Curtains

We moved into a new, smaller apartment a couple weeks ago. It's across the hall from our old place, so the move itself was easy, though we had lots of downsizing to do -- selling and giving things away on Craigslist, putting up tons of shelves to make up for the dearth of closet space in our cozy new place.

The decision to downsize (from two bedrooms to one) was forced by the economic downturn and its continued effect on our family's finances. Obviously life would be easier if we had a separate bedroom for our baby, but living like this isn't that unusual among New York City families. In fact, just the other day I read an article in TimeOut Kids about how couples with kids in a one-bedroom manage to have sex. (Hint: find a babysitter or make sure you have good curtains in the living room).

Ergo the lovely new curtains I crafted from a huge linen tablecloth (pictured at left and below). Having dropped a bundle on the aforementioned shelving from Ikea, I didn't want to spend anymore on covering up our windows, so I used a few white coat hooks and some branches I found in Fort Tryon Park to make the rods. I sewed a few small birds to perch on the branches, so the tree-like effect would look intentional and arty, and not so much like we can't afford real curtains, you know? I guess they're kinda more like blinds than curtains, owing to the fact they fold up and button down to let in light during the day. A stroke of genius, I thought.

Anyway, they're now my favourite thing about this new place -- next to the dishwasher, which I couldn't imagine life without now. I think I have at least an extra hour in my day because of that sweet little machine.

If someone were to ask me what is the one thing you should get if you're having a baby, I would say dishwasher, hands down. Let the kid wear hand-me-downs and play with cardboard boxes. Life with a baby is so damn messy. A dishwasher eases the pain just enough to get you through. It might even help your sex life.