Gloomy Tuesday

Today I woke up to the radio informing me that there was a chance of rain in New York City this afternoon and overnight, and it made me feel positively cozy. Yesterday was freezing - in my humble opinion - namely, I think, because moving from a  mid-60's winter to the mid-40's fall in the span of one day was a bit shocking. Today, thanks to the cloud cover threatening showers, the weather is significantly warmer (we're talking early 50's here people!) to the point that I did not even need my coat en route to work. Still, the promise of rain gets me excited for the prospect of a hot cuppa and some warm socks this evening.

 

And I'm Back!

I hope no one cried too hopelessly over my absence on Thursday and Friday. Your stoicism and bravery in the face of temporary abandonment is heartwarming and bolstering, to say the least! Rest assured that I had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving holiday back in sunny Southern California. I visited with family and friends, ate until I thought I would burst, and finally got my Mexican food craving satiated - for a quick minute, anyway. Coming back to NYC was still exciting, even the cold air felt somehow home-y, and it made me realize that it will be a telling situation if returning to this side of the country ever fills me with anything but enthusiasm. I suppose time will tell, nothing stays new and exciting forever.

Regardless, while my Thanksgiving was incredible and I did take some photographic proof of the good times, these photos were taken on my camera, not my phone. Therefore, I am unable to upload anything for your visual perusal. See? Miss my system now, dontcha. To keep with the Thanksgiving reminiscing, please enjoy some Peanuts Thanksgiving celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well friends, Thanksgiving feasting will begin tomorrow - truly a day intended for us to give thanks for our family, friends, health and happiness, but punctuated with general gluttony - and I will not be posting anything Thursday or Friday. Truth be told, a total of 12 hours flying-time book-ending a whirlwind 2 1/2 days spent seeing and catching up with family and friends, would leave little to no time for me to post anything of interest. Add to this the fact that I intend to coerce family members to help me quell my Mexican food cravings many times over, and there might not be much time for anything outside of eating this weekend.

Thus, I leave you with beautiful and artistic images of what could have been done with my un-carved mini-gourds if only I had stumbled upon these inspirations earlier. I hope everyone stateside has the happiest of Thanksgiving celebrations this weekend, and that those of you not celebrating, have a wonderfully relaxing weekend yourselves. See you on the flip side!

Last of the Leaves!

In the states, Thanksgiving is almost here and I can already tell that winter is close on its tail. As I was walking to work yesterday I realized just how bare some of the trees are getting. The contrast is making those trees that do indeed still have brightly-colored leaves that much more impressive. Thus, as we hit the middle of our short workweek, I present to you images of the last remnants of falls colors, the city has been ablaze with colors in the opinion of this humble blogger, although I have been informed by more than a few jaded New Yorkers that this fall has been short and moody, and that it was a shame my first New York fall couldn't have been more colorful. Fear not, lovely Big Apple neighbs, my first taste of a true fall has been nothing short of mesmerizing.

 

I do think, admittedly, that part of what makes fall so beautiful to me is the colors and the architecture of the buildings all throughout Manhattan, which serve as the backdrop for these leaves (of which there really were more reds and oranges than any of my pictures served to capture). I think the city will be just as mesmerizing when all tree branches are bare.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I did it! I stayed true to my spoken intention! I made these cookies, compliments of direction from rockstar diaries, and let me just say, they rocked my socks off. The pumpkin keeps the cookies remarkably moist, and the chocolate chips are a wonderful flavor-craze addition. I ate my weight in them yesterday as they baked (nevermind the cookie dough samples, which were inevitable) so I left 2 for the apartment and brought the rest in to work this morning. With any luck things go well coworker-wise, and I won't see people walking away from the kitchen wincing from samples. Of course, it is me, so thus far whenever people have mentioned, "Hey, there's cookies in the kitchen..." I have to crow, "I know! I made them!" What can I say? Subtlety has never been my strong point.

Christmas is Coming!

I was lucky enough, as I ran some errands after work yesterday, to come upon the unveiling of Macy's holiday window displays. Being a newbie, I was unaware this was a pre-Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition, but the crowds outside of the store were immense, and there was singing and palpable excitement in the air. I gazed at the brightly lit tree and continued on, but am going to have to sneak away to peek at the windows! The Lord & Taylor I walk past on my way to work each day has had holiday windows out for a couple days now, and I can't tell you how giddy I got the first day I trotted past to gaze upon them!

{Macy's Window Unveiling}

{Lord & Taylor's Display Windows}

They're little dolls and moving doll houses, all celebrating!

Being as it is not yet Thanksgiving, however, I am going to cling to the fall season for a few more days. I plan on bringing all my senses in on the action by making some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this weekend. It's been on my mental to-do list since October and now that our oven is fixed and I have the necessary baking tools, I intend to make good on this! I'll report back on Monday if they are at all a success. (And if they don't go the way of my mini-jack-o-lanterns...)

Quotables

Oftentimes, when I'm not feeling inspired in any particular direction, I turn to various blogs around the web for quote inspirations. Ironically, today is one of those crisp fall days when I feel sort of vaguely inspired by just the act of being alive and living in Manhattan after so many years of thinking about it. Yet that vague inspiration isn't pushing me in any particular direction for a post this morning, except that I am generally happy. Happy it's a Thursday, happy I have a less packed weekend than the previous to look forward to, just generally in good spirits. So, here are some quotes to give you something to look at, basically. Happy Thursday!

“She’s not the type of girl to wait by the phone, she won’t cry, she knows it’ll get her nowhere, she’ll laugh a lot and often, and 
she will live her own life. She would like you
to be a part of it, but she will do just fine
without you.”

Hooray for Harrisburg!

Now that I'm an East Coaster, I'm going to do my darndest to get out and see all that this coast has to offer. First on my list? A trip to Harrisburg, PA to visit some dear, dear friends in the midst of holiday cheer. I've never been outside of Philadelphia (and even then I was a young'un, and plan to re-visit Philly one day), and am incredibly excited to see this whole darling family and to peruse the amazing new home that has been built, all in a whirlwind trip! First Vacation from the new job - here I come! And now, a little map of where I'll be (I've got a month to go yet, but I'm just giddy!)

{Harrisburg, PA}

{The dears with whom I'll be visiting, and myself.}

Fierce, right?

Organized Obsession

Despite the fact that I never seem able to keep things neat consistently, and instead require mass clean-ups every few days, I am obsessed with being organized and tidy. I'm the worst kind too, because if it's my mess I don't see it, but if it's anyone else's I become obsessive about trying to tidy it up. Apologies to all, friends and roommates. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, and maintain tidiness in my own space, enjoying my beautiful hardwood floors is easier if they are not strewn with outfits from the past weekend. Now that I have a dresser and am fully unpacked, the maintenance of both the dresser and my closets is key. These closets, from Cupcakes and Cashmere, and The Glamourai, offer definite inspiration to keep myself tidy and able to enjoy - and see - the things I own!

Monday, Monday

You most certainly cannot trust a Monday, and being as I had a comparatively rambunctious weekend, today was harder than most. Still, this star sign spread that The Short and the Sweet of It turned me on to, seems like as good a post as any for a day that finds me tired and strangely puffy in the face. Kudos to feasting and imbibing! As a self-proclaimed Lorpio (I was born a Leo but was supposed to have been born a Scorpio), I have included both these star sign photos below for your visual enjoyment.

 {Leo}

{Scorpio}

Dresser Debacle

Okay, so this wasn't actually a debacle of epic proportions - and I am honestly incredibly proud of the result - I made an attempt to customize a dresser and there were inevitably a few small errors. The knobs don't descend in a completely straight line, I know, I know. However, all-in-all, I like the results of this DIY dresser.

Okay not DIY dresser. All I did was add knobs. I know, I made it sound like I actually built a dresser. I bought an IKEA dresser, and decided I wanted knobs to break up the severeness of the dark color. I went with a set of simple, round, clear knobs from Anthropologie, being as I felt they would go delightfully well with my new awesome lamp. (Oh, did you somehow miss that post? About my total infatuation? Go ahead, scroll down.) Measured as best I could to find the middle of each drawer, I pre-screwed through the drawer face and then screwed in the knobs. Easy-peas-y (though my right forearm is sore). And Voila!

 {Before}

{After}

There are some tweaks that still need to be done - the bottom drawer's knob was put on prior to my realization that the knobs, conveniently, came with a nut to secure on the other side of the drawer face. So I have to get some pliers to remove it now that the knob spins independently of anything else. I also screwed one of the upper knobs in at an angle, and will have to remove it to straighten it out. (Hey, I'm new at this DIY thing, and I tend to get ahead of myself and skip steps in everything I do, so why would this be any different? Exactly. It wasn't.) But I still am pretty content with the current state of things. It felt good to create the actual version of this idea I had in my head. Now, go ahead, spot the errors! And Happy Friday!

PS - I just realized that the second picture from the bottom is a little nauseating. My apologies. I swear I was holding my phone still. Oh. Yeah. Still using the phone for my pictures. Even though I have now unpacked my actual camera. I'll get to it. I promise.

Thank you to all our Veterans!

Being as today is Veterans Day, I just wanted to say Thank You to all the men and women who have, and who continue to, serve our country and risk making the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom as a nation. Three of my grandparents served in the armed forces, and several friends continue in their stead. Thank you to every one of you.

Tres Chic, Magnifique!

I am in love. I ordered a bedside table from Target, and a lamp from Pottery Barn for my new, fabulously sun-lit room, and they have arrived and I am head-over-heels. Seriously. I'm making a first love look jaded and bitter with this set-up. It feels decadent and pristine, I feel like I'm in a hotel every time I glance at it!

 {nighttime look}

{daytime look}

Curtains, curtains, who's got the curtains!

Anyone catch the Dweedle-Dee and Dweedle-Dum-isms of that title? Anyway, I've got the curtains! That's right, I hung up 3 curtains in each of 3 exposed windows in my new apartment - my room, the dining nook (I love it, but that ain't a room), and the kitchen. The windows don't let in all that much light as they all face our neighboring building, but I wanted to give at least the illusion of some privacy without blocking the light completely. Thus, I went with cafe curtains, covering the bottom half of the windows but keeping the upper half completely uncovered. I think they turned out very well, all said.

 {Dining Nook Window - Before}

{Dining Nook Window - After}

The real kicker? There was absolutely no hemming involved. Home Depot was my one-stop-shop for the spring rods and the curtains themselves, but as they were not the iron-a-hem sort of curtains I had a moment of doubt whether or not they should just be returned. Still, I decided to try a hare-brained technique, and the trick worked! I simply folded the curtains under themselves from the bottom, and they were just long enough that they provided a sort of insta-valance over the top of each curtain! My grandmother was excited for me when I told her, and it's saying something when one's grandmother will take a short-cut-technique-to-partial-privacy and congratulate you on it.

{Curtained Bedroom Window}

{Curtained Kitchen Window; the bottom section is a screen hence no curtain-coverage}

Gray Skies and Cheery Mornings

As one who considers herself to be at least aware of the harm humans wreck on the environment, I have to shamefacedly admit to you that up until scarily recently, I was using the paper cups my office provides for my daily coffee fix. I know, I'm sorry. There was a snafu with a mug I thought I had but which I never found, and I couldn't bear to purchase a random mug when I knew there was one a dear friend had made for me somewhere in my midst. Finally, however, I gave up on ever finding said homemade mug, and purchased a generic one. One with which I am now completely in love. So cheery on these gray New York days! So yellow and perfect for tea!

In other news, the pumpkins which I never carved have found a new home in my new room on the wonderfully wide window panes that only New York seems able to provide. And yes, that is candy corn in the background. And yes, it was devoured in about 2 days. What can I say? Girl's gotta sweet tooth. Also, everyone wave to my neighbs! We can all see in each others windows all the time. And no one seems concerned about closing blinds or curtains. Makes for a rather communal arrangement.

Stay tuned, I hung curtains in this very window recently, and as I am not the most crafty person alive, I am eager to explain to you all just how I managed the curtain-hanging endeavor. It's a gripping tale. Not really, but pictures will be forthcoming.

Oh the weather outside...

Now with the time change over and done with, and a gloomy, windy Monday to boot, it feels like winter is upon us. The toughest part being, of course, that winter is not at all upon us. It is only fall and already I am understanding why there's always women in the bathroom doing their make-up at work. The wind is too cold, the eyes tear too much, and wearing mascara en route to work is just foolishness. It is weather like this that makes me wish I had a fireplace. Or my own place so I could buy a fake fireplace and set it up in the living room where most people's TVs take residence. That's right, I'd have a fake fireplace if such was all that was available to me. And I would not be ashamed. In the meantime, I have to imagine a future home with a fireplace - fake or otherwise - so here are some pictures to offer me inspiration.