Ask Design Mom Week: Baby Books

Question:
Do you have any baby books to recommend? Thank you! — Aiilie




Answer:
Sure do. There are many great ones out there. In lots of styles and price ranges. Take a peek at these books by Nikki McClure, Binth, Tracey Clark, the Metropolitan Museum (pictured) and Kistner Supply. All are gorgeous!

What about you Dear Friends? What are your favorite Baby Journal Books?

What's Ask-Design-Mom-Week? See here. Win big. $300 big.

Ask Design Mom Week: Sticker Chart for Kids

Question:
I was wondering if you know of any places where I could buy a chart for my three year old — one of those sticker charts that keeps track of her stickers. I thought you may have some ideas. Thanks! — Brooke



Answer:
Is there anything that motivates a toddler like a sticker chart? They're brilliant! We've used several varieties and loved them all. The simplest thing to do is make your own. I like this hand drawn example featured at kidhaus — easy to mimic and customize to your needs. I also noticed personalized charts at Purple Hug's etsy shop. Very nice.

Dear Readers, do you use sticker/chore/responsibility charts? If yes, what do they look like or what is your source?

What's Ask-Design-Mom-Week? See here. Win big.

Ask Design Mom Week: Looking for an Antiqued Mirror

Question:
I have been searching high and low for an antiqued mirror (I don't care if it's framed or not) to hang above my mantel. I'm having a really hard time finding just the right one. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks! — Debbie



Answer:
Ooooh. Sounds so pretty, Debbie! Whenever I'm looking for anything antique, I like to start with ebay. Sometimes I find the perfect thing. Sometimes I just get a sense for what's out there. I don't know what style you have in mind, but I did a quick ebay search and can see that there are a ton of different options available. Two picks: this round mirror looks like it has potential — and is a great deal. And this golden tulip mirror is amazing.

Kind Readers, have you spotted the perfect antique mirror lately?

Ask Design Mom Week: Displaying Cherished Bits of Nature

Question:
I'm a 23-year old graduate student who is being confronted with some items from her past...mainly some branches from the cottonwood trees planted by Laura Ingalls Wilder's father way back in the day (the Little House on the Prairie books). Do you have any ideas on how to display these in a non-cheesy way that somehow references that they mean something special? My copies of the books were well-loved and dog-eared, and I'd like to have some sort of memento for my future daughter that goes beyond some sticks in a vase. Any ideas? Thanks so much - love the site! — Bridget



Answer:
Bridget, what a great idea to preserve those branches! The first idea that comes to mind is to use a framed, shallow shadow box to display the branches and include some text about the history — similar to the family history displays that use real branches (like the one pictured above). I'd also look for inspiration in the work of Janet Beck Clark. She does an amazing job framing pressed bits of nature. Her work is gorgeous.

What about you, Dear Readers? How would you preserve branches from a cottonwood tree?

What's Ask-Design-Mom-Week? See here. Win big.

Martha Stewart Show

Fun thing: Watch the Martha Stewart Show today.

Martha's gigantic Encyclopedia of Crafts hits stores today and the show is all about crafts, crafts, crafts. Plus I think Rosie is coming. I get to be an audience member and I'm super excited. In fact, I'm heading to the show in a few minutes. Wave at the TV for me! I'll be back with more blogs later today.

Ask Design Mom Week: Wallpaper Sources

Question:
I have recently moved to Rochester, New York from Texas, and my husband and I bought a home built in 1928. It is a great house with tons of character, and much of it has been renovated. However, there is a small nook going into the basement that still has what I consider "bad" wallpaper, and I think it could look great with some new paper. Could you direct me to any great ideas, options, or websites for wallpaper? Thanks — Laurie.



Answer:
What a perfect time to be searching out wallpaper, Laurie! There's a full on wallpaper renaissance going on right this minute. There are easily 50 different sites that have great options. But that can be overwhelming, so I'll start you out at super-current Design Public and in the easy-to-peel-off section at Sherwin Williams (my fave easy peel patterns here). For more of my top wallpaper sources, click here.

Design Mom Readers, where do you buy your wallpaper?

Wallpaper pictured is from Graham & Brown. What's Ask-Design-Mom-Week? See here. Win big.

Ask Design Mom Week: Closet Organization on a Budget

Question:
We have too much stuff and a small ranch with closet space that doesn't meet our (hanging) clothing needs. I have no ideas for storage solutions and no budget to buy anything. Do you have any suggestions? — Kymberlie



Answer:
I've been there, Kymberlie. Ready to tackle a project, but without the ideas, or the funds, to make it happen. If I were you, I would head straight to your local freecycle site. Let the group know you're looking for closet organization help — hanging rods and hardware, or stacking bins. I'll bet you'll get a positive response right away. As I've been preparing for my move, I've been freecycling like crazy. Clearing out closets. And asking for spare boxes. It's the handiest thing ever.

What about you, Dear Readers? Do any of you have some solid MacGuyver skills? Can you recommend a budget closet hanging solution made from simple household materials?

image from Container Store

Ask Design Mom Week: Looking for the Perfect Quote

Question:
I am finishing our attic to make a play-room for my two daughters (ages 6 and 7), and I love the idea of writing a phrase or quote on the wall, possibly from a children's book. I have some favorites, but I am having some difficulty finding exactly what I want and need some ideas. I could think of no better source for ideas that you and/or your readers. Would it be possible to pass along my question? Thanks much — Laurie



Answer:
I love this idea, Laurie. Now I want to dig into my children's library and find the perfect one. It's probably too lengthy, but I love the comfort at the end of Where the Wild Things Are:

Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye
and sailed back over a year
and in and out of weeks
and through a day
and into the night of his very own room
where he found his supper waiting for him
and it was still hot.

Dear Readers, if you could put up a quote or phrase in your playroom, what would it be?

Wall quote image from Marta Writes. What's Ask-Design-Mom-Week? See here. Win big.

Ask Design Mom Week: Cabinets — Price vs. Style

Question:
I'm looking into new kitchen cabinets (good construction, good looks, and good price!) and want some input. {Especially on Ikea cabinets. What do people think about them?} What have people chosen to use in remodeling while they were dancing between price, function, and style... Thanks much — Allysha



Answer:
Such a great question, Allysha. Dear Readers, have you bought cabinets lately? Do you have any advice for Allysha?

image from Ikea

Ask Design Mom Week

Giveaway! $300 shopping spree at Peek...Aren't You Curious. Leave a comment on this post with the name of your favorite item of Peek Clothing and you're entered to win. Yay! (Why the change/edit? I've been getting emails from readers who don't have blogs or aren't on twitter, but they want to win this awesome prize. So I'm reposting the contest with this 3rd way to enter.) The winner will be announced Monday.

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There's nothing like blogging to help me stay positive. And distracted. : ) So I'm hosting another Ask-Design-Mom-Week starting today. Whenever the seasons change, I get a slew of emails from readers looking for all sorts of advice on all sorts of topics. Instead of answering the questions bit by bit, I like to get a whole bunch of them answered at once.

This is how it works. I'll post several questions each day of this week in separate posts. I'll answer some and leave others for your brilliant responses. And hopefully, we'll all learn a little something new. Lovely.

But this time, I have one fun twist. Help me get the word out about Ask-Design-Mom-Week and you could win a $300 shopping spree to Peek, Aren't You Curious. That's correct. $300!!! You'll be able to outfit your kids for Easter. For Spring and Summer. Or even stock up on sale items and be ready for next Fall and Winter.

My kids love wearing anything I've ever picked up from Peek. Great style. Great quality. It's hard to beat their offerings.




How to enter? Just link to this post on your blog or on twitter and you're eligible to win. You can let me know you helped spread the word by leaving a comment here on this post. Or, I'll look for your link on twitter/technorati. Extra-bonus: to up your odds, you can enter a second time by helping answer any of the questions that get posted this week. [New way to enter — leave a comment with the name of your favorite Peek item of clothing!!] The winner will be announced next Monday.

Ask-Design-Mom-Week is always so much fun!

Some News

We are moving. Across the country. The wide, vast country. And I can barely wrap my head around that fact.

When. Where. Why:
We're moving on April 30th. Give or take a couple of days. We're moving to Colorado. To the Denver/Boulder metro area. We're moving because... Well frankly, it's because New York is an expensive place to live and we need to buckle down and save some money.

Full disclosure:
I'm certain I'll be excited at some point — Colorado is amazing and I know my family will thrive there. But right now, I'm still in the mourning/grieving stage. Despairing to leave our New York home of 8 years. We've had 3 babies here. Made dear friends. Grown a few businesses. Earned a PhD. Attempted to take advantage of every good thing the city has to offer...

Moving is hard. Physically. Emotionally. Even when it's the right move, the right thing to do, it's still hard. If you have a minute, I could use a little encouragement. A little bravery in my corner. A reminder that I'll make new friends. That at some point, I'll be unpacked in a pretty house. That there will be wonderful not-New-York adventures for our little family still to come.

If you have a favorite thing about Colorado, please share — because as soon as I can get past these moving blues, I'm going to want to be totally psyched to make our new home.

photo credit

Giveaway — Flor Tiles

Today's giveaway sponsor is Flor — the maker of simple-to-install, generously-sized carpet tiles. The same Flor of which I am quite a little bit obsessed.

Of the dozen or so different styles available, this month, the hottest ones are Shiny Happy Stripe, You Only Live Twice and Power Nap. So the winner of this giveaway gets to pick out a 5x7 rug from any of these 3 styles. My work stool is sitting on Flor tiled floor as I type and I can tell you, they are incredibly easy to maintain and look good in every space I've ever seen them used. To enter, just leave a comment below. I'll announce a winner on Monday.

Have a great weekend! Also. What room will you put your 5 x 7 rug in?

Update: the winner is Chloe. Yay! Thanks for participating.

Play Tents

The etsy shop Mignon sells adorable play tents. And they'll even make a custom one for you from the fabric of your choice.

Dinner For Two — by Guest Mom Jora

One of the most important things to do when you have a family, and one of the easiest to forget, is to really make time to spend alone with your significant other. I think one of the best ways to do this is, you guessed it, to have a lovely meal together.

Now, restaurant dining is nice.There’s no mess to clean up and the duties of home life are out of sight and out of mind. But it can get expensive, there is the issue of finding a sitter, and frankly, to me, nothing says romance more than a home-cooked meal. Don’t worry just yet. I’m not talking about driving yourself crazy making some fancy meal that takes hours to prepare. Working on a complicated recipe while your kids are tugging at your legs is no way to get in the mood for romance. I am talking about something simple and elegant and perhaps a little indulgent. Something that doesn’t make it into your normal meal planning routine. Be sure to turn on some music, light candles, pull out some cloth napkins, whatever makes you feel special.

Here are some special meals for two that come to mind:

A couple of grilled steaks, baked potatoes and a wedge salad. I would go to the special butcher and buy really great steaks, because this is a very worthy occasion after all.

Spaghetti with Clams (or Mussels). Nothing says celebrate to me more than some sort of really good shellfish. All you have to do for this is steam some clams in a few yummy ingredients that you probably already have on hand, and toss with hot spaghetti. Again, feels festive, but is a 20 minute meal.

French Onion Soup. If you have never had homemade, I highly recommend you try it. It is really quite simple, it just takes the better part of an hour to simmer away. You know, just enough time to bathe the kids, put them in their pajamas, read stories, tuck in, etc. Serve with a green salad and a homemade dressing and you’re set. Perfect for keeping cozy on a cold night.

Another very simple yet decadent option is to get some fancy cheeses, salami, olives, and bread and have your very own indoor picnic for two. There is something that feels so European about eating this way to me…and I guess that’s why I consider it romantic.

What about you? Do you have special dinners that you prepare for your significant other?

Wire Hangers. Now with Names.

Just saw these personalized wire hangers on Say Yes to Hoboken. Completely unnecessary. Which makes them a perfect gift. (By the way, if you click on the link and it says "sold out" don't stress. Each hanger is a custom order, so just let the shop owner know what you're looking for.)

Book of the Week — All In A Day

The newest picture book at our house is Cynthia Rylant's All in a Day. With illustrations by Nikki McClure.

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I can't help it. Based on the pretty cover (observe the gorgeous title lettering) and my knowledge of Ms. Rylant's previous work, I knew my kids would love this. And they do.

Because We All Need More Dinner Ideas — by Guest Mom Jora

A few months back, there was an article in Cookie Magazine about a mom who was frustrated with cooking the same few meals for her family to accommodate her rather picky children. She missed eating a variety of interesting foods (as did her husband) and she was worried her kids were getting stuck in a rut. What, you say this all sounds familiar do you?

Well, this brave mother set out to try 30 new dinners in 30 days…all meals within reason of course. This inspired me to come up with my own list of dinners to try that would, in theory, be pleasing to all members of my family and would push their culinary boundaries a bit, if you will. Every family’s list would look different, obviously. But I thought I might share some of the sources I frequent when I am in a dinner rut and want to try something new, yet still involve approachable foods and techniques.

One such list came from the Cookie article itself. It is a great list of 30 very family-friendly yet sophisticated meals, most of which can be prepared on a weeknight. Check it out here.

I would have to say one of my favorite sources for dinner ideas will always be the magazine Everyday Food. True, it is a Martha publication, but the food is not intimidating, I promise. Plus you get all that Martha eye candy (photos for each recipe don’t hurt one bit!). You can get year’s subscription for like $12. I can’t think of money better spent, frankly. Get a subscription here.

I’m also a huge fan of online sources. Epicurious, MyRecipes, and Dinner Tonight (by the editors of Everyday Food) are my personal favorites. You can just type in ingredients and it will come up with recipes to try.

Of course food blogs are some of the most fun to read. There are so many good ones out there, but Smitten Kitchen and Simply Recipes have huge archives that are easy to search, and both of those girls are always cooking up something tasty. Also, if you’ve never come across it before, there is a Food Blog Search Site that many of the food blogs are linked up to, so that is a great place to start if you don’t have any food blog favorites yet.

Do you have any tips for coming up with ideas for dinner for the family?

Photo courtesy Cookie Magazine

Spring Purse

Isn't this the perfect little Easter gift? A soft handmade purse in upcycled wool. Which one do you like better, the wool-ly sheep or the bunny?

Winner — Chick Chair from Mahar Drygoods

Good morning! And congratulations to Melifera who said, "Ooohhh... my bird-obsessed self would love this chair. My daughter would like it, too! I'm going to repost info about the giveaway on my blog!"

You are the winner of the Chick Chair from Mahar Drygoods! Yay you. Please email me with your shipping address and I'll get your info to the sponsor asap. Thanks to Mahar Drygoods.

Her Morning Elegance

Remember when you first saw the OK GO video and you couldn't stop smiling because it was so smart and amazing and different than anything you'd ever seen before? Me too. And I feel the same way when I watch this Oren Lavie video my sister Rachel posted. Smart, amazing, different — plus beautiful.

The Truth About Kids and Vegetables — by Guest Mom Jora

It seems that every mother I know is trying to find ways to get her kids to eat more vegetables, whether she has a “picky eater” or not. I certainly make no claims about conquering the vegetable battle in our home, but there is something that my husband and I have noticed really helps. We grow many of our own vegetables and get our kids involved to the extent they can. They are too young to truly help, but they love being out in the garden area when we (really, just my husband) are working and picking vegetables. Our three year old watches as the plants grow, asks what everything is, and (can you believe it?) samples vegetables straight from the garden that he wouldn’t dream of touching if I presented him his dinner plate and said, “Here, try some wild arugula and lacinato kale.”


You don’t need a huge yard to grow your own vegetables. I have a friend who grows lettuces in pots on her back patio with her kids. During the summer, you can definitely grow tomatoes in a pot in a sunny corner of your yard or patio. And if you are lucky enough to have a backyard, putting in an 8 foot by 4 foot garden box will produce a surprising amount of vegetables and herbs.

The other thing I want to mention is that you don’t have to be intimidated if you don’t feel you have experience growing things. My husband and I were urbanites through and through until a little over a year ago. Neither of us had green thumbs at all. (To the contrary.) My husband is pretty much responsible for the garden work at our house, and he’s learned most everything he knows just from this past year. (He even learned how to take care of chickens! The kids love to play with the chickens and our son actually does help with them by collecting the eggs each morning.)


Do you have any tips on getting your kids to eat vegetables or new foods?

Reminder: Chick Chair Giveaway

I put lots of new content up today and I'm afraid you'll miss the fantastic Giveaway that went live yesterday. So here's a quick reminder. You could win a Chick Chair worth $220 from Mahar Drygoods. Scroll down to find the Giveaway, or click here.

Green photo scavenger hunt

Katie Schultz had a great idea. She took her kids on a photo scavenger hunt. They walked around their neighborhood and took pictures of anything green they could find. So smart!

The same concept would work with any color. You could do it with letters as well. Or pick another sort of theme — smiles, toys, cars, things that make noise, animals, etc. Toddlers and preschoolers would be all over this.

Ismodern

I've got some good news. Ismodern's Spring Summer 09 line is live on their site.

I"ve got some better news. Everything else is on bargain basement clearance. Fall stuff is on sale. And last year's (still super hip) Spring Summer stuff is way marked down. Get it while it's hot.

The Dish That Keeps On Giving — by Guest Mom Jora

If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend you find a recipe that your family loves and that also happens to give you lots of leftovers. This is ironic coming from The Girl Who Hates to Eat Leftovers. But I have to admit there are some dishes that are as good, if not better, the second or third day as they were the first. Soup, in my mind, is one such dish.

The beauty of finding the “dish that keeps on giving” as I like to call it, is that it is usually a one dish meal (think casserole, soup, stew, etc.) and can be served from at lunch, on a planned “leftovers night,” or on one of those nights that you intend to cook something fresh and fabulous, but alas, the day has gotten away from you. Generally speaking, these dishes are just as much work if you make four servings or twelve. Make it on Sunday afternoon, eat it for dinner that night, and then partake as needed during the week. (Again, if you’re very oriented toward planning, which I am not, freeze some portions and then pull it out in a month when everyone has forgotten about it!)

Some of my family’s favorite soups (which provide lots of leftovers) include the following:

Homemade Chicken Noodle
Turkey Chipotle Chile
Lentil Soup
Cream of Asparagus
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Broccoli, Red Pepper and Cheddar Chowder

And last but not least, Orangette’s “Fretwell (Italian Vegetable) Soup,” which I made recently with Baby J (literally) underfoot. I am always surprised that my kids (specifically my son) will eat this soup which has about 7 or 8 types of vegetables in plain view. Oh, and it happens to be the most delicious version of minestrone I have ever tasted. Be sure to serve it over the slices of day-old bread and with plenty of good olive oil drizzled over the top.

See how happy Baby J is to sit down at eat this soup?

And here’s C-Man giving the soup a (too-rare) thumbs up!

What are your favorite “dishes that keep on giving”?

Vote for Picture Hope

There are certain companies, certain organizations, that seek to positively support women in this blogging, social media world. One of those organizations is Shutter Sisters. The women behind Shutter Sisters observed early on what powerful creative work women were making with their cameras and organized a site where women could share those images and inspire each other. If you're not visiting Shutter Sisters regularly, I encourage you to start.

Beyond that, the Shutter Sisters have come up with an amazing project. They saw a contest, sponsored by Lenovo and Microsoft, where photographers could submit proposals for their "dream photo assignment." So they submitted their idea. It's called Picture Hope. And it's beautiful. I'd really like their idea to win, but they need help to get it voted to the top. Here's what you can do:

Go to the Shutter Sisters' Picture Hope contest entry. Vote for them by clicking the yellow "pic this" button. (You will be prompted to register, which I did, and it literally took less than 60 seconds.) Vote right away, because the contest ends April 3rd.

If you want to see more of a vision of what the Shutter Sisters' Picture Hope project is all about, watch this short video. It will make your day beautiful.

Picture Hope Video

Giveaway — Chick Chair from Mahar Drygoods

Is it true? Am I really hosting back to back Giveaways? One ends yesterday, another starts today?

Yes. It's completely true. I've got another great Giveaway today. And I've even got another one to tell you about this Thursday. So keep coming back. Keep entering. Because you know I only host the best sorts of Giveaways. Period.

Today's Giveaway sponsor is one of my favorite little shops in the world. Mahar Drygoods. You've seen them featured here before, but just in case you've forgotten, let's recap what they're all about. Mahar offers vintage and artisan crafted items for children. Often handmade, always beautiful. And the prize they're sponsoring today is quite incredible. Take a peek:




It's the Chick Chair. By Roebuck Studio. It's both adorable and functional. It's completely covetable and comes in six different colors (the prize chair is the black one pictured). It was even featured in Cookie Magazine this month. And it retails for $220.00. Isn't it charming pictured in that delightful bedroom? Isn't the scale just right?

Roebuck Studio is the brilliant collaboration of husband and wife team Kate and Barret Roebuck. Their furniture is beautiful, functional, durable, and created in an environmentally responsible way. Based in historic Chelsea, Michigan, the Roebucks manufacture locally, buy materials from local sources and have complete control over the fabrication process, to ensure that only the best and safest products will reach your doorstep.

Roebuck Studio is exactly the kind of quality artisan that Mahar Drygoods makes a point to feature and stock. Which is one of the reasons I'm such a Mahar fan. Take a minute and check out all the Spring goodies that Mahar is stocking right now — from a tie-dye egg kit to this bunny scooter — your heart is sure to melt from all the sweetness.

Let's all give a big thank you to Mahar Drygoods!

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Guidelines:
-You have until Midnight PST on Wednesday, March 25th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment. One entry per person, please.
-The winners will be randomly picked and announced Thursday, March 26th.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

The Virtues of (Meal) Planning Ahead — by Guest Mom Jora

If you have a family to feed, I cannot extol the virtues of planning meals ahead enough. I know this is easy for some of you….you are planners by nature. This sort of thing maybe even excites you a little. You can make dinners on a weekend, freeze portions ahead of time and pull little packages out during the week: Turkey Chili, anyone? Cheese Enchiladas? Beef Stew? I personally don’t have the foresight or the freezer space to take meal-planning that far.

But getting a list of dinner ideas together on Sunday night is a very, very good thing indeed (to quote Martha). I find it is the only way to feed your family a variety of interesting meals while not driving yourself crazy with the 5 o’clock panic. You don’t have to plan anything fancy and don’t feel pressure to come up with new things all the time (unless that is what makes you happy). Plenty of moms I know do the “Taco Tuesday” and “Friday Pizza Night” thing. The point is, think ahead, shop ahead, and meals will be more enjoyable to prepare and to eat. On my blog, I try to post "Meal Planning Monday" each week. I find this keeps me on track.

I’ll admit I was reluctant to switch over to this sort of cooking. Before kids, I prided myself on living (what I thought was, anyway) a very European lifestyle: shopping almost each day for fresh foods and cooking spontaneously. And that, my friends, is a fine way to live, should you have all sorts of time on your hands and no dependents to take care of. I am guessing that is not your situation if you are reading Design Mom, however.

I’m not going to give you a list of menu items and recipes (even though I am tempted!), because each family is different in their tastes. You know what you like and what your family will eat. But I will share one idea with you. We could eat salads almost every night in our house, and I know that’s true for many of my friends and their families. The trick is to, again, plan ahead so that you have the makings of a fresh and interesting salad at your fingertips. So, I recommend buying the lettuces you like and washing and drying them for the week. Just wrap the clean leaves in paper towels and store in plastic bags. Then (and this is the important part), make a good homemade dressing or two (it really makes a big difference!), and maybe even some croutons.

Herbed Buttermilk Dressing
from The Gourmet Cookbook

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
½ c. mayonnaise
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T. chopped fresh chives
1 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It will keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. But it will be gone before then. Trust me.


Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette
from The Gourmet Cookbook

This is my son’s favorite dressing. He calls it “the brown dressing.” Not very appetizing-sounding, I realize…. He will dip just about anything in it, which is handy for getting him to eat his veggies.

1 garlic clove
½ t. salt
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. fresh lemon juice
3 T. minced fresh basil (optional)
¼ c. finely grated parmesan cheese
¼ t. freshly-ground black pepper
½ c. olive oil

Using a large heavy knife, mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt. Whisk garlic paste with vinegar, lemon juice, basil, cheese and pepper in a bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until well blended. Add more salt and pepper to taste. This will keep for a week or more covered in the refrigerator.


Croutons
Homemade croutons are super easy and much tastier and cheaper that buying them at the store.

Cube or tear day-old bread into small pieces. You can use a nice crusty European-style loaf, but honestly, if you use the Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread from Trader Joe’s (or something similar), that will taste great too.

Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (You can get fancy with herbs or parmesan cheese or such, but it really isn’t necessary.) Bake in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for about 10 or 15 minutes (or until slightly crisp and golden). Give the croutons a stir or two while they are baking.

Let cool completely before tossing with your salad. Store the cooled leftovers in a zip-top bag.

Bloch Shoes

If you grew up taking dance classes (like I did) you'll recognize the Bloch name from the dance shoe catalogs. And in fact, Bloch still makes dance shoes. But they've expanded their offerings beyond dance shoes as well. They now have a line for ladies, a line for girls, a line for babies. And this year, they're introducing shoes for toddlers.

Everything is dance inspired, but made for everyday wear. How irresistible are those little ruffled baby shoes on the right?