Today I am dedicating my Wordless Wednesday post to my high school friend Colleen and her two daughters. All three are BIG foodies and are especially fond of dessert. Also, Colleen has been tempting me to buy cake all week with little nudges on twitter and Facebook. So, Colleen (and A & P), here are a few pics from our most recent trip to Carlos BakeryΒ in Hoboken, home of Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss. We ventured to Carlos Bakery last week during winter break and sampled a few of the goodies. Too bad the Lobster Tails would not survive the trip to Saskatchewan π Enjoy the pics, better viewed with a cup of cappuccino. Buon Appetito!
Posts Tagged ‘life in Manhattan’
Wordless Wednesday: CAKE!!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Buddy Valastro, Carlos Bake Shop, Carlos Bakery, Hoboken, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, manhattan skyline, NJ, Pics of Carlos Bake Shop, Wordless Wednesday on February 29, 2012| 1 Comment »
Not So Wordless Wednesday: Happy Craptastic Valentine!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Less than perfect Valentine's Day, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Love of family and friends, Valentine's Day, Wordless Wednesday on February 15, 2012| 5 Comments »
So, those of you who know me, know that I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I find it to be over marketed, anxiety and depression inducing and all the rest of the blah, blah, badness. This might be a side effect of working with teenagers for too long and having to endure heart’s day in high school over and over and over again!!! But I digress, lets get back to yesterday. Yesterday was not a stellar day. It started with at bang at 12:30 am when our oldest woke up throwing up, hitting every target in the apartment BUT the toilet. This continued on the hour, every hour until 5:30 am. Add a little blood to the vomit and you know, up goes the stress and worry level. So, after no sleep, Ron stayed home with A, while I took R to school attended a meeting and then came back to trade off, take A to the doctor while Ron went to work. Thankfully A was fine, a viral infection that will be cured by rest and lots of Phineas & Ferb π
I spent the afternoon doing laundry and trying to disinfect the apartment. Was just about done was looking forward to sitting down for a minute. No such luck. As I was emptying the last two mugs from the dishwasher, they slipped and while trying to grab hold of them, they clanged together, broke and I sliced open my hand. Ah yes, bright red, the color of Valentine’s Day π Thankfully, my rockstar friend (and former nurse) Claire came over and assured me I didn’t need stitches. She performed first aid. Afterwards I was showing Claire something in my bedroom and it was at that time that I finally realized that the yucky smell in the apartment that I had been trying to find all day was dog puke on my bed. Sigh. Really???!!! More clean up and more laundry.
There was a bit of peace by the evening where after a romantic family dinner of soup and grilled cheese we all crashed on the couch and read before bedtime. Bedtime never looked so good, no double entendre at all, trust me. My man and his cold, both of us exhausted, our two sleeping beauties in the room beside us, two dogs snoring called it a night, happily curled up under the covers.
That was the romance in my day. I will take comfort in the fact that I don’t need a specific day to remind me how lucky I am to be surrounded by such an amazing circle of love that includes family and friends. I heart you each and every day. Hope your V-Day was a little better than mine π Today, I am enjoying some mommy snuggles on the couch and keeping my fingers crossed for a fairly uneventful chain of events. And cupid, you can kiss my…
Wordless Wednesday: Looking Up From Grand Central to the UN
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 42nd Street, Chrysler Building, Cipriani, Grand Central Station, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Pics of NYC, Pictures of Manhattan, Tudor City, United Nations Building, Wordless Wednesday on February 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »
On Saturday we decided to explore a new neighborhood. We hopped on the subway to Times Square and then transferred to the shuttle over to Grand Central Station. From there we walked East toward the UN. We then made our way back uptown with an early dinner stop at Dos Caminos and of course a little treat from Dylan’s Candy Shop. It was a great day of exploring. Here are my pics of the beautiful tall architectural wonders from Grand Central Station to the United Nations. Hope you enjoy =) Β Have a fabulous Wednesday!
Wordless Wednesday: Wednesday Run Time!!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Friendship, Inspiration to run, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Motivation, Pics of Running in Central Park, running, running in Central Park, Running with women, Strong Women, Wordless Wednesday on January 11, 2012| 1 Comment »
Oh ya, we are strong and we are doing it! I feel very fortunate to have found an amazing group of women who have formed a running group. Together we motivate each other to, put simply, get our asses out and get moving. No matter the day there are at least four other women to run with and sometimes as many as ten. It is awesome, amazing and inspiring. We are very fortunate to have Central Park as our training ground. The park and all of its own little and big challenges (Harlem hill I am looking at you!!) is a motivator itself. We are building miles and friendships together. LOVE IT! Here are some pics from our run this morning. Hope your day is spectacular, S π
Wordless Wednesday: Lunch At The Red Rooster In Harlem
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Lunch at Red Rooster, Red Rooster Harlem, Red Rooster in Harlem Pics, Wordless Wednesday on January 4, 2012| 1 Comment »
Over the holidays Ron decided to take a chance and see if we could get lunch reservations at Red Rooster in Harlem. We lucked out and the whole family soon found ourselves treated to one of the best meals we have enjoyed in a long time. As you walk into Red Rooster you are immediately welcomed by the warm and hospitable staff and your other senses are delighted by the incredible smells and the homey yet modern atmosphere. The Β leisurely lunch was definitely a highlight for both my visiting father, myself, Ron and the kids. I highly recommend a visit! I know that we will be back to sample the brunch menu soon!! Hope you enjoy the pics, they just might ruin your plans for the New Year’s diet π
Let The Festivities Begin!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Christmas in NYC, Getting ready for Christmas, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Putting up the Tree on December 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Well, December is here and the insanity of the silly season has arrived. I sit here writing this after just returning from a trip to Target (the suburban woman in me LOVES Target) where I went a little hog wild with the buying… Do we really need Phineas and Ferb bandaids, holiday soap and tree shaped chocolate peanut butter treats??!! You’re right, we do need the chocolate peanut butter treats π And truly it wasn’t really my fault, I went with my good friend Rachel who has a CAR. I wasn’t restricted by how much I had to carry on my own or schlep from the subway, bus or taxi. It was awesome, we loaded dozens of bags into the trunk, from the cart and when I got home the doorman helped me with them into the elevator. Sweet! I know, I know, my Ottawa friends are not truly grasping the true beauty of the trunk π
But I digress, what I really wanted to say in this post is that Manhattan during the holidays is truly a magical place. It is hard to be stressed, grumpy or down when there are so many twinkling, shiny lights surrounding you. WAIT… isn’t it the same the rest of the year too? Well, yes, but there is also a festive spirit in the air and the hustle and bustle seems somewhat nicer or maybe I am just projecting… There are decorations in the store front windows, apartment buildings have put up Christmas trees, wreaths and Menorahs. If you can get past the commercialism of the huge “SALE” signs the spirit of joy, happiness, peace and goodwill towards others is there.
Ron is traveling like crazy this month so we took the time this weekend to put up our own decorations, pick out a tree from our local guy on the corner (he has been at that spot for 30 years!!) and trim the tree. I love how the apartment looks, so cozy and inviting. I can’t help but get wrapped up in the imagination and excitement of our children. I too am counting down the days although I am missing out on the chocolate from the advent calendar. What I love most about this time of year is the way everyone seems to just take a couple of extra moments to remember what they are truly thankful for and to spend time with family and friends. I say, bring it on!
Wordless Wednesday (really Thursday): O Christmas Tree!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Picking out the perfect Christmas tree in NYC, Pics of Christmas Trees in NYC, Wordless Wednesday on December 1, 2011| 1 Comment »
So, I really did try and post these pics yesterday but I only had a limited amount of time and of course my computer decided to be pokey AND I was trying to go to bed before midnight, so here they are today on Thursday. Kind of fitting really, this being the 1st of December. Getting a real tree for Christmas in Manhattan is a wee bit different than the burbs. You can leave the city and go and cut one down but if you don’t have ready access to a car, no worries, there are trees on many a corner. There are many beautiful options and best of all I get to feel nostalgic for Canada as most of the trees are from the mighty province of Quebec! We will be tree hunting and decorating this weekend and I can’t wait! There really is nothing better than the smell of a real tree in a cosy apartment. And of course there is some adventure and a bit of hunting type behaviour as you try and pick out the perfect tree, hoist it on your (Ron’s) back, carry it through the maze of people on the sidewalk and then try and it fit it in the elevator only to realize that it really did look smaller on the sidewalk π Β Happy decorating my friends and Hello December!!
Just Me and My Girls
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged A weekend with my children, Anything Goes, Going to the theatre, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, mom and her girls, movie night, Prom, Robert Creighton on October 17, 2011| 2 Comments »
This past weekend was a mommy and her girls weekend. Ron was back in Ottawa celebrating a good friend’s 40th so the girls and I decided that we would have a fun few days hanging out together without any boys (Bogie and Dopey don’t count). On Friday while the oldest was at her after school activity the youngest and I fuelled up on cupcakes and went gift shopping for a baby shower that three of us would be attending later on in the weekend. R and I had lots of fun exploring the latest trends, gadgets and fashions for society’s tiniest. To be honest, I can’t believe all of the cool things that they have now. The beautiful strollers were on display similar to cars in a dealer’s showroom. Pretty impressive and pretty pricey. Β My wallet is very glad those days are behind me π Β R and I had tons of fun picking out the perfect present for our soon to be little friend.
On Saturday we woke up and as per our weekend tradition, ate bagels while the girls watched cartoons and I read the paper. Now, I have to admit, I am pretty spoiled and much prefer when Ron is home and is the one who takes the dogs out on the weekend and picks up the bagels on the way home. But, the girls insisted on bagels, so, we had bagels =) The rest of the day was spent at Chelsea Piers where the girls did their sporty activities while I sat on my butt and read my book. Ahhh… peace. That evening we did one of our favorite things- we ordered in dinner, snuggled on the couch and watched a movie. Our girlie movie choice was the Disney flick “Prom”. It was a perfectly fluffy movie with a mild love story and a lot of hype about getting ready for a pretty tame prom. All in all a fine choice. I love that R asked “What is so special about Prom anyway”? Not really sure she got the point of the movie. Actually not really sure what the point of the movie was… π
Yesterday, Sunday, was a very special day for the girls. We went and saw”Uncle Bobby” Robert Creighton in the Broadway show “Anything Goes”.Β Β He is currently playing the role of “Moonface” Martin and we wanted to make sure that we saw him in this incredible part. The girls were beyond excited as they bounded off the subway and we made our way to the theatre. I was extremely proud of both of them as they behaved perfectly, swept away by the magic of the show. They loved seeing Uncle Bobby and laughed each time he came on stage. R loved all the little bits of funny going on while A stated afterwards that “you have to watch the actors if you want to be an actor”- uh oh, I think that girl really is destined for the stage. After the show we were able to go backstage where the girls toured the wig room, checked out the dressing rooms and were able to see all of the cool props and costumes. Such a wonderful afternoon.
After the show we headed on over to the baby shower for the soon to be little RJ. It was a fairly grown up affair and everyone was tired (well, Mommy was!!) so we didn’t stay too long. But the girls had a lot of fun making unique onesies and practicing their manners by wandering around and mingling through the people. Best of all, they were able to bring home cookies and blue foil kisses that said “it’s a boy!”.
So, together the girls and I had a wonderful weekend. And, as I tucked them in last night, telling them how proud of them I was and how much fun we had together, they agreed that it was a great time. We exchanged kisses and I love yous and just as I was about to close the door I heard this: Β “When is daddy coming home?” and from the other one “I miss daddy!”. I shut the door and couldn’t help but smile. I missed their daddy too, especially in the morning when the dogs need to go out!!! π
Wordless Wednesday: It’s That Time of Year Again…
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Hallowe'en, Hallowe'en in the city, life in Manhattan, living in NYC, Pics of Hallowe'en store, Wordless Wednesday on October 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Okay, who else out there is having a hard time believing that it is already October?? Well, it is getting hard to forget in Manhattan where all of the little pop up Hallowe’en stores are opening up around the city. The weather has that fall crispness in the air, sweater season is here and so is the pumpkin spice latte. I say embrace the ghouls and goblins and I don’t just mean the normal craziness on the streets of NYC π What are you going to be for Hallowe’en this year? Perhaps I will let my hair go wild…
Hope everyone has a spectacular day and that you don’t find yourself walking by the dog toy (like I did), saying out loud “I hear ya sister!”:
















































































