My Running Partner

This is Sally, my running buddy. She's a great coach. She only has one coaching phrase ("Come on!") and she uses it for everything. "Sally, I'm tired", I'll say. "Come on!", says Sally. "I'm old", "My knees hurt", and "I've just tripped over you" all elicit the same response. Actually, she does have one other coaching phrase ("Squirrel!"), but it's not all that much help.

She does tend to make detours for squirrels, deer, anyone she thinks might have food, cats, and interesting smells. Unfortunately, the places that don't have lots of squirrels tend to have lots of cats. That's not because the squirrels are smart and have high-fluffy-tailed it out of there, either, folks.

Vancouver BC travels - Oddments

We toured the gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park on 8/8/2008 - luckiest day in the Chinese calendar. LOTS of couples having their wedding photos taken that day. Here is a shot of an Indian couple posing for their photos. They had the most gorgeous wedding clothes ever. And he had a sword.

French bakery on Granville Island - divine macarons

Recycle, or you will be crushed by a Soviet satellite. On a Vancouver bus.

I didn't know you could buy that...

Groovy, dude, let's make a peace sign out of CDs.

It's 4-wheel drive, too. I'm not kidding.

Some wicked graffiti by the Science Center.

Lifeguard station at Spanish Banks

A helpful sign.

Possibly the most beautiful place on earth - Bowen Island, BC

Yaletown pier.

101 in 1001

I've done a lot. I mean, A LOT. I've traveled, bought a house, took up yoga, pilates, weightlifting, mountain biking. I've had a baby, gotten married, celebrated my 8th anniversary last week. I've been working since I was 15, and that's a lot of jobs. I've learned to knit and made socks. I'm happy with my body, my fitness level and my diet. I've never wanted to go skydiving. So here's what's left:
Blue things have been accomplished

1. Visit Paris in the spring
2. Have another baby
3. Knit a long-sleeved sweater
4. Obtain job as creative director or technology director
5. Redesign Jack's website
6. Buy a fuel efficient car
7. Can this year's tomatoes
8. Wean off Zoloft
9. Go 2 years without bronchitis
10. Visit Vienna
11. Visit the Lake Country of England
12. Get up to 40 pushups
13. Give all knitted presents for Christmas
14. Visit Hawaii
15. Visit Alaska
16. Swim in the Pacific Ocean
17. Bake a daquoise
18. Bake (edible) macarons
19. Create a sewing room
20. Paint the kitchen
21. Have the windows washed
22. Pay forward on our mortgage
23. Reread War and Peace
24.

Vancouver BC travels - Gardens

If you love gardens and flowers, Vancouver in the summer is the place to be. There are lots of community gardens where the plots are gorgeous, flowers and veggies just tumbling over one another. Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park have immaculate formal gardens.

Someone's front yard.

Community garden under the Skytrain rails

This garden also had a neat mural of veggies.

Planting in front of old city hall.

Someone's street-side garden.

Garden patio on Bowen Island

Small Quarry Garden, Queen Elizabeth Park

Small Quarry Garden, Queen Elizabeth Park

Queen Elizabeth Park

Queen Elizabeth Park

Stanley Park Rose Garden

Air Travel Isn't What it Used to Be

You know, some day our children are going to laugh at us when we tell them that airlines used to serve meals, and that taking your baggage with you on vacation was free. Flying is just not the glamorous adventure it was when I was a kid. Anyone seen those little salt and pepper shakers lately? Or wine in real glasses?

I actually like to fly (I hate airports, but that's another story), but I have 2 big advantages. My sister is a cosmopolitan type who accrues many hotel points and airline miles and distributes upgrades generously. Thus, I have flown with Jack in first class twice this year, and it's heaven. Not only do you get your wine in a real glass, but the purser shows you all the wine and asks you what you want, and then opens the bottle especially for you. And they call you by your name, as in "Mrs. _______, would you like the omelette or the fruit and yogurt plate, and perhaps some fresh coffee?"

I also bring a child along, and as any seasoned traveler will tell you, a child is like gold. Anyone who works in a plane or in an airport is so sick of looking at and listening to unhappy, exhausted people who would rather be anywhere else in the entire world. Enter a starry-eyed child who loves airplanes and airports and thinks people who work there have the COOLEST JOBS IN THE WORLD, and doors magically open. Hatchet-faced flight attendants smile. Cookies appear. Two seats together will be found on even the fullest plane. Baggage will be carried and checked at the gate. If the child doesn't scream, kick seats or refuse to sit down/get up, so much the better.

And children are small. If you sit next to one, you have 50% more room than if you were sitting next to an adult.

My two tips for traveling with a child:
1. Bring more Cheerios than you think you need.
2. Don't bring toys with lots of parts. They'll get dropped, roll to the back of the plane and disappear. Books are good, all the pages are attached and they pack flat. Or a crayon and some paper. When your child asks "Why only one crayon", tell him it's Red Day, or whatever color you happened to bring.

Zucchini Pancakes

In the interest of using some of the zucchini supply, I present:
Zucchini Pancakes
1 small zucchini, or half a large one, coarsely shredded
2 cups buttermilk pancake mix
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
black pepper
parmesan cheese
lemon thyme
sea salt

Combine all ingredients, whisk thoroughly. Cook on a griddle, flipping once.

These make a delicious summer lunch with a tomato salad, some lemon wedges to squeeze over, and a glass of iced tea/

Nursery Inspiration

I am not a big fan of matching furnishings or obsessively decorated rooms. For most of our married life we were poor, and therefore the matching, perfect new furniture was not an option for us. Now, I suppose it could be, but it's not really my style. I didn't match the napkins to the bridemaid's dresses at our wedding either - if you did, you might want to stop reading now. I like a comfortable house with simple, traditional furnishings. Except for the lucite lamps in the guest room. They're modern, but so light and airy that they are also feminine.

In particular, I think a nursery or child's room shouldn't be too perfect. It's a matter of self-preservation. You will not be able to keep the room looking like a magazine spread. Children make a mess. So a nursery should in a sense be pre-messed. This does not mean it should be a dump, just a place where 300 brightly colored books will not clash with the color scheme, where some plastic toys will not look like an abberation, where you can feel comfortable having juice consumed without heart failure.

A couple cute ideas from Pottery Barn Kids:

Such a cute branch mobile, and very easy to make. Some stuffed birds, a branch and some fishing line for hanging. The owls are cute too, and simple to sew from scraps.



Love the framed caterpillar.

Places like this always sell lots of storage, too, which is not necessarily a good idea. Storage breeds stuff. Get a couple of plastic bins for outgrown clothes if you plan to have another child, otherwise a small box for the few heirloom items should do it. Diapers and wipes can sit right out on the changing table, babies don't play with toys yet, and the rattles and pacifiers will just get "stored" in the sofa cushions anyway. A baby's most exciting toys are their feet, and they are, conveniently, permanantly attached.

Panzanella

With my leftover organic tuscan loaf from Whole Foods and a bumper crop of cukes, what to make? Panzanella was calling to me, and here is the recipe of sorts:

July Panzanella

1 cucumber, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, sliced fine
5 cups chunked day-old bread
olive oil, lemon juice
fresh herbs - parsley, basil, thyme, tarragon, dill
sea salt, pepper
parmesan cheese

Combine all these ingredients in a bowl. Make a little dressing out of olive oil and balsamic or lemon juice. Whisk it up and pour over the salad. Sprinkle with sea salt, grind over some black pepper and finely grate some parmigiano reggiano over, add the herbs and toss to mix. Let sit for an hour and dig in! This is also good with fresh garden tomatoes and some briny olives added in.

Add some brownies, a thermos of lemonade, a wedge of cheese and some peaches and cherries, and you have a perfect summer picnic.

More Time

I have lists upon lists, and they never seem to get any smaller. The garden is producing monster cukes and there are 500, more or less, green tomatoes that will soon ripen and demand canning. The flower beds need weeding, the roses need spraying for Japanese beetle, and I'd love to figure out why the expensive timer for the front lights is not turning on. But I get home, eat dinner, spend some time with Jack, put him to bed, walk the dog, do a few necessary jobs like, oh, clean the kitchen and do some laundry, and then I have a few minutes of reading in bed and I'm out.

Don't even get me started on the big things, like painting the kitchen, ripping up the ugly carpet in the sunroom and replacing with bamboo flooring, and the mound of sewing projects in the basement.

This is causing me some anxiety, and I've been putting some thought into it. I can give away cucumbers instead of making pickles. No one in my house likes pickles anyway, except me, and I can't eat 40 jars. I can get up early tomorrow, spray the roses, do some weeding and watering and be done with it. The lights are not necessary. And the sewing projects are supposed to be fun, not a burden.

Heaven, with Horses

We spent the weekend in Lexington, Kentucky, in the heart of Bluegrass Country. What an amazing trip! I came here with my parents when I was a little girl and I wanted to see if it was as beautiful as I remembered. You be the judge:





We visited the Kentucky Horse Park, and the Bluegrass Railroad Museum. We also stocked up at Whole Foods and did a lot of swimming. I would like to get out into the country a little bit more on the next trip and see Ward Hall and some of the bourbon distilleries.

Lexington is one of the few places in this country where wealth equals taste (and I lived on Long Island, so I know of what I speak). It has that romance of the south, and for a wealthy community, is surprisingly affordable to visit.

Travelogue

I haven't been writing much because I've been very busy. My husband is away for three weeks, and so I have more to do. Jack has been (fairly) good about "helping" (going for walks with me and the dog in the morning, putting his shoes on, etc.) He's also been writing on the walls, spilling his apple juice, screaming when we went for ice cream, and waking me up really early (before 8:30! No!). I try to be patient with him - I know it's hard for him to have his Daddy go away.

Jack and I tend to do a fair bit of traveling together when Robin is away. We are going to Lexington, KY this weekend to see the Kentucky Horse Park and some railroad museums, and generally revel in the beautiful Bluegrass Country. We're staying overnight to take advantage of a hotel pool. We are also flying to Vancouver in August to visit my sister. Vancouver is a fun city and Jack likes to travel, especially to fly.

I used to be a terrible traveler - I had crippling anxiety before I flew, and I got upset and angry when there were delays and cancellations. I made elaborate preparations and packed a week in advance. And then I had a child. A child who loves airports, who sits happily for 5 hours on a plane looking at clouds, eating snacks and flirting with the flight attendants. A child who eats happily in any restaurant and sleeps in any bed. After our first ten or so trips together, the anxiety just ebbed away. Traveling with a happy person will do that. And can I recommend flying First Class with children? They can't kick the seat backs, and you get free wine. Business class on a 777 is like being in a living room, except my living room doesn't have massagers in the chairs. You do have to put some nice clothes on, and people generally aren't as friendly, but it's worth it.

Nursery

These are the nursery colors I picked out. The walls of the room are already blue, and I couldn't face painting it again.


We are planning to buy a new crib. Jack's was a hand-me-down, and finally was having some structural problems. This is the same crib, but in white:

This is the fabric I used for Jack's brib bumper. It has sage-green ribbon ties.

The crib skirt will be made from some scalloped silk valances I have, and will be a Wedgewood blue.
I would love to get this armchair from IKEA - we'll have to see if we are near one anytime soon.

And, just so I don't forget that I once had abs and will have them again:

I worked so hard post-Jack for those wonderful lines down the side!

Maternity Sweaters to Knit

I am a firm believer that one should not buy too many maternity clothes. I only wore maternity pants and shorts, and then only in the last 4 months. Extra long tanks, drawstring pants and anything empire-waist will work for pretty much the whole pregnancy.

But the following knitting projects are flattering, and could be worn after delivery and after I return to my normal shape (thank you, Pilates).

Lacy Babydoll by Melissa Werhle in Expectant Little Knits
Rosebud Cardigan by Erika Knight in Knitting for Two
T shirt with Ties by Erika Knight in Knitting for Two
A-line jacket from DROPS design (I've already got this one on the needles)

This Week in Food - 3rd week in July

Each week, I pick 5 recipes for dishes I've never cooked before and make 'em. Results and pictures to come!

3rd Week in July
Chocolate dipped cherry ice cream cone (Bon Appetit cover recipe)
Vietnamese summer rolls
Zucchini fritters with lemon and greens
Crab salad with wonton crisps and lime
Vegetable pesto salad with warm goat cheese toasts

Grocery list for these recipes:
(I don't include basics like olive oil or salt or flour)
bell peppers
shitake mushrooms
goat's cheese
baguette
pesto (I make my own)
lemon
salad greens
cherry ice cream
almonds
dark chocolate
white chocolate
zucchini (from my friends' garden!)
rice paper
limes
wonton wrappers
crabmeat
fresh mint
shrimp
coconut milk

Baby Talk

Robin and I have been talking for a while about having another baby. We made a fairly momentous decision to start trying to conceive next month. I got pregnant with Jack on our first try, and I wouldn't mind if it took a bit longer this time.

I have been hesitant to have another baby. Our life was very hard after we had Jack, for a lot of reasons. I had a great pregnancy, but Jack was delivered by emergency c-section. I thought he had died. The cord was wrapped around his chest and his heart rate slowed to almost nothing. He was delivered by the doctor on call, whom I had never met before. After the surgery, I didn't see Jack for several hours because I was in shock and my body temp was 94 degrees. In the end, Jack was a terrific, happy, healthy baby, but the beginning was scary, and I never really got over that.

After I delivered, I suffered from post-partum depression for a long time. I was tired and irritable, and I couldn't get through the day without a drink. When Jack was 18 months old, one day I didn't want to drive with him in the car because I was so tired I feared I would have an accident. That was the day I called the doctor. And I got help, and medicine, and everything turned out fine in the end. But I never want to suffer through anything like that time again.

I think the reason I am willing to try again is that we have so much love in our house - my husband and I for each other, and both of us for Jack. Yes, we have the space and the time and energy. We have a big house now, two jobs, plenty of money. Jack will be going to school in a year. But I think the love is the most important thing.

And, anticipating being pregnant and various stages of uncomfortable, I decided to put a couch in my office. I bought it at a yard sale for $40. Here is Robin being comfy in the parking lot:

I bought some pillows from Marshalls and they match pretty well.

New Knitting Books

I just bought some new knitting books (so exciting!):

Lace Style by Pam Allen and Ann Budd

Just Right Wrap sweater

Lily of the Valley shawl



Hepburn Cardigan


Inspired to Knit by Michele Rose Orne




all images are copyright interweave press

Wall-e

If you have not seen Wall-e yet, get yourself to a movie theatre! Jack and I have been twice and Robin has been 4 times. It's a wonderful movie, suitable for children and adults. My husband described it to me as a love story, and it is. It is also a magnificent science fiction story, and a cautionary tale about obesity, complacency, and our abuse of the environment. Pixar's best movie, which is saying a lot.