The perfect city weekend

Is the weekend that you get everything you need to get done, done and you still feel relaxed and well rested by Sunday night. Delicious. It went somethign like this: Ratatouille, sleep in on Sat., Shopping for grown up clothes, banking, nap, knitting, dinner at Lori's, sleep in, brunch with Stasha, nap, coffee in the Market, snuggles with Denny, meet stranger from Florida, catch up with Jill and Erin, nap, knit, hang out with J, bed

This goddess here is my friend Lori. She is a chef not just any chef but the chef that catered our wedding at the cottage. The food at our wedding is still discussed with awe and amazement. She and her culinary creations deserve all the awe they get. Dan rocks too.

Lori has a group of us over for a barbecue once a month. J and I shamelessly organize our weekends in the city around this event because it is that much fun to be a part of - she is truly the Wonder Woman of food, drink and entertaining.

Jason is a lot of really fun and great things, but an adventurous eater he is not. Yet he will eat anything Lori puts in front of him without question. For example (this is for you Martha) CHIPOTLE GAZPACHO! It was "S" to the "picy" so we ate it nice and slowly while sipping on a cold Pinot Grigio. The kind of spicy that makes the air feel refreshing and the dining slow and luxurious.
For me, the meat, the red and delicious well cooked Whole Foods flank steak is what I crave. Momma loves her protein and her iron. With grilled and marinated cauliflower and an arugula radicchio salad with goat cheese, molasses and I think a bit of lemon.

Dessert was humbly offered up by Dan, Danielle, J and I. We brought babycakes from Kubo Radio and D&D brought Absinte. The ritual drink.

Dan and I used to get up to all sorts of hijinks when we would get into the ritual drinks - alas I've retired my skillset so I got to be the memory of the evening. It was fun but don't they look like they're having more fun? Adorable.

Sleep is for the list-less.

It's been months...well at least weeks since I've been up at 4:00am thinking what a *perfect* time to make my to do list for the weekend. I bet the wait times for telephone banking are minimal right now!

My to do list this weekend:

- Get financial records in order for the CCRA who needs proof I had the TTC monthly pass program for 2006.

- Get long overdue haircut

- Buy clothes for my first work event in New Jersey next weekend. Preferrably clothes that make me look somewhat like a professional grown up. My company meets twice a year and since most of my colleagues are American this is my chance to WOW them with my style, grace and beauty.
Am seriously contemplating starting my personal presentation with Fat Albert's infamous "Hey, Hey, Hey!" I wonder what the lasting impact would be....

- Finish Chart 2 and 3 of Mystery Stole am obsessing that the last 2 RS rows have been 1 stitch short...I feel a needle change is necessary. Am also obsessing that I'm being 2.5 weeks in the patterns. Luckily knitters are crazy nerds and there will be a two week hiatus while everyone reads the new Harry Potter book.

- Buy some buttons for various finished baby items

- Work on Baby Surprise Jacket the current baby project though am seriously considering tossing this aside to knit a Zimmerman bunting bag. Did I tell you my sisters bought me The Opinionated Knitter for my birthday? I love them deeply.

- Reknit sleeves of Jane Origami sweater - really, it would be a bonus if I finished one of the fronts and ripped out one of the sleeves for reknitting.

- Brunch with long lost girlfriend Stasha

- Coffee with Erin and Jill with a Sunday visit to Lettuce Knit

- Fantasize about owning a home with a rental space big enough to house my darling friend Krista and her beautiful brilliant children.

- Drink some home roasted coffee while reading the Saturday Globe and Mail not in a car driving somewhere.

- Eat dinner at my friend Lori's house! A chef extraordinaire, her food and hostessing is exquisite. There will be pictures this time I tell you.

Am so excited to be in town this weekend. I will start it all, with a bath.

Home.

Dear J,

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of this smooch.

The past 4 years of having you in my life has been nothing short of a gift. I never thought that someone who could bring so much balance and grounding to my wingnuttery could also inspire such fun and adventure at the same time.

Thank you for trying so many ridiculous new things (I recognize that portaging and setting up tents in the rain is not easy) with me. Biking through bear country in order to get to our honeymoon destination was a pretty big clue I'm not a luxury wife but then the next year having to hike around a full grown moose carcass in Newfoundland.

Oh my god remember that? Stinky. Maybe that was me after a 12 hour hike....

Of the many awesome constants I knew life with you would have, I never imagined that laughing so hard I snort every. single. night. before falling asleep would be one of them.

Last year was a bit rough for us - we had to navigate some rough waters. Recovery from awful miscarriages that turned me into weeping piles of crippling sad, money issues, talks of the future plans, awful jobs (glad that's over!). I've heard that these are the things that can break marriages and spirits yet navigating last year without you is unimaginable.

This year seems golden already doesn't it? I'm so excited that we'll be together going through the next round of whatever life doles out to us - especially the good stuff. I'm mostly excited about the good stuff.

Love,

Jen

PS: Thanks for picking me up matzoh ball soup to battle my cold...I need to go back to bed. All this loving appreciation can knacker a girl out.

Random Thoughts

Thoughts that have crossed my mind in the past week or so:

1. How is it possible that the plot of the Transformers was completely dependant upon the actions of Soundwave to move forward. Soundwave is the Decepticon who was informally voted off the "relevant" island.

2. Why is it that my beautiful offspring desperately wants fresh pasta every day for lunch - in the middle of a heat wave and wants nothing but greens and crunchy veggies when the heat breaks?

3. It has recently come to my attention that when I first named this blog it was because Jan wrote a spectacularly funny song of the same name....and in about 3 months it's going to have a whole new meaning in my life.

4. Knitting continues and yet the finishing of the projects taunts me but I can't stop starting and obsessing.

5. Am heading up to the family cottage with my oldest friend this weekend am very excited for a chilly girly time up at the lake. Lots of knitting as it looks like it will be a cool one.

6. My first attempt at dye manipulation in a crockpot: I call the colourway Bluesberry. I think the fleece was blue leicester and I originally dyed it unevenly brilliant red. I tried to calm it down by overdying it with a little bit o' blue. I'm not totally disappointed but would like to learn some control over the colour. Next step!

It takes a community to raise a child....

or at least tell a woman how to raise her child the second she looks pregnant.

It's official. According to the old man sitting on his stoop watching his grandkids - I'm so huge I must be carrying more than one. Bless your heart old man! It's a litter!!

At 26 weeks (Canada Day weekend) we went on the last canoe/portaging trip of the pregnancy. I could still hump our gear in if someone took the canoe (god bless you kevlar) but I was pretty sore in all the joints at the end of the trip.

Of course, the treachorous final portage in a torrential downpour didn't help. I got some satisfaction out of it but it was a poor argument to convince Jason that vacation can be challenging *and* relaxing. He's picking our next trip.

I just wanted to show everyone that there is always room for knitting. I have some finished objects...well the knitting is done, but I want to do the buttons before I show it all off. Also, spinning, dyeing and eventually some handpainting (next week!)

Keep well and by this time tomorrow I'm sure I'll have colorful and inspired tales to tell. Until then, I'll let Mother Nature do the work - after the torrential downpour cleared this is what we were left with. Not bad at all.