Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Summertime Tidbits

Here's a few things I've been swooning over today:

Essie nail polish in Braziliant:
image via here

Black bean salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette from El Burrito:
Seriously, my favorite salad in all of Columbia, SC

 This Ryan Adams set list from a recent show in London:
June 20, 2011 Set
1) Oh My Sweet Carolina (Heartbreaker)
2) Roll Away? (New song, don’t know name of it?)
3) Please Do Not Let Me Go (Love is Hell pt 2)
4) Why Do They Leave? (Heartbreaker)
5) New York, New York (Gold)
6) Let it Ride (Cold Roses)*
7) Desire (Demolition)
8 ) Carolina Rain (29)
9) Rescue Blues (Gold)
10) Dirty Rain (New song)
11) In My Time of Need (Heartbreaker)
12) My Winding Wheel (Heartbreaker)
13) Bartering Lines (Heartbreaker)
14) Firecracker (Gold)
15) Everybody Knows (Easy Tiger)
16) Houses on the Hill (Whiskeytown) (Strangers Almanac)*
17) Sylvia Plath (Gold)
18) Strawberry Wine (29)
19) Come Pick Me Up (Heartbreaker) 
 (via Scene SC blog here)
I mean, this is amazing...I heart Ryan Adams.


The trailer for the movie 50/50 (via A Cup of Jo blog here):



And, the 6th edition of Matchbook Mag online.  View it here.

image via here

What's got you excited and swooning these days?

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thursday's Thinking of Food

OK, so most of my Thinking of Food posts are about eating healthier, or organic, or farm-fresh and local.  Today is not like that.  At all.

Today I saw the words "Rolo McFlurry" on the marquee of the McDonald's near my house.  WHAT!?  Sounds amazing, right?  I hadn't even thought of Rolos since I was about 12...throw them in some soft serve and mix it up--heaven.
image via here

I might have to try one...

Yes, I know how nutritionally bad they are, and no, I am not suggesting you eat McDonald's with wild abandon--or that I like their business practices.  I just want to try a Rolo McFlurry.

Anyone tried one yet?

Friday, June 17, 2011

Weekend Round-Up

Here's the plan for our weekend:

image via here

All-Local Farmer's Market--it's been too long since I've been and now that Jones is trying new foods, I can't wait to find some cool local produce to make into baby food for him!

Abby and Peach

Dog wash fundraiser at Earth Fare.  It's only $7 per dog and all proceeds will go to helping find retired racing Greyhounds new homes.  Abby and Peach will be in attendance; (they just don't know it yet).  The shampoos used to bathe the dogs will be organic (naturally), and all dogs get a goodie bag to take home.  11 am- 3 pm.

Possibly a trip to Buy Buy Baby...I have a coupon burning a hole in my pocket, plus Jones really does need a few things:

image via here
We need a couple new sleep sacks--love the Aden + Anais ones.  Jones is almost too long for the ones we have now.
image via here 
image via here

I need some additional freezer food storage for the baby food I'm making.

image via here
image via here

Now that the babe likes his baths, (hallelujah!), we need some fun bath toys for him to play with...Boon toys are the cutest and they're BpA, PVC and Phthalate-free.

Father's Day lunch on Sunday with my Dad by the pool--homemade hamburgers.  Father's Day dinner with my husband's family.  Jones has a couple cute first Father's Day gifts up his sleeve for James :)

Another cool thing going on this weekend--the SC State Farmer's Market is giving away FREE BLT's to the first 1,000 through the gates on Saturday morning!  You can sign up to get a weekly text from the market letting you know what will be going on each Saturday by texting HARVEST to 313131.

Happy weekend, loves!  What are you up to?
B

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Jones- 5 Months Old

So many new things have occured in the life of this child in the past month!  He took his first trip to the beach over Memorial Day weekend:


He started eating solid foods; so far he's tried brown rice cereal and homemade squash and peas--next week it's carrots.

He started school--he is loving his Child Development Center at Shandon Presbyterian Church.  They have him on a great schedule--he now naps twice a day for over 2 hours each nap!

He also loves his bath now--(up until about a month ago he screamed for the entirety of every bath we gave him).
Playing with his cousin Taylor.

Jones is the light of my life and his little personality is really starting to show itself these days.  He is very "assessive", (as my mom calls it), and it still takes a lot to make him smile...you have to work for it!  He loves to be read to already; Brown Bear is a favorite, and Goodnight Moon is climbing the charts.  And he is just starting to reach for people when he wants them-the highlight of my day this morning.

Happy Wednesday!
XO, B

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Thursday's Thinking of Food

I have dipped my toe into the waters of making baby food...another venture that some said wouldn't last (like the cloth diapering--which we're still doing when he's not at daycare, btw)...and I love it!  There is nothing more satisfying than knowing exactly what is going into my child's body, and knowing that I prepared it.  

So far I have "made"-- and when I say made, all it entails is pureeing and sometimes steaming the veggies--peas and squash.  The peas were frozen organic peas and the squash is fresh squash just in from my CSA, Gruber Farms.  Gruber farms is out of St. George, SC and we have been really pleased with them.  My mom, sister and I are splitting a family share and we always have more than enough stuff to go around--we've gotten strawberries, yellow squash, zucchini, patty pan squash, kale, cabbage, green beans, peas, red potatoes, broccoli, amazing corn, turnips, beets, and more!

Here's what I did to make the baby food: 
Chop the squash into small pieces.

Bring water to a boil in a large sautee pan, add squash, cover and simmer until tender.
(It would probably be easier to simply steam the squash, but alas, I have no steamer basket-yet.)


Then, puree with a little of the pot water in a food processor.
My sister and I went in halfsies on a baby food making set last year--
Click here to see a video as seen on Martha Stewart's show about the KidCo system.

Food processor that came with the KidCo set--it also comes with a food mill, freezer trays, and serving dish--all for $60!
Spoon the squash out of the processor and into the freezer tray for storage, or into the serving dish if you want to feed baby immediately.

And here's a picture of the peas.  I didn't even cook the peas, I just defrosted them and pureed them.

So far, I really like the KidCo system.  There are a lot of other baby-food-making systems out there, and I have heard that the Baby Bullet is a good one, but I have no complaints about the KidCo thus far.

As a side note, while researching the KidCo website, I realized they also make the Go-Pod that we just purchased to take to the beach a few weeks ago--another affordable and really user-friendly baby item!

image via here
Jones in his Go-Pod at Litchfield
I'll let you know how Jones likes his very first taste of squash and peas!

I want to get some more freezer trays/small containers to freeze and serve the baby food from--anyone have any suggestions on brands?

Happy almost-Friday!
XO

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

5x7 Folded Card

Happy Day Navy Father's Day 5x7 folded card
Send Shutterfly Valentine's Day cards to those closest to you.
View the entire collection of cards.

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Simple Things

Here's what's making me smile after the weekend:

My baby boy's first laughter:
 (You can hear my nephew, Taylor, yelling in the background :))

My first lunch packed in my new Goodbyn bento box:
roasted chicken, black beans, roasted almonds, string cheese, pistachios, sandwich thins, and an avocado
(Goodbyn bought using the discount code provided by Bleubird Vintage--thanks!  Bleubird was also the inspiration for posting a photo of my lunch--checkout her cool kids' lunches).
And, I made our first batch of baby food with my baby food system, organic green peas--pictures and details on that to come, but it was easy and fun! 
image via here
 I think I'll try edamame and chick peas next, then maybe squash...any other suggestions on first foods for baby that are easy to make yourself?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

(The Return of) Thursday's Thinking of Food

So, after 10 months of pregnancy and 4 months adjusting to baby, I am ready to think about food again!

What do you think of the USDA's elimination of the Food Guide Pyramid and replacing it with a plate?  In fact, you can't even find that pyramid anymore; when you go to my pyramid.gov, which used to be the USDA site, it now takes you to choosemyplate.gov.
image via here

I love that half the plate is designated for fruits and veggies now, and the recommendation to make half your grains whole grains and to drink water instead of sugary drinks is admirable as well.  However, I wish they had recommended that a percentage of protein come from sources other than meat.  (Probably won't happen anytime soon because of backlash from the US meat producers, but, it would make us all healthier, and the environment as well).  Check out the research that says so here.

Check out this Healthy Habits Kids Plate--a great idea to help you and your kiddos remember how much of each food to eat at a meal.
image via here
So, any recommendations for the new USDA"Plate"?  Do you try to go meat-free at least one day a week?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A Word for Wednesday

C 


aner: one who works with cane; especially in canework for chairs

Never heard this word before, but it was just used against me in a game of Words With Friends on my phone (Droid).  (Well played, Matt).

image via here

Have you played this yet?  It's like Scrabble. Just downloaded it last night and I am addicted.

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.