Happy Everything

Most mornings, I hear the sound of little feet running down our hallway at 6:40am. My bedroom door flies open and Nico rushes in. Lately, he always says—or rather, shouts—the same thing. "I'm ready to start my dayyyyyyyy!" I try to pretend I'm alseep, always hoping he'll take the hint and wait patiently till I'm ready to start my day, but that has yet to happen. I sometimes beg for five more minutes, his go-to request whenever it's time to transition from one thing to the next. He'll give me about five seconds tops and if I'm not showing any signs of waking, he'll pry my eyes open while repeating a let's-start-the-day chant. All this ruckus usually wakes Leo. I go and get him and bring him into bed, hoping that somehow, they'll want to sleep in for a change. Instead, they prefer to bring on the hug and kisses, often fighting over who gets to lie on top of me, forbidding access to anyone else. This morning, they joined forces and decided to try some body slams, you know, WWF style. Leo really didn't master it, but he sure thought it was funny when Nico would jump and then land on me. It's certainly not the most peaceful way to wake up, but I'll take it. Seeing how happy they are gives me goosebumps.

I don't send holiday cards, but if I did, I would use photos like the ones above. We took them the night we decorated our Christmas tree. Daniel, his Dad and I kept trying to get a good shot of Nico and Leo posed in front of it. We bribed them with the iPad, books, goofy faces, and some singing. I'd even pulled out the matching pajamas. We finally managed to get a few good shots, but these are my favorites. They just wanted us to roll around on the floor together, laughing till their little bellies hurt, because that's much more fun, isn't it? And years from now, when I'm trying to remember what the holidays were like when they were 1 and 3, these are the memories that will mean the most.

To all my friends, family and any other This Little Piglet fans out there, consider this my version of a holiday card. Happy Everything!

Sunshine Stripes

Not only did Daniel spend 10 hours painting stripes in Nico and Leo's room a few weeks ago while the boys and I were in California, but he also documented the whole process. We'd been deliberating for so long about what to do with the room and thick horizontal stripes in two shades of yellow (Benjamin Moore haystack and dalila) seemed like a good way to add some much needed light. It really did the trick and was much cheaper than wallpaper. We were inspired by the thick, two-toned stripes I shared in this post (check out the third photo), so Daniel did some research online before getting started. If you want to give it a try, here are some tools, his tips and step-by-step photos. He tells me this video helped him a lot as well: http://www.ehow.com/video_8103877_paint-horizontal-stripes-wall.html.

TOOLS
Chalk line reel

Level

Good masking Tape (he used Scotch Blue with Edge Lock)

Pencil

Hammer

Spackling knife or spatula

A few medium sized nails

Good wide paint brush

Flat head screw driver to open paint can

Small 6'' paint rollers

Paint container to use with roller

Ladder

Laying the tape is the hardest, but it will look professional and painting will be easier it you do it well. Measure the height of the area of your wall you actually want to paint. This height could be from floor to ceiling. In my case it was from floor molding to ceiling molding for two walls. Whatever it is, this number will be your numerator. To make your life easier, you should try to chose a denominator (the number which will divide the numerator) that gives you an integer number. The denominator will represent the number of stripes on your wall. Example: if your wall is 110 inches tall, your denominator could be 10, 11, 5. That way, the width of your stripes would be 11, 10 and 22 inches respectively. But if you were to choose to paint 7 stripes divided evenly on your 110 inch wall, then you would have to mark stripes with 15.71 inches...which would be a pain in the butt.

I actually changed to centimeters to find an even division. We wanted 12 stripes (4 sets of 3 stripes in dark yellow, light yellow and white.). If you can't make the division into a perfect integer (which is likely), I would make the uppermost stripe the one that is not exactly the same as the rest. For example: if your wall is 108 inches, you could have 10 stripes at 10 inches and the last stripe at 8 inches.

Once you figure that out it's time to mark. Use a pencil to mark a short piece of the line on each edge of the wall. Using the hammer, fix a nail to one side. If you have a helper, you do not have to nail anything, which will save you time fixing the wall (as I had to do). Attach the chalk line to one side of the wall, pull the string tightly to the other side, match the pencil lines, make sure you have good tension on the line, pull GENTLY and let it go. It will snap against the wall and make a perfect line. If you do not do it gently, your line will be too strong and hard to clean (that happened to me a few times).

After you mark all lines, get your masking tape and stick it to the wall in such a way that you see the chalk line (do not cover the line). This will give you better control and you'll also be able to use a damp cloth and clean off the chalk from your wall BEFORE you paint. Use a spatula of spackling knife to smooth tape edges.

After that, you paint:

*Always paint the lighter color first.

*Use the brush in a motion that puts paint from tape to wall (not from wall to tape). After you cover the entire edge of the tapes (top and bottom tapes) you can use the roller to paint all over and make it smooth. 

*VERY important: you have to remove the painted tapes after you've painted each stripe. This will ensure you are not removing tape after paint has dried, because if it has, you may get rough and ugly edges on your stripes.

Hope that all made sense to you. Even with Daniel's detailed instructions, I'm still confused. Now that he's done this once, he thinks it'd be much easier the second time around. Too bad he probably has no desire to ever do this again! Good luck if you give it a try.

Sweets from a Local Cheese Shop

Leave it to me to check out a new cheese shop and stock up on sweets. I'm sure Valley Shepherd Creamery's cheese is amazing and I love that it's all made just an hour away in Long Valley, NJ, but in my defense their high-end treats are way too distracting. I was finally able to try some cookies from Whimsy & Spice (chocolate orange cardamom, so good with a cup of tea) and discover virgin chocolate from Raaka, a company that doesn't roast their cocoa beans. Let me be clear that this chocolate is not cheap by any means, but I'm a sucker pretty packaging, and more importantly, good ingredients—their Black Coffee bar has espresso from Cafe Grumpy. If a glass of wine in a restaurant costs $10, 5 to 8 bucks for some really good chocolate isn't so crazy, right?

I also picked up a cheese slicer for Daniel's stocking since ours broke ages ago, a pretzel croissant that's a lot like the amazing ones at City Bakery but just 85 cents and much smaller, and some hot chocolate on a stick for Nico. Leo loves cheese and has a soft spot for the good stuff. Soon after we walked in, the guy behind the counter must have heard his cries for "more cheeeee" because he surprised him with a nice slice to snack on. By the time I was done obsessing with the sweets, we had to go, but I'll be back again soon to try the cheese, some fresh pasta, and maybe a sandwich or two.

Valley Shepherd Creamery
211 Seventh Ave (between 3rd and 4th Streets)
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Light My Fire

I don't celebrate Hanukkah, but if I did, I'd have a hard time choosing a menorah. There are so many cool ones out there, including these two from Jonathan Adler that I love. If you're in need of some inspiration before Hanukkah kicks off on December 20, check out more of my favorites on iVillage.

French Host Brothers and Latte Bowls

I had a huge crush on my French host brother when I studied abroad in Paris. He was handsome and goofy, had the most adorable accent in English and would always drink his morning coffee from a big bowl. He must have really considered me a sister since he never made a move. He did, however, make out with my best friend when she was visiting from Barcelona.

I've been buying these latte bowls from Anthropologie for as long as I can remember, probably right around the time I came home from France. Daniel's Dad recently gave me a shirt from there that didn't fit, so I decided it was time to add to my collection. Their new colors are my favorite yet and I love how the deep plum, royal blue, chocolate brown and aqua ones look together. I wasn't as crazy about the others, but wanted to get six. And, since they're only $5 each, I think they make a really good holiday gift. You can buy them individually in the store; online they come in sets of four and six. And while I'm on the topic of holiday gifts, I'm dying to try Leone's Gianduioso, a chocolate-hazelnut spread that comes in a gold toothpaste tube and apparently puts Nutella to shame. According to New York Magazine, I can find it at Eataly, which means I'll probably stuff my own stocking with some this year.

Seeing Stripes

We've made lots of progress on our apartment and are really happy with how it's coming together, but Nico and Leo's room still needs some sprucing up. We scratched the wallpaper idea and the washi tape stripes didn't work out. They were too skinny for the space. Now we're planning on painting some stripes next week, but have a new dilemma. Do we go with horizontal or vertical ones? I can't make up my mind.

Look at these thick, horizontal ones. I love everything about them.

But then I saw these vertical ones in this dreamy bedroom and it made me change my mind.

Then I remembered these ones which come from one of the coolest bedrooms I've seen in awhile. The thick two-toned stripes are awesome and the same goes for the stars on the ceiling, dark blue rug, and simple Ikea bed.

When it comes to vertical ones, I tend to prefer them like this: some skinny, some thick.

These horizontal ones are  big and bold, but the pops of orange soften the look and make it more fun.

This little guy in his fancy bed makes me smile. The skinny stripes look really good, but if I stare too long, I get dizzy.

Isn't this room so sweet? Stripes are so playful, but they work even as kids grow up.

Seems like I'm leaning toward horizontal, huh? I've read that they can make a room feel more spacious while vertical ones can make the ceiling seem higher. As of now, we're thinking about yellow ones, and hopefully, we'll figure out soon if they should go up and down, or across. What would you choose? 

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Foodie Gift Guide

The holidays are right around the corner, and in my opinion, edible gifts are the way to go. If you need some ideas, check out this gift guide I wrote for iVillage. It includes 20 edible gifts and hip-hop hooray ho, they're all $20 and under. I'd happily accept every single thing on there. Just saying.

P.S. If you want to attempt a cookie swap this year, here are some of my tips on how to have a successful one.

10-Year Anniversary Trip

To celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary in October, Daniel and I spent a weekend away in Greenport, Long Island. My mom held down the fort in Brooklyn and treated us to 48 hours all to ourselves, which is pretty much the best gift you can give any parent. We even lucked out weather-wise since it was unseasonably warm all weekend.

If you haven't been to the North Fork before, plan a trip soon. With lots of wineries, antique shops, beaches, and excellent restaurants, it's the perfect quick getaway. On our last visit, I was pregnant with Nico and missed out on all the good wine. This time around, we devoted an entire day to wine tasting. We let Vintage Tours do all the work since we didn't want to waste time figuring out where to go and how to get there. There were four other couples on the tour and everyone was a lot of fun, plus it was so nice to be chauffered from place to place. We went to Peconic Bay, Osprey's, Shinn Estate and The Old Field (our favorite) and had delicious sandwiches from The Piping Plover in Southold. After our tour, we ended our day at Mattebella, a vineyard run by a friend of a friend where we had a final flight while watching the sun set over the vines. It was the perfect ending to an incredible day. I'm already thinking about our next visit and can't wait to check out Croteaux, a winery that only makes Rosé (my favorite).

We stayed at The Morning Glory, a cozy bed and breakfast with gigantic, cloud-like beds, the softest towels and amazing multi-course breakfasts and homemade sweets. For dinner, we went to Luce & Hawkins in the Jedediah Hawkins Inn (which looks like another nice place to stay), and a month later, I'm still thinking about their ducks wings with a cucumber feta raita and chile garlic sauce. They rocked. If I lived on the North Fork, you better believe I'd be there on Monday nights for $1 duck wings. The restaurant also has a speakeasy in the basement with live music and I hear the chef likes to jam down there after hours. Our other dinner was at The North Fork Oyster Company, a new spot that seems to be working out some kinks, but was still pretty good. On the way home, we took the ferry to Shelter Island and discovered lots of cool furniture at Marika's and stopped for lobster rolls in Sag Harbor before heading back to Brooklyn.

Yesterday, (after a trip to the Central Park Zoo where we saw a sleeping snow leopard, polar bear, and The Polar Express in 4-D which was so cool), Nico asked when Daniel and I are going on another vacation so my Mom can stay with him and Leo again. We don't have anything planned, but it was a good reminder that trips like these are a win-win for us and them.

Jane's Carousel

The first time we went to Jane's Carousel—a ride built in 1922 that was recently restored and now resides in Brooklyn Bridge Park—I forgot to check if it was open. Of course, we went on a Tuesday, the only day it's closed. Nico and Leo were bummed, but still had a blast running around the pier and being so close to the water. They even threw in a few pile-ons. Brotherly love is the best.

When we went back last week, we skipped the subway and walked all the way from from Park Slope to DUMBO. We made our way down Union Street, through Gowanus, stopping to admire a sidewalk speckled with cool tiles near what Nico likes to call The Stinky Bridge. We strolled on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and I thought about places like Halcyon and Sur that have since closed and all the new places that opened up. We made our way to Clinton Street into Brooklyn Heights and I pointed out the first block in Brooklyn Daniel and I lived on and when we reached the Promenade, it took my breath away, just like it always has. Sadly, the gaping hole where the Twin Towers once stood didn't feel quite as strange anymore. A long walk with two little kids might not make much sense to some. But looking back on our day, it was one of the best parts.  Showing such familiar streets to my little boys and telling them about my life before they were here, was both surreal and amazing.

As expected, the carousel was a big hit. It's beautiful and spinning around on a fancy ride with the Brooklyn Bridge, East River and Manhattan skyline in the background was pretty cool. I'm sure it's even prettier at night. We rode around a few times, trying out different horses and the frilly chariots. Seems like Friday mornings are a good time to go since we practically had the whole carousel to ourselves. Bonus: Kids 3 and under ride for free.

On the way home, we played at Harry Chapin Playground, a cute spot that's at the top of a hill Daniel and I used to run up during our jogging days. It was just as torturous pushing a double stroller with two kids in it. After a quick stop for some pizza, Nico and Leo eventually fell asleep and I was treated to another long walk along some of my favorite streets.

C. Wonder

I'm very curious about this new store, C. Wonder, that opens in SoHo tomorrow. Tory Burch's ex-husband is behind what's being called the ultimate new shopping experience for women. I spotted an ad for it in The New York Times a few weeks ago and loved all the cool products and reasonable prices. Apparently, the store's spin is affordable luxury and the 5,100 square foot space is full of colorful clothes, jewelry, shoes, housewares and more. I prefer to do most of my shopping online, but this sounds like a place I have to see in person. For now, here's a sneak peek from Martha Stewart's site.

French Onion Soup

It's finally starting to feel like Fall and I've been cooking whenever I can. There's something about this weather that makes me want to spend the better part of my Sunday making soup, as I did this past weekend. I'd been craving French onion soup and this one just became my new favorite.

Nico seemed intrigued by the name—ever since our trip to Brazil, he's very curious about other countries—so the French part really pulled him in. Either that, or he was trying really hard to skip his nap. Since he promised he would have some, I let him stay up and help me stir the onions and pour in the stock. He loved the process so much that he decided then and there he was going to be a chef for Halloween. Three-year-old's can be so fickle. I put a smaller portion in a ramekin for him, complete with pieces of baguette and melted gruyere, but the little rascal didn't even take a bite. Can't say I really cared though. I was more than happy to have his bowl all to myself.

Little Explorers

In Brooklyn, Nico, Leo and I fill our days with as much fun as we can, but it's hard not to fall into certain patterns when you're close to home. But take two toddlers across a bridge and plop them in Manhattan—The Big City as my cousin Henry used to call it when he was little—and you'll be amazed at how much can happen.

On Saturday, we went to see a play I was reviewing for Mommy Poppins. We rode subways, sat next to a famous family (more on that in my review of the show), bumped into Minnie Mouse, Mickey, Cookie Monster and other famous characters on a corner in Times Square, used a bathroom in a hotel, had custard at Shake Shack, played in an empty fountain, met two dogs named Maya and Walt, threw pennies in a real fountain, lost a shoe in that fountain, were very grateful when a man and his son found a huge stick and fished the floating shoe out of the fountain, walked through Union Square and sampled Martin's Pretzels at the farmers market, watched some dudes with serious moves have a dance party underground and then made our way back to Brooklyn.

New York, you might make me crazy sometimes, but I feel so lucky to call you home.

Pumpkin Picking

On Monday, we took Nico and Leo pumpkin picking at Colonial Springs Farm in Long Island. Just under an hour from Brooklyn by car, it's a great place for families with small children. We found parking right away, paid $1 per person at the entrance and grabbed a free Radio Flyer wagon which made it much easier to lug two little boys and a few pumpkins through the patch. There was even a Little Farmer's Playland with a small maze, a zip line, some swings, a train pulled by a tractor, pony and hay rides, and a small store with local apples, pies, honey and cider. The sun was blazing the whole time we were there and it felt more like summer than fall, but it looks like cooler weather will return this weekend.

10 Years (Part two)

 

Ten years ago last week, Daniel and I got married. I already wrote about our first wedding at City Hall, but this is the one that really made things feel official.  I wanted to dig up some photos to post here, but soon remembered that back then, in good ol' 2001, I was still dropping my film off at the pharmacy and waiting patiently for it to get developed. Luckily, I found the ones above in an article our friend Allison wrote for The Knot.

We got married three weeks after September 11th. A celebration like the one we had that night helped, at least a little, to heal all of our aching hearts. I don't think either of us will ever forget how lucky we felt that day. Not only to have found each other, but to be surrounded by so much love and encouragement. Right when it looked like rain would ruin our outdoor ceremony, the sun came out so we could stand at the edge of a marsh and say our vows. I shivered a lot and refused to wear Daniel's jacket, but it was worth it. The photos still take my breath away. Even with a modest budget, we managed to pull off a beautiful wedding with so may special touches thanks to our unbelievably helpful families and friends.

For our five year anniversary, we went back to the Catskills for a long weekend. And this year, to commemorate a whole decade as husband and wife, we spent two wonderful days on the North Fork of Long Island. As soon as I have a chance to go through our photos and jot down some notes, I'll put up a post about that. Until then, here's the post I wrote about our first trip the North Fork, just a few months before Nico was born.

Bike-sharing in Paris

Did you know that Paris has a bike-sharing system—the biggest in the world—with over 20,000 bikes at 1,800 bike stations? I had no idea since they certainly didn't have this when I lived there there 13 years ago. Jordan Ferney, an American blogger who's spending a year in Paris with her husband and two little boys wrote about it today and included tons of good tips. Vélib' sounds like the coolest public transportation system ever and I wish we had something like it here in New York. If I were planning a trip to Paris right now, I'd be so excited to ride bikes all around that beautiful city. Too bad I have no plans to visit anytime soon, but maybe you do?

Photos by Paul Ferney via Oh Happy Day

Striped Walls

Our camera broke while we were in Brazil and we haven't gotten around to getting it fixed which is one reason I haven't been blogging much lately. The other reason is that any free minute I have, I end up searching for inspiring images on Pinterest or clicking through a digital design magazine. There's so much I want to do with our new place and I could spend hours online looking for ideas.

A few weeks ago, I was talking about wallpaper for Nico and Leo's room. We ordered all sorts of samples, from jellyfish patterns to vinyl red circles from Marimekko. I even asked for all of your opinions, but then we scratched the whole wallpaper plan last week. It seemed too pricey and a lot of work. My new plan is to paint some bright stripes on their super white walls.

I ripped this photo out of Domino Magazine a few years ago. The bedroom belongs to Jenna Lyons's son. Jenna is the creative director of J. Crew and her beautiful Brooklyn brownstone has been featured in many publications.

Her kitchen inspired me to go with dark blue cabinets in mine. (More on that another day.) Painting stripes on the ceiling sounds like a lot of work, but I love the way it looks.

My old bedroom was the prettiest shade of blue and while it would have worked well in a bedroom for two little boys, I wanted to go with something more unique for Nico and Leo. Still, these thick blue stripes keep making me rethink that decision.

But of all the striped walls I've seen lately, these are my favorite. Probably because they were made with Japanese washi tape and cost just $30. As the designer behind them explains, they're the way to go if you don't have the patience to paint and the budget for wallpaper. Bingo! I think I might finally have a winner. Cute Tape has a good selection of washi tape, so now I just need to pick a color and get going. I'll report back with the results as soon as our camera is fixed!

Images 1: Habitually Chic, 2: Julia Lynn and Squire Fox via Design Sponge, 3: Libbie Grove Design

Stone Barns Harvest Fest

Nico's been begging to go apple and pumpkin picking now that it's starting to feel like Fall here in New York. Last year, we took a day trip to an orchard about an hour or two from Brooklyn. Sadly, I don't even remember the name due to some major sleep deprivation back then, but what I do remember is that as fun as it was to pick apples with Nico and take funny pictures of Leo perched in trees, most of the food we ate that day, aside from the apples, was disappointing. There were cinnamon sugar donuts that were stale and didn't seem homemade and don't even get me started on the lame snack bar at the pumpkin patch we went to after.

So, imagine my excitement when I heard about the Stone Barns Harvest Fest on Hither and Thither yesterday. Daniel, my Mom and I celebrated my 30th birthday at Blue Hill at Stone Barns back when I was pregnant with Nico. A farm-to-table restaurant, their food is right up my alley. On another visit, Daniel and I had some wine and appetizers before a friend's wedding reception.

I happened to get electrocuted that evening as well. True story, I swear. I was so enamored by the farm's adorably plump pigs that I didn't even notice the warning signs about their electric fences. The last time I went, Nico was about 18 months old and in the middle of a major acorn obsession. He could have cared less about the animals, or the farm-fresh lunchtime fare.

It was all about the acorns on that trip, but at least I was able to snap one of my favorite pictures ever of him that day.

Now that he's a bit older, I know he'll be into the hay rides, live music, farm activities (egg collecting! pig feeding!) and Leo, our mini foodie in the making, will be all about the unbelievable food at the Farmers Market, a lot of which is from places in Brooklyn, but nothing is better than getting out of the city and onto a farm. The Harvest Fest is Saturday, October 1 from 10am-3pm and you can buy tickets here. Stone Barns is truly stunning, especially during this time of year.