The Black/White Wall

I've recently had a strong urge to do a wall collage.  So, I decided to use our move as the perfect occasion to make my desire happen.

Luckily, I had a nice collection of pictures that still needed to be hung.  And, whaddya know -- all those pictures were in black and white!  Splendid!  So, I came up with the genious idea to make a collage out of all of them.  After adding a few new touches, the black/white wall came to fruition!


The hallway is pretty narrow, so I couldn't snap a picture head-on.

For the most part, each picture has a special meaning to us.  Let me break it down for you.  :-)

I LOVE old, antique-y pictures.  So, first, we have two columns of 5 x 7s showcasing old snapshots of our families.  The left column shows my family: my dad (in high school), my mom (at my age), my mom's parents, and my dad's parents.  The right column shows Derek's family in an identical sequence: his dad, his mom, his mom's parents and his dad's parents.  It took a little work to get all these pictures then convert them all to black and white 5 x 7s, but it was oh so worth it!

The next picture is extra special to me.  The home where I grew up is a Kentucky landmark.  It was a red schoolhouse in the 1800s that was later converted to a home.  My parents are the second owners.  They have lived there for over 30 years!  They made several additions to the house, but left the school bell intact (although it was moved to a different location on the house).  Pretty cool!  And, if you peel back the wallpaper, you would even see chalkboards!  I love this house -- and I hope I have them convinced they can never move.  Either that or I'll just have to work up the funds to buy it from them.  ;-)  Also, we just recently received the little "Home" plaque as a gift from my in-laws.  It's from a new line of pictures called "Alphabet Photography."  I thought I found a pretty appropriate place for it. ;-)

Next, we have my favorite shot in Central Park (in winter, no less): the bridge that overlooks the Plaza Hotel and several other Upper East side buildings.  The snow makes the perfect addition to this picture!

I made the wooden "F" letter the centerpiece of the wall, since it represents the first letter of our last name.  Underneath the "F" sits two tiles from the country of Turkey.  One of my good friends from dental school traveled there this past summer and brought them home to me as a souvenir.  The picture to the left of the "F" shows Derek and I moving into our new apartment as newlyweds!

Are you getting bored yet?  ;-)  The last series of pictures show London and Paris -- our honeymoon destinations!  I took the first two pictures (of the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben) while we were there -- and I purposely left the date on them.  We purchased the last two rectangular posters of the Eiffel Tower and Paris at a later date.

I do love the asymmetrical look of the collage, but I may, at some point, add some additional touches to fill in the "gaps."  I was thinking a silhouette of a dachshund would fit perfectly under the Central Park picture!

I hope you enjoy the black/white wall as much as I do!

P.S.  I hope to get back to blogging more regularly here in the near future.  Derek's been using my laptop for his finals 'cause his decided it wanted to stop working THE NIGHT BEFORE HIS FIRST FINAL!  :-(  I'm glad I could save him!  One more final to go!

Random Ramblings (In List Form)

{1}  I'm BAAAAAACK!!!  :-)  Yay!  Even though I have a bajillion left to go, another trimester of dental school is over!

{2}  We went to see the Rockefeller tree last night and, of course, it was gorgeous!  I'm always amazed at the number of lights on that majestic beauty.  Unfortunately, I forgot my real camera.  Bummer.  We'll be back soon, though!  I was, however, able to snap a camera phone shot of the ice skaters as we enjoyed a scrumptious Peppermint Mocha.

{3}  Oh my gosh.  A tour diary for NKOTB is on TV.  RECORD.  They're currently singing, I'll Be Loving You (Forever).  Remember that one?  I just know how much my hubs is gonna appreciate this one on the DVR.  BTW, will someone please take me to the NKOTBSB concert??  (Even though I'm a true 'NSYNCer at heart ... ;-)

{4}  I think I'm gonna go on a cooking binge here real soon.  I miss it!  First up: pork piccata with spinach and mashed potatoes, courtesy of my absolute favorite chef, Ellie Krieger.  Did I tell you I got to meet her last year?!  Some homemade eggnog may be on tap, as well.  Wanna come over for dinner?

{5}  Speaking of cooking, homemade cherry vanilla oatmeal is sooo good (also courtesy of Ellie).  We had it for breakfast this morning.  Apologies if I'm making you hungry.

{6}  I need a food processor.  Why are they so dang expensive?

{7}  Call me a {huge} Christmas nerd, but even though I'm 27 years old, I love ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas!  Please tell me one of you does, too.  Anyone?

{8}  We're going to Carnegie Hall tomorrow to see the New York Pops play How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  Excited?  You bet!  I think I've told you guys about 548,971 times how much I love Christmas around here.

{9}  Oh my ... I haven't yet shown you our second Christmas tree!  Here's a sneak peek ...

{10} Project Closet(s) is getting underway today!  I've been putting this off since school began in, oh, August.  But, I knew I would need a block of several free days to finish it.

{11}  Our puppy makes life so much better!  I think I'm turning her into a little diva!  ;-)  She wanted me to tell you guys something ...

{12}  Please keep my husband in your thoughts and prayers as he enters his final exam weeks.  Law school finals are no picnic and I know he can't wait to be finished!  I'm so proud of him!!!

That's all I have today!  I hope you all are having a superb Friday!

A Short Break (a.k.a. School's On My Mind)

Hey gang!

You've probably noticed it has been a little while since I posted. 

Well, first I must say: We had a great Thanksgiving (I hope you did, too)!  See my previous post for details about all our activities! 

But, now, I must devote most of my time to school, since I have tests this week and finals next week.

I look forward to returning after December 8th! 

Talk to ya soon!  ;-)

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Welcome to another edition of "What I'm Loving Wednesday!"  I'm linked up with Jamie for this fantastic weekly feature!

So, let's begin ...

I'M LOVING that we're going to see the Rockettes at Radio City tonight!!!  This is the third year we've seen the show and I still can't get enough of it!  If you're ever visiting New York City this time of year, kick up your heels and add this to your must-do list.


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 I'M LOVING that Thanksgiving is tomorrow!  I definitely have so much to give thanks for!  Unfortunately, it's difficult for us to travel to our homes for this short weekend, so we celebrate here.  My husband's law school always serves up a delicious Thanksgiving feast.  In addition to attending that, my fabulous in-laws, once again, sent us a frozen Thanksgiving meal from The Honeybaked Ham Co.  It is especially yummy.  We usually try to have it on Friday, followed by many visits to the gym.  ;-)  And, how can I forget the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!!  We have yet to actually go, since we've lived here.  (We'll make it one of these years :-)  But, in the meantime, watching it on television continues to be one of my favorite traditions!  Cool sidenote:  My high school's marching band will be playing in the parade this year!

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I'M LOVING that our holiday weekend continues with Michael Buble's Crazy Love tour on Friday!  I'm secretly hoping he decides to sing some Christmas music.  :-)  Even though my hubs is not a huge fan, he was sweet enough to get us these tickets -- and tag along with me!  I'm so excited! :-D

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I'M LOVING that we just got tickets to go see the new Broadway show, Spiderman, Turn Off The Dark!  I'm sure this will not be the typical Broadway gig, but I'm eager to see how they pull off this one.  My hubs is especially excited to see this!  Now, I can feel better about dragging him to see the above.  Hehe.  Can you tell we love our shows around here?!

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I'M LOVING that I have EIGHT school days left!  Unfortunately, many of those days are consumed with exams.  But still, it's almost over!

As always, I'M LOVING my awesome husband, puppy and family!  I can't imagine life without them.  :-)

Happy Wednesday to you!!!  I truly hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

{Wordless} Tootsie Roll Tuesday

The Ultimate Study Break

Despite impending doom upcoming final exams, I, of course, had to set aside the slightest bit of time to accomplish the necessary, even if it did mean doing it in my scrubs.

We just recently purchased this little gem of a tree.  Remember?  Isn't she a looker?  She fits so perfectly -- er, tightly -- in our little "window nook," as I like to refer to it. 

It's especially charming when we're walking outside and can see the lights shining from the windows of our 15th floor apartment!  :-) 

Oh ... and our little Tootsie, you ask?  Well, she is thoroughly enjoying our new decor.  So what if she's trying to feast on the branches, knock off the ornaments and eat the tree skirt (which may have an eternal "Bitter Apple" spray scent by the time this is all said and done).  Isn't she just the cutest?

Stay tuned, my friends, I have a feeling Christmas tree #2 will be going up soon.  Don't you know I need LOTS of study breaks in order to stay focused?  ;-)

GLEE-ful!!!

Normally, I'm not a religious television show watcher.  However, Glee has kind of converted me.  I don't usually have much time to watch it on Tuesday nights so I DVR it and, over time, I eventually finish each episode. 

I got the chance to watch like the first fifteen minutes or so of this week's episode and, ohmyheavens, one word: LOVE.

When Gwyneth Paltrow broke out singing Cee Lo Green's latest single (the clean version ... hehe), I wanted to jump off the couch and boogie down.  Some people criticize this show for the sheer fact that most of its songs are covers, but that doesn't bother me one bit!

I first heard "Forget You" (again, the clean version ;-) about a month ago and I became hooked!  It's just so darn catchy.  Check out Glee's version (from YouTube) ...

Tootsie Roll Tuesday: The Laundry Thief

I'm going to give all of you -- my bloggie family and friends -- a lofty challenge.  So, are you ready to use your thinkers?

Take one guess as to what is piled high on the other side of this little girl's pet gate.  Hint: It's not a savory puppy meal.

Well ... if you read the title of this post, you guessed correctly!  (Quite the challenge, eh?  ;-) 

It's laundry.  Dirty, stinky laundry.  And this pile, my friends, just so happens to be dirty "whites."  And do you know what dirty "whites" mean?  Dirty undies.  And do you know what dirty undies mean?  Tootsie is on a mission.  A relentless mission.  And it's disgusting.  Ugh.  I'm sure all you puppy owners can empathize. 

Someway, somehow, she always manages to snatch a pair without me noticing.  Then, she proceeds to maneuver that long body of hers into cracks and crevices that no one of the correct proportions could manage to get to.  Little stinker.  Eventually, one of us notices she's up to no good.  After we chase her down, bribe her, and catch her, she's got those panties so far down her throat, it looks something akin to a magic trick when we're finally able to pull them outta there.  As for me, I'm left with nothing but teeth-torn under garments. :-(

Sigh.  Victoria's Secret 5 for $25 may have to take a backseat for now 'cause, let's face it, they're probably just gonna become the next victims of the Laundry (Undie) Thief.

Heck, even in the "non-white, non-undie" pile, look what occurs sans gate ...

Just a temporary mess.  ;-)

Sheesh.  Without the gate, we may be left with no clothing around these parts.

Oh, but how can I get upset with her?  She's such a little sweetheart who's simply following her instincts and that darned sense of smell, right?  :-)  Yuck.

I hope y'all have had a nice Tuesday -- and I hope I didn't embarrass our little Toots too much.  I'm off to attempt to teach her some manners -- and how to be a bit more lady-like.  Ahem.

What?  Treat??

Delivery Complete

After a long journey from Mahopac, New York, she arrived today: the centerpiece of New York City during the Christmas season.  And, once again, she's majestic.

We watched -- as the workers built their platforms and secured her in place.  She stood still (thank heavens), waiting to be adorned with thousands of lights and a special Swarovski star.  Come November 30th, she'll be lit!

And, as we witnessed this tree's very first night in Rockefeller Center, look who decided she wanted to partake in the pre-Christmas festivities ...

You know, it was her very first night in Rockefeller Center, too.  This little four-legged New Yorker doesn't like to miss a thing.

To read more about this year's Rockefeller Christmas tree, go here. 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

This is my FIRST "What I'm Loving Wednesday!"  I think I'm going to enjoy these posts, since they are just so positive!  Fortunately, I have lots to love today.  So, here goes ...

I'm loving ... that the apartment smells like Fresh Balsam, thanks to Bath & Body Works' Wallflowers.  Christmas smells make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!  :-)

Photo courtesy of http://www.amazon.com/



I'm loving ... that my husband, Tootsie and I will be taking another stroll through Central Park this weekend.  As you can imagine, this time of year it is simply stunning!  Here are few shots from autumns past ...

I'm loving ... that we recently booked our flights to see our families over the holidays.  Living so far away, we rarely get to spend quality time with them.  So, it's always a treat to see them, even if it is only for a few days.  Plus, I have two new nieces I have yet to meet!  Pictures sometimes just aren't enough.  I can't wait to cuddle them!

I'm loving ... that I have less than a month until this semester is OVER! Zip, zilch, nada studying will be done by me over the break ... hehe.  I'm also loving that my husband's semester will be coming to close fairly soon, too.

I'm loving ... these beautiful and cheap(!) sconces I hung today.  They flank a Paris picture we purchased from Ikea.  I feel like they complement the architecture in the picture perfectly!  The sconces came from Etsy (I am in love with that website).  Check out the shop Oh Shabby Day.  Her items are lovely and so well-priced (a definite must for this student).

I'm loving ... that I believe I just scored the best clothing deal of my life.  I found a pair of skinny jeans at Ann Taylor Loft for $6.50 (originally $60.00)!  So, I bought two pair.  Seriously, y'all -- it was unbelievable!  What's even better ... the price tag said $9.88, but when I took them up to the cashier I discovered I got an EXTRA 30% off.  Now, that's what I call a steal of a deal.  These kind of purchases make me want to do a little jig.

Photo courtesy of http://www.anntaylorloft.com/

I'm loving ... our new apartment.  I really am.  I feel much more relaxed here.  One of the biggest perks?  The gorgeous sunsets over Manhattan.  I'll never get sick of it.  Unfortunately, a picture wouldn't do it justice.  I feel so lucky this particular apartment just happened to be available when we were searching for a new place to live.  If I ever sound like I'm taking it for granted, feel free to give me a cyber slap in the face.  ;-)  Sometime here in the future, I'll give you a photo tour.

I'm loving ... that another New York City Christmas is just around the corner!  The Rockettes, Rockefeller tree, Macy's ... oh my!  It's so magical -- and something, I feel, everyone should experience.  In fact, I can't wait for my family to come up here at some point so we can live it together.  Here are some photos from previous years ...

I'm loving ... that I finally started this blog!  Now, I just need some followers.  I would love to know if you're reading. ;-)

As always, I'm absolutely, 100% loving ... my husband, my puppy and my family.  They are my life. 

Happy Wednesday everyone!