Who should pay?

I'm glad the House didn't pass the financial bailout. I don't want to pay for the gross negligence and financial stupidity of the mortgage companies who lent money to credit risks and homeowners who bought houses they couldn't afford. I don't see how it will affect me if the mortgage companies go out of business, and if these people lose their homes. They shouldn't own those homes, because they can't afford them.

When we were pre-approved for a mortgage almost three years ago, the bank gave us a figure of $200,000. I didn't have a job. My husband's salary was in the low 50's. And we had no down payment. So we were supposed to be able, according to the bank, to make a payment of $1500 + a month with a monthly income of $3,000 net per month. Half our income. I laughed. These were experts, trying to sell us a loan that they knew we could not pay without grave financial hardship.

Too many people did not make this calculation. They believed that the bank could not possibly be wrong. Banks are in the business of making money, and everything they tell you should be taken with the same grain of salt you would use if you were buying a car or a suit or groceries.

So how did it turn out for us? I got a job, we bought a house at less than the pre-approved amount, and we only spend what we have. Do you know how you do that? You don't use credit. I have a credit card. I use it to buy plane tickets for which we will be reiumbursed. That's it. No fancy dinners, no shoes, no Jaguars, no nothing. That's how we got a house in the first place, and that's how we keep it, month after month, for thirty years. I'm proud of my house. I love it. And I'm proud of myself and my husband, for paying every bill every month for 6 years so we could have it.

Sewing for Baby 2

Bonpoint make some gorgeous stuff, no doubt. But $200 for a baby dress is impractical. I would be afraid to put it on her, for one.

This one is cute, and would be super simple to sew - a few rectangles and some embroidery and you're done. They did it in wool, but a nice light cotton or linen would be pretty.



I love this cute little coat. Mccalls 5697 or Simplicity 6846 will make almost the exact same thing, but only in children's sizes. Burda 9944 is a close approximation for babies - just put buttons on where the ribbon ties are.

Paris, here we come

My husband is going to Paris the first week in December to sit on a PhD defense committee, and Jack and I have decided to tag along. I love to travel to places where there are people we know; we get hospitality and so much insider information. I have been thinking, though - Jack isn't going to go for three hour trips through the Louvre, or looking at picturesque monuments all day. In fact, I think the reason he wants to go is because I told him how good the croissants and ice cream are there. That's okay with me, I'm a big fan of croissants (and macarons, and pain au chocolat, and lemon tart, and chocolate mousse) myself. I have also been to Paris before and seen many lovely things, and this is Jack's first trip, so I am looking for some kid-friendly things to do. The hubbie will be at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, so I guess I'll start in that vicinity and work outwards (fortunately, Jack loves public transportation. He thought the electric buses in Vancouver were the last word in cool)

The museum is in the 5th arrondisement, on the Left Bank, close to the Seine, Notre Dame and the Luxembourg Gardens. The Jardin de Plantes, a botanical garden, is in front, along with a small zoo.

So:
E. Dehillerin (French kitchen shop)
Pierre Herme
Laduree
Berthillon (aforementioned ice cream)
Luxembourg Gardens
Jardin de Plantes & zoo
Montemartre (I missed it on my last trip)
Bonpoint (children's clothing boutique) outlet at 42 Rue de l'Universite
Louvre - 18 and under are free

Sewing for Baby

Four panels of redwork embroidery for a wall hanging for the nursery.

Baby clothing patterns

Print cottons for baby clothes

Kimono made from an antique linen pillowcase with a satin ribbon tie. From a pattern in Everything for Baby

Baby Mary Janes in natural linen and cotton gingham and floral print, pattern from For Sweet Baby

Closeup detail of button closure.

Crafty Purchases

Purchased today at AC Moore, which just revamped its yarn dept. Four different kinds of sock yarn! A huge clearance section with lots of nice stuff, not just the horrible furry novelty yarns.
3 skeins of Moda Dea Bamboo Wool in Chili Pepper Red to make a cabled cardigan for the little one on the way.

Paper Autumn Leaves, to string on twine and wind around the banister. A good craft for Jack and I tomorrow night.

feltworks felted wool balls, to use in a baby mobile with cloth birds and bugs. I got the idea from For Sweet Baby, a Japanese sewing book. I have no idea how to felt little balls of wool, though, so I was super excited to find them ready made.

Purchased at Target:

Dot crib sheet (middle) and dot dust ruffle (bottom) to match my crib bumper(top), handmade when I was pregnant with Jack.

Flickr Favorites

1. another corner, 2. Beautiful flowers, 3. Dresser Top, 4. B is for Bird, 5. Treeology art quilt 2/3, 6. Elephants Up Close, 7. Hellblaue Details, 8. kitchen close up, 9. mia's night light

Knitting for Baby

My newest niece, Emma Lucy, was born yesterday. I started this sweater for her back in April, and I put in an hour or so last night weaving in ends and adding silk ties. It's ready to go with a china cup and bowl set and a pair of little shoes. The pattern is Lion Brand Little Luxury Kimono, and the yarn is Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK in Nest Egg.

This scarf is for Audrey, the 8 month old baby of a friend. She tried to learn to knit, but was too busy, so I promised to make a scarf out of this pretty Elann Baby Silk (baby alpaca & silk) in Raspberry. The pattern is Irish Hiking Scarf, available for free on Ravelry. I'm completely in love with that velvet ribbon (Rose Pink, from M & J Trim in NYC, they mail order if you can't get there.)

Sewing World

I recently made a change in my sewing setup. It's in the basement, although it's nicer than that sounds since our basement is 1. finished, with a carpet and fireplace and 2. It has sliding glass doors out to the backyard. So it's a pretty nice big room down there. I used to have my sewing table next to the doors, and it felt creepy to have the black expanse of glass at night (I only have time to sew at night). Also, the room was too big. I felt lost in it.

I hung a curtain dividing the room in half. I moved my table over by the fireplace, put down a nice rug, set up the ironing board, and it's great. I went down last night and Monday night and sewed. I feel cozy instead of overwhelmed by the space. I still would love to have a light-filled attic studio with white curtains and a great view, but honestly, attics are hot in the summer and freezing in the winter, and our attic is unfinished at this point. I'm making do with what I've got, which is a lot, and I'm thankful for it.


The two projects I'm working on are:
Simplicity 4119

This is just about finished except for the hem, one side of the zipper and a portion of the inside lining. It will be nice for a summer wedding with a rose-colored pashmina and silver shoes.
Burda 9752

This blouse is about half done.

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.