Some of you are probably scratching your heads right now. She doesn’t want a baby’s room to look babyish? So I’ll explain.

My goal is to create a comfortable space for my son and for myself. ...]]> When JB and I learned we were having a boy, I immediately started daydreaming about how I would decorate the nursery. As I scoured the internet and magazines for inspiration, the only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want it to look babyish.

Some of you are probably scratching your heads right now. She doesn’t want a baby’s room to look babyish? So I’ll explain.

My goal is to create a comfortable space for my son and for myself. Yes, I’m decorating partly for him and partly for me since I anticipate I’ll be spending quite a lot of time in his room.

First, I thought about colors. Specifically, paint colors. I don’t think a nursery should be limited to candy coated shades of pink or blue or yellow. And truthfully, I don’t care for pastel colors anyway. My office, which will become the baby’s room, was painted a bright shade of green called Dill Pickle. I actually had nothing against the color for a boy’s room. In fact, one of my closest friends painted her baby boy’s room Dill Pickle. But after two and half years surrounded by green walls, I was ready for a change.

So I began seeking inspiration, and when I stumbled upon Hawken’s room and Finn’s room I knew I found exactly what I wanted. Their striped walls appeared sophisticated, preppy and masculine, which I loved. I also liked the fact that stripes would add visual interest and dimension to my baby’s small room. Once JB and I agreed on the walls, the rest of color scheme sort of fell into place.

My painted doubted my vision from the beginning, but when he pulled the last piece of tape off the wall, he acknowledged that my idea worked. No, the room doesn’t look exactly like Hawken’s and Finn’s… but you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the big reveal.

Stay tuned for part 2: nursery furniture.

 {images via Project Nursery and Ohdeedoh}

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 3 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Decor

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America, or here. So I created Bunny & Dolly ...]]> From celebrities to friends to fellow bloggers, everybody seems to be pregnant right now… including me! You may be even more surprised to learn that I’ve been sitting on this secret for 32 weeks. That’s right, I’m having a baby in July!

During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America, or here. So I created Bunny & Dolly to discuss my excitement and fear about having a baby and to keep track of my favorite things for me and him. Yes, I’m having a boy!

Being pregnant has been a remarkable and weird experience. Yes, weird. It’s controversial to admit this, but I can’t say I’ve truly loved sharing my body with this new little person, and I’ve had my more than my share of super emotional days. Then in March, my life got even more stressful: I began a new full-time job, my first in 3 years (yay!), and my husband deployed again (boo!). Needless to say, taking care of everything by myself – the house, the dog and my work – while growing a baby has been exhausting, which explains my two month radio silence.

But now I’m excited to fill you in on the past 8 months and look forward to reaching the finish line with you cheering me on!

Have you noticed a baby boom among your circle of friends recently?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 4 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Children, Life

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

{image courtesy of author’s personal collection}

This past weekend, my husband discovered a carton of buttermilk and ...]]> If we’re being honest here, I have to admit that my husband does most of the cooking in our marriage. Occasionally I’ll prepare a simple weeknight dinner, and I can whip up a quick batch of scrambled eggs for breakfast, but my husband enjoys following (and creating his own) complicated recipes. So, I let him! After all, a wife should support her husband’s interests, right?

{image courtesy of author’s personal collection}

This past weekend, my husband discovered a carton of buttermilk and some blueberries in the refrigerator and a light bulb went off in his head. He scoured the internet for the perfect blueberry buttermilk pancake recipe, and the results were so delicious that I knew I needed to share it with you.

Now, it’s not the easiest pancake recipe out there (there’s some sifting involved), but it made some of the thickest, moistest, most delicious pancakes I have ever eaten. To make the pancakes “healthy,” my husband modified the recipe by using half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. The original recipe called for 2 cups of all-purpose flour.

{image courtesy of author’s personal collection}

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
recipe adapted from The Cookworks (A Food Network Canada show)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for frying
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• Serving suggestions: whipped cream and maple syrup

Directions:

1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy batter, being careful not to over mix, see Cook’s Note*.
3. Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet and sprinkle the top with some of the blueberries. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
4. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and maple syrup.

*Cook’s Note: Over mixed batter will result in flat, heavy pancakes.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Cooking and Food, Recipes

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Earlier this month, my husband surprised me with a Kindle for Chanukah. When I opened the box I was at a loss of words for two reasons:

You might be asking yourself, “Well, why wouldn’t they exchange gifts for Chanukah?” First, Chanukah is not really as a big a deal as Christmas. That’s just the honest truth. Yes, as children we were slightly spoiled with presents, but, as I’m ...]]>

Earlier this month, my husband surprised me with a Kindle for Chanukah. When I opened the box I was at a loss of words for two reasons:

1. I didn’t realize we were exchanging Chanukah gifts.
2. I didn’t really want a Kindle.

You might be asking yourself, “Well, why wouldn’t they exchange gifts for Chanukah?” First, Chanukah is not really as a big a deal as Christmas. That’s just the honest truth. Yes, as children we were slightly spoiled with presents, but, as I’m no longer a kid and have no kids of my own to spoil, Chanukah, for me, is now about lighting the candles and eating latkes — not gift-giving. And since my husband and I didn’t discuss buying each other presents, I didn’t think we were doing it this year.

Still, my husband wanted to surprise me with something he thought I really wanted this holiday season. I don’t know if, during the year, I had casually commented on the Kindle while seeing a commercial for it. I can’t remember. However, knowing that I am a lover of books and chronically late returning them to the library, he thought a Kindle would be the perfect present. Or at least a runner-up to the iPad, which I really want but recognize is way out of our price range.

Boy, did I feel like jerk explaining to my husband that I didn’t think I would actually get much use out of the Kindle. He tried to so hard to please me, and here I was bursting his bubble. But I just couldn’t justify keeping something that cost that much money when there were other things I wanted and, dare I say, needed. If I were still living in the city and commuting on public transportation or if I took frequent business trips, the Kindle would definitely come in handy. Who wants to schlep a heavy book in their bag? But as I don’t do either, I’m perfectly content flipping through the pages of a library book while on the couch or in bed.

Although he was disappointed that I didn’t love his gift, he ultimately understood my rationale. Ironically, when he took the Kindle out of the box to give it a try, he decided that he actually didn’t even like it and would also prefer to read books the old-fashioned way!

I suppose I never told him that my wish list actually included a fancy-pants wallet and a pair of waterproof winter boots to replace my six-year-old UGGS. When I told him that if he really wanted to buy me something, he could get me that wallet, he argued that a gift should come from the heart of the giver, not from a list of items that the recipient already knows that they want.  But I disagree! The purpose of wish list is to catalog those items that you wished you had but ordinarily would not buy yourself. I tried to convince him that it would still be special and a surprise to receive something from such a list. I even proposed that we both keep running wish lists that we can each reference when it comes time to buy birthday, anniversary or holiday gifts… but I don’t think he’s completely convinced.

Have you ever been disappointed by a gift given to you buy your significant other? Do you think having a wish list would making gift-giving easier, or does it take the “specialness” out of the experience?

{image source: Mary Kate McDevitt on Etsy}

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 7 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Holidays, Newlywed Life, Relationships

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Following ...]]> When my mother-in-law was in town a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I decided to throw a dinner party so she could meet our closest friends. We chose a fall-themed menu, but instead of baking a pecan or pumpkin pie, my MIL suggested we make maple-cashew mini-tarts. She had just come across the recipe and wanted to give it a go. Although we didn’t stick to the recipe exactly, the mini-tarts were delicious and super easy to prepare.

Following the recipe below I’ll share what we did differently.

Maple-Cashew Mini-Tarts
Adapted from The Pampered Chef
Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup salted cashews*
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (do not use maple-flavored pancake syrup), divided
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts), soften according to package directions**

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Coarsely chop cashews. Combine eggs, brown sugar, 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the maple syrup, butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Stir cashews into egg mixture; set aside.
2. Unroll one pie crust and cut out six pastry circles measuring  3 3/4 in. Discard remaining dough. Pinch edges of circles inward at 1/2-in. intervals, creating ruffled shells. Place shells into muffin pan wells; repeat with remaining pie crust.***
3. Stir cashew mixture until combined; pour evenly into shells until two-thirds full. Bake 18-21 minutes or until shells are golden brown. Remove pan from oven to cooling rack; cool completely. Brush tops of tarts with remaining maple syrup.

* Rather than using cashews, which we didn’t have on hand, we substituted pecans. Doing so made the mini-tarts taste just like pecan pie, but they lacked a little bit of salt, which they would’ve had if we used salted cashews. I think they would’ve tasted even better with the salt.

** To minimize the amount of work required, we skipped the pie crust and used pre-made phyllo cups. We used the same amount of filling but produced more mini-tarts because they were so tiny and came with more than 12 per package. (I actually think we used two packages.) Since they were pre-cooked, we didn’t have to keep them in the oven for as long as the recipe calls for. I believe we baked them for 15 minutes or less.

*** We placed the phyllo cups on a foil-covered cookie sheet since they were too teeny for a muffin pan. (A mini-muffin pan might have worked.) Because they were so small, some of the gooey center oozed over the sides and onto the foil. This made removing the phyllo cups a bit, well, sticky, and some of them didn’t hold their shape too well. At first we weren’t sure if we should serve the “imperfect” ones, but we quickly realized that they tasted just as good — and that our friends wouldn’t care!

(photo by me)

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 1 comment · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Cooking and Food, Recipes

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

On a recent trip to New Jersey, my husband and I took a quick trip to Crate and Barrel to check out a sideboard for the dining room that we had been admiring online. Since we don’t have a Crate and Barrel in Omaha, we always take advantage of being within 30 minutes of one. We decided to pass on the sideboard but the visit wasn’t a complete waste of time because ...]]>

Crate and Barrel dog items by somewhereinmiddleamerica on Polyvore.com

On a recent trip to New Jersey, my husband and I took a quick trip to Crate and Barrel to check out a sideboard for the dining room that we had been admiring online. Since we don’t have a Crate and Barrel in Omaha, we always take advantage of being within 30 minutes of one. We decided to pass on the sideboard but the visit wasn’t a complete waste of time because something else in the store caught our eye: trendy pet accessories.

I had no idea that C&B stocked dog and cat accessories, and I flipped over the bold yet simple graphics on the small selection of products available. J and I quickly agreed on a red porcelain bowl for Briscoe; my Maltipoo recently decided that he will no longer drink water out of his metal bowl. I can only image it’s because he can see his reflection in it and is afraid of himself!

If we didn’t already have a white canister for dog treats that I recently picked up at IKEA in Minneapolis (again, no IKEA in Omaha), I would have had a hard time deciding between the “Woof” treat jar and the one featuring black fire hydrant and dog biscuit graphics. Both would’ve looked great sitting out on my kitchen counter.

I was also tempted to buy Briscoe a new collar because he’s been wearing his crossbones (minus the skull) collar for over a year, but the small collars at Crate and Barrel still looked too large for his tiny neck. I lucked out at Petco over a year ago when found his current preppy-meets-punk collar but haven’t liked any of their collars since. Obviously, Briscoe doesn’t care what kind of collar he wears, but I’m getting board with the one he’s got on.

Two years ago, when J and I decided we were ready to become dog owners, a friend of mine gifted us with a collar from Lucky Fiona. The collar she chose was bright orange with retro flowers on it (she didn’t know if we were getting a girl dog or a boy dog), and while some people thought it was too girlie for my already feminine-looking puppy to wear, I loved it. Now Lucky Fiona is the first place I go to look for unique dog collars, although I haven’t been too successful as of late, as nothing in her Etsy shop has caught my eye in a while.

The same friend also suggested I check out Up Country. I think the Andy Warhol-inspired dog food collar is charming, and I will need to buy Briscoe the Star of David collar to wear for the Jewish holidays in December. I also like “Mom” from the West Village collection and “Leafy” from the Green Market collection.

Where do you shop for your pet? Do you get caught up in all of these trendy dog and cat accessories like I do?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Pets

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

My sister had once told me about a healthy hummus recipe she liked that used yogurt in place of ...]]> Over the past couple of months I’ve started taking baby steps in the kitchen, attempting recipes with few ingredients and easy steps. One of my favorite things to make is hummus! Seriously, there is nothing simpler than dumping a bunch of ingredients into a blender. The first time I prepared hummus, the only challenging part was finding the best recipe to follow.

My sister had once told me about a healthy hummus recipe she liked that used yogurt in place of the tahini, as tahini is particularly fattening. Since she hadn’t sent me the recipe by the time I was ready to make my hummus, I turned to the granddaddy of all cookbooks, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. Now, I know that Mark Bittman is considered a god to some people, and I wonder if those people would curse me for adulterating one of his recipes. But that’s exactly what I did; I replaced the tahini with plain yogurt.

Here’s the recipe I followed, which is based on the hummus recipe in How to Cook Everything:

Ingredients:
2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, cooking liquid reserved if possible
1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for garnish
2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish
Chopped parsley leaves for garnish (which I didn’t use)

Directions:
Put the chickpeas, yogurt, oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor (or a blender for even smoother hummus), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and begin to process; add chickpea-cooking liquid or water as needed to produce a smooth puree.

Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed. Serve, drizzled with some olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of cumin or paprika and some parsley.

Do you have a favorite hummus recipe? How about another type of bean dip? I’m on the hunt for more uncomplicated recipes!

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 8 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Recipes

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

After getting the “all clear” from my doctor, I asked her the ideal skin care regimen. Every month, beauty ...]]> Every year I visit my dermatologist for a full body skin exam. Being fair-skinned and freckly, I’m concerned about at a higher risk for skin cancer, so I let my doctor take a look at every spot, freckle and mole — even the ones that never see the light of day. I check myself regularly, too. I’m a bit compulsive about that.

After getting the “all clear” from my doctor, I asked her the ideal skin care regimen. Every month, beauty magazines tout the latest and greatest anti-aging products and procedures, and I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the information out there. Now that I’m thirty, I’m starting to freak out about those fine lines and wrinkles that are slowly but surely creeping their way onto my face. I’m routinely told I look younger than my true age (thanks, freckles!), and I want to keep it that way!

(image via Martha Stewart)

I thought I’d share with you the routine and products my dermatologist suggested for young women our age:

In the morning, after cleansing, apply a Vitamin C or antioxidant-rich serum. My doctor likes Oil of Olay’s Regenerist and Pro-X lines, as well Obagi. Follow up with an SPF, she insisted. (Always!)

In the evening, cleanse and use a product with Retinol or Glycolic acid, which exfoliates and acts like a mini peel. For Retinol products, she suggested RoC and L’Oreal, and for Glycolic acid, GlyDerm. After, moisturize. An inexpensive moisturizer like CeraVe works great, she said.

As for eye creams, my doctor recommended Teamine Eye Complex, which reduces dark circles and minimizes fine lines with its green tea extract.

There you have it. A simple regimen with only a couple of steps in the AM and PM straight from my doctor’s lips. However, it’s going to take me some time to get used to it because, to be honest… I don’t always wash my face at night. I know, I know! So bad, right?

Do you follow a strict skin care routine or do you sometimes sleep in your mascara? (Be honest!) Are you taking steps now to prevent those pesky fine lines and wrinkles?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 9 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Beauty

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook