a little remembering

 
We spent our evening yesterday at the 9.11 memorial in lower Manhattan.  We got tickets weeks ago and have been looking forward to it since. (See the bottom of the post for how to get tickets to the 9/11 memorial last minute if they are not available from the 9/11 Memorial, website.)  It was definitely no disappointment.  It was beautiful despite all the construction.  Maybe it is just me but I felt a reverence there I imagine because it is a burial ground of so many.  We were really glad we went.  It was a nice little family outing.

//  If you want to visit the 9/11 memorial you have to get tickets in advance.  Its better to get them weeks even months in advance.  There is no stand-by line or anything like it.  However, there is another way to get tickets if you don't have them.  If you didn't get tickets to the 9/11 Memorial Site, you can still get them the day of your visit at the 9/11 Memorial Preview site at 20 Vesey St. (between Church Street and Broadway).  They start handing out a limited amount at 9AM so you'll want to get there early.  I don't know how many they hand out, so get there early!

reading and yarn

I've been reading a lot lately.  Anne of Green Gables has been on my list for ever.   Its acting as a little lighter reading while I read The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James for my virtual book club.  Its definitely not a book I am just skimming through although its getting much easier each page I turn.  (Its a late 19th century story, fyi)  I just got a bunch of crafting books from the library along with Jane Eyre and The Hunger Games.  I am hoping to read them all quickly. 

*** As for the crafting, I'll share more later.  For now, lets just say there is a lot of yarn and embroidery floss involved.  I am having a ton of fun and I feel really happy when I'm working on my latest creations.  Hobbies are good and I am so happy that the ones I am choosing to spend my time on are bearing nice fruit. 

//  If any one has extra yarn,  they don't need/want, any length of any color, you can send it to me.  I would greatly appreciate adding (color especially) to my collection for free.  Thanks in advance!

our Anniversary date

Happy Anniversary date, love.

//  We're doing something pretty cool to celebrate.  Check back tomorrow for the details...

eyed on etsy

Since I make my own unique cards,  I am drawn to similar ideas.  Here is one that I totally love.  Wooden cards!  I would use these for real and send them to my favorite people.  I would even use them for covers to my handmade books.  I will ask Santa for them this year. 

6 little pumpkins

We had a great weekend.  Best of all is that we have 6 little pumpkins to show for it.  We spent the weekend celebrating with lots of friends and it was good for our health!  And now our 6 little friends are joining us until they get eaten.  It will be fun to have them around to remind us of the happy memories we have created these last couple of days. 

 

//  Here's to a great week, everyone!

sunday skirts

I found this dress at Goodwill on my latest adventure there.  I was worried about how the faded black and yellow would look with my complexion but I think it worked.  I paired it with a simple black cardigan and my new black flats, threw on some red lips stick and my outfit was made!  

 

On the way home, we got a little carried away with the pictures, as most always we do, and I had to mark my baby with my kisses.  That was really fun!  He seemed to think so too.

You've gotta love a good Sunday afternoon photo shoot!

a new baked goody

This wheat bread (which didn't turn out the prettiest) will count as part of the things on me 29 things list.  The recipe for this No-Fail Wheat Bread is super easy and the best I've found for it. 

I made wheat bread as part of the "bake 29 new goodies"goal
from my 29 things before I turn 30 list.
Click here to see all of the projects and other posts related to
the list.  All items listed are a wide array of personal challenges.
I look forward to bettering myself this, my 29th year of life!

bike love

How's this for a city lifestyle?  I'd totally choose this biking city over my current location/situation.  This picture just makes me want space, bike lanes, rivers, and even more... those clothes and that bike.  I love bikes!

//  I can't promise that this is going to be the last of the "living situation/dreaming of a new place to live" posts.  I don't think a change will come that fast.  A girl can dream, no?

a good day

Yesterday a friend came to play with Odin and took him out to the park.  While they were gone I managed to prep and bake the butternut squash that has been staring at me since we got back from New Hampshire, make beef stew in the slow cooker, prep and make applesauce, and bake wheat bread.  It was nothing really special but things I have needed to do for a while.  It was great.

But the day didn't end there!  After my friend left, Odin napped a nice long nap and I got to clean up from the above projects.  When he woke up he was in a great mood (he always is.) Then about 45 mins later, Zack showed up!  He came home early just because.  What a good man.  I was shocked and little girl giddy.  It was fantastic.  We feasted on the warm new bread and honey butter.  And Odin and Zack played (photos above) and it was so cute and, dare I say, perfect.  This was a dream day!  

she lets her hair down

A favorite blog:  she lets her hair down

I can't believe I haven't shared this newish and so cool blog with you.  I am lucky enough to call the author friend.  She is ridiculously artistic and inspiring.  She recently relocated to France with her equally talented and inspiring husband.  (Together they also have the mens accessories brand STNTN.)  You will love her site, the tutorials, photos of shoots and runway shows and just her overall vibe and inspirations.

Check it out.

a happy little rant

Do you ever dream about things that make you feel like your current situation is lacking?  I do, all the time.  This little post is about how I dream about not living in New York City, USA.

 I need to get something off my chest.  I need to say it out loud to the world.  I need people to know how I feel.  Its nothing serious but it definitely matters to me right now.  Its all about my current living situation.  I am not happy with my current situation (I'm not in the depths of despair or depressed or anything, I'm just fed up).  I want to move far away from where I am now.  Its hard to be the one without the job with out the control of providing for the family and making certain decisions regarding certain things.  I won't go in to it all but I will share the following.   

It may be no surprise to longtime readers of my blog, but in all honesty, I am not a lover of New York City.  It sort of just worked out for me to live here long term, which was a very lucky thing.  At the beginning of my living here, I really enjoyed feeling like I was traveling around the world in a way as I visited different neighborhoods and met new people.  But all too quickly that new excitement all wore off.  The story of how I came to live in New York goes (quickly) like this:  I came to house sit for a month and then 5 months of house sitting later, it just sort of became home, as I had a good job and residency for school.  It just worked out so I stayed.  I was here almost 3 years before I met my now husband.  One way we were perfect for each other was that we were both anxious to leave New York, and longed to start our life together in beautiful mountain town.  We got married and said we'd make the big move in 2 years.  Well, 3 1/2 years later we are stilllllll here.  We have become parents in the meantime and as you can imagine our world has changed completely.  This makes me long to move to that mountain town more than ever.  At Christmas I will have been here 7 years!  That is just too long. 


I think I would love New York more if I didn't know such other wonderful options for living.  I have lived those other, better (to me) aspects of life and I want them NOW!  I am growing very impatient actually.   While I, the impractical/dreamer one, says we can just pack up and move to our dream place, but my husband, the practical/non-dreamer one reminds me that it isn't right for us.  And that's true.  So, thus, I parent, I take walks, we take weekend trips to get out of the city, I blog, I sew and make things and journal, I wake up everyday and try to pretend my better option isn't waiting for me and calling for me.  I pretend that I like the city life, the crowds, the mode of transportation, the close quarters, the smell and sounds of traffic, the cost of things that I didn't make or grow myself, the, the, the...  The list unfortunately, goes on.  For all of the great things that there are about the city, there just aren't enough to out play the cons, in my book. 


BUT, by all means, visit New York!  Come for an internship!  Live here for a couple of years!  You will love it.  But just be prepared to give up whatever "living off the land" you enjoy for the duration of your stay (unless of course you or daddy can afford an entire brownstone somewhere with the perfect little rooftop to grow your own garden and trees and flowers and house your very own chickens and such.  That way you can "live off the building" and you might be fooled that its actual "living off the land".)  I know people and I am friends with them that love this city and never want to leave.  I am happy that they have found their place!  Sincerely, this is a wonderful, fantastic, one-of-a-kind city and its worth loving.  I'm happy for people that love living here.  But I just don't. 


One day, I'll live in my house with space around and away from crowds, traffic and large buildings.  One day...

//  I share this with a happy heart, just not a happy attitude.  I smile and am grateful everyday despite my dreaming of waking up to the view of mountains and the sound of nothing.  Also, I understand life is hard sometimes and that this is just one chapter.  I also am quite aware that I am still fairly young and have the rest of my life to live my dream life.  Okay?  Okay.  :-)

Spending the afternoon in Central Park

This weekend we spent some time strolling among the leaves and trees of Central Park.  It was beautiful and there was something refreshing about the tall trees shading us on our way.  I was very happy this day.  New York is not my favorite place on the earth but moments like these in places like these make it all better, at least for a moment.

Here's the loot.  We have little acorns in our park but these are rather mature and big ones.  I was in heaven picking up all that I could see.  I had to let so many go!  Now I have tons of leaves, acorns, and pine cones that I need to do something with.  I have some ideas so, lets see how they work out.  I love Autumn!

sea legs

We're home from our voyage up the coast of North America.  It was fun, wonderfully long, and beautiful. We joined Zack's parent's, brother and sister-in-law for a 7 day cruise to New England and Canada up the coast from New York City.  The trip was made possible by and in memory of Zack's grandparents that recently passed away.  It was a lovely way to remember them and celebrate their lives together.

It was so nice to pack up our things, take a cab to the dock and then board.  We have never had such an easy time traveling.  (Usually it takes an hour to get the rental car and get back to the house, time to load the car and then time to inch our way through traffic and out of the city.  Then the same when we get back home plus time to find an open parking spot on the street somewhere...  It is not fun to travel living here.)  It was so great to sale away from our city/home and to return conveniently home again.  It felt like we were gone for ages and that was the best part.  Now I can say, I have "sea legs". 

I'm sure you can imagine that my husband photographer and I got tons of photos of the vacation but I'll share just few pictures.  I made and brought along a travel journal to add to throughout the voyage and I will be sharing that later in the week.  So, for now, here are a few highlights with minimal words...

Departing New York, New York, USA

 

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

 

Portland, Maine, USA

 

St. John, New Brunswick, Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

 
*  The overall review of the cruise: It was nice.  While it took a few hours to get used to the movement of the sea we all got used to it eventually.  Now we're dealing with some post cruise dizziness but its going away more and more every day since we got back.  We sailed on the Carnival Glory.  The ship was nice but sort of old and the cruise seemed tailored a bit more for an older crowd, like our parent's ages.  The entertainment, food, activities and accommodations were plenty good for me, a first time cruiser.  Now that we're home, I look forward to going on another cruise one day, maybe an Alaskan, Caribbean or even the Norwegian cruise?

//  Have you been on a cruise?  Which would you recommend?