tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56968246194027603982024-03-05T19:34:24.127-05:00Two Boys and a Beaglesweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-22905840792081448562012-06-18T07:00:00.000-04:002012-06-18T07:00:05.608-04:00Amy's White Russian Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFzumtFXghyphenhyphenqP446Qaye6SdPrivp3K_0hE91xP9xd1lWXSUPFDR06IAL1aVHnpQOnZdp1XkjEFzGnlIpxXnb4jomKpQjbZs51A8kNqUeUhOFC6zH2WE756aO2lfhq-J7x2EfaqnrH2Xs/s1600/kaluha+cupckaes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFzumtFXghyphenhyphenqP446Qaye6SdPrivp3K_0hE91xP9xd1lWXSUPFDR06IAL1aVHnpQOnZdp1XkjEFzGnlIpxXnb4jomKpQjbZs51A8kNqUeUhOFC6zH2WE756aO2lfhq-J7x2EfaqnrH2Xs/s400/kaluha+cupckaes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
My friend Amy really wanted these cupcakes so I thought I'd give the recipe a try. She found the post on Pinterest and the recipe came from the blog, <a href="http://www.bakedperfection.com/2011/01/white-russian-cupcakes.html">Baked Perfection</a>. The recipe was simple and straight forward. I doubled the recipe and brought them to a party that Amy also attended, and they all disappeared in no time. Yum!!sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-12611106011975171462012-06-17T07:00:00.000-04:002012-06-17T07:00:06.886-04:00Ice Cream Cones on a Stick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzOtiTajtXyenfSicf5GuzEW_1eJfhUhJkfJt96EROrrtc5yyp8h_7K8aOZ4kkMQTV0JuMXXvXkrPbl4-tvHbkJ2sNXmGIgMv0GTytKSRlz63b_-O3Ke7LUxdfacrUx7Ni00h5aFHrmU/s1600/ice+cream+cake+pops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzOtiTajtXyenfSicf5GuzEW_1eJfhUhJkfJt96EROrrtc5yyp8h_7K8aOZ4kkMQTV0JuMXXvXkrPbl4-tvHbkJ2sNXmGIgMv0GTytKSRlz63b_-O3Ke7LUxdfacrUx7Ni00h5aFHrmU/s400/ice+cream+cake+pops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Ethan and I had a lot of fun making these ice cream cone cake pops for his last day of school. His teacher loves cake pops and would always tell me stories about her attempts at making them. I had promised her that I would make some for her and finally got around to it. It took me until the very last day of school to hold up to my promise but at least I managed to get them done. <br />
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I used this great tutorial from <a href="http://mightydelighty.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-make-ice-cream-cone-cake-pops.html">Mighty Delighty</a> blog. The cake pops were a little time consuming, especially cutting the ice cream cones down to a smaller size, but well worth the effort. And if you're looking for something to do with the leftover sugar cone tops, try making this <a href="http://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/content/recipes/recipe-detail.aspx?recipeId=11969">oatmeal cookie recipe</a> from Quaker Oats. It calls for crushed sugar cones, and is a big hit with my family. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckZEgRJVlmS1O7iEns1qJXZJJQAxE06kWZq77zu60RqL4PE4FCMo4ILfnF-MAsicFDXlpcTlVXXTC6Jl1urViYCO8Tyvkli562N_Ehcg1hgw-iIvkZmhcVOZPBwCDarBeWWBwlqU_wCQ/s1600/ice+cream+cake+pops+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckZEgRJVlmS1O7iEns1qJXZJJQAxE06kWZq77zu60RqL4PE4FCMo4ILfnF-MAsicFDXlpcTlVXXTC6Jl1urViYCO8Tyvkli562N_Ehcg1hgw-iIvkZmhcVOZPBwCDarBeWWBwlqU_wCQ/s400/ice+cream+cake+pops+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-47269924356471804002012-06-16T20:37:00.000-04:002012-06-16T20:54:34.657-04:00Atom cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3cMslKG-xeDC92dryzctffOcQzmQi6CPZJphpOP7vzX2S1GbzkB_rVh_9RJITWeVP5Hx-YReMznq-rl9U3tz_zuE4FZEXtqB5l0AyQBXMGpWdIWoIUl0BSHc0cl5NRmQ1xVPtXhsgUw/s1600/SciOly+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3cMslKG-xeDC92dryzctffOcQzmQi6CPZJphpOP7vzX2S1GbzkB_rVh_9RJITWeVP5Hx-YReMznq-rl9U3tz_zuE4FZEXtqB5l0AyQBXMGpWdIWoIUl0BSHc0cl5NRmQ1xVPtXhsgUw/s400/SciOly+cookies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I made these atom cookies for Mac's Science Olympiad team when they went to the national competition in Florida last month. I thought it would be fun to make a cookie that matched their logo on the back of their t-shirts, and this is what I came up with. I used royal icing on the cookie and made the screw drivers out of fondant. I individually wrapped each cookie so that they would travel well, and they were all intact after the 16 hour bus ride to Orlando. <br />
<br />sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-66100440007946724262012-05-09T05:00:00.000-04:002012-05-09T05:00:08.010-04:00Birthday Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtZUlp0D29NBf-u3_OPVPUHQ5SW5NmgUHTTCLhTvLM-dOdqSoO9LzxatBOvanCo4f4UM2dK1oM5-2p-mfXwo21_AeVe-N0jPyi4UY5_3r4WqaSHSN-Y_6wxMQj4j0_tNShU_QB8zBC3o/s1600/Katies+birthday+cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtZUlp0D29NBf-u3_OPVPUHQ5SW5NmgUHTTCLhTvLM-dOdqSoO9LzxatBOvanCo4f4UM2dK1oM5-2p-mfXwo21_AeVe-N0jPyi4UY5_3r4WqaSHSN-Y_6wxMQj4j0_tNShU_QB8zBC3o/s400/Katies+birthday+cupcakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
These were made for a sweet sixteen birthday celebration. Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing, and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing, both decorated with fondant flowers.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-47001320521169182212012-05-08T05:00:00.000-04:002012-05-08T05:00:04.326-04:00May Pole Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jLgG9CraRtTDmHOglw2C9M7XubzQ2cIHXtEtFVjkXgVgcfOf3-_WzCom1_wEL0AjRgL7OfGRhEkrAZ0d1EDT-zSQdkA17gsFLrjRCdssdhrkIaPRs_R9NiqA9AOTQjk8L1yjjwNEh9s/s1600/may+pole+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jLgG9CraRtTDmHOglw2C9M7XubzQ2cIHXtEtFVjkXgVgcfOf3-_WzCom1_wEL0AjRgL7OfGRhEkrAZ0d1EDT-zSQdkA17gsFLrjRCdssdhrkIaPRs_R9NiqA9AOTQjk8L1yjjwNEh9s/s400/may+pole+cake.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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This cake was made for a May Day celebration. The cake is a white sponge cake covered in buttercream and filled with strawberries, raspberries and whipped cream. I decorated the cake with fondant flowers and a wooden dowel and ribbons for the May pole. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5_fgIwe3GcnhyHuCZZpAKcTkM8n0-3A1uYobReIDHKvkAOlbwthk0RmfjekxcI5i2XWRMfrSDiHW9PAV8XOiHyk7D0CHvS90MRgswOegz4nG4c53RZhQqjcqfH9cANtWhAf-IBThLcU/s1600/may+pole+cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5_fgIwe3GcnhyHuCZZpAKcTkM8n0-3A1uYobReIDHKvkAOlbwthk0RmfjekxcI5i2XWRMfrSDiHW9PAV8XOiHyk7D0CHvS90MRgswOegz4nG4c53RZhQqjcqfH9cANtWhAf-IBThLcU/s400/may+pole+cake+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-66260411469545628012012-05-07T06:00:00.000-04:002012-05-07T23:23:21.110-04:00Chocolate Mousse Cake with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0Rp1_wQbCt8-EmI8S0AjWbe2vjV4qcbkkp1Qpa4zaRm7vWDvZo_DeytWENuLVH3fmAp0M3KpT_ijmPviTTr-o47iDHJW_VJniuY0nGtGLJTRs9eztoVa4mTA_fIAeVxBBZiu3iIk3nQ/s1600/brian's+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0Rp1_wQbCt8-EmI8S0AjWbe2vjV4qcbkkp1Qpa4zaRm7vWDvZo_DeytWENuLVH3fmAp0M3KpT_ijmPviTTr-o47iDHJW_VJniuY0nGtGLJTRs9eztoVa4mTA_fIAeVxBBZiu3iIk3nQ/s400/brian's+cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This cake was made for a 40th birthday celebration. It was a replica of the birthday boy's groom's cake. The thoughtful and lovely wife who ordered this for her husband's birthday, gave me a wedding photo of the cake so that I wouldn't miss any details. This is a dark chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling, covered in chocolate buttercream and drizzled with dark chocolate. On the top are dark chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate curls.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-64891248078249049502012-05-06T08:03:00.001-04:002012-05-06T08:03:45.915-04:00Mystery Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO26kA_Ss6DqwNKOfwBNyNAtiuYt8ViZ83l0hrWKO2WuzZ_QOpefvCEeUOQzEg3CB690WTgaMqNIuOzMAzzZRks8YY1Wt4NJPxcEUx3wLfnJ-0wJ3r-0EXh_ru_tcKtJaZj6x4DEq1lo/s1600/annies+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO26kA_Ss6DqwNKOfwBNyNAtiuYt8ViZ83l0hrWKO2WuzZ_QOpefvCEeUOQzEg3CB690WTgaMqNIuOzMAzzZRks8YY1Wt4NJPxcEUx3wLfnJ-0wJ3r-0EXh_ru_tcKtJaZj6x4DEq1lo/s400/annies+cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There's really nothing mysterious about this cake except that the sophisticated flavors of dark chocolate cake and chocolate mousse are hidden underneath the pretty green and pink plaid buttercream. I made the cake for a seven year old's Nancy Drew themed birthday party. Nancy Drew wears lots of plaid so, after getting the birthday girl's approval, I decided to decorate the cake in plaid. The fondant magnifying glass adds a element of fun and goes well the birthday scavenger hunt and sleuths kit party favors. </div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-55491425810713873102012-03-25T16:08:00.000-04:002012-03-25T16:08:38.774-04:00Quilted Pedal Bag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KFW9FwvcYd9wGrc2ZHPGr12ZyPDD0eJxi6boLILq04UFIZk1hvdq4ruzzmNbn5APdlq5M94UhBpa2fgEC25m0ntXmCam0qG36jhU4h6FXesTupRHpIBddcLuUb6DIQFxmbGJx5hi_5g/s1600/quilted+bag+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KFW9FwvcYd9wGrc2ZHPGr12ZyPDD0eJxi6boLILq04UFIZk1hvdq4ruzzmNbn5APdlq5M94UhBpa2fgEC25m0ntXmCam0qG36jhU4h6FXesTupRHpIBddcLuUb6DIQFxmbGJx5hi_5g/s640/quilted+bag+3.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>I finally got around to making this quilted bag that I've been wanting to make forever. I think I've had the pattern for almost a year. The pattern is from <a href="http://www.indygojunction.com/">Indygo Junction</a> and you can order it online. I love this bag! I made this one for a birthday gift but I'm looking forward to eventually making one for myself.<br />
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The thing I love about this bag is that is uses up my fabric scraps. I have so many and I was really able to utilize almost all of them, not having to repeat the same fabric twice. I'll admit it was very tedious cutting out 32 pedals, then cutting out 32 petals of from the Heat N Bond paper, and then ironing them to the Heat N Bond without getting the sticky film on the iron. <br />
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My favorite part was quilting the bag, although that did not come easy either. I broke four needles in the process. I was even using my walking foot which helped some. But I think it's really neat to see it all come together and the quilting really makes the design stand out. <br />
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I also had a difficult time transferring the pattern to the fabric. I was using the light method. To do this I placed the pattern under the fabric and then tapped both pieces to my window and traced it with water soluble pencil. The pattern came through the fabric well enough to trace it but the pencil didn't show up very well and it was hard to see what I had traced and what I hadn't. Next time I think I'll try transfer paper, and I've decided that I would only trace the petal design from the pattern because I ended up free-handing the rest anyway. <br />
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The bag is really meant to be quilted with a drop-feed machine, or a machine that allows you to do free-hand quilting. I do not have the luxury of owning one so I did the best with what I had. Nevertheless, I think it turned out pretty well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAQrVZwr-LudkhJxURcgLf946oVcWKaJ9lK_aEbQyJzQHqBY0b7egbO2xODehdNh3xwQBgTNVA9cPPrDTfnxvOP0ipli4dfgWBstlUGoXA8B79ls1STb2YbR99TafHWQWK5IjOZ47fJE/s1600/quilted+bag+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAQrVZwr-LudkhJxURcgLf946oVcWKaJ9lK_aEbQyJzQHqBY0b7egbO2xODehdNh3xwQBgTNVA9cPPrDTfnxvOP0ipli4dfgWBstlUGoXA8B79ls1STb2YbR99TafHWQWK5IjOZ47fJE/s400/quilted+bag+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-87223443539087737792012-03-23T12:16:00.000-04:002012-03-23T12:16:23.312-04:00NYC Day Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7aYiFQLI9qR1LK-ieb_9LVrxsgpDNlz3il3SpbZFfLs3Dc9P6gXAOPbN4UCFkW5fUO8Rv-8LpdjT5bAHQhiGPjh7gtUoi1Mxz3rdZBobEUtqxbClHuBlbywPYL7M0B5aMmca_FjlPu0/s1600/american-museum-of-natural-history.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7aYiFQLI9qR1LK-ieb_9LVrxsgpDNlz3il3SpbZFfLs3Dc9P6gXAOPbN4UCFkW5fUO8Rv-8LpdjT5bAHQhiGPjh7gtUoi1Mxz3rdZBobEUtqxbClHuBlbywPYL7M0B5aMmca_FjlPu0/s400/american-museum-of-natural-history.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Our third day in New York we decided to split up. Keith and Ethan wanted to go to the American Museum of Natural History and I wanted to go to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The plan was to meet up in the late afternoon and walk through Central Park and then do some shopping on 5th Avenue. However, Keith and Ethan were having such a great time at the museum that by the time I walked the 30 blocks to the Upper West Side to meet them, they didn't not want to leave. <br />
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At first I was a little upset because I had just walked all the way from 54th street on the east side to 81st on the west side. I didn't mind the walk as most of it was through Central Park, but I would have preferred to stay in midtown to do more sightseeing there. Not all was lost though, because I remembered that my beloved<a href="http://www.zabars.com/"> Zabar's</a> was on the Upper West Side, and after doing a quick search using the GPS on my phone, I realized it was only a few blocks away. I was happy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pocgdPxiOp4Gwe13Wc86rxH2O8UkS0D-fXyHLq6sI8F0zV5x0Ntunx7KJKMgLl5LXq7AXDUpGSeRC8YIMiiO564X_Np7o9FB3qacnSh1A9h4vXFZVn7K0yczovi5wEgigibum4xPnnY/s1600/natural+history+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pocgdPxiOp4Gwe13Wc86rxH2O8UkS0D-fXyHLq6sI8F0zV5x0Ntunx7KJKMgLl5LXq7AXDUpGSeRC8YIMiiO564X_Np7o9FB3qacnSh1A9h4vXFZVn7K0yczovi5wEgigibum4xPnnY/s400/natural+history+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Some pictures from the Natural History Museum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0LN8gSGnQgz1zJaeY62kjYomocFbEt_5zJ0-o7sW_dmhSKcO0lDVkMOWa9U_8Af8-QMYRuKMmCjGmvHNW9A3AWId9FAGzLiMFRYl9SMjCPRO5LcDxWbCKydpx_uzPG5kzzAyoY6R6W8/s1600/natural+history.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0LN8gSGnQgz1zJaeY62kjYomocFbEt_5zJ0-o7sW_dmhSKcO0lDVkMOWa9U_8Af8-QMYRuKMmCjGmvHNW9A3AWId9FAGzLiMFRYl9SMjCPRO5LcDxWbCKydpx_uzPG5kzzAyoY6R6W8/s400/natural+history.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE-vAvyCvxyd5eYc0dLRaxfOrnjHkg0uuYg_kDipNghCamZ7UjtElDvE5VTackz4ml-0hF5mU32rS5ZHdBdDNADdMqJ_IjqJWC6ZY8xT4Rth2rMdvWHJGKK7pLSE8P9fhL6xTPF4_2V4/s1600/natural+history+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE-vAvyCvxyd5eYc0dLRaxfOrnjHkg0uuYg_kDipNghCamZ7UjtElDvE5VTackz4ml-0hF5mU32rS5ZHdBdDNADdMqJ_IjqJWC6ZY8xT4Rth2rMdvWHJGKK7pLSE8P9fhL6xTPF4_2V4/s400/natural+history+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I really loved MoMA. My favorite floor the was the 5th floor. The 5th floor has many Impressionist art collections, including the famous Monet Water Lilies, and Van Gogh's Starry Night. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg2xllgzu72HrbbnjljQOxQbwY-GAhPHYHtot8U9lXsFFzcygpVYr7x-oD6IDkyO0kRc7gGxLMyeJud-94CgTIC-xf_kVhBMEqg8cAp-yJg5RCgURM4tE7sc5Gb_BV2jAYgsFpHafvA4/s1600/moma+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg2xllgzu72HrbbnjljQOxQbwY-GAhPHYHtot8U9lXsFFzcygpVYr7x-oD6IDkyO0kRc7gGxLMyeJud-94CgTIC-xf_kVhBMEqg8cAp-yJg5RCgURM4tE7sc5Gb_BV2jAYgsFpHafvA4/s400/moma+2.jpg" width="267" />a </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17x2kl1dCXhWG_ZF7dUT_GbwKfkEQwJkP_n5qyn0zc7oUCNOwxG4PU-DJc4FH-x-3aQdqL5RZPaPwkht0DppTx6MnFqWV8FxONn4bf5HWWbOMRZBGZyAAGmWzewdwz7Zea7OQGOZ8GRA/s1600/moma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17x2kl1dCXhWG_ZF7dUT_GbwKfkEQwJkP_n5qyn0zc7oUCNOwxG4PU-DJc4FH-x-3aQdqL5RZPaPwkht0DppTx6MnFqWV8FxONn4bf5HWWbOMRZBGZyAAGmWzewdwz7Zea7OQGOZ8GRA/s400/moma.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The Sculpture Garden at MoMA</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtNraNoWiXZkbH_UJnARlrtl4LEgu58aHvHuTFyF8m-veoBed24kRyBgiepvF25JFQ-0TcoCj-LVExa9Yl-H6oJXAoOESmdo_pS0Mdo37Y0Qg4RnyJXfuNRV1ontPrDfSWjX0gfkO1OQ/s1600/26826_new_york_andy_warhol_at_moma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtNraNoWiXZkbH_UJnARlrtl4LEgu58aHvHuTFyF8m-veoBed24kRyBgiepvF25JFQ-0TcoCj-LVExa9Yl-H6oJXAoOESmdo_pS0Mdo37Y0Qg4RnyJXfuNRV1ontPrDfSWjX0gfkO1OQ/s400/26826_new_york_andy_warhol_at_moma.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andy Warhol's Golden Marilyn Monroe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81qxO7Af3jZ3WCo6tXKvF2r2f5V093fxemysptGalSp9e7c4GYM7ZgptlABq8aADP-sqNcTTGlnULAuoUzaR1FDyXtL9tWglm7HpamKWrwDZ_bu2LWsZc2MlvWul3Zx-DgoGkFo7RxjA/s1600/starry+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81qxO7Af3jZ3WCo6tXKvF2r2f5V093fxemysptGalSp9e7c4GYM7ZgptlABq8aADP-sqNcTTGlnULAuoUzaR1FDyXtL9tWglm7HpamKWrwDZ_bu2LWsZc2MlvWul3Zx-DgoGkFo7RxjA/s400/starry+night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Van Gogh's Starry Night</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After spending a few hours at MoMA I walked through Central Park on the way to the Upper West Side to meet Keith and Ethan. We had wonderful weather all week but the weather on this day was a little cooler and partly cloudy. I didn't bring a jacket and when sun went behind the clouds, I wished I had brought one. Nonetheless, it was a nice walk through the park. I enjoyed the peacefulness of it, a stark difference from walking on the streets of New York City. I also enjoyed being able to walk at my own pace, not hurried, or stopping at every corner to wait for a traffic light. I was glad to have that time to myself that day, enjoying the beauty of the park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xIZlioxHADHmFCRaU354mG_XhkismbA27tQ8cESEDgqdcWr2Z1fnqgLdnzV8gGIqXM5ikYXdNjSYph0QfyK9t-Hn0wXaNMs-zDNoQWM34ehcPdvLuNkYq46qKfc1SpTPYwiVIX2eXU8/s1600/central+park+spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xIZlioxHADHmFCRaU354mG_XhkismbA27tQ8cESEDgqdcWr2Z1fnqgLdnzV8gGIqXM5ikYXdNjSYph0QfyK9t-Hn0wXaNMs-zDNoQWM34ehcPdvLuNkYq46qKfc1SpTPYwiVIX2eXU8/s400/central+park+spring.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spring was evident everywhere you looked in the park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrPyNMD4NW2Wqna-7lPd5wwEYK93BFWo6Ylaj_M_i6V3gePwJqBYZ0viu5colAsMZvrxGDR7V6XYup4RYaCZBjEVkl_B9Fw7EobgFgu0pPHCdM6_PTjQ8eWsVS8ysoXOs-8hYZWYCFxE/s1600/central+park+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrPyNMD4NW2Wqna-7lPd5wwEYK93BFWo6Ylaj_M_i6V3gePwJqBYZ0viu5colAsMZvrxGDR7V6XYup4RYaCZBjEVkl_B9Fw7EobgFgu0pPHCdM6_PTjQ8eWsVS8ysoXOs-8hYZWYCFxE/s400/central+park+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQncSzhieGlAhC9lvUxsiO8lBZr29YY7h91U-NQ92rtUn9XGbBts_ACOvHNey5CfezBXY_SrOXpuBBnccrI5d_3tKZVvllZs6nqnmrdz_Y4bJkHSqYVYkDZg-CD9L7gs2wM5dhRKk3bc/s1600/central+park+strawberry+fields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQncSzhieGlAhC9lvUxsiO8lBZr29YY7h91U-NQ92rtUn9XGbBts_ACOvHNey5CfezBXY_SrOXpuBBnccrI5d_3tKZVvllZs6nqnmrdz_Y4bJkHSqYVYkDZg-CD9L7gs2wM5dhRKk3bc/s400/central+park+strawberry+fields.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">When I was walking through the Strawberry Fields, a living memorial to John Lennon, in Central Park there was a tour guide explaining to a group about the Strawberry Fields. I was lucky enough to listen in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The Strawberry Fields is a tranquil section of the park and designed to be a quiet zone. There is a plaque nearby that lists 121 countries that endorse Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aghwGAVCoOIlVuiyZXIfOzzBp6KolR2NtxjAXuXc2ri4z5vpaT5aYezd8pouB5zJJtZcgeMX2rgF3xEaITgL39T5k0L05ZUKYjB7G2dxuFOb5j3nwLDhbhMJ5gseP8AnMDeI6R_ZXQw/s1600/central+imagine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aghwGAVCoOIlVuiyZXIfOzzBp6KolR2NtxjAXuXc2ri4z5vpaT5aYezd8pouB5zJJtZcgeMX2rgF3xEaITgL39T5k0L05ZUKYjB7G2dxuFOb5j3nwLDhbhMJ5gseP8AnMDeI6R_ZXQw/s400/central+imagine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The entrance to the memorial is located directly across from the Dakota Apartments where John Lennon lived during the later part of his life, and where he was also killed. Above is a mosaic memorial in the Strawberry Fields. Sometimes the mosaic is covered with flowers candles, and other belongings left behind by John Lennon fans. Oftentimes people gather at the mosaic to sing songs and play tribute to to John Lennon on his birthday and at the anniversary of his death.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k-fmdZzz94MgHPr9WzkbeNkT2M8KQHj_wgxZTLxbsUBiQLXIcXC5w8n4EehZzf0TLUFpVFeM4nlNwQuPRIyEmXHDhIC1b-yGWWr9_bNtfvLXp0PIEDAoJIXYvnyDPmBxs1E3FjlpPsg/s1600/dakota+apartments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k-fmdZzz94MgHPr9WzkbeNkT2M8KQHj_wgxZTLxbsUBiQLXIcXC5w8n4EehZzf0TLUFpVFeM4nlNwQuPRIyEmXHDhIC1b-yGWWr9_bNtfvLXp0PIEDAoJIXYvnyDPmBxs1E3FjlpPsg/s400/dakota+apartments.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Dakota Apartments</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After my walk through the park I arrived at The American Museum of Natural History. Only to find out when I got there that Keith and Ethan were no where near ready to leave. They wanted to stay until closing at 6pm, which meant that we needed to alter our plans. The were planning to meet back at the hotel so that left me with 3 hours to kill. I was too tired to walk all the way back to midtown so I decided to spend some time at Zabar's which was only a few blocks away </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv95Tf0WeTjyvpc2nAWK-JefJehEnitTLEGfmTPCexKAcD_Fq03IZcibuOe4_SkPPjhiz1CRrxF54MOWHg73d8Itu8xc6F0rWtskHT4chzDz4qD1Et4hxMYegTgXDA9L0mOODqV6cPtnc/s1600/Zabars-NY-outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv95Tf0WeTjyvpc2nAWK-JefJehEnitTLEGfmTPCexKAcD_Fq03IZcibuOe4_SkPPjhiz1CRrxF54MOWHg73d8Itu8xc6F0rWtskHT4chzDz4qD1Et4hxMYegTgXDA9L0mOODqV6cPtnc/s400/Zabars-NY-outside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Zabar's is a specialty food store and one of the largest groceries in Manhattan. It is probably my most favorite store in NYC. I have been there several times but it has been a good 17 years or so since I last stepped foot in the store. Nothing much has changed, it was as I had remembered from many years ago, and I fell in love with it all over again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-aGu87dxGmwyqS4QNuw56nr3gJOSQocPNoSKfw0oSVimqDBVbO2hEBuHcsw5KYiVS0zjqpGAIk-TPH8IgvkrgBlkDKxK-j6gvnRGfX0ek24QBDumjNvltg8STxRFI_Vp7XyZDpcbNVo/s1600/zabars+cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-aGu87dxGmwyqS4QNuw56nr3gJOSQocPNoSKfw0oSVimqDBVbO2hEBuHcsw5KYiVS0zjqpGAIk-TPH8IgvkrgBlkDKxK-j6gvnRGfX0ek24QBDumjNvltg8STxRFI_Vp7XyZDpcbNVo/s400/zabars+cheese.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one of the most impressive parts of the store, the cheese selection. They have any thing and everything that you could possibly want in this store. It is stocked floor to ceiling in every corner, every isle, and every space of the store with many, hard to find, international, and everyday grocery items. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxpFbqA08KD6Xarvkgzy2YVlLe0PVZLy2PHrjhNMyaf_zCu12lVRgP_l1j7YK9hrd9fiKoGvoEMRZORmTrPxO1K1sth9mEyVC4zx9WSJbhXWzYC_3HljNI9iOgdy-wPSbpFmLKl_eBH4/s1600/zabars-cheese-counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxpFbqA08KD6Xarvkgzy2YVlLe0PVZLy2PHrjhNMyaf_zCu12lVRgP_l1j7YK9hrd9fiKoGvoEMRZORmTrPxO1K1sth9mEyVC4zx9WSJbhXWzYC_3HljNI9iOgdy-wPSbpFmLKl_eBH4/s400/zabars-cheese-counter.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a cheese counter, a deli counter, a fish counter, a bakery counter, a bread and bagel counter, a coffee counter, and more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkbfKzd8Jn1jj7KbWjqql1_QQ3zz4snW9EhZO4-HG7Bm3V8E-36X0wub2Wh0AX9Zzeb6aG7fKsWuwNQkTUA6Oo0-G2bEYFIDhM0AbURXLlGm46TMghVWRAZaqc0yHkiDkX64ZzYJdwyk/s1600/zabars+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkbfKzd8Jn1jj7KbWjqql1_QQ3zz4snW9EhZO4-HG7Bm3V8E-36X0wub2Wh0AX9Zzeb6aG7fKsWuwNQkTUA6Oo0-G2bEYFIDhM0AbURXLlGm46TMghVWRAZaqc0yHkiDkX64ZzYJdwyk/s400/zabars+coffee.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The coffee and tea section</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltbxWUqEdSLqYZYp7Q2IgUm_fg_Gl4i3-h3SNn8cXBa0Y9T6r9tfg4z7glJ3e6APG6D0iEK5cXpd9HKvudNYuYLxnNl9IMlUXlDdyEofsdEJy_iSU95XTpCqMkYweO7M4jTkF5LfdFog/s1600/zabars+strudle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltbxWUqEdSLqYZYp7Q2IgUm_fg_Gl4i3-h3SNn8cXBa0Y9T6r9tfg4z7glJ3e6APG6D0iEK5cXpd9HKvudNYuYLxnNl9IMlUXlDdyEofsdEJy_iSU95XTpCqMkYweO7M4jTkF5LfdFog/s400/zabars+strudle.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The strudel and knish counter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4GdnBS4J6gKglrdG3RCPVUqYPVJncvF0RJLKfS3o6x3ul4RNM638cUtBToucx5GlqO9o1a97EOW0OXCRyp5OyJDtGnTvmORTNstzyo7bS9ww_yi1JonqPNwgqT3KicYTjw3k1U1MkB0/s1600/zabars+housewares.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4GdnBS4J6gKglrdG3RCPVUqYPVJncvF0RJLKfS3o6x3ul4RNM638cUtBToucx5GlqO9o1a97EOW0OXCRyp5OyJDtGnTvmORTNstzyo7bS9ww_yi1JonqPNwgqT3KicYTjw3k1U1MkB0/s400/zabars+housewares.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And it even gets better. The entire upstairs of Zabar's is devoted to housewares. Again you can find any type of cooking or baking supplies that you could possibly need. There is everything from small appliances, to cutlery. It really is amazing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After spending a good 1 1/2 hours in Zabar's I decided to take the subway back to the hotel to wait for Keith and Ethan. We were suppose to meet some other HYP parents for drinks but I canceled with them because I knew there was no way for us to make it all the way down to the Lwer East Side in time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I met up with Keith and Ethan at the hotel in time for dinner. After dinner we had planned to go to the Empire State Building for a view of the city at nighttime. However, our plans got changed once again as we got a call from one of Mac's chaperones telling us he was sick and running a fever. He had to miss out on the second scheduled Broadway show, Memphis (they saw Wicked earlier in the week) and go straight to bed. I felt so bad for him knowing that he didn't want to miss this or anything on his trip. I spent some time on the phone with his chaperone tying to figure out if he would be able to continue with his group. Thankfully though he was feeling better by morning and was able to finish out his tour with the orchestra. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-80678850002863154622012-03-22T13:43:00.032-04:002012-03-22T14:41:50.017-04:00NYC Day Two - Carnegie Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURtyl6eOfsLtNhDXWGtVqZBqT0jvQLoYPrpc5ACF8tdPABl89Qrg7-sGPhzPkmQ9WqZV0D3j7-9ry1rHj7QU_O5d3zKzubtwaH-6R_MRXyqyBRLNlFcfOIkMIyBuGSDEvP8i6jVtv62A/s1600/carnegie+hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURtyl6eOfsLtNhDXWGtVqZBqT0jvQLoYPrpc5ACF8tdPABl89Qrg7-sGPhzPkmQ9WqZV0D3j7-9ry1rHj7QU_O5d3zKzubtwaH-6R_MRXyqyBRLNlFcfOIkMIyBuGSDEvP8i6jVtv62A/s400/carnegie+hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We ended day two with the long awaited Carnegie Hall performance. Wow! I don't know if it was being in the hall or all rehearsals and practices that took place before hand, but the kids sounded terrific! It was such an incredible experience for kids and the families that were able to share it.<br />
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Photography or video tapping was not allowed in the the Hall. We were told that if we photographed or video tapped during the performance, it would be stopped. No one wanted to take a chance of that happening especially after all the effort that it took to get there in the first place. However, another parent was able to snap this photo at the end of the performance. No harm done since it was over and there wasn't a risk of them stopping the concert.<br />
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We had walked from our hotel to Carnegie Hall and as we rounded the corner we were disappointed to see the entire building surrounded by red scaffolding. I was hoping to get Mac's picture outside of the building but the red scaffolding didn't provide for a nice backdrop. We did the best we could with what we had to work with. One consolation was that there was a professional photographer taking pictures during the performance and I was able to order nice 8 x 10 of the orchestra and a closeup of Mac. I'm looking forward to receiving those.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynftDHnsJzz4BSPUvEJ0W6al4o1YF9lV0o8AHHS1n-Vqw9Klqo7g5btzG0gV9LArngpxDO8Cy6J3WhasV2NSHcSd1jPRLyTdjBsU-nxq0bwwAdJ-Z9dNxK4fDvwfmWa1zCLTdb3B3Mlw/s1600/Mac+Carnegie+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynftDHnsJzz4BSPUvEJ0W6al4o1YF9lV0o8AHHS1n-Vqw9Klqo7g5btzG0gV9LArngpxDO8Cy6J3WhasV2NSHcSd1jPRLyTdjBsU-nxq0bwwAdJ-Z9dNxK4fDvwfmWa1zCLTdb3B3Mlw/s400/Mac+Carnegie+door.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Mac standing outside of the door. Unfortunately these pictures are not in focus. Keith had to stand in the middle of the street to get a good shot, and he was trying not to get hit by a passing car.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyOQmB_hAMNECIeSR-jw2P_Aket3XPMjLiDcLLKPUDevKCxWKeVsKs4V4Rq2OryHk4EamB5Giok4IxJ5GsUvA5TlrGmaQCJAM8wTOY6YcLVzSHZedaXu3IKxr1sDbo6MkeLVkrJN-iWo/s1600/mac+roger+Carnegie+HYP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyOQmB_hAMNECIeSR-jw2P_Aket3XPMjLiDcLLKPUDevKCxWKeVsKs4V4Rq2OryHk4EamB5Giok4IxJ5GsUvA5TlrGmaQCJAM8wTOY6YcLVzSHZedaXu3IKxr1sDbo6MkeLVkrJN-iWo/s400/mac+roger+Carnegie+HYP.jpg" width="347" /></a></div>Mac and his friend, Roger standing in front of the National Youth Concert marquee. Notice the red scaffolding that I wasn't able to crop out of the picture.<br />
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The concert was definitely the highlight of our trip. It was amazing being in Carnegie Hall. It was breathtakingly beautiful and the orchestra sounded incredible. I will never forget the experience and neither will Mac. <br />
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The following was the playbill for the Hoosier Youth Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall:<br />
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<strong>Slava! by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff/Dackow </strong><br />
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This piece is a setting of an old national hymn of Russia The theme is also used during the Coronation Scene in his “Boris Godunov” and is quoted by Beethoven in his String Quartet in E Minor. The original setting is for chorus and full orchestra, but this arrangement is no less stirring with its energy and rich divisi passages.<br />
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<strong>Shell Adagio for Strings, Opus 17 by Nimrod Borenstein </strong><br />
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The Shell Adagio was given its world premiere by the Oxford Philomusica conducted by Marious Papadopoulos on Feb. 28, 2004. The new work received exceptionally enthusiastic review from the press. The Oxford Times described the piece as “Beautifully melodic and extremely approachable ... it could easily become one of the staples of the <a class="itxtrst itxtrsta itxthook" href="http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2012/03/13/news.668619.sto#" id="itxthook1" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0.075em solid darkgreen; color: darkgreen; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; padding-bottom: 1px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxthookspan" id="itxthook1w0" style="background: transparent; color: darkgreen; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">modern</span></a> orchestral string repertoire like the Barber Adagio.” <br />
The Shell Adagio is a lyrical and melancholic piece. From its sunrise like introduction to its quiet sunset departure, it is like a chronicle of a past life, sometimes light and optimistic or dark and inescapable.<br />
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<strong>Iditarod by Soon Hee Newbold</strong> <br />
Known as the Last Great Race on Earth, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race stretches over 1,150 miles of Alaska’s wild terrain from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and their dogs endure harsh conditions, frozen lakes, extreme temperatures and rugged landscapes to run the race that can take anywhere from 10 to 17 days. The Iditarod commemorates an event where dog sleds rushed to deliver the diphtheria serum to Nome during an epidemic in 1925. Currently, more than 50 teams participate in this grueling race every year. The music captures the excitement of the race and the beauty of Alaska.<br />
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<strong>West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, arranged by John Moss</strong> <br />
Arranger John Moss highlights various works of Bernstein’s opera “West Side Story” in this thoughtful and harmonically rich selection. The medley includes: “Maria”; “One Hand, One Heart”; and “Somewhere.”<br />
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<strong>Frolicsome Finale from Simply Symphony by Benjamin Britten </strong><br />
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In the composer’s own words, this Simple Symphony is entirely based on material from works which the composer wrote between the ages of 9 and 12. The actual sources are given in footnotes to each movement. Although the development of these themes is in many places quite new, there are large stretches of the work that are taken bodily from the early pieces, except for the re-scoring for strings. Themes in Froclicsome Finale were taken from the piano Sonata No. 9 and from a Song, 1925. The Simple Symphony is widely performed and regarded for string orchestras. <br />
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As an aside, The composer Nimrod Borenstein heard about the orchestra performing his piece and wrote to the orchestra, from London, to thank them for choosing to play his piece at Carnegie Hall. How cool is that!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H7ebo3bzBm95hceqyFWWXFEyHJ2nlpnTaRUFE_BUaTk-2-wOqlOvwFd3N5jv2z2Omu3Vj956zn1VdSsN-4O538i-5aMMlxFCrqho3fojHwUPgbETGCmavj0C5oFZ950qgmK9174AN5s/s1600/Mac+Times+Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H7ebo3bzBm95hceqyFWWXFEyHJ2nlpnTaRUFE_BUaTk-2-wOqlOvwFd3N5jv2z2Omu3Vj956zn1VdSsN-4O538i-5aMMlxFCrqho3fojHwUPgbETGCmavj0C5oFZ950qgmK9174AN5s/s400/Mac+Times+Square.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I also wanted to share this nice picture of the orchestra in Times Square.</div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-83151932381353817492012-03-21T16:22:00.001-04:002012-03-21T16:33:10.406-04:00NYC Day Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqP8-8l83Dm1ID6RTMH-7wDltTm9BSifnYxdbLbkNsF4hEIY5ccsRPawmdm1pCeddBdkngcZmkeTFlOFuZT6rg4U2cft5UodYrAYGUaEqTvvEakKo78WdS8LXbwtg2lI6sb2FEa7jOZo/s1600/memorial+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqP8-8l83Dm1ID6RTMH-7wDltTm9BSifnYxdbLbkNsF4hEIY5ccsRPawmdm1pCeddBdkngcZmkeTFlOFuZT6rg4U2cft5UodYrAYGUaEqTvvEakKo78WdS8LXbwtg2lI6sb2FEa7jOZo/s400/memorial+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Day two started with a subway ride from midtown to downtown. We had reservations for 10am at the 9/11 Memorial. Luckily they admitted us even though we were 30 minutes late, and fortunately the line to get in was very short.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZD8Vj896VmfBov11fNp3WmcHdiC1mrYxBvKAqBvqYU7mlo6ygA2zGhHiMM6-LslQV3DVieha5UKA5xA_FYz3CKv5fI69HCycFEpJ-9zrC1fQxmfrQkkanF1Qk3MBCoDIx0mBLWtTWac/s1600/memorial+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZD8Vj896VmfBov11fNp3WmcHdiC1mrYxBvKAqBvqYU7mlo6ygA2zGhHiMM6-LslQV3DVieha5UKA5xA_FYz3CKv5fI69HCycFEpJ-9zrC1fQxmfrQkkanF1Qk3MBCoDIx0mBLWtTWac/s400/memorial+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was interesting to see so much construction going on around the World Trade Center. There were several roads blocked and fenced off so that buildings could be rebuilt, even 10 years later.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuz0wL8E-2XT0UgI_WlRZyljC2klJH2u5Bd5nZ_fltOxxnfmsR6DnPhlfC3_rZXa0SjXxIM2Q8_UygB2XVrVtwx5NxGSKQh6cK7bWHjdMpIJ6NFoYYnITjtaXhBaUp4iii4pEqjT4bdHk/s1600/memorial+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuz0wL8E-2XT0UgI_WlRZyljC2klJH2u5Bd5nZ_fltOxxnfmsR6DnPhlfC3_rZXa0SjXxIM2Q8_UygB2XVrVtwx5NxGSKQh6cK7bWHjdMpIJ6NFoYYnITjtaXhBaUp4iii4pEqjT4bdHk/s400/memorial+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I felt that the memorial was a very fitting one, and the impact of seeing the depth and the footprint of the Twin Towers was very powerful and moving.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_aNudp_0T8m2WswVwmTfz9uPXCrvqgNZcFHP0nO4ymn_3t9EYpEn_zxKATCwLQ2bmeTOMAB4_0fXuXkZ7emPGlCrNN97627qS-fEe8oS1dAUc2Va8b4cYYqGDH-BbJZsVo7rVDdLbcQ/s1600/memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_aNudp_0T8m2WswVwmTfz9uPXCrvqgNZcFHP0nO4ymn_3t9EYpEn_zxKATCwLQ2bmeTOMAB4_0fXuXkZ7emPGlCrNN97627qS-fEe8oS1dAUc2Va8b4cYYqGDH-BbJZsVo7rVDdLbcQ/s400/memorial.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After leaving the memorial we walked through the financial district to Battery Park and found our way to the Staten Island Ferry. Along the way we passed by Zuccotti Park which was void of any Wall Street protesters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKVDECP8oY_Emk65L8GviEJFATkMN9B29HW3OsrMdwXxx91YevH0PAIDgc-EdMqtgusxGxFbEbczp-FFP67iqlzWQjdnctd5-Y3rDcrhbvJEGJiPZErKnN7pliykPUCwJKCOZPGHnLXU/s1600/community+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKVDECP8oY_Emk65L8GviEJFATkMN9B29HW3OsrMdwXxx91YevH0PAIDgc-EdMqtgusxGxFbEbczp-FFP67iqlzWQjdnctd5-Y3rDcrhbvJEGJiPZErKnN7pliykPUCwJKCOZPGHnLXU/s400/community+garden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In Battery Park we came across a community garden plot that had a very interesting way of keeping critters out of its gardens.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxBQ-NtitpVfneNOTzoHjpE8ega4M_zwpPOBIKdpywIwhyphenhyphenm6Uh9QFu8JDumGySM3huEhWVSZyf4ldxeUBVVxzOZ_AB1MzlQevnzgBWksW7FxOACDVTafRAF0hHbZYTv0iUHpzgmeDwZ4/s1600/staten+island+ferry+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxBQ-NtitpVfneNOTzoHjpE8ega4M_zwpPOBIKdpywIwhyphenhyphenm6Uh9QFu8JDumGySM3huEhWVSZyf4ldxeUBVVxzOZ_AB1MzlQevnzgBWksW7FxOACDVTafRAF0hHbZYTv0iUHpzgmeDwZ4/s400/staten+island+ferry+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We arrived at the ferry terminal just in time for 12:00pm ferry. We opted to take the Staten Island Ferry, which is free, to avoid the lines at the Statute of Liberty. Since you're not allowed to go inside the Statute we felt it was just as good getting a close up view from the ferry as it would be on the island.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxcdm7iE0PHMWUt4iIUr-7BNb72Na_9jo5Cfm8aGe54brPitjfcY-dtOfcoW9HlDm0WimonNF_nZsqgm440N8w_C3CbCmTU7jpE26F8rdxlGnAHq6wGxsHtC5bgLiEdgXIt46vEWZuqk/s1600/statute+of+liberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxcdm7iE0PHMWUt4iIUr-7BNb72Na_9jo5Cfm8aGe54brPitjfcY-dtOfcoW9HlDm0WimonNF_nZsqgm440N8w_C3CbCmTU7jpE26F8rdxlGnAHq6wGxsHtC5bgLiEdgXIt46vEWZuqk/s400/statute+of+liberty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you enlarge this picture you'll get a good idea of how long the lines are as they wrap around the building.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8kRSm_sS8IVFB7VupYqN61bZ-73ETUkR7btC5F4DHSYBGxXPcL0Pp4zT3FbE6mOby2nEstAGErt_DiXnnJVb8zcgVLsxKbOMeHspHhxkrFCef-Mp_CtqD91TTJcE4KlnTsXIZS23J0o/s1600/staten+island+ferry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8kRSm_sS8IVFB7VupYqN61bZ-73ETUkR7btC5F4DHSYBGxXPcL0Pp4zT3FbE6mOby2nEstAGErt_DiXnnJVb8zcgVLsxKbOMeHspHhxkrFCef-Mp_CtqD91TTJcE4KlnTsXIZS23J0o/s400/staten+island+ferry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This picture was taken on the ferry as everyone flocked to the deck to get a good view of Lady Liberty.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlCeKS78r7vC6wy1AeNOScHMd9xMHykLDv-eXcLPfCeYzqYy_fX2PPWQuGV42LYkuMJOy8-yGz2DWFv0q_lwLJVY2V_02rgZdTb0sCRMo0MJmZfpSbVmLWQxkGtZUSiPzXpkMr84rsjM/s1600/NYSE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlCeKS78r7vC6wy1AeNOScHMd9xMHykLDv-eXcLPfCeYzqYy_fX2PPWQuGV42LYkuMJOy8-yGz2DWFv0q_lwLJVY2V_02rgZdTb0sCRMo0MJmZfpSbVmLWQxkGtZUSiPzXpkMr84rsjM/s400/NYSE.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>After our ferry ride to and from Staten Island we walked through lower Manhattan and the financial district. We passed the New York Stock Exchange building and Wall Street. It was lunch time so the streets were hopping. The street food vendors in NYC are kept very busy and almost at any corner you looked there was a line forming for food. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD6C7EEwGc0BwwSw12IQNNpW9VPptp4K3PClr3eBhk7r7U4P_Q_aVi1UzR998XLtMoYbguxI3mlbWg5MPMPrju0uyc7qp4VNbwFIuIs45FOpwAJTwXOBENe9BT1xuz0677wXMteQthh8/s1600/wall+street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikD6C7EEwGc0BwwSw12IQNNpW9VPptp4K3PClr3eBhk7r7U4P_Q_aVi1UzR998XLtMoYbguxI3mlbWg5MPMPrju0uyc7qp4VNbwFIuIs45FOpwAJTwXOBENe9BT1xuz0677wXMteQthh8/s400/wall+street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wall Street</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqerx-HwfWQDHWlIrP7tWR2ykffDLiz6Alho2Ns1s4a9s1T2leJExb0hJYEWClq-alq2LHcESuWWxC5Zg4ZM40Sdm6lXZwlFOyraOZCPTSaxlR9UfIbsV2MGsKQATABu5Z2fW8SN40Rc0/s1600/broklyn+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqerx-HwfWQDHWlIrP7tWR2ykffDLiz6Alho2Ns1s4a9s1T2leJExb0hJYEWClq-alq2LHcESuWWxC5Zg4ZM40Sdm6lXZwlFOyraOZCPTSaxlR9UfIbsV2MGsKQATABu5Z2fW8SN40Rc0/s400/broklyn+bridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>After our stroll through the financial district we walked across the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge">Brooklyn Bridge</a>. It was about a mile each direction and as you can tell walking across the bridge was very popular that day. The pedestrian part of the bridge is above the vehicle section of the bridge. There are two lanes, one for bikes and one for pedestrians. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRts3GWP6-GpX7XFCWtJbr7raxD4gLsJTzFw4v0BtJ7piUhjugn3u_UbRbNHchpGScSxI7aSS_6Wjxfi5QeImzljm5at6hz-qECoqwzh7zvyjhYuNDxUgrRbLCbNVf4GFLTEz8KeAwUB4/s1600/view+from+broklyn+bridge+midtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRts3GWP6-GpX7XFCWtJbr7raxD4gLsJTzFw4v0BtJ7piUhjugn3u_UbRbNHchpGScSxI7aSS_6Wjxfi5QeImzljm5at6hz-qECoqwzh7zvyjhYuNDxUgrRbLCbNVf4GFLTEz8KeAwUB4/s400/view+from+broklyn+bridge+midtown.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a view of midtown from the bridge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvg7AbrjlmdsEIqv8EHDeFY-lHw_usK4vnw54bGCyhSCI5nPOxwZ0dvxM7-JjDGLflo_QmCJqxERbSK9cBVJBxedDmxj5zNDx_1lyJM36pgFJM8WHF2q_7fiGk900i3GO8bx3vPcc5obg/s1600/view+from+broklyn+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvg7AbrjlmdsEIqv8EHDeFY-lHw_usK4vnw54bGCyhSCI5nPOxwZ0dvxM7-JjDGLflo_QmCJqxERbSK9cBVJBxedDmxj5zNDx_1lyJM36pgFJM8WHF2q_7fiGk900i3GO8bx3vPcc5obg/s400/view+from+broklyn+bridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And this is a view of lower Manhattan from the bridge.</div><br />
After our walk across the bridge we continued walking through China Town and Little Italy, on our way to the lower east side and vegan bakery, <a href="http://www.babycakesnyc.com/#">Babycakes</a> that I wanted to try.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GFGA7SgAn-OOzff9o5-d5soAx5CzzME9tbZjNuHEElwZMn2hNyaT7vKlGdX5nbu26MYO_pcuo8ItrHQNj24_oFmwNHe0rN5WcxBfr6YDJeVzpOowiIQSz4cXpOKy1KJIhO37xR2qqj8/s1600/babycakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GFGA7SgAn-OOzff9o5-d5soAx5CzzME9tbZjNuHEElwZMn2hNyaT7vKlGdX5nbu26MYO_pcuo8ItrHQNj24_oFmwNHe0rN5WcxBfr6YDJeVzpOowiIQSz4cXpOKy1KJIhO37xR2qqj8/s400/babycakes.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Not only is Babycakes a vegan bakery, it's also gluten free, soy free, casein free, refined sugar free, egg free, and Kosher. It was amazing how good my carrot cupcake tasted considering there wasn't anything sinfully bad in it. Ethan had a maple doughnut that he thought was delicious. Keith had coffee and a bite of my cupcake and proclaimed that my homemade cupcakes tasted better.<br />
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We had planned to make a stop in Greenwich Village at the Strand bookstore but our feet were hurting and tired so we opted for a subway ride back to midtown, just in time for dinner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQozxQDPs6fgwQdA3RESy4Rm4_fKKLLHckUzwlTtsDBu0npq9XQeLJRiM3fwItVvwNtjTJnJxFKq4IXYYDf1GgkFPTtRXs1D8HohX5aJPjEwqpQ7XyleJHwMtG-VqH8yiov2FM4TyXjA/s1600/parking+lift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQozxQDPs6fgwQdA3RESy4Rm4_fKKLLHckUzwlTtsDBu0npq9XQeLJRiM3fwItVvwNtjTJnJxFKq4IXYYDf1GgkFPTtRXs1D8HohX5aJPjEwqpQ7XyleJHwMtG-VqH8yiov2FM4TyXjA/s400/parking+lift.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> I had to share this interesting parking lot that was near our hotel. The cars are stored in lifts. I'm not really sure how this works when you need to get your car back down. We never really saw it in action but it was always busy. And the rates were pretty cheap for Manhattan standards.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCHKa3Vr0Z_2vkQFAWtNuPfxW36zqVcAZtls8WOlo7z1fDpwiwGd7Q-OcUiOFbTGmswJAn5DOQg9P62oT3fQ5Jzg1YOlPtqg1SaYOiPo0GQD_imM6vCcbC_WccuOLysK6q5VESBcFqMQ/s1600/parking+rates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCHKa3Vr0Z_2vkQFAWtNuPfxW36zqVcAZtls8WOlo7z1fDpwiwGd7Q-OcUiOFbTGmswJAn5DOQg9P62oT3fQ5Jzg1YOlPtqg1SaYOiPo0GQD_imM6vCcbC_WccuOLysK6q5VESBcFqMQ/s400/parking+rates.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> After dinner we got dressed and ready to make our way to Carnegie Hall!! The most exciting night of the week! To be continued.............sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-39119988599708174662012-03-20T13:21:00.000-04:002012-03-20T13:21:51.351-04:00NYC Day One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ysHpZUjeMiMPFdMUyOr7gcpI4HlztCJ2bi4wZhmIq6_ntQZqD16WDziForLw5F3aMT5yRmSId2Yp17HvOxcNbW9dXi4_ZblDO7tt-bah9NjRsbN0rTK4Dl7ZjBQFnZfnpd5X1sVUj8w/s1600/un+flags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ysHpZUjeMiMPFdMUyOr7gcpI4HlztCJ2bi4wZhmIq6_ntQZqD16WDziForLw5F3aMT5yRmSId2Yp17HvOxcNbW9dXi4_ZblDO7tt-bah9NjRsbN0rTK4Dl7ZjBQFnZfnpd5X1sVUj8w/s400/un+flags.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since our first day in New York City was spent mostly traveling to get there, I'll start with our first full day which was actually day two. We had been planning our trip to the Big Apple since last September when we found out that Mac's orchestra was invited to play at Carnegie Hall. We knew it was a once in a life time opportunity and didn't want to miss out. Ethan, Keith and I traveled separately from Mac and his orchestra group. Mac's itinerary was jammed packed with tours, Broadway shows, sight seeing and of course Carnegie Hall. Our trip wasn't as full of activities but we managed to fit quite a bit in, and a logged a whole lot of miles walking to and from everything.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We started our first full day in NYC with a tour of the United Nations Building. Keith and I have been to NYC several times but it was the first time for Ethan and Mac. We wanted to find things that would be interesting and fun for Ethan who was traveling with us, but also a few new things that Keith and I haven't experienced in NYC before. We thought the UN building would be a good start. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRZ9dES7RilHGR6iOCme-P2fDMbj5Ix7GJegS8nTW_YzJ9IA8RYWBdOdd0QtZcQ0vIxM7toTRZF26PlB6L-D7sHg2AC1EU7IhKKbBAkb7ONkFOi3FDUID4dSyPngPM_iVrHcUK144JFc/s1600/un+listening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRZ9dES7RilHGR6iOCme-P2fDMbj5Ix7GJegS8nTW_YzJ9IA8RYWBdOdd0QtZcQ0vIxM7toTRZF26PlB6L-D7sHg2AC1EU7IhKKbBAkb7ONkFOi3FDUID4dSyPngPM_iVrHcUK144JFc/s400/un+listening.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We took an audio tour of the UN building. Here Ethan and I are listening to our hand held transceivers. Even though our tour was an audio tour we still had to have a guide lead us through the building.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwZwQDNV3iK4aMb6-Pb4gU31Jy_1W8TgWtiHtraRdUAQx5MDiY5nF4Ba9rb_6RFJgi3hRb8_3qEhr5fhc85v3YBLIZkMznrri2XNy4qsWZ0E9AOXygA-cQlIzcpWFyd3eQX6aj3AT-Wg/s1600/UN+human+rights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwZwQDNV3iK4aMb6-Pb4gU31Jy_1W8TgWtiHtraRdUAQx5MDiY5nF4Ba9rb_6RFJgi3hRb8_3qEhr5fhc85v3YBLIZkMznrri2XNy4qsWZ0E9AOXygA-cQlIzcpWFyd3eQX6aj3AT-Wg/s400/UN+human+rights.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> One of the large Human Rights posters that was displayed in the Human Rights corridor of the General Assembly building. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhdXI7HnXkQubL7lQZm89WvUhBL7URd6JYhgzrs3Or7i5uKhWskauGF7AbBgO3rXmHcCwpHILGYstvX-wA3RrkU5zMxMBnXl5u8TQV8NOT__cTX1do7J49PRUAWUOHsGLIPbAL4WJF1w/s1600/un+tapestry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhdXI7HnXkQubL7lQZm89WvUhBL7URd6JYhgzrs3Or7i5uKhWskauGF7AbBgO3rXmHcCwpHILGYstvX-wA3RrkU5zMxMBnXl5u8TQV8NOT__cTX1do7J49PRUAWUOHsGLIPbAL4WJF1w/s400/un+tapestry.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the peace related tapestries inside of the building. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsd1g5pRsPyVYzmTtwaPNjIithdQNQkKnI4WxD4s6LXnvM8akxQUgDmroq5gC9helwF3eUhbA8QfB8Mama36fIyQdv_JsUVxIesaHFGW5MC6X7sdXWR_MX0dMxtDir0qt2xFSUrIy0OKs/s1600/un+school+in+a+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsd1g5pRsPyVYzmTtwaPNjIithdQNQkKnI4WxD4s6LXnvM8akxQUgDmroq5gC9helwF3eUhbA8QfB8Mama36fIyQdv_JsUVxIesaHFGW5MC6X7sdXWR_MX0dMxtDir0qt2xFSUrIy0OKs/s400/un+school+in+a+box.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> School in a Box which is provided by UNICEF as a standard response in emergencies. The purpose is to ensure continuing education in emergency situations. Each kit contains materials for a teacher and up to 40 students. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHv9cFTijkZmtQTY1ySjVKHq2uqtCtGcr_UDh4xbdvW2_4KOoncUcevMe5otCFI5IDLbrKRunwxpkTtRruMZSby16gwGNh-tv4njYd5xxCwCacJLvuvBmrT_hhav-w941H_m7PxPhPpZA/s1600/un+conference+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHv9cFTijkZmtQTY1ySjVKHq2uqtCtGcr_UDh4xbdvW2_4KOoncUcevMe5otCFI5IDLbrKRunwxpkTtRruMZSby16gwGNh-tv4njYd5xxCwCacJLvuvBmrT_hhav-w941H_m7PxPhPpZA/s400/un+conference+room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> This is the Security Council room. We also walked through the General Assembly room but were not allowed to take pictures because they were in session.</div><br />
After our tour at the UN Building we walked back to midtown and Rockefeller Center. It was such a beautiful day that we decided to eat our lunch outside near the skating rink.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nnQ7DovOW1gEMm_W-IhYwXhqAFvpWNlQ3TeyREtq_mBvIr4zS-N1ej7ph6HzR-dUrAyH-T5jnVu7GWvKhZQFOYJkUDPJ3MZagavZZJcUAPJkVwa7jY2rICiZ2XVLTvFSk48ZGNwMPVs/s1600/Rockefeller_Center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nnQ7DovOW1gEMm_W-IhYwXhqAFvpWNlQ3TeyREtq_mBvIr4zS-N1ej7ph6HzR-dUrAyH-T5jnVu7GWvKhZQFOYJkUDPJ3MZagavZZJcUAPJkVwa7jY2rICiZ2XVLTvFSk48ZGNwMPVs/s400/Rockefeller_Center.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>After lunch we explored the Lego Store which had this huge wall of Legos as a backdrop.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeekizNz3zc5rr7wr_KdMiufecMY4Jn4gtGus-gn-2uNSgmXQv5isBzU2pY7X8jfF_pzwX_z08JAqJ3dnkGCboH1mbH46pAPbseTng1RjviUKei2c6d_s9yawiyvRXiGnpdWpgDA_T2bw/s1600/lego-store-nyc-rockefeller-center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeekizNz3zc5rr7wr_KdMiufecMY4Jn4gtGus-gn-2uNSgmXQv5isBzU2pY7X8jfF_pzwX_z08JAqJ3dnkGCboH1mbH46pAPbseTng1RjviUKei2c6d_s9yawiyvRXiGnpdWpgDA_T2bw/s400/lego-store-nyc-rockefeller-center.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Inside the store there were many structures made of Legos including this very fitting one of Rockefeller Center. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MhQQHy19v910yY1FwQn4mfc8-oZz-QbrCewkYJvpUsawkm2Da9VSVDuOWHuZYhlLJ3Zm3GrBOVbNm8UsGLnvqKynbgrKt3_zfIkuURGUa4ADv34UHBheKnO0FyUSVMPVqE1OFyiq2wA/s1600/lego+store+rockerfeller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MhQQHy19v910yY1FwQn4mfc8-oZz-QbrCewkYJvpUsawkm2Da9VSVDuOWHuZYhlLJ3Zm3GrBOVbNm8UsGLnvqKynbgrKt3_zfIkuURGUa4ADv34UHBheKnO0FyUSVMPVqE1OFyiq2wA/s400/lego+store+rockerfeller.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After visiting the Lego store Ethan was eager to visit Nintendo World which is the only Nintendo store in the World, hence the name. Inside the store there are 12 Nintendo 3DS systems, 18 DSi systems, and 17 Wii consoles that guests can play while visiting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hc5cQFZWhl_U1eZXDqorqW503IhxH3CSVbSc0ayWYQVviqAKzWM1e6ikALtCI7zRo6f0nfwJ99NqndEC5abyvoqcEhy6VJkI8DNw-xYZ9koh26qVin43-wMmqxsOakPPds1uLmPWmHg/s1600/Nintendo+World+Store.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hc5cQFZWhl_U1eZXDqorqW503IhxH3CSVbSc0ayWYQVviqAKzWM1e6ikALtCI7zRo6f0nfwJ99NqndEC5abyvoqcEhy6VJkI8DNw-xYZ9koh26qVin43-wMmqxsOakPPds1uLmPWmHg/s400/Nintendo+World+Store.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ethan was in heaven and was happy when he found the piano score book for all of the Zelda songs. His one and only souvenir that he took home from the store. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLwhfoHyijtaBkwXp75zQ03ad9mhSr7fmk79OQm0amCp-VFt3vmX1BxdIuX8qtqNR-HBevAyYHAVuaaNgZ68zEaAu6R7yChp_iDu6_kIp6hVIGNWl-plzVThxQP9T9jXjDsgX1UvJ84I/s1600/xlarge_1zeldadisplayheader_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLwhfoHyijtaBkwXp75zQ03ad9mhSr7fmk79OQm0amCp-VFt3vmX1BxdIuX8qtqNR-HBevAyYHAVuaaNgZ68zEaAu6R7yChp_iDu6_kIp6hVIGNWl-plzVThxQP9T9jXjDsgX1UvJ84I/s400/xlarge_1zeldadisplayheader_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Upstairs there is also a little museum of all the original Nintendo gaming systems throughout the years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdFXLDXwoZZG-lh0kQut4w64_0sCjX7mN60R7SQP-apQ3werBauFN8a3LT9BEkvPt-c5yDQ_jBHUC6JWQJ2z5fI6I7RN1k1UInCiMI_lppFEjS6bygT6afwTmHZsBLqDJcdqbIi4Ma9k/s1600/times+square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdFXLDXwoZZG-lh0kQut4w64_0sCjX7mN60R7SQP-apQ3werBauFN8a3LT9BEkvPt-c5yDQ_jBHUC6JWQJ2z5fI6I7RN1k1UInCiMI_lppFEjS6bygT6afwTmHZsBLqDJcdqbIi4Ma9k/s400/times+square.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> After lunch and shopping we headed back to Times Square to see if we could get a glimpse of Mac and the orchestra. They had just finished lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and were doing some shopping of their own before heading to the hotel. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSdjn7VveJKLg2r9ignxOj_Xdu3xMa0DHJUTOTLwb6jPA98KuSoXp8xSMcDo8TxbTGgFNJdgZjA2bIr82v9htoPbdiFgerqnXM8k9jEY6MU0V8sshWVOPefUr7RaAuajCfdatw8YAXyw/s1600/hyp+waiting+to+go+to+hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSdjn7VveJKLg2r9ignxOj_Xdu3xMa0DHJUTOTLwb6jPA98KuSoXp8xSMcDo8TxbTGgFNJdgZjA2bIr82v9htoPbdiFgerqnXM8k9jEY6MU0V8sshWVOPefUr7RaAuajCfdatw8YAXyw/s400/hyp+waiting+to+go+to+hotel.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we strolled through the city Keith was obsessed with taking pictures of all bike related things. Below is a close up of a the "bicycle" street light near Times Square.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGxkZ5adBLe21Sps_Lo8YDmlpMQYrcvmBRu4GnWKAudNI3XAMheXL5_A-RNeR7p3UNSwyKyG-GDJuwC6r92lELjHr5a7iCpEUURHnJ0amh1vxb-_rEyNCHSV2qgpUU0R-7HY7JO-Jhag/s1600/bike+street+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGxkZ5adBLe21Sps_Lo8YDmlpMQYrcvmBRu4GnWKAudNI3XAMheXL5_A-RNeR7p3UNSwyKyG-GDJuwC6r92lELjHr5a7iCpEUURHnJ0amh1vxb-_rEyNCHSV2qgpUU0R-7HY7JO-Jhag/s400/bike+street+light.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Keith also pointed out this ghost bike to us. I had never seen one before. He explained that it is a bike that is painted white and is left near a location where someone has been killed on a bike. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50hwDffJA7YdASyUylgj6uvYvRBMdmOsv256PJtlK6Wq1dg7nhWS-GvuienysNgaezO-0kpWz_3ekXfqXzsRid7jDx3QGsJFk5D9DuPIKQCO6YcAMuDyDkC6JWTafjhTQiL_6mCQsCs8/s1600/gost+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50hwDffJA7YdASyUylgj6uvYvRBMdmOsv256PJtlK6Wq1dg7nhWS-GvuienysNgaezO-0kpWz_3ekXfqXzsRid7jDx3QGsJFk5D9DuPIKQCO6YcAMuDyDkC6JWTafjhTQiL_6mCQsCs8/s400/gost+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>After a full day, Keith and Ethan headed back to our hotel to rest their feet and I headed to TKTS to get buy half price Broadway show tickets for that Evening. I had narrowed my choices down to three. You never know what might be available when you get through the line and to the counter. Since we had Ethan with us, I had to choose something appropriate for him as well. My top choice would have been The Lion King but that is not available in TKTS. Keith's top choice was The Book of Mormon, also not available. So my second top pick was <a href="http://www.memphisthemusical.com/">Memphis</a>, and I was lucky enough to get good seats for that night's performance that did not disappoint. The music was written by Bon Jovi and it was incredible. Memphis also won the Tony Award for best musical in 2010. Ethan was very impressed by the set and special effects only found on Broadway.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6MPrh_WZ2vub7JqwkWLwcFiF6yDIC5sayvabPg7bs_5e_BRopUWCnEsn1RahdWwsesR02nFXdDFVF0WExsy9VybclkQqSPvgQsHfhom-Dfl5E9cRWzd1d_w78rZgl0SVMBBu9t6GjRA/s1600/memphis+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6MPrh_WZ2vub7JqwkWLwcFiF6yDIC5sayvabPg7bs_5e_BRopUWCnEsn1RahdWwsesR02nFXdDFVF0WExsy9VybclkQqSPvgQsHfhom-Dfl5E9cRWzd1d_w78rZgl0SVMBBu9t6GjRA/s400/memphis+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-57816297830139964822012-03-19T22:55:00.000-04:002012-03-19T22:55:55.467-04:00Almost All Vegan Valentines Day Lunch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gDXEjVGeDuPuTcE29FH-gBGUykFMb8P0oNALX7FWTJ_lCmMAjxa2OXOOckRfoEJ07wGgxaGuK1mYFE8sjNVdjLCxaJ4MZVZQC-wAOxigtOzHQjY4aCRo1tWCKx2IifNga5LYiRliJ-s/s1600/valentine+lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gDXEjVGeDuPuTcE29FH-gBGUykFMb8P0oNALX7FWTJ_lCmMAjxa2OXOOckRfoEJ07wGgxaGuK1mYFE8sjNVdjLCxaJ4MZVZQC-wAOxigtOzHQjY4aCRo1tWCKx2IifNga5LYiRliJ-s/s400/valentine+lunch.jpg" width="317" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I needed an excuse to use my aunt's china and to try out a few new recipes so I invited a couple of friends over for lunch the week before Valentines Day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently acquired my Aunt Mary's lovely china. She had promised it to me a few years ago when we were there for a visit. She showed me exactly where it was in her cupboard and I was honored to be receiving it one day. That one day came sooner than expected when my aunt was diagnosed with ovarian and colon cancer two years ago and then died suddenly, just two short weeks after her diagnoses. My aunt was one of the most creative people I know. She was always involved in some sort of project, sewing, painting, gardening, or refinishing furniture. She had many beautiful things and this tea set was one of them. I feel so blessed to have it now, and keep it displayed on my shelf as a constant reminder of my aunt and how special she was.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3ktPxdnGmD_8Lvqh9BXQ__Uuy-kLR3hZvLf8I96B-HkyEEFMWKskSLKr9lrw8aZxyiVNJie3I83MJj17ENLOoJ_Fc7hWz4FIP7ZRyHSFYrYuBS4FGZenxiec3gM5HlT_roqAtXptKZs/s1600/DSC05394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3ktPxdnGmD_8Lvqh9BXQ__Uuy-kLR3hZvLf8I96B-HkyEEFMWKskSLKr9lrw8aZxyiVNJie3I83MJj17ENLOoJ_Fc7hWz4FIP7ZRyHSFYrYuBS4FGZenxiec3gM5HlT_roqAtXptKZs/s400/DSC05394.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My New Year's resolution was to switch to a plant-based, whole foods diet. My dad was at the MAYO clinic last December undergoing several cancer tests including testing for Lynch Syndrome, and it really scared me knowing that this might run in our family. Thankfully he tested negative for Lynch Syndrome but it was enough of a scare for me to change my ways. After watching the documentary<i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-Knives-Colin-Campbell/dp/B0053ZHZI2">Forks over Knives</a></i>, and reading several books relating to cancer and diet, including a very impressive book, <a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=the+china+study&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11562264816286517107&sa=X&ei=xOdnT6uTHef50gG8opiECQ&ved=0CF0QxBUwAA"><i>The China Study</i></a>, I decided to give up meat, dairy, and eggs and adopt a whole food, plant based diet. The switch has been easy for me. I never was much of a meat eater, and spent 15 years as vegetarian, and part of that time as a vegan so switching back was easy. It has been a good change for me in many, many ways. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've spent the last couple of months checking out every vegan cookbook from the library that I could get my hands on. I've found many great recipes, quite a few that have become family favorites and that are served a few times every month. I wanted to share some of those recipes with my friends and decided to do so by inviting a couple of them over for my "almost" vegan lunch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXzSEP39FimL_aJ3_PWOjzLrYv4TNtzbGvRMwjj_TgGhIyPj2Tc2dNm23QjJTNg6Nym2t7AdHPPnCp4tL2d3hVVC2UW1jBvTWr4zmwMTZAoHcwMLrOY1Vj_nRi0OTM7iW7X16LYQ95ts/s1600/DSC05387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXzSEP39FimL_aJ3_PWOjzLrYv4TNtzbGvRMwjj_TgGhIyPj2Tc2dNm23QjJTNg6Nym2t7AdHPPnCp4tL2d3hVVC2UW1jBvTWr4zmwMTZAoHcwMLrOY1Vj_nRi0OTM7iW7X16LYQ95ts/s400/DSC05387.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the lunch I served a white bean rosemary soup, polenta heart cakes with spinach, kale, onion, and walnut stuffing with a read sauce, and a Mediterranean quinoa salad stuffed in a tomato. We also had grapefruit and pomegranate sparkling juice drinks. I didn't have a chance to take any photos of the main entrees because I was busy in the kitchen preparing them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The white bean soup recipe came from Barefoot Contessa. I altered it a little and used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and sauteed the onion without oil. The polenta and quinoa recipes came from the FOK companion book. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above are my usual cutout cookies made from my great, great grandmother's recipe. Nothing vegan about them. But the chocolate hearts are Mexican Chocolate Cookies, a recipe from the cookbook, <i><a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=vegan+cookies+invade+your+cookie+jar&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=13499254000820020595&sa=X&ei=_uRnT_2ZDMmgtwfu25SYCQ&ved=0CDYQ8wIwAQ">Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.</a></i> They are delicious with a little spicy kick, and my boys love them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9FdiaiYuxQ79bH10GImIq1aZlqr3b5OMqHKdq53e0P5golv3CjF8bDKBNlbicfWISNfspxmtq_cwbMFhz7BQYP7HpfdxAogslJVJY3LbZrogRDbRnec47ZAzCDuQl6_vwng-MaZVe0M/s1600/DSC05386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9FdiaiYuxQ79bH10GImIq1aZlqr3b5OMqHKdq53e0P5golv3CjF8bDKBNlbicfWISNfspxmtq_cwbMFhz7BQYP7HpfdxAogslJVJY3LbZrogRDbRnec47ZAzCDuQl6_vwng-MaZVe0M/s320/DSC05386.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> For the vegan cupcakes I used two recipes from the cookbook, <i><a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=vegan+cupcakes+take+over+the+world&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=9258781430583974094&sa=X&ei=OOZnT8jWO4iugQfuu4ysCQ&ved=0CE0QxBUwAA">Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World,</a> </i>the same author of the previously mentioned vegan cookie book. The first recipe is a pistachio rose water cupcake that is to die for. My friends loved these. The rosewater makes them very special. The second recipe was a vegan chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing. To add more variety, some of the chocolate cupcakes have a non vegan chocolate ganache topped with a raspberry. And I hand-dipped peanuts in dark chocolate to top the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.<br />
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Did my friends mind eating a mostly vegan lunch? I don't know but I think the conversation and company was more important than the food that was served, and I was happy I could share all of it with them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-47MscbBFvPp1ZsqDFfPZmAmaZttMRz4cI4pIynaM0caAxfGL2AA1lUhEl8iazWX5oW3sOif8_oI0FtcGg1t4aGBOmov8_zHJqJ9jowPBjozZpJ_FiHrsyrxkMReIFQ7I62KKOBKi8w/s1600/tulips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-47MscbBFvPp1ZsqDFfPZmAmaZttMRz4cI4pIynaM0caAxfGL2AA1lUhEl8iazWX5oW3sOif8_oI0FtcGg1t4aGBOmov8_zHJqJ9jowPBjozZpJ_FiHrsyrxkMReIFQ7I62KKOBKi8w/s320/tulips.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The idea for this cute centerpiece came Martha Stewart. It was a little hard keeping my kids' fingers out of it though.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-85523443030390789382012-03-06T16:37:00.000-05:002012-03-06T16:37:47.462-05:00Car Wallets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE4Ww9dGZ64uU6LZrnKs5SYdFNbUmhvhzwrVbGbuEPs8tGPjJ_-SU9SIPS3cxorbSFz2kFGkw9KjvQWim6iL9pBfjRgv2DjhzuOKoxpCjQDWxnGkiVDyHhhdu_NbWaJeCb_JQM2J4daw/s1600/matchbox+car+holder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE4Ww9dGZ64uU6LZrnKs5SYdFNbUmhvhzwrVbGbuEPs8tGPjJ_-SU9SIPS3cxorbSFz2kFGkw9KjvQWim6iL9pBfjRgv2DjhzuOKoxpCjQDWxnGkiVDyHhhdu_NbWaJeCb_JQM2J4daw/s400/matchbox+car+holder.jpg" width="267" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was trying to help my sister think of a "boy" party favor for the two boys that were attending my niece's Rapunzel birthday party and I came across a picture of car wallet online. I searched for a tutorial but I couldn't find one in the style that I liked so I had to wing it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made up my own pattern mostly by trial and error. Once I figured out the size I wanted, everything else was pretty easy. The hard part was figuring out how big to make the pleated panel that the cars fit into. It took a couple of tries but I was able to work it out. Luckily we still have a big box of matchbox cars that I used for measurement. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXm1_ZHxdvQp1vePsIT4fXHzfeu4T6Gvc7hMMBx0UyRrBBfehB01qr8W2h9T6VwNGTmpZDliJ6OOIS3SFYTs_6YZUuGij__MlRzry7eP7WqBDgjdZkwxqGTfc-cgc5GM_7ludUJSuOJk/s1600/matchbox+car+holder+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXm1_ZHxdvQp1vePsIT4fXHzfeu4T6Gvc7hMMBx0UyRrBBfehB01qr8W2h9T6VwNGTmpZDliJ6OOIS3SFYTs_6YZUuGij__MlRzry7eP7WqBDgjdZkwxqGTfc-cgc5GM_7ludUJSuOJk/s320/matchbox+car+holder+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> It is never easy coming up with fun craft ideas to make for boys and I think this one is a keeper. And from what I was told, it was a big hit with the four-year old little boy who was a birthday guest at my niece's party. I'm sure he liked it much better than a pink and purple Rapunzel <a href="http://www.twoboysandabeagle.blogspot.com/2012/03/crayon-rolls.html">crayon roll</a>. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVkKgLOLaQv0fS9WNJ9vDKk96diucveve8Nn9eDRBO6Fs0wwj6JlNpNE6vncNU-QWZlNnBgNK0um7LuRaYwpNM-hVmV5vKx0_vdvMQzkyREmyhCVJKtk3K6_TTOZf9SUwjx3Gwjjhshw/s1600/matchbox+car+holder+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVkKgLOLaQv0fS9WNJ9vDKk96diucveve8Nn9eDRBO6Fs0wwj6JlNpNE6vncNU-QWZlNnBgNK0um7LuRaYwpNM-hVmV5vKx0_vdvMQzkyREmyhCVJKtk3K6_TTOZf9SUwjx3Gwjjhshw/s320/matchbox+car+holder+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-24033668210146225872012-03-06T16:21:00.000-05:002012-03-06T16:21:12.815-05:00Crayon Rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZcEKS_8MWlQ8gHd9Z12WHw2DJuM_X67VJgWdCFruEXmuLm1Ssvpeu0qglPQqIqr5wob25T4xefC2bdwehESc5RUrdyCuPNHqlx-CGDhaHcew0pV6yafrCBBf6j6tBwXwL-AjX0H_PbM/s1600/crayon+holders+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZcEKS_8MWlQ8gHd9Z12WHw2DJuM_X67VJgWdCFruEXmuLm1Ssvpeu0qglPQqIqr5wob25T4xefC2bdwehESc5RUrdyCuPNHqlx-CGDhaHcew0pV6yafrCBBf6j6tBwXwL-AjX0H_PbM/s320/crayon+holders+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My sister extended my niece's Disney birthday celebration by throwing a Rapunzel birthday party. She asked if I would make these crayon rolls for party favors. I had made both my nieces and nephew a larger version (one that holds 14 crayons) for Christmas, and in my rush to package everything and send it off in time I didn't take any photos. So being able make these for my niece's birthday party gave me an opportunity to take some pictures. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1Yt-w-jzIxQDSd1A6AP87EZf2VbS6-gv63fkUEHMwtqybpX7IvrpvSZYM4BI940A63ChfWBGZXLEacrdsznot5ODwxiqEz1V1v1MKqzgQKhj8vPCivMSZauzbSddx7nL1GOKUogCUHk/s1600/crayon+holders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1Yt-w-jzIxQDSd1A6AP87EZf2VbS6-gv63fkUEHMwtqybpX7IvrpvSZYM4BI940A63ChfWBGZXLEacrdsznot5ODwxiqEz1V1v1MKqzgQKhj8vPCivMSZauzbSddx7nL1GOKUogCUHk/s320/crayon+holders.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> My sister sent me a picture of the size she wanted, and I was lucky enough to find some Rapunzel fabric -- although you can't tell from these pictures because I forgot to photograph the outside fabric. You can kind of get the idea from picture below. There is a small glimpse of Rapunzel brushing her hair. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JcsG2Ob59tIxx1i-1hepjL1FVTsoT4KUX3C4MReRcoXdakZDk8N52RwDIRp_wl4mcbW8vJiFRm2rBCeGjmYaf09I5h3T9SUIMOonbS1UvMW4JUR3tvNXJTJc5RvxU_HA8SMFElRESRo/s1600/crayon+holder+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JcsG2Ob59tIxx1i-1hepjL1FVTsoT4KUX3C4MReRcoXdakZDk8N52RwDIRp_wl4mcbW8vJiFRm2rBCeGjmYaf09I5h3T9SUIMOonbS1UvMW4JUR3tvNXJTJc5RvxU_HA8SMFElRESRo/s320/crayon+holder+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>These are super easy to sew and make a very practical gift. Easy to throw in a purse for a outing, or keep in a desk at school.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-3791839462969431432012-03-06T16:00:00.002-05:002012-03-06T16:42:42.260-05:00Christmas Photo Shoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhVY2A2TMXNVDXMVC0q8VOas41KBySZ-IO2IJHkwwJJSGbe81wXZ9f76LdupNiLZ6MT1OuZTeoG6n16Z4tyjDu8Zl_dXo42x9vDZ_2voJHApbF_18Bu3cEthXmkxu5Fe61PVLBmeE8ZM/s1600/boys+clock+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhVY2A2TMXNVDXMVC0q8VOas41KBySZ-IO2IJHkwwJJSGbe81wXZ9f76LdupNiLZ6MT1OuZTeoG6n16Z4tyjDu8Zl_dXo42x9vDZ_2voJHApbF_18Bu3cEthXmkxu5Fe61PVLBmeE8ZM/s400/boys+clock+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I decided to have the boys pictures taken for Christmas cards this year. We had an awesome photographer, <a href="http://katiekfoto.blogspot.com/">KatieK</a> who gave us so many great photos to choose from. It was really difficult deciding which to put on the Christmas cards, so much so that this was the first year in about 15 that I didn't make my own cards!! I ended up ordering our cards just so that I could fit more than one picture on them. I was a little disappointed not hand make the cards, but I do have to say that it was liberating to have one less thing to accomplish before Christmas.<br />
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These are just a small sampling of the photos we had to choose from. They were all taken on the campus of Indiana University. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Jo1VS-zfM9knp-ydNagjs9f12J2A5wHYNm-IYCktmABfNZqmw8N7uDIL_gdoFY87MUAkbGn4aInVLApWtZtccQ7g-MqT9n6djcCgJ_GtEqvRD5GC0OiD1EkJZOuF-hWQB8bmmOW247U/s1600/Ethan+Pongo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Jo1VS-zfM9knp-ydNagjs9f12J2A5wHYNm-IYCktmABfNZqmw8N7uDIL_gdoFY87MUAkbGn4aInVLApWtZtccQ7g-MqT9n6djcCgJ_GtEqvRD5GC0OiD1EkJZOuF-hWQB8bmmOW247U/s400/Ethan+Pongo.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh866rHM0pEtY2E0UcDDoQOZl3SOumKU2i58cp1sCBXJhIWT91RgRVq-DrJyrBY-zukvuosOSylvjtl8g8JRSnRK4aAsI8GYBoIOVlzh7Gm3BGEL8xPI0gtpI9FPSjkkkro6i0FYpFN2Rg/s1600/boys+dog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh866rHM0pEtY2E0UcDDoQOZl3SOumKU2i58cp1sCBXJhIWT91RgRVq-DrJyrBY-zukvuosOSylvjtl8g8JRSnRK4aAsI8GYBoIOVlzh7Gm3BGEL8xPI0gtpI9FPSjkkkro6i0FYpFN2Rg/s400/boys+dog+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Amazingly enough the dog cooperated for most of the pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yMpaYhN2kftQmtRPVX6dgxADTrCt_IaNawz495Dcw1N6lCUHGgWMbaQSGHRhs_IAV09HHKFQ1hDyf6BdNxnwvAQh9K7b1JPztGcwj8aK_-eZT03lP075YAf6xv9bzsOOjxk4moEbZ78/s1600/boys+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yMpaYhN2kftQmtRPVX6dgxADTrCt_IaNawz495Dcw1N6lCUHGgWMbaQSGHRhs_IAV09HHKFQ1hDyf6BdNxnwvAQh9K7b1JPztGcwj8aK_-eZT03lP075YAf6xv9bzsOOjxk4moEbZ78/s400/boys+door.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvRAjTaEltRk8i7XJTR7Zo2Tjudfznhf5WWFR9QNG1B9ciUVxkQj4E36f6lowSF7weawHQU4JvHpr1LWfOND0tSa1_xkmgIbtxd9pO8NENxE07EO7akta0kw-n0JkcuRJn5dUIS6Bnag/s1600/boys+library+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvRAjTaEltRk8i7XJTR7Zo2Tjudfznhf5WWFR9QNG1B9ciUVxkQj4E36f6lowSF7weawHQU4JvHpr1LWfOND0tSa1_xkmgIbtxd9pO8NENxE07EO7akta0kw-n0JkcuRJn5dUIS6Bnag/s400/boys+library+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The limestone around campus gave us a great backdrop for a lot of the shots.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuKXgKxRPYDBpVW_48J4Eirv6qzaLLHgLmMNs2Bx1ZxMfJJGgcmbezlmxFutOuWVg6fSQNwfFyGm5vITu99BWFqttstGGUJ__pyBvYizoB2-db4Spb4UMIz_1Y1SAFFwex5atjbp2pFM/s1600/boys+steps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuKXgKxRPYDBpVW_48J4Eirv6qzaLLHgLmMNs2Bx1ZxMfJJGgcmbezlmxFutOuWVg6fSQNwfFyGm5vITu99BWFqttstGGUJ__pyBvYizoB2-db4Spb4UMIz_1Y1SAFFwex5atjbp2pFM/s400/boys+steps.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNISL3mq03nK5RCOPe9tC-m7tR945iU4nSL3x9lRueUnruYIsImBIVtBHk6itcpBhV8P0uXFL9yj-W687JAuZPznH0e_XlL9A8EVylwP9bbPAjMvdRL_tQXh-dR7P2duejmbmJrlvmYA/s1600/ethan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNISL3mq03nK5RCOPe9tC-m7tR945iU4nSL3x9lRueUnruYIsImBIVtBHk6itcpBhV8P0uXFL9yj-W687JAuZPznH0e_XlL9A8EVylwP9bbPAjMvdRL_tQXh-dR7P2duejmbmJrlvmYA/s400/ethan.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj87Sz228PZCNIPLVom2ghfrECZd672QHJ7akKnCCmU-kVXCC_NJE_GhE6XIrXR9Nk9mKbmFogwd9yUImShACAdXc92hsA2H-e9SU7PZWSNFwBmMPen8lfZTYbYWsLCL19FMcPCXA_0gg/s1600/mac+violin+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj87Sz228PZCNIPLVom2ghfrECZd672QHJ7akKnCCmU-kVXCC_NJE_GhE6XIrXR9Nk9mKbmFogwd9yUImShACAdXc92hsA2H-e9SU7PZWSNFwBmMPen8lfZTYbYWsLCL19FMcPCXA_0gg/s400/mac+violin+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl2f3EWgvnfLXT-teWQ5AvUBHYdwlLUOH-fhrORKcnvFe6gVM2sjP4bLyJztd_TOoM1kgeVRvXaKwaFO8-0kI16CfsQe74DEx12ltwqOAoKSKl_ZYwI7PSy1Vr1xpDAHhUQyWQioNNTA/s1600/mac+violin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibl2f3EWgvnfLXT-teWQ5AvUBHYdwlLUOH-fhrORKcnvFe6gVM2sjP4bLyJztd_TOoM1kgeVRvXaKwaFO8-0kI16CfsQe74DEx12ltwqOAoKSKl_ZYwI7PSy1Vr1xpDAHhUQyWQioNNTA/s400/mac+violin.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjRbOzchjci_9PKj3hyZqQPTZp0HZIc_igP5I5jSmLXyuGxDbgv3i4NBx8V4dpgX_Z4bVPATL5WEVIcj2A6gcCJP9CLV-49sC2-e0O_QLtaf_xmASi0OgNBc1yUwvU__MgCPeva3Mf8Q/s1600/mac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjRbOzchjci_9PKj3hyZqQPTZp0HZIc_igP5I5jSmLXyuGxDbgv3i4NBx8V4dpgX_Z4bVPATL5WEVIcj2A6gcCJP9CLV-49sC2-e0O_QLtaf_xmASi0OgNBc1yUwvU__MgCPeva3Mf8Q/s400/mac.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuwQ9qKndQIyS6k54nDB9RMpZlkMJOGb3ddhUYd2w3_rVevjziiIk8YjkEX1sQqZ_vU4P5mqR87QAEgZhfUUrtl9tgEy_PP3Qv113AJxvYJGOrPN4uQwJ_NlftvjYVP1ptmOC-Y4_8Xs/s1600/boys+auditorium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuwQ9qKndQIyS6k54nDB9RMpZlkMJOGb3ddhUYd2w3_rVevjziiIk8YjkEX1sQqZ_vU4P5mqR87QAEgZhfUUrtl9tgEy_PP3Qv113AJxvYJGOrPN4uQwJ_NlftvjYVP1ptmOC-Y4_8Xs/s400/boys+auditorium.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-3360047657439100442012-03-06T15:34:00.000-05:002012-03-06T15:34:52.611-05:00Teacup Aprons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKQwl0RgO2GpCt4j5Ln2PfQUCtc1jtxEFirx6mQcy6gostN1ERBuDXTqujHPlU9R108HT7bpJxgpwgl-way4IcAFrH5yzenwQWfRsWm2YJ0yCobE0OezbxldQUVVJOGP0K6HLMh10vpQ/s1600/aprons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKQwl0RgO2GpCt4j5Ln2PfQUCtc1jtxEFirx6mQcy6gostN1ERBuDXTqujHPlU9R108HT7bpJxgpwgl-way4IcAFrH5yzenwQWfRsWm2YJ0yCobE0OezbxldQUVVJOGP0K6HLMh10vpQ/s320/aprons.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>For Christmas this year I made four sets of matching aprons to give to friends and family for gifts. In my rush to get everything wrapped and mailed, I did not take one picture. Thanks to <a href="http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/">Steph </a>(one of the recipients) for sharing this picture of her and her lovely sister and niece. I was most excited to give matching aprons to the three of them because I knew I was going to be able to give it to them in person, on a surprise visit with Steph in her hometown.<br />
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I used Simplicity pattern 2276 for the aprons. They were a loads of fun to make. The best part was choosing the fabrics that I felt best suited each of the recipients. I feel so blessed to have so many little girls in my life to sew for.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-81823824974218533512012-03-06T15:11:00.000-05:002012-03-06T15:11:01.931-05:00Valentine Sachets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbkh_uHtGz9w0oyJ6Wyj6iccU41HX_esuYQBULOOrlmuY6wiE4ylPYp-dc1wdSyW9tdgsXhL6BKyODQSmJ37lMYCFG_DZ6c19lof1qhCQM7t8WJippe9iVVuA0EGDV_8g5SRXPNm_jy0/s1600/heart+sachets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbkh_uHtGz9w0oyJ6Wyj6iccU41HX_esuYQBULOOrlmuY6wiE4ylPYp-dc1wdSyW9tdgsXhL6BKyODQSmJ37lMYCFG_DZ6c19lof1qhCQM7t8WJippe9iVVuA0EGDV_8g5SRXPNm_jy0/s400/heart+sachets.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I hosted a little Valentine's Day lunch for a couple of my friends and wanted to give them a little Valentines Day gift. I knew I wanted to do something with lavender since I still had quite bit leftover from last year's garden. I was lucky enough to find these adorable sachets online from the <i><a href="http://sew4home.com/projects/fabric-art-a-accents/480-valentines-heart-sachets">Sew4Home</a></i> blog. They were perfect because they were Valentine-themed, and they allowed me to use up my leftover lavender.<br />
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I also loved the fact that I was able use up some of my fabric scraps. I have a difficult time getting rid of even the smallest pieces of fabric for fear that I might need them for something. So these sachets gave me the perfect excuse to put my scraps to good use.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-14774988449398033472012-03-06T14:54:00.000-05:002012-03-06T14:54:24.554-05:00Madelyn's Minnie Applique<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y3nxlFqLLcoXri18wUWN3cvVCueaGFB49gynN2czmBL_6YgoBTHVjuMn8SKYB4azwA7a5hUyhDXPAh1kv4CdXieaCHeN197HWQNd1K7V4A0TNLdNNrpGQv_q53TAXf6p_Wo0rlvXU5o/s1600/madelyn+mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y3nxlFqLLcoXri18wUWN3cvVCueaGFB49gynN2czmBL_6YgoBTHVjuMn8SKYB4azwA7a5hUyhDXPAh1kv4CdXieaCHeN197HWQNd1K7V4A0TNLdNNrpGQv_q53TAXf6p_Wo0rlvXU5o/s400/madelyn+mini.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>My adored niece, Madelyn recently turned 4, and for her birthday her parents took her on a five day trip to Disneyland. So I thought what would be a better gift than making her this appliqued t-shirt that she could wear on the trip. The applique included a silhouette of Minnie's head, the number 4, and her name. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwUpZcQScXXjrz1Y7Ud7a9NBYmQgP8X-rK8V7GWCOtcafheUp47B5R6u68G-epT-nUUHLm2kuHBMX4C_G9Xa2hKAShDNkk88F9brelQQDbf3yICU4yrvv4HcurNZDp3m1vsNMZk_Ler0/s1600/madelyn+minni+close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwUpZcQScXXjrz1Y7Ud7a9NBYmQgP8X-rK8V7GWCOtcafheUp47B5R6u68G-epT-nUUHLm2kuHBMX4C_G9Xa2hKAShDNkk88F9brelQQDbf3yICU4yrvv4HcurNZDp3m1vsNMZk_Ler0/s400/madelyn+minni+close.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I found this wonderful tutorial on <i><a href="http://sewlikemymom.com/applique-tutorial/">Sew Like My Mom</a></i> blog that helped me along the way. The letters were a little more challenging to applique, but all in all I was pleased with the outcome. And as a little extra bonus, I made some matching hair bows.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHo039FRmK5uA1Qi10Hop_2eovt9FjX55edFx-O8uAUHk_yFi01Jplm1yE2kbd6lxjp_w-I8XCX41U9YXJIT4wbrC55MA6u8d0JCoF5j-a0r4pXjGXBG92FcK4YlWEEQmLSRu00gNANgw/s1600/madelyn+minni+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHo039FRmK5uA1Qi10Hop_2eovt9FjX55edFx-O8uAUHk_yFi01Jplm1yE2kbd6lxjp_w-I8XCX41U9YXJIT4wbrC55MA6u8d0JCoF5j-a0r4pXjGXBG92FcK4YlWEEQmLSRu00gNANgw/s320/madelyn+minni+car.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Here's the excited Madelyn on her way to Disney. Notice the matching shoes that Grandma gave her.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-33979845999618963072011-07-17T16:36:00.001-04:002011-07-17T16:39:12.393-04:00Georgia Family Reunion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGBIyC2bj1RSPisAWbP9FUH0BHQfBZraaCYZJk3Rth-dn5A6TdV5DzAcbJQVQZE7CGsX1CCWJUZKfCqNs3zjouusHW_dqWosNJ0FdJsxb37fBBhBZwgrKF1VRtmp77LPJEgzGWY6n4Bg/s1600/bottom+of+the+falls+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGBIyC2bj1RSPisAWbP9FUH0BHQfBZraaCYZJk3Rth-dn5A6TdV5DzAcbJQVQZE7CGsX1CCWJUZKfCqNs3zjouusHW_dqWosNJ0FdJsxb37fBBhBZwgrKF1VRtmp77LPJEgzGWY6n4Bg/s400/bottom+of+the+falls+2.jpg" width="391" /></a></div>We spent part of mid June in northern Georgia at a family reunion with my mom's side of the family. The reunion was held at <a href="http://www.gastateparks.org/AmicalolaFalls">Amicalola Falls State Park</a>. It was fun to see everyone, the weather was beautiful, and we all had a great time in wilderness.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNMOaB3XXttLiFDxvNcMx1sgazvFQ2x5vE7sEKGnym4Sl0aA0CUgwdcUrxwPHWIAhc6ZK80K-vOjm8pCzYbRwOCYKYCakJmig8VHlrNxF6gDiG1h54lOpbiceSvWhE6SzylWNXbAkOwA/s1600/Appalachian+trail+head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNMOaB3XXttLiFDxvNcMx1sgazvFQ2x5vE7sEKGnym4Sl0aA0CUgwdcUrxwPHWIAhc6ZK80K-vOjm8pCzYbRwOCYKYCakJmig8VHlrNxF6gDiG1h54lOpbiceSvWhE6SzylWNXbAkOwA/s400/Appalachian+trail+head.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Mac had just finished reading Bill Bryson's book, <i>A Walk in the Woods</i> so we were all very excited to learn that the southern end of the Appalachian Trail is located in Amicalola Falls.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6DgselqTxuwXA6eIup23ywdgTB-fTwMg6KzQ5A_ES8ADl9qkEH0-cy6YPuIFu3m-kuw_chstodt2ZIdJa6gQ5vo_biYEvlPfB23cnrK8IdtXGkWUQnwQ1nN_9YyLoaMbk1WePoz65iQ/s1600/bottom+of+the+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW6DgselqTxuwXA6eIup23ywdgTB-fTwMg6KzQ5A_ES8ADl9qkEH0-cy6YPuIFu3m-kuw_chstodt2ZIdJa6gQ5vo_biYEvlPfB23cnrK8IdtXGkWUQnwQ1nN_9YyLoaMbk1WePoz65iQ/s400/bottom+of+the+falls.jpg" width="326" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of our favorites sights in the park were the Falls. We climbed the 605 steps to the top of the falls to see the pretty views below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E6QY-OMle8j_C1MFuVslLA0Uxxw5cPFzrQ3EB_4-mh8Ea3KbBhmnwQfRzmn-EhNoUi1UqRoLkJuwcZPFfVvOdjCnDsBGSzEetN4JMc3HPJI69BKHIjjfMoCsxzFYcvx6DR1lKmOH6NM/s1600/top+of+the+falls+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E6QY-OMle8j_C1MFuVslLA0Uxxw5cPFzrQ3EB_4-mh8Ea3KbBhmnwQfRzmn-EhNoUi1UqRoLkJuwcZPFfVvOdjCnDsBGSzEetN4JMc3HPJI69BKHIjjfMoCsxzFYcvx6DR1lKmOH6NM/s400/top+of+the+falls+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the falls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzSJPqW152QCmHNPTs39wEH1qBhSv6JNeJEhqxAkUsJTEsJnDn7zblWD9TzWWFGhB1Ws3d5F5atbduyCJQLix_dRgNn_42Oyjn3Vpf-d6k8PmZ3kmANOu6hONyCMTSnusNrSi640IhIE/s1600/top+of+the+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzSJPqW152QCmHNPTs39wEH1qBhSv6JNeJEhqxAkUsJTEsJnDn7zblWD9TzWWFGhB1Ws3d5F5atbduyCJQLix_dRgNn_42Oyjn3Vpf-d6k8PmZ3kmANOu6hONyCMTSnusNrSi640IhIE/s400/top+of+the+falls.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Another view from the top</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCD5ei5EKzRgfc9twJN5O3Q_-vjXAuV-Y2HxM0sQofuZNwthkJ_mlV7ol1m8waXjwXrQlM4SxovKV9rmYRBIixAT19UP4UsrpaXtn-b0vzsDuFXYgMlLDJhdhX8107PyyPP7QifiTNaVs/s1600/stairs+to+top+of+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCD5ei5EKzRgfc9twJN5O3Q_-vjXAuV-Y2HxM0sQofuZNwthkJ_mlV7ol1m8waXjwXrQlM4SxovKV9rmYRBIixAT19UP4UsrpaXtn-b0vzsDuFXYgMlLDJhdhX8107PyyPP7QifiTNaVs/s400/stairs+to+top+of+falls.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of the steps to the top. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM6mMorE3ErqFYueieCGIs9MyRK2PYvFmxDcA053UChkKhkPFNuhmDxNIfYzmCUZcTzMu33IIQ5OomsqfmNR7qxknKduk5siNI0vvw9Dz7G1t36XSAWtAc7Zz9uPDjQgfF3n5VvxMT2I/s1600/mom+dad+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM6mMorE3ErqFYueieCGIs9MyRK2PYvFmxDcA053UChkKhkPFNuhmDxNIfYzmCUZcTzMu33IIQ5OomsqfmNR7qxknKduk5siNI0vvw9Dz7G1t36XSAWtAc7Zz9uPDjQgfF3n5VvxMT2I/s400/mom+dad+falls.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>We liked the falls so much that we brought my parents there the next day. The park has a handicap accessible path to the falls that is paved, so it was easy for my dad to make the 1/3 of a mile walk. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx470aMgSGCdq8uVqQkWS3FQOOA7-Y1dyAYEHBxiucLyL3zISy3mW1Mz4upX53unGaq8R4hdP1rUZHhKs03D2q9QNgL846F6qFu6fxV8QzGpLbm9zxPprWLtmru_pTHeZxivj1zy_Dm3g/s1600/Kids+deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx470aMgSGCdq8uVqQkWS3FQOOA7-Y1dyAYEHBxiucLyL3zISy3mW1Mz4upX53unGaq8R4hdP1rUZHhKs03D2q9QNgL846F6qFu6fxV8QzGpLbm9zxPprWLtmru_pTHeZxivj1zy_Dm3g/s400/Kids+deck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The boys and I also enjoyed relaxing on the deck of the lodge. The same lodge that Bill Bryson stayed in at the beginning of his Appalachian Trail journey.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVXyLmGyUZarudfUEUi2dq3vCQ4VaTV9gasij08maKghpvzq41drk_uHz0sjqZGGEE_wUYinqv4xZPLCO4RVuBaS4tV0AyaFOsOtBo3SBJAEx50tn5G4hI1yzc8_7YX10g0M-UiE5To4/s1600/Ethan+sleeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVXyLmGyUZarudfUEUi2dq3vCQ4VaTV9gasij08maKghpvzq41drk_uHz0sjqZGGEE_wUYinqv4xZPLCO4RVuBaS4tV0AyaFOsOtBo3SBJAEx50tn5G4hI1yzc8_7YX10g0M-UiE5To4/s400/Ethan+sleeping.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ethan was really relaxed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnp_j1M7ok9GFfL2WJwA_Cnx-B7qtEB2sFXOxhkjGwkBQjvqVTcVqASjlN9hcrjgAl0nMaBkqzjVL3VL42xXjVKKOLATk6JYXtJiZD53lA7x-0jJTGSdBj8S1XhcGf9CX4QPUhtFCv77A/s1600/Ethan+deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnp_j1M7ok9GFfL2WJwA_Cnx-B7qtEB2sFXOxhkjGwkBQjvqVTcVqASjlN9hcrjgAl0nMaBkqzjVL3VL42xXjVKKOLATk6JYXtJiZD53lA7x-0jJTGSdBj8S1XhcGf9CX4QPUhtFCv77A/s400/Ethan+deck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The view from the deck</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-FJJMRBIwZyLjBgOiP5D0MoaVJUrxW4GpPjZ6aEQp1Fu9RNu5hm1BaiveTjZth4XxWv-XaJoeIBou_ErypHOu6CqihFEr8sfNSTkzeXf4IwhyphenhyphenPCeIZUArBUlv7Hv6nlWWjaUx2lxRPU/s1600/the+lodge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-FJJMRBIwZyLjBgOiP5D0MoaVJUrxW4GpPjZ6aEQp1Fu9RNu5hm1BaiveTjZth4XxWv-XaJoeIBou_ErypHOu6CqihFEr8sfNSTkzeXf4IwhyphenhyphenPCeIZUArBUlv7Hv6nlWWjaUx2lxRPU/s320/the+lodge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The lodge</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5adkaUXOXPn5lFE_WM-EvfV3TEggxOl40K_vZWXlteNKw3MOfNaBrpU_OwjhC4Qzcr-uGYapB38UdvcrUPHDITB-ZTb21jHY-7toky_HbZxWWTHa_vzNSDhRzTN-pXb2XPp4JuHrlbug/s1600/cabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5adkaUXOXPn5lFE_WM-EvfV3TEggxOl40K_vZWXlteNKw3MOfNaBrpU_OwjhC4Qzcr-uGYapB38UdvcrUPHDITB-ZTb21jHY-7toky_HbZxWWTHa_vzNSDhRzTN-pXb2XPp4JuHrlbug/s400/cabin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> One of the cabins we stayed in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVqA4REUyTujU0cNQ81s-hc1aNZz3g7M3nXBA7Jvv7vXGO4aT_uiPLYckPl-6epNCas3qF9y4HBYPNMLJdYuUL1vrF33g7IEejsuSTuT9AvbqyX7v2B99tFZyNNeeYph55xcHQhDrajY/s1600/hydrengias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVqA4REUyTujU0cNQ81s-hc1aNZz3g7M3nXBA7Jvv7vXGO4aT_uiPLYckPl-6epNCas3qF9y4HBYPNMLJdYuUL1vrF33g7IEejsuSTuT9AvbqyX7v2B99tFZyNNeeYph55xcHQhDrajY/s320/hydrengias.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pretty blue hydrangeas </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvWR66e91NsNFsyyXMrCaWZ-lJa9cBBLy6Y7xXtFbQbRiUJEEEiErD6uJn7V2cS1-ypKDVD8-98d_mGdggDd_zIxESekJ-PhXpbNQ-3TMl39LEHHcEEhB4Btl5TcEd4cxmaiQr3K9CX0/s1600/barn+owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvWR66e91NsNFsyyXMrCaWZ-lJa9cBBLy6Y7xXtFbQbRiUJEEEiErD6uJn7V2cS1-ypKDVD8-98d_mGdggDd_zIxESekJ-PhXpbNQ-3TMl39LEHHcEEhB4Btl5TcEd4cxmaiQr3K9CX0/s400/barn+owl.jpg" width="378" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of the wildlife that we saw in the park. This is a barn owl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_5g6qJz9V-Tjbv80LVSofOeYyV107BGFCX2U3r4RYO5sxHMcQmo_cSkz9RVeY2PPOPFWfbbmLNeb3EZykNBaiOGnj2OxTOs2HlRsbBC10bGEdX6behO0GZ_55CTj9haW-tEm_8_DVOY/s1600/hawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_5g6qJz9V-Tjbv80LVSofOeYyV107BGFCX2U3r4RYO5sxHMcQmo_cSkz9RVeY2PPOPFWfbbmLNeb3EZykNBaiOGnj2OxTOs2HlRsbBC10bGEdX6behO0GZ_55CTj9haW-tEm_8_DVOY/s320/hawk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A Falcon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1XNG_ge5aM7P-bm4VzZc0q7M9QP4ihZHn9oT9swveDbBgftu2S5BeITwioSMrL8is5Ir2j6QmIQ6SHqHwPrnyy-ISZhonovBKMrUrG9wI_Qgf18CGdW6zUQZoHZ7v-_IqjpbJiZ5CMQ/s1600/screech+owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1XNG_ge5aM7P-bm4VzZc0q7M9QP4ihZHn9oT9swveDbBgftu2S5BeITwioSMrL8is5Ir2j6QmIQ6SHqHwPrnyy-ISZhonovBKMrUrG9wI_Qgf18CGdW6zUQZoHZ7v-_IqjpbJiZ5CMQ/s400/screech+owl.jpg" width="230" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A screech owl</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVA5nzxdlok_INITNldyHFDf8PNWiXUAnYztRVcDpizHOgmQifKI4W_Sm2EBXIuFF0ffiQCAIeNUlLdRxAgqHUu7foswBlbmbBpQvhIelFszz939s0jYUp1lVtc4-LD4Ca1iNkPtRZvng/s1600/snake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVA5nzxdlok_INITNldyHFDf8PNWiXUAnYztRVcDpizHOgmQifKI4W_Sm2EBXIuFF0ffiQCAIeNUlLdRxAgqHUu7foswBlbmbBpQvhIelFszz939s0jYUp1lVtc4-LD4Ca1iNkPtRZvng/s400/snake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A northern water snake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1E81Yh_ETNeh3lcxAzuEm0Iwblgg1d-uR6OWCwZktC52BsbjNqVaOKois-A5sro9j0BfzCWdls5G37IBMDTBAMg22nr0FWPwGGJvaa5m_r49jonY7tcriVxp7-XNn6bQr9O-5jZuKtwY/s1600/mom+and+aunt+kathy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1E81Yh_ETNeh3lcxAzuEm0Iwblgg1d-uR6OWCwZktC52BsbjNqVaOKois-A5sro9j0BfzCWdls5G37IBMDTBAMg22nr0FWPwGGJvaa5m_r49jonY7tcriVxp7-XNn6bQr9O-5jZuKtwY/s400/mom+and+aunt+kathy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mom and Aunt Kathy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to relaxing and enjoying the wilderness we also spent lots of time with family. We had a great time playing games with my aunts and uncles and cousins. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDwvvr1yCm-2jZhe3RTS-g1V0bI8_8iOdNoziok0yJ8skAWwDEt-LNJFo-upESb2_uTohyVhwHxLXoY1VtSQvVP14L6dsrUw6O0Ho5SGzPrJ4b8Ehrq2bQsSaDNmEfoU-3OlmdBCD3UY/s1600/playing+cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDwvvr1yCm-2jZhe3RTS-g1V0bI8_8iOdNoziok0yJ8skAWwDEt-LNJFo-upESb2_uTohyVhwHxLXoY1VtSQvVP14L6dsrUw6O0Ho5SGzPrJ4b8Ehrq2bQsSaDNmEfoU-3OlmdBCD3UY/s400/playing+cards.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was always a game of pinochle going on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgIA3TUlZvO73qoxNWJw2pKYJKZbed2ScIZWFR5_WQ1Yx5ehZxwTzQ8vifO7Few9DJ2DSerCzbYUcv74DaoytX5X49dvg0IyZ7cA-Sb1rGUq9KXI3vgqswApMUfQRtWfHM8DCpYbQHPk/s1600/family+fued.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgIA3TUlZvO73qoxNWJw2pKYJKZbed2ScIZWFR5_WQ1Yx5ehZxwTzQ8vifO7Few9DJ2DSerCzbYUcv74DaoytX5X49dvg0IyZ7cA-Sb1rGUq9KXI3vgqswApMUfQRtWfHM8DCpYbQHPk/s400/family+fued.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mom and Dad against each other in a game of Family Fued</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49TwU8uyZCRnpJNe2u9h9EA6H3DPTDI2EXFX5HnklvxUa3TtJ7CGevJVxPR4JjxaJrHYUpSlY8Ua3uf8W5OEa6OGoDBNqpjZphX3rUDlNMy9srzTL27mqw0iUcOMEUt9hgvdl809MyLY/s1600/smith+siblings+and+spouses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49TwU8uyZCRnpJNe2u9h9EA6H3DPTDI2EXFX5HnklvxUa3TtJ7CGevJVxPR4JjxaJrHYUpSlY8Ua3uf8W5OEa6OGoDBNqpjZphX3rUDlNMy9srzTL27mqw0iUcOMEUt9hgvdl809MyLY/s400/smith+siblings+and+spouses.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Smith family Uncles and Aunties</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-57638061346033485442011-06-02T06:00:00.001-04:002011-06-02T06:00:14.580-04:00Dobos Torte<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjMTOti9fzlam-TpR49yX7viT5BZf5q2hKVii70sDHog2wIFLBR321Jjb8DiZMviiFXiKK50tC-FIVOTHI5rJgv9UYGcNz1-WnsBgXYHi1LSzjfNI5g5NkDzPfQ9hj9x5SPk6yraIPbk/s1600/dobos+torte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjMTOti9fzlam-TpR49yX7viT5BZf5q2hKVii70sDHog2wIFLBR321Jjb8DiZMviiFXiKK50tC-FIVOTHI5rJgv9UYGcNz1-WnsBgXYHi1LSzjfNI5g5NkDzPfQ9hj9x5SPk6yraIPbk/s400/dobos+torte.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>My good friend, Helene recently passed the bar exam, the first time that she took it, and 20 years after completing law school. This was quite an accomplishment and I am so proud of her! My other friend, Amy and I wanted to do something special to acknowledge her accomplishment so we decided to throw a party.<br />
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I wanted to make a special cake for the party and decided to give the Dobos Torte a go. The Dobos Torte is a favorite in Viennese pastry shops which was perfect since Helene is Austrian. However, the Dobos Torte (pronounced doh-bosh) actually has a Hungarian origin. It was created by a well known Hungarian confectioner, Jozsef C. Dobos in 1884. <br />
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There are several recipes for the Dobos Torte but I decided to use the recipe in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Baking-Handbook-Stewart/dp/0307236722/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306760950&sr=8-2">Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook</a>. In Martha's recipe, there are nine layers of sponge caked filled with chocolate Swiss meringue butter cream. Rather than bake three cakes and slice each cake into 3 layers like Martha suggests, I decided to bake each of the nine layers separately. This took quite a bit of time but I found it much easier than trying to slice the cakes into nine even layers. I also chose not to make the caramel decorations in the recipe, and instead decided to make the traditional caramel coated sponge layer for the top decoration.<br />
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To make the top caramel layer, I set aside one of my thinnest sponge layers. I boiled about a cup of sugar with a couple tablespoons of water until it the sugar dissolved and turned a light amber color. I then poured the caramel over the top of the sponge layer and sliced the layer into 16 wedges before it cooled completely. I also dipped each wedge into bittersweet chocolate for a little added decoration and taste. I held each wedge on the top with a roasted hazelnut. <br />
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I was very pleased with how the cake turned out and look forward to making it again!sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-25559769708372607492011-06-01T06:00:00.003-04:002011-06-01T06:00:11.269-04:00A Picnic Table For Tess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0hbAik_pE4K1w_v42OjgAL70BgDLeAUJdls43gtkR2qTrmA8dqV1J4lArqezwokvZDDMN6TDvKIBm6HPhBTePhDGXMLmtxbZu4eyr3mQVhZxawX9VwEDV_mPXBHyM7wVOGPZFtKecGU/s1600/tess+picnic+table+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0hbAik_pE4K1w_v42OjgAL70BgDLeAUJdls43gtkR2qTrmA8dqV1J4lArqezwokvZDDMN6TDvKIBm6HPhBTePhDGXMLmtxbZu4eyr3mQVhZxawX9VwEDV_mPXBHyM7wVOGPZFtKecGU/s400/tess+picnic+table+2.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This picnic table turned out to be another joint project of mine and Keith's. The boys had a cute green picnic table, just like this one, that a neighbor made many years ago, and it had been sitting in our backyard for several years even though the boys had outgrown it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My plan was to refinish Mac and Ethan's old table and give it to Tess for her second birthday. I knew it would be quite a bit of work because the paint was coming off, and Pongo had chewed through two of the bench boards when he was a puppy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keith bought some replacement wood for the benches but when we went to pull of the chewed boards we found several other boards that were rotted. Unfortunately the table fell apart when we started pulling the boards off and the whole thing ended up in the garbage. Since I had already told Amy that we were refinishing the table for Tess, I felt obligated to start from scratch, so we did. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keith built the new and improved table out of treated wood so that it wouldn't rot in our Indiana weather. I stained, and polyurethaned the table, and then painted a few personal touches like Tessa's name and some flowers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The table turned out to be a very sturdy piece of furniture which is perfect for an active two-year old like Tess! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRzvq3swVDhqv2DsifgSw8Bc_xmnOjNf01hsyNKWKgrPIKUXDya7vtj7lCPsdmVxbpeIx5VaVlFK0_WvCqmxsgKC82Z91TBK0nF8u1CYAnN5hdn1JTKrbs2DkzZNWhqoqEQS3zQ959FU/s1600/tess+picnic+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRzvq3swVDhqv2DsifgSw8Bc_xmnOjNf01hsyNKWKgrPIKUXDya7vtj7lCPsdmVxbpeIx5VaVlFK0_WvCqmxsgKC82Z91TBK0nF8u1CYAnN5hdn1JTKrbs2DkzZNWhqoqEQS3zQ959FU/s320/tess+picnic+table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-51750227740527579842011-05-31T06:00:00.002-04:002011-05-31T06:00:07.872-04:00Teacup Tidbit Tray<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIxus9yg0wmac5wGoV0RVa66IMXZRyVQ6w7Y-44RtBwTarjA7yI2j_scOJAunLXYwVv87kSO9iGZOt1tO3Z-6N9NzXVsACGgIokiiAExDSKHvzBDpwnRFbip7bw4rnefrtDzt4Z_6BTc/s1600/teacup+tidbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIxus9yg0wmac5wGoV0RVa66IMXZRyVQ6w7Y-44RtBwTarjA7yI2j_scOJAunLXYwVv87kSO9iGZOt1tO3Z-6N9NzXVsACGgIokiiAExDSKHvzBDpwnRFbip7bw4rnefrtDzt4Z_6BTc/s400/teacup+tidbit.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>I wanted to share a picture of this tidbit tray that I made for my friend, Steph. Well, actually Keith did the hard part. I had seen these tidbit trays online and fell in love with them because I loved the teacup on top! I knew I could make one myself so I did some research and found this helpful site by<a href="http://oldetymecollectiblespottery.com/ponderman/pondermanhowto.html"> Ponderman</a>. It was a little hard finding the handle hardware but I finally found a source on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/69979837/tea-stand-or-tidbit-tray-hardware-in">Etsy</a>. Keith did the drilling and even though I had doubles of all the dishes in case of breakage, we didn't need to use them because of Keith's careful and meticulous expertise.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-22795355434785556102011-05-30T06:00:00.003-04:002011-05-30T08:25:52.584-04:00More Cookies!! High Heel Cookies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2zJ0Zq9EDMJJ64gJxnNyzfFeDz1NdzAfR5fpFE-mnR5G1pRGBsZyfIY5eWmximndUh_cC42uKzpY5noCXZNGrbrcnYQBUDBhn0Msau2nR7RLH9txzgLhK-GTEWHBQK1B61yIrmFUmPE/s1600/shoe+cookies+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2zJ0Zq9EDMJJ64gJxnNyzfFeDz1NdzAfR5fpFE-mnR5G1pRGBsZyfIY5eWmximndUh_cC42uKzpY5noCXZNGrbrcnYQBUDBhn0Msau2nR7RLH9txzgLhK-GTEWHBQK1B61yIrmFUmPE/s320/shoe+cookies+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I made these high heel shoe cookies for friend who was competing in a local charity dance competition/event. Not being a trained dancer, she worked really hard learning all new dance steps, and I wanted acknowledge her hard work with a special treat!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sTPZpnC_W7Gp2PMXQ0Y8rITxsRIQKJ-DN2munQtA5iIHuJQyKBaghuqKXodLHEXy3X9mStFnNNUFMNdtpjJPKkG914RoMXx3_HHewSlX2KoGS_MRmgWy1R_MSURo7qQNFA9H-zgTgmo/s1600/shoe+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sTPZpnC_W7Gp2PMXQ0Y8rITxsRIQKJ-DN2munQtA5iIHuJQyKBaghuqKXodLHEXy3X9mStFnNNUFMNdtpjJPKkG914RoMXx3_HHewSlX2KoGS_MRmgWy1R_MSURo7qQNFA9H-zgTgmo/s320/shoe+cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5696824619402760398.post-63421832401060208372011-05-29T16:39:00.000-04:002011-05-29T16:39:46.346-04:00Two Very Musical Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSK5K_G22iKmpmcGdganbHDgVt_TUd4f55esm8Xz16HxTB2NAJSXEYqdn8bTlbLoYoPghurHMbiUkuwxVBjBGgKIaDQIs5I1nExYuiFk6vXoNSi-FPhtMcV5PVuYe6f65UWlZF1x0PDM/s1600/recital+mac+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSK5K_G22iKmpmcGdganbHDgVt_TUd4f55esm8Xz16HxTB2NAJSXEYqdn8bTlbLoYoPghurHMbiUkuwxVBjBGgKIaDQIs5I1nExYuiFk6vXoNSi-FPhtMcV5PVuYe6f65UWlZF1x0PDM/s400/recital+mac+cake.jpg" width="306" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The months of April and May were full of recitals and concerts. Mac had three Musical Arts Youth Orchestra (MAYO) concerts, two school orchestra concerts, two piano recitals, and a state violin competition. Ethan had a recorder recital and a piano recital. I'm not sure how we all survived but we did, and I can't say that I'm disappointed that the recital and concert season has come to a close and summer break is almost here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4-yVk70-6AhyVDAJFS6g1hp0_Exwuw7ojAihQjXXhp6SZ7GjZqIm8DWBTTbXT7BMk9GtcoRQhq84mMGEi6Yg2L6uEfIlLjtKwXIc40OYDkdZUxEq18I8JFAK4TSy-peVtSIY-ziIbyI/s1600/MacRecital+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4-yVk70-6AhyVDAJFS6g1hp0_Exwuw7ojAihQjXXhp6SZ7GjZqIm8DWBTTbXT7BMk9GtcoRQhq84mMGEi6Yg2L6uEfIlLjtKwXIc40OYDkdZUxEq18I8JFAK4TSy-peVtSIY-ziIbyI/s400/MacRecital+2.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mac completed his Suzuki Piano School, Volume 2 last November. The Suzuki piano program requires that the kids give a book graduation recital, and Mac spent the first part of the year preparing for it. He had to play seven pieces, two that were required and another five pieces of his choice. Three were from the Suzuki book, and he also chose to preform one Bartok piece and one contemporary piece by, Martin Kutnowski. We decided to have his first solo piano recital at our home, and invited a few close friends and were especially happy that Mac's grandparents were in town and could attend as well. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-zHSjSmhb8ArDLy5TPun1xd_k0rGA1ycXs4kV1t3RaSgB8w_GxOdWme_c09uQP1smmvFmCKCW_br3jIQyiWVn4Lh1fGx3H5NCLyHBEqtoGfAD5En7ACOwiXJ-vchUWMz33JJk6-dLe8/s1600/recital+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-zHSjSmhb8ArDLy5TPun1xd_k0rGA1ycXs4kV1t3RaSgB8w_GxOdWme_c09uQP1smmvFmCKCW_br3jIQyiWVn4Lh1fGx3H5NCLyHBEqtoGfAD5En7ACOwiXJ-vchUWMz33JJk6-dLe8/s400/recital+cake.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made a special piano cake for his piano recital topped with a chocolate grand piano. I was in Philadelphia the week prior and was able to get to the <a href="http://www.nakedchocolatecafe.com/store.html">Naked Chocolate Cafe</a> to pick up the chocolate piano and some special piano truffles -- Mozart truffles filled with hazelnut cream. Yum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7A5K7gmG5no_cfh49W0taYsD7r3ezMBhwyKpDcphVItrb0WA7WIc_xrIfjftmG_ue8_IjUIo1WPe2oI8TYl6XUT9NJReRIWrt7gZw2VkRRic6ruQjjOpS5ddK-r6y0_M1vOGZMN9wMk/s1600/recital+cookies+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7A5K7gmG5no_cfh49W0taYsD7r3ezMBhwyKpDcphVItrb0WA7WIc_xrIfjftmG_ue8_IjUIo1WPe2oI8TYl6XUT9NJReRIWrt7gZw2VkRRic6ruQjjOpS5ddK-r6y0_M1vOGZMN9wMk/s400/recital+cookies+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our piano recital guests also received these music note and treble clef cookies as party favors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple days after Mac's solo piano recital, he had a MAYO concert. This was the first orchestra concert that my parents were able to attend, and we were lucky to have them in town for two very special events! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDS-zW2P5tiLY0ZqepbDByMOeuD_sZgYJs8wmWjYlrCHehEvnubeKt81hsxXV5jV0qg_Hd7fEGurqcZoj3S6dQ5NS4Y1M5wjRBiC13l83QSQUDRgDIyh_zPoVsRw1lgV30R1_wfmTetE/s1600/mayo+concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDS-zW2P5tiLY0ZqepbDByMOeuD_sZgYJs8wmWjYlrCHehEvnubeKt81hsxXV5jV0qg_Hd7fEGurqcZoj3S6dQ5NS4Y1M5wjRBiC13l83QSQUDRgDIyh_zPoVsRw1lgV30R1_wfmTetE/s400/mayo+concert.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mac was a member of both MAYO ensembles, the Concertina and Symphony ensemble.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFcT5CYP6YVqdLwhZkXrhPoJUemEYyBoSVBnyplO_OFlR4yEvS3kAGmStIwbI0xhygAGkWbLpD1DEPyPfyTCartIgTqp6XWyMM7Be-2rl6w_eqCtXSlFrMuwcI4bt_TLcyM4VQ6YnqKo/s1600/mayo+reviere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFcT5CYP6YVqdLwhZkXrhPoJUemEYyBoSVBnyplO_OFlR4yEvS3kAGmStIwbI0xhygAGkWbLpD1DEPyPfyTCartIgTqp6XWyMM7Be-2rl6w_eqCtXSlFrMuwcI4bt_TLcyM4VQ6YnqKo/s400/mayo+reviere.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The boys also had their studio piano recital and Ethan had a recorder recital at the IU Jacob School of Music for the <a href="http://music.indiana.edu/precollege/year-round/recorder/index.shtml">Pre-College Recorder Program.</a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjpis4kjD7z4UD2hagctaPOny-y4E4v1q2yTaEAeXBgB8Islf9KD8iUU7Z_jbAaWHSWWyfqG14XH6EgVRq8uJWesHSh-F7OSbZTBJUqnEF3DljOK-Fmew3pvA0ZtZUz7bDempeFdfPHA/s1600/Ethan+and+Laura+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjpis4kjD7z4UD2hagctaPOny-y4E4v1q2yTaEAeXBgB8Islf9KD8iUU7Z_jbAaWHSWWyfqG14XH6EgVRq8uJWesHSh-F7OSbZTBJUqnEF3DljOK-Fmew3pvA0ZtZUz7bDempeFdfPHA/s400/Ethan+and+Laura+small.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_138970199"></span><span id="goog_138970200"></span></div>This is a picture of Ethan and his teacher, Laura. Ethan played an early music piece, a solo, When Laura Smiles.......Philip Rosseter (1575-1623), and also an ensemble piece, Rigaudon........Esprit Philippe Chedeville (1696-1762).<br />
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Our final concert of the season was Mac's school orchestra. This concert is a special one because the director acknowledges all the 8th graders. She was especially proud of Mac and his friends Gabe and Roger for their gold medal trio performance at the state level. It is rare for a middle school trio group to get to preform at the state level. Mac and Roger also had Science Olympiad competition the same day, and the fact that they were able to follow through on two very different events, and perform well in both is quite an accomplishment.<br />
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Mac also sat 1st chair and was the concertmaster this year in his school orchestra. We are very proud of him and of Ethan for all their hard work and musical accomplishments.<br />
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Unfortunately in the rush to get out of the house for the final concert, I forgot both the camera and the video recorder. However, I was able to capture one piece on my phone which isn't the best quality sound or picture, but decided post it anyway.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxw5SRQl7oGXYvJbG7bECNF2lSADfaJ6X1wNSf8Rt-KMVK7IKR4dNzQOxM5I_SaoRhi7L18H5H_9VewQcED1Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>The Tri-North Orchestra playing, Symphony No. 2..........Tchaikovsky/Dackow.sweetcakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01741668314951940079noreply@blogger.com1