Being an Adult

Last week I made a soup that lasted for four days.  I'm not kidding: dinner Thursday, lunch Friday, dinner Saturday, lunch today.  This is clearly indicative of my growth into adulthood.  Even a year ago I was nauseated by leftovers.  Now, I choose to make and eat foods that will last much longer than they should.  It's amazing what happens when groceries are no longer my parents' responsibility.

Speaking of such, I was so full after breakfast yesterday morning that it was all I could do to buy chicken and pork at Harris Teeter.  When I got home I realized the cheese we had was moldy, our salsa had gone bad, and I had been eating candy for most of my meals lately.  This is the other side of adulthood.

So, if you haven't heard, fall is past full swing here.  I'd say it's on the downhill slide to winter, which is strange because it's 70 degrees today.  I think it's a fluke and we're in for tough times soon.  I've been making every excuse to drive down certain roads and through parks to see the trees in the last month.  Sometimes I don't notice; other times, I say, "Oh my God, Nick, look at that tree!  It's red!  Take a picture!"  Living in Florida for the majority of my life has led me to this utter fascination with fall.

A tree outside our apartment.  As of this morning, it's pretty much bald.

Randolph Road and Parklawn Drive in Rockville

Also, this fall has led to an obsession with food (as you've seen).  I've been cooking and baking (and cooking...and cooking...) and feeling conflicted about it because I tend to wear aprons.  I plan our meals on our calendar--currently, we have "orechiette with spinach and goat cheese" and "broccoli cheddar soup" so far for this week--and we talk endlessly about what sounds good.  Sometimes the dreams happen; sometimes they don't.  For instance, after planning a huge Thanksgiving for two people, we recently decided, fuck it, we're going to Mellow Mushroom because they're open and they have a beer club and we don't have to drive there.  Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

We went to our first brunch yesterday at the new Founding Farmers location in Rockville.  I've heard great things about the Foggy Bottom location, but I don't think spending an hour on the Metro on a Sunday morning is a great way to spend my time, so I've never ventured out there.  Okay, when I say it was our first brunch, I'm being serious.  Nick and I don't go out to eat often, and when we do, it's dinner at Panera or Chick-Fil-A, because we'd rather spend our money other places.  We used to go out for breakfast more often when we lived in Florida, either in Jacksonville or Orlando, but up here, we like to sleep away the work week too much to venture out.  This is the excitement of living together.

Anyway, Founding Farmers did not disappoint.  The restaurant itself was a great setup--lots of light, jars of pickled vegetables on shelving units everywhere, a huge bar right in the middle with elevated benches.  We sat in a booth that had the softest leather seats.  After everything I ate, I wanted to just lie down and take a big nap.

Menu

Beignets and the Regnier (a joke which never gets old)

Embossed flatware, because I notice these things

 I ate beignets for the first time ever and did not regret a single dough flake.  I also had the Founding Farmers' breakfast, which included eggs, bacon, leek hash browns and a homemade biscuit.  And I had a hot chocolate and a jug (literally) of water.  It's no wonder I felt so nauseous.  My usual breakfast is a Greek yogurt.

After I made a very full, very unhappy man run errands with me (Ann Taylor Loft is not his idea of a good time), I finally let him sleep off his pastrami hash while I worked on some sewing.  I worked on my hand embroidery, which bored the hell out of me after about twenty minutes.  Can't it just be done already?  (No.)  So then I worked on one of my mom's gifts, a knitting needle holder.  She's been dropping hints for months, about as long as I've had this cut out, and finally, FINALLY, I can say it's done and will be wrapped up shortly.  Good lord, woman.

Inside

Outside

My favorite

All rolled up

I used a couple prints from Heather Ross's Far Far Away III, which I bought this past summer.  It's a heavier-weight, canvas/linen blend.  What was I going to do with it?  Nothing.  So I figured it'd be cute as a knitting needle roll.  I used the tutorial found here.  If you cut everything out and then label with post-it notes, it's much easier to do later on, believe me.  I did get a little cocky and not read all the steps, which led to a big mistake--the ribbon extends on both sides instead of just one, so rolling it up is a wee bit difficult.  I plan on presenting it rolled and then letting my mom figure it out.  

The whole time I sewed it, I worried she was going to critique my stitching.  Oy.

Oh!  Did I forget to share Kali's bag?  I made this last Sunday while Nick was buying his car.

Outside

Inside

It's the Amy Butler Birdie sling, made with Valori Wells' Wrenly in three different patterns.  It came together beautifully and I can't wait for her to see it.

Hmm.  This probably should've been two posts.  Oh well.  

Tell me, why should I continue going to brunch?