secret society

Gourmet food, flowing vino, bluegrass music, and lot's of activities – all at a secret society event?! Sounds like heaven to me. Garden & Gun (my favorite mag) hosted a big weekend at Blackberry Farm for their very special peeps. Fly fishing, cooking classes, and did I mention Julia Reed was there? Love her! There's a zing about her writing that always keeps me turning the page. She'd be just the type of person you'd love to find yourself next to at a swanky bar.


So I'm thinking a weekend there with friends–spent cooking, hiking, relaxing, and indulging on too much food & good wine is in my future. A very distant future, but just the same I am making my plans for one fine day.

beautiful photos via here

the nursing diaries

5 pm on Saturday and I was still in my pajamas. Hadn't showered or combed my hair and definitely hadn't left the house. It had been a long night, but the baby wasn't the only trouble maker. I had mastitis. I alternated between the chills and the sweats all night. No fun at all. Thankfully, I called my doctor pretty early and was able to get a prescription quickly so I am now on the mend.

Whew, this nursing thing can be tough. The first week I was so sore I'd cringe when it came time to nurse. Some days I feel tied to a chair with my boppy pillow watching the clock, but on the other days it's all groovy. A woman's body is pretty amazing really and I have a new found respect for all mothers going through the nursing/bottle/pumping stage. So what I love are the moments when it all works smoothly. When Miriam is happy and we're both peaced out. I pick her up to burp and her little body is all loosey goosey with her eyes still shut. Sometimes she's a little yogi and does the lotus pose with her legs crossed. She even does these half smiles and pouts her lips. It makes any pain I felt go "poof" into the air like it was never even there.

{Here's the "buddha-baby" stylin' in her yoga pants. Please excuse the chaos on the kitchen counter, but this is an unedited shot on a morning when we were rushing to eat breakfast while she dozed off!}

mouse in the house

Ya know how I've been talking about food lately? Specifically sweets? Well the eating continues because a good friend brought us an amazing dinner. Pot roast and fresh vegetables, plus these scrumptious fig & cheese crostini as an appetizer, and a pie. Not just any pie mind you, but a homemade caramel pie. Get back. It was insanely good and yes that makes two pies in one week. Yikes. People have been ridiculously good to us. I promise to return all the favors one day.

Along with all this indulgence came a little gift. Actually, a little mouse… in a matchbox with her pillow, mattress and blanket. How very Stuart Little! My hunch was she's from abroad and yep, she's made by those clever Brits. I'm so anxious to get Miriam's room all set up in a couple of weeks and this here mouse will definitely be making the trip with us.

sweet tooth

To go with our vegetable plate last night, I decided to make a pie. Something cool and light for a hot summer night. Lemon Pie struck my fancy after seeing the new Southern Living cover. Simply impossible not to like. I had a slice after lunch today too. Oops. Not in the post-preggo diet, but I couldn't help myself. Seriously. I replaced wine with dessert during my pregnancy and now I just want both. Darn.

I also spied a candy bar on the kitchen counter earlier. Fortunately, it was too bitter for my taste buds, but the packaging really caught my eye. It's from a chocolatier in Nashville called Olive & Sinclair. Very yummy design!

colorful morning

In an effort to stay awake during a late night feeding, I was cruising my iPhone and discovered a new app called Hipstamatic. Lovin' the retro effects. I snapped quite a few pics during our morning outing to the farmers market. Baby bean went right to sleep in the Baby Bjorn. I already love that thing. It's super easy to wear, is comfortable and it supports the baby really well. Just my two cents anyway. We filled our bag with lots of good lookin' things like tomatoes, local honey, blueberries, crowder peas, potatoes, eggs, and even a fried pie made by some nice Amish folks. Tonight we are cooking up a big veggie plate for supper. Mmmm.

lucky me

Woo hoo... he's here! Cousin Lauren had her baby and they're heading home today. Big, ole ham-bone of a boy… Charles Hamilton. He's got an unbelievable amount of hair just like his momma and big strong hands that his dad hopes will help him on the field. Happy and healthy, I am thrilled.


One more thing… Normally, I am a bit apathetic when it comes to blog "giveaways". Not that I don't enter some, I just have very low expectations that I will win. Well, no more ho-hum attitude around here, 'cause check out the loot I won from Alice Lane Interiors. I even took a picture of it, because it's that cute. The contest was on one of my daily reads: flourish design + style. Yes indeed, I'm a hap-happy girl today!

rockin in the rain

Last night a huge storm rolled through. I was up nursing as the thunder and lightning pounded overhead. I don't think Miriam was scared in the least. Brave little lady. Every night we sit in the old chair just rockin' back and fourth. She curls up right underneath my chin and my lips kiss her fuzzy, soft hair. So peaceful I sometimes doze right on off with her.


Cousin Lauren is going to have her baby any minute now. In fact, she had a false alarm early this morning. The hospital sent her back home. Darn! Curiosity is killing the cat and I'm so anxious for babies arrival. She and Nicole paid us a visit to check out all the baby business over here. They cracked me up. Miriam showed her how she sleeps and eats and screams. Just making sure she knows what she's in for. I rubbed Lauren's big belly. I kinda miss mine. Hard to believe there was a baby inside there 3 weeks ago. That blows my mind really.

franklin mercantile

Yesterday we went out to lunch. That's right. All three of us left the premises. We got dressed, packed a bag, and strapped in the car seat. Speaking of, that seat weighs about a small ton. Hopefully I'll get nice, toned arms out of hauling it around. I thought I'd ride in the front with hubs like a normal adult, but Miriam thought otherwise. Shortly into our ride, she had a meltdown. So we pulled into a parking lot and I hopped in the back to provide some support and more importantly… a pacifier. That did the trick and soon we were back on track to Franklin Mercantile. It's this cute lunch spot in downtown Franklin. We grabbed a table outside and I perched baby up on the table in front of a fan. She was out like a light and I was free to take in the scene. Ahhhh, yes. It felt a little weird to be back in the "real world," but nothin' a little pimento cheese & fruit tea couldn't cure!



We weren't sure whether to unhook the straps or not, but aired on the side of caution. As my grandfather says… "never wake a sleeping baby". So she stayed strapped in - ready for take off!

heirloom tomatoes

While Miriam was napping and listening to some Ray Lamontagne in the kitchen, I snuck outside for a stroll. Just needed to stretch my legs and a storm is about to roll through so the breeze felt amazing. Plus I wanted to peek at mom's tomatoes. She planted some heirlooms and they're just starting to grow. Some mean ole caterpillars invaded earlier this week, but looks like they are outta here after getting "the spray". The nerve of them trying to crunch on our tomatoes. I mean really. That first bite is supposed to be ours.


In the mean time, our friend Libby Page dropped off some of her garden heirlooms for us to munch on. They look mighty strange, like they're from outer space, but I bet they're delish! I keep telling Miriam she looks like a little tomato when she gets all red and mad in the face. Not very becoming my darling.

Now the rain is upon us so I'm off to get a little cat nap in before the princess awakes. Wish me luck and happy weekend!

a good soak

Yesterday was tough one. I woke up feeling like I never went to sleep and had big bags under my eyes. Balancing the babe, I poured myself some OJ. Then attempted to toast an english muffin, spread butter, and pour honey on it all with one free hand. I woofed it down and later wished I'd made two.

Maybe you noticed, but I slipped away recently. I've actually tried to blog a few times, but came up with nothing. My mind is mush. Reckon that's what sleep deprivation will do to you. Two and three hours here and there is nice, but not the same as a restful night. Maybe people don't tell you because they don't want to scare you, but let me just say… it's really hard. Little Miriam has found her voice, so I've spent many hours walking the house or rocking in my chair. Later that morning I got a much needed call from a friend. I think she sensed the weariness in my voice and she knew exactly how I felt. How exhausting these first weeks are. How wonderful it is to have this new baby, but also how demanding and life changing it can be. She told me her "newborn" stories and it felt really good to know I wasn't alone. That I was not the only one to struggle in the beginning. Thank you sweet Amy. You feel so helpless when they won't stop crying. Whew. But then she finally releases her muscles, un-clinches those tiny fists, curls into your arms, and all is right again. Like a little lamb. Thank goodness for those moments.

So to relax my own tense muscles, I took a good soak in the tub. Momma brought me some "milk bath" to use and it was glorious. A silky pale pink that created the most amazing bubbles. I sank into the suds and just relaxed away. It's from Graces, an older ladies store in Nashville that's been around forever. The bottle looks like it hasn't been updated since the 70s. Like something you'd find in your grandmothers bathroom. I'm obsessed.

two little birds

Even though I didn't know the gender, I did buy SOME baby clothes before delivery day. Only problem is I didn't really buy any newborn clothes. Minor detail. I didn't realize how small babies were. Like tiny birds. So Miriam has been living in some onsies I was given at my shower & the little t-shirts she came home with from the hospital. Oh well. Not that stylin' but until we master this diapering thing it's probably for the best that we're not staining fancy clothes. Who knew that such tiny babies could make such a big mess?! Surprise, surprise, hubs is becoming a diaper pro. He holds his nose and makes a funny fuss, but I know he doesn't mind. And he's got the swaddle down. Those little wiggly arms and legs give me trouble, but thank goodness he's quick on the draw. Anyway, we have two new friends around here. A momma owl and baby owl from my dad. I love them!

A friend of mine told me she sang Bob Marley to her baby so when Miriam cries, me and the owls start singing and hooting… "Singin' sweet songs, of melodies pure and true, Sayin', This is my message to you. Singin' Don't worry, 'bout a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."