My girl, and "our" girls

Last night I put one of Hazel's swimsuits on her for the first time, squeezing her broad thighs and roly poly almost-six-month body into the stretchy fabric. We're ten days away from vacation - time to make sure her suits are good to go. They are.

I get these moments now and then of being utterly overwhelmed with happiness that I have a little girl. Seeing her in her very first swimsuit last night very nearly broke me. There she was smiling at me in an old-fashioned print with a sweet little skirt and a high neck and all that skin. It was too much. She has an entire life ahead of her to explore her relationship with swimwear (and if I have any power at all, I hope that relationship will be happier than many girls'), but this first chapter is ours together.

I feel that way about so many firsts she's having these days. I rub her feet - perfectly smooth and un-calloused, since she's never actually walked on them, and I wonder where they'll take her. I see her light up with a grin at someone and think about all the people who'll inspire that smile in her lifetime, and all the smiles she'll inspire in turn. I see her brain whirling and hear her sounds coming, and wonder how many grand ideas will come out of that mouth, how many people will turn to listen to what she has to say.

Because she's my girl, I predict she'll have lots of opinions and quite a lot to say. I want her to be whatever she wants to be, but to be it proudly, and I know she'll have every opportunity in the world to live out that motto. Other girls aren't so lucky. And maybe because just the sight of my little one in a swimsuit makes me teary, maybe because I'm filled with every bit of hope in the world for my little girl right now, the horror of 300 kidnapped girls in Nigeria is especially appalling.

There must have been so much hope in their eyes, sitting in their classrooms and learning about the world. Their families knew that going to school was the best way to channel their hopes into a better life, the best way to rise to the challenge presented by their dreams. If you believe, like I do, that making the women of this world happy is the key to achieving peace anywhere and everywhere, then you know it all begins in a classroom. Of course the classroom is the battleground.

As Uzodinma Iweala wrote in the Washington Post this morning: "The kidnapping of these girls is the crudest attempt to destabilize our country. It is a cowardly act by lazy minds who lack the ability or desire to address a pluralistic nation as the democratic process demands, through the spoken or written word." Kidnapping, he explains, is the worst kind of tool in a young democracy where hope is the currency: "[Kidnapping] turns this hope into a liability that can paralyze."

Paralyzing the future and extinguishing the light in the eyes of 300 girls will have a ricochet effect within Nigeria that I can't even begin to comprehend. The horror of it is both why a "hashtag movement" is so easily prompted, and also why it could never be enough. I know it's not enough, but I say #BringBackOurGirls anyway. I see Hazel's sparkling eyes and her smile and those sweet rolls exposed by her new swimsuit, and I think about little girls everywhere. I know it's not enough, but I say it again, and again, and again: #BringBackOurGirls.

Isn't that always the way? (Vanity edition)

Remember that time I wrote about my favorite tinted lip balm being discontinued, and how crushing that was to my delicate, chapped-lip psyche, but how I finally found a replacement? It's been over three happy years since that post, and I now have Laura Mercier Hydratints in Berry and Crimson stashed in bags and drawers everywhere. Chances are any photo taken of me since that post involves me wearing one of those two colors.

A few key tubes - my work bag and desk drawer versions - were getting low, so I popped online to buy more and....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god. No really. Seriously. NO!

Hydratints are now discontinued, too.

I was way late on this news, apparently - I can't find stragglers anywhere. And to be honest, I can't really wrap my head around why I'm the only one who seems to love sheer lip color in chapstick-style tubes. You can apply them without looking in a mirror and know you look fine, and apply them in the middle of a work meeting full of men without feeling prissy. DONE.

Are there any replacement suggestions out there? Ugh, so annoyed. Excuse me while I shed a tear adding to my Discontinued Hall of Fame List:

• Laura Mercier Hydratint line
• Frederic Fekkai Luscious Curl line
• Chanel Aqualumiere in Porto Rodondo
• Neutrogena Moistureshine Tinted Lip Balm line
• Kiehl's Ultra Moisturizing Buffing Cream with Scrub Particles
• Laura Mercier Just Lips
• Origins Shedonism line

Friday I'm in Love

This was a week of milestones: My dad is back in the country after three long months in Saudi Arabia and Miss H's first tooth poked through to say hi. Before I head offline for a weekend of gardening and parental visits, here are some fun picks for the week. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wooden Volkswagen Beetle

 

This is kinda the coolest thing ever made. A Bosnian man spent two years covering a Volkswagen Beetle in wood - 50,000 separate pieces of oak, to be exact. Holy awesome.

 

 

Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs: The Opera

 

This will only resonate for any planning nerds who may happen to be reading, but if you're out there, HOLY CRAP A ROBERT MOSES AND JANE JACOBS OPERA. I am there. Do you think the cast will sign my dusty graduate school thesis?

 

 

Black Jade Pencil

 

I recently lost one of my two favorite eye pencils. Grrrrr. I'd had it for years and had plenty left for another couple of years, too, so it was a no-brainer replacement. Green-eyed gals, get your hands on this standby for me: Chanel Le Crayon Kohl in Black Jade. It's pricey but as I said, lasts forever and makes eyes like mine pop like no one's business.

 

Guest Room Redux

Last time I shared our back bedroom here, it was a home office.

But then my company opened a DC office, so I didn't need a dedicated space at home anymore. And then our guest room turned into a nursery (the big reveal coming soon, promise!), so we needed the old office to become a new guest room. The last several months have featured the same décor from the old office with the guest bed thrown into it. Not very cohesive and not very homey.

It's occurred to me walking around our home that as much as I love the color green, it's not really featured very much in our house. I decided that the revamped guest room would be the perfect place to remedy that - I'm going for fresh green and white with pops of blue, very outdoors-in. My inspiration started with Waverly's "One Wish" fabric in Mint Julep - I used it for curtains, and the print is just the vibe I wanted. (Note: The green is much lighter in person than is this image! I wasn't prepared when the curtains arrived, but quickly adjusted the greens in my plans.)

I'm putting the room together now - almost done repainting and maybe halfway there with other elements. I'm trying to use what I already own as much as possible, so I'm repurposing existing bedding, furniture, and art - really just shopping for new accent pieces. I've been collecting ideas on a Pinterest board if you want to take a peek at where I'm headed.

Hazel had some fun this weekend while we were painting (luckily the same gray paint from the old guest room works great in here - I love using what I already have!). Here's our cutie hamming it up during the paint session with a sneak peek of the curtains. (Also, remind me never to sell our house unless we're moving into one with the same great natural light, okay?)

I'll be back next month (fingers crossed!) with the finished product.

Bluegrass girl?

We took Miss H to the local bluegrass festival on Saturday to hear our friend's band play and bask in some sunshine (that's Hazel's pal Josie in the Facebook header!). At first she wasn't so sure...

Then she fell asleep for a long spell. (Hi Eleanor!)

But when she woke up, she realized bluegrass was pretty cool.

We agree, baby girl... we agree. I see more music festivals in our future!

Hugs for breakfast

It's cold and rainy here today, a little unsettling after two weeks of pure, unadulterated spring. I'm nursing coffee at my desk right now wishing I was at home, with raindrops tinkering down on the windows, some lowkey music playing, working on something warm and fuzzy in the kitchen. My vote right now would be banana pancakes, something we've been making a lot lately on lazy weekend mornings. Hard to go wrong with this recipe - it's perfect every time. (Heart pancake molds not required, but definitely add to the meal's overall hug factor.)

Banana Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

 

 

Ingredients

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 small, very ripe banana, peeled

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Maple syrup for serving 

 

Directions

1. Cut the butter into 3 equal pieces. Put 2 of the butter pieces in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. Set aside to cool.


2. Get out two mixing bowls. In one, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix with a fork until well blended.


3. Put the banana in a small bowl. Mash with a fork until almost smooth. Add the milk, eggs and vanilla and stir with the fork until well blended. Pour the banana mixture and the melted butter into the flour mixture. Mix gently until the batter is just blended. The batter should still be a little bit lumpy. Add in your chopped nuts, if using.


4. Put a griddle over medium heat until hot. To test if the griddle is hot enough, flick a drop of water onto it - it should dance quickly and evaporate. Put half of the remaining butter onto the griddle and spread it with a spatula. Drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle, spacing them about 3 inches apart. (Or just fill your adorable pancake molds.)


5. Cook until a few holes form on top of each pancake and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully slide the spatula under each pancake and turn it over. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is puffed, 1 to 2 minutes more. Using the spatula, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate.


6. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes while still hot with maple syrup and sliced bananas (if you choose). Makes twelve 4-inch pancakes.

Baby H Update

Time is marching on over here. Here's Miss H at four and five months.

She's a mellow babe with an easy smile, 75% weight and 80% height. At her four-month checkup the doc spotted three teeth coming in early. None have poked out yet, but they're all still completely visible through her gums. I think we're getting close, though, because they're bothering her more and more.

H is quite pleased with herself now that she can roll over - she's a side-sleeper like her mama. She's also a huge thumb-sucker. Forget pacis, this girl is all about her thumbs. She loves her feet these days and watches in wonder when we chew food. We plan to let her start experimenting with food herself next month, and I think she's going to dig it.

H isn't sleeping steadily through the night anymore, now that she's rolling. She tends to get stuck in a weird position in the early morning and cry until we reposition her or (if she's hungry), just take her into our bed for the next couple of hours. We're working it out.

She's become a big fan of her animal crew, and they're pretty cool with her, too. Eleanor can always make her laugh or smile, and Switters is beyond patient when she grabs his fur and tugs. Fanny will allow a few pats but nothing more. All of them will park outside her door if she's crying or lie underneath the crib. Adorable.

We're breaking out the 6-12 Months clothes, too. H has a long torso and tends to graduate from one-piece items early because the snaps no longer reach. "Diaper-toe" is a common complaint around here. I think she has her dad's body and coloring and my smile and eye shape. So much fun watching this little gal grow.

Dinners these days

I think it's fair to say that T and I have not always been the most structured people. In our personal lives, we are absolutely go-with-the-flow and mellow. And while we love to cook, we've never been good at meal-planning. Dinner conversations would often go like this: "What do you feel like eating tonight?" "I don't know... what do you feel like eating tonight?" "I don't know... want to take Eleanor to the park and think about it later?" Being happy-go-lucky is great and all, but eating at 9 every night isn't really sustainable with a kiddo in tow.

Thanks to Miss H, we've started finally growing up getting real about meal-planning. Our weeks are now a combination of simple go-to dishes, pre-assembled, ready-to-cook meals like scratchDC (looooove them!) or Blue Apron, and maybe one night of takeout or delivery, all planned in advance. Progress!

More than ever, if we're cooking dinner during the week, it's gotta be simple. Cut to Tuesday night, when T said he was stopping by Eastern Market on the way home to take care of dinner. We hadn't made a plan together, so I figured he'd be hitting up the pasta counter (our favorite haunt) or grabbing  a rotisserie chicken. Instead he walks in with some gorgeous tuna steaks and this recipe in hand. Dinner was served in thirty-five minutes, but the main course only took half of that. It was so good that yesterday after work I bought more tuna and we made the whole thing all over again.

Incredibly easy. Incredibly delicious. Tastes like the weekend but perfect for a work night. What more do you need?

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime

Adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients

2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno, sliced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, grated

2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Pinch sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna

1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

Cherry Blossoms, and goodness

It's High Cotton over here these days. I have a fridge full of milk and am working on a freezer stash. Hazel's dealing with teething but still being the snugliest, funniest, happiest babe she can be. Vacation is inching ever closer. I'm fitting into my old clothes almost consistently. We spent a happy family Easter in NC. Work is rewarding. And finally, it's that time of year again... our cherry blossoms are blooming.

I can't even express how happy these puffy blooms make me every day. Cut to mornings when I'm taking Eleanor out or afternoons when I get home from work. That's me out in the yard with my camera, goofily snapping away at the flowers. Just. Gorgeous.

Semi-serious semi-philosophical question: Are cherry blossoms more gorgeous than they might otherwise be, just because they're so fleeting? (Cue dreamy wonder-sigh...)

  

 

 

No-bake "energy" "bites"

Lately I've been obsessed with these no-bake energy bites that my college pal posted on Facebook. The source appears to be… Pinterest, with several bloggers offering up different versions. Highly scientific sourcing. So in this post I'll just source the closest post to what I've been making, and their photo. There is no photo of my own because the first two times I made these I forgot to take one, and the last time I made a batch I got pretty classy with it and simply ate gobs out of the bowl with a spoon for two days. Not exactly photogenic that way.

Bottom line: I really dig these. They're the exact level of sweetness I seem to crave these days (did I mention that my pregnancy sweet tooth is still around?), can almost qualify as health food if I pretend not to know better, and feature everyone's favorite milk buddy, oats. (Although in an example of why research is maddening, they also feature ground flaxseed, which appear in lactation cookie recipes but also in warnings about what not to eat while breastfeeding.)

If you can't win, at least don't lose hungry? Something like that.

No-Bake Energy Bites

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix and form into balls. Enjoy playing with your food. Ingest.