Crafty new year!

I keep thinking how much I miss blogging. It has come to feel so un-modern in some way, what with the rise of Instagram, FB and Twitter. Factor in the sheer lack of time and you get something that hasn't been updated in many months. However, I do check in to this blog now and again, and I must say I love having record of the things I've done and the photos I've taken over the past two years or so. I've never been much for keeping a diary or journal; this is the closest I've ever come. 

And so - without wanting to draw a crowd or much fanfare at all - is a post:

I had my nieces over this week for a craft session and sleepover! We got started a bit late but we nevertheless worked very hard on sketching. I also introduced the girls to Neocolors (which goes on like crayon but you can add water and make a watercolor!). 

The girls are really growing up, and it's fun to spend time around them. CJ said at one point, "I think we're getting to know each other tonight," a comment that made me both happy and edgy at the same time. 

Sophia and Grace were very focused, while CJ got bored and lost her steam after a while. She suggested a game of Taboo. That was a barrel of laughs. Girlies, crafting and game night: who could ask for anything more?

Below is our "gallery." 

CJ's masterpiece, which she was not at all happy with. She did a great job on the zipper!

Grace loved drawing people! Cuteness! (BTW the yellow garment on the dwarf is an apron, not a diaper.)

These are my animals, with my signature kitty on the top right.

Sophia drew an Italian café....

.... but was most proud of the panda bears. She really worked hard and did a beautiful job.

Group photo

Important advice for just about anyone

Two girls that I loved passed this week.

My sister's dog, Maggie. This yellow lab bady was so lovely. Such a heart and soul. She'd been sick. I took this shot in 2006 when she was still an almost puppy. She was gentle. Patient. Kind. Mags, we'll miss you. 

Nina. This little golden retriever loved her ball and the sea more than anything. She was the sweetest and gentle and full of grace. 

I hope that Maggie and Nina get to be friends in doggie heaven. These two fine ladies never met in real life. 

Water under the bridge

Found this amazing little picture today at a yardsale for $5. It's clear glass with a wood frame and it seems as though the photo is printed inside the glass. Charlie held it up for me against the late afternoon sky and I took a shot of it. Charlie loved it, by the way. Even Ulf thought it was neat.  It looks so lovely against the light. What a find!

Halloween 2011: 60's chick

I don't really like Halloween, but I'll take any excuse to dress up as a 60's chick. Actually I'm not sure what era this is, but I love this garment. I picked up these maxi pants jumper (onezie!) at an estate sale a couple of years ago. So glad i hung onto it! 

An early look

There's so much we still want to do, so keep in mind it's early yet. But I wanted to post some photos of our new digs. The kitchen is in dire need of a renovation but we will wait. 

My dreamcar is actually a bus!

Have always wanted to own one of these! It's a beauty! The owner was sweet enough to let me sit inside  it. He offered to let me drive it too but I didn't have time. 

Moving is awesome!

OK, I'm lying. Moving is clearly not awesome. However, we just moved with the most awesome movers ever.

I really enjoyed working for two days among these mid-latish 20-something fellows who all had amazingly slight frames. When you think of movers you think of big, burly guys, but these guys were downright slim! They worked hard, cheerfully, with such style and personality. The first day was the packing day, and they wrapped each item carefully and labelled the boxes so it was easy to find our stuff. As the boxes piled up, I realized I had not purged nearly enough in advance. I was thinking of nominating myself for the hoarders show.

The second day was moving day, and our chipper movers arrived bright and early, ready to work. They had this newfangled way of carry boxes. Instead of lifting them with their arms, they turned around and perched the boxes on their backs, piling them up! You can see how they did it here!

I asked them why they did it and they said some guy had come up with the concept and that it is actually a lot easier on the back plus there is no sight impediment, i.e., you can always see where you're going.

But the reason they were so awesome? Frankly, it's because to them, everything was awesome!

"Where would you like these boxes?"

"Um, upstairs in the bedroom."

"Awesome."

"Where would you like this sideboard?"

"In the dining room."

"OK, Awesome."

Awesome, awesome, awesome. I've never heard the word "awesome" used so many times! Talk about word inflation!

In any case, here are some pictures of our fab movers and the state of our house the day after moving day. I'm happy to report that we're nearly finished with all our unpacking. It's looking pretty cute in here.

Stop by and see us in our new digs!!

These are the movers, they stayed for a beer when the move was over!

The kitchen, completely retro. Needs an update but I cannot think about it now.

Living room 

Dining room

Note that the kitty's taking it easy.

They left us cute notes on the boxes! 

And took the time to draw some pictures! 

I feel so alone without you

Charlie and his friend Aliza played last night at a local café at an open-mic night! I am biased, naturally, but they were pretty good! Charlie's guitar solo at the end is impressive. It's just over five minutes. They wrote the song themselves.

Twinsies!

The second day of work back in late June, I wore my off-white blouse with the black blocking on top and cute visible zipper in back. My new colleague (and next-door work neighbor) Lori told me she had the same exact blouse. I made a vow there and then never to wear the shirt to work again.

Until earlier this week. Lori had an idea. "Let's pick a day and both wear our shirts," she said. "It'll be fun!"

Always game for a goofy challenge, I complied. Last night at the end of the day we reminded each other: "Tomorrow is our day!"

It was fun to see her this morning, she looked totally adorable. No one batted an eye until we decided to take a little stroll though the halls together around lunchtime. Some noticed; some didn't. It was a fun distraction to break up an otherwise doldrums sort of day.

Lori and Susie at work.

Avalon of the heart

One of the highlights of our summers here in the US is getting to spend time with our friends in Avalon, NJ. We can always be guaranteed good laughs, mighty-fine food and engaging conversation (not to mention heavy-duty exercise). Avalon is one of my favorite places to take photos!

We were there last weekend. We had a few nice hours on the beach and some great games on the tennis court. But mostly it was a stormy weekend, with amazing colors and light.

Nina basking in the sun.

Ginger keeps watch.

Early morning at the beach

This is one upset seagull

Beach

Nina swimming

Nina fetching her ball in the surf. 

Beach buddies.

Storm moving in

View from the balcony

Regatta redux

My sisters and I, back in the day, spent a lot of time at the river when our brother was a big rower. We were there, we said, to support our brother, but we had ulterior motives: to swoon over my brother's crew friends. We were so goofy and obvious; we bugged our poor brother to death wanting to know if this one or that one had a girlfriend (or, even worse, "liked" one of us).

This past Saturday, I was once again on the riverbanks to watch another rower: our son Charlie. He did a crew camp for one week and they had a mini-regatta for the parents. It was so fun to see the kids in the boats. Charlie said he learned a lot, and he really seemed to like it.

Watching him race, I was reminded of my brother. They could be twins separated by a generation.

Signs of the times

First of all, about my last post: sorry for the incorrect info on cricket. Of course, that sport is called croquet. 

There's so much happening. I am soooo busy.  I love my new full-time job, even the commute. It's so much fun to see new things and people every day. 

But I'm in a rush as usual. No time to post, hello goodbye. It's a sign of the busy times!

Cricket - not the bug.

I shot this last summer at the Merion Cricket Club. I thought it was in name only. I had no idea! But look at the luscious lawn.

Summer makes me feel fine!

Such a lovely weekend and summer so far! It's only the beginning of July, which means there's much more fun to come!