Let's play catch up

Well ... I finally did it! I upgraded from my crappy, no-internet, likes-to-make-phone-calls-from-my-purse, simple cell phone to the newest iPhone 4S. I was waiting until the iPhone came to Sprint because I wasn't willing to change carriers since I've been with Sprint for 10+ years and I was due for a phone upgrade.

I've had an iTouch as long as I've had my MacBook Pro, so I already knew about lots of the cool apps that are out there. What I wasn't expecting to love so much was the camera on this phone and all the fun photo apps that are out there. I got this phone on October 17th and I will tell you that I've only picked up my point & shoot or my DSLR camera 2 times since then.

The pictures (and video) are so clear on my phone ... sometimes better than what I can take with my Canon cameras. It's easy to carry around with me and it's fast to get started when I want to take a picture quickly. In October, I've taken more pictures than the last two months, and I would bet that most of them have been since I got my new phone.

I wanted to share some of my 2nd favorite pictures that didn't make it onto The View Across Town. Enjoy!

Taken with the Instagram app. You can turn the camera around so it takes the picture from the front of the phone instead of the back.

Instagram allows you to change all the filters right from your phone to give your pictures a unique look. This app was one of the main reasons why I wanted to get an iPhone. It's free, but it would have been worth it if I paid for it, too!

The main camera is clear and allows me to keep track of things in my classroom. This day was beyond hectic. I shared this picture of our schedule with my classroom parents via my Twitter account.

Erik asked me to bring my camera to his TEAM Tailgate a few weeks ago to take pictures for the blog. I only brought my iPhone and I was very pleased with the pictures. They helped to raise over $6,000 this day for Jamie's Wish charity.

Instagram takes great pictures, even at night. Doesn't this tree look creepy?

YUM! Apple cider donuts at the Louisburg Pumpkin Patch. Instagram allows me to share pictures right then on Twitter if I want with my followers. I HAD TO share this one :)

It even has a tilt-shift feature, which makes some parts of your picture clear & other parts blurry. Can you see the horizontal line that is focused across the middle?

I've been used to carrying my PowerShot with me each time Minnie & I go for a walk. Now, I can just bring my phone (which also tracks the length of our walks). This picture is just as great as the ones I've taken with my camera.

This collage was made with the Diptic app. I'm not sure if I paid for it or not, but it's worth it! You can make a collage in many different shapes and number of pictures. I made this one as Minnie and I cooled down after our walk. Amazing!

Taken at school. The 4th grade team is going to be "Rock, Paper, Scissors" for Halloween this year. We painted these shirts on conference day last week. The backs of our shirts have pictures of our objects. Fun!

I took this picture at the Dollar Tree this weekend. I found these miniature cones in the teacher section at the store and wanted to share the find with my teacher friends on Twitter. Such a quick & easy way to share ideas.

Brought my phone to take pictures of Ellen getting ready for her Halloween parade at school. She is a bee keeper this year. Molls had to put her hair up so it would fit under her bee keeper hat.

The best spot in the world for pet portraits! Still takes a great picture, even with my phone!

I took this one with the MovieFXCam app (free until November 1st). You can take video or pictures with many different effects. This one is called "Seventies Film". I love the way the sunlight looks in this one.

Same app, but this effect is "Thermal Vision". Doesn't Minners look funny?

This one is in the same "Seventies Film" effect. Keifer is one of our neighborhood dog friends. He's pretty fast, so most of the pictures I took of him were a bit blurry. This is the one time when I think my DSLR would do better because it has a fast shutter speed.

Minnie loves her Auntie Mitzi. I was able to share this Instagram picture with Mitzi via Twitter after I took it.

Had to share a picture of one of my grocery store finds with the Instagram app. I love this filter because the apples look so yummy!

What are YOUR favorite apps? I also have 360 (for panoramic pictures) and Pro HDR, but I haven't played around with those as much.

I'm actually excited about grocery shopping!

I've never been a fan of grocery shopping. Do you remember when I diagnosed myself with Grocery Store Sensory Overload? It's a real thing. I promise. I have a hard time planning a menu for the week and sticking to just the things on my list.

When Trader Joe's opened here, I thought for sure I wouldn't care or become a shopper there. The first time I went, Jill & I went just to look around. I was annoyed by the crowds, but it was still new at that point and everyone was super excited about TJ's.

Then, I asked Molly if they'd meet me at the Ward Parkway TJ's to do some shopping and give me suggestions of what to get. 4 weeks later, I'm completely hooked! For someone who used to typically hate my grocery store trips that happened every 3-4 weeks, I'm now excited about going once a week to get what I need for lunch and dinner. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites (so far).

Chocolate-covered banana bites - $1.99. These are in the frozen section and stay frozen. Just take out & enjoy as-is. They are pretty filling and usually, I can get over a chocolate craving with just one or two of the bites.

Bananas - $0.19/banana. Pretty cheap for bananas! They also carry organic bananas for a little bit more money. I love bananas, but I got burned out on them after peanut butter banana sandwiches for SEVERAL meals in a row.

Mini heirloom tomatoes - $3.49. So yummy! The last time I was there, they didn't have the heirloom tomatoes, but had regular cherry tomatoes for the same price.

Whole wheat slim sandwich bread - $2.49. These taste just as good as the Thomas' whole wheat slims I was buying at my other grocery store, but a bit cheaper. One of my coworkers told me today that all the bread from TJ's should be kept in the fridge (and they recommend that) because there aren't any preservatives. Just an FYI for you.

Half-gallon of fat free milk - $1.99. I normally drink fat free skim milk, but TJ's didn't carry it. this milk is significantly cheaper than the price of a half gallon at Walmart where I normally shop. I have a hard time drinking my entire 1/2 gallon, so sometimes I have to pour out half of it. I don't feel nearly as guilty when the milk is less than $2.

Organic brown rice - $3.49. There are three 10 oz. packages inside this box. It's found in the freezer section. So far, I've only made one of the packages, but when I mixed it with a bag of organic frozen veggies ($1.69), it was a great "side" to add to my lunches.

Turkey meatballs - $2.99. Frozen & fully cooked. This is next up on my list of things to make with pasta for some easy lunches for school. I haven't tried them yet, but Molly has and they are getting great reviews.

Chicken & vegetable potstickers - $2.99. These can be cooked quickly in the microwave and they are super yummy.

Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal - $2.99. I didn't actually buy this at TJ's. I'm sorry I didn't, because the day before I bought it at Walgreen's when doing some quick shopping for $4.99. Ugh. I'm still getting over the lack of taste, but attempting to like it because of the high amount of protein it has.

Organic fruit wrap - $0.49/each. I'm a hugh fan of fruit snacks and roll-ups. I used to buy the fruit wraps at Whole Foods, but I rarely shop there. Target's Archer Farms brand has great fruit wraps, too. I really like these, even though they are a bit expensive.

Quinoa duo with vegetables - $3.99. Have you ever tried to shop for quinoa at your grocery store? Of course, my Walmart didn't carry it. When I finally found some in the organic section of a Hen House, a small container cost a small fortune! I left it on the shelf. This is found in the frozen section and it's already pre-cooked. You just need to quickly warm it up in the microwave or a skillet. I got about 3 portions out of this bag and I added a little bit of cheese to it for some flavor and to tone down the spice. I'm sure most people wouldn't think it's too spicy, but I noticed it had a kick to it.

I'm also now a fan of the What's Good at Trader Joe's FB page, with the hopes that I'll get some other new ideas. With a little bit of searching, you can find plenty of blogs & twitter accounts where people share suggestions of what to buy at TJ's and what foods reviewed well (or not so well).

I hope you can find a few things to get next time you're there ... or maybe this will entice you to take your first trip to Trader Joe's. Let me know what you like to get when you are there!

Shoe Review #3

I called Mom last Friday afternoon, asking if she would join me at DSW to look for some new shoes before my $10 off coupon expired on Sunday. She had a coupon, too, so we braved the cold on Friday night and visited the newly made over DSW close to us.

I went, looking to replace 2 pair of black leather sandals that I've worn out. They are very comfortable, but the straps have stretched out from numerous wears and I needed something new for work and this spring/summer. Sadly, I didn't find exactly what I was looking for ... but ... I did try on these sandals made by Crocs. {The straps look navy in this top picture, but they are actually black.}

I know that many people are anti-Crocs, but I really do think they're comfortable. You get used to the bumps on the sole and the soft base make them nice to walk in. I bought this black pair for $29.99 (and then $10.00 off) and I'm already loving them. Originally, I thought they would just be for bumming around this summer, but I think they look a bit nicer than my regular Old Navy flip flops.

I wore them to school today (I did touch up my nail-polish after taking these pictures) and my feet felt great all day. These came in brown, too. I'm tempted to go back & get that pair, but I rarely wear brown in the summer. If you are looking for comfy sandals and you can get over any issues you may have with Crocs, then you should check these out.

What an improvement!

I've been a shopper at Kohl's for quite a few years. They always seem to be having "The BIGGEST Sale Ever", and I can find great deals. As a teacher, I need to find nice-looking clothes, that don't cost a fortune, and can be both trendy and classic.

I have a Kohl's credit card, although I probably got it later than I should have. I think I must have waited until a back-to-school shopping spree to get the giant percent discount off my total.

They have a big clothes section in addition to great home goods, kitchen supplies, cute baby clothes (perfect for gifts!), jewelry, perfume and more! I don't typically shop in the purse or shoes section. I know, I know ... that's probably shocking, but I am picky.

In the past, I've been frustrated by sifting through racks & racks of clothes and I don't think the sale racks are as organized as they are at Target. The dressing rooms were always a giant mess! The doors hung off hinges or didn't close. The floors were cluttered with hangers, trash, and a pile of clothes. YUCK!

I went to Kohl's this past week on a snow day to look for a way to spend a gift card I got for Christmas (thanks, Ann!). I knew my local Kohl's was going through some construction on the outside of the building over the last few months, but I don't know that it had changed on the inside, too. Most of the time, I shop at the 119th & Metcalf store. I was SO impressed! They rearranged the layout of the store and things seemed to be easier to locate. THEN, when I was ready to try on clothes, I found myself in a brand-new dressing room. The outside had nice husband/boyfriend/son lounging benches, and artwork on the walls. The dressing rooms were BIG and nicely designed and CLEAN! The new wood floors, leather benches and 3-way mirrors are a nice addition.

One of my pet-peeves about dressing rooms is when there aren't enough racks, hooks or places to hang the clothes you want to try on. I bet department stores hate when their slatted doors are all scratched up, but that is what happens when you don't have enough hooks inside the room, and your customers will instead hook hangers through the door slats.

Kohl's has now fixed this problem with a large hanging bar (see the above picture) and then 3 hooks on the wall that are labeled. "Love it", "Like it", and "Back on the rack". What a GREAT idea! Don't most women make these piles on their own when trying on clothes? Now half the work is done for you? All you have to do is try on endless amounts of jeans and swim suits! :)

For those that are wondering, I spent my gift card on that brown sweater on the left, the gray one in the middle, 2 cards, 2 baby/kid gifts, some new pj's, and a bottle of perfume for myself. Not too bad! Go visit, trying on clothes will actually be enjoyable!

Show me your pearly whites!

Can you tell that my little one looks out of it in this picture? This was taken after we got home from her long day at Dr. Jed's office. It was the day that I finally bit the bullet and scrounged up the money for Minners to get her teeth clean.

Minnie is 4 1/2 and last December, they started sending me home with a quote for a teeth cleaning every time I was at the vet. I'm sure our childhood dogs had their teeth cleaned, but I never remember that. Mom said it was probably good to invest in it so I don't have to have rotten teeth extracted on a 18-pound animal at $25-$125 a tooth!

She spent the entire day there and they called at 12:30 to tell me that she did great, didn't need any teeth pulled and was starting to wake up. I could pick her up at 4:00. I drove over after work and found this TIRED, EXHAUSTED, DROWSY pup! She could hardly stand up in the office and fell against the side of my car when she tried to jump in my lap before I could grab her. She fell asleep on my arm on the way home! :)

This picture looks scary and like she might be mad, but I think she was almost passed out when I took it. I had to show you how clean and WHITE her teeth were! They might even be more white than mine! I can't believe the difference the cleaning made! P.S. Aren't those small teeth funny? I think it's fascinating that they have a "cut out" that the other teeth feet perfectly in when her mouth is closed.

Here she is getting really sleepy. I was told to watch her around stairs and probably just to carry her. It's a good thing she doesn't weigh more than she does because I've got a lot of stairs at my place! She napped on the couch most of the evening and then went up to bed before I did.

Sleeping beauty ... trying to sleep off the anesthesia. :(

At some point in the middle of last night, she jumped up in bed and was still pretty out of it this morning, but not too out of it to eat a breakfast. She hardly had anything to eat yesterday ... which you know was torture for her! When I finally made it home from work tonight, she was at the door waiting for me and was back to her normal, happy, barky, self! Glad to have my baby back!

Looking for change

I love these apothecary jars, and I started collecting them before I even had a home to put them in. When I moved into my condo, I was excited that I had the perfect place for them. I have a counter that opens up to both my kitchen & my living room. Most of the other condos that have the same floor plan have an extended counter that allows them to have bar stools there for eating. I wish my counter was like that, because it might mean the counters wouldn't become my catch-all for mail, recycling, magazines, etc.

Anyhoo ... the jars have been filled with various grains and beans for 2 years, and I think I'm over it. I'm looking for ideas for new fillers. Candy would be a lot of fun, but that's just a recipe for a disaster (and a bigger a$$). I can also take them away completely for a cleaner look, but I like them so much.

They could go on top of this cabinet in my dining room and I could put the lamp somewhere else. They might look nice with the sunlight coming in through the jars, even if they were empty.

The other place I need help is with my TV and table. This is one of the few new pieces of furniture I have in here. My TV used to sit on my coffee table, but when I found this great piece, that had storage, I was happy to have my coffee table back! Erik's parents were nice enough to let me have this TV when I moved in because they were doing some redecorating. The one I had before this was a measly 19 inch TV, which was difficult to adjust to since I had gotten used to Molly & Erik's GIANT TV when I lived with them. The problem is that this table isn't very sturdy and I think the weight of the TV is causing the joints to shift, and the cabinet doors and drawers are becoming difficult to open.

Since this has been the summer of spending for me, I'm not sure that I have the money for a replacement TV, but I know a thinner, lighter TV would probably be the answer.

I'm taking any and all suggestions at this point. Today's Day Of Cleaning has been slow going, but I know that if I really work on cleaning this place top to bottom today, I'll be much happier once I head back to work full time!

Who needs toys?

Just for the record ... if you are an Aunt and you have nieces ... don't EVER feel like you need to buy her toys.

All you need to do is show up with your purse in tow and let your niece play all she wants!

Here is Ellen, playing with my "walrus" or wallet, for those of you that don't speak 18-month old!

And here she is with her other new obsession, glasses!

New York - Things to see & do!

Here's the next installment of my report on our trip to NYC. Keep reading to see all that we got accomplished in our VERY short time in the city.

Technically, we didn't go to Phillips in New York. It was actually in Baltimore, Maryland at the airport. We had a longer layover, so we stopped here for a late lunch of 4 fabulous crab cakes and 4 beers. Our bill? Just under $80. No joke.

After our layover and a delay, we got into NYC and had a chance to check into our hotel, change clothes & walk about 10 blocks to meet up with Uncle John & Aunt Dinah, Katherine & Bruce, and Reagan for a late dinner.

We had a fabulous dinner at Trattoria Belvedere and our waiter was nice enough to have the kitchen put a small sample of all the things we ordered on each of our plates. It was a small restaurant that had the front doors open so we could see people coming & going late into the night.

We got to finally meet Katherine's fiance (now husband) and catch up with our family, which is always fun! There were drinks ... and lots of them. They may or may not have been the reason we didn't get up for the Today Show the next morning!

After dinner, the "kids" wanted to go out for more drinks. The Bride & Groom joined us, even though they both had to work the next day! We walked for blocks & blocks & blocks to find a place to go, and when we finally got here, we indulged in more beer. Who's idea was this? ;)

Once we finally got up & moving the next day, we had lots of things we wanted to see all over town. First stop was the New York Public Library. It was a must since we were with the twins, who are former librarians. The inside was BEAUTIFUL and we got to walk through an exhibition on early New York maps, which I found interesting, because I teach about early maps and explorers like Henry Hudson (Hudson River & Valley) in my Social Studies curriculum.

Then, we strolled over to Rockefeller Center to see the sights & watch as they took the railings down from that day's Today Show summer concert.

Then we took the subway to get across town faster & cheaper than walking or a cab. The man in the subway booth was VERY helpful & told us the most economical way to buy passes for 5 of us. It was a nice break for our feet, too!

When we climbed the stairs out of our subway stop in Soho, we saw the Prada flagship store across the street. Aunt Dinah insisted that we walk inside, because you don't often see stores like this ... especially coming from Overland Park, Kansas. I was thrilled, because I'm always happy to drool over gorgeous & pricey purses!

We also went to the Pearl River Market to see what sort of neat things they had. Molly walked out with the cutest pair of panda shoes for Ellen. I got Japanese erasers for my students. I should have purchased this tote, "First Lady of Fabulous" ... I agree 100%!

We kept on strolling after some yummy lunch at Porchetta to go to 3 John Derian stores that were all along one street. They had GREAT housewares and lots of things that were WAY out of my budget, but fun to look at! Isn't this display of simple black paintings fabulous?

We walked for what seemed like miles & miles. It was way more than I've ever walked without a dog attached to the end of a leash. And in flat sandals, no less. Feet. Killing. Me. Need. To. Rest.

So that we did. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed sitting out on Uncle John & Aunt Dinah's 15th story terrace. Well ... some of us enjoyed it more than others. Molly & I were antsy to take pictures from the terrace and Mom spent the majority of the time thinking we might accidentally jump over the 4ft wall on the edge and fall to our death. Here she is crying, and here is Dinah laughing at her. Hilarious!

Around 5:00, Erik convinced us to head out on the streets again to get a 1st dinner, since the dinner for the Bride & Groom wouldn't take place until 9:30 or so. He assured us if we went with him, we would get a cab and forego any more walking. Little did we know, the cabs change shifts around the same time, so we walked for probably 20 minutes just looking for a cab. I thought Erik was going to cry. Mom & I almost gave up. It was a good thing we didn't!

We headed to The Pony Bar, which Erik read about on a friend of a friend's blog. It was a tiny bar, but we were lucky enough to snag a few seats to take in the people watching, make some new friends & enjoy fabulous food & beer.

I had lobster rolls for the first time (AMAZING) and an apricot wheat beer. Can we go back, please?

That night, we went to Pasita for an engagement party for Katherine & Bruce and we got to meet some of their friends, and Bruce's family for the first time. The food & wine was excellent (can you believe how much we've had to eat & drink in just 1 day?) and we made friends with a former coworker of Katherine's and her Neil Patrick Harris look-alike boyfriend. It was a fun night! The only bad part of the evening was walking around from 12-1:00am looking for a cab to take us home. I was thisclose to cutting my feet off. Erik was thisclose to kicking the next cab he saw that wouldn't take us home. We couldn't believe how many people were out doing the same thing we were! That city never sleeps!

When we finally got up & at 'em the next morning, we used Erik's iPhone to find a bagel place for breakfast. So, we walked to Ess-a-Bagel ... and my whole wheat bagel with walnut raisin creme cheese was a perfect way to start the day. Erik had TWO bagels, because he knew he's regret it if he didn't order the two things he really wanted.

Next we walked to Bloomingdales to browse around a bit. The time limit we gave ourselves went by VERY quickly, when I realized that we'd been walking around the housewares floor for a whole hour & came away with nothing! A few floors down we found a Vera Wang couture wedding dress display. Each one was more amazing than the last, but this one was my favorite. It was laser cut leather. Unreal!

After a small lunch with the Bride, we walked to see her apartment! Katherine & Bruce's street was so nice & their place was great! It's amazing to see how New Yorkers live. Kind of makes me feel selfish about filling all 1500 square feet of my condo ... by myself. Yikes.

They even have a rooftop patio, which they use for entertaining, dining, (now) puppy playground, and relaxation. Left to Right: Me, Katherine, Caroline, Aunt Dinah, Molly.

After we left there, Mom & Dinah went to have their hair done & get ready. Molly, Erik & I went a bit further down the street to Central Park.

We saw a fashion photo shoot happening.

And sat down long enough to watch the roller-skaters and street performers.

And then walked a bit further to see the sight! This was just like every movie I've seen that takes place in Central Park. BEAUTIFUL!

If we had more time, I would have liked to sit in the park and do some more people watching. I'll plan on it for my next trip.

They spent a lot of time doing this! We then had to find our way out of the park and attempt to get to the last few stops we had planned.

But ... we happened upon Mister Softee as we exited the park. We HAD TO get a couple sprinkle cones to walk with. It was pretty hot that day, so it was the perfect mid-afternoon snack!

Then we got lost trying to find our next stop, but we did walk past Trump Tower. Just as gaudy & obnoxious as you would think.

When we passed Trump Tower, we were on our way to momofuku, a cookie & milk bar. We split three amazing cookies and were sorry we didn't take some home to the rest of the family. Quite an experience!

Our last stop was to M&J Trimming, which was a crafty girl's dream store! Buttons, ribbon, lace, sequins, tassels, beads GALORE! We walked away with empty hands, but I think if we weren't dragging Erik along with us, Molly and I might have spent some more time there.

Okay ... part 2 of 3 is finally done. It only took me about 2 hours to write! See why I stalled so long? I hope you enjoyed reading ... and maybe found some fun things to do on your next trip to the Big City!