The big 1-0

Last Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to New York City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I remember to take the camera? Of course not! Why would I do that?? :( But we had an phenomenal time nonetheless.

We arrived on Friday about midday and shopped at the Taschen store, where I got a bunch of cool style books like this one. We also went to the Anna Sui store and to Purl Soho, which was so cool! I finally got to see the physical store. We also went to their sister store, Purl Patchwork, which has what I really love: fabrics. I got a couple cute bag handles and a book called Zakka Sewing which has tons of cute Japanese sewing projects.

After that we had some bad Japanese food at a little restaurant and then kicked ourselves because right in the Theater District there were a bunch of Japanese restaurants catering to the Japanese tourists, so we made plans to go there the next day. That evening, we went to see Chicago the Musical and it was really excellent. We were able to get half price tickets online and we were in the second row!!!!!!!!! We were so close we could see the sweat on the performers' brows! It was amazing!! Now we want to see the movie version again so we can compare them.

We had a snack and a drink after the show at a little Irish pub, which was OK, but not the greatest, and then took the long and tortured train route (three trains, 30 minutes on one platform, and finally a taxi) back to the hotel. We thought we'd save money being across the river, but with the time and money spent on the trains/taxi, we might as well have stayed in town.

On Saturday, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel, since we knew that the train would be a long ride in, so we had a cold breakfast bar, with lukewarm eggs, sausage and some muffins and stuff. Blech. In the city, we went to the Frick Collection, which was amazing: Titian, Giorgione, Holbein, Vermeer, Ingres, tons of great art. I've never been so impressed with a small collection before. And the building (Henry Clay Frick's former residence) was pretty damn impressive as well.

Kurt and I were also drooling over his collection of books in the library. Every one of them leather-bound gigantic editions of classic books. And they were bound in dark-colored leather so they blended right in to the decor (dark wood paneling). It was beautiful. Then we went to have lunch at the ramen place we saw on Friday, and that was great. I can't believe it had been 7 years since we had good miso ramen! We then went to Kinokuniya, to continue the Japanese theme, and I got some Japanese craft books. Then we hopped on the subway and caught the wrong train, so we had to double back after heading all the way up to the top of Central Park, near Harlem. We got off at the right stop and walked up to the Met, where we only had a little time. All of the exhibits having to do with textiles and fabric were closed (evidently they have an amazing costume collection) which was such a disappointment! We got up to the 19/20th century paintings a little late (and in my case a little pissed because of the costumes), but they had Whistler, Mucha, Bougereau, Sargent, Van Dyck, all sorts of excellent work. But by the time we got up there, we only had about a half an hour, and we were both so tired that we really couldn't make the most of it. We went back down to the theatre district by bus, and we found a pub/restaurant there where we had a reverse dinner. (We had drinks and a dessert first, then realized we were more hungry than we thought, so we ordered some food.) And we took the train back again. I kind of liked the reverse dinner. You get to eat the dessert when you can savor it most. :)

Sunday, we decided to sleep in a bit because we couldn't really get in to town early enough to make it worthwhile, so we left around 11, stopped in Stamford Connecticut for breakfast at a greasy spoon, and continued on to New Haven, where we visited the Yale campus and saw their art collection. We also stopped at some of the little shops, where I saw some earrings that I loved but didn't buy (idiot that I am) and some glass bangles which I did buy.

We got back home at about 7 and picked up little Whiskey. (I missed her so much!) Bob and Susie, who dog-sat for us while we were away, said they didn't want her to leave because she had been so good! We were relieved that she had been such a lovable pup. Whiskey now has about 5 new toys. They really did spoil her. :)

Now we're back at work and wishing we could spend more time in the City. My friend Alex will be moving there in a while for a whole year, so guess who's going to be crashing at her place every chance she gets? :) My next Broadway show: Billy Elliot.

Latest Bedlington photo

Little Whiskey is on the left. :) Isn't she ADORABLE??????????????? We pick her up on Saturday. Can't wait!

Pup-tastic

Remember how Kurt and I were hoping for a Bedlington Terrier puppy last year? Well....This is the little girl we'll be picking up next month. Isn't she adorable??? We're thinking of the name Whiskey. What do you think? Any name ideas?

Amherst

My husband spent all last week taking a really great Master Class on painting at Amherst College. His last day was on Sunday, so I went up a day early to check out the town and campus.
I visited all the cute little shops on the main drag (got this awesome wooden bracelet - I'll have to get a picture of it), had a yummy breakfast at one of the cafes, treated myself to some very nice Riesling at a restaurant called La Tabella, and saw a movie at their tiny little theatre (I saw And Then She Found Me, which was not what I expected and totally depressing - you've been warned).

The campus is absolutely breathtaking. There are mountains in the distance, beautiful green fields, ridiculously gorgeous architecture, and even a perfect sledding hill! That weekend was also the Taste of Amherst festival. I had some pork and leek dumplings which were amazing. I also wanted to get on this cool trampoline meets bungee jumping contraption, but we got rained out! (You can see the ominous clouds in the above picture). I was so bummed!

It's definitely a place I want to go back to for a day trip. I'd love to go hiking while I'm there too. If you have any suggestions on things to do in Amherst, let me know!

Isn't this the coolest table?

Long time no post

It's been a long time since I've posted. These past couple of months have been pretty...dramatic to say the least. I'm in the process of trying to go freelance (my "real" job, you know) because I really want the flexibility. That's taken up a few of my weekends, working other jobs, networking at conferences, assisting orientations for various organizations, etc. Hopefully soon I'll be able to do my work from any place and at whatever time! I can hardly wait.

I've also been undergoing a bit of a strange and unexpected phase in my life. Turns out I am quite possibly perimenopausal. I've gotten all the usual symptoms (for any of you out there who get hot flashes, black cohosh is AMAZINGLY effective!) and it's quite possible that it's going to be significantly difficult for my husband and I to have children. Mind you, I'm 31. Yeah, and already going through menopause. Not fun, let me tell ya. It's been pretty much an emotional roller coaster.

Needless to say, I haven't had the time or ambition to do anything crafty, but I'm hoping to change that this week. Kurt (kurtankeny.com) is currently in Amherst, Mass, taking a painting course and will be gone all week. Amherst is a beautiful town so I'm going to go up there a day early to explore and see what I discover! Meanwhile, I plan to do some serious crafting. Get ready, get set, gooooooooooooooooooooo!

Spring is finally here!!!

Spring is slow to come here in Massachusetts. After living in DC, where it's in the 60s and 70s by February at times, it feels like spring will never get to Gloucester! But we had a gorgeous weekend and the flowers are blooming. Kurt and I spent most of the weekend working in the garden at home, and in our community garden plot, and had a blast. Here are a few pictures of our new blooms.

This one is a passionflower. I watered this plant all winter, but thought for sure I was watering a dead plant. But not only did we have one flower on the plant this weekend, we had two! Aren't they beautiful???

We have a couple hyacinth coming up in the garden, along with tulips and a bush that's full of these little white bells. Anyone know what they're called?

Isn't that the most beautiful purply blue you've ever seen? Only nature can make something that breathtaking!

Signs of spring

Fresh cut flowers are in the markets again, which means that spring is just around the corner. I can't wait! We haven't had a harsh winter here in Gloucester, but it has felt very long for some reason. I'm itching for the days to get longer and the breeze warmer. I'm also excited to see what perennials are in my garden.

I'm sure there will also be friends and family visiting this summer and lots of kayaking and beach picnics. It'll be nice to feel the hot sun on my skin again. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH :)

Home Sick

I'm home sick today with a pretty bad cold. The kind where your back feels like that of an 80 year old arthritic man? Yup. I've been drinking lots of tea and watching it softly snow outside. I wish our couch and sofette had arrived so I can snuggle up with a comfy blanket. :\

Lanes Cove

This is the cove near my house. Isn't it beautiful? We can see it from our second floor windows. When you are out there, you hear nothing, but the ocean's waves crashing against the rocks. It's so relaxing and peaceful. It's a great place to go for a picnic in the summer and, if you can brave the cold water, to go for a swim. But I like to just go and listen to the waves.

Furniture shopping

We went furniture shopping on Saturday. We finally found a couch we love. We moved into our home last August and still don’t have a couch because we hated all the ones we saw. But this one…this one is beautiful! We also got a tufted chair that will be upholstered in gray leather. I can’t wait!! Our library will look beautiful painted in warm grays, with a gray leather chair and sea-colored couch. Our place is coming along!

House plants

I have always loved house plants. I’ve always had at least one, if not two, but never more than that. Our apartment has always felt too small for any more, so I’ve always limited myself to two. When we bought our house, however, the previous owner had a serious green thumb. She had dozens of plants of all shapes and sizes. Plants I had never seen before, even, and she asked me if I wanted to keep them. They were moving from Massachusetts to Oregon, so it was impossible for her to take them. I said yes, of course, because they were just so beautiful! Here are a few photos of some of the ones she left me. This little guy is at work right now keeping me company.
The obligatory spider plant and this beautiful begonia.
Cacti for good measure. I don't know how she could've parted with these beauties!

Treat for the neighbors

I found these recipes online for different types of cocoas in a jar. I thought it would be a great idea to make some up for the neighbors as a New Year's treat. We chose the mocha hot cocoa and they turned out so pretty. Kurt whipped up (literally! in like 5 minutes - the man is insane when it comes to designing something!) these awesome two-sided tags for them that fold and fit perfectly under the lid ring. The other side says "Happy New Year from Kurt and Jenny! Thanks for welcoming us into town." Cute, huh?We never actually tried the mixes ourselves, we just kind of chose one that sounded good, so our neighbors will either love us or hate us for them! :)

Pizza night

We listened to the football game last night (can't believe the Packers LOST!) and made homemade pizzas. We used my dad's special crust recipe which yields a nice crust, not cracker thin, but just the right thickness. We laid down a thin layer of corn meal under the dough to give it a nice, crunchy texture. (Another of my dad's tricks)We brushed a little olive oil over the top for extra goodness. :)

We topped it with spicy pepperoni, fresh basil leaves, broccoli rabe* (see note at the bottom of the page), veggie cheese, and homemade pizza sauce.Whenever we want to make something with cheese, we choose this brand of veggie cheese. I'm lactose intolerant (you probably didn't need to know that) and we've tried a lot of fake cheeses. This one tastes the best and melts. None of that yellow tofu stuff. Yuk!
We baked the pizza at 350 for 25 minutes and VOILA!
* Note: We didn't have broccoli in the house, which I love on pizza, so I substituted broccoli rabe. Broccoli rabe, however, is very bitter and a bit tougher than broccoli. It overpowered even the spicy pepperoni and I ended up picking it out. :( So, if you make homemade pizza, skip the broccoli rabe!

Snow storm

This is the view from my kitchen window. As you can see, we had a snow storm yesterday. The first of the year. I don’t think people were expecting it to be as bad as it was, so although schools were closed, most offices were open at the regular hour. I called my work’s snow line in the hopes that the office would open at least a couple hours later, only to hear “good morning, it’s January 14th and the office will be opening at the regular hour.” BUMMER. I left my house at 7:15am, to get to the train station. I expected to be at work at about 8:45am.

I got to work at 12:15pm!!!!!

Let me explain what happened: First, the roads in my village had not been plowed yet so our little Civic was having a hard time making it up those hills with all that snow. Needless to say, I missed the train. I took the next one, an hour later, only to go three stops before we encountered a tree trunk laying across the tracks. Three rail workers went out to try to move the trunk, but it was way too heavy. The train then had to go in reverse, back into the previous station to let us off so we could wait for the next train, which was an hour later. By this point it was 10am. I thought about having my husband come pick me up and just calling in to work, but I had an important meeting I didn’t want to miss later that afternoon. We waited for the next train and when it got there, it used a different set of tracks, which were clear of the trunk. (We saw the tree trunk as we passed by and men with chainsaws breaking it up into manageable pieces) The train, which usually takes about an hour to get to my work, took two yesterday because of the icy conditions and I didn’t get to work until 12:15pm. That’s 5 hours of traveling! Incredible. Could’ve flown to California in that amount of time!

I get to work, check my email, and the meeting I was so determined to make had been canceled. Some days it’s just not worth getting out of bed.

But look at how beautiful the trees look all heavy with snow!

2008

So much happened since July of 2007 that I went from writing a blog post everyday to writing not one. In the interim, however, I did move from Haverhill, Massachusetts, to Gloucester, where we bought a house. We did a bit of decorating, mainly removed the carpet by hand (ouch), had the floors refinished, had the house cleaned of all the dust, unpacked, had friends over for our first weekend in the house, had family over for Thanksgiving, went to Wisconsin for Christmas, and had friends over for New Years. Phew! I get tired just thinking of it!

But here we are. 2008. And to be frank, it's not starting out so hot. There are challenges I wasn't expecting, which have proved to be quite...trying. Nevertheless, I’ve got lots planned for 2008. I have a long list of projects I want to do for our new house (curtains, floor cushions, rugs) and some exciting plans for the website and shop (new books, textiles, totes and bags). I’m very excited to get started, although finding the time with a full time job, a part time job, and an hour and a half commute each way is…difficult, to say the least!

For Christmas, I got some great books from my family. I got the new Amy Butler book from my parents-in-law and it’s beautiful! There are a few instructions for how to make some of the projects, but not as many as I’d hoped. I guess I assumed it would include more project instructions than it actually does. But that’s okay. It’s still beautiful to look at and very inspiring.

My brother-in-law and his lovely girlfriend, Heather, got me the Amy Butler sew it kit which is nothing but instructions! It’s WONDERFUL and totally makes up for the lack of instructions in the other one. I will probably use them both together, one for inspiration and the other for project instructions.

My family also exchanges names every year and we all have to make that person a handmade gift. I drew my sister-in-law’s name last year and I made her a felt envelope clutch. It’s turquoise felt inside and brown felt outside with a pearly white button that has a black bird on it. Around the button, I felted three hot pink dots that add a burst of color to the bag. I of course forgot to take a picture of it before giving it to her, but hopefully my sister-in-law will take one and send it to me so you can see it.

I promise to keep in touch now that we're settled in to our house. Happy New Year!

Wrapping

I love wrapping gifts. I don't ever remember feeling that way during the holidays, but I think it's because I feel a bit...limited in my wrapping choices come Christmas time. Overall, though, I like wrapping pretty packages. Next Christmas, I think I'll be a little more free with my wrapping choices. None of this store bought wrapping paper. No sir-ee bob. People are going to get pretty, if not Christmas-y, packages. The above picture is of a current order that was placed in my shop. I hope she enjoys them!

Aaaaah the beach

I got to go to the beach at Plum Island on both Saturday and Sunday a couple weekends ago. It was so nice! I brought snacks:

Reading material:
And my camera (this isn't my chair):
And just hung out for 3 hours or so each day. Very nice and relaxing. :) Too bad the water is so damn cold...

Whale watching 2

I went whale watching today with my colleagues. It was a "team building" activity. I was really nervous, as you might remember, that I was going to get really seasick, but I was actually totally fine! I took 2 Dramamine tablets the night before and then 2 that morning and didn't feel the least bit nauseous. There were some people, however, who were not looking so hot. They had this slight greenish look to their skin. I felt so bad for them! Lord knows I've been there so many times. The key is to have Dramamine in your system since the day before. I've taken it just an hour before activity, as recommended on the bottle, but it does NOT work. At least not for me. I've always gotten seasick, but this time I was determined to not get sick! It worked.

Anyway, here are some pictures I took while we were out. Next time I go, I'm taking my nice Canon to take super close ups! The day was absolutely perfect too. We really lucked out. Check it out:

Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea is this wonderful little town near the coast on Route 127 in Massachusetts. It's very quaint with this great, great, great, used book store. I could've spent hours in there! It's cleverly called "Manchester by the Book." I loved it! Definitely have to go back. It's also architecturally beautiful. Check out their library:

Isn't it gorgeous? This is the Historical Society, which is just as beautiful:

We walked around the neighborhoods, admiring all the beautiful houses and gardens. We bought lemonade from these little girls who were selling some in front of their house. Very cute! Only 30 cents too!! We finished off the day relaxing on a bench, looking over the water at all the boats and kayaks and admiring the beautiful tricks the light was playing in the sky.

I think I can get used to New England.