the first day

wonderful weekend.  full of traveling to michigan to be with family, relaxing, naps, knitting, reading and good food.

we met my daughter in fennville where we have been taking pottery classes this summer.  grandpa took the baby home and my daughter and i worked on our projects with three, cute, baby kittens sleeping and playing right along side us.  so fun!

in grand rapids where both of my kids live they have a great farmer's market.  we have a tiny market here but nothing like the market there.  there was a nice rain on saturday morning but after it cleared up grandpa (my hubby) and i put the grandson in his stroller and gave his mom some time home alone and we walked to the farmer's market. 

 i could have filled the bottom of the stoller and the wagon (if we would have brought it) but we just got a few treats for the day.  they had mini size pies so we bought 2.  cherry and apple.  whoppie pies!!! they were a must buy.  i used to make these for the kids.  little round chocolate cakes with cream filling in the middle (like Hostess Susie Q's).  my daughter and i ate one as soon as i bought them home.  red haven peaches.  blueberries.  and a bunch of  zinnias.

saturday afternoon we all took naps.  saturday evening we went out for mexican food and i was finally able to meet my son's girlfriend. she's the sweetest, cutest girl.  we had a great time.

sunday morning hubby made a big fruit salad with the fruits that we bought at the market and some other fruit that we already had and i made cinnamon french toast.  it was a wonderful, relaxing weekend.  the only thing missing was our son-in-law who is away working in China for another week. we really had a great time, but it's not the same when you are missing someone from the family.

i'm trying to ease into things slowly.  but it's not all that easy.  i was in bed at about 9 last night.

i've been back at school for two days and had a weekend away.  all has been going well, don't have any complaints, but i am just a bit tired out.

in knitting news i'm still juggling my time between multiple projects, so no FO but it has been fun working on many different things at one time.  (my moods have been varied).  those projects on the needles are: the "one year old" baby project, the "purl" socks, scoop du jour sweater,  the turtleneck shrug, and Eleanor Scarf/Throw.  still too soon to say who will come in first place.  at this point i think it is a tie between the turtle and scoop.

last night i rented and watched The Upside of Anger while i knitted on baby project and tonight i will re-watch an old favorite; Amelie and again knit.  (hubby is working late).

this weekend we will be traveling to michigan for the weekend.  looking forward to time with family and will take another pottery class.  should be a relaxing weekend.

now......let's just make it through the rest of this week.......uneventfully!!!!

on one of my sweltering NY afternoons,  needing a short break from the heat i took a quick look inside a bookstore.  i headed over to the young adult section to see what was new and the "old fashion" looking cover of a newly released book caught my eye.

The Penderwicks: a summer tale of  four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy.  by Jeanne Birdsall.  in brief  it's about  four sisters and their father who head off for their summer holiday expecting a rundown cottage and find themselves in a beautiful estate with magic, gardens, attics ,rabbits.....and a boy, the owner's son who is ready for great adventures.  it's a summer they will never forget. 

forget the kids!  i wanted to read it!!!  (i'm the one who didn't read the Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set until i was in my late 20"s).

well, i had to buy it.  but, i don't really have time to read it.  truth is i have about six, or more books on my "to read" list.  and at the moment  i'm having difficulty keeping up with my book group.  so today i got this great idea.  i thought, i'll start reading it to my 6th graders as i have time over the next few weeks.  i figure, it's still summer for a few more weeks, so it is still a timely read and even tho this is something they would NEVER read on their own i find they really do like a good read.  it worked with Wrinkle in Time last year.  they complained about that for the first few pages but then LOVED it.  plus, the beginning of the school year is a great time to start out with something a little extra like this.

so i will give it a try.  i won't know till i try.  that's kind of the way it is with most of what i do in my job.  try it and see if it works.  see if what you try reaches somebody.

i've waiting all summer......and today she came!!!

this summer in one of my planter boxes, along with the traditional coleus and what-have-you, toward the back i planted morning glory and moonflower seeds.  then i put the old gate that we removed from the backyard behind the box to serve as a trellis.  and waited..................

of course the leaves and vines grew and grew and grew.  they always do.  infact i have one section that has also found a wire on the house and it is growing like Jack-in-the-Beanstalk, up to the roof.  (wonder if there's a giant up there?)

last saturday night i was welcomed home at dusk to a beautiful, large, white moonflower blossom and this morning, my first morning glory flower!  and it looks as though there may be another moonflower ready to bloom tonight.

i'm so glad i planted these right by my back door so that i don't miss a single bloom in the morning or evening.

many times it truely is the simple things in life!!

was in the mood to do some thrifting yesterday.  but it turned out really weird.

on my way to the thrift shop i saw a Pay Less Shoe Store.  since last spring i have had my eye on these "knock off" wellies (rain boots) from Pay Less.  cute colors and cheap!  and these "knock off" gardening clogs. 

now i am not a "knock off" gal, really!  i have my ugg, diesel, clark, born, simple, steve madden....and that's without even looking in my closet.  but i thought, what the heck...these look fun. plus none of the "real" ones really did it for me...who wants big C's all over their boots?!?

well, the wellies and garden shoes must have been a hit, they sold like hotcakes.  i've stopped in a few stores but gave up because the season was over.  well, stopped in there yesterday and they had a pair of wellies in my size and on clearance now for $10, and would you believe it the garden clogs are back.... in new fall colors!  how fun is that.  score!!!

but the strange part is, i then went to the thrift shop and found Longaberger basket liners (normally very expensive) and napkins for $1.50-33 cents. 

 "knock offs" at retail shops and "the real stuff" at thrift shops.  you just never know....as my mom use to say.

the count down is on.   three whole days left until i return to work. 

today i'm being lazy so far.  still in my pjs.  still drinking my coffee, just taking it slow.  don't really have any plans, but then don't really have anything that HAS to be done.  that's great.  i'm lucky.

there are only a few things that are still on my "maybe wanted to do list".  thought i might take the train downtown to the Art Institute.  and today is free day. 

i did a bit of back to school shopping yesterday and i would like to pick up a few more things.  so may do some of that.  it is fun to have a few new items and there are some great new styles out there this year.

this weekend is one of my end of summer highlights, the Chicago Air Show.  i don't know why but this time of year i always "feel the need for speed".  hubby and i are staying at the Drake on saturday night and will make it a "last weekend away" for the summer.  watching the show, spending some time at the lakefront, shopping, having some margarita's at Cactus.....

i've had a wonderful summer.  time with family.  time to relax.  time to be busy.  time at the water.  sand in my toes.  travel and new sights.  sleep.  gardening.  knitting.  reading.  good food..........and there is still some of summer left.

i've lived it fully.........let the fall school year begin.

seems as tho it's taking me forever to get back to blogging about new york.  guess that's how it is when you get back from vacaction.  and i'm sorry to say, i feel i'm going to be a bit brief on these:

i really do feel that i "saw it all".  but i know i didn't.  as i have said, my friend, Tamara was a wonderful tour guide.  we walked and walked and walked and walked.  but that really is the best way to see NY. 

as i mentioned in my first post i did throw away both pairs of my flip-flips when i got back to chicago.  and you say, "why on earth were you wearing flip-flip with all that walking"?  well, (long story) with 95 degrees + it was too hot for any thing else and i had blisters from trying tennis shoes the first two days.  anyway... of course we did take the subway and we broke down and took a cab once. 

 if you take a cab you really do miss the sites, however this was a really wonderful cab ride from Park Ave back to our hotel on 52nd and Madison Ave. it was a late night ride UNDER the Met Life Building and winding around.  i felt like i was riding on a combination rollercoaster/life size moustrap ride. it was great.

i saw (in random order): Empire State Building... Grand Central Station, the cafe, shopping and food court in Grand Central is not to be missed!...Battery Park..Statue of Liberty..Ellis Island.. South Street Seaport..Fish Market..Brooklyn Bridge..Ground Zero(helped me to better understand that day)..Century 21..Wall Street..Helmsley Hotel..Soho..Greenwich Village..Today Show tapings..Central Park..Times Square(day and night)..Plaza Hotel(under- construction)..Madison Ave. for shopping and our hotel, and felt like Audrey for a moment outside Tiffany's!. I should have wore my black cigarette pants that day,  rats!..Rockefeller Center..Penn Station for a trip out to Long Island for a few days and to the Beach!  i'm sure i've missed something....

so there you have it.  a wonderful time in the BIG apple.  and i plan to go again!!!!                       i *heart* new york!!

 i'm not a crazy, big, eater, but in new york  i did eat well.

i started each day with coffee at Dean and Deluca and the Today Show.  i was so close and at home i love waking up with Katie, Matt, Ann,(the cutest) and Al i thought "what the heck".  and by the way...D&D has great coffee.

in one of my many, long daily walks i found a gem of a place, and not too far from my hotel (i went back three times).  Mangia, at 50 west 57th street.  cute cafe with yummy sandwiches, pastries, desserts, tarts, fruits, coffees....  and everything is served on cute, retro, oval tins.  breakfast, lunch and dinner.  i'm still thinking about the popovers i didn't get a chance to try.  my next trip to NY, my first meal will be there.

another great find in my wonderings was Smiley's (i may be spelling this wrong).  these were corner type grocery stores that had amazing salad bars in the middle with hot and cold foods to go, sold by weight.  very fresh and very yummy.  the fruit and pasta's were amazing, and refreshing on my 90+ days.  many days i stop in here for a late lunch.  great on the $ too.

evenings were spent with my friend and we went to some of her past and new favorites.  some of those were:  Grand Central Station, Michael Jordan's Bar for a Bellini, then to Soho and ate at  Benny's Buritto's and had  Margarita's, on Park Ave., we ate at Chango,  very hip  .......oh, and i can't forget we had out first meal, a picnic lunch in, of course....Central Park!

these are a few yummy highlights!!!!

i didn't go too crazy with the fiber purchases in New York.

first stop was String.  they were located at 1015 madison ave. and they were having their summer sale the week i was there.  i found some unique and beautiful burgundy/red, oval buttons for my scoop du jour, grey sweater.  on sale, six for $3.00.  what a steal.  and i bought some cotton Katia Jamaica in summery colors to match my bathing suit.  i think it will become some type of wrap for next summer.  it was 1/2 off.  the shop was exquisite and in a very "upscale" neighborhood.  the owner, Linda Morse has a new book coming out soon, Luxury Knitting.

my travel friend Tamara was working in a building on 52nd street and in the lobby there was a knitting shop (can you believe it) Stitches East.  many beautiful yarns, books and needles.  looked around, but didn't buy anything here.

one evening we took the subway to Soho.  loved Soho!!!  we made a stop at Purl of course.  we didn't have as much time as i would have liked here but it a wonderful place and cute as a button!!!  i just wanted to live there!!!!  joelle was there and it was great to meet her.  she is just as you would imagine her to be; peaceful, relaxed, cute, and knitting.  the shop was full, i mean full of beautiful yarns....but what i loved were all the sampled knits from the Last Minute Knitted Gifts books.  inspiring!  you left wanting to make everything!  i bought some Rowan kid classic to make the Turtleneck Shrug from the interweave knits scarf style book, which i am re-naming my ny shrug.  i start this on my trip home.  and i couldn't resist the Lorna's Laces sock yarns, hanging in the window, hand-dyed just for purl.  wonderful colors!!!  i got 2 skeins.  can't wait to start these.  (if you want some they are available on purl's website).

the final knitting stop was the Point Knitting Cafe.  very cute.  didn't buy anything here but they had very nice yarn and a cute cafe.  we were on our way to dinner so we didn't eat anything.

another amazing stop on my trip was m&j trimmings. WOW!!!  it was almost overload for me.  i've ordered from them on-line before and even that was overwheming.  more ribbons and trims than i thought possible.  i really did not go with anything in mind so i just started choose beautiful things.  came home with some trims that will inspire future projects.  i also went a few doors down to their button shop and bought some handles for future knitted/felted purses, button type, do-dads for jewelry, and some bangle braclets.  what a wonderful place, i mean what a wonder of a place.

so.....that's the fiber part of the trip. 

back from New York yesterday afternoon.  whew!!!!!!!!

wonderful trip.  i saw it all.  well not really, i don't think that's possible.  but i did see a lot!!!  really!!! A LOT!

i'm just getting into the swing of things around here and will have tales to tell.

more later this week.....  i will leave you with this thought. 

 i walk so much i threw my shoes away this morning! truth.