The big 2-8!

Tomorrow is a big day. Do you know why?
Because it will be 28 years since this momentous day:

(Yes, that's me on the day I was born. Please feel free to sympathize with my mom- look at how big I was!)

In honor of my big day, my parents sent me some photos from the past.
As I looked through the photos, I realized something...
Even though these pictures are really old, not much has changed in my life.
I still like to bake (and tend to get pretty messy in the process)...
I like all sorts of arts and crafts...
And I still love music!
Oh, and I still crave attention... but that's sort of a give-in!
Isn't it nice to know that no matter how old I get, I'm still the same little girl inside?
Even if I did leave the house looking like this in high school...
Thank goodness rhinestone-studded sunglasses never go out of style... right?
Thank you for visiting my blog- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Brawny Lad, anyone?

Do you ever eat at Big Boy? I don't get to very often. So when I was home in Michigan a couple weeks ago, guess where we had lunch? I really like this place...
And on this occasion, it wasn't just the food that was making me happy!
Because when I was home, I got to see the newest members of our family!

This is three-month-old PLR!
And this is CMV, who's six months old! (Don't you love his I 'heart' NY shirt?)
I had the best time hanging out with my family. I hadn't had a chance to meet PLR prior to this, and I was so excited to see him in person! He's absolutely adorable, and my cousin is a wonderful mom to him!
This is my Aunt TMV (Noni to her grand babies), feeding PLR...
And this is my dad with CMV- he loves babies!
My grandpa came to lunch too... it was a whole family affair!
I've gotta tell you- these babies are just adorable...
I could have played with them all day!
(I'm pretty sure my dad would agree!)
So while I realize that Big Boy is probably not everyone's first choice for lunch...
I think it's downright perfect for a family get-together!
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful day!

49th and 7th...

There are a lot of subway stations here in NYC. One of my favorites is the station at 49th and 7th. I've never really been able to put my finger on WHY I like it...
It's certainly not the nicest station in the city... nor the cleanest...
To be honest, I think I just like the orange bricks... aren't they funky? Plus, even if I dose off on the train, when we're in this station I can look out the subway window and know exactly where I am in a split second!
Even though I love this station, I have to admit: when I see the train at the end of the tunnel, it doesn't matter what subway station I'm in- it automatically becomes my favorite!
I hope you have a great day- thanks for stopping by!

Blueberry Bars...

When I was visiting the green-grocer the other day, I picked up some blueberries. I couldn't help it- they just looked so plump and yummy! Of course, I didn't have anything in mind for them when I bought them... so when I got home I concocted a new recipe for Blueberry Bars!
Here are the ingredients:
Once I'd put the dry ingredients, vanilla and cream in a mixing bowl, I got to work with my pastry knife.
After a few minutes, I had the perfect consistency- I wanted it to clump when I squeezed it with my hand, but still be crumbly. (I hope that makes sense...)
I reserved a cup of the mixture, and dumped the rest into the bottom of an 8x8 baking pan. I used my hands and the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust into place.
Once I was finished, I set it aside and worked on the blueberries.
After mixing them with sugar, I spooned them onto the crust...
And sprinkled the remaining mixture on top.
Easy, right? After half an hour in the oven, here's what I had:
Talk about yummy! Once the bars were cool, I sliced into 'em.
Now, I don't particularly like blueberries... but these bars are AMAZING!
If you want to try them for yourself, here's the recipe:

Blueberry Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/3 and 1/4 cups sugar (or 7/12 if that makes you feel better...)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cream
1/2 cup butter
1 pint blueberries (appr. 2 cups)
Directions:
Mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter, until mixture retains shape after being squeezed. Reserving 1 cup of mixture, pour the rest into 8x8 baking pan and press to form bottom crust. Add remaining sugar to blueberries, and spoon over crust. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture on top, and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven when crust browns (you can also increase the temperature towards the end for maximum color), and cool before serving.

Now, I must admit... these bars are very crumbly (in the most delicious way). Since I was making these bars for my students, I wanted to ensure that they could easily have a snack without making a huge mess. So, I cut up some wax-lined sandwich bags, and placed the bars inside. Now the students can just grab a bag and enjoy a bar!
If you have the time to spare, I highly recommend whipping up these yummy bars! I promise you won't regret it!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful day!

What a grand place...

Over the weekend, I found myself in Grand Central Terminal.
I had to run some errands in Grand Central Market, and couldn't resist visiting the main concourse!
I mean, check out that ceiling! Here's what the Grand Central Terminal website had to say about it: The most notable feature of the Main Concourse is the great astronomical mural, from a design by the French painter Paul Helleu, painted in gold leaf on cerulean blue oil. Arching over the 80,000 square-foot Main Concourse, this extraordinary painting portrays the Mediterranean sky with October-to-March zodiac and 2,500 stars. The 60 largest stars mark the constellations and are illuminated with fiber optics, but used to be lit with 40 watt light bulbs that workers changed regularly by climbing above the ceiling and pulling the light bulbs out from above. Soon after the Terminal opened, it was noted that the section of the zodiac depicted by the mural was backwards. For several decades lively controversy raged over why this was so. Some of the explanations offered were that it just looked better, or it didn’t fit into the ceiling any other way. The actual reason is that Paul Helleu took his inspiration from a medieval manuscript, published in an era when painters and cartographers depicted the heavens as they would have been seen from outside the celestial sphere.
From the giant mural to smaller details, like the ticket booths...
Everything is just so ornate and beautiful!
But do you know what really amazes me? The number of people that are here. It doesn't matter what time or what day it is, there's always a crowd leaving or arriving!
Most of the people are usually clumped in this general area, looking for all sorts of information.
You know what? I think this is one of the most beautiful places in NYC!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you had a wonderful weekend!