life : can do, deux

just some 'weeds' from around town. not sure why
the tree had a lock on it, but no bother.

hello, hello! you know, sometimes seemingly independent things merge to get you motivated to make a change. the i think i can book mentioned a few weeks ago was step one. then, we saw the movie the secret in their eyes about it never being too late to fearlessly live your passion. add in some good talks with nice friends & scott, plus the simple + pretty post the other day about a program to help you find your work-life fulfillment and we're off to the races. i've worked in management consulting and have done a lot of personal development, but i need a jump start and the institute of you program might be just what the doctor (me) ordered. i'm going to do it and will let you know.

enjoy your weekend. i hit publish by accident and it drives me nuts when posts show up in google reader and then disappear, so here it is a few days early. think of this post like a little weekend jump start!

xo, cindy

ps have you seen this fun glee-like video? it made me smile from ear to ear.

fun : sunshine award!

band : guggenheim grotto - fe da da dee
so glad this favorite Irish band is making
full song tracks available on myspace!

hello! recently, sweet denise gave us the sunshine award, which is pretty great, especially since we've been having some rainy weather. it's wonderful to receive such a happy award and the best way i thought to pass it along was to give it to the first ten ladies who commented on our last post, so here goes -

1. grace
2. aimee
3. pj
4. jami
5. michelle
6. line
7. jen
8. alison
9. joyce
10. krissy

i think i'm going to do it that way from now on, especially if you don't have to write long lists of your deepest, darkest secrets.

xo, cindy

ps our little pink cabinet was on sew, mama, sew!

life : weekend bits

line, fireman, tulips, cake, purl twice

hello! i hope you all had a nice weekend! mine started out on friday when i met line for lunch at the chelsea market and then a walk through high line park. she was visiting nyc with her sweet family and is cute as a button, they all are. although we've never met in person, it felt like we were like old friends. she was only here for a few days, so i really appreciated her spending the afternoon with me. the funny thing is that we didn't really take many photos.

saturday, we took charlie to see my brother and celebrate his birthday. he has the sweetest house and it was a good day out for charlie. it's been a year since helen passed away and he likes my brother who is always up to something new (crazy - new engine for his vintage corvette!), so it was a good distraction.

sunday was rainy and we saw a really good movie from argentina - the secret in their eyes. the plot centers around a retired court employee who decides to write a book about an old rape/murder case, but it's so much more. the romance, comedy, suspense and politics kept us talking about the twists and turns all evening. the main thing that resonated with me is how we can not deny our true passion and that it's never too late to live it if we're not afraid.

we also visited purl's new store and it is fantastic! not only beautiful and spacious, but a fine example of a business success story during a difficult economic climate. i picked up some nani iro oilcloth for our kitchen table as a special treat.

that's all for now. i'll be back tomorrow with some sunshine photos and an award.

xo, cindy

ps after reading this article in new york magazine, i just couldn't resist any longer, so please do follow us on twitter and we'll return the favor!

life : happy earth day!

music : sounds of nature

hello, hello! happy earth day and happy birthday to my brother! one thing we try to do to be environmentally-conscious is hold on to technology even though it might not be perfect. the transistor radio i use all the time has seen better days. it's been dropped many times. when the station changer came undone scott didn't realize there was a screw underneath the rechargeable batteries, so he literally tore it in half. it's held together with an elastic band, now. a new one would cost just $10, but this one still works. all of our parts aren't as sparkly and new as they once used to be, but we're still useful.

the volcano in iceland shows that nature will persevere and so will the little periwinkle creeping through the crack in a man-made wall. enjoy your day and celebrate our wonderful planet, every day!

xo, cindy

ps now, having said all of that, i still like new toys, just not too many of them. as mentioned last week, i checked out the ipad and it is really gorgeous, but i'm old school and love a keyboard and a cover. the mini laptop designed by tord boontje with the environment in mind is also gorgeous and half the price. i love the customer review by snapshot - second one down.

garden : delightful cherries

band : the living sisters
charming and wonderful harmonies

hello, hello! everyone loves a blossoming cherry tree or any blossoming tree for that matter. experiencing hundreds of them at one time is incredible. these photos were taken at hanami in the brooklyn botanic garden still early in the blooming cycle. last year we went a bit later when the trees were in full bloom, but i'll take them any time. happy tuesday!

xo, cindy

ps thank you for the encouragement about the pale & dreamy stuff. i think i'll stick to my way and stop comparing myself to EVERYONE. i have noticed that when i walk down the street, i always look down, and yet take a lot of photos of blue skies. and, i'm often tired because i'm not a good sleeper, but my photos are usually vibrant and clear. maybe there is a correlation to dreaminess after all?


so many varieties.


the japanese garden.


naturally pale. no photoshop here.


isn't she lucky to be a painter in such a place and brave (confident) enough to paint en plein air?


love these petals in the japanese garden.


japanese garden, again. people get kind of giddy in there.


the cherries still on the tree were the coolest and this blue sky almost looks like it was taken in a studio. yeah, god's studio!

life : sunnyside up

song : zebra by beach house via {frolic!}
not sure what this song is about, but i love it.

hello, hello! as mentioned the other day, our neighborhood, sunnyside, was listed as the third best place to live in nyc according to a survey in new york magazine. it's not as cool as brooklyn, but really close to the city, safe and has a suburban feel. we do know our neighbors here and if i go to the corner deli the owner always asks me 'where is your husband?' like she's worried about him and he loves it. sunnyside gardens is the historical district designed by british architect lewis mumford in the 1920s using english garden community principles, so springtime is the best season to be here.

these photos were taken this weekend and sometimes i think i should make them pale and dreamy, which seems to be so popular. i try, but always bring them back closer to reality. believe it or not, my camera is set to no sharpening and i slightly blur them in photoshop to soften the edges. plus, there is no vibration reduction feature in the lens. i suppose it's just my way and i'm still figuring it out. enjoy your weekend, everyone!

xo, cindy





we have a small plot of land in our community garden and the grape hyacinths are from our space, while the bleeding hearts are in the plot across from us.

garden : orchid fever

video : change the world by eric clapton
this song makes me cry if i think about scott when i hear it.
a good loving cry though, not the ugly one.

hello, hello! thank you for all the can do encouragement! this weekend i believed it and got enough photos for posts about -

1. can do - i never noticed so many little plants around town.
2. cherry blossoms, including one tree that still had its cherries.
   
3. spring blooms, including an amazing lilac & wisteria bonsai.
   
4. our pretty flower-adorned neighborhood (sunnyside), which was just listed as the third best place to live in nyc according to a survey in new york magazine.
   

these are the orchid photos i took the second time round at the new york botanical garden. and, you know what? i did not feel good at all that day. i didn't want to miss the opportunity though because the show was going to close, so i pushed myself (can do). to keep it simple the aperture was set to 3.5 and i was lucky because the light was so pretty. my mom loved orchids and would have loved these.

so, what would you like to see next from the list? do tell.

xo, cindy

life : can do

song : every time you say goodbye by alison krauss
seriously love this song, although it has nothing to do with this post!

last week, i picked up i think i can by partners & spade in anthropologie. it features photos of plants growing through the cracks of concrete, bricks, etc., so i found one myself. i purchased the book because i don't always think i can, so any type of inspiration is encouraging. it might sound cliche, but if a tiny plant can make it here, well, you know how the rest goes. enjoy your weekend. i think you can!

xo, cindy

ps has anyone bought an ipad? i'm really tempted to tap into my rainy day fund if i can justify the spend. our laptop is ancient and i'd love to be able to look at our photos while traveling, which we don't do that much unless you include moving from the computer to the sofa ;).

life : morning time

album : normal as blueberry pie from nellie mckay
her charming tribute album to the charming doris day

hello, hello! they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. with an italian orange from charlie combined with creamy ricotta cheese & honey on an english muffin you can't go wrong. well, when it comes to taste - not sure it's healthy. pretty easter flowers from my brother made it even better. this was my first attempt at photo-styling in almost a month. i thought i might have lost my mojo for good. i guess it is true about having a good breakfast. what about you? quick coffee on the go or a proper breakfast?

xo, cindy

ps although charlie was born in nyc 87 years ago, he took the subway for the first time, yesterday. never too late to try something new, but i think he got lost. oy!

garden : greenhouses

video : chasing pirates by norah jones
i have called her 'snorah' jones, but not this time.

hello, hello! i hope you all had a lovely weekend and easter if you celebrate. the weather has been beautiful here and we enjoyed a nice family get together. wave hill will be featured on martha stewart today and also here on quaint. most of these photos were taken in their greenhouses and feature the prettiest flowers. enjoy your monday!

xo, cindy

ps i hope all of our friends in southern california are ok after the earthquake, yesterday.

pretty in pink.

sweet rock garden bloom.

gigantic variety of lemon and pocketbook plant.

so tiny.

the vine is incredible.

wave hill has wonderful art programs and is currently displaying knitted hats made by visitors for robyn love’s project, house study/handmade. we mentioned robyn once before with her crocheted water tower cozy. when we visited recently, they were also displaying work from their children's art programs, which must be pretty cool for the kids.

garden : spring flowers

band : freelance whales : mellow and nice.

hello, hello! i love spring. it's my favorite season and always amazes me when beautiful blooms emerge from the frozen tundra, ok, soil. we've had an incredible amount of rain lately and i'm grateful there has been no flooding in our neighborhood. the reports on the news are terrible and we have a lot of empathy for those who have been submerged in water.

these blooms are from the new york botanical garden and wave hill and i'll have more orchids and greenhouse flowers next week. i hope you have a lovely weekend and happy easter to those who celebrate. scott's cousin and wife are driving in from nebraska, so we'll have some new faces at the table this holiday.

xo, cindy

ps scott says thanks for the nice words about his view of nyc. he's a very good scout and guy. we get along pretty well most of the time, but are not sickening like the couple in the movie best in show. swear ;).