The Fridge: It's small. It can get pretty packed pretty quickly. Especially after a trip to Costco with my mother. Lots of Lexi's art work here. And a little set-the-table diagram for Lexi to refer to when setting the table. Also a couple of calendars on the side. One for Lexi and one for me for when I'm really into the meal planning thing. And our radio & cd's on top, although you can't really see them too well in this shot.
The Sink: It's small. There are about 6 inches of counter on each side of it and that's it. Thankfully we found a great drying rack for dishes that hangs from the wall above the sink. All dishes done by yours truly. I do love my little soap bottle there under the utensil drying bin. So much prettier than those big plastic ones that you actually buy the dish soap in. And my mom bought us that fabulous faucet (the one hidden under all those dishcloths). The one that actually belongs there is really short, and has 2 separate controls for the hot and cold water. This has one. I had no idea what I was missing until she bought this one for us. Our super was kind enough to install it and wouldn't take the $$ I offered him. It pays to tip your super at Christmas, folks.
The bathroom: It's small. We do have another half bath, but we use it for storage. And it's like the size of a telephone booth, anyway, so it's sort of hard to use as a bathroom. I made that shower curtain about 6 years ago. It was one of my first sewing projects. I'm ready for a new one.
The laundry: It's small. And wait, haven't we seen this photo before? Oh yes! Because it's also my kitchen sink. Now, I know that many New Yorkers don't even have a washing machine in their apartment. I know I am lucky to have that! But it's the kind you hook up to your sink & it also drains into the sink, so all the dishes must be done. It's a small machine, so it takes me a little longer to do all the laundry- I basically have to do a few loads every day (but I don't always do that). And I don't have a dryer. So we hang dry everything. I use those hangers for shirts & dresses etc. I use 2 of those racks there on the left for other things. And I have a little laundry line in the bathroom that I use for socks & kids underwear. Sometimes we will take some stuff to the laundry room in the basement (which I don't have a photo of right now) to dry. But I am always a little nervous about what other people have washed & dried in those machines, so most of the time I just stick to my slow process. It certainly doesn't take me as long as using a washboard would, so I'm trying not to complain too much.
My closet: It's small. We only have 2 closets in this whole apartment. They are both this size. I share this one with Matt. And there's a whole lot of out of season clothing/baby blankets/maternity clothes/other stuff shoved up there on the one shelf. One thing I'd do if we owned this place would be to put little doors above the closet in all that wall space and have another little storage closet on top of the already existing closet. With shelves. There used to be sliding doors, too, but I took them off because it was too difficult to get anything down from the shelf, and also just too much of a hassle constantly sliding them back and forth. As you can see, Matt's nightstand there on the right doubles as a clothing shelf as well, most days.
My favorite room: It's actually not so small. This is our office/playroom. It has an air conditioner! And it gets a lot of sunlight since it faces south and west. We have our computer in there, my sewing table & stuff, Matt's guitars & amp, Lexi's desk, dress-up stuff and other toys. We are also getting a futon to put in there sometime this week, so it will be a real rec room! In NYC! We are lucky, I tell you. Our bedroom has French doors that open into this room, so if we want it to feel bigger, we open those up, too. And did I mention we have an air conditioner in here? (On a side note, I love my living room, too, except that it's pretty small, and it's kind of hot these days since it's right next to the kitchen & only has a small a/c unit).
What the kids are doing right now (when I took the photos): Lexi was playing on the computer. And Ella was eating breakfast. But right now (as I type this) Lexi is at school and Ella is sleeping. Practically my favorite time of the day because I am alone for a brief time. Not too long to get lonely, though.
My favorite shoes: Dansko Lolita Sandals. So comfortable. I can walk all over the city in these.
Dream Vacation: So many places I would love to go. But really, I just want to return to Spain. I love it so much and would love to see it again. We are tentatively saving & planning to go to celebrate our 10th anniversary...
I would really love to take the time to walk/run/hike/bike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
There you have it! Thanks for the tag, Jenni. It was fun to do.
