Channeling My Inner Suzy Homemaker and Calling Carrie Bradshaw

Despite how much I sucked at Home Ec (I kicked ass in shop), I have a pretty strong domestic streak.* I enjoy cooking and baking, and my love of fiber seems to know no bounds. (I will learn to spin, I will learn to spin.) All of a sudden, I am itching to sew. I have been bitten by the Amy Butler bug. So...I ordered a bunch of patterns and some fabric (Purl Soho had a very nice 40% off sale on some charming textiles), made the rounds of local fabric stores, and I am going to oil up the Singer and, hell, yeah, I am going to sew. We'll just have to see how that goes.

I've started and finished a few small knitting projects in the last couple of weeks, including some socks and a few cowls. (I hope cowls don't become the ponchos of 2008--I'm investing far too much time and $$ only to abandon them in a season or two. I have some Quiviut versions in the queue--yum!)

This week I have to choose my projects carefully because the combination of the Alchemy Magician's Scarf (that Silken Straw is unforgiving stuff) and some gardening has wreaked havoc on my hands. After a few rounds, they start to ache--not good, not good at all. So, I am taking it easy and maybe I will use my "down time" to practice spinning.

Yesterday, I went to see "Sex and the City." (I have a serious thing for Mike Logan/Mr. Big, both flawed but very hot characters.) I left wanting to toss all of my Danskos and Borns and invest heavily in Jimmy Choos and Manolos. Not gonna happen, mind you, but it was tempting. I actually have a pair of Manolos that I have never worn. I got them on clearance from Neiman's several years ago (I just totally blew my style cred by admitting they were on clearance), but I never had an outfit to wear with them. One thing I have learned from those Sex girls, your shoes do not have to match the outfit at all. Watch the feet--you'll see what I mean.

After a very cool spring, it looks like the nicer weather may have arrived. Today was absolutely perfect: sunny with an occasional cloud, warm but breezy, and not humid at all. So long as it stays this way, this will be my view for most of the season:

We are so, so very lucky to have a large balcony on our house. Our next door neighbors to the north have one, too, and it's a very good thing we get along with them because we're only about 5' apart. It is quite a luxury here in the city--both to have neighbors you love and a great outdoor space.

The husband, the boys, and I all got a big dose of quality balcony time today. Actually, Pitch lost privileges for eating flowers and Papel got sent to the dugout for having a battle of wills with a terribly brazen pigeon. There was no contact--just a fierce staring contest that threatened to turn ugly for somebody. Considering I found a squirrel's tail--the entire tail--on the sidewalk next to my house this week, I do not want any part in wildlife carnage. (My cats were cleared of all charges in the squirrel case; they are always limited to strictly supervised balcony time and therefore have ironclad alibis.)

(Get a load of all of those tree seeds. There was a solid layer of them covering the floor before I swept up as many as I could. There were times today when it looked like a blizzard.)

P.S. Those clear plastic shoes are not Carrie Bradshaw-approved. I know that, but they amuse me nonetheless.

*My domestic skills DO NOT include cleaning. I. HATE. TO. CLEAN.