small + friendly

Meatless Monday

We have been practicing Meatless Mondays since Earth Day.  (It's not always on Monday, but at least once a week we skip meat.)  I thought I'd share a few recipes I've found that make quick, delicious, healthy, and filling vegetarian dinners.  When I looked at the list I found a common thread: beans.  Beans beans the magical fruit, they make a delicious meat substitute!  So here a few recipes I recommend for Meatless Monday, or any night of the week.

(source)

Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup from Whole Living.  With an immersion blender this soup takes no time to make and tastes so rich you'll think it's full of heavy cream.  Yum!

(source)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Stew from Ready Made.  This stew is really satisfying and makes awesome leftovers, I usually double the recipe.

Lastly, remember this Sausage and Spinach Pasta?

Skip the sausage, add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans and you've got dinner ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta!

There you have it, three quick and tasty meals that celebrate the humble bean.  Oh, did I mention they are super cheap?  I hope this inspires you to skip meat and give beans a chance.

Happy (Meatless) Monday!  

Never Enough

source

You know that classic answer to the interview question "what is your greatest weakness"?

Well, my greatest weakness really is perfectionism.  And becoming a mother has ramped it into overdrive.

I'm writing this because I'm hoping I'm not the only one who feels this way, and because I'm hoping a public confession will help me figure out a way to let go.

I love my son so much that I want to be my very best for him.  My logical self knows that my very best does not, cannot, equal perfection; but my feelings tell a different story, and they keep me up at night with thoughts like:

I feed Jude lots and lots of organic fruits and veggies but ... they're not always local and seasonal.

I use cloth diapers but ... not all the time. (Huggies Overnites = 12 hours of sleep)

Jude doesn't have to go to daycare but ... he does have to come to work with me two days a week.

I eat healthy and exercise but ... I'm still lugging around baby weight.

I breastfed but ... not as long as I was "supposed to" or even as long as I "planned".

I generally have a long fuse but ... sometimes I lose my patience, sometimes I even yell.

I know that I'm doing my best but ... I don't know how to convince myself that it's good enough.  

There you have it.  I promise I'm not crazy but ... slightly manic and occasionally overwhelmed, no doubt.   

Funny enough, the biggest reason I want to change is to set the right example for Jude.  I always want him to feel that his best is good enough.  How can I convince him of that if I hold myself to some unattainable standard of perfection?  How do I find a balance between the drive and ambition to always be better and the acceptance that that work will never be done?

For now, I'll just keep giving this whole motherhood thing my all and try to have faith that it will be more than enough.  

Meet Manfred

I would like to introduce you to Sir Manfred Catspaw III.  

The elves (well, actually one very special elf) made him for Jude last Christmas.  I've been carrying around this fabric with me since college, and I finally found the perfect thing to make with it.  Manfred is based on Lotta Jansdotter's buddies, with a few feline twists.  

Jude really loves him, which makes me super happy; although, I wouldn't have been too broken up if I had to keep him myself.  

I'm pretty sure plushies are my new favorite thing to sew.  I love how once the face goes on they instantly have so much personality.  Did you make any holiday presents this year?  Do you sew, craft, or knit?  If so, do you have a favorite creation?

First Birthday Calypso Style

What kind of a birthday do you throw for a winter baby who loves Harry Belafonte?  Why, an indoor beach party of course!  We cranked up the heat and the vintage Calypso beats for a first birthday party that was all about island fun.  The decor was simple, the highlight being a very affordable and awesomely cheesy beach backdrop which made for lots of great photo ops:

How cute does he look with his Lolly and Pappy (AKA my parents)?  They graciously offered their beautiful home for the occasion, which was great, because I'm pretty sure our little house would have been bursting at the seams (Jude is very popular).

The other decorations consisted of drink umbrellas, flowers for the ladies' hair, and beach balls, which Jude loved:

 For lunch, we dined like you might at a Jamaican resort: grilled jerk chicken, green salad, and tropical fruit salad. (Sorry about the less than stellar picture, hosting a party and photographing it proved tricky.) 

What would a Calypso party be without the limbo?

We all got a pretty big kick out of baby limbo:

Last, but definitely not least, it's not a birthday party without cake.  In this case two kinds of cupcakes: chocolate with butter-cream "surf" and spice with brown-sugar-cream-cheese "sand":

 

There you have it: Jude's First Birthday Party, Calypso Style.  

A special thank you to my parents for hosting, my dad for grilling, Meg and Devin for helping decorate fifty cupcakes, Jason for everything, and to all of our beautiful family and friends who made it such a wonderful day.  

A few resource details:

Decor was from Oriental Trading Company

Cupcake idea was from Martha Stewart

Plates and napkins were scored at Target

Music was Vintage Calypso Hits and Harry Belafonte on itunes

P.S. - You can read more about Jude's party here and see him eat more cake here 

Can you hear the steel drums?

This is a bit of a teaser, but I didn't want to leave you ALL weekend without any birthday party pictures.  I have well over one hundred to edit through, and I promise to have a full party recap up next week.  For now, in honor of my newfound "less is more" attitude, I'll leave you with this sneak peak.  He wore that hat for the entire party!  I was so happy that he actually had fun at his first birthday party.  He wasn't overwhelmed, he breezed (or should I say limboed?) right through nap time, and he smiled in his little porkpie hat until all the guests had said goodbye.  I am still in shock, and a little bit of denial, that I am now the mother of a one year old.  He is officially a walking, talking, independent little person.  And while I'm going to miss the baby time terribly, we couldn't be having more fun, and I couldn't be more smitten.  

Jude, your mama is so proud of you and so full of love for you sometimes she thinks she might explode.  Thanks for being the best little man in the world.  May each birthday be better than the last.  I love you!         

Here's hoping everyone has a beautiful weekend!  

T-Shirt Recycling

source

Okay, I know I said I had to get rid of some stuff, and I'm trying not to add projects to my list but ... looking at my big pile of purged clothes there seem to be so many t-shirts that are begging for a new life.  Maybe as a no-sew tote.  Or a really cool produce bag.  Or some cute pants for Jude.  In honor of my less is more pledge I will only keep a few of the really cute shirts and I won't start these projects until all of my organizing is done.  I think that's a fair compromise, right?

P.S. - Someone's Calypso themed birthday party was a big hit.  Lots of pictures and all the details soon! 

My New Year's Motto

This year I've adopted less of a resolution and more of a mantra.  I plan on repeating the phrase "less is more" until a few of my "more is more" habits fade, or at least take a vacation.  It turns out when I sit back and look at my garage, closet, and to-do list ... I realize that I'm a bit of a hoarder.  Here's a few examples of what I'm trying to keep in mind:

Less clutter is more space

Less spending is more saving

Less structure is more spontaneity

Less new projects are more old projects finished

You get the idea.  Here's hoping that cleaning up my space and my schedule will lead to more fun and more done in two-zero-one-one.  

Wishing you and yours the best year yet,  Happy New Year!    

 

Merrymaking Part III - Let Him Eat Cake