You Are My Sunshine

Last weekend my good friend Karen threw a Meet-the-Baby party to welcome Zoey to the world. Karen is a hostess extraordinaire (see here and here), so when she offered to throw me a baby shower I was thrilled! Part of the Jewish tradition is not celebrating the baby until after she has arrived; that's why we decided to do a meet-the-baby party instead.

As usual, Karen went all out to make the day special. The theme of the party was "You Are My Sunshine." She decorated the house with bright yellow lanterns, flowers, and a customized paint chip banner. Though the party was at 3:00 pm, Karen spared no effort on the menu. Her idea of light snacks is my full-course meal. She made spicy quinoa salad; tortellini with broccoli; chicken salad; and a tomato salad. For dessert there were beautiful lemon chiffon cupcakes and her famous maple cookies. And, of course, no party is complete without a signature cocktail (and mocktail). This party had "white Zoey-fandel spritzers." So clever!

Photo courtesy of Rachel

We had a great turnout, and our friends were incredibly generous. Zoey got a ton of great books, toys and clothes.

Photo courtesy of Rachel

When it was time to leave, each guest got a potted marigold with an adorable hand-written card: "Like Zoey, this blossom is a piece of sunshine. As they grow, so too does our joy!"

Photo courtesy of Rachel

Photo courtesy of Rachel

What a special party for a special girl. I can't thank Karen enough!

Photo courtesy of Rachel

Karen (center) with my SOS crew

The Great Yorkshire Show

This weekend we went on a fun family outing to the Great Yorkshire Show. This 155-year-old event is just around the corner from my house and is absolutely massive. It is similar to a state fair, with agricultural exhibits; best of breed competitions; a giant food hall; and tons more.

Huge crowds at the show

We watched judges declare best-in-show of terriers; some kids play around with heavy farm equipment; and a sheep shearing demonstration.

We saw huge pigs; beautiful horses; bulls and cows; and a ton of varieties of sheep and rams.

The food hall was a lot of fun. There were tons of vendors selling everything from sweets to meats. and everyone offered samples. Yum! Cheesemongers competed for best-in-show. The blocks of cheese were literally bigger than Zoey!

We got so lucky with amazing weather. It was lovely getting out of the house and experiencing more British culture. What did you do this weekend?

You Know You're A Nursing Mom When...

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With as hungry and thirsty as you are now, eating 12,000 calories a day doesn't seem unreasonable. You can't even consider leaving the house without a bagful of snacks and a Nalgene full of water.

You Measure Sleep in Minutes, Not Hours

You are thrilled when you get a triple-digit nap.

This is the Most Daylight Your Breasts Have Seen Since Spring Break 2004

You try and cover up when feeding your little one in public, but things happen. You are surprised by how little you care.

When Shopping for New Shirts, Priorities Include Stretchy Neck and Dark Pattern

If you can't gain access in less than a few seconds, that shirt is out. Dark patterns hide unsightly stains.

Moms, what else do you have to add to this list?

Cushion Nightmare: Worst DIY Project Ever

As a DIY-lover, I know that most projects will have some unexpected twist; the project will take twice as long, will cost twice as much, or will be twice as difficult as I planned. And it is generally fine because the joy that I get out doing the project makes it worthwhile. Every now and then there is a project that you wish you never started. Have a seat and let me tell you about the tale of my outdoor furniture.

Last year I saw a classified ad for really cheap outdoor furniture. Someone was leaving town and couldn't take them with her. She was selling two oversized chairs and one large metal bench for only $20! Can you believe it? So cheap! The only catch was that they didn't come with any cushions. The ones she had previously were so moldy that she didn't want to include them in the sale. No problem though. How hard can making cushions be, right? WRONG!

To be fair, these chairs were an excellent deal. They're in great condition; after a light sanding and a couple of coats of rust-blockimg primer and shiny black spray paint they looked good as new. And there they sat, naked, for the next year.

At some point I realized that I actually need to get on the cushion-making process if I ever planned to use these chairs. I thought about buying cushions, but honestly I couldn't find anything reasonably priced that I liked. I had no idea cushions were so expensive! Especially since these chairs are huge. So, I started looking for tutorials and materials to make my own.

Harrogate is not the best place for crafting. It's really hard to get materials, so I do most of my shopping online. I searched high and low for the best prices, but even so I was shocked by how expensive the raw materials were. No wonder finished cushions are pricey. The foam alone cost me almost $100!!

It took me forever to amass all of my supplies. Then it took me even longer to work up the courage to actually start making the cushions. Everything was just so expensive and the tutorial was so complicated. I had my S.O.S. friend Nick try out a different tutorial for me when making a cushion for another friend. Though his final product was great, the effort nearly killed him. After watching him struggle for months over this stupid cushion, I decided to try a different tutorial. I landed on this one from Pretty Handy Girl. Though it got me there in the end, I would not recommend using it yourself. The directions were hard to follow and missed key steps. Perhaps if you are a more advanced seamstress you can fill in the blanks yourself, but for a novice this was way too hard.

I enlisted Dan's help on this when I realized that I was in over my head. Between the two of us we managed to cobble the cushions together, and they actually look pretty good. Not professional, but not too "home-made" either.

Even Zuzu helped

Making the sides

Adding piping

In retrospect, I really needed to make double as many cushions so that I'd have both a seat and a back for each chair and bench. I realized my mistake too late though and there was no way I was starting again with ordering more supplies and making more cushions. Luckily IKEA had some navy cushions that worked well for the chairs (where were they when I did my initial cushion search?!), so we snagged two of those, I still don't have anything for the back of the bench though.

Needless to say, I am thrilled that the project is (mostly) complete. I have a feeling these will become family heirlooms--if only to justify the effort!

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Hello, friends! I'm still knee-deep in my baby haze but I wanted to stop by and say hi. Things here are crazy, but great. There are a lot of cuddles, kisses and diapers and not a lot of sleep. I can't even be mad about it when she looks like this.

People told us in advance that these first few days/weeks would be tough, but I didn't fully realize how much help we'd need. Simple things like cooking and eating are now monumental tasks. We're so fortunate to have such great friends and family to help though. Our friend Deanna organized a website where people can sign up to bring us food. We have a full calendar for the next two weeks! It's fantastic to get to see our friends while at the same time getting food delivered to us. Such a blessing!

Alisha brought Mac & Cheese!

My in-laws arrived yesterday, which has also been amazing. They got right to work taking the baby while Dan and I napped. My mother-in-law Rose set up shop in the kitchen and made blini (Russian pancakes) and drafted a shopping list to make more delicious Russian food. I'm already drooling at the thought of fresh salad olivje, vinegret, borscht and lamb shashlyk!* Yum!

Dan's dad, Yakov, has not been slacking off either. The second he came through the door he literally grabbed the baby and has been hesitant to let go ever since. He's clearly smitten. He also set up our crib for us without any prompting! Though Zoey is a few months away from sleeping in there, and it is not set up in is permanent location, it's great that it's ready so I don't have to think about it in the future.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I'm so grateful to have one of my own. Parenting is an incredible experience--one best shared with friends and family.

*Russian Foods (from Wikipedia):
Olivje from French surname Olivier) salad: a mayonnaise-based potato salad distinguished by its diced texture and the contrasting flavors of pickles, hard-boiled eggs, and peas.
Vinegret (from French vinaigrette): a salad made of boiled beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, onions, sauerkraut, and sometimes peas or white beans.
Shashlyk is a form of Shish kebab (marinated meat grilled on a skewer) popular in former Soviet Union countries, notably in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. It often features alternating slices of meat and onions.

Welcome to the World Zahara Jane!

I am so excited to announce the birth of my beautiful baby girl, Zahara Jane. Zoey was born on Saturday, June 29th at 7:34 a.m. Weighing 8.0 pounds and 19.5 inches long, she's absolutely perfect. To say we're in love is an understatement.

Zahara Jane and mom

Zahara is named after Dan's late grandfather (Zeus) and my late grandmother (Sally Jane). The name Zahara is of Hebrew origin, meaning "to shine" and "brightness."

We're soaking up the first few days with Zoey and are loving every second. We're three days into this crazy adventure, and every day has been totally new. It's really fun getting to know each other. I'm amazed at how much I feel like I already know her, and, at the same time, how much of a mystery she remains.

Dan has been absolutely amazing. I could not ask for a more supportive, loving partner. He's already such a good dad it makes my heart break. And, he's been spoiling me rotten. He brought me champagne* and bagels and lox to the hospital! Best morning ever!

A toast to a new life!

*Don't worry, I only had a small amount and had just fed. There was no alcohol in my system by the time Zoey needed another feeding.

Honey Beer Bread

Do you ever see something on Pinterest and know immediately that you have to have it? Last week, while impatiently waiting for my little bundle of joy to arrive, I saw this pin for buttery honey beer bread. It only took an hour to make and I had all the ingredients on hand. SOLD.

Buttery honey beer bread from Cookie Monster Cooking

This bread delivered exactly as promised. It was so easy to make; buttery and crunchy on the outside; slightly chewy on the inside; and a perfect level of sweetness. Trust me, you need this bread in your life.

Buttery Honey Beer Bread
Original recipe from here

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 bottle (12 ounce) of your favorite beer*
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together both kinds of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in the honey and beer and mix until just combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. It will look less like bread dough and more like thick cupcake batter. 
• Evenly pour the melted butter over the top of the batter. This will look so wrong, but trust me. It turns out great.
• Place pan on a baking sheet to catch any drippings and transfer to the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

NOTE: I used my favorite beer, Leffe. It's perfect for this bread because it's light and sweet. It goes really well with the honey flavor. Since it's only 8 ounces, I just added a smidge of water to compensate. You really don't need much liquid.