Pantone's Color of The Year - Emerald

Thinking about if I'll be incorporating any emerald green into 2013 after hearing that it's Pantone's pick for "Color of the Year." It is my birthstone after all... and aren't those Kendra Scott earrings fabulous? Maybe 2013 will be a good year for a little emerald.

Colder Weather

Living Without A Microwave

www.smecc.org

Contrary to what the title of this post suggests, we do have a microwave. 


It's a boat.


And therefore, it lives in the attic. 


Our last apartment seriously lacked counter space and our giant retro microwave just didn't make the cut when it came to counter real estate. Our current apartment has a little more counter space (like an extra couple of feet on the three feet we had in our last kitchen) but using that space for our knife block, go-to spices and drying rack makes more sense considering how we use our kitchen. 


I cook most of our meals from scratch and having space to spread out as I put everything together is a requirement. Having our meals reheated in an instant, as it turns out, is not. 


It just means that we have to wait 15 minutes or so to re-heat leftovers in the oven or on the stovetop and that 15 minutes is usually well spent tidying the rest of the kitchen or talking about our day anyway. We store leftovers in oven safe containers so they can be popped right in the oven and take care to cover foods that may be prone to drying out otherwise. 


I can't think of the last time I missed Mr. Microwave, and I certainly don't miss the radiation debate surrounding his kind. And to think that in the beginning it seemed like going without him would be such a big inconvenience. Funny what we get used too.


What kitchen gadget could you live without? What ones are you ardently committed to?


You can take my dusty beast of a microwave but don't get between me and my Magic Bullet. Seriously, I love that thing.

Brown Boots

Friday Under Fifty - Pretty Modern

Peacock dress, £28
Lace top, $50
Bow shoes, £20
Cross body shoulder bag, $45
ASOS stainless steel jewelry, $45
Metal jewelry, $8
Jon Richard peach ring, £8
Wrap bracelet, $40
Betsey johnson earrings, $25
Tasha black hair accessory, $28

Coffee Time

1. Le Creuset, Halo Tea Kettle 
2. Sophie Conran for Portmeirion, Cream Jug and Sugar Basin 
3. Bodum, Chambord French Press 
4. Baccarat Coffee Scoop Clip 
5. Sophie Conran for Portmeirion, Coffee Mug 
6. Bodum, Bistro Coffee Grinder 
7. Emma Bridgewater, Polka Dot Teaspoon 
8. Pacific Connections, Green and White Laquer Tray

Motherhood, Fatherhood and Childhood

Photo by Torben Petersen

I love babies. Everyone does. They are designed to be loved, it's actually a little manipulative, their super adorability ensures that they get the love and attention they need to grow. And I think at some point or another we've all just wanted to take that cute little baby that smiled at us in a line-up at the grocery store home. But wanting to actually bring a baby home, for real, forever  - at least for me, is about a lot more than just magical baby smiles.


Today I hosted a few friends for a potluck style lunch. The star of the show wasn't the delicious food, the wonderful conversation or the youtube videos of the muppets we watched, it was the sole baby in attendance. Every wiggle, giggle and wink was a delight, worthy of our complete attention. Eight adults in a circle, fascinated by watching the little guy discover his feet.


This particular little guy has parents whom I love and my heart swells as I get to watch them become a mother and a father. And I almost tear up when I think of watching that little nugget of a baby become a boy and a man (in like, a million years.)


Being around beautiful little families like this one is enough to encourage some serious "baby on the brain" activity (Like, isn't that hanging bassinet thing amazing?). But it isn't that that has me pinning nursery decor on Pinterest, it's the idea that being a mother or a father is choosing to selflessly give of your body, time, love, energy, resources, your whole life to another person. It is choosing to live outside of yourself, or as Elizabeth Stone writes "it is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."


I sometimes get lost in my own head, get carried away by my own heart, and as hard as it can be to admit, sometimes even isolate myself with my selfishness. Being married has surely made this obvious. And has just as surely made it a flaw worth fixing. Maybe marriage and the oneness out of the twoness is a primer for parenthood in a way. A child needs their mother, or their father, in a very urgent and basic way and that dependency is something that cannot be shelved, ignored or neglected when mother or father feels self-indulgent. Kind of a big, sacrificial deal. And wonderful. And if you're married and/or a committed Christian, familiar too.


Unconditional love, unwavering commitment; a couple of things that I can really get on board with - and those irresistible baby smiles don't hurt either.


My "baby brain" lives here: http://pinterest.com/lemonydawn/baby-brain/


Dawn


Ps. I'm not hormonal, pregnant or even trying to be so at the moment. Thought that might be useful information after all that baby talk. I know you were wondering.