Playdate

Daaawg!!!

Superman was no match...

 

the scarf I made for my husband was too easy...

 

and "Tom", the bird I made of my son, has lost his shiny button eyes and his brains.

WARNING: this image is graphic...

 

All this (and more) happened in a matter of days thanks to this puppy.

 

It's a good thing he's cute.

The Amazing Adventures of Robot Cat

Okay, maybe he's not a super hero...in like, the Batman/Superman sort of way. 

He's not even known.  He is simply an idea that has come to be. 

A while back, I had made a stuffed bird for my 4yo son and naturally my 6yo wanted me to make something for him.  Not a bird, or a dog or any of his favorite anmals.  Out of ideas, I suggested he draw a picture of what he would like for me to make.  So here's his sketch...

 

With fabric from my husband's worn out dress shirt, leftover yarn and a bit of polyfil I set out on my mission.  And after a few months of production delay, I presented Robot Cat. 

BTW, he is neither a robot or a cat but we're gonna roll with this.  Who knows what kinds of adventures he will encounter!

Could it be?

Is it really the end of August?

How did the summer slip away so quickly?  Well, I hope everyone has stayed busy and cool in between the relaxing, lazy moments. 

Looking back, I guess we've been busy.  We did a little home improvement by having the house painted and an entry portico installed.  Not quite how I designed the arc but it's still nice...and most importantly, it keep the rain off our heads.

  

I'm still in search of the right lantern.  There are a LOT of ugly light fixtures out there!

We took a trip up north.  First, to the AMAZING Children's Museum in Boston, MA.  We loved this place!  So well organized and all the interactive displays and rooms were VERY well designed.  Check out the main atrium and the incredible 3-story bent wood climbing sculpture!

Then, we visited family in Phippsburg, Maine.  We spent a few quiet days taking in the scenery, having lobster and exploring nearby attractions.  The boys really enjoyed the Maine Maritime Museum and the boat ride on the Kennebec.  I really enjoyed my lobster dinner.

Last but NOT least, we visited college friends who live in Rhode Island.  They recently welcomed their second child and we were so glad to meet him.  We had a great time with them.  On one of the days, we went to the beach at Newport and the shore was covered with red seaweed (or jellyfish)!  Here's Rob spearheading an ambitious sand castle project.  It turned out great and it kept the kids busy!

  

In addition to swim lessons, summer camp, family visits and BBQ's, I guess our puppy has kept us busy.  Look how big he's gotten.  Sniff is a really good dog and silly when he sleeps on his back...

One thing I didn't get to do this summer is garden.  Since the painters had to work near the garden beds, I had to take a year off from growing veggies.  I miss it.  Look how sad the empty garden is.

Next year, I'll do DOUBLE! 

Okay, maybe not.  But I will move forward with gusto!

Next week the doors open at the local schools.  Can it really be the end of summer? 

Sticky fingers

I walked into Joseph's room this morning and it just smelled "sweet." This is unusual; it usually smells a little funky.

"Joseph's where's the candy?"

He played innocent at first, but he's a terrible liar. A smile crept across his face.

After some questioning he finally produced a pack of gum I KNEW didn't come from a birthday party goody bag, and he fessed up: he had taken it from the checkout area at Target.

What, exactly, am I supposed to do with this?

I'm going to make him take it back to Target and pay for it, natch, but otherwise ...? Otherwise, I'm not sure what my response is supposed to be.

He swiped the gum Wednesday night. And yesterday he "found" a quarter -- my quarter, mind you -- at the pool while I was in the bathroom with Miriam. He took it up to the snack bar and asked if it were enough to buy ice cream. They apparently said yes, and gave it to him! A disgusting Spiderman Ice cream!!!

I come out of the bathroom, and someone says, "That's so cute. Is that your son doing the ice cream dance over there? He's so excited to be eating ice cream."

"No," I think, "That can't be my boy. We've already discussed ice cream, and he knows he can't have it. and besides, where would he have gotten the money?"

It WAS my boy.

He hadn't taken a bite yet, so I tried to return it to the snack bar, but they wouldn't take it back. I explained to them that he isn't ALLOWED ice cream, that he's off dairy, that the food coloring will turn him into a crazy child ... They were apologetic. I then searched out another kid to whom I could gift the ice cream. Joseph's friend Lindsey was happy to be the recipient of his ill-gotten gains (I, of course, made sure to check with her mother first), and I made Joe reimburse me the quarter.

So, is he still having sugar cravings after months on an uber-restrictive diet? Just a kid who feels deprived? Or a boy destined for a life of crime?

A Birthday Present for Jo-Jo

I am somehow the mother of a seven year old. 

Boy, does time fly. Seems like just yesterday we were bringing Joseph home from the hospital. This is my favorite picture from those early days (not sure what it says about me).

Of course, I snuggled with him lots. And nibbled his tiny fingers.

We couldn't' tell by looking at that delicious little lump, but my boy would turn out to be quite the little monkey. He started climbing ladders at 18 months. Just a few months later, while visiting Aunt Cynthia in the city, he spied a rock he thought he'd like to climb.

What struck me was how thoughtful and methodical he was about where he put his hands and feet, searching out the best holds. My boy still can't throw a ball to save his life, but climb he can.

Just this past Memorial Day weekend, while visiting my in-laws at their Poconos lake house, he hopped across a couple of big rocks, onto the dog house, and up onto the roof of their little garage (the type with a steeply pitched roof). I don't even know how to explain it, but he didn't go up vertically, he scaled it sideways so he could grip the edge of the roof with his fingers. Here he is perched proudly at the top:

This will give you a little perspective of just how high he climbed:

Joe's birthday was the next weekend, and I still didn't know what I was going get him. As soon as we got home, I Googled "Rock Climbing NJ" and came up with New Jersey Rock Gym, just half an hour away in Fairfield. For $20, I could get my boy 90 minutes of climbing with only enough instruction to keep him from getting tangled in the ropes. I told Joseph about my present on his birthday and we made plans to go the next weekend.

When Joseph and I walked in, he was immediately excited, but he was also a little intimidated by the height of the wall. I explained that he would be in a harness and that his instructor would be holding onto the rope so that if he slipped he wouldn't fall. I explained it all again as the first climber zipped up the wall.

Joe took his turn eagerly, but just a few feet up I could tell he was starting to hesitate. He probably only got about 10 feet up before he decided it was time to come down. "It's too high. I'm nervous," he said. And down he came.

I guess when you're just staring at the wall right in front of you, you don't really know how high up you are. Or have any ability to know that it's not even as high as, say, the roof of the garage you climbed without the benefit of belay or mats. 

He tried three more times, each time bailing out a little earlier. The last time he was only a little higher than my head.

"I want to go home," he said.

There was still 45 minutes left in the class. I didn't want him to leave feeling like he couldn't do it. Or worse, get home and wish he'd stayed. We took a walk. I talked to the woman at the front desk.

"Tell Lucas to take you to the kids' room," she said.

Lucas, our instructor, happily obliged and, for Joe, it was night-and-day different. To me, the wall was only about 5 feet shorter than the wall in the main room. But it was quieter. There were no birthday parties having races up the wall. And, best of all, there was a kids' bouldering wall Joseph could climb on his own while the other kids in the group did the bigger wall with belay.

A couple times up and down and across the bouldering wall, and Joseph was ready to get back in the harness. First time up he picked a spot on the wall he wanted to climb to. Wish we'd thought of that sooner. It let him decide from the ground how high up he wanted to go. He actually zipped right past his landmark -- that blue hold in the shape of a conch shell you can see to his right in the next picture -- and got a little nervous as soon as he realized it.

The second time up, he got to the top. He was so proud. I don't have a picture of it, because I wanted to make sure I saw his little face when he made it. He beamed!

That was the last climb of the day. And as soon as Joe's feet hit the ground he turned around and said, "Can we come back next week? I want to do this again!"

So glad we didn't leave!

Happy Birthday, Jo-Jo!!

Quick Vest

Friends of ours in Rhode Island recently welcomed their second baby.  We are so happy for them!

I made this vest as soon as we got the good news.  It's a pretty easy pattern from "natural knits for Babies and Moms" with just knit and purl rows.  I used Sublime baby cashmere merino silk yarn.  It's so super soft and easy to work with.

 

I love picking out the buttons to personalize the piece.

 

I hope it keeps him warm this Fall!

Mary Cassatt

 

I am straying from the architects/designers to highlight another strong woman in history, Mary Cassatt.  I don't know much about this talented painter except that she created her own style while socializing with the great Impressionist and male counterparts, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh and Pissaro.  I like to envision Cassatt talking "shop" with the male artists at their local Parisian cafes.  At least, that's the image I retained from reading Irving Stone's bio-novels about Vincent Van Gogh and Camille Pissaro.  (Why didn't he write a book about her life?)

I think any woman who made strides in self expression and career advancement deserves serious recognition.  She was extremely talented and perservered in the male art world.  Now who couldn't find inspiration in that?

Puppy Love

 

Someone please explain to me why everyone talks an octave higher when babbling baby gibberish to a puppy. 

Alright, I am guilty.  I mean, look at that face.  Just woook at dat face!!!

Yeah, soooo, we got a new puppy.  The boys have been asking for nearly a year and we finally thought the time was right.  Plus, we were waiting for the right dog for our family and this one is THE ONE.  We found our beagle and corgi mix through Pet Rescue.  The foster family who took care of him and his siblings were amazing.  When we met this puppy we knew instantly that we had found the right pet.

On the ride home, our 4yo named him Sniff.  Turns out, it's a perfect name for the ever sniffing beagle breed. 

Sniff and I had a few bad days of housetraining (must remember to be forgiving) but, knock on wood, he's been accident free for 4 full days...and he's only 11 weeks old!  Okay, maybe it won't last but I'm learning his signs and he's learning the rules of the house. 

We knew our 4yo Dr. Dolittle would be head over heels for a pet.  Our 6yo has been wonderfully responsible and affectionate.  My husband grew up with pets and he LOVES having a dog in the family.  In fact, I think his work stress dissipates faster with Sniff by his side.  Me, I am adjusting to being a "mom" again but I am enjoying the easy demeanor of our puppy and his positive affect on my guys. 

We all have a bad case of Puppy Love.

Margaret Macdonald

 

Next in the series of great women designers is Margaret Macdonald.  Her famous husband, Charles Rennie Macintosh, is well known for his architecture and influence on the Art Nouveau/Arts and Crafts movements but it is their incorporation of interior design, furniture, textiles and art which is what I admire about their collaboration.   Together with two other students of the Glasgow School of Art, they created the 'Glasgow Style'.  This era in architectural design is one of my favorites.  The integration of nature and the harmony of porportions is a true lesson for all of us in our eco-friendly era.  Plus, I just LOVE how they designed each room with full detail. 

The bedroom of the Hill House (pictured here) is just a small example of their holistic approach.  Every detail was carefully thought out and custom designed.  Macintosh is the famous architect but Macdonald's contribution and influence is visible. 

This chair, designed for a tea room, is another piece of furniture I would love to have in my home.  (Perhaps not in the same room with the Eileen Gray side table.)  The intentially tall back provided privacy/intimacy when grouped at the table.  

Margaret and her sister, Frances, created some of the most beautiful artwork of that era, like the piece pictured above.   (Gustav Klimt, namely the frieze in the Succession Building, is a close second for me!)  I could stare at their art for hours.

Please take the time to browse through the links.  There are so many beautiful images from their body of work and Macdonald's story as an influential, creative woman is so interesting.  Similar to this visionary husband and wife team, my husband and I met in school.  Should we find a common creative vision, I wonder if Rob and I will work together? 

Eileen Gray

 

I've decided to do a series of posts on some of my favorite designers who are women.  I couldn't come up with a decent title for the series so for now I'll just use their names.

Having endured architecture school and having experienced the ratio of men to women in the field first hand, I find Eileen Gray's life story all the more fascinating.   She was an integral member of the International Style and her influence on the designs of her male counterparts wasn't fully credited.  Sadly, she was not alone in the battle for recognition.  Many women have and continue to be left out of the limelight.  (I would have loved to have attended this event at MoMA.)

The NYTimes article made me sad for women architects but I have to stay hopeful for us gals.  The least I can do is honor one of the great ladies on my little blog post. 

This is my all-time favorite side table.  One day, I will own one in my dream home/pallazzo.