Tagged !

Ok, so Allyson tagged me several days ago with this lovely little meme about books we've read, etc. . . . and I have been thinking about it and dreading it like a school assignment ever since !! Let me begin by saying that I am not nearly as well-read as my lovely friends Allyson and Jenn, and tend toward the drivel and fluff . . . not exactly Harlequin Romances or anything, but nothing scholarly either !! And I don't usually notice or remember the small details of what I read, much less all the in's and out's of the characters . . . I'm in it purely to escape !! That said, here goes . . . !

1. Three characters you wish were real so you could meet them:

This one is probably the hardest for me to answer . . . no one specific comes to mind, except the characters I have in mind for question #2 !! I'd love to meet any or all of the characters from some of my favorite books and authors: all from the Harry Potter series, any from Little Women, and just about anyone from the books of Rosamunde Pilcher (my favorite !), Daphne du Maurier, Marcia Willett, Maeve Binchy, and Barbara Delinsky, and the list goes on. I just can't pick !

2. Three characters you would like to be:

Either Jo or Meg March from Little Women. I think I am similar to Meg in some ways . . . quiet, holding back a bit from socializing, a huge sense of propriety, and a desire for the simple family life. She seemed to have a clear sense of herself and her ultimate place in life, and I admire that. I'd like to be Jo, too, because of her energy, eccentricity, impetuousness (?), and creativity . . . I think these traits reside in me in very small doses, and I tend to admire people that let them out !!

I'd also like to be any of the main female characters in Rosamunde Pilcher's books. I'm currently re-reading Winter Solstice, and the main character, Elfrida Phipps, is a good example of the typical main character . . . some sort of artistic vocation or background, the endurance of some tragedy or misfortune, involved in the gathering of a hodge-podge of friends, family, and acquaintances, being the pillar of strength and voice of reason in the midst of changing circumstances, and a basic celebration of eccentricity . . . all set in beautiful England or Scotland !! Just plunk me down into one of her books and I'll be a happy camper !

3. Three characters that scare you:

I could only come up with one for this question, but it was the only answer for any of the questions that popped immediately into my mind . . . Mrs. Danvers from Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Not only is she outwardly hateful toward the new Mrs. de Winter, and undermines her in every way possible, but she's creepy in her preservation of Rebecca's room and belongings, and downright evil in her encouragement of the main character to commit suicide ! Eeeee-vvviiiilllllllll !!!

Well, now that that's done and over with . . . . ! I had thought that if I ever got tagged it'd be with one of those "5 weird things about yourself" memes . . . I have all kinds of answers for that one ! Maybe next time . . . !

Happy reading to all !

Travel is a tonic for the soul

Harrod and Funck had it right . . . travel is indeed a tonic for the soul . . . and just what my soul needed !

Jack and I spent the last few days in New York City on a mini-vacation. . . and what a jam-packed few days it was !!




We stayed in Jersey City with a good friend of Jack's, and became very familiar with the PATH train and A train as a result !





Just a short walk from his apartment led us to these great views ! And the weather was PERFECT !!





We spent time on Friday with my favorite writer and maker of lentil soup, who I had just learned the night before would be in town the same time as Jack & I !!

We thoroughly explored Manhattan from Rockefeller Center to St. Patrick's Cathedral to 5th Avenue to Central Park . . . my legs haven't been that sore in years !! Such a blessing to spend time with a great friend in such a great place !


We saw one of our all-time favorite bands perform Saturday night . . . Over the Rhine !!! Amazing as always, their music is truly comfort food for the soul !






And on our way back to Jersey City that night, we took in the craziness that is Times Square . . . not exactly my favorite part of NYC, but cool to experience at night, just once !


We explored Greenwich Village before the concert on Saturday . . . it was definitely my favorite area of the trip. My head couldn't stop rotating, trying to take in the beautiful brownstone buildings and tree-lined streets, the cafes, the quirky stores and markets, and just the general vibe. When we walked through Washington Square Park, we happened to catch what must have been a festival of wiener dogs . . . owners and dogs everywhere, crowding the park . . . there was even a table selling dachshund t-shirts and bookmarks and pins !!

I guess you really do see a little bit of everything in New York City !!!

Before leaving to come home yesterday, we were able to see the Broadway play "Talk Radio", in which one of Jack's high school buddies is a cast member !! He took us backstage to see the set and all . . . very exciting ! And while we didn't meet any other cast members, we did see the stunning Stephanie March pretty up-close. A very full and wonderful trip !!

It's nice to be back to our home sweet home today. As much as I enjoy visiting big cities, I'm always happy to return to our country abode and our daily scenes (like our friend above !). . . I am definitely a country girl at heart !!

Cheepies . . . Peepies . . . !

Because we had a low-key, camera-free Easter yesterday, and because I haven't posted anything in awhile, here is my latest and greatest, my ode to peeps . . .


I tend to like mine fresh and chewy . . . and I know there are those that prefer them stale and hard as rocks. So, how do you like your peeps ???

(Jack doesn't like them at all, and can barely remember what they're called . . . hence the title !)

Signs of Spring & Crafting Continued

I am thrilled beyond words to finally see signs of spring !! Winters here in upstate NY seem to be endless, and spring just can't get here quick enough ! Today was a beautiful spring day . . . and even better because I was home and able to enjoy it ! Amazing how uplifting it can be to simply open your windows and take in some cool, fresh air ! And it's encouraging to finally see things

awakening in the yard . . . can't wait to see if the few things I planted last year survived ! I've already declared this my year of landscaping (at least in my mind I have !), so I'm ready to get going !

I've been working on my little "comfort food" scrapbook a bit more, and finally have a few more pages to show for it . . .

Love our house !! I'll have to post it's story sometime.

I love the picture in the middle of the left page . . . I've held onto it for almost 10 years now, and was glad to put it to use ! It was taken in Cortland Manor, NY (outside NYC in Westchester County) when my parents lived there, right before Jack and I got married. They lived on this beautiful estate - complete with stone mansion, swimming pool, lake, ballrooom, and gorgeous grounds - that had been divided into condos for rent and sale. This particular picture is of a neighbor's garden . . . a British lady, she had transformed this tiny little square of earth in the front of her condo into a lush, amazing garden. I was just enamored by it, and took a few pictures to remember it. Inspiration !

And last but not least is my latest knitting creation . . . a cell phone sock !

Not the most practical thing ever, but it's cute and it helped me practice the rib stitch ! One day I'll make a sweater . . . really !!!

Onto the next project !!

31

The perfect way to celebrate a birthday . . . mocha chip pound cake cupcakes !! A little bit of chocolate magic for my "special day" !!!!

The Day Off That Almost Wasn't

Today I finally got a much-needed day off from work . . . yay me !! I had planned about a week or so ago to take today off, but my plans were almost thwarted by the evil computer system at work. Our system was extremely close to using up all its available space, so our computer folks scheduled an emergency fix over the weekend . . . which meant that it would not behoove me to be out today, with the usual chaos that is Monday, on top of our computer issues. Needless to say, I was more than upset at needing to change my plans, and pretty down about not getting a day to myself ! But, the unexpected call from our computer people came Friday morning to let me know that our system was no longer a critical case, and the weekend service could wait until its originally scheduled time next month. Hallelujah, Melissa got her day off back !!!

The whole reason I decided to take today off was because of our trip to Pittsburgh over the weekend, to see my lovely and talented sister-in-law, Laura, perform . . . she is a modern dance major at Point Park, and gave a beautiful performance !! Fun as it was, our trip was superfast . . . 5+ hours to get there Saturday night at 11:30pm, dance performance at 2pm Sunday, and back in the car for another 5 hour trip home Sunday night !!!! Yep, a day off was just the thing !!


So I started my day off with a leisurely pot of tea, in my favorite teacup, and in my favorite chair. Mind you, I have tea everyday at work, but tea for me is in a mug, with my mug warmer, at my desk, chugged down when I get a spare moment. What a welcome change !

Then I spent some time finishing up one of my latest projects . . . knitting my own hat. I had done the "first knitting project scarf" a few weeks ago, and had moved on to the "necessary because I live in frigid upstate New York hat" !!! I actually did try many times to take a decent picture of myself in my new cool hat, but it just wasn't happening . . . could be the fact that I have no make-up on today, and that's just scary for everyone !! Now, what to knit next . . . ?!?!!

My day off is coming to an end now . . . almost time for Jack to come home ! The whole situation, though, reminded me that God is truly sovereign and in control, and that He knows our needs, and when and how to meet them . . . even if it's something as seemingly insignificant as a day off from work !!

Crafting Craze

Given my need these days to focus on the things that feed my soul, as well as my more recent need to be working on some sort of crafting project at all times, here's what i've come up with . . . a collage/scrapbook of sorts of the things and people in my life that bring me joy and a little magic !! I've been checking in on the Artsymama blog for a little while, and was really inspired to try something like this . . . . I usually stick with a more "traditional" scrapbook look, but have admired the collage style and thought this might be a good way to explore it a bit !

(Jack is soooo going to kill me for using this picture, but it's one of my favorites !!!)

Still a lot more to go . . . but it's been fun so far ! I'm usually pretty reluctant to display my artistic endeavors . . . I'm always so intimidated by the amazing things I see other people creating, and feel like my little projects scream "AMATEUR !!" But, I guess I can't truly learn without taking the plunge and getting feedback . . . and who knows, maybe someday some project of mine may inspire someone, too !! Onward and upward !!!