We owe each other the world

Oh, hello 2011

2011-01-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Happy little plant in my office window

Ahhh, 2011. So nice to meet you.

Let's see, this time last year I was setting goals for my self. Same time a year later, I've only achieved one, and that would be "buy a new car." I mean, that's a pretty big goal to have achieved, but the other ones, like keep a cleaner house, are far more important and that seems to have fallen by the wayside. Life gets in the way, I suppose?

So, with the onset of a new year, I'm reminded that I must, yet again, set some goals for myself. But I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I don't want to. I just don't want to. It was hard enough meeting one of those last year. I really don't want to do it this year. Instead, I'm going to make a list of thing that I would like to do, but I'm not going to say that it is a "goal" or "resolution" because then there isn't any pressure. Right? Is that a cop-out? It is? Oh well, too bad.

Here is the list:

Play more music

Spend more time outside

Explore new places

Laugh more

Do more things I really love

Work on my fitness

Spend more time with people I love

Sound good? Ok. Ready, set, go.

Oh, hello again.

2010-11-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

Helen Cutler

So. How to begin? It seems that the world has not been kind to me and my family this year. I've lost both of my grandmothers in one year. Doesn't seem quite fair does it? After a three week long struggle against complications from surgery, my kind, beautiful, hilarious grandmother passed away.

Today would have been her birthday. Since she and I have birthday's exactly a week apart, we'd always celebrate together at Thanksgiving. It's going to be terribly bittersweet this year. . . . Grandma was very picky so buying a birthday present that she'd actually keep was a near impossibility. I bought her a scarf one year that she claimed she loved when she opened the box, but a few weeks later called to confess that while the scarf was gorgeous, she was going to return it.

The scarf in question, Grandma's 80th Birthday, 2007

Everyone loved her. Her nieces and nephews, children and grandchildren, my friends . . . the pharmacist . . . Everyone. Everyone knew and remembered her, and I really think she made it a point to make herself as memorable as possible. Whether it was her extremely heavy Brooklyn accent, her stories, or her cockamamy schemes, one thing was certain -- you'd never forget her.

When my grandparents moved to Cato while I was in high school, I had the privilege of seeing them more often. Grandma always kept and eye out for me, even while I was at Hofstra. She was always emailing me to remind me to study hard, and watch out for all the "lunatics and crackpots" on the road. And let's be honest. She fell into this category herself.

She always called John my "friend John," which was puzzling to me, but it was Grandma, so I just figured she knew what she was talking about. But when we moved in together, she asked me if we were dating. "Yes, Grandma," I responded. "We have been for three years."

[pause]

"Well. Nobody told me!"

I suppose we should have been a little more clear. She did, after all, only trust hard facts.

Helen & Hal on their honeymoon, 1946

I love my grandmother just as she loved me, one of her "perfectly imperfect grandchildren." She had a laugh that could fill a room and fill your heart, too. She had a way of always looking on the bright side of things and always wanted to meet everything head-on. I hope that someday, I'm as strong, smart, and funny as she. . . .

Julia & Helen, Cleveland, 2007

Harold & Helen, Cleveland, 2007

Oh, hello costumes.

2010-04-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

"Finale," Singin' in the Rain, 2010

Goodness am I glad to be done with Singin' in the Rain! For those that don't know, I've been helping wth the costumes at my alma mater for the past two years (this year being the second), and this year, it pretty much took over my life. Last year, the school put on Seussical, the Musical and I have to say that I loved it! It was just too cute for words. . . .

"Here On Who," Seussical, the Musical, 2009

While you would think that a play like Seussical would be more difficult than a "period" show like Singin' in the Rain (herein referred to as SITR), I must tell you, my friend, that you would be wrong! You see, the costumes for Seussical were generally provided by the kids from their own wardrobes, but for SITR, that's hard to do since kids these days don't own tuxes or fringy, flapper dresses. Add on top of that at least three costumes per kid (sometimes many more than that) and well, you've built yourself quite the to-do list! But through all the stress (and 17 made-from-scratch, multi-colored flapper dresses later) it turned out lovely. And what's even better is now I have time to do things for myself! I planted some seeds in our garden this weekend (though now it's snowing so I'm a little worried about how they'll do), and our tomatoes are growing like weeds. I can get back to the quilt, and clean the house, and reorganize the bedroom closets since I recently was given a new dresser, and I can cook real food for dinner, and . . . the list goes on and on!

Anyway, I'm going to leave you with this because I can't help but smile every time I see this scene or hear this tune. . . .

Gene Kelly - Singing In The Rain sur Yahoo! Vidéo

Oh, hello little J.

2010-03-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Christopher & Julia, always prepared

I can't help but be thankful that my parents didn't treat me like a princess.

They instead taught me to be a do-it-yourself kind of girl. While I am an only child, I certainly wasn't babied. I spent many-a day stacking wood, pulling weeds, raking leaves, and shoveling snow. And so, when faced with an extremely long list of repairs on my car, I didn't ask, "How much will it cost?" I instead asked, "Can I do it myself?" (Ok, ok, I admit it. John did the majority of the repairs, but I could have done them myself had he not been such a wonderfully competent gear head.)

One of my earliest memories has to do with spark plugs. You know, those silly little things that you're supposed to change every once in a while? Those silly little things that make you car start? Yeah, I loved those as a kid. I collected them, actually (ridiculous, I know). And I almost feel like my dad must have been changing spark plugs all the time just because I loved them so much. Who knows why, but I did.

(Cue embarrassing photo of me with the aforementioned car part)

1990

So, when faced with the task of changing my own spark plugs last fall, I said, "Bring it on." Because, after all, good 'ol Mom and Dad taught me to be a take action girl. Not a lazy one.

I attribute many of my other skills to them, too.

For example, my gardening skills.

1988

My lawn-mowing skills.

1988

My cooking skills.

1990

Ok, ok. Enough. I'm starting to sound like Napoleon. . . .

I guess what I'm trying to say is that had I not been taught to do those tasks that are so often not given to girls (the hard work ones), I wouldn't be the person I am today. Life takes perseverance and drive, and everything, from finishing a task like weeding a garden, to mastering that difficult clarinet solo, played a part in my ability to demand more of people that are supposed to have all the answers. And my ability to just do it myself when they don't.

So thanks, Mom and Dad, for all those years of child labor (kidding, kidding) that made me who I am today.

Oh, hello lazy Sunday.

2010-02-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hofstra University, Spring 2006

Mmm . . . dreaming of warmer weather and Hofstra's gorgeous cherry blossoms.

Spring seems to be on its way and I can't wait! The sun is poking through the clouds today and it's not bitterly cold. Our garden seeds have arrived which means it's time to start planting and growing indoors so we're ready when the summer planting season hits. It makes the snow more bearable knowing that warmer weather is heading our way. I've noticed the last few weeks that it's getting lighter and lighter. It can only get better from here!

(source)

I thought I would share this with you. It's so unbelievably cute! And I just love that adorable baby boy, too. Too bad I don't have a little bambino to knit this for! I'll have to tuck it away for the future. . . .

And speaking of knitting (sewing, really), the quilt is coming along nicely. It was a bit neglected for a while, but I dove back into it last weekend, and now I'm ready to start assembling the individual blocks that will comprise the whole quilt. It's looking like it won't be finished until next winter, but oh well. It's a labor of love. . . .

Happy lazy Sunday! I know I'll be enjoying mine on a comfy couch with a good cup (or two or three) of coffee.

Oh, hello.

2010-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

Geraldine, New Hampshire, 1964

Apologies on my recent absence (yet again), but the last few weeks have been rather difficult. My gorgeous, lovely, funny, sweet, amazing grandmother passed away two weeks ago after a long decline from Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's is an extremely difficult disease not only for the family, but for the person with the disease, and her passing was, of course, extremely difficult, too. . . .

Needless to say, I haven't really felt like writing. And even as I write this I don't feel like anything I say will ever do her justice, but I'll try. So here it goes. . . .

She was beautiful and she was kind. She loved us all dearly and we loved her just as much. She loved a good party and was always so amazingly stylish (I think that's where I get my love of fashion). Her laugh was infectious and her voice was divine, always offering words of encouragement and support even 300 miles away. She was neat neat neat (a trait I definitely didn't inherit) and always new the "right way" to do things. She ran a business and a home with extraordinary skill. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother. . . . She was wonderful.

Geraldine, 1961

Geraldine, Jones Beach, 1963

Geraldine, Sally, & Arthur, Albany, 1971

Geraldine & Arthur, 1977

Oh, hello snow.

2010-01-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

First sticking snow of the year, December 1, 2009

Woops! Looks like I didn't keep up with my goal of updating this once a week. Maybe I can blame it on all of the snow? No? Oh. . . .

Kaleb & Boomer, January, 2010

(Don't you love their matching collars?)

Anyway, we have had quite a bit of snow here. Not as much as there is just north of here, but it still is quite a bit. My dog, Kaleb (the brown one), loves it, but the neighbor's dog, Boomer (the yellow one), is on my team: The Snow-Haters.

Adirondack Chairs, January, 2010

(Can you find them?)

So let me explain that I am a very vocal hater of snow. And I am well aware that I live in the wrong part of the world. Syracuse, after all, gets an average of 115.6 inches of snow each year and has repeatedly won the Golden Snowball Award (no joke, there is such a thing).

But I must admit (and I can't believe I'm actually admitting this) there's something subtly beautiful about stillness of a fresh snowfall. I've caught myself walking to my car on my way to work in the morning, marveling at how quiet it is and how pretty the snow looks perched on the tree branches. It's almost like time has stopped and I'm just floating there for a second. The crisp, cold air . . . no birds chirping . . . no cars driving by. . . .

Picnic Table, January, 2010

Then I snap back to reality and realize that I'm freezing, that I don't want to scrape the snow off my car, and I definitely don't want to have to drive in this snowy mess. But alas, I live in CNY and this is my life for a good four months.

I suppose it's good that we have such varying seasons here. It makes you really appreciate and enjoy the nicer, warmer months. I think I would get sick of warm weather all the time to be honest (yes, even with my hatred of snow). There is, of course, always the promise of spring to keep you going through the winter. The promise that green grass will poke through the melting snow and that flowers will bloom. Before we know it, there will be daffodils pushing through the ground searching for sunlight and it will be time to plant my vegetable garden.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you all are staying warm.

Oh, hello Saturday

2010-01-02T07:24:00.001-08:00

South Beach, Miami, 2005

My, my. With all the snow on the ground right now, I sure wish I were sitting on that beach!

So anyhow, I figured I would give you all a sneak peek at the quilt I've been working on. It's pretty much just in pieces right now since it's an assembly line kind of project, but here is one of the squares that will be tiled to make up the whole thing:

Right now, the rest looks like this:

Doesn't look much like a quilt right now. . . . I still have a lot of pinning, sewing, and pressing to do before I can assemble the rest of the blocks (all 35 of them). And then I have some more cutting, pinning and sewing to do before the whole top piece is complete. I'm using the dark red color for the border, and I'm thinking of using the pinkish fabric (really, it's kind of grey, but the photo color is a little off) for the binding. I haven't yet decided what to use for the back portion. I was thinking plaid, but now I'm not so sure. What do you think?

Anyway, it's turning out to be a nice winter project and I can always find time to work on it whenever John's watching a hockey game. :)

I feel like I have a lot to catch up on since I haven't updated in a year, so before I sign off for the day, I'll leave you with some pictures of the gorgeous fall we had this year.

Early Morning Sunrise, Skaneateles Falls, NY

Woods, Cato, NY

Beak & Skiff, Lafayette, NY

Oh, hello 2010.

2010-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

579 1/2 Irish Road . Summer 2009

So, it's been a year since I've last posted. That seems ridiculous to me. As cliche as it sounds, I can't believe how fast the year has gone. . . . But its never too late to start posting again, right?

I was reading Kate's blog this morning about setting goals for yourself rather than resolutions, and I have to say that this is something I can definitely get on board with. I've always had resolutions for myself that never seemed to pan out. Things like "stop biting fingernails" (which I have done over the past year, in case you were wondering. Only took me 22 years!), and . . . well, I can't think of any others which is a clear sign that they didn't work out. So, instead of having resolutions, I'm going to set goals. Here are a few:

1. Finish the quilt that I started (preferably before it's too warm to use it). Over the summer, I bought the fabric to make a quilt for John and myself, and while I've been plugging away at it, I need to seriously get going. Beds are large and by default, quilts are too. It's a lot of work, but I know that the finished product will look great. And it'll be nice to sleep under something that I made for the two of us.

2. Keep a cleaner house. I know, I know, this sounds like your regular run-of-the-mill goal, but it's something that I struggle with. I'd like to be a clean person, and generally I am, but I find that I can only muster one good day of cleaning a week (if that - *yikes*). Anyway, Colin gave me a great idea courtesy of a coworker and I think I'm going to try it out. Said coworker devotes 30 minutes to cleaning each day. I think I can handle 30 minutes. She sets a timer, and when the timer goes off, she's done. Cleaning becomes overwhelming for me so I try to do it all at once. Not a good idea. Doing a little bit every day is much more sensible. From vacuuming, to doing the dishes in a timely manner, to dusting, 30 minutes a day shouldn't bee too hard, right?

3. Buy a new car (well, save money for a new car). My car has been on the out for the past 3 months, and in the spring I'm going to buy a new car. But with the goal of buying a new car comes the goal of saving enough money to do so. Since I live in a part of the world where a car is a necessity, having a reliable car is a must. And trust me, I would rather take the subway or a bus and not have to deal with the hassle of brushing snow off my car or paying for gas, but that's just not an option. Anyway, as you may know, good cars cost more, so between now and the spring, I hope to save up enough to buy not only a car that won't break every five seconds, but a car that I look good driving, too. (Oh, come on. You didn't think reliability was the only thing I was looking for, did you?)

4. Update this blog! I started this because I wanted to write more and sadly, it has fallen by the wayside. I hope to update this at least once a week, if not more. Photos will be included, of course. And maybe this will push me to keep my goals "in check."

So, that's all for now. Any goals you've set for yourself that you'd like to share?

Oh, hello new year.

2009-01-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

579 1/2 Irish Road, December 2008

We first looked at this house in November and immediately fell in love with it. And, long story short, John and I will begin the new year here. There's a little bit more snow than there was when we first looked at it, but that's ok. It's super cute, and then rent's pretty cheap, too.

It just goes to show you that a little patience will get you a long way. We spent so much time searching for a decent place and kept coming up with nothing. Then, out of the blue, this house was listed in the paper. We had almost looked at it over the summer, but didn't think that it was such a good idea to move then since I wasn't working full time. But by some crazy coincidence (I guess?) the people that were living there had to break their lease which left us with a pretty sweet deal.

I was starting to feel like I was never going to have a real life, but now John and I have an absolutely adorable little house to live in. It's just a nice feeling.

And now, I get to live with this guy, too!

Kaleb, December 2008

Oh, hello fall.

2008-10-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

I spend every day, from 7:30 to 2:30, cooped up in a freezing cold office. I start to feel claustrophobic and even though it's been very cold here, I sometimes drive home with the windows down just breathe a little fresh air. And since fall's come (and almost gone), every time a nice day rolls around, I want to take a walk. So, I usually do. Today was absolutely gorgeous, so I of course pulled on my red golloshes and trudged off into the wilderness behind my house. Can you see my house down there?

When I was little, I used to love walking to the top of the hill and wouldn't looking back until I got to the very top. From there, you can see for miles and miles. I realized today that you might actually be able to see all the way to the ski hills south of Syracuse, and I mused that I could see all the way to Albany. That big tree sticking up on the right, that was my fort when I was little. I'd spend hours and hours playing in there, dreaming up wonderful things about . . . well, anything.

Sometimes, when I walk into the woods in the fall, I can't believe that places like this actually exist. I always stop and look around and am amazed. Here I am, just one tiny person in a sea of trees. It looks so much different in the fall. You can't see all the downed branches and there aren't any green plants stretching their leaves, trying to get above the trees. It's particularly entrancing once all the leaves have fallen and they completely blanket the forest floor.

I used to pretend that fairies lived in the woods. I'd build houses for them in the knots of trees or around their roots. Nut shells were their cups and bowls, moss their bedsheets. There were both good and bad fairies, but they all lived in the largest trees. The good fairies lived in threes like this:

The bad fairies lived in trees like this:

Maybe it was the gnarly branches or the grape vines - I'm not really sure what made me think that these trees were particularly scary. Anyway, I spent a lot of time in these woods. And more often than not, I was climbing a tree.

I've been trying to do things that make me appreciate this place more because honestly, I do still miss New York. Lately, I can't help but love it here. I can't help but love the smell of the air, the light as the sun falls behind the hill every night. The smell of the wood smoke from our fireplace. I guess when you grow up in the country, it's something you just can't ever get rid of. I'd like to think that everyone that's grown up here feels the same way, but I'm sure that's not true. But what I do know is that as long as I'm here, I'll always have leaves to crunch under my feet. And I'll always have trees to climb.

Oh, hello beautiful night.

2008-09-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Between New York, NY and Cleveland, OH, October 2007

I've been stitching at Syracuse University for the past week (and will be for the next two) and I can't help but feel even more strange about not being at school. I'm around students every day. And drama students, nonetheless. It's just an extremely odd feeling.

In other news, fall is coming, but you would never guess that right now. It's so warm out. And windy, too. I love this kind of nighttime weather. It makes me want to sit outside. . . . John and I took a walk around Skaneateles tonight and it was lovely. The wind, the warm air. . . .

Two new albums are coming out at the end of September. Ani DiFranco and Ben Folds. All is well in the world. . . .

Oh, hello nostalgia.

2008-08-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Graduation, May 18, 2008

It keeps getting exceedingly more odd that I won't be going back to Hofstra this year. That I won't see my friends all the time. That there won't be Cabaret's or Disco Globes or long nights spent in the costume shop. Sometimes I can't help but feel like I wasted a lot of time at school. That I was too worried about class the next day and didn't take time to just be with the people that I love. But no regrets, right? It's not as though I spent every second alone. I just wish that there was . . . well . . . more time.

I can't believe that it's almost September. I just don't know where the summer has gone. . . .

Oh, hello Stalker.

2008-08-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Battle of the Bands, Adelphi University, March 2008

My good friend Ryan recently left me a message saying that I needed to post some new reading material. So in honor of him, I've posted a reasonably embarrassing photograph. What's funny is that this is just about the least embarrassing photo of him that I have. How that happened, I have no idea, but it's true.

Anyway, it's been a month since I last posted. What's happened, you may be wondering? Well, I will tell you.

First, Molly and I went to visit our good friend Kate Harrigan in Northampton, MA. Kate goes to Smith College there and is spending the summer working and doing research. She has a whole half of a house to herself so Molly and I took a little jog out there. It was a much needed break and was so much fun to spend time with those girls. We spent the weekend wandering around Northampton, eating good food, talking about life, and of course, shopping. All the best things in life, right?

The following week, Molly and I ventured out to Rochester to see Matt Costa. For those of you that have no idea who he is, look him up. He's absolutely adorable and a great musician. Here he is, looking adorable, as always:

We had so much fun that night. Molly spotted a very attractive fella in the crowd who turned out to be a member of the band. I spent the night smiling at the pocket rock star (from a band called Satisfaction) who kept walking by us. He smiled back, too. Just wanted to make that clear so I didn't sound like too much of a freak. He was pretty weird, though. . . .

Oh, anyway. The weekend after, we drove on down to good 'ol New York City to visit the college friends. Kate took a bus down from Northampton and spent the weekend with us, too. It was great to see her again (even if it was only a week after the last time). It was a pretty jam-packed weekend. We did a lot of walking, rented a row boat in Central Park, danced on a bar (and pole), met up with plenty of people and ate a lot of Thai food. It was just lovely.

And last week . . . well, last week was rough. My boss was out of town and I spent the week trying to do 800 things that I don't really know how to do. But I learned fast, let me tell you. And he's back now so I can pass all the crises off to him.

John and I worked on his cob oven last weekend. We have a good chunk of it left to do, but I will post pictures when we're finished because many of you are probably very confused. It's ok. I'll explain later.

Wow. I feel like I just squashed a million little events into the shortest summary. . . . I guess that's what I get for not writing in weeks.

Hope that suffices, Ryan. I've been a busy girl, but I will write more often now, ok?

Oh, hello boredom.

2008-07-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Fair Haven, NY, July 4, 2008

Life without these girls would just not be fair. They are my absolute favorite in the entire world. And then thing is, no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, it always feels exactly the same. It's never awkward or forced. It's just wonderful.

Molly and I are going to New York City in a few weeks to visit the ol' "college friends." Isn't it odd to say that? But it's the truth. . . . Anyway, I'm so excited to see everyone (and show Molly around). It'll be a nice break from this place. I've missed my friends, Central Park, the fashion district, the Buffalo Exchange, the Bagel Store, Brooklyn (yes, the whole thing), City Grill. . . . basically everything and everyone.

In other news, I've been listening to Adele lately and I really love her. Check her out. She's lovely.

It's too hot to say anything else, so until later. . . .

Oh, hello lover.

2008-07-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Fair Haven, NY, July 4, 2008

It's rare for John to actually let me take a for real picture of him (though he would probably say he looks stupid in this one). Usually I have to do a sneak attack which ends in countless pictures of only the side of his face. Or only pictures in which he looks ridiculous. The following is a good example of both of these things:

Skaneateles, NY, June 13, 2008

Very rarely, he will actually allow someone to take a picture of the both of us.

New Year's Eve, 2006

But silly faces or not, I'll keep him around. . . .

Oh, hello new beginnings.

2008-07-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

SUNY Albany, 1967

Syracuse Flower Show, March 2008

My mom finished her breast cancer treatment today. No more shots or chemicals for a long long time, we hope. I'm so excited for her! While I know that it certainly wasn't easy for her, I had no doubt that she could do it. Yay, Mom!

Anyway, hope everyone's peachy.

Oh, hello heat.

2008-07-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Skaneateles, NY, June 16, 2008

Skaneateles, NY, June 18, 2008

Skaneateles, NY, July 1, 2008

Molly and I have been to Skaneateles and walked out on this pier three times this summer. And of course, had our picture taken every time. I wonder how many more times we'll do it? Anyway, it's a nice spot and walking around Skaneateles is always a lovely time.

I'm going to be getting my very own sewing machine this week and I am so excited! Is that dumb? It's pretty much the most exciting thing going in my life right now. If you were to call me up and ask me how I've been and if there was anything exciting going on, I would probably tell you that I'm getting a new sewing machine and couldn't be happier.

I've been reading the new David Sedaris book and, in true form, it's wonderfully entertaining. I've also become insanely enthralled by the awesomely bad show, Tori and Dean. For those of you that don't watch it, you're missing out. Who doesn't like babies and marital issues? Oh, and! Project Runway starts next week and then you just won't be able to tear me away from the television from 9:00 to 10:00.

Anyway, it's 2:30 and I haven't eaten lunch yet. So I'm going to go do that.

Hope everyone's staying cool.

Oh, hello rain city.

2008-07-03T13:32:00.001-07:00

Union Hill Cemetary, Cato, NY . May 26, 2008

I suppose I'll put a picture in every post. That way, those that are far away can sort of keep an eye on me?

John came up with a lovely idea last night. He wants to take a picture of himself every day, in the same place, for three years. He would then put the pictures in a 30 second video so you can see how much he's changed. 3 years in 30 seconds. Does that make sense? Anyway, I think it's a pretty wonderful idea. Though I don't think that I would have the discipline to do something like that. Every single day? For three years? Ha.

Anyway, I've been working and having a real life and it's kind of weird. It's odd to wake up every morning and know that it's going to be this way for the rest of my life. 5:30, here I come. Though hopefully, I will someday be able to more theater and less desk work. But desk work is fine for now. :)

So that's all for today. Hope everyone's lovely.

Oh, hello life.

2008-07-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Lake Ontario . June 7, 2008

I thought that maybe it was time for me to grow up and get a real person blog. I really have no idea what I'll say here or why I feel like I need to say it. But apparently, it's happening.

So, hello. Hope everyone's swell.