Baby Shower

My mums and sister arrived last week and not only did they bring a ton of stuff, they also brought a ton of energy.  Together with Lorenzo they organized an impromtu surprise baby shower for me...it was SO wonderful...mostly because of all the people who came.  It was so nice to have one last night out with friends and family before Ori arrives, and I was truly touched by all the love.  We ate little tapas and toasted with champagne....well, I drank water, but that's beside the point...

Booties!

I may not be the best at keeping up with my belly shots, but I've definitely been busy with other things.  I saw these the other day and they made swoon...in that baby shower sort of 'ohhhh so cute' sort of way so I decided to make some too.  They were a little more work than I planned since I didn't have a whole punch and used a traditional leather maker's tool to make the holes to thread the upper, but it was worth it...I just hope they fit..for at least a few weeks!

 

 

40 weeks

I'm not sure if it's because September feels more like August this year or what, but I've been lacksidasical about pretty much everything lately...the heat and the end of days pregnancy exhaustion has pretty much overtaken me..the seasons are changing though and the hot and humid nights are turning crisper and cooler.  I am starting to feel tightening in my belly, which can only mean a certain someone is pondering his debut.  I wish we had been more strict with our weekly photography, but alas we weren't...we didn't want to miss this week though as we are now officially 40 weeks in and wondering when the show will finally begin!

 

We're pretty much all belly here....papa included, although his sympathy belly is not really looking so sympathetic...

 

Textiles, Oh My!

I've been collecting things over the last few months.  A lot stuff I've bought online in the States, and I'm waiting for my mums to arrive with my sister to see it all in person...and some other stuff I've had sent directly to Barcelona, or we've bought it here in Europe.  Everything is so much more expensive here it seems so we've taken advantage of the fact that I have family coming over for the birth (we hope they make it! Ori, no suprises--please!)..which is ominously approaching!  We are T-minus 19 days to expected D-date....cannot believe it, am so not ready, and so ready all at once.  My back is hurting in more places than before, my ankles get sore when I walk, and I have an old injury in my foot which has gotten inflamed for no apparent reason...I know, some whine with my cheese-please!  It's simply become apparent that although my body has been a superstar throughout these last almost 9 months, it is starting to wear a little thin...it is ever so subtle, but I feel my body saying ok, we're getting ready for a new era here...hold onto your hats! I think I will go have another cup of that rasberry leaf tea right about now... 

SO the idea is to make some sheets with these babies, although I am also considering a crib bumber as well...the issue is principally the crib...it's been a bit of a hassle (read:nightmare) since we wanted a very specific make and model which we ended up ordering from Germany...we wanted to cosleep, but since Lorenzo and I already fight for space in our tiny double bed, we decided that a sidecar crib was the way to go, and they are not so common in Spain.  We are still waiting for it to arrive and thus with it's odd shape, I didn't dare cut the above adorable fabric until I have a chance to make a pattern of the shape...it's just that, I fear we may have a baby before the crib and then who knows about those sheets...alas, I am practicing acceptance of the things I cannot control at this point.

I am super excited however about another little gem that did arrive, also from Germany, the other day..

our Didymos carrier that I've been pining over for the last 9 months...I hemmed and hawed about whether to buy it our not since they are so pricey...but then I realized I couldn't get it off my mind, so I ordered it from their factory seconds...in theory it has minor defects, but I honesty haven't noticed anything wrong with it so far...

 

And then there's this little guy...we bought one of these rattles for Lor's niece when she was born a few years back and she absolutely loved it.  It has the nicest soothing sound and the designs are hilarious... The above rooster came in a care package from my mum along with a bunch of fuzzibunz diapers--ay! cloth diapering..perhaps that deserves its own post all together....in a land of line drying and hard water we are simply hoping for the best...

The Portland Collection from Pendelton

There is some amazing textiles coming from the Portland Collection by Pendelton...I am so in love with their modern take on ethnic design...amazing, great, amazing!!

 

(via: Unruly Things)

Upside Down Plum Cake

I've been craving cakes...all kinds...anything bready and on the sweet side...So I made this the other day..

...Although maybe not the prettiest, it was a pretty perfect cake..you could add more sugar than I did if you like your cakes on the sweeter side...this recipe had more of a subtle sweetness and tart thing going for it..it was buttery and moist and paired perfectly with a little bit of greek yogurt at breakfast.  Or you could just eat a little slice everytime you pass by the kitchen..yum!


Upside-Down Plum Cake
adapted from The Kitchen Sink Recipes

11 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks aprox) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
8-10 medium plums, halved and pitted (I used a mix of regular and baby plums--the most important thing is that they fill the bottom of the pan)
1 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg**
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter your pan (I used a basic 9 x 12 cake pan, but most recipes call for a springform pan--I don't have one, but if you do, it will definitely make "the flip" that much easier. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; pour into pan. Using a sieve, sprinkle light-brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange plum halves cut side down on top of the brown sugar, squeezing in as many plums as possible to allow for shrinkage during baking. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (if you have one--you can also do this part by hand like I did!), cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half the flour mixture, and beat until combined. Beat in the yogurt. Beat in the remaining flour mixture.

Spoon cake batter on top of plums, spreading evenly with a small spatula. Transfer to the oven, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 1 hour. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Remove ring if using a springform pan, or just make ure the edges are loose and separated; invert onto a serving plate. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

35 Weeks..whoa how did that happen?

It's been a hot and sweaty August and my energy level is definitely suffering because of it...Lorenzo tripped over our fan the other day and literally ripped out the electrical connection.  We tried to take it apart and fix it, but there were like 3 wires that had no obvious entry point and we decided that it was probably a good idea to just buy another one...and I'm glad we did, because now we have a super industrial fan that works better than ever!!!!

As this little guy gets bigger, I feel his every jostle, readjustment and hiccup...it's sweet stuff I'm telling you..and I know I must sound like a broken record, but is it really possible that I am going to get BIGGER in the next 5 weeks??? Awestruck!