on life lately.
HI.
I can’t get over this glitter pumpkin! It’s from Z Gallerie… I did not make this. You know I can’t craft to save my life. We don’t have much fall décor aside from some pumpkins outside, but this glitter pumpkin makes up for all that, obviously. And a generous amount of autumn candles. Is there a gene that makes you a basic candle lover? How does that work?
I most definitely have it.
Anyhoo, this is what I’ve been doing with my little life lately.
I had an awesome signing for Seriously Delish in Richmond at Southern Season. OMG… if only I could live in that store. Absolutely incredible. The chocolate and candy and wine and cheese and bakery and wine and syrups and sodas and wine. That place is stacked with the goods.
And since it’s been a few weeks, let me just say again THANK YOU for showing up for me!! It means the world and this has been super fun.
My dad came with me to Richmond since apparently my family doesn’t think an 8-month pregnant person should be driving a few hours by themselves. Okay, I get it. After the signing we quickly ate at Kitchen on Cary before I fell into bed but it was super fantastic. Not that I can sleep… sleep is for the birds. But just throwing myself into piles of pillows feels good.
Wait. Can we talk about this adorable canvas painting that Adrienne made for me? I die.
So many hearts.
On the way home, we stopped in Bedford where I had the most perfect grilled cheese known to man. It had bacon. With the most perfect tomato soup too. Usually I couldn’t care less about tomato soup. It’s just so… meh. Spoiler alert: this may have inspired a (very boring and plain but not at all and somewhat of a copout) recipe that is soon to come. Just can’t stop with the grilled cheeseseseseses.
Remember when I talked about my horrific pantry TWICE last week? Well.
I spent eight hours organizing it only for it to look exactly the same – yeah I already said that. It’s just SO deep. We can barely hammer a nail so cutting shelves right now isn’t a priority since so much else needs done… like, uh, nursery stuff.
I attempted the whole mason jar storage thing. I actually think it’s working out for us, but obviously my pantry is not just a normal pantry. I have basically EVERYTHING on hand half the time for quick recipe development, so to say I had to fill a lot of jars… is an understatement. I’m currently debating getting those plastic screw on lids for the jars. Right now I just have the regulars. So far… so good. For some off reason, the mason jar thing kind of scares me. I have about 87,432 types of pasta and don’t remember how long to cook them all. Not that I ever follow them, but I need some directions in my face. Oh well… not my dream pantry by any means but apparently – welcome to nesting!
This is what it is, right?
I’ve become a total freak with organization blogs and have been reading them every night on my phone before bed. I should probably do more DOING instead of READING. And more sleeping instead of reading.
For what it’s worth (probably not much), I’m really into this blog right now.
Speaking of reading, my reading game has majorly gone downhill the last two months. Yesterday I did buy Amy Poehler’s new book which I am SO excited about. I’m expecting and hoping to laugh out loud until I cry. And a few weeks ago, I read Lena Dunham’s. Ugh. I’m still trying to collect my thoughts on that one. I’ve been waiting to write a review on goodreads because… I just don’t know how I feel about it? I wanted to love it. I think my expectations were high. It just wasn’t what I was expecting and I didn’t enjoy it like I thought I would. But I’m having a difficult time articulating exactly why that is. Some of it felt kind of repetitive (yes, I realize this is the pot calling the kettle black since I write about the same crap ALL the time) and some of it felt somewhat…
I don’t know. Did you read it? Thoughts? TELL ME.
Hmmm what else. Last week I taught a class solely on Seriously Delish recipes! It included lots of sprinkles (homemade funfetti cupcakes!) and butternut squash lasagna. I’ve been craving the lasagna for WEEKS so it was perfect. FYI: I scaled down the recipe in the book and made it in a LOAF PAN for a one or two person lasagna. It rocked.
I have a class next week which is unfortunately (fortunately?) sold out, but in January I’m doing a BRUNCH CLASS! AH! Complete with cocktails. You should totally come. Especially if you’d like to see me babble like an idiot about things that do not matter.
And I’m doing a tex-mex class too. Can hardly wait.
During class I also take blurry photos of unseasonal recipes. And my phone dies. My phone will only stay charged for like 15 minutes these days and jumps from 85% charged to 0. Is this Apple’s subliminal messaging to me, forcing an iPhone 6 into my hands?
I had my first big freak out this week about having a baby and having nothing done (like literally – nothing) for the baby’s room and being completely unprepared. I am convinced I will give birth in like a week since I have no furniture, no nursery, no stroller, no baby monitor, etc. I realize this sounds ridiculous because those things aren’t necessary, but last night my mom and I managed to cross some shopping necessities off the list. This past weekend, my family gave us the best baby shower ever and I’ll talk about that more in a pregnancy update in case you are sooooo sick of hearing me talk about being knocked up. I’ve been trying not to ramble on and on about it daily but since I mostly talk about my boring life… and this gigantic thing jutting out of my stomach right now is a large part of my life… you know.
How sick are you of pictures of TREES?! They are just so gorgeous at the moment, I’m trying to eat it up.
That is all for this stream of consciousness. Right now, I’m eating Oh’s straight out of the box.
If you’re in Pittsburgh, tonight I have a book signing at my alma mater, Duquesne, at 4PM. I’m going armed with tons of chocolate peanut butter brownies and let’s just say it will be a miracle if they even make it there. I’m finally starving.
66 Comments on “on life lately.”
I could NEVER get tired of pictures of trees. I love fall and you’ve had gorgeous scenery up there lately! I’ll be visiting family in Pennsylvania later this week and I CAN’T WAIT for the fall things!!
It feels like your pregnancy is going so fast!! It’s so exciting! You look gorg in all the pictures!
I love Southern Seasons! It’s kind of like Target for foodies… you go in looking for one or two things and then come out a hundred bucks poorer!
I love Lena Dunham and I love Girls and I loved the book…I think. That’s what my comment is out loud in my recommendation to other people but it made me feel less happy and bubbly than similar (Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, Sloan Crosley) and more…sad? I don’t know. I related with a lot of it (being female…and in my 20’s). Some of it I felt had been played out via Girls or Tiny Furniture which is maybe why it felt like I had already read the book…She is hyper-intelligent and so it was very well written but times when I felt I should be giggling I was mostly just…sad. Maybe I was trying to hear Hannah’s voice in my head and it was coming through as a chilled out more honest Hannah-Lena super-human that just caught me off guard.
I love these posts!! All the fall stuff – trees, baking, candles, ahhh FAAASHHIIIOOONN … I can’t get enough of it!! And please keep updating us on the baby bump, one of the reasons I read your blog is because you’re real- you talk about the good, bad, ugly and sometimes strange … but it makes reading so much fun!!
Re: pantry. I, too, have a deep pantry. I use big rectangular tupperwares filled with my dry goods. I can pull the tupperwares out partway to get to the back. My other trick is using lazy susans.
I recently got married at Bedford Springs and I’m only marginally embarrassed to admit that I’m pretty sure my husband’s favorite part of our wedding weekend was that grilled cheese and tomato soup. ;-)
I love the plastic lids for mason jars! They’re so much easier to get on and off. But the jury is still out on if they are as air tight as the old standards…
I felt the same way about Lena’s book! I found myself rushing to finish it the whole time. I think it was so repetitive and also a whole lot of sad. I felt like I had a tough time relating to a lot of the stories unlike GIRLS where I just laugh and say ‘OMG, YES!’. Amy’s book is amazing haven’t been able to put it down. She’s soo honest and down to earth!
Ah, as a fellow Duquesne Alum, I SO wish I was in Pittsburgh this evening for the signing. Looking forward to meeting you in November in DC!
The pasta + cook times: I like to cut the little cook time part off the pasta box and I just stick it in the jar…same for rice or whatever else. You could also tape it to the top of the lid with masking tape, so it’s easy to remove and leaves the jars looking nice and clean. Adrienne painted me the most amazing painting a few months back!!! It also has donuts. :) I’m waiting to makeover my office and then I’ll have a photo of it on the blog. She is basically the sweetest.
Ashley, I was going to ask you soon if you had it up! You two and your donuts, you both needed one… or 5. :)
I had to comment since I felt the same way about the Lena Dunham book! I actually stopped maybe 50% of the way through it because I was like, I don’t even want to read this!! I’m excited for Amy Poehler’s book and hope it lives up to expectations!
I literally LOL’d when you talked about the pasta because I ALWAYS have to refer to the box to see how long to cook it. How many years have I been cooking various types of pasta and at the very LEAST, I do it a couple times a week, yet the only one I can remember is spaghetti!
Fall is gorgeous and I can never get tired of looking at the trees. We had the most gorgeous foliage in New Hampshire that I’ve ever seen this year. It was great to see after living in the desert of AZ for 11 years.
What are some good organization blogs/??
i second that ! i would love to have some good blogs for org tips ! As for pantry…i feel like mine is clean, then messy, clean, then messy, etc. I think the key is not to shove things in when you get home from teh store. to put them in their “place” but instead i put them wherever and just clean out my pantry every 3-6 months and start over with a promise to keep it nice. : )
NEATmethod.com !
I’m not sick of tree photos :) I just moved from the Northeast to Texas so there’s been a lack of fall foliage here. And I love the idea of organizing your pantry with mason jars. Lovely!
Jessica, these posts make me SO happy. It’s a dreary rainy morning here, so I didn’t get to go for my morning walk, which is bad because I had the remains of my pumpkin chocolate chip streusel cake with breakfast and I’m 12 weeks postpartum and haven’t lost ANY weight since 2 weeks postpartum because hello, I had my baby right before fall baking season. Excuse that horrendous run-on sentence. ANYWAY, aside from expressing my happiness for this post, I also wanted to share that I had my little bambino THREE weeks early (an 8lb 10 oz babe, so all was well and healthy there!). While this may give you anxiety, it was actually good that he surprised me! I had no time to stress about the actual labor and delivery, and everyone helped with final odds and ends. You just keep yourself healthy and sane in this final stretch my friend!
I seriously NEED that glitter pumpkin in my life! How adorable!
That glitter pumpkin is so cute, right after I saw the pic, I wanted to ask if you made, nut I continued reading and found out for myself :)
I am so sad that I missed your singing in NY, maybe one day I will drive to PA to attend one of your classes, as I love everything you cook, and any recipe I tried from your blog always turned out great.
I was 8 weeks while on vacation in Mexico, walking miles a day and all I could pray was “Dear baby, please wait until we return to US to get out” lol :)
Thank you for all the tree pics! I live in North Fla and we just don’t have that gorgeousness. Not sure if you are a Kendra Scott jewelry fan, but she has some NEON jewelry on sale right now. And there are coupons for extra % off hidden on the site. Just saying…
I swear I was going to suggest you read A Bowl Full of Lemons. How funny.
For the pasta, make yourself a cheat sheet. I have a little piece of paper tucked on the pasta shelf that lists the suggested cook times for my favorite pastas. I don’t always use it, but I like knowing it’s there.
And now I wish there was someone to deliver tomato soup and a grilled cheese to me. Thanks for that.
I’m not sure if you have an iPhone 5, but I got my battery replaced for free from Apple because mine was doing the exact same thing and they had a recall! You just plug in your serial number and it tells you if you’re eligible. SUPER easy and exciting!! https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/
I was going to recommend this! My phone had a defective battery too- it swelled up and pushed the screen out (and was really bad at holding a charge) and they replaced my entire phone. New phone! More than 18 months into my contract.
Oh and I forgot to add- my serial number didn’t come up on that website, but it was part of the recall when I took it into the store. So it might be worth “dropping by” and Apple Store (which really means making an appointment and waiting forever but, you know, working phones are nice…)
I was also going to recommend this! I just got my battery replaced bc it was dying in about .5 seconds but now lasts pretty much all day. It has been fantastic. Definitely look into getting it replaced.
Also-my parents live 20 mins from Bedford. It’s absolutely gorgeous there in the fall.
I love these posts. :-) I can so relate to so many things…firstly being a creative person (I’m a graphic designer) who CANNOT craft! Why is that!?
I’ll be at Duquesne today! I’m SO excited to meet you! P.S. I love all the tree and pumpkin pics. Keep ’em coming!
Am I the only one that “times” pasta by pulling out scalding hot pieces and eating them to see if they are done enough? Yes?
Haha this is totally how I tell pasta is cooked too (although I do try to run it under cold water for a second before I do the test bite to see if it’s done). It actually never even occurred to me to check the cooking instructions on the back of the pack!
hahaha i think most people do this!! oddly enough i really don’t love pasta and really don’t love it plain, so i rarely do it that way. :)
I’m so glad you said that about Lena Dunham’s book. I feel like everyone loves it – even Michiko Kakutani – but I was like, MEH. I guess I had high expectations too. I did enjoy it, but at times it seemed like she was trying too hard to be deep but it didn’t really work. Oh well, she’s still awesome.
You made the butternut squash lasagna fit in a loaf pan? How’d you do that? Just halve the recipe? I made it the other week and loved it – but I was eating it for quite awhile. Even the most delicious thing can get a little old after the 8th serving. A loaf pan portion would be fantastic! Can you fill me in?
yes! so unfortunately i don’t have exact measurements because of how we prepare ingredients for the large classes. i want to say that we probably halved the recipe, or even made slightly less than half. i used the delallo whole wheat no boil noodles and i believe the loaf pan they had me use was probably an 8×5 – it really didn’t look large enough to be 9×5. the noodles fit perfectly. i think even if you cut the whole recipe in half, you can always just make fatter layers. i baked it at the same temp for about 35-40ish minutes? i just made sure to watch it!
I liked the Lena Dunham book.. but didn’t love it. I more admire and respect her honesty and her talent as a writer. The entire book was just so….. honest. Lots of real feelings and less warm fuzzies and laughs. I felt like it was Lena telling her life story (and I guess the real story is always less funny than the TV show!). I would love to hear more of your thoughts on the book; I will check out your goodreads review!
I love hearing about your trips, wish you were coming to the Atlanta area!
Hi Jess! I am loving Seriously Delish – hoping you’ll do a book signing or something in Chicago once you’re settled in with the baby!
When making lasagna in the loaf pan, do you adjust the baking time at all? And is it better to use glass or metal? Thanks!
i’m not sure if there is a preference for either – i used a metal pan because that is what they had. i think it was probably an 8×5 pan! i did not adjust the baking temp, just baked for a little shorter – like 35-40 minutes!
On the mason jars: what if you put stickers with the cook times written on them on the lids? Then it still looks pretty and organized but you have a cheat sheet (or be really sneaky and put them on the inside of the lids).
Lena book: I agree, I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t really love it. I think I was expecting a little more inspiration? Also, it felt like the first part of a book, not a full book on its own.
You had me at the glitter pumpkin… great post this week! xx
Emily
http://www.workinggirlafterhours.com
I put a little piece of washi tape on the top of the mason jar and write the cooking time for pastas and grains on there – plus it looks so cute when you use different patterns of tape!
i love these posts! All the trees remind me to be more excited about fall and less bitter about winter.
Also, I’m 276th on the library waitlist for Amy Poehler’s book. 276! I may give up and buy it soon. Or. . .just sit in a Barnes and Noble and read it? Is that still legit? Probably not.
I need glitter pumpkins in my life!
And please oh please come to Charleston SC sometime! would love to meet you and recommend some FANTASTIC places to eat.
:)
I did the jar thing in my pantry…and used that brown papery tape (making tape? can’t remember the difference between them all) and sharpie for any special directions or grains that look the same. Also, cried when a jar randomly jumped ship last week and smashed mung beans across the kitchen and into every nook and cranny…um, how did it do that?! And then I’m falling behind on the jars because my purchasing of things is faster than my refilling/new jars…
I bought Lena Dunham’s book but haven’t read it yet. It got such mixed reviews. But its next on the list for my book club so I’m going to read it. So sad that it sounds like it tanked though. Shoulda bought Amy’s instead. Darn.
I’m reading Lena’s book now, and I’m still in the unsure phase… I too wanted to love it immediately upon buying it, but the jury’s still out…
Don’t bother buying the plastic lids for the mason jars. They aren’t air tight…
The part on storing things in mason jars for your pantry made me smile, because growing up my mom always used to store her spices in empty Folgers plastic containers. Mason jars is definitely a prettier option though!
I also wish I could go to one of your classes one day! Unfortunately my school is too far away, but maybe during one of my breaks will coincide with a class since my parent’s home is much closer!
You should get the plastic lids for your Mason jars. The rings/lid combos are not meant for long term storage, only for sealing the jar when you are actually canning.
I know fall is your THING and every year, I come to expect a ton of tree pics :)
And the whole glass mason jar thing. Well, I tried. I just like you have wayyyy too many things on hand and it’s actually easier for me to just store stuff in it’s original packaging/carton than in jars or other things. Stacking bins for example take up more room that just squishing bags of flour and sugar next to each other in my cupboard. I’ve tried to be neat, have it look pretty, but in the end I waste less precious space if I just cram it all in. Sigh. Your jars look so beautiful!
I LOVE every single word of this post. I’m unhealthily obsessed with your blog.
I really wanted to read Lena Dunhams book but maybe now I’ll read Amy Poehler’s book instead – looks great!
You maybe not have all the baby stuff ready but your pantry is organised and ready to roll..that’s nesting if I’ve ever heard it!!
Hi Jessica! First, I love your blog, you IG feed, your recipes – you are doing wonderful things! I have purchased 4 books for myself and daughters – we all love them! I have forwarded several of your posts to my one daughter as she is expecting a bit after you and we chuckled together over several posts. Ironically, as you’ve been posting about your pantry organization over the past couple weeks, you really connect with her – she is a co-founder of NEAT Method, a professional organizing company operating in 10 cities across the country. They were featured on Oprah.com this week! She and her co-founder Ashley, are both expecting, are foodies, and obviously are obsessed with organization – you should be besties! Look them up at NEATmethod.com. I wish you great joy as you get closer to the arrival of your most precious gift <3
I also use the Mason jar method for storage, and feared forgetting cooking instructions, water ratios for different kinds of grain, etc. Now I just keep a few Sharpies on hand and write it right on the side of the jars. It will usually wipe off when washing the jars to make it ready for the next use, or a quick swipe of nail polish remover makes any remnants disappear!
I also was super excited to read Dunham’s book and bought it the day it came out. My biggest disappointment was that she barely discussed what it was like to be a show runner, what her writing process is, what it’s like to act and direct professionally etc.
It felt like she completely downplayed what must be a huge part of her life and overemphasized things that were small details at the time and only gained importance in hindsight.
Also, for a second I thought that grocery store was a renovated Giant Eagle Market District, and I got really excited! Guess I’ll have to go to Richmond!
I do tons of mason jar storage. Definitely get the white screw on lids…I think they are more air tight. I used one for my superfine sugar and it lasted 6 months…had to use the lid for something else and the sugar was rock hard in a week.
Also, label maker is what I use (stays on for the most part, but then can peel off without too much trouble if you decide so). I use it for the cooking times of different stuff (pastas, rice, etc.) and for my homemade instant chai latte mix, I actually made a label with the recipe and stuck it on my jar so I don’t have to search each time I need it (like once a year).
I love organizing…wish I did it more often. Usually have to wait until things are falling out before I do it!
Hello Jessica.
1. Your iPhone battery is always empty maybe because you have to close some apps that are draining battery energy. You doubleclick on the center button, your open apps will appear and you just slide them toward the top, which will close them. Makes a big big difference, you will see. I do this everyday.
2. No, we are not tired of seing beautiful trees.
3. You look wonderful in the photos. Pregnancy suits you well.
Hope this helps!
So I use plastic containers to store rice and such. I cut out the nutritional info and cooking directions and leave it on top in the container. Works for me!
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i”m still debating whether or not to read lena dunham’s book.. very excited about amy poehler’s though :D
xo, cheyenne
The canvas painting is beautiful and that grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup looks delicious. The organizational blog looks pretty cool. I love reading the organizational blog http://www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com .