Vacations

Vacations are fun, I think we can all agree. Sometimes they don’t always go according to our plan, but sometimes that makes them better.

The last couple of years I’ve gone on a week-long vacation to Aruba at the beginning of December. It’s a lovely island and you can do as much or as little as you want – there are plenty of things to do.  And everyone is super friendly! (I definitely recommend you go at least once!)

However, with a wedding coming up next year, I’m trying to be more financially conscious/responsible and don’t want to spend too much on a vacation this year. I obviously deserve the time off and want to (and need to, for my sanity!).

So I’ve thought about doing long weekends instead of a full week. Though I’m not opposed to closer, cheaper vacations.  Does anyone have any ideas for long weekend vacations (more specifically on the east coast of the US)?

Just a little while ago I saw a commercial for Hershey, PA and I’ve never been, so I thought that might be a good one to do. (I may or may not have seen that commercial on the Disney Channel while watching Monsters, Inc. by myself…)  And I’d love to do a weekend in Washington, D.C. (another place I’ve never been) and definitely NYC (and now that I’m into sewing, I want to go to Mood!). But if anyone has any out-of-the-box suggestions, I’d love to hear them, so put them in the comments!

2013 Blog Resolutions

I’ve seen a bunch of people doing resolutions for their blogs, and I’ve decided to do some, too.  Here goes…

1. Don’t stress
I don’t have to post every day.  And I shouldn’t feel forced/obligated to post anything.

2. Participate in the weekly memes again
Maybe this goes against my first resolution, but I would like to begin participating in the weekly memes again.  Maybe not all of the ones I used to do, or even all the time, but I’d like to do them every now and again.

3. Complete the challenges I joined
Now, I know this could also interfere with #1, but it’s OK if I do the challenges slowly, at my own pace, and even OK if I don’t finish them.  But since I only signed up for a couple and there aren’t too many books for each (and they can overlap), I really want to complete them.

4. Write about non-book related things
I’d like to put up more posts that aren’t book related; I’m still trying to figure out what I really want this blog to be.  Of course, it’s primarily books, but over the past year-ish I’ve started to do more crafty things, and I’d like to talk about those too (aka my sewing adventures).  I’ve seen, read and started following so many great sewing/craft blogs and I’d love to join that community as well.

and most importantly:

5. HAVE FUN!
(I think this is self-explanatory, no?)

What are your resolutions?

No Work Today!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Technical Difficulties

Just an FYI, I’m sort of off the grid right now.  I broke my smartphone last week and now my laptop is malfunctioning (using M’s laptop right now).  So I won’t be online as much until I can get my old laptop up and running again.  Fingers crossed.

Any suggestions as to reimaging/cleaning a laptop are welcome!!

Pattern Pyramid!

Karen over at “Did You Make That?” is doing a Pattern Pyramid (click on the image to go to her blog post about it and enter!).

Essentially, she received a box of 30+ different pattern sets.  She plans to select 6 winners (from the people who posted comments on the post).  Each winner will get a mini collection from the patterns (and labels to sew in the garments!).  We have until midnight EST tomorrow night (June 29) to enter. Each winner will keep one pattern for themselves and then post the remainder for other people to enter to win.  Then they’ll select one winner who will receive the remaining patterns, that person will keep one for him or herself and then host their own pattern pyramid with the leftover patterns…get it?

It’s such a great idea to share and pass around the fun things she received.

I entered!  I hope to be one of the first winners to be able to find a pattern and pass on the rest :)

I was M.I.A., but I’m back now!

I know I’ve kind of fallen off the face of the blogosphere,  but I’ve been busy lately and not really feeling like jumping online when I get home from work.  But I’ve missed joining in on the weekly memes, though it has been a nice break.   I’m hoping to get back into things this week.

Anyway, some new things:

1. You can check out my final sewing projects in Sewing Funtime (7).

2. I started my own bread starter following the recipe in the book Friendship Bread by Darien Gee (see my review here).  Today is day 9, so tomorrow I can bake!  Fingers crossed

3. I’m going to be an auntie again two times this year (nephew #2 and either niece #2 or nephew #3, once they find out)  Technically, they are my cousins’ babies, but we’re all so close that we’re more like sisters so we’ll all be called “auntie” (though my first niece and nephew actually ARE my niece and nephew).

4. I’m finally starting the blanket for nephew #2…found a fun, easy pattern. (and now I’ll need to figure out what to do for the next baby!)

5. I got some really great feedback from one of the Directors I support at work which was really great to hear.

6. I’m thinking of going back to school part-time to get my MBA.  I’ve only just started looking into it, so it’s nothing definite and I’d have a few things to do (like accumulate the extra money for it and take the GMAT).  The great thing is that my work will provide tuition reimbursement.

I think those are the main highlights of what’s been going on…

Even though I haven’t been posting, I have been reading posts  almost every night (reading the  ”blogs I follow” feature, anyway!)

What have you been up to?

Armchair BEA

Hi Everyone!

I just heard about the BEA that is being held in NYC next week.  I don’t know much about it (in fact, I’m going to the website once I post this), but I wanted to share it with all of you because it sounds fun!  I heard about it from Sarah over at Sarah Reads Too Much, so here is the link to her blog post about it!

The link above will take you to Sarah’s post about the Armchair BEA and the image below will take you to armchairbea.com.

Have fun

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

image courtesy of Google Images

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my blogger friends and readers who are moms!

Today we took my mom out to lunch to one of her favorite restaurants.  It was very yummy!

Sonny gave me a Mother’s Day card:

  

(his ears are one of my favorite things!  They’re so soft and cute, so this card was perfect!)

And my niece, who is also my Goddaughter, got me these flowers (she picked them out herself):

yes, I am using a pint glass as a vase. Classy.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Sewing Funtime (1)

Hi Everyone!

I feel like I’ve neglected the blog a bit this week.  I’ve participated in the weekly memes; I even posted some before I left for work, but I haven’t really been on to read much this week.  I try to catch up when I get home to see what my blog friends have been up to, but I also spend all day in front of a computer so I usually like to take a break before getting back on.

Anywho, I wasn’t on at all yesterday because I took a sewing class right from work.  My good friend Kim suggested it, so we signed up at the Boston Center for Adult Education and last night was the first class.  The instructor is totally bonkers, in a good way.  She had us cracking up.  We went over the supply list and the “syllabus”  for the 8-week course.  We are scheduled to make 2 pillows (one with a center button and one with a zipper) and a pair of pajama pants.  If time allows, we’ll also make a bolster pillow.  (the instructor describes it as a tootsie roll) I’ll post pictures as I make these things.

Once we were finished with the “syllabus” we moved onto actually “using” the machine.  I’ve never used a sewing machine before and never really had any idea of how the threading worked. So we learned our instructor’s method: drive on the highway, get off at the exit, make a U-turn, make a second U-turn, stop at the stop sign then go…

Then we learned about the bobbin, and how to add thread to it. We had to follow similar road rules for that.

We found out bobbin’s name is Bobby.  The machines we used have the bobbin loaded in the bottom, and when we insert the bobbin, we must make sure the thread hangs to the left, creating a letter “P”. So, bobby is a bad boy who lives in the basement and eats peanut butter cookies (or pecan pie) and we need to get him out of the basement.

I’m not making this up, this is how she taught us.  Clearly, it’s working. haha

Anyway, she would show us a step, have us copy it on our individual machines, and repeat the process for each step.  By the time we actually got ready to make any stitches, there was 5 minutes left, so we each got to make about 2 seams on scrap material (which we got to take home).

I’m really looking forward to the class and I think I’m going to enjoy it.  Thanks, Kim!

Watch out, Project Runway!

(Also,when Kim and I were leaving, we smelled some yummy things going on…maybe a cooking class is next…?)

Musings (Random Post #5)

I started this blog back in October, but really didn’t get into using it until a little while after that.  My initial intention was to use it for book reviews and discussions and basically to share what I’m reading with others.  The more I post, the more I feel like writing about things other than books.  So from time to time I may post some random, non-book related things, so just bear with me.  Maybe by beginning to write more about myself, I’ll hone my writing skills and will be able to write better reviews. Who knows?

I’ve always felt that I’m not really interesting enough to write about myself.  Granted, I started a livejournal back in 2003 and wrote in it frequently about (usually) mundane activities all throughout high school and college.  It’s funny to look back at some of those posts and see how naïve and young I was.  Or how I thought and acted (or reacted) in certain situations.  All a part of growing.  I’ve been told and have come to realize that I have a really good memory and while most of those events (or non-events as the case may be) could have been forgotten by now, my teenage self obviously thought they were worthy of being recorded and therefore aren’t forgotten.  Reading back on vacations and even those everyday activities helps me remember where I can from and what has made me who I am today.  Granted, most of those posts weren’t gems by any means, but that was me then and I wouldn’t change her for anything.

I’m going through the good ol’ livejournal and I was even posting up until last summer (here is a post about a few books I read last summer).   I posted stuff about knitting on there as well and even joined a knitting community there.  The last few posts (or posts after a long period of inactivity) start with “So I was re-reading old posts….”  or “It’s been a while since I last posted…” and I would talk about whatever I had mentioned in those earlier posts or re-capped since the last time I posted.  Sometimes there were months and months that went by between posts…especially after I left school and was not on a computer daily.

Check out the livejournal sometime if you want. It might be good for a laugh.

New Page (Random Post #4)

I added a new page to my site called “Contact.”

There is a form you can fill out to get in touch with me as well as my blog email address.

If you know of anyone looking to get their book reviewed, send them my way!

Thanks!

I love this time of year! (Random Post #3)

I love Christmas.  I love decorating and putting up a tree.  I love buying, wrapping and giving presents. I’m always happy this time of year.  This is my first Christmas living in my own place. And it will be nice for Mark and me to have our own Christmas morning together and start our own tradition. Before I moved, my sister, her kids and I would all get ready for Christmas together at my parents’ house.  Starting at 3 years old, my niece MaKayla would always stay in my room on Christmas Eve…all the easier for Santa to deliver the goods knowing I was keeping my eye on her. This year will be the first in 5 years that I won’t be with her on Christmas Eve, and that’s a little strange for me.  Once my nephew Anthony was born, he joined in the tradition, too.

MaKayla & Anthony, apple picking 2011

Our tree looks great and has been up since early November…in fact, I just looked at the time stamp of the first photo I took and it was on November 12, 2011.  That’s definitely the earliest I have ever put up a tree!

There are only a few edible presents (pet treats) that are not under the tree because Sonny, our dog, would have a field day. Last year, he ate an entire tub of dog treats (about 30) that were in a plastic container, sealed, and in the middle of a table…how he managed to get them we still have no idea!

Our stockings are hung (with care) by an old fireplace (though this photo was taken before we stuffed them).  The homeowners boarded it up a long time ago, I guess.  But it’s a perfect place to hang the stockings without Sonny being able to get them and worry about any candy melting near a fire or heater/radiator.

One of my favorite things from Christmas is a book my Meme (grandmother) made me. I honestly can’t even tell you how long I’ve had it (though I’m sure my mom would be able to tell me!) I’ve had it for a very long time, though. It’s a cloth Christmas Song Book, filled with Christmas carols: traditional (i.e. Jingle Bells) and religious ones (i.e. Silent Night).

Another thing I really love from Christmas is my ornament set.  Each year, my Meme would get a gold ornament set from the Danbury Mint for a grandchild.  After I got my set, my mom continued the tradition and I have three complete sets of golden ornaments. I could literally fill a whole tree with just those.  But I only put a few on my tree this year because I’m sharing it with Mark and it wouldn’t be fair for me to take it over.

Fantasy Coach, 1995

Each set came with twelve ornaments and then a specialty one. For 1995, it was the Fantasy Coach.

Waiting for Santa, 1999

I always thought this ornament was cute, with the detail: the fireplace, stockings, and the little boy.

Winter Cardinal, 2001

And I love this cardinal one because it reminds me of my Meme. She liked cardinals and we would sometimes see them through her kitchen window, sitting on the bird feeder she put out for them.  But we didn’t see them often.  Not too long after she died, some of us would randomly see a cardinal and think “oh, there she is.”  I still miss her very much.  I think Christmas was her favorite.  She always gave us oranges in our stockings.

With that, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year to you and your families.  May your holidays be filled with happiness and laughter and may you enjoy all that it brings!

(now if only we could get just a light dusting of snow on Christmas morning…)

Home Sweet Home (Random Post #2)

I’m back home

Aruba was fun, but I’m happy to be home; cold weather and all!  We had great weather for the most part, did some shopping,  went to a water aerobics class a few mornings, took a free salsa dancing class, and did a whole day, self-guided tour of the island with Jeeps. We got the Jeeps at 10am and didn’t get back to the hotels until about 5:30 or so.  It was so much fun!  We hit so many spots and saw so many things!

Here’s a run-down of our Jeep day:

We started off at Baby Beach after driving through the local, residential area.  All of the houses were so colorful!  But it was pretty amazing to see such a difference in the conditions of different houses, even if they were right next to each other.

Baby Beach

The water here is crystal clear and the sand feels so weird but cool at the same time; it’s sort of like a velvet-silk feeling.

We saw a lot of wild goats and donkeys while riding along the unpaved desert.

We saw the turbines on the island which could probably give power to the whole island…they are huge!

We ate at a restaurant in the middle of the desert, and the food was actually pretty good.

We went by the ruins of the old gold mines on the island (or at least, that’s what someone told me they were..hehe).

Then we went to the Natural Bridge, one of Aruba’s main attractions.

Natural Bridge

This bridge has collapsed due to time and the water, which is sad. It was already collapsed last year when I went, so I’ve only ever seen it complete in pictures.  But there is a new bridge forming.

"new" Natural Bridge

We were unable to get to the Natural Pool last year because they had really bad rain the week before we went so the roads were pretty flooded but this year we were able to get there so it was really cool to see it. I could see the fish swimming just below the surface. I wish I had taken my underwater camera with me but I forgot it. The water was great!  The only problem was that we had to climb down stairs cut into the rocks to get there and of course climb back up; I was ready for a nap after that climb! (especially since I had to do it in flip flops!)

Natural Pool

Our last stop was at the lighthouse, and we returned here later that night for dinner at the restaurant right next to it.

And of course, throughout most of this ride we were able to see the coast. We got a lot of great photo ops along the way. Sometimes when the water crashed against the rocks we could see a rainbow in the spray; I was able to get a good picture of it:

Now, to get down to business: I read four books while on my trip, starting at my arrival at the airport through the last full day (Saturday).  One of the things I love most about being on the beach is being able to lounge around and read.  I definitely spent a lot of time in the ocean and the pool too! I read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, Yoga Bitch by Suzanne Morrison, Locked in Time by Lois Duncan, and If Jack’s In Love by Stephen Wetta.  I’m getting ready to shut down for the night though, so I’ll make a separate post for the books tomorrow.

Travel Adventures…Never Leave Home Without a Book! (Random Post #1)

I’ll be heading off to Aruba on Sunday and obviously have my Kindle stocked with many books for my reading pleasure.  But of course, growing up as a Girl Scout I learned to Be Prepared so I’m also bringing a few “real” books with me as well.  The Kindle is fully charged and I don’t intend on turning the 3G on, so the battery should last.  But, I always like to have options around and I do have a few “real” books I’ve been meaning to get around to anyway….

As soon as I get to the airport I’ll have that book on…and for the duration of the flight…and while lounging on the beach…

(photo from Google Images)

I’m very excited to head off to Aruba.  This will be my second time there.  I’m going with Mark and his family. We’re going to snorkel (which we did last year and was very fun!) and we’re going to rent jeeps for a day to explore the other side of the island (also did this last year and was awesome and HYSTERICAL!).

We’re planning to go see the Natural Pool which we were unable to do last year.  And I know I’m picturing it incorrectly in my head, but I’ll go with it for now.  I want to do the horseback riding on the beach, but no one else wants to do it with me.  And frankly, I’m not going to go by myself…  Maybe some other time! Or maybe I can convince someone else…

But mainly, our trip will consist of lounging on the beach, enjoying the 12-5 Happy Hour at Sassy’s Den (a beach-bar…she is awesome and we’re all looking forward to seeing her again), and checking out different restaurants each night.  On the list of restaurants to attack are: Azzuro, Madame Jeanette’s, El Gaucho, Texas de Brazil, The Flying Fishbone…. and well, I think there were maybe 2 or 3 others, but I forget them right now.  We’ve been to all but Azzuro and The Flying Fishbone.

Have any of you ever been to Aruba?  What do you recommend doing/seeing/eating?