She's Crafty - Holiday Garland

I mentioned a month ago an amazing hole punch I bought from Michael's with a 50% off coupon. Since I got that I have been going hole punch crazy. My husband thinks I've gone crazy too. Mainly because I make him help me. 

I've probably mentioned that I love Pinterest. Of course, I was pinspired to make a garland for the upcoming Easter holiday. Here's what I used for my Easter one:

6 Sheets of 12" x 12" Paper

3 1/2" Hole Punch

1/8" Hole Punch

Hobby Lobby had a paper crafting sale and I snagged this scrapbooking bundle for half price. It had adorable Easter paper with bunnies and chevrons. I had a few other pieces that fit right in with the color scheme.

After hole punching nine 3 1/2" holes in each 12" x 12" sheet, and I punched two teeny holes on either end. Then, I enlisted my handsome husband to help me string these bad boys with some hemp twine. This is the hard part. You string in the front and then out the back. The string would run up the back of each punch. 

Literally, stringing these bad boys all together takes FOREVER. But once it's done, it looks pretty damn cool. And it's one more part of my Easter mantel. Make sure you have a handsome helper on hand. 

I love the way this looks on my mantel right now. I'd say it's a HIT. Now, all the teeny hole punches I've made make me want to keep it all and make some confetti. That would be a project and a half - making all that confetti...I feel an idea coming on. 

Day 2 & 3: Bulls, Beauty, Brews, and Buses

Our second day in the City had us sleeping in a little bit later nursing our pains from the first day. We planned to go to a local bakery around the corner from the hotel but got distracted by the idea of dulce de leche pancakes at a diner across the street. Unfortunately, they weren't that good. Next time, I think we'll stick to a bakery. 

After, I dragged Ryan to the Charging Bull in Bowling Green. It's right in the heart of the Financial District and I had been dying to get a picture with it. Why? I couldn't tell you. The guy was huge! While I was taking a picture with his head, other people were taking a picture with his other anatomical parts. 

A couple of metro trains uptown and a brisk walk outside brought us to the Met! The bull wasn't the only big thing that day. Have you ever seen a map for that? It's massive! We spent about three hours there and only got through a couple exhibits. We saw the magic of Rodin, the finesse of Degas, the rolling landscapes of Dahl, and the unique carvings and metal work of armor and arms. 

We took a lovely walk through Central Park to travel back downtown while we waited for Ryan's friend Josh. Josh lives in Yonkers so he took the metro north in to meet us for dinner. My mom had given us a gift certificate to Heartland Brewery while we were down in the City. After Josh checked out our swanky hotel room at Club Quarters, we traveled to Union Square to hit up the Brewery. The food was pretty decent but nothing that you couldn't find at any burger joint. As per Ryan, the beer was nothing special. 

We parted ways with Josh and headed back to the hotel to wait for my mom got back to the NYC. I made it through our weekly Sunday night show and then promptly feel asleep. So much for a big night out. 

Monday, our third and final day, was much too short. We packed and got ready to head back home. I dragged Ryan to the Container Store where I begged for glass containers, much like this one. After another slice of mediocre pizza we picked up our bags and then picked up our bus home in this part of town.

There's a reason I had always heard it referred to as the Chinatown bus. 

Day 1: Brisket, Brooklyn, and Blisters

Our first full day in the City had us ready for a nap at 2:00pm and we woke up at 9:30am. 

After purchasing shorts for Ryan, since it was over 50° today, we headed to the Lower East Side to meet my mom for lunch. Her job today? Watch a man hole and make sure no one went down in it. Sounds rough, right? She was working just down the street from the famous Katz's Deli. Going there at lunch time on a lazy Saturday, we had to elbow some people to get to the counter and find a table. But after all the hustle we enjoyed some fantastic brisket sandwiches and knishes. My mom, not having eaten pork in about eight years, picked up a beef salami, which can be shipped all over the world - not needing to be refrigerated until opened. She's pretty excited about having it when she goes home today.

In case you don't know why Katz's is famous, check out this YouTube clip. 

And there's just the sign there too.

In the same area, Ryan and I found a restaurant supply store. It. Had. Everything. Literally, bowls the size of my husband. We ended up buying a bread loaf pan, a huge grain scoop, and a couple smaller scoops for under $35.00. Check out some of the stuff.

A quick subway ride uptown took us to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum near Times Square. With discounted tickets pre-paid we skipped the line and saved about $9.00. We met schlepped with actors, canoodled with presidents, posed with legends, were terrified by monsters, saw the avengers, and hung out with some great artists. The NYC museum also has a 4D show where you get splashed and poked watching it. It's pretty neat. I would suggest it to folks of all ages. And buy your tickets ahead of time because you can save money on their site. 

Onward we went to Brooklyn, taking the L train to Bedford. After a short walk we saw line. An epically long line for the Brooklyn Brewery. Fast forward through a forty minute wait to get inside the brewery, we find out that there's another line to purchase beer tokens. Then another line to get said beer. If you want to go on a brewery tour, make sure you get a ticket when you first walk in those warehouse doors, otherwise you'll wait some more for the next tour. 

Despite the cool hipster vibe and charming personalities of the Brooklyn Brew Crew, the beer on tap and the tour was a little disappointing. With aching feet, we set off to find the Best Pizza in Brooklyn. I'm not kidding when I say it's the Best Pizza. 

It's not only called Best Pizza but it has the best pizza I have ever had. EVER. With a brick oven, the pizza comes out crispy but chewy with amazing flavor and fresh ingredients. They also make a grandma piece of pie that has the sauce on top of the cheese. The hubbs and I wanted to box this place up and take it home to Troy with us. Literally, if they moved to Troy they would make a killing. I should talk to them about franchise opportunities. Here's what we got:

fresh basil = love

the grandma slice

he literally couldn't wait to try it - that's not your average pepperoni slice

A quick subway ride back to Manhattan and a transfer to downtown led us back to the hotel where we are. Resting our aching, blistered feet and apparently chafed butt cheeks for the past four hours. Too much? Yea, I thought so too. 

But alas, it's 10:00pm in the City that never sleeps and we're hungry. Off we go into the bright lights. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Happy Pi Day!

Yep, today's Pi Day. Or if you're uncultured swine "Geek Day." Or if you're oblivious it's Friday.

As today marks the beginning of the hubbs's spring break, and I took Monday off, we're headed down to New York City where a free hotel room awaits us. Free hotel room you ask? Yes, free. But more on that later.

Let's focus on the "head down" portion of that last sentence. Now, normally, we take the train. But it's a little expensive, around $72 a person roundtrip. So, at the suggestion of Ryan's friend, we're taking the bus. The GoTo bus direct from Albany to NYC, which is $25 per person roundtrip. I want to start by saying this was a poor, poor choice. This post is coming from the road and I feel like I'm in the fiery depths of hell right about now. Surrounded by fifty or so sweaty, smelly people, the driver feels the need to crank the heat so that it's about 98° in here. And yes, smelly. Like BO, baby powder, and marijuana. It's a heady combination. In the future, besides our already paid for return trip, I believe we'll be skipping this option and either paying for the train or a different bus company.

So back to the free part? Well, as a side note, my mom works for a telephone company in Albany. But, because of the superstorm Sandy, NYC has had a backlog of technician work. So the local teams either sign up to go down at a time convenient to them and work or are forced to go sometime during the year. Yes, Sandy was a while ago but the aftereffects are so large. So right now my mom's completing her first week down there with other techs who volunteered to go this early. But some techs have vacation planned, or go home for the weekend. Enter the free hotel rooms. One of the techs my mom knows is going to Colorado for a week and offered us her room so we didnt have to stay with my mom. Which we would have been more than happy to do. Because, again, hello, free room.

So, we're going to be in the city until Monday bumming in a free hotel room, saving tons of money on this shitty bus, with discounted tickets to both The Met and the Wax Museum, hitting up Brooklyn Brewery. And hopefully, maybe, just maybe eating some awesome pizza and wading in sea of green.

What are your plans for this weekend? Any St. Patty's Day parties?

New Tunes - One Direction "Little Things"

I know, I know. I'm twenty-six. Yes, I listen to One Direction. I can't help it! They're good. Even if they don't necessarily write their own songs. They're adorable and man, the songs are catchy. Today's song is cute and awe-filled. I've just listened to it about ten times. In a row. 

I know...it's just that every time I hear songs like these, I think about the hubbs and how much I love him. He's pretty fantastic to me. He always makes me smile and the little things he does are perfect. I appreciate him. 

What's your dirty little secret when it comes to music? Do you have any?

Instagram Idiot

I joined Instagram a while ago. I can't remember when, maybe a year? I didn't really get the appeal at the time. I joined anyway. My first post...yesterday. It's a love note I put in my husband's lunch box. Then I went crazy. Because, why not? 

Then I was struck with genius and wanted to add an instagram feed to this here blog. And there's sites that will automatically create code for you to put in your blog! Sounds terrific, right? Well, I tried. And tried. And tried. Take a look at the left side. You see one? That's because I couldn't figure it out. *sigh* Anyone want to help me?

I like instagram for the sheer fact that anyone can make photos pretty with the filters and other options I don't know how to describe. So I will leave you with one of my first photos. Filtered and everything. 

Books in Review: Thoughtless, Effortless, Reckless by S.C. Stephens

I have never been one to reread books. Before, I always needed something new, something fresh. Then I read Fifty Shades of Grey . Then read it three more times. (Please don't judge me on that - I know the writing's a little...off.) But then I realized, I liked some of these stories. A lot. It's like a movie I want to watch over and over again. So I did. And I loved it.

I've read Thoughtless , Effortless , and Reckless by S.C. Stephens twice now. I have to say I like it. These books are romance books about 360-540 pages long. The books are a little expensive - even on Kindle - but the quality I think is definitely there. (In the entire books I think I noticed two errors.) Now I'm going to go into some detail so, spoiler alert.

In the first book, Thoughtless, we start with Kiera and Denny moving to Seattle. Denny has an internship opportunity with a prestigious firm there. Kiera, ever the loving girlfriend, follows him there to finish her college work. They move in with the extreme hotness that's known as Kellan, a friend of Denny's from a year he spent abroad (he's from Australia) in high school. Kellan's in a band that's popular in the area and with the ladies. After a while Denny goes to Tuscon to help set up a new branch. During his absence, Kiera and Kellan become close friends and their relationship seems to follow. Isn't there an adage "proximity breeds attraction?" Well, Denny gets an opportunity to take a job in Tuscon and does, without talking to Kiera first. Just having started her junior year, she doesn't want to change schools yet again and doesn't want to be apart for another two years after hating the separation after only two months. After a heated argument, Kiera breaks it off with Denny and then proceeds to get drunk. Really drunk. Kellan stumbles in on it and they start drinking together. You can probably imagine what comes next. After their night together, we find that Denny flew home after quitting the job and losing his internship. Kiera and Denny make up, which leaves Kellan devastated. He begins to fall into old habits of "dating" a string of girls. Kiera becomes upset but she's torn between Denny and Kellan. The situation builds and culminates with Denny finding them together and him nearly killing them both. Accepting defeat and the lose of Kiera, Denny goes home to Australia leaving Kellan and Kiera to figure out how to move forward. After recovering, both physically and emotionally the pair tentatively begin a relationship where they struggle to trust but understand more as the book ends.

In the second book, Effortless, Kellan and Kiera are still together. She's fighting to be confident that Kellan is 100% in their relationship. She struggles that she's not enough. Not pretty enough, etc. Then Kellan's band finds some fame and goes on tour with a bigger act. Kiera questions some of Kellan's actions. But they remain together despite the distance and find ways to be close. Then Kiera runs into Denny who's back in Seattle. Despite everyone's advice, Kiera doesn't tell Kellan he's back. Kiera and Denny fall back into an easy friendship but just friendship. As he's dating someone who's back in Australia and Kellan's it for Kiera. Kiera and Denny are talking one night when Kellan comes home early from his tour. He's stricken by seeing them together, as he never found out Denny was back in Seattle. After a heated argument, a five second break up, and Kellan explaining his weird actions recently, they stick together.

In the third and final book, Reckless, we find Kellan on tour again. After graduating at the end of book two, and committing to one another, Kiera joins Kellan on tour. The band grows in popularity even more and picks up attention from a big pop star. After recording a duet with a sexy star, fans are obnoxious about their alleged relationship, straining Kiera's relationship with Kellan and her friends. Unfortunately, Kellan's label want him to keep mum about the non-relationship with the pop star. Furthermore, Kiera doesn't want to be in the spotlight so she tells Kellan to keep quiet too. The hype around "Kell-Sex" reaches an insane level and Kellan's "found" with Kiera. Fans turns brutal to Kiera, when Kellan finally decides to come clean about her. After the radio interview, the craziness pushes Kiera into a busy street where Kellan saves her, taking the brunt force of a truck. Finding Kellan in the hospital, Kiera decides to move up their planned wedding and makes it official right in the room. Surrounded by family and friends, Kellan finally gets that people care about him and that he's loved. One of the highlights in the series, for me, comes in the epilogue of book three when Kiera, Kellan, and the band are at the Grammy's. I won't spoil it for you, but it's adorable.

The books end with a happily ever after and makes me smile. I'm not even joking when I say that writing these snippets made me want to read the series again. And I may do just that. If you read it, let me know. Happy reading!