weekend recap, mother's day edition

1. wonder wheel | 2. empty | 3. horizon | 4. whiskey kitchen | 5. neel's garden | 6. mother's day bouquet | 7. my hearts | 8. mother's day shout out

I had to scrabble all the way back to Thursday for this week's photo collage, partly because the blues are so pretty and just scream summer to me, but also because the middle photo (of the eggs, graciously gifted by my friend Kim) was chosen this week to be featured by 365_today, which is a photo-a-day community on Instagram. That was a total bonus! You guys know I love prompts, but I tend to be particular about them (when they're not my own). I drop in and out of various prompt groups as the themes speak to me, and I never dreamed I'd be featured. For some reason this one hit the mark. Made my week.

Oh, and that photo of the empty plate? I'll have more to say about that later, but I spent Friday night, also with my friend Kim, at the soft opening ("What the hell is a soft opening? When they opened The Flamingo, one day it was closed, the next it was open. End of story. I know, I was there." ~Saul Bloom, Ocean's 13) of the Whiskey Kitchen taking pictures for our friend and owner Delynda. It was thrilling to be there and we had a great meal! Like I said, more on that later...

We had a lovely Mother's Day, heading back to our traditional brunch spot (I love brunch), the same place where this happened last year. Remember that? I'd totally forgotten until our neighbor reminded me. Yesterday's brunch was pretty tame! My favorite gift came from Callum who gave a donation in my name to the wonderful organization, Midwives for Haiti.

Midwives for Haiti was previously unknown to me, but it's an organization that combines two things that are dear to my heart. I've always been fascinated with Haiti, and as a former birth doula, safe prenatal care and healthy deliveries for both mom and baby are very important to me.

Let me tell you a bit more about it. Haiti has a population of 10 Million and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The statistics for mothers and children are devastating. 75% of women are not attended at their births by skilled professionals, and the maternal mortality rate in the country is alarmingly high. Out of every 100,000 births, 350 women will die (as a comparison, 12.7 women out of every 100,000 will die in the US). Haiti is the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere to give birth, and most maternal deaths would be prevented with adequate care. Haiti also has the highest infant and children mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, with children who have lost their mothers 10 times more likely to die prematurely.

The 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti also closed the government midwifery school. Midwives for Haiti seeks to train Haitian nurses to become skilled birth attendants. Their goal is to help reduce Haiti's maternal mortality rate by 75% by 2015.

"By ensuring that all mothers in Haiti receive prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care by Skilled Birth Attendants, more mothers will be there to care for their families. Communities and a developing country will continue to be built around the strength and industry of women." *

What an amazing organization in a stunning and heartbreaking country. My boy knows me well. Made his Momma proud.

*All information via Midwives for Haiti.

five things, may 9

1. I think the highlight of my week was when David Lebovitz retweeted my tweet about his cookbook yesterday and said, "Nice job on the ribs!" No! Really.... the highlight was Neel coming home from a conference, and that means I don't have to make the coffee any more. No! Really! The highlight is Neel coming home. Really. :)

2. I think Cal has been working hard on a post that answers your questions about the Page Program. Let's face it, I'm last on the to-do list after homework and baseball. Let's face it. Baseball is first on the to-do list. If you have any other questions you'd like him to answer about any aspect of the program, leave it in the comments, and we'll add it to the list.

3. I think I love the internet! So how's this for a small world story for you? I'm following lots of Italy-based folks on Instagram and checking out their blogs for tips and inspiration. If you're headed to Rome anytime soon, you should really use Gillian's Lists as a reference. She's an American expat in Rome, and as soon as I commented on her blog, she was lovely enough to email me so many wonderful suggestions. So guess what? Earlier this week, when I wrote that post about the rice paper candies and my home town, Gillian commented, and we grew up just half an hour apart! How crazytown is that? Not only that, but someone else I "met" on Instagram through #perception_collection grew up near me too. Crazy making, for sure, in so many ways, but this? This is why I love the internet.

4. I think I loved all your comments on that rice paper candy post, by the way. They really meant a lot to me. It's funny how memories get triggered. Every time I think back to that summer, I'm sitting on a shuttle bus next to my grandma. We must have gone together to the Fair. Also, if you're looking for me, I'm with Rooth, devouring a bag of Swedish Fish.

5. I think I also wanted to tell you how honored I am to be part of an amazing group of photographers who are rocking their Fuji cameras. I have a lot to say about this little camera and my decision to add it to my bag. I've been working on getting my thoughts in order, and I hope to share them with you next week. The group that contributes to this blog is made up of some amazing and inspiring photographers (it took me awhile to work up the courage to be part of it), and they've also contributed a great deal to my growing understanding of my new tool. The FujiXCrew post goes live each Friday, and I hope to be there each week. Thank you for taking a look.