Potato Chips, Ginger Ale, and Skinny Jeans

That is exactly how I stated my day today. The first thing I ate this morning was a potato chip followed by a swig of Ginger ale, straight from the 2 liter. Every Monday morning I am not awake until around noon. I am usually pretty grumpy that 1) it is Monday and 2) I have to wake up at 7:30. I don't really bother wondering if my clothes match or if my hair is like, really freaking amazing looking. I just know that they don't and it's not. What usually cheers me up is that I will go shopping later that day. Grocery shopping. But still for me, it's pretty exciting. I don't know why I like shopping so much....maybe it's that little swipe of a piece of plastic that makes it seem like I'm getting awesome stuff for nothing. Or maybe I just like clicking that little button that says "add to cart." I'm a girl and shopping is fun for me. I think thats a pretty basic concept.

 Aside from all of the above nonsense today is a day where I remember the different ways I am blessed. Let's get on with that, because fact is, reading about the Mondays of an average American female is not all that exciting.

 This week Karl and I had breakfast at our favorite area diner. It was so nice just to sit down and spend some time with him, especially since we both had a crazy week with opposite schedules.

mmm....poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, ham, toasted english muffin, and home fries.

 I got a surprise scarf gift from a friend. That was awesome.

 Dinner is already in the crockpot.

 My house ( and by house, I mean apartment) is comfortable and warm.

The 3 concerts I played this weekend were fun and they are over. Let's face it,there's only so much Vivaldi and Piazzola one can handle. Or should I say, Handel, haha. ( corny joke, I know)

 Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Which means vacation is coming up soon. yay!

 What are you thankful for this week? Feel free to share on the comments or link back to your blog!

I'm Blessed:: snow storm adventure

Happy Monday everyone! Today we are blessed with a cancelled day at the University. This was especially awesome for my husband who didn't have to go in and teach 3 classes today. Instead he can stay home and grade all their midterms :) It's nice to have an unexpected day to catch up with everything you've been wanting to do but haven't managed to fit into your already busy days.

On Saturday night, the northeast (where we live) was hit with a snow storm! In october! The new called it "Snowtober." Lol, I couldn't believe it when the flakes started to fall. It really looked like Christmas. And despite everyone freaking out, I loved how beautiful it was.

Yesterday, I went to a Reformation Concert (that my husband performed in) and they did lots of beautiful music with choir and orchestra, including Bach Cantata No. 80 that includes the famous tune "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Before the concert I dropped him off for rehearsal and went to IKEA since it was only 2 miles away from the church! (LOVE that place) I got a couple of little things that I'll share with you in my post tomorrow. But you can't leave ikea without getting some froyo and a cinnamon bun. oh and coffee. (i mean, the price is just so right!)

I'm linking up with my blogger friend Gretchen from He Sows, She Sews to take a breath at the beginning of our weeks and just think about all that we have that we can be truly thankful for. For more on that, visit her blog if you've got a second.

we got some beautiful snow. 

we woke up on sunday morning to find that someone had dug out our car! how awesome is that?! (it's actually especially awesome for us since we don't have a shovel. we are procrastinators)

I rearranged our living space. it used to look like this.

while it was snowing late saturday night, we watched The Fellowship of the Ring, and I cut out my little bunting that I will use to decorate the food table at the recital for my students this weekend. also, i am wearing my where's waldo sweater that makes me feel extra comfy and quite lucky. ;)

we could actually hang out together and do something weirdly fun- the hubs and i built a domino train design. after we had built it 7 times (knocking it over while it was in progress) we ditched our fancy design and just did this. 

I went for a walk to take pictures and found some downed trees around our neighborhood.

these were actually blocking the main road in front of our place. we are so lucky to not have lost power when most of CT was without power. (over 700,000)

what are you thankful for this week?

Monday's: I'm Blessed

This monday (well, really sunday evening) I'm going to take you on a little trip through our weekend and   perhaps through pictures you can see some of the things I'm thankful for!  I'm linking up with Gretchen from "He Sows, She Sews" for a great weekly boost of refocusing on the many things I have to be thankful for- whether big or small. 

one of my terrarium succulents (in fact the only one remaining) has sprouted a new flower! see the little one on the bottom? I thought this little plant would be the first to die (all its roots fell of during transplant) but now it's flourishing! (and I'm really happy cuz I'm terrible with plants)

we had a little autumn-soup-potluck dinner at our apartment this weekend. I made two fresh loaves of bread using THIS recipe. Turned out yummy and pretty :)

we went to drop off overdue library materials after church and saw that pinkberry had opened! it's a frozen yogurt shop with a lot, lot, lot of topping options. We shared an original with brownie bites, cookies and creme, strawberries, organic gummy bears, and caramel sauce. How fun is spontaneous fro-yo? 

Also this weekend, we went upstate to visit my uncle (who is an optometrist) and get our eyes checked. After, I made Karl try on all sorts of AWESOME glasses like these sweet babies. 

While walking TO the library (to return materials and etc) I found this branch of pretty leaves and brought them home to decorate with. (even though everybody I passed looked and me like I was a bag lady for carrying around a stick with dried leaves on it)

I set them here for now. I know, I know, not super creative, but I'll figure something else for them later.  But for now, I still enjoy having a little bit of the autumn outside inside. 

What are you thankful for today?

Monday: I'm Blessed

I am blessed in so many ways I fail to truly and sincerely thank God for. You know, big things like good health and having all my needs met, as well as a lot of my wants.(and who doesn't like a couple of 'extras' thrown in?)
This week I am thankful for some little 'extras' God threw in to my already blessed life.

- pumpkin spice creamer.
- the $8 fossil watch I found at goodwill in new condition (I have been looking for a watch for about a month now)
- playing with the symphony this week. Even though it's a long drive, I enjoy playing great music with a good conductor and friendly musicians. (oh as well as the stellar snacks and goodies they give us during our breaks)
- also music related, I'm so thankful we're doing an all- Beethoven program this week.(last time it was all French music. Don't even ask me to list all the reasons why I hate playing french orchestra music)
- waking up earlier in the mornings. We used to be able to sleep in till 9 some weekdays, but this year 7:30 mornings are the norm. I used to hate it, but now I can get a lot more accomplished in a day.


What are you thankful for?

Monday: I'm Blessed

Just like every week before this one, time has flown by. I mean really flew away and didn't even give me time to think about autumn arriving. Today I have a lot to be thankful for. So adjust those reading glasses and let's plow ahead!

-I am so blessed to have a fairly easy, no- big- stresses- in- sight life right now. When I stop to think about years gone by, I remember being so stressed out about certain issues and problems that I couldn't sleep at night and developed some health problems. Maybe it doesn't make sense to you. So to sum up: God has been so good to us, providing for our needs financially, spiritually, and physically. It's a place we haven't always been.

- the leaves are starting to change colors! I don't think there is any prettier place in America in the fall than the northeast. It also means we'll be going to B.F.Clyde's cider mill soon for some fresh apple cider and doughnuts.

-two years ago today, Karl asked me to marry him. (I probably should have listed this first) though the story is too long for today's post, it was a wonderful, long day full of surprises and fun. (which ended with him asking me to marry him right by the lighthouse on baltimore's harbor) (actually, it didn't end there, because we went back to my apartment and called our parents. My mom already knew what he was fling to do that weekend, but I prank called her and told her I said "no".) (oh and after that we called Karl's parents and they sounded pretty surprised. Which you should translate as 'shocked'. Haha, a quiet, conservative, Minnesotan, Lutheran family now must come to grips that a crazy, wild, sassy, speak-her-mind, latina, New Yorker was going to be a part of their family!) (wow, that was a lot of parenthesis)

- the apartment is chilly so I've been making bread more often to heat up the place. This morning I made Irish soda bread for the first time.

- the great time we had with some friends eating dinner at Plan B and then coming back to our place for dessert and a game of Greed.

-a super comfortable bed that begs and pleads with me every morning to stay just 5 minutes longer.

- time this morning to finish a book a started last night. (wonderstruck) yes, I know it's a kids book, but it is over 600 pages and is about a boy from Minnesota and a girl from Queens, NY, so I just Had To read it.

- a viola lesson on Friday. It will help me kick my viola butt back into shape.

- reaching over 1,000 page views this month. I know that's just a little thing, but it makes me feel good to know that even though you don't comment, you're reading.

-flowers and a box of tea. One of the other violin teachers I work with came over last week and brought beautiful flowers and a box of delicious tea for me. It's those little unexpected things that really make my day.

-a coffee table I don't feel guilty putting up my feet on. Yay thrift store!

- the coffee I spilled this morning on our white couch came off.


And with that, I end today's 'I'm Blessed' post. What are you thankful for today?

Monday's I'm Blessed

I'm not gonna lie. I'm actually sitting here thinking "what DO I have that I'm thankful for?". After reading Gretchen's post (from He Sows, She Sews) I feel like it would be so pithy of me to be thankful for little material things that aren't deep or emotionally moving. But you know what? That's how life is. If God gave us a death in the family or a miraculous healing every week, would we take as much pleasure in the little joys of life? Here are some things I'm thankful for this week:

A ( finally ) flourishing basil plant.

A friend who is generously going to lend me her extra sewing machine. (I.Am. SOOOOOOOOOOOO. exited about this!!)

An amazing husband who loves me very much and tells me so every day.

New contacts.

The fun church picnic this Sunday. (we won the almonds-in-a-spoon-in-your-mouth-relay!)

Coffee.(need I say more?)

Good health. (although I think it's fun to sleep all day and watch movies in bed and eat chicken noodle soup once in a while :)




What are you thankful for this week?

Monday's I'm Blessed

Today I'm linking up with Gretchen from  He Sows, She Sews  for "I'm Blessed." If you're not familiar with it, the idea is that every Monday, bloggers who wish to participate devote their post to talking about the things in life they are blessed with. I think it's a great idea to re-focus my mind on what I have that I can be thankful for instead of dwelling on all the things that I don't have, or aren't going perfectly, etc...
So here goes. This week I'm thankful for:

- Having air conditioning. Last year around this time we were sweating like crazy in our old apartment and going to stores just to be in air conditioning. We sleep really well at night now as opposed to only 2 or 3 hours a night sometimes last summer.

- More students. We moved into an apartment that cost more than our last one. But God has provided me with extra income from more violin/viola students both in the stores that I teach at and privately.

- Hosting 3 international students this week was so much fun. We got to play some card games with them and we all had a ball laughing and sharing stories.

- A husband that doesn't mind cooking breakfast. As a general rule, I don't cook breakfast. Like ever really.  If I put some toast in the oven, that's pretty much more than you can expect on a normal day. He's pretty awesome at making breakfasts and doesn't mind doing it!

- A great church nearby. After missing a month of going to church (while we were at the music festival) I'm reminded how wonderful it is to get together with our church family and worship every Sunday.

Yu, Felipe, and Joo.

What are you thankful for this week?