Sunday, March 4, 2012

Watching the big game, toddler style

Last night hubby and I were invited to our friends' house for a lovely dinner of filet mignon, bacon-wrapped scallops, salad, potato gratin, and cheesecake topped with whipped cream and strawberries.  It was heaven-sent and made me question why I haven't been eating more strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.

As we walked up to the front steps of their home, I noticed their daughter Ellie (Caleb's toddler girlfriend) framed in the window beside the front door.  She was dressed in a Tarheel's cheerleading uniform. 

This is how oblivious I am about the wonderful world of sports.  I had no clue there was a game tonight, more or less a HUGE rivalry game between Carolina and Duke.  There is no excuse for my ignorance.  I am a tarheel.  I should care just a little.

Anyways, so it ends up we had been invited over to eat AND watch the game.  Hubby didn't mention that part.  He is smart that way.  

The evening was a wonderful treat, the Heels won the game, and the dessert stole my heart, as did these precious toddlers.


Caleb and Ellie sit down to a candlelit dinner of hot dogs,
macaroni and cheese, and peas while the adults eat at the big table.



Ellie and Caleb watch "Santa Paws" as the adults watch the Carolina-Duke game.



A kiss from Ellie to follow Carolina winning the game.

The Lorax

 

"The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss is one of Caleb's favorite reads.  The story was released as a movie this past Friday, March 2nd - an important day because it is Dr. Seuss's birthday!  And how better to celebrate that day than by taking Caleb to see "The Lorax" in front of the big screen!


The movie was an hour and a half in length, so we figured Caleb could handle sitting in the theater for that amount of time.  Plus, we came prepared with snacks and milk and his blanket and dressed him appropriately in jammies.  We opted to watch the 2-D not 3-D version.


How excited are my boys!?


We settled into our movie seats at 6:50 when the show was supposed to start.  Then we watched 10 minutes of commercials and 20 minutes of previews.  Didn't they realize it was a kid's movie?


Nevertheless, Caleb was a pleasure the entire movie.  He never once attempted to move out of his seat.  He made just a few small comments and loved every moment.

We got home for a late bedtime and hubby read Caleb "The Lorax" book to lull him into a deep sleep.  I was especially happy to give Caleb this treat particularly because moments like these might become more rare with baby Natalie's arrival.

View from the top


I call this photo "View from the Top."  This is how I see my belly when lying down on the couch.  It is all encompassing and takes up a lot of space. When I walk, it leads the way.  When I get out of bed, it rolls me in the right direction.  Baby Natalie is quite comfortable inside this large belly.  I wonder how I can convince her to make an exit from said belly.  Hopefully we'll see in the coming days.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Exotic Meat Month

Starting in March, one of hubby and my favorite restaurants - Bull City Burger and Brewery - is going to host "Exotic Meat Month."  The restaurant's website doesn't go into great detail, but frequent posts on their facebook page tell us that they will offer exotic meats such as alligator, elk, antelope, and kangaroo.  I honestly can't wait to be adventurous and test the limits.  And I'm sure that the artists in the BCBB kitchen will make these delicacies taste delicious.

On a similar note, I have a friend who has given up eating meat for Lent.  She mentioned that she is excited about "Exotic Meat Month" at Bull City Burger because of the Alligator burger with Creole sauce that will be on the menu.  I don't blame her.  She's originally from Florida and loves gator and cajun/creole food.

So here's the question...is alligator considered a meat?  Can't we just let this one slide since it's not a mammal but a reptile? 

Monday, February 20, 2012

A nursery in progress

Just two more weeks to go! Baby Natalie's nursery is finally beginning to take shape. Thanks to a cold, rainy, disgusting Sunday, hubby and I were able to spend time indoors and work on the room.

Three of the nursery walls are painted a very pale peach and the accent wall with the window is painted a darker papaya color. Most of the furniture is dark brown/espresso or white. The accent color in the room is green. Many of the elements and pieces of furniture are hand-me-downs from big brother Caleb. What a sweet, generous boy.

 
 
 

Shortly before our baby shower, one very loving grandmother called from Florida to ask what she could contribute to the nursery since she wouldn't be able to attend the shower.  Hmmm...I thought.  Why not curtains.  We had never invested in nice curtains for Caleb's nursery, or for any window of our house, come to think of it. Grammie/Debbie gladly accepted the challenge.

We sent fabric ideas back and forth, as well as measurements, and she began creating.  A few short weeks later and the curtains are complete, installed in all their glory.  Though hard to photograph, they are gorgeous. 

 
 

The letter 'N' for the wall was given to us by my friend Jenna.  It was a blank canvas and I decided to paint it to match the curtain fabric...sort of.


Since I painted something to hang on Caleb's nursery wall, I decided I had to paint a canvas for Natalie's wall as well. Caleb's nursery had a rainforest theme, so creating a rainforest painting was easy. Natalie's room has no theme really, so I was starting from scratch. I knew I wanted greens and peachy pinks.

I found some inspiration online by searching for floral images. Then I attempted to replicate the painting I liked on my own blank canvas.  I've never claimed to be a painter.  No, mine is not nearly as good as the original, but I saved some money.  (Yes, this is legal).

 
 Real artist version at left.  Homemade paint job at right.

A crib shot of baby Elmo. We finally got our crib retrofit piece in the mail Saturday.  The retrofit piece prevents the drop side from, well, dropping - since that is now considered a defect in cribs.

Elmo is safe and happy in the fixed crib.


There's a photo of Natalie's beautiful white blanket, made by Pam. It is so soft. I can't wait for Natalie to treasure and cherish it.


There's our toy chest, handcrafted by my dad.  Stained by hubby and myself.  For Christmas I told my dad I was in search of a toy box to contain Caleb's growing toy collection.  So many parts and pieces to stow away!  My dad went on a lengthy hunt and came up empty handed, mostly because we wanted real wood but didn't want to spend a fortune.  Finally hubby and I caved and purchased two really cheap toy boxes on Black Friday.  In the meantime, my dad was busy planning to build us a REAL toy box.  What resulted was this beautiful masterpiece!  I never even knew my dad could build things.  So now this beautiful piece has found a home in Natalie's room.  It couldn't have worked out more perfectly.


Then I joined Pinterest and found some inspiring shelves.  Five minutes after I found them I asked hubby to build them. He did so without hesitation. I created some framed letters to adorn the top shelf.


Sweet gifts from family and friends adorn the lower shelf.


 And last but not least, a darling mobile given to me by my supervisor at work.


It has won Caleb's approval already, so I'm fairly certain Natalie will love it too.


I realize that was quite the lengthy tour of our nursery, but I hope you enjoyed. It is a pleasant space in which to sit, and I hope I continue to find it calming once the baby arrives.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

[One]

Last night, Caleb's school offered all preschool parents a date night and free child care for the evening.  What an opportunity, right?  So while our sweet two-year-old munchkin spent an evening with friends watching Cars and eating hot dogs and popcorn, hubby and I celebrated with an awesome meal.

We ventured to Shane Ingram's new(ish) restaurant, [One], for our fancy dinner.




Here's how the feast went down:

First course:  Hubby ordered a carpaccio dish. (Sorry I can't be more descriptive...the item doesn't appear to be listed on the online menu and I can't remember the ingredients).  Hubby loved it!


First course:  I ordered Grilled Endive Salad with 63° Egg, Frisee lettuce, pickled shitake mushrooms, shaved pecorino, caramelized onion


Second course:  I ordered Coffee Bruleed Foie Gras Torchon, King Oyster mushrooms, cauliflower puree, crispy duck confit, aged balsamic



Second course:  Hubby ordered Grilled Spanish Mackerel, Citrus chili marinade, butternut squash puree, fennel pollen, Spanish chorizo



Bread and olive oil. Yum.


Third course:  Hubby ordered Grilled Veal Loin with Crispy Sweetbread, Braised lentils, grilled Belgian endive with apples and celery, charred onion puree, avocado cream



Third course:  I ordered Grilled Striped Bass, Snow peas and raddichio, leek and chickpea ragout, cherry pepper gastrique



For dessert we headed to Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.  It was hubby's idea to try Sugarland, a highly praised bakery in downtown Chapel Hill.  Little did he know it was only cupcakes and gelato.  I thought it was going to be a candy store.  We were a clueless team.

Nonetheless, I love cupcakes and I ordered a Dulce de Leche cupcake.  It was heavenly.


Hubby ordered a beer for dessert.  Not my idea of dessert, but he was happy.


What a wonderful night! I'm so glad we got to try a new restaurant.  It is absolutely one of my favorites now.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Wishes for baby

I just wrapped up a wonderful week at work, one that was made exceptional by the surprise baby shower that was thrown by my thoughtful coworkers.  It was a phenomenal party filled with delicious Mami Nora's catered food, homemade sides, salads, cheeses, and sweet confections.  I was in heaven - and in serious shock.  I did not expect a shower at all, but this party went above and beyond.  Thank you coworkers!!

When I walked into the party room, there was one of my maternity photos projected onto the wall and a cake made out of little pamper newborn diapers as the centerpiece of the table.  I've always wanted a diaper cake!

But what really stood out about this party were the games.  We played "guess whose baby photo," which was much harder than I thought it would be. And then we passed around these fill-in-the-blank sheets of paper that had "Wishes for baby" written in dainty pink script across the top.  Down the page was written phrases such as: "I hope you aren't afraid..." and "I hope you become..." and "I hope you love..."  All my coworkers got to fill in the blanks for their wishes for baby Natalie.  I left the shower feeling very grateful, and very hopeful for my daughter-to-be.

Here are some of my favorite responses from the fill-in-the-blank game:
  • I hope you learn to speak Spanish.
  • I hope you aren't afraid to love without reservation.
  • I hope you love Jesus with your whole heart.
  • I hope you get what you don't know you need.
  • I hope you laugh at yourself.
  • I hope you never forget how much your family loves you.
  • I hope you ignore the yucky stuff.
  • I hope you become the person you're meant to be.
  • I hope you respect those worthy of such.
  • I hope you grow to be a strong woman.
Doesn't that just leave you with the best feeling?