mix crumbled Cheez-Its with lime zest, garlic, cilantro, parsley and Thai basil, and sprinkle that over the top for a little crunch.

I like to have an acidic component, a crunchy component and a sweet component as a base for all the pizzas. That’s the rule of thumb when we’re coming up with a pie.

 ~ Excerpt from NonaBrooklyn.com

Making Sausage

From my Yogi Tea Woman’s Mother To Be teabag:

Inspiring others towards happiness brings you happiness

Yes, Yogi Teabag… that is so true.  That is why I’ve thought of becoming a life coach, or a matchmaker, a mother – a BLOGGER!!  That is why I volunteer at the nursing home.  That is why I love taking care of my husband and encouraging him and his amazing film career!  That is why I wanted to be a waitress and a cheerleader when I was a little girl.  I love helping others find their happiness and when I do that, I feel most personally rewarded in my own life.  I’m hanging on to this teabag bit of wisdom – it’s going on my inspiration board (when I actually get around to making one) and I’m going to keep that as a focus as I continue to work towards becoming my truest self and eventually finding a career that matters to me.

Now… onto handmade awesomeness.  This post is a dedication to people who make cool stuff.  Lately, I have been so impressed by friends and strangers who have an incredible talent for making things!  I’ll start with my baby shower – because I got a few handmade gifts that really blew me away.

Emily’s Handmade Quilt:

Emily's Handmade Quilt

Emily's Handmade Quilt (showing reverse)

Emily is one of the “Stockers”.  When she and Brett (her husband) came to Brooklyn for our “Laughing Stock” celebration, she brought along this beautiful quilt she made by hand for our baby-to-be.  Emily amazes me.  She is a doctor and has traveled around the world, working for the World Health Organization speaking about and researching reproductive health.  Then – in her spare time, she sews her own clothes (as well as clothes for us), knits and does all sorts of other crafty things.  I thought this quilt was AMAZING!  She searched flea markets in LA to find cool vintage sheets to make the design.  Then she finished the quilt on the plane ride over.  Awesome.

Next Up…

Marlene’s Hand-Knit Sweater & Blanket for Baby:

Marlene's Hand-Knit Hooded Sweater

Marlene's Hand-Knit Baby Blanket

Marlene is one of the “Brooklyn Boys” crew – a wife of a Brooklyn Boy – thus a long-time family friend.  She surprised me at my shower with this gorgeous hand-knit sweater and blanket that she made for our future little man.  First – they feel like heaven.  They are soft and luxurious and will be kind to the baby’s sweet sensitive baby skin.  But besides that… I mean – that sweater?  It’s so adorable.  I totally want one in my size.  Adam was jealous.  I love the hood and the pom pom!  So amazing.  Marlene does such beautiful work and how special… we will have these things forever.  Oh – and they ‘re safe for the washer and dryer.  Does it get any better than that?

Next Up…

Beck’s “Nell’s Kitchen” sign:

Beck's Handmade "Nell's Kitchen" Sign

So back in November, I wrote a blog post titled “Nell’s Kitchen” and I ended that post dreaming of one day, having a “Nell’s Kitchen” sign hanging in my kitchen.  Well – skip ahead to a few weeks ago, when my friend Beck presented me with this amazing handmade gift.  I instantly started crying (typical for emotional pregnant me these days).  But really – how thoughtful.  I couldn’t believe she picked up on that in my post and then took the time to actually make me this adorable sign to hang up in our apartment.  I was overcome.  Beck is a total artist – she is the one who does the amazing stop motion work I have featured previously on the blog.  To her, everything is a potential art project!  It’s funny… the other day I told her I had to stop and buy wrapping paper… of course, she was like, “Buy wrapping paper?!  We should make some!!”  That is so her.

Finally…

Director’s Coasters from Retro Whale on Etsy:

So, I think around two years ago for Adam’s birthday, our friend Beth gifted Adam with these amazing handmade Directors coasters she found on Etsy.

Directors Coasters from Retro Whale on Etsy

I thought it was the most adorable gift, so I ended up buying him another set.  Then, this year, for Adam’s birthday, my father approached me with an idea for Adam.  He wanted to contact this girl on Etsy and ask her to make a director coaster of Adam!  I thought it was brilliant (and just about the sweetest most thoughtful thing ever).  So I reached out to Kelly of the Retro Whale shop on Etsy and asked her if she does custom coasters.  And voila!  She does!  And after we sent her a few pictures of Adam, she had a coaster drawn up within a day or two and the coaster mailed out to me within another couple days.  Adam was blown away by this personalized amazing gift… and dad – I love you more than ever before for thinking of it.

Here’s the “Adam” Coaster:

The "Adam" Director Coaster

And here’s the photo she worked from:

Pretty awesome right??  So… if anyone’s interested in ordering a custom-made “Adam” coaster, it just might become a collector’s item someday when he becomes a famous director (wink wink – fingers and toes crossed).

Anyway, cheers to all you amazingly talented people out there who make awesome stuff by hand!  Now – I’m off to a prenatal massage because I’m currently waddling around like a gimpy old grandma with a terrible pain in my right BUTT cheek!!  Welcome to month eight of pregnancy!!

Have a great day everyone!

xo

In the meantime, here are a few I thought I’d spotlight today:

Pregnant Chicken - Keeping Pregnancy Sunny Side Up

My friend John introduced me to this blog and I immediately loved it!  The author (Amy Morrison) has a great personality and she’s very blunt and honest about pregnancy and motherhood.  I appreciate that going in… although some things definitely scare me!  Here are a couple of my favorites:

“When I have kids I will never-  _____ “

“New Dad Survival Guide”

The Un-Lost

This is a blog I discovered when I was obsessed with finding my purpose and the career I wanted to pursue in life.  Now, I’m happily distracted with becoming a mother and that feels like purpose enough for the time being.  However, I still enjoy reading this blog and find the author Therese Shwenkler‘s point of view on the topic to be both candid and entertaining.  In catching up this morning with the Un-Lost, I’ve discovered that Therese is leaving her job and her home to do this blog thing full time – good luck to her!  I always get inspired when I hear of people making bold moves like this one.

Here are a couple of my favorites from Therese:

“Why I’m Getting Naked for 3,737 People”

“It’s Ridiculously Simple:  How to Find Your Life’s Freaking Purpose in One Minute or Less”

"The gastrognomes" - from the editors of Good Food Jobs

When I used to work in ad sales, I’d spent one or two nights a month volunteering at Murray’s Cheese Shop in their classroom.  I would help set up before the classes and clean up after the classes and then I’d be able to take the classes for free!  It was a great arrangement for a cheese-obsessed corporate girl like myself.  In the Murrays classroom is where I met the classroom director at that time… Taylor.  Taylor became one of my favorite parts of my evenings at Murray’s.  She was passionate about food and cheese.  She has a great energy and a “can do” attitude and I just felt happy being in her presence.  After a few years at Murray’s, Taylor told me she was leaving to start her own business – GoodFoodJobs.com with her friend Dorothy, their goal being to connect passionate foodies around the country with valuable work opportunities in the food world.  I thought it was brilliant!  And to this day (over a year later), it is a great success!

As part of Goodfoodjobs.com, Dorothy and Taylor started the gastrognomes blog, where they profile a different food professional each week.  I love reading about these food professionals and how they came to their current positions.  Many of them quit their unsatisfying corporate jobs just like myself.  Many of them have been in the food world since day one, but have navigated through less than stellar jobs until they found their happy place.  In any case… I always find it fascinating to learn about their journeys and I always leave inspired!  Enjoy.

And finally:

Bohemian Babies

My friend Amie just started this blog – like two weeks ago!  She is pregnant as well (five weeks behind me… which is so cool), so she is also navigating the world of baby stuff – bedding, furniture, nursery decor, strollers, blah blah blah.  Amie has a definite style and a total point of view when it comes to design.  In her search for baby stuff, she found the options at the big baby stores to be somewhat lackluster.  So, she began digging and digging to find unique, high-quality products and designs for her baby-to-be that more reflected her style.  Thus, Bohemian Babies was born.  She’s using this blog to highlight the coolest baby stuff she finds to make it easier for other mothers-to-be who don’t want to just buy everything from Babies R Us.  Check it out!

That’s all for now!  Happy Tuesday everyone – and please, if you have a favorite blog that you follow… share it with me!  Then I don’t have to do all that searching myself.

xoxo

Me crying...

The shower was held at an awesome restaurant in the Columbia Waterfront District of Brooklyn called Alma.  Anthony, one of the owners of Alma, was a complete pleasure to work with and made sure the day was perfect!  I highly recommend this spot for a delicious bite to eat or to host a celebration.  They totally rocked it!

My friend Andrea Reese - fellow photographer (turning pro… she’s an inspiration) worked her butt of snapping shots of the day from beginning to end.  So, thanks to Andrea, I can share this day with the rest of you here on nellsdish.  All photos on this post were taken by Andrea of AndreaReesePhotography.com!!

It’s all in the details:

I am not one of those women who is typically into all the little details of party planning (no Martha Stewart here – though I did get rather into it while planning our wedding!).  I tend to be low maintenance, I shy away from party games and I never want to spend money needlessly.  That being said, my mom and sis came up with some adorable details and activities that really made the day extra special.  I’m so glad they didn’t listen to me and did things their way!

Here is the beautiful cake made by Betty Bakery on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn.  It was a red velvet cake (my favorite), with vanilla buttercream frosting and layers of chocolate inside.  To die for.  Really.  I’m still eating leftovers and loving every minute.  The bakery also perfectly recreated the cute Mama duck image from my shower invitation (I used Paperless Post – check it out!  Great way to send adorable invites via email) and thus – duckies became the theme of the shower!

Baby Shower Cake by Betty Bakery

My mom bought all these adorable little rubber duckies and wrote numbers on the bottom of each one.  Each guest got a rubber ducky with their slice of cake and the guest with the winning number (17 – my due date!!), won a prize.

Slice of Cake with Rubber Ducky

Valerie was the winner!

For centerpieces, there were bunches of yellow and white daisies – they matched the duck color scheme and provided a bright and cheery atmosphere at brunch!

Table Centerpieces

For favors, they gave our these adorable little mint tins personalized with the date of the shower!  What a cute surprise.

Favors - Little Mint Tins

Shower Activites:

So even though I said “no games”, my mom and sister thought they should organize a little something to provide entertainment for the shower.  I absolutely LOVED what they did.

They put together a multiple choice quiz about me and all the shenanegans I pulled growing up.  It was fun sharing these details about my life with my friends.  I think they learned a lot about me that they never knew before!  Here are a couple of Nell facts from the quiz:

• At a young age, Nell shocked her Papa Arnold by eating an entire… (d. king-sized prime rib)
• Nell and her friend, Jess, once devoured a whole bottle of… (a. Flintstone vitamins)
• Nell’s first career goal was to be… (d. both a waitress and a cheerleader)
• One of the few times Nell was grounded it was because she had… (c. driven our car without a license)
• Nell’s anthem should be… (b. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”)

My mom sharing the answers to the "Nell" quiz

Another really sweet activity they organized was to have each guest fill out an advice card for me as I enter motherhood.  I read all the advice cards when I got home and was so touched by the thoughtful advice my friends shared with me.  What a special keepsake from the shower… of course, I cried while reading through all these as well!

Advice cards

Here are some more pictures from the day:

My lovely niece Monique and me

Pee Pee Teepees... I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of these!

my girl Amie and me - we're pregnant together... what's better?!

Cool mirror shot

Someone's having fun!

Brette and me

Me and my mom

And finally…

Me, my mom and my sister

Thank you so much much mom and Erika – for planning and creating such a memorable baby shower for me.  And to all my friends who helped me celebrate, I love you so much and I feel so grateful to have you all in my life!  This little baby boy is entering the world into a major love-fest.  What a lucky little dude.

 

 

Zia Shag Rug from Crate And Barrel (Photo from crateandbarrel.com)

I’m having fantasies of this rug being like a big play area in the apartment.  I plan on spending much time lying around and hanging with the baby on this shaggy delight.  And the best thing… my sister has owned the same carpet for over a year and she says it hardly sheds and it doesn’t show dirt and it’s awesome.  How’s that for a customer review I can trust?

Then for some fun seating in the rug area… I’m thinking of some Moroccan Poufs!  I love these colors – but I don’t know if they’re too bold.  Have to give it a little thought:

Tangerine Moroccan Pouf - Found on Overstock.com

Dark Turquoise Moroccan Pouf - found on Overstock.com

In addition to the rug, I also ordered two of these reclaimed wood tables from a company called CG Sparks (via Amazon).  We are using them as nightstands and they have really brought our bedroom together nicely.  (Though one of them came with a chipped corner so I’m trying to exchange it – pain in the butt!)  I love the rustic look of these tables – AND I pretty much got two for the price of one nightstand I was eyeing at Pottery Barn.  Score.

Reclaimed Wood Side Table (Photo from CG Sparks)

I also ordered the tree wall decal for our nursery wall!  This one seemed to be the crowd favorite – thanks for your help deciding:

Design from "Surface Inspired" on Etsy.com

I switched up the colors though – I ordered the tree brown, the leaves lime green and the birds orange!  I think it’ll go nicely with the bedding we picked out for the crib:

Skip Hop Tree Friends Bedding

I also have this lovely upholstered chair in our living room (probably my most prized apartment decor possession).  When I lived on my own before I met Adam I saw this chair in the Anthropologie store and I completely fell in love with it.  So I saved and saved and watched it online until it finally went on sale!  And then I scooped it right up.   It happens to be one of my most favorite purchases EVER.  I’m thinking the little pops of orange from the birds will be a nice compliment to my chair.

My most adored upholstered chair from Anthropologie

So now… my latest obsession… LAMPS!  I want to get two lamps – one to go on each of our bedside tables.  And I’m also thinking I’ll need a lamp to go on the baby’s dresser.  I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE.  Here are a few of my favorite looks – though some are drastically out of my price range.  But just for inspiration purposes:

This one I’m actually considering – it’s from Anthropologie and it’s definitely a little pricey (though not CRAZY) – and I happen to have a birthday gift certificate from my lovely parents, which just about covers it.  Now I have to decide if I want to use the gift certificate on this lamp – or on some new cute clothes when I’m no longer HUGE and want to feel all stylish again.  Hmmmmm.

Mirror Jar Base from Anthropologie

Then there are these two from Anthro – that are so appealing to me but WAYYYYY out of my price range.

Grape Lime Lamp from Anthropologie

Undersea Base - from Anthropologie

Then there are a couple I found in Restoration Hardware’s baby section:

Sofia Vanity Lamp from Restoration Hardware

This one is just so different and kind of funky.  It doesn’t look very babyish to me – so I could see it working on my nightstand.  And because it’s from the baby section – the price is a lot lower.  Not sure if it’s enough light for reading though.  Buying things online can be such a gamble!

Noelle Table Lamp from Restoration Hardware

This one also… not really babyish right?

So anyway – that’s where I’m at currently in my decorating-obsessed state.  Is this all part of nesting?  I don’t know – but I’m really into it right now.  And we didn’t really buy much stuff when we moved into this new apartment, so it’s fun to jazz the place up with a few new items!  Now I’m just waiting for everything to arrive!

Oh – and to fuel my fire… Adam bought me this awesome decorating book for my birthday… so excited to delve into this baby for some more inspiration!

As soon as things start to come together in the apartment, I’ll take some pictures so you can see how it’s all shaping up.  Oh – and please let me know if you have any favorite decorating blogs or shops for me to scope.  I’m on the lookout!

That’s all for now!  Have a fabulous Thursday everyone!