10 Years Later Remembering September 11

The roar of an airplane still takes me back with a shudder. I was walking through Bryant Park in Manhattan on my way to work when the sound of a passenger jet interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see the white underbelly of a plane flying dangerously low. While the plane didn’t seem in distress, I thought it might crash in the Hudson. But once it was out of sight, it was out of mind so I continued on my way. It was 8:45 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, I was standing on the corner of Second Avenue and 41st Street, waiting to cross. An ambulance sped by me with a news van inches from its bumper. The man next to me said, “Did you hear? A plane crashed into the World Trade Center.” And I knew. It had been that plane. I looked up and saw the black plume of smoke reaching across from lower Manhattan against the bright blue sky. By the time I reached my office, the second plane had hit the second tower. I couldn’t comprehend how that happened. How could an accident like that happen twice? … [Read more...]

Book Themed Nursery

I struggled with a theme for our daughter’s nursery. I wanted something elegant and feminine but I didn’t like any of the bedding sets I saw for girls. And I wanted something different than the Nursery Rhyme theme we had used for our son. So I googled for ideas and eventually came across this post: Nursery Theme Ideas and fell in love with doing a book themed nursery. It seemed perfect given that my husband and I love books and hope our children do, too. The theme was different enough from the nursery rhyme theme to make the room her own but I was also able to repurpose items we already had, including her brother’s baby bedding. (Helps that his nursery was neutral because we waited until he was born to find out his gender.) I framed book jackets for wall art and decorated the shelves with books from our collection. It was fairly inexpensive and I love how it turned out! Here are a few pics:         Did you have a theme for your child’s nursery? What was … [Read more...]

The Costume Trunk

I recently read The Costume Trunk by Bob Fuller, a children’s book about a little girl who discovers a magical costume trunk that takes her and her friends to the imaginary world of Paddywhack Lane where they can be whoever they imagine to be. It reminded me of the costume trunk I played with as a child. Ok, it wasn’t a trunk. It was a drawer in my grandmother’s dresser full of shawls and costume jewelry. It was pink tutus and other dance outfits repurposed. It was a blue flower girl dress that I wore in my uncle’s wedding. When it no longer fit, we dyed it purple and my sister played dress up in it. We pretended to be princesses, actresses, characters from our favorite books. We just had fun pretending. My son has gotten to the age of pretend play and its so fun to watch. One day he’s a superhero flying around the house catching bad guys. Another day he puts on a pair of goggles and pretends to be an ocean diver. I love seeing his imagination at work and look forward to the … [Read more...]

Goodbye Harry Potter

This is not a movie review. It’s a reflection. No spoilers here. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two made me cry. But not for the reason you may be thinking. It wasn’t at the end. It wasn’t because Harry lived or died. It was the flashback to when Harry’s mother is killed protecting him, a scene that’s been played throughout the eight movie series. I’m not sure why the theme of love, more specifically a mother’s love, finally struck me with this final movie when its been there all along. Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones. Or maybe it resonated with me because of the similar bond I share with my son. Whatever the reason, this one scene set off a wave of emotions about the end of the Harry Potter series that I wasn’t expecting. It made me look back at what the series has meant to me. When the books first came out, I was a recent college graduate working in publishing in New York. Books were my life and these were all the rage. More than ten years later, I’m a married … [Read more...]

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Blogger Bib

A gift from my sister that I absolutely love … [Read more...]