Another good list

Here's what's making me happy this week:

1. Peonies. Trader Joe's had marvelous bunches for a very low price so we got two. Given how I have been cooing over them like babies and smelling them all week, I can officially say they are my favorite flower.

2. Chocolate chip walnut cookies from Levain Bakery. They are too amazing for words and the bakery is only two blocks away.

3. I have been asking Sean to watch the last two Harry Potter movies with me for oh, I don't know, two years. He finally gave in this week. So good.

4. This song.

5. These sandals, which are super comfortable and great for my daily walk home.

6. The basil and mint plants on my patio. They're struggling to keep up in the heat but it's so pleasant to go out and pick some leaves to include with dinner. Yum.

Fourth of July Heat Wave

Sean and I were thrilled to have Miriam and Aaron join us for the long Fourth of July weekend in New York. We were not so thrilled with the heat advisories and amazing humidity. I had planned on many hours wandering Central Park and a picnic dinner at Riverside Park to watch the fireworks. Maybe even a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and promenade. Needless to say every time we tried to do something outdoors it quickly ended in exclamations of ahhhh it's so hot, I'm so sweaty, get me out of here! 

Of course we still had a wonderful time and our little apartment handled visitors very well (ok there was that ant coup of the patio and apartment but we're not discussing that). It has turned out to be very convenient to have your twin sister married to your husband's cousin. Aaron and Sean had no problem going off to the movie theater together while Miriam and I went shopping and got our nails done. We had too much good food: Casa Mono, Shake Shack, The Smith, ABC Kitchen, the Spotted Pig, and of course banana pudding from Magnolia. We also took Miriam and Aaron for their first visit to the Met and ventured up to the rooftop which was on my summer bucket list. The view up there is beautiful, if only it was air conditioned. I also finally made it to the Lincoln Center lawn. What a lovely spot to spend some time (again, when there isn't a heat advisory). So glad it's only a few blocks away.

You can read more details of their visit and see lots of photos on Miriam's blog. I am too exhausted from too much fun for a full recap. The moral of the story is, I love when my sister visits and I am sad when she leaves. Aaron has forever endeared himself by suggesting we watch Mulan after the ant incident. A true hero. Thank you for coming to see us!

Miriam's face says it all. It's 105 degrees out.

It Takes Two

The title of this post is a reference to the most amazing Olsen twins movie which Miriam and I were obviously obsessed with as children. Because my sister is coming to visit! Of course, she's bringing Aaron, which I suppose I can tolerate because it means there is someone to entertain Sean while Miriam and I go shopping and get manicures. I can't wait for them to arrive later this afternoon.

Of course, I am a little nervous about fitting two more people into our apartment for five days. It has been cleaned and organized in every little corner to make the most room. Last night I wanted to give myself a reward for closet organization which in my experience is just a stretch away from Tetris (another throwback). The truth is when we moved in, we wanted to get everything out of our way as quickly as possible, so we were not very purposeful about our storage. We are still stretched for space, but with a little creativity and plotting, things are much more organized and we were able to cram even more stuff into those two little closets. Which I did not think would be possible. Hooray!

And another confession. We have officially entered the secret not so fun society of the Upper West Side lovely old brownstone apartment. No mice yet, but Sean has killed two cockroaches since we moved in, one this morning IN THE SHOWER EEK. That is my worst nightmare right there. I have yet to see one, so I am just living in fear of when it will inevitably happen. I also remain extremely impressed that Sean successfully killed them because let's be honest, those suckers are hard to kill. In my limited experience with them, I have not been able to do it. They just always get away.

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is enjoying a long weekend with family, friends, and hopefully some fireworks.