Capri Blue - Volcano

Sometimes when I'm having a particularly annoying/stressful/blech day, i'll come home and take a few good deep breaths of this candle.  today wasn't any of those words above...it was actually productive and it was the end of my 2 day work week.  but i still came home and took a sniff of this candle and let it carry me off to some distant paradise.

if this qualifies me as a lunatic, i'm okay with that, it's just one of many on a long list of insane traits i possess.  just glad anthropologie had the good sense to stock this magnificent gem right under my nose!

happy weekend!

have you heard: blackmail material

i listen to a wide array of music...from rap to country, as long as it's catchy, i'm in.  sometimes i listen to really cool music...and then there are times where i'm embarrassed to admit what's been stuck in my head for days.

like these two gems:


now i must say that i had no idea what these boys looked like before posting this video, so no i don't like the song because i'm a 12 year old girl and think they're super dreamy...in fact i don't even want to go so far as to say that i actually LIKE the song.  but i can't deny that i listen to it in its entirety when it's on the radio...and sing along...and catch myself singing it throughout the day.

don't worry, the fun continues...


the first time i heard this song, mz and i were driving to pick up chinese food and what seemed like a clown car full of 10 year old girls had all of the windows rolled down and were singing this at the tops of their lungs looking like they were having the time of their life.  i showed a little restraint and didn't immediately go home to google the catchy song that made me feel like less of a person.  but after hearing it later that week on the radio i did play it, purposely, on spotify.

in the slightly less embarrassing music categories, Drive By and Starships (explicit...gotta keep up the street cred somehow!) are playing on repeat in my mental jukebox lately.

make sure you make a mental note of this for the next time you need to make fun of me or blackmail me for any reason :).

sistema + granola

this year for christmas, i bought mz the weirdest present ever...tupperware.  now granted it was just a small portion of his christmas presents, but i was REALLY excited about this purchase...so much so that i had to buy some for myself too!

can you think of anything nerdier?!

i was passing through macy's on my way out of the mall, with zero intention of even focusing my eyes on any of the stuff they have in there, when a martha stewart display caught my eye.  i had a plan to start bringing lunch in 2012 and martha was giving me just the extra push of motivation i needed!!  she brought this great system (Sistema) from new zealand, slapped her brand on it and i'm sure both companies are making a pretty penny right now.

here are the pieces that i purchased...and have been seriously obsessed with since the very first time i used them.  chances are if you comment on my sistema ware in the cafeteria i'll go into infomercial mode and tell you how phenomenal they are...you've been warned.  they really make me excited to make/eat lunch every day!

sandwich container: this bad boy has a spot for your sandwich and two smaller compartments for treats or other snacks...and there's a divider between both halves to keep everything nice and tidy.

salad container: the fork and knife are in 2 pieces each and they SNAP IN to the bottom of the tray that's in the container!! how great is that!?  there's also a cup for dressing.  i also have found myself using this container on occasion to tote leftover quesadillas...'dillas on the bottom, tomatoes, guac and beans on the top tray and a little sour cream in the dressing cup.

breakfast or soup: again, the spoon snaps in just like the salad container.  my favorite use for this is some outta this world barefoot contessa granola (with better dried fruits than cherries, ick) and either milk or yogurt...the tray ensures that your granola doesn't get soggy before you get a chance to devour it!

okay, who's hungry now!?

busy season + i might be a hoarder

mz's busy season has officially begun which means he's working saturdays for the next few months...which means i have lots of time on saturday mornings to myself.  sometimes that means waking up and watching some terrible movie or a disney flick, but other times (like today) it means busy season for me too.  busy with cleaning or crafts or projects or cooking...really anything i can think of to be productive so i don't feel super guilty when he gets home from a day of work and i've done absolutely nothing.

today i was tempted to read the hunger games all day (just started book 2 - SO hooked!!) but decided to tackle the basement instead.  in general, i'm not much of a cleaner but boy do i love to organize!!  our basement is small but it's got a whole lotta junk (and good stuff) down there and all of it seemed to move into the middle of the floor over the holiday season, so it was high time to find it all a home.  after 5 hours, 6 broken nails and about 2 tons of inhaled dirt/dust, it's looking really awesome.  there's so much space and i got rid of some old stuff (like the box to my first ipod...mini) so it was a great accomplishment.  and my craft table is finally cleared off so maybe i can start to actually DO some crafts!

while in the basement i finally admitted to myself that i might have a card/paper hoarding problem...not that i thought up a solution or did anything about it, but admitting it is the first step, right?!  i mean there are boxes upon boxes of postcards, letters, birthday cards sitting on a shelf...so if you've ever written to me, consider it saved and cherished.  it's not a new thing, i have cards from some of my earliest birthdays sitting in a nightstand in ri (sorry mom! clutter!!).  anyone have any good ideas on how to better store cards...or a method to eventually purge some of them??

i also have stacks of beautiful cards, paper and pens that i've picked up along my travels or that has been gifted to me.  i set a goal last year to send more letters but failed miserably.  i love writing and love sending/receiving mail, but sometimes i just hate to send my paper away!  totally nuts, huh?!  so i'm going to keep that as a goal this year and try harder...maybe if you heckle me and/or send me your address i'll start filling your mailbox!

hope you're having a happy (and productive) weekend!

9 days into the year and i'm already behind!

while all of my favorite blogs are posting recaps of 2011, setting goals for 2012 and moving forward with new and exciting projects, i've been in blog procrastination mode and am light years behind!  i was so wrapped up in the spirit of the holidays and enjoying time with my family that i kept all of my pictures safely stored in my camera and avoided blogger like the plague.  and then i pretty much got the plague.  or the flu, same diff.  so i decided that enough was enough, time to attempt to play catch up and get this year back on track!!  here are all of the things i meant to post many moons ago.  and since i'm still sick (aka have an excuse to be lazy) i'm going to be heavy on the pictures and light on the words for now...

oh dear!

jamestown, ri bridge

walk near rome point, ri after thanksgiving

poor mz, everyone wants a piece of him...or the ipad.

our skinny little tree.  probs would've been prettier with the lights ON!  i love christmas ornaments, they're my favorite travel souvenir.

random house in bridgeport with crazy decorations

kinda love the hokey signs that welcome you to our town.

our house!

we spent christmas in new jersey with the zonies clan and we took advantage of the beautiful weather by taking a family picture outdoors.  it was a wonderful christmas and a fabulous holiday season!

after christmas, we headed up to RI and at the end of the week some of our philly friends joined in on our holiday vacation craziness...

castle hill, newport, ri

the breakers

oooh nooo!!!  caution on the cliff walk.

i'll try to keep the procrastination to a minimum for the rest of the year!

a new ADVENTure

this Christmas season, i decided to do something a little different.  i wanted to get back in touch with my faith since i've fallen out of the routine of going to church every sunday and it's for no good reason at all.  my typical excuse (which are true, but totally lame) is that i'm not a fan of our local churches - 5 of them in walking distance - because the music stinks and the sermons are terrible, so i never feel connected...plus the congregation is typically comprised of about 6 other people with an average age of 102.  i suppose it kinda adds up to me just being lazy though when you get down to it.

so this advent, i'm going to work on that spiritual laziness and get reconnected with the true meaning behind Christmas.  might sound geeky, but i've downloaded a bible app on my phone and began a 25 day reading plan that takes about 5 minutes a day.  you read a passage from the bible (or there's an audio option if you want to listen instead) and it gives you additional questions to think about or suggestions on how to incorporate God into your daily life.  i bought a journal to put down all of my thoughts, but so far i haven't written much.  i'm hoping the journey through the advent season helps me open up a bit more too!

if you'd like to join in on this journey, just go to http://www.youversion.com/ and create an account (my username is ldemic01).  You can participate via the website or through your phone (http://www.youversion.com/).  the reading plan i've selected is the Rediscovering the Christmas Season and although it's intended to start on Dec 1, you can definitely catch up quickly!

good luck and keep me posted with your progress if you decide to join in!

let the fall festivities begin!

last weekend was so perfect!! filled with all of the fun that comes with fall, but the weather was nicer than most of the summer days we had with temps in the 80s and bright sun.  add in some apples, pumpkins, brunch and shopping and you've got an award winning weekend!  we also saw the movie 50/50 on saturday night and LOVED it, super funny and just a touch of sadness.  go see it if you get a chance!!


Pictures from our adventures at Linvilla.  The place was mobbed, but unfortunately the apple trees were not quite so densely populated...many of the apples had rotted before ripening due to all of the recent rain.

RIP Mr. Jobs

Lookin' good Ab :)

Oh ya know, just chillin' with a neck pumpkin.  NBD.

It was just a tad bit crowded but didn't stop us from filling that cart to the brim with lovely pumpkins!

can't wait for boston this coming weekend...i know it's going to be another winner!! :)

you're never too old for Elmo

thank goodness for The Coterie Blog!  without it i would never have seen this sweet preview:



who doesn't love elmo?!  i'm absolutely going to see this...who's with me?!
check here to see if Being Elmo is coming to a city near you!

Scenes from the streets...

...and inside the massive Moscone center where I'm attending the salesforce.com Dreamforce conference.

This event is so wild, I know it's nerdy but I've definitely been drinking the kool-aid this week and am so excited/impressed by everything this conference and company has to offer!

trains, planes and automobiles: RI Air show Weekend

i guess it's the tomboy in me, but there's something about air shows that i cannot resist. i like them almost as much as i like carnivals and festivals! :) i remember years ago my babysitter at the time took me and my bro (maybe sis too, not sure if she existed yet) to the air show and it was such an exhilarating experience.  the rhode island one doesn't fail to delight, year after year, with the blue angels and many other awesome acts on the agenda.  this year we watched it from my aunt & uncle's backyard overlooking wickford harbor and although the day was very grey (and a little rainy), it was just as good as i remembered it!  it was the first time mz had ever seen an air show and i think he was impressed so hopefully we can get back there for it next year.

that weekend i also picked up the sister from the train station.  ahhh how i miss the days traveling to and from ri by rail.  darn amtrak, lower your prices please so i can justify taking the train again instead of driving the dreaded 95 new england corridor!  no pics of the train, so just close your eyes and use your imagination :).

plus marc-o took us for a ride in his car. which had been 'resting' in the garage for a few years but is now back in action...and better than ever!

Click here to view more photos!

italian fest/feast 2011

i've said it before, but i'll say it again...i LOVE festivals/street fairs/carnivals, whatever they're called.  if there are brightly lit rides and artery stopping food available, i'm IN!  lucky for me there's one such event a block away from my house every year.  all centered around being italian, what could be better than that?!  truth be told, it's tiny, but it gets the job done...and has the best fried dough ever.  i think the fact that they use recycling bins to coat the hundreds of dough balls in sugar must add to the flavor ;-).

just a few shots from the festivities...

Aston - looking like a very serious old man!

the guys hanging out in the ghetto abandoned lot next door

 Okay let me explain the two pictures above...sometimes i get bad ideas and can't stop myself.  this was one such example.  we bought coronitas for the party which are cute/kid sized bottles.  and alexander is so good at getting the guys beers that i figured i'd make him one so he could be like one of the big boys.  for the record, it's only colored water in there, the beer had been dumped and the bottle was thoroughly washed.  plus i basically had to bribe him to take these pictures, he's so good he knew he's not supposed to have 'beer' and didn't want to get in trouble!

Alex & Andrea

Matt & Erin

safety last.

Bridgeport's Polish festival is next weekend...looking forward to eating some fried perogies!

it's been a full circle kinda day.

"A well-lived life leaves beautiful treasures shining on our shores"

this morning i woke with tears in my eyes.  

not a normal experience for me.  

i had had a dream about papa...we were reading cards we had all written to him (that my brain had completely made up) and then i was telling him about my new job that i'm starting on monday.  because that's what papa like to talk about, work.  so that was a bit of a shaky start to the day.

and then i got home - after an equally emotional day at work with the wonderful team i'm leaving - and got a sympathy card from a friend with the quote above.  pretty much seemed like a perfect time to finally post the few pictures from the funeral weekend.  i was planning on taking more, but the line of what's appropriate seemed a little too fuzzy to cross, so here's what i've got to share...

 baby michael looking cute as ever...don't worry, we were just auditioning him for a sam adams commercial, but we didn't let him drink that beer no matter how hard he tried!