What Should I Make With This?

I just got in the mail 72 four inch squares of different Kaffe Fassett fabrics in reds and pinks!

They're really neat colors and patterns. The Mom got me a book on "fat quarter" projects, so I'm thinking I may see if I can use these for one of those projects... but let me know your thoughts!

Long Overdue Crafts!

So I had this great Jennifer Pudney needlepoint kit for the longest time. Then I started it while I was pregnant. Flashforward two and a half years later and I've finally finished it! Granted, it has actually been complete for quite some time, I just never got around to fully outlining the fairy godmother... anyhoo I finished her off today and put it in a little frame. What do you think? Better late than never! (ps. I did change the design around ever-so-slightly from the original... the kit called for the fairy godmother to be a blonde ;)

Westminster!

Yes, it's that time of year again... when we go with Thisbe and the Wee Kraken to see the Westminster Kennel Club dog show! This year was the fourth year in a row that we've made the pilgrimage! This time we were also joined by Melanie, Andrew and Thisbe's friend Jason.






We saw the English Springer Spaniels...

And Siberian Huskies
Airdales.... and

a nun!

Afterwards, a Happy meal.

Crazy Crafting

Since 10:30pm this evening I've: (i) hot-glued wooden letters spelling out Miss B.'s name onto a kid-sized wooden step stool, (ii) finished one Kolo baby scrap book (pregnancy through christening), (iii) finished a second Kolo baby scrap book (christening through second birthday), (iv) brought third Kolo baby scrap book up-to-date (second birthday to the present), and (v) sorted and chronologically organized photos from trip to Paris and then put them into an album.

It was that or making one of two baby quilts or working on one of two long overdue knitting projects.

Alas, those will have to wait for another day. For now? Sleep!

NPR!!!

Okay, so how cool is this? The Husband told me about the NPR app for iPods/iPhones/Droids. It's neat, you can read current stories, etc... But I looked at it more closely tonight and found that you can have access not only NPR news stories, but also radio broadcasts including "Wait, wait, don't tell me"! and Fresh Air and obviously, All Things Considered. You can even search for broadcast stations that are airing certain shows now, and then you can live stream the audio feed!

And let's not even talk about Pandora!

Today we went to a great Valentine's brunch at Elements in Princeton. It's a lovely space and they have neat modern art up on the walls. Upon sitting down and looking around Miss B said: "Nice painting!"

Music!

The other night I was listening to Studio 360 on WNYC and I heard a performance by Malaysia's number one ukulele player. Only on public radio right? Well her name is Zee Avi and you can find her debut alb on iTunes. She's a singer songwriter and she sings kind of in a similar style to Zooey Deschanel (She and Him).

Also, this week's People magazine recommended Colbie Callait's acoustic version of "I Want You Back" for download and I have to say it's not bad.

Rounding out our latest downloads? "Rapper's Delight"... Always ecclectic, we try to be.

We've had a weird fumey kind of smell in the house since yesterday, after the Husband used the snowblower outside. It's kind of a mix of exhaust fume and gasoline. Mostly it's in the family room and it also can kind of collect in the stairway between the first and second floors. While I was doing some housecleaning yesterday evening I opened the windows on the second floor and got some good cross-ventilation going and the smell seemed to dissipate. The Husband opened up the garage door, the back sliding door and then febreezed the heck out of the garage and family room where the smell had been concentrated (you see, we hosted a playdate today and didn't want to have the whole play area smell like gasoline, I'm sure you can understand!)

This morning, the stairway was clear and the family room was okay-- we also kept some of the windows open a smidge. Then, this evening the smell started to build up again. So, I called the fire department. I used the police non-emergency number and asked whether they thought the fire department should come or if I should call PSEG. The dispatcher voted for fire department and we waited.

Next thing you know we've got two fire trucks, an ambulance, the fire chief's truck, another truck with other fire department personnel in it and lastly, a police car. Why is there a police car? Because one of the ladder trucks knocked the side view mirror off of a car sitting in traffic while the truck was turning onto our street!

According to the Husband this set off a discussion between the police officer and the driver of the car to the effect of "it's minor, do you really need to report it?" and between the police officer and the fire department "do we really need to do a drug/alcohol screen, or can't everyone just tell that you took the turn too wide?") and between the fire department and the driver of the car to the effect of "we can get you $500 out of petty cash..."

Of course we have virtually no driveway to speak of so all of these vehicles were lined up on our street out in front of our house and in front of the neighbor's to the left and right. The smell? Unclear. The fire guys (in all of their gear) used their high tech equipment to determine that there was a higher level of "combustible fumes" at a localized spot in our garage. However, there is no evidence of a gas spill or otherwise. Their advice? Empty out the garage and do a scrub down.

Random!

But, look at the chain of odd events we set in motion. Sorry to the guy who's one side mirror short!

Luge

Am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with how the Olympics is handling the death of the Georgian luger?

The track looks clearly unsafe. Shouldn't the IOC and/or the representatives from certain teams (such as the US) halt further use of the track at least until the area of the track where the accident occurred is re-tooled? Had the walls of the track at that particular stretch been higher the athlete wouldn't have been launched out of the track.

Olympic Fashion

So, normally I'd say we love Ralph Lauren... but really? This year's Team USA outfits? Ralph, are you kidding? It's clearly just stuff recycled from his Polo line... so much so that even the hats say "POLO" on them... and do we really need the Ralph Lauren signature polo horse mascot emblazoned on the front of the down puffy coat? Hi, you're designing for the olympic team... shouldn't that be honor enough? Do we need to turn it in to a worldwide marketing event while we're at it? Ugh. And, Ralph, you of all people should know you can't pull off white pants after Labor Day.

We love our PR!

Icebat Goes Missing!?!

Sadly, Miss B.'s mid-sized Icebat (you see, we have three different Icebats-- key chain sized, medium and Large) was left behind at the Stowe Mountain Lodge (NEVER leave a man behind!)

Ivan in loss prevention found him. Icebat has proved popular with the people in Stowe, having been adopted and formally deputized as part of the loss prevention team.

However, lately he's been lonely, looking out the window of the office there, hoping for our return.

Today his adventure will begin again as he is carefully packaged and shipped off to home.

And From the World of Completely Random Job Descriptions...

Grant Wilfley Casting is seeking caucasian males with facial scars for work on the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire." Email a recent photo to boardwalk@gwcnyc.com w/ [Facial Scars] in the subject line.

Shutter Island

So I finished it. In a day and a half. That's usually a good sign. It was fast paced and a good read. I was a bit disappointed in the ending. Passing the paperback on to the Mom... I'm still going to see the movie though. I always love Scorsese and Leo.

I Promise, This is the Last Post About Stowe, at least for now...

On to the food!

If you're in Stowe and in need of a good bagel, you must check out "The Bagel" at 394 Mountain Road. When we had brunch at Norma's at Topnotch the Husband got the "NY Deli Bagel" and it was a great bagel... so we asked where it came from and were told that Topnotch gets their bagels from a shop in town. We hit up the shop and the joint was jumping. I bought a half dozen to take home and they were really good! They even had a "cinnamon sugar" bagel. How neat!

By the way, Norma's? Was really good. I got the "Vermont Country Breakfast" (2 eggs, potatoes, toast and bacon), the Husband got the aforementioned NY Deli Bagel and Irish Oatmeal and Miss B. got french toast. B. won the breakfast challenge by far-- while everything was tasty, the French Toast (with real Vermont maple syrup) was outstanding.

We also went to Solstice, at the Lodge. Solstice specializes in farm-to-table artisnal cuisine. We had a terrific Vermont cheese platter, Rhode Island calamari, the Husband had lamb and gnocchi and I had truffled macaroni and cheese. Baby had a slider and fries.

Then, in addition to the samples at the Ben & Jerry's factory tour, I also got some great cheese samples at the Cabot Cheese Annex in Waterbury. Mostly, we just ate a lot.

Stowebound...

Here are some pictures from our weekend in Stowe... first off, we've got to get bundled...


Then we were ready to hit the slopes!
Here's a glimpse at the Lodge... (it was beautiful and had a fantastic location... BUT the service was *atrocious!*) Live and learn!








Miss B. is asking, "why can't I eat the snow?"
Atop Mt. Mansfield...

On the Gondola...
Ski Patrol!
Then, later on we did some sledding... here we are at the back of "sled cam"


Mostly, though, this was a weekend filled with lots and lots of food. No visit to Vermont would be complete without the Ben & Jerry's factory tour...









Sadly, they actually don't make any ice cream on the weekends, but you can still tour the facility (the most important thing, though, is the sample ice cream that you get at the end of the tour!)

Stowe!

We made it to Stowe and the Stowe Mountain Lodge. It's super nice-- we have a balcony overlooking the pool and a fireplace! After dinner we checked out the lodge and I even tried out the heated outdoor pool. It's pretty neat that they have an entrance to the pool inside, and then you can go outside while you are in the water already and that way only your head realizes that it is five degrees outside. There was so much steam coming off of the pool I felt like I was at one of those natural hot springs in Iceland. Tomorrow? Winter activities. We'll keep you posted!

So, what's up?

Well, not too much, I suppose. The Husband and Baby have been sick for what seems like ever, aa evidenced, at least in part by the fact that as I type this it sounds like I'm sleeping next to Darth Vader.

Thanks to 410e9th, last week I completed (and bombed) the online Jeopardy! Contestant quiz. Mind you I knew the answers to more than 35 of the 50 questions, but I was woefully unprepared for the evil test taking format. Alas, there's always next time. I wasn't captain of my high school quiz bowl team for nothing (it, along with memorizing the entire deck of Trivial Pursuit questions, was all part of my lifelong Jeopardy! Training strategy).

In other news, during our illness quarantine Baby and I made paper bag puppets. Yes there is a good use for the 47 different sizes of paper bags that they have at Whole Foods.

We also did some Redboxing. Whiteout? It's like a bad Lifetime movie. Surrogates? A lame remix of Minority Report, I, Robot, yada, yada, yada.

On the book front I have officially given up on Gomorrah. I made it about halfway through and what would have been interesting as a 10 or 12 page article in VF or the New Yorker just became not interesting enough to keep reading.

Instead I moved on to Homer and Langley, E. L. Doctorow's spin on the Collyer Brothers. On the whole it wasn't bad but it did seem a little thin. The narrative moved through time very quickly-- I think it would have been more interesting if the story spent more time in each time period. It was also told entirely from Homer Collyer's perspective, I think it would have been interesting if we could have also gotten Langley's voice out there too. As an FYI, if you plan to read it, do be aware that the author has taken liberties with the main characters. In the book he has switched their birth order, made Homer the pianist, and among other things, expanded their lifespan. The Collyers died in the late forties but in the book they live through the seventies.

Next up? Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, which I hope to finish before the Scorsese/DiCaprio version comes out in theaters later this month.

Wait,

what was I thinking?

Looks like the weekend forecast for Stowe includes lows at 1 degree.

Why did I think a "ski trip" was a good idea?

Upon closer inspection the ye old North Face jacket I have just doesn't seem thick enough. That together with the discount snow bib and the North Face fashion snow boots all spells out: "You will be cold."

At least Mom sent my fur hat.

I want to make this!

Darby at Fly Through Our Window made this great looking dessert, which seems easy to make and is reminiscent of a thing that the Mom used to make (but hers had cream cheese in it too...)

What can I say, I'm on a pudding kick.

Doesn't everybody

Eat babybel cheese and mend fallen-off buttons at 2:30 in the
morning?

Now I know why the supercute military jacket from Forever 21 was marked down to $10... Because when you wash it, at least three buttons fall off!

Who knew

That looking through potential vacation rentals could be so arduous? Argh. It's been more challenging than when we looked for a house... To BUY! That's just not *right*!

Son-of-A...

apparently, ABC just announced it's cancelling Ugly Betty. Sure, and just yesterday I sent in my headshot to be an extra for an episode to be shot next Tuesday. There goes my $79.50 less taxes, tolls and parking.

For Some Reason...

the concept of being a sheerholder intrigues me. (Though, I think they meant to spell it "shearholder"...)

Birthdayswithoutpressure....?

Here's an update on the birthday party situation. Apparently, the Crazy Mom type fete is seen as the direction people may be heading because of the economy.

Look, I'm not saying you have to hire the Jonas Brothers for your next Bat Mitzvah or anything, but I'm still booking a pony for our party. It's just tradition.

The War on Terror

The other day I was at Marshall's trying on a couple of pair of Paper, Denim & Cloth Jeans. They were marked down to $15 and I'm always on the prowl for "the perfect pair of jeans".

Now I have some of this brand's jeans at home and I can manage to squeeze into a pretty decent size.

The one's I'm trying on? No way can I squeeze into the size I wear. The next size? Nope. The size after that!?! It's still a struggle.

WTF?

Then I notice that the jeans are made in Pakistan.

Clearly the Taliban has moved on to new tactics in their terror war: psychological assault on the women of the west via falsified size tags.

I think someone should alert the CIA, or at least the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The Latest Cuteness

Miss B. has a plastic toy T. Rex. She likes to keep him inside of a little wooden crate that came with some of her Melissa and Doug play food. If you ask her where the dino is when he's in his crate her answer is: "In the museum!"

Score one for using our immagination!

Breaking News!

Toddlers surpass primates and show true Roman engineering heritage.

Now Miss B. has been using "tools" for a while, but this morning was a new height. I'm sitting on the floor in her room watching tv and blogging and all of a sudden Miss B. comes out of her bathroom struggling with our bathroom scale.

I say to her: "What are you doing with the scale!?!" (incredulously)

She says: "It's a step stool!" and she puts it down in front of her big pink chair in order to use it to climb in.

I was really impressed that she called it a "step stool".

Alien Invasion!!!!!

The lovely Miss Ellen at Nouveau Stitch sent us some wonderful goodies for Christmas! You can check out the post on the Mom Blog to see images of all of the fabulous stuff! THANK YOU, ELLEN!!!!!!!!

One of the items, though, was the biggest hit of all.... A pink alien in a tutu!!! Who knew outer-space could be so stylish?

Miss B. loves her pink alien so much and it was just so adorable, I was inspired to try my hand at one of our own.... I knew that Andrew's birthday was coming up and thought he might like one!

I actually had some light green bumpy fabric that matches the pink fabric perfectly...

But alas, the Husband saw it and thought-- it matches the pink one too perfectly, Miss B. might want to keep it for herself...
And indeed, when she saw it she said: "It matches my pink one!" so now we had an alien life-match.

But what about Mr. Andrew? We had to produce a second alien, post-haste! I checked out my fabric stash and what-ho, dark blue fleece!
The Dark Blue and some yellow? Those are Michigan (and UCLA) colors!
Plus, I thought the primary colors were more "manly" for a little one who is fast approaching toddler-hood. Next project? I think we're going to conquer the undersea depths and try our hand at a Kraken (aka an octopus or perhaps a giant squid!)

Captain Nemo, here we come!

And, yes, if you're wondering, the photos of the blue alien were taken on the dash of our car, while driving on the turnpike (somewhere right around exit 13A!) I finished him off the night before the party and sewed up his stuffing hole while in the car. I had forgotten to take pictures before leaving the house, so I had to improvise on the photo shoot locale.

Some Things We Like...

So here are some baby/toddler things that we've grown to like, in case you're in the need of being in the know....

Fleece:

(Fleece on the Cheap...)

Frighteningly, I have to admit that Kohl's "jumping beans" line has decent fleece separates for kids that are usually cheap ($5.50 per piece when on sale, sometimes less) and cute and wear/wash really well. They usually have pants and tops (hoodies and crewnecks) in solids and fun patterns. Miss B. just loves them. We've gotten a bunch both last season and this season.

Mid-Range Fleece:

I also got B. some fleece this year at the Gap as they were having a big sale before Christmas. I got her a matching top/pants set and then I got her a second hoodie dress. The Gap gets points for style-- the first set was a multi-color stripe and the top portion of it was a turtleneck a-line. It's very cute and it just so happens to coordinate perfectly with a Catimini poncho that we have. The only but? The Gap fleece doesn't wash too well. The top and the hoodie dress have been okay so far but the pants got all kinds of nappy.

Higher-End Fleece:

LLBean. LLBean has a trail-model fleece jacket. We bought one for Miss B. for our Italy Trip and she loved it (so much that we had to buy a second after the first went through the wash with a sticker stuck to it and it permanently fused to the fleece) and we just got her another one (thanks to a BIG sale at the LL Bean in Marlton).

Sweatpants!

Yes, I hate to say it, but when it comes to playwear and toddlers, sweatpants are a necessity. As such, you want something that's at least a little bit stylish (read: doesn't have elastic at the ankles). Surprisingly, this comes in the form of the Garanimals line at Wal-Mart. You can get great sweatpants for girls, in a wide range of colors, for $3.50 (or, if you go when they're on sale you can get them for $2!) I'm sure they're made in some third-world sweatshop where laborers are making ten cents a week or something, but what can I say-- they wash up great and they look decent. I just bought a second gray pair and a purple pair. These work well with tunic tops and fleece-y tops.

SHOES!

This year we got two pair of "Jaliyah" boots at Target. One in dark brown and one in Pink (turns out they made purple too, had I known, we would have gotten those!) They look like little Uggs at a fraction of the price. They are suede (but with a faux fur lining). So far they've been great for us-- comfy and warm and very cute.

If you're looking for other kids shoes, Marshall's frequently carries good brands (Lelli Kelly, Umi, etc.) at good prices and the Nordstrom Rack is another great source. We got two pair of Ecco maryjanes very reasonably at the start of the season at Nordstrom and they've been our go-to fancy dress up shoes since the fall.

TV:

In addition to fashion issues, what about entertainment? Here are a few of the shows that we've grown to like over the past few months...


Penguins of Madagascar on Nick! This is the show based on the Madagascar movie series and it has cute story lines and most importantly, family appropriate yet still adult-oriented humor.

Kipper the Dog, Kipper apparently used to be on Nick, Jr. but now he can be found on Sprout. Kipper DVD's can also be located on Amazon. Kipper is great because the stories are all very nice and easy going and the pace of the shows is very relaxing (my Dad complains that they put him to sleep, but that's what I love about them!)

Miss B. likes Make Way for Noddy (about a bobble head doll in Toyland) but I can't get the damn theme song out of my head whenever we watch it so it tends to be on the bottom of my list.

Snacks!

Both the Husband and Miss B. really like Annie's Organic fruit snacks. We're also a fan of Annie's mac and cheese mixes (I like the one with the pre-mixed cheese sauce packets the best).

Play!

IKEA has some great play options. This play tent is a big hit and is priced terrific at $14.99. Here's a great play tunnel. This bead roller is also priced nicely, at $7.99.

Ikea also has a terrific easel with room for a paper roll on one side and a chalk board on the other.

Happy Meals...

Now I know we shouldn't be going to fast food with much frequency, but if you find yourself at a fast food establishment, here are some toy tips:

McDonald's Happy Meals: These can have some great toys. It usually depends really on what the current promotion is. We've gotten Avatar action figures, a talking Alvin the Chipmunk, a lego car and a mini beanie-baby Grimace. All decent. On the un-decent end... an American Girl paper doll book and a Strawberry Shortcake stamper and pad.

Wendys? Ugh. Not only is the food scary but the most recent toy was a madlibs door tag. To be fair, a recent under-3 toy was a Monarch Butterfly finger puppet, which was cool, the regular toys leave a bit to be desired.

Chick-Fil-A. They really can have some of the nicest toys. For the under-3 set they usually give out board books (Paddington, Barney, etc.) and recently we got a "Between the Lions" audio-book CD with songs and stories. This is great for in the car.

Hmpf.

It's late and I should be asleep.

Argh.

Tonight? Another craft project, photos to follow.

Last night? We watched "All About Steve". Not one of Sandra Bullock's finest works, but it was passable.

Update on My Pro Bono Case

Here's a quick update on the pro Bono asylum case that I've been working on. You might recall that our client is a woman from Guinea who arrived in the states as a young teenager. She left Guinea as she feared that she would be subjected to FGM/circumcision. We submitted her application and our legal brief and earlier this week she had her interview with immigration (now a division of Homeland Security). Her interview went well and, while we won't know the final outcome until next month, the preliminary report from the interviewer was very positive.

Yesterday was a Whirlwind

It was crazy. I'm not sure how or why we packed in so much activity, but we did.

First? It was Baby and I going to a birthday party at the house of Crazy Mom. We arrived an hour late. Happily? We weren't the only ones. I think when you have a toddler any arrival time is just a "suggestion".... two of our other Gymboree compatriots arrived at exactly the same time we did. (This made me feel considerably less guilty).

We go in and it's a madhouse. Everybody looks like they're having fun-- but there are toys strewn all around the house an iguana with a sunlamp in front of the fireplace and a kiddie mat with placemats and cups and plates set up on the *floor* of the family room like it was the last supper. I have to say, the iguana almost made it David Lynch-ian.

Food? Whole wheat bagels, cream cheese and some lunch meats tossed on the counter on top of their packaging. Drinks? Water, juice. Cups for the kiddos? Previously USED Take and Toss sippy cups.

Cake? No. Brownies. (They were good, but still... not even cupcakes? Hell, I offered to bring something-- I would have made cupcake platters!) Candles? One candle and some princess action figures (also used) spread around the brownies.

Balloons? There were some mylar ballons but they were also supplemented by Balloons marked "Chick-Fil-A".

Okay, I'm not trying to be budget-ist or anything, but come on. I think this was more a case of "we're celebrating the third birthday for our third child..." do you remember your ninth birthday? I don't. I guess Crazy Mom and "Kenny" aka Crazy Hubby must have just figured, the hell with it. I also overheard a conversation between Crazy Mom and Crazy Hubby about said brownies... I guess he wanted her to hide the remaining brownies once each of the kids got one. She instead interjected with "Leave them for the parents, I don't want to be eating them for the next week!" Thank god that if good hostessing skills couldn't prevail, at least concern for calories could.

Notes from Things 1 and 2? Thing 2 behaved herself pretty well, but Thing 1 was pushing it when he kept sticking his thumb in the mouth of a 3 month old baby. That was, for all intents and purposes, creepy.

Next? We came home, picked up the Husband and went to Panera. It was a mad-house. I guess for some reason nothing says "Martin Luther King Day" quite like pressed sandwiches.

Then? Chuck E. Cheese. OMG. What were we thinking? It was packed and a good 1/3 of the "kiddie" rides would eat your token. My notoriously competitive side did rear its ugly head however at both the air hockey table and basketball toss. I desperately wanted a go at SkiBall but it was being hogged (rightly) by a bunch of 7-8 year olds. Damn.

After thoroughly purelling ourselves we left and visited Dick's sporting goods (mainly because it is nextdoor to Chuck E. Cheese). I managed to score a "Youth" ski bib for $24.95. We'll see whether or not this is actually warm when we get to Vermont, but I thought the price was right and since I'm only two inches taller than "Snooki" it actually appeared to be the appropriate length.

Next? Build-a-Bear Workshop (yes, it is at this point when you can ask if we are crazy, on drugs, or both). Miss B. had been wanting to go to the "Teddy Bear Shop" so we took her. She is still a bit too young for this (who would have thunk, she can sit through Opera, but goes hog wild at Build-a-Bear?) We made a dog, dressed him in scrubs to go along with our running Doctor theme and then quickly made a break for it before the Build-a-Bear employees tried to convince B. that she needed to go home with $50 worth of bear accessories.

Then? Ice Cream! Yes, why not add sugar to this mix? And sprinkles.

Then? Chick-Fil-A (because isn't it customary to eat chicken *after* you've had ice cream?

And, finally. Barnes & Noble.

Wowzer.

More Than This

So, the Husband can make fun of me for this, but I did just download the Norah Jones cover of "More Than This" regardless of whether or not Bryan Ferry would be disgraced. My favorite part? I heard it while shopping at Saks. Yes, I am *that* demographic... The people who will buy music because they heard it in a retail establishment.

I'm a bad radio listener. If I'm not ipodding, then I'm either listening to disco or public radio. Today, on the way to a birthday party at Crazy Mom's house I subjected poor Miss B. to the Brian Lehrer show in WNYC. Pras Michele from the Fugees was on and he's a character, that's for sure.

Okay, one more digression. I love being able to buy iTunes while blogging on my iPod.... I'm totally taken in by technology.

Mini-Vaca!

Or what would Bridget Jones have called it?

Anyway, we've booked one for not too far off next month. We're headed to the
Stowe Mountain Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.

Here's a link to the NY Times' article 36 Hours in Stowe, part of their 2010 ski guide for more details!

Adventures in Opera Going...

Today we went to the Met to see Carmen. We sat in a box in the balcony, which was one tier up from where we sat when we saw the Barber of Seville. It was a little high up, but the ticket price was very, very reasonable and I have to say I just love sitting in a box. There's no one in front of you and you have your own chair that you can move around and it's just a lot easier to get comfy. Not to mention, with Miss B. it's a lot easier to keep her comfy and occupied.

Beforehand we had brunch at the Grand Tier Restaurant and we had snacks throughout the performance thanks to a ziploc bag packed at home. (What, when viewing opera with a toddler you've got to have snacks). The performance was fantastic and Miss B. did great. It was also nice to see a lot of families with children at the show.

In an interesting twist of fate, today's performance was not only part of the Toll Brother's Saturday Opera Matinee radio broadcast series (typically available on your local Public Radio or classical station) but it was also simulcast in HD in theaters around the country.

After the performance we headed outside to the plaza at Lincoln Center. Unfortunately the fountain wasn't turned on, but Miss B. had fun running around anyway. Before leaving we ran across Marilu Henner. The Husband and I were walking with Miss B. and I hear the Husband say something and I look up and say "What?" just as he's saying: "Look, it's Marilu Henner", I look up, see her walk right past me and as she's passing she says, loudly: "What?" Sadly, I don't think her companion was saying: "Look, it's that Blogger, Rue de la Clef!" But, you never know.

We had planned on walking around the city and doing some shopping but we're all getting lame in our old age so we opted for a visit to The Shops at Riverside Square in yes, Hackensack. What, parking is free and we were able to walk around without our coats on. First stop? Putting our name down at Houstons. It's 6pm and they tell us we'll have an hour and forty-five minute wait. Okay.

So we hit up "Mr. Cupcake" and then did some shopping. After a successful spin at the Saks Fifth Avenue we wandered back to Houstons and were advised that we were next! (So much for an hour and forty-five minutes)...

But, apparently, "next" to the people who run the desk at Houston's means behind five other people and at least a 15 minute wait.

There were at least four people working the desk and they whole time we stood there they were worked up into a frenzy. Last night we watched The Hurt Locker and it really demonstrated the high stress environment of US servicemen who work in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal units. I think the people at Houston's were trying to give these guys a run for their money. It's was as though if someone asked "Courtney" the head receptionist whether she'd prefer to work the front desk at the Houston's in Hackensack or be on a 365 day tour of Iraq with an EOD she would consider doing the time in Iraq.

Okay, folks... it's just a restaurant.

Regardless though, the wait was soon forgotten. We had tons of tasty grub and overall a fun and exciting, though tiring, day.

Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary....

you know how the song goes....

Anyhoo, it was recently our eight year anniversary and the Husband sent lovely flowers.... so lovely they were beyond "blog-worthy".

Kudos, kudos!

Craft Pictures!

Here's the craft project I did last night. I used a frame that I had gotten at the VNA Rummage Sale, corkboard from the $1 spot at Target and fabric that I also scored at the Rummage Sale.















I also covered the back of the piece with additional fabric and ribbon trim. Not a bad way to make use of recycled materials! Here is it in action...

Help for Haiti, thanks to the Shorehouse

Laura at the Shorehouse is auctioning off the fabulous handbag made with vintage fabric that she highlighted in her post about the Plum Cottage antique shop. The proceeds of the auction will go to benefit relief for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Click
here for details.

A Couple of Things

First of all, it's reality tv heaven tonight.

Real Housewives of Orange County
Jersey Shore (how is it that there are two episodes that I hadn't seen??)
New Project Runway (back in NYC-- how fabulous!)

In all honesty, as lame as this may be, I had been looking forward to this all week.

How do we celebrate? By melding high and low culture via snack foods.

Brie spread on wonderful crusty french bread accompanied by: Totino's Pizza Rolls!

What else you ask?

Well, I made my first ever Etsy sale!! Woo-hoo! Sadly, it was not for an item I made, it was for a vintage item that I listed, but hell a sale is a sale!

I was planning on having a fancy launch for my new Etsy site, but I'll give you a sneak peek for now... you can visit the new store at: Princess Cutie Pie! I still need to work on a fancy header, and adding more items to the store, but I did manage to sell a cool vintage raffia and beaded handbag scored at the VNA rummage sale!

What else? Two crafts were done tonight! (Pictures will follow).

I made another feather-y headband and I also made a fabric covered framed corkboard. The framed corkboard was a craft project from a wonderful book that 5280 Mommy sent as a Christmas present.... One Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins. It's a great book with tons of fun projects. I was able to use a frame I bought at the VNA sale and I covered the corkboard with a great vintage fabric I found at the sale too!

Some Things We Like.

Top Gear on BBC America. I watched it tonight and it was a blend of Car & Driver from PBS and a late night talk show. All done in impeccable British style with wacky British humor.

The Phrase (in relation to the cast members of Jersey Shore): "the[se] people... have neither underpacked nor overpacked their crazy suitcases." From the review of the show in this week's New Yorker Magazine.

Last Week's Shouts and Murmurs column: The Cursing Mommy Cooks Italian. (I especially like the part when the paper towel roll catches fire)...

Thing that we are equally intrigued and yet also repulsed by: Food Network Magazine's "Food Porn" centerfold spread of NFL Potato Skins-- yes they created a potato skin topping to represent the hometown of each NFL team. Philadelphia Eagles? Cheesesteak on a potato. New York Jets? Pastrami and Pickle Potato Skins. New Orleans Saints? Muffetella Potato Skins. You get the picture. Pick up your Pepto Bismol now, the Super Bowl is only a few short weeks away.

At the Beach

This is our Stella McCartney photo shoot.

Beige.

Here's a link to a story about the hub-bub surrounding the Facebook Bra Color Posts from this week.

Personally, I'm surprised that people have an issue with it. Sure, it would be useful for each of these posts to also come with a link about breast cancer awareness or a link to where you can donate funds to the American Cancer Society or the Susan G. Komen Foundation, but how can you give people a hard time if they're at least taking one small step for awareness?

RBX2NITE

At 6:58pm this evening I got an email from the folks at Redbox. The message said that Redbox was aware that some of its customers may have had difficulty returning movies over the New Year's holiday (having found the Redbox machines full and not accepting returns).... this is a problem I have encountered before, where basically Redbox has decided you *will* be spending another $1 because if you want to return that bloated-over-wrought costume drama that you just suffered through you'll have to check out some lame Adam Sandler movie in order to make room in the box for your return.

Okay, I thought, Great! I'll take a free movie. The code is RBX2NITE. Great! I go to Redbox.com and browse and decide they don't have anything great but I'll rent Public Enemies since the Husband didn't get to see it in the theater. I go to reserve it and what-ho, there's no place for me to put in the offer code.

So I go back to the email and look at the asterisk.

Turns out the code isn't good online. Okay, I can get over that, I figure I'll go visit a local box tomorrow.

Try again.

The code is only valid until 11:59pm Central Time on January 7, 2010. When they say "Redbox Tonight" they mean TONIGHT.

I'm sorry but this is really pretty lame. I mean I didn't even open this email until after 10pm. At this point all of the local Redbox locations are closed (with the exception of the one at the Princeton library and that's only available because it's located outside. Did I mention it is like 19 degrees outside?

So, I guess I'm not going to get that "free" rental after all!

Tonight's Dinner?

White Bean Potato Kale Soup!

I heated some olive oil in our soup pot and then added to it two bags of Wegman's Potato Kale Soup vegetables (consisting of Kale, red potato chunks and diced onions).

I sauteed the vegetables for a bit until the kale began to wilt and the onions were soft. I added one zucchini (sliced and then cut in half lengthwise), a handful of baby carrots (in small chunks) and one can of white beans (drained).

Then I added (x) one box of low sodium chicken stock and (y) one can of Campbell's cream of potato soup and turned the heat up so as to bring the soup to a rolling boil.

Once boiling, I gently whisked in one half of a 5.5 ounce package of Bear Creek Creamy Potato Soup Mix.

I turned the heat down to a simmer and added a bit of cream, salt and fresh ground pepper.

Serve with some crusty bread. Yum!

The New Carpet Bag. A Tutorial!

So you may recall when I went to the VNA Rummage Sale. I scored a *ton* of so-called "dry goods" aka assorted fabric housewares stuff. Included among my finds were a pair of pillow shams. (At first they looked like placemats, but indeed, they're shams...)



They are kind of an asian-inspired floral on one side and a nifty little geometric print on the other.
And they're from France!

So I decided I wanted to do something with these items and I figured you can never have too many bags. I hit up Jo-Ann and got (a) wooden bag handles, (b) coordinating thread, (c) some coordinating fabric (to affix the handles) and (d) some nifty buttons.

Since the shams have this great piping around the edge I decided that I would sew them together wrong-side to wrong side. But I also wanted to show off the geometric print, so I decided to fold down a portion of the back side of each sham.


I then made little straps out of this polka dot fabric and sewed the straps onto the top of the bag, as a way to attach the wooden handles.

Next it was time to get decorative!

I hand-sewed the buttons on either side of the flaps.


Viola! One handy-dandy Pillow Sham purse.

Stuffed Peppers-- It's What's For Dinner!

Tonight I made stuffed peppers, based on a recipe in this month's Real Simple Magazine (shout out to the brother-in-law and sister-in-law, my Real Simple subscription benefactors!!)

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Next, the recipe calls for 1/2 pound of ground beef (browned) and a 1/2 cup of couscous for the stuffing. I substituted saffron (aka yellow) rice for the couscous and I used a bit more than 1/2 pound of ground beef.

I sauteed the ground beef and added "summer savory" seasoning (Dean & Deluca), salt, pepper, a touch of coriander and one diced Italian sweet pepper. Once the beef was browned I took it off of the stove and added in the saffron rice. I also added feta cheese crumbles (as per the Real Simple recipe), dried cherries and dried apricots (sliced).

I then cut the tops off of four large peppers (yellow, orange and red) and removed the seeds from the insides. Once the peppers were prepped I stuffed them with the filing. I topped the peppers with a bit of marinade (Wegman's "Mojo" marinade, which is basically an orange-based citrus marinade) and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the peppers and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.

I served them with a spring mix salad (with balsamic vinaigrette, mandarin oranges, dry roasted almonds, dried cranberries and golden raisins).

We also had a ciabatta baguette and President Brie.

Finish off by watching "Mamma Mia!" and you've got a fine Mediterranean-esque dinner!

Alyssa Milano's Evolution: Jersey Shore from Alyssa Milano and FOD Team - Video

Alyssa Milano's new debut....

Alyssa Milano's Evolution: Jersey Shore from Alyssa Milano and FOD Team - Video

Jay Leno's Green Car Challenge

With our fave, Ewan McGregor!

One Word:

Risotto.

Jamie Oliver, I love you.

More SAAB Stories...

posted here on MSNBC.

IPodding

Okay, I know I've said it already but the new iPod is really cool. I'm actually blogging via iPod, and the damn thing has built-in speakers! But, the reason for the post is that I'm sitting here at 1am watching Le Telejournal on TV5 Monde eating cheese and crackers. I should be asleep! I need to take down the Christmas tree and I've started reading Gomorrah. It was that or the Russell Brand book. Tomorrow? IKEA. Could this be more random? I think not.

Vanity Fair

I love Vanity Fair magazine, I can read each issue cover to cover, but why can't they ever get it to me on time? The Robert Pattinson issue came three weeks after it appeared on newsstand and then the next issue followed a few days later. The Meryl Streep issue currently out? Still hasn't shown up. Argh!!

Ladies' Day Out

So the other day we went to the city to see

The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet. We went with Thisbe and the Wee Kraken and had a fabulous time (despite the fact that due to the Job we didn't arrive until half-way through the first act, thus totally missing our lunch plans at Rosa Mexicano (boooooooo!)

I think the ladies enjoyed the performance, and I *know* that they enjoyed hanging out and playing by the fountain afterwards!

I've been to the performance before Christmas once before, and this time we hit it up after the holidays-- it was a bit more laid back and it was really nice.

The only downside? We saw a really big rat in the Quik Park parking garage under Lincoln Center on our way back to the car. Up side, it was a very large, healthy looking, clean rat, but a rat nonetheless. Hmpf.