FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. I am in full on nesting mode and loving it. I have organized and re-organized all of our closets and am loving labeling everything and donating so many things to goodwill. It’s perfect timing because I just placed our first order with my Amazon Baby Registry completion discount and need a place to put everything and also to sort our gifts from showers.

   

2. My husband and I are often toying with the idea of moving out of the big city and heading for somewhere more affordable and safer for our little one. Seems like the idea is catching on and becoming quite trendy.
3. We are going to have a lot of family in town shortly after baby’s arrival, so I decided to get a Costco membership (Laura swears by their diapers both for quality and price!). Hopefully we’ll be able to get a lot of things in bulk and feed all of the wonderful family helpers that are in town. Luckily, Groupon was running a deal for the membership so we ended up getting a few perks for signing up.
4. Our friend Christine wrote a play! And it is fantastic. Laura and I went to the preview weekend last week and loved it. If you are in LA, you should check it out.

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. My husband’s family has a secret-ingredient kugel recipe that I am still not allowed to know! Rosh Hashanah is coming up this weekend, and because we’re not attending high holidays this year (tiny babies don’t really mix well with long services…), I’m considering attempting this recipe instead!
2. My little sister started college this fall and it has definitely caused me to reflect on my college years. I told her that one of the few things I regret not doing is spending some time abroad, whether doing a semester or year-abroad program, or taking a gap year (or two?!) post-college to explore different parts of the world. In that vein, I really enjoyed TFD’s rundown on work exchange programs.
3. I’d Rather Be Meryl is back in action! This week they’re all about starting a home bar. I think ours is pretty well stocked both liquor- and tools-wise (we have recently added these glasses to our collection, and I love this shaker and this jigger), but I hadn’t given a lot of thought to having a “house cocktail.” It’s such a great idea… now to decide on one!
4. My mother-in-law sent me this article about raising kids with “broad palettes, healthy eating habits, and an appreciation of food” and I really loved all of the tactics included. Bookmarked for future food adventures with Ernie. (It also linked to this article about getting kids interested and involved in doing household chores from an early age. Also bookmarked!)