I LOVE "Ilovegorgeous"

What little girl wouldn't want to wear the clothes at Ilovegorgeous? They are whimsical and harken back to clothing of many different eras. I see influences of the 60's and 70's but also the the 15th century. The dresses are definitely swirl worthy and their separates are adorable. Also, I love the styling in the photos on their website. Gorgeous.

I heart my daughter's highchair

We have the high chair from IKEA and seriously, it's amazing.

We fed our daughter in a bouncy seat until she was sitting upright really well and then switched to the IKEA seat. We wanted the Stokke seat but we haven't looked back since (not once).

It comes apart easily and fits in the trunk of our car for trips to the in-laws (who have no high chair). It has an extremely low profile and goes great with our table. The seat fits under the edge of the table for times we want Hazel to eat with us without a tray. It's all plastic and easy to clean. It doesn't have a million parts and it’s only $25 so if you don't like it, you really haven't made a huge investment.

We actually made no investment because a friend found ours on the side of the road and brought it to our house but I would have paid for it, knowing what I know now.

Six thumbs up (and no I’m not being paid for this endorsement, unfortunately).

Wow, I've read a lot of books since I lost my job!

Ever since I lost my job, I've been less inclined to post to the blog. I'm not really sure why. I haven't stopped reading though. Here are my brief yet informative reviews of the books I've read since my state of unemployment began in August.

Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson - A fun read.

He, She and It by Marge Piercy - Eh, it was ok, I finished it but I don't think I'd pass it on.

Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor, and Really Bad Weather by Jincy Willett - Great! Go buy it or borrow it from your local library NOW!

Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian - Don't be fooled because Midwives was good, this books sucks ass (excuse the language). I really don't see what all the reviewers are raving about. This book was all about getting nowhere.

The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark - I loved loved loved this book. It reminded me of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer which you should also read if you haven't. This is definitely the best book I've read since I've been unemployed (someone hire me, not so subliminal message).

The Red Men by Matthew De Abaitua - I really enjoyed this sci-fi read, until the end, when it all fell apart for me. I'll still recommend it because I was totally wrapped up in it and maybe I just missed something because let's face it, it happens sometimes.

I just started People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks because March: A Novel was amazing. I'll let you know how it is.

New Etsy Items

Finally, we've got some new items at our Etsy shop. We think they're pretty cool (of course). Check them out.This photo-collage is a 6 x 8 inch photograph printed on 8x10 Archival paper with Epson inks.
Multiple is a 7.5 x 7.5 inch photograph printed on 8x10 Archival paper with Epson inks.
Ocean is a 6.5 x 9 inch photograph printed on 8x10 Archival paper with Epson inks.

chivalry is NOT dead

Clyde helps Hazel across the threshold! How cute.

Love these!

I saw Julia Rothman's hand silkscreened pillow on dooce.com, that's how I found these GORGEOUS gouache dress paintings ($135 each). Too bad I don't have any extra money...where'd that go? Oh yeah, I had a baby.

Hazel likes....today

Ice...yes, ice. She calls it ichy I don't know why (probably because she's 15 months old) but, she LOVES it. I think because it's hot (really hot) and because she's teething (really teething). I'd been giving her little ice chips by hand or spooning it to her from my glass in restaurants when we went out but last night I had the genius idea of putting some cubes in her Nuby Nibbler (which we never actually used with her). She happily chewed on the mesh bag and it gave me time to get her dinner ready. Why hadn't I thought of this before. Then she wanted more, because of course, the ice melted. I don't know why, but getting the top on the Nibbler isn't so easy for me. Does anyone else have this problem? It looks like it should screw on but it doesn't...I was getting really frustrated, and the ice kept melting. I kept having to put more ice in it and Hazel was watching me stand over the sink, water streaming down my arms and I got more and more annoyed with this stupid piece of idiotic baby equipment that I couldn't friggin get closed....sigh....now I remember why we never used it. Anyway, I finally got so frustrated that I pushed the top really hard and it snapped shut...ooooh! Duh! Drool....

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The Manipulator

I love these photos by Jill Greenberg...some of them are a little TOO manipulated but they're still excellent. The underwater photos are also great.

Cute Skirt

I just got this adorable pink chicken skirt for Hazel on Hautelook for a great price (over 50% off). I didn't think I'd use Hautelook but the deals are really good! Go figure. It's going to be great for Fall with tights!

I'm Reading

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann.

Before I talk about that, I just want to conclude my thoughts on It Sucked and Then I Cried. That book was so honestly written. I loved Armstrong's unblushing admittance to eating nacho cheese Doritos by the bagful and having pop tarts every morning for breakfast. That along with her sense of humor, easy writing style and willingness to share every aspect of her pregnancy (I mean EVERY ASPECT) made this book a pleasure to read. Go out and get it already! What're you waitin' fer?

Ok The Lost City of Z... I can't put this book down, except I have to occasionally because Michael and I are reading it at the same time plus sometimes I have to do other things, like drive. One thing I know for sure is that I NEVER want to go into the Amazon, EVER, NEVER EVER NEVER. Do you know there are worms that burrow under your skin, bees that sting your eyes, bats that suck your blood, fish that will eat you, snakes that weigh over a ton, not to mention poisonous plants, incessant rain...should I go on? Anyway, I don't need to go, because Percy Fawcett did and David Grann is writing about it.

Fawcett entered the Amazonian rainforest in 1925 to find a lost city and was never heard from again. Grann goes into the Amazon to follow Fawcett's route and hopefully solve the mystery and maybe even find the Lost City of Z. I can't wait to see how it all ends.

Hazel likes....today

Her new Offi Kapsule chair! We've known for a while that Hazel wanted a chair her own size because she's been climbing up and down off of the couch and chairs in the living room and looking really proud of herself when she got up there. Then she'd sit like an adult and look through a book (maybe upside down, maybe right side up, whatever, she's 15 months old). So we caved and bought her a chair her size.

This chair is great because it's hollow so we were able to also use it as storage...which trust me, with a kid, we totally need. We stuffed it full of Hazel's plush toys, which she loves to pull out and throw all over the floor. Hey, whatever keeps her busy right? She also loves to push it down the long hallway of our house. Much to my dismay, Hazel also loves to stand on it, and use it as a climbing tool to get to other HIGHER chairs. Everyone kept saying it was fine, she hadn't fallen, to which I added the dreaded "YET". So, of course, this morning, she did a complete face-plant, OUCH! Of course, she survived. Kids are tough.

Standing, sitting, pushing the chair down the hall...this chair gets two thumbs up.

I'm Reading

It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong. If you don't know who Heather Armstrong is, she's the writer of the blog dooce.com (which, if you've never checked out, you should). First off, I had to wait months to get this book from the library. We have a moratorium on buying books at my house so I twiddled my thumbs and waited (impatiently). After reading the first two pages I knew I had to buy this book for everyone I knew who had ever had a baby...ok well, at least my sister (hey, I work for a non-profit, I'm not made of money). I was reading the book in bed before going to sleep and I had to leave the room. The book was making me laugh so hard I was shaking the bed and Michael was whining beside me because I kept waking him up. I laugh silently so he couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying, which can be disturbing. I think I might have shed a few tears actually. This book simultaneously makes me want to be pregnant again and makes me want to have my uterus permanently removed so that there's no chance that it ever happens again, EVER! I'm not finished with it but I already highly recommend It Sucked and Then I Cried. Go out and get it.

Not to be ungrateful but...

... it would be nice to see an end in sight. Not that I'm unappreciative of the Sunday & Monday of partly cloudy days in my future but when is Summer going to be here...will this endless rain ever stop?!

I'm reading..this, while I'm reading that

Mysteries by Knut Hamsun because seriously, there's only so much about food (and how horrible it all is) I can read before I go to bed. So far, I'm really liking it. More to come on completion.