blue eyes, skinny legs, wild hair

Mischief in the Crib birth announcement from Mr. Boddington's Studio

Scout is three weeks old today. In the 21st century--considering email, text messaging, Facebook, twitter and the like--she's practically old news and it's time to send out the birth announcements before she's forgotten. I've been searching on the Internet for a card with the perfect combination of cute and sassy and fell in love with Mr. Boddington's "mischief in the crib" (pictured above). Who says announcements need to state the time of birth, weight and length of the baby (does 20 inches really mean anything to anyone anyway)? Why not give a more accurate picture of the baby, like "big ears, puffy eyes, knobby knees?" The only problem with the aforementioned birth announcement, however, is that a set of 25 will cost you a cool $315--that's more than her crib! Alas, I will not be enlisting Mr. Boddington's help this go-round, but I may steal the idea and tone of said announcement. Here are a couple ideas I'm tossing around:

Tiny feet, finger toes, wrinkled skin

Blue eyes, chubby cheeks, strong cry

good old fashioned family fun

The happy family: one sleeping Bjorned baby (phew!) and a two year-old terrorizing the tasting room.

The idea was not mine but I jumped on it: spend an afternoon with the kids at a local winery. Why hadn't I thought of that? My sister--who also has a two year-old and a new baby at home--lives in Virginia and she and her husband took their girls to a winery there a couple Saturdays ago. She called me a little tipsy after two glasses of wine (what is it about drinking in the afternoon that does that to you?) and sold me on the idea. Beautiful weather, wine, a picnic lunch, plenty of open space for the kids to run around--what better way to spend a summer afternoon?

I spent the next week researching wineries in North Carolina (I had no idea there were so many within an hour's drive of us) and finally settled on Childress Vineyards, which seemed to offer the perfect combination of tasting, tours, food and distance from Charlotte. In addition, it has ties to NASCAR and since Alex has been working for them this summer, I knew he'd be sold on the idea. Then I let everyone know the plan and, channeling my inner Clark W. Griswold, I started saying things like "we're going to a winery on Saturday and we're all going to have a great time!"

On Friday afternoon, Scout and I made a trip to Trader Joe's to load up on all the essentials for a family picnic--bread, cheese, grapes--and I printed out directions for our little adventure. Saturday morning rolled around and I was ready to go. I had imagined getting out of the house by 10:00am to be the first guests at the winery when it opened at 11:00, but (in real life) we didn't pull out of the driveway until 11:43. After taking the wrong exit and doing a little loop-de-loop around the winery, we finally made it there shortly after 1:00pm. The kids were hungry, and I was ready for a glass of wine. Oh, and it was about 95 degrees outside.

I had left the actual packing of the cooler to my husband before we left the house, so when we found a table outside and began preparing the provisions, I saw that in addition to the bread, cheese and grapes I had planned for the occasion, Alex had packed chips and salsa, granola bars, goldfish, crackers, Gatorade, two empty thermoses (not sure what we were doing with those), another cheese and another cheese, clementines, cookies, salted almonds, chili-spiced dried mango and a partridge in a pear tree. I'm glad that he's always prepared, but I was less than thrilled with the over-packing when lunch was finished and I had to trek everything back to the car (in the blazing sun) while Alex went man-to-man keeping Catcher under control. I hadn't had my wine yet.

After two diaper changes and a quick feeding for Scout we were finally ready for the tasting. Inside the tasting room is where Catcher's personality came to life. He was running around the room yelling "Honey! Honey!" to get Alex's attention (he hears me calling Alex honey, and our subsequent laughter only urged him to continue) and climbing on tables staged with elaborate wine displays. It's a miracle nothing was broken during the mayhem, and bless the woman who was stuck pouring wine for the Wheats that afternoon.

After taking turns chasing Catcher, I would've been happy tasting Boone's Farm wine. But as it turns out, we did try some decent wines and ended up spending $50 on two bottles (we also got free souvenir glasses, so it was worth it). All in all it was a fun day, but as Alex and I reminisced about our trip to Napa a few years ago on the drive home, we decided that wine tasting is better left as an adult-only activity.

Please keep Catcher occupied while I finish my wine tasting. Thanks, babe!

Hot, sweaty, tuckered-out two year-old ready for the ride home.

catalog living

Catalog Living

The other day I referenced living in a West Elm catalog, and this morning my friend sent me a link to the wittiest blog I've seen: Catalog Living. Dedicated to giving you "a look into the exciting lives of the people who live in your catalogs," you've got to check this one out. Let's all be thankful that we don't live inside a catalog (although I know a few people who wish they did).

push it

1st prize: Ileana Makri diamond thread band

After the agonizing hours of labor and the after-effects of childbirth; once you're home from the hospital with a healthy, beautiful new baby; when your nights are sleepless and your days are hazy, you're ready for a badge of honor--i.e. the "push present."

I don't know the origins of the push present, or push "prize" as I like to call it, but the idea is flawless: the husband honors his wife for going through something that at times seemed impossible, and the child receives an instant heirloom as a future birthday present. After Catcher I received a diamond pave band that I will one day hand down to him to give the girl of his dreams (pending my approval, of course). And now that Scout is here, I will once again be rewarded for my valiant efforts in the delivery room. Because Alex understands my species--that of the female variety--he has asked me to point him in the right direction for picking the perfect prize. He told me he'd like to find "a beautiful necklace." I have a few ideas:

Hammered number pendant from Love Rocks NY

How cute is this? Number two deserves a number two, don't you think? Seeking an alternative to the ubiquitous diamond initial necklace, when I saw this number I knew its simplicity and quirkiness was right in line with my taste. I also love the chain, which feels a little retro and dog tag-ish.

Campise hummingbird necklace available at Ron Herman

Hush little baby, don't say a word

Papa's gonna buy you a hummingbird?

Yes, Scout's name came from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, so I thought it would be cute to find a mockingbird necklace. The closest I could find was this hummingbird. I've never really been a "bird" person, but there's something enchanting about this little guy.

Ruby circle necklace from Scosha

July's birthstone is the ruby. Although I've never been a huge fan of the stone, it takes on a new meaning when one (or both) of your children has it as a birthstone. This sweet, unassuming ruby pendant necklace from New York designer Scosha is perfect. 

Of course the best prize of all is a healthy baby, but who doesn't want a little bling to show off?

what's in a name

Scout bag by Petunia Pickle Bottom available from Posh Tots

I apologize in advance to any mom out there that I might offend with the following statement, but diaper bags are lame. Even the so-called "hip" bags scream "I'm a dorky mom!" I never carried an actual "diaper bag" with Catcher, but I was able to find a great street bag by Dunlin with plenty of pockets, etc. for hauling around all your baby essentials (many of which you don't need, by the way).

With the impending arrival of Scout, I set my sights on finding a messenger style that would serve as the proverbial diaper bag. Not only are messenger bags "in" fashion at the moment, but after schlepping Catcher's things around on my shoulder for over a year, I discovered it's much more efficient to be hands-free when carting a baby around town. Steering clear of actual diaper bags, my search led me through online galleries of leather bags, canvas bags, compact bags and oversized bags; bags in black, brown and blue and bags in red, green or yellow. However, I never landed on the right bag at the right price...until last night when I happened upon a diaper bag, of all things, called the Scout. I knew it was meant to be.

Never mind that the bag's designer is Petunia Pickle Bottom (the name sends chills down my spine); the bag is exactly what I had envisioned for myself with a price tag under $150. It turns out that the only feature I don't like about the bag--bottle holders on the outside that give away its true identity--is removable. The irony of having my search for a non-diaper-bag diaper bag end with me owning a real diaper bag is not lost on me, so call me a dorky mom. Perhaps I'm even dorkier than I thought since my daughter's name is prominently displayed on the inside and out (did I mention I hate monograms?).

the measure of cool

On my wish list: The Selby is in Your Place

Photographer and blogger Todd Selby knows what cool is. If he ever comes knocking on your door requesting a photo shoot, you'll know that you've made it into the realm of the eternally hip. This past Sunday the New York Times profiled Selby, and I became even more fascinated with his work. I applaud his attitude toward choosing the interiors he photographs, which Selby sums up succinctly in this quote: "I'm not interested in someone who's just rich and boring or paid some interior designer to make this crazy house."

I've always been a fan of the photojournalistic approach to photography, and Selby's ability to capture raw or unstaged, if you will, interiors is inspiring to those of us who don't live inside a West Elm catalog. Here's a closer look at some of his work (all photos from The Selby).

plan b

One of the things I love most about decorating is being able to call an audible at the line of scrimmage (borrowing an analogy from my husband). When I first found a Vladimir Kagan lookalike chair on eBay (see my favorite color), I envisioned recovering the plastic-covered, palm-tree cushion in F. Schumacher's Chiang Mai fabric. However, after receiving the fabric--from another eBay source--I decided it's simply too fun to use on such a small project. So I have another plan for that fabric (I'll elaborate on a later date) and in the meantime I'm back on eBay scouring fabric remnants from "to the trade" designers such as Lee Jofa, Donghia, Osborne & Little and Kravet. The only problem I have now is choosing just one of these fabrics. Each time I see a pattern I like, my mind runs wild designing pillows and thinking of furniture to cover. So many fabrics; so little projects.

Catcher testing out the eBay chair dressed in Chiang Mai

Another look at Vladimir Kagan's Lucite chairs; image from 1st dibs

Option 1: Osborne & Little's Berber fabric

Option 2: Osborne & Little "Fez"

Option 3: Osborne & Little's Suzani fabric

I found all three fabrics pictured above on eBay. Each piece measures around 26"x26", which is just enough to cover the chair's cushion. Now I need to decide which fabric works best. I originally thought the chair would sit at my desk, but the cushion is about an inch-and-a-half too low to work comfortably. Once again: an audible is necessary. Although I don't have room for the chair in my living room currently, it would make an excellent reading chair or a comfortable place to curl up while zoning out in front of the television. At the moment, I'm leaning toward Fez--I like the retro vibe and the contrasting pop of color from the red and turquoise. The auctions don't end for another 19 days, so I have some time to think about it. And if I change my mind again, any of the fabrics would make lovely pillows.