21 Hours in New York City: Fabulous!

Question:  What do Tolstoy, Josh Groban, Italian food, Cheesecake, and four gallivanting ladies have in common?   Well....as the title indicates, the answer is: a fabulous trip to New York City!

And what precipitated such an adventure?  An ingenious Christmas gift:

Now I ask, "Do I have great kids, or what?"  I didn't have to plan a thing!  All I needed to do was mark my calendar and count down the days to this exciting event.  You  just can't ask for more than that, can you?

The girls all arrived on Friday so that we could head out the door bright and early Saturday morning.  Our plan worked out well, and by 10:15 am,  the car was dropped off in the parking garage, and we were heading to our hotel to check in our luggage for safe keeping before gallivanting around Times Square.   Perfect timing!  

Showtime was 2:00, so we had several hours to explore the area and that we did!  

Not far from our hotel, we spotted this entertaining sculpture.

And,  in the near distance, we came upon another....

and so..... they continued 

each one unique 

and amusing

After a little research, I learned there are actually eleven of these unique pieces of art in what is referred to as the Garment District.  They were created by a Taiwanese artist, Hung Yin, and the display is entitled "A Fancy Animal Carnival".   

And, much to our surprise, when we arrived at Macy's, their Spring Flower show continued the Carnival theme throughout the store. 

Looking at the windows, one felt as if they were under the Big Top: 

Definitely entertaining!

Don't you just love that shot of us in the "skinny" mirror?

Interestingly enough, the flower show wasn't supposed to actually begin until the following day, but there were plenty of displays set up already,  and I can't even imagine how strong the floral scents would have been with even more blooms on display! 

What a lucky surprise to have stumbled upon! 

Back outside, the sights did not disappoint. This display was randomly sitting in a small plaza right outside of Macy's. 

I'm curious: I wonder who decides what color has to leave?   Let me know if you learn the answer to that question.

We walked to Bryant Park

And spied the Empire State Building in the Distance.

Around the corner, and a few more blocks of walking, and the sight was much easier to see.

Pretty impressive, don't you think?  

By now, it was nearly time for the show, so we headed to the Imperial theater, which was quite a feat,  as the sparsely populated sidewalks from our early arrival, had changed into a dense crush of people with groups monopolizing most of the walkways.   But we managed to arrive in plenty of time to find our seats and relax a bit prior to the beginning of the performance.

The name of the Broadway Musical is "The Great Comet of 1812", and walking into the theater, one could certainly feel the aura of a 19th century Russian supper club, as was the intent.

Interspersed among the seats were these cozy lit glass tables

and the lighting certainly added to the enchantment.

The stage wove in and around the seating, and musicians were scattered in various spots throughout the theater. 

This bass player and guitarist were in the pit closet in our view, and this is where Josh Groban would spend the majority of his time sharing his talents, singing, as well as playing the piano, drums and accordion, just to mention a few. 

In case you are wondering, this musical story is actually a retelling of one small segment of Tolstoy's novel, War and Peace.  I was familiar with this piece of literature, although I will admit that it has been quite awhile since I read it. But the plot was easy to follow, and the cast began by referencing the "Family Tree" page listed in the playbill, which explained the various web of connections between Pierre and Natasha. 

The performance was quite different from anything I've seen before, being more contemporary than traditional.  All of the lines were sung, more like an opera than a musical and there were no scene changes,  as the entire production took place in and around the audience. 

The cast was huge, with countless performers singing and dancing all around us, many while playing a musical instrument such as a violin, clarinet or accordion.  I was certainly quite impressed by the talent and endurance each of one of these performers possessed.  

All of the main characters had exceptional stage presence, each with a tonal quality that was always right on the mark.   The show interspersed drama with humor throughout, making the experience light hearted at times, and the inclusion of audience participation at certain spots, added to the entertainment of this production.  And, of course, who couldn't love Josh Groban performing?  What a treat for us all!

But the day wasn't finished yet.  We headed out to an Italian restaurant where the food was so delicious, Amy said she is still dreaming about it. 

I ordered the wild mushroom fettuccine.  

And it was delicious!

Despite being filled to the brim, we all managed to find enough room to indulge in some New York Style Cheesecake which we stopped and picked up on the way back to our room.  

It took a few shots to get this photo, taken right outside our hotel, as most passers by were intent on photobombing our memory, but quick fingers managed to pull it off.  

The room was cozy, but comfortable enough, and it offered some pretty after dark views

Time Square was actually around the corner of this building, but all we managed to see were the reflections of the billboards changing every 10 seconds.  Luckily, there were heavy drapes to block the light!

I don't know about you, but I'd say that this group of four had quite a bit of entertainment squeezed into one day.  And I think that I can safely say that a great time was had by all, and that Christmas in March was one of the best days of my life.  This will no doubt we a special memory that I will always cherish. 

So, a big thank you to my daughters, Stacey and Amy, for the special treat, and to my daughter-in-law, Heather,  for adding to the specialness of the day!  I couldn't feel more lucky, that's for sure.  

By the way, where are we going next year?  

Turning One!

Yesterday was surely a cause for celebration as these two cuties turned One!

Looking at them now, you would never have guessed that they arrived 10 weeks early, one year ago.

And, who would have dreamed that they would bring so many smiles and happiness to so many of us over the last year?  

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, and really, one might question if it truly is the middle of February since the temperature rose into the low 70's!

 And, since it was double the fun (and potential mess), being outdoors seemed like a terrific idea for all!

There seemed to be a bit of confusion as to what to do with their little cakes.

But Iris seemed to enjoy a little thumb with her taste of icing.

While Leona was a bit skeptical

I'm quite sure that the adults in attendance were having much more fun than the birthday girls, although they certainly did do their part to keep us entertained.

Of course, there was some time with cousin Finn

And Maddie joined in as well. 

And, last, but certainly not least, Wellie had a bit of birthday excitement himself.

Actually, Wellington was in his glory at day's end, as he had the important job of cleaning up the floor!  And believe me, there were plenty of treats to bring a snort to his face! 

Yep, I'd say that he was one happy pig!

Happy Babies.  Happy Piggy.  Happy Parents.  And, of course, happy Gallivanting Grandparents:

I'd call that pretty much a perfect day, wouldn't you?  

Flipping Geismom

So, have you wondered where I have disappeared to?  Or did you just not notice my absence?

I've been gallivanting.....sort of....if you call driving back and forth across the state at a frequent rate gallivanting.  I've been home for precisely 2 days in the last 12.  

My days have involved working on my in-laws house to make it more attractive to a potential buyer.  Marty's parents moved to an assisted living home the first week of January, and as I'm sure many of you are quite familiar,  the homestead must be sold.  It's not an easy process for those who grew up in the home, because nearly every nook and cranny hold some sort of special memory.

But, I'm the in-law, and although I am sensitive to the emotions behind cleaning out the house,  and I have carefully packed up many of the special items for the family to go through sometime in the future, I have agreed to tackle the renovations required by the realtor who came through and critiqued what was needed to add some allure to this special home. 

First on the list:  redo the kitchen.  Here's what I walked into just about 2 weeks ago:

Actually, I remembered to take a photo after I started taking down the wallpaper above the cabinets, in case you were wondering.

The realtor suggested removing the wallpaper and the paneling and painting the walls and cabinets. 

Ok, I could see her point. The kitchen looked dark, and the cabinets were definitely worn.  After all, this was 50 years of everyday use, so that certainly could be expected. 

I was up for the challenge.  I got the wallpaper down in a day and a half.  Not too shabby, right?

But, my glee would be short lived after I realized that liquid nails were used to install the paneling.  After several hours attempting to get it off of the wall, I decided to put that project on hold and hand it over to Marty to take care of when he arrived for the weekend.  (Smart thinking on my part, don't you think?)

It's not like there weren't plenty of other things to keep me busy.  Those counter tops didn't clean off themselves, and those cabinets were still packed to the hilt with items that I needed to get out of them.  

After packing up boxes and boxes of stuff, I  transferred my energies to stripping the paper off the front hallway as well as the very LONG hall.

I'm not even going to begin to describe the effort that went into that paper removal.  Let's just say that it took several days, even with my daughter helping me, and no one was happier than I when that was finished.  Luckily, my brother-in-law was willing to do the final clean up and he even offered to paint the hall!  No complaints from me on that, believe me!

Now, back to the kitchen.  

Marty used a heat gun and a scraper to get off most of the hardened residue on the walls.  He applied spackle and sanded.  When I returned the following Wednesday, I applied another coat of spackle, and sanded again, resulting in a not-too-shabby looking wall. 

A coat of ceiling paint, as well as a coat on the walls, and those ugly stripes were a distant memory!

On Saturday, my two children, Jim and Amy, showed up bright and early to help out with the renovations.  How lucky are we?  They had also showed up last month to help with a lot of repairs, shelf removal, packing, and the infamous removal of the piano, which was not as easy as one might presume.  But half an hour later, it was out of the living room and sitting in the garage, thanks to the combined efforts of those two. 

But, I digress once more.  Oh, and both times, Amy showed up with Coffee, donuts, and lunch.  Once again....could I ask for a better kid?  I think not!

With the walls finished,  Amy and I got right to work on the cabinets while Jim was installing the new ceiling fans.

Amy and I had decided to apply chalk paint to the cabinets after my good friend, Paulette, the decorating czar, had suggested it. 

I purchased an additive that was mixed right into the paint instead of buying the pricier product. 

Doors were down, and Amy and I were ready to tackle this part of the product.   And just what WOULD Pope Francis do?  

Pray and Paint....that's what I think!

In the meantime, let me mention, that when I removed the toaster oven that had been on the cookie sheet that was over a very large glass cutting board, I discovered this:  cleverly hidden beneath all.   You can well imagine my disappointment.  What could we possibly do with that?

Discussing this dilemma over dinner, at 9:00 at night, Marty came up with a brilliant idea!  Why don't we install a butcher block in that space?  Now, I ask, how clever was that?

Jim took care of that as well.

We got a lot done on Saturday, but were nowhere near finished, so Marty and I decided to spend yesterday working as well, and I'm glad that I did!

The kitchen isn't quite yet finished, but only minor details remain. 

And, here is a sneak peak at the nearly complete make-over:

How's that for bright and inviting?  

While Marty was working on installing the new hardware, and painting the heating panels, I decided to tackle the adjacent room, all paneling, which, again, the realtor had told us needed painting.

 Before:

After:

By this time, we really needed to call it a day as it was after 8:30 and we needed to get dinner.

That's when I realized something that never crossed my mind in the past.  Restaurants close early on Super Bowl Sunday.  Did you know that?

Well....at least in this place they did.  And so, dinner was McDonalds.  Not exactly my idea of a culinary treat, but, being my only option, I bit the bullet and ordered a chicken sandwich.

And a hot fudge sundae for dessert.  Perhaps that wasn't such a bad deal after all!