Hodges Family Farm Pumpkin Patch

A few weekends ago we checked out the Hodges Family Farm Pumpkin Patch with the little one in tow. I've never been to one and had no clue what to expect. All I knew is that people brought their children, threw them in a wagon, took a million and one photos, and purchased a slightly overpriced pumpkin to take home.

I wasn't too far off with what little I knew but there was so much more to experience!

It was a sunny day without a cloud in the sky and the first cool fall day of the season. The farm is not too far away from where we live and seeing how busy it was during previous weekends told us that it was a hit with others. I was impressed with how they managed the traffic and the hundreds of people there. There were hay bells for kids to jump on, farm animals to look at, and tons of snacks to choose from. They also have plenty of areas set up for the "perfect" shot of the whole family. 

We walked the patch, picked out two pumpkins, checked out all the farm animals, and grabbed a bag of kettle corn to go. 

"I want this one!!"

"Sweetheart, post with mama!" "No!"

"I don't want to pose with mama!"

"No, dad, I don't want a photo with you either!"

After all the fun on the far, we headed to dinner in NoDa. Being part of the early Saturday dinner crowd has its perks, we got seated right away at Crepe Cellar. The Crepe de jure was out of this world delicious! 

Crepe de jure: Short rib, roasted red pepper, sweet potato and speck hash, mushrooms, and garlic aioli. Side of parsnips and peas.

I'm looking forward to going to a pumpkin patch next year and may be next year I'll remember to wear pumpkin patch appropriate shoes.

Amen

Fifteen months.

Fifteen months of propaganda and lies.

Fifteen months of talking heads.

Fifteen months of divisiveness. 

Fifteen months of hate.

None of the sides free from the blame, we're all guilty.

We've all made our choices, regardless of who we voted for or if we didn't vote at all. I pray that the next choice we make is to be kind to one another and stop and listen. It's amazing what we can learn about each other when we stop hiding behind a screen...

No more name calling.

No more lies.

No more spreading of propaganda. 

No more hate.

Amen.

Getting Back to the Basics

I have been purging all of my old clothes using the KonMari method. However, if I were to go full steam ahead with her methods, I would be sitting here typing this post in the nude. 

Trying to figure out my style has been trying, at best, so I'm starting with the basics. My focus has been on fit, fabrics, and versatility. I no longer have the luxury of taking my time getting dressed. For that reason, sticking to a color palette has been key: black, gray and white/cream. 

I will be posting style that inspires me, items I'm coveting, and things I have purchased as I build my wardrobe. I hope you join me on this journey to discovery!

P.S. I'm open to sponsorship opportunities and can be contacted at birchcollective at gmail dot com. :)

Better is Better Than Nothing

A little over two years ago I found myself in a style rut. I went from corporate to start-up to solopreneurship. From pencil skirts to denim to whatever I wore to bed the night before. I was ready to throw everything out and start all over. Then I found out I was pregnant.

I went from being the heaviest I've ever been to loosing fifteen pounds my first trimester and gaining it all back and then some during my very short third trimester. Since then I've gained more weight, lost some, gained some, and finally plateaued at my pre-pregnancy weight but with a post-pregnancy body. 

I bought a ton of cheap (temporary) clothes, thinking my post pregnancy body was just as temporary. It turned out to be just the opposite. I spent the first five months of my child's life working forty hours a week, sometimes more, while staying at home and caring for her. I didn't have time to take care of myself. Then the holidays came followed by the horrendous back pain that started at my neck, peeked at my pelvis, and carried all the way down to my left ankle. 

Working out hurt so much that I quickly gave up. By Spring we were prepping our old house for sale and packing up for the big move. 

I stopped taking care of myself completely.

Recently, I found myself meditating over my word for the year. Have I really been making the best choices and living my best year yet? 

The answer is neither yes or no, it's found somewhere in between. With only two months left in the year, I've laid out the following goals, most pertaining to taking better care of myself. It may not be the best but it's definitely better than what I've been doing... nothing. 

Improve strength and stamina. Get to the gym at least once a week: yoga, Zumba, or swimming. Go for morning walks in the neighborhood at least twice a week and an afternoon walk with the family at least once a week. 

Keeping up with a toddler is no joke, especially when your core is not existent and you tire easily. I have no excuses not to go to the gym now that her nap time finally aligns with the daycare option at the gym.

Sleep more and wake up earlier. This is the most difficult of all the goals. I'm a night owl and not at all a morning person. I want to change that. I need to change that. Getting work done before the little monster is awake is necessary to staying on top of my game. And sane. Sanity is important. 

Create and follow a skin routine. I've done a crap job in this department. My skin routine hasn't changed since I was 18, back when my skin was flawless. I'm 32 and sleep with my makeup on. Times have changed. My skin has changed. I know very little on this topic and don't know where to start. Help!?  

Rebuild my wardrobe. I have closets full of clothes and nothing to wear. I've been purging old clothes: things that no longer fit, things I know I won't ever wear again, and things I was holding on to "in case I get my old body back." I don't know what my new style is but I do know that I need to start with the basics and focus on fit and fabrics. My current color palette is black, gray, and white/cream.

Eat better. We don't eat unhealthy but we also don't eat healthy enough. Often times I do not have time to eat so lunch is served through a drive-thru window or at the grocery store prepared foods counter. We do much better during dinner. The goal is to find easy, quick, and healthy lunch recipes that I can rotate weekly. Cutting down on sugar and alcohol is also on the table. Thankfully, I've cut down on the latter quite a bit, it's the former that's going to be difficult.

It's really difficult for me to put myself first these days. I guess that's part of being a parent. And a business owner. I believe that I can be a better mother, wife, daughter, friend, and solopreneur if I hit 80% of the goals above. 

Initially, I started writing this post as a woman who had lost her sense of style and in the process realized that I need to do a better job of taking care of myself. Funny how that works.

All You Need is Love

I've retold Charlotte's birth story many times but I could never put it into written words. There's so much to the story that making sense of it outside of spoken word has proven to be difficult. There are multiple pillars to the story: the fear that neither one of us (mother and child) could make it, the grace needed to deal with a premature birth and a month long stay at the hospital four hours away from home, and the life lessons you learn along the way. It's enough material for a novella. 

My friend, and an amazing writer, approached me about telling our story for Charlotte Magazine's Love Issue. She has an uncanny way of taking my string of consciousness thoughts and making sense of them. There's really no one else I would trust to do it, she was there for us the whole time. 

A few weeks ago we had our photo taken for the article. There was a scheduling mix up, however, we all had enough flexibility in our day to make it happen. 

We were already dressed for another event and not at all what we had originally planned to wear. I was a wrinkled mess and got stung by a bee, on my forehead, right before the photographer took the photo. It was a comedy of errors.

But so is life: it's messy, it's unpredictable, and you just have to make it work. 

At the end of the day, I'm glad we did not look "perfect". We're not perfect. Charlotte will have the memory of us forever in print, just the way she would hopefully remember us: two parents who loved her very much who did not pretend to be someone they're not. And that, to me, is perfection. 

The November issue of Charlotte Magazine is one of their best. It's exciting to not only be part of it but to be alongside people we know and the amazing writers and photographers and editors and everyone else that make it happen month after month. 

You can read the seven love stories, including ours, here. 

The Weekend Birch: Five Year Wedding Anniversary

This past weekend we celebrated our five year wedding anniversary with a delicious dinner at Kindred and an awesome family-centric day on Sunday.

We arrived thirty minutes before our dinner reservation, which allowed us to explore the adorable college town of Davidson, NC. We stopped in several shops along the main street, including South Main Sweet Shop for a little pre-dinner treat. 

Davidson, NC

South Main Sweet Shop | Davidson, NC

Cherry Balsamic Milk Chocolate Ganache | barCHOCOLATE

There's a ton of hype around a number of restaurants in Charlotte and surrounding areas. Most of these restaurants are just that, hype with very little substance to back it. 

Kindred is different because the hype and the expectations are not only met but exceeded. My first visit to the restaurant was this past January with a group of foodie friends and we literally ordered the whole menu. It has also been voted one of the best restaurants in the country. For this, and many other reasons, Kindred is one of my favorite restaurants and was our top choice to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary. 

The space is perfection, from the floor to the ceiling. The service is top notch. But the food, oh the food!

The main menu and the main man in my life.

The meal began with a serving of milk bread. If you love bread as much as Oprah loves bread, this is your bread.

I LOVE BREAD!

Our first round of drinks were Barkeep's Choice. We picked a liquor and a flavor profile and the bartender created a custom drink. Bourbon for him, tequila for me. Nothing sweet for either one of us.

Barkeep's Choice: Tequila, Campari, Lime Juice | Kindred

Barkeep's Choice: Bourbon, Luxardo Rinse, Orange Bitters.

The Rambler: Cognac, Rye, Benedictine, Vanilla, Bitters. | Kindred

Cheers!

The menu is divided into three portions: small appetizer sized plates, larger entree sized plates, and dessert. The whole menu can easily be shared family style and I highly recommend going that route. Plan on two to two and a half dishes per person.

Here's what we ordered:

Grandfather's Pickles. These are SO good that I've spent this whole week trying to recreate them.

Grandfather's Pickles | Kindred

Duck Fat Potatoes are also a must. The homemade aioli is what dreams are made of and I don't even like aioli. There, I said it!

Duck Fat Potatoes: dill, lemon aoili. | Kindred

The combination of chiles en adobo and vanilla bean in the Strozzapreti was a definite highlight!

Strozzapreti: eggplant, country ham, chiles en adobo, vanilla bean. | Kindred

And finally the rigatoni! The dish was hearty without being heavy.

Rigatoni: lamb Sugo, okra, parsley. | Kindred

We finished the meal with a complimentary serving of birthday cake and ice cream:

Birthday Cake | Kindred

We made a pit stop at a nearby brewery before heading home to relieve our babysitters.

Sunday morning we attended a traditional service at the University City UMC. The message we heard was perfectly timed with everything happening in my head and heart. I've been mulling over next steps, both professional and personal, and how to get over the hurdles and the challenges that I know await me as I pursue these new ventures. The guest speaker was Romal Tune and he reminded us that we all have a story that needs to be told to help others who need to hear it. We are all here for a reason, we all have a gift and that gift can help others.

After church we drove down to SouthEnd for brunch but found that most of the restaurants open at noon (it was 11:30 am) or for dinner only. Thankfully, The Liberty was open without a wait.

I ordered the steak and egg special while Brandon ordered the crunch burger.

Steak and eggs, morning potatoes, and asparagus.

Painted Hills Natural "Crunch" Burger: pimento cheese, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, stacked with house chips. (Voted Southern Livings 2012 NC Best Burger) | The Liberty

We walked the Rail Trail to Atherton Mills to pick up spice refills at Savory Spice Shop before heading back home for naps and the Panther's game.

Spice Refills: Caribbean All Purpose Curry Powder, Peruvian Chile Lime Seasoning, and Ground Celery Seeds. | Savory Spice Shop

Stop, selfie time! | Rail Trail, SouthEnd

My heart!

The Weekend Birch: A Tale of a Girl Who Ate Too Much

This is a tale of a girl who stayed up past her bedtime, ate way too much, and is currently experiencing an introvert's hangover. 

Friday

I kicked off the weekend by running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to make dinner for the family, feeding myself, and making myself presentable to the outside world. I had one hour and I accomplished two out of the three tasks. The roasted chicken did not cook in time for me to eat prior to leaving the house so I stuffed myself with a banana, a bowl of cold noodles, a piece of cheese, and a slice of bread. Poster child for healthy eating reporting for duty!

Joe Gransden & Ziad Jazz Quartet | Jazz at the Bechtler | Charlotte, NC

The first stop of the evening was the Bechtler Museum for an evening of jazz. This month's program featured Frank Sinatra's music, performed by Joe Gransden and the Ziad Jazz Quartet. It was absolutely fantastic! Jazz at the Bechtler is a great choice for romantic date night or an evening with friends and is proof that Charlotte has more to offer than sport teams and breweries. 

JAZZ HANDS!

After the show we walked across the street to Bernardin's, a fantastic restaurant located on The Green. It's a total gem that is a perfect stop either before or after a show. Make sure you sit at the bar and have Susan whip up a custom beverage based on your favorite flavor notes or liquors. 

For my second dinner I ordered a filet with a side of french fries and lemon wine butter and washed it down with a 1/4 bottle of bubbly. 

Our third stop of the evening was Creative Loafing's Best Of event at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation. The theme of the party was Cosplay and it was really cool to see everyone dressed up! I had the pleasure of finally meeting Ryan Pitkin, the guy who brought us Homer's Night on the Town and most recently amazing coverage of the Charlotte Protests. 

McColl Center for Art + Innovation

Piece of the Berlin Wall on display at the McColl Center

We closed down the party and headed to Le Meridien for the after party.

Craft City Social Club | Le Meridien, Charlotte, NC

We got lost looking for the City Lights Rooftop bar only to find out that it was closed due to weather. We eventually found everyone downstairs at the Craft City Social Club. After consulting a crying Queen of Hearts in the ladies bathroom and a drink, we were ready for dinner.

Midnight Diner was our final stop of the evening. For my third dinner of the evening I indulged in a Coca Cola, hash browns (all the way, add jalapeno), applewood bacon, and French toast.

It's rare for me to stay out past my bedtime but when I do I'm still in bed before last call. 

Saturday

Saturday was pretty uneventful. The weather was miserable thanks to Hurricane Matthew so our only outing was to Target to pick up a few things and to Sam's Club to pick up diapers. 

If you're looking for a gender neutral wooden play kitchen, Sam's Club is carrying one for under $90. Run, don't walk, if this is on your holiday wish list for your child!

Sunday

The day after a hurricane comes through is always the most beautiful. The sky is the perfect shade of Carolina blue without a single cloud to be seen. Luckily, our part of town did not experience a ton of damage, the same cannot be said for others. Here are some ways you can help with the recovery efforts.

I took a quick selfie with the family and headed out the door.

Navy Hat Sunday

My first stop of the day was Finders Keepers Market, a seasonal monthly pop-up market, at NoDa Brewing. I was flying solo which typically means that I was not leaving empty handed.

I bought a cute sleeveless top, a hooded poncho, and a wrap choker from Pearl & Mint. I fell in love with a floor length floral dress but had to pass due to the curse of the wide shoulders. 

For lunch I ate a pork belly taco with a side of pickled vegetables and cous cous from the Tin Kitchen's Somethin's Brewing food truck and washed it all down with Sticky Rice, a Japanese rice lager. 

The second event of the day was the screening of the latest episode of Order/Fire at Free Range Brewing. If you've never been it's 1) a beautifully and thoughtfully planned out brewery and space that supports local farmers and food purveyors, 2) it's kid friendly and 3) the screening of the Order/Fire brings out the amazing members of the food community. This is a must attend event if you're a foodie because you get to learn about the people behind the scenes (farmers, chefs, mixologists, restaurateurs, etc.) who make it all happen. And if you can't make it, you can watch all of the episodes online.

The farmer, the photographer/director, and the host. Also known as Jamie Swofford, Peter Taylor, and Chef Marc Jacksina.

Free Range Brewing 

Kids Corner | Free Range Brewing

This month's episode is an interview with Jamie Swofford, The Chef's Farmer. This episode opened me up to the world of shrubs, a non-alcoholic beverage focusing on ingredients, health benefits, and flavor profiles. And it's delicious!

Free Range Brewing currently has the Rose Peach shrub on tap and I bought a bottle of the Pink Lady to take home with me. Can't wait to mix it with either soda water or bubbly!

Old North Shrub | Rose Peach | Free Range Brewing 

Old North Shrub | The Pink Lady

For my second lunch I had tonkotsu ramen with pork belly and fried gyoza from the A Bao Time food truck, one of my favorites in the city! 

Tonkotsu Ramen | Pork bone broth with roasted pork belly topped with egg, bean sprouts, bok choy, scallions, cilantro, carrots, and shallots. | A Bao Time Food Truck

Fried Gyoza | A Bao Time Food Truck

But my day did not end there!

The final event of the day was at The Gallery at South End, a meeting for creatives in Charlotte organized by Joey of Bliss Creative Services.  I got to see old blogger friends, meet blogger friends who I've known for a while but have never met in person and a group of creative and driven bloggers on their way to internet stardom. One of those creative and driven folks was Zack of CLTivate, a non-profit brand that helps people fight addiction. You can learn more about the non-profit and contribute here. 

There was a beautiful spread of croissant sandwiches, cheese, and meats but I could not bring myself to eat anymore. That is until cake was offered.

If you've never been to The Gallery, then you are missing out on Lady M's crepe cakes. They are absolutely delicious and impossible to pass up. 

Lady M Crepe Cake | The Gallery 

I came home to a home cooked dinner, a bathed child, and a clean house. This weekend was a total win.

The Daily Birch: Coffee at Luke's

This morning I met one of my dear friends for coffee at Luke's Diner.

Ok, ok, it was actually Not Just Coffee at 7th Street Public Market converted into Luke's for Gilmore Girls' 16th birthday and to promote the revival of the show, coming to Netflix this November. 

I'm a huge fan of the show so there was no way that I would miss the opportunity to sip on my favorite coffee drink out of a Luke's Diner cup. If you love Gilmore Girls, check out Bustle for an overwhelming amount of information about the revival.

"Mom! I'm not supposed to be sitting up here!"

Vanilla Sugar Latte with Almond Milk | Not Just COffee | 7th Street Public Market

P.S. We won one of the raffle prizes from the Crowned Sparrow Craft Cruiser event last Monday! Winner winner chicken dinner!

Discussing what's next for Crowned Sparrow Co. It's good, y'all, so good!! 

Reading the October issue of Charlotte Magazine. Charlotte is wild, y'all!  

Listening to the new Regina Spektor album, a fellow Soviet expat. Love her and her music, especially when she draws inspiration from her Russian roots. 

Drinking a vanilla sugar latte with almond milk from Not Just Coffee, several cans of La Croix, and a glass of Malbec. 

Eating like crap. Brandon is out of town again and I dislike cooking for one.  However, I decided to eat at least one good meal so I made Megan's Cauliflower Fried Rice for dinner. It was delicious. Absolutely delicious! Her book is available for purchase on Amazon. 

Make a Pot of Cold Coffee Great Again

Let's be honest: you don't know how good you have it until you don't. I'm talking about enjoying a cup of coffee while it's hot, something that rarely happens now that I have a kid. 

Recently, I had to give up my single serve pod coffee maker because it was trying to kill me. No matter how many times I tried to clean it, the mold stayed put. Don't get me wrong, I loved that coffee maker because it required little to no maintenance and made just the right amount of coffee but it's not environmentally friendly and came with limited options when it came to coffee.

I'm currently on the market for a new coffee maker, preferably one that can make espresso and fancy espresso based drinks. The Ninja Coffee Bar has come highly recommended and it has secured a spot on my Christmas wish list.

But for now, I have invested in a Mr. Coffee coffee maker that is two steps up from their most basic model. It gets the job done and allows me to explore different types of coffee that were not an option with single use pods. Finally, I can brew Pure Intentions Coffee at home! 

The downside to my new way of coffee life is a ton of leftover cold coffee. 

What to do?!

Necessity of drinking the whole pot of coffee is the mother of invention. Or at least I think that's how the quote goes.

Enter the Vietnamese coffee inspired coffee drink! 

Here's what you need: cold coffee, sweetened condensed milk, ice, and a blender.

Here's what you do:

Pour coffee into the blender. Add a tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk for every cup of coffee (more or less depending on preferred level of sweetness). Blend until frothy. Pour over ice. Optional: add a pinch of cinnamon for extra flavor. Enjoy.

How do you repurpose left over coffee?

The Daily Birch: Saturdays Are for Yard Sales

Coffee in hand, kid in a wagon, and cash in our pockets is how we started our Saturday. There was a neighborhood wide yard sale and we were excited to take a stroll to see if we could find treasures to take home. It was a gorgeous sunny morning that was cool enough for a light jacket. I don't want to jinx it but it feels like fall is almost here. Almost because I bet you we'll have a few more 80 degree days before it finally cools down. Ah, the joys of living in the south!

Pulling Ms. Daisy in the wagon. 

During our stroll through the neighborhood we smelled the delicious smell of onions, pork, and hot oil. Turns out, one of the yard sale participants was cooking up homemade spring rolls. They were delicious and were the only thing that we bought.

Spring Roll Frying Operation

The delicious homemade spring roll.

I spent the rest of the morning working while Brandon worked on the yard. He then packed up to head down to Atlanta to see the Braves play their last games in Turner Field. Charlotte and I spent the rest of afternoon shopping, eating, and playing. 

We started our afternoon adventure with a visit to Janie and Jack. This weekend is their friends and family sale and I wanted to check it out. Turns out we already own everything that was on clearance and the new styles are a little too dressy for everyday wear so we left empty handed. 

The mall was too busy to be enjoyable so we left after a quick pit stop at TJ Maxx to pick up facial masks and essential oils (more on these at later date).  

We drove down to Uptown to pick up dinner, since I didn't feel like cooking for one with Brandon out of town. We walked around a bit, stumbled upon a fashion truck rally, and played at the splash pad at First Ward Park. 

Fashion Truck Rally | Uptown

Spicy Tuna Roll + Tuna Sashimi + Salmon Sashimi | Bonsai Fusion | 7th Street Market

Blueberry Lemon Rhubarb Italian Soda | Not Just Coffee | 7th Street Market

Charlotte saw the water and gave me the "pretty please" look that I could not resist. She tried not to get wet because she knew she wasn't wearing a bathing suit, however, it didn't take long before she was soaking wet and done playing. I did not expect for the splash pad to still be open in October and thus was not adequately prepared.

Happiest child in Charlotte. | First Ward Park

The baby ended up riding home shirtless because, as it turns out, the extra change of clothes in her diaper bag haven't been used since she was nine months old and the only thing that fit was a pair of drop crotch polka dot pants from H&M. She didn't seem to mind. 

The rest of our evening took the usual course: dinner, bath, and re-runs of Parts Unknown.   

How was your Saturday? Did you do anything fun?