A 1st Time Tourist's View of New York City!

Our first view of NYC came in the form of Grand Central Terminal.

Jason and I stayed outside the city near the New York/Connecticut state line, which means to get into the city we took the commuter train into Grand Central. This place is HUGE and SUPER busy. From Grand Central, we took our first of many subway rides. We took the S train, which is a shuttle from GCT to Times Square.
The first thing on our list of things to do was to see a Broadway show...and we did! We even got a great deal on tickets by using the TKTS booth.
The next day was all about seeing as many famous sights as possible. We caught a quick glimpse of The Empire State building from below...we had plans to see the top later in the day.

We walked by The New York Public Library and took a quick picture with either Patience or Fortitude...I'm not sure which is which:)

We walked by Bryant Park. No Fashion Week here, this year it was being held at The Lincoln Center.

Then we took a two hour boat tour around the city and got some great views of the Statue of Liberty,

the NYC skyline,

and Ground Zero.

After the boat tour, we took a quick subway ride over to Brooklyn and then a {not so quick} walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge.

We ended our second night in the city with amazing views from the top of the Empire State Building.Over the next few days, we checked out some pop culture sights:)

I took some pictures of buildings that I have no idea what their names are...

....and some that everyone knows!

We took a ride to the Top of the Rock,

and saw unbelievable views of the city and Central Park.

After that view, we had to experience a little bit of Central Park on foot too!

We even managed to squeeze in a visit to a museum...
or two.

We saw this masterpiece in person....it is gorgeous!

We ended our trip to NYC with a night at the Waldorf-Astoria.

And this view {out our hotel window} was one of our last views of NYC before heading back to Mississippi.

Wordless Wednesday: NYC!

BANANAS!

What do you do when you get a really great deal on a big bunch of too brown to eat baby bananas? Make banana bread of course:)
Banana Banana Bread
from allrecipes.com
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas
chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2.In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.


I have also used this recipe{Banana Crumb Muffins} and it is really yummy too!

Wordless Wednesday: Milk Bubbles

Crafty Way to Organize for School 2

Last year in an attempt to get a little organized for school, I made these SUPER easy folders. I planned to keep track of all the important papers and notes that came home with the boys from school...and the folders actually did their job really well! I think I only lost maybe two papers all year:)

This year, Henry is participating in his school Accelerated Reader program. The kids read books, take tests on the books, and earn points. At the end of the year there is a celebration for all the kids who earned 100 AR points. I knew that in order to stay organized, we needed a place to keep all our library books and the master list of AR books.

I picked up a pack of magazine boxes at Ikea this summer. I got five boxes for $3, which is an awesome deal...I really wish there was an Ikea closer to us!

Anyway, I knew these magazine boxes would be great for holding library books, they were just a little too plain. So, I got out the Mod Podge and some scrapbook paper and got busy making the boys some SUPER cute library book holders!

I measured the paper and cut it to size. I also traced the little circle on the front of the box so that it could be cut out.

Using my circle cutter, I cut out the circle in the paper to just the right size.
I added a layer of Mod Podge to the box with a foam brush.
I adhered the paper to the boxes and the coated the paper with a thin layer of Mod Podge.
After the first layer of Mod Podge was dry, I added the boys' initials to the bottom of the book holder. I used my Cricut to cut the letters, but any chipboard or scrapbook letter would work too. I added another layer of Mod Podge and made sure to coat the letter well.
I also added a little bit of paper to the top just to emphasize my color coding system:)

Now the boys have a great organized place to keep their library books, and hopefully this will help Henry met and exceed his AR goal for the year!

Simple Lamp Redo

I finally {after 3 months of looking} decided on a new lamp for the end table in my living room. I found this beauty on clearance at TJ Maxx for $20. Not bad considering I had seen the exact same lamp {except the base was lime green} a few months back for $35. I love the square shade and the geometric pattern on the base....but I was not really in love with the color. So, I grabbed a roll of tape and masked off the areas I didn't want painted...mainly the hardware and the cord.
Then I got busy with my black glossy spray paint.

I even remembered to paint the finial that goes on top of the lamp:)

Half a can of spray paint and ten minutes later, I have a pretty awesome lamp that matches my living room wonderfully!

Have you spray painted anything lately?

Wordless Wednesday: Doctor for a Day

Ode to a Pine Tree

Pine trees suck.

Mostly just pine trees you don't see

when you are backing up...

But especially pine trees you hit

because you didn't see them

when you were backing up.

But the pine tree that sucks the most,

is the one that made a big scratch on my car

because I didn't see it

when I was backing up!