As Per Your Request...

Word around the campfire is that the layout of our apartment is more than a little mysterious, especially with the new additions of the hallway and Julian's nursery. Apparently it almost seems like we're tacking square footage onto our apartment, which is sadly impossible in most Brooklyn tenement buildings. It's really more of a shell game than anything else, moving around furniture and buying IKEA closets and proclaiming that what was once called "The-Room-We-Walk-Through" from this day forth shall be referred to as "The Hallway" and "Julian's Nursery."

And-- because I am an obliging blogger-- I've whipped together an up-to-date floor plan for everyone's enjoyment and enlightenment : ) If you want a refresher on what the apartment originally looked like, way back when (January of 2011!) take a look at one of our very first postings here...

Sorry the direction is wiggy. It's the only way I could make the drawing big enough to read...

Hopefully this will clear up any confusion about what goes where and how everything is laid out. 

Amazon Prime Scores Again!

As though John needed any additional encouragement on this subject... but we received our Amazon White Wood Night Stand, and when we finally had a free moment (hallelujah!), John set about to assemble it. The assembly was straight forward and easy, all of the parts and pieces were there as planned, and he zipped it right together. Did I mention that it also arrived in 2 days, and shipping was free?  If I didn't, I'm sure John did...

I can't wait to take the new nightstand for a test drive-- sometime around 4:00am when I'm juggling a wiggly, cranky baby, a bottle of water, and trying to read the note pad where I wrote down which side I nursed on last... in the dark. : ) The fact that I've managed not to break my iPad yet is an unequivocal miracle. Thinking about it that way, $79.99 seems like a small price to pay...

I have a feeling that this is going to be a serious improvement from the rickety old nightstand we had before! 

Success! With IKEA to thank...

Believe it or not, we took Julian on his first big field trip this past weekend, to IKEA of all places. We went first thing Sunday morning, when it was virtually empty (by insane scandinavian box store standards) and zipped through with print ups of the exact frames/sizes we were looking for... Remind me to always go to IKEA this well prepared! Is it possible that my hatred of that place stems not from their ridiculous disorganization, but from my own??? WHOA.

Regardless... we zoomed right through without event, picking up a bundle of their OGBY and RIBBA frames, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Seriously, this experience has really redeemed IKEA in my eyes... FINALLY something they really are good at making, not just cheap at making!  

We bought the RIBBA frames in black for the french alphabet poster (now hanging in the hallway), in white for the curli-cue numbers print, and little white 8" X 10" versions for the embroidered fox cards too...

Even better are the OGBY frames, which we bought for the "Brooklyn" screen print, the "Oh Happy Day" print, and the Bold & Noble "New York City" map print. I elected to do a couple of each style of frame because there's such a lot of art work in the nursery, and I didn't want it to feel too "one note", like I raided the OBGY frame section of IKEA. A little variety makes it seem a little more organic in my eyes.

The big frames were each about $25.00, the smaller ones $4.99, so in total, we managed to frame 4 big poster-sized prints, three little fox cards, and the 8.5" X 11" "Un, Deux, Trois" print for about $140.00. Considering I was seriously thinking about bringing everything to be professionally framed, I'm thinking this clocks in at about $500.00 in savings, minimum. I was totally impressed by the selection of frames at IKEA, both in terms of size and style, and would like to revise my original opinion on IKEA: I do not hate their frame section.

That's the best I can do for now... : ) 

Upon request... More cute baby photos!

I can't help it! I have a zillion of them, and I've been receiving requests for more photos of little Julian in action. I know I'm bias, but seriously, that's one cute baby.

Has anyone seen my baby?

Mama & Baby out for a stroll in Williamsburg! 

Check back soon to see the finishing touches on the nursery... Finally complete! 

Finding my mojo!

John and I actually found this recipe (courtesy of Tyler Florence) for a dinner party we had only a few days before Julian's arrival, but it was so good, it stood out in my memory as a must-be-mentioned recipe, even one-plus-week-and-one-baby later. Now that's good! 

This recipe was originally intended as a marinade for flank steak, but I'm pretty sure you could dip/soak/brush anything with it, and you'd be happy with the results. Seriously, this stuff is good. I'd be tempted to use it as a dipping sauce on its own, it's so delish, but I've also seen recipes using it brushed on chicken and fish, so the sky's the limit! That said, if you are going to make steak, maybe to serve as Carne Asada or something similar with a mexican theme, plan on using about 2 pounds of flank steak with this proportion of marinade. 

Mojo Marinade:

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Mojo Instructions:

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine. Use as a marinade for chicken or beef or as a table condiment. 

*Alternatively, you can not read the instructions until after you've put all of the ingredients in a bowl, and then use an immersion blender to blend everything together. Either way appears to produce excellent results. : ) 

Yield: approximately 1 1/4 cups

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: (Assuming you're making steak...)

Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

We served this with our staple red cabbage salad, pico de gallo, guacamole, and a silly amount of black beans, and everyone went home very full and very happy.  

Changes we didn't even know we needed...

Well, we've made it. Today rings in Julian's one-week birthday, and so far, we've managed to keep him alive and kicking. He's already formed a lifelong friendship with William, the dog; he's had his first sponge bath; his first and second pediatrician's appointments (already up 8 oz. Yay!); his first pee-geyser onto the nursery wall and pooh-geyser into his father's hand; and of course, his first 4:00am reggae-dance-a-thon in his living room when he didn't feel like falling asleep. It's been a big week!

This is Julian's "PARTY!" face. He's a pretty serious dude.

Interestingly, it's also illuminated some short comings in our apartment that I didn't know existed, as well as showed me exactly how great and baby-ready our apartment really was. There was something so incredibly calming about walking into the apartment with our little newborn, wide-eyed and terrified, and being able to walk right into the nursery, plop him onto the changing table (which was covered in a fabulous "POP" of orange!), open the drawer and have the diapers and baby wipes all ready to go... It was like, "Okay. Game on folks!"

However, I have quickly realized that my charmingly mis-matched antique-y bedside tables are considerably too small for all the accoutrement we're now storing bedside. At any given moment, there is a bottle of water, a coaster, a tube of boob cream (excuse my honesty...), a notepad and pen, an iPad (to keep me entertained at 4:00am when Julian is having a leisurely nursing session with no end in sight), a baby monitor, an actual book (in case I ever find time to finish it), and our new bible, "Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality".

Add to this equation a boppy pillow and a squirmy newborn, and I quickly realized that I needed at least one, if not two, larger nightstands. However, the nightstands are currently mis-matched and I only sleep on one side of the bed, so in the interest of economy, I think I'll probably just buy one for now.

This serious contender (shown above) was found on Amazon for $79.99. If you've spent fifteen minutes with John in the last month, you'd know that he recently signed up for Amazon Prime. If you want to get the full pitch, email him directly and I'm sure he'll try to sell you on it (Amazon should hire him for advertising) but the gist is that you pay a low annual fee, and get free two-day shipping on everything under the sun. He can't speak highly enough about the whole affair, and this is yet another example of why it's great... $79.99 for the table, and free shipping, right to our door. No driving to Astoria and meeting someone in their dodgy apartment to pick up a nightstand when you should probably be at home with your newborn! Excellent!

Of course, old habits die hard, so I did search Craig's List before I looked anywhere else... I actually really liked this piece, and amazingly, it's literally located blocks from our apartment, but given that it's twice the price of the Amazon table, and yellow, I decided to give it the pass in favor of the Amazon option... (I'm thinking spray painting a bedside table white isn't exactly on the top of our priority list right now...)

Another option was this little 2-drawer nightstand from IKEA, but as you know I have a burning hatred for IKEA, and John also pointed out that what we really need is "surface, surface, surface!" so two-times the drawers and no shelves wasn't really solving the problem we have. As far as I'm concerned, this all qualifies as due-diligence... Nothing easy to pick up on Craig's List, nothing functional from IKEA, and nothing affordable from any of the usual cheap spots I hunt online. Done and done. 

The Amazon "White Finish Wood Nightstand" is ordered and on its way! 

Okay, okay... Who can help but post a couple more photos of this baby???

I know this is totally NOT design related, but I can't help but post a couple more photographs of our brightest new star!

Julian's first sponge bath... This went surprisingly well, actually, despite reports that it would sound like we were killing him while we bathed him. Either he's really chill, or people were just trying the psych us out. 

I'll try to get back on task in my next postings, but who doesn't love a couple of baby photos...?

Cutest baby outfit ever! Also, the only "newborn" outfit we have that actually fits him properly. Evidently we've birthed a baby not only with french sensibilities, but also french proportions. Special thanks go to John's cousin-once-removed, Molly Abend, for picking such a stellar outfit!  

And THAT, folks, is why you don't PROCRASTINATE!

So there was still a fair amount on my to-do list, that was all supposed to be tackled during my enchanted "week-of-non-employment" (originally scheduled to start today)... I was going to frame all of the baby's art work, sew the fasteners onto the back of the glider cushions, empty and reorganize the bathroom cabinets, and go through the living room wall-unit and purge it of its many unidentified piles... Not to mention my many other grand plans-- one last pedicure, getting a haircut, museum day with Julia, sending off a wedding present, the list goes on and on... And then-- to show us all who is boss-- Julian arrived a week early and threw all those plans out the window.

(I must confess: One of the first things I did when I determined that I was going into labor, after I showered, and while John was vacuuming our apartment, was paint my toenails. I figured even if I hadn't squeezed in a pedicure, that was no excuse for showing up at the hospital with slightly chipped toenail polish!) 

Unfortunately, that still leaves the rest of the list! Maybe I can convince John that our first big family outing should be a car trip to Michael's Arts & Crafts so I can buy the ready-made frames for Julian's art work, otherwise I might just have to bite the bullet (financially anyway) and have them all professionally framed someplace in the neighborhood. I have a feeling that might be monetarily devastating though, so I think I'll push for the former. It can be Julian's first foray into the D-I-Y world! Little does he know what he has in store...

Stay tuned for more baby photos and updates, hopefully some photos of the nursery will all of the art in place, and also a couple of new recipes that I discovered in the week before Julian's arrival that were particularly delicious! 

You won't believe what happened next...

On Friday morning, at about 5:00am, I went into labor (a little over a week early), and a little less than 12 hours later, our over-achieving son, Julian Ignatius Moskowitz smiled his first smile in New York City... 

We're currently camped out at the hospital on the Upper East Side, and everybody is doing great. We'll post again tomorrow when we get back to Brooklyn, and let you know more of the details then... 

(We'll include some more photos too-- the iPhone doesn't do this baby justice!)

Written on Thursday Morning...

The Last Details, Trickling In... Just in the nick of time!

Some of last little elements of the nursery have started to arrive, and I'm beyond pleased with them. The much anticipated Star Egg Lamp showed up earlier this week, and it is truly what dreams are made of. It is so ludicrously cute, and is in a competition with itself about which is better:

Egg Lamp! By Day!

or Egg Lamp! By Night!

I mean seriously, folks. That's pretty charming. Between the Djeco mobile, the Egg Lamp, and this little noise-machine lamb that was recommended to us, that room is seriously calming. At night, John and I have been lying in our bed, looking through the little window into the baby's room, and we can see the glow-in-the-dark clouds of the djeco mobile floating slowly past. I have to be honest, it really is pretty transfixing. Even if the baby isn't calmed or soothed by all our efforts, John and I will be far more mellow from the hypnotic qualities of that room. Oooooommmmmmm! Ooooooooommmmm! All very zen.

Some of the art work has also shown up-- remarkably the back-ordered Brooklyn screen print poster beat everybody else to the punch, and arrived yesterday. (This is what I get for ordering art from a little boutique supplier based in London... Speed is not the name of the game.) I'm planning to make the trek to Michael's Arts & Crafts this weekend to buy some ready-made frames, so hopefully I'll be able to get a couple of the art pieces up before next weekend, WHEN THIS BABY IS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE. (Eeeeeeeekkkkk!!!!!)

In truth, I'm actually so eager for him to show up, and keep trying to convince him to seize the day and get a move on. So far... no dice, but I promise I'll keep everybody posted when we zip off to the hospital. Maybe blogging will be a great distraction once I go into the first phases of labor? Leave it to me to try to multi-task delivering a baby... : )

And what about the living room wall color?!

I completely forgot to delve into that project-- it seems like eons ago that John tackled the painting of the living room and dining room (on the 4th of July no less, when I was out having a pregnant-day with fellow pregnant friend Mary... We were getting pre-natal massages while John toiled in a patriotic heat-wave to get the painting finished before he headed back to work on the 5th... What a guy!)

I was convinced the wall color had always been a little off in the living room and dining room. I loved the color, Benjamin Moore's "Light Daffodil", but it was just never as pronounced as I wanted it to be, a little too creamy and yellowy, and without the contrast to the ceiling and trim that I'd hoped for. After we finished with the construction on the baby's room, the wall between the living room and new hallway needed to be painted anyway, so I thought, what better time to seize the opportunity and repaint the whole space?! Yay! (Okay... not yay, not really... But I've sort of been in a "now or never" mind set since the baby factor came on the scene, so I was not to be swayed.)

I was looking for something a little more defined, but also still soft and neutral, and wanted it to be a smooth transition into the bold color of the new hallway (Benjamin Moore's Marlboro Blue) and to tie nicely in with the crazy IKAT print of the Eames lounge chair and dining-chairs-to-be. After much comparing and contrasting, I decided to break from the mold again, and go with another color from California Paints (gasp!) I know-- I really do prefer the quality of Benjamin Moore over California, and John has even complained that the so-called "scrubbable" paint made by them isn't remotely as "scrubbable" as Benjamin Moore's, but what can I say? I'm a traitor? I'm not practical? I'm an impractical traitor? There ya-go!

I even put together a little collage for you guys (up above), so you can see how all of the colors of the apartment relate to one another... Keep in mind that these colors are the backdrop to many colorful accents: There are "pops" of orange in almost every room (counter stools, accent lamps, the oriental rug, the changing table pad & glider cushions, our vintage dresser & dressing table) and then more splashes of a grey-ed navy blue throughout as well, seen also in the oriental area rug, the Serena & Lily Charing Cross Rug in the baby's room, blue & white polka-dot curtains, and blue accent pillows...

My attitude toward color tends to be one based on balance... For my own spaces, I rarely go in for something very zen and monochromatic, but gravitate instead toward a design where the walls are more quiet and the patterns and fabrics are a little more bold, or vice-versa. In the living room and dining room-- where we are using the punchy IKAT fabric and the colorful oriental rug for inspiration, and where we have lots of playful art work chopping up the walls-- I chose a more subdued color that would allow the art and furniture to stand out in contrast to the quiet of the walls. In the narrow hallway where we have only the large white expanse of the IKEA closets to contend with, I chose a more saturated color that really "jumps" in such a small space. Playing back and forth with this balance can be a fun way to incorporate calm and crazy colors into your home without making the whole place feel like a mad house. The key word there is balance -- it's important to try to think about your space as a whole rather than as a series of separate rooms with separate ideas for each, or you can end up with a house that feels like it was designed by ten different people based on ten different philosophies... I think this is particularly important in apartment living, when you really want to emphasize a feeling of continuous space in order to make your limited square footage feel as expansive as possible... 

So file that tid-bit away in your D-I-Y-thought-to-remember-file, and check back in later this week to see what else we're up to... We're down to the wire here folks, 2 weeks and counting until the baby is slated to arrive, so we're going to keep on plugging on our project list until we head off to the hospital! : ) 

Have a terrific weekend! 

Julia's At It Again...

Julia's "In a Pinch" Pasta Sauce

Serves 4

·      Whole wheat or regular angel hair pasta – cooked more on the al dente side

Ingredients for the sauce: 

·      1 large can of good quality chopped tomatoes

·      1 stalk of celery, chopped fine

·      1 medium onion, chopped fine

·      2 cloves of garlic (I swear by farmers market garlic), chopped fine

·      ½ a cup of basil, chopped for sauce

·      3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano, roughly chopped

·      Dash of sugar

·      Small Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

·      Salt and pepper to taste

·      2-3 Tbs. of Olive Oil

To top the pasta:

·      Fresh bocconcini mozzarella (Bocconcini are small balls of mozzarella, but any  

       mozzarella will do)

·      Grated Parmesan

·      Extra Basil, roughly chopped

1. In a sauté pan, sweat the onions, garlic, and celery in the olive oil until translucent – add the pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and then let sit for 1 minute or so, until the pan is pretty hot. I like to add the seasoning at this point because it ends up giving the sauce more flavor because the oil and onions take on the flavors and disperse them through the sauce more evenly.

2. Add the can of tomatoes and let simmer uncovered on medium/low heat, stirring every so often when you see the sauce start to bubble.  I did this for 45 min or so until it looked pretty thick.

3. Add the fresh basil, oregano and the dash of sugar. The sugar helps tone down that metallic taste that canned tomatoes sometimes have. Sauté for another 15 mins.

4. Turn the sauce off and let sit for 20 minutes to cool down before tasting it to see if it requires any further spicing.

5. While waiting for the sauce to cool, boil your pasta with a little salt, cooking until a little al dente, because you’re going to reheat the sauce with the noodles and you don’t want the pasta to become overcooked.

6. Cut your bocconcini mozzarella into halves, grate your Parmesan and chop your extra basil.

7. When the noodles are ready, drain them, leaving a tiny bit of the pasta water in the bottom of your pot. Turn the heat back on and spoon the sauce into the pasta pan until a good sauce-to-noodle ratio is met. Stir the pasta and sauce together and let the flavors "fuse" together in the pot for a couple of minutes. Once the sauce and noodles are both reheated, serve onto plates and then top with the mozzarella, fresh basil and Parmesan on top. 

Voila! Super easy, super delicious! Enjoy!