Crib Bedding

I am so excited the nursery is finally complete. We got our crib bedding last night. Thank you so much to Sue Potysman for the gorgeous custom job. It's everything I dreamt of and more!!

I went with soft blue undertones of striped seersucker and toile.

When Francois is born and we pick a name, I am going to monogram one of the bumpers with his initials.

I hope we've created a calm and happy place for Francois to GROW and LIVE.

-Bethany

What's For Dinner?

I'm always itching to try new recipes. Some are successful, others fail miserably. I think it's important to branch out, try new ingredients and avoid a culinary rut.

One way I find success in trying to keep things interesting (and healthy), is through a subscription to a biweekly produce co-op. I am a member of the Dallas-based Urban Acres Co-op. This means that every other Saturday, I go to a nearby drop-off location to pick up a bin of organic and local (they aim to distribute food from within a 2 hour radius) fruits and vegetables. The produce is delicious, fresh and I love to learn about what is truly in season. Living in an age where we can go to the store and get strawberries year-round, it's easy to sometimes forget about the source of our food.

Often, I open the bin and have to google to try to figure out what the heck that large elephant-shaped green leaf is (swiss chard). I love the challenge of planning two weeks worth of menus around our new varietal bin. Here's more information on Urban Acres for you interested Dallas readers: http://urbanacres.wordpress.com/

With this blog, I plan to share recipes that we're eating in the Jordan household. Side note: You will see many random ingredients in my blog thanks to the produce co-op. Sometimes a girl has to be pretty creative to figure out how to implement all of the produce and avoid wasting food. :)

BON APPETIT CHICKEN PARMESAN BURGERS: These were a good weeknight meal last week due to the quick prep. They can also be a lower-calorie alternative to the traditional chicken parmesan when cooked in less oil and substituting wheat bread for the bread crumbs and sandwich bread. Rick and I ate these outside on the deck while enjoying the warmer weather for the first time in several months. Divine.
www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2010/03/chicken_parmesan_burgers

MASHED POTATOES (with TURNIPS): Okay, here was one of those dilemmas where I needed to use the abundant turnips from the produce bin. We get a lot of these in the winter months, which is great, minus one problem: I don't really like them. This recipe masks the flavor of the turnips by using more potatoes. Yet, you still get the nutritional value of extra fiber and vitamin C from the turnips. Plus, what ISN'T yummy when you load on butter, sour cream and cheese? :) Rick had no idea there were turnips in our "mashed potatoes" until I told him.

2 large turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/3 cup finely cut chives
3 T butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cook turnips, covered, in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Add potatoes for an additional 15-20 minutes. Drain well. Mash vegetables thru a potato ricer. Mix in remaining ingredients.

RICOTTA AND RED SWISS CHARD CANNELLONI: Think of this recipe as an alternative to the more traditional spinach cannelloni. Swiss chard is a green that cooks down very similarly to spinach and is packed with anti-oxidants like vitamin A and C.
www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ricotta-and-Red-Chard-Cannelloni-2165

Enjoy! Bethany

Baby Shower Time

Thanks to everyone who made my baby shower such a wonderful celebration. From the theme of the day, I can assure you that Francois has no choice but to be a little preppy, golf-playing, frat-tastic little boy. (I've got money he runs fast towards a punk-rocker, motorcycle-loving style just to spite his parents. haha) Everything at the shower was decorated with blue and green seersucker, argyle, and golf details. It was adorable and fit our family perfectly.

Thanks to all of my amazing friends and sisters who hosted the party. You are wonderful and created some very special memories. I love you all.

Check out the wonderful golf-themed cake and party favor cookies.

The ladies also strung preppy little onesies and outfits from one chandelier to another.

Rick made a guest appearance at the shower via video. My sister Samantha interviewed him before the shower for a good ole round of "He Said, She Said." He was his usual smart-ass and entertaining self and had the crowd rolling in laughter. A special thanks to Katherine for editing the video!

Here are some of the goodies from everyone. My grandmother hand-knitted the wonderful sailboat sweater.

Poor Boston heard one of the toys rattle and immediately ran to it thinking it was for him. Oh buddy, you've got a rude awakening coming your way soon. Can we say "moving down on the pecking order"? Poor guy.

I had so many friends and family from in-town and very far away come to celebrate. Thanks to all for visiting. Francois is joining a world already filled with so much love for him. He's a very lucky guy.

And a special thank you to my sister for heading up the party and making everything so meaningful. I love you, Aunt Samantha.

Bethany

Nursery Update

I'm getting close to finishing the nursery. Almost all of the small details are up. I'm still waiting for the bedding to be finished- it's a blue and white striped seersucker and blue toile combination.

Here is the view as you walk into the door:

Our over-stuffed rocker, which I know will get a lot of love over the next year:

Since the nursery is upstairs built in the old attic, the low-ceilings allow for sweet little spaces on the wall. I love the fun find "GROW" sign I got on etsy.com. (By the way, Etsy has been such a great site to peruse as I've put this room together. I am a fan of the idea of supporting local artists and business-owners on the site. And, I love how this room has become so eclectic with the little touches of mis-matched items.)

Check out this gem of a photo. It's Rick's grandfather, who used to be a race-car driver.

The crib is Jenny-Lind style and the bumper and crib skirt are still to come.

This is another vintage touch- Rick used the mobile when he was a baby. I think it's so sweet and fits the room perfectly. Funny enough, the music box still works and plays the same exact song as our niece's crib mobile.

The changing table was a hutch from my mother-in-law Gena. We've got all of the diaper-changing goodies out and ready for lots of work. I heard from a colleague this morning that an average of 7200 diapers are changed in the first two years of a baby's life. (I have not fact-checked this.)

I've put together a little reading nook in the corner of the room with a book ledge at arms-length to the rocking chair.

The cowboy rocker was my mother-in-law's when she was a little girl. (Do you think her parents wanted a boy?)

The boots were a Christmas gift from my brother. (He also got a BB gun for the little baby for Christmas. Um, thanks Uncle Luke. I can't wait for the neighbors to complain about Baby Jordan shooting squirrels from his window.)

I framed these pencil sketches from Rick and his sister Amanda. When they were elementary-age, Rick's mom asked them to draw what they wanted for Christmas. Rick drew a watch. Amanda, being the copy cat younger sister that she was, also drew a watch. They then proceeded to each draw their homes in the frame on the left.

The shelves hold a combination of trinkets from when Rick and I were little and new things for the baby.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. I've aimed to create a quiet and calm place for Francois to grow within. We are so excited to have a little baby actually occupy the space soon!

First Posting- 32 Weeks Pregnant

Welcome to my new blog. I hope you will find it a place to see the Jordan family grow and learn along the way. Although there isn't a lot to write about now, I want this blog to be a way for you to follow us in the journeys of parenthood and daily life.

I'll post an annoying amount of pictures of our new baby boy here and try to also throw in some recipes that we're eating in the Jordan household.

Things will likely be quiet on this for the next 8 weeks or so, but Rick and I are anxiously looking forward to the arrival of our new son around April 1 or so.

Many of you have asked, "What's his name?" We don't know yet. We have some good contenders, but really feel like it's important to look the new little guy in the eyes and make sure he suits his name. I would LOVE to go and monogram the nursery and outfits like crazy. But, I am exercising patience knowing that there will be plenty of days to monogram. :)

For now, we call the baby in my belly "Francois." Why? Well, I have no idea. We just do.

I've posted a few of the latest belly pictures for those of you who are curious. (Don't get too used to these. I would much rather post pictures of the actual baby or heck, Rick's belly. Maybe I'll have that make an appearance. hahaha)

I'll post pictures of the nursery next time. I'm really excited about the way it's coming together.

Bethany