Putting on the flair

My Sister-In-Law, Stephanie, was just visiting us for two weeks. Stephanie is only 25 and will graduate medical school this coming Saturday, then she's off to her three year residency in family practice. Despite having what I consider to be very well-planned, secure career opportunities in front of her (she hope to split her time between the States and Latin America doing medicals missions), she is like a big ball of fun. I know I just stereotyped all the doctors out there as being boring and lifeless, but you know what I mean, right? Does YOUR doctor make a mean mojito? Does YOUR doctor fantasize about designing baby clothes for your baby? Does YOUR doctor bring you African fabric and teach you how to tie it so you can wear your son on your back? Probably not, at least in the context that you know him or her. I think it's fair to say that Stephanie's Fun Factor is higher than your average being.

So, with Stephanie by my side 24/7 for two weeks (literally - remember how small our apartment is?!), I was able to channel some of her fun-ness and creativity into my being. We hit up a couple of Gothenburg's fabulous second-hand stores, and as we combed the racks I was transported back to high school and - in my humble opinion - my kick-ass style that was mostly courtesy of my Nana's wardrobe leftovers from the 60s and 70s that I claimed as my own. I loved-loved-loved her vintage dresses, from fancy Bonwit Tellers to the more casual shirt-dress.

As life happened, from the freshman Umpteen to a desk job, to who knows what else, it lead me to live most of the past several years in minor variations of my jeans-n-hoodie uniform. I'm actually wearing jeans and a hoodie right now, as I type this. At one point I realized that no matter what I bought I always ended up wearing hoodies anyway, so I might as well buy ones with flair... but wait, can hoodies actually have flair? Only relatively, it turns out, because at the end of the day, a hoodie is a hoodie is a hoodie. Sigh.

Back to shopping... Last week I happened upon a most delightful vintage dress while Stephanie and I were immersed in old-newness, and it has totally revived my creative fashion streak that's been dormant for the last decade-plus.

I love this dress for so many reasons... It fits perfectly while giving the illusion of a waist; it flatters my lactating bossomness; the blue ignites my eyes; the sweet bolero and narrow belt are such lovely additions. I wonder about the woman who wore it first: Was the dress made for her? Was it for a party? a wedding? Was there a matching hat? Did her husband adore her in it? Oh, sigh...

I have yet to wear it out, and I'd like to hem the skirt before I do. But, even just having it in my closet is a constant reminder of my once-whimsy self, and gives me a charge to dress each day with a bit more flair, hoodie or not.

Creatively Green

My family just returned from a whirlwind trip to the States. Prior to going I had started getting really intrigued by the term "green smoothies", a term I'd stumbled upon several times recently among the various blogs that I regularly read.

At first I felt really intimidated by this term: Green Smoothies. Green Smoothies? GREEN Smoothies? Green SMOOTHIES? GREEN SMOOTHIES?!?!? I got the concept but didn't quite get how to implement. The two words just didn't quite seem to go together, and I was convinced I would mess up, needlessly wasting some fabulous produce in the process. And so, more research ensued.

I discovered that any type of leafy greens could go into my smoothie, but that for a novice like me I might prefer to avoid the stronger-tasting ones. So, things like lettuce and spinach were in, and things like arugula and dandelion were out (for now). A higher fruit-to-veggie ratio would also be more palatable to begin, but that a ratio of 1:1 is what to aim for in the long-term.

Finally I reached the point where the next action item was simply to give it a try.

I had my fruits: frozen berries, a banana, a pear, and a few forgotten grapes.

I was a bit hesitant about the greens because my blendering tools are limited to the stick variety. I wasn't sure that had enough power to obliterate the greens to shreds. I got around that easily enough by using frozen, shredded spinach (I let it thaw first) and that worked beautifully.

The results from this first go-around were... mediocre. Not great enough that I sang Green Smoothie Praise form the mountain tops, but enough to keep me intrigued. When I got to the States, two things changed: 1) I retrieved our powerful blender from my parents' basement, confident that it had what it would take to show regular leafy greens who's boss; and 2) Whole Foods beckoned me.

Armed with loads of fresh greens and my mighty blender, I went to it. I'm super proud of my creations, and here are the two that stand out to me:

Mega-Variety Combo: apple, orange, banana, lemon, lime, raspberries, cherries, kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, chard, spinach, mixed lettuce greens, beet greens, cilantro, parsley. My hint: If you're adverse to an off-color smoothie, be sure to add enough red and purple berries!

Green Supreme: lemon, lime, orange, banana, avocado, kiwi, pear, frozen peaches, cilantro, parsley, spinach, romaine, beet greens, chard, ginger. This is not overly sweet and very refreshing.

I drank a big pitcher of Green Smoothies every day for a week and I loved it. Perhaps it was only psychological, but I'll take it! If you're interested in learning more about Green Smoothies, this is a great place to start, and there are many more blogs and websites with various tips and tools of the trade out there as well. Enjoy!

changing my mindset to creative

Okay, who's been horrendously delinquent around these parts lately? C'est moi. I've been feeling particularly undercreative these last few weeks, and - coupled with being a bit short of time - that's the reason for my absence.

Makes me wonder a bit about how people who are creative for their livelihood deal with creative droughts. What happens when a writer gets blocked? When a singer/songwriter stops singing and songing?

The more I contemplate this, however, I realize that inspiration isn't simply limited to creative expressions; no matter what one does, it's so much more enjoyable to feel inspired while doing it, to be working towards a goal. And, as I think about a bit further, I realize that "creative expressions" aren't simply limited to "the arts" - meaning those performed and those visualized - but that everyone can have their own art even if they are in banking, or law, or education.

I am realizing that being creative has far more to do with how I see the world, and not the specific tasks I apply my creativity to. Most of you probably figured this out a long time ago, but I think I am just starting to give myself permission to do this, to stake my creative claim in my dad-to-day.

Here's to this week's task: identifying my creativity in the nooks and crannies of my life.

Creative Mission: Photography

This past weekend the family and I headed over to Hisingen, a part of Gothenburg that lies across the harbor. I'd been there recently with a friend, walking along the water, stopping for lunch here, then coffee there... It is filled with gorgeous views, and I knew that I had to go back with my camera and take some photos. So Keith and Elijah came along for my indulgent ride and we had buttloads of fun. Yes, buttloads.

I am by NO MEANS a photography expert. In fact, we were well into our walk when my husband - also not an photography expert but someone who has at least read the camera info booklet - suggested I put it on manual mode. Me, thinking I already had, was confused. Awkward! Ever helpful, Keith helped me out and on we went.

Despite my novice status, I really enjoy print photography, and have wanted to pursue it from behind the lens for a while. My camera is Nikon D40, which has received rave reviews both practically (think Consumer Reports) as well as from people in the know (somewhere - I don't know where - I read that it's the best DSLR to start out with; has lots of bells and whistles, but isn't overwhelming; just the right amount of camera). I'm still figuring it out, but I'm having fun with it.

The theme of my pictures focuses on bursts of color. The first time I went I was particularly struck by the contrast of colorful buildings against the super-blue sky. This time, I kept an eye open for any stab of color that penetrated my view.

Click on the photo below to view my slide show, and please - let me know what you think! This is my first creative endeavor with my camera, and I'm pretty sure I can only improve from this point.

Click on the picture for more!

the hills are alive once again

Last week I had the most wonderful pleasure of singing in a choir for the first time in I don't know how long. My friend invited me to join her in her newest choir (because she sings in several, of course), a group of like-minded ex-pats that convinced a very passionate Swede (I didn't know there were any of the sort) to conduct them on Thursday mornings.

I grew up singing. I grew up singing because I wanted - no, needed! - to be the next Amy Grant. In case you're not familiar with either the Christian Pop/Rock scene or the scandalous Country Music scene, know that Amy swung through both with gusto, was gorgeous, and I was determined to be her BFF. Seriously. I joined her fan club, "Friends of Amy", otherwise known as FOA.

I grew up singing in any choir that would let me in, excluding my 6th grade choir that I resigned from after a nasty run-in with the choir director. All I said was that no one wants to sing a song about hats and he gave me detention. If I'd known it would strike such a personal chord with him, I would have rephrased.

My singing days went the way of the wild once I left high school. In college I was too shy to audition for any groups, presumably stemming from my horrific music competition incident. I took voice lessons with a true professional throughout my middle and high school years. In preparation for the MACSI - later changed to ACSI - yearly arts competition, my professional voice coach and I labored over an Italian classic that I have since banned from my memory. In our lessons, I like to think that I achieved a certain reign over the piece. I really threw myself into the Italian. I loved the idea of speaking another language, and since I was far too undisciplined to master anything in my German class, memorizing songs in other languages was as close as I was going to get.

On the day of the competition, I dreaded the moment when I would have to stand up in front of all my peers and belt out my masterpiece. The confidence that adorned me in the privacy of my lessons did not join me in public settings, and I felt naked. When 2:15 finally came, I nauseously made my way to the front of the room and handed my music to the judges. The accompaniment began, and I came in as appointed. Things were rolling along at a mediocre pace until about half-way through when all the Italian left my brain. I had no option but to improvise. But -- with what? As all the Italian I knew was in those lyrics, I dug into my last resort: spaghetti sauce. I rolled together my Prego's and Ragu's quite nicely, and my have thrown in a dulce de leche, figuring Spanish is close enough to Italian. When it was over I knew I would not win; and yet, I could not help but feel rather proud of my MacGyver move.

Fortunately for me, this Thursday morning choir is not comprised of professionals, neither of the musical nor the spaghetti sauce variety. It's mostly a bunch of middle-aged women looking for a way to express themselves, sometimes in Swedish, sometimes in German, sometimes in English. The high notes are a bit flat, and at least one is - quite frankly - tone-deaf. But we laughed together and sang the best we could, and it totally threw me back to my creative youth.

Herbal Expressions

I've always stumbled upon unique job opportunities that seem to be just a perfect fit for me. Several years ago in Boston I had the most fabulous pleasure of working for Esther, a truly amazing carnation of woman. I don't say this lightly; do you know anyone that has hosted catered her own daughter's wedding, for 400, in her backyard?

By day she was a school nurse, where she tended not only physical ailments, but emotional, relational and spiritual ones as well. She would come home after a long day, telling me stories of her interactions with her quixotic teenagers. "You know what I told her, Kate? I told her...." and it would be a mini-epic filled with passionate admonition, wisdom-packed words, and love. So very much love!

But, this was just her day job. When she came home, she was ready to "create", as she would tell me most every day. Esther wasn't a painter, a sculptor, or a writer. She was a whole other kind of creator, one that worked the earth to produce herbs of all sorts, then using these herbs to construct culinary masterpieces and herbal remedies of all kinds... shampoo, perfumes, spice blends, healing salves and so, so much more. She harvested the fruit from the trees in her yard, trees that she had her boys plant when they were rebellious teenagers, the hard work serving as penance for their fighting and misdemeanors. (How brilliant is that?!)

I could go on and on about Esther, and perhaps one day I will; she deserves it. But I've been thinking of how she's influenced me this past week, and I think her love of herbs has taken hold in me. Recently, I impulsively signed up for an on-line herb course entitled "Advanced Women's Herbs & Aromatherapy". Why I thought I had time for this when I am barely cranking through my doula studies (not to mention the millions of other things that have fallen by the wayside) I don't know, but when I saw it being advertised it just grabbed me. I've long been a fan of herbs, although primarily in cooking. I remember when I saw fresh herbs for the first time, having been accustomed to the dried variety for the most part. It was amazing! The scents of fresh basil or cilantro completely infiltrates my body, making my taste buds go into overdrive; I think they also get the creative juices flowing.

While I was pregnant, I started investigating a few herbs for their physical benefits, and liked what I discovered (obviously, should this interest you, please do your own research and discuss with your health care provider). This course seems to be a perfect "next step" in my herb journey. I am so excited to attain new knowledge and, hopefully, put it to good use. I imagine that as I move into working as a doula, knowing about herbs will only enhance the ways in which I can help my clients. But I also expect that this will open up my avenues of creativity, simply giving me a new medium to create with. And in my mind, I'll always carry with me the spice of Esther, and all that she created.

See Kate Conquer: Semlordagen

Where to start?

Okay, a couple things:
1. I love to cook, and I like to think I'm rather good at it. Baking? Not so much. Cooking is like a game; toss in a little of this and a little of that, and it will turn out okay. Baking is like a science: if you deviate from a prescribed amount of the recipe's main characters, you will most likely totally flop. Rock-hard pizza dough, super-dense bread that's supposed to be light and airy... I could go on but it would be embarrassing. And, anytime yeast is involved the stakes get higher because of the large time investment.

2. I love to eat, and I like to think I'm rather good at it. While I would not say I am a huge fan of Swedish cuisine, the area that I have no complaints about is their pastry department. And, how awesome is this: many of their several holiday seasons (particularly Advent and Lent) have specific pastries to add to the celebration. AWESOME.

3. Over time, my husband has made me a big believer in the theory of, "Why pay someone to do something that I can do myself?" (There are limits to this, of course... like, I'm not quite ready to learn how to dry-clean my own clothes.) So, while I love to go to a cafe and enjoy my latte and delectable puff of flour/butter/sugar goodness, there is a certain Consumption Point at which it makes sense for me to cut out the middleman and start doing the baking myself.

The Semla is a most fabulous piece of heaven that haunts Sweden between Christmas and Easter, but remains quite elusive during the other nine or so months of the year. Traditionally it was eaten on Fat Tuesday, because it is so rich and decadent - it's prominent attribute is the almond paste center topped with whipped cream - that it was supposed to help fatten one up before the season of Lenten fasting. In modern times, Swedes eat them for three months and have foregone the fasting. Fair enough.

My Swedish friend Elin is a fabulous baker. She rolls out breads and cakes and scones like it's going out of style (although I assure you, it's not), and quite frankly, intimidates the yeast out of me! [lame attempt to make a baking joke]

She came over a few weeks ago, and, being in the middle of Semla Season, the topic came up. At one point she oh-so-casually commented, "Oh, you should just make them, they're soooooooo easy!" If they're soooooooo easy, I thought, why doesn't she just show me how to do it?

And soooooooo, she did.


We used this recipe, which was great. If YOU use this recipe, it will require the use of both language and measurement translation, which Google can surely help with. Or, here's one I found in English, although it looks slightly more complex.

Here's the result, and they were absolutely as good as they looked.

If you read the wiki article on semlor, than you know that the average Swede tends to eat about five semlor a year. I, on the other hand, ate four on Semlordagen last Tuesday, which, I suppose, makes me your average American.

See Kate Conquer: How We Fika-ed

Two weeks ago, I was in the planning stages of a benefit fika to raise money for Haiti. What I didn't say is that for me, if something is in the planning stages that means there's still time to back out. Drop the ball. Call it quits. Leave the scene before the crime happens. You following?

My follow-through doesn't always live up to expectations; or, at the very least, tends to exist on a different time line than anyone else's. But this was different. As soon as I mentioned it to the good folks at the cafe, aptly named Cafe!, I knew I would have to follow through... or, never go back to that cafe again. I mean, how embarrassing to convince someone to commit to a good deed and then back out myself? Only on the Internet!

So, with Keith encouraging me, I broke it down into steps and went with it.

First order of business: Nail down the details with Arjwan, the fabulous cafe owner. She graciously offered the space for free and the food at-cost, not to mention her time so that we could hold the event after-hours. Keith and I decided to pay for the food ourselves so that all the money people gave could go to the cause. We thought there might be more incentive to give if we could tell them that ALL of their donations would go to a good cause.

Second order of business: Figure out how to invite people (Facebook? Evite? Mass email?) What we discovered in the process is that Partners In Health, the organization we were raising money for, makes it extremely easy to host an event of your own. Seriously - go to their website and there's a link on the lower right-hand side that says "Can you host an event? Click here." The have an invitation tool, logos, thank you notes, and more so that you don't have to spend a lot of time thinking up ways to advertise and what-not. Pretty nifty! So, we used their invite and basically invited everyone we know in Sweden. I always get nervous that if I invite someone I know but only a little bit then their reaction will be, "Why would she think I would want to come to this?!" Or worse yet, "Who's Kate?" This is a very dumb thought to have, though, so I basically got over myself and invited everyone from my closest friends to my midwives.

Third order of business: Talk up the event shamelessly. On Sunday we took business cards from the cafe to church, writing the event details on the back and passed them to people who's email we didn't know, or to people we just met (including the super-cool sisters I ran into. I asked them where they were from since they were speaking English, and they said, "We're half American and half French, but we grew up in Africa and Sweden". I want to be them.) I kept the cards in my coat pocket throughout the week so I could easily hand them to anyone that I thought might be interested. I also posted on-line at some of the forums I'm on, and reminded people on Facebook as well. I will say that the biggest turnout certainly came from our closest friends; but, I think it's great to spread the word any way you can about events like this; and it's great networking for any future events.

And lastly: Show up. So, we did, Thursday evening from 5-7pm. Keith and I got there just a bit early to put out some info about Partners In Health (this is a truly fabulous organization that's been in Haiti for over 25 years), take some pictures, and welcome the guests.

We had a great time! About 20 people came over the course of a couple hours, and enjoyed coffee, tea, and three delicious types of cake. There were suggested donation amounts, although we were collecting donations in a jar so people were free to give more or less depending on their circumstances. There was no programming, people could just sit and study or read, or chat with friends.

We raised 2800 kroner or about $390. While this isn't a mind-blowing amount by any means, we got a lot of other benefit from the event as well... a fun evening out, a gathering of friends, the start of new friendships, and hopefully planting the idea that everyone can make a difference with a little creativity. Despite my aversion to follow-through this took surprisingly little effort on my part but the pay-off feels great, all around.

See Kate Conquer: Planning Our Fundraiser

So, Keith and I are making progress on our Haiti fundraising idea. We got the go-ahead from the cafe (thanks, Arjuan & Tomas!), who will be donating the space to us for free and the food at-cost. I asked them on impulse if they would be interested in hosting, and am a little surprised that they actually said yes! People really do have kind hearts; and, as January and February seem to be slower consumer months (perhaps you business owners have noticed?), we are hoping this will bring some wanted publicity to the cafe. Lesson learned: it never hurts to ask!

For our recipient organization, we decided to go with Partners In Health, a Boston-based group that has been doing work in Haiti for the past 20 years. We've really been impressed with this organization for a while, and are thrilled to be able to help them help Haiti.

Keith and I spent some time trying to figure out how to actually deal with the logistics of the benefit... getting the word out, taking in money, etc... turns out PIH has a great tool on their website that pretty much takes care of everything. People can donate directly on-line if they wish; the interface is a bit like an evite, if you're familiar with that.

We are calling our fundraiser the Love Haiti Fika. "Fika" is a swedish term referring to having a snack together with friends... perhaps a sandwich or a cake, almost always coffee. I think of it more of a concept than a defined term. Now, our focus is on how to ensure people have a good time. But, our friends are pretty interesting, so I think that will pretty much take care of itself!

Check back in two weeks when I post about how our event went!

See Kate Conquer: How do you "give back"?

**Last Chance: Faga-Meyer Family, email me at kateisfun@gmail.com with your mailing address to receive your copy of Half the Sky!! I really want to give this book to you!***

Hey Folks, Happy Monday to you!

Here in Sweden, there's lots of talk about the earthquake that has shaken Haiti to its core; I can only imagine that for those of you in parts the world closer to this catastrophe, the cries for help and greatness of need is even more loudly heard.

Keith and I have decided that we really want to do something different to help, something that is a bit out of the ordinary for us. So, we are working with a local cafe to throw a Haiti Benefit to raise money for some organization that is at work there (still to be determined). I am really excited at the prospect of this event; I love it when people come together for a good cause and have fun doing it! But, I've never taken the reigns on something like this, and I"m feeling a bit intimidated. In fact, part of me wants to back out and just say "never mind!" But that would make me a quitter. And, I don't want to be a quitter.

So. Have any of you ever thrown a benefit of sorts? Any tips for me? Any good ideas on "entertainment" or music? (These areas are not my strong suit -- food, on the other hand, I've got nailed!) How do you charge people a set price or more of a "donations accepted" thing?

Another question for you: What are some ways that you help in times of need or "give back" to your communities? I am pretty sure that there are lots of simple, easy ways to do it that don't take a lot of time or effort (usual deterrents for people... like me...).

Let's have a conversation in the comments section... I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

See Kate Conquer: Give-Away Winner

Congrats to commenter Faga-Meyer Family, you are the winner of the first See Kate Conquer give-away! Please email me (Kate!) at kateisfun [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address, and your copy of Half the Sky will be on its way.

Thanks to each of you that commented on the power and inspiration of women. I hope that even if you didn't win, you'll be inspired to read Half the Sky. From time to time I write on other issues regarding women over at my own blog, kateisfun, so feel free to check it out!

My little one is prohibiting me from writing a longer post today. So, I will leave you with some other book suggestions, should you find yourself looking for something to pass these cold winter days with:

following on the empowered women theme:
Between Two Worlds
Iran Awakening

For any woman that's pregnant or one day might be:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

Favorite Kid's Book Ever:
Goodnight Moon

When Planning a European Travel Adventure:
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door (or any country-specific guide by him)

I enjoy fiction, but am not very good at picking it out... got any suggestions for me?

Happy Reading!

See Kate Conquer: Making an Impact (First Official Give-Away!)

Welcome to a new year, a new decade, a NEW YOU!

Well, perhaps that's a bit too ambitious for a Monday, especially before coffee. I'm not really one for resolutions, although I do enjoy a mental turning over of leaves, pursuing new things, and seeing results from concerted efforts. However, I find that sometimes the gung-ho-ness that accompanies a stride towards big change is enough to deter me, putting too much pressure on my delicate streak of gumption. If, however, I allow something to roll itself over in my mind, easing its newness into my consciousness with the slick finesse of a mesmerizing politician or a box of chocolates, I accept the change just a little bit easier, and get more bang for my buck.

Are you still following me?

What I'm trying to say is... over the past several months I've been thinking of how I can be more involved in helping and empowering women, from endeavors like supporting my friends (and myself) in their passions to advocating birth rights for women in America and Sweden, to helping stop the atrocities that women deal with worldwide on a daily basis. It can easily feel overwhelming, as I have much more of a penchant for instant gratification than I do for slow and methodical planning. One thing that I've done recently that actually did help me feel like I was in a position to help women was to read Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

This book looks at several horrific ways that women and girls are terrorized with around the world, presenting both dramatic research and first-hand accounts. The beautiful thing is that this book also offers a lot of hope to the reader, both in terms of how these victimized women have risen above all circumstances, as well as how we can practically get involved.

I was so inspired by this book that I want to give one of you the opportunity to be moved and inspired as well. Count this as my First Official Give-Away. To enter, leave a comment that briefly describes something you find empowering about being a woman (if you're a man, you can still enter! What's something you find inspiring about women?). I'll pick a winner based on my whims of the moment, and announce the recipient of this great book next week (if you enter, please make sure to check back to see if you've won - I'll need your shipping address!).

One last thing... you may be wondering, why is this lady writing about women's rights on a design blog?! Fair enough. I guess I just assume that the predominant audience of this blog is a group of thoughtful, creative women that look at things differently, and with that perspective there's a lot of opportunity to see and act differently from others. I think that we thoughtful, creative types can move mountains with our visions of grandeur.

My Best DIY/Home Improvement Project to Date

Things have been a bit busy in my neck of the Swedish woods this past week, as Project Baby Spice was completed (or, did it just start?) Tuesday, December 16 at 2:20 am. This little big guy - we call him Elijah - weighed in at 9 pounds 4 ounces, and when he can be convinced to stretch out he's about 21 1/4 inches. He was born at home, just a few feet from where he is in this picture (receiving his first sponge bath from his daddy). Our Persian friends shared a proverb with us from their culture, "Children bring life to a home", and I couldn't agree more.

Hope your Holidays are filled with lots of life and joy!

Making the Most of the Space You Have

I bet I'm right in assuming that many of you readers may feel a little low on abundant space in your homes. Maybe it's a student dorm room, or a tiny NYC apartment, or a bedroom in a house filled with roommates. On the other hand, perhaps you are the proud owner of your first home, or living alone for the first time, or have three extra guest rooms in a sprawling colonial. Despite which category you fall into, it seems that we – and our possessions – are capable of growing into whatever accommodations are available, and feeling cramped can happen in any sized environment.

I've mentioned before how acutely we felt this when we moved from our undeservingly-generous-to-us housing situation in Boston to our Swedish cave. And, I've certainly spent a good deal of time explicating on our lack of know-how when it came to making the most of the space we do have. To our minimalist minds, less is more. And, so very often this is the case. But, there is a limit. For example, it doesn't make sense to have no book cases if the result of that will be stacks of books and papers littered on the floor.

Most recently we've encountered this reality as we attempt to get ready for Baby Spice (ten days over the due date as of today, in case you were curious). In general, I am not a fan of homes that succumb to Everything Baby, where there's nary a space that plays coy to the question of whether or not children reside there. In reaction to this, and a desire to not over-clutter our cave, we resisted buying a lot of the standard baby fare. No crib, no room for one. No baby bath tub, it would take up far too much space for the number of times we would use it (although, I must admit to lusting after this nifty number I read about on another blog this week). Our baby items are pretty much limited to clothes, blankets, books (I firmly believe kids are never too young to be read to!), cloth diapers, and the numerous stuffed animals we've been gifted.

However, Keith convinced me that a changing table with drawers would be a wise addition. Yes, this piece of furniture is fairly sizable, but the the benefits to us made it worth it in the end. For the past several months, everything baby-related had been stored neatly away in boxes under our bed. This is a brilliant solution – when you don't need to access a clean outfit every few hours, or need to have clean diapers within arms' reach of where your baby is wriggling. And, of course, there is the obvious benefit of having a surface designated to holding our baby's exposed butt. Fortunately, we have a perfectly-sized nook that wasn't of much use in any other way, and IKEA, yet again, had the perfect solution for us.

This piece cost us around $200 (it's cheaper in USD, so consider yourselves lucky!). It converts into a regular dresser, simply by taking off the full-sized changing table piece to reveal a standard dresser top (or, if you happen to, ahem, forget to put the second box in your cart during your first trip to IKEA, it will also convert from dresser to changing table... just saying). It is solid wood and extremely sturdy. Its two drawers are enough to hold all our baby clothes and several blankets as well; the shelves are big enough to hold all things diaper-related, and are deep enough to act as storage for extra wipes, burp cloths, and other baby-related items.

This is a case where more is actually more. It is far more practical and esthetically pleasing to have these things together and easily accessible than to have them tucked under the bed, or in the closet, or stacked in piles on the ground. While I wasn't sure at first that buying a relatively large piece of furniture – particularly one that I thought would only serve the purpose of changing diapers – was the right move, it turns out it was exactly the right thing for us.

How about you? How have you made the most of the space you have - whether large or small - in your home?

Holiday Cheer (and a couple updates)

Happy Holidays! Like Annie, I am deeply in the spirit of Christmas, and hope that - whatever holiday you are celebrating after Thanksgiving – you are feeling some holiday lovin' as well. I'll admit that some of my eagerness is simply re-channeled anticipation, previously directed at my baby who has yet to make his or her appearance. Unlike anticipated birth days, the start of celebrating Christmas here in Sweden is an exact science: Celebrations start the first day of Advent, or four Sundays before Christmas. In Sweden, this is the day that everyone goes to church, whether or not they usually find themselves there. Advent is more of a secular celebration than a religious one, and despite the very high number of cultures that are represented by Sweden's large immigrant population, Christmas is pretty much the only holiday that gets a nod this time of year. And by “nod” I mean “all encompassing bear hug that overtakes every street lamp, person, store window, concert hall, and cafe table in this city to infuse you with Christmas cheer whether you like it or not”. You could try to resist, but it would be futile.

Anyway, I've attempted some Christmas decorating around the apartment, hoping to add to the coziness factor that was started with trays of candles and softer lighting as the shorter days descended upon us. In previous years, the highlight of my decorating expertise has been the boxes of tack I sprayed around as I planned for my office's Tacky Christmas Party. It didn't exactly scream “class” and “cozy” as I was going for in my own home. But with a little Googling of “Martha Stewart” and “Christmas” I got a bit inspired. Here's what I came up with:

My mom always has fresh-cut greens around the house at Christmas – on the mantle, on the dining room table, tied to the mailbox. She has the luxury of simply going outside and snipping away at the various pine trees and holly bushes that reside in our yard; I resorted to paying for these fine specimens, which felt a little ridiculous, but what can I say? I work with what I have. Also, I love LOVE these mini-pointsettas. A word to the wise: They really are temperature-sensitive! Since taking this picture, I've wilted two of them since they were in the direct draft of the cracked window. Good effort, I'd like to think.

I loved these berry sprigs the first time I saw them, and think they look great in this vase. It's also a nice change to the top of our microwave, which is usually filled with crap, like my keys and Keith's wallet and a bowl of random produce, from old bananas and pears to garlic skins and loose potatoes. I like this look a lot more. (Ironically, I bought these at our local produce stand, but Keith, when returning our friends' car we had borrowed the other night, parked right in front of a bush of this type... if I need more, I now know where to go...)

This was super easy... I wish I had a few more greens to add to the tray, but it will do. Every evening we will plug in our Christmas lights and light many tea candles (I typically prefer slightly bigger ones, like these found at IKEA) and this is a nice little addition to the table between our two reading chairs.

I've got a few more things going on around the apartment, but I'm not convinced I haven't crossed the line into “obsessive” and “tacky” so I'll leave my sharing to the above.

What's your favorite way to decorate for the holidays?

***In other news, here are just a couple updates for you on previous posts:

The closet doors have finally been completed, and we are loving the fresh look our room has now.

I received my four wet bags from The Pat-a-Cake Baby, and love them even more than I thought I would. The fabrics are so brilliantly colored, and the construction and detail is extraordinary. I was so in love with them that - since they won't be used until I've got some dirty cloth diapers to deal with – I hung them from our closet doors to add some color and visual appeal to our room. This lasted about two days until Keith got fed up with having to manually move each bag every time he wanted to open or close his closets. Fair enough. Now they are tucked away in our new changing table awaiting this baby... just like me (well, I'm waiting, not tucked away... never mind).

See Kate Conquer: Thanksgiving Dinner at 39 Weeks Pregnant

Well, that's the hope anyway. I figured having an event to focus on – like hosting six friends and two babies for, arguably, the biggest meal of the year – was a good way to keep myself focused on something other than BABY. Of course, that was a month and a half ago before I extended the invitation (with certain restrictions - like water breaking - applying) and before the third trimester exhaustion set in. But! With no exit strategy yet made known to me by my inhabitant, I am proceeding as planned.

Last year's preparations

For some reason, being away from the States last year and this year for Thanksgiving has made me love it even more. Absence simply making my heart grow fonder, perhaps? Or maybe it's that I've had some really great Thanksgivings in recent years... Keith and I hosting my family in Cambridge, MA... being with his family in Frametown, WV and having my first go at 4-wheeling... joining friends for several years running in their traditional get-together. There's no one way to celebrate, and most everyone allows themselves an excuse to be grateful and just a little bit more sentimental than usual. Of course, for others Thanksgiving is just the one-day initiation to a month-plus of stress and obligation. If that's you, then this post has your name on it; I just want to focus on the food today!

Turkey
I'm serving a turkey breast this year. Whole turkeys are hard to find in my neck of the Swedish woods; I did see them at one store over the weekend, but it had all sorts of additives (salt, sugar, water) in it that I'd rather not have. My mom taught me it's worth investing in meat, be it a Thanksgiving turkey, a Christmas ham, or an Easter lamb. It's kind of the star of the show; why take a risk? So, I'll be heading to Saluhallen, Göteborg's famous indoor market, to get a nice hefty turkey breast (and, I won't have space issues in my tiny oven).

Stuffing
This is my favorite dish. I love stuffing. I could go to Thanksgiving dinner and eat only stuffing. I use this basic bread stuffing recipe from The Joy of Cooking, again something copied from my mother. I add the optional pecans and raisins, and typically use a sweet bread (challah is wonderful!). I prefer fresh herbs to dried - and generous measurements at that - and always, always make extra (this year I'm making a triple batch).

Potatoes, Mashed
I don't have a tried and true recipe I keep returning to for mashed potatoes; instead, I just boil a bunch of potatoes (unpeeled) and add my pick of various dairy to the mashed result: butter, sour cream, crème fraiche, milk, cheese. If it's not Thanksgiving I might add herbs and/or garlic, but for the Big Day I prefer something a bit more classic.

Potatoes, Sweet
I love sweet potatoes. Delicious, healthy, versatile... For Thanksgiving dinner I will slice them in ½ rounds, toss with olive oil and S&P and bake starting in a cool oven. The exact recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated, my favorite cooking magazine and one of my favorite cooking web sites.

Pecan Pie
It's funny... I don't think we ever had pecan pie on Thanksgiving when I was growing up, but when I do Thanksgiving it's the only dessert I serve. I use this alternative crust option (given about half-way through the recipe) with this filling, adding a layer of chocolate in between, and served with real vanilla ice cream and a generous grating of fresh nutmeg. (If you've never taken a look at the cross section of a nutmeg, you gots to! It's really beautiful.)

This is my planned menu – so far – for Thursday. I love dinner rolls, but I don't have a perfected recipe and there are already so many carbs that I'm fairly certain my non-American guests won't notice their absence and I'll save on effort in any way I can this year. I hope to have sauteed kale as another veggie dish, but I've had a heck of a time finding it since last February, when they were selling it dirt cheap by the kilo (I love variations on this recipe). There will of course be gravy, but that's a last-minute thing for me, something I don't quite know how to plan, and instead I just hope for the best! I love sauces and chutneys, so if I can track down some cranberries I'll have those on the side in some simmered, spiced form as well. For wine, I've got a couple bottles of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau (which I am still convincing myself to part with even though I won't be enjoying it in as much a personal way as in an observational one... sigh!), or I might go with some tasty Pinot Noir. For a white option, perhaps a Pinot Gris. Other than the Beaujolais, I don't really know what I'm talking about when it comes to wine; I asked my dad what he was serving and figured his tastes transcend international waters.

My Thanksgiving Table Favorite

Have I missed something obvious (very probable with my distracted mind these days)? What's your favorite dish, and what quirky item is a Thanksgiving spread never without in your home? Happy Thanksgiving Week, everyone!

(You definitely want this) In the Bag

My dear husband has graciously agreed to indulge my desire to cloth diaper our spawn. We've agreed that we're not going to be militant about it... If there are times that it makes sense to use disposables, we'll go for it and not feel bad. If, after a good-faith effort, the amount of energy it takes to wash and assemble our diaper supply is interfering with precious moments of sleep or much-needed adult conversation, we'll re-evaluate. But, for the time-being we are being optimistic in our choice, and I'm excited.

The first decision to make was, which cloth diaper will work for us? If you ever find yourself in a position where you are considering the same, know that there are many helpful blogs and blog posts devoted to helping you make an informed decision. Many suggest trying out several diapers from different brands, and basing your final decision on some real-world experience with your own child. Since my plan was to stock up on my trip back to the States this fall, I didn't have that luxury. So, I opted for a brand tested by a friend, and that also has received rave reviews all over the internet: Bum Genius. You Dot&Line devotees will appreciate their green option, made in bamboo, as well as the fact that this company was initially started by a mom modifying the cloth diapers she already had. (Etsy has many hand-made options available as well!) I opted for what I hope will be the most economic version (both financially and space-wise), the One Size 3.0, designed to grow with your baby from newborn to toddler.

Mr Bear Models the Bum Genius 3.0 in Moon Beam

One of the biggest turn-offs of cloth diapering is, of course, The Gross Factor (TGF). From what I can tell, TGF is enough to make even the most environmentally-conscious of parents rethink this one aspect of child-rearing. What do you do with a bunch of poopy, wet rags that are just sitting around waiting to violate your laundry room appliances? Admittedly, this is not all that glamourous to think through, much less deal with in actuality. However! Several creative types are already ahead of us on this one.

Introducing: The Wet Bag

thepatacakebaby's Large wet bag in Blue Zoo

Wet bags are made with some type of water-proof (and, here's hoping stank-proof) lining to hold your little one's deposits (or, your wet swim wear or other wet gear) until you're able to “take care of them” (I love euphemisms). Recently, I took it upon myself to delve into the plethora of Etsy shops to find some wet bags suitable to my anticipated needs. I ended up at thepatacakebaby, and chose four gorgeous creations to ensure we can keep it all “in the bag”. (thepatacakebaby has a great selection of stylish baby bits, so check it out the next time you're looking for a baby gift. And, thepatacakebaby hails from Idaho to boot! A sure sign of creative genious.)

***Jamie from thepatacakebaby is graciously extending a 15% discount to D&L readers. To take advantage of this, you can order directly from the website (not valid for the Etsy store), and use the promo code "GRAND" when checking out. Happy shopping!***

I am adding my Etsy purchase to my list of Highly Anticipated Arrivals, hoping that it beats The Anticipated Arrival (I have a feeling it's going to be close). I love that these bags are functional, gorgeous, and hand-made by creative individuals... much like yourselves. Even if our cloth diapering experience is messy, it will at least be messy with style.

See Kate Conquer: An Eating Dilemma

As this pregnancy races [waddles] to the finish line Baby Spice gets bigger and bigger, my stomach gets squished more and more, and I can eat less and less. This, my friends, is so very weird for me. I LOVE to eat. I love to cook, but I LOVE to eat. Eating brings people together, it expresses culture and tradition, it's just oh-so-blissful. So, what am I supposed to do over the next month or so until my womb is vacated and my stomach can operate at an appropriate capacity?

My motto is, “Make Every Bit Count!” I try to make each meal pack as much nutritional punch as possible, while not sacrificing taste or experience (because oh! How I LOVE to experience my food).

Here's a couple of my favorites that have been getting me through the Days of Little Hunger:

For an easy, protein-packed breakfast, I mix plain yogurt with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds, topping it off with maple syrup. Don't be shy on the pumpkin seeds – I use ¼ cup – and to de-seed a pomegranate without spraying your kitchen in red, try filling a large bowl with water and de-seed under the surface.

Make some veggie broth (simply by simmering some veggie scraps or whatever vegetables you have lying around) and use for a multitude of soups. My current favorite satisfies my craving for Lipton Extra Noodle Soup in a box and is definitely healthier: bring broth to a boil, add some crushed noodles (egg noodles or spaghetti or...). When noodles are done stir in a beaten egg and some frozen veggies, season however you want (chili flakes, bouillon, S&P, etc...)

Chili! Everyone has a version, here's my simple one: saute an obscene amount of onions and garlic (last time I used five large yellow onions and a whole head of the strong stuff), add cooked ground beef and kidney beans and some crushed tomatoes. I like to throw in some frozen corn and spinach for a little more variety. Season with cumin seeds and chipotle, and of course salt and pepper. While the initial prep takes a little bit of time, I big pot will last through many meals.

My big pot o' chili: serves a large crowd once, or me many, many times

Each of these meals is super easy, and is fairly nutritionally solid which not only fuels my body as I grow a human but also gets me more bang for my buck even if I'm only able to eat small portions.

So, how about you – got any easy, tasty, healthy meals you rely on in special situations?

See Kate Conquer: "They're not perfect, but they're not purple!"

Every morning when I wake up, this is what I see: my growing stomach that is home to a child (or a minotaur) and four pairs of purple wardrobe doors (we've got another pair in the hallway serving as a closet).

Are those closets or a wall of bruises?

These are fairly standard IKEA closets, although most commonly seen these days in the less-offensive white. How we ended up with purple ones is beyond all reason and logic. My guess is that one of the IKEA designers of the 1970s was recovering from a bad acid trip and convinced his boss, also recovering from said trip, to sign off on a huge production order and the student housing organization that owns our apartment couldn't resist the great deal being offered by IKEA's head honcho in order to off-load the terrible mistake that these acid trippers had made. And here we are, thirty years later, still reaping the consequences. But who can say for sure?

When we first moved in here, my dream was to take down the doors and hang gorgeous, flowing fabric from floor to ceiling. I'm glad we never got around to that, as the number of dust bunnies that find their way into our apartment is enough to convince even PETA that sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. And so, we've lived with the purple doors.

We lived with the purple doors until we redid the floors, which I wrote about here and here last two weeks. Then, as the world seemed to open up with possibilities, we found ourselves inspired. Again, under the gentle direction of our friends, we got ourselves some paint. One day while Keith was working I took off all the door handles and started to work on bringing our purple doors into the 21^st century.

The process has turned out to be just slightly more involved than I was initially thinking, which explains why it is still a work in progress. While I first thought this could be “my” project to work on, Keith has graciously stepped in as I find myself more and more tired with less and less vision for seeing things through (35 ½ weeks pregnant, remember?).

In our small living space we have no choice but to paint the doors in shifts; no more than four at a time can be painted. Once the doors are down, we've got to take the hinges off which is made more difficult because the screws are somewhat stripped from a previous encounter with an over-eager electric screw driver. Then, because the doors are dusty like everything else in our apartment, they must be wiped down. Finally, the painting may commence.

When I was started out these doors were requiring four (!) coats of paint on the outside, and two coats on the inside (we decided a little purple show-through would remind us of our humble beginnings... and save paint). Keith showed me how two thick coats of paint is far better than four thin coats. But, we still need to wait for one side to completely dry before flipping the doors over to do the single coat on the inside. Finally, there's usually a little touch-up work required along the top and bottom edges, and the putting back on of all the hardware.

This project has been in progress for about two weeks, but is looking like it will be finished in the next few days. Already, the effect is astounding to me, as not only do we not have purple sore spots that just never seemed to make any sense, but also a whole new palate for the light to play off of. Even at night, when I am getting up to pee for the umpteenth time, my path to the bathroom is “lit” by the soft shimmer of the outdoor lights reflecting gently off my white wardrobe doors, instead of disappearing into the purple that use to lurk.

the half-way finished results

We are not professional painters, and we were perhaps a bit over-eager to rehang some of the doors as they are already exhibiting a few scratches and nicks here and there. But, as Keith said last night, "They're not perfect, but they're not purple!" And I'm really thrilled about that.

See Kate Conquer: With a Little Help from Our Friends, Pt. 2

If you'll remember from last week, Keith and I – with a lot of help from our amazing friends Nikola and Marija – were in the middle of covering our crappy linoleum floors with laminate flooring. Admittedly, my involvement in redoing our floors was more concentrated on the front end of the project, the “Ideas Phase”, if you will. My dear husband and Nikola took care of the rest, while Marija and I sat back, drank tea, and made a bad-ass pot of goulash and some Serbian plum buns (a whole other post, I'm pretty sure). This is not to say that my part of mentioning the idea, choosing the color (walnut – not too light, not too dark), and helping Keith take floor measurements were not instrumental to the process. It's just that, had we stopped there, no one would even be able to tell what we started.

However, Keith and Nikola are go-getters, takers of action, men of passion! After we got back to our apartment with our laminate panels, foam padding, and an arsenal of tools, Nikola suggested they get started even though he and Marija had only an hour before they had to be somewhere that wasn't Our Apartment. Marija and I cleaned in the kitchen while the guys tackled the bedroom.

Keith was feeling pretty excited after Nikola left so he ahead and finished up the bedroom, save for a few tricky edging pieces that required Nikola's adept hand at the saw. I was amazed, to say the least! How could it be that we had woken up to a floor that made me feel like I needed to shower before making the nine-step journey to my coffee, and yet I was going to bed feeling like we had come home and HGTV had flipped our house while we were out? This, my friends, is an incredible feeling.

The next day, Keith and I cleared the living room so the guys could actually do some work. I emptied the bookshelf and put the “general mess” away; Keith took furniture into the stairwell and shoved things to the kitchen end of the room. Keith got a jump start before Nikola arrived, and by the time I left to join Marija at her place for some tea and cooking, they had finished a third of the room already. I left for Marija's with visions of returning to grandeur later in the day.

Slight tangent: As I've mentioned, two of my favorite things are cooking and eating. One thing that is so great about moving to a new country is meeting people from all over the world. I've been able to coerce a bunch of these new friends into teaching me how to cook their native foods. So, getting to learn first-hand from Marija how she makes goulash and plum buns was like the cream cheese icing on the laminate flooring cake.

Several hours later, just as we were really, really starving, Nikola and Keith showed up, their part of the project complete. We celebrated with our fabulous meal, and then Keith and I headed home to admire their handiwork.

I was amazed. Within the span of about twelve hours over two days, we had gone to the store, purchased our new flooring, and got it into place with relative ease. I kept asking myself why it took us a year to do such a simple yet dramatic face lift in our apartment.

For people like me – people with good ideas but who perhaps lack just a little bit of follow-through from time to time – at least part of the answer seems to be allow yourself to be inspired and helped by those around you. In some ways this requires vulnerability to say, Hey! I don't know what I'm doing over here! For Nikola and Marija, and my friend Jess that I mentioned last week, this lets them do something that they're really good at and enjoy. It seems pretty win-win. The flip side is that there are things that Keith and I are really good at, things that it's super easy for us to help others with, things that don't come as naturally to them. But that's for another day.

We are just finishing up some furniture rearrangement and still hope to get pictures on the walls (...someday...). For now, though, we are reveling in our “new” apartment, and letting the inspiration carry over into other minor projects with big impact. Stay tuned!

How about you? Have you tackled any home or craft projects that inspired you in other areas of creativity? I'd love to read about it in the comments section.