so goes the email i received last week – and the one 30 days prior. a gentle reminder that it’s been three whole months since i’ve posted on late blooms. yes, i had a baby. yes i’ve been busy being a working-pumping-nursing-nurturing-mama. but, now it’s time to visit my dear ole’ friend, late blooms; i’ve missed you.

of course all this time apart has filled me with anxiety about what my first post should be. another reason it’s taken so long to return. does it really matter? does it? this is my first post and i’m back.

from mystic mamma

when i finally received it (a month after ordering it), i decided it wasn’t the perfect book. although unique and clever, there wasn’t much room to paste photos, let alone a dried up umbilicol cord. my husband’s suggestion to make a book (which i previously poo-poo’d) was starting to look like the winning idea. i decided to keep the book as a fun reference and make my own creation. off i went to ai friedman, where i debated between a kolo and rag and bone bindery scrapbook, ultimately choosing the latter.

i couldn’t be happier with my decision. i love that it is truly a unique baby book, which my daughter and i can look at together someday. and the best part of creating the book will be creating the memories to fill it.

i promise to always listen to my husband and never obsess again.

knight cat

shakespeare’s romeo and juliet meets the passionate music of singer-songwriter jeff buckley in the last goodbye. conceived and adapted by the talented michael kimmel, the show runs at the williamstown theatre festival through august 20. if you can’t make the trip to the berkshires, chances are you’ll be able to see it in the future on broadway. this is only the beginning for the last goodbye.

images from knight kat and garance dore.

illustration from annechovie

on a recent la visit, my husband and i found a great gem on abbot kinney in venice called the juicy leaf. with the help of owner, felix, i planted a succulent in layers of small stones in a cylinder vase. he carefully wrapped it for my plane ride and i am currently enjoying it in my home. the juicy leaf also hosts planting parties – and if a store opens in new york as felix hopes, i will be on that bandwagon.

listening is the new black.
available for ladies too.
from the rules of a gentleman

founded at the turn of 20th century, the french institute and the alliance française de new york operated as two separate organizations, the first promoting french arts, the second teaching french. in 1971 they merged to form what has become one of the largest and most respected centers of french-american activities in the u.s: the french institute alliance française.

photo from obsessive consumption

every winter when the new york temperatures plummet, i consider my state of residency. why do i live here? why wouldn’t i live somewhere warm, like i don’t know, santa barbara? sb may seem a bit random but i’ve been coming across it recently. it was the picture perfect backdrop for the film, it’s complicated and in a recent sunset magazine spread, there was a feature on santa barbara architecture.

architect jeff shelton was featured in this article. i love his spanish / california style: the bright colors, tiles and iron are so warm and inviting. i can just imagine the bright community feel that this courtyard would offer. to see more of his gorgeous work, go here.

photograph from lidya’s flicker page.

dana rounded up more than 50 people – from the us to mexico to australia, to make a challah between sundown thursday, december 17 and sundown friday, december 18. i will be participating tonight, making my first challah! i’ll follow up with a report, and perhaps pictures.

easy challah recipe:

-dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. sprinkle 1 pkg. yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes in large mixing bowl. stir to dissolve.

-combine with 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp. salt and 2 eggs. beat well. then stir in 3 1/2 – 4 cups flour. dough should be sticky. cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. knead for 10 minutes.

-cover bowl and let rise in a warm place about 2 hours. punch down, cover and let rise about 45 minutes.

-divide dough in to 3 equal parts, shape in to strands and braid loosely on greased baking sheet. fasten ends securely. bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

photo from is that my bureka

i never knew that brussel sprouts grew on stalks. in fact, i never knew how they grew; i never gave it much thought. but i keep seeing stalks at farmer’s markets, grocery stores and veggie stands. so strange how one never notices something and then sees it everywhere.

preparing them from the stalk makes cooking even more fun. a quick steam before roasting them in the oven doused with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and ground pepper, makes a tasty side. i don’t know why this vegetable gets such a bad rap (picture kids being forced to eat brussel sprouts before they could have dessert), they are delicious.

jack the horse tavern, a great haunt in brooklyn heights, serves roasted brussel sprouts and radishes with a vinegary vibe. my husband and i love to snack on them at the bar while waiting for our meal to arrive. as a side or as an app – brussel sprouts are a great way to veg out.

1. excitement and fascination
2. total boredom

the more i think about it, many foreign films have a dichotomy of being both intriguing and dull. the prime proof is often in the dialogue – deep and substantial, yet mundane and phony. and i quote:

i don’t really like the summer; i only like in between seasons
are you hungry?

some nights anything goes.
i’m afraid. i do not know why.

you don’t find good rice very often

you’re pisces aquarius rising, you were born to be loved

you know, a case is never definitely closed.

and the ultimate question: what does this all mean? nothing….everything?

photo from i.bp.blogspot.com

as many times as i have heard the terms ‘free range’ and ‘grass fed,’ i don’t think i fully grasped what that meant until i watched food inc. i guess i shouldn’t be stunned by dispicable farming practices and the mega corporations that control it, but i never understood the implications that it has – on the immigrant worker trying to survive, the small farmer who is imprisoned (basically) by corporate greed – even me ordering a burger at my favorite joint. you can bet i will be asking questions before i order my food from now on.

the film is jarring, scary and real. some farmers even feed corn to fish! fish! that is not right. food inc contains some positive messages, however. awareness. companies becoming more conscious and mindful (even if their motivations aren’t completely pure). and the fact that i (one person) was touched enough to tell you (many people) to watch it. so what are you waiting for? netlix…blockbuster…joe’s video den…enlighten yourself!

is there a comparable style icon or actress today? who rivals grant….clooney? the grace and class of that age seems to be absent in modern day times. i quite like the suavity of that era – there is almost something magical to it. in a world where robert pattison is revered (granted i read twilight and new moon), i think many of us crave polished style.

photos via zimbio and dancefloortragedy respectively.

it began with a trip to the farmer’s market where i sampled many a curd, and my husband purchased several bags for friends. i learned that the orange color associated with cheese curds is really a dye; the natural color is white. later i learned that cheese curds that are fried and dipped in horseradish sauce is the most decadent and divine snack ever created. we tried this delicacy at the old fashioned , a jamming restaurant near the capitol. the bartender described them as fried mozzarella sticks, but better. indeed. we should have stopped here, but alas our meal was on the way – chili (served over spaghetti) and bratwurst. but no need to dwell on this over-indulgent, calorie infested meal…

let’s face it, sconnies love cheese, and who can blame them? whether it’s cheese curds in a plastic bag or artisinal cheeses from fromagination , it’s all delicious. just one of the many reasons why i love wisconsin.

lately, i’ve been clocking time at bloomingdale’s to help launch the bumble and bumble styling bar. i never realized what a cult following their frozen yogurt has. women stroll the “b way” with towering cups of fro-yo. friends sit across from each other at 40 carrots, chatting over piles of the frozen treat. weary shoppers lap it up to reenergize before throwing down more cash.

did i mention how big the serving is? it’s just not normal for someone to consume that much yogurt in one sitting. i’m happy to say i did not finish mine (although i made quite the dent). my regret, however, is minimal. i got vanilla + berry, the latter to support breast cancer.

photo from flickr.

then, someone went to france. i can’t remember who – it must have been a friend of my mom’s. and she brought me back a purse in a blue pattern. i should have felt estatic, even privileged that i had a a bona fide french purse. but i couldn’t help feeling like a phony, like i would be spotted a mile away with a faux deux. although i felt a sense of shame, i wore the purse – which would eventually contain a true pierre deux coin purse that i purchased (with my own money).

of course, today i can appreciate that my mom arranged for me to have a french purse. it was thoughtful and kind, considering her (most likely) desire to delay my inevitable growth. but i will never forget that sense of longing and desire that i felt.

image from free people

photo credit: vibe magazine and appoloniakotero82.tripod.com respectively

facial hair, as old as man itself, has taken it’s place in the spotlight in the format of the mustache. mustaches seem to be everywhere these days – above the lips of hipsters, gold ones adorning the necks of trendy chicklets, and on oklahoma’s qb landry jones (that was for my husband). i secretly like this quirky trend and after doing a little research on the topic, found that there are groups and organizations dedicated to the mighty stache.

no one seems more dedicated than the american mustache institute whose mantra is ‘protecting the rights of, and fighting discrimination against, mustached americans by promoting the growth, care and culture of the mustache.’ they are hosts to the ‘stache bash’ in st. louis on october 30, where mustached legend, john oates will perform. also, those interested in entering the robert goulet mustached american of the year contest, you still have a few weeks. it isn’t solely for gents either, the online submission form asks for gender!

illustrations and logo from american mustache institute; advertisement credit tbd

photo credit: kottke.org