Jen Bowles Design

NYC in a day: Christmas Edition, Part 2

We pick up the story of our NYC adventure just as we're leaving Central Park and heading to The World's Most Crowded Greatest Toy Store. As if the wall-to-wall people all day weren't enough of an indication, having to wait in line to go into FAO Schwarz was a sure sign that it's Christmas in NYC.  At least the line moved quickly.  Our first stop once inside was another line...for:  the Big Piano.

Aren't these girls too cute?

Oops, I mean these girls!

Ebby was disappointed to find that the $25k Barbie foos ball table was gone, so the girls had to make new friends...

When we hit the streets again after FAO, it was dark and Ebby was beginning to realize that her friend's boots, while cute, make not have been the best selection for footwear for a day a walking in NYC.  No matter, we persevered onto Dylan's Candy Bar.

So many mouth-watering treats...

This display from the rainbow bulk candy wall was my favorite:

Purchases were made by all here, including me who got something for Ebby's stocking ~ right under her nose.  So sneaky!

A stop across the street at Bloomingdale's meant a quick cruise through Magnolia (to check the scenery, no cupcakes this time) for me...

Meanwhile the girls went to find somewhere to sit down for 10 minutes.  #seriously.

Re-energized, it was time to head back downtown--on foot.  Love how the city transforms at night...and I love that woman's leopard print coat.  So New York.

Our final desitination of the day:  Times Square.

 

Our first stop in Times Square was Jamba Juice.  What can I say, we were thirsty.  Out in the heart of Times Square, it was people aplenty. 

For the record, I cannot imagine being here for New Year's Eve.  Actually, I can imagine it and it involves an astronaut diaper, aching feet & neck, and general sensory overload.  We looked up, we saw the Centennial ball for this year.  I'm good.  I'll watch the rest from my couch.

Times Square is an experience for sure.

The girls shopped (and sat) at Forever 21

Saw the ferris wheel at Toys R Us

And took in the, um, unique atmosphere...Kids, stay in school and don't become this guy:

Finally, around 7:30, we emerged and made the final 6 block push back to 34th St. to the bus stop.  It seems however that the crowd and the giant strawberry-banana-orange Jamba Juice did not agree with Ebby.  We had to make a pit stop at Duane Reade for Pepto Bismol tablets, gum, and water.  For a few minutes it looked like Ebby might hurl right there on the streets on Manhattan.  Luckily, a.  I brought a doggie (poop) bag to use as a puke bag on the bus, just in case and b.  she didn't hurl after all.  By a little after 8pm we were gathered at the Bolt Bus stop next to the Tick Tock Diner awaiting our chariot home.

It was a fun-filled whirlwind of a day for sure.  It's always fun seeing NYC dressed up for the holidays.  On our next trip though we might skip Midtown altogether.  Chelsea, SoHo, TriBeCa, and the East Village are calling my name.  I'm going to see what I can do about answering come Spring!

Thanks for stopping by...

 

 

Beach Trip

Going to the beach was written on the kitchen chalkboard to-do list last weekend so of course we had to go.

Even if Bobby Law "tweaked his back" and had to stay home.  He was grimacing in pain very convincingly as he helped me pack the car...

Ridin' solo, that's me.  Solo plus 4 kids:  Ebby, Ebby's friend K, Will and Cuyler.

Usually when we go to the beach any foul moods, grumpiness and/or whiny-ness that has surfaced ahead of our departure disipates once we get there.  Usually.

This time we had issues right up until we were packing  to head home.  Then everyone was finally  happy all at the same time. 

No major meltdowns or anything, just a nagging buzz of discontent (texting drama, wanting to read in the car, Mommy crankiness, etc.).  Still, we managed to have a pretty good evening.  And I've got the pictures to prove it...

The sand was extra soft and deep.  Even the Harbormaster on his ATV stayed clear of the deep ruts.

It wasn't too crowded but it was windy so we set up beside the car.

A variety of amusements were unpacked

The boys unearthed a treasure

Cuyler wanted to take it home so I could use it in my junk garden, but alas, it didn't fit too well in Dad's car.  I couldn't imagine how I'd explain that a rusty metal fence post ripped a tear in his leather upholstery...so we left the pole at the beach.

We did bring this rock home.  Cuyler found it and it looks like it's been painted with black watercolor.  Very cool.

After successfully grilling 4 hamburgers and 2 hotdogs, it was time for s'mores. 

I am such a master marshmallow roaster.

I brought along a new addition to the fixins.

The girls approved.

After dinner Cuyler did a scientific demonstration involving rocks inside a sand bucket.

{Spoiler:  The rocks didn't fall out of the bucket}

The beach was very rocky and seaweed abounded, likely due to the nor'easter earlier in the week. That meant there wasn't much swimming, although all 4 of them went down to the water at one point.  

My peace lasted about 3 minutes before they came back.

Soon afterward, E & K went for a walk.  I still can't believe they found and came back with this:

First of all, who leaves a huge bunch of balloons on the beach??  Second of all, what a great photo prop! 

Third of all, we're environmentally responsible so we popped all the balloons and picked up all the debris and put it in our trash.  No birds will choke because of our negligence.

Ok, all but one balloon.  Cuyler took this little one home.

As we packed up and headed out we were treated to the remains of a beautiful sunset.

Until next time DUX,

 

NYC: Street Scenes and Pre Teen Beauty Queens

During our 10 hours in New York City, we managed to see and do quite a bit.  When you're in someplace like NYC it's hard not to.  I thought I'd share some of our more memorable outdoor sights...

Whereas it was Veteran's Day, we were able to see the amazing Veteran's Day parade--several times over the span of 4 hours.  Incredible and inspiring.     

Along with veterans, there was another group of people celebrating the fact that it was 11-11-11:  Brides!  And grooms too I'm sure, but we saw no less than 4 brides during the day.

This one in Central Park was the fanciest {hello, faux (I'm hoping) fur wrap}

Our favorite was this bridal entourage in Times Square.  One of the bridesmaids is even pushing a stroller--love it!

Me & E in Crazy Town Times Square:

Of course in New York there are all sorts of characters, around Times Square they're on every corner.

Harry Potter in Rockefeller Center was the only one Ebby wanted to have her picture taken with ;-).

In Bryant Park not only was there outdoor skating, but also a ragtag bunch of "football players".  Turns out they were promoting the Rutgers-Army football game the next day.

Also waiting for an event that took place the next day:  all of the folks camped outside NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center.  They were waiting for, yes, Saturday Night Live entry.  Lots of laptops, cardboard on the ground and blankets.  I thought the couple on the air mattress had the best idea.

Amidst all of our weaving and bobbing around street closures for the parade in and around 5th Avenue, we spied this on a closed side street near St. Patrick's Cathedral:

At first I had no idea why there was a donkey in the middle of NYC.  Upon closer inspection I noted the Wounded Warrior Project blanket on his back and figured he was there for the Veteran's Day parade.  Turns out we actually saw our very first celebrity donkey:  Smoke.  Read about Smoke's incredible journey from Iraq to American therapy donkey here.

Next something totally ridiculous:  a gaggle of pre-teen beauty queen bedecked in sparkly tiaras, award declaring sashes and, of course, Uggs.        

I couldn't take my eyes away.

And speaking of eyes, I was nearly moved to tears {sometimes I'm a bit extra sensitive} when we witnessed a small act of kindness after evening had fallen:  a blind man accidently swiped the back of the legs of a young woman with his cane as he approached a street corner.  She turned to see what hit her and instead of annoyance,  offered her arm and escorted the man across the street.  Then she proceeded to walk with him  2 more blocks to the bus stop that was his destination.  When she turned around and headed back in the opposite direction it was clear she'd gone out of her way to help the man.  Random act of kindess in the big city...

Night in Manhattan can be a magical time, with millions of  lights transforming the city.

Grand Central Station with the Chrysler Building in the background

Hundreds of votive candles on the steps of the New York Public Library

I must admit though, my favorite street scene photos were taken during the day, on 5th Avenue.  We found ourselves on a section of the street that was shut down to cars but was beyond the parade route--which left us with a golden opportunity:

I tried to tell Ebby that it isn't every day you get to stand IN THE MIDDLE OF 5TH AVENUE.  Too.  cool.

Just like my girl in the big city ♥.

Pin-spiration: Beach Photos

Today's Pin-spiration comes from my Great Shots pinboard.  This board is where I pin ideas for photos I want to {attempt} to take or photos I just think are cool. Or adorable. Or both ☺.

This frame in the sand idea looked both interesting and do-able so I decided to try it out for some photos on Ebby's birthday.  I picked a chunky frame from my collection of discards in the garage and spray painted it Krylon's Watermelon pink.  Mmmm, juicy...

For her birthday dinner (back in July), Ebby had chosen to go to the beach for pizza, cupcakes and a campfire.  I packed a few props and my camera.  I must say, she was such a good sport to let me take a whole bunch of pictures on the far-from-deserted beach that evening.

Here's what we ended up with...

First I tried to set it up just like the Pin-spiration photo:

Excellent!  That is if I wanted 3 extra people, including Will, in the photo.

I tried again.  This time I focused on the frame, experimenting with depth of field.

Clearly, not all experiments succeed.

At that point Will had had enough.  Flee, young boy!

I decided the whole downward slope of the beach was working against me so we re-grouped and turned ourselves around.  Instead of the ocean in the background, the dunes.

I like dunes.

Just a bit more tweaking...

Finally, a keeper. 

I love how this photo evolved from the inspiration shot.  Ebby's position on the sand and the addition of the glittery Wish word helped make this our own.  Once again, thank you Pinterest!

{Pinterest source here, original source here for Pinspiration photo}

Now go ahead, pin something!

Pin-spiration: Birthday cake

By now we've all had our lives taken over enriched by Pinterest, right?  Not only is the site a huge vortex of  eye candy, sucking you in and only releasing you after you've been there for at least an hour great way to organize all the great ideas and images you see all over the web, it's an endless source of inspiration. 

And I'm happy to say, inspiration that often translates into action.  As in, I actually do projects inspired by ideas I've pinned (or repinned, as the case may be).  Double bonus!

Today's pin-spired project is from this summer:  Cuyler's birthday cake.

As soon as I saw this cake on Pinterest {original source: here}, I showed it to Cuyler.  That boy loves Kit Kats.  Loves.  He has a healthy, er unhealthy, respect for plain M&Ms as well.  When I asked him what kind of birthday cake he wanted, there wasn't much hesitation.

Cuyler's cake, while not quite as polished as the inspiration photo, was pretty easy to put together.  I made a chocolate layer cake and frosted it with homemade vanilla buttercream.  The only tricky part about sticking the Kit Kats on was the fact that it was July...and humid--which means the Kit Kats were melting in my hands as I was trying to put them on the cake.  Luckily the humidity did not affect the taste ;-). The frosting acts as glue, holding the Kit Kats and M&Ms in place.

And that's it.

Just add a candle, make a wish and enjoy.

I'm happy to report that Cuyler gave his cake two thumbs up!

8th Grade Class Night

I'm officially almost the parent of a high schooler.   

Almost.  No need to rush things! 

Though Ebby doesn't  get out of school for summer break until this Friday, last Friday the 8th Graders had 'Class Night'.  Held at the middle school, it was a night to celebrate with friends, food, photos, a DJ & dancing and no pesky parent chaperones (not to worry, there were plenty of staff chaperones).  Of course that means that pre-Class Night, us parents were out in full force--with cameras.

First we took a few pictures at home with just Ebby.

That Green Cord is not a drapery tieback, it's something the school awards to students who achieve First Honors for all 3 trimesters, all 3 years of middle school.  My eyes may have welled up a bit when I was up on stage with her on Friday afternoon at the 8th Grade Awards Ceremony...  So proud.

Ebby got her dress back in early March at Charlotte Russe, sans drama and sans high price tag.

She wore her add-a-pearl necklace that Bubbe is stringing for her each year on her birthday.

Black nails for a little bit of an edge.

And this one just because I really like it :-).

Then it was time to head over to Ebby's friend Katherine's house for  group photos.

Practicing for prom photos...

Black and white was a popular choice for dresses.

One of the moms suggested the jumping pose, always fun.

Finally, the whole group was assembled.  9 kids meant 9 cameras.  And to think Ebby was worried about me wanting to take too many pictures.

A great group and a great night!

Congratulations Ebby, xoxo

OBX: Wild Horses, #1

One of the main reasons we chose to stay in the 4x4 area of the Outer Banks during our recent Spring Break trip was quite simple:  the horses.  And it makes me feel better to  continually justify having an 8 passenger 4WD SUV.  Our vehicle was full to the brim with stuff and people and without it we'd have had to stay where they have, gasp, paved roads.  None of that for us, we're adventurers!

On a 10 mile long, 1800 acre portion of the northern Outer Banks in Currituck County over 100 wild horses, descendants of Colonial Spanish Mustangs, roam free.  The refuge is accessible only by foot or 4WD vehicle and features a fence on either end that runs from the ocean, across the terrain, to Currituck Sound.  You can read all about these wonderful animals and what is being done to protect them on the Corolla Wild Horse Fund website. 

Our first wild horse sighting came early Monday morning when all the children were still asleep.  Bobby Law came in and alerted me with great enthusiasm.  4 horses were grazing at the house on the corner, not far from us.  I grabbed my camera and we dashed outside.  The wild horse ordinance states that you must not approach, feed, harm or kill the horses.  People are to remain at least 50 feet away from horses.  That being said, thank goodness for my 70-300mm zoom lens!

Aren't they so cool?

Afterwards Bobby Law told me he thought one of the horses in the group looked "funny".       Maybe you can see where this is going.  Let's just say we are obviously not equine experts...

Fast forward to Friday afternoon.  I was showering and heard a good deal of commotion both inside the house and on the exterior wooden stairs.  I had no idea what was going on but I was enjoying the peace and spaciousness of the shower so I wasn't too concerned.  Suddenly Bobby Law burst into the bathroom shouting "Horses!" and "Baby!".  Within 90 seconds I was dressed, put a hat on my wet hair and ran out with my camera.

Same house, same horses.  Plus {an adorable} one!  There was quite a crowd gathered.  When I first arrived the baby horse, I mean foal, was lying on the grass.  Soon though, he/she stood up.  So, so cool.     I couldn't stop taking pictures.  You never know how long the horses are going to stay around.       About 10 minutes or so after I arrived on the scene, the gang decided they'd had enough and 4 of them, including mom and baby, took off running.  That was an amazing sight in itself.  The leader of the pack (stallion?) waited on the hill and then joined the group as they galloped over the dunes.

We were all just left shaking our heads at the wonder of what we'd just seen.  The highlight of a great vacation.

It wasn't until after we got home and I uploaded the photos from my camera onto my computer that we fully realized what (we think) happened.  We're pretty sure the "funny looking" horse we saw on Monday was the same horse that had the foal with her on Friday.  And, again, we're no experts, but that foal looked pretty brand-spankin'-new to us.

Mother Nature, thank you and we are in awe!

 

Vintage Mr. Potato Head

Over the past couple of months I've doing some work at my mom's house cleaning out her basement.  Let's just say she's got a lot of stuff down there.  When I first started there was a lot of flat out trash--water damaged boxes, old carpets, dried up cans of paint.  After a while though, we started to get to the good stuff.  Among my favorite boxes we've uncovered so far are those containing memorablia from my mom's childhood.  There are cards, letters, coloring books, toys and games.  Quite the treasure trove.

This Mr. Potato Head is from the 1940s.  Luckily there wasn't an actual potato still in there ;-).

And look at that, Mr. Potato Head was just one vegetable you could give some personality.  

I love all the names of the funny face pieces.  Dapper Dan hat with the Ski nose and Toothy mouth?  Sounds good to me.

Excuse me while I go and find a beet to decorate!

BabyCakes Bakery at Downtown Disney

A couple of weeks before Christmas we were fortunate enough to take a family vacation to Walt Disney World.  Joined by both Bubbe (my mom) and Nana (my mother-in-law) we spend 5 fun-filled days at the 'happiest place on earth'.  While there we saw lots of Disney characters:  Mickey Mouse, Chip and Dale, Mary Poppins, Erin McKenna...

What's that?  Erin McKenna isn't a Disney character??

You're right, she's not but she is a cookbook author and the proprietress of BabyCakes, New York's premier vegan, gluten-free bakery.  In the past year  BabyCakes has expanded beyond the Big Apple, opening a bakery in Los Angeles last January and more recently, at Downtown Disney in Florida.

It just so happened that our first day at Disney coincided with the grand opening celebration at BabyCakes Downtown Disney.  Hello free brownie bites and Erin McKenna book signing.

Just to be clear, no one in my family has any issues with gluten, dairy or sugar.  We (I) just love yummy baked goods and after baking up a few treats from Erin's first cookbook last year when I checked it out of the library, I was hooked. 

{psst...Erin has another cookbook coming out in a few months}

In fact, Bubbe declared her BabyCakes vanilla cupcake one of the best she's ever had.

Serendipitously,  it was my birthday.  Thus my family (i.e. the boys) had no choice but to bow to my wishes.  And my wish was to trek to BabyCakes between 1-2pm, buy a cookbook and some cupcakes and meet Erin☺.

Mission {deliciously} accomplished.

And now thanks to Erin's helpful message inside my cookbook, baking Babycakes treats at home will be smoother than ever ;-).

 

Merry Christmas to you!

from all of us!