More additions

Last weekend when our new couch was delivered we agonized about what to do with our old couch. It was pretty old and beat up but not horrible. Some friends had planned to take it and then backed out at the last minute. We decided to put it out on the street on Saturday with a sign that said "free to a good home" and figured if no one wanted it the garbage men would take it on Monday. Well, the sign was up for about 5 min when a couple walked by and stopped to sit on it and decided to take it home! I was so glad. I hated to see it just go to the dump. Well that got our downstairs neighbors thinking and they started cleaning stuff out and putting it out on the fence to give away. We joined in and put some more stuff out (little things) too. It was sort of an impromptu stoop sale/giveaway. Then the neighborhood kids came by and we chatted with them and with people stopping to look at our stuff. Then the landlords showed up to deliver some planters for our front yard area. It was a nice way to spend a sunny day hanging out outside in the hood. So a little back story, the kids who live in the basement had been collecting wood because they wanted to build planters to grow vegetables out front. I had my doubts but Greg said he would help out if they wanted. When the landlords found out about the plan they were not happy. They forbid them from building anything but after much coaxing they did agreed to supply some planters. Of course they also decided what to plant in them leaving very little room for anything else. I find the whole thing funny but I think the boys were disappointed. The wood in the photo is some of the collected wood. You can see why the landlords were afraid of what might be built. This last photo is of our 3rd air conditioner. We are living the high life now! The basement kids were selling it dirt cheap so Greg and I picked it up to put in the office. This way when my mom visits this summer she can sleep comfortably! Don't mind the mess, you can see I have very little time for crafts these days!

New couch

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Greg had the camera for a few days so I had no photos to post. But it is back so I can share our weekend excitement. We finally got a new couch. We have been talking about getting one for over a year. In fact we almost didn't bring our couch from the Bronx because we were definitely going to get one last summer. Well, we never seemed to have time to shop together and the places we went to we didn't agree on the couch or the color. Fast forward to April and we happened to be at a meeting for Church which was right by Macy's so we decided to swing in and see if they had anything. We stumbled on one of the only modern looking sofas they had and instantly liked it and even agreed on the color (it is deep brown). It was delivered on Saturday so Greg and I spent the day arranging and rearranging the other furniture in the room. We also ran out to IKEA to get a new coffee table and a new cover for our chair so it would match. The coffee table didn't work out but the chair cover did and it looks like they are meant to go together. Greg even got a fire in him to deal with the other purchase we had been stalled on for over a year, a new TV. That will be delivered in a few weeks. For now I am delighted with the new couch and am already planning new curtains, wall color and pillows. Yippie! This last photo is for my mom to show that we moved the cabinet that was by the door into the dining room. We need more space by the door for guests to leave their shoes (they take them off even when we tell them they don't have to. I think carpet scares New Yorkers!) and we are thinking of getting a bigger TV stand for the new TV. I just plopped it down next to the other cabinets for now.

Spring has sprung

Just a quick weekend recap. We had a quiet weekend at home. Saturday was a really beautiful warm day so we decided to go out for dinner. At one point we were also going to see a movie at the movie theater in our neighborhood. We walked all through Sunnyside but all of our favorite restaurants were all full! That never happens. When did Sunnyside get so popular? Well it was probably the excellent weather. We ended up going home and getting take out from one of the places that didn't have any empty seats for us and we opted for a movie on video.

One of my favorite parts of spring in the Bronx was when the magnolias would bloom. You see almost every house between ours and the train had a magnolia tree and when they bloomed (the blooms only last a few days before they turn brown) the entire walk to work was so lovely. I was really going to miss the magnolias this year since there is far less foliage in our current neighborhood but while we were out walking on Saturday I found this beautiful tree in full bloom so I snapped a picture.
Spring is definitely here. I can tell because the house is cold in the morning. The weather is too warm to make the heat kick on but not warm enough to remove the chill in the air. I am so glad as I can already feel my mood lifting as the temps increase.

Earth Hour

Here is a photo from our impromptu Earth Hour celebration last month. I took a break from studying, shut off all the lights and non-essential appliances and invited the kids downstairs up for some dice and Uno. We pooled what little snacks we had and had a great time.

Using only candlelight really makes me appreciate the pioneers! It is so hard to see anything! Did you participate in Earth Hour?

Union Jack

This is a photo of little baby Lucy who was born just 6 weeks ago to a co-worker of mine. And she is modeling a little onsie that I embroidered on the sewing machine for her baby shower. Her parents are British so I thought they would like a onsie with a Union Jack but now I think I should have made a little US flag since this girl is a citizen! The machine embroidery on the onsie was not as easy as the other shirts I did because the fabric is so stretchy, thin and soft. A stiffer/thicker fabric holds the design much better.
Enough with the photos! A model needs her privacy!

Spring Hair

While in Maine visiting my friend Karen I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror at my snarled, dry and ratty hair and knew it was time for a change. I have really enjoyed long hair but I was ready for something lighter and need to remove a lot of damaged ends. I wanted to wait until the weather warmed up but caved in right before my test and got about 5 inches cut off. It is almost shoulder length and can be put up in a tiny little pony tail but it is much shorter and much thinner. I think my hairdresser took out about 5 pounds of hair as she thinned and layered it (to give it more body). Of course I am never happy with things as they are so I continue to curl it (like in the picture).

Seattle Trip

Since I mentioned the Seattle trip in my last post I thought I might as well elaborate. We were in Seattle in March for a few days to see the families and celebrate my Mother-in-law's 60th birthday. She didn't actually know we were coming so it was a huge surprise for her. She wasn't really excited to celebrate this birthday but in the end she had a really great time. We had been sending her 60 birthday cards before we arrived and she had been waiting for the last card to arrive (which we hand delivered out of the blue). Here is a photo of her card display:The other fun thing was that Greg's aunt came to town armed with 60 gifts for the birthday girl and we hadn't seen her since our wedding 7 years ago. We were really excited to get to spend some time with her.I drove down to Olympia to see my friend Katie and her oh so cute Ava. Greg had some time with his friends too including a trip to the bowling alley with Jeremy and his fiance. It was pretty surreal for us to be there since it was the sight of our 1st date and IT HAS NOT CHANGED IN 14 YEARS! So weird.
In addition to all the birthday festivities I managed to do some shopping and picked up 3 pairs of cute shoes at the Rack, some new clothes, craft and sewing supplies, and lots of cute papers, bags, and ribbon at Packaging Specialties. Also got to spend the day with my sister who is expecting a baby (the first Howard grand baby) this summer. More shopping for us girls! Even Greg did some shopping and got new used clothes at Value Village. That was another trip down memory lane since I worked there in high school. The store has changed a lot since then.Greg and I also went out to Mercer Island to cheer my mom on as she ran a 10K. It was supposed to be a half marathon but she is nursing an injury and her doctor told her no more than a 10K. We couldn't get to the finish line because of a mad parking situation so we camped out under the I-90 bridge and rooted for all the runners. We chatted with a nice race volunteer (who took our picture). We were right before a big hill (the course is really hilly) so we would yell "you can do it" "don't look to the right" "enjoy the downhill". It was really fun. We erroneously told people they were about half way (when they asked) only to find out later we were acutally at more like the 3/4 mark. Oops!The rest of the trip was spent hanging out with the families and working on a few small projects. While we were there we learned how to play my parent's new favorite dice game. My mom picked this game up while visiting my great aunt and uncle in Wisconsin last summer. My parents have played cribbage during meals for years and years but like this dice game so much they switched over. That's how you know it is fun! It is called "Oh Sh*t" or as my mom said while we played "That's too bad". It does involve gambling for quarters but it is a lot of fun and Greg and I have been playing at home during dinner ever since we got back. Here is a little video I took while we played. You can't see Rachel but she was still there (coming in last place!). Fun times.

I am sure I am leaving something out but we had a very nice visit and will be back again in August for Jeremy's wedding and to meet the our new nephew (we can't wait!).

Kale Smoothie?

Well I did it. This morning I washed and chopped up a bunch of kale. As I was drying it and putting it into my big half empty spinach container I was noticing how rough/stiff kale is and I was really doubting it would be good in the smoothie. That didn't stop me from piling it in and whizzing it up.....

It was great! A little less smooth than the spinach smoothie but still tasteless. I used lots of OJ in this one so it was very sweet and fruity tasting. And in case you need reasons to eat more Kale take a look at this powerhouse of a vegetable:

Kale (100 Calories) (3cups)

455 mg Calcium
9.46 g Protein
3.1 mg Iron
59 mg Magnesium
1059 mg Potassium
6.7 g Fiber
47 mcg Folate
.38 mg B2
2.2 mg Niacin
.59 mg Zinc
83 mg Vitamin C
21,159 IU Vitamin A
1 mg Vitamin E
0 g Cholesterol
0 g Saturated Fat
Tons of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants

I had over a cup of kale in my smoothie!

I'm Back!

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I did nothing but study for so long I didn't have much to say or time to say it. I took my test last week and it went very well. I had total peace and calm while doing it and came out with a decent score. I am debating whether or not it is worth taking it again in order to raise my score a few points. I am not allowed to take it again for 30 days so I have a little more time to think about it.

I took the rest of the week off to relax and read something besides test prep books. Next I have to begin working on my applications which are due in just a few short weeks.

Today I thought I would share something that got me through all the studying, my new favorite smoothie!

This is a green smoothie, or a blended salad. It may sound a little gross when I describe it but trust me, it is dynamite! I first read about the smoothie here on a food blog. I was intrigued and intended to try them sometime but skeptical that a smoothie with spinach blended into it could be yummy. And we are talking over a cup of spinach per serving, not a couple leaves. Well I was in Seattle and stopped in to see my friend Katie who was trying to whip up a green beverage to take to her recipe club. It had to be green for her St. Patty's day theme. She was working on this really odd concoction made of applies, avocados, mint, apple juice, and lime juice. It was not good. I won't say it was gross since I didn't barf or spit it out but it wasn't good. She was a little desperate for another option given her short amount of time and that she didn't have the opportunity to shop for new ingredients. I mentioned the green smoothie I had read about and we looked it up online. She happened to have bananas, mango, orange juice and spinach on hand so we whipped up a batch and would you believe it, it was fantastic. You really couldn't taste the spinach at all, just the fruits and juice. She took it to her recipe club and they loved it too and now apparently the green smoothie is making its way around town and even kids love it (take note moms!). It is a great way to sneak spinach into your diet and spinach is loaded with nutrients. I was just reading how leafy greens are the most nutrient dense food on earth. I have been having one of these every morning for breakfast and I love them. I am told you can use any greens even romaine or kale. I bought some kale and am going to give it a try this week. So here is the recipe adapted to the hand blender. You can use the link above to find the recipe for a regular blender.

Green Smoothie
Scaled to be made in the hand blender cup or right in a glass

1 ripe banana
4 chunks frozen mango
3 chunks frozen pineapple
1 fistful of packed fresh spinach or as much as will fit in the cup
water or juice to fill the cup and bring it up to the fill line. I like OJ and water in mine.
(Sometimes I add a scoop of protein powder to my smoothie too)

Put all ingredients in the cup and blend until smooth. You can use any fruit you want. Bananas make it creamy and berries make it more brown than green but all make it yummy.