Roe v. Wade is Overturned
I don’t know why I’m shocked. We knew about this weeks ago, but I’m still weeping with the official announcement. And I’m so deeply angry at how much my country hates women.
Thinking of you. Wish I could be with you and find reassuring words to offer. Be safe.
kisses,
Gabrielle
Living With Kids: Jessica Sueiro
Keep your suitcase handy while you read this one. And maybe open another browser window and so you can check flights, because there’s a very good chance this home tour will give you the travel bug (if you don’t have it already).
Jessica is a designer and entrepreneur, who currently lives in the south of France with her husband and two kids. But not for long. They are a slow travel family, which means they choose a new country to live in every 9 months or so — just long enough to really dig in a get to know a community.
I’m so glad I get to introduce you to this adventurous family.
…DIY: Color Coded Towels
When more than one person shares a bathroom, towels become an issue. No doubt you have noticed this as well. You step out of the shower, grab a towel, and realize it’s soggy because someone else just used it. Yuck.
I do not like sharing my towel, but I get that it’s hard to keep things straight, especially if the towels are all the same color. Happily, there’s a simple solution: add a loop of ribbon — a different color for each person!
Assign a color to each family member (and another color for guests!) and proceed with confidence that next time you grab a towel, you won’t be accidentally sharing it with someone else. Plus, there’s a bonus feature. Instead of towel racks, use wall hooks in your bathroom and use the loops to hang the towels on the hooks. No more towels slipping to the floor! And hooks are space saving too.
…A Perfect Day In Paris With Kids
[ I’m getting lots of requests for ideas on what to do in Paris with Kids. So I thought I’d update this post from a few years ago. Enjoy! ]
Here’s a report on my little trip to Paris with Betty and Flora June. If you’re planning a trip to Paris with kids, free free to use this as a guide. We woke up on a Thursday morning, made a few last preparations, then headed to the train station at 9:00am. We were in Paris by noon and took a taxi to the hotel which was in the Latin Quarter. I had never stayed there before and it was fun to get to know a new neighborhood. We were right next to the Sorbonne, which I had never seen before! But the reason I picked the hotel was because the description said it was a 5 minute walk to the Luxembourg Gardens, and I figured that even if we weren’t up for a big adventure, we could enjoy the Gardens all day long if needed.
Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we dropped off our bags, picked up a picnic lunch and headed straight to the park. It was a gorgeous day and not the weekend yet, so not too busy (even though it’s summer). We ate lunch, sailed a boat on the pond, and spent a good while on the playground. Then we picked up an ice cream cone, and went back to the hotel because I had two phone appointments I needed to keep. The hotel break was good. Flora June ended up napping and was refreshed for our night out.
…Living With Kids: Meg Amendola
Meg and her husband Jonny live in Denver, Colorado in a wonderful hundred year old home. They moved in right before they were married and have watched their family and their style grow and evolve over time. Their house is full of style and whimsey and every room has an interesting piece or two that you’ll want to get a better look at. Meg speaks really freely about the challenges of COVID and how excited and ready they feel to get back to normal. Welcome, Meg!
…Two Newsletters About Guns
Last week I wrote about how I daydream about a nationwide gun ban. I first wrote about this in February of 2018. Four years have passed and no gun ban, so perhaps it will never happen. But I’m going to lay out my arguments anyway, and you can see what you think.
Click here to read the whole newsletter.
This week, to help keep us loud about demanding gun control, I shared an essay I wrote about God & Guns and what it really means to protect your family. It’s both serious and humorous, and I hope you’ll share it if you think it might impact someone you know.
Easy Dinner: Grilled Flank Steak Sandwiches
If you have any gatherings coming up, putting these Grilled Flank Steak Sandwiches on the menu is really good idea. They make a really great alternative to a burger, and feel much more special. So mouth watering, you may need to make these sandwiches tonight, just to “test” them for guests. : ) And don’t miss the White Cheddar Spread recipe that’s included below.
…Living With Kids: Lauren Benninger
You’re going to love getting to know Lauren Benninger. She and her husband CJ live with their three kids in a suburb of Detroit. Lauren is a lawyer. CJ is a photographer. And because one of their children has a medical condition, they’ve really had to hunker down throughout this pandemic, and have had to rethink the ways they keep their family safe and healthy. Lauren’s home is a perfect mid-century treasure and they have styled it with thoughtful pieces, beautiful art (including stunning photos from CJ) and really charming touches that make it feel special. Welcome, Lauren!
…Planting a Container Garden
It’s amazing what you can grow in pots! Containers can add a lot of interest in a landscaped yard, make apartment landings more beautiful, and make things cheery indoors. As I’m sure you can guess, comprehensive information about container gardening can’t fit into this single post. So consider this an overview that covers prep, planting essentials, and miscellaneous tips to get you started.
Bonus: the information in this post applies to both vegetable container gardens and decorative ones (sometimes gardens can be both!). And it applies to indoor gardens as well.
…Newsletter: The Real Costs of Breastfeeding & a Link List
In this newsletter: A quick update on my six kids, a recipe for mini cherry crisps, a list of 9 things women couldn’t do before 1971, some recent press mentions I received, an article about how researchers are finding more information about the cause of babies dying from SIDs, and lots more.
Living With Kids: Sara Davis
Meet Sara. If you’ve got a chalkboard in your house and you’ve scoured Pinterest for cute ideas on how to get it looking like…well…the cute ones on Pinterest, chances are you’ve already met her! I asked her a few questions and she answered them all perfectly, but I sensed that there was more content in her than charming chalkboards and fabulous DIYs. And here she is: the brave Sara who took a leap outside her comfort zone to share herself with us. I really hope you enjoy her.
…Mini Baked Cherry Crisps
Cherry season is fleeting so let’s take advantage of it and make some mini baked cherry crisps. Cherries are often cloaked in a buttery double crust and baked to bubbling perfection. But who has time to wait for pie?! Let’s do a crisp instead. Crisp topping is essentially streusel. And as we all know, streusel makes nearly everything better.
Pecans are a go-to in this topping because they have such a delightful little crunch and marry well with the brown sugar in the topping. You’ll love the sweet, nutty crunch with every bite of juicy fruit. The cherries, especially if they are ripe off the tree, will have enough flavor on their own. They just need the teensiest amount of flavor boosters in the form of fresh lemon juice (to brighten), and vanilla and almond extracts (to ever-so-slightly enhance the cherry flavor). You can also add a little cornstarch to help thicken the juices. A little sugar helps too, but you can certainly leave the sugar out of the filling. The topping is perfectly sweet.
…Living With Kids: Rebecca Brown
I like Becky Brown very much. Her design plans are fascinating, the fresh ideas she and her family have already executed in and around their home make me smile, and her interview reads like a welcome chat with a dear friend. But there’s more. Her style is seeped through with so much substance and pure love that it’s not hard to walk away from this tour feeling refreshed about so much more than her outrageously happy green homework table. Although that table is more than enough, isn’t it? Enjoy this gorgeous interview, friends! (And the photos are pretty, too!)
…Newsletter: How My Conservative Mom Raised Lots of Liberal Feminists
My mom is terrific. I got really lucky. I understood she was a better than average mom by the time I was a teenager, and as I’ve raised my own family, I’ve come to understand how really, really good she was at parenting. I’m one of 8 kids (four girls, four boys), and my siblings are kind, smart, creative, interesting, hard-working, and actively engaged in bettering the world around them. Here are 25 stories/observations about my mom that I hope paint a picture of how I ended up a liberal feminist designer and mother of six, even though my mom has always been politically conservative, and I’ve never heard her call herself a feminist.
DIY: Monogram Soap Bottles
These Etched Monogram Soap Bottles are such a satisfying project. They look great, they’re functional, they work in kitchens or bathrooms or classrooms, and they make a great gift — a housewarming gift, a hostess gift, a neighbor gift at the holidays, a teacher gift — or make some for your own house.
The etching is so fun to do, you’ll want to etch every piece of glassware you have. Gather friends and have an etching party! Come and check out this simple project.
…Newsletter & Link List
Gabrielle wasn’t always my name. When I was born, my parents named me Shoshanna. And then later they switched my name to Gabrielle. I had known about the name switch since I was very young — I remember seeing the name Shoshanna on some sort of form (maybe from the hospital?) in our family files. But a couple of weeks ago, when my mom was here visiting, she told me another part of my naming story.
Click here to read the full newsletter and find the link list.
Living With Kids: Meg Zaletel
Meg Zaletel lives in Anchorage, Alaska. Hers is a lovely, lovely story, and I found myself re-reading sections of this interview more than once. There’s a lot to take in, from wild paint colors and Alaskan decor to a wonderful philosophy on decorating with Zelda in mind from the very beginning. I know it will make your day better. I’m pleased to introduce to you this lovely family! Enjoy the tour.
…My Twitter Thread on Abortion
Note from Design Mom: Two years ago, I tried something new. I wrote a Twitter thread for the first time. That first thread is about abortion, irresponsible ejaculations, why politicians who claim to care about abortion don’t really care, and how I think we need to approach the topic of abortion differently. I’m republishing it here today to mark the anniversary (and because I know many of you don’t use Twitter).
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I’m a mother of six, and a Mormon. I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. I’ve been listening to men grandstand about women’s reproductive rights, and I’m convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here’s why…
If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies.
But ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don’t believe me? Let me walk you through it. Let’s start with this: women’s eggs are only fertile about 2 days each month. And that’s for a limited number of years.
…Crock Pot Recipe: Teriyaki Pulled Pork Bowls with Lime Juice Coleslaw and Coconut Rice
Pulled pork is one of those things that you can pretty much turn into any meal. It’s great in tacos. It makes the best sandwiches. And guess what? It’s great in a layered burrito bowl too. This is a version of a pulled pork burrito bowl, only it has Hawaiian flavors going on instead of Mexican.
The slow cooker is my preferred way to make this teriyaki pulled pork, but I’ve also tested it out in the oven. Both work great, but it’s nice not having to heat up the house, so slow cooker it is.
…Crock Pot Recipe: Teriyaki Pulled Pork Bowls with Lime Juice Coleslaw and Coconut RiceRead More »
Living With Kids: Becca Garber
I’m not sure what’s most visually stunning in this tour: Mount Etna or the fireplace! (That shot above is the kitchen window view. Gulp.) But then there’s Becca’s super intentional style of parenting and innate gratitude for her life, and the views somehow become secondary.
The Garbers are an American family on a military tour that ends this summer, so I’m glad we have the chance to tour their home before they head off on another adventure. Just one look out that kitchen window, and I’m sure it’s going to be incredibly difficult to say goodbye to this space and pace of living with their kids in Southern Italy. Friends, welcome to the Garber home!
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