I had every intent to practice fiscal restraint . . .

but the crazy good deals floating around have weakened my resolve. That and being cooped up in the snow day on and then just being numbed by the cold. I have been wearing my old H&M puffy coat for years now. It's fine, but I get bored. I always admire women who wear stylish wool coats in the dead of winter. Maybe they're cold, but they sure look cute! So when I saw this Dear Creatures coat on super sale on Swirl, I caved.

 

(www.dearcreatures.com, but I saved well over $100 off the retail price!)

I was toying with the idea of ordering from Loft (they are having a pretty fab 50% off sale) for some basic cardis (I am sorely lacking in this department). I ended up getting three for $60!

weekend haul by ellencw featuring a white long sleeve cardigan

I threw in the F21 clutch because I had been lusting after it forever since seeing Rosa rock it on her fab blog, Love at First Shop, then Kim at Anthroholic shared that it was online again this weekend, so I didn't want to pine after it . . . .

Did I need these things? No, but with the exception of the clutch, the other items will be in heavy rotation as I work in a casual environment and wear a winter uniform of cardigans, jeans and boots. Ah, the way I rationalize my consumer tendencies :-) She works hard for her money!

OOTN Date Night

Anthro Thrush Song blouse, F21 Skinnies, Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mini in Moss, Franco Sarto Pacaya boots

Here's what I wore for date night, Saturday night with the husband. I've had my eye on this Anthro blouse but was not going to pay full price. I pounced when it went on sale. Dinner at Sel de la Terre, followed by True Grit at the movies. It's nice to be able to enjoy your dinner without shoveling your food down, which is what we usually do. It isn't that we need time away from our child, it's that we need to enjoy one another not just as parents, but as husband and wife. Breathe, pause, reconnect.

 Goal for the week:
Make a meal plan for the week and have dinner cooked or ready to be heated up every night of the week. No buying lunch at work either!

A year and some change later (okay, almost 2)

(picture by me)

I am giving this old bloggeroo business another go. In May 2010, about a year after my last post, a lovely person by the name of Anna commented on one of my posts. I don't know Anna except for her wonderful blogs, including the awesome one she does with her sisters, Have a Cute Day. I started this blog as a way for me to connect with the friends I had who disbanded after Chicago, so it was quite startling (and admittedly flattering) that a complete stranger had read my blog and told me she thought I had "a very nice way of enjoying life." Anna is absolutely right, I enjoy my life and try to savor the good and beautiful in life. The sad, the hurt, the ugly - always reminds me of how fortunate I am.

In the past year, I've really gained a new appreciation (addiction) for blogs. I have seen how people have opened up their lives to virtual strangers - making themselves vulnerable to their readers. I am shocked/saddened by the ignorance and hatred that comes with the territory - anonymous posters who make snarky comments. I don't get it. The world is too bad of a place for people to be ragging on those who'd like to share their vision of beauty.

Admittedly, since I've started reading (no, devouring) blogs, along with re-joining the workforce, my spending has risen sharply (I'm looking at you Anthro!) But I don't blame the style blogs for my vices - I assume complete responsibility. If anything, these blogs inspire me to take pride in my appearance. I always feels much better, which makes me treat others better, when I know I've taken the time to breathe and attend to how I present myself to the world. Mostly it is a harried working mom, trying to do it all, and succeeding in some areas more than others.

There is so much to love these days - a healthy, hilarious and wonderfully energetic 2 years and 8 months old little boy who is picking up Mandarin, a mostly healthy, hilarious, and very supportive husband, a job I enjoy (but am really underpaid, but I have a job, and one that I feel good doing), the health and love of my parents, my brother, my amazing girl friends, close and far, a big house with a big weeded over garden (must do something about it this summer) in the city, and last but not least a closet bursting with beautiful things.

Harvest, Bake, Harvest

On Saturday we had a few people come over to plant some seeds in our vegetable garden. Our vegetable plot is currently taken up by 8 rhubarb plants. There are a few tendrils of lettuce coming out of the dirt and rampant scallions growing everywhere in patches, including the flower garden. There are these huge leaves on the rhubarb stalks, which I learned are toxic! That factoid makes the rhubarb slightly mysterious and dangerous in my eyes.






After chopping off the huge fans of leaves and rinsing of the dirt, I was left with beautiful stalks of pink-tinged green. After much chopping and copious amounts of sugar and butter, there was the most beautiful and satisfying rhubarb crumble (thinking of you, L).




I have a friend who will not allow her son to play in dirt - in the meantime, the Noo is constantly dirty and dusty from crawling and rolling. In the beginning I tried harder, but now I just make sure I get the little rocks and tree barks out of his mouth and that he doesn't pull the plants or flowers.

Speaking of plants - the most fragrant and beautiful lilac bushes are on the side of the house. They make me so happy. These and the peonies that will bloom any day now . . . . Friends, please come visit!

Happy Spring!

Hard to believe that in a few months I'll have been here for a year. At a bbq yesterday, I met a woman who moved here from NYC two years ago - she said she still tells people she moved here recently. While there are still days when I am unhappy about being here, weekends filled with sunshine, warmth, friends and good people do help. That a little Noo who likes to roll around in the dirt. I take him to the play ground and he likes to lie on his stomach like he's swimming and brush away all the wood chips and then scratch his fingers through the dirt. I caved in - there is no use. We have a big backyard, so we might as well take advantage of that and let him be. Guess it's time for daily baths.

The backyard makes me very, very happy. I'm sad that my late FIL is not here to share this time with us, but I'm convinced that he's there when the Noo is crawling around, trying with all his might not to pick/crush the flowers. Yesterday we had people over to do some yard work as part of the cooperative we have started. Next week are planting the seedlings we started in basement - tomatoes, kale, etc. The rhubarb my FIL planted is already ginormous - guess I'll have to learn to make rhubarb pie!

The flowers are sight to behold and most of them haven't even come up yet!

Taking a sewing class was a great idea. Although I'm just starting out, it's been a great way to relieve stress and be crafty - much better then watching crap tv (especially now that we have said goodbye to our cable). It's definitely not as easy as it looks, but not entirely scary either. My next project is going to be a convertible dress that involves one seam! I'm skeptical - we'll see. I think I'll try to spin out a few more of these little bags so the insides start looking a little more polished.

Hard to believe . . . .

The Noo is turning 1 in a few weeks! I really can't believe it. He is already his own person with his jokes, persistence, refusal to have us show him how to do things. In the beginning I had a hard time visualizing him as anything but a little, helpless warm . . . loaf. Of course we are throwing him a birthday party of which he will remember NOTHING, but we really just want to have an excuse to have our friends over to enjoy and celebrate spring (the rate at which things are bursting through a frenzy of spring showers is unbelievable and so, what's the word, hopeful). Of course I made the party invites - postcards I made on my trusty Gocco press.



The text turned out really well - very even application of ink - the stars not so much - very faded especially on the ends. But I actually like that, I guess - it lends a vintage appeal. The color of the paper is actually more of a light mustard/curry yellow - my latest color obsession. On the invites we stressed that people should not bring gifts - that's very important. Just bring libations so we can get rip roaring drunk (I know, very appropriate for a 1st birthday party, um guys . . . . where's the baby?) I also plan to have a pinata for the kids and adults who are kids at heart to attack - it will be filled with organic fruit lollipops, apples and clementines (this place is starting to have an effect on me), oh and what the hell, some gluten, nut, dairy-free something or another. On the menu - Asian fusion - thinking potstickers and cold sesame noodles and some kind of cucumber salad.

In other news, wrapping up my sewing class tonight. I sort of know how to sew now. Well, at least I know how to make a wristlet - which means I also know how to make a pencil case and make-up bag, sort of. Will post photos of the fruit of my labor later.

Looming over everything - the day to day, the fun, the creative, the yuck is of course the D. What a sad monster it's become. But I still chip away at it. A little a day (ok, more like every few days). My grad school compadres are leaving me behind in the dust. This must shock me to do something. Really.

Missing in action

My mind, body and spirit have been MIA the past few weeks ever since I had the audacity to stay up past midnight and have TWO drinks on my birthday. Later that weekend the entire house was hit with the plague. On Mon. and Tues., my cold was so bad the husband had to leave for work late and stay late when he came home for lunch so that I could sleep away the incredibly persistent sinus headaches that hit me like a semi. Add on top of that a sick toddler (he's toddling around - not a baby anymore!!) who wanted to nurse around the clock like he was a newborn. Well at least I didn't have clogged ducts.
On top of that, the MIL was out-town for a whole two weeks visiting the newest addition to the clan (I am absolutely in love with my new niece!) In the beginning I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind (out of sheer panic at spending 24/7 with the boy), but it turned out to be not so bad, except for the week and a half I was out of commission. We went to playgroup one day - a most interesting experience; aside from the fact that all the children were white except for the Noo. It was also fascinating to see the range of development for infants around his age. There was another 10 month old trying with all his might to crawl and a 12 month old who wasn't crawling . . . . the nice thing was that no one seemed particularly concerned (at least not outwardly so, although I have to say I was a teensy bit only inwardly). Of course the other day one of E's colleagues made him feel bad (and then he felt bad about feeling bad) when she asked the Noo to give her five and then he stared at her blankly and she said "All babies know how to give you five" (eyeroll).
There was one toy that scared the bejezus out of the boy - a plastic toy with different shaped holes that made a weird wheezing sound when you inserted a block with the corresponding shape - it made him launch into a full-on cry! Pobre! He's not even really a baby anymore and that makes me incredibly happy and sad at the same time.