lower manhattan

last night i was watching shows on my dvr, one of which was the finale of the tv show America's Next Great Restaurant.  i wanted Spice Coast to win, and planned to try it today, which would have put me in lower manhattan walking past Ground Zero.  instead Soul Daddy won.  i wasnt that keen on trying it, but then when i was watching Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen told me that Osama bin Laden was killed.  i immediately opened up my computer to see what was going on.  having frequently checked in on the construction progress at Ground Zero, i decided that today was another good day to see the progress.  below are photos.

my thoughts and prayers remain with the 9/11 victims and their families.  thank you to the police, firefighters, navy seals and all responders.

walking

i love walks, so its nothing new for me, but i did spend a good two hours today on a walk, which was an unusually long, enjoyable time.  it was so nice to spend so much time enjoying myself and seeing the sites.  i saw two grown men playing with a remote control car.  i went to go browse a new biergarten that is being built, nothing much to see actually yet, i wish it would open soon.  there were quite a few apartments for sale.  i stopped in to an unfinished furniture business i didnt know existed, so lovely, made me wish i had room for more furniture.  it was a gorgeous day and many others were out enjoying themselves.  many friendly hellos and smiles.  i also wore my shapeups, so i hopefully burned a few more calories than usual.

bucket list

what's on your bucket list?

heres mine:

1. Learn to play golf. 

2. Understand how to score a tennis game. 

3. See the Sistine Chapel. 

4. Visit Mayan ruins. 

5. Participate in an archaeological dig in Egypt. 

6. Run a marathon. 

7. Learn how to sew clothes that I would actually wear.  (so close!)

8. Learn how to navigate using the stars. 

9. Learn how to drive a stick shift. 

10. Safari in Africa. 

11. Take a singing lesson. 

12. Sail the Mediterranean. 

13. See the Northern Lights. 

14. Snowboard the Alps. 

15. See the Great Wall of China. 

16. See Harajuku girls. 

17. Take an origami class in Japan. 

18. Design Legos. 

19. Ride in a helicopter. Completed June  14, 2010!  Turns out I get airsick. Goodtimes.

20. Learn to surf. 

21. Get my PE. Completed January 7, 2010! 

22. Own a home. 

23. Cook Thanksgiving dinner. 

24. See Punxsutawney Phil.

royal wedding

im excited.  the royal wedding is upon us.  ive been dvring lots of programs.  im thinking about my menu and of course my outfit.  im jazzed, i cant hide it.  obviously ive been making fascinators like mad recently, but i have also been thinking about my curtsying and tea making abilities, just in case, you never know.

im hosting my "dream night" of the wedding program et al and i cant wait.  i may be slightly nervous for when its all over, what do we do then?!  but im sure we can just keep up with her fashion etc.  lets cross that bridge when we come to it.

update

its been a while!

i turned 30, briefly freaked out about turning 30 and came full circle about not worrying about 30, good times.

in the meantime, i had a few girlfriends come by my place who were able to hem my dress for me.  it was the final step towards finishing my first sewing project!  i couldnt gauge how long it should be while also wearing the garment, quite the conundrum.  i am due to visit my friend a new mom tomorrow so i think i will schedule the final sewing for friday.  i must admit that after almost 75% complete i got intimidated by the sleeves.  but then my boyfriend asked me to patch one of his shirts, so i said, ok fab, let me fix this.  and i did!  with that new found confidence i finished the sleeves of my dress, not exactly as they suggested, but finished indeed.  and now i feel like a million bucks.  hemming here i come!

a week ago i also went to my library to renew anna karenina.  fantastic book, but really long.  i am at about page 300 of 800.  yikes.  i enjoy it and easy read i will say, but just really long.

bacon

bacon.  i have generally not minded bacon, even loved it occasionally, but never spent much time appreciating it or buying it.  there was something about seeing the fat that made me not want to eat it.

then a few weeks back i was going to a friends potluck and she had requested Zucchini Boats, having seen the recipe in my cookbook.  i grew up loving the ones my mom made, so i figured why not.  it called for bacon, so i bought a whole package.  the boats were a success!  i told my mom about making them and she said i didnt have her recipe since she never used bacon, which is funny since i copied the recipe from her cookbook.

anywho, i had all of this bacon left over.  not exactly knowing what to do with it i started eating bacon like it was going out of style. 

i had bacon and cheddar on baked potatoes.

then there was bacon, onion and sour cream on a baked potato.

bacon, egg and cheese on toast.

bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel.

bacon sandwich.

and my favorite, which makes me sad that i discovered it as my bacon supply was running low was iceberg lettuce, bacon and blue cheese dressing.  mmmmm

i just bought another package, turkey bacon this time, and had a delicious salad.  it was a delicious decision since iceberg and blue cheese just isnt as exciting once ive tasted it with bacon!

fascinators

i have been obsessed with all things fancy dress england for a number of years now.  the best aspect of this obsession is fascinators!! 

over the summer my friends and i went on a mission to find me a fascinator in chi (chichester) for my friends wedding in vt.  what a fabulous day!  it was magical!  we started the day with breakfast at the old navy and proceeded to see every fascinator shop and m+s (i also had a twiggy eco-friendly bag obsession that was happily fullfilled that day). we had such a great time, and i walked away with three amazing fascinators.  i felt like a million bucks!!

ever since then i have enjoyed wearing my fascinators and sharing with others.  my friends and i have said we should import them or make them ourselves.  so this weekend, i decided to start making them!  it has been lots of fun, and i am already seeing results.  i wore one out to dinner last night, and was asked for my contact info for buying, yeah! 

soon to post photos on facebook, and going to get going on etsy.  im excited.  i really enjoy making them, and i stopped by my local sewing store for fabric today.  i stumbled upon beautiful lace from a lingerie store that went out of business.  gorgeous.  im already envisioning the fabulousness to be created!

here is a preview of the fascinators!