Urban Nest

Standing in line at Ben Franklin the other day I was taunted by a shelf full of wiley, smirking rats that initially made me feel a little uneasy. But since I seem to have a little Halloween spirit in me this year, the wheels started turning and before I finished checking out I snagged one off the shelf and decided to have a little fun…

Let me set the stage, briefly — my husband and I recently had a little rodent of our own lurking beneath the kitchen sink. I’ll spare you (and my reputation!) the details! And now, this little rat from the craft store was about to make its debut. I planted him firmly on top of the recycling bin under the sink with just enough of his tail peeking out from behind the door to creep myself out!

{Act I} When my husband got home that night, I was sure he would spot it right away. When he didn’t, I took matters into my own hands and let out an unpredictable screech from the kitchen. He came running and I pointed feverishly — from my cowering position behind the porch door — to the lurking rat tail between the cabinet doors.

Enter The Sucker.

Him: “Oh, #$%*! What is that?”

Me: “It’s a RAT!”

Him: “A rat? No way. Is this a joke?”

Me: “No, it’s not a joke,” tears of fear welling in my eyes. (Who knew?!)

Him: “It’s not moving. I think it’s playing possum. Don’t take your eyes off it. I’ll be right back. This better not be a joke…”

Re-enter The Sucker, with loaded BB gun — don’t ask!

Him: “Alright, I need you to reach over and open the cabinet door very quietly. Then get back. I’m gonna take him out. Seriously, this better not be a joke,” he says with the BB gun poised for disaster.

Me: (This is hilarious. Why didn’t I set up a video camera? Oh no, he’s going to blow a hole in the garbage disposal. What if he hits the fire extinguisher? This is so funny, I’m literally crying! Wait, this is a terrible idea!) “DON’T SHOOT! IT’S A JOKE!”

Hysterical laughter (me) and threats of paybacks (him) ensue…

Is there anything better than a well-timed, well-executed, and harmless prank? The laughter alone will cleanse your soul.

{Act II} I couldn’t let the rat get away without another giggle and I sure didn’t want it in my house any more. So I packaged him up in the perfect-sized box and shipped him off to my parents for another little prank. They were so empathetic to our real rodent chase over the summer, I had to share my devious joy. No note. No return address. Just a hairy rat wrapped in black tissue paper.

Mean, I know. But, we all got a good laugh out of it.

{Act III} Now he lurks from atop an old costume witch hat that my mother hangs from their front door every year at Halloween.

Trick or treat…

Any harmless pranks up your sleeve this year? Do tell!

Yesterday turned into a cool, rainy day here in Richmond. The kind of day you wish you could curl up on your sofa with a good book…or better yet, Netflix. So after receiving an email with the cozy Warmest Wishes card from Linda & Harriet, I started daydreaming of some comfy fall finds.

With a baby belly changing my wardrobe, I’m trying to limit my shopping to accessories that I can have in future years, instead of maternity pieces I’ll wear less. These are a few items I’m into right now…it may be a little early, but I love get snuggled up in this cool weather!

1. Winter Mittens Imprintables from Ink & Paper. I’m thinking these may be fun for a winter cookie exchange invite…yummy!
2. The classic Bailey Glove from Ugg. Lined with sheepskin and adorned with a sweet button.
3. Anthropologie’s Lily Pond Scarf. Cotton & wool with crocheted flowers.
4. Warmest Wishes card from Linda & Harriet. So cozy!
5. Mauve Rose Cowl from Etsy seller Annie’s Wearable Art. 6. One Two Three Button Boots available in grey and purple from Sundance.

Enjoy!

Ok, so I forgot one thing when I boldly titled Monday’s post “Without a hitch“.  There was actually one hitch caused by a pregnancy side effect some people call “pregnancy brain”.  Has anyone heard of this or experienced it themselves?  It’s another one of the fun symptoms of pregnancy caused by hormones, and it results in absentmindedness in even the most organized and with-it ladies (which I am not).  For example, a few days ago I was running errands with Violet, and I got off on the wrong exit of the interstate on our way home.  This was a very routine trip, and even Violet chimed in from the back seat saying “Mommy, this isn’t the right way”.  She was right, and I had to get back on the interstate and continue on to the exit I normally take dozens of times in a week.

Anyway, back to Violet’s party.  I made her this Oliver + S dress for the big day.

{image on the right from Oliver + S)

My mom made Violet another Oliver + S dress for the first day of school, so I knew what size to make.  After a full day of sewing, I tried the dress on Violet, and it was huge.  I realized that I had a brain lapse and cut out the wrong size.  I  didn’t figure it out until it was too late, and there wasn’t enough time to tailor it down to the right size.  So I had the perfect dress that matched all of the fabric I used for the party, but she had to wear something we already had.  Oh well, I’m hoping it will make the perfect Easter dress this spring when I know I won’t have time to be sewing with a new baby.

While I’m talking about sewing for little girls, I do have to say that I love Oliver + S patterns.  The clothes are adorable, and the patterns come with paper dolls for your little ones to play with.  If I get time, I’d like to make these cute numbers for Violet.

{images from Oliver and S}

I’m hoping that I don’t have too many more “pregnancy brain” incidents, but I’m sure there will be a couple more funny stories.  Do share your absentminded moments – maybe that will help me feel less like I’m losing my mind!

On that note, have a great weekend!

Cool fall weather always gets me craving sweet Halloween treats and warm comfort foods. I want to put on a pot of chili and curl up on my couch on Sunday afternoons!

Below are some tasty goodies to try out this season. Check out what they call ‘Tricked-Out Caramel Apples!’ They look so gorgeous and delicious…there are even more ideas here.

I have the biggest sweet tooth, so this recipe caught my eye immediately. It’s for Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate-Almond Bark and Toffee Sauce from Bon Appetit. This might even be a great alternative to classic pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Above is a Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton. Try substituting out different cheeses…blue chees, gota, or gorgonzola.

And lastly is a Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce recipe. Last year at my family’s barn party, my uncle made pumpkin ravioli that was so scrumptious…I will have to try this out this fall.

What are your go-to recipes for the fall?

I have been working away feverishly on the party favors for Violet’s party tomorrow.  I’m trying to avoid the dreaded combination of excessive amounts of sugar and noise makers.  Here’s what I came up with:

I made these bags out of some really inexpensive felt and grosgrain ribbon and then fused on more of the fabric circles from the invitations.  I have a few color schemes, and hopefully some are appropriate for the boys.

I stitched a tic-tac-toe board on the back of the bags and made X’s (or squares) and O’s out of more of the fabric.  For the game pieces, I fused the fabric to some of the felt before cutting out the shapes.  It gives them more weight, and they stick nicely to the bag.

I’m filling the bags with a few other little treats – candy necklaces (these are Violet’s favorites, and I figure one candy item isn’t too bad), playdoh, glitter pens, and stickers.  Each of our small guests will also get to take home one gaint 36″ balloon filled with helium.  I hope the balloons will fit in their cars!

I am now 16 weeks into my pregnancy with a due date in late March. This is our first, so I feel like there’s so much to do and think about! I’ve been up to my elbows in baby books and blogs soaking up as much information as I can. Of course, the nursery has been in the back of my mind the whole time. We’ll be doing some rearranging…the guest room will become the nursery and the office will become the guest room. The walls for the nursery are already a pale yellow/green called Plum Passion, but I need help from there!

The above fabrics are some I’m drawn to. We are not finding out the sex, so I’d like to keep it pretty neutral and clean. The bottom and left fabrics are hand block printed from Home Sweet. I like the organic quality and imperfect printing. The top is a design from Amy Butler’s new Love collection and the right is from Joel Dewberry.

My problem is I don’t know a good place to look for bedding. Any suggestions? These are a few I’ve found that I like elements of, but I haven’t found “the one!”

The cute dots are by Skip*Hop and are available at Baby Earth. The funky animals and larger circles are from Target and come in a large 10 piece set…but do I need all of those things?? And the adorable owls and trees are another brilliant design from Dwell Studio. As you can see, not all of these items go together and I’m having a heard time narrowing the ideas down. What’s your go-to place for nursery products? I’ve got about 5 months to go…