Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Apartment Living, daffodils, happy day, Li fe in Manhattan, Life in NYC, life is good, living in NYC, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pics on February 7, 2018| 2 Comments »
January, February… the toughest months of the year, in my opinion. It is tough to find the sunshine somedays. Easy to get bogged down in darkness.
We always have the most beautiful flower arrangements in our building lobby. Today they are daffodils. My favorite.
I share them with you and offer a little bit of golden sunshine. Have a wonderful day my friends. 💕
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged American Thanksgiving, Apartment Living, bracelets, bracelets by miles, by miles, Life in NYC, live where you live, livewhereulive, Living in Manhattan, surviving the February blahs, thoughts from a unicorn, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pics on February 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The middle of February is a tough time. The winter weather is never ending, there are tons of flu and cold like viruses floating around and quite frankly the world news hasn’t been very uplifting. We are also many weeks away from those fabulous New Year’s resolutions and goals that we like to set out and plan at the beginning of January. Ho hum.
But… I have been inspired. Sometimes even the smallest of things can be a gentle reminder to be your best self, to get out there, to go big! About a year ago at Soul Cycle I became acquainted with a great guy named Miles. He is full of energy, open to new challenges, ready for adventure, exudes passion and loves life. He has since moved from NYC and I miss his smile and energy that I so looked forward to seeing when I took class at West 77th. (westsidebestside) BUT, the silver lining in all of this is that Miles has a website www.livewhereulive.com where I can visit and read his “thoughts from a unicorn” and can check out his beautiful bracelet designs. Miles latest creation is called LIMITLESS. Mine arrived today. I LOVE it. I have two other bracelets by Miles- The Athlete and Water. I absolutely love the powerful messages behind each of them. When I wear them I am reminded of my potential and to focus on the positive.
Here is the description for Limitless- “The black cylinder bead represents a wheel. Never-ending. No beginning. No end. The blue bead represents the sky. Wide open. Vast. Accented with a ‘GB’, a constant reminder to Go Big! Be Limitless.”
This is exactly the reminder I need for today and always. I am trying to silence those February blahs, and instead focus on all the limitless possibilities. Thanks for the inspiration Miles! Have a wonderful day my friends- sending warmth, love, positivity and some chocolate your way. =)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged A Real Christmas Tree in NYC, Apartment Living, Christmas in NYC, decorated christmas tree, Decorating the Christmas Tree, home, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, Pics of Christmas Tree, Trimming the Christmas Tree, Trimming the tree with family, Wordless Wednesday, yule log on December 12, 2012| 3 Comments »
Nothing makes me happier at this time of year than sitting in front of our decorated Christmas tree, snuggled on the couch with the family, nice and warm, reading, watching a movie or just talking and listening to music. If the Yule Log is on in the background, even better 😉 There is something truly calming about the warm glow of the lights and the peacefulness of family-time especially after a day caught up in the hustle and bustle of NYC during the holidays. I cherish these moments. Here are some pics of the family bringing home our tree and getting our decorating groove on. Hope you enjoy! A VERY happy 12-12-12 to you all!!!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 10 Simple Rules for Apartment Living, Apartment Etiquette, Apartment Living, Life in NYC, Living in an Apartment in NYC, Living in Manhattan on November 12, 2012| 2 Comments »
As I heard a neighbor’s alarm go off for the 4th time this morning as he/she hit the snooze button again (!), I started reflecting a bit on city living, specifically apartment living. Now that we live in Manhattan and not in the suburban sprawl where you can happily have family arguments with no one to eavesdrop 😉 I have decided that there really are 10 simple rules to co-existing happily in tight spaces with complete strangers. I am sure that there are many more and please feel free to add your own. Here are mine. Enjoy!
1. Elevator Rules:
We all live in the same building and yes, we might not know each other’s names or likes and dislikes but we recognize each other’s faces so FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, please nod, say hello or do something else to acknowledge my or another person’s existence when I or someone else enters the elevator. This is not an office building in midtown, it is okay to make eye contact and yes, even comment on the weather. Also, please respect the sign that says do not over crowd the elevator. Again, it is not a fast paced midtown building elevator with fancy schmancy new technology and some of us (me!!!) are terrified of getting stuck in it.
2. Alarm Clock
I get that you like to sleep in, who doesn’t? But if your initial alarm must go off at the ungodly hour at 5am and it also has the volume level to wake up the entire apartment building on our end, you DO NOT get to hit snooze 4 times… NO you do not. No exceptions. If you need to have an alarm that loud, when it rings, get the F*%K up!!!
3. Wake And Bake
I really don’t care what your recreational drug habits are, blaze away my friend, blaze away. But, when one is living in close quarters please try and vent your substances away from my children’s windows, K? Do I need to say is S-L-O-W-E-R…
4. Be Nice to the Doormen
This drives me crazy. How hard is it to just be nice to people? And these are the guys that open the door for you, make sure you receive all your mail, packages and other special deliveries. They also know everyone that comes to visit you and probably know way more personal information about you than the person you are married to. Um hello, why would’t you be nice to them??!!!
5. No Vacuuming Before 10 am on the Weekends
This seems to be pretty self explanatory. No matter how much of a neat freak you are, it is just NOT cool to be the person vacuuming early on the weekends.
6. Keep Your Dogs On A Leash
This also seems like common sense, but alas, it is not. My 100 pound dog does not think that it is cute to be attacked charged at by your three little dogs, no matter how cute you think it is. Just keep your dogs on a leash, I will keep mine on a leash and all will be fine. Got it?
7. Remember That Your Windows Are Open
I know everyone has been guilty of this… Noise travels especially when the windows are open and there is very little breeze. So my friendly neighbors, keep this in mind when your little one is screaming at 4 am, you are having that throw down fight with your significant other, wild parties or intense um, relations. Maybe THAT is why no one looks at each other in the elevator…
8. Don’t Be An A-Hole When It Comes To Garbage
I don’t care how much of a slob you are in your own apartment but we all share garbage and recycling, so out of respect for everyone just use common decency and be clean. It really is not that hard. Put garbage in a secure bag, recycle what is supposed to be recycled. It is not rocket science, yet…
9. Be Weary of Experimental Food Dishes
I am all for trying out new recipes, just be a little cautious of those that have crazy smelly ingredients that may linger for days. Or at least try out those recipes on breezy window wide open days not in the dead of winter or in the steaming heat of summer.
10. Just Be Nice!
Lastly, it can be tough living in such close quarters with so many different personalities let alone your own family so just practice patience, tolerance and most of all- be nice. It really is a lot easier to crack a smile than throw a grimace. And when you need a break, I suggest the wide open spaces in Central Park for a nice long walk.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Apartment Living, Cooking, Kitchen in NYC, NYC on January 10, 2011| 16 Comments »
I am doing something scary in 2011, I am heading back into the kitchen. In a bid to become healthier, lose a bit of weight and save some money I am going to actually use my NYC kitchen, as a… wait for it… kitchen. This may sound strange to some, but many kitchens in Manhattan are rarely used for actual cooking. I have been to an apartment where the kitchen space is soo tiny that the occupant uses the kitchen as an extra closet. This is not a joke.
It is very hard to be motivated to actually make meals in New York City. There are too many options that easily let you avoid the kitchen entirely. Including an abundance of great restaurants offering take-out and delivery as well as a large selection of yummy prepared foods at all of the local grocery stores. Is it any wonder that the only items in one of my male friend’s fridge are limes, orange juice and vodka in the freezer?
I have decided that we are going to change our ways. We are going to try and limit our take-out and delivery habits. I am cracking open the cookbooks, well, using my ipad (let’s embrace technology) and am planning weekly menus. Yep, this is really happening. Last week we only ate out once, ironically, because we were stuck across town at the Container Store looking for ways to clean out and organize the pantry, and everyone was hungry (cranky) and needed food NOW!!
I am not going to pretend that this is going to be easy for me. I am not one who loves experimenting with cooking, I don’t even really like to cook. In fact, if I had millions and millions of dollars one of the first things I would spend it on would be a personal chef. The dreaded question for me (and every other mom or person in charge of the meals) is “What’s for dinner?”. I do not have that special flare where I can just “whip something up”. I need to follow a recipe, step by step. I need to lay out the ingredients, I need to plan ahead. Sometimes I actually have to call for back up (look up something on the internet). And, you should definitely not enter my kitchen mid-prep OR comment on the mess…
But hey, I am doing it! Why? Because it is healthier for me, the family, our budget. And… if I put on Akon radio (yes, AKON!) and dance around a bit (sorry people looking in from other apartments) creating something the family likes to eat, I feel a bit of joy and pride… just don’t tell anyone, okay?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Amazon, Apartment Living, Delivery, Disney, Dog Food, Doorman, Fresh Direct, Lazy, NYC, Zappos on November 19, 2010| 1 Comment »
Okay, I realized today that I may have a small obsession/addiction to having things delivered to my apartment. I came to this realization when the dog food delivery arrived at my door by FedEx. Now, in my defence, dog food really is one of those things that you cannot go out and buy in Manhattan. It is not exactly easy to schlep home two 35 pound bags of dog food through the mean streets of NYC. Maybe that is why most people have dogs that are small enough to carry around in purses… hmmm… guess it is a little late for that =) Anyhoo, back to the dog food delivery. I was very pleased with myself that it arrived and I would not have to carry it any further than to the closet. Although, when ordering I must have forgotten that I live in a small Manhattan apartment, because I ask you this, where the hell am I going to store this much dog food????
Apparently the Dogs will NOT be going hungry this winter!!
As I was unpacking the dog food I started thinking about the other things that I had delivered this week- workbooks for the girls from Amazon, new shoes from Zappos (these arrived within 24 hours), a gift from Disney and of course, my groceries from Fresh Direct. It was all incredibly easy. My addiction continues… And it is not even frowned upon. EVERYONE in NYC is doing it. I have to say that it is one of the perks that I am loving about living in New York. And, since we live in a doorman building you don’t even have to be home to receive your deliveries, they magically appear at the apartment door. With the Holidays fast approaching and the thought of jam packed stores and the Christmas rush I can only see this addiction continuing. I can avoid the crowds, sip on a cup of tea, click away on the computer and voila! the parcels will appear at my door. Yikes, someone better hide my credit card!!!
Oh, and it is Friday, my AVOID making dinner day, so soon I will be perusing through the delivery menus to figure out what we will be having for dinner. It is is a good thing I have to walk everywhere to do everything else, because this kind of lifestyle could make one start being very lazy 😉 Now, if only Starbucks would start delivering…
The Delivery Menus
It's Always An Adventure 