Hump Day Halloween/Horrible Sandy Distractions

Light the night with a little Halloween cheer.

If ever there was a time for distraction, this is it. Today is lacking in fun tricks or treats for my beloved NYC and so many others in the northeast. For the first time in four decades, the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade has been cancelled and there are no school children proudly boasting costumes because NYC schools are still closed. All "three New Yorks" are still recovering from Sandy. But in the midst of destruction, let's find a moment of laughter, a distraction from whatever Hump Day challenges you face. Wishing all my merry readers a very Happy Halloween... may you find some delicious candy and a moment of spook-tacular fun no matter what else your day has in store.

* Google's homepage is a creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky good time today.

* Light up your power-less apartment with an awesome Jack-o-lantern. Free stencils HERE.

* And speaking of Jack-o-lanterns... these people are sick.

* A simple way to Halloween-ize your manicure.

* THIS is the coolest way to use a Bjorn EVER.

* Why have kids if you don't mess with them every once in a while?

* Same could be said for your pets.

Sandy

Sandy

Sandy

Sandy

So many Sandys, so little time... Here in NYC, Dr. H and I are hunkered down in our apartment, well stocked with soup, candles, mac cheese (duh) and bottled water. We're watching the white caps on the Hudson River (not a common sight) and hoping that we don't lose power (because the 22nd floor is a lot less awesome without an elevator). This Sandy is one feisty lady... 

I'm taking the unexpected day off as a chance to finish packing (will our move scheduled for Wednesday actually happen!? I don't know, ask Sandy!!) so I leave you only with THIS. Stay safe my friends.

A sweet escape: Lisbon

The Arco de Rua Augusta is at the center of the city

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, Dr. H and I travelled to Lisbon for a 4 day getaway. Located on the west coast of Portugal, Lisbon and the surrounding areas are a beautiful place to relax and explore. There's plenty to see (palaces, beaches, romantic cobblestone streets!) but not so much that you're marching from site to site squeezing it all in. The people are friendly, the city and transit system are accessible and the architecture, (from tiled buildings to Romantiscim palaces) is stunning. We just kept asking ourselves, "why isn't everybody coming here?! This place is great!!" See for yourself:

Looking inland from one of the city's MANY hills

Portugal was all about exploring the seas

colorful buildings

perfect for strolling with Dr. H

just your average Lisbon sidewalk. NBD.

We travelled 40 minutes by train to Caiscais

Well worth the trip!

Another train ride took us to Sintra

living up to Sintra's "mystical" reputation

and amazing homes

and crazy mysterious gardens!

Make time to visit Queluz and it's stunning gardens

one of the most beautiful palaces I've seen,
and we were pretty much the only people there!

The city of Lisbon shines at night!

Lisbon was the perfect destination for our first anniversary adventure. Whether for a quick trip or as part of a larger tour of the region, Lisbon is Merry Meri and Dr. H tested and approved.

Ombre-cing the Trend.

Bold and beautiful

Last week I decided to change my hair color (again). After literally months of contemplation, I took my (single process) dark brown hair and added some light blonde tips. I went ombre. Since summer I've been admiring the ombre trend from afar (or from not so far, I confess to sneakily photographing an actual woman's hair from behind at a concert because I thought her color tones were that perfect!) but I feared taking the plunge. Now that I have my stylish locks, I'm sad I waited so long to go for it because I'm in luuurve. Even though I went for the most tame ombre possible (just the tip hehe) I feel fresh and sufficiently "changed" by the new color. It's amazing what loving your hair can do for your mood:)

What I can't figure out though, is why this seemed like such a big decision to me. I've been highlighted blonde, out-of-the-box redish/brown, and so dark brown it's nearly black all within the past few years (I like to play with my hair!) but for some reason embracing the ombre look seemed like a big freakin deal. Will I be a cliche trend? Will I appear unprofessional in my corporate (and mostly untrendy) office? Will I look back at pictures in 10 years and wonder "what the hell was I thinking!?" (a la the boy/bowl haircut of fifth grade!?) Who knows. But I think the moral of the story is to find that space between impulsive and over-analyzing and just go for it. Relish the new hair fad, funky nail art or trendy seasonal fashion if you really love it. Because, why not?

Hump Day Distractions

You and especially YOU.

Hump day has arrived and somehow the weekend still seems soooooo far away. How ever will we make it through this grey Wednesday? Here's my best effort to distract you... I'm off to read celebrity gossip and browse Pinterest.

* I am a huge advocate of fresh flowers in the home at all times (it really does improve your mood!) Learn how to take a bodega bouquet from drab to florist fresh HERE.
* Thinking of purchasing THESE to solve the "flats for walking, but heels at work" pant length crisis. Has anyone tried them? Do they work!?

* A+ for effort kid. A+

* Never worry about missing "the good part" of the movie again [viaCupofJo]
* What an amazing endeavor by a father. What an amazing gift to his son.

* The most adorable look-a-likes you ever did see.

Quick & Easy

100% accurate

As we've discussed before (HERE; HERE; HERE!!) I loooove to eat. Thankfully, I also love to cook. I enjoy the process, the control over ingredients and flavor and the fact that Dr. H is an excellent dishwasher certainly helps:) But with a move on the horizon (not so humble brag: organized packing is my bitch!!) I don't have a ton of time to spare in the evening and the majority of my supplies have been put into boxes. So in order to avoid a delivery/takeout/dineout tour-de-force (bad for the wallet and waistline) here are a few quick and easy recipes for your dining pleasure:

Pasta is the key to my heart.

I'm a lover of straight up spaghetti and meatballs, but sometimes you feel like you need something with a bit more pizzazz. This recipe for Lemon Garlic Spaghetti (on Pinterest here) requires only a few ingredients and only a few more minutes than opening that jar of red sauce. If you're looking to add a protein, I'm going to try shrimp with some garlic and oil prepared broccoli on the side. Bon appetit! 

Chicken Ranch Tacos. Awwww yeah.

Mexican is a go-to for me when I'm looking for an easy meal. You can put the seasoned beef or chicken over lettuce with all the fixins (salsa, cheese, sour cream, avocado, jalepenos, refried beans!) for a delicious salad or go the hard shell/tortilla route. This recipe (on Pinterest here) calls for nothing more than chicken and the taco powder and adds ranch dressing for a lil something special. Serve with a side of rice and beans (Goya's prepacked mix is my fav) and you'll have your own little fiesta!

Get some slow cooker tips HERE.

I think I've mentioned my love affair with my crock pot before. If you don't have one of these glorious devices, you really must get one because they make cooking a more complicated meal much easier. Maybe on a night you order takeout,  use those 30 minutes waiting for the delivery guy to arrive to prep the ingredients for tomorrow's meal... When you wake up in the morning it takes 2 minutes to dump it all into the crock pot and bam! 8 hours later, dinner is served. SixSisters'Stuff is my favorite resource for crock pot recipes - check out 50 good ones HERE and HERE.

Sound the alarm

Rise and Shine.

Are you particularly attached to your alarm clock? I am, and I realized last night, as I clicked the oversized buttons on my chunky black digital dinosaur, that this alarm clock has been with me since I went off to college! After a decade of wake ups (currently serving the crucial role of "backup" alarm for when I silence my cell phone while I'm basically still asleep) I insist that it's ease of use and reliability make it irreplaceable. But the fact is, it isn't that easy to use and it's features are far from extraordinary. It's just MY alarm clock and to switch to something new (perhaps something with less of a green glow?) seems like more trouble than it's worth... What if I can't figure out the snooze button? What if I don't like the location of the on/off switch!? Dr. H is similarly attached to his purchased-for-college alarm clock. His is a big, nightstand-dominating device with the clickiest buttons and most abrasive buzzer ever, but he is firmly rooted in his belief that his is the best alarm clock around.

What is going on here? Is it that managing the clock and radio settings is so complex that once we settle on a device we can actually use we won't budge from it? Maybe it's that these alarm clocks represent the first time in life that we had to get up and out of bed on our own (too philosophical!?) Whatever it is, I wish I had the courage, or even the desire, to chic-fy my nightstand with something like THIS, (or at least upgrade to something with an ipod dock!) but in all likelihood, I'll be waking up to the green glow for as long old reliable is up to the job.