Plum Stitches

perfect weather

Chloe had an arts & crafts playdate in the park with friend from the neighborhood and the weather couldn't have been better.  I little crisp, but gorgeous, if only it would stay like this for the rest of the summer.  I know it's wishful thinking, but you never know...

I had some odd skin reaction yesterday to my sunscreen combined with facial lotion, which turned into a red blotchy mess.  Of course, we went to a parent's open house for the Montessori school will be attending come September.  I know this is my moment of vanity, but I couldn't believe how self-conscious I was about it!  Today it's not so bad, and mostly dried, up, but yuck.

We found out last night that the school is going to expand up to six grade next fall, which is great news for us if we want to keep her there.  Of course, there are public school options too, but it's nice to know that this will be there.  We both think Chloe is going to have a great time there with all of the activities and the animals they have in the classroom.  It's nice to know she'll have that in the fall when the second baby arrives.

I broke a few weeks ago and bought a lady bug kit at our local garden center.  We did release them, but haven't since then.  Not sure what happened to them, but I am considering picking up another kit.  Here's one corner of our backyard that's finally starting to fill in...

I have made progress on the Harvey Kimono, at least one of the twins.  The babies still haven't arrived, so I do have a little time, but not much.  Although, I do remember it being nice to get gifts after Chloe was born, even if they were a few weeks or months she arrived.  It's the thought that counts, right??

caran d'ache

I just found this box of Caran d'Ache (basically they're water color crayons) today as I was hunting for craft supplies for Chloe.  Once again, this proves that I'm a pack rat.  I think I've had these since the mid-eighties, which means they probably traveled to college with me, then across country to San Francisco, then back across country to New York. 


Finding these got me thinking of a few things...one, I need to make a concerted effort to do an art project with Chloe everyday, which I've more or less been doing.  The other is I was thinking about this book 'The Artist's Way.'  Have you ever heard of it?  It's a little new-agey and hokey, but I do think it's a good tool. 

A friend of mine in San Francisco introduced me to it long ago, and I did it for awhile.  Recently, it's been collecting dust and I'm thinking I need to dust it off.  Thinking it might get my creative energy flowing again.

Last week we found out what we're having - another girl!  I would have been excited for a boy too, but I am happy that I'll be able to reuse clothes that Chloe wore.  Also, we won't feel guilty about putting them in the same room, so that we can preserve out guest room.

movie meme

I was tagged for this by Kelly!

1. One movie that made you laugh:  I think all of the Christopher Guest movies (Waiting for Guffman, Prarie Wind, Best in Show, etc.)
2. One movie that made you cry: Terms of Endearment, excessively crying.
3. One movie you loved when you were a child:  Grease!!
4. One movie you’ve seen more than once:  Clueless, Dazed & Confused, To Catch a Thief
5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:  27 Dresses, anything with Julia Roberts
6. One movie you hated:  Forrest Gump (I know, I know, but it really bugged me)
7. One movie that scared you:  Blood Diamond, but maybe just more disturbing than scary.  Also Jesus Camp
8. One movie that bored you:  Prairie Home Companion
9. One movie that made you happy:  Charlie's Angels (something about those those angels I can't get enough of)
10. One movie that made you miserable:  The Namesake, maybe not miserable, just incredibly depressed
11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see: Horror movies in general.  I think the last one I saw in the theater was Hannibal and I was practically in my friend Liz's lap the entire movie.
12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with: Joaquin Phoenix playing Johnny Cash in Walk the Line
13. The last movie you saw:  What happens in Vegas
14. The next movie you hope to see:  I know it's cheesy, but I can't help wanting to see Sex in the City.  Also, Into the Wild is the next movie in our Netflix queue.
15.  Now tag five people people:  Kim, Lindy, Sue

 
This little beauty (named Cocoa) paid us a visit over the weekend.  Our friends Kerry & Joe got her a few weeks ago - she's about three months old and soooo cute.  Sadie was not happy about the visit, but we were!  It was quite that the one thing she decided to dig up and eat was the some of the creeping thyme we had planted in the back yard.  Guess it tasted good.  HA!

I finally started on the sweaters for a set of twins (boy & girl) due to arrive in the next few weeks.  I had a hard time deciding what to make, but settled on the Harvey Kimono (pictured on the book's cover) from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms.  There are two variations - for a boys and a girl.













More at the Union Square Green Market last weekend.















Chloe did a little painting this afternoon, which she thoroughly enjoyed...


Need to go pack, once again...we're off to LBI for the long weekend to celebrate Jim's birthday with his family.  Have a great Memorial Day weekend for all of you in the U.S.!

more on our urban garden

No doubt I'm beginning to bore everyone with my gardening photos/stories, but I promise they'll slow down soon!

A few annual purchases from this morning, I seem to be drawn to all of the purple leafed plants this year, not sure where that' coming from.   I did start to plant my purchase and quickly realized I didn't have enough potting, so the remaining plants will have to hang out in their pots a bit longer.

AND the other Clematis has begun to bloom along our southern fence.  I love the subtle purple on petal edges.  This plant was hear when we arrived, planted by the previous owner of our house and one of the items in our yard that I adore.

Chloe has begun to chat up a storm, often in complete sentences!  Although sounds garbled, it's really starting to make sense.  The cutest thing she's been saying has been "l wuv you Mommy" (or Daddy, or Sadie).  Makes you want to melt.

I took Sadie to the vet the other day for her yearly check up.  It was so sad, she stood there shaking and wouldn't even eat any of the treats the Vet was putting in front of her knows.  Now you know that's a clear indication of an unhappy lab:  refusing food.

I've made a bit of progress on the ruffle of Monica, but it seems to be slow moving.  Hopefully, I can finish it up soon, as the weather seems to be getting warmer.

200th Post

Holy smokes I've reached 200 posts!  Never thought I would have that much to say, but thanks to all that stop by and browse and/or comment.  I appreciate it!

Pattern:  Baby Sweater on Two Needles or February Sweater, from the Knitter's Almanac, by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn:  Cascade 220, I believe I used 8114, but can't find the tag anywhere!  Used about 1 1/2 skeins
Needles:  Size 5 circular needles
Size:  I have no idea.  I did manage to convince to try it on and surprisingly, it almost fit her.  The sleeves were 3/4 length, and the chest a little snug, but she did get it on.  I'd say this would fit an 18 month old.
Notes:  I started this last August, so it's taken me awhile.  It took me quite awhile to get the pattern down, but once I had mastered it, the knitting was pretty easy.  There are a few 'oopsies', but nothing glaring.  I'd definitely make this again AND encourage anyone that's been eying the pattern to tackle it...

One of my Clematis has bloomed - seems a bit early, but our garden/backyard is pretty protected.  There are many more buds on it, so hopefully it will continue to bloom for a bit.  Another Clematis is growing like gangbusters and has many buds as well.  Not sure where my obsession with Clematis came from, but I have this vision of it growing on all three side of the fencing in our backyard.  It's taken a few years for the plants to get going, but hopefully sometime soon my vision will become reality!  Problem is that I'm just not so patient...

One other thing I thought was pretty humorous...I've been trying to grow Columbine in our garden the past few years, but it never manages to come back up.  Although, in order for that to happen I think you need to shake the dried out flower pods at the end of the summer to encourage the seeds to grow.  Which, I've never done.  Anyway, I noticed a few weeks again that some of the seeds must have found there way into our stones of our beds.  I'm curious as to whether it will actually bloom (doubt it).

Oh, one other thing on the gardening front - has anyone ever purchased one of those ladybug kits to use in their garden?  I think our Weeping Cherry Tree has some sort of caterpillar infestation and I'd prefer not to spray any poisons.

I did find a few sources for ordering the kits online, but the information about using them in a garden seemed sparse.

Have a great day!

Mother's Day and more...

My Mother's Day gift from Jim, Chloe and Sadie.  I was very excited - two pairs of Hable Construction gardening gloves.  A bit glamorous for getting down and dirty in our backyard, but still lots of fun.  I did managed to use one pair already.

I just love all of their products - especially the Christmas stockings, which I've yet to purchase, maybe this is the year.

We spent Saturday  morning doing our normal routine when we're in town.  We go to City Bakery in Union Square for breakfast - they have the BEST pretzel croissants .  Nice and salty and covered with sesame seeds.  I think they're even whole wheat.  I keep think I'm going to try and make them at home, but never get anywhere with that one.

Next up we hit the Union Square Green Market, which is just bustling these days.  We managed to find rhubarb, bought and made a strawberry rhubarb galette to take to Jim's Aunt's house for Mother's day.  Jim also found ramp's, which he's been on the lookout for since he had a pickled ramp martini last summer at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. In case you've never heard of one or had one (which we hadn't until last summer), a ramp is small wild leek.  Apparently they're in season in the Northeast  during April and May.  So, this became Jim's cooking project for the weekend - it sounds like the pickling mixture he used, which he found online will produce a bread n' butter kind of pickled ramp.  So here's the product in progress:

As for knitting projects - I finally finished the February Sweater.  Just washed it this morning, so now it's blocking.  Hopefully, by tomorrow it will be dry and I can sew on the buttons.  I also started Monica, but to mix things up I'm attempted to knit it without seams.  So far, so good, I think :-)

a classic

One of the things unearthed in my grandmother's basement last week was this cookbook - a classic from 1964.

Two things I distinctly remember having while visiting my grandmother and other relatives in South Jersey as a child, were lemon butter and chicken potpie.  Now when I say South Jersey, I mean SOUTH Jersey, not Princeton, but about 5 miles from the Delaware Memorial Bridge, or for anyone familiar with the NJ Turnpike, Exit 2. 

Anyway, lemon butter and chicken potpie (the way my grandmother made them) seemed to be unique to this area in Southern New Jersey.  Lemon butter is essentially lemon curd that you put on ham or turkey during a holiday dinner or maybe just as a side.  It's GOOD, but darn sweet - think the lemon part of a lemon square, just not baked.

The potpie that my grandmother made, was more like chicken and dumplings, but the dumplings are replaced by thick homemade noodles.  So why do they call it 'chicken and dumplings.'  I have no idea.

Getting back to the cookbook, my grandmother always said that she would teach us how to make potpie, but unfortunately it never happened.  So when I stumbled across this book in her basement I looked in the index and found the recipe.  The book refers to it as Boiled Chicken Potpie. 

There were variations that my grandmother made as well - lima bean potpie (YUCK) and clam potpie.  I suppose once you get making the noodles down, you can make whatever variation you want of it.

Boiled Chicken Potpie

Ingredients
3-4lb chicken
salt and pepper
onion
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening

Directions

Cut chicken into serving pieces and cook in large quantity of water (5-6 quarts).  Season with onion and ample salt and pepper, until done.  Remove from the broth and keep warm till ready to serve.

Mix together flour, salt and shortening.  Add enough water to make a soft dough, but not sticky.  Roll thin.  Flour well.  Cut in 2" squares.  Drop into well-seasoned boiling chicken broth.  Cook covered 20 minutes or until done.  Serves 8-10.

i love this tree

It grows just off my Aunt and Uncle's back deck.  It's a wild dogwood, or at least that's how my Aunt refers to it.  At night it glows and during the day it's just gorgeous!

The memorial service for my grandmother was really nice.  She would have liked it, although I'm sure she would have thought it was all too much.  I'm going to miss her terribly, but I've been fortunate to have her in my life for some 30+ years.  We spent most of the week looking through old photos and reminiscing about summers spent at their beach house on the Delaware Bay.

My other grandmother died last year, so it's really strange to think that I won't have either of these women in my life going forward.  But I do have lots and lots of good memories. 

On a knitting note, I ran out of the Cascade 220 for my February Sweater, but did manage a trip to Stitches with Style this week to get another hank, so hopefully I'll have a finished sweater to show-off soon.

I think that's it for today - have a great weekend!