What's New ~

Rick and I just got back from visiting our most handsome grandson, Tyler (and his parents of course). He is a Star Wars obsessed fan if there ever was one. He received a Xbox Lego Star Wars game for Christmas and may have put down the controllers a couple of times since then, I am not sure. Well, maybe for a quick sword fight with his lightsaber or to play with his plethora of action figures...

...hillarious!

NEW ADDITIONS

Since the last time I blogged back in 2008...we've had a few additions ~

A LaCanche Range. Yes you are seeing orange. It is absolutely gorgeous and I can hardly wait to get to cookin'. I had a plan to get it in and make do with the cabinets until we can remodel the entire kitchen...the brothers are setting me straight and thank heaven. It is going to be fantastic when they are finished. Currently the cabinets have been ripped out and she is standing alone as they work their magic - cabinets, granite, stone tiles, etc.

Introducing Ruby, our red merle Australian Shepherd puppy. She was born on Rick's birthday (is that a sign or is that a sign). She has been so much fun and is quite the sweetheart. We purchased her from the same breeder as Sadie, CTC farms in Ellensburg. They have the most beautiful dogs with superior dispositions. And smart!? Just ask Rick. Her training is coming along quite nicely, if he says so himself.

And last but not least, Jane Helen joined our family in November. She is quite the beauty. She is as sweet as they come and I can't get enough of her. Sugar and spice and everything nice...

I'll keep you posted as they all develop in the coming months. Really, I will. I have repented of my non-blogging ways, I think...

Work in Progress

Please check back...I am blogging our trip to NYC and trying to do it in order. It is taking me a bit of time so, come back and scroll down to see all 6 days of our trip. Unless of course you become board. Then go and watch TV instead...speaking of which. Rick is now the proud owner of 3 TV's, 2 with HDTV and 4 receivers. This means over 300 hours available DVR time! Whoo! If you could only see how proud he is. It's the prefect set up for the 2 of us!

New York City

Rick had some business in New York City, so I decided to go along with him and enjoy the city and all it has to offer. While we were in Phoenix with Jake & Alicia, we went to a NY deli in Scottsdale. The owner was a NY native and gave us great ideas of where to eat. We decided we needed to check them all out. So, here is our glutenous week in the big apple. We started off at Stage Deli. We ordered a Reuben and Turkey dinner. Very tasty, but true to a NY deli - too much to eat.

We then headed down 7th, then Broadway to Time Square. We loved the lights, not too many people on a Tuesday night. We ended up on 45th and ran into the theater for Spamalot and bought tickets for the next evenings show.

We had walked off our dinner and needed more sustenance, so we stopped by Carnegie Deli on our way back to our hotel. We decided to take a piece of cheesecake back to our room.

When we ordered it, they said "strawberry, right?" I can see why it's the favorite choice.

We had about 4 bites of the most creamy smooth flavorful cheesecake we have every had and then we were finished. Blissful exhaustion.

Day 2 in the Big Apple!

The view from our hotel room as we woke up Wednesday morning. The Upper West Side.
The Upper East Side.
And a straight on view over Central Park. Fabulous. We could see the horse and carriages on the street below, ready to take a stroll through the park. We loved the excitement in the air.

We strolled around the upper east side searching for a place to grab breakfast. We came upon this tiny deli. As you can see,there are tables a long the left that seat 2 and a bar on the right. As we entered they yelled, "come in, sit." So we did - quickly. Then a waiter was at our table asking us if we needed a menu. We started to look it over and he waited...we got the hint and ordered quickly. It was like organized chaos. Next 4 people came in and sat at the bar. Obviously they were unaware of the process. This gentleman handed them menus and within minutes was asking to take their order. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting on his part he said, "you can take the menu home and decide what you want, then come back and order". He wasn't kidding. It was hilarious.

As we were leaving, I had to take a picture of the name so I could remember. Then I noticed the man...

who must have had to come outside for a breath of fresh air after the frustrating, agrivating slow-to-order customers. This is a place we recommend for those visiting. We'll have to go back there just for the entertainment factor.

We walked over to Rockefeller Center and watched the ice skaters. I grabbed the railing to walk down the stairs and put my hand in someones spit. Thanks for that. So we went inside to find a restroom to wash my hands. I could have done without that!

We decided to grab a bite to tide us over so we headed over to Carnegie Deli and passed by Radio City music hall on our way. We ordered a turkey sandwich to share and headed over to the David Letterman Show.

Okay, we ordered a sandwich to share. Did they think we were ordering one to share with a family of 8? I swear there was an entire turkey breast on that sandwich. How do you even begin to eat something this size? I had about 1/3 of my 1/2 and I was stuffed. I must say it was quite tasty.

Here we are, standing in the standby line. It's not looking too hopeful. But wait, they did come and take numbers 1-30. There's just 8 more of us. Could we be so fortunate? Maybe...

...but no. They did let the 4 girls in front of us in, leaving us at the front of the line. Then they came back and said it was full. Rick was feeling like a big loser, but he let me take his picture anyway.

After such a rejection we needed comfort. Magnolia Bakery on the upper west side was calling to us. They are famous for their cupcakes and banana pudding. Ah, the aroma that hits you when you walk in. We knew we were in the right place. The choices were difficult, everything looked fabulous. But we narrowed it down to three choices. Well, 4 actually...

Kitty corner from Barnes and Noble in what appears as another office building is the temple.

Quite an amazing site in the middle of a city.

For dinner we went to Sardi's across from the theater. This resturant is frequented by the actors after the plays to hear the reviews of their performances. We decided to beat the crowds and go before the play. The atmosphere was very fun and the food was great! The play was fantastic. True to Monty Python humor. We had great seats, 5th row center. We had a great time.

After the play we stopped by Carnegie Deli. We picked up a couple of potato pancakes and Rick ordered some chocolate chip cookies for a late night snack.

Uh, did we forget we had purchased goodies from Magnolia Bakery? Oh well, a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Coconut Cake - yummy! But Nan's is better! As far as I can remember. I'd better bake one up one just to make sure.

And now for the cupcakes: Red Velvet with a cream cheese frosting and Chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting - my oh my! I loved the red velvet. Great texture and flavor - the frosting was perfect!

Banana Cream pudding with slices of fresh banana and vanilla wafer crumbs - Heaven! I could only eat a couple of bites but this was everything I had heard about it and then some.

Day 3 - Fashion District

One of the many fabric stores I walked into...

On my long walk home from 25th St. to 59th St. I ran into my husband looking for the infamous Soup Kitchen that was made famous on Seinfield. It is no longer in use and has been borded up. We had dinner at The Palm. Here is a picture of some of the cartoons that adorn the walls.
We ordered steak and lobster to share. We couldn't eat it all.

Here is our waitress cracking the shells for us. I must say is was fabulous.

Here is the entrance to the beautiful Tracy Castle, where Porter and Brittany will be married Oct 3rd 2009.

We are so excited for them.
Here is where they will be married. What a view!

Here is a view from the back. They really found a gem.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!! If you want to see a darling little girls costume, check out this website. It's also a giveaway contest that you will want to enter. What a beatiful creation and very talented woman.