Friday Saturday Sunday

Amelia is now under the impression I make all of her clothes. While this is widely inaccurate, I hope no one corrects her. Friday I finished the Oliver + S Sailboat Top with fabric from my Gramma's stash. This top was my first time making button holes. Not perfect, but not terrible. Attaching the inside hem piece stumped me for ages. I read, reread, read again. And then finally it makes perfect sense and you feel mighty dumb. The arms seem long and wide at the wrists, so I rolled them for the photo. This is when it would be handy to have the niece living locally, so I could figure out if things fit or not.

This I finished awhile ago, intending to add sleeves. Which I did. But they restricted movement so off they came. I'll make adjustments and try sleeves again another time. It was also crammed in my dresser drawer, excuse the wrinkles. This top sews up so beautifully.

To briefly recap the weekend... Friday morning at Local 61 with Renee. Brainstorming and taking a few photos for an upcoming project. Very excited. Saturday Rire and I headed to Dumbo, lunch at Superfine and then walking around the waterfront. And the photo I have to show for it?  My bag on a bench. I also managed to sew a second Tova, photos coming.

This morning uptown, celebrating Charlotte's 4th birthday. Now home, wondering if Sandy will pack the punch the news promising.

fall colors

A rat darted out from under a garbage can, directly to my left while I waited to cross the street this morning, in broad daylight. Unacceptable. It ran right into the street and proceeded, Frogger style, to stop and start it way through two lanes of traffic. Somehow it made it and disappeared into the garbage can on the far corner. I hate rats. The rank marginally higher than mice, only because mice want to live in your house. They want to settle in and have their names added to your mailbox. While rats, for the most part are fine living outside in the secrets Nymh tunnels.

In other news, I watched Julie and Julia and realized I still have no idea how to chop onions.

I've also started hoarding fabric.  I finally understand my grandmother.

wednesday

I walk to work, but most days a Vespa looks way more appealing.

Pumpkin muffins were in the oven by 6AM and spilled all over the oven bottom by 6:17 when I tried taking them out. Of course this happened. Things only go wrong when you plan to give bake goods to someone else. Let me tell you, a piping hot mini muffin looks pretty pitiful slumped on the oven bottom, slowly scorching a burn mark into it's side.

I haven't made lasagna in years because lasagna means glorious ricotta and mozzarella to me. Lots of it. Rire doesn't do dairy, so there's that. I caved and finally made a vegetarian version last night, My Green Diet's version.  I added spinach, parsley and basil. It was good. Really good.  But I still miss the cheese. I compensated with too many slices of buttered French bread.

I need to take the collar off the Ayashe blouse one last time and just cut new fabric. I will fix this.

Up until today, the weather has been good. The kind of good that tricks you into thinking long marathon training runs are perfectly reasonable. Not that I'm running a fall marathon, but it's makes me nostalgic.  I won't be doing another for a while, but I think Portland OR would be a nice welcome back when I do.

moving day

June has been the month of moves.  None if it has helped clarify where I want to be - in the city or out.  For now, I'll live vicariously through my friends.

Friday I helped (and by help I mean play with the kids, not lift any furniture) C & J while they made their move into a brownstone.

It was insanely hot (moving can never be easy can it?) so we only lasted about an hour at the park before giving up on the heat and heading back to the AC'd sanctuary that was my apartment. Where she steamrolls her brother...

a brooklyn wedding

R.I.C.E. works.  I can attest to that. 

I sprained my ankle on Friday. There are photos, I will not be posting any, at least I don't think so.  I'm oddly charmed by them, if only because I can see improvement.  The swelling is giving way and you can almost make out an ankle bone! There is no fun story, I simply stepped wrong while running in Prospect (on a flat surface no less) and the pain was immediate and intense. I ended up sitting on a pile of wood chips while I waited for the dizziness to stop - I had a mile and a half walk home to gear up for. I've sprained both ankles more times than I can count, though this one takes the cake as far as pain goes. I know there's nothing to be done but wait it out, so wait I do.

All of that being said, we went to a wedding on Saturday and I refused to give up on wearing heels, it was a party after all. So I spent most of the day sitting.  And wore my flip flops there. But none of that mattered - it was a perfect day, the bride was glowing and the guests were gorgeous. Everyone was smiling and laughing. No matter where you turned, you were guaranteed a beautiful picture. It was also the first wedding Rire and I attended as a married couple and I loved it.  There was something so sentimental about watching vows being exchanged when we did the same only a year ago.

Congratulations to L & T, the beautiful and happy couple! 

twirly girl

Sunday afternoon Ample Hills ice cream with Courtney, Kimmer, Z and G.

the staycation

How we spent our Memorial Day weekend. At home. Well, mostly.

Friday, on horseback! No joke.

Though in hindsight, I was dubious of Kensington Stables and now I know I had every right to be. Instruction was... Minimal? Even though we stressed our inexperience. I also suspect my horse may have been taking it's last labored steps and I was being to wonder how one safely jumps from a falling horse. Not to mention R's horse careening towards school children while he shouted, "Move the children!" at the dumbfounded teachers. Sadly, I have no photos of Rire on his trusty steed Tinkerbelle, and that will forever be one of my biggest regrets. In true staycation style, we also watched plenty of TV (notably, Art of the Steal and Skins - Netflix, I love you).

Saturday

After a slow start I rallied and went for a 4 mile run. I felt vaguely guilty when I passed the horses. They don't look thrilled to be shuffling along with clueless urbanites on their backs and who can blame them? I think I need to find a better stable.

We headed to Fort Tilden in the afternoon, settling in just in time for it to cloud over and turn chilly. Our timing was flawless. Back home we went, to watch more Skins. Don't underestimate the allure of British teen drama.






Sunday, road trip!


Our old standby, Minnewaska State Park. We hiked a route we've run a number of times. Final conclusion? Running 10 is easier than hiking 10. In fact running 13.1 is easier. It takes a fraction of the time. But the upside of hiking?  I can stop and takes photos along the way.

 

All that endless hiking requires lots of food.  Menus must be studied with utmost care. Is it bad that I eat the same amount as my 6'2" husband?

Monday quiet, nice. Another run and a bit of wandering in the city. Low key, to slowly ease back into the work week.

The Great GoogaMooga

The internet buzz seems to say it was a bust. I however, completely enjoyed myself.  We skipped Saturday.  After running the Brooklyn Half, we opted for an afternoon at the beach and headed to Fort Tilden to unwind.

So Sunday was Googa day.  We headed to Prospect around 12:30 and the lack of signage does deserve to be called out.  Not a single arrow pointing GO THIS WAY.  I've logged hundreds of miles in that park and even I couldn't tell by their map where exactly the entrance point was.  Not that it really mattered, you just followed the swarms funneling to Nethermead.  Once inside we grabbed pulled pork sandwiches at Num Pang (so good) and found shade under a tree to set up blankets.  It was that easy.  Joined by a friend and her kids, we took turns venturing out for more food and drinks.  Sure, there were lines, but nothing seemed all that unreasonable.  Food, music, shade - we loved it.

Coney Island

For nostalgia, people watching and hotdogs.

And for crazy people who do things like this...

running on empty

Getting out of bed when the alarm goes off has always been the hardest part of being a morning runner. I like (prefer!) to run first thing in the morning but that never stops the 30 second debate of should I or shouldn't I while I cram my head deeper into the pillow. Today was no exception. But once I'm up, I'm fine. Coffee, morning news for the weather, sneakers tied and I'm out the door. 

Except for today. I wasn't feeling it.  I was out the door and to the park in 10 minutes. But something was off.  I felt fine physically but mentally I was somewhere else entirely. I've been doing this long enough to know when a run will clear my head, today wasn't one of those days.

So I turned around and went home. 

brooklyn brunch

Birthdays and Central New York

Two polaroids that remind me of just how much has changed.

Amy and Jamie no longer live at this house. And various classic cars have come and gone over the years. Eli was so much younger and Amelia wasn't even born yet.

Hot Bird is gone entirely. Gone! Bulldozed to make way for the Nets Stadium and sprawling parking lots. This isn't a neighborhood change I'm looking forward to. I never had any desire to live near Madison Square Garden, but now it seems that MSG is coming to me.

We'll be driving upstate this weekend to see family, celebrate birthdays and watch soccer.  I need to bring the polaroid...