It's Our Park!

Saturday was It's My Park day in New York City. People were helping out in parks all over the city. We went to our favorite place: the Morris Jumel Mansion and helped plant some flowers, and clean out some flower beds. We totally love this historic house (where George Washington was headquartered for several weeks during the Revolutionary War) and are sad that their budget does not allow for better groundskeeping. Our Relief Society helped out there one time a couple of years ago, but I still feel this sort of responsibility to continue volunteering there. We have become friendly with the director of the museum and have spent some time just hanging out on the grounds. If you're into historic houses, this is a great place to spend a little time.

It also made me yearn for a little plot of land of my own where I can plant lots of veggies! Matt's mom calls us each year before she plants her garden and asks what sorts of things we'd like for her to plant. Then when we visit in August I get to cook up a storm with all the fresh produce that Alexis has harvested from the garden in the backyard.

Story Time

Friday was Aunt L's last day here. Grandma, L & A all came down to spend the afternoon with us. Here Auntie L is reading a story to the girls.


Grandma and Ella had some quality time (doesn't happen all too often as Lexi demands a lot of Grandma's attention).



We toyed with the idea of going downtown to try and catch a show, but ultimately decided to stay home, order pizza and play a rousing game of Time's Up! We're so glad we did because we laughed so hard and made lots of funny memories.

Top Girls

My sister Laura was here visiting this week. On Tuesday, we went to see a new show called Top Girls starring Martha Plimpton and Marissa Tomei. It was..... interesting. We couldn't really figure out what it was about. We had great seats, but the sound was terrible, and the actors were speaking in very thick accents (Scottish Brogue, German, British etc), so not only could we not hear what they were saying, we couldn't understand it either! After the first Act, several people around us took out their Playbills and tried to find some info on the play. The man behind us looked up some info on his blackberry and then read it to all the surrounding patrons. Another audience member close by told us that we needed to go back to the lobby and get some headsets, which allowed us to hear what the actors were saying much more clearly (they are connected to the mic on the stage). Thanks to all of those people, Acts 2 and 3 were a bit of a better experience. It turned out to be a much more somber play than we expected. We went into it thinking it would be a light & fun play. It is more of a social commentary on women in the workforce and what they have had to sacrifice to get there, as well as some political commentary, but we all know I'm not much into politics. Here's what the NY Times had to say.

At least we didn't walk out. Several people around us did.

Mother's Day

We sort of had a 2-day celebration of Mother's Day. On Saturday, we treated my mother to some Dinosaur BBQ (we opted for take out since it was an hour wait!). Lexi and I made these cute flower pot desserts that I found here.


Then on Sunday, after church we headed up to my mother's where she cooked a delicious dinner! Ella discovered the dishwasher for the first time and kept herself very busy figuring out how to climb up on top. She loves Grandma's house because it has some novelty experiences like stairs, grass, and TV.



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Isn't he sexy?

Matt recently had another war with a cold sore on his upper lip, so he let his beard grow out a bit. This is the longest he's ever let it grow (3 weeks) and this is the first time ever I have actually liked it. I can never seem to get past the initial stubble face that burns me every time he kisses me. But I really loved the way he looked this time around. Even some of his students commented on it, although at first they couldn't figure out what was different about him. He had to shave it off, though, since he's in a bishopric.

This Little Imp

One day while Lexi was at school, I was working at the computer while Ella was entertaining herself on the floor. She spent some time playing with our children's kitchen set and then moved over to the desk to go through all the drawers. And what, do you think, did she find there? A candy stick (who knows how old it was) and somehow she was able to get the wrapper off and stick it in her mouth! I'm a bad mommy because I didn't even notice anything was happening until she stood up at my knee and tried to hand it to me! So much for waiting until her first birthday to introduce sugar.

P is for Potato Stamps

When I went to the Martha Stewart show, one of the segments was about making stamps out of potatoes and decorating a tote bag. Everyone got a tote bag to take home and decorate, so Lexi and Grandma had a tote bag decorating event.

P is for Pretzels

I found an awesome recipe for Mall Pretzels, so we decided to try them out this week. They were so yummy! Best when right out of the oven- crusty on the outside and soft & chewy on the inside- just like those ones you can buy at the mall (and since there are no malls around here, we have to indulge ourselves somehow).

A Change of Pace

How well do you know me? Do you know that I have hated running for, like, EVER?? Do you know that I have considered it cruel and unusual, self-inflicted punishment? Well, can you now guess where I'm going with this? Can you guess what I am now spending several days a week doing? Yup. I'm running. Well, trying. There is quite a bit of fast walking involved, but you get the drift. I am happy to say that when I first started I couldn't run further than 4 blocks. Now, I can run just over a mile without stopping! That is a huge accomplishment for me. And it's farther than Matt can run, which is amazing to me because he's always been in better shape than I have. I have yet to experience the elusive Runner's High, but I'm hoping.
So, here's the thing. I have to have my iPod shuffle with me (early Mother's Day gift!). And I have to have music with a good rhythm to keep me going and to keep my mind off the self-inflicted punishment. I like songs like The Middle (disclaimer: this video is a little racy...), Boom Town by Greg Brown, Here It Goes, for their beat that I can run to. Do you have more suggestions for me?
Oh, and another question for my NY runner friends- I know you're out there! I need a goal. I need a 5K (no sooner than July) that I can sign up for. Can you direct me to one? And do you want to do it with me?

Sheep to Shawl Festival

The final event in our Spring Break week was our visit to Philipsburg Manor to attend the Sheep to Shawl Festival. We watched sheep dogs herd the sheep, men shear the sheep the way they would have in the 18th century, and we got to help clean and spin the wool. We watched them dye the wool and even some knitting (all with double-pointed needles- single pointed needles were not even around yet). We also saw them spin flax, which is much stronger than wool, so was typically used for thread. For a crafter like me, it was all really fascinating. They had a great story teller also, who had Lexi mesmerized with his rendition of RUMPLESTILTSKIN (appropriate for this festical since a spinning wheel plays a prominent part). The Manor house renovations were complete, so we were able to tour that as well.

XANADU

Have you seen this movie starring Olivia Newton-John? Me either. In fact, I didn't even know it existed. (Of course, I was only 3 when it came out). It's the film that brought us such soft rock hits as Suddenly and Magic. And from what I've heard, it was a total bomb. Cult classic, but a pretty lame flick. So why, oh why would they produce a Broadway musical based on the movie? To tease the movie & bring all sorts of fun and laughter to the stage. I went tonight with my friends Sheridan & Lindsay. We got the tickets from another friend whose roommate works for the producer. We sat in the second row for some good old Broadway-musical-singing-roller-skating-Greek-muses entertainment. Since I'm not really a big theater critic, here's what the New York Times had to say.

I met Sheridan for dinner first, at VYNL, which made it all a very nice girls' night out. This has been an enjoyable spring break!

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

Today we headed out to Brooklyn (no traffic, again! What luck!) and enjoyed a beautiful day in the Botanic Gardens. We found out that there is free admission on Tuesdays, so if we ever go again, ahem, WHEN we go again, it will be on a Tuesday for sure.

Did You See Me??

If you didn't, I'll be on the May 23rd show also. But here's the link to the April 22nd show.



It was SO. MUCH. FUN. We got there nice and early (like 7:45 am) and stood in line for about 45 minutes. We were numbers 19 & 20 in line! They then usher you in to a holding room where they had water bottles and muffins set up for us as well as a little basket full of lotion samples for us to take. Oh! And there was a coat check, which I thought was nice. Guess they don't want you're big, lumpy coat accidentally making it on camera. We sat in this room until all guests were inside. We watched some old show clips, and had to fill out a couple of forms- one was a release form just in case they get you on camera and choose to use your image in various Martha-related media. The other was an "Ask Martha" form where you write down any questions you might have and want to ask on camera. I wrote some question about how to start a recycling program in my building (yes, I realize it's city law to recycle, but my building does not currently have a system in place for this, even though my landlord has received citations). They liked my question, so they *starred* my ticket. So at this point I'm thinking that they choose a few questions, prep Martha on the answers and then tell us who will actually get to ask their questions. Well, due to the *star* on my ticket, we got to sit in the front row. There were 3 rows on the floor, but we were in the first row in the boxed audience area. Right in the middle. Prime location. Oh, and did I mention that my mother called in sick to work? And that her boss usually works out in the company fitness center during her lunch break? And that the Martha Show is usually on one of the monitors while said boss is in said fitness center? So we thought for sure she'd get caught, being in the front row and seeing as I'm going to ask Martha a question and get on camera and all. During the audience "warm-up" we are told that they will be filming for 3 shows that day. The Earth Day show (which aired the same day) and was filmed in full with no breaks (except for commercials), the Memorial Day Show (which will air May 23 and is largely video-taped segments, but we were the audience for the intros to the videos), and a portion of another show (whose date I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure it already happened). So we got all the audience gifts for 2 shows! It's exciting to get free stuff!

When the "Ask Martha" segment came on, it kind of took me by surprise because all of the sudden she says, "And now it's time for one of my favorite parts of the show where audience members can ask me a question. So, if you have a question, raise your hand...." and then some women off to the side raised their hands and the stage manager took the mike to them and stayed in their section for all the questions. Oh well. Better luck next time. Now I know to shoot my hand up right away.

After the show, we got some grub at Chipotle and then headed to Mood Fabrics (of Project Runway fame) to pick up some fabric for a dress my mother is planning to make. This place is awesome- so much fabric! A sewer's mecca.

Matt played stay-at-home dad so I could have a wonderful day with my mom. The only thing that would have made it better was if Joan had been with us. Oh, and my mom's boss did NOT see her. So she didn't get in trouble. Hooray!

The gifts we got? You have to watch the show to find out! Just Kidding. We got some towels from Martha's line at Macy's, a gardening catalog & discount, a couple of canvas tote bags, an aluminum water bottle (because apparently those plastic reusable ones like Nalgene that have a #7 in the little recycle symbol on the bottom are NOT good for you b/c they leach plastic & other junk into your water), this coffee table book, a little parade flag & a porch flag kit.

O is for Ocean & Octopus

So we're really sad that Grandma (Joan) Cope wasn't able to make it this week, but since it was Matt's spring break, and we had access to a car (thanks, Mom!), we decided to take advantage and see some of our city. We headed out to the NY Aquarium and spent a couple of hours watching the sea lion performance, the walrus feeding, and other various fish swim around. Then we walked down the boardwalk to Coney Island and let Lexi take a few rides. We ate some Nathan's hot dogs & cheese fries and a sub-par funnel cake (for $5! What a rip-off!) The weather was nice and best of all, we had NO TRAFFIC (even though both Laura Bush AND the Pope were in town).

Martha Stewart

Matt's mother, Joan (pronounced like JoAnn), was supposed to be here visiting this week, so she requested (free) tickets to a taping of the Martha Stewart Show. We were planning on having a girls day out together with my mother & Joan's sister. Due to an unfortunate circumstance in her family, she was unable to come to NY this week after all. I am quite disappointed that we won't be able to go to the taping together, but she told me to go anyway. I haven't watched the show in a while (we got rid of our TV back in January), but I actually am a big fan of Martha Stewart Omnimedia. My mother has always thought that MS was/is the ultimate Homemaking Leader! Anything you want me to ask her while I'm there? Just in case she does an "Ask Martha" segment. For reals, though, maybe you'll catch a glimpse of me & my mom in the audience. Check your local listings for time & channel. (I'm having a friend TiVo it for me, just in case I get on camera....)

M is for Motivation for Matt

Okay, so I realize M week is over, but Matt just told me that maybe he'd start contributing to the blog. Now for you faithful readers, you'll note that I am not very consistent at posting. There's usually a dry spell followed by a flurry of posts that are all backdated. Annoying, I'm sure. So next week is his spring break, and he'll have a little extra time on his hands. But he needs a little motivation. He says he wants to be "Tagged". So who out there is gonna "tag" Matt?? Ready? Set. GO!

Good Riddance

Matt has had these Nike moccasin shoes for ages. Since before we were married. I have always hated them. I think they are really ugly. He says they are the most comfortable shoes he has ever worn. I still think they're ugly. The other night, he dug them out of the closet (that will tell you how often he has worn them over the past year) and decided to get rid of them. I almost fell over when he told me. I told him to take a picture for the blog. And posterity. I still think they're ugly.

It's Spring

This is a big patch of flowers that we pass on our way to and from the playground everyday. When we first decided to move to New York City 4 years ago, our friend Scott asked, "Will Lexi even know what a tree is?" Yes, she does. Although, while Stew & Carolyn were visiting a few weeks ago, she pointed out a tree to Stewart. He nicely informed her that it was not actually a tree, but a bush. She replied, "What's a bush?" I guess her knowledge of nature is limited. We'll have to work on that during N week.

M is for Many Thanks for the Mail

In an unfortunate turn of events, my mailbox key broke off in the mailbox lock on Monday morning. It took the super several days to get around to fixing it (surprise surprise), so when we were actually able to check the mail, Lexi hit the Mother Lode! She got 6 letters on Thursday and 4 on Friday. And we still have a letter or two trickling in. Brennan sent a puzzle (that Lexi still puts together several times a day), Great Grandma sent a Magnet and Money! Lisa sent a card with a Monet painting. And Liz underlined & highlighted every M in the letter! Pop-pop sent a bunch of fun postcards. Lexi even got a party invitation. Wow! Thanks so much, folks! You really came through. And Lexi was so happy- she still asks every day if she got any mail.

M is for Monkey Bread

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, Monkey Bread!! It didn't last long. That's about all I have to say about that.