Rosemary Cider

This post and the recipe for Rosemary Cider originally appeared on January 8, 2013. As I was sipping cider this week, I couldn’t resist sharing it again. Enjoy!

It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite tasty discoveries this season came in the form of a cocktail. Although, it may surprise you to know that this particular concoction is alcohol-free. (But don’t worry, I came up with a little drunkiepoo version just in case that’s your thing!)

To give credit where credit is due, I actually first had cider with rosemary with one of Dale’s fried pies, which, if you’re a local, is also a must-try!

Ingredients:

Apple Cider (I’ve found Simply Apple is also quite delish!)
sprig of rosemary
Knob Creek (if desired)

– – – – – – – – – – –

Fill a jar with apple cider.
Add a sprig of rosemary and seal.
Let mixture sit in the fridge for a couple of days.

Drink cold, or heat it up and add a little bourbon! Equally perfect for extra chilly walks in the park or snuggling on the couch with a good book.

Speaking of books…

illustration by Donald Chaffin for the first US edition of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox

This illustration may or may not have prompted this post and my recent download of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. Have you ever read it?

Have a Nora Ephron Halloween

There was this unexpected thing that happened when Husband and I watched our first Nora Ephron movie together. He ruined it. Ok, ruin is a harsh word. It didn’t happen right away. At first, it was just an annoyance as I started to notice the things he pointed out. Like when we were watching While You Were Sleeping (not a Nora Ephron movie), and he said, “You know what the best part about this movie is? No one is cheating on Bill Pullman.” *sigh*

Then one day, I was watching Sleepless in Seattle thinking, “Annie Reed is a crazy person. She’s a stalker! Who hires a PI to stalk someone they don’t know?! If this happened in real life, Annie Reed would be committed.”

Maybe it’s just time to say it: Nora Ephron gave us all some very unrealistic expectations about how the world works. Apartments in New York City (that you can afford without a trust fund) are about the size of Kathleen Kelly’s bedroom. No grocery store in Manhattan ever has enough room to practically dance around with a grocery cart the week before Thanksgiving. And, let’s face it, Joe Fox was catphishing by the end of You’ve Got Mail. Beyonce-era women would have a serious come-to-Jesus with their friend Kathleen about boundaries and honesty.

Which leads me to the question of Why? Why am I still so in love with Nora Ephron movies when I can’t unsee the noxious themes? I blame The Nora Trifecta.

The Nora Trifecta

1. Setting
2. Soundtrack
3. Characters with enough cuteness to cover the insanity

Nora Ephron gave every girl who grew up in a small town unrealistic expectations about New York City. But, here’s the thing, walking through Central Park on the right day in late October, Central Park is exactly the way I imagined it would be when I was daydreaming about it in seventh grade. The giant trees are the colors of candy-corn and pair perfectly with giant, expensive drinks from Starbucks. If you listen hard enough, you will absolutely hear Harry Connick Jr. singing in the background and get that determined Kathleen Kelly skip in your step. (Of course, most of that illustration is from When Harry Met Sally, so maybe Ephron totally nailed it with Sally Albright.)

Anyway, today I’d like to propose something. I propose we all dress up as our favorite lunatics for Halloween: Nora Ephron heroines. Put on a jumper, paired with a storybook lady hat, and carry that bouquet of sharpened pencils with pride, honey!

Go in search of your very own Tom Hanks… or just start responding very intimately to all those emails that go to your spam folder. Someday your prince will come. Or you’ll find him via the perfect hashtag, track down a PI, in his area, and see if you can make contact with his child who will then show up at a location of your choice. Happy hunting!

Joking aside, I do love Ephron’s writing. Check out this post for a little about reading Nora Ephron with a book club…

Start a Book Club

TGIF!

I am fully aware that it is not a full moon. Nevertheless, this week the inside of my brain has resembled the dinner scene from Beetlejuice–a seemingly choreographed form of unruly with a really good soundtrack. Is that just me?

However, while I haven’t posted in a few days, I have spent time mapping out the next couple of months for Hannah & Husband. This is such a nice creative outlet, but I just needed to reevaluate exactly how I wanted it to fit in to our lives–especially as Rivermont projects evolve and the holidays take over. I’m pretty stoked about making this webspace a bigger priority and trying some new types of content in the next couple of months so more to come. For today, our usual Friday round-up…

Here are my favorite, random goodies from around the interwebs this week. TGIF!

The new Bill Blass site launches on November 1st, but you can register now to win some of the new line. Now that Chris Benz has taken over the creative direction of the iconic sportswear brand, I’m excited to see where it goes. His premise is simple: capsule collections at different price points to help customers build a wardrobe. So far, I’m loving the bright colors I’ve seen, and I’m praying those orange shoes come in my size!

The great Alton Brown was profiled for the Bloomberg Business “What I Wear to Work” series. I was most interested in his button strategy.

A British study recently concluded that Southerners have the sexiest accent.

As if that wasn’t enough to convince me that my first European tour is already long overdue, Southern comfort food is on the rise in Paris. Who wants to fund &/or translate “Hannah Belle’s Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking”?

It is no secret that we love Wayne White–for the record: another southerner. (Remember this documentary?) Well, this week Design*Sponge posted a tour of the home White shares with his wife, cartoonist Mimi Pond. As you would imagine, the details are fantastic! My favorite: It’s a toss-up between a wooden sculpture White made for their dining room and Pond’s collection of 1950s knick-knacks.

Things May Be Too Cheap

Husband sent me this quote the other day, and it’s been on my mind ever since so I thought it was worth sharing with you.

I cannot always sympathize with that demand
which we hear so frequently for cheap things.
Things may be too cheap.
They are too cheap when the man or woman
who produces them upon the farm or
the man or woman who produces them in the factory
does not get out of them living wages with a margin for
old age and for a dowry for the incidents that are to follow.
I pity the man who want s a coat so cheap
that the man or women who produces the cloth
or shapes it into a garment will starve in the process.

-President Benjamin Harrison
————————
from a speech given in Rutland, Vermont on August 28, 1891
(as reported in the New York Times the following day)

It’s poignant to think that this is as much of a consideration now as it was over a century ago.

TGIF!

Happy Friday! This morning we were up bright & early (in desperate need of coffee) to chat about a few pop culture topics with our girl, Abby Ham. I’ll post that video at the bottom of this post, but first enjoy a couple of our favorite things from around the interwebs this week.

Taylor Swift kills it on the cover of next month’s GQ. The cover story written by Chuck Klosterman is a fascinating profile about how Swift views her life. To quote Klosterman, “It’s impossible for an artist to control how she is perceived. But an artist can anticipate those perceptions, which is almost as good.”

As a side note, if you’re looking for a good weekend read, pick up Klosterman’s “I Wear the Black Hat.” It’s all about the anti-hero.

____________

If you aren’t subscribed to Lenny Letter, today is the day. It’s a newsletter by Lena Dunham and her partner in crime Jenni Konner that comes right to your inbox covering everything from feminism to style tips. The Jennifer Lawrence piece mentioned in our segment below was part of this week’s Lenny.

____________

And, finally, here’s our post from this morning! Enjoy and have a great Friday!

Our Fall Wedding

Yesterday marked nine years with this stud. How crazy is that?! So, in the spirit of #tbt, I thought I would share a few snapshots from our Fall wedding.

Someone asked me the other day what our wedding was like. As I’ve mentioned before, we got married so young–21 and 22 respectively! Our budget was small and our tastes were very different than what they are today. But in true Hannah fashion, there was a fabulously detailed wedding binder. One of my friends bought me the Martha Stewart Wedding Planner around the time we got engaged, and it’s still fun to look through. (Also, it’s a fab resource if you’re into entertaining.)

As you may have guessed from the inspiration above, our wedding was decorated with all things Fall. Nautrally, flowers were key! After an unfriendly trip to a flower shop, my mom and I ended up at Kroger. The florist there built the bouquets as we were discussing them! Look for perfection can be found in unexpected places.

While we had a cake and punch reception, Husband and I were most concerned with the after-party. Nestled in a hollow, we had a barbecue with all our closest friends and family. There was a jazz quartet, a bonfire, and lots of pumpkins.

We had so much fun! Bribe your guests with candy and plenty to do! (The drawing below was my favorite of the night!)

Finally, the cake topper that followed us to the barn party. My mom and dad have always had a house full of antiques, but this dapper pair is still one of my absolute favorites. They sat atop my great uncle’s wedding cake in 1930 and 76 years later graced our polka-dotted chocolate one. I think keepsakes are a beautiful way to layer stories and history.

Also, I still think we should recreate the outfits in real life… mostly because I really want a crown of giant white flowers!

Of course there are a million other things I could share, but we’ll save that for another time. For now, click here to read our post about our first nine years: “On Marriage and Changing.”

All photography courtesy of Breanne Graap.

Podcasts Pt. 2

{Click here for image source.}

I’ve had a couple people ask for podcast recommendations recently so I thought it was time for Podcasts Pt. 2. If you’re interested in the first list, click here. I’m going to give you some specific episodes of my favorite podcasts so if you’re looking for a place to start, this is it!

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

This is kind of like the audio-version of a profile in GQ or Esquire with a really great opinion piece called The Outshot (i.e. a recommendation of something awesome that you should check out) to end each episode. The entertainers he profiles are fantastic–Mavis Staples, Tig Notaro, Neil deGrasse Tyson–but the two below are some recent episodes I dug.

Start Here:
Keegan-Michael Key and Tituss Burgess
Jermaine Clement & Jonathan Ames

Bonus fact: This is the first place I heard about Wet Hot American Summer… click here to listen.

Art for Your Ear

I mentioned Danielle Krysa’s podcast when it first came out so I won’t go through the premise again. (Click here to for that.) But I do want to share some of my favorite episodes.

Start Here:
Robert Novogratz
Rachel Ryle
Mary Kate McDevitt

Re/Code Decode with Kara Swisher

This one is fairly new on my radar, but it is right in line with my day job–working for corporation in the digital world. Kara Swisher’s journalist background makes her really well-versed as she interviews the biggest players in the media game. And a feature you may love if this is not your world at all: Too Embarrassed to Ask. A small segment in each episode where she answers things like “What is Apple TV?”

Start Here:
White House Senior Advisor: Valerie Jarrett
Lenny Newsletter Co-founders: Jenni Konner & Lena Dunham

Kicking and Screaming

And while we’re on the Jenna Elfman love train… If you’re married and/or have children, you should check out Kicking and Screaming. It’s a video podcast Jenna and, her husband, Bodhi Elfman do. There is dancing, marriage talk, and, every once in a while, a mention of where they hide to have sex so they aren’t interrupted by the kiddos.

Start Here:
Episode 1 (audio-only) sets up their relationship and the premise of the show.

What are your fav podcasts? Comment below, tweet me, or post on our Facebook page!

Jenna Elfman in Big Stone Gap

Currently repping #Appalachia from #knoxville! #Greenfamily #bigstonegapmovie @makingbigstonegapmovie @jennaelfman @ashley_judd

A photo posted by Hannah B. (@hb_belle) on Oct 9, 2015 at 4:38pm PDT

On Friday night, Husband and I did something we rarely do, and we went out to dinner and a movie. We don’t purposely avoid the movie theater, we’re just usually ice cream and Netflix on the couch sort of people. But Friday marked the opening of Big Stone Gap–a movie about the area my family hails from–so naturally, I’ve been counting down the days. (Plus, Jenna Elfman in Big Stone Gap? We’re big fans.)

The movie is based on the book of the same name (which you can purchase by clicking here), and I have to say I was a little disappointed with how the story and the relationships were translated to the big screen. One of the first reviews I read said that it would have been good for Trigiani to let someone with a little more big screen experience execute the story. But I also totally see Adriana Trigiani’s desire to own her story and make the movie where she imagined. Regardless, there are two things worth mentioning.

Jenna Elfman in Big Stone Gap | Hannah & Husband

The town really does do it up right for the holidays. Check out this picture of how they decked out this weekend.

First, Adriana Trigiani chose to tell her story in it’s homeplace. She shot in southwest Virginia where her story is set with the townspeople themselves fleshing out the cast. And it shows! Big Stone Gap shines, and you really get a feel for the landscape and the community when you watch the movie. From all the interviews I’ve read with Trigiani about the movie, I loved this line the most:

Movies are a living art form. They last for all time when properly cared for. American movies about American workers should be made in America. I love Canada, but I can’t fake Big Stone Gap in Canada.

The second thing worth saying: All hail Jenna Elfman! When you this notification popped up on my phone the other night, I completely swooned.

I mean: Jenna Elfman, you guys! Jenna Elfman who was the embodiment of this quirky, long-legged girl’s dream when she played Dharma. And, should we talk about the hair? We should at least mention the hair.

Watching Jenna Elfman on twitter and instagram all weekend was amazing. She loved Big Stone Gap, and it showed–from her coverage of all the festivities (there was a parade and a red carpet) to pictures with townspeople that kept showing up in my Facebook feed!

1964 Chevy Impala convertible! #BigStoneGapMovie parade in Big Stone Gap, VA! Whoop! In theaters now! xo

A photo posted by ⚡️JENNA ELFMAN⚡️ (@jennaelfman) on Oct 10, 2015 at 8:03am PDT

So in praise of Jenna Elfman, here are 4 things she nailed when she played Big Stone Gap’s Iva Lou:

1. Iva Lou was in touch with her sexuality. I will never understand women who shrink from this one. I love that with any character I’ve seen Jenna Elfman play, she just owns it! Iva Lou’s sexuality made her a fun, quirky character to watch and also made her a little more powerful.

2. Iva Lou was smart. Jenna Elfman always manages to perfectly marry quirk and brains. Like any smart woman, Iva Lou knew that orchestration was a stronger tool than pushing.

3. Iva Lou was a touch superstitious. And really, most of my favorite women from our region are. (On next week’s reading list: Chinese Face Readin’.)

4. Iva Lou was a fierce friend. It is fun to watch the women in this movie interact: Elfman, Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, and newcomer Erika Coleman. The movie is as much about their relationships as anything else.

If you go see Big Stone Gap, I’d love to hear what you think! Tweet me, post on our Facebook wall, or just comment below.

Tomorrow, I’ll be posting about some of my favorite podcasts, which will include… Jenna Elfman’s 😉

TGIF!

Happy Friday! The doodle above is a from a page in my new sketchbook. I’m breaking it in while thinking on a new project. I’ve also been doing some doodling for a project at work this week that I’m really stoked about, and I think you’ll like the end result a lot.

This afternoon’s assignment. #inktober #doodle #happyholidays #mariahcareyforever #illustratorforhire

A photo posted by Hannah B. (@hb_belle) on Oct 6, 2015 at 1:40pm PDT

Per our usual Friday tradition. Here’s a set of articles, videos, and general fabulousness that I found poking around the interwebs this week.

Transatlantic Divide: Expat Complaints Cut Both Ways | WSJ.com This one sent me down a little rabbit hole of Sabine Muscat’s blog posts for WSJ. One quick quote:

As it turns out we are all similar that way: If we don’t find the things we used to take for granted, we assume that something must be amiss.

A friend posted this on my wall, and I have now played it at least 5 times since. #sweaterweather

After posting about the original autumn flavor, I saw this clip: John Oliver on America’s obsession with Pumpkin Spice from last October.

There is a new book that I saw via Slate titled Lunchtime. It’s a collection of photographer Charles Traub’s street style portraits from the 1970s. They are epic! My personal icon from the series is the lady in pink gloves. See selected portraits on Slate and buy the book by clicking here.

The Idea of North, a Lawren Harris exhibit opens this weekend at the Hammer Museum in LA curated by Steve Martin. Harris is mainly known in Canada, and this is really the first major exhibit of his paintings here in the US. There was a great interview with Steve Martin on latimes.com this week about the exhibit, Martin’s own art collection, and even how technology affects our perception of art.

“…the experience of going to a museum is analog. You’re right there, face to face.”

Read the full interview here.

And, if you’re interested in collecting art yourself, check out our series “How to Start Your Art Collection.”

4 Ways to Marilyn Your Morning

True Story: I started writing this post on my lunch break and got completely sidetracked looking at pictures of skinny Elvis. So you can expect that next week…

I have always believed the old adage that if God had intended for me to see the sunrise, he’d have put it at 10 o’clock. I have never ever been a morning person and, like most things in life, I blame my mother. We both have this gene that keeps us awake until all hours of the night, but in bed until the last possible second.

In high school, the only in-school suspension I ever got was for too many tardies. I was the Lorelai Gilmore of Alcoa High waltzing in at 8:05, eyes bleary, and coffee in hand. And while I appreciate their smiling faces and whistling, you’ll forgive me if I consider morning people…

But last week I recently stumbled across a few things that made me think, like most things in life, Marilyn had the answer. So let’s all put on our WWMD bracelets (which are obviously covered in pink diamonds), and learn 4 Ways to Marilyn Your Morning.

1. Wake up slowly.

In a 1952 issue of Pageant magazine, Marilyn said…

“By nature, I suppose I have a languorous disposition. I hate to do things in a hurried, tense atmosphere, and it is virtually impossible for me to spring out of bed in the morning. On Sunday, which is my one day of total leisure, I sometimes take two hours to wake up, luxuriating in every last moment of drowsiness.”

How fabulous is that? “…luxuriate in every last moment of drowsiness.” (Click here to read the full article on Into the Gloss.)

2. Be a little [over] easy.

Ok, Marilyn didn’t say this. She actually preferred to whisk 2 raw eggs into a glass of warm milk. But in the interest of a totally applicable pun, there’s nothing like a good lay to get he body moving, right?

3. Don your morning dress.

If you need a little extra help in the morning, make your morning dress something you love to wear–whether that’s a bathrobe or your favorite fur. Putting on something you love to wear will lessen the SSA (sheet separation anxiety).

4. Pour a cup of morning Joe.

There’s nothing quite like relaxing with that first cup of Joe. (Get it? cuz it’s Joe DiMaggio in the picture. Ok, I’ll stop now. Really.)

In truth, I have no idea if any of these will work. But, if nothing else, we’ll all look fabulous trying!

Hannah and Husband

Main menu

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rosemary Cider

Have a Nora Ephron Halloween

The Nora Trifecta

1. Setting
2. Soundtrack
3. Characters with enough cuteness to cover the insanity

Start a Book Club

TGIF!

Things May Be Too Cheap

TGIF!

Our Fall Wedding

Podcasts Pt. 2

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Art for Your Ear

Re/Code Decode with Kara Swisher

Kicking and Screaming

Jenna Elfman in Big Stone Gap

TGIF!

As it turns out we are all similar that way: If we don’t find the things we used to take for granted, we assume that something must be amiss.

“…the experience of going to a museum is analog. You’re right there, face to face.”

4 Ways to Marilyn Your Morning

About Us

The Nora Trifecta

1. Setting 2. Soundtrack 3. Characters with enough cuteness to cover the insanity

As it turns out we are all similar that way: If we don’t find the things we used to take for granted, we assume that something must be amiss.

“…the experience of going to a museum is analog. You’re right there, face to face.”

1. Setting
2. Soundtrack
3. Characters with enough cuteness to cover the insanity