Bye Bye Palena (Cleveland Park Boogaloo)

A quick snap of Palena late Saturday night before it shuttered.

Palena, my favorite neighborhood destination, closed on Saturday. 

Palena's end seemed to have come quite suddenly.  Neighbors found out the restaurant was experiencing serious trouble through a report in the Washington City Paper. Then on Friday, Palena's owner, Frank Ruta, announced that he would be closing the restaurant on Saturday night.  It is my understanding that the employees didn't find out much sooner than the rest of us and were equally taken by surprise. 

Restaurants come and go, but Palena's shuttering has left me quite surprised and wistful. It's clear that I'm not the only one who feels such strong feelings about Palena's closing. 

Given more time to digest the news, I can't help but wonder if the community would have tried to do something to save Palena. If folks had known earlier about its difficulties paying rent, I bet that someone would have suggested a Kickstarter campaign.  Or maybe the neighborhood could have banded together like in, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. But Breakin 3: Cleveland Park Boogaloo has yet to be produced, and we were left with one day to say goodbye to our Palena. (The clip below can't be seen on a mobile format.)

George Clooney is Getting Married (Who's that Lady)

George Clooney is getting married to the gorgeous, successful, tri-lingual, Oxford-educated Amal Alamuddin.  Or as Slate puts it London Human Rights Lawyer Amal Alamuddin Is Engaged!

I must say I'm excited by this.  George Clooney, the superstar that everyone thought would remain single, is settling down with what looks like a no-nonsence, interesting, engaging, career oriented person.  As an added plus, she's stylish, and gorgeous.  I can't wait to hear more about this couple!

Handle with Karo's Mother's Day Gift Guide 2014

 

 

 

 

Mother's Day is two weeks from yesterday.   HwK's suggestions.

David Yurman's Aluminum Cuffs (Two Cuffs for the Price of One)

Have you seen the David Yurman anniversary aluminum cuffs? They came out in February. I love the monochrome look.  An added bonus is that since they are made out of aluminum the price point is low enough that you can buy two cuffs for the price of one of the standard silver and gold cuffs.

This would be a great graduation or Mother's Day gift.  

Meat and Potatoes (Heavy Cooking)

It feels like I haven't cooked in ages. Since I returned to work we have done lots of takeout, sandwiches and my favorite, oatmeal for dinner. Now that we are all getting used to the new schedule I'm looking for new things to make that require little fuss. This recipe from, Dinner a Love Story is a bit heavier than I typically make, but I loved the simplicity of it.  

I tried this recipe twice, and each time, my husband and I were underwhelmed by the results.  I will say I liked the recipe more when we made a few modifications: using turkey sausage and reducing the number of apples.

Dinner a Love Story billed this recipe as a time saving recipe that you can make once a week. I'm not sure that our arteries would survive having a dish like this ever week. It's easy, and if you want to make a filling meal for your family quickly, this might be worth trying.

If you want to make the recipe healthier, I recommend using turkey sausage and just the tiniest bit of olive oil. 
 
You might ask why I would blog about a recipe that I don't love.  The answer is, I started blogging in part to try all of these recipes I've seen on blogs.  They always look so pretty, but sometimes they just don't pan out.  I think it's important that there is feedback out there, to say you know what these recipe looks awesome, but it doesn't taste awesome.

You can find the recipe here and here.

Happy Friday (Joie de Vivre)

Bonjour via Mentol Art

Georgetown's annual French Market is this Friday and Saturday.  I'm so excited to get there bright and early this year.

I'm not really a Francophile but the French Market did have me thinking about all things French. 

French baby clothes are expensive but wonderful, and not overtly girly or princessy. Petit Bateau is pricey but I will say their clothes are the prettiest, most durable, longest lasting baby clothes I've come across. Also pricey but eco freindly and durable is Qeuf (owned by a Franco-American Couple).

It looks like Frenchie's croissants might be more readily available thanks to Kickstarter.

If you are into movies, the Goethe Institute is showing Franco and German Shorts this Saturday.

If a little one prevents you from watching a movie, there is French Storytime this Saturday at the Aliance Fraincais.

As an aside, the Cleveland Park Library has Frenchy Story time on Thursdays at 4 PM.  In my limited experience of attending story times, I've found this one to be one of the best.

Bloombars and the Aliance Francais  DC are teaming up to host weekly performances for children en francais.

And let's not forget  Le Diplomat. Have you been?  It's delicious. I can't wait to go! 

Take Our Children to Work Day (Oh the Cuteness)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Baby girl is too young to come with me to work today, but I can't wait for the day I can bring her to the office. 

In the meantime, I really enjoyed seeing all the kiddos at work today.   My heart melted when I saw this clip on the Today Show this morning. Here are some other fun photos from around the country. 

Happy (belated) Earth Day (Renew and Reuse)

Happy (belated) Earth Day People! 

I planned on doing this post yesterday for Earth Day, but I've been tending to a sick child and husband. But, Earth Day is everyday.

One of the best ways to help the environment is by consuming less.  Children's stuff becomes obsolete to your little one in no time, so buying second-hand items for your kids is really a no-brainer. 

When I was preparing for the arrival of my little one I acquired a lot of her items second-hand.  For Earth Day I wanted to post a list of places where I had luck finding second hand baby items.

Where have you found second-hand items for your little one?  

Baby Girls Part II (Jessa and Shoshona)



I had this blog entry ready to go a few weeks ago before my Facebook account was abrubptly disabled. Since then, I had been focused on getting my account (and photos) back and then my regular life and work picked up. So let's return to part II of our Baby Girls series. I had so much fun putting Shoshanna and Jessa's baby outfits together.  Take a look  how how these stylish cousins dressed as babies after the jump.

Happy Friday! (Thank You Easter Bunny)

Do you remember this video.  I think having a baby makes me nostalgic for all these kiddo things.

I never understood the whole Peeps Subculture, but Peeps S'mores look like they are worth making. 

This Matzo Brei Kale Egg Sandwich looks delicious. 

I might actually watch a movie outside of my home since Union Market's Drive in Theater is back!

The National Portrait Gallery has an exhibition on what it means to be Cool.  I will definitely need to take notes. 

This piece from NPR made me feel pretty guilty about my IPhone usage.  Here's to self improvement.

On a more serious note, last week Father Frans van der Lugt was murdered in the Syrian town of Homs.  This is a powerful post written by a woman who went to his church as a girl.  NPR covered the story as well. 

Easter Inspiration

After a cold, long winter, Easter has a way of creeping up on you.  We are staying in town this year, heading to church and then having some friends over for something simple afterwards.  Hopefully I will have time to get some flowers and maybe dye a few eggs. 

Below are some photos of pretty but understated Easter tablescapes.  It's possible to be festive without using Easter Bunnies!

Oh and, check out these tips on how to organize an easy and fun Easter Egg Hunt.

My Favorite, Daffodils and Dyed Eggs from the Scout Blog

Bunny Gifts (Variations on a Theme)

1. Tiffany Bunny Bank 2. Bunny Walker 3. Dwell Studio Pillow 4. CozyChic Blanket Buddy 5. Dwell Studio Cotton Cannister 6. That's not my Bunny Book 7. Bunny Baby Shoes 8. Gap Pajamas
 

Do you know of any Eastertime babies? Maybe you know some of parents or babies that are particularly into bunnies? Or perhaps you are visiting a young niece or nephew this weekend?  If so, we have some gift suggestions for you.

Urban Family Dwelling

Did you see this article in the New York Times about increasing family sizes in New York City?  The trend is mostly related to dual income families in the upper tax brackets.  Families that a few years ago might have gone to the suburbs after the second child was born. 

There is a lot to this article.  The idea that a third child is viewed as a status symbol.  The fact that people with the means are choosing the convenience of living in the city over having more space and perhaps better schools in the suburbs. 

I don't live in Manhattan but I do live in the fairly urban city of Washington.  My husband and I have decided that we want to live in an urban area that is walking distance to the metro.  We like walking around our neighborhood and we like the freedom of being able to get to other places relatively quickly. 

One of the mothers interviewed in the article mentioned that staying in Manhattan allowed her to maintain her career.  This is something that I also thought about when we were deciding where to live after I learned I was pregnant.  I really felt that if we moved too far away from Washington, the commute would make working and mothering all the more complicated. 

I  feel fortunate we could make this decision because I like living close to work.  I can make a quick trip home in the middle of the day if my daughter is sick or if I want to go with her to story-time during my lunch hour.  The trade-off is that we live in a smaller space, pay higher taxes, and schooling is a little bit up in the air.  But for us these trade-offs are worth it. One wonders about those who can't afford to stay in the city and have to commute hours to and from work in addition to caring for their families. 

What factors did you consider when you were deciding where to live after you had children?

How to Organize an EASY Easter Egg Hunt

Ombre Eggs Photo from Country Living

This weekend the parents in my building got together to host an Easter egg hunt for our smaller residents. I had no idea how easy it is to put an Easter egg hunt together. Everything you need can be purchased at your local drug store, and if you are on the craftier side, you might have some things lying around your house.

 

You could spend all night looking at all the beautiful Easter egg hunts on Pinterests, but really, kids don't care about beautiful yard signs and dessert bars.  They just want to run around and search for treats.   

Have a Great Weekend!

The big news for this week is that I have a new nephew.  I'm still really excited to be the doting auntie to another little one.  Now I just have to find him a welcome home gift.  Perhaps an Fuzzy Duckling from Jellycat along with these swaddles that Prince George was cloaked in a few months ago. 

This weekend our building is doing an Easter egg hunt for its smallest residents.  My little one is a little young to hunt for eggs but I know she will enjoy watching the bigger kids run around.  Check out these amazing devilled eggs.

It's nice outside, so enjoy it.  Dcist has a great list of places to enjoy the outdoors in Washington.

Speaking of the outdoors, the Cherry Blossoms technically peaked yesterday.  There's still time to enjoy this annual gorgeousness.

I really want to see this new movie Joe. 

I just bought tickets to Topaz+Arrow's next craft workshop.  I can't wait.

The Prince and His Shortalls

How adorable was Prince George at his first televised play date.  Stealing toys from babies, getting excited about receiving a huge teddy bear, snuggling with his Duchess mother, and those smocked shortalls. . .

The Prince's shortalls were designed by British designer Rachel Riley.  If you snag a pair, please do let me know, because I imagine they are beyond sold out by now. 

I scoured the internet for outfits similar to the Prince's.  It was pretty near impossible to find similar items in navy, but I did find some cute alternatives.

The Cherry Cast

Drawing obtained via Washington Post

Happy Monday.  Researchers at the University of Washington and Korea have predicted that this year's peak bloom date for Cherry Blossoms is April 10 otherwise known as this Thursday.

The Washington Post has a great page that aggregates all the photos of Cherry Blossoms in the region.  You see, you don't have to brave the crowds at the Tidal Basin to see these pretty blossoms.  It sure is a fun thing to do though.

Here's a link to all the Cherry Blossom Festival activities. The festival ends April 13th, but hopefully the blossoms will endure for a little while longer. 

Opening Day (Happy Friday)

Photo of Opening Day at Wrigley Field, 2010 via NPR

Spring is here weather or not Mother Nature is ready.

I heard this great piece on NPR this morning about Opening Day at Wrigley Field.  It really made me long for when I lived in Chicago.  Add taking a day off from work to go to Opening Day to your bucket list!

I really want to go to the Holi Festival in Potomac this weekend, but given the fact that I have a 9 month old it's going to be a game-day decision.

If that doesn't work out then I think we will head over to the District Flea Market.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is well underway and this Sunday is the half-marathon. 

Hoping to have the time to make this Moroccan Baked Fish with Onions along with a Ginger Grapefruit Curd and this Red Fruit Salad.

I still don't have access to my Facebook account.  Here's to hoping it will be restored.

THE BADGERS MADE IT TO THE FINAL FOUR!!!!!!!  If I don't to anything else for the next 72 hours, I'm watching Saturday's game in real time.





Photo of Wrigley Field, October 1935 via NPR