Month: January 2013

what’s in a baby name?

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Baby Center recently sent out the “Popular Baby Names in 2013.” Liam and Sophia sit at #1. I actually have mom friends with children named Liam and Sophia and they are both lovely names. It got me thinking about my child’s name and how it came to be. Anderson Douglas St.Hilaire It is a long name for a little man, but I love it. I wasn’t always confidant about it, however. Growing up, I didn’t meet another Cara until I was in high school. Cara was always a “weird” name among the many Jennifers and Christines and Amys. Actually, the #1 baby name of 1979 was indeed Jennifer according tothis. Michael was the #1 for boys. I kindof always liked that Cara was different. Nobody confused me. Nobody had to add the initial in my last name to be sure I was the right Cara. I didn’t have to rename myself Jen or Chris or Mike to distinguish myself from the others that share my name. There was no grand plan behind my name. My father found …

new magazine Mother Earth Living gets 5 stars

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How did I not know?  I’ve been a Mother Earth News reader for years, but I let my subscription lag this past year (baby+garden = neglected garden) and therefore I missed the big news.  Mother Earth News is geared to the homesteader.  I don’t really fit that demographic with my little postage stamp sized lot, but I learned some really important things like how to compost, prevent blight, choose humanely-raised eggs, and bake bread.  More than anything, it let me indulge in my dream of starting a farm with fields of vegetables as far as the eye can see.  My magazines are all disposable, but my Mother Earth News issues will never get thrown away. The same group that puts out this magazine that I love  (Ogden Publications) launched a whole new magazine in October that is, for lack of a better way of saying it, meant for me.  I still love Mother and Plan to resubscribe again this year, but…hello Mother Earth Living. I stumbled upon it by accident.  A friend of mine passed …

veggie chick’n pot pie

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It was so beautiful when we woke up this morning.  Everything had a few inches of fresh, untouched snow.  Cold + January = comfort food.  I confess, this recipe isn’t low cal. I also confess that I didn’t make it tonight.  I opted for family time and spaghetti with jarred sauce!  Not that veggie pot pie takes a ton of time to make, but Wednesday nights somehow lend themselves to whatever we can make in 10 minutes or less. veggie chick’n pot pie ingredients top and bottom pie dough (you can save time and buy pre-made dough) faux chicken/turkey (I usually use the Quorn roast or any brand of the “chicken” patties) 1 large or 2 small potatoes 1 onion 1 carrot 2 stalks of celery 2 pats of margarine 1 veggie bouillon cube 1 tbsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1 pinch of thyme (dried) or about 1 tsp fresh 1 cup of veggie broth 1 pinch of poultry seasoning 2 tbsp flour 1 can of cream of celery soup salt and pepper …

nursery tour and things for baby registry

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I have several expecting friends and I’ve been asked to give thoughts on baby registry items a few times lately.  These friends have inspired me to give you a visual tour of one of the most precious rooms in my home.  This post is dedicated to nursery and bath.  I’ll write about other items later. A few things to keep in mind.  First, I’m a pretty much a minimalist and my style is pretty wabi-sabi (click here for more about what wabi-sabi means).  Second, our nursery is small, so we don’t have a lot of room for extra stuff.  Finally, your needs are all going to be different and the opinions and suggestions here are my own.  There is no judgement if you want to go all out with fancy crib bumpers (breathable!) matching curtains.  You may want a co-sleeper or you may want a high end video monitor.  These are things we didn’t opt for. Anderson’s room is my favorite room in the house, largely due to emotional attachment I’m sure.  I’ve been looking forward to …

poop disaster – a funny story

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Originally published on 1veggiemom, now officially folded. Look, being a momma is not all snuggles and smiles.  There’s spit up, boogies, pee, drool, and poop.  LOTS of poop.  I posted a recipe here for a lovely soup I had while visiting with friends.  Here is what happened behind the scenes. I was looking forward to seeing both of my friends on a Thursday that I was home with Anderson (how I love my Thursdays home with him!).  I hadn’t slept well the night before.  I was also full of stress.  The following day, my mother was having major surgery.  I was burned out from working long days (December in the publishing industry can be hellish).  I had a screaming headache.  I was also in the middle of making a decision about a major career change.  Calgon take me away, right? I was sitting on Diane’s kitchen floor with Anderson.  I was saying to Diane, “I need just a few minutes to myself to regroup sometime soon.  A few minutes where I’m not needed.” I was fantasizing …

butternut squash soup (creamy and clean!)

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I have a dear friend, Diane, who is the queen of soups.  When I was pregnant, ill, and barely able to keep any food down, she made me two huge mason jars filled with soup that soothed my tummy.  When I visit her home, she somehow always manages to have soup (and good coffee) on hand for our lunch.  It is really representative of her personality actually…warm, soothing, and calming. My friend, Joanna, and I went to visit Diane recently.  I was far from cheery and perky that day.   It was the day before my mom had major surgery and the worry was weighing me down.  What did Diane make us?  You got it!  Soup.  It was seriously amazing.  I couldn’t get over how creamy it was with no cream added (love you, cashews!). She loves using her Vitamix blender. Have any of you used one of these things?  If ever you go on a raw food diet, this thing is a must.  She was able to puree cashews that had only soaked for …