maternity jeans... (dare i say these words?)

So the rubber band trick on my regular jeans has still been doin' the job, but I have to say at this point it's clingin' on for dear life. :) It must be time to get some maternity jeans. The problem is...as my belly grows, all I long for is to wear my favorite jeans that make me feel good, and I CAN'T.

Until now!! A wonderful client let me in on a little secret: DZ Alterations. The owner of this polished and professional little alterations shop used to work for Nordstrom until she opened up her own location. Not only do they hem and tailor anything you want, but they will take any pair of jeans and convert them into maternity jeans for only $25!! I dropped off a pair of my older Hudson jeans, a pair that I don't wear very much, just to test out the process. I picked them up today and was pleasantly surprised - they fit perfectly!! The seamstress even included the original waistband from my jeans so I could bring them in to be converted back after the baby is born. I will definitely be returning with another pair!! What a deal - the Hudson maternity jeans cost around $200, and mine were $25.

Just a little tip for you mamas who are also appalled at the maternity clothing out there these days. :) I was about to start sewing my own!

isabel in the pearl

Just had to post about this delicious little spot where we had breakfast last week with some friends. Isabel's Cantina is on the corner of NW 10th and Everett/Flanders in the Pearl district, and has an amazing breakfast - not to mention a modern and naturally lit space! Most of the walls completely open up in the summer. Haven't had a chance to eat lunch or dinner there yet, but all menus look superb!

For breakfast I had coconut french toast (lately it's been all about the coconut...), which was insanely wonderful. You can add two eggs and bacon to any breakfast for only $2.50! Other breakfast items which I considered include: Banana blackberry pancakes, a breakfast burrito, avocado scramble, coconut granola, or nirvana (marinated grilled tofu, brown rice, broccoli, zucchini, egg whites, and salsa). Doesn't everything just sound gobble-up-able??!!

Lunch consists of an array of latin flavors: rice bowls, soups, delightful salads, sandwiches, wraps, burrito, or quesadilla. For dinner you will see entrees ranging from an ahi platter (yum) to wild salmon or steak.

coconut pancakes

Last weekend we spent the night at Jeff's dad's house and got some good family catch-up time in with Roger, Mindy, and Sam. Sunday morning we woke up to heavenly smells in the kitchen...bacon, eggs, and these absolutely delightful toasted coconut pancakes. I think I ate like five. I have been googling ever since to try and find a decent recipe that might compare, but will probably just end up ordering the real mix. Mindy picked up the mix from a small store in Arizona, but it can also be ordered on the Stonewall Kitchen website. Get yours here! We decided they would be decadent topped with carmelized bananas!

rosemary asiago & bartlett pears

Yum.

I just discovered a delicious new snack. And lately these days, once I discover a snack I like, I eat it ... a lot.

Thank you (hippie) Trader Joe's employee, for launching into a tirade while I was in the check-out line the other day. He was going on and on about how people need to eat healthier, how we are too fast-food dependent, how he feeds his kids healthy snacks and they come running from the nether regions of the house when it's snack time. What does he feed them? Well let me tell you. Because at this point in the tirade, my hungry little foodie ears perked up.

Rosemary Asiago cheese with cold, crisp Bartlett pears. Such a simple snack. Ooooh, but oh so delicious! You may think that this blog post is a bit drawn out for just some pears and cheese, but I think extraordinary combinations such as this one deserve a few extra words.

So try it yourself! I have a little tray ready to go for as soon as Jeff walks in the door from work. I've secretly been sneaking nibbles from the edges while I wait. :)

congrats, karrie and mark!

On Sunday, we were giddy with excitement to meet the new little baby Addison Grace Fansler! Her parents are Mark and Karrie (Mark is my cousin), some of our close friends here in the Portland area. The delivery was smooth and Karrie was a champ! We are so excited about the growing social network of babies this year - baby girl Meakins will have no shortage of play dates! :)

Addison Grace Fansler, born at 6 lb. 7 oz. to beaming parents Mark and Karrie!

My new neice-y :) (What relationship is my cousin's daughter BTW?)

he's gonna be such a good daddy :)

Just a couple snapshots I sneakily took (thanks to my trusty new verizon iphone) of Jeff and Chloe - so sweet! You probably chuckle that I am taking pictures of my dog - and yes, I know that this will soon change and I will be taking pictures of the new babe instead. :) But until then...enjoy these cute pics!

updates

So...lots to catch you up on in these past two weeks I've been neglecting the ol' blog! Jeff started his new job, and all is fantastic! He is getting used to the downtown work life - paying for parking, walking to lunch, etc. and all in all, really enjoying the new scenery I think! There will be an opportunity for some very fun projects which he is excited about. I am sure there will be more updates in the coming months.

I think we have decided to refinance our house for now and stay for a couple more years. It may be the perfect rental property someday, and honestly, staying here for the first year or two of baby Meakins' life gives both of us a sort of peace. There is something serene about where we live, something comforting, and we have completely made it our own. I have always pictured our little one playing in the park behind our house, or rolling around in the soft, shag carpet I picked out. :) Who knows if and when we would find that in our next house, and I think with all of the other change going on, we might enjoy this little sliver of stability and normalcy for another year or two. Jeff and Kelly? Doing something normal and/or staying put? Hmm.

Which brings me to....PROJECTS! Now that we are probably staying, there are a few little things that need to be done. First and most major: air conditioning! But that's not very exciting to all of you I'm assuming. Secondly: watch in the coming weeks for nursery design snapshots - I will be posting things here and there as I have become surrounded with this fun project! There will be a plethora of modern touches and definitely a lot of girliness - can't wait to show you!

And lastly...my pregnant self. I am 20 weeks this Friday which is halfway! Can't even believe it went by so fast. We have our big 20-week appointment tomorrow which we are excited for. Always fun to get more pictures of the baby girl. I am feeling great and trying to eat healthy. Took a snapshot of my typical daily breakfast - don't you love the pattern of "eating for two"? (Which, by the way, I hate that phrase. If I hear it one more time, I think I will punch someone). I am loving those kiwis (so loaded with nutritional goodness), hard-boiled eggs, and whole wheat bread!

Oh and P.S. - speaking of baby girl, check out some of the cute items I have been adding to her wardrobe...just one of my many "projects" as of late. :)

weiden + kennedy

MORE big news!!

So thrilled to tell everyone that Jeff will be starting a new job at Weiden + Kennedy in just over a week! This is a job many designers dream of, and I'm so excited that he pursued his desires and made it a reality. His new office is located in the Pearl District, which is so fun that Jeff and I will now be working only 7 blocks from each other.

Weiden + Kennedy is an international advertising agency that is Portland based, but also has offices in London, New York, Amsterdam, Brazil, India, China, and Japan. They have won many awards and are among the best agencies in the world. Check out their website here. Their clients include companies like Nike, Levis, Target, Converse, Coca Cola, Old Spice, EA Sports, and Proctor and Gamble. This being said, Jeff is really looking forward to new projects, challenges, and to continue to grow as a designer. I am just so excited to watch him enter this new chapter!

it's a girl! (and I still can't believe it!)

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life! We didn't realize how excited we would be! At the doc we were told first, that we are having a sweet little baby GIRL, and second, that she is very healthy and all body parts have developed and are developing as they should be! Two very huge blessings in one day. Jeff and I are still smiling. We can't stop saying, "We're having a girl!"

I have to say, over the past month or so, it had become a borderline obsession of mine to try to guess the gender of baby Meakins (apologies to all of my friends out there who listened to my incessant jibber jabber regarding this topic...you know who you are :). The majority of people guessed baby Meakins was a girl (even little 2 year old Mackenzie) - still can't believe they all knew! Confusing me even more was the fact that all of the old wives tales for having a girl were true - headaches, craving sweets, Chinese calendar, baby's heart rate over 140 - how could it be?! I guess this was an easy one, right in front of my face. haha. er, sort of. :)

We went out last night to babyGap and picked out a few things for our new little girl - I am just so excited for gigantic flower headbands, ruffles, and ballet class! Here is a pic of the little sweetie, at 16 weeks 3 days.

rigatoni with creamy mushroom sauce

So I have been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. Maybe it's being pregnant, or tired at the end of the day...but we've been eating the same ol' same ol'. After a yummy pasta dinner at Le Buca last weekend, my good friend Kar told me about one of her favorite Giada recipes. Ahh, sometimes I feel like Giada might be my soulmate. I should've been born Italian - eating pasta everyday, drinking wine at a long table with my fellow loud family members. :) Just the way she pronounces words like "orecchiette" and "fusilli" are with such delicacy and care...I am so happy someone else realizes how vital these words are to our vocabularies! Anyways, Giada is one of my favorite chefs, and I just adore her recipes.

Oh YES, but back to the recipe. So I really have to give Kar the credit for sending it to me because now it'll definitely be a part of my monthly staples. If you are a mushroom lover (or even if you're not, like Jeff), you should still try this!!! THE FLAVOR IS INCREDIBLE. Definitely tastes straight from a restaurant!

May I make a few suggestions...

• Stick with a nice, large rigatoni noodle as the recipe suggests (the bigger ones usually come in a box). Make sure it's cooked to al dente - err on the side of under-done.
• For the men out there, this meal may not be enough. I, as you may know, would be perfectly happy in a meatless world - but when Jeff comes home from a workout at the gym, he wants protein! Jeff's suggestion for next time would be to add some grilled chicken alongside.
• I used mascarpone cheese as the recipe calls for. However, Kar says she used cream cheese and it still was fantastic. Whatever you can find at the store I guess!

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Rigatoni with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

• 1 lb. rigatoni pasta (large)
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb. assorted mushrooms (cremini, shitake, and button), cleaned and sliced
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1/2 c. vegetable/chicken stock
• 1 c. (8 oz) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/4 c. chopped chives

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat to high. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes until all the liquid evaporates. Add the stock and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese. Stir until creamy. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water, and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the mushroom mixture and the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well to coat pasta, adding the reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the chopped chives (I didn't). Serve immediately (my biggest pet peeve is letting pasta sit for too long after cooking!).