Happy Caturday!

Last year, the Walker Art Center launched its first annual Internet Cat Video Festival and this year it's back! Check out the Walker's website for more cat festival related content.

Friday Art Fix

Mary Cassatt, Breakfast in Bed, oil on canvas, 1897

"The subject of a woman and child is a recurring theme in her [Mary Cassatt's] work and this particular example is an especially telling treatment of the subject. With the child centrally placed in an upright pose, Cassatt depicts a quiet but charged moment in which a mother embraces her daughter, whose attention is elsewhere. Contrasting the mother's protective action and gaze with her offspring's curiosity with the world beyond her reach, Cassatt evokes the subtle tensions implicit in the relationship of parent to child." Source.

The Month in Photos

Hi folks! I decided to start a "month in photos post" at the end of every month. This first post covers most of the summer and is in no particular order. (For those of you that follow me on instagram, there's a bit of overlap). Hope you enjoy!

Hiking at Smith Rock in Central Oregon

A cute set of teacups that I somehow managed to walk away from.

Stunning view at Brasada Ranch.

Celebrating Ian's parents 40th! wedding anniversary at Brasada Ranch

Artichokes at the farmers market

Timberline Lodge

View from Timberline Lodge

Mirror Lake

City views. 

Jack-Attack playing it suave. 

I was pretty excited about this.

Lute enjoying bathtime.

 Taking selfies at a friend's wedding

Corn Muffins

Little flowers from our garden.

Trails on Mt. Tabor

Sweet Lola-cat

Ian, on his way to campus for the first day on class. Isn't he handsome!

A baby gear explosion! I can't tell you how many times I walked into the nursery to start organizing things and ended up just standing there for 30 seconds or so and then walking out because I was too overwhelmed. Luckily, I finally got things under control and the nursery is basically finished. Just waiting on a few finishing touches.

Gorgeous local berries

We're ready for winter!

 Our little bookworm.

Ready or Not

Our last supper

41 weeks and still no baby.  At my last doctor's appointment on Monday we decided to schedule an induction for Friday morning if our little one hadn't arrived before then (I've learned it's standard practice to induce once you've hit 41 weeks to avoid potential complications for mother and baby). We actually have to check into the the hospital this evening so that I can get some meds and get the process started.  By about this time tomorrow we should be parents, which is both thrilling and terrifying.

Last night Ian and I went out for our last date night before becoming parents. On the way to the restaurant I started to feel a bit emotional about closing this chapter of our lives.  Scheduling the induction started this countdown for me of WHEN OUR LIVES WILL CHANGE FOREVER and I've been dwelling on it a bit too much this week. Of course I was aware of this countdown from the time we found out we were expecting, but I've been able to push it to the back of my mind for the most part and just go about my day to day life. But now D-day is tomorrow and to be honest, I'm panicking a little bit. Ian and I are so happy together as just a couple and we really like our life right now. It's nice to be selfish and sleep in and buy pretty things and have a clean house and go on trips and be spontaneous. How is a baby going to change all of that??? While I know a baby will bring us a lot of joy, it will also bring a whole lot of other crap with it which is scary.

The 41 week belly

I remember how before I met Ian, I was pretty iffy about the whole idea of marriage.  I couldn't really understand how by getting married, you weren't narrowing and limiting your life.  But when Ian and I started dating I realized how wrong I was. I realized that sharing your life with someone expands it, rather than contracts it (sappy, I know...) and I'm hoping the same is true when it comes to children. I'm sure that when we welcome this baby tomorrow, we'll be over the moon and all those things parents say about how it's worth it and kids are great and that you just can't understand it until you hold your baby in your arms for the first time will be true for us too. Right? Right?????

Anyway, this has been a fun 11th hour freakout, hasn't it?  Thanks for reading and wish us luck!!!!

P.S.
I've scheduled a few of my regular blog posts for this coming week so keep checking in.

Recipe Roundup

Our first home cooked meal in the new house

It's been a while since I've posted any recipes to the blog so I wanted to gather a few of the things I've cooked up this summer in one place.

This mac and cheese via The Wednesday Chef is delish!

Loved this Rhubarb Snacking Cake.

I posted a link to this sweet pea bruschetta back in May, but only got around to trying it last month.  It was a hit!

And this pie really is as easy to make as it looks. I recommend serving very small slices...

Per usual, we cooked up a slew of things from the Barefoot Contessa including:

Corn Muffins

Plum Cake Tatin. One of my favorite summer cakes!

Herb-Roasted Fish. Really elegant, but super easy.

Italian Wedding Soup that I've made to freeze for meals once baby arrives.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi (Ian actually made this one).

Balsamic Roasted Beef. I couldn't find the recipe online, but it's in Ina's How Easy is That? cookbook. The recipe is simple enough to post right here:

2.5 lb filet of beef, trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coursely cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place the beef on the sheet pan. Combine the mustard, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on the filet and brush it evenly over the top and sides. Sprinkle the cracked pepper evenly all over the meat.

Roast the filet for 30 minutes exactly for medium-rare (25 minutes for rare and 35 minutes for medium). Remove the pan from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow beef to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot or warm.


And a couple of my own creations:

Couscous salad
(This makes quite a bit and is good for a party or for keeping as leftovers)
1 box Near East Pearled (Israeli) Couscous Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil flavor
1 Box Near East Pearled Couscous plain
1-1 1/2 cups coursely choppped feta cheese
Coursely chopped herbs of your choice (I like chives, parsley, thyme and oregano)
About 1/4 -1/2 cup good olive oil.

Follow directions on box to cook couscous, but substitute chicken stock for the water. Once the couscous has cooled add feta, herbs, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled


Chicken Salad (modified from America's Test Kitchen chicken salad recipe)

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow to cool then deskin and debone and cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes.
2 ribs of celery finely choppped
1/2-3/4 cup mayonnaise (depending on how mayonnaisey you like your chicken salad)
2 scallions minced
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon whole grained dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Combine all the ingredients. 

For Your Monday

Salvador Dali skipping rope. Image source

What a wild story.

The Whitney has created a life-size installation of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks to celebrate their exhibition Hopper Drawing.

This timelapse video of the Perseid meteor shower at Joshua Tree is incredible.

I did not need to see this article this week! Yikes!

The University of Portland freshmen moved into the dorms this weekend.

Patience is a Virtue

 

Well today is my due date but it appears our little one has decided it's best to arrive fashionably late.  I can't wait to meet her and see her little face! I'm curious if she'll look like her ultrasound picture above. I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Happy Caturday!

Buzzfeed's 19 Dogs Who Are Cat People  and The 15 Funniest Cat GIFS of the Summer made me laugh.

Friday Art Fix

Sarah Landwehr, Sleeping Fawn, screenprint, 5 x 7 inches, edition of 50

Isn't this screenprint of a sleeping fawn precious? By local Portland artist Sarah Landwehr, I saw it at the Mississippi street fair last month and had to have it. View more of Sarah's work at her Etsy shop.

Baby Bumps

This set of progression photos makes me laugh. It looks like I'm growing taller as well as rounder! :)

Hello! Well, we're getting down to the wire here with this pregnancy, so I thought I'd post another round of baby bump shots before our little one arrives.  Overall, I'm still feeling really good, pregnancy was much easier than I anticipated!  Now I just have to try and wrap my head around the fact that we'll soon have another person living with us! (Below, I've included the earlier set of baby bump photos as a refresher).

For Your Monday

Image source

I've been enjoying NPR's TED Radio Hour podcasts.

Europe's best summer art shows (according to Vogue).

Why 3-D printing will explode in 2014.

Did you know that Ace Hotel hosts creative retreats for families?

A 1990s kids' guide to the internet.

Happy Caturday!

This cute kitty wants some attention!

Friday Art Fix

Albrecht Dürer, The Great Piece of Turf, watercolor, 1503, 16 x 12 3/8 inches

The last exhibition Ian and I saw at the National Gallery before we left DC was Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina. Dürer was a German artist who lived from 1471-1528 and is considered an artistic equal of Da Vinci and Michelangelo. One of my favorite works in the show was The Great Piece of Turf which you can read more about here.

Japanese Gardens

Ian and I are trying to soak up as many moments of zen before baby arrives, so a couple weeks ago we spend an afternoon at the Japanese Gardens. Here are a few photos. Hope you enjoy!

 So much green!

We want a craggy, mossy boulder like this in our garden! 

Love the views of downtown Portland and Mt. Hood. 

For Your Monday

Image source

500 years of British Art--1940.

And for something a bit more cheery... Here are two adorable toddlers.

How countries encourage tourism.

The ultimate blackberry recipe round up.

I've been looking for a settee for our bedroom and this would be perfect! I'm experiencing major loveseat envy!

Happy Caturday!

Image source

Friday Art Fix

As some of you may have noticed, I've fallen off the Art Everyday wagon, but I still want to incorporate art into the blog regularly so I've decided to do a weekly Friday Art Fix. Today's art fix is a print my Molly McGrath.  Read more about her process here.