there's always a first

like our very first hosted thanksgiving day dinner. check out all that sweet potato casserole. lots of leftovers too, mmmm.

happy turkey day

here we are, bright and early at the macy's day parade! note to self, get up earlier for better views, don't let people push in front of you and bring better gloves.

by the time we left all our extremities were rendered useless and we were starving, so we grabbed some hot cocoa, a pastry and headed back to the eerily empty subway. all in all, i would definitely go again, but i think someone with children would enjoy it immensely (hint hint carrie or sarahs). it was a fun experience and not at all as difficult as i would have imagined. and the balloons are HUGE in person.

so now we're back home cooking turkey! happy thanksgiving everyone! (and happy black friday shopping tomorrow!)

just hanging around

actually that's a lie. i've been baking and getting ready for my first full thanksgiving dinner prepared entirely by me. and trader joes.

also going to the parade tomorrow morning, i'll let you know how insane the place is, and probably post some photographic proof. see you on the subway at 6am!

finally

the date's been set, so for anyone who's interested email me at tinkerellen@yahoo.com for the street address. carrie was kind enough to lend me her house for the night, so i thought i would be nice enough to not shout her address around the internet.

mb and sarah, i fully intend to see your pink-lovin' butts there.

to walk like a new yorker

apparently you must keep your head down. at all times. the problem is, i always look up. always. but who could resist giant hanging snowflakes?

some crafting goodness

so i've been working all weekend on building up my inventory for the upcoming sale, but along the way i needed to get a couple of projects done for my apartment and myself. since the futon stay-put tabs are a bit of a snoozer, i'll show you my new messenger bag.

i fell in love with this plaid from the thrift shop across the street and they just happened to have a complimentary canvas bolt, all in all i spent about ten dollars on the materials. and nothing went to waste. i used the fringe edges of the plaid to create the trimming for all the pockets. and oh the pockets. there's the one for my mini-wallet, my metrocard, my reading material and my sunglasses along with some miscellaneous pockets thrown in there for good measure. oh and there's a leather bottom. the husband's not normally impressed with all my crafting ventures but he seriously didn't believe me when i said i made this bag. and if it impresses him {the man who never lies to make people feel better} then i'm proud of my handy work.

now, back to more laundry and general cleaning in preparation for our guests this week!

ketch up

what a busy life we lead. i'm looking forward to a productive yet relaxing weekend. then we have friends coming in all next week for thanksgiving so it starts all over!

so this past weekend we took a last-minute trip to connecticut. love that we're only two hours from home now BUT you really have to leave super early or fairly late to avoid any traffic. in other words, it took us three hours this time. BUT we made it in time for our double date with ben and carrie. dinner and a movie! we went to see 'fireproof' which i highly recommend if you can make it past some of the forced dialogue and so-so acting, not on cameron's part of course. the message of the movie trumps all of that anyway, so go see it.

the next day we spent at the outlets (stellar deals at the RL outlet, although the line in GAP was too ridiculous to stick around) and then church twice in one day! we haven't done that in forever, but it was really nice, we're still having trouble finding the type of church we're used to here in the city. anyway, that night i handed over the pictures to the excited bride from back in October. she's so happy with everything which in turn makes me SO glad that i did it, although i'm worried she's going to plaster her walls with the photos and then you'll really notice all the imperfections.

another announcement: i'll be having a tinkerwiththis sale in bristol, connecticut sometime in the beginning of december. i'll send around invites via email, which you of course can forward to anyone you know who would be looking for cute handmade Christmas gifts! i'll be finalizing a date and sending out invites (along with making some more inventory) this weekend SO if you want to be included on that list, email me: tinkerellenATyahoo.com (i'm really looking forward to meeting some online buyers in person!) OH! and i had an email this morning, my pendants will be featured on a blog sometimes next week. i'll let you know when and where that is once it's up :)

well, if you've made it this far through my photo-lacking extended blog post then there's something in it for you. i have passes to a ralph lauren sample sale that's taking place here in new york city on december 3rd and 4th. it allows you access to the sale and they accept visa and mastercard. from what i hear it's a great sale and they have everything from home & accessories to men, women's, kids and baby clothes. if anyone of you wants a pass, and think you can make it into the city either that wednesday or thursday let me know! better sooner than later too so i can get the pass to you in time. tinkerellenATyahoo.com. just think, a fun day of shopping in nyc, plus the opportunity to pretty much do all your christmas shopping, what's better than that?!

the ominous walk home

scary looking right? it was actually quite nice. thanks to the drizzling rain there weren't that many people out and about. i loved this street too. a quiet dead end with huge trees on either side and giant brownstone apartments.

oh and there's something wrong with my flash. i never really liked using the flash anyway, so i'll be experimenting with dark images and keeping a steady hand.

as if

the bags weren't ugly enough, they splattered the walls of their fifth avenue store with japanime throw-up.

anyway, today was pretty uneventful. i did however eat at a 'hale and hearty soups' for the first time. and i checked out this paper shop on 57th which turned out to be a great place to spend money but i'm on a budget so i walked out empty handed (i'm saving up for a sample sale in a few weeks...cause i need more RL digs).

oh and i learned if you must wear light pants on the subway, do not lean against the wall.

blue skies shinin' on me

well thanks for the encouragement of one! no, seriously though melissa made a great point. since i have a very very (very) short-term memory i worry about forgetting all the small things i'll cherish about living here.

so i really am going to try to do this, i even set up an album template so i can print them out and eventually bind them. sorry if the photos are lacking, but i'll be relying mostly on my small point and shoot.

this is obviously central park. i waited forever for the leaves to change and then i got busy and now the leaves are falling and i'm so upset that i missed peak. i'm also upset that it's starting to get chilly. but i can't complain, it's been such a long summer here!

the 4/5

i'm thinking of documenting my time here in photos (as if i didn't do that already). i want to create a sort of image diary, one photo a day. i know i won't get to posting them every day but it's worth a shot. i want to follow through with this project so i have something to flip through at the end of however long we'll be here.

blogtastic

so now that you all think i live this hugely exciting life here in new york city, i thought i would set the record straight. i spent the other night cleaning out the fridge. then i walked to trader joes in the rain and went grocery shopping since we were in dire need of pretty much everything (i was fairly happy about this since it was a good excuse to wear my uber-cute rainboots). now i'm waiting for the laundry to finish. i know it, you guys are all so jealous.

myst-erious

come on, who doesn't love the ocean AND fall?!? it's a lethal mix for me. so much so that i forced the husband out of the car in bitter cold windy weather to snap some pictures. i think he's regretting nurturing my photo habit with expensive toys.

i love those 'touristy' coastal towns in the fall and winter. it's just locals and half the shops are shut down for the season but i love the serenity of empty streets and beaches.

there were several houses on the market in this area. can you imagine waking up to this every morning?! or biking to the beach? or all that fresh air??

toothache

is this little girl sweet or what? i'm glad i got plenty of pictures before they started eating...

it's fall around you

we're back from another whirlwind weekend. went to a wedding in the boston area. our hotel was on the ocean people, i was in heaven. i can't even explain my love for the ocean, i'm a bit obsessed frankly. anyway, everything was beautiful, there were a few good stories in there about the traffic and the rehearsal, but i'll leave that for another time. for now i'll leave you with a picture of us, with j looking not so annoyed as last time. and my hair looking quite fantastic don't you think?