December 31, 2012

2012

This year started off with a round of redundancies at work, my husband unhappy with his job and lots of anxiety about not knowing what was going to happen.

This year ended pretty good. Both my husband and I got down to our goal weights (I lost twenty pounds!) though its shifted up a bit with all the Christmas food. Billy is happy with his job and no longer leaves a 6am and returns at 9pm as he did at his old job in London.

Here are the highlights of my year:

I stopped eatting meat for five months to make the most of our orgainic veg box and in the process started taking loads of vitamins that I still take. (That is always a new year's resolution that I forget to do). I'm now back to a carnavore.

In January we went to the Cotswolds to visit friends:


We took our annual May holiday in Copenhagen home to my great grandfather.


In July, Olympic fever took over and I got to follow the torch around England.


In August I got to fly over Suffolk in a helicopter which made a centre spread in my paper.


 In September we went home to Florida to see my family and had a few days to ourselves in Key West for our fourth wedding anniversary.


For Billy's birthday on December 23rd we went on the London Eye and ate Danish pancakes before meeting friends for bowling on Brick Lane.


It was a pretty good year and I hope next year is even better! Click here to see my work photos of the year.

December 4, 2012

Cross Stitch Project #2-5 / Embroidery Project #3


I've sorely neglected this blog in the last few months and now I have to play massive catch-up. I made these projects a few months ago and now they are hanging on my bedroom wall. My bedroom will be a post on its own as it is undergoing serious style refurbishment as it was also very neglected (see a theme here). I got bored with the cross stitching after awhile so I added in a little embroidered salsa lady that kind of reminds me of my sassy Mo'ma.

I really like embroidery but I feel like my cross stitch always looks better because I use the Aida fabric specifically made for the craft. I use left over fabric for embroidery (this one was a cotton sheet with fusible webbing to make it stronger) but I don't love it. I think if I bought linen I might like the results better.

I have red Aida fabric and was going to cross stitch some Christmas ornaments but I bought it off a roll and ended up getting the kind with smaller holes that are really hard to see and not very fun to work with so we'll see if I can handle it.

I 've also knitted myself a hat and a cowl, but that will wait for a future post. I am crocheting covers for stools we just bought to go with our new kitchen island. And lastly I finished the top of my quilt and have to wait until Christmas is over and I can afford the batting and back fabric.

So you see I haven't just been sitting here in the cold doing nothing!


September 19, 2012

One day to go! And Quilt Project #1






Only one day to go until FLORIDA!! I am so excited to be going home to see MoMa. It feels like I haven't had a holiday in ages but really its only been since May. Two glorious weeks in the sun sounds amazing now that the Autumn word has been bandied about around here. If I wasn't going home I'd feel absolutely cheated by not having a real summer.

***

I've been working on a quilt for awhile (well I got this much done and it's been sitting in a pile in my living room waiting to be completed) and I'm really liking how its coming along. As its my first quilt I chose I simple patchwork design inspired by this quilt. I have loads of squares cut out already but I've been sneaking in cross stitch projects between the quilt as I can sit on the couch while Billy watches football.

This will be for our bedroom as it is the only room that we don't actually like. It is really small so much so that Billy as to walk sideways around his side of the bed and we never really got around to decorating it as we focussed on the rest of the flat. I chose yellow and blue because they are not overly feminine yet I could still through some pretty patterns into it.

I bought most of my fabric as fat quarters, which in hindsight may not of been the best idea because I ran out of some of the fabrics. I have since bought and cut different fabrics to try and add to the mix. I hope to have this finished pretty soon after I get back from holiday and then I have to make curtains. I found this pretty cool material that's navy and a yellowy gold and very nautical. I would also love to make a headboard in a yellowy-goldish like this one here.

***

Well I'm off now to finish packing! See y'all later.

August 28, 2012

Three weeks to go...

Three agonisingly long weeks are the only thing between me and my holiday! I have had a serious case of holidayitis for the past month as I've longed for sandy beaches instead of the rocky shores of England. It's actually quite nice as summer is winding down here in the UK and I'll get to go home and have two glorious weeks with Moma and maybe even a visit from my favourite friend Arielle from Atlanta!!

Billy and I will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary while we are there and we have booked a hotel in Key West for a few days. Key West is my favourite spot in the whole of Florida because its so laid back but quite like a mini New Orleans. I love Ernest Hemmingway's house and how you are so close to Cuba but you'd have to fly to Canada to get there and I love the carcass of the original Flagler bridge eerily shadowing the seven-mile bridge.  Oh and did I mention the Key Lime Pie. You can get it on a stick there! And to top it off we are hoping to book a convertible to drive down in.

I have been stocking up of Florida friendly clothes for months as I can't stand wearing certain fabrics in the heat. I wear a lot of jersey as it is really soft on sun burned skin. I have bought a fedora to keep my face out of the sun and I found this adorable one piece honeycombed swimming costume apparently designed by Bettie Page (who lived in Key West for awhile so it was quite suiting- yes that was a bad pun). I also picked up another pair Bensimon Elastique tennis shoes which are essentially an integral part of my summer wardrobe as they are really comfy and slip on quick for spur of the moment bike rides. And they were on sale!! Score.

I have a few skirts and dresses I've acquired at various Gap sales the past few months as well so I'm pretty set. I really wanted some nice flip flops instead of the cheap plastic Old Navy ones I always seem to end up with.

I am seriously beyond excited and Billy and I are in desperate need of down time. Hurry up holiday.

July 26, 2012

100th Post!!


100th Post!!:
Wow I can't believe I'm writing my 100th post!  It actually feels like it should be more when I look back through my posts from the past few year, which I have been doing the past couple of days.  I started this blog when I was in a haze of anxiety from a job that literally gave me nightmares and this blog was a way to channel the good things in my life and gave me something to focus on. I blame this blog and my eagerness to add posts about baking for gaining twenty odd pounds, which I'm just now getting rid of. But I also am grateful for this blog for the creative outlet it provides. I learned to bake for catharsis, I was inspired to rediscover sewing and to immerse myself in new crafts that I had never the time or ambition to take on.

Catching up:

I have a lot of things to post now since I've been adding up my finished crafts. I haven't cook many new recipes as the past two months at work have been chaotic with the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics and it's all I can do to whip up something quick. Billy has more time at home now that he isn't commuting into London everyday. We actually go for bike rides in the countryside after work now when he had been getting home at 8 or 9 o'clock at night only to wake back up for 5:30 at his last job. I'm still not eating meat, though I did have bacon for the first time a few weeks ago, which I thoroughly regretted. We still get our veg box weekly but now we get a smaller veg and additionally a small fruit supply that's quite refreshing in the summertime.

Summertime:
Speaking of summertime… On our afternoon bike rides in the English countryside I have been nostalgic for porches and lemonade. Its only now getting hot and it feels like summer is almost over and loads of blogs are already talking about Autumn!! NOOO NOT YET! I definitely think that summer is my favourite time of the year again (it ceased being my favourite season when i managed a firework store for many years whilst in my teens and I would work for two months straight without a day off for a meagre amount of money). But it really hasn't felt like summer. Its almost the end of July and I haven't gone strawberry picking yet and I'm reading the second in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series because I wanted to mindless summer book to get me in the mood! Billy and I are going home to Florida at the end of September, which also happens to coincide with our fourth wedding anniversary. This trip will extend our summer as its always hot in September in Florida though it is still technically hurricane season. I really just want to get a book, sip some sweet tea on the hammock in the shade of my momma's back yard. That is going to be summer for me.


Projects:

Here are some of the projects I've been working on. I crocheted a rug. Well I tried to crochet a rug. I tested out several patterns and they all start curling up when they get bigger. I wanted a really big rug but I had to stop because of the puckering. I used this pattern which looks great on a smaller rug as does most of the items Pickles create.

I have also grown a slew of herbs from seeds in the past few months. I was given seeds whilst on an assignment and I picked up a few other on my own. I have coriander, parsley, chives, dill and the plant shown is a chilli plant (which was actually in Billy's Xmas stocking that he never bothered to plant). I am also growing lettuce and have a Calamondin plant. This is the first time in my life I have grown something successfully!! I always say I have a black thumb instead of a green thumb due to all the foliage i have murdered in my life. I did the same science experiment every year in elementary school: Which one grows better: Marigolds grown in full sunlight or Marigolds grown in the dark. My Hypothesis: Marigolds need sun to create photosynthesis. (Seriously thats pretty much verbatim from what I did and needless to say it garnered me seriously average grades).

And lastly, the thing that made me giddy like a little girl: Billy bought me a darkroom!! I got a black and white enlarger with all the fixings and I am so incredibly eager to use it but alas chemicals are taking FOREVER to arrive. So until then my lovely darkroom kit is sitting in our spare bedroom. I am lucky that we have two bathrooms and the one we don't use often is large enough that we keep our bikes in there. There aren't any windows either so it will be really light tight. I set up my first darkroom in my house in Florida not long after my dad died and I would spend hours in there. I'd go in at 4pm and come out with sore eyes at 4am not knowing where the time went.

I think my 100th post may be my longest, but that's what happens when i put it off for ages!!

June 8, 2012

Sewing Project #13

I'm so excited this will be my third weekend off in a row! First it was because we were in Copenhagen, then last weekend I took off mainly because of the Queen's Jubilee. I am so sick of Union Jacks and everything to do with queenie.

Instead of working Billy and I went to a music festival in London called Field Day. It was an amazing line-up and I got to see Andrew Bird (swoon) and Beirut, and I found I really like The Savages, an all girl, intense quartet. Also the in-laws were in London so Sunday was spent entertaining.

Today is Billy's last day at his job at a law firm in London and next week he starts a job for the council so we are going into London tomorrow to do a celebratory wine tasting (Billy's birthday gift from December!), a good curry on Brick Lane and some record and vintage shopping. Yay.

With all that's been going on, I forgot to post a photo of a dress I made for Copenhagen. It's a simple pattern from Burda called Anda and some stripy fabric, but I used elastic at the waist instead of a drawstring. It was the first piece of clothing I've sewn in ages! I am being crafty now too. I'm crocheting a colourful rug and I am going to do my first quilt for our bedroom (more on that one later).

I'm really enjoying my quiet Friday night with some wine, Nina Simone and my crocheting until my husband gets home from his after work drinks!

May 29, 2012





We got back from Copenhagen yesterday with sunburned skin, full tummies and two souvenirs, a pen and a card. Copenhagen, or Kopenhavn as it is called in Denmark, is a city very similar to Amsterdam with bicycles outnumbering cars almost 3-1 but without the charming Dutch architecture (though it can be found here and there).

Copenhagen is also the birthplace of my great-grandfather Johan Petersen, or George Petersen as he changed it after immigrated to the US in 1900, who incidentally invented the Petersen flusher, which can be found in most toilets!

The highlights of our holiday were the Carlsberg brewery, the Vesterbro Music Festival and renting bikes and cycling across the city. Our hotel, the Axel, was pretty great as well. It was a completely organic operation and the only bad thing was the less than fluffy yet eco-friendly towels.

Vesterbro was an amazing neighborhood to stay in, only a block from the central station and really close to hip restaurants and the aforementioned music festival, which we just happened upon. It is also the Copenhagen’s red light district so there was an area called the Erotic Triangle with shady people.

I think if you had to go to Amsterdam or Copenhagen I would pick Amsterdam for its sheer beauty, but I definitely have a soft spot for Copenhagen now.

May 17, 2012

My new font


I'm really excited about my new font. I made it by printing a template, writing all my letters with my favorite pen, scanning it high-res, massively photoshopping and hours worth of scaling and sizing each character in font creating software. Was it worth it? YES!! Its pretty weird seeing your handwriting as a font. Its not quite the same as when I write because I connect most of my letters but its pretty darn close. I am using it as my header on my professional site and its nice knowing that no one else is using the same font. If anyone else whats to make their own, here's the tutorial I used. You do need basic photoshop skills and the font software.

May 14, 2012

Adventures in Polaroid...







I've been playing around with my new landcamera and here are some of the photos from this weekend. Billy and I went for a walk in the countryside (which is about five minutes from where we live). We saw cows, a tree with a hole in it where I'm sure fairytale creatures lurk, a dog belly flopping into the river (Billy has those photos), and the gorgeous rapeseed fields. I can not express how incredibly beautiful rapeseed is when its blooming. I know it doesn't have the best name but it is such a vibrant yellow and its also our oil of choice being far better than olive oil.

May 8, 2012

Chair Makeovers

I meant to post this ages ago but well I forgot. Oops. My friend Debbie came last weekend for a visit form Edinburgh and in our fervor to prepare for her royal visit Billy and I needed to tick a few boxes on our to do lists.

At one of my first assignments at my job last year I bought two chairs from a community centre for £2. It was a score as I only had an air mattress at that point. Then a few months ago, my work was having a clear out and I found two orange school chairs by the skip. So we neglected these ugly chairs for ages despite the fact we even purchased paint for them at Homebase.

So Eek Dib Dob was coming and we went into super drive and painted all four, plus our balcony table, and even covered the seats of the wood chairs. Success! Except, well, we used spray paint inside due to the weather and even though we put down a drop cloth we sufficiently coated out laminate floor in a thin sheen of red. Uh. Yeah, we have been mopping with mineral spirits and most of it is coming up but I fear we will be finding red for months.

So if you pair our chairs with our £4 Edwardian pub table, we spent a whopping £6 on our dining room furniture. I'm pretty chuffed.

April 9, 2012

Veg Box Recipes 7, 8 & 9


Its been 3 weeks without meat and I haven’t missed one bite of it. Billy is hankering for some pork or beef but I think his Scottish Highlander genes aren’t programmed for a veggie diet. Up north where he’s from, chips (French fries) are considered a vegetable and green things are just for garnish.

It’s a really funny contrast from Billy’s side of the family to my mom. Not only is my mom not a fan of meat, she recently went vegan. I guess living in the sun and sand of South Florida leads for better lifestyle food wise as she eats quinoa and spelt and loads of veg. She grows mangoes and bananas and mulberries, which are blooming right now. I actually eat my breakfast by going in her back yard and picking the freshest items. Yum.

Last week’s veg box was a bit super sized as we’re aren’t getting one this week. Boo! We’ve used up quite a bit but we are finding loads of carrots and leeks leftover. These recipes are from the second week’s box and we’ve already made one recipe twice as it was super good.

That was the roasted tomato, halloumi and quinoa salad { 7}. I love halloumi but have never tried to make something with it at home. The second time Billy made it and roasted the peppers as well as the tomatoes for a different taste.

I made another stir fry { 8 } to use up carrots, spinach, broccoli and onions from the box. We usually get big udon noodles that come already cooked and only need heating, but I found wholewheat organic udons at Waitrose and I really prefer them to the old kind.

I needed to use up our cabbage on Tuesday night, so I made a stuffed cabbage recipe { 9 } from the Veg book that had a spelt filling and a tomato sauce topping. I really liked the stuffed leaves until the next morning when I felt really nauseous and now even looking at them make me a little sick. I’m pretty sure the nausea is unrelated to the cabbage but when I opened the fridge and saw the leftovers my stomach turned so who knows.

April 2, 2012


I woke up this morning to see my new camera waiting for me on the kitchen table! Yay! I have been wanting a Polaroid land camera for ages and I've occasionally bid on one on EBay always losing out as the price went up too much for my wallet. To my surprise, I won the camera which happens to be the same amount of money I won in the office raffle so I think it was fate.

Now, when I buy a camera, Billy usually asks "Don't you already have that camera," or "Do you really need another camera?". Well the answers are no and yes. Yeah, I do have a lot of film cameras (far more than what is pictured in the photo above). It started by picking up cameras at garage sells and thrift stores regardless of whether they work or not. Now I try and get specific cameras that must work.

My new Polaroid Land Camera 104 circa 1965 was the first land camera produced for retail as it is made of plastic lenses rather than glass which made it much lighter and far more economical.

I shoot digital everyday and it can become really boring. I love shooting film and not knowing how the image will turn out. I love Polaroid even more. I think a lot of Polaroid cameras are selling cheaper these days as people think you can't get film for it. Where some older models are completely obsolete, most cameras take modern Fuji instant film (or the Impossible Project instant film).

I'm super excited about my new camera!

March 29, 2012

Veg Box Recipes 3,4,5 & 6


Another week and another veg box. We used up everything from our last one except one leek and a couple of mushrooms. This week we have celeriac which I used tonight in a lentil salad with apple and raisins { 6 } from the veg book. We also have spinach and rocket, as well as massive courgettes.

On Monday I looked in the fridge surprisingly I found I had everything I needed to make an amazing sweet potato salad with spinach and feta { 3 }. Its amazing to go in the ice box and have such interesting food to use that doesn't include a trip to the grocery store. On Tuesday, we needed to use up what we had left so I made a beetroot coleslaw with walnuts left over from Christmas that were still good in their shells { 5 } with refried beans (made from scratch) on a flatbread (also made from scratch) { 4 }. Yummy. The flatbread recipe from the veg book is super tasty.

The consensus is that the sweet potato recipe, which is not from the book, was the best! Tomorrow I'm going to experiment with Halloumi and the tomatoes from our box.

I haven't missed meat at all and I am really enjoying making dinner. I am finding that since I'm investing so much time with organic veg that I really should include more organic ingredients into my life. I usually try to buy organic when I can, but the price tag tends to put me off.

Today, I found myself opting for the organic apples, raisins and even organic udon noodles! This is probably the most socially conscious my tum tum has ever been! And speaking of the tum tum, lets just say lots of veg = lots of flatulence and Frebreeze is being used in abundance! But I have lost a few pounds since going meatless so I'm not going to complain.

*I was informed by my other half that he used up the last of our first box on Wednesday night while I was working so we did get through everything in the box in a week.*

March 23, 2012

Veg Box Recipes 1 and 2


We got our organic veg box on Wednesday, but didn't get to make a meal together til Thursday. After a trip to Waitrose (a posh grocery store in the UK) for special ingredients, I made Kale Speltotto with goat's cheese { 1 } from the River Cottage Veg book. I had never heard of Pearled Spelt before last night but it is cooked like you would cook risotto. In fact you could substitute goat's cheese with Parmesan to end up with something really similar to risotto. The thing is, I dislike risotto. Billy's made it several times in the past but no matter the ingredients, I find it difficult to get down.

But the spelt didn't taste like risotto. I used an onion, garlic and leeks from the veg box and added it to the cheese, spelt and kale. It was my first time cooking with kale, though I've been meaning to add it to my cooking repertoire for awhile as it is supposed to be super healthy.

I think I'd give it a 5/10 if I were grading it. I don't think I'll make this exact recipe again, but I definitely think spelt will be on my menu again.

Tonight I used up carrots, a pepper, mushrooms, garlic, and pak choi from the box and added ginger, white wine vinegar, soy sauce and egg noodles for a quick stir fry { 2 }. Billy is out in London tonight with work mates so I didn't want to get too fancy with my din din. It was quick and simple but oh so nice having a fridge full of nice ingredients. I feel like half my time is spent in grocery stores picking up this and that for each night's meals.

I also was asked today if I had lost weight by a coworker. Yay! That will spur me on. I think lots of veg + ballet + riding bikes with Billy = a much healthier Su!

March 19, 2012

Meatless Month

I cannot detach myself from things that I see. This is why I made for a terrible Forensic Photographer. This is also why I haven’t eaten pork since August when I photographed a story on a pig farm. So when I photographed a dairy farm on Friday, my future with beef was becoming tenuous. I tried not to stare into the big brown eyes of the calf that I know in 18 months will be on somebody’s plate.

I made sure to order a steak on Saturday when Billy and I went out for a nice meal on his company’s dime (a reward for being employee of the month) and it was as perfect a steak as I’ve ever had. It was char grilled, not too pink and very tender. Okay I thought to myself, if I can eat this steak than all is well on the meat front. Billy won’t be upset with me for further restricting our diet.

So you can understand my surprise when he suggested post steak that we try and cut meat out for a month. Really!?! Yes! I love the taste of meat but I hate the constant repressing of thoughts while eating it. So we watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg program and bought the book of the same name. We are not after recipes that just substitute meat for tofu or quorn. We want meals that are so good you don’t miss meat.

I am actually really excited about this. I like food adventures that make us come out of our comfort zone. We love talking about what we eat, breaking it down to figure out the ingredients and spices.

Yesterday was Day One. Unfortunately I picked the first recipe, a balsamic leek and goats cheese tart in filo pastry. Sounds good, but I didn’t realize I needed small tart pans, which I don’t have, and was forced to make two large tarts. Blah was the outcome. Maybe if I had done it to the recipe it would have been better but alas I don’t know if I’ll bother again.

All the recipes in the veg book excite us and to further our meatless cause we ordered our first Veg Box. We have been wanting to join a scheme since our Edinburgh days but couldn’t due to where we lived. We wanted one super close to keep our food miles down but the closest one is in the next county over. We should hopefully get our first box on Wednesday and we have big plans to use everything in the box no matter what.

I think I could easily cut meat out all together but only in the UK. When I go home my favorite restaurant is a redneck bbq joint with loose meat bbq sandwiches. I actually moan when I eat it because it is well amazing. I actually had them cater my wedding and it was a huge hit (except to my lovely friend Arielle- a from birth vegetarian).

So wish us luck!!

February 29, 2012

Let's dance

I know you’re supposed to try something new on Leap Day but I am working today (actually typing this at work on a slow news night). So yesterday after failed attempts to keep fit by going to the gym (I find any excuse not to go) I thought I’d take a class that would force me to go every week.

When I researched fitness classes Zumba was the top hit on the Google list, but the closest one to me is at a leisure centre that you have to pay to go to. So I looked elsewhere and during that search I got to thinking that if I’m going to invest time into taking a class maybe I should take a dance class where I actually learn a skill. I initially thought about tap dancing as I thought the constant jumping up and down had to make me fit. I also had flashbacks to my preschool days of tap class where I would tap a tap a tap a on every surface I could find much to everyone’s annoyance.

I found a school I liked that didn’t seem too focused on stick-thin ballerinas as most school’s adult dance section on their websites showed their lack of interest in actually teaching someone that wouldn’t go on to add stature to their name. But alas the tap class was on Wednesday night which is today which is my late night at work. Boo.

But before I got too bummed I saw they had a ballet class on Tuesday nights and it was the same price as a Zumba class. Suddenly all my dreams of becoming a prima ballerina came flooding back. I would make up my own moves to the Nutcracker; I would tippy toe round my bedroom pretending I was on Pointe shoes. I even took a ballet class when I was a child (the same class as my tap dancing) but my lack of depth perception seriously hindered my outer performance though inside I was the prima.

I emailed the teacher Monday night whose name is actually Valentine explaining my serious lack of dancing talent and she said to come along on Tuesday and I wouldn’t be the only beginner as the week before three other women attended. With no excuse not to do it I showed up at the centre at 8:15 and four or five women were waiting quietly in the hall as the earlier class (those with the Pointe shoes on their tippy toes) weren’t done yet.

I started chatting to a nice woman who was around my age and she said that she was new last week and she didn’t have shoes either. Another woman, who I assume the first had befriended the week before, started chatting as well and I was put at ease. As a photojournalist I can go into any situation and be quite confidant while talking to people. But when I’m about to make a fool of myself in front of people it’s a bit scary.

We started at the barre. Valentine was a bit distracted as her other classes were performing soon and the late start of our class was due to their practice. She jumped into doing the basic steps but it was a bit too quick for me. The other “new” people who started with me had taken years (one said 16) of ballet before. What!?! This is a beginner’s class!! Seriously!

But I kept up with them as best I could though the teacher made lots of statements as to how to correctly pull off the technique that I’m pretty sure were aimed at me. After the barre we went into more steps that lead to a full move but it went too fast. I really struggled with knowing which foot to put where when changing sides. I did do one move called a “jette” that the teacher said “good job” at. I’m sure if my face hadn’t of been bright red from exertion I probably would have blushed. And my poor feet. I kept stepping on my own bare feet.

There was a girl there, a regular, who was across from me at the barre and in front of me for the rest of the time and she was really graceful. I decided right then that I wasn’t going to give up until I could be as graceful as her and the moves so effortless. She left before I could ask her how long she’s been at it but that’s okay. I’ll ask her next class.

In the meantime I am studying. I googled the basic steps and I practiced today before I started work. I don’t want to overload on ballet techniques but I want to be able to go into class next week and actually keep up with everyone else. And I need shoes. The photo above is the shoes I want to get.

I tried something new and I am quite proud of myself.


February 16, 2012

My Valentine...


I am on my couch in my jammies under a patchwork quilt and crocheting a rug of all things. I just finished a 7-day work week and I am knackered. We have lost three photographers at work and as two of our remaining photogs were on holiday this week I've been overworked. I am listening to BBC radio Suffolk whilst typing this because my boss, whose jobs was made redundant, is about to give a radio interview. He's really upset by what went down and even more pissed because his bosses made it seem like he was choosing to leave in the article they put into the paper praising his work over 30 plus years.

Today is Billy's first day back at work as he has been super ill since last Thursday. I had to work on Valentine's Day and had to work later than usual so I was expecting a very low-key night. To my surprise I came home to heart-shaped shortbread cookies, red roses and a card that made me cry. I brought him home some insulation for the doors. I think we know who is the romantic in our relationship. I'm hoping to be making more things to blog about but I'm super tired when I get home.

January 27, 2012

Slouchy Knit Hat


Just reading my last post I'm astonished I let my guard down long enough to be optimistic. That lasted exactly five days. Then my company announced redundancies, three of which are in the photo department. Two solid weeks of pure stress over the future of my job and three to four weeks of painful side affects to my long sustained, yet stress induced acid reflux aside and my job is safe... for now.

Its scary how quickly things can go from being okay to being fraught with fear. I am no longer optimistic. I am content but I am not going to allow myself to get my hopes up again. Silly, silly me.

In the meantime I've been crocheting a cushion, cutting out a dress pattern (the power cord to my sewing machine is lost among all the boxes still unpacked from our move) and knitting a hat. It seems a long time since my last knitting project. I did throw together a quick seed stitch scarf for Billy but I never got around to adding it to the blog. He doesn't wear it because he thinks it's too big so I'll probably frog it anyways.

PS the rest of my NYC photos are up on Flickr now. I'm trying to get back into the habit of adding things in a timely fashion.