The 6 Vegetables in Our Autumn Garden.

On my 29th birthday, I lounged in the back yard with my feet propped up on a chair and sipped my lemon water. 

And watched.

Watched Stevie work in our garden.

Watched Everett pound some snacks.

Watched my flowers and vegetables and herbs come together in a green-thumbs-up autumnal harmony.

My sister thought this was a very strange way to willingly spend a birthday, but it was actually really very perfect to me.

I'll admit, it was difficult just to sit there, watching him do the work, because I have grown to love the therapeutic activity of gardening. I feel like God speaks so clearly to me while my hands are deep in the soil and I'm planting seeds, watering flowers, and troubleshooting with the dratted caterpillars that try to infest. It all feels like a metaphor for life, and there is something about the quiet of the garden that makes me feel very, very close to my creator.

That being said, I didn't have that same euphoric experience for our fall garden installation this season. Because I am trying to take is extra easy until this baby makes his arrival, I had to let Stevie do everything for our fall garden overhaul. And my friends, it was an overhaul! Since we had been gone for the previous 5 weeks traveling, our garden had become a jungle-y mess of weeds, overgrown zinnias, and sun-scorched herbs. He pulled out every single weed from the root, freshened up the beds with soil and fertilizer, and planted my carefully-chosen fall plants.

Oh, and we decided to go ahead and plant some blueberry bushes, too. And some knockout roses. And move some hostas to a shadier location.

He's my knight in shining armor.

Or my farm boy. Actually yeah, that's more accurate. "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher?" (what movie?!)

So as I sipped my water (I'm trying to reach a daily quota of 100 oz. and it's hard) and took endless videos of Everett jumping and playing in the yard, Stevie bucketed sweat while he slaved in my beloved patch of Earth. That man is such, such a keeper :)

Even though the installation was a ton of work for him, we decided to go easy on ourselves this year by only planting a few things that would hopefully do well and not require much maintenance (thanks to Pike's Nursery, who answer my endless supply of questions every time I'm in there, they are just the nicest):

Plants:
8 Purple Cabbage
8 Brussels Sprouts
8 Red Lettuce
8 Swiss Chard

Seeds: (because I already had them and it's fun to intersperse veggies for heartier soil)
Carrots
Kale (okay, I planted two types of kale... I had the seeds already and couldn't resist)
Cilantro

We lined the front of the beds with a variety of colorful pansies, which should keep things colorful until the weather truly turns to frost. I've actually never planted pansies before, so I am curious to see if the rumors are true about how weather-resistant they are.

I also couldn't help but plant a few violas and mums in some pots on my porch, along with a transfer of chives from the garden to some pots. They (supposedly) should keep doing their thing for a while longer, and chives are just soooo tasty in mashed potatoes. I wish I could lend all of you my herbs. It's so much fun to garden and cook with your own goods.

Oh, and did you see those pumpkins? I got some dreamy pumpkins for the porch this year.

Thankfully, we got our watering system to work over the summer, so I don't have to hand-water all these plants this fall! I can just sit on my back porch and enjoy the beauty of my fall garden, and friends, even though all this sitting gets a little infuriating (I have so many things I want to do!), it's actually making me realize that I need the rest. Although I wish I could deposit the rest into a sleep bank and make a withdrawal later, when I have a newborn. Wouldn't that be a treat?

There you have it, friends! Our fall garden situation. I absolutely love it and I can already tell that the purple cabbage is going to be gorgeous as it grows. Do you garden? What did you plant for the fall?

Freezable Breakfast Burritos.

I haven't really cooked in 6 months.

This pregnancy really did me in. I spent the first three months sick, and the following three months busy. And annoyed with cooking. The desire to nourish my family absolutely vanished. And that's really abnormal for me, because I usually find that a simple waltz through Williams Sonoma can cure me of any culinary-related boredom or ailment. But not this time, friends.

Well, since returning home after our month-long stint in New York, I was suddenly struck with the eagerness to bake muffins. And soup. And stew. And then I saw my friend Liz's instagram post about making her family breakfast burritos in bulk and freezing them and I was re-bitten by the cooking bug. I should make everything in bulk AND FREEZE IT.

I know that's not, like, a new idea. But the idea came at just the right time. And let me just say, my boys are really really happy that I'm back in the kitchen.

We played around with this recipe and came up with our own preferred ingredients. And it's so easy and wonderful to have a delicious, nourishing breakfast that is ready as early as you are. Because I don't know about you, but over here we are up at 6 and I wake up voraciously famished. The recipe + method are below!

Ingredients:
- 1 package Aidell's Chicken + Apple Sausage, diced
- 12 eggs
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 package frozen hash browns
- 12 flour tortillas
- Shredded cheese
- Salt + pepper to taste
- Olive oil
* wax or parchment paper
* large, freezer-safe zip-top bags

Method:
1. Heat up diced sausage and diced onion in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil to the pan, just to keep things from sticking. Cook until everything is heated through and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl, set aside. Keep the skillet heated over medium, add a bit more olive oil.

2. Crack and whisk the 12 eggs in a large mixing bowl, adding salt and pepper to your preference. Add the eggs to the heated skillet and stir until cooked. Transfer to a clean mixing bowl, set aside.

3.  Heat the hash browns in the same skillet, according to the instructions on the package. Set aside into a third mixing bowl.

4. Heat the tortillas on a dampened paper towel for 10-15 seconds, or until warm and malleable.

5. To compile the burritos, create an assembly line with the ingredients. Take one tortilla and add 1/3 cup size of scrambled eggs, followed by the sausage/onion mixture, the hash browns and finally sprinkle with cheese. Tuck the outer edges in first, then roll the tortilla (it will fold over in thirds). Place the tortilla seam-side down on wax paper, and completely roll and wrap the burrito with the paper.

6. Repeat this method until you run out of ingredients!

7. Place the wrapped burritos in large, freezer-safe zip-top bags. Store in the freezer and remove as needed. This recipe should make you about 12 burritos.

A few notes on these burritos:
- It helps to have a buddy with the assembly line. Stevie and I compiled these in about 15-20 minutes after all the ingredients were cooked, and it really helped to have him wrap and roll the burritos after I added all the ingredients.

- When you're ready to eat, you can throw the burrito in the microwave (take off the wax paper first!) and heat for 1-3 minutes. It helps to use the "defrost" setting on your microwave, if you have one.

- If can you remember to remove the burritos from your freezer the night before you want to eat them, they will defrost beautifully in the refrigerator and heat more evenly when you do microwave them in the morning. So if you can remember, make sure to pull them out of the freezer the night before!

- You can serve these with salsa if you like, although I find that I like them just the way the are.

- I doubled this recipe and we had breakfast for a few weeks that I didn't have to think about preparing. It was simply bliss.

Let me know if you try these out, friends! Happy cooking + freezing + and eating a blissful breakfast!

A Birthday Date & A Bump That Doesn't Lie.

It was on this day that I realized just how very pregnant I am - and just how long I still have to go. 11 weeks til the due date, friends.

I was supposed to be at Disney World on my birthday, joshin' around with Cinderella at the Be Our Guest restaurant and having a few laughs with my sister-in-laws. I'm actually really grateful that we decided to cancel our trip (the rest of the family soldiered on without us), because I was having some pretty painful Braxton Hicks on my actual birthday, and the choking Orlando heat combined with miles of walking would have probably been miserable. For me, and for everyone who would have had to listen to me. And for the kankles that would have most definitely taken on a life of their own and probably heaved-ho away from me as fast as they could klunk-klunk-klunk. So I actually felt really at peace about that decision. But still. Disney is the happiest place on Earth, right? I think I'm allowed a good 5 minutes of pouting about that one.

The best thing about my birthday this year was being with Stevie and Everett. Stevie is the most positive person I know, and he really made an effort to do all the things I wanted on my day. He planted my fall garden for me, and then we went to dinner at The Hil at Serenbe, which was very delicious and very smashing. Get the lamb risotto! It was also my last meal having sugar, so we reeeeeeally enjoyed the chocolate souffle for dessert. Being the good, kind man that he is, Stevie is going to cut back with me (so that I don't grow an extra large giant inside of me), so pray for our saccharine-loving souls. The panicky memories of doing the disciplined Whole30 program haven't eluded us. I am actually searching for some recipes that feel like treats but don't have any added sugar. A few of you have already emailed me with awesome recipes to try - thank you so much! I am open to your suggestions, friends!

Turning 29 feels really good. I have no problem rolling into the final year of my twenties, because I have felt like an old person for a long time. I got married young, and even though I didn't start having babies too, too young, I've definitely been adulting for a good solid decade. It's nice that my age finally matches my life. Although I am compiling a little pre-30 bucket list of things I want to do/see/eat/visit before my next birthday, and I think dancing on a table or two wouldn't be the worst thing to happen within the next year. :) It's good to have goals, right?

I am 29. Very pregnant, a little pouty, but absolutely, perfectly content.

Outfit Details:
ASOS Top (clearly not maternity, similar here), Free People Bralette, ASOS Maternity Skirt, Anthropologie Shoes (sold out similar here on sale!), Anthropologie Kimono (similar here), Pulicati Leather Tote (similar here), Urban Decay Lip Color in Disturbed

ASOS River Island Crossback Cami

Free People Galloon Lace Racerback

ASOS Maternity Midi Pencil Skirt

Jasper & Jeera Rosecut Espadrilles

Anthropologie Meson Kimono

Nuova Varriale Tote

Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Disturbed

"I want to go to the Enchanted Garden"

"I want to go to the enchanted garden!" he said to me, as we snuggled on the couch and watched Daniel Tiger.

It was the episode where Daniel and his parents went to pick strawberries and all the flowers came to life, thus, were enchanted. Everett was absolutely enamored. And he has a bit of a penchant for gardening (I won't pretend to have nothing to do with that, it makes me kinda proud), because of our back yard vegetable patch and our weekly visits to Pike's Nursery where I browse and let him play in the water fountains. (We are lucky that he's so cute, otherwise they might hate me over there.) But the moment he expressed his wishes to go to an "enchanted garden", I was struck with the realization, I can bring him to the enchanted garden. I have the place!

I mean, it's not really enchanted, but it's really enchanting! This was all a few weeks ago, when we were up in New York, and the most beautiful botanical garden is just north of the city, The New York Botantical Garden in the Bronx. It's one of the oldest gardens in the United States, with one of the foremost rose gardens in the world. The last time we visited, I was also pregnant, so I've figured out the best way to meander around this garden is on the trolley - you can ride it around the entire garden and enjoy all the unique sections of the garden. Needless to say, this outing was a hit with my little gardener :)

Hydrangea goals.

Oh, he got verrrrry serious here. Because we showed him a frog in the pond and he had no idea about how frogs can live in water and land. He was so intrigued. It was awesome.

They have a special section called "Everett's Children's Garden" - no lie! And it's the sweetest area, with musical instruments hidden in the woods and beautiful kids-sized outdoor furniture.

This is my dream, you guys. Back yard dreams.

I'm growing some cabbage this year, can you imagine if it ended up looking like this? Seriously, doesn't this look enchanted?!

I love this picture of him so much. He was just taking in all the wonder of the vegetable patch.

They do this everywhere. Which I'm sure you're aware of because I have way too many tossing-in-the-air photos.

Oh, and there was tap dancing! Such a lost art, you guys. I really wish this wasn't such a shrinking form of dance, it is absolutely energizing just to watch!

And then the rose garden. Geez it was perfect.

If you're ever in New York and have the chance to drive/subway/cab north to the Bronx, you absolutely have to check out this garden. It's a magical, no - enchanted - place.

P.S. - The last time we visited the NY Botanical Garden, the time we biked through Callaway Garden (and I didn't know I was pregnant yet, but I kept falling off my bike because I was dizzy), more pregnant waddling at the Boston Public Garden (see, why am I always pregnant?!), and our recent jaunt at the Central Park Conservatory Garden.

Rooftop at the Met + Shake Shack Lunch in Central Park.

Ah, the Met. It's wondrous. Famous. Timeless. The Metropolitan Museum is one of the grandest in the world. It's so unbelievably huge, it would take weeks to get through all the wings and exhibits. My favorite spot in the museum is The Sackler Wing, where you can walk through the Egyptian Temple of Dendur. It's not even the exhibit itself that is alluring to me - it's actually just the room. I love the quiet waters that run the length of the hall, echoing up into the high ceilings. I love the slanted glass windows that usher in the willowy sunlight. I love this quiet space, centered within a city of maddening sound. And I also happen to be a sucker for Egyptian history. So on all fronts, this is the spot for me. But I also really love the impressionists located in the Lehman Collection - VanGogh or Monet, anyone?

For all those who were devout "Gossip Girl" watchers - these are the Met steps where Blair reigns as Queen B. For all those who weren't devout watchers - DON'T JUDGE.

His arm is fine. He just really, really likes bandaids.

I could have stared at this one all day.

Okay, so this is really fun. Every summer, the Met opens up an exhibit on the rooftop. It's cool because there are obviously gorgeous views of Central Park and Manhattan all around - and because there's a bar, so you can enjoy your wine and watch the sun go down over the city. This has been on my NYC bucket list for a long time, and I'm so glad we finally found our way up there on this particular visit. We enjoyed some mocktail/cocktails and marveled at the strange exhibit this year - a full-scale sculpture installation based on the Bates barn from the classic horror film, Psycho. Art is such a funny, subjective kind of thing. To us, the views of the city far outweighed the impact of this particular exhibit. We were all like, can we go back and see some more of Monet's waterlilies? Cheers.

And this little guy is getting way too theatrical these days when Stevie tosses him in the air. I'm pretty sure he was striking a pose in this one :)

And then it was time for lunch! We walked clear across the park, from the east to the westside, and grabbed lunch at Shake Shack on 77th, then took it into the park for a delicious, shady picnic. We might have overindulged in Shake Shack during this stint in the city. We ate it every Saturday for a month. But you guys - it's just so good. I know they have it in Atlanta now, but still. I rarely venture into my own city these days. When we are at home, we kind of hibernate. But when we're goofing off in New York, I love a regular old shack burger, fries, and of course a milkshake. And the concretes! Oh, and actually the lemonade is really, really good too :)

How cute are these two? I'm so grateful that these sweethearts came to visit and play in the city with me :) Friends forever.

If a few of these photos look familiar to you, it's because I shared some from this particular day here. OXO Tot was kind enough to send me some travel toddler products to try out while we were on the road so much in New York, and having the right tools really makes a difference when you're on the go with a kiddo! I'm really grateful for this blog, because it allows me to collaborate with brands that we love and actually use in real life, and share them! I love the OXO brand not just for baby gear, but also for kitchen utensils. But Everett loves them for the snack cups.

Here's the Shake Shack lemonade I was telling you about! He downed it. I have to watch his lemonade intake because he lovvvvves it.

And there you have it, friends. A breezy, fun day exploring the museum and eating our body weight in french fries and milk shakes. The Upper West and Upper East sides of the city are so fun to explore, although I'm extremely biased and think the Upper West is the Upper Best, always.

A few other delicious spots to try in the Upper West Side, if you're visiting and looking for something: Juice Generation (for a seriously delicious and pricey nutritious juice), Alice's Tea Cup (totally girly teatime lunch spot!), Cafe Lalo (the cafe from You Got Mail, and yes, it's magical), Jacob's Pickles (omg the southern BLT will make you lose your mind, and the bloody mary, too), Pio Pio Salon (Peruvian food that is insane, come in a group and get the Matador combo and a pitcher of sangria to share), Levain (Jewish bakery with killer coffee and I-want-to-cry-they're-so-good cookies), Machiavelli (its a little fancy, but if you can sit outside and order any of the pizzas, you will be living your New York moment), and also, if you're here on the weekend, almost every restaurant does an amazing brunch with bottomless mimosas that lasts until like 2pm. There is a brunch culture in this city that I really, really love. So just walk south on Amsterdam or Columbus in the 70s and you will find limitless amazing options for omelets, french toast, the works. Whew. On that note, friends, I am hungry again!

Leave me a comment if you decide to visit any of these places and let me know what you think! Have an awesome day. XOX