Catimini

It has been warm and sunny here lately, and the spring weather has encouraged Mom and I to take Tate out and about. He has had a few adventures, and so far has approached them with what we have come to expect from him, his typical curious-but-calm nature. On one of our outings, Mom and I went baby clothes shopping at a local Portland boutique, Duck Duck Goose and we came across the most adorable French clothing line, Catimini. Have you heard of this clothing line, friends? Apparently, they are one of the most established French children's line. We ended up buying this adorable outfit, among others:

The details on the clothes were extraordinary. Bright linings, little zipper details, french sayings... The boy clothes were so boyish, and the girl clothes were so girly, and all felt so youthful and fun but still stylish and sophisticated.

I mean, truly, how cute are these dresses?

I have a feeling that Tate will be wearing quite a bit of Catimini as he gets older!

Cereal Couture?

I am totally intrigued by the concept behind the cereal company [me]&goji. Referred to as cereal couture, three college friends created the concept of personalized cereal. Focusing on high quality, earth-friendly ingredients, you can completely customize your own breakfast. You start with a cereal base, which varies from granola to "healthy hoops" to muesli, and then add in your own favorites. Extra ingredients include goji berries (of course, but they even have chocolate covered ones!), strawberries, macadamia nuts, wheat germ, corn flakes, cherries and many, many more. This seems like such fun, and I can imagine how kids would be more likely to eat healthy cereal if they got to design it themselves (and you can even have the kids picture put on the cereal canister!). I have to admit that it is rather expensive (it is couture, remember?) and some of the add-ins seem not quite breakfastey to me (cocoa almonds, for example), so I think if I try it I will be more likely to pack it in a baggie as a snack for lunch, as opposed to with milk for breakfast. But either way, I love the idea of healthy eating with all natural ingredients, cereal that really fills you up and gets you set for the day. How about you, friends? Would you give [me]&goji a try?

It's Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day and to celebrate I wanted to post some of my favorite pieces by artist Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy is an amazing artist. He goes out into nature and creates sculpture using only natural materials. When I look at the photographs of his work, I almost find it hard to believe that they are real. But they are. Painstakingly done, he completes the piece and immediately takes a photograph. Some of his installations take weeks to complete and only last a short time. Isn't this amazing? These are goose feathers:

Aren't his creations beautiful? Isn't is inspiring to see the elements that Mother Nature can provide to him, and how he reinterprets them into art? It's such a nice way to celebrate planet Earth.

In other Earth-Day-appropriate news, a friend recently brought the website Cosa Verde to my attention. Much like Etsy, it is an online community and store of handmade goods from independent artists. But here's the twist: all the goods on the site are sustainably produced; the site focuses on organic, cruelty-free goods. Recycled materials are featured heavily, like these banners made from receycled hymn book pages:

www.cosaverde.com/store/kristinamarie/5215/ And I absolutely love this rhino plush toy: www.cosaverde.com/store/zfla/5478/

Products that we can all feel good about buying on Earth Day!

I am not Heidi Klum

Friends, do you ever feel frustrated at not being Heidi Klum? Not only does she look great pregnant, but she somehow manages to look just as great within days of delivering her latest baby. This has not been the case throughout my pregnancy, and the last two weeks with Tate. I have more of the harried new mom look (although I have managed to shower and blow dry my hair every day since I've been home, a feat that, according to my other mom friends, deserves to be recognized). However, throughout this pregnancy and the first few weeks with the new baby, there have been a few amazing products that have made me feel beautiful. I wanted to share some of these favorite beauty products that make me feel, if not exactly like Heidi, at least more Klum-like. First is this blush. It is creamy and easy to apply (I just rub a little on with my ring finger) and it instantly makes me feel refreshed and natural.

The hair product I can't live without. I literally keep multiple bottles throughout the house in order to make sure I never run out. I have straight hair that is in desperate need of some volume, and this is the only product I have ever tried that really makes my hair thicker without looking coarse. I love it.

Delicious-smelling and super moisturizing stretch mark cream. I used this all throughout my pregnancy and still use it (in fact, it smells so good and is so moisturizing that I might end up using it forever). Now Zach, the rational scientist in the family, will assure you that stretch marks are completely genetic, and that no cream is going to prevent them. However, I still felt better about at least doing something to try to prevent them. And it was so moisturizing and soaked into my skin so quickly- I could put it on after I showered and not feel sticky or greasy when I got ready for work. It is a little expensive, but will certainly be a gift for all my future pregnant friends.

My good friend Melissa introduced me to this complexion highlighter a few years ago. I have used it religiously ever since. Like the blush, it is easy to apply with your finger, and I find that a dab on my cheekbones and brow bones and the inner corners of my eyes brightens up my entire face. Not sparkly or shimmery, it is perfectly age appropriate (don't you hate seeing women past the age of 21 wearing glitter?)

And last but not least- my favorite lipstick, that I swear looks good on everyone. It flatters your natural lip color, gives a tiny bit of shine, and never makes me feel overdone.

So that's it. A few of my go-to favorites that have helped me feel like myself during all these body changes in the last few months. Happy shopping!

Welcome to the world, Tate!

Well friends, it has been awhile, and this is the utterly adorable reason: Born on April 6, please meet Michael Tate Holmboe, who will be known to all the world as Tate. Named after his Grampa Michael Herrick, we chose Tate because it means "cheerful" and honors his Scandinavian heritage. Overall, we have a new love of our life. Labor was a long and intense affair, as those things are wont to be. But it was greatly helped by my comfy, adorable hospital gown. I loved my hospital gown by Hot Mama Gowns: It was everything that the company promised. Thick, organic cotton that you couldn't see through (unlike the paper thin hospital gowns), it snaps up the back to allow access to any doctors or nurses that need it, but also allows you to walk the halls without exposing your bare behind to the entire hospital. And the innovative panels that make nursing a dignified affair- you can untie the ribbon to nurse on one side while keeping your other side covered. I wore the hospital issued gown during labor, and put my Hot Mama gown on after he was born, when I was up and about and after I took my first shower. It was so nice to put on something clean and substantial and attractive. And it looked equally nice before and after I had the baby. I have also been wearing it at home. It is perfect for the middle of the night feedings and makes me feel less schleppy. All in all, I can fully endorse the Hot Mama gown as worth every penny (and if you don't love the black and white one I chose, there are lots of other fabric designs). Also, another update- Zach's mom recently gifted him with the Petunia Picklebottom Scout diaper bag I talked about here, and we are happy to report it is just as awesome in person as we had hoped. Substantial, manly, great design... Z is going to be the most stylish dad on the playground. So now on to more adorable baby pics to gush over, with more regular updates to come!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, friends! Any special plans? We will be having a traditional Easter dinner, with ham and rolls and green beans and potatoes. It will be a low-key (and sadly for me, still very horizontal) celebration around here. My sister and brother-in-law are being much more ambitious, making their traditional lamb Easter dinner. Lamb! I have not had much success with lamb, but their recipe is tried-and-true, so perhaps next year we will give it a try. Mom and I are also planning on baking some traditional hot cross buns later today. Or I should say that Mom will be making them and I will be on a stool watching and overseeing. There has been a lot of vicarious baking in our house lately. I am not sure if its because the baking itself makes the time pass by, or because the eating makes the time go by. Either way, I think we probably need to cut back, since all the sitting combined with all the eating of baked goods can't be good for me. Here are a few of the baked goods that have paraded through our house the last week or two. Yesterday, Zach made double blueberry muffins- a delicious recipe by my favorite chef, Gale Gand. What I love about Gale Gand is that she is a true American pastry chef. When I was in pastry school, there was such an emphasis on traditional French pastries. Don't get me wrong, I love a croissant as much as the next girl, but when I stumbled across Gale Gand, it felt like meeting a kindred spirit. Here was a pastry chef who had taken french training and french techniques and utilized them to elevate American classics, like German's chocolate cake and ice cream cones and red velvet cupcakes. As someone who went to pastry school because I loved true American desserts (chocolate chip cookies, cherry pie, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies, homemade hamburger buns, oh my!), Chef Gand was like a breath of fresh air. Finally a pastry chef who loved American classics as much as I did! And her recipes have never failed me.

Another American classic that has recently graced the Holmboe table was this chocolate cake:

I loved this cake. It was rich and chocolatey. But best of all was the frosting. I have spent a lot of my life looking for a go-to, standby chocolate frosting. The closest I have come is a chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. I love Swiss meringue buttercream frosting, but I use it often when I am baking wedding cakes for loved ones, so sometimes (because I make it in such high volume), the thought of using it on cupcakes or something I am baking for myself is just not appealing. So this frosting was a discovery. It is a chocolate mascarpone frosting. It is incredibly creamy and light (the best part of a meringue buttercream frosting, I think) but has a deep chocolate flavor. I think that this may well become my go-to chocolate frosting. More updates to come on the hot cross bun experiment later today. Here's to hoping that your Sunday is filled with a little laziness, good food, family and friends...

Dollhouses

Two utterly different but very adorable dollhouses. I absolutely love both of these. This first one feels very Parisian, doesn't it? Couldn't you just imagine little tiny baguettes on the dining room table? It comes in three colors, and when they are all together they also remind me of the row houses in San Francisco. Even the colors are sort of San Francisco-ey, aren't they? The designer did a great job of integrating the flat sides of the dollhouse and 3-d furniture. I think if I was still a little girl, I could play forever with this house. This next dollhouse is a horse (house?) of an entirely different color. Completely modern. The difference between these two reminds me of me and my sister. Her aesthetic and mine are totally different (but equally fabulous, if I do say so myself). I can imagine us growing up with our individual dollhouses that perfectly fit our design personalities, side-by-side. Maybe we should each get one as grown ups.

This one would be hers. Even the furniture is clean-lined and modern, with punches of color. And I think her husband Brian would totally support the entertainment system. I think my mind has been on dollhouses lately because I myself have been so housebound. I have been trying to keep a good attitude about this whole bedrest business, but it is becoming increasingly difficult. I find myself living vicariously through my mom and Zach, and looking forward to little outings like going to the doctor's office (which I get to do almost every other day).

I keep telling Zach that this whole motherhood business better be worth it. He reassures me it will be.

via inhabitots