Warming the House

Raine is snoring softly in his crib and Dan is multi-tasking cooking dinner and writing thank you cards to our friends who came to our housewarming party two weeks ago. There is laundry to fold and projects to attend to, as well as so much dust accumulating in those little nooks in each room... But! I would really love to sit and write just now. (Bless Over the Rhine and the double album that arrived by post today, for it moves me to relax and reflect.)

We found a perfect wreath for our front door the morning of the party at the Yamhill Lavendar Festival.

I was a bit caught off guard by how little I felt I had accomplished at decorating or preparing our new home after having lived there two months. A few days before the party, I felt the urge to drastically decorate! But really. There is no time! Putting up fences, hanging art, hanging curtains and painting walls will come eventually. That is the joy I look forward to in living in our home...Making it ours slowly as the days go by. The overall fact is that we are in what I like to call the "two full-time-working partner domestic marathon" and there are diapers to change, work hours to log, a high maintenance dog and cat to attend to, peanut butter to wipe off what seems like every surface, and a million errands to run in between. ;-) I have to thank Char for all the cleaning she did while baby-sitting Raine. And I did my best to make things look presentable: hang some art that had been sitting on the floor, tidy up, and put out some fresh lavender for our guests.

We were thrilled to have quite a few guests despite the fact that we now live a little further west than the rest! Standard commute for folks was 45 minutes, and one couple drove all the way from Sandy, which is at least an hour and a half. One particular guest I will refer to as "the guest of honor" because it was Dan's mom, Char, all the way from Chicago. :) We asked guests to sign our guest book in the entry. While unpacking from the move, I found our wedding guest book from 2004 and the empty pages in the last half seemed to be asking for fresh signatures... We received some cards and gifts, two beautiful orchids, and more than a few beverages to fill our fridge and wine shelf. Everyone was so sweet and generous! I have to say the most clever gift was from Josh and Mary. They brought a crumble pie and the pie plate itself was for us to keep. Great idea! And speaking of a crumble pie...The food was the best part! Another friend, Melissa, also brought a dessert, fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips, and we savored those leftovers for a few nights after the party! :) The theme of our "spread" we provided for our guests was "Carlton." I really wanted to show off all of the fantastic artisan food and beverage businesses in our little town. We had bread from the bakery, handmade chocolates, specialty jams and sausages, and of course, local beer and wine! ;-) I supplemented some chips, veggies, cheese, and other items from Trader Joe's because I am not perfect and did not have the time to shop various farms or make my own crackers from scratch with local grains, thank you very much. We don't actually have a TJ's near Carlton, so I had to drive to the one in Lake O after work Friday afternoon. It made for an hour drive home, but it was worth it to know we were serving items that were GMO free and generally free of extra additives/preservatives etc.

*Chocolates and bark from Honest Chocolates*

*Pesto and heirloom tomato bruschetta made form baguettes from Carlton Bakery*

*Carlton Farms sausages with dipping mustards*

My favorite part was offering a little jam tasting. I bought some crackers and cookies from T Joe's and the lovely ladies at Republic of Jam gave Char proper pairings for everyone to taste. (My favorite was the tomato & fennel, and not only was it outstanding on its own accord with the pita crackers or pretzel sticks, it was fabulous with the spicy sausage!) See a complete list of jams with pairings and recipes below. Of course, Dan and Char did all of the actual prepping and cooking, while I made sure my overall concept was executed perfectly and presentation was *lovely* down to the last detail ~ cute little note cards to describe each offering. LOL.

*Dan's figs & goat cheese wrapped in Carlton Farms bacon. You wouldn't know it but we also had options for our vegan friends. ;-)*

The Spread (*Vegan):

Figs & goat cheese wrapped in bacon (Carlton Farms)
Assorted quinoa/bean and sweet potato/corn chips with guacamole*
Greek salad bites with feta, tomato, and olives
Assorted chocolates and bark (Honest Chocolates)
Grilled sausages ("Smoked Bratwurst" and "Louisiana Red Hot") and dipping mustards (Carlton Farms)
Pine nut pesto and tomato bruschetta - without cheese (Carlton Bakery)*
Fruit salsa with baked cinnamon chips (Made by Melissa!)*
Assorted hummus and pretzel bites*
Sea salt pita crackers & smoked tomato fennel jam (ROJ)* (No link to that jam...Sold out! Next batch up in 1 week! ;-)
Rosemary raisin crackers & rhubarb rosemary jam (ROJ)*
Ginger cookies & apricot reisling jam (ROJ)* (Jam is currently sold out!)
Coconut cookies & pineapple vanilla clove jam (ROJ)*
Assorted brews from Fire Mountain Brew House*
Assorted wines from Cana's Feast Winery*

And you can see all photos from the party here.

Real Life is Messy

State of Affairs by the End of the Day from Dan and Leah Herzing on Vimeo.

Blasty's Nursery - Finished!

Oh my goodness...Where do I begin? This room has been a project of labor and love for much longer than I have even known I am pregnant. As most of you know, I started stockpiling things for "future-baby" back in 2004 when I started working at a baby boutique, and then actually started scouting out furniture and decor while browsing blogs for unique ideas in 2007 when we first started trying to conceive. Of course, times change and my taste changed over and over again, so by the time I found myself with a positive pregnancy test, a virtual license, if you will, to start creating a nursery(!), I was both excited and overwhelmed with ideas. I pulled out everything I had stored away and put together an "inspiration" album to guide me (check it out here, if you like). I didn't just decorate this room, I curated it. Every single little detail has a story that I could tell and was selected with more than enough special care and consideration. And I have to thank that SILLY. AMAZING. WONDERFUL. husband of mine for his help and record-breaking patience as I altered this sacred 125 square foot space over the last 8 months! :)

So without further ado, here are the basics, followed by a link to the album with more detailed photos....!

See More Photos Here...!

Reading To Blasty

Earlier this week, Dan announced that he wanted to start reading to Blasty every night before we go to sleep. He wants Blasty to know his voice. :) Luckily, we already have a large collection of books! For our baby shower at Uncle Doug & Aunt Rita's, everyone was asked to sign their name to a book for Blasty's library rather than a card. (We had an entire duffel bag full of books that we brought home!) It has been so much fun to pick a new book every night and open it up to see who it is from.**

The first night was really funny though, because the first book he picked had about 2 words in it. LOL. It was a picture book of trucks. He enthusiastically read "Truck" and "Trucking" about ten times and that was it. I laughed so hard I cried! :) Every night was fun as we alternated picking books and often opened them up to find a signature and think of a good friend or family member. Last night we opened up one to find out it was from Papa & Noni, (my mom and dad) and it was a popular book I had heard of but never read, "On the Night You Were Born." It was so sweet! Oh boy it was hard not to cry! :)

Here is a list of Blasty's first books this past week...I know it is totally silly to share it, but hey, I'm a sentimental pregnant mama:

Truck by Donald Crews
Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer (Both Dan and I grew up reading and LOVING the Little Critter books, didn't you??? My favorites were "Just Go To Bed" and "Me Too")
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton (I hear all of her books are great?)
On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
I Like Bugs by Lorena Siminovich (Petit Collage illustrations--I LOVE their stuff! I didn't know they did books...)
Gossie by Olivier Dunrea

Dan relinquished a shelf from his pint glass collection in the hallway for Blasty's books. (I guess he's officially entering daddy-hood!)

In an attempt to get things organized, I also got some baskets and a bin to hold toys (not that Blasty really has any yet, but I am assuming we will end up with quite a few and we don't have any closet space for them).

The red baskets were a big score from Cost Plus World Market (online) at just $7 each and then I super-indulged myself with 1 of those popular/trendy organic canvas bins (quite the deceptively HUGE container) by 3 Sprouts ($40).

**The most popular books at the baby shower were "Goodnight Moon" and "Guess How Much I Love You." Blasty received 4 copies of each. :) Another note of interest: He received books in Spanish and French, not just English! We will have fun practicing our horrible accents. :)

the weekend we got a tree and a couch:

we lucked out with a beautiful day for tree shopping just like last year. we went to the same neighborhood but a different farm. dan met the owner through work, and she greeted us with her dog, abbie, a pointer who we later fround frozen in pose next to the chicken coop. dan let me cut down the tree this year, probably because it was just my size. last year’s tree, sir noble fir, was quite robust, and this lil’ guy, noble fir junior, is a natural form tree. which, according to dan, is the way that a tree should be grown---never sheared (which is what people do to create the dense appearance we all know (and like). so yes, this is the “natural” way but it also has a bit of the “charlie brown” look. and that’s okay! we love it! without further ado, please meet jimmy, our 2010 tree, all dressed up and ready to go out on the town:

unfortunately our camera could not even begin to conceive of how to take a photo of a christmas tree in a dark room. no matter what setting i chose, the lights were too bright and blurry. the magical gnomes returned with other merry felted creatures, and a new one appeared…florence, a little elephant traveling through christmasland in a balloon…

after we got jimmy settled in, we went downtown to west elm and picked up our couch!!! we made the decision at last(!) and we are 100% happy with our choice. the guy who helped us was super cute and gave us a 10% discount just because he was also super nice. (he called it a new design discount or something…he said we had to pretend we were decorating our first home. sure! i’ll pretend!) the funniest thing about this couch, now that we have it, is that we love it so much we can’t figure out why we had such a hard time deciding! lol. it is super comfy and long, which is exactly what we wanted. and little did we know how much hobbes and rocco would like it. (note hobbes below, already sitting on it before we removed the plastic wrap.) in fact, he sat on it all night, and when i came home for lunch, there he was. and then again later when we got home from work. he couldn’t get enough of it! rocco is quite taken with the chaise, in particular. he brings all of his toys to the chaise and sits with them.

with a 10% discount, i also thought we should pick up a coffee table while we were there. i researched couches for four months, narrowed them down, we visited them, and we visited this couch four times over two months before finally deciding to get it. i could NOT make up my mind! then i took one look at a coffee table and bought it. there is no method to my madness. so pray for dan because there are more choices to be made: curtains, wall paint color, chairs, hardwood flooring, lamps, etc. we’re going to be busy this year. :)

now that i have a coffee table for the first time, i have no idea what to put on it. lol. i do have a coffee table book stored away somewhere (i remember when i got it i knew i had no use for it but dreamt i would have a table one day). for now i’m using the front shelf for all of the holiday cards we get, and the back shelf has our remotes and the laptop…i will have to devise some aesthetically pleasing storage solutions. :) …and our “centerpiece” for now are these little candles i got at pottery barn. which one is your favorite???

Thoughts About the Kitchen

This cork board has rotated from room to room and finally landed here in the kitchen, where I try to keep us motivated and updated with foods and recipes:

• Top left corner page is from Edible Portland, listing 43 foods and 6 herbs currently in season and available locally. I wish we were better about exploring this list, but we tend to stick with what we know. Items for this season that I've never tried? Chervil, fenugreek, borage, chicories, rape, salsify, burdock, celeriac, and rutabagas. BTW, did you know that there are 13 different kinds of greens we could enjoy this season? The only green I usually have is spinach. And it's NOT in season!
• The EAT page is from a notepad we use to write down our 7 meals for the week. We shop for those meals on Sundays (together, when we can) and have them to pick from every night when we stare at each other and ask, "What do you want for dinner?" For example, meals for this week: Hummus and vegetable platter; thai style noodles with vegetables and tofu in peanut sauce; good old fashioned spaghetti; Italian grain meat sausages (made with eggplant, fennel, garlic, and red pepper) and potatoes au gratin; Israeli couscous with pine nuts, parsley, and assorted goodies; chile relleno casserole (featured in our last post).
• Our latest borrowed recipe - Vegetable Stroganoff from Jess, copied from Heaven's Banquet (both her's and our favorite new cookbook).
• The photo of the cow is from a magazine, and the text reads, "The average American meal travels about 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate." - The Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture.
• A list of vegetarian sources of protein. As you can see, the list is very long, with many options. Our most common daily sources of protein are whole grains, soy milk, beans, peanut butter, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, lentils, and tofu. 6.) A small index card that lists different types and information for whole grains...because I have no idea! (I have yet to try millet, amaranth, and spelt).

I have always had a hard time working with the bright blue color of our walls, but recently I have settled into using neutrals like ivory, grey, white, and brown (as opposed to lots of bright, primary colors like I had done before) and a splash of complimentary orange/coral/maroon. I like to think that I make it all work for such a tiny space, but I'm usually frustrated and uncertain when it comes to kitchen decor.

Because I am not the real cook of the kitchen, I focus my energy on decorating it. I simultaneously try to appease my inner-snob with well-designed if not designer pieces, and my inner-concsience by using found or used objects, natural woods and ceramics, or non-toxic cleaners. *God, if I could only rid the habit of using 1,000 paper towels every day.

And that's IT. That is our kitchen. There is another cabinet for food/spices, and a refridgerator. It is VERY SMALL. Also, the bright blue paint is off and on the bain of my existence, but I have to admit it photographs well.

Introducing Blake Herzing

Blake is a new member of the Herzing family. He's a betta fish with puffy, kissy lips. He's also got a beautiful blend of colors going on: violet, gold, rose pink, electric blue, gray. For that characteristic, I named him Blake. He was my birthday gift from hubby this year, and he's settled in fairly well to his new environment. We gave him a super-huge bowl, distilled water that we change every week, rocks, and hearty fish pellets three times a day. He is situated in the living room, on top of our "computer center" (we converted our baking rack), next to several plants. When I look at him with my face close to the bowl, he saunters over and gets right up in front of me and makes eyes while puckering his lips. We are so in love with each other.

Decorating: Zen Retreat & Pet Closet

This is a lovely parlor-turned-zen-retreat that I keep meaning to share. It's Lorri & Carmen's entry room to their home & Lorri just redecorated what was a formal dining space to a more casual spot for relaxation. I wish I had a picture of the before....It was beautiful with a clean, white, classic look--So the change was drastic! Isn't it great? My favorite aspects are the wall color (brave Lorri!), the Buddha fountain, plush rug, and trunk-like stool.

I've had the decorating bug myself, but we aren't in a position to carry out any major work that I would like to. So tonight? I redecorated the pet closet. Oh yes. Rocco, Hobbes, and I sat down and discussed color swatches, what they hoped the space would achieve for them, and how to make it a bit more Martha Stewart so I wouldn't mind cleaning the litter box everyday. The result?













A hand-knit catnip-filled fish dangles from the doorknob and inside, Hobbes' pink litter box (a gift from Auntie Gayle) with brand new litter--Feline Pine! (We're going for a more environmentally friendly litter. I hope it works because I'm tired of coughing and having a headache when I scoop that clay stuff in his box.)























Top shelf: Feline Pine, kitty bubbles by SmartyKat, Bitter Apple anti-chew spray. Middle shelf: Egg Press dog and lion illustrations, baskets with grooming tools and another hand-knit catnip-filled toy by George. Bottom shelf: Brown bags & a scooper, royal lion illustration by Sukie, box liners, Pure Ayre odor-eliminator spray, and the Dog Owner's Manual. (I also used craft paper to add color to the back of the wall.)

Has Anyone Seen Rocco?

Surviving the Heat Wave

With temperatures climbing to over 100 degrees this weekend, Portland is freaking out. Not to mention Rocco and Hobbes. We tried placing wet towels on them for a neat cooling effect that Dan and I enjoy, and they ran from us as though we were going to chop off their feet. Finally, I poured a glass of water on top of each of them and they sulked off to cool and stop panting.

We are lucky in the sense that our condo faces the northwest and gets a lovely shade from surrounding Cedars and Sweet Gums, so unlike our neighbors situated on the opposite side in shameless sunlight, we can keep the place regulated pretty cool by keeping everything shut up during the day and letting breezes through at night. Oh, did I mention we don't have air conditioning?

We also don't have air conditioning working in our car anymore, which makes for a sauna of a commute at the end of the day, when Portland reaches peak temperatures between 4 and 6 p.m. This is one of the things that I have never adjusted to completely in the Northwest. Growing up in Central Illinois, you could expect the peak temperature at "high noon," usually spent graciously at the public pool, and then by dinner time it was cooling off. Not here.

Speaking of dinner, I did keep in mind the uber-hot temperatures when I planned our meals this week. Cool dishes like sushi rolls and edemame, santa fe gazpacho, and pasta or veggie salads taste so good when you're sweating in your underwear. And of course, ice cold ales never hurt.

Newly Spotted: Mésange à Tête Noire

Poecile atricapilla - Black-capped Chickadee

"The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items for later recovery. Each item is placed in a different spot and a bird can remember thousands of hiding places" (Cornell).

Above photo from Birds Likely to be Observed in Oregon.

Boris

Cyanocitta stelleri -- Steller's Jay is kind of a bully with the other birds. Most get out of his way. He likes the feeding tray, the birdbath and the suet tray. The other birds come back after he leaves. Calls are low pitched, raucous, and varied, often in a series of 3. Stellers imitates hawks expertly. (Photo and text from Birds Likely to be Observed in Oregon).

Our resident Steller's Jay is Boris, a rude dude with a 'tude. Ever reckless and stubborn, Boris developed a habit of flying straight into our finch bird feeder, head-butting it with the full force of his flight in order to knock out seed he can munch on. It is not uncommon for Boris to do this while Dan or I are sitting out on the balcony, which always nearly gives me a heart attack. I hope to catch a photo of Boris soon...

This Is My Brain on Anthropologie

I had the recent fortune of receiving two generous gifts from my best friends, Megan and Hattie, that allows me a $XXX.00 shopping spree at Anthropologie. For the average consumer, this might entail a fun shopping spree, but I am no average consumer. I have been obsessing over the possibilities for weeks. When will I ever have this sort of spree again? I have to choose my items wisely, and this is far more complicated than one might think given the fact that there are so many ways to indulge yourself at this store; dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters, handbags, jewelry, soaps and perfumes, rugs, dishes, books, lamps, linens...The list goes on and on.

After several "scouting" visits, I think I have formed my strategy...

1.) Personal. Today, I picked up a pair of sunglasses. (Practical? Maybe. I didn't even look at the UV protection. Mostly, they make me feel like a movie star). In terms of personal clothing or accessories, I felt my purchase would be most fruitful when put toward an item or items that I truly need. Other considerations: Earrings that can go with everything, a nice cardigan sweater (always practical and I adore the handmade "grandma" look of designs by brands like Ric Rac, Little Button, or Guenievere), or one of those cute little change purses--or, preferably the longer glasses purse, which I would use to contain my ridiculous plastic pill case. [After all, my philosophy is when you loathe something, find a way to make it a.) pretty or b.) smell good. I learned this from Megan, who lived for several years in her first house without a dishwasher. To coax her consciousness in a place of greater peace during washing dishes, she bought wonderful, fragrant soaps, fun and pretty tools, and set up a mini TV on the counter.]

[Damn, is she a movie star or what?]

2.) For the Home. This is my greatest difficulty because I want my house to look perfect and I have absolutely NO budget to do anything to achieve perfection. Not to mention I am absolutely addicted to obsessive decorating mania. There is no rest for someone like me. (My husband stands by watching in disbelief and confusion.) My strategy is to divvy up the purchase power of my store credit between rooms. I've asked myself, what does each room need? What would tie it together or add a sense of character? Well, unfortunately, there is no gift card with a great enough amount to meet the needs of our home. It just doesn't have good bones. It's a typical, cheap apartment built in the 70s with no character or architectural details. And those added by the owner before us don't quite add up. (Have I shown pictures? Bizarre.) I've considered wallpapering the bathroom or kitchen, a new rug for the living room, new bedding for the guest room, or accents for the kitchen and dining area, to name a few. There is only so much I can do, so it's come down to this room or that room. Today, I bought some clearance glasses for the kitchen. They're the small childlike glasses with single letters and graphics silkscreens. Dan and Hobbes broke the last two I had. I bought "H" for Herzing, "L" for Leah, "D" for Dan, and "E" and "F" for my favorite future-baby names. Call me crazy--I don't care. Next, I plan to purchase a tablecloth, hardware for our bedroom, wall decor for the living room, and a few accessories here and there. I had to let go of the wallpaper idea because Dan about had a coronary over the idea of applying wallpaper to the kitchen. I hope to have actual photos of our place soon. I always promise and then don't deliver because I am a perfectionist and nothing is ever good enough to photograph and share.

[Dan, Ezra, Fern, Herzing, Leah]

What's in Our Fridge

From the What's in Your Fridge? group on flickr.

What's On Your Nightstand?

Thanksgiving Photos 07

Dan cooked all morning and I tried to set the mood...

The guest list started at four and ended up with twelve adults and one adorable baby:

The most challenging part of hosting dinner was providing the right food for everyone--vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, omnivore...

(Full menu to be posted by Dan later...!)