55 isn't so bad

like i said, it was strange not being in the cold weather for christmas. something just felt off. i was a little bummed that i missed all the snow, but there's still small mounds on sidewalks here and there. i was a little upset too that it was "cold" while we were in florida, but after a day like today {brrrrr} i'll take it. dear winter, why do you taunt me and my skin so?

we're home

it was a somewhat uneventful trip, thanks to a cold week in florida (of course) and some other issues. like the all over body rash. i'm at my wits end with my skin. i just don't know what it is and i fully believe that the only reason anyone visits a doctor anymore is for prescriptions. they never know what it is unless it's something simple like the flu or poison ivy or a broken toe, and you can self-diagnose all that stuff anyway!!

so how was everyone's christmas? i have to admit, it was a little weird without the snow and the reindeer sweaters and the hot cocoa. plus the traveling was nothing short of a nightmare.

like my husband said, it's always so good to get home, no matter where that is.

8 days

it's been that long since my last depressing post, so i thought i should update lest you all think i'd gone off the deep end. {thanks so much for all the supportive comments...) i've nearly survived this year, filled with work stress, unexplained sickness and endless visits from people we love. needless to say it's been a busy one! but that's to be expected since we moved to the quickest-paced and most demanding city in the world. i now fully understand the need to take sabbaticals to remote milk farms in vermont with nothing but a pair of wellies and a few good books. seriously, that sounds delicious to me right now.

but in spite of it all, it's a wonderful life, and though i don't have nearly enough time to enjoy it, i do appreciate it. next week i'll be taking a long anticipated trip away where i will hopefully suck in all the necessary rest and relaxation {and vitamin d} that my body has vehemently demanded.

so in the meantime, here's some short info:

currently reading: pride and prejudice and zombies.
currently loving: a charlie brown christmas album.
currently wanting: an apple peeler/corer from williams sonoma.
currently waiting: for my vacation.
currently missing: my mother.
currently walking: to and from doctors appointments.
currently adjusting: to my new hair! or lack thereof.

change of pace

things have been, shall we say, pretty hectic in my life lately. i keep waiting for that moment, that peaceful moment where you breathe in deep and it's all ok. but it hasn't gotten here yet and with the busiest season of all just a couple of weeks away, i think it's safe to say peaceful-breathe-easy-moment won't be knocking on my door anytime soon.

but then i think, this is my life. it's always like this. it's jam packed full of roles that i can never potentially fill. it's like there are pieces of me pulled in each direction and my head is a dizzy mess trying to focus on each of them. and in the end i'm just tired and stressed and mentally exhausted (and then i end up with weird physical ailments like flesh-eating leg rashes..). i know we all feel like this from time to time (hopefully minus the rashing). i know i'm not alone. right?

i feel there's a life change needed here. somewhere, sometime. soon.

personalized art box tutorial

so you know those great art boxes that they sell at the local craft store for only a few dollars. well they make great christmas gifts for creative kids, but they look pretty blah, and when you have more than one kid they're easily interchangeable, especially when one box happens to be missing several crayons. so here's an easy way to make one with a little pizazz.

1: supplies you'll need, printed or scrapbook paper (i made mine using a free digital scrapbooking kit and photoshop), an exacto knife, a corner punch and a ruler.

2: using the exacto knife cut the cover of the art box at the top and remove the blah cover.

3: cut the printed or scrapbook paper to the size of the cover, using the old cover as a template. at this point you can personalize the scrapbook paper with the child's name or anything else you wanted to add. clip the bottom two corners of the paper using the corner punch.

4: insert the new cover into the plastic and voi la!

5: make a few for easy, inexpensive and personalized gifts.

ahoy mateys!

i know i know, it's december and i'm posting all these ocean pictures. sorry, but i love going to the beach in the fall/winter. there's nobody there! it's the most peaceful way to take in the coast without any of the hassle of tourists and beach traffic.

so what do you all think of the new format? does it take too long to load now? let me know!

macy's day parade

this is about the view we had. not much to see besides giant balloons. maybe next year we'll wake up super early and it'll be super cold and we might get a super view...i was still thankful for good friends to share the holiday {and some turkey} with. here's to next thanksgiving!

giant photos? check!

and there we have it. LARGE photos. i couldn't find a new template that wasn't a complete html headache so i reworked the one i had. how's that for recycling?

found this image while looking through old files for the annual {friend's} christmas card. so, do you like the new look??

sorry jennifer

but you're about to feel homesick.

welcome to mystic, CT, one of the most quintessential new england coastal towns. seriously, it's so cute with it's boardwalks and docks and drawbridge. we spent the weekend there for a couple's retreat and it was gorgeous. both friday and saturday we enjoyed great weather and were able to take in the scenery. the husband showed me the house he grew up in, in neighboring niantic and we strolled along crecent beach for a few minutes before heading to the hotel.

the next day we took a couple of new friends on a tour of mystic, with lunch at mystic pizza (mmm, so good) and dessert at mystic drawbridge ice cream (are you homesick yet jen?). we strolled around in the sun until it started to descend and then made our way up to the clinton outlets where i finally found that pair of flannel-lined chinos in my size! sometimes it's hard being this tiny.

the retreat was good for me but felt a little short. i think i need to delve into some reading on my own. i need to learn some things, so i can strive to be the best wife i can be. i think i'll make that into a poster or something. anyway, it was more of a refresher course than anything and just really reminded me that i need to appreciate what i have because it's pretty much awesome.

so if i don't talk to you before thursday, everyone enjoy your thanksgiving and just remember to be thankful for the people in your lives! oh and don't forget to get fat on all that turkey...

a sign?

in the last week or so i've come to the decision that i WILL be cutting my hair off. i've been rummaging through google images trying to find the right look i want to achieve, but i'm struggling. it's a big decision people!! i just feel that short hair is a part of my personality, and although growing it long is great, it's really not me.

so, should i take today's email as a sign and just make the appointment already?

row, row, row your boat

i am willing to post terrible pictures of myself for the prime purpose of evidence. i was getting quite the looks for being the only girl in the boat rowing around three men. luckily i only did it for a few minutes. we all took turns with no accidental tippings. what a beautiful day it was in the city with a great sunset to finish it off. wish you all could have been here! although i still would have kicked you out so i could get some decent sleep tonight!

the knicks stink

i've never been to madison square garden or a pro basketball game so it was pretty fun. and i just love this photo so i thought i would share. of all the spectator sports basketball is probably the most tolerable for me. in fact, thanks to the husband i'm pretty versed in the players and rules. but not enough to qualify as a fan. we did see anthony michael hall there which impressed me thanks to 'pretty in pink'...

we had a friend get hit on by a transvestite in the train and then he caught one of the t-shirts they were throwing into the stands (was that karma's way of apologizing?) so all in all his first trip to the city's been an eventful one.

heading to greenwich tomorrow! oh this busy life we lead. sometimes i wish we could spend days in bed watching movies or sleeping. oh to be lazy and well rested...

coconut basketball, no dribbling

i've found my weakness. it's a tiny moist chocolate covered coconut macaroon that tastes just like a girl scout cookie and only costs 50 cents. lets see, that's $2.50 a week, $10 a month, $120 a year! aw, man. maybe i should limit my chocolate covered deliciousness to once a week....

oh! and i'm going to my first knicks game tonight. madison square garden here i come...

here's lookin' at you kid

every time i see someone walk buy holding their child's hand i wonder what it would be like to raise kids here in new york city. i mean, there's no way we could afford a two bedroom apartment but if push came to shove i'm sure we'd relent and make the sacrifices. but children here are so mature. really, they know the subways better than me, they're afraid of practically nothing, and they're incredibly street smart.

but would i want that for my child or would i want them to be carefree and just be a kid? i think there's a lot to be said for the innocence of children, or the safety they experience in the burbs without realizing it. but then i think kids aren't safe anywhere in this generation, so would it be a bad thing to have a street-wise child?

and then i think i shouldn't have kids at all! and then i think i think too much.

like a big pizza pie

so i tried my darndest to get a photo of the incredible moon we had last night. in my sweatpants with my tripod and an open window i crouched down on the floor and tried to be so so still. alas, it didn't work out so well. this was the only one i could salvage from the 'photoshoot'. sad right? oh well, just trust me, it was one awesome sight.

security blanket

i figured out a way to make the photo fit the post. there's a lot of things happening for us right now, or at least possibly happening. this year is proving to be our busiest by far. there are so many things we want to happen and so many things we hope to happen that it would bog us down if we weren't able to just let go and trust in Him to decide for us.

and it's not a copout, this not having to make decisions or bulldoze our own successful path through life. it's more of a security blanket knowing that God has a plan for us, and we need only be patient and trust in Him.

and sometimes we forget to just hold tight.

i missed it

or it missed me. somehow fall and i crossed paths this year but never stopped to chat. i never went apple picking, i never took that helicopter ride through the mountains of new hampshire, i never hiked through a park and photographed the changing leaves.

i feel a bit jipped. i feel that life is whizzing by and i'm just getting one small thing done at a time. that's what a week and a half of sick and a month of crazy workloads will do to you.

more importantly, prayers for my mom. she lost her husband this week and she has a lot to do and decide in the near future...i love you mom!

another day perhaps

and since i've been stuck in my apartment for two days, i decided to take a walk, get some fresh air and see the sunset that i tend to miss every night (now that the days are so short). isn't it lovely?

forgive me

for my absence. it's been a little INsane around here lately. but i did manage time to get a haircut. to some of you this is old news but to others it isn't.

i have a nasty cold (sinus infection?). i hate getting sick so i like to get back at it by telling everyone.

(aren't i scary just staring back at you like that?)

new camera 101

i'm still getting used to the new camera. that little thing has a LOT of picture taking options. it's not so point and shoot as i thought it would be, but it makes up for it in the pictures. plus it takes great night photos. it illuminates the subjects without missing all the great lights in the background. yay for canon.

save the ta tas!

well as most of you know, it's breast cancer awareness month. a whole month dedicated to reminding people that they are making tremendous strides in the fight against breast cancer.

this is a great month to consume for the cause, so i found this bag on the avon website(yeah, remember that stuff your mom used to order out of the mini catalog that somehow found it's way into every public bathroom?). this merimekko designed bag is only ten dollars! i'm not kidding! and 100% of the net profits go to breast cancer research, about 6 dollars and change. so go buy a cute back and save the ta tas!

(photo from the avon website...)

boredom and fear

is this not hilarious? here we are traveling over the manhattan bridge on the top of a double decker bus and I AM FREAKING OUT. it's called a 'fear' of heights for a reason. and there's j-man, holding on to me and obviously completely exhausted by the task...

time to recoup

had a great busy weekend with our CT peeps. they came out for some site seeing and we were happy to oblige. we rode the hop on hop off tour bus for two days straight and it rocked. if you ever come to the city and want to see it all, just buy the 50 dollar ticket, get yourself to times square, sit back and enjoy.

oh and then there was the whole 50 Cent walked right in front of me thing, interrupted us trying to get a good picture of our friends, but whatever. didn't even apologize. jerk.

so tired! do i have to go work and be a functional member of society? yes, because i have LOTs to do! happy monday! {i've been up since since seven and guaranteed to crash by, oh, 3pm}

calling all knitters

exclusively to the blog i'm selling this 'knitting instructions' keyfob. i know a few of you are die-hard knitters so i thought i'd give you first dibs at these. comment if you want one, send an email to tinkerellen@yahoo.com or just track me down on facebook.

specs as follows: measure approximately 5" from fold to hardware end, so you can easily grab your keys from your purse or slip them around your wrist.

cream satin ribbon, stitched securely to 1.5" natural cotton webbing and finished with silver hardware.

$6.50 each which includes shipping and i WILL ship international (even canada, eh). oh, and did i mention i only have three!

have a great chilly october day!

fall should always be

tweed skirts and leather boots, jean jackets and light scarves. fall should always be chilly mornings and yellow leaves, hot chai and apple cider, sunflowers and apple pie. fall should always be new england towns and empty beaches, pumpkins on porch steps and leaves on cement sidewalks.

this is my fall. what should yours be?

candid camera

i decided that i needed a good temporary case for the new slim camera to keep it from getting all scratched up in my bag, so i sewed! i had some navy and pink felt and leftover ribbon scraps from all the keyfobs i've been making {in preparation for another tinkerwiththis pre-gifting season party}.

voi la. it's about 4x5 inches, doubled up felt, velcro closure, with navy exterior and pink interior, AND i just happened to make two. which means there's an extra.

it'll be $8.00 including shipping, so first come first serve! email me at tinkerellen@yahoo.com if you want it. i'll take payment in check or paypal. if you pay with check i'll wait until i get the check to ship it. if you paypal the money, i'll send it out asap. thanks!

sideways

at least someone found a good use for some weird art outside the entrance to central park.

fall is my favorite time in the city, the air is cool, people are starting to bundle, the boots are out and everyone's just a bit more relaxed. right now i'm listening to 'sideways' by citizen cope. it feels perfect for a lunchtime stroll through the park. check it out.

on my way home

spent the week in manhattan with the husband, enjoying all that crazy traffic and road closures and expensive food. it feels good to be home in brooklyn, but i am going to miss that two minute walk to work.

pin cushion jar 101: what not to do

i tried my best to get some good pictures of this QUICK and EASY project but all i got were these images of hot glue oozing from places it shouldn't have and wonky stuffing. but you get the idea.

i still think it's cute and as soon as i get myself some new pins to fill up the jar i'm sure i'll love it. i'm thinking i should have used a smaller jar though. i could always make another and use this as a button jar/pin cushion. i have some old mint tins too that i'm going to try this on....

say yes to the dress

especially a cute long one that you can use year round.

flip flops or heels for summer, boots and a jacket for fall, boots and a wool wrap sweater for winter, and a light cardigan and sneakers for spring. that's a pretty versatile 7 dollars!

early gifting

for moi. i've been WANTing to upgrade my small point and shoot camera for some time now (something smaller, more megapixels) but i haven't really NEEDed to. that is until recently, when that big black scary glob started crawling into all my pictures. so i felt pretty confident it was time to break down and force (oh must i really?) myself to buy a new one (forget jewelry, technology is a girl's best friend.)

so i know you can't really see most of the info up there BUT i ended up with a teeny tiny canon digital elf for zero dollars. 12 megapixels FREE. seriously. i love discover card rewards. happy early birthday to me!

september 11th

for you

another favorite photo from the weekend.

(looking forward to a weekend at home. aaaaah.)

holy cow

well, i bet you weren't expecting to see a large photo of a cow this morning when you clicked on the link for my blog, did ya?

no, no, there are no farms in the middle of new york city, unless you count the central park zoo. we were in connecticut this past weekend, enjoying the days off, the sunshine, riding the motorcycle (without having to avoid taxi cabs), and the space. it's nice to spread out every now and then.

along with spending some time at the fair (and eating the bext chicken and corn on the cob ever) we saw a movie, spent some time with friends new and old, went to the beach (i got fried, serious 'irish tan' going on here) and went to church. all in all it was a fabulous weekend.

back on the home front, we've rearranged the apartment (again) and the good news is we have more space than before! the bad news is there are a few things that need to get out of here and into storage. we need a second apartment for all this storage! sometimes living in small space is difficult, even for two people.

back to slathering on that aloe! thankfully the swollen ankles have gone down...

and since i promised

here's one more thing to make my mother cringe. shame on me for causing her to worry about my safety.

i'll now be using my sad lonely bicycle more and more because, wait for it: it's not sad and lonely anymore! this past weekend the husband finally replaced his stolen bicycle with a brand new one! although i was none too happy about the added expense (thank you very much stupid nyc thief), it is nice and handy to be able to bicycle to our destinations together. i even bought a nifty basket for mine, so i'll be making small trader joe runs when we're out of the necessities. here's to living dangerously! sorry mom!

my grandmothers pearls

albeit they're total costume jewelry, i love that i can wear these and be reminded of her and her love to get all decked out for church.

anyway, plain white tshirt, black blazer, some boyfriend jeans and cute heels i bought at khols a few years back. someone asked if i was a dancer this day but i think the hair threw them off. i'm the most uncoordinated person i know, so this struck me as incredibly funny. i've never been accused of being graceful.

green screen

seriously. does this look like a fake background or what? i wish i could learn how to take graceful pictures. keep my chin tucked, tilt my head slightly, smile softer, but no, there i am with a big cheasy grin on my upturned unflattering face.

well, at least i remembered to keep my shoulders back. but look at that sunset!

brooklyn flea

so we spent the day together tooling around the neighborhood {after sleeping 'till noon}. a tiny part of the day, or what was left of it, was spent at the flea market they hold every sunday under the brooklyn bridge {i told you i was obsessed}.

it's actually a great place to find, well, anything unique. it's like all your favorite thrift stores in one spot. not to mention all the great food huts. we tried some dairy-free ice cream {but really, can you call it cream if there is no cream?} and a delicious ice pop in peach and honey.

we also have a new adventure, but more on that tomorrow...

creative photography

thanks so much to 'chicks' and all of you who have complimented me on the creativity of my shots. i think there's a lot to be said for an interesting photo from your trip/visit. so here's a cool group photo of the four of us in an old wheel cap of a nearby classic car. so look for interesting angles and shiny surfaces in your neighborhood!

obsessed

i'm literally obsessed with the brooklyn bridge. it's got to be in the top five nyc landmarks everyone would list first. it's probably my favorite place to go (and photograph), under, over, across whatever.

so what do YOU think of when i say 'new york city'?