Merry Christmas!

Rock Center Tree

Gingerbread house 2010!

Where's Buster?

My homemade dog treats

The dog treats I made last week. Buster and his pals loved them! I'm so domestic Haha

Baking spree pictures

Yummy two tier double chocolate cake with crushed candy canes

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Crazy Holiday Shopping

I just ran out during lunch to two stores - I had to return something at one and pick up one little item at the other. Needless to say that since it's four days before Christmas the lines were crazy. In my one hour lunch break I spent about 15 minutes driving, five minutes browsing, and the other 40 waiting in line. Days like today make me appreciate finishing my shopping weeks ago instead of dealing with the last minute chaos.

Annual Spa Day

Last year my friend Melissa and I planned a morning at DePasquale - a local spa by us. A little pampering is always a pleasant event so we decided to go again and went this past Saturday. We had our treatments and then met up in the relaxation room for a little girl time to catch up. It was much needed quality time since the last chance we really had a chance to talk was a month or so ago.

Needless to say, the company was great but I'd like to take a few lines and explain how amazing the massage was. I usually stick with a regular full body massage but thought I'd change it up and go for a warm stone massage. It was perfect! I can't wait for my next day at the spa - hopefully for my birthday in February. I'll definitely be getting a warm stone massage again!

And based on much we enjoy our spa trips, we'll be doing it twice a year moving forward :)

Bad Game for the NY Giants

I'm not a huge football fan, but I know the Giants games mean a lot to Rob. One of his co-workers gave him tickets to the Giants-Eagles game today and he was pumped about it - if the Giants won they'd be in a good spot for the division title (or something like that) and the Eagles have Michael Vick, so it was going to be intense. The first 3/4 of the game the Giants look great and were ahead by a few touchdowns. Then in the last 7 minutes of the 4th quarter they totally blow it, with the Eagles scoring a whopping 28 points and winning the game.

When the Giants were winning it was fun, but when they started playing like crap it was pathetic. At least the screaming and cheering kept me warm, since the 3 layers of clothes, 8 hot packs and two hot chocolates were only helping a little. On the plus side, it was quality time with the hubby in some pretty awesome seats!

A dreaded phone call

Last Wednesday night Rob was supposed to be working late so I figured it would be a great time for me to catch up with my grandmother. I haven't talked to her in a while so we had a lot to chat about.

Around 8pm I see that Rob is calling and thought it was just to tell me he was on his way home. He called again a few minutes later, and based on our nightly talks figured he was bored and wanted someone to chat with. Then the second line of the house phone rings, but I can't see who it is off the caller ID so I ignore it.

Long story short, after catching up with my grandma I speak to Rob's sister who starts the conversation with "Don't worry, Rob's okay." She goes on to tell me that he was driving home and got hit by a drunk driver. Automatically my heart sinks and I start panicking. After speaking to him, he was physically fine - just shook up and his car was damaged.

Th guy who hit him was so drunk he rammed into Rob's car, causing his car to spin, and then he bounced off Rob and into another car. Turns out it wasn't this idiot's first offense for driving drunk, and he was well over the legal alcohol level - I think the police report said he was a .2!

Thank God Rob's okay. Next time, I'll be sure to answer the call when the phone rings!

Admitting an OCD

Last weekend we had a great group of people over - our Recreation Committee. After a lot of hard work this past year, we decided to kick back and actually plan an event for ourselves. We had food catered, so it was just a matter of set up at our house, which is where the party was going to be held. We had a great time, and plenty of delicious food. We even did a little gift swap to make sure we were in the holiday swing.

Then this past weekend we had some people over to watch the Giants game (but the Giants got snowed out, so we watched the Jets game which no one really cared about). While it would have been easy to cancel, I already had all of the food cooked from my ambitious day on Friday. Plus, our friend Scott just got out of the hospital after two long weeks so I was hoping getting a few of us together would help lift his spirits and take his mind off of things.

While we had great times at both of the parties we hosted these past two weekends, the moral of this blog post is to admit my OCD with cleaning my house following a party. I always joke around with my grandmother that we are so similar - we hate to go to bed with the house being a mess, especially after having people over. To us, it's so much easier to wake up and have the house be back to normal, rather than waking up to a mess or stuff to put away. I'd say it drives Rob nuts, but he's usually asleep before I even take the vacuum out.

Recapping 2010

Since this year was filled with happy events for almost everyone we know, I thought I'd do a much shorter version of the 12 days of Christmas recapping our eventful 2010:

In our trips to the mailbox throughout 2010 a wonderful surprise came to us:
8 wedding invites.. but 7 weddings we actually went to.. had fun at 6 bachelorette parties.. not to mention 5 bridal showers.. for all the fun, I had to get 4 new dresses.. and 3 baby shower gifts.. and celebrated at 2 anniversary parties.. not to mention 1 christening and traveled to 1 destination wedding!

Here's to what 2011 will bring!

This is why I need a job

Coming into December, I had 9 vacation days to use before the end of the year. My company has use it or lose it policy, so I had to take the days. After two days off last week, my house was completely decorated, Christmas shopping was done, and presents were wrapped. Running out of things to do, I decided to try some new recipes. Yesterday, I tackled the following (all of which were homemade):

- Key lime pie
- Chocolate fudge with crushed candy canes
- Double chocolate chip biscotti
- Huge tray of baked ziti (using my homemade sauce, complete with basil from my garden)
- Cranberry pumpkin bread
- 2 tier double chocolate cake with white icing and crushed candy canes
- Dog treats (yes, for Buster)

Buster LOVED the treats, and since I made so many I put together little "doggie bags" for his pet friends. We have a holiday party to go to tonight and then are having some friends over to watch the Giants game on Sunday, so the food won't go to waste.

Today, I still have to make:
- Reuben dip appetizer
- French onion soup
- Turkey meatballs
- I bought a brie wheel, so I have to make something with that, too. I have two recipes that I have to decide between.

My mother-in-law surprised me and came over to hang out on Friday afternoon, and ended up watching me cook the entire time. She probably thought I was crazy, but funny enough at the end of the day when I checked my email, this was my horoscope:

"You've got twice as much energy as usual, so get ready to take on some big, wild, fun projects at home or at work. You may inspire others to join in, or at least to watch you at your very best."

Hopefully by Monday I'll be all baked out!

Buster, The Therapy Dog

Today, I went to see my cousin at the nursing home. To change it up I thought a nice surprise would be to bring Buster. Although she was excited, it was so cute how many people came over to pet our little pooch. He showered everyone with kisses, and they all enjoyed petting him. He probably met close to two dozen people, with all the nurses, patients, visitors and some employees coming over to say hi.

I am always thankful for Buster, but it's days like today - when you see his gentle touch and unconditional love for everyone - that remind me of what a wonderful dog we are lucky enough to have.

My favorite ornament

I have a few very special Christmas tree ornaments, but one in particular is very dear to me: the handmade ornament we got in Venice, Italy. This ornament, which is made completely of Murano glass, has amazing attention to detail (although it's hard to see in the pictures). I can vividly recall the store we got it from, and the great conversation we had with the owner. When I put this ornament on the tree, I will always remember the wonderful vacation we had in the most romantic city in the world.

Christmas at the Kleins

Rob and I always have fun decorating for Christmas, usually over Thanksgiving weekend. Check out our 2010 Christmas tree:

We prefer the fatter trees, but the place where we usually get our trees wasn't open just yet this year so we settled for Home Depot. Last year we cut down our tree, but we were covered in sap after choosing one and felt bad for taking one down while there are so many more that are already cut. Last year's tree was pretty nice, too:

November 24, 2007

Happy three years, honey, and many more!

Anniversary Card

Check out the adorable anniversary card our niece made us. Don't you love the picture of me serving Rob food haha

A Trip to the American Girl Store

Rob totally surprised me when he suggested stopping by the American Girl Store, located on Fifth Ave and 49th Street, when we were in New York. I had an American Girl doll as a kid, so I did not turn down the chance to go see the new accessories you could by in this mega store.

Although I've heard great things about the store, I could not believe how much it had to offer. Hospital admissions, dining with your doll, a hair salon, ear piercing (yes, for your doll), and so much more. I was even impressed by the bathroom, which has a holder for your doll:


They have the new dolls - which you can get to look like you - along with the a wide array of clothes and accessories. They even have a historic section, which is where I expected my doll, Samantha, to be. Imagine my disappointment when they told me she was moved to the archives a few years ago!! On the up side, I still have her in great condition and she's a collectors item. On the down side, I'm so old that my doll has retired. Great.

If anything, I'll save Samantha for my little girl so I can share these special moments with her. I would highly recommend a trip to these stores if you have a little girl, or if you are a little girl at heart.

Review of "Elf" The Musical

As part of our anniversary evening in the city, we saw the musical "Elf." Although I was somewhat nervous seeing something that had a movie version, I was pleasantly surprised with the singing, costumes and choreography of this play, which is only in town for a special 9 week engagement.

The cast was fabulous, and I was so excited when reading the Playbill that Norm from the hit show "Cheers" played Santa. He was hilarious, and this show did a very good job of recapping the movie while putting that Broadway spin on it.

It's shows like these that make you appreciate the fine acting and singing that is found on Broadway. My only issue was how expensive tickets were. At least we had great seats - 5th row from the stage!

Below are a few shots to give you an idea of the show. I was so excited when it started 'snowing' on the crowd that I had to capture that magical moment. Don't worry, no flash disturbed the show.



We give it two thumbs up!

3 Year Anniversary in NYC

Although our anniversary is on Wednesday, November 24th, we took advantage of a relatively quiet weekend and ventured into Manhattan to celebrate on Saturday night. It was a perfect night to take advantage of the all the city has to offer - especially before the mad rush for the holidays.

We started off getting tickets to see "Elf" the musical. Although we were torn between that, Mary Poppins, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, we decided Elf would be fun since it's a festive play, it's new, and it's only here for a few weeks. (Mary Poppins has been on Broadway for a while so we could see that anytime, and we've seen the Radio City Show before.)

After scoring 5th row orchestra seats, we decided to head to Rockefeller Center to see how the tree was coming along. Strolling along we saw the tree (which is still being decorated), lovely storefronts, interesting people and then grabbed a cup of Starbucks. That's when we stumbled upon The Sea Grill in the lower part of Rock Center. We checked out a few other menus while walking around, but since we ate here before and knew the food - and the view - was amazing we decided to grab dinner here. We were seated right by the window so we had a great view of the Rock Center Ice Rink, and even saw two couples get engaged on the ice!

The food was delicious - and didn't stop coming. We started off with a special salmon appetizer from the chef, followed by crab meat salad with avocado and lemon-tarragon aïoli. The third course was grilled calamari in a delicious Thai peanut sauce, along with a delicious gemelli pasta with fresh seafood. The food just kept coming, as our main entrees were Cacciucco a la Livornese, spicy lobster bouillon, Long Island clams, shrimp, Gulf of Maine mussels, and lobster for Rob, while I had the jumbo lump crab cake with a stone ground mustard sauce. The fresh seafood put anything you get around here to shame. We were so full but had to make room for delicious desserts: key lime pie, and a caramelized apple tart with a whipped caramel ganache and granola streusel. Rob was too full for anything but cappuccino, but I took one for the team and somehow managed to find room in my tummy for both :) AMAZING. Just when we couldn't eat more, they send out a cookie platter - homemade biscotti, truffles, even a white chocolate peanut butter and jelly that was to die for. Overall, no complaints about this restaurant. We'll definitely be back!

Joe's Basketball Game

My little brother had a basketball game today. He's #11 in the photo below. Watching the game reminds me of my days on the court - although these boys are much taller than I was in 8th grade.

Impulsive?

Anyone who knows me knows I like to be organized and have a plan. I always have a paper and pen, thanks to one college professor, and chances are it has my list of things to do on it. But, to my credit, I was like that even in high school.

Anyway, people say that before you have kids do those impulsive, spur of the moment trips while you're not tied down. So a few months ago I started looking into long weekend trip ideas for our three year anniversary. I know a few months out isn't very impulsive, but we have a very busy schedule and trying to carve out a long weekend was even tough. Either way, we wanted to go somewhere new and a place we probably wouldn't go with kids, so some ideas included Las Vegas, Cancun, and St. Kitts.

With all the drug cartels in Mexico, our horrible luck with travel, and calls from my grandmother anytime a story about something bad happened in Mexico, we decided not to pursue that trip. St. Kitts doesn't have nonstop flights, and for a 4 or 5 day trip, we didn't want to spend half the day waiting for flights, most of which would probably be delayed due to the close holiday weekend. Plus, those flights were super expensive. Then there was Vegas. I was looking into resorts, hotel reviews, pricing out packages, and then we thought of the idea of Florida since it might be a little less expensive - something that would help since we're doing a ski trip in January. So Rob looked into some discount options through work, and then we decided we wanted to go someplace new. Back to Vegas, and even a day trip to the Grand Canyon, which brings us to yesterday. I see there are a few seats left on the plane that works with our schedule. A decent price at a hotel that got good reviews. There was even a free helicopter ride over the Strip at night thrown in the deal. How romantic! I'm tempted to book, but decide to wait for Rob to get home so we can discuss the options. Then, I step away from the computer for two hours, come back and the available seats on the plane are all gone.

Now, I beyond frustrated with travel ideas and the thought of pricing out a trip that just won't come to fruition at this time. The moral of this post: I am definitely not an impulsive person. The second moral: I would not recommend getting married around a holiday weekend. Ugh.

My love/hate relationship with Sundays

I have a love/hate relationship with Sunday nights. I hate it because it means the end to the weekend and the beginning of another week of work. On the other side, I love Sundays because it's the main night of the week when I carve time out for my two TV shows - Desperate Housewives, and then Brothers & Sisters. I won't get into the shows, though. I missed most of them tonight because I was making an apple pie, ironing and sewing buttons - that sounds pretty domesticated! haha

Sundays are also a great time to sit back and think about the weekend. In retrospect, this was a pretty awesome one:

Friday night - Mix and Mingle at the Clubhouse. Although a quiet night at home would have been nice, I got to meet a few new faces which is always fun.
Saturday morning - I hung out with one of my best friends, Michele. I haven't seen Shelly in months and Saturday we had a great time shopping, eating, catching up, and watching one of our favorite shows growing up, "I Dream of Jeannie." We also made plans for our 30th birthdays. I know we're planning a few years in advance, but we're excited and it makes the big 3-0 less intimidating.
Saturday night - Went to a Tricky Tray with my other friend, Jackie. Although I didn't walk away with anything, she won an awesome designer bookshelf that's worth around $500!
Sunday morning - Although I wanted to attend Church, my niece wanted to have a surprise playdate. Rob's family stayed for lunch and a few more hours of playtime before heading home for the afternoon naps. Since it was so beautiful out, I took Buster for a run outside. I swear, I think this dog smiles when he runs - he really seems to enjoy it! When we were out and about we ran into two of his friends, Cookie and Vanilla, which I'm sure was an added bonus for him.
Sunday afternoon - My cousin, Eddie, is in 8th grade and is on the school football team, so we went to watch his playoff game. We got there right in time to watch both cheerleading teams do their halftime routines, which was an added bonus. I LOVED watching that! One day I hope to have a little girl that wants to cheer so I can coach or be that crazy sideline mom rooting them on. After the game we went to Pub 199 - this great place by our house where you can get clams and fresh lobsters for like $20! Although Dominick wasn't there (sorry bud) we went with my dad, brother, sister and cousins, and then they all came back to my house for dessert.

That brings me to tonight. My tummy is full from clams and lobster dinner - and now a delicious apple pie. To top it off, I had a great weekend with family and friends. Weekends like this start to put me in the holiday spirit - I'm really thankful for everyone in my life.

Sunday football

Congrats Little Vikings on a great season!

My little brother...

...is growing up.

This past weekend my brother, Joseph, stayed with us. He's in 8th grade now, but was about 7 when I moved out of the house and got married. Even though I don't live very far from him now, we have a busy schedule so it's hard to get together. Anytime I see him he seems a bit taller, his voice gets a little deeper, and he is more mature. He's never a problem to have over, and is always the first to volunteer to help me out. It's crazy to see how my little brother is growing up so fast. It's seems like just yesterday he was that little annoying brother putting chapstick on all my picture frames.

Blast from the past: Prepping for my high school reunion

At the end of this month I'll be attending my high school reunion. It was almost 10 years ago that I graduated from Bayley-Ellard in Madison, which has since closed down. I was trying to get some pictures together for the slideshow, and wanted to share the below shots. It's crazy how young we all look! Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances not as many people will be coming as we anticipated. Hopefully we'll have a decent turnout, but at least looking at these memories remind me of how much fun we had in high school.

Happy Halloween!

The Seasons Glen Recreation Committee hosted another great event this weekend - a Halloween Party for kids! We had fun arts and crafts activities for the kids, in addition to Merriloons the Clown who did a magic show, balloon animals and a parade of costumes. Below is a shot of our committee, all dressed up as crayons!

Happy Birthday to Buster!!!

Six years ago today, two Bichons - Roxy and Bashful - gave birth to some puppies at a breeder's house in Iowa. One of them was extra special.

Three months later, Rob and I decided to get a puppy as an anniversary present to each other. Seconds after playing with him, we knew this little guy was meant to be ours. Some people say it's just buying a dog, but we adopted Buster into our family and he has changed our lives ever since. I still remember how soft his fur was, and how his ears were tinted light brown:




Although he has several nicknames - Buster, Buster Bear, Buppy, Stinky - he is the most loyal and loving dog, and we couldn't have been any luckier to have added him to our family. Although he can't read this, I know he'll enjoy the variety of treats he'll be getting later! Happy 6th Birthday Buster!

To every season...

I enjoy all of the seasons, but there's something about fall that's extra special to me. I don't know if it's the brilliant colors which never cease to amaze me, the slight chill in the air, or the crunching of the leaves as I walk outside, but it's just spectacular.

A Trip to Maskers Orchards

We took a family outing last weekend when Rob, Buster and I ventured to Maskers Orchards in Warwick for apple picking. We took an hour long detour to get there (we missed an exit on our way up and it took us an hour on the Thruway and backgrounds to get there - thank goodness for GPS!).

From the start Buster was excited for his road trip:

When we got there, Rob's job was to taste the apples to make sure they were okay:

We enjoyed exploring just a portion of the 200 acres of the apple farm...

...and I particularly enjoyed the amazing views and foliage:

All of the apples were delicious, but after hearing some other visitors say how tasty the green apples were, I was determined to find them. So we hiked uphill - merrily eating apples along the way - to the top corner of the farm, and climbed some trees, and eventually got some green apples!

By the end of the day Buster was tuckered out from all that walking...

...and we managed to see a black bear on the way home...

So all in all, a very exciting, fun filled day!

10-10-10

October 10, 2010 marked a very special day for thousands of couples, including our friends Jacki and Mike. I was so touched when Jacki asked me to be a bridesmaid, while Rob had the honor of walking Jacki's mom down the aisle. Since I was in the wedding - and I forgot to charge my camera - I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures, but here's a shot of Rob and the mother of the bride heading to the reception on the bus...

...and a picture of the happy couple cutting their cake...

... and then the after effects...

Rob has known Jacki since kindergarten, and I've been lucky enough to know her since I started to date Rob. We were both so happy to share in their special day and wish them nothing but love, health and happiness in the years to come.

Fall Football

Rob and I went to the NY Giants/Detroit Lions football game today. The New Meadowlands Stadium was awesome, especially considering Rob was able to get tickets to the club level. The views were great but I have to say the food was much better that the regular levels. While they had your your typical pizza, hot dogs and beer, the club level had sirloin steak in the steak sandwiches, half a dozen varieties of deluxe hot dog options, sushi stations, martini bars, hard liquor stations, a deli - complete with the Kosher side - and so much more. Not to mention the cushioned seats and the option to view the game from the inside seating areas, which will be perfect for those extra cold days!






I had a fun time at the game but more so because I know Rob really enjoys it. However, spending the afternoon outside watching football reminded me of the Saturday afternoons I spent in high school cheering on the Bayley-Ellard Bishops. I guess I'll always be a cheerleader at heart too, because when the crowd would yell "Defense" or say "1st and 10" I would have flashbacks to the cheers I used to do. As exciting as it is to go to NFL games, part of me will always miss those days of high school football games.

A Weekend Away in Stowe, Vermont

This past weekend we ventured up to Stowe, Vermont for our friends wedding. Our pals Joyce and Brian were going to make the journey with us, and we all went with the intention of leaving early so we can enjoy the afternoon and make the most of our short weekend getaway. Even the pouring rain and cold temperatures couldn't dampen our excitement for this trip. But, to say the least, it was an eventful trip. Here's a quick time-line of our 12 hour journey on Friday:

6:00 am - Alarm goes off.. wake up time!
6:30 - Call from Joyce. There are accidents all over, they'll be a little late
7:30 - They arrive at our house. We load the car up and head to Quick Check for some breakfast food and coffee
8:20 - Hit the road
8:23 - Bumper to bumper traffic on Route 80. Great.
8:25 - Rob's check engine light goes on. Call dealership to get the car in to get looked at
9:00 - Arrive at dealership. Really don't like the fact that we're down the street from our office on our day off.
10:00 - Car goes on lift to get serviced. It ends up being the carbon filter. Good thing it was nothing serious! While we're at it, get a tire rotation

11:00 - Hit the road again. Phew, traffic isn't as bad after that 3 hour delay in our schedule
11:35 - Scratch that - signs says 45 minute delay to bridge. Whatever, that's mostly for people who don't have E-Z Pass, right?
11:45 - Wrong. Dead stop and we're miles from the bridge.
1:00 - We finally cross the bridge. It only took us all morning to get out of NJ!

From there we continued to make the trek in the pouring rain, driving through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and finally arriving in Vermont around 7:30 at night. To say the least, we were all pretty beat and hungry from our journey, so we grabbed a bite at the local pub and then went over to say hi to our friends who were already out celebrating.

Knowing we had to make the most of our one day in Stowe, Rob and I woke up early to get in some golf. Despite the grounds being a little wet, we played a quick 9 holes. After all, I wasn't lugging our clubs up there for nothing! Then we hit up the gym before eating our way through the next few stops:

• Cold Hollow Cider Mill - Delicious cider donuts, apple cider, and we even saw how they make the cider. There was also a fudge shop across the parking lot, and a winery. We made the most of everything that store had to offer :)

• Cabot Annex - We tried probably 2 dozen different types of cheese at the Cabot Annex. Then we crossed the parking lot and sampled some Lake Champlain Chocolates at "A Special Place"

• Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour - We had to hit up this must see spot, but to be honest we both left a little disappointed after learning that Ben & Jerry sold out to Unilever. At least they made it up with our $3 sample of ice cream. After that it was time to boogie back to the resort to get ready for Melissa and Danny's wedding. I was surprised to hit some traffic in this small town, but I guess that's what we get for going during the peak foliage weekend.

We had a fabulous time at the wedding, and couldn't have been happier for our two dear friends. Some other highlights include being neighbors with Megan, Brian and Jen, and our bathroom having a towel warmer (I was in love with that thing!!)

Below are a few pictures from our trip. Stay tuned for next weekend as we journey to another wedding. At least this one is in New Jersey!