at last! baby room.

These pics are not the best - camera is on its last legs, and it was a gloomy day out so I had to use the flash for some, and the ones that didn't have flash are kind of weird. But. It's done (minus a couple finishing details), and who knows how long it will stay in this nice pristine condition, so I better document it now just in case. Hopefully I'll take some better pics soon and can revise this post...

Here it is - the glider in situ, in the corner. Again, the amazing reupholstery job was thanks to the "Alchemy" feature on Etsy, and I found an awesome seamstress who did the work for me. That's me. Contracting out the tough stuff. At some point we'll get a real rug, but for now, the round bright dots work. We also need a wallplate cover for that outlet too. Single ones are hard to find!

Moving clockwise around the room, on the same wall is the crib, tucked into a perfect sized little corner. Another Etsy find there, the "knobby knees bugs"; over the crib is the Grasshopper and Ant. The Bee is by the glider.

We've got "tool" alphabet cards (thanks Auntie Tam and Uncle Jamie!) strung up around two walls. My favorite? I think it might just be "Y is for yellow glue". See the bright red/orange door. And the bright red Ikea dresser we inherited (thanks Iliana!). Another project: new knobs, to tie in the orange and red thing we've kind of got going.

More alphabet cards, and a cute little fishy mobile over the "changing table." A repurposed dresser from my Greenpoint apartment. New coat of paint and a changing pad on top, and voila.

Back around: windows! Window seat! Radiator covers! The curtains are sheer and match the door, except that they're a little short. That's one of those finishing details that I need to add (fun little hangy things, to be determined -- I've got a plan, and now that maternity leave has started, maybe the time, too).

advance notice: apt available

AB&C are moving on, and we need to find a tenant. Too much going on right now to get organized with craigslist (hello, I'm due in one week). In advance of that, here are some pics in case you know anyone looking (perfect for a couple). Cats ok. It's one bedroom (plus extra little room), 900 square feet, top floor of classic Sunset Park rowhouse, one block from 45th st. R stop/10 minute walk to 36th st. express stop. Gut renovated three years ago for owner live-in, so it's really pretty nice. Will be available for, uh, we can make Sept 15 work.

Kitchen is open plan, custom island with butcher block countertops, stainless cabinets and better appliances (including dishwasher). Designed for use by pretty serious home cook.
Living Room/Dining room: open plan, L shaped. Ceilings were lifted to be extra high, sloping upwards from the level of the windows you see here. It gives the apartment a loft-like feel. There's a ceiling fan (tasteful, modern, stainless). View from bedroom:
Living Room alternate view from kitchen, looking towards bedroom.
Bedroom is generously sized in front of house with bay window. What you can't see is that the wall the bed faces is a very large closet.
Little room off bedroom currently used as baby room. Would also make a great office. The door you see there is another very small room for storage/closet.
Bathroom is not the best part of the apartment, but has a full tub/shower.

More on the garden

This is the time of year when things start really looking scraggly and untended. Lots of things are past their prime, and very few are coming into it. I'm trying, I really am!


For one thing, I did it again with the sunflowers. Last year one of my biggest notes to myself was not to plant sunflowers in different places around the garden. They grow up big and then look totally messy when scattered around. And then of course what do I do? Same thing. Many of them didn't make it (I've got some critter that really has been chomping down on the leaves of many of my plants -- salad I guess), but there are still sunflowers in way too many places. I do like the color of this guy, however.

For the future: cosmos in planters don't work. Just a bit too tall. I didn't thin the ones in the aluminum planter enough, and then it just completely got terrible -- skinny tall scraggly things. Ripped out and replaced with geraniums (really! me! geraniums!) and some little annual on sale with a trailing habit that I don't even remember the name of.




I like the tickseed that I picked up on a whim. Originally, the plan was to use it to fix the problem in the "peony bed" where the mums are out of control scraggly and ugly -- to plant something in front to hide the scraggle. But there's no room in front, and so I decided to use it to add some contrast to the geranium sea. There's still a big hole where the bleeding hearts were to the right. Need to fix that. And the Rudebekia on the left would be great if it was actually growing upright, and the leaves weren't mildewy.


Zinnias are effective color in pots. In the ground they're snaking around and getting eaten by those bugs. But the ones in planters are doing really well. I keep moving them around.

This post has been really random. Maybe next time I can focus on something more specific and/or thematic...

Maybe something about the garden?

It's been all about the baby or the house for a while. How 'bout an update on what's going on in the dirt?

For one thing, tomatoes. We keep them in a planter in the front, or else the squirrels (or is it the stray cats?) get them. But the planter Steve built fell apart. No picture of that, but for a couple weeks the poor things were barely hanging on in what essentially was a three sided supported pile of dirt. Finally, I got a cheapo planter and moved them. Was a bit worried how they'd do, but they seemed to survive ok. We had the red stripey ones last night for dinner (with a backyard cucumber). Delicious!

The plants don't look in the best shape -- pretty scraggly once I stripped off the dead leaves, and lots of yellowing in the rest. But now that it's been in its new pot for week or so, I see new green leaves and some more flowers. Hope!

I'm very pregnant

I waddle now. Slowly.

And my feet are really swollen. This is what they were like in the morning -- imagine what it's like in the evening! Haven't seen cankles like that since the Great Ankle Sprain of 2008!

glider reupholstery project

Originally, this was going to be my own little fun project: get a glider cheaply off craigslist, and then recover the cushions with a fun fabric. I found the fun fabric at Ikea, but then stupid carpal tunnel syndrome, plus with a realistic assessment of my own sewing skills, made me reconsider.

Before: The glider I found was a very basic white (approve!), with denim cushions that had faded in spots (cheesy!).


After: I used the "Alchemy" feature on Etsy, and an awesome seamstress, Jessie Skillman, agreed to do my project. And what a smart thing. They came out great. I am so, so pleased.


I love the fabric. We have a bright orange thing happening in the baby room, that will make the little squid guys really pop.


"Happening", I say with a snort. Behold the current state of the baby room. Two weeks 'til due date! (Ok, it looks bad, but what's left to do isn't that overwhelming: sand/refinish floors, install baseboards/door casings, replace radiators, paint. That's doable, right? Snort again?).

new stairs!

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

Thursday. (And yes Eliza, there will be a handrail).

something is up with the camera

Very psychedelic! I took a bunch of pictures of the semi-controlled chaos in the yard, and the ones without flash came out like this (and some even more pink):

The good news is that when I use the flash it seems to be fine. Batteries? Or some bigger problem...

one month and counting

Less than one month until due date, and at least we have new windows! Windows We Are was awesome, even Steve, always cynical and jaded, was positively impressed by their professionalism and efficiency. Although, yes, with one month to go, this is the state of the baby room.

But at least the house no longer looks like a boarded up foreclosed tenement. (oh and really Eliza, it did look like a boarded up foreclosed tenement -- when the old windows came out because Steve had to do some demo and rebuild, so in the meantime it was three beautiful sheets of plywood -- lasted about two weeks. I'm sure the neighbors loved us).