Egg Salad

Charlie prefers his egg salad on a bagel, toasted, 1/2 "scooped" but no bagels to be had in the house this morning

I'm not an egg eater, but we had 14 boiled eggs left over from Easter.  Charlie probably would have liked some deviled eggs, but egg salad with all 14 was just so much easier for this pregnant lady.

Ingredients:

• 14 hard boiled eggs, dye is optional
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 heaping teaspoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 heaping teaspoon dry dill
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Chop eggs.  I wasn't very consistent with sizing, but maybe you like fine chopped, maybe you like egg pieces larger.  I suppose if I were in my old kitchen I might like an egg slicer since there'd be room to store it.
2. In a large bowl mix all ingredients.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• The proportions are based on what I had, not any magic ratio.  Charlie thought it was yummy though so I'll most likely stick with it.
• Lots of egg salad recipes call for celery and onion.  Maybe one day Charlie will appreciate a little crunch in his egg salad.
• I couldn't find fresh dill so went with dry.  I'm not a big fan of dill except when growing it to attract butterflies so I am not really familiar with the taste differences and when to use fresh and when to use dry.
• To boil your eggs place eggs in heavy pot cover with water and allow each egg a little breathing room.  They shouldn't be piled on top of each other.  Bring to a rolling boil, cover, turn off heat and let sit 15 minutes.  Run eggs under cool water to thoroughly cold before peeling.

The Bunny Visits

Freddie doesn't have an Easter basket.  Up until the flooding after Katrina in 2005 I had my childhood basket, but it was one of the many items shoveled into a wheelbarrow and hauled out to the big pile in our front yard.  I would really like to get Freddie a basket to hold on to for the next thirty years, but honetly can't even think of where we'd store it here in NYC!

This candy necklace could would him busy for hours, but I usually only supply it for 5 minute stints.

This year the backpack the bunny brought also doubled as his basket.  We talked a little about the Easter Bunny, but not much.  Next year I may have to find some books about Easter.  Freddie just knew the bunny brought some treats.  His backpack was filled with some chocolates and candy, a "digger" book, bubbles, a bell shaker, and a mini nerf basketball set.

The basketball goal was a big hit.  He talks about shooting baskets quite a bit and he likes to watch the "big kids" play basketball.  I'm sure they love it when he shouts "almost" when they miss a shot. 

The Bunny also hid a few eggs around the living room filled with jelly beans and chocolates and coins.  Jelly Beans might be his all time favorite candy these days.

 
The rest of the afternoon was spent eating candy, napping, and we did go out to see a movie.  Happy, Happy Easter!

Dying Eggs

Saturday evening was spent dying eggs, of course.  I love hearing Freddie walking around the house talking on and on and on about "Eash-ter eggs." 

We set up on the floor which worked well since everything was within his reach.  I think I need a plastic table cloth for next year? 

Can you see his tongue poking at his cheek?  It really gets wagging when he's concentrating on a fine motor skill.

We only used 4 of the nine color tablets, and that was plenty.  We had 14 eggs, but I should have boiled all 3 dozen.  He could have done this for hours.  I imagine Charlie would have easily put away 3 dozen hard boiled eggs turned into egg salad or deviled. 

When we were kids we'd just place our dyed eggs into our baskets that we left out for The Bunny and the bunny would add goodies to the basket.  Charlie said his dyed eggs would be left around with plastic eggs for them to find in the morning.  This year the eggs just went in the fridge.  I'm still trying to figure out some Easter traditions for us and some explanations of Easter and The Bunny.

I loved dying eggs as a kid, and I'm pretty sure this was a hit with Freddie.  I imagine next year may bring attempts of something fancier than Charlie's "LSU" egg. Although there is a lot to be said for keeping it simple!

 

Part Deux Update

At 30 weeks 5 days:

Blood pressure:  100/60
Fundal height:  31
Weight gain:  +3 for the month, +22 overall (+20 at home)

Heartbeat found right away.  Everything looking good.

Short and sweet appointment.  He suggested my next appointment be with another doctor in the group (there are 3) just to get acquainted, although he said there's not much chance anyone other than himself will be delivering Part Deux. 

We touched base on my feelings about delivery and talked about postpartum recovery time.

Next appointments: 

• May 2nd, 1.15 pm with Dr. H.  Upcoming travel plans and general scheduling issues did not really allow me to conveniently get in with one of his partners.  
• 35 week appointment on May 24th, 8am.

It's the little things

Freddie and I have been checking in on these eagles and their chicks a few times a day.  The live 24 hour stream usually consists of the Mama eagle snuggling with the chicks, but sometimes we luck out and see both the Mama and Daddy there or someone flying off or the chicks getting fed.  The chicks were born in early April, and there are some links to previous video so you can watch the hatchings. 

Regardless of what's going on, Freddie's interested.  He talks about the "cute babies" or the Mama's beak or their feathers blowing around in the wind.  He's developing quite the birder vocabulary.  Watching these chicks transform will provide some interesting observations I'm sure. 

Freddie LOVES these eagles, and I LOVE those few moments here and there throughout the day where we stop to watch together. 

Take me out to the ballgame

This apple made an impression on Freddie.  There's another inside the stadium.  He's still talking about these apples.

Recently we were able to take in a little fresh air, sunshine, and a double header at Citifield, Mets v. Rockies.

We hopped on the train, made a relatively easy transfer, and were to Citifield in about 30-40 minutes.  Thankfully the transfer is handicapped accessible, that is, there is an elevator for the stroller.  Unfortunately the subway stop for Citifield has quite a few stairs and no elevator.  There are Thursday afternoon games throughout the season and I would love to take both boys to games, but I need to figure out how to make that happen sans stroller.

Freddie liked checking out the field between games.

We opted for a Mets game over a Yankees game mostly because the Mets aren't as in high demand as Yankees.  I figured it was a good way for us to warm up before making our way to Yankee Stadium.

Freddie has done his share of footballl viewing and lately has been interested in "shooting baskets" but he hasn't really had any baseball exposure.  Our seats in the "family section" did not allow for viewing conducive to teaching anything about the sport.  But true to all of our other adventures, from Jazzfest to zoo trips to ferris wheel riding, there was lots for Freddie to observe and learn from.

We had a middle school baseball team sitting in front of us so there was *lots* to watch.  A couple of boys introduced Freddie cotton candy....yummy.  He also picked up the "Let's Go Mets" chant rather quickly, and then Charlie had a long talk with him about booing... and we especially don't boo our own team, no matter how pathetic they are....poor, poor Mets.

 It was a nice way to spend the afternoon, especially with the spring weather.  I can see many games in our future as Freddie gets more experience with baseball/t-ball.

Next big adventure:  A Yankees Game!

Some details I learned for future trips:

• Family seating area tickets are $20 adults, $10 kids.  Mr. Met visits.  Rows 6 through the back row are covered by the terrace and provide good protection from the sun/rain.  There was a family restroom in the area.
• Freddie doesn't weigh enough to sit in his own seat.  It folds up on him.
• The terrace seats range from $12-15.  The top 5 rows seem to be protected from the weather.

30 Weeks (and 1 day)

A day late. 

Sick toddler. 

Breathing heavy. 

Getting light headed.

Fat fluid filled fingers. 

Skipping treadmill time for naps. 

Hot flashes. 

Insomnia. 

Bigger this time around. 

Gaining weight at warp speed.

I think I'm pleasant. 

Charlie might disagree.

Sweet Dreams

We read books in Mama and Dada's bed.  He pushed up my shirt and put his head on my tummy so "brover listen".  We each got "cozy" and said night night.  With our heads on the pillow he put one hand on each of my cheeks and softly tried to continue the conversation...Seals splash eat it fish.  Freddy Rebekah bucket rocks river friends.  Puppy sniffs cute. Toucan beak big ark ark ark.  With such heavy lids, his blinks grew longer and his voice softer.  It had been much too long since I have watched him fall asleep.

My New Ride

Text message conversation late last week:

Me:  It's here!
Rebekah:  OMG!  I want to come over and see it.  I'm so excited.
Me:  Me too!  We should load up the boys and take it out for a test drive.
Rebekah:  Any pictures yet?
Me:  No, Charlie fussed at me for not taking any pics today.  I still need to get a few extras for it.
Rebekah:  Should we take it to music class on Friday?
Me:  Definitely!

Headed to music class in the new ride:

Nope, not a convertible.  We were that giddy over trying out the new double stroller, the Baby Jogger City Select. The life of a stay at home mom is just that exciting.  And for the price I paid, I suppose I better find some excitement in it and get my money's worth.

Yes, the down parka barely zips these days.  Spring weather cannot come soon enough.

It's big, and there's no way around that.  Getting into elevators and navigating around the city is tricky, but not nearly as tricky if I'd gone with a side by side model.  There are a few tight squeezes on the subway platforms that I'm not sure a side by side stroller would even fit through.  This tandem is beast enough.  The stroller itself weighs about 35 pounds and with one 24 pound Freddie and one 30 pound Freddy it was quite the load to push around.  Popping up the front tires to get it over the ledge into the subway or up curbs was a workout.

We set out with the boys facing each other to try to get that authentic sibling experience of kicking and complaints of "he's looking at me."  It worked much better with Freddy, the taller of the two, on the "upper deck."

Things didn't look quite as cozy when positions were switched for the ride home.

Poor Freddy couldn't figure out where to put his long legs.  Long legs will need to ride up top or in the forward facing position on the bottom.  Both seats can face forward or face the driver or one face forward while the other faces the rear.  An infant car seat or bassinet attachment can also take the place of one seat.  Don't worry, there will be more test drives and more pictures to come.  I know you're as excited to see it as we are to try it!

Our Weekend

Checking out big kids ice skating
A promise to skate together next weekend
Pancake supper a la Dada
Throwing touchdown catches
Digger viewing

Rearranging and making room
Bikes transferred from bedroom to the bike room
Skyping
A hint of spring
Playing games
Pajama days
3+ hour family naps (x2)

The Lego Store
A tram ride
A train ride
Tulips and Daffodils

Notes from the Potty

• Freddie is diaperless 24/7.  
• We had a long run with dry morning diapers in January and February and then some wet diapers began popping up here and there.  I took that as a sign that he needed to get rid of the diapers at night.  I knew there'd be accidents, wet sheets, and probably tears all happening in the middle of the night, but I was prepared.  You have to try, right?  He got off to a good start, and was dry for several mornings in a row.  He had a few mornings where there was just a bit of dampness on his undies and I think perhaps the little trickle is what woke him in the morning.  Then came a run of waking up wet.  The accidents were happening sometime during the night but he was sleeping through it.  I'd hear him stir during the night and imagine that's when it was happening, but it wasn't enough to wake him.  This was bad news.  He then started waking in the middle of the night or early (5am) in the morning and asking to go to the potty.  As pleased as I was that he was doing this, getting up during the night got old fast.  This went on for a couple of weeks until I finally had enough of changing sheets or getting up in the middle of the night.  So I gave the orders to diaper him after stories and potty at bedtime so we could work on sound sleeping all night and pottying first thing in the morning for a while before shifting back to no diapers.  Of course as soon as he's alone he removes his pants and his diaper and goes to sleep.  Charlie's been putting the diaper back on later in the evening but more often than not it is off in the morning.  Whether diapered or not, he's dry in the morning.  Yay!  And he's not calling us to go potty in the middle of the night.  Yippee!  We're on a two week streak.
• Freddie's getting up more and more on his own in the early morning (and the middle of the night) to use the potty and gets back into bed on his own.  He's done this a few times in the middle of the night.  Today it was in the early morning.  Through the monitor I heard him take off his diaper but the room was pretty quiet.  And then I could here him jabbering.  Next thing I know I heard little footsteps in the hall and just as he was closing the bathroom door Charlie called him.  Into our room he came proclaiming a "giant poopoo."  Wonder if he was going into the bathroom to wipe his bottom.  Sure enough there was a poop in the potty in his room and a neat little stack of books next to it.  
• He initiates 90% of the potty visits now.  We do have lots of regularly scheduled visits (upon waking up, before leaving the house, upon returning home, before going to sleep) so he shouldn't need to go much more than this, but I hardly ever tell him outside of scheduled potty visits that he should try to go potty.
• He takes off his pants and his undies on his own.  This resulted in some accidents for a while there as he perfected his undressing techniques and refused any help.  Thankfully he got the hang of it quickly and it's not longer an issue.
• He sits more than he stands, thank goodness.  One day he was standing to "potty like Dada" and I hear a shriek and then "Mess!  Mama, mess, Baby wipe, Mama.  Yuck!  Mess."  Yep, a tiny poop on the floor, and a long conversation about how he must sit if he has the slightest urge to poop.
• I moved the potty from the living room and put it in the bathroom with the hope that he'd just use the big potty.  This also meant some accidents because the potty was out of sight (and out of mind?) and the whole process took a bit longer.  Potty location is no longer an issue, but he's not been showing much interest in sitting on the actual toilet at all.  Plan here is when we go out of town in May we'll only have the seat for the toilet, and when he gets home the only choices will be the tiny potty in his room or the toilet.  I hope this is enough to get him on the toilet more.  I'm very thankful for no diapers, but it would be nice to just flush rather than having to empty these potties.
• The next step in this potty training process will come this summer when he's heavily involved in some hardcore playing.  Will he stop and ask to use the potty?  When we are out and about he will say "Freddie use it potty" and he says this far enough in advance that we are able to find a potty in time.  But we've already had one experience playing out in the grass where he tells me he has to potty, I tell him we need to go inside and potty, and he simply said "No," took a wide stance and peed.  He was obviously wet and uncomfortable and then wanted his pants changed immediately.  Foolishly, I changed him.  I've considered taking the potty chair out to the playground, but I think my plan is that we have to go home, use the potty in the lobby, and then we can return.  If he wets then we go home and don't return to the playground.  This plan will work when we're close to our building.  If we venture further out I imagine I'll bring the potty...but what in the world do I do with what's in the potty?
• We've been at it for 6 months and I think he's made good progress.  Not sure what it'd be like if we waited until he was older, but ultimately I am glad we started now.

A few things about Freddie

At the Bronx Zoo

• Freddie has been projecting some of his behaviors and emotions lately.  There's a "puppy" he always talks about in the next building, but we've never seen said pup.  After the elevator incident Freddie said the puppy was alone and scared and sad.  After Charlie leaves for work somebody or something is always sad.  This morning it was his tub turtles.  "He's sad.  Misses Dada Turtle.  Don't worry.  Dada work.  See him soon."  He also told me his caterpillar has "boogies out in mouth."  His babies, and Tigey, and teddy bear have all been the culprit recently in making "tooties" but thankfully they each say "'scuse me."
• He likes to talk about his favorites.  He'll hold a book close to him and get quite a serious tone and expression and say "favorite."  Most recently he did this with Where the Wild Things Are. He's been talking about Max, the main character, quite often.  I am not so sure how he'll react when we have to return it to the librarian next week.
• His sentences are getting longer but for the most part they only contain the words that give meaning.  Rarely does he include articles, conjunctions, or prepositions.  This sounds something like this:  "French fries ketchup supper mama please."

Veggies and Rice

Served with flounder

We eat a lot of potatoes around here.  There's baked, and boiled, and oven fries, scalloped, au gratin.  I need to mix up the starch component of mealtime.  So I'm starting with rice.  I looked and looked and looked for recipes, but definitely did not want a casserole-esque type side.  I based on this on a recipe from allrecipes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup uncooked rice 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped 
• 1 cup broccoli crowns
• 2 toes garlic, minced

Directions:

1. In a saucepan saute onion and garlic in butter until tender and begin to brown. 
2. Stir in rice and stir, allowing rice to brown a little.
3. Stir in the broth, salt and pepper. 
4. Bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 13 minutes.
6. Stir in the yellow squash and zucchini. Cover and simmer 6-10 minutes longer or until rice and vegetables are tender. 

Notes:

• This was light, easy and yummy and I can do it with whatever vegetables I have on hand.  I imagine tossing in some frozen peas or carrots would work well.
• It is probably enough for 3-4 servings.
• I did serve this with a little parmesan sprinkled on top.

Stuffed artichokes

 

I've been trying to keep my grandmother's spirit going around here.  We even had stewed chicken for dinner one night.

I can remember asking her for stuffed artichokes year round and she'd try to explain eating veggies when they're in season concept.  Eastertime was when stuffed artichokes would make their first showing.  

She wouldn't be happy knowing I paid $2 a piece for these, hence I only made 2, but she would be proud I minced the garlic rather than using the jarred stuff.

Ingredients:

• 2 artichokes, stem removed, bottom cut flat, top cut off, and thorns trimmed with scissors
• 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• 1.5 cups shredded parmesean (or ramano)
• 5 toes minced garlic (I could have used more!)
• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• About 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients, excluding chokes, in a large bowl.  Toss with your hands to mix thoroughly.
2. One artichoke at a time, fill the leaves with stuffing.  Gently pull leaves out and get stuffing in between leaves.  
3. After artichokes are stuffed, drizzle olive oil over each.  Make sure to get a little over every leaf.
4. Steam artichokes for 45-75 minutes until tender.  Gently pull on a leaf, and when done it will come off easily.

Notes:

• Danny used Ramono.
• Danny also put a slice of lemon on the center of each artichoke before steaming.
• You can make your own breadcrumbs.  Be sure to add seasoning in this case.
• To steam the artichokes I cover the bottom of a dutch oven with water, place the artichokes in, cover, and put int he oven at 350 degrees. I'm sure using a steamer or some other steaming methods works just fine.

Morning snuggle time conversation

F:  Boogies out.
M:  You got boogies out last night?
F:  Yeah.
M:  Where'd ya put them?
F:  Mouth

Yippee!

Freddie and I don't keep much of a set schedule.  Sometimes recalling what day of the week it is can be difficult.  Lately Freddie has had gym class on Wednesdays and music class on Fridays so that's given us some structure, but for the most part, whatever we do on a Tuesday could very easily be done on a Thursday or the following Monday.  And if we decide to spend the day in our pajamas on a rainy Monday, no one misses us.  You'd think we'd have little appreciation for the weekends because of this, but Saturday and Sunday mean The Daddy is home.  That's big stuff.

When Charlie tucks Freddie into bed he usually spends a little time lying in bed with him just talking in the dark.  Friday nights he tells Freddie "Tomorrow is Saturday.  Dada will be home all day.  I am not going to work.  We can play all day."  To that Freddie usually responds with a soft "Happy."  And Saturday morning when Charlie walks into another room Freddie chases behind calling "Wait for me, Dada."  Charlie explains, "Freddie, today is Saturday.  Dada is here all day.  I am not leaving to go to work.  We can play all day."  Freddie throws is arms in the air and shouts "Yippee."  My sentiments exactly. 

Part Deux Update

At 28 weeks 1 day:

Blood pressure:  100/70
Fundal height:  28
Weight gain:  +4 for the month, +19 overall

Glucose results from last appointment:  118 with anything below 130 being a pass

Everything looks good.  Heartbeat was appropriate, baby is moving, weight gain is fine, glucose was normal.  Charlie says this was Dr. H's way of saying stop complaining.  Smile.  I was feeling faint this morning and Charlie gets more than just a little worried when I have an ailment other than "I'm tired."

We spent some time talking about delivery.  60-70% chance success rate for VBACs.  He said he is very supportive and encouraging of VBACs but also read my hesitation.  He thought it important to consider the reason for previous sections when deciding, so we talked a little about Freddie's birth.  He also listened to my concerns about recovery.  He thought it best to go ahead and get a date on the books for the section and then make a "game day" decision as the date approached.  If my water breaks or laboring begins prior to that date, we'll check my progress and I can make a decision then if I want to try the VBAC.  If my cervix appears long and closed as it was with Freddie and it looks like it may be a long haul then I can always call it at any time and opt for the section.  Hearing that made me feel better.

He didn't recommend scheduling a section for much earlier than my due date.  He though a few days before the due date is a safe bet, but we had a little flexibility in that as well.  He pretty much told me not to even think about trying to take the baby early.  No arguments from me. We left it as we'd talk about it again on our next visit, and he also said as I mull it over to call him and we can always chat about it over the phone if that'd help me come to some sort of resolution.  I actually feel much better about the whole situation.  Having control and not feeling pressure to make a firm decision now really helps.

We're on a every two weeks appointment schedule now.  That means we're close! 

Next appointments:  April 22nd, 8.30 am & May 2nd 1.15pm

28 Weeks

Hello, Third Trimester!

PD is moving around so much more than I remember Freddie moving in utero.  Perhaps he did and, sadly, it is just that easy to forget.  We're at that stage where I can lie down and watch the waves move across my belly has he wiggles about.

This weekend I managed to get my last box of baby supplies shipped from NOLA unpacked and situated, so now's there more room in the hall to stack the rest of the boxes which will arrive in May.  I went through a big box of onesies and "gender neutral" clothes I had shipped before we knew PD was a he.  Everything seems so tiny and it was as though Freddie was just wearing them.

I'll be in NOLA for most of May so I plan on trying to get everything all set before leaving because I know those final few weeks in June will fly by.  I don't feel like there's much to do though.  I'll wash the crib bedding, set up the cosleeper, and maybe do one final reorganization of the closet.  I honestly don't know where we'll put everything but we'll figure it out.

I finally ordered the stroller.  I'm pretty excited about it and will post pictures as soon as it arrives.  It was a big investment but being that is my mode of transportation in the city, it was necessary.

The only other thing going on as we enter the third trimester is my indecision about whether or not I should attempt a VBAC.  I had felt 99.9% certain that I just wanted a repeat section, but lately I've been worried about what the few weeks after we come home will look like and having a potentially shorter recovery time may be absolutely necessary.

Delivering vaginally didn't exactly go as planned last time.  My water broke in the early morning and I still wasn't having contractions by late morning.  Pitocin didn't get me anywhere and I only progressed to about 5 cm.  After spiking a fever 24 hours after my water had broken I was wheeled off to have a section.  BUT...I did have an early epidural and it was my first delivery, and I've read that combination, coupled with pitocin, can yield a higher rate of cesareans.

However, I don't want to go through 24 hours of labor again only to end up having a cesarean and being exponentially exhausted.  There's something nice about planning, having a date and time of arrival, now that I have Freddie's care to plan for.  But the flip side it I don't want to "induce" labor in any way.  I want him to cook as long as needed.

I'm hoping Dr. H has some guidance when I see him tomorrow.  As well as a little third trimester pep talk!

Pizza Dough

 

I've made pizza a few times prior to this, but have no idea what recipe I used for the dough.  I got this one from allrecipes.com. It'd help if I had a pizza stone so the bottom would get crisper. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. 
3. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. 
4. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. 
6. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. 
7. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

Notes:

• This is as easy as you want it to be.  It all depends on how you decide to top it.
• I made chicken Parmesan this week so I had leftover sauce and cheese to use.  Ends up being an Italian week of dinners.  
• I usually toss a little Parmesan cheese on top.
• I've done pizza before with some more adventurous toppings and veggies, but it was the end of the week so there weren't many veggies on hand in the fridge and I wanted to keep things easy so just pepperoni it is.
• It's best to get the dough as thin as possible and push sauce and topping as close to the edge as possible.  The crust will rise some in the oven.

Signs of Spring

One memory of my grandmother's house is the bed spreads matched the season.  As a little girl and even as a grown woman, I loved coming to her house to find a whole new look in the bedroom for the new season.  I've been thinking about her quite a bit lately, wishing I could share this pregnancy with her and listen, again and again and again, to her talk about the accent of NYC cab drivers on her visit here with her husband so many years ago.  (Sorry Danny, I'm yet to have one cab driver with a New Yawk accent.  Indian, yes.  Kenyan, yes. Greek, yes.  New Yorker, no.)  Thankfully those bed spreads are hanging around in my memory because I've definitely needed to channel her spirit these past few weeks, and not in the form of frying chicken in the morning before breakfast to pack in the lunches of her husband and children.

I held on to these linens through the move.  I got them on deep discount a few seasons ago and considered tossing them in the garage sale pile during the move knowing space in our apartment would be limited.  The spread and shams made the cut and I pulled them out last week.

Spring temperatures are lingering in the 40s, windchill in the 20s most days, and snow and rain mix is in the forecast for today.  But it's spring inside.  I'm cranking up the heat, putting on my shorts, and reading a trashy beach novel on my spring bed spread.