Spring break was only a month ago...

...but here are a few shots from our very short beach trip!  Jeremy lectured at a conference in Myrtle Beach on the last Sunday of spring break, so the kids and I tagged along.  The resort was really nice and I wish we could have spent more time there (hmmm....hopefully he'll get to go back next year, too).  We hit the beach a bit on Saturday, but it was COLD and WINDY.  Lucy and I only made it for about 20 minutes, then we headed up to the pool where the sand dunes shielded us from the blustery winds.  Somehow, in spite of the cold weather, the boys still ended up sopping wet in the water!

And now I am REALLY ready for our trip to "Aunt Deb's Ocean" in June.  I can't wait to spend a week sun bathing, napping, walking & relaxing.

And one random shot from last week...Lucy had "wacky Wednesday" at school in celebration of "W" week.  If you can't tell, that is a Christmas skirt she is sporting!

The end of an era!

Last week we finally bit the bullet and said goodbye to our minivan.  It was getting on in years (and miles) and we knew it was going to need some major work if we were going to continue driving it.  The problem was that, well, I was just DONE with driving a minivan.  It is just hard to throw a couple thousand bucks into something you just don't like anymore.  

We got the van when I was pregnant with Reid and, to me anyway, it has always been the most expensive piece of baby equipment that we own.  And, well, we are done with babies at this house.  Part of me (well, most of me, to be truthful) is jumping up and down with joy to be rid of the thing, but there is a very little nostalgic bit of me that is sad.  Short of our bike trailer (which can be converted to a stroller) and a very beat up umbrella stroller (which hasn't been out since last summer, at least), we have completely divested ourselves of our baby gear.

So, goodbye trusty old Nissan!  You served us well, surviving a rear end collision and a run in with a horse drawn sleigh.

Let me introduce you to Harry the Honda Pilot (Harry for Harry Potter because the initials are the same as Honda Pilot and well, this is for the kids and I and we all LOVE Harry Potter).  

So far, I am loving it.  My van was pretty basic, but this thing has all the bells and whistles, which I am thrilled with.  The best feature so far?  A built in hard disc drive, so it copies any CD's used onto the drive and you don't need to keep the CD with you after that.  Way cool!  Another bonus is that we gained an 8th seat and it is just as roomy as the van (almost better for seating, but we lost a little cargo space), but is smaller and fits in the garage better.

Anyway...that is the most exciting thing that has happened around here in the last week (unless you want to hear about the nasty stomach virus that Lucy & I picked up, which I am guaranteeing that you don't want to hear about).

Sink skirt tutorial!

So, here is my first (and probably only) attempt at a sewing tutorial.  I am doing this for two reasons:  the first is that tutorials are cool and the second is that I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for when I went to make mine, so maybe this will help someone else!

So, as a reminder, here is what the finished result looks like:

The supplies I used are as follows:  fabric, thread, steam-a-seam fusible web, and velcro (the kind where one side is sew on and the other side is sticky backed -- I got mine at Hobby Lobby) plus all your usual (but completely basic) sewing equipment.

Step 1:  Measure your sink height and width.  Mine was 35 3/4 inches tall (from the very top edge of the sink to the floor) and 46 1/4 inches wide.  My sink wasn't perfectly level, so the height I used is at the sinks highest point.

You will be cutting two rectangular pieces of fabric:  one for the header (on which the velcro will be attached) and one for the skirt.

For the header:

• Figure the width by taking the width and adding 1" for seam allowances (for me, that was 47 1/4")
• Figure the height figure how tall you want your header piece to be finished, then add 1/2" for seam allowance and double that number.  I want my finished piece to be 1 3/4" tall, so I cut mine to 4 1/2".

For the skirt:

• For the height, figure out how long you want your total length to be.  I wanted mine to be as close to the floor as possible, without touching, so I made it 35 1/2.  Take your desired finished length, subtract your finished header height (1 3/4" in my case) and add 1" for seam allowance.  My cut height was 34 3/4".
• For the width, I doubled the width and added a few inches.  This all depends on how full you want it.  I cut mine about 95" wide.  

Step 2:  Prepare the Header

• Start by folding and thoroughly pressing your piece of header fabric in half running the long way, turning each end under 1/2" as well. 

• Cut a piece of velcro to 1/4" less than the finished width of your header (47" for me).  Open the fabric and sew the velcro to the RIGHT side of the fabric 1/8" from the pressed FOLD mark.  I did it this way so that the stitching from the velcro won't show on the finished product.  I read a lot of tutorials where people hot glued the velcro down and I chose not to do this because I wanted something that would withstand repeated washing and also that will lay very flatly and cleanly against the sink.

• I used sheets of steam-a-seam, as that is what I had on hand, however you can buy it in a "tape" form.  I wanted mine 1 1/2" wide.  I wanted it to reinforce all the fabric behind the velcro, but I also didn't want it to interfere with the seam where the skirt piece attached.  Put the sticky side of the steam-a-seam down on the WRONG side of the fabric behind where the velcro was (the velcro made it somewhat bumpy, so I wanted to be able to smooth out the steam-a-seam on that side before ironing).  You'll want to get the steam-a-seam as close to the ironed crease as possible.  Once the steam-a-seam is attached via the sticky side, fold the piece in half  and iron to set the steam-a-seam.

• I ran a short seam up both of the shorts ends of the header piece, but that isn't entirely necessary.  I finished the two raw edges by using a fairly tight overcast stitch over both of them together.

• Fold the header piece in half twice.  Mark the middle and quarter points (three evenly divided points) along the overcast edge with a pin.
• Your header piece is done and it is time to move on....

Step 3:  Prepare the Skirt Piece (Sorry, but I forgot to take pictures of this part of the project, but it is the easy part, I promise!)

• Tightly overcast all edges of the skirt piece. 
• Fold the two short ends in 1/2", press and then hem.
• Fold one of the long edges up 1/2", press and then hem.  This is the bottom edge that will meet the floor.
• On the unhemmed (long) edge, run a set of loose (very long stitch length) stitches 1/4" from the edge.  I like to use a contrasting thread, as it makes it easier to keep track of these stitches (and easier to pick the right threads out later).  Leave a long tail of thread on each end.  Some people like to do two sets of threads...I find this works just as well for me.  
• Fold the skirt piece in half twice, marking the middle and quarter points with a pin at the top unhemmed edge.

Step 4:  Gather and Attach the Skirt

• Start pulling on one of the threads until the fabric starts gathering.  Continue pulling & gathering  until the piece is roughly the same width as the header piece.  Pin the two pieces together at the three pinned markings with the overcast edges lined up; the front side of the two pieces (the front side of the header is the side without the velcro) should be together.  
• Continue to gather and adjust the skirt fabric until it is spaced evenly, pinning the gather in place frequently.
• Stitch the two pieces together 1/2" from the overcast edges.  
• If you are Type A, like me, go ahead and pick out all that contrasting thread.  
• Voila, you are finished sewing!

I cleaned the edge of my sink thoroughly and then wiped it down with rubbing alcohol and allowed it to dry completely before attaching my velcro to it.  I did make a mistake and didn't pull it tight enough, so it is bubbling a little.  Sometime, when I have time, I am going to pull it off again and put new on.  Anyway....word of caution:  pull the velcro slightly taught while I applying it to the sink!

I was initially a little worried that the skirt would be too heavy, but it has been up a month and is just fine.  I am super glad that I got a relatively busy fabric, as that helps it not show dirt or water spots.

I hope someone finds this helpful...if not, at least I will not have to re-think the process when I am ready to switch out my fabric!

A sink skirt!

This process has taken forever it seems, but I finally finished off the laundry room two weekends ago with a cornice box for the window and, mostly exciting, a sink skirt for the (very ugly, but totally useful) utility sink.  The fabric sat on my floor for a good week or two before I managed to sew anything.  And then the photos sat on my camera for a few days.  And then I processed them on Monday.  And now I am finally getting around to posting them.  Just a lot of little things got in the way over the last couple of weeks!

Anyway, here is a shot of the room, which I am loving:

(I love that washboard, by the way, that I picked up at a yard sale in Ohio.  It was made by the Columbus Washboard Company in Columbus, OH.  I thought it was a nice reminder of one of the places we've been.)


And here is a better shot of just the sink skirt:

I just adore this fabric, which I bought at JoAnn's (something I rarely do -- I usually prefer to order my fabrics online from fabric stores, as I think JoAnn's quality is sometimes lacking).  The color doesn't present well on my computer screen, but the yellow is a mustardy color, which I am loving.  I think I will have to pull that color into the rest of the first floor to tie things together.  And not to pat myself on the back, but my sewing skills are getting quite good.  This skirt looks SHARP in person.  I hope that puts a smile on my Grandma M.'s face way up there (or over or around or wherever the hereafter happens to be).

The cornice box took FOREVER, but only because Jeremy would just not do it the way I asked.  Well, in the end he did what I asked, but first he had to try his own version (which just didn't work).  I am wishing we had made it a bit taller, as the ceiling is so high in the room that I think it needs the extra length.  We are NOT redoing it, though.  I might make some for the office as well, and if we do, you can bet they will be bit more substantial.

I took a ton of pictures of the sewing part of my sink skirt, in the hopes that I would get a tutorial up.  Maybe it will happen next week...

Snow!

Yes, it has been a while.  We're busy.  Jeremy is working 6 days a week most weeks (7, when are lucky enough to hit a drill weekend).  In the past month I've made a trip to Ohio (and got to meet my new sweet little nephew) as well as taking a weekend away for a church women's retreat.  Plus, the spring Box Tops submission deadline was last week and prepping all $1,400 (yay!) worth of Box Tops was a major ordeal. 

Anyhoo, mid-February brought us the rare treat of a winter snow storm!  And by storm, I mean we got enough snow to cover the ground for about three hours and then it melted.  The kids were in heaven.  The only thing that could have made it better is if it had fallen on a school day so that we could have gotten a bonus day off.  

I wonder how many years it will be until we see this much snow on the ground again?

Odds & Ends

So, I'm not sure how it has been two weeks since I posted.  In that time, however, I have gotten the laundry room cabinets finished (yay) and made a trip to Ohio.  

First things....here is a shot of the cabinets before & after:

I am soooooooo happy with how this turned out.  I still need to decorate and make curtains, though.  As I pretty much loathe shopping, I have no clue when the curtains will be finished.  If I can't pretty quickly find what I'm looking for online, I tend to give up.  And I haven't been able to find fabric that I like yet (and I am tired of looking).

I also swore up and down that I was done with house projects for a while.  However, this morning as I was cleaning the basement bathroom, I was hit was a sudden urge to demolition the entire room.  I want to beadboard the ceiling down there (which I haven't sprung on Jeremy yet).  I really should wait until next fall, as I have a lot of gardening/yard stuff that needs done now that it is warming up (FYI to y'all Ohio folks -- the daffodils are blooming here and the trees are starting to bud out, too).  We'll see...once I'm bitten with the urge, we usually have to go with it.

As a total side note, Lucy did the sweetest (and very responsible) thing today.  When I picked her up from preschool today, she announced that she brought her donut home from the party because she wasn't sure I wanted her to eat anything yugery (translation:  sugary) this morning.  Wow!  But the sweet part is that she came and found me after we got home and gave me her donut, because she knew I would like it.  I told her we could share it, which she was quite pleased with.  What a sweet thing she is (sometimes)!

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

Vanity!

One of Lucy's best friends is a sweet little girl with a head full of very very curly (and gorgeous) blond hair.  This little girl, of course, does not like the constant commenting on her hair.  And, of course, Lucy has become decidedly jealous of it.  She has repeatedly made comments about wishing she had hair like K.'s and that she doesn't like her own hair.  

Enter mommy guilt:  I have clearly done something wrong if Lucy is THAT concerned with how her hair looks verses her how her friends hair looks.  

Anyway....she has been begging me to curl it.  Finally the other night, at the recommendation of a friend, I twisted her hair up into a bunch of mini buns.  This was the result in the morning:

It actually looked better than the picture indicates.  And she seemed to love the results.  There are two problems, though.  One is that it took forever for me to do this -- we just can't make this a part of our nightly routine.  The other is that I want her to be happy with the head of hair she was given.  And, really, a third problem is that I don't want to tell her how to do her hair.  If she wants to curl her hair, then that should be her choice.  And if she wants to color it (some very far off day down the road), then she should be able to do that to.  It ticks me off when someone (anyone) tries to tell me that I should or should not be doing something with my appearance.  Darn it, it is my body, so butt out!

And then all this comes back to what I started with.  The little girl with curly hair doesn't appreciate the constant commenting, but it also effects the other kids.  The other kids hear, in the silence, you aren't pretty and aren't good enough to merit notice.  Just something to think about.  I know people are well intentioned, but commenting on little girls appearances constantly leaves them thinking about their appearances constantly.  (And I am sometimes guilty of this, too, for the record.)

So, I sit here trying to figure out how to balance teaching Lucy that she is beautiful the way she is, but that it is also okay to take pride in her appearance (which means she can wear her clothes and hair in a way that make her happy and comfortable).  I've yet to come up with a good solution.

...and the laundry room after.

Or more accurately, I should probably say here are some shots of the laundry room in the middle of the redo.

I really wanted to paint the room pink or purple or something else fun and different from the neutral grey/blue that we used in the majority of the house.  It's not that I don't love that grey color, because I do, but I just wanted something different in the laundry room as it is a non-public space that doesn't necessarily have to be well behaved or proper.  However, Jeremy insisted on it matching the kitchen, so I'll be adding color in the curtains and other fun touches (whenever I get around to those!).

I have decided that the counter is THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD.  I love it!  You aren't supposed to leave things on top of a front loader when it is running as it can throw the machine off balance (plus the stuff will probably just shake off during the spin cycle), so I never had a good place to fold laundry. I got the idea for the counter from here.  We purchased a $40 sheet of birch plywood (that Home Depot cut for us and we have a TON of leftovers for other projects), a $6 package of iron on finishing for the front edge and a $9 bottle of danish oil.  It took two coats of danish oil and then I added 2 coats of a clear polycrylic (which we already had on hand).  For support, we nailed mdf pieces on the side walls (which we painted to match the wall and you can just barely see in the left photo below) and a bigger 2 x 4 along the back.  The counter isn't screwed down (so we can easily access the machines and water shut offs), but it is heavy enough that isn't a problem.  We also shimmed the middle of the counter by gluing a piece of mdf to the underside of the counter and sticking a strip of foam padding on the mdf (to protect the top of the dryer).  We placed this piece over the edge of the DRYER (so that there is absolutely nothing touching the washer) and so that the frame of the dryer can bear any excess weight (don't put this piece in the middle of the dryer, else it will just push the top cover down).  The counter is supported well enough that I can stand on it without problem.

So grand total, we spent about $55 (all the support lumber came from the basement), which is a far sight better than the $400 + we were quoted for a custom butcher block counter.

And, for everyone who is so concerned that I can't reach my cabinets....I previously could only reach the items on the front of the bottom shelf anyway.  Now I can reach the items on the bottom shelf completely and the stuff on the front of the 2nd shelf, too.  Sounds like a good trade to me.

I realized I had a narrower hamper sitting in my basement which I was using to hold wrapping paper rolls.  I swapped it with my old one and found it would slide between the wall and my machine.  The trash can in front in for our wet towels/rags.  Yay....no more dragging around the hamper!  And the bonus is that you can't see that corner from the kitchen, so even if the door is open the room will look much neater this way.

I didn't think to take a before picture of the opposite wall, but here is an after shot.

We previously had an itsy bitsy foot long plastic organizer to hang mops and brooms on.  I love that the new hooks (hung on a piece of painted mdf) look so much better, plus give me a TON more space (including getting my step stool off the floor).

Now to paint those doors...

Laundry room before...

I am surprised to find myself saying that the laundry room project is mostly under control.  The room is totally functional once again.  The main thing missing at this point is the cabinet doors -- they are sitting in the basement waiting to be painted.  I haven't even looked at them yet, so it may be a while.  I need to do some organizing and decorating (the most dire need being a new window covering), but it looks really good.

Since I haven't taken pictures of the (mostly) finished product (and I am just way too lazy to do it tonight), here are a few of the before shots.

I HATED the way this room looked.  And, really, I spend a lot of time in there so I should like it.

Note the hamper and step stool in this picture (not to mention the super cute handy man).  I quite literally had to move the basket and stool out of the way EVERY TIME I opened the dryer and then had to move them back so they weren't in the middle of the room.  I managed to fix that problem, which makes me a happy girl.  It is the simple things, people!

 Maybe tomorrow I will be motivated enough to clear the laundry out and take a few photos.  Or maybe not.  Yoga is the number one priority for tomorrow...my shoulder is acting up again, so I need to go.

And on a completely unrelated topic, here is a shot taken out our bedroom window last week (you can see the edge of our lawn and then the empty lot next door):

We have had a LOT of deer this year.  I think we counted something like 8 the morning I shot this photo.  And they were BIG and came right up to my house and ate my bushes.  I'm told human hair deters them, so maybe I should try that around my shrubs before they damage them.

Happy Birthday, Ross!

Last week we celebrated Ross' 6th birthday, which seems absolutely hard to believe.  I'm going to be honest here -- I am not a baby person.  I love other people's babies, but I am usually quite happy to hand them back and head home sans baby.   And I really did (and do) love my babies, however it has been a relief to me as they have outgrown that stage of life.  I know that isn't a popular mindset, but it is what it is and I'm not apologizing for it.  A room full of teenagers is far less intimidating to me than a room full of toddlers.  Anyway, what I was trying to get to saying is this:  I'd like to freeze things just the way they are right now.  The kids are independent enough that I feel like I can breath again, but they are still kids -- the boys still come barreling off the school bus with a huge smile and yell "mooooommmmmyyyyy" all the way the the front door.  Lucy is quite happy to be mommy's little helper.  And heavens, Hannah is getting too close to being grown up.  Really, where is the pause button?  

So, yeah, I'm a little sniffy over Ross' birthday.  How did he get so big?

Here are a few of his birthday shots.  I am, as usual, digging the black and white. 

Of course, he had to throw a few silly pictures in, too.

To my disappointment, Ross requested angel food cake with strawberries (which is Jeremy's usual birthday request).  Not that I don't like that combo, but I will be making it again this week for Jeremy and it doesn't leave any room for decorating.  I did talk him into letting me flavor it lemon, so that it wasn't exactly like Jeremy's.  I liked the change, but Jeremy gave it a thumbs down and told me to leave the angel food cake recipe alone.

I also found it very interesting that the kids got in a conversation that night about what they all wanted for their next birthday.  And, no, they weren't discussing gifts, but what they wanted for the meal.  (Ross requested steak this year, by the way).  I'm glad they enjoy my cooking, because I sure do enjoy the process and it makes it so much more fun to have appreciative customers!

The last project...

Posting about the laundry room project reminded me that I hadn't posted about the last project we completed (and by we, I mean mostly me)...our bedroom.

Here are a few before shots:

(Note the uglier than sin brownish/yellow shades on the light.)

Beyond the fact that the walls were really nicked and dinged up (or just badly painted in the first place), I just HATED the color in our room.  It was just so yellow and dingy looking.  And, well, I'm not a yellow/dingy/warm color person.  I like light and bright spaces.

Here are a few after pictures:

I LOVE how it turned out (though there are still a few stray items to take care of).  The blue walls help our furniture not look quite so golden/yellow (I would have loved to replace them with something new -- and king sized -- but I could hardly justify it, as they are perfectly functional).  Notice that the light shades are no longer yellow, thanks to a good long soak in vinegar followed by a lot of elbow grease.  The ceiling is painted two shades lighter than the walls, which I am really quite pleased with. I think the colored ceiling helps the crown molding really pop out.  One of my favorite changes is the new curtains!  I feel like they really pull the room together.

Now, I would LOVE to replace that dingy old armchair in the corner that Jeremy staunchly refuses to part with.  It is wretched, so I will not take a close up of it.  Those were one of those "live and learn" purchases.  We should have spent twice as much and got the matching leather arm chairs for our sofa (which still looks remarkably good after 10 years of heavy use and abuse).  Someday there will be a nice chocolate brown leather armchair in that space, so please just try to envision that when you look at the pictures.

Oh, and the picture over the bed is my own artwork inspired by a Pinterest find.  I will have to take a closeup shot and give details on that project later.  I am quite happy with it, though I wish I had gone up another size or two on the canvas.

Really?

So, I took this picture ages ago, but just came across it while taking pictures off the camera (apparently I haven't transferred pictures off my cheap point and shoot since October!).  No fears...Jeremy was driving while I was snapping pictures!

REALLY?  I'm not sure what surprises me more...that this person put this on their car or that someone printed it for them.  Now, I know that I've misused the "2" words before (along with a slew of other typos), but I would thoroughly proofread something going on the back of my car (wouldn't you?). And then there is the missing apostrophe.  Ugh...this just makes me cringe!

Taking 2012 out in style...snort!

You know, Jeremy & I are a really exciting couple that likes to live on the edge.  Want to know what fabulous plans we have for this New Year's Eve?  After tucking the kids in bed this evening, we tore the laundry room apart so we could start a mini-renovation project.  For the last hour and a half, we've been working on taking the cabinets down and moving them up farther on the wall in order to make room for a shelf below the cabinets.  The cabinets were SUPPOSED to be moved all the way to the ceiling.  However, we discovered that the walls or the cabinet are not quite straight enough to do that.  So, we are calling it "good enough" with moving them up a good 10 inches.  (For the record, the cabinet has been moved and Jeremy is currently working on replacing and tightening all of the screws.)

I just do not want to start another house project right now.  At the same time, I want to get the laundry room done because of two reasons:  1.  it is the only room left on the main floor that hasn't been painted and 2.  because I really really REALLY want to get some kind of a counter installed in there.

For whatever reason, the cabinets in the laundry room (and basement bathroom, for that matter) are of a different (and very ugly) finish from the rest of the cabinets in the house.  So, as part of this project, I will be painting the cabinets (hence the reason I wasn't too scared to move them -- I can caulk and paint over any damage we might inflict).

The worst part about this project is that we can't just tear it apart and leave it that way until it is finished.  I have laundry to do...lots of it.  So, the washing machine will need hooked back up tonight.  And then it will need pulled out again to put the shelf in, and when we put the counter in and when we paint...it is just a vicious cycle.

I'm betting this project will take a good 8 weeks to finish, as I can't see having enough time to finish it all at once (either because I just don't have time to work on the project or because I have to clean up the project to do laundry).

Here is to hoping that 2013 has a more exciting end than 2012.  Happy New Year's everyone...may 2013 be a blessed year for you and the ones you love!

A little pearl from Ross...

We had the B. side of the family in to celebrate Christmas this week.  This morning Ross asked Grandpa for a glass of milk.  Grandpa asked Ross if was supposed to drink out of the little glass cups.  Ross responded, "Yes, except when they are all dirty and then we use the big ones or on holidays when we get to use the Chinese ones."  I think he got the "good china" mixed up with "made in China".

Eh...it has been a while!

I was reminded this weekend that there are actually a handful of people out there who read my blog and are wondering why I haven't been posting.  Sigh...I mean to do it.  I just haven't had time.  Since school has started, I've been helping Jeremy in his office and volunteering at the school, which leaves little time for much else.

Truthfully, I wish I could find the time to keep this updated for me as much as for anyone else.  This is a good safe place for me to record all those things the kids do that you think you won't forget but never seem to remember (you know, when I look at Jeremy at the end of the day and say, "Shoot, what was it that Ross said that was so funny?).

So, for today, I'll leave you with our most recent family photos (taken in November, of course).  This particular photo shoot was a bit trying.  The wind was blowing like crazy and I discovered that, while I had packed my tripod, I had left the widget (for lack of a better word) that actually attaches the camera to the tripod at home in the drawer (and we were in Ohio).  The solution was to set Jeremy's iPhone on top of the tripod and then set the camera on top of the iPhone and then pray like mad that the wind wouldn't blow the entire set-up over.  It worked out pretty well as the cover on Jeremy's iPhone was a kind of grippy and kept the camera from slipping off.  We ended up breaking the tripod however, so no more family photo shoots until I splurge for a new one.  And typing this has just now reminded me of that fact, so I guess we will be missing our obligatory family-in-front-of-the-mantel picture that we take every year on Christmas Eve.  

If you are wondering, the background for the picture is the old barn at my parents house (though come to think of it, why would you be wondering about it?).  I quite like the effect and might have to use it again...

(And just because he makes the best faces, one of Ross!)

Are you happy now, Uncle Thomas?  ;-)

Good gracious, has it been busy!

Has it really been that long since I posted?  I swear I have been writing daily blog posts in my head, though I'm not sure what good that does me.

Last weekend Jeremy & I headed off to NYC.  Many many thanks to my fabulous mother-in-law for watching our kids (who seemed to have just as good of a time as we did).  It was a great weekend, with the exception of a lot of rain on Friday.  We were soaked by the time we got to the hotel on Friday (Jeremy insisted we take the subway, instead of a taxi).

After dumping our luggage, we wander around a bit.  In spite of the rain, it was nice because foot traffic was light.  We took a long walk to check out the Laduree store for some macarons.  We were supposed to do this when we were in Paris a few years ago, but it just didn't happen.  I was in HEAVEN!  It is beautiful with all the rows of brightly colored cookies!  And I must say, my macarons hold up pretty well compared to theirs (and they don't cost $4 a cookie!).

Look at those (slightly melted because they got too warm) beauties!  

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Fortunately, the weather cleared in the afternoon before we took a round trip ride on the Staten Island Ferry.  It was great (both because of the views and the price -- it is free)!  

 We also did the "Top of the Rock" (Rockefeller Center) tour.  The views were great (that is Central Park behind us).  I'm getting better at snapping self portraits!

I hit the Metropolitan Museum of Art by myself on Saturday, which I enjoyed.  I must say, though, after touring the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay and Versailles, it wasn't very exciting.   I also squeezed in a fabulous run in Central Park.  I usually don't run outside, so I was a bit worried, but there was so much to look at (and so much to dodge), that I did really well.  I'm getting better at monitoring my own pace and I'm guessing I averaged a good 8 minute mile.  It felt like running in a Super Mario game -- so many things to dodge and look at.  I'd like to think I got some bonus coins for making the run without hitting anyone, stepping on any feet or getting lost!

Of course, we also had to do some shopping.  Jeremy loved the Macy's at Harold Square (see dorky photo below).  I, honestly, don't like shopping in those kind of crowds.  Thank you, but I'll stick to smaller markets like Charlotte and Columbus.  I did, however, HAVE to make a trip to Tiffany's and just couldn't leave without a little (actually, kind of big) blue box.  I recently broke one of champagne flutes, so I indulged in a very nice replacement set.

The last night we were there we saw "Rock of  Ages" which was FABULOUS!  I had soooo much fun (in spite of the fact that they charged $8 for a can of beer -- really?).  The music was so much fun (all 80's rock hits) and made me want to dig out some Bon Jovi for my next run!

I also did a lot of knitting (Bryant Park was a great place to sit), eating (the cheesecake was good, but I fell in love with black & whites) and people watching!  I was ready to come home to my babies on Monday, but would go again in a heartbeat (or, maybe in two or three years when Jeremy wants to hit the same conference again)!