Labor Day Weekend Update

Where to begin… We had such a great long weekend!  Friday night was spent relaxing before the crazy day of errands, yard work, and a quick home project on Saturday.  And for the first time ever, I was the one who initiated the yard work!  After accomplishing amazing fetes for a long-weekend Saturday, we tuned in to the amazing effort of the Tarheels against LSU.  Although we didn’t come out with a win, we were so proud of our team!  Definitely looking forward to some UNC tailgating in the coming months!

Sunday morning I was feeling a little under-the-weather, and sadly opted to miss the lake day.  Jeff headed to Lake Norman with friends, and even took out the newest edition to the Whittaker fleet for its maiden voyage!

{co-owner of our second boat, taking the wheel}

By Monday night I was feeling rested and ready to go for our family cookout.  We had my parents, Jeff's parents, my grandparents, Jeff's sister & her husband, my sister & her boyfriend, Jeff's brother, and Kelly's brother-in-law over!  In typical bad blogger fashion, I totally forgot to get pictures of the incredible spread… It was more along the lines of a potluck feast than a simple cookout!

We started the evening with my sister-in-law Kelly’s homemade spinach & artichoke dip for an appetizer and wine, courtesy of my sister.  Then moved on to the main course: burgers and dogs (by my grill-master hubby), my grandpa’s homemade hot dog chili, blue cheese coleslaw, Kelly’s macaroni & cheese, my mom’s baked beans, my grandma’s potato salad, and my mother-in-law Karen’s black bean & corn salad.

{pre-cookout set up}

And, if all that food wasn’t enough, we rounded out the night with two desserts!  Karen made a delicious coconut cake, and I'll be posting the cake recipe I used from Smitten Kitchen later this week (stay tuned!)

It was a perfect night to enjoy the amazing food & great company outside...

{outside set up}

{Ellie with her toys}

... and a great end to our Labor Day weekend!  Hope ya'll enjoyed yours too!

Long Weekend

Hope that everyone has a wonderful long weekend!  We kicked ours off a little early last night with dinner and drinks at Duckworth's... even my mom and a few of our friends joined in on the fun!

It was the perfect night to walk up the street and enjoy dinner outside, and I discovered a new favorite beer... Allagash White ($2.50 on Thursday nights... whoo hoo!)

The rest of our weekend involves a few projects around the house (finally, our first weekend home together in over a month!), a trip up to the lake on Sunday, and a family cookout on Monday!  Can't wait for the perfect mix of relaxation, productivity & fun!

{via oh happy day}

Happy Labor Day!

One More Want

This Greek Key bracelet from Furbish online... I am Greek, afterall...

And for only $26... Yes, please!  Someone save me from this recent shopping bug.

NYC, Part 2

Get ready for a marathon post on the second half of our New York trip... Check out part one, if you want to catch up on the first half.

Sunday morning was brunch with the girls at Spitzer's Corner, then I headed out to meet Jeff at his college roommate, Paul's NYC apartment.  Adding to the millions of other reasons why he is such a great husband, Jeff woke up early to stand in line at the TKTS office for discount Broadway tickets, even with just a few hours of sleep!

{girls at brunch... photo courtesy of Amy}

After checking out Paul's amazing Union Square apartment, complete with rooftop views of the Empire State building, we took a cab out to Times Square.  It was so crowded, but we had the perfect amount of time to check it out before our show started.

Jeff's early morning payed off with incredible orchestra seats at the Palace Theatre for West Side Story.  I absolutely loved it!  I can't even imagine the choreography that goes into all of the 'fight' scenes... plus it felt nice to see a classic on Broadway!  Jeff didn't enjoy it quite as much, but he was a total trooper for taking me without much complaining!

After the mid-afternoon show, we set off on a huge self-guided walking tour!  We saw Saint Patrick's Cathedral (packed for Sunday evening mass), FAO Schwarz, and One Bryant Park, along with tons of window shopping.

{Jeff outside of Saint Patricks}

And, of course, a quick ode to my New York idol (or alternate self?) Liz Lemon...

We headed back to the apartment in time to grab dinner at a great, authentic Italian restaurant just a few blocks over with Paul.  Even Jeff, who is not much on going out for pasta, loved the food!  The night ended back on the rooftop, taking in the nighttime views of the city.

{daytime apartment view}

Monday morning we were up fairly early to start on my list of city sights.  We started with the Tribute World Trade Center Visitors Center and walking around Ground Zero.

{Japanese paper cranes for peace at visitors center}

Then walked over to Battery Park to take the ferry to Ellis Island & the Statue of Liberty... Until we saw the line that had already formed before lunch!  Definitely should have made this our early morning stop.  We decided to just take in the view from the park, especially since tickets for the crown were already sold out for the day.

The rest of the morning consisted of walking through Chinatown, which ended up being my least favorite part of the city... And finally an authentic New York style pizza lunch at Sal's in Little Italy.

Our afternoon was made up of a failed trip to the Met.  It is closed on Mondays... Although we did fail at planning, I have a feeling that we would have run out of time to see everything else, if we had gone in!  Plus now it's saved for our next New York trip...

then a walk around Wall Street and the NY Stock Exchange...

the incredible New York Public Library...

{the reading room}

and heading to the top of 30 Rockefeller Center (which we were told by multiple locals was the best view of the City)...

Tuesday morning came quickly, after dinner at Wildwood and a few drinks with Paul.  Our flight was late-afternoon, so we took advantage of the morning to squeeze in a few more activities.

Including strolling through NYU's campus (and of course, asking Jeff if he thought I could go there for my Ph.D)

and lunch at the famous Katz's Delicatessen... where the 'I'll have what she's having' line in When Harry Met Sally occurred... 

We had such an incredible trip, and it was the perfect way to spend my first visit... Now I'm just trying to figure out when we can go back!

Breaking Bread?

A quick poll to my lovely blog readers (yes, all 10 of you!)... Has anyone used a bread machine before?

With logic that I am sure Kat will appreciate, Jeff recently read an article about how much money a bread machine will save you in the long run... I don't remember the details, but just think about multiplying the $3-7 per week spent on bread by 52 weeks in a year.  It is a lot of dough (sorry, I couldn't help myself...)

{via Amazon}

While the cost of a basic model bread machine can be around $60, I still wonder about the costs of wheat flour, yeast, flax seeds, oat bran, dry milk... Everything it would take to make that low cal, high fiber, wheat bread we all love.

I like the idea of having homemade bread every week, but am wondering about logistics (especially for just two of us!)  Any thoughts?

Guest Post: Sister Sister Sunday

Obviously still feeling a little delayed, even after a productive weekend... But I was fortunate enough to guest post with my sister-in-law, Kelly, on her sister-in-law Mandy's blog, Kuzak's Closet, on Sunday.

I love reading her blog, especially the updates on her amazing job as a professional organizer!  Every week Mandy and her sister Ashlie co-post on their favorite things for Sister Sister Sunday.  Luckily for me, they invite other sisters to guest post, and I was so excited to be included with Kelly!   

With fall and football season quickly approaching, we featured our favorite tailgate recipes!  I have to admit that most of college was spent tailgating with chips & Bubba burgers... So I modified a new-to-me recipe from Sarah and was so happy with the results! 

Not for the health-conscious tailgater... but really, is that the point of enjoying drinks, friends & football?  Definitely not!

couldn't resist... old school photo, at a Carolina game with my roommates

T-Minus

My birthday is 3 weeks from yesterday… not that I’m dreading it counting or anything. We are hosting an engagement party that weekend, but are also hoping to find time to have a mini-mountain-get-away to celebrate (I know, like we really need more travel!)

But just in case we don’t and you find yourself looking for present ideas (hint-hint to the hubs), I am currently loving…

Cord Toms in plum… perfect for fall feet.

Garmin Forerunner… I might not be going far (yet) but I love the reviews for this and my non-working iPhone apps just aren’t cutting it.

Oh, and I'll also take one of these iPhone arm bands.

Nikon D40 was going to be a list addition… Then I googled it… and looked at the prices for a refurbished camera… and realized I could never own one and be married to Jeff.