Hi, I'm Rachel.

A few years ago I could barely boil water.

True story.

Determined to be a kick ass wife, I developed a love for football and learned to cook in my tiny Jersey City kitchen. I spend my days working in Manhattan, my nights and weekends chasing after a rambunctious toddler, and the hours in between cooking with my husband and feeding my TV habit...oh, and I blog about it all! 

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Entries in Things I Love (47)

Wednesday
Apr292015

Every Day Should be Mother's Day

This post is sponsored by Uncommon Goods and, as always, all opinions are 110% my own!

 

1. reclaimed wood cookbook stand/2. bloody mary pint glasses/3. aquamarine branch ring/4. jane eyre literary scarf/5. solar tealights/6. ampersand serving board/7. soup & crackers bowl/8. wooden cuff/ 9. green herbal tea kit

 

Can we talk about Mother's Day for a moment? We are knocking on May's door and Mother's Day is just around the corner. I don't know about you, but I think every day should be Mother's Day.

One of the things that has really become apparent since I've become a Mom is how AMAZING my own Mom is. Don't get me wrong - I've always known this. I always knew that I hit the Mom jackpot because my mother is simply the best. Everything she does in her life is for her family. Growing up, she was always the class Mom, the class trip Mom, the welcoming Mom to all of the neighborhood kids, at every sports game and practice, always experiencing our heartbreaks right along with us, always making sure that we had everything we could ever want and more.

She is still this way, even as my sisters and I are adults. If I mention that I have a problem, no matter how trivial, she'll be at my door to fix it. Last week I complained about how my local grocery store didn't sell oat bran anymore (that or I'm really losing my mind and just can't find it), and the next time she came over, sure enough, she had a box of oat bran in hand for me. That's just how she is.

And while I've always known she was the best, there's nothing like becoming a Mom to put it into even greater perspective. I've never appreciated my Mom more than over the last 2 years, when I've finally gotten a taste of what she has done every day for the last 32+ years. Motherhood can be a thankless job, but we do it because it's also the best job. It's the most rewarding, most fun and most awesome thing I've ever done but it's also the most hard, most mentally and physically exhausting and most worry-ridden (many nights of my Mom waiting up well into the early morning hours for me to come home on a Saturday night come to mind and I can't help but cringe).

So is it asking too much to acknowledge Moms every day?! I'm not saying it has to be parties and presents every day (though I wouldn't turn it down), but a daily acknowledgement that Moms are awesome seems fitting to me. And since the official Mother's Day is next Sunday, you can bet that special gifts will be given.

I put together a little gift guide of some of the gifts I'm really crushing on this Mother's Day from one of my favorite shops, Uncommon Goods. I would love to receive any of the items from their gifts for mom collection seen here, and I know my Mom would love these too. My favorite of the bunch for her are the bloody mary pint glasses (she is a serious bloody mary fan!) and the reclaimed wood cookbook stand because it's just beautiful and would look gorgeous in her kitchen. For myself? I chose the literary scarf, which has a passage from Jane Eyre, one of my all-time favorite books and Penelope's middle namesake. And the cheese board because cheese. And I love ampersands.

In truth, though, anything from the Uncommon Goods Mother's Day collection would make a great gift - you can view the full Mother's Day collection here - I could have gone on and on with all the stuff I'm crushing on. I have always been a fan of Uncommon Goods because they have truly unique, handcrafted items that I simply can't find anywhere else. And in the world of mass production, that's really hard and special to find these days. Oh and I love that it's a local company, based right across the river in Brooklyn, most of their goods are made in the USA and many use recycled materials. So it's pretty much a win all around!

 

So how will you be celebrating Mother's Day?

Do you have any gifts in mind for your Mom or for yourself?

 

Wednesday
Apr292015

New Favorite Show: The Comedians

{via}

Have you guys been watching The Comedians on FX? Starring Billy Crystal (no introduction needed) and Josh Gad (the original Elder Cunningham in Book of Mormon & voice of Frozen's Olaf) it's the newest addition to our already crowded TV arsenal. We kept seeing commercials for it during Justified and knew this was a show we had to see. It's a mockumentary-style 30 minute comedy that follows Billy and Josh as they begrudgingly prepare to share the spotlight in a new comedy sketch show on FX.

It's smart, it's funny. It has me loving Billy Crystal more than ever (because it's refreshingly clear that he doesn't take himself very seriously) and admittedly kind of crushing on Josh Gad for his subtle, narcissistic humor and his continued homage to himself as the original star in Book of Mormon.

It's a great blend of the ridiculousness that is Hollywood and the unlikely and forced friendship and camaraderie of a comedic legend and a relative newcomer who is in serious denial of his celeb status.

If you enjoy shows such as Arrested Development, Louie, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (aka smart humor) then you need to check this show out!

 

Thursday
Apr232015

What are your thoughts on eating in bed?

I mentioned that Penelope and I were solo on Friday evening and for me, that means I get to do and watch whatever I want once she goes to sleep.

And so I did what anyone in my position would do. I indulged in one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures: eating in bed. I put on my pajamas, cooked up one of my favorite comfort meals, climbed into bed, and ate my dinner while sitting pretty watching Outlander. When Shaun is home, I'd never get away with this. He hates when I eat food in bed and in all the years we've been together, I've never seen him eat food while in bed. Occasionally if he falls asleep on the couch, I'll creep into bed with my dessert and catch up on a show he would have no interest in, but this is a rare occasion.

And so what I want to know is: what are your thoughts on eating in bed? Am I the only crazy one? It is such a glorious indulgence!

PS: We also had a pretty great weigh in on instagram on Friday night.