Notes of a Middle Child

Orla Loot!

My husband was in London for business last week and I asked if he could pretty please make a stop at Orla Kiely and pick up this stem print mug I'd been coveting.  It's the only thing there I can afford and I couldn't bring myself to actually pay to have it shipped from the UK.  Now, my husband is very sweet and in the beginning of our dating life was even a bit of a romantic, but, as with most couples, we've sort of settled into our less romantic, but satisfying life together.  So it's especially a thrill when he does make an unexpected romantic gesture.  Apparently the mug I wanted was not for sale in their store as that print/color combo was "out of season."  Undeterred, my husband picked out a different beautiful mug for me and asked if they had anything else in the print I liked.  Why yes, they did - a lovely wallet!  It just so happens that the $8 street fair wallet I've had for the past few years has recently come unsewn and I've been dropping change on the floors of every store in Manhattan and Brooklyn I've set foot in.  I don't want to know how much this Orla wallet costs - I'm just going to appreciate it and the gesture!  (And the cute fabric bag the mug came in).

In other, less consumer news, we'll know in about a week whether we're having a baby girl, boy or a llama.  Fingers crossed for the llama! 

A little Latin geekiness

I know - finally a bit of sewing!  My college friend, Josh, has a 10-month old baby boy and the idea for this appliqued hoodie had been rattling around in my brain for pretty much 10 months.  Josh and I bonded over Latin in college and joke about starting up a Brooklyn Latin Club.  "Puer" is Latin for boy, but I snicker at the double meaning of "one who poohs." 

Despite my earlier complaints, I am starting to feel more energetic now that I'm firmly in the 2nd trimester.  And I've even been sleeping better lately.  There are still tons of things that have fallen by the wayside (the Christmas cards I bought and never sent for example), but I guess that's just how it's going to be for a little while.

I even interrupted my usual weekend couch time to spend most of it outdoors.  Saturday at an aborted ice skating birthday party (Teach for America held an event and rented ALL the skates - thanks, guys) which turned into a trip to a Harlem bakery and a walk in and around Central Park with the birthday girl and her friends.  On Sunday my husband and I decided to go on a long walk for some exercise.  We headed to Prospect Park and then, in a fit of spontaneity, headed over to the Prospect Park Zoo.  I hadn't been there in years and was bummed that it was only open for 45 more minutes by the time we arrived.  But it's a small zoo and you can see most of it in 45 minutes if you try.  My favorite animals had to be the grey kangaroos.  One of them even had a little Joey peeking out.  The sea lion feeding was also a highlight and worth the $6 admission alone.  An early bird Mexican dinner in the Slope hit the spot before heading home to put up our feet for the rest of the night. 

The husband's gone all next week on a business trip to London and I'm already envisioning how productive I'll be.  For some reason, I spring into action when I'm alone in the apartment and turn into a cleaning, straightening, cooking machine.  Maybe it has something to do with feeling free to blast cheesy music while I work.