riley and chelsea do nyc

And they did it yesterday in about 2 hours.

My brother, Riley, and his lovely wife, Chelsea, decided to celebrate their second anniversary with a nine hour layover in New York City. Fun, no?

...Okay, okay, so they're actually celebrating with a two-week-long trip to France. The long layover was just a bonus because it meant they had time to trek from JFK into the city to spend a little time with Garrett and I.

I asked Riley what, if they could only pick one thing, they'd like to do or see most in the city. Chelsea was interested in Central Park; Riley wanted to buy an I [Heart] NY t-shirt. Great, I told them. We could do both at the very same time. I told them to take the A train to meet me at Columbus Circle, and I'd take care of the rest.

Even though 2 hours wasn't nearly as long as any of us would have liked to spend together, it did prove to be enough time to do more than originally anticipated. Not only did they get a short walk through the Park and two new t-shirts to sport, I was able to give them a peek inside FAO Schwarz (where they even got to play on the Big Piano), a few views of the Manhattan temple, and a taste of lamb gyros purchased from a street vendor (a.k.a. "street meat").

We had a very nice time, though I'm pretty sure that, now that they're in Paris, they're having an even better time. (And honestly, I wouldn't blame them a bit.) Merci, Riley and Chelsea, et bon voyage!

Riley and Chelsea in Central Park

mother's day rocks!

Yesterday I felt like everyone in my orbit, and Blake most of all, saw to it that I had an excellent Mother's Day. Here are the things that went incredibly right over the weekend:

- I no longer only iPod by marriage because I am now the proud owner of a sleek 8 GB Nano.

Blake found an excellent deal on this refurbished iPod and swept it up before I could say no. He spent Saturday teaching me how to use it, and now me and my playlists are pretty much ready to take over the world.

- But that's not the only gift I received. My mom sent me two awesome vintage-looking dishtowels that match my kitchen. They're almost too cool to get dirty with actual use, so I think I'll just admire them for a while. Oh, and also, Garrett colored me a Mother's Day picture in nursery. When he's not drawing on walls or other places he's not supposed to, I'm pretty charmed by his ability to put crayons to good use.

- The Primary children sang "I Often Go Walking" during Sacrament Meeting, and they did so very sweetly; I was so proud. Even though the whole affair was pretty much orchestrated by me, under the direction of the bishopric, it still helped to complete the going-to-church part of Mother's Day.

- Other things that made going to church nicer than usual: real roses and slices of cake divvied out to the women. Also, the kids in Primary were remarkably well-behaved, which was especially nice because I was teaching Sharing Time. And perhaps the best thing of all? Blake was able to convince the bishopric to cancel all the before-church leadership meetings, which means he was there to do all the toddler-wrangling on the bus ride to church.

- I suppose I should mention, too, that my own son was a very good boy for his mama. Oh, sure, there were still a couple of spectacular tantrums, but overall he was happy and pleasant. And he decided that this was the weekend he'd stop clinging to me like a little monkey and prefer his dad once in a while. That was probably the greatest gift he could have given me.

- Blake made me dinner and did all the clean up. We ate fajitas, and even though his cooking methods were a little creative, they still tasted delicious.

- Afterwards I had enjoyable conversations with both my own mother and my mother-in-law. I'm so grateful to both of them for the things that they've taught me and the example they've set. They fully support my own efforts as a mother, and I'm not sure what I'd do without either of them.

- Sunday wasn't the only good day. Saturday was pretty darn awesome, too. We dallied around a bit in the morning, waiting to see what the weather would do, and then, deeming the day good enough for an outdoor outing, we went to Prospect Park. First stop was the Botanic Garden to pick Blake up a new bonsai tree (his first one died), and then it was over to the park Zoo, where Garrett pretty much had a heyday. And why shouldn't he? Petting zoos, sea lion feedings, and lots and lots of ducks...by golly, he was in heaven.

Garrett looking dapper in a tree at the Botanic Garden

Stray ducks are awesome! "Kack kack!"

In the barn portion of the zoo, Garrett got to pet and feed some of the animals. If you asked him (and if he could talk), he'd probably tell you that this was the highlight of the outing.

We stuck around just long enough to watch the sea lions get fed. These animals are incredibly well-trained: they know who is bringing them lunch, and once it gets there, they'll wave hello, give high-fives, do flips, and other cool tricks for food.

Does anyone else out there wish it could be Mother's Day every weekend?

filling the summer

Sometimes it feels like the summer of 2009 will be my last summer in the city. As things stand now, it won't be (so don't worry, all you who live vicariously through my adventures here). But in a way, it is a "last summer" of sorts: the last summer I will have as the mother of only one child, the last few months that I will be able to trek around the city in the same way I have been doing. By September I will have a toddler and a newborn, and once I recover from giving birth and am ready to explore the great outdoors again, I have absolutely no idea, when looking at the future from my pregnant and exhausted early May point of view, how I'll ever be brave enough or strong enough to leave my house again. Oh, I'm sure I'll figure it out. Mothers seem to have a knack for solving problems, however daunting the dilemma might be. But still, from where I'm standing now, I see myself as having only a few short months to hurry and do all I can before my time runs out.

So what do I do? I make lists. Lists of things I want and need to do this summer before the baby comes. And then I set about checking things off those lists, because we list-makers know there's very little more satisfying than a to-do item completed and crossed out. Here is a glimpse of a few of my summer to-do lists:

Places in NYC I want to see/visit

• The Transit Museum
• The Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge
• Ride the tram to and explore Roosevelt Island
• The Museum of the City of New York
• Taste test at a few famed eateries, including Shake Shack and Artichoke Pizza
• Brooklyn Bridge Park
  

Places outside of the city I want/need to visit

• My aunt and uncle's home in the New Jersey suburbs so I can escape and recover from daily life
• Southern California in June for my brother-in-law's wedding
• A Long Island beach

Preparations we need to make for the baby

• Buy a "big boy bed" for Garrett so the baby can sleep in his crib (we're leaning towards a bunk bed -- we'll have two boys, so it will certainly get used, and while the baby bunks in the crib, an extra bed for visitors can't hurt)
• Rearrange Garrett's room so we can fit both boys
• Finish sewing my baby quilt
• Buy a baby book (I'm leaning toward this one) and a blank journal for Number Two

There's more, I assure you, but because I have a tendency to crowd my lists to the point where they make me both prematurely worn out and a little dizzy, I thought I'd spare you the exhaustion with just a sampling. And now, as soon as it stops raining here already, I can set out and start checking things off.

trader joe's

Do you live near a Trader Joe's? And do you shop there, perchance even religiously? I live relatively close to two: one near downtown Brooklyn, and another at Union Square in Manhattan. Even so, I am far from what you might call a die-hard Trader Joe's groupie. I've only been in a handful of times, and when I shop there, I only pick up a few things. For me it's not the sort of grocery store where I'd do the bulk of my shopping. This is for several reasons:

1. The two stores are close, but not that close.
   
2. Most of the items they offer are organic, and while I have nothing against organic, I'm also not out there buying only organic. To me, and apple is an apple, and I'll buy whatever both looks tasty and fits in my budget.
3. While the prices are generally relatively low, especially when matched up against comparable products at other NYC grocery stores, if I shopped there exclusively, I'd regularly go over my budget.

It is, however, a fun place to treat yourself to foods, both of the streamlined variety and those which are a wee bit exotic, that you just can't find other places. Here are some of the things we've discovered at Trader Joe's that we especially like and which I know I will miss should we ever move to TJ-less community:

• tomato basil hummus and pita bread
• pizza dough (both the ready-made kind and the roll-it-out-yourself kind)
• flattened bananas
• organic creamy tomato soup
• TJ's verion of honey nut cheerios
• raspberry salad dressing

There are other things we've tried and might possibly buy again because they both tasted good and offered a lower price than I can typically get at my local supermarket, things like pepperoni, parmesan cheese, and granola bars. Also, their produce assortment has more eye-appeal than a lot of produce in this city and, when the items are in season, they sell for a really good price (like the dirt cheap and delightfully delicious clementine oranges we devoured this winter). But overall, it's a place to buy "fun food," not the entirety of my grocery list.

What about you? Do you like Trader Joe's? What are your favorite Trader Joe exclusives?

i really like the nice days

Today has been remarkably pleasant, especially after the nightmares of yesterday, which included 1) having to turn down several enjoyable activities to wait inside all day for an expected UPS package that turned out to be addressed incorrectly and therefore not even for us, and 2) tomato sauce splattered all over my kitchen during one of Garrett's mealtime tantrums.

Yes, today has been much, much better.

I had a few errands to take care of in Manhattan this morning, all of which Garrett was a very good boy for. It's amazing how the behavior of your children can make or break an entire outing, isn't it? At any rate, our first stop was to Buy Buy Baby to use a fabulous coupon I recently received in the mail to pick up a few things for Number Two. That was quick and painless -- which is worlds more than I can say for just about any trip I've made to Babies R Us.

The City Quilter was our next stop, and it was even better because it involved picking out coordinating fabrics for the borders, binding, and backing of the baby quilt I'm making. This quilt is a charm quilt, and I'm using fabric from Moda's Tranquility line. I've already pieced together the squares, and I'm excited to tackle the rest.

Also, joy of joys, I happened upon a place nearly next door where I was able to drop off my Gingher sewing scissors for a much needed sharpening session. This will certainly make finishing the quilt that much easier.

After our errands, we met Blake for a picnic lunch in Madison Square Park. First we devoured our sandwiches...


And then we went for a walk through the park, where Garrett found thousands of squirrels and pigeons to stop and point to, as well as one super awesome water fountain.


Just before we said goodbye to Blake and headed back down into the subway, we stopped by the dog run so Garrett could catch a few glimpses of his favorite animals in action:


Oh, and did I mention that Garrett was also an angel child on both legs of our subway trip? Because he was, which, sadly, is a highly unusual way for him to act these days when traveling. I think I'd like to keep this Garrett around for longer.

***

Bonus Update! My tech-savvy brother, Tyler, just walked me through the wacky template/browser issues my blog was having and, miracle of miracles, together we quickly fixed the problem. Hooray! So for all you devoted Explorer and Chrome users, my blog should read normally again.

sesame chicken

I tried a new dish for dinner last night -- something I haven't felt up to doing for some time now. Like some of you, I keep tabs on the blog Rookie Cookie, a cooking blog written by a girl who I once upon a time went to high school with. A little while back she posted a recipe for Sesame Chicken which she claimed was not only delicious but incredibly easy to make. Yesterday, when I took her up on that challenge, I happily discovered that she was entirely right. And so today I'm also going to share the love.

Sesame Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions, chopped
cooked white or brown rice

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and sugar; stir well to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken pieces and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add chicken. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces onto a plate and put the pan back on the heat. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. With a wooden spoon, scrape the cooked bits on the bottom of the pan while the soy sauce mixture simmers. Let simmer for about 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back into the pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and toss well, coating all the chicken pieces in the soy sauce mixture.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

I served this with sides of fresh broccoli and mandarin oranges. A green salad would also have been tasty.

***

On a completely unrelated note, it's just come to my attention that my blog template is a little wacky (i.e. no right sidebar links, shortened posts, etc.) in both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. It views fine, however, in Firefox. If you use IE or Chrome and feel like you're missing out, try using Firefox until I figure out what's causing the problem and how to fix it. ...And speaking of, if anyone out there knows how to fix this, please, I'd love your insight. My computer/internet skills only take me so far.

the second five

These last few months have been busy, leaving me with little time to plow through books. I have, however, finished reading my second five books of 2009. Here is my report:

6. A Childhood in Brittany Eighty Years Ago by Anne Douglas Sedgwick

This is an old book, published in 1919, which I believe is currently out of print. I found my copy at a library book sale in Muncie, Indiana, but if you're interested in reading it, copyright laws have allowed for it to be published in its entirety online. (Click here for one such copy.) The book is written in the first person, leading the reader to believe it is a memoir. However, according to a short paragraph on the flyleaf, it is instead "a little sheaf of childish memories [...] put together from many talks, in her own tongue, with an old French friend." The author goes onto say that the names of relatives have been changed or slightly altered "while preserving the character of the Breton original." The memories themselves, collected in this little book, are absolutely delightful, and the accompanying illustrations are sweet. Those of you who either love France, French history, or childhood memoirs devoid of life-altering trauma would probably enjoy this one.

7. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

I read this one for book club, and really enjoyed it. It's Kingsolver's first novel, a story about a girl from Kentucky who, along with an abandoned child she picks up along the way, makes a new life for herself in Arizona. The characters are believeable, as is the setting she creates, which for me is a sign of a good book. However, if you've never read a Kingsolver novel, and want to be truly drawn into her style, I'd read The Poisonwood Bible first. This one, however, comes in at a close second.

8. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

This story, chronicalling the tight-knit friendship of a Depression-era prairie town quilting circle as it relates to some local drama, was wonderful. A good friend of mine recommended it to me long ago, and my aunt recently let me borrow her copy, which I spied sitting on her shelf. Quilters especially would be drawn to this one, but that hobby is far from being a requirement for enjoyment.

9. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Just as the painting, this book has long intrigued me. I read the entire thing but only half-heartedly enjoyed it. The fictional story behind the actual Vermeer painting seemed to me, at times, more than a little far-fetched. I still love the painting, but the book? Not so much.

10. A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel

This was a re-read for me, and those of you who know me well, or who have been reading this blog for a while, know that it's one of my all-time favorites. Seriously, if you have not read this book, drop what you're doing and go pick yourself up a copy. (And then, when you're done, read the sequel.) This memoir is delightfully hilarious and, because of my time spent living in Indiana, it is especially close to my heart. Muncie is only about a half an hour away from tiny Mooreland, and Blake and I visited there several times, including twice during the Mooreland Free Fair where, yes, we cast our penny vote for the Fair Queen. In fact, I knew some people who knew the author's family, and to hear them tell it, it's a wonder that Kimmel was able to be so positive about her childhood. I know that I, for one, am glad for her optimistic, laugh-out-loud spin on her growing up years, which make the hard times, visible between the lines, easier to swallow.

busy week

My old roommate and good friend, Linda, came to see us this week, and Garrett and I have spent a whirlwind few days getting her acquainted with the city. Here's how our sightseeing itinerary panned out:

(Click on the links provided to see pictures.)

Monday

• Pick Linda up from her Chinatown bus drop off near Macy's.
• Spend the afternoon showing her our neighborhood as I take care of a few errands.
• Take an evening walk to the bay for Family Home Evening.

Tuesday

• See the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
• Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.
• Walk along Broadway in Lower Manhattan. Stop at Ground Zero, St. Paul's Chapel, Wall Street and the Stock Exchange.
• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Drag our worn out selves home to eat a pizza the size of our kitchen table.

(Tuesday was also known as The Day We Nearly Did Ourselves In.)

Wednesday

• Send Linda off by her brave little self to visit the Met while Garrett and I head to the perinatal clinic for one more ultrasound. (This was a follow-up to the last appointment to get a better reading of the baby's heart. He's doing just fine, but he sure likes to face down and snuggle into my lower abdomen. When they switched the machine to the 3D view, all we could see was the back of his head and his ears.)
• In the late afternoon meet Linda in Times Square to try our luck for tickets in the Wicked lottery. Neither of us apparently had enough luck to win any.
• Tour the Times Square Toys R Us.

Thursday

• Let Linda experience the joys of washing her clothes at the local laundromat.
• Visit Chinatown; eat lunch at the Dumpling House, buy fruit from street vendors, and ogle the Chinese import mega store, Pearl River Mart.
• Briefly walk through SoHo.
• Walk through Little Italy; sample the gelato.

Friday

• Say goodbye as Linda heads off to board another Chinatown bus.

It was a fun, albeit rather exhausting and busy week. We enjoy having visitors, and I especially enjoyed that this time our guest got a pretty good taste of what NYC living is like. When you live in a "destination city," your visitors don't often get to see what real life here is like. Garrett was a trooper (most of the time) and behaved better as he acclimated to the sightseeing schedule. And I'm proud to say that I was a trooper, too. Maneuvering this city while pregnant and with a toddler is quite the work out. I really need to go put my feet up.

hi-ho cherry-o

I'm not exactly sure where Spring went, but over the weekend, Summer decided to make an appearance in Brooklyn. With sunny temperatures hovering between 85 and just over 90 degrees, the trees took note and stopped dragging their feet about blossoming. Yesterday, which was the warmest day of the bunch, we trekked to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to bask in the glory of their cherry blossoms. Everything was at peak bloom, and it was gorgeous. The entire gardens were lovely, but the Japanese Flowering Cherries and the fragrant Dogwoods were spectacular. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself:

The Cherry Esplanade

Looking up

The Cherry Walk

It might not beat the cherry blooms in our nation's capital, but it was the most breathtaking blossom display I've ever witnessed (going to the D.C. cherry festival is still on my to-do list). To be there at peak bloom made it all the better, though more than once I found myself romantically wishing the blossoms were ready to fall down around us in the shady breeze. Ah well. I suppose that just leaves me with an excuse to go again next year.

i ipod

Well, Blake iPods. I only iPod by marriage.

Because Blake's company is currently under a hiring and salary freeze, he and his fellow employees can't be awarded pay increases, even though the work load is getting busier and most of them deserve a raise. However, for exceptional work performance, they can be recognized and awarded with prizes. Early last week, Blake earned himself the right to browse around the prize website offering all kinds of gadgets and gizmos you didn't know you needed but somehow suddenly seem so necessary.

Hidden among the all-in-one pocket knifes and extraordinary camping gear was an iPod shuffle and accompanying speaker set. For the last few months, Blake has been itching to join the rest of the world by becoming an iPod owner. Now was his chance. He clicked to own, and a few days later it arrived by mail.

This particular iPod might be bottom-of-the-rung, but Blake loves it. He spent the weekend uploading music to our computer, then downloading it to his Shuffle. He is suddenly looking forward to his long subway commute because he now has something other than fuzzy-sounding overhead announcements and squeaky train wheels to listen to. He is happy, and that makes me happy.

In his excitement, he's become desperate to share the love. "Why don't you get an iPod Nano?" he practically begs me. "Then we could have an iPod with a screen!"

I won't lie; I think it'd be fun to be a part of the iPod Revolution. But one step at a time. (After all, his company is still under that salary freeze.) "Maybe for Christmas," I tell him. In the meantime, I'll let him continue to upload my favorite CDs to iTunes so they'll be there when it's my turn to iPod.