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Shirt: Gap
Jeans: Gap Maternity
Poppy's Dress: Tea
Jen enjoying a pomegranate martini.
Damon, Amy and Poppy.
Poppy decorating a onesie.
Awesome craft idea.
Amy and her assistant sewing the fabric pieces onto the onesies.
Nance and Danelle making onesies.
Today is rainy and dreary outside but inside our little house things are very cozy. This week Kyle and I both have finals so I am spending the day studying and sipping tea. I have taken a little break to snap a few photos of the new house set up. Keep in mind this is all a work in progress! I'm so grateful to Meghan and Rob for helping us get started, Kyle's parents for helping us move and Marion for helping us with the final unpacking push. We couldn't have done it without the help of our loved ones (although, my crazy uncontrollable nesting hormones didn't hurt).
The master bedroom... I can't wait to paint it, finish hanging pictures and add a bit of color.
The books on our bed this morning.
The dresser and vanity... I plan on painting and hanging the mirror and replacing the dresser with one from my Grandpa's house.
The nursery is a complete work in progress. We plan on painting it, hanging some fun tissue paper flowers, adding a chandelier (not in the budget at the moment) and adding a few other fun details. The inspiration (Marie Antionette, ballet, photography and Paris) isn't totally obvious yet, but it will be soon!
Poppy taking her kitten nap in the crib testing out the cozy-factor. I love the bumper (made by Erika) and the giraffe which was a gift from the baby shower. Poppy's going to be a wonderful "special big sis".
This dresser is going to get repainted and transformed into a changing station.
My "entry way table" that serves no other purpose than lookin' good.
I'm stealing my sister's idea for a mini-monument collection. So far the Eiffel Tower is all I've got.
Entry zone by the garage isn't even close to being planned or done... this is what we came up with in the meantime.
Calypso has clearly adjusted.
Butcher block/storage unit. It adds a nice bit of color and function.
That's it so far! Once we get to painting and finalizing each room I'll update with new photos. There's so many projects that I want to do! I am lucky to have the resources of my sister who is passionate about decorating and my stepmom who is a fabulous interior designer and colorist. I will be passing along their ideas and advice as I go. Have a wonderful, cozy day.
Rosellen Newhall
October 1, 1923
December 10, 2006
It's been four years since my Nana passed away. She was the most loving, funny, generous Nana that anyone could wish for and she is greatly and constantly missed by myself and all of her children and grandchildren. I have spent a great deal of time over the last four years scanning about 500 photographs of her from her childhood through the final years of her life. It's been quite a long process that I've just recently finished. Although at times it seemed never-ending, it was a pleasure to look through the photographs and revisit moments of her amazing life.
Here are a few of my favorites...
Lovely.
Nana in a sanitarium in Shoreline, WA where she spent a few years in confinement (on bed rest) suffering from tuberculosis. She was discharged with six months to live and was told not to marry or have children. She insists no one ever told her she was going to die so... she didn't! She met her husband here (he was also a patient) and they would communicate by "talking" in morse code through the pipes.
With her friends while working in Alaska on the Alsakan Highway (she's in the white blouse).
With my mom, Eileen, their first of five children.
We spent long, wonderful summer days having adventures on her farm.
Reading with Meghan.
Nana holding me when I was a newborn.
Meghan, Ryan and me with Nana. Look how much bigger Ryan was than me! What a porker! He insists he was simply "closer to the camera".
I'm not sure what holiday this was but I appear to have chocolate all over my face.
We loved our couch time with Nana. We had many "apple parties" with her which consisted of her cutting up apples with a paring knife and us devouring them.
At night and in the mornings Ryan and I would climb into her sleeping bag with her... we continued to do this with her all her life although she complained more and more about it as the years went by (but she didn't mean it).
Nana loved it when we would "help" her with her crossword puzzles.
With Nana on her farm.
Nana loved nothing more than having us (all the cousins) all causing mischief together at her farm during the summers. She LOVED her grandkids.
Me with my Nana.
Her favorite Irish blessing:
May the roads rise up to meet you.
And the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And the rains fall soft upon your field.
And until we meet again
May the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hands.
As we inch closer and closer to our due date (January 7th) I am beginning to feel really excited about welcoming our baby girl into the world. But, I'm also feeling a little nervous. I have an overwhelming desire to get things done like: finish the nursery, put together an "emergency kit" for the car with spare diapers, wipes and a change of warm clothes for the baby, make lots of healthy food to have stashed in the freezer, make more menu plans, figure out our finances, finish unpacking... I feel like we've accomplished so much but I still feel that there is a lot that can be done. I've been waking up at 5 or 6 in the morning and sneaking out of bed to do things (like make lasagna) while Kyle sleeps. We've moved on from reading the birthing books to reading the "baby manual" books. Kyle has started The Baby Whisperer and I have started reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. I'm really wanting to have plans in place for ways to soothe a fussy baby, a minimal plan for getting things done (like exercise and grocery shopping and showering), and also having a conscious way of keeping our marriage running smoothly and making sure we enough time for each other and all of our my neurosis. =) Although I know Kyle and I have a strong, healthy, loving, communicative relationship, I am hoping to find even better ways of communicating with one another thoughtfully and respectfully when we're feeling stressed, exhausted or irritable. So, as these grey days creep by, I will continue to prepare, read, ponder and enjoy the last moments of this pregnancy. I'm open to any advice, thoughts or encouragement you all may have.
Top: Saint Grace
Jeans: Gap Maternity
Boots: J Crew
When I had my bachelorette party luncheon, I opted to forgo to the traditional sexy undie gift program and, instead, I asked my family and friends who were attending to bring me a copy of their favorite book and to write on the inside cover why the book was really special to them. This felt like an wonderful way to learn something new about the wonderful women in my life and a more meaningful gift then a lacy, leopard print thong. Since I've been so busy in school, I've neglected my lovely little stack of books. But now that I've cut back on my class load, I have a lot more time for reading novels! As I read them, I'll share why they were so special to the people who gave them too me and what I loved about them.
Amy
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay from Shirley
Nancy and my Mom
My sister and I (with a bride and groom with pies glued to their faces in honor of the pie fight)
The Source by Michener (from Erika)
The Blue Sword by McKinley (from Nancy)... I've just started reading this novel and can't wait to share my thoughts on it with you.
Persuasion by Austen (from Aunt Sue)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Coerr (from Leah)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (from Meghan)
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Skinner and Kimbrough (from Nana)
Crossing to Safety by Stegner (from Nancy)
Kitchen Table Wisdom by Remen (from Nancy)
Les Misérables by Hugo (from Linda)
I also got a couple of great cookbooks!
New World Provence (from Mom)
The Best International Recipe Cookbook (from Amy)
Chicken Enchiladas
These enchiladas are really easy to make and are delicious! They are pretty healthy, high in protein and, because you can freeze them) convenient. I came up with this recipe after many dry and bland batches of enchiladas. The combination of the two different sauces does the trick. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 split chicken breasts
2 onions, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
7 oz can of diced green chillies
19 oz can of mild green enchilada sauce
19 oz can of mild red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
24 corn tortillas
light sour cream
cilantro
salt
freshly ground black pepper
canola oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Rub the breasts (with skin and bone on) with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the breasts on a cookie sheet and place in the oven and cook until the breasts have reached 165+ degrees (about 30-45 minutes depending on size). Remove them from the oven and let them cool before peeling off the skin, cutting from the bone and shredding along the grain of the meat.
While the chicken is cooling, heat a small splash of canola oil in a large non-stick skillet until shimmering (over medium-high heat) and throw in the bell pepper and onion. Cook until beginning they begin to have a bit of a char/sear and the onions are beginning to brown, only stirring a few times. Add in the garlic along with the can of diced green chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the whole can of green enchilada sauce, the chicken and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese and stir until melted and combined.
Fill each corn tortilla with a bit of the onion, pepper, chicken mixture, roll it and place it seem down in a casserole dish. This recipe makes enough for 2 large (9x13) casserole dishes worth of enchiladas.* Once the dishes are full, pour the red enchilada sauce over the tops of the enchiladas, sprinkle with the remainder of the cheddar cheese and then the mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted and the enchilada sauce is bubblin’. Serve with light sour cream, cilantro and hot sauce.
*I usually cook one and freeze one but you could put on in the refrigerator for a second night's dinner.
Downloadable Recipe:
So, it's 5 am and I'm wide awake. I've been awake since 3:30 after jolting back to life following a particularly bizarre pregnancy dream involving a wedding (not mine), people I haven't seen since high school, capers (yes, the food), a shoot out and a coffee maker. Don't ask me how all these elements came together... Anyway, after a couple hours of tossing and turning, trying to ignore the fact that I was starving and getting batted by the frisky cat (who, ever since we moved, has been acting like a cracked out kitten again), I just got up. It snowed a few inches last night and it's still coming down so it's very quiet and still and dark out this morning.
The baby is squirming and kicking a bit. I'm sure going to miss our private little snuggle sessions when she is born. I am also going to miss the little bump, bump of her hiccups and so many other wonderful things about being pregnant. There are, of course, many other things that I won't miss so much! I had a complete mini-meltdown the other night after a particularly uncomfortable day. I cried and declared to Kyle that I was "all done being pregnant"! Of course, I quickly pulled it together and he encouraged me, kissed me and tucked me into bed where I got a good night's sleep, which helped immensely.
Yesterday I made more food for the freezer (chicken noodle soup (recipe coming soon) and two key lime pies) and I made a boppy (breastfeeding pillow)! Now I'm going to put on a favorite movie and make up six more weeks worth of menus/grocery lists. The more I do and create and plan, the more content I feel. Don't get me wrong, I wish I was sleeping right now but, since I'm not, I might as well be productive!
Today we have big plans which include (but aren't limited to) IKEA (scary), Costco (even scarier), Aaron Brothers, Trader Joe's, Target (even scarier than Costco), a cookie delivery to a friend who just had surgery and possibly a movie matinee (I can't wait to see Black Swan and it doesn't appear that they'll have it here at our theater). We just realized that it is the weekend before Christmas and we must be completely insane to be running all these errands today, but at this point in the pregnancy, it's now or never (or at least not for a few months). So... here's to a productive Saturday! Of course, if the snow keeps falling, we may be in for a quite and cozy weekend in spite of our ambitions.
I hope you all have a wonderful day today.
Love,
Kacie
There comes a point in pregnancy when you are feeling pretty...
chubby...
grumpy...
frustrated...
a little batty...
delusionally tired...
and a little emotional.
It's hard to remember what you used to look like.
All you wanna do is overindulge...
and wave your white flag.
But, then... you're family comes to town and gives you a good reason to laugh.
Meghan, Rob (and Kyle) at the local bakery.
Now... as I've mentioned before, my belly button (while not inside out) has spent the last month looking suspiciously like a cat's behind. I'm sure someday it will return to normal, but in the meantime it's a lesson at learning to laugh at yourself even when you feel "all done". Meghan and Rob came over with my Dad and Stepmom for dinner and we "forced" my Dad to put his artistic skills to work in order to provide us some much needed laughter...
Heee heee heeee.
Sometimes (even after eight years), Kyle is forced to question the family he married into. We like to keep him on his toes.
Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it. This Christmas is the first Christmas we are spending without our families. We’re a little sad to be staying put and not spending the cozy evening with my family and the morning with Kyle’s family. But, within two weeks of our due date, travel doesn’t seem very logical. We had a doctor appointment yesterday and it doesn’t appear that our baby girl will be making an appearance any time soon. We’ll probably make it to our due date after all! Who’d have thought?! We still feel it's best to play it safe, plus who wants to spend eight hours in the car when they're 9 1/2 months pregnant?
We’ve spent the week preparing for a simple little Christmas at home. Here’s our little week in pictures...
Calypso's favorite spot to sit.
Our Christmas tree.
Kyle's parents sent down our Christmas presents! It's a wonderful little slice of home.
Cozy morning in my new favorite jammies. I tore my old favorite pajamas when I hadn't realized I was too pregnant to be wearing them (Kyle found this episode extremely funny)!
Frisky Calypso.
I thought the vertical stripes might make me look slimmer, but they didn't. =)
Ribbon and kittens don't mix. She spent all day attacking the ribbons on the presents and then she threw up in the middle of the night. She's not the brightest kitten in the litter.
Poppy and I spent an entire day making cookies using an old fashioned Mirro Cookie Press. Kyle's Mom makes cookies this way every year, so it was nice to have some familiar cookies around.
We made green trees....
purple flowers and pink butterflies!
Then we whipped up some frosting and decorated all of them!
Rudolph and I had a wonderful, sugar filled day.
I hope you have a wonderful, cozy Christmas Eve. I plan to spend the day working on Kyle's Christmas present, watching movies and maybe doing a bit of sewing. Then, I think, we'll head out on the town for dinner. It sounds nice to get dressed up and have a special dinner date. Love, Kacie
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas day full of family, friends and lots of love.
Despite missing our families immensely this Christmas, we managed to have a wonderful day. We're sitting down now for a card game, White Christmas, good cheese and procuitto while we wait for our chicken dinner to roast up.
We started our morning with coffee and whipped cream in our favorite mugs.
Then we opened the present that Kyle's parents sent.
Baby's first Christmas ornament.
Calypso ate more ribbon. She doesn't learn very well.
Kyle made Strata based on a recipe his Nana makes every year.
We spent the rest of the day putting together the baby's room while Calypso slept in the stroller. It looks wonderful. I'll have pictures to share tomorrow!
Happy Holidays!
Love,
Kacie, Kyle, Calypso and Tiny
Here are the photos of the (99%) finished baby nursery! I just love the way it all turned out! I really wanted the room to be girly and sweet without being too "baby-ish" and I think we accomplished that! It is simple and sophisticated and with few final touches it will be perfect! I think it will be a joy to spend lots of time in here. So many of the things in the room were made for our baby or handed down through our families. It really makes the room special. The inspirations were Paris, photography, ballet and Sofia Copolla's Marie Antoinette...
My Stepmom (Nance) is a fabulous interior designer/colorist (she works in Oregon and Washington so let me know if you want her contact info) and my sister came over to help us me pick our colors. They didn't photograph totally accurately but here are the swatches from the Benjamin Moore website... which also aren't that accurate! Ah well, you get the idea...
I never would have thought I'd have a pink room in my house. It was so great to have Nance help us pick "adult" pink colors.
The "flowers" were made by Amy and Poppy for the baby shower and they take the place of a mobile. I read that you actually want the space around your baby's crib to be a bit "boring", that is, non-stimulating. You want them to sleep, not stare at stuff!
The crib and Kyle's chair from when he was little (made by his Grandpa).
The crib with the bumper made by Erika and the gorgeous blanket knitted by Kyle's Nana with yarn she was saving for "something special" that she had brought over with her from New Zealand a long time ago.
The pillow is made from the pink raw silk from my wedding dress and a bit of tulle from my veil (both were made by Erika).
Two monkeys from Aunt Meghan.
The dresser was Kyle's when he was little. It will be painted super glossy white, get new handles and maybe get a little stencil treatment like this one from Anthropologie.
Newborn pajamas!
This vintage scale was a gift and is holding all of our beautiful Aden + Anais swaddles and blankies which were baby shower gifts. The teddy bear painting was given to us by a friend in Paris, I took the photo on the left for Kyle when we were just out of high school and I found that four leaf clover years ago!
The feeding zone. Comfy chair and blanket (also knitted by Kyle's Nana). Amy found that table cloth at an antique store and thought it was tres Marie Antoinette. It's hiding a box below with breast feeding paraphernalia and a book and book light for me. The lamp is a salt rock lamp and will serve as a mellow reading light/night light.
The bookshelf/toy zone. We just bought this shelf unit and the little pink bins from Ikea for about $35 total.
Lisa Kaser Print titled Tuesdays Were Reserved for Sharing Recipes. We bought it at an art fair right after I found out I was pregnant. It is quirky and cute. It reminded us of our many picnics in Paris. Plus the title is so us!
This porcelain doll was a gift from my cousin Carol. She has collected these gorgeous dolls for years and selected this one for our girl.
Old photos of my two grandmothers, Mary Jo (left) and Rosellen (on right). We are going to get two photos of Kyle's grandmothers too.
This is a series of photographs I took in Paris. I love the colors and the way they are all behind glass. Ballet slippers in a studio window, gorgeous tutu's in the window display at the Repetto store and the skirt of Degas' Little Dancer statue in a glass case.
I made this collage of photos from Kyle and my first trip to Paris together when we were barely twenty.
The closet with all the newborn clothes ready for action!
My Stepmom had given me this vintage tutu a few years ago along with some others that sat in a box in the garage that Kyle had labeled "Fuckin' Tutus" because he couldn't understand why I was holding onto them. Ha! I used one! Erika took it home and gently applied it to a wreath ring. We'll either put it on the wall or pin it to the door of the room.
I would also like to make a photo collage heart out of black and white photographs to give our little one something to gaze at.
I would also love to find a chandelier (maybe something vintage) to replace the main light in the room.
So, there you have it! Our baby's nursery is all set and ready for her arrival. Our due date is only ten days away!
Chicken Saltimbocca and Sautéed Kale with Lemon and Olive Oil
I got such a enthusiastic response after my Menu Planning (in advance) post that I have made an entire list of my menus for the month of January. This time, in an effort to make sure you could actually use the plans for your own lives, I focused on my "Food Network" cookbooks (since most of their recipes are available online), my own recipes (that are posted on the blog) and other recipes that are available online. You should be able to copy a lot of the menus exactly or you can substitute wherever needed/wanted! I've put little *'s next to the recipes that I just "make" (I'll get a move on posting these recipes so you'll have them in the future). I tried to use just a few cookbooks this month so that it would be inexpensive to purchase them and use them! I've just done my grocery shopping for the month and bought everything possible in advance so that all we have to do is zip to the store for the fresh ingredients. I hope this makes your January a bit easier in the grocery shopping/menu planning/enjoyable dinner department.
12/27-1/2
Mon: Chicken Saltimbocca and Sautéed Kale with Lemon and Olive Oil
Tues: *Autumn Ravioli
Wed: Leftovers
Thurs: Fish w/ *Spanish Spinach and wild rice
Fri: Hunters Minestrone (vegetarian..I just cut out the ground pork) (Tyler's Ultimate p.154)
Sat: Leftovers
Sun: Pork chops w/ Roasted Potatoes with blue cheese dressing and mint (Tyler's Ultimate p. 88)
1/2-1/9
Mon: *Swimming Chicken with Brown Rice
Tues: Leftovers
Wed: Paella (International Test Kitchen p.238)
Thurs: Leftovers
Sat: Leftovers
Sun: *Turkey Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches
1/10-1/16
Mon: Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup (International Test Kitchen p.378)
Tues: Leftovers
Wed: *Portabello Dips
Thurs: Leftovers
Fri: Pantry Dinner (or dinner out!)
Sat: Vietnamese Salad and *Seared Tuna with Fresh Herbs and Lemon Zest
Sun: Leftovers
1/17-1/23
Mon: Eggplant Parmesan
Tues: Leftovers (as sandwiches)
Thurs: Leftovers
Fri: Healthy Chicken Soup
Sat: Leftovers
1/24-1/30
Mon: Chicken and Coconut Paella (Tyler's Ultimate p.130)
Tues: Leftovers
Wed: *Veggie and Tofu Stir fry
Thurs: Leftovers
Fri: Italian Egg Sandwiches (Everyday Italian p.42)
Sat: Fish and Pisto Manchego (Spain: A Culinary Road Trip p. 25)
Sun: Sopa de Ajo (Spain: A Culinary Road Trip p.206)
