Fire Island kids

I came across this picture on the computer and it made me realize: she has my hair.

Birthday Boy

We had a birthday here this week.  Adrian enjoyed his taco dinner and chocolate cake.  The girls came downstairs the morning of his birthday (May 21st) asking how the 1 year old was doing.  I feel amazed that we have gone through one more year of babyhood--and amazed at how fast it has gone by--faster with each kid, so it seems.

The big house phase 2

We moved to this house almost exactly two years ago.  I know because we just got back from our annual trip to California last week and two years ago, we got back from California, I worked a 24 hour shift and then we moved the next day.  And because of a pushed-up closing date on our old house, we moved into what was essentially total chaos: no kitchen, major renovations on the first floor, only one functional shower (that remains the case today).
So we moved from a normal-sized house to this crazy huge house and felt like there was so much room and everything was so chaotic that it kind of didn't matter where we put things.  Who needed to be organized when there were so many bedrooms and closets?
Well fast-forward 2 years to now.  Things may look a little better on the surface--the windows open and close, the kitchen has walls and appliances that work.  But the chaos is there still, its just lurking out of site.  Three examples that spring immediately to mind: the kids art cabinet, the coat closet, and...horror of horrors, the basement.  I can't even really discuss the basement without experiencing an anxiety attack of sorts, so we're not going to go there right now.  Instead we're going to ''accentuate the positive" and take a look at The big house, phase 2, step 1.  The pantry.  A few weeks ago, the girls and I emptied EVERY LAST THING out of the pantry, wiped down all the shelves and put everything back in a more orderly and sensible way.  We also disposed of some long-forgotten pantry items that were either past their prime or never going to get used.

Hooray.  Witness, the re-organized pantry.

Look at all that space on the shelf!  Just look at it.

My goals for this summer are to deal with the spaces in this house just like I would if it were smaller and every inch had to be carefully planned and thought out.  Obviously we have enough space in this house.  If there is nowhere to put shoes, then it's because I haven't figured out the right system yet.  So I'll be on the hunt this summer for all kinds of organizing tips and ideas plus I'll be purging stuff that doesn't work for us and trying to get things straightened out so the house is easier to keep neat and more pleasant to be in.  Stay tuned.

I think my iphone has ruined me for blogging

Like my friend Nikki, I think having an iphone has really ruined me for blogging.  I just never sit down at the computer anymore.  Right at this moment, it feels so old school to be sitting here at a desk, using a big keyboard and looking at a big screen.  How weird.

But I still like the idea of blogging, and I feel nostalgic at the thought of stopping, so I'm going to make an effort to persist.

So, I made a Japanese knot bag last night.  It was mother's day after all.

On the bright side

We got a beautiful woodstove installed in our living room about 2 weeks ago.

Hmm. Not a very good picture.  Did I mention I can't find my camera and have been taking pictures with my iphone (love it) only for the past month or so.

Well, the woodstove is great and it's really perfect for just embracing the February funk--hot chocolate, popcorn and knitting.  Sounds like dinner.

February funk.

Oh February how cranky you make me. 
I feel like Alexander from 'Alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day.'

The baby didn't sleep well and got up early so I won't be able to take my morning run without messing up his nap, and Al got me up 20 minutes later than I asked him to, so I had to rush to get the girls to school and it was colder than I thought it was so I had to give Penelope my scarf and then my neck got cold and I couldn't find my sour cherry jam, so I had to use strawberry, blech.  etc. etc.  And it's only 10 in the morning. 

Better late than never

Maybe I should rename the blog 'better late than never' since that seems to be a theme here.  Anyway, some belated pictures from December which was (as always) a really really busy month.  The girls both played their flutes in 2 performances (and I use the word 'played' in the loosest sense) and had their ballet recitals (no pictures of Claudia for some reason, but damn she looked cute).  Diego turned 8 (8!) and I sewed and sold a bunch of dolls.  I decided to be a little more official on the business end of things and now have a website and a business card (and a little notebook with lists of ideas and orders!--I love a little notebook).  The website is philadelphiadollco.blogspot.com but there's nothing on it yet.

I also sewed the dresses for the girls' flute recital.  I did Penelope's well ahead of time with the beautiful Anna Maria Horner striped fabric and the black flowers.  I used this pattern (obscure) which I had used before.  I like the pinafore portion much better than the underdress.  Claudia's dress I sewed up super quick the morning of the recital and it is a Simplicity pattern (don't have the number handy) which I have made about 5 times before and LOVE. So simple and easy.  The pattern calls for bias binding at the armholes and neck, which I have done in the past for summer dresses, but since this was a warmer corduroy dress, I opted to just line it instead.

P and I have been reading Hitty and really want to buy this kit but I'm trying to hold back and be reasonable, since I'm really working a lot on the other dolls lately (3 orders for January!).

I got an iphone--more on that soon.

Better late than never

Too late to give to the kids' teachers or friends at work, but just in time for Santa Clause

I also made a pillowcase

All of our couch cushions were looking a little ratty.  And we inherited a bunch of kilim pillow cases from my dad which are beautiful to look at but way too scratchy to lean against (let alone rest your head on).  So I thought I would make some.  I finished the one and then moved on to other things (it is Christmas ya know) and now I have a big pile of fabric slated for pillow cases and a bunch of still-ratty looking couch pillows.  Oh well. 


And one small gripe: I am finding it very hard to get into the holiday spirit when it is 60 degrees and rainy. 

I sold some dolls...

At a craft show in my hood. 
So I think I'll make some more...

The baby sleeps for hours in the jogger

Running makes me feel great, be healthier and have more energy.  Why oh why is it so hard to make myself do it when it is so obviously the answer to almost all my problems?  Anyone?

Halloween and Claudia turned 3

 A pirate, a vampire bat and a cat set out with their grandmother to go trick or treating.

 Who doesn't love a marching band?

The trading--"Claudia that's really good.  It's chocolate with rice crispies in it.  You'll want to keep that."  Thank goodness for big brothers.

My my where does the time go?

Mammals learn

Al is fond of telling me this on occasions when I repeat the same stupid thing I've done before (usually involves late night sewing and broken sewing machine needles).  This is the result of another high-stakes baking episode.  I don't know why I keep doing this to myself, except that perhaps this mammal is hoping to learn to bake rather than learning to go to Metropolitan Bakery to buy cupcakes for Penelope's birthday party that is really the labor day block party in our alley ('Look how many people came to wish you happy birthday honey--people you don't even know!').

Suffice it to say that the 'Boston Cream Pie' Cupcakes in Martha Stewart's cupcake cookbook looked a little different...

Tuesday morning

3 kids dressed, fed, brushed and dropped off in 3 different locations (check).
2 lunches made and delivered with correct children to correct location (check)
1 emergency lunch made and delivered late to 1 child (check)
1 baby neither brushed nor fed nor dressed until 10:30, after all of the above had occurred (thank you mellow Adrian)
1 cat found (thank you to all the friends, neighbors and strangers who helped us find him)
2 hours until kid pick-ups start...
School year '11-'12...bring it on!

Have you seen this cat?

If you have seen him around West Philly, please let me know via the comments.  His name is Hickory and Diego is really missing him

Upstate

A much-needed break from Philadelphia summer weather.  An hour spent in the Lincoln tunnel on the way up, and it was still worth the trip.

I was just introduced to this website
www.unhappyhipsters.com. Midcentury modern is definitely not my thing and I feel sort of the same way about Dwell magazine as I did about the popular kids in high school--so a little spoofing at their expense pleases me.

Heard the first cicadas today. Their rattling and buzzing is the perfect soundtrack to these sweaty summer in Philadelphia days. 90 degrees with less humidity felt positively comfortable today...

40 days

In a lot of traditional cultures (so I've heard), new moms and babes are given 40 days during which they are protected and sheltered, excused from participation in day-to-day activities, fed special foods, and generally expected to just rest, recuperate and get to know each other.

Of course this tradition is not part of our/my modern culture, but I have kept it in my mind these past few weeks. Each time I decided to lay down in bed to watch the fan wave Adrian's hair in the breeze, or took a cool bath with him in the middle of the day, or gave the kids cheese and crackers for dinner, I though of this tradition. 'We're still in our 40 days" I would tell myself as the laundry piled up and giant dust bunnies blew across the floor like tumbleweeds.

But now our 40 days are up. And just on cue, Adrian has woken up. His baby acne went away over night. He holds his head up and looks around, eyes big and dark. He fusses when left alone and smiles when someone comes to rescue him. So, it's time to take up some of my responsibilities again--I'm going to the grocery store today. I still have a few precious weeks of maternity leave left, but soon that will be over and Adrian will have to learn to take a bottle and be comforted by others besides me. So bittersweet...

My friends are crazy-talented

And also incredibly kind and generous. I am so amazed that people would think of making and sending so many wonderful things for a 4th baby. Not that I don't think he's worthy of it, of course. More that I sort of expected people to have a kind of "oh, how many kids do they have already" attitude about him. But instead we've been literally showered with beautiful and handmade gifts and delicious home-cooked meals. How lucky are we?