does anyone ever day trick?

My guys on Halloween afternoon.

Handed out halloween candy last night for the first time and it was as amazing as I had always dreamed it would be. Growing up in an apartment building with few kids meant that the few kids there were went to their friends buildings and in my adulthood either I wasn't home for it or no one came. but last night they came in droves!! the 4 bags of candy I had bought were gone well before the last child was out.
I felt a little defeated turning our porch light out with kids still on the street but also relieved that there wouldn't be gobs of junk around.

Jonah handed out the candy, and loved putting it in the "big kids" bags. No trick or treating for him yet. I'm putting off that for as long as possible.

In other news while J napped yesterday P and I tried to rewire a lamp, I was assured that it is a super easy project, but half way through I called the company for help only to find out that they only offer help Mon-Fri. We resorted to YouTube which helped some but I have to call back the manufacturer to finish up. meaning that my dinning room is covered in lamp parts which Jonah has decided are WAY more interesting than his toys............... obviously.

Doogie gave Wanda a pelvic!! and other things.

I've searched, and searched, I've looked for swarms of fruit flies and armies of ants but I still have not found the banana. Or the sour cream.

Yesterday as J and I were getting out of the car he wanted to hold my keys. I put him in the house, keys in his little hand and went back to the car to get groceries, etc.

After putting away everything I noticed that he wasn't holding the keys. I asked him where they were but he just laughed. That's right laughed. I asked a few more times but he wasn't telling just laughing. Then I took to searching through his toys, books, everywhere to no avail. Frustrated, convinced that I would never find them, have to get a key made for the car, how does one get a key made for a car, etc. I see something out of the corner of my eye in my bag...........it's the keys. He put them back where they go. Frankly it was kinda annoying!

This got me thinking, maybe he threw away the banana and sour cream. Could it be that the reason I can't find them is cause they are no longer here? This will drive me crazy till the end of time.

On another note, has anyone else seen black stirrup pants and scrunchies popping up in stores recently. TOOOOOOO SOON PEOPLE TOOOOOO SOON!!!! If I see one pair of pegged jeans out there I will not be able to keep my mouth shut, I may have to unpeg on the spot. You have all been warned!!

And another retro item. Last night after knitting I came home to find P watching a new channel on the tv. Its all reruns of classic shows. SO after watching the end of Wonder Years Doggie Howser came on. And what an episode it was.
Picture it: Doogie and Wanda are on their second date, she gets appendicitis and to diagnosis it he has to give her a pelvic exam. Ah they don't write em like they used to. Then for some reason he has to do the surgery etc. It was great. But my favorite and least favorite part was at the end when she asks if he saw her naked and he says only from the upper chest up and her shoulders. UMMMMM you gave her an f'n pelvic YOU SAW HER VAGINA!!!!
First what did she think he was doing down there, did she think he had his eyes closed. Second what did this teach young girls like me watching this, that your vagina isn't part of your body or something?
I know I'm probably reading too much into a Doogie episode but maybe not.

I am who I am

A different kind of mother would have noticed BEFORE she left the house that the shirt she put her son in this morning was horribly stained. And not just with one stain or even a light colored one but some thing that looks like spaghetti sauce all over it.

A different kind of mom would have noticed.

But I'm not that mom. I'm the mom who was racing around the house today trying to get out and threw what I thought was a nice clean white shirt on my adorable child. When did I notice that he looked filthy, oh about an hr later. My first reaction was upsetness but my second reaction the one I'm sticking with is , eh whatever. that's how he looks at the end of the day anyway, why not just start out that way.

For all you other moms, you know the ones who have extra clothes in their car and are always at the ready with a wet wipe instead of just wiping their kids hands with the inside of their own shirt. To all of you.................................



I'm off to make ketchup and mustard from the "Nourishing Traditions" cookbook.

33 1/2 and other random stuff

Today is my half birthday. I am officially 33 1/2. I love celebrating my half birthday. We celebrated them in nursery school and I unlike others have never seen the reason to stop. The problem lies in the fact that not everyone thinks a half birthday is a celebratory event. Ah, one day the world will join me!
I'm pretty sure that if I sent the idea to Hallmark they would start making half bday cards, but I don't believe in cards so ya know, I wont be doing that.

Knit night, as always, was perfection.

I have once again won the mother of the yr award, given to me this time for the black eye Jonah is currently sporting. He tripped on the door jam.
How do you commemorate your little boy's first black eye? Is there a traditional gift? Is there a specific cake? I hope there's a cake.
Maybe I should invent one. We could call it "black eye pie" or "black and blue 3 layer triple chocolate cake". Do you like how I threw in triple chocolate there for no reason what so ever other than the love of chocolate.

I have been craving fall weather for at least a month now and it finally started peaking in. And except for the 3 days of 90 deg temps that we are currently experiencing I'm sure it will be back soon. Right, RIGHT MOTHER NATURE! Cause a girl can go a little batty when its 90 deg out and the trees are changing color. It makes my insides go all wonky.

Oh and the project day that I had planned yesterday was more of a theoretical project day than an actual one. Lets say it was a planning day for the real project day that is going to take place today.
Oh and amazing green couch from the 50's that was in goodwill on Monday. If you're still there today you are coming home with me!!!

Hey weather, whats up with you?

Just when I thought we were safely on our way to fall summer is busting down the door again. its going to be 90 deg today. 90! Talk about insanity.

I mean how is a girl supposed to work on her husbands wool knit sweater for Christmas on a 90 deg day. How I ask.

And I'm not sure the apple picking plans that we had for today are going to come to fruition either. And darn it if I didn't have dreams of making apple sauce and apple butter but that may have to be put on hold as well.

On the other hand it is probably a perfect day for continuing sanding and painting the thrifted furniture that we bought for our house. I super duper really want the sofa table to get done and be nicely ensconced behind my sofa where it belongs. And since only I am standing in the way of that happening I guess I better get on it.

A friend of mine has a great blog, andreastreasures.blogspot.com, where she has been showing all her amazing projects from the "Nourishing Traditions" cookbook which has inspired me to break out my copy and try some of the recipes too.

I think its going to be a project day, just not a wool sweater project day!

cafe des artistes closed, and I'm just finding out about it now

I just got depressed. it came on all of a sudden like a ton of bricks.
And whats weirder is that its over something so unexpected.
I just found out that Cafe des Artistes closed. And the worst part is that it closed 2 yrs ago. 2 yrs, and I just found out now. That fact is sort of astonishing to me.

Cafe des artes is, or was, this amazing restaurant in NY, on the 1st fl of the Hotel des Artistes which used to be an artists residence/studio space building. The walls of the restaurant were covered in amazing works of art done by the residents who lived above.
It was very pricey and the kind of place where men had to wear jackets. I only went twice once for dinner and once for drinks.
The time I went to dinner, the food was amazing and the atmosphere transported me back to its heyday.
The time I went for drinks I sat at the bar with a friend, had way too many cosmos (the one and only time I drank cosmopolitans) and ended up talking long into the night with a local NY news caster, the late Peter Jennings in case you're interested.

I only went into the restaurant twice but I walked by it and looked into its windows at that amazing art work at least once a week for the majority of my life. My cousins lived on the same street, my apt was 10 blocks away but I grew up in their apt as much as I did my own.

I would purposely walk down one street instead of the other just so I could peer into cafe's windows. I loved the idea that if you couldn't pay your bill a painting would be accepted. Those days ended long before my time but I loved that it happened at all and that I got to benefit from it. It became a ritual.

My other connection with it was that my Aunt Laura used to make their desserts with her friend Madge, that was until the health dept found out that 2 young moms were cooking out of their home kitchens and selling it to a fancy restaurant.

Aunt Laura taught me to cook, instilled in me my love of cooking, showed me that by putting love into the food that you cook for your loved ones is a way of expressing that love.

The reason that I didn't know that Cafe closed is that in 2003 Aunt Laura died of breast cancer and they sold the apartment. I miss her more than I can put into words.

I guess the reason seeing that Cafe closed 2 yrs ago upset me so much was cause it made me realize how different life has been since Aunt Laura died. I can't believe that I hadn't walked down 67th st in 2 yrs. I can't believe its been almost 8 yrs since she was here with us.

Have I mentioned that I love our new place?

Friends, crabs, beautiful weather, what more could a girl have asked for this past Labor Day weekend. Its so great to hang out in our fab backyard watching the kids run around and interact.
Three boys 18 months, 2 yrs, 2 1/2 yrs all getting along, for the most part. Yes there was some taking toys out of each others hands, throwing grass on each other, and other such minor things, but for the most part it was heaven for them and for me.

The first party in a new place is always a little awkward and this one was no exception but at the end of the night as Peter and I were sitting on the couch reflecting on the day and feeling incredibly blessed to have such incredible people in our lives I felt good and safe and full.

Swimming lessons start tomorrow for the J man and I . It should go well considering how much my little guy loves the water. I'm more nervous for me having to hold a squirmy toddler who just wants to GO GO GO!!

Knit night tonight, thank goodness. I need to be around the ladies who always always lift me up, make me feel peaceful through uncontrollable laughter, and remind me that creativity can be a form of prayer.

Armor

Being a mom, wife, woman, daughter, human is amazing and full of wonder. But it is also hard, challenging, draining, and repetitive. I can't be the only one who finds figuring out what to make for breakfast lunch and dinner over and over again overwhelming at times. It has to be nutritious, taste good, something all 3 of want to eat not the same every day, etc. Sometimes I just open up the fridge and stare blankly for 5 minutes before closing it still having no idea what I'm going to do.
There's laundry, dishes, cleaning, endlessly childproofing since my kid is growing everyday.

To be honest sometimes its just too much. I wonder if I'm strong enough, good enough, doing the right things, do I even know what the right things are.

I pray, I listen for answers (or try, the listening part is not my strong suit). I reflect.


But I have my armor. I know I know we aren't supposed to be caught up in clothes or appearance, but taking time each morning to purposely think about what I'm going to wear, how the clothes make me feel, taking the time to "dress" really helps me. I try to dress "strong". I put things on that make me feel like I can conquer the world. I guess its sorta like dressing for the job you want not the job you have. I want to be strong, handle what ever comes my way, super woman and dressing that part helps me achieve that goal. Albeit more successfully on some days than on others. But hey at least it works for me on most days.

smile smile smile

Another beautiful day in our fabulous new neighborhood! I just smile being around here.
The unpacking is coming along. Some days I have more energy than others.
Today is a good day. I feel peppy and spunky and full of vim and vigor. The J man and I have already run a good amount of errands and since he doesn't seem to be in a "nap place" today I think we may go out and run some more.

Oh and in the insane kid info category: I measured J's feet 2 weeks ago to buy him a pair of sneakers. He was a 6. Tried on a few pairs. Bought a neato pair and away we went. Tried to put them on him over the weekend and they were too small. Went today and measured his feet again...............8. Tried on 8's and they fit like a charm. Is it possible that my kids feet grew 2 sizes in 2 weeks?????

help I'm lost in a sea of boxes!!

Hello Hello Hello.

Here we go....................

Moved in a week ago.

This is going slow.

The boxes seem to be multiplying like gremlins if you feed them way too late.

Ok enough of that.

Here's the scoop. We moved in thanks once again to our amazing fabulous and wonderful friends and family. We realize that it is completely rude to have a 200 LBS tv when you move as much as we do. Negotiations are going on about getting rid of it.

The house has no built in storage, ie no kitchen cabinets to speak of so we bought some "put together yourself" things to hold all our kitchen stuff. And in case you couldn't guess a pasty chef has A LOT of kitchen stuff!!

Jonah's play room is done. Its the only room that's done but hey its better than having no rooms done.

Next on the agenda is the kitchen.

Basically I'm overwhelmed, exhausted, and ready to be done. But I'm sure most of the world feels the same way. It's time to stand up straight, center myself, and plow through.

It will get done. A little at a time. The key is finding a balance between playing with my amazing kid, hanging out with my super duper husband, and finding some time for myself while getting the rest of it done.

Re Re Re

We are moving again. and believe me when I say that I am ecstatic that we actually found a place to move to.

Its the big huge monster house. And instead of being terrified of the fact that we are moving into such a behemoth I am choosing to be excited that we will have space. Jonah will have a big ol' play room, Peter will have an office to do his school work in and a separate music/art room, I will have an art room, after all those rooms we still have guest rooms, so please come visit. you get the picture right.............its big!!

And due to the mold incident of this past winter we have no furniture, or much of anything else. Our current place was furnished so we are starting from square one, sort of. My mom thankfully has furniture that doesn't fit into her current place so we get that. and we actually bought our first piece of new furniture either together or separately. I normally love the fact that we buy used but this time around we decided to buy a comfy couch. Our last 3 used couches have been so uncomfortable that we decided to go for it!! but we still need stuff like dressers, end tables, lamps, book cases etc. We are supposed to be going to a big furniture flea market toady but it starts in 10 min and both my boys are down for naps and I'm blogging so we'll see what time we actually get there. Its only on Wednesdays and to be honest I've been wanting to go ever since i've heard about it and now I finally have a reason.
We did get stuff at yard sales last weekend, coffee tables, an end table, etc that all needs to be repainted. Yay!! break out the sander and spray paint!!!PROJECT!!!
I've already started to think about the most amazing shade of blue for one of the tables and yellow, not sure what shade pale I think, for the other.

I want to buy book cases but since all of our books are in the dump covered in mold it seems a little depressing to have empty book cases even though I know we'll fill them eventually.

When we moved into this place we were in shock after having all our stuff hauled away, and to the dump no less. We people we buy used, repurpose, recycle, etc had to actually throw out our perfectly good stuff into a landfill. It was painful on so many levels.

This house was furnished, horribly so but furnished none the less. There was a bed we could sleep on and a table we could eat at. The couch and chairs are actually wooden benches, very uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact that we brought the 3rd row of seats from our minivan in the house to use as a couch instead.
I knew we were only staying here for a few months so unpacking the few remaining things that we had seemed pointless. And to be fare I just didn't have it in me. We have clothes, dishes, J has his toys. But I just couldn't put the effort into making this place our home.

But this next house that we are moving into in a week and a half well i have big plans for you house so get ready. I am determined to make it OUR HOUSE. Who knows how long we will be living there. We usually move every yr sadly sometimes its more but every yr is our average. But for the yr that we are living there, (please let it be at least a yr) I want it to feel like home. I want to walk in the door and feel like we belong, its our space not some temporary lodging.

So yard sales and thrift stores watch out! I'm a woman on a mission. I will find cute beat up cheap stuff and do what has to be done to restore, refit, and repurpose, what you have so that we, Jonah Peter and Bonnie, will have a comfortable place to be at peace. loving each other, playing with each other, and spending time together.

I need something. am searching for something. don't know what it is. its so close I can almost taste it. It's right out there. If I stretch my arm out maybe I can touch it.

The thing is I have everything I need and could want. Wonderful husband, baby, family, life.

But yet there is something. Something just out of reach but it is almost here. around the corner and to the left.

I'm waiting. Whatever you are I'll see you soon.

Oh and kid who purposely threw sand in my baby's eyes yesterday, if you weren't 4 I would have had some choice words for you and maybe a few actions!!! More likely a stern talking to, I am a pacifist after all..............

Give me an M

Hello Monday. I welcome you with open arms. For with your arrival brings us one day closer to Peter being done with the school yr. True he is teaching summer school but its only half days and Jonah and I get to have him for the other half. This whole work thing takes my darling husband away from us far too much!

Spent the weekend looking for a couch. The never ending saga of looking for a couch, or so it seems. One day we will find one and it will be comfortable and nappable and perfect for our needs, my feet will be able to touch the ground when I sit down on it, etc.

I watch the live cam of the oil spill somehow trying to get my mind around what is going on but either I am too limited or the situation to vast for that to happen. I sit in shock and amazement. Trying not to look at the birds covered in oil but not able to look away either. I can't stand it. What are we doing......................

So Monday come forth. Wrap me in your Mondayness. Lets go, lets see what you have in store for us. Will it be the co-op, picking dandelions for dandelion jam, or maybe something totally unexpected? Monday give me your best!!

Is it me?

I had a confrontational day today.
I asked the check out woman at the grocery store how she was and she snapped back. Basically saying how she is is none of my business.
I had a testy exchange with a nurse at the dr.'s office.

It was just one of those things I couldn't seem to shake.

Was it something that I was putting out into the world or were people just bummed to be back at work after a holiday weekend. Maybe it was both.

All I know is that I am done interacting with people for the day.

If you planned on calling me to chat I hope it can wait till tomorrow!!

Can you play your shirt?

Pictures from Peter's Bday BBQ. His birthday really isn't till the 27th but we celebrated early. The new grill worked like a champ. and beer, bocce, and brownies were enjoyed by all.

I gave him a shirt with a playable electric guitar built in it. YOu can find it here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/interactive/c498/zoom/

He hasn't really had one to play since the mold made him get rid of guitars, banjo, ukulele, drums, etc. I thought this would be a good temp till he gets a new one. It has this little amp you hook onto your belt. It was really funny. And thankfully he liked it.

I have a problem of getting presents for Peter that he doesn't really like. The problem is that I listen to him. He says he wants something, I file that knowledge away for a later date, then I get him the item for Christmas, bday, etc, but it turns out it was more of a spur of the moment "I want that" than an actual one. But I think after 5 + yrs of being together I've learned. At least I hope I have.

Jonah continues to amaze me. Tonight he picked up his PJ's and put them around his neck and pointed up the stairs. Um so you want to go to bed? Yeah he says. He says Yeah not yes. Put them on him and away he went. couldn't believe it. He is cutting 2 teeth at the moment so maybe that's why he is extra tired. I just hope he doesn't wake up at 4AM!!

The Ice Cream Run!!

We live in a small town. It used to be all one but in the 1800's they made a canal smack through the middle so now there is North and South. North is all residential and South is where the shops, restaurants, B&B's etc are. In order to get from N to S you have to drive over a very very tall bridge. But....in the summer you can take a 3 minute ferry ride from one side to the other. It runs mostly on the weekends. But thursday, well on thursday night they have the Ice cream run, On the S there's a fabulous Ice Cream shop that uses local ingredients and milk and cream from a diary on the outskirts of town. It delicious and delectable. And you get a discount on your scoop if you take the ferry, $1 a scoop, yes please!!

Last night we kept Jonah up past his bedtime so we could do the Ice Cream run, and let me just say it was well worth it. And not just because I got adorable pics of Jonah in a life jacket.

He was sleepy but rallied like a champ, especially after we let him have his first taste of ice cream. One lick was defiantly not enough for our little boy.

It was so good I couldn't stop for one moment to take a photo of said deliciousness!! Don't worry I'm sure we'll do it again!!

Oh and the bbq is back on. scamper scamper scamper, things need to find a place to hide while other folks come in!