fun : scott likes it!

songs : jet airliner by steve miller band - awesome!
true by spandau ballet - i love him anyway & at least their british!

hello, hello! i thought it was time to create a post full of things scott likes. now, simon cowell might say this post is 'self-indulgent,' but i certainly hope it won't be 'utterly forgettable.' can you imagine someone saying that to you in front of millions of people? scott was born and raised in new york city, so lets see some things he likes about it here. when i took the photo of his shadow above he was like 'look at me, i'm a giant, take my picture.' i did, but he's 6' tall and a giant to many as it is. enjoy your week. can you believe it's almost easter? happy passover to those who celebrate.

xo, cindy


yums.


picking up sweets for his sweetie, me!


great landmarks ;).


cool cars and his own in the reflection on the right.


flowers in unusual places.


and other interesting things if you notice.


family traditions. scott's family has been working with lore decorators for years through their furniture business and he would go to papaya king (hot dogs) with his grandpa for breakfast. we still go to both places.


free things, especially if they make me super-happy. the windows of kate spade were recently covered in pinwheels. so cool. i saw some little girls with them around and realized the next day you could take one home. i did and it's pink!


indoors at the movies and outdoors in the park, where they also show movies in the summer. i've missed a few things like coffee, coffee, coffee, but there's always another post!

life : you're fired!

the song is scott's choice : how sweet it is by james taylor

he: "CINDY!!!"
she: (oh man, he's using my name instead of sunshine, cutie.) "yes?"
he: "i just came from dr. b's office." (today.)
she: (uh, yeah, i know, i've been waiting for you.) "and?"
he: "thanks to you taking such good care of my left foot and being the supreme bandage wrapper of all time i'm going to have to let you go." (i was a great patient, too, but get ready.)
she: (did he just fire me? can i collect unemployment?) "ok?"
he: "i'm good as new and you can stop treating me like an invalid."
she: "that's great! i'm so happy!"
he: "i'm not done."
she: (he's got brain damage. i wrapped those bandages too tightly.)
he: "please don't hover around the bathroom door anymore. i only slipped in the shower once, ok twice, but that was because i used that NEW cvs enriched daily lotion and it was really slippery." (that was CRAZY! thank god she put those non-slip strips in the tub after wards.)
she: (yeah, gave me a freaking heart attack and i was SLEEPING like a baby, which rarely happens! don't use that lotion on your tootsies, people!). "o-k."
he: "what do you have to say?"
she: (be good, you make these kind of speeches at least once a month, keep your eye on the prize). "thank you for the pink roses."
he: "really? that's it?"
she: "no."
he: (here it comes. the neighbors!)
she: "here's that telephone number you asked for." (ha, he's freaking out waiting for me to lower the boom on him for firing me. he can't fire me because I QUIT, yesterday. i just didn't say anything about it.)
he: "ok, thanks."
she: (i think i deserve a one time upgrade from my hope in a jar to crème de la mer for all the cotton-pickin' worrying i've been doing, but i'll be patient, for now.) "anything else?"
he: "you're going to post this on our blog aren't you?"
she: "yes indeedy!"
he: "please thank everyone for their good wishes. they helped a lot."
she: "sure. anyone else?"
he : (i'll pretend i'm thinking ;).) "why you of course, cutie."
she : "oy, just put on these socks instead of the boring white ones you've been wearing. i have an idea!"
he : "it's good to be back! i can't wait to wear my new sneakers."

ps this one's for julie as her dad has been sick. she always liked these silly posts. i'm not sure i format them correctly, the stuff in the parenthesis represents our thoughts.

pps my song is i gotta feeling by the black eyed peas.

life : scott's tips

Hi Folks -

Well, as you know I was in the doghouse, yesterday. Here's the story. I always send Cindy a text message when I get to work. I drive about 20 miles and sometimes it can take more than an hour. The other day, I forgot and she wasn't able to get hold of me for two hours, so she was a bit upset. It's understandable, but I didn't run off to Argentina to hook-up with my 'soul mate' or anything. Anyway, over the years I've developed some helpful tips to get out of the doghouse when I find myself there occasionally -

1. Apologize with no 'buts' attached. 'I'm sorry, but _____' is not going to work.
2. It's not a good time to start complaining about her annoying stuff.
   
3. Don't even think about trying to buy your way out of trouble at least with my wife.
   
4. Accept that you might have short-term relapses as someone is a bit cranky with you.
   
5. Never, never ask this question 'Is it that time of month?'
   

Happy wife, happy life. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'm enjoying my new found liberation here in our air conditioned apartment, for now.

Scott

PS Cindy said you should check out the video from Neko Case for People Got A Lotta Nerve. It's an interesting choice.

holiday : new traditions

Hi Everyone -

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed the time with your families and the goodies you received! Our holiday was very nice and one thing that is great about the season is the tradition. This year, we started a new one that will run all year long. You might find it handy, too.

It all began when someone had a 'minor' tantrum because someone else didn't leave work on time on Christmas Eve and got caught in traffic for 2 hours. Needless to say, there was a bit of a cranky dialogue involved and someone let a cuss word fly. Well, that is a serious infraction in our house with associated financial penalties. However, those penalties are rarely collected and obviously do not serve as effective deterrents.

So, while watching the classic movie The Christmas Story for the trillionth time, there is a scene where the main character, Ralphie, drops the f-bomb and pretty quickly ends up with a bar of soap in his mouth. LIGHTBULB! Pactum factum*, the Octagon Soap and brother, sister does it taste nasty. Just ask Scott ;). Enjoy your weekend!

xo, Cindy

* A done deal in Latin.

pics : paint me red

Hi All -

One day early, it's time for another 'Love Thursday' and these photos come with a story from this past summer. I hope you like it because I had a really hard time taking these photos and couldn't choose just one.

• We were leaving the next day for a long weekend at the beach.
• I needed a deep red nail polish for our photo shoot, but was too tired to go to the store.
• Scott was going and said he wouldn't mind getting it for me.
• Sweet, right? It gets better.
• He purchased the nail polish and thought about his color choice after leaving the store.
  
• It wasn't quite right.
• So, he went back and exchanged it for Revlon #730, Valentine.
• He said he liked the color better.
  
• I think it was the name.
  

Happy October!

xo, Cindy

PS I never used the polish because I couldn't apply it to my toe nails without looking like they were bleeding. I've kept it as a memento though! And no, Scott wouldn't do it and said so before I even thought to ask him ;).

PSS Don't forget the Vice Presidential Debates Thursday night. Should be interesting.

s/he : sweet-heart

He: "Hello Mrs. K. How was your day?"
She: "Very good Mr. K. Busy, but productive. And you?"
He: "The same, except for a couple of meetings."
She: "That's good. It's been a tumultuous week. Wouldn't you agree?"
He: "Yes. Hurricane Ike, Wall Street meltdowns, and marital discourse."
She: "Well, we're not in a position to control the first two, but the last one seems better."
He: "That's true. Those little spats usually don't last long, but we have to keep it real here and show the good, the bad and the ugly."
She: "Well, I have a poem for you so we can finish up the week on a positive note."
He: "A poem?"
She: Yes, don't worry. It is charming and was written by the renowned poet, Ted Kooser. I just received a copy of his book Valentines after Rebecca wrote about him."
He: "Ok?"
She: "For over 20 years, Ted has been writing a poem for Valentine's Day and sending it on a postcard to his favorite women. He started with a list of 50, including his wife and the wives of friends."
He: "50!"
She: "Yes. The list has grown to 2,500 since then. Ready?"
He: "Yep."
She: "Are you sure this is a convenient time ;)?"
He: "Cut it out. Go ahead, please."
She: "Ok, here goes. Have a very nice weekend everyone. And, to those of you who work on the weekend, don't worry, your next day off will come soon enough, and we'll all be working.

A PERFECT HEART, by Ted Kooser
To make a perfect heart you take a sheet
of red construction paper of the type
that's rough as a cat's tongue, fold it once,
and crease it really hard, so it feels
as if your thumb might light up like a match,

then choose your scissors from the box. I like
those safety scissors with the sticky blades
and the rubber grips that pinch a little skin
as you snip along. They make you careful,
just as you should be, cutting out a heart

for someone you love. Don't worry that your curve
won't make a valentine; it will. Rely
on chewing on your lip and symmetry
to guide your hand along with special art.
And there it is at last: a heart, a heart!

Photo Credit : Cindy

s/he : sound of silence

She: "Shut! Up!"
He: "Fine!"
She: [He is so annoying lately. I can't watch Prison Break without thinking I'm seeing a home movie. Where are my headphones because he usually keeps talking?]
He: [Women!]
She: [How dare he - 'please don't talk to me until I'm settled when I get home from work'.]
He: [All I ask is for a few minutes to get settled when I get home. Is that too much to ask? And, I don't appreciate being told to shut up, either!]
She: [But, if he has something to say during that time frame I have to listen. I don't think so. Homey don't play that!]
He: [I don't get girls even after all these years. Talk, talk, talk.]
She: [Blah, blah, blah!]
He: [It's going to be a long night. I'm a Taurus, but she's Italian! She has family in Jersey City.]
She: [He's lucky my Grandpa from Jersey City isn't around.]
He: [I better start to fix this, although it will go on for a while.] "I'm sorry I walked away while you were talking."
She: "Mmmm. It's not very nice at all. Would you do that to your boss?"
He: "No."
She: "It was a crazy day at work and I wanted to tell you about it right away. I know it took you an hour and a half to drive 20 miles, but you know how I get riled up sometimes?"
He: "Ok, what happened?"
She: "Nothing! Never mind!"
He: [Here we go ....]

Photo Credit : Francois Lafite
PS Did you know there were pillow fight clubs and pillow fight days around the world? It's true, look at these fun pics from the giant pillow fight in Paris, October 2007. C'est magnifique!

craft : patchwork & the black eye

Floor Mat Transformed
The sunny color choices for the floor mat were too bright for our gray bathroom, so I turned it into a tablecloth for our yellow kitchen! The fabrics used are from Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Heather Ross, and a Japanese fabric called Honeycomb. I didn't want to create an actual quilt with batting, backing and binding, so I used fusible interfacing in white on the back for a neat finish. I've ordered Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin, so it would be great to stamp a pattern on the back (just what I need, another hobby ;)). We'll see because once I'm done with something that's usually it.



Although I often focus on what's 'wrong' when I make something, I am happy with how this spontaneous project turned out. The colors are cheery and look happy in our kitchen. Also, I do enough washing and ironing, so the Italian in me has put a heavy-weight clear plastic on top to keep it clean. I barely notice it, or choose not to ;).

Floor Mat Do-Over


Now that the floor mat has been transformed into a tablecloth, I still want something new for our bathroom, although it could really use a more dramatic makeover. This is the one we have now, which I made with fabrics from the Denyse Schmidt collection called Katie Jump Rope. I like it, but I'm ready for something different.



The fabrics I'm going with this time are from the Moda collection called 'Apron Strings'. They're typical calico and offer a much softer color palette. I'm going to kind of follow the patchwork pattern called 'Stacked Coins' from Purl's Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts. Since I only have a bunch of 4" squares, I hope there's enough fabric for the coins part. A nice calico in a a soft gray would be pretty to bring it all together, but that might be difficult to find. I'll check City Quilter and Purl Patchwork with fingers crossed.

What Happened to You?


What do we have here? I think it warrants a multiple choice question. Choose one. Scott -

1. Came home, turned off my boy Jason, turned on Steely Dan, and got popped.
2. Decided to get one eye lifted so he would look half his age.
3. Was practicing playing Cyclops for an upcoming movie role.
4. Visited an underground fight club.
5. Has sensitive eyelids and had to have the doctor fix one and make it all better.

Although no. 1 is true minus the getting popped part and changing the music is perfectly fine as I am a stereo hog, the correct answer is no. 5. He has a shiner and looks oh so rugged like Rocky (I'll spare you those pictures).

Happy Wednesday!
xo, Cindy

fun : summer vacation

Dear Miss Cerutti + Miss Wolf:

It's been awhile since we've been in your elementary school classes, but we haven't forgotten either of you. As is customary with each new school year, we wanted to show you some of the things we did on our summer vacation, which reflects stuff you taught us.

Physical Fitness

Exercise
Hmmm ... shouldn't you put the pin in? Is that your Robert DeNiro face? You wanna' piece a me?


Dodge Ball Revenge
We profusely apologize for the poor image quality with this one. Scott was quaking in his kicks at the thought of the g-force that would be expended in his direction should that ball explode.


Swings - weee!
They sure make the seats a lot smaller and lower to the ground these days. Scott isn't allowed to jump from the swing after the last time he fell down and went boom.

Lunch

What's cookin' good lookin'?
Nutrition 101 covered all three major food groups:
carbohydrates, fats and proteins.


Pizza has vegetables
We were a little bit scared during this meal. A man kept looking in our direction. It seemed like he might tip over. He approached our table while we were in mid-bite. Was he going for our pizza? Bad idea. No, he said that Cindy looked like Laura Bush and he adored her, Laura that is. You taught us to never speak to strangers and we didn't.


Strawberry ice cream has milk and fruit
A yummy trifecta of carbs, fats and proteins.

Playtime

Ralph Lauren's Tree House
Amazing to see this in the store, so we took the stairs.


Gold Medal Swimming
Scott pretended to be Michael Phelps - watch me, watch me! Actually, he had to swim back and forth several times because it didn't occur to Cindy to change the camera setting to continuous in order to capture this action shot - oops.

Recess

All that swimming made us put our heads down and ask the clouds to temporarily turn off the sun.


Someone tried to escape, but was grabbed by the leg.

Class Play


The Farm
We created a play that took place on a farm in the 1700s. Doesn't our set look authentic? Psych, it's the Home Sweet Home Museum.


Props
The hat was purchased years ago from Edna Mae's Millinery in Newport, Rhode Island. The dress was a rare fashion find from Target and similar to one sold by J. Crew for a lot more dough.


Costume
We couldn't find Scott a snazzy hat that fit him, so it was a one women play.


Why so serious?
I really need to exhale already - can you hurry up? Plus, this sepia tone is adding 10 years to my face. Blink and this photo might be gone!


Method smiling
This is supposed to be like Cindy's in a cornfield. More like a field of ornamental grasses next to the pool. There were cornfields available, but we're averse to buckshot and dirt, so we improvised.

School Pictures

Time to get serious and clean up for our class pictures.


Stop squirming!


Ok, we'll be good now and act our ages - not!

One final message for each of you:

Miss Cerutti
You were Cindy's second grade teacher and beautiful enough to be on Mad Men. But, was it really necessary to write on her report card that she "talked to much in class"? She became really shy, and now, we're all paying for it.

Miss Wolf
You were Scott's fourth grade teacher and very nice. But, did you misspell the word "bully" on his report card. Didn't you really intend to reference his astrological sign, which is Taurus, the Bull?

See you next year. Write back soon.

Very truly yours,
Cindy B + Scott

PS Have a happy and safe weekend everyone! We'll be keeping an eye on Gustav as it seems to be heading for our friends down in the Gulf Coast. See you in September. xo

the winner & a surprise

He: "I thought those independent auditors from a top 5 accounting firm would never leave!"
She: "Oh brother, we used Random.org, which is probably more reliable. Ok, you say it while I make the drum roll sound."
He: "Megan is the lucky winner of our 100th post giveaway and she is Queen of the Day!"
She: "Sweet! Thank you to everyone for your lovely and encouraging comments, and for joining us in our barrel of monkeys."
He: "We're heading off to the beach for one last summer fling and will be taking a brief interlude from quaint handmade as we're kind of sick of ourselves and our stuff. Having said that, our plan is to have some creative self-portraits when we get back as we're still searching for props."
She: "Ho ho ho ho ho ho - HOLD IT!"
He: "What?"
She: "You know what I would think if I just read that?"
He: "Tell me [can I stop her?]."
She: "Two words - Plastic Surgery! That's what people do, they go away for a week."
He: "No way. [thinking] We better offer up some proof so people can compare down the road."
She: "No! I don't have anything interesting. I wanted to do something like Tim Walker (link goes to his amazing portfolio). Mysterious, so the blogarazzi doesn't get us. See?
He: "Whoa, I'm not dressing up that much. Come on, it's just like pulling off a band aid."
She: "Well, o-k. Here are some photos of us to use as a benchmark in case everything on our faces suddenly shifts upwards. Just keep in mind that these are "natural" shots. I only had under eye concealer beneath one eye and Scott was sleepy, all day."


He: "It's hard to see, they're so small."
She: "Really ;)? Wishing y'all a happy weekend, Monday, Tuesday ... you get the picture. See you on the other side of our little break, but I'll be checking your blogs - can't get rid of me that easily."

Props : Crown, Bellochio + Rose, Suili

97, 98, 99, ONE HUNDRED!

She: "Do you know what today is?"
He: "Monday?"
She: [Gives stink-eye.]
He: "I know, it's our 100th post!"
She: "Final answer?"
He: [Gives stinkeye.]
She: "Hahaha. Yes, it's our 100th post!"
He: "That is really amazing! Remember we thought we were going to be kicked off the web after the surfing post?"
She: "Yeah, that post was so silly. In the beginning, we started out with the intention of keeping an online journal of our comings and goings because I was concerned that we didn't have scrapbooks and such."
He: "Right, and it's a way to keep track of the things we like, but mostly your stuff."
She: "True, you are my muse. Hehehe."
He: "I know - lucky me! But, to be serious, I like the blog because it makes you really happy as you've met people who like the things you like."
She: "All together - awww."
He: [Gives stink-eye, again!]
She: "Just kidding. But yes, the best part of this adventure is the people we've met."
He: "That has been nice because we really are low-key and don't talk too much about ourselves in the "real" world, believe it or not."
She: "True, we're generally active listeners ;). So, when a blog hits a milestone, it is customary to offer a give-away as a thank you."
He: "One of us?"
She: "No, something that people might actually find useful!"
He: "Phew."
She: "I came up with a giveaway that I think our friends here might like. Here goes -

• Pamela Barsky Journal made from a vintage scarf
• Kate Spade Note Cards that say "watch less. write more."
• Quaint Handmade Lavender Sachet

He: "Cool. What do people have to do to get it."
She: "Just leave a comment no later than August 21st and make sure there's contact info if they win."
He: "Sounds good to me."
She: " We'll announce one winner for the entire haul on August 22nd and mail it to anyplace on Planet Earth. And, thanks everyone for visiting us in our little neck of woods. It's been the highlight of the summer."
He: "Yeah, what she said."
She: "Copycat!"

Photo Credit : Cindy

cook your way out of trouble

If you're about to get into trouble for spending too much time online (rightly so) and not sewing in your pink studio, have this delicious String Bean, Arugula and Pasta Salad from Martha Stewart Living ready when someone gets home from a long, hard day. Try it even if you're not heading towards the dog house ;). It looks so healthy, I didn't think I would like it, but it is really tasty. Saved by the kitchen timer for one more day - phew!

xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : Martha Stewart Living

is that what they look like?

[That hat, those legs - down the shore]

Psych! Yeah, when we were cute little kids!


[Nice pistol - in the country]

We're gathering props for our self-portraits, but in the meantime, please indulge us in a little trip down memory lane to get things started.


[It wasn't Halloween]

Although it would seem from this blog like I am the rebel, you will see that it's pretty clear from these childhood photos who was sticking people up and making high speed getaways in sports cars.


[Channeling Steve McQueen]

While Scott was headed towards the dark side, I was at home doing typical girl things or getting ready for school.


[Always had cute clothes thanks to Mom]

I still have the Barbie dolls in this photo stored in my brother's attic. The little girl next to me was Maria and was ok until she got that baby carriage. I got one first, but hers had a WINDOW!


[I love you Barbie! I'm on the right, wish I had the sweater.]

What's the story with Scott climbing into that hole? I think it warrants a multiple choice question. Was he digging a hole to:

1. China?
2. Escape from the law?
3. Hide from his parents or brother?
4. Use for compost?

[You want me to get in Grandpa?]

He says it was # 4, but I'm skeptical. I've never seen Martha Stewart do that and it looks dangerous! All I know is that the "Anna Wintour" in me needs a defibrillator from the style don'ts - brown pants, black socks, brown (scuffed) shoes. Dude, what is your family doing to you?! Guns, fast cars, and questionable style. You're lucky I saved you ;).


[Hey, let's scram!]

It wasn't a cake walk in my family either. This picture looks sweet. No? That's me and my brother who is 9 years older than me. I always followed him around, and boy did he love it - not! Around the time this photo was taken, he took me up to K-Mart on the handlebars of his bicycle, awww. At one point, we headed over to the magazines and he found one that he liked. As we were leaving the store, two guys dressed like Agent Smith in The Matrix stopped us at the door and told us to come to the office.

As you can imagine, I was scared and started to cry, a lot. They tried to give me lollypops, but that wasn't going to cut it as I'm sure I was going to be scarred for life from the incident. This is what they said to my Mom when they called her to come pick us up, "Mrs. B, please come down to K-Mart to pick up your son and daughter as he was caught trying to take a PLAYBOY magazine without paying for it." Oh man, couldn't it be Popular Mechanics? It was a long drive home in our uber-cute VW Beetle.

xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : Likely, our Dads