Knock, Knock. Is anyone out there?

Thank you, thank you for the comments. I guess I need to whine more often! I appreciate hearing from my audience for many reasons. Reading comments encourages me and it is fun to see who is stopping by. I am not weirded out by "lurkers," but I enjoy knowing who you are. I have friends through this blog that I never would have met if they hadn't left a comments. It could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

From your comments, "Confessions of a Decorating Meddler" won, so I'll be posting about that shortly. From there, it will be on to "Hating My Baby Fat" and "Emergency Meals" (perhaps one has to do with the other... hmmm).

The comments on my blog have been, how shall I say this? Scarse. Funny thing is, traffic isn't scarse. One morning I checked at 7am and already people had stopped by from 3 continents and 4 US states. Howdy world! Why aren't you commenting?

This is a snapshot of PW's blog and on one post about thankfulness she had 867 comments. Sure she just published an amazing cookbook and she is wildly popular. Plus she updates her blog a couple times a day with witty writing. The small appliances she is constantly giving away probably help too. Since I don't have time to update a lot, I am witty only about 5.5 days a month, and I don't think anyone wants me to give away my very used and barely working small appliances, I don't stand a chance of getting 867.... ever.... in this lifetime. But I would settle for 10.

So why aren't you commenting?

• Is the keyboard on your computer broken?
• Do you have no idea how to comment?
• Did you accidently fall into my blog and couldn't wait to get out?
• Are you commenting on Facebook instead?
• Do you save your comments for posts where something is given away for free?
• Or are you still waiting for something witty on this blog?

I have things running through my mind all the time that I want to blog about. But I just don't feel in the mood to post them when so few are commenting (thanks to my faithful few). A few subjects that are burning a hole in my virtual brain: "Confessions: I am a Decorating Meddler," "Loving My Baby's Baby Fat and Hating Mine," "Scheduling Time for Change," and "Emergency Meal Plans."

Leave a comment on what post you want to see next and I'll post as soon as I have 867 comments. Joking. Joking. I'll post when I have 10 comments.

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Winter Roundup: Duck Boots

I have been dragging my feet on starting this season's Roundup Series, but seeing as it's almost December and it's starting to get downright COLD in many places I am now officially embracing Winter!

So, for our first Winter Roundup, I bring you Duck Boots. I know they are a little goofy at first glance, but trust me, Duck Boots are where it's at for wet and cold winter weather. LL Bean's Bean Boots are the classic, but I am also loving the Sperry Topsider version. Often you can get these shoes lined with some sort of shearling which adds to their warmth and comfort. AND Duck Boots are super cute with both jeans and dresses!

Warm, water-proof and the right amount of outdoorsy-girl-quirk... what more could you ask for?!?!




Sperry Topsider for JCrew ($158), LL Bean 8" Bean Boot ($84), Sperry Topsider ($104).

Stay tuned for more Winter Roundups over the next couple of weeks! Read More.. Read More..

A Week's Worth

A week's worth of Margaret Howell's Autumn/Winter 09 collection - Stripes, Toggles, Fair Isle... I think I could handle it...

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Trip to Cancun

I am thankful for so many things. We just got back from a 5 day trip to Cancun, Mexico to attend the wedding of my cousin. It was the most amazing trip ever. My sunburn is now peeling and is confused for the beginnings of frostbite. The transition home has been hard. I could get used to the luxury of being pampered. In the matter of a few days away I had my first massage, first pedicure, and first room service. But we have the memories...

To understand why we made this long journey with our 6 week old baby, I have to explain a bit about my family. My great-grandparents had 10 children over 23 years, 9 who survived to adulthood. My grandmother is the oldest of the girls. Growing up, my great grandparents lived in the same town as us and my grandmother's siblings and their families often came to visit. We had frequent family reunions, making this huge extended family very close. Because of the age span between the children, my grandmother was having her first children at the same time as her mother (my great grandmother) was having her last children. * This is where is gets confusing. * So, my dad has aunts who are similar to him in age making their children similar in age to his children -- that would be me and my sister. It was my dad's first cousin who was married in Cancun last week. And my dad's first cousin is my first-cousin-once-removed. * Are you still with me? *

My sister and I with my grandma. Gotta love the sunburns!

I have great memories with this family. The laughter and good food was over-flowing. I keep in contact with all my cousins (some are listed in the blog list), but we don't get to see them much any more since my great grandmother passed away. I knew this wedding excursion would be fun, but we almost didn't go. When making the decision, I was 9 months pregnant and miserable. Also, it would be a huge expense. Then my great aunt offered to make it possible by providing accommodations, we decided to go for it. When would we ever have this opportunity again? And to be with family in such an a beautiful location was too much to pass up. Nearly 50 of my family went on the trip including my grandma, parents, and sister and her husband.

Getting the birth certificate quickly and then Remi's passport was difficult and time consuming. Many times I wondered what we were thinking to take our 6 week old baby out of the country for a vacation. The passport came just a week before we left and he was ready to travel.

If you have traveled with a child (or children), you know how hard it is. It takes skills and training and should not be attempted by the faint of heart. I think it should be an Olympic event, both summer and winter games. If it were, Jeff and I would have medaled on more than one occasion. We took the gold medal in the relay event when we traveled with Emma to Africa. Then, last year I took an individual gold when I went to Tennessee and Washingshton DC with Mandy. Air travel and children provides a unique set of difficulties, but road trips can also be challenging. Like our trip to Canada. 

We left the girls with Jeff's parents and departed with Remi on Wednesday last week. Thankfully, Remi is an easy baby. He loves being held and rocked and he didn't make more than a few fussing noises for 5 days. People asked, "Does he ever cry?" Nope! He thoroughly enjoyed being an only child. It was really fun to be with him, smiling and talking. We pawned him off with my parents or other family members a couple of times during the trip and they were happy to hold him.

We stayed in 5 star accommodations. Check out this link to the resort: Grand Velas. It was out-of-this world beautiful! Jaccuzi tub, down comforter, 50" flat screen tv, free room service, fully stocked mini bar with Frappachinos and Oreos, and bath towels the size of my car.... we really didn't need to leave the room. But we did to lay by the pool and to attend the beautiful beach wedding.

My cousin Demitri and his wife, Amanda, Aunt Valdean, the beautiful bride, Jenny and my cousin Daniel

The wedding was lovely and it made me want to get married again... actually, it made me want to be a wedding photographer in Cancun. On the beach. I can't think of a more perfect job. Oh ya. Perfect job = my husband, home, and 3 beautiful children. Momentary memory lapse. It must be all that sun and Frappachinos.

Remington has momentary memory lapses as well. He completely forgot about home where he isn't held 24/7, where his loving sisters pester him constantly, and where the only thing tropical about the climate is the rain. I caught him dreaming about the perfect weather and all you can eat buffets as he snoozed in his private cabana by the pool. 

I posted a zillion more pictures on Facebook. So, if you are my friend (and I hope you are), check them out there. Like the one with Jeff wearing a tiny little sombrero, pictures of our resort and amazing food, and about 6 pictures of Remington's cutie-pie, smiling double chin.

Now back to paradise as it describes our blessed, but normal lives instead of a location. :)

PS

I posted these pics through Photobucket and they are HUGE. Sorry if you have problems viewing them. I'll get back to normal here soon.

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Happy Thanksgiving

I am heading out for the rest of the week. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend (in the U.S. that is) and for those of you abroad, I hope you have a delightful weekend!

I will leave you with this gift guide taken from BUST and put together by the ever-so-lovely Lisa Butterworth....


(click to enlarge for better detail - via For Me, For You)

I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Butterworth while I was in NYC and she is adorable (with fantastic style to boot)! Hopefully this will inspire anyone who will be starting their holiday shopping this weekend!

P.S. I don't know if I ever told you, but I scored myself a For Me, For You friendship necklace and I wear it very often - Would make a perfect gift! (And if "anyone" feels so inclined, I would happily be gifted one of those Best Day Ever tees! Hehe!)

xoxo,
Roberta Jane Read More.. Read More..

Tights + Socks = Love

While I am on the topic of my newly discovered obsession of the thigh-high sock + tight combo, check out these Mara Hoffman knit-stirrup-legging-sock-hotness-thingys!


Hmm... is it too early to start compiling a holiday wish list?!?!?!

Available at Bona Drag ($110) spotted via Commas and Clauses Read More.. Read More..

At Last!

After many, many years (5, 6, 7 years??) I think I have finally found my perfect pair of flat black riding boots. They are the Archive Boot from Madewell. They arrived to my house yesterday and they are perfect! Matte black, tall but not too tall (because I am not tall), super flat but still feel a bit rugged, chunky antiqued zipper - LOVE!


And as you can sort of tell from this photo, I finally figured out a good way to wear thigh-high socks without feeling trashy. Here I have thick black thigh-highs over super opaque black tights. I definitely recommend giving this look a try, the socks add that extra layer of warmth over the tights - AND even the husband liked it (crazy!)

Uniqlo Plaid Flannel Dress, Urban Outfitters Tights, Target Thigh-Highs, Madewell Archive Boots. Read More.. Read More..

Pictures from Emma's Birthday Party

Finally some pictures from Emma's birthday party, a week and a half ago. The busyness that has invaded my life recently still surprises me.... more on that later.

We decided to have Emma's party at my in-law's. They have a great barn and hay loft. It was a far cry from the princess theme party that Emma envisioned, but she eventually caught on to the idea.

She helped make pink cupcakes. I even let her break the eggs. Of course I always make her crack them into a bowl first, but I am truly amazed at how well she does. She even frosted the cupcakes herself. We were having fun with red food coloring that day!

5 squiggle candles for the birthday girl.

Emma's party included her cousins, plus her friend Heidi. The hay forts and tunnels and rope swing were very entertaining.

We roasted hot dogs over a fire in between rain storms.

Hot dogs are always a crowd pleaser to the pre school age crowd.

I made this "pin the tail on the cow" poster. It was the only game I planned because, well, back to that busyness thing again. I was scribbling with a sharpy on this poster an hour before the party.

The barn has some treasures, like this circa 1982 spring horse. Raise your hand if you had one of these! Oh, so much fun. There is probably some health hazard with those exposed rusty springs, but it is still entertaining like nothing else.

Emma got a play, pink camo gun. It makes a lot of noise, but we don't have any pretend bad guys around our place any more.

Emma is as diverse as her gifts. She got a beautiful party dress too (the one I attempted to take her birthday pictures in -- click here to see the finished product). It was a great party and lots of fun.

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How To: Red Tights

I love red tights! In my younger years, I fondly remember sporting red tights while working as a shopgirl at Kate Spade in San Francisco. As I get older I feel like I am walking a fine line between looking smart and modern vs. too sweet and juvenile in red tights. Sure, they look wonderful in polaroid-romantic photos floating through blogland, but how does one pull-off red tights in the real world?

I was recently pondering this dilemma when the lovely Raya of The Paper Pony wrote into Ask Camp Comfort looking for ways to wear red tights without looking like a clown.

So, after doing a little research, here are my how to's for wearing red tights:

Playing it safe: Paired with a tailored tweed dress and black accessories the red tights look sophisticated. Add quirky accessory (here a leopard bag) to take some of the pressure/attention off the tights.



Having some fun: Paired with a floral skirt and nautical top the red tights take on a sexy/playful vibe. Keep the outfit fairly tonal to avoid looking too silly.


Tights by Banana Republic ($15) - Loving this berry-red!
Outfit 1: Dunderndon Dress ($228), ModCloth Pine Cone Necklace ($15.99), F21 , Coat ($42.80), Jerome Dreyfuss Bag ($835), Steve Madden ($79.95).
Outfit 2: APC Sailor Top ($80), F21 Skirt ($16.90), Topshop Leather Bag ($100), Marais Oxford ($88). Read More.. Read More..

Self Sufficient

It's a zoo around here. I found there is only one safe place for the baby if I need to do something else besides hold him and monitor to make sure his sisters don't torture him. 

I prop him up in bed on the Bumpo, spin the mobile, and turn on some jungle sounds from his super cool, white-noise Giraffe. This usually gives me about 5-10 minutes of time. And the girls think he is in his room sleeping, so they leave him alone. Usually.

On this day he actually fell asleep in his crib. I didn't notice for at least half an hour. I won't call the poor little guy neglected, just self sufficient.

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Completing the process: saying goodbye to my midwives

I said goodbye to my amazing midwives, Lisa and Rachel. It was me and Remi's final visit with them post-partum. I feel great and am completely healed. Remi is thriving and gaining chubby baby fat (10lbs. and 10 oz.). I am very happy with the care I received, as well as my baby, with these ladies.

 

Remington with Lisa and Rachel

I started seeing Lisa and Rachel in February when I was about 7 weeks pregnant. From the beginning, it was very different and a far more personal experience than dr/clinic/hospital care. You can read my thoughts and experiences on home birth by clicking here. I loved everything about it. Well, I guess I could have done without the pain of childbirth, but even that was bearable because I was in my own space.

My experience of friendship with my midwives and a totally satisfying natural birth are similar to many I've read about online from other women. Women who birth at home LOVE it! What I didn't expect, but greatly appreciated, was the care I received after the birth. I wanted to share a little about that because it has been so helpful and amazing. 

Typically at the hospital, a woman has the baby, baby is looked over by the attending physician, mom is monitored for a few hours and then everyone is discharged to drive home after a day or so. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed when we took Emma home from the hospital. I then had to pack my very newborn back up and take her in for a check-up a few days after birth. The dr. wanted to see her at 2 weeks and 1 month as well. At each visit, I had to wait in the cold exam room with my nearly naked baby so that the dr. could spend a few minutes telling me everything was fine. I had a check-up for myself at 6 weeks. At the baby's visits they checked her heart, breathing, looked at her skin for jaundice, asked if she was pooping, and other stuff like that. At the visit for me, they asked about breast feeding, my stitches, and if I was tired or irritable (looking for depression). All that running around made me tired and irritable! I saw countless pleasant nurses, doctors, and hospital midwives and received adequate care, but something was missing.

This time around, the midwives took amazing care of me and the baby! They stayed for about 3 hours after the baby was born, monitoring Remi as I snuggled and nursed him in my own comfortable bed. Everything was done at a much slower pace than at the hospital. My mom was curious that I waited almost 2 whole hours to call and tell her the baby was born. But we had been busy bonding, resting, touching and holding our new little guy. It actually felt SO right to have that time to recuperate and enjoy the baby and not rushed at all. By the time Lisa and Rachel left, we were relaxed and I felt confident that they were just a speed-dial phone call away if we needed anything.

Lisa came back the next day and the third day to check on me and Remi. They did a head to toe exam on the baby at each visit and noticed things that the pediatrician I took him to at week 1 didn't even see. At each visit, it was like talking to an extremely knowledgeable friend. Lisa has attended over 800 births and I found her to be a wealth of knowledge, not just in pregnancy, but in pediatric care as well. She examined Remi with affection (he was born on her birthday, so they have a special bond). She reassured me and listened to my concerns, giving me confidence as a mom.  Lisa has the fantastic knowledge of a nurse, midwife, pediatrician, herbalist, and nutritionist.

Rachel was at most of my prenatal visits, at the birth, and at some of the post natal visits as well. She is working to get her certification as a Nurse Midwife. She is a young mom of 3 like me and I loved that she identifies with me at this stage in life (her youngest is 1 year old). She was also very helpful giving advice and ideas from her recent training and experience as mom. Together, Lisa and Rachel made a great team and I am SO happy I found them. It almost makes me want to have another baby just to see them again... almost, but not quite. They do a monthly potluck to visit with their past and present moms. That sound like a good option for reconnecting. Less painful too!

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Shake Your Pom Pom

Inspired by this photo, I went in search of a Red Pom Pom Knit Hat for Winter... (P.S. And can we talk about the yellow Vans and red socks? Cute!)



Gap ($24.50), ModCloth ($24.99), F21 ($5.50), AE ($24.50).

Editor's Note (wink): 80's pom pom clad ski hats are one of the easiest things to find at the local thrift store - go take a look!

(Photo by Anna Wolf via Experience Parisienne YSL) Read More.. Read More..

Very Marimekko

I am a little bit bummed that I didn't make it to the Marimekko Concept Store on the Upper East Side, mostly to see if I could get my hands on this wood-bead necklace (which appears to be sold out online). I have taken an extreme liking to wooden necklaces as of late. I keep thinking I will make one for myself, but as you can tell, my follow through on craft ideas is low.... Wouldn't homemade/handmade wooden beaded necklaces make great holiday presents? I gotta get on this!


Anywhoo, here are a couple more lovely items from Marimekko...


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Sunday at the beach

Spending a beautiful Fall day at the beach is my ideal way to relax. Yes, to playing in the sand. Yes, to eating at Mo's. Yes, to napping with the baby.

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