Plum Stitches

pile o' projects and more

I have a few projects I'm trying to wrap up by the end of the month.  At least that's the goal I've set for myself.  I love the apple green of the bottom project and the soft fuzziness of the top one.

I have a little idea brewing about a future career option.  I'm trying to hammer out the details.  This one involves me not going back to an office.  Really, when it comes down to it, I think the only reason I want to go back to an office, aside from money, is so that I can wear fancy clothes and put on a bit of makeup.  Of course there are other reasons, but they seem to be two of the silliest.

I've been working hard to clean up our back garden - dividing perennials, pulling weeds and experimenting with seeds.  So far I haven't run into any 'gifts' that the feral cats have left behind - thankfully.  This time of year I'm not sure what's more annoying the feral cats or the squirrels.  Yesterday I saw a feral cat stalking a squirrel in our neighbors back yard.  Not sure how I feel about that one.

   Phoebe's crawling all over the place and has stood on her own a few times, but no first steps.  Chloe walked late, so I'm thinking Phoebe may be following in her footsteps.

One other funny thing I've noticed about Phoebe in the last two weeks is that she actually has a neck!  The baby chubbiness is fading.  I suppose that happens once they celebrate their first birthday.

rainy day ramblings

I started this little scarf, for Chloe, I think, inspired by Sue's.  Although I'm opting for an embellishment and straight garter stitch.  I bought a similar scarf that was made out of cotton knit for Chloe last year from Anthropologie and now it's seem better days and needs to be replaced.

My littlest lady and I celebrated birthdays over the past two weeks.  I haven't hit the big one yet, but I'm getting very close.

We had a joint family party for all of the birthday celebrations and were able to eat out in our back yard.  A bit cramped, but that's city living, right?

On my birthday, I got a phone call from my two aunts in South Jersey saying they wanted to drive up for the day.  What a nice surprise!  Chloe was very excited that when they showed up her two cousins were in tow as well.

Jim booked me a massage appointment at the spa associated with our gym.  Sounds nice doesn't it? 

Well, I'm one of those people that prefers having female doctors, female masseuses, you get the picture.  I ended up having a male masseuse, which I figured would be fine.  It was fine until he started running his mouth about all his qualifications and then he started telling me about how I needed to tone up and lose some fat. 

I'm the first to admit that I have about 10-15 pounds extra baggage (I have lost all of the baby weight).  He also was kind of enough to point out and grab the spots that needed some toning.  So irritating!  The funny thing about all of it was that he's a personal trainer at the gym and gave me his number to call him to set up training.  I quickly lost the card.  Think I'll be looking up another trainer.

 

I bought this little crown off of Etsy in hopes of it becoming the 'birthday crown' in our house.  Unfortunately, it arrived late and Chloe quickly claimed it as her own.

another one!

Pattern:  February Sweater (Sweater on Two Needles), by Elizabeth Zimmermann from The Knitter's Almanac

Yarn:  Brooks Farm Riata, I bought this a few years ago at The Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck

Needles:  Size 7 circular

Size:  I would say a 6 month old baby, but babies come in different sizes

Notes:  This time I skipped making buttons holes and was able to push the rather large button through the yarn.  I was worried this would work, but I think the sweater is knit loosely enough that it worked.  Also, my preference with this sweater has become keeping the buttons holes on the yoke part of the sweater.  I just love this pattern!

My thoughts of making this sweater bigger were WAY off.  It fits Phoebe, but is probably best suited for a younger baby that can grow into it.  I just love the color and the yarn, so I'll be sad to see it go, but I do have more of the yarn for another sweater.

A fabulous new toy store opened in Jersey City a few weeks ago, called Jacks Toys (right next to my favorite bakery/coffee shop, Made with Love). This little book was acquired there and has become part of Chloe's growing library.  My SIL that lives in London has give us many, many wonderful books as well that both of her kids have outgrown.  She told me once that when she had kids she stopped by lipstick and started buying children's book.  I'm just happy Chloe is the beneficiary of this habit!

I got off-track...my point in bringing the book up is that last month after having dinner in the Meat Packing District, we wandered up to the High Line.  Which, I'm assuming this book is loosely based on, maybe I'm wrong.

The High Line, if you're not familiar with it, is an old rail track that was converted to a park.  It's a 'lifted' train track 30 feet above the ground.  It's really interesting and has a great view of the Hudson and Jersey City, looking West.

she crawls!

We've been in and out of town for the past few weeks, so I haven't been checking up on all you crafty folks recently, but I'm back and excited to check in on what everyone has been up to.

I took Phoebe in for her 9 month appointment back in July and there were a few things she wasn't progressing so well on.  Our pediatrician recommended taking her to physical therapy if she didn't start pushing herself up (she was fine sitting up, just not pushing herself up) and pulling herself up.  I came up with my own physical therapy regiment for her, most of which she wasn't too happy about, but it did the trick.

She's now officially crawling on all fours and we caught her trying to standup on her own over the weekend.  (Please don't let that happen too soon, I'm not ready for that one yet.)

Chloe's first official day of school was today.  This year she's going full day, which I think will be really good for her.  I think at this point I'm just not an active playmate for her, so I'm sure she'll be much happier spending those extra hours with all of her friends.

We spent one last summer weekend at the beach for the holiday weekend.  Unfortunately, the weather stunk, so I wasn't able to enjoy my new favorite activity - boogie boarding.  The weather was good on Saturday and I hung out in the water with 8-10 year olds in search of a wave to ride.  I managed to catch a few, but definitely need to hone my skills next summer.  I did manage to eavesdrop on one Dad that was telling his son where to catch the waves and what to do.  The tips were pretty good.

The flower garden at the beach did so well this summer - pure luck as I really didn't have much of a plan for them.  Although in this picture, the Lantana could use a giant drink of water.

 

beginnings

The start of a new baby gift!  Hard to imagine wearing alpaca right now, give how humid it is today, but soon enough I'll be longing for the days of summer.

Had she actually munched on the Nastursium, I doubt she would have been pleased with the taste.

garden delights

Every year I dream of a cutting garden.  I never seem to quite achieve what I'm after, but I suppose that's the beauty of a garden, you never know quite what you'll end up with.

This year, with all of the rain, my flowers  (lilies, Phlox, etc.) have grown to soaring heights, but the heavy rain has done them in a few times.   I've cut them back a few times and they seem to continue to grow.  This hasn't been a problem for the Zinnias.  I'm assuming because they're a tougher, stronger plant they seem to be thriving. I just love the colors too.

As for the garden at the beach - it's a tomato-fest.  We have eggplant in the mix as well.  Jim's grandmother treated us to lots of treats while we were there -  Sfingi and Cannoli both of which we quickly gobbled up.

   

tomato, tomahto

Last week was tomato canning fest with my Aunts in South Jersey, oh and my two uncles and cousins as well.  This year we ordered a few more baskets, but the farmer decided to give us five additional ones.  Apparently because of the cooler weather the tomatoes are taking longer to ripen.  In the end we had two baskets that need to ripen a few more days.  So, 18 baskets later we ended up with about 170 jars. 

My one Aunt has an industrial machine for processing the tomatoes and grew up in a household where this was an annual tradition.

I must admit I'm not sure the 9 hours involved in achieving 170 jars was really worth it, but at the end of the day it's the adventure and bonding that made it such a fun day. 

At the moment I'm having a hard time even thinking about eating tomato sauce, surely that will pass as cooler weather is on its way.

 

blooming

All that rain and now lots of sun are proving to be a good thing for my garden (thankfully!)

My friend Jody made a trip to Gilberties a few weeks ago and brought back several Cosican Mint plants for us.  They all seem to be thriving at the moment - rapidly creeping between the stones of our patio.  Hopefully that continues as this is my favorite addition to our garden this year.  It smells fabulous when you step on it and unlike the Creeping Thyme there's so fear of bees stinging small children.

 

A few new Web sites I've stumbled on in the past week that have quickly become new favorites:

Moolka - similar to Oompa Toys, but the seem to have a wider selection.

LMNOP - love it.  Especially the music that plays when you log in.  Chloe always comes running when she hears it.  Who wouldn't?  Check out their blog too.

Making it Lovely - the name says it all.

I can't seem to get enough of this airplane - it's popping up everywhere.  I think Chloe would love playing with it (or maybe me?)  I had the Fisher Price version as a kid, which she plays with whenever we visit Vermont.

We're off for some afternoon fun playing with the Elephants nearby.

the swift lives!

I've had a swift and a ball winder for a few years now - and gotten lots of use out of both.  Last summer in the confusion of moving bedrooms around in preparation for Phoebe's arrival I thought a lost a crucial piece of the swift, but I unearthed it under a table last week. 

We had a nice, if a bit soggy, week at the beach.  There was really only one day of torrential rain, but it was still too cold on most days to camp out at the beach for any longer than a brief visit.  We caught up on sleep, watched the garden grow and read a few books.  A perfect week, except for the lack of sunshine!




The eggplant is growing like crazy - I just love the purple veins on the leaves. 

 

summer vacation

It's hard to believe on Friday, Chloe wraps up her first year of school.  Well, pre-k 3 that is.  Time just goes by too fast.  I really hope that despite life being frustrating at times, I'm enjoying it to it's fullest.  Because they ain't young for long.

She's off for a week and then I signed her up for the first session of summer camp at her school.  She'll be going in the morning for camp and then switching to the morning program come fall.  It's been a real challenge recently with the afternoon program.  The little girl still needs a nap, but if she naps after school then she never goes to bed at night.  And I'm done dealing with little kids come 7pm. 

I think it's all been exacerbated by the summer weather and just spending more time running around in the mornings.  By the time I pick her up from school she is DONE.

In anticipation of summer camp, I'm on the hunt for an insulated backpack as she'll be bringing her lunch everyday.  If you pack lunches, check out Biggie's Lunch in a Box blog for inspiration. 

We had a fabulous weekend, traveling up to Montgomery, NY for a friend's son's third birthday party.  The weather was gorgeous, but not too hot, and Chloe had a blast playing with all the other kids.



I did manage to get back on track with my little sweater - finished both sleeves and progressing on the body.  Need to figure out my next project - I seem to be trapped in the never ending baby projects.  Not that it's a bad thing, but sometimes I wonder if I'll ever move on!

What else?  Check out this decadent Princess Pavillion.  How cool is that?  If only I had the time and space to stretch out and make something like this, Chloe would be in heaven!  I can just see it now.