designdelicious

dainty details.

2009-12-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

Photo: Ali Edwards

I love this little wall display of baby clothes and that sparkly initial. So simple + sweet. I have plenty of heirloom clothing I could do this with. Even some boy pieces, mind you!

a peachy baby butt & peaches.

2009-12-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Photo: Mine.

When May Day gets here (that's what I'll call our baby's arrival from now on), I want two things only:

a) to pinch that tiny butt (which is guaranteed to be big) and

b) a suitcase full of SC peaches

sleeplessness, jam & a shooting star.

2009-12-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

This picture reminds me of all my delicious mornings in Switzerland, waking up to the empty house, fresh bread, butter & jam and a frothy cappucino. Oh, how I miss my breakfasts! And let's not fool ourselves, there was rarely Bonne Maman jam in Evy's house, only homemade would do for us!

***

I woke up at 4 AM this morning, hungry. I tried to go back to sleep but eventually came down and had a bowl of cereal. I'd been wondering/worrying about my sister's smallest twin, Jack. I saw a shooting star while lying there and made a wish. Then The Nugget poked me a little and I fell back asleep around 6.

***

the shabby apple dresses

2009-12-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

The Shabby Apple is a company I've heard of before. They make lots of pretty, colorful retro styled dresses at good prices. I was on there today and realized they do maternity. I'd love to wear this green dress when I get good and round. Now just take away those goofy ass shoes and hat & we have a deal.

another nursery...

2009-12-20T06:57:00.001-08:00

I found this nursery tour while googling IKEA changing tables. Out of all the cribs I have seen, the simple streamlined Gulliver from IKEA is still my favorite. Check out the rest of the nursery here on Ali Edwards blog.

strollers!

2009-12-19T11:59:00.001-08:00

Yep, we knew that whole thing about not wanting to shop for baby gear would be ending soon now that I am feeling great. After wasting vast amounts of time online with this winter storm that has hit us, here are a few contenders:

1) First off, my favorite (I think). The Quinny Zapp. It's European and weighs something like 13 pounds and is the most compact stroller in the world. You can combine it with a Maxi Cosi infant car seat until the child is big enough to ride in it facing outward. I'd not go with the blue, FYI.

2) The First Years Indigo Stroller. This one is not yet released. Somehow I found it on Amazon, ready for pre-order. Anyhow, I like the red color and that it is reversable from forward or rear facing.

3) Another new model by The First Years to be released soon. I love the old school pram style & that it's reversable too.

4) Next is the Mia Moda Atmosferra. Wow, that name sounds annoying. Anyhow, I like how many features it has but I think it's pretty gigantic and bulky and would fill out Scion Toaster car's trunk right up.

5) Last is a Kolcraft Contours 4 Wheeler. It seems small and simple. Hard to say how well made it is. But the red color looks good. They also have it in a 3 wheel. I have no clue which is better.

baby boys in plaid.

2009-12-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

If this nugget turns out to be packing it's own nugget, I really won't mind. Look at these cute flannel outfits for little boys. Also, there is something very sweet about a mama & her baby boy.

18 weeks today.

2009-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

It's pretty difficult to shoot a picture of yourself in a small bathroom with a 50 mm. lens. I can't believe I got fully in the frame here. 18 weeks today. That's almost halfway there. Yeehaw. The Nugget is freaking 6 & 1/4 inches long. Whoah! If I think about that for awhile it really creeps me out.

Nonetheless, big-ish and only getting bigger.

acorn magnets

2009-12-11T07:49:00.001-08:00

Acorn magnets!

the good list

2009-12-11T04:34:00.000-08:00

I'm over all these J.Crew kids dressing/looking better than I do. What the hell?! I have a pile of catalogs that have been spamming my mom's house and just flipping through them makes me want to go back to bed...in my dad's oversized t-shirts that I steal when I'm home. Tres chic. Anyways, this was supposed to be my 'good list'. Here goes:

*Maternity jeans that don't make me want to hang myself. Yes, that's right. I tried scouring thrift and consignment stores for some jeans that would fit me, but high waisted, tapered leg M.C. Hammer pants with a gigantic elastic panel was not happening. I finally broke down and went to a Motherhood Maternity shop and found some jeans that are actually flattering. They pretty much look like something I would normally buy except they fit. Hallelujah.

* My youngest brother's birthday party tonight. 11 years old. A house full of lunatic boys with BB guns. Scary.

* I think I'm starting to feel the Nugget move. Its kind of creepy.

*Oh. And only about 3 more weeks 'til I can theoretically find out the sex. We will wait until we get back to California, but I am so ready to know. I still don't have any strong feelings either way.

*Um, yeah. Krispy Kreme doughnuts. No, really, you don't want to know how many times we stopped on the way from KY to NC trying to find a gas station that sells them. We'll not talk about how many out of a dozen count box the Trummers consumed.

*Pretty excited to swim in the ocean in Florida if it's warm enough when we go to visit P's dad. I'm planning on finger painting, "Pregnant, not Plump" on my stomach while on the beach in my bikini.

*Haircuts! Philipp and I are getting much needed haircuts on Tuesday. I will take some pictures and hopefully be able to upload them here, first pics of the beer gut (mine, not his) & all.

*We just recently found out our good friends in FL are expecting a baby in June! Very close in date together with ours, it's so exciting!

*NC sunsets. My parents get the most stunning ones on their property with the mountains in the back. Honestly, the colors they get beat out our California ocean ones. I love how the skies here are generally always blue, even in Winter.

*Oh. And Neil Young's latest archives release, Dreamin' Man.

s'mores favors

2009-12-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

Spotted on the blog, Oh Happy Day!

These would be fun to make and hand out as favors/gifts. More info here.

a yellow crib

2009-12-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Via Armelle Blog.

I need a yellow crib now. Forget what I said about not wanting to shop.

a crayon table setting

2009-12-04T09:50:00.001-08:00

Via Armelle Blog.

I like this table with drawn on placemats for kids or adults. Who doesn't like to color with crayons? I think it would be perfect for an informal dinner party (the best kind).

absence, driving cross country + nephews.

2009-12-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Picture from The Black Eiffel

Whew. Its been a whirlwind several weeks. Starting with packing for our drive cross country to Kentucky/North Carolina...we packed up all our belongings from the little cottage and moved into the inn for a week. The cottage is being rented in our 6 week absence and so we needed to clear every.single.thing out of it for the tenants.

After a week pretending we were tourists in the inn, we began our journey out East. We spent a great week in Albuquerque with our good friends, had lots of laughs and good food + spent Thanksgiving with new people. It was a nice change from the regular (if there is really a regular with as much as we move/travel).

Along the journey we got a call from my mother informing me that my two twin nephews, Jack Taylor and Oliver Ian had been born. My sister had been on bed rest for nearly two months because of a premature rupture of membranes and a C-Section had to be performed because infection was beginning to set in. The boys weighed less than 3 pounds each and will be in the NICU for quite some time. The biggest disappointment is that Philipp and I will not be allowed to see them while we're here; only parents and grandparents. It's a stressful time for the whole family, as one can imagine. But every day they are making strides and Jessie got to hold Oliver for the first time 2 nights ago. We're all rooting for the two teeny men + they are surrounded by love on all sides.

In other news, I am 16.5 weeks pregnant, feeling pretty darn close to normal human functioning and getting more excited about the reality of our Spring baby girl or boy. We more than likely will not find out the sex of the baby until we are back in California in January. All of my dreams thus far have included a baby girl Trummer, but I really have been enjoying the fantasy of a little Philipplet lately. It feels so nice to not really care one way or the other, which is counter intuitive to what I have always thought I would feel.

It's quite strange to be in really cold weather after being in warmer climates for so long now. I have to confess that I am not my usually Christmas-y self either. There are probably several reasons why, but chief among them is that I am waiting for Spring to come and the time when we will have our month of May bundle. In other non-typical me news, I really have about zero interest in planning baby purchases. I went into Babies R Us the other day and was like, wow, this is really strange, all these things people think they need to buy to be a good parent. It is quite bizarre, as usually I am such the shopper/planner.

We've had a few financial set backs, the most annoying one being that our car was vandalized on Thanksgiving night; totalling about 1800.00 in repairs. So fun and educational to learn that giant rocks are meant for slamming into strangers' windows and repairs on a 9 inch dent total over one thousand dollars. Yay. One point for humanity.

Anyhow, hopefully I will be back in the blogging world now. I still have pictures of Philipp's birthday cake from November for pete's sake!

yellow accents.

2009-11-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

Image: Country Living

This room feels like Spring. I'll be so happy this spring; it'll be a time of new beginnings/life for us, literally. The weather on the California coast has me confused as to what season this is exactly. The hills have started to turn green (things a NC girl associates with Spring), the days are warm and breezy but the nights are just as cold as Autumn should be. And mornings even colder (at least in our little uninsulated house).

I'll be happy to get to NC and be in the feel of a season as I remember it to be. Making a pine cone wreath in 70 degree weather somehow just ain't right!

fairy door

2009-11-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

I will be putting one of these in my house when it's filled with little ones who understand the concept of the tooth fairy. Can you imagine how far the imagination could run with these? More info on Ohdeedoh.

how far does love go?

2009-11-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

A little warning: It's only 6:45 AM now; I've been up with the sun. There is bound to be a stream of consciousness to follow.All of my life, up until the moment I met Philipp, I'd always wondered if love would find me and if it did, would it prove itself worthy? I'd never been a person to settle and was content with being alone and doing my travels if the love I wanted could only be had at 65, 75 or 95 %. I was always very all or nothing. I suppose this is because I was always fully aware of what I would put into a relationship, and that was nothing short of my very soul...blood, sweat, tears, the full speeding train. Life was (and continues to be) too short for half-assed love affairs.
***
As you can imagine, this intensity probably confused a lot of my 20 year old peers.
: ) Scary is probably the word that would come to mind. Haha. I just never could be bothered with the small talk. Let's get down to business. Who are you? What makes you tick? What makes your blood boil? Are you passionate? If not, why are we talking?
***
Anyways, as I stumbled into that love of mine that was more than 95%, the fear of "How far does love go?" would creep to mind. As in, can love be broken? The real kind? Does it have it's limits or does it withstand all crucibles it's placed in & emerge ever purer for it?
***
One of my biggest fears is that in the hour of my beloved's need, I will fail. Meaning, my love will be less than what I've convinced myself it to be. If faced with chronic illness or something equally as horrible, will I be able to dig to that place of truth and love and serve the person I promised to stand by with all of my heart even as they slip further away from the person I'd known and loved before? Or will I become broken, scared, impatient and hurtful?

I always wondered if someone came at us to do us harm, would I refuse to leave his side or would I run? And if I did run, even if he told me to, would that mean I loved him less or that I'd feared death more than I'd loved him? And if it did mean this, what did it make of the love I'd declared and the life I'd lived with him? Would my moment(s) of weakness reveal a shaky love or just that I'm flawed, like we all are?

I know these scenarios are a bit contrived and ridiculous, but they're the most extreme situations I can come up with that would test a person.
***
A few months ago, Philipp caught some kind of cold and was holed up in the little garden house to get well. I'd been doing my duty of making him food and bringing him drinks, but I was in a rotten mood; the door kept knocking over hot things I would bring him, I was tired of hearing him complain, etc. etc. I just selfishly wanted him to get well so I could have my fun friend back. And I was only moderately sympathetic.

Then in the latter part of August, we found out we're expecting a baby. And I began to get sick. Really, really sick. Worse and more trying than anything I've experienced. It lasted all day and interrupted my sleep at night. It made me shiver and shake and groan out of misery pretty much 24/7.

For 6 weeks my best friend laid beside me in my hour(s) of need as if the pain were his own and never once complained.

I lasted 2 days for him.
***
And this is how a European-born lifelong Atheist taught a Southern-born ex-church going Agnostic to love.
***
And to think, without a commandment to do so in sight.

the good list.

2009-10-31T11:25:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is mine. Number 4 of the 8 it took to convince me I'd been taken over by an alien.

Wow. It's been a long time since I've done one of these. Not to say my life is not filled with things to be thankful for, it's just that when you feel so bad physically, it's hard to focus on those things I otherwise would not overlook.

1) All day sickness making its exit. I'm now nearly 12 weeks pregnant. Even though I get discouraged at how slowly its leaving, thank god it is!
2) Getting to see Neil play on my birthday. It was a short set, but it was the only time either one of us have made one of his shows. We sat outside all day on the lawn with our good friends on a blanket. The weather was perfect.
3) Going back to NC in 3 weeks. I am so excited to see everyone and be there for the holiday season. Especially since Jessie is in the hospital in Kentucky until the twins are born & we plan to spend some time there.
4) Stopping over at our good friends, Ian and Sarah's place in Albuquerque. Breakfast knows no bounds at our {mutual} favorite breakfast joint.
5) Philipp getting into cozy long sleeve baseball t-shirts. Human pillow, anyone?
6) Going to watch the Trick-or-Treaters in a local neighborhood this afternoon. Mini Laffy Taffy, Sweetarts, hell yes. Has Philipp ever been in the States to watch this shit go down? I have no idea.
7) Getting to see The Nugget's heartbeat on ultrasound earlier this week. Always reassuring.
8) October coming to a close so I can shamelessly focus on...the holidays...after Philipp's November 12th birthday, of course.
9) Do you realize how much food I am going to eat this Thanksgiving? I don't think you do.
10) Wanting to do fun stuff with Jake & James while we're there (we will see if this happens).
11) A Christmas Carol in cinemas. Yes.
12) Only about 6 more weeks 'til we find out if this Nugget is packing a nub or not.

one line a day.

2009-10-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

I want this.
I've always been a journal keeper. Just tack that on to the other incriminating proof that I am my mother's clone.
This is an old fashioned 5 year diary where you write just a couple lines a day. Its formatted where you can see what you wrote on that day in previous years. As my free time will be dwindling soon, I think this would be a great way to remember all the small but precious moments that add up to our lives.

New Poll + cross-dressing a newborn if it's a boy.

2009-10-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

I know I have like 8 readers probably, but I added a poll to guess what the sex of our baby will be. We will find out in about two months or so. You can only guess once so make it a good one!

PS. Our entire family thinks it's a girl. This may or may not be because after two younger brothers and my sister having twin boys, there needs to be a testosterone balance.

I'm going with Team Pink, mainly because I cannot think of a single boy's name and this:I need to stay away from the girls' clothing section until further notice. I do take solace in the fact that there is little else cuter than a boy in stripey pajamas such as these:Also, I am setting a new record for looking at Christmas stuff before my birthday is even here this year. I think its all those feel good hormones coursing through me right now. Excuse!

an overcast day, some perfect slippers + a book.

2009-10-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but just as the sun was about to peek through my dreary days of all day sickness and bring me relief (I had a few pretty good days wherein I did not throw up & only had the late afternoon/evening torture), I start feeling really bad all over again.

Last night was a bad night. Mental note to self: never, ever, ever eat Chinese food again. Ever. Sure you may think its close enough to Thai food that it will go (and stay) down, but it's not. And it won't.

Also: as a general rule, if it did not taste reasonably good going down, guess what? It won't coming back up either. Death to the Sesame Chicken. A plague on your houses!
****
Today the skies have given us the first truly overcast day since we got here. Not just fog, overcast. I stayed in bed and napped off and on all day. It was more enjoyable to know the world around me was not bathed in sunshine & light while I was holed up inside.I saw these custom made slippers on the blog, Little Brown Pen and fell in love. So cozy and stylish. Check them out here.

I'm in week 9. Only 3 more weeks 'til week 12 + I am hoping all you people out there have not been lying about it going away around then.PS. If anyone is looking to get lost in a good book, I am only halfway through this one, but can recommend it so far. Ignore the Thomas Kinkade-esque cover + pick it up.

Did I ever mention

2009-10-10T18:34:00.001-07:00

How incredibly lucky I am to have married this man? No, really. I've been sick now for going on almost a month and I truly, not hyperbolically, have no idea how I would have made it {nearly through} this without him.

His unfailing kindness, compassion and eternal love towards me moves me to tears almost daily. From 5 AM McDonald's runs (don't ask) to clipping my hair back while I hurled, rubbing my feet every night, cooking the sub par frozen meals I ordered, allowing me multiple meltdowns, never losing his cool, on & on & on.

To be loved is life's greatest gift. And no amount of words can express how blessed I feel that he will be the father of my child.

You are the source of immeasurable joy in my life, Philipp. I love you.

Indulge a poor pregnant woman...

2009-10-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Allow me my wallowing. Last Fall we were living in Switzerland. Autumn beers were just coming into season when we left the States in September. There aren't any pumpkin beers, to my knowledge, in Switzerland. And I love pumpkin beer. I finished the last of our 6 pack an hour before our flight (why, oh, why did I do that? It was a horrible flight).

I'd been looking forward to the return of Autumn brews, especially since my tastes have developed in the past year to enjoying more rich ales and dark, robust porters. I wanted to try all the varieties this season, since last year I was obsessed with only one lighter wheat version.

And now I can't. Not 'cause I'm a stickler for the preggie rules but because I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to crack open a cold one.

So, one of you dear people out there drink some for me this season.
***
In other news, Philipp and I watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles today. It was very 80's, sort of funny and depressing at the end, when normal people would find it heartwarming. Just shoot us saps.

pretty pregnancy photos

2009-10-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nicole Carman Photography

Oh, these are so lovely. If J.Crew did maternity, I can imagine this being in the catalog! More here from this blog.

a little bit of biggish news.

2009-10-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

There has actually been a pretty distinct reason for my absence in the blog world. Make sure your sound is turned on for this little explanatory video. : )

I love everything about the clip. I have watched it at least 30 or 40 times. Crying is generally involved. I love Philipp's mom's beautiful face as she opens up the box, I love how she shakes her hands and blinks back tears, I love Jo's reaction to the far right when he realizes what it says, I love how I can make out her saying "Poor you..." after I said, "I'm sooooo sick." I love Philipp's shaky panning, how he was filming while trying to be a part at the same time. I love how I, Queen of Ruining Surprises, was able to keep this enormous secret from them for 2 weeks & during one long international Sunday afternoon phone call!

Consequently our little 3 week vacation with my in-laws has turned into me watching dvds in bed all day with the two of them off somewhere between here, Yosemite and San Francisco---alone.

But I guess there's a pretty big consolatory gift coming in late Spring, don't you think?