So we are in our new place and totally out of our old place! Hurray!  I have now had a full week to unpack so it’s beginning to take shape.  Before we even had time to unload any boxes we were already participating in the social events of our new place.  The movers had been gone for maybe two hours when we went to a wine and cheese thing.  There were not many people there but we got free wine and cheese.  Since the event was sponsored by an insurance company we figured we would have to listen to a sales pitch.  Not much of a pitch and lots of wine, cheese and crackers and we met one new neighbor.

Friday, hubby headed out to work and I was working on the old place.  We ended our day with a social event with more drinks and snacks and met two more neighbors.  This event actually had a dozen or more folks in attendance but we only really talked with 2 for any length of time.

Saturday night brought a romantic evening of scrubbing marks off the walls and detailing the kitchen and bathroom. Wow, we are so exciting.  Actually I was tickled pick to have the help getting the nitty gritty done.

Sunday was the FIOS day for hubby dearest and work for me.  We both missed a Father’s Day brunch albeit a week early.  Monday was the final inspection at the old place so I was gone again.  Just when you think everything is done…more stuff to load up and of course a bit more scrubbing.  So I was done by 3 p.m. and headed to get lunch.  I sat and rested, ate a salad, and watched a downpour.  Hubby wanted to reward my hard work with a nice dinner on the waterfront…but the place on the water was closed.  I guess Monday is not a big day for dinner here? Dunno.

Tuesday we went back to the waterfront eatery and were treated to a Prix fix 3 course meal with a waterfront view.  It was a great thought and we were hoping to save a bit on a pricey restaurant with their Casual Tuesdays.  While it wasn’t the worst meal ever, it certainly wasn’t the best either.  I enjoyed a refreshing beverage with huckleberry vodka, a great starter, and a fabulous dessert.  The main course was less appetizing than we expected from a fine dining experience.  Oh well, the company was great and at least we didn’t spend $200 on a fancy meal that was just o.k.  $25 Prix Fix is not too bad but I really hoped for a bit more.  We might try it again but maybe for drinks and dessert or drinks and starters.  I guess we should have looked for some reviews first.  Maybe I’ll check it out now.  If they get fabulous reviews maybe we will try it again.

Somehow we glided through the second week with more work and more deboxing (hubby’s word), and some home cooked meals.  You can check out the mister’s blog to see his experience with technology.

So I guess I’m the weak one who has not finished lifting everything from the boxes.  While I have quite a collection of flattened boxes, there are still a dozen or so to go.  I was really hoping to avoid the “stash everything in the closets” game, but I think we are getting close to that.

The home stretch today is to get things put away and prepare for our first overnight guest.  Yes, even our nephew qualifies as a guest.

Well, we are back home and back to the old routines.  Lots going on this summer so I’ll try to keep you posted.  We had a wonderful time at our son’s wedding and are holding on to the pictures for a few days before we post them all.  We have compiled pics from several family members and will go through and make some basic editing then post to Flickr.

I finally finished 6 knit gift bags for the lovely maid of honor and brides maids.  Now I am about done with another one in pink but haven’t decided who gets it.  Maybe my niece.  I will also order yarn for the  other family wedding in July.  Thank goodness she only has 3 attendants.  Based on the last wedding I can start the bags 2 weeks out and have them done.  First I have to order the yarn.

We are heading 3 hours away tomorrow for a wedding shower for my niece and her intended.  I still need to select a gift for the happy couple but I’m sure they have chosen some great items.  I love gift registries.  It makes everyone’s life so much easier for big events.

Back to work today so I had better get my bag packed with the project of the day.  Tonight’s project is to clear the table of items that need to be packed for our upcoming move.  I really think that we are moving simply to get rid of things and to give me something to keep me busy.  No, really we will be gaining space and saving money.

Pack, pack, pack, toss, toss, toss.

I may be the only one in the world who always under-estimates how long a project will take to complete.  I am currently working on a knitting project that I should have had done weeks ago…since I started it months ago.  The book says that each of the six portions should take 4-6 hours.  So, in theory I should be able to complete the entire project in 36 hours.  So, back to knitting.

The other project I have going in packing the apartment for our upcoming move.  That also takes longer than I imagined.  One would think that I would be an expert at it by now but the little things just take me forever.  I guess I get distracted too.  I really don’t have ADD….I’ve never seen a duck do that before.

Just in case you have not heard, our son is getting married! Woot!  We have had our airline tickets for quite some time .  I think I have the best end of this deal.  I just have to show up, swipe a credit card for one small event, and sit back and produce tears of joy!

We are not in the thick of the planning and organizing so we are missing out on all the fun.  Dear hubby is not wearing a tux and I didn’t go shopping for a dress or shoes. The last time I attended a wedding I spent hours shopping and finally ended up wearing an outfit from my everyday selection.  I thought about my attire for quite some time and then decided to pull a party dress from my closet and toss it in a suitcase.  When you see me in this party dress you can ask about the deal I got…yes, my hubby ordered it online.  Did you expect any less?  I have 2 more in the closet with the tags still attached.

I did, however, get a haircut and mani/pedi on Saturday.  I will get another mani/pedi the day before or the day of the wedding when I decide what color I would like my toe nails to be for this summer.  Yep, it will last for a couple of months.  Cheap you say! Yep.  I spent more  on the mani/pedi than I did on my hair cut.  It’s not that I don’t care how I look, I do.  It’s just that I am not willing to pay more than most men pay for their hair cut.

The other big adventure for this trip will be a drive to Blue Hole to add to my dive log.  While the whole thought of diving always stresses me out, once I’m in the water I have a great time.  Yes, this will take place 2 days before our son’s wedding.  There is a bit of Soldin in me that requires I maximize the cost of an airline ticket.

Just so you don’t think I’ve been sitting around doing nothing… I’m still volunteering with the pregnant teens, writing grants for the historical society, and packing our apartment.  Today I’m heading off to help the girls plant flowers at the maternity residence then over to the tiny island to prepare for an evening presentation.  Before I leave I will update a brochure and a website and put the finishing touches on a grant (due tomorrow), and maybe add a few rows to a gift bag.  I’m slowly making progress on knit gift bags.  They are so very pretty. I guess I had better call a few of my friends who want a moment of my time before I head out of town.

If you have not tried Amtrak lately you may not know what a pleasant experience it can be.  Years ago our family took a trip on Amtrak down the west coast.  It was fun to hang with the family but the train took forever and ever.  As I recall there was a freight train ahead of us that derailed so we were stopped for an extra 12 hours.  My more recent experience was much, much nicer.

It took about 4 hours from home to DC on a very comfortable Amtrak train.  During the trip I could use power for my cell phone and many people were comfortably using their laptops.  In addition, I happened to sit in the “quiet car” which was very delightful.  During a normal NY commuter train there are many people using cell phones and having loud conversations.  Not the case in the quiet car.  The other perk is the ability to get up and walk around and the availability of the snack car.  I had my own snacks for the trip but it was great to have fresh coffee available from the snack car.  If I had chosen to ride in business class I would have had unlimited coffee, water, and soft drinks. Hardly worth the extra money for me but I’m sure many people find that very attractive.

Day 1 in DC: We walked to the Renwick Gallery then along the Mall, then to the WWII Memorial, and on to the Vietnam Memorial.  Both were very impressive.  We also stopped by a very cool memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence, which is basically individual stones with a copy of the signature, the printed name, their occupation, and their city.  If you happen to be walking by the area it would be easy to miss this site so watch for it carefully.

We are headed out today to visit mostly indoor sites.  Since I twisted my ankle at the Vietnam Memorial we will be doing less walking.

BTW: Snow, snow, snow.

I figured I would post a quick update on my sweater project.  I took the beginning of the project on vacation and didn’t really make much progress.  That’s no big surprise…I always take more with me than I can complete.  I don’t remember when I finished the first part but I finally completed the yoke of the sweater and moved on to the back.  This is a huge project of an entirely cable knit tunic sweater.  I’ll try to post pictures, but that usually doesn’t happen either.

After several tries to ‘pick up’ stitches to start the back of the sweater I was knitting full force.  I stopped several times to work on other projects like blankets and even a small knit gift bag.  Finally I’m back at the sweater and have completed the back (all 17 inches), one sleeve, and the start of the other sleeve.  It is truly looking like a sweater now.  The cables are really not that bad as long as I remember to count.  Oh, I also bought a row counter to help with that task but there are two cable patterns with different row counts so I really need two counters.  I also bought a cable needle, which helps.  I recommend getting the appropriate tools for your projects before you start.  Anyway, it’s slow going but I think I can see myself completing this before spring weather sets in.

So, back at it.

Mostly I sat around not walking the stairs.  I walked 8 flights of stairs to feed my neighbor’s cat Saturday morning and then headed back to bed.  When I got out of bed at about 9 a.m. , I discovered that my left knee was causing me a great deal of pain.  So, I spent the rest of the weekend resting it.  At this point it feels much better, so hopefully that trend will continue.  We did take a quick trip out on Saturday afternoon and bought a couple of dresses.  I’m still really please with a second-hand store we found plus Target is always good for some deals.

Since I was mostly sitting around I started a new knitting project.  Not the blanket that I need to complete by Tuesday but a sweater for me.   Thursday night we drove to Michael’s to get yarn and Friday my dear hubby went back to buy a set of interchangeable circular needles for this and many future projects.  With a 50% off coupon the set was not a bad deal.  So now I’m several hours into a new project that is likely out of my skill range…but hey, I’m doing it anyway.  We have both grown acustom to my projects evolving after knitting and ripping out and re-knitting.  So much for completing projects for gifts.  If you don’t get a gift from us this year it’s because I am knitting for myself.  Sorry.

Thursday night we attended a sneak preview of Transporter 3 starring Jason Statham.  While I can’t really talk about the movie,  I will say that Jason Statham was a site to behold.  He must certainly spend as much time in the gym as the rest of us spend sleeping.   If you liked his other movies, you will like this one.  If you just want to gawk at a finely tuned male body, you will also enjoy this film.

Saturday after going to the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace, we each worked on projects on the computers for about 6 hours.  Neither project is the norm for us…one is an exhibit of historical photos and the other is a website for a potential politician.

Also, thanks to my dear hubby, much of our shopping was completed by him while I was working on the island today.  It was another cold day today but I was adequately layered so I stayed warm.

What a great workout I have been getting by simply climbing the stairs! No special equipment needed.  I have been using a heart-rate monitor to try to gauge my pace and progress but it would be easy enough to just slow down when I start to feel tired and out of breath.  It’s a bit like cross-training in the sense that I work hard on the way up and have some time to recover on the way down.  By the third trip even the down trip is a bit slower.

While my legs were feeling some pain on Tuesday, Wednesday and even on Thursday, I never got to the point where I couldn’t walk.   I just pushed through it.  Last night I did 3 rounds without too much trouble and I’m only slightly sore today.  Hubby dear joined me last night for 2 of the 3 rounds.  He says he’s a bit sore too.

I doubt that I will attempt 6 rounds in a day again, anytime soon.  Maybe 3 rounds a day is good for now. Now I think I will add some simple arm weights for some arm toning.

Friday night I attend the CITYterm Neighborhood Study presentations.  The two neighborhoods that the students visited were Roosevelt Island and Jackson Heights.  The entire experience was amazing.  Fifteen high school students spent 4 days learning about and experiencing Roosevelt Island.  Their presentation Friday demonstrated that they were able to learn more about Roosevelt Island in 4 days than many residents who have lived on the island for years.  It’s very hard to put this experience in words but the students were able to successfully portray the facts about the island as well and the ‘feel’ of the island and it’s unique residents.  Simply amazing!  I was very moved by the whole experience.

Saturday the hubby and I walked in our 65 degree temps to the local movie theater to see Pride and Glory.  I enjoyed the film except for the ending.  I can think of several better ways to end this film.  Overall, it was a great film…one that will make you uncomfortable at times, which was the point.

I’m sure you are all tired of hearing about baby blankets but this one is different.  Trust me.  I was able to start and complete a very beautiful baby blanket this weekend.  Really, I got a jump start on it Friday and figured it would take about a week to 10 days to complete.  I used Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton.  Nice stuff.  What a joy it was to work with such soft and comforting yarn.  The colors are each named after nuts (Pecan, Pistachio, and Macadamia) so it’s fitting that I was nutty enough to finish it in a weekend.  Actually, it was not nearly as difficult as it might sound.  The first trick to completing this project was changing from knitting to crochet.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy crocheting.  I also chose a simple pattern with only 3 colors, which really helped when it came to the finishing touches.   I think this is the top of our list for favorite baby blankets.  I think I am ready to make another.  Well, first it’s back to a few other projects.  I will do my best to post a picture as well as pictures of several other hand-crafted project.  Really.