connecticut.

...my first trip there in a very long time. maybe since summer 1991 (before sara was born). I arrived on tuesday afternoon, to the cold rainy wet. I hate cold rainy wet, especially when I'm driving in it, and most especially when I'm someplace I don't know very well. even though the colors looked a little bit like an impressionist painting
as I drove to norwalk, couldn't help but think that this place could be pretty if the rain would just stop. and it did - wednesday was still cold, but at least dry. and the trees kept many of their leaves despite the rain.
oh, and this marks the 6th hewitt office I've visited. atlanta (of course! and that might actually count for two), plus lincolnshire (no photo), orlando, the woodlands, charlotte and now norwalk.

weekend wrap-up.

...feeling very good about 10 of the thirteen items on my to-do list, done! plus some fun, like watching sara win a tennis match, and making cards with karen, gratia and sharon.

first up, accomplishment #3. my week in the life album is done. I love the way it turned out. especially now that it's finished.
and you can see evidence of accomplishment #2 in this photo of our dining room table, now returned to being our dining room table and not my scrapbook project table. put out our fall decorations.
then accomplishment #9. only one more week to do and I'm back on track with create 08. this entry is for week 42, layers.

only when your mother has a degree in applied mathematics.

...do you get a lesson in how to stuff a pork tenderloin in terms of the x and y axis and hear things like "cylindrical cones" and "parallel" and "perpendicular" in relation to a recipe. (katie, hope the visual helps!)

long shadows.

long shadows
Originally uploaded by mere2007

...we won't have very many more weekday afternoons to enjoy the park, but it's wonderful while we can! coincidence, I'm sure, but we also found the time last tuesday. enjoying talk of cooking, the holidays, what katie might be planning for a special birthday dinner. we can cover a lot of ground in three laps!

not quite.

...us. and it's hard to put a finger on it. especially when it's as lovely as this. but it's just.not.quite.us. at least not right now.1. resurrection, 2. river club, 3. live oaks, 4. mystery grass

so we'll spend a few more weekends down there. explore a few more places. make sure we can live with the heat of summer and the chill of winter. and see. and thank you to the wonderful friends who are willing to make the journey with us.

settling in at oldfield.

...loving it here. gorgeous lowcountry. fun company.

(click on photos for details)

slowly but surely.

...my week in the life album is coming together. Sara thinks I've made noticeable progress. I am pleased with it so far and hoping I get home from work today with enough energy to get even a few of those divided page protectors filled with photos, pretty paper and a bit of ephemera.
oh, and in case katie checks in here, our russell+hazel order arrived!

our newest addition.

...yup, we are the proud owners of a new washing machine! as much as I absolutely hate having to purchase stuff like this, I am really amazed at how far the technology has come in the 10+ years since we bought the maytag neptune. and really excited about a clean load of clothes (well, actually five clean loads) since the neptune conked out on sunday leaving us with two very very wet loads of half-done laundry.

even marc is excited about washing (his own) clothes in this cool machine. now if I can get sara on board, I'm set.

happy birthday.

...to my dad - 71 years young today! wishing you all the best - and a big slice of apple pie! love, m.

a very good sign.

...in my world, it honestly doesn't get much better! my wine cooler is now full and ready for fall, stocked with bottles of shiraz, red bordeaux, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon. I am definitely a red wine drinker once the temperatures fall below 80 degrees.

and sara made lunch. the tomato soup was delicious, no cream, just the right mix of herbs. the popovers with the soup was my idea. a weekend lunch I remember from growing up (except I'm pretty sure the creamy tomato soup we had included cream!)
and I got to spend several hours getting started on my week in the life album.

almost.

...enough distraction not to worry about all the bad news around us.
almost, but not quite. today's paper provided more than enough inspiration to get me completely caught up with elise's paper adventure. week #41 - worry.

caught up!

caught up!
Originally uploaded by mere2007

yeah, finally!! and I am definitely planning to stay caught up so I don't have to serve up 4 more entries (5, counting week 41 that's up now) in a single week.

soup and salad.

...dinner last night. it's really starting to feel like fall!

{click photos to see details}

a lovely mail day.

...this from jess gonacha's etsy shop (remember when I first found her wonderful art?) - hiding the details so certain someones are still surprised. and an offer from martha stewart to reinstate my subscription, with everyday food thrown in. not a bad deal for $15.

cast on.

...one of my favorite parts of knitting - after (of course) picking the pattern and the yarn, and before the joy of wearing something you've made. something about starting something new, and all the anticipation of what it will become. I think I've found my topic for create 08, week 35.

socktoberfest.

...yeah, I'm a little late to the party. I read about through the loop's knit-along earlier this week, but was still feeling tied to my loosenut socks (since I only have one set of size 1 dpn's...which has been a great way to ensure I don't get out of control with unfinished socks!). til karen said she'd be willing to scrap hers - the heel construction has us both a bit "stuck"...maybe we'll work up the fruit loop socks that lydia found. so this morning I frogged the loosenuts, free'd up my size 1's and decided to join in. with the dookie - the 3rd and final shipment from our punk rock sock club. and wondering if I can get karen and lydia to play along too?!

fridaying (barely).

...as in it's still barely friday. 11:55 pm as I start this post. and the french press coffee I had from starbucks at 6 pm is going strong, so I'm thinking I'll certainly finish before my brain goes to sleep.

TasteFest appears to have been a huge success. I should know better tomorrow - four hours of counting, recording and balancing scheduled with the boys' tennis treasurer. But I am completely exhausted...an event of that magnitude, on a friday evening. simply not meant for anyone who lives a full life during the week.

And since this is the first stop at my computer since the dark early hours, I only have one fun thing to report. honestly, I decided this blog post was worth it when I found it. the bulky cabled sweater. close enough to the one I adored in the fall issue of in style to have me planning my trip to cast on cottage. as soon as the TasteFest balancing is done. you know, sort of like my reward.

Like the cold pizza and wine and computer time I was looking forward to all evening.

p.s. I am still hanging in there with the week in the life project. enough that I can reference the highlights of my day with photos. but I've definitely noticed a drop off in production - today yielded only 11 photos, compared with monday's 18. at this rate, I'll be down to single digits by the project's end :-)

stalking chance.

...I admit it - I was obsessed by this photo all day. wanting to capture our chance just being (as opposed to being ashamed). I worked from home today (remnants of the atlanta metro gasoline shortage still causing disruption) and took full opportunity of my many conference calls to get that perfect shot.

I tried in the morning - when he naps on the family room rug.


And at lunch when he "did his business" - nothing good there - he doesn't lie on the ground outside.
And finally in the evening, while I'm straightening the kitchen, I found that on-the-ground pose (it did take me three tries!) captured above.

But my favorite shot of the day is this one - the blur of the tail-wagging welcome home marc.