Awesome baby portrait

Seriously, shouldn't this be hanging in a gallery or something?

Happy New Year, everyone!

Commas DO save lives!

See-through Goldfish!

It's for real! Japanese scientists have genetically engineered see-through goldfish with translucent skin! Read the article HERE

Who really makes a difference?

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point..

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. They are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2.. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special..

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

I want a motorized ice cream cone!

Check this out! I love this website!

Green Screen Grandmas!

Talk about an Oscar Worthy Performance! These ladies are fantastic!!

Wax On! Why You Should Quit Using Q-Tips - Page 2 - DivineCaroline

"I had no idea that using Q-tips was so harmful to your ears! I will hereby try to resist the urge!"

For the first time in countless nights of taking showers throughout the years, I didn’t reach for the cotton swab box. That’s right—I didn’t clean...

View >>

Time to recalibrate your mouse!

INSTRUCTIONS:

In the white area below, click and hold on the capital G then drag it toward the small g.

If it doesn't work immediately, you might want to clean your mouse, as the calibration is off.

Good lord!! You'll believe anything

I'm sure you will also recommend this to all your friends once you see how much smoother and better the mouse works after.

The awesome-ist Christmas Album Covers Ever!

Wow read this!

Fa la la la la la la la la (yeah I wanted to spell it all out)

Where have I been? Decking the halls for Christmas, of course! This season gets so busy so I'm trying to slow everything down and really enjoy this special time! Whew, 2010 is knocking on the door! Christmas shopping is done! Gifts are NOT wrapped, but Dan's gonna take over that task (his OCD prevents him from letting ME wrap the gifts!)

Got lots to do! Check back soon for pictures!

FA LA LA LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Michael Jackson singer II

This little girl is belting her heart out singing "Heal the World." Maybe she should get together with the little boy I posted on here a while ago, who was so into "You are Not Alone." :)

Lady Gaga's Christmas Album

My favorite is "SNOW PANTS!" lol

Google.cn VS. Google.com

Wow... scary.

Check this out

Are you ready for children: take the test!

Are you considering having children? To determine whether you are truly prepared for the experience, we suggest you take this set of simple tests...

MESS TEST:

Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flower bed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fishfinger behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

TOY TEST:

Obtain a 55-gallon box of Lego. (If Lego are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream (this could wake a child at night).

GROCERY STORE TEST:

Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

DRESSING TEST:

Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all arms stay inside.

FEEDING TEST:

Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Weetabix or Cheerio's) into the mouth of the jug while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

NIGHT TEST:

Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8 to 12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8:00 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00 PM. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more new ones and sing these too until 4:00 AM. Set alarm for 5:00 AM. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for five years. Look cheerful.

PHYSICAL TEST (WOMEN)

Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10% of the beans.

PHYSICAL TEST (MEN):

Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the assistant to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your wages to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT:

Find a couple who already have a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasise to them that they should never allow their children to run riot.

Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

coincidence?

Irish Blessing

May those that love us, love us.

And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.

And if He doesn’t turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping.

Any requests?

Smile. Go ahead.

It’s about time that someone thought of an amazing invention like this! Check out the power outlets that include USB ports! They are only $10 and go on sale in 2010! Check out the article HERE

For the curious folks

If you'd like to see pictures of our Christmas tree- check out our family blog: www.carmineanddan.blogspot.com

Stalk away! :)

Flowers

We received this beautiful flower/plant, delivered by a friend for our Christmas Party. Isn't it gorgeous? It goes perfectly with our modern apartment! The thing is, we don't know WHAT kind of flower it is, and how to care for it? So, blog readers- does anyone know what this is? Do I have to take it out of this container and re-pot it? Should I water it? There's moss in the glass dish, and some wood chips at the bottom of the vase. Anybody? Anybody? It's so beautiful, I don't want it to die on me!

Leave a comment if you can help!

Cops made him take it down...BOO :(

Ho Ho Ho...I mean Ha Ha Ha!

Just in time for the Holidays, I present to you "Sketchy Santas."

Check out the website HERE

Jesus is my Coach

This Catholic website is selling all these little ceramic figurines as "Jesus is my coach." I think Jesus would have some more suitable footwear for playing soccer, than those wimpy flip-flops!

Item not as described

My new favorite hilarious website is www.itemnotasdescribed.com

Basically, they find Craigslist and ebay items for sale that are the most riduculous crap you've ever seen. I love reading the captions and "sales pitches" that these people selling this crap come up with.

CLICK HERE to view the listing for this gorgeous ceramic donkey shot glass holder in the picture above.

Another favorite: THIS homemade motorcycle. Seriously, the part about wearing earplugs because it screeches and backfires so much made me laugh OUT LOUD!

Enjoy!

Oh, and our Christmas party is TONIGHT, so check back for all the hilarious pics of our holiday antics!

Rent-a-Goat!

Believe it or not, GOATS are being used to clear brush and replace lawnmowers! I love this idea- it's eco-friendly, it's an inspired idea, and it seems that everybody wins! Yay goats!

Read more HERE

Uh....YES!

This umbrella idea is genius- the handle is a squirt gun and the rainwater is funneled into it for constant water "ammunition!"

GENIUS! I want one!

Check it out HERE

Happy Whatevs Party!

This Fridaynight, Dan and I will be hosting our annual Christmas party/Open house to celebrate the holidays! Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Summer Solstice, Boxing Day…whatever you celebrate, come celebrate it with us!

Our funniest home video

Happy Thanksgiving! Dan, Jimmy & I challenged Ben to the Cinnamon Challenge! The goal is simple; swallow a teaspoon of cinnamon. The funny thing is, you CAN'T! Watch the video for the hilarious results! The look on his face is priceless!

We had SO much fun together this Thanksgiving- tons of friends, and even MORE laughs!

Holiday Hair!

To start the holidays off right, I had my hair done... RED!!! I love it!


-- Posted From My iPhone

Don't you dare mess up my folded towels!

Prince's greatest pleasure is laundry. He loves to climb into a fresh pile of folded laundry and roll around in it until it's a huge heaping mess. You want to yell at him, but he's just so darn adorable!


-- Posted From My iPhone

Oh Crap

I just need 3 friends to dress up with me...

Thank you for being a friend! How great is this idea for a Halloween costume? Next year I need to find 3 friends to dress up with me and rock out the Golden Girls! :)

Keep Being Awesome

Yeah... what?

Unintentional HILARITY

A guy goes to a Sarah Palin booksigning and interviews people waiting outside. I think my mouth was hanging open for most of this video. Wow. Just, WOW.

I think Winston Churchill said it best, "The biggest argument against democracy is a five minute discussion with the average voter."

Ben

One of my best friends from high school (that would be in Canada) arrived yesterday! Ben, and his friend, Marc are here for the week in NYC. They both live in Ottawa. Last night after they unpacked up at my 74th st "guest" apartment, we walked through Times Square (it is best seen at night!) here is a picture from my iPhone of me and Ben!


-- Posted From My iPhone

Canine Canes?

Romeo loves candy canes!!! Yay Christmas is on the way!!!


-- Posted From My iPhone

Craftbar

Last weekend, Cory came into the city to visit from Friday to Sunday. We had a lovely meal (prepared by Dan!) of chicken pot pie on Saturday night, with his legendary broccoli-cheese casserole. Then, we danced ourselves silly playing Raving Rabbids TV party on our Wii. Hilarious! Saturday morning we slept in late, went for mani-pedis, and then had brunch and Coronas at Harry's Burritos. After brunch, it was off to an afternoon of shopping on the Upper East side- first to Diesel, where I got a FLASHY pair of neon PINK stilettos!

After Cory and I busted the bank at Diesel, we crossed the street to Bloomingdale's, and perused the Louis Vuitton shop! I got an early Christmas gift too! tee hee!

We were all excited for our dinner reservation that evening, and even thought the weather was mucky and yucky and rainy, and blew our hair into our lipgloss all evening (don't you HATE that? Ladies, can I get an Amen?) we had an absolutely wonderful dinner!

I would be doing you all a great disservice if I did not take a moment to marvel at the magnificent meal we shared last Saturday night at Craftbar. Tom Collichio's flatiron district restaurant, Craftbar, has become one of our favourites, ever since Dan and I went there for our anniversary in July. The food was just absolutely amazing. Our server, Mark, was hilarious, and cracked jokes when Cory spilled her martini on the table (it was the snake ring's fault!)

Sunday, we invited Joe & Jon over for brunch, and I played a private concert on my white piano :) After brunch, we went to see 2012 at the Times Square theatres. Cory, we miss you already!

Totally Looks like...

New pics

For pics of our new apartment, check out Carmine & Dan's blog at www.carmineanddan.blogspot.com

yeah yeah!

This 2 yr old is really feelin' Michael Jackson's Music!

With Me and Dan being such huge Michael Jackson fans, this will probably be our kid someday :) ha ha

Artistic image of the day

What is this? Abstract art? An image of a ghost? Nope, you're wrong. It's actually a thermal image of a gentleman PASSING GAS, courtesy of NASA. uh...Thank you, scientists?

Friday's laugh

Any Star Wars geeks out there? Check this out! What Stormtroopers do on their day off

(Even if you don't like Star Wars... check it anyway. It's hilarious, and makes me want to play with action figures again!)

So ya know...

Sniff. Sniff. Great. Sniff. I’m (sniff) sick! Dan brought home a lovely little cold and shared it with me (how nice!) Luckily, it’s just a bit of sniffles, so it could be much worse, I know. I’ve been walking to and from work instead of taking the subway because with the rapid spread of flu and H1N1 (or as I like to call it, “hiney”…doesn’t it look like hiney to you?), it’s best to probably avoid close confined spaces with little to no ventilation, and face to face with 1000 other strangers who are coughing and sniffing in your face.

Coincidentally (isn’t it always) TODAY was the day we were both supposed to get our flu shots. But alas, one cannot receive a flu shot if they are feeling even the slightest bit ill. That means we’ll miss out on the FREE flu shot that Dan’s work is offering today, and instead, we’ll have to pay $25 each for a flu shot later from Walgreens. FAIL!.

The weeks have been flying by for us here in Manhattan- 2 weeks ago, we visited Dan’s family near York/Lancaster area in Pennsylvania. We had a nice visit AND his mom made us chocolate cake and home made pot-pie…mmmmm! On Halloween, we were in Philadelphia visiting some friends, and ate until we burst at Districto. Absolutely amazing Mexican food, if you’re ever in the area. This past weekend, we headed to the suburbs AGAIN for a baby shower in New Jersey. We did some shopping at West Elm on Saturday night, and bought a whole new bedding set: duvet cover, quilt, sheets, and tons of pillows in shades of dark grey, steel grey, ash grey, and white. We decided to paint the wall behind our bed in a dark midnight navy, and then we’ll have some accents of bright chartreuse green/yellow. Cool colour scheme, right?

On Sunday, we had a gorgeous 67F sunny day, and we decided it would be the perfect day for our little sidewalk sale at our old apartment on 74thst. We’ve sold all the furniture already, but we had some decorative accents, some board games, lots of clothes, paintings, throw pillows, etc that we weren’t bringing to our new place, so we decided to yard sale it and make some cash! Of course, we don’t have “yards” in Manhattan, we have sidewalks…

We set up our sale outside and priced everything at $1 and the smaller items for 25 cents. I know, cheap, right?! Right away, a lady came up and bought all of the artwork. She then proceeded to set up her OWN sale, right across the street from ours, and sell OUR paintings that she just bought for a dollar in HER street sale! Hilarious,right? I just shook my head and laughed.

Our new sofa finally arrived yesterday, so now our furniture is ALL here in our new apartment. I will post some pictures, but I don’t wanna ruin the surprise for Cory, who’s coming on Thursday to see our new place for the first time. We’re really happy with how everything came together- it’s very modern, and fits this apartment perfectly. Can’t wait to show ya’s!

Amazing Beat-box skills!

Cute Girl Has Amazing Beat Box Skill - Watch more Funny Videos

Suburbia

(to the tune of Rihanna's "Disturbia"...)

"Suburbia, everything closes at 6 tonight

Suburbia, my mini-van is ridin' tight

Suburbia, Olive Garden is what I like

Suburbia, Suburbia..."

Dum dum dee da dum dum dee dum dum...

Dan and I are headed to the country this weekend- rented an SUV and driving to Lancaster, PA to visit his folks and family. Saturday, we're driving back and stopping in Philly to stay over with some friends, then back to Manhattan on Sunday!

We have a puppy-sitter for the boys, who will be sitting this trip out, since we're staying over in Philadelphia. I'm sure this trip will involve a visit to the Suburban Meccas of Costco and Target, to stock up on items that are ridiculously expensive to buy in Manhattan!

After living in the city for all this time, and walking/train-ing/cabbing everywhere, the thought of being on the highways is pretty scary! Driving is DANGEROUS!!

:) Early Happy Halloween wishes to all my guy and "ghoul"-friends out there!!

Pin-pin

Nicknames for my youngest little (fur) baby:

Pin-Pin
Pince
Pinny
Prince Michael Jackson II (aka Blanket!)






-- Posted From My iPhone

For the cutest baby photography

Check out this website: www.kelleyryden.com

Cutesies!

Back to Canada!

Even after all the trouble at the airport on Saturday night (did I also mention that after we boarded the plane, we sat on the runway for an hour and a half because the airport CLOSED and no flights were allowed to depart because of weather?) it was still worth it to spend a day with my Mama & Papa and see their home being built. My uncle also was with us, and we had a great time together. Here's some pictures of us together at the new house, and a staged photo of our little "construction crew" hard at work!

Mirror, mirror

Check out our new decor! These mirrors from Areahome are fun and playful! Look in each one and you'll see:



A pirate!



A skull!



Or a MOOSE!!!

Haha we put the trio of fun mirrors above the credenza at the entrance to our apartment! Here's how they look. Fun, eh?!

Airports... Grrrrrrr!

I'm at the Newark airport waiting to board my flight to Canada tonight. But first, I'd like to entertain all of you with a ridiculous tale; my check-in misadventures. Why does airport travel have to be SO frustrating?!

I arrived to continental check in, and since I'm flying to Canada, I went to "international departure check-in." logical, right? Well, not in this fairy tale land called NEW JERSEY! After attempting the self check in machine, which told me it could not read my passport, I stood in an infuriatingly long line until I was told by the check-in clerk that I had to go to DOMESTIC check in. I told her that I'm flying to a DIFFERENT COUNTRY and it should be international, but she impatiently told me to go to the domestic check in line ( which was even longer) and then called, "NEXT!"

You can guess what happens next.

I stood in an even longer line at domestic and when I finally got to the clerk she said, "ma'am you're flying to Canada. THAT'S A DIFFERENT COUNTRY ( I'm not lying, she actually said that like I was 4 yrs old) and you need to check in at the international check in." At this point, the New Yorker in me kicked in and I told her to please don't speak to me like I am an idiot- I KNOW Canada is a different country- look at my PASSPORT, I'm CANADIAN! (geez, these people they find to work at airports...)

So I went BACK to the long international line and finally got to a different clerk to actually managed to check me in. Then she says, "ok your flight leaves from gate 23 at Terminal A." ( please note, I've been in terminal C this entire time!) I say, " what do you mean, Terminal A? Continental departs from terminal C!" she says, "yes, but this flight is departing from terminal A. Go get back on the train. NEXT!"

I get back on the train, ride the ENTIRE circle around the airport back to terminal A, and then check my flight status: wait for it...DELAYED 1 hr!

But on the plus side, I saw a tourism booth and this sign made me laugh!



--
It reminded me of what me and my friend Cory say: "Jersey girls AREN'T trash...trash gets PICKED UP!"

Oops gotta go they are ready to call my gate for boarding!

Bon voyage!!!



Posted From My iPhone

Going Home! :)

In just a few hours, I'll be seeing SNOW in Canada! I booked a last minute flight to fly home (literally) for a day and see my parents just for a quick visit. My Mom & Dad have been building their new home and I'm so excited to see it!

Yes, there IS early snow up in Canada, and this is a picture my dad sent me 2 days ago. It will likely be gone by the time I arrive, but isn't it CRAZY that they had snow this early?! I've got a few last minute things to pick up here in Manhattan to bring home to Mom & Dad- maybe some Magnolia cupcakes would be a nice treat for them!

My flight leaves tonight at 7pm and I'll be back early Monday morning- I'll update more then!

A bientot, tout le monde!!

Simpsons voices- SO funny!

Funny Simpson Voices - Click here for more blooper videos

"The Play's the thing..."

Tonight, Elizabeth, Carmen, and I are going to see Carrie Fisher's play on broadway! Can't wait! Grabbing some Chipotle to go after we leave the office, walking over to my new apt to give them a tour, then off to the theatre! Fun times :)

whoa-ah-OH, Beyonce!

No, this post has nothing to do with Beyonce, but I feel like doing my OWN little "Single Ladies" dance because I just checked out my hit counter and TODAY I'm likely to hit the 10,000 mark on visitors to this blog (and that's just since June '09) !! Yahoo!!!

Aw, I feel SO LOVED!

Thanks again to all my loyal readers!! Keep 'em comin!

First Christmas Tree Sighting!

Spotted my first Christmas Tree of the 2009 season today at Lord&Taylor on 39th and 5th ave! Hurray!


-- Posted From My iPhone

To bring out the OCD in you

My husband and I are a perfect match- except when it comes to organization. He will admit without shame that he is a bit excessive on the "neat and tidy" front. He might even be a bit OCD! Everything has a place, and if it's not in that place, it un-nerves him.

In our new kitchen, we can't find drawer dividers for our cutlery drawer that will fit the size of the drawer, so for now, we have to just group the spoons on the left, forks in the middle, and knives on the right. I don't know how many times I've caught him in that drawer ARRANGING each knife, fork, and spoon so that they lay perfectly straight on top of each other (and I tried to explain that when you close and open the drawer, they're just gonna get messed up again...but ah, oh well!)

I bought him a label maker one year for our anniversary, and it was his absolute favorite gift ever! He went around making labels for EVERYTHING, on every shelf: "Toothpaste," "floss," "Small hairbrushes," "Combs," "round hairbrushes"... it was actually pretty cute.

Anyway, if any of YOU readers enjoy organization, you'll LOVE this website: www.lifeorganizers.com ! It has TONS of information, cleaning tips, checklists, organization charts and storage ideas!

Go check it out HERE!

Trying to live on $500K in Manhattan

We all know that Manhattan is expen$ive- a teeny one-bedroom apartment will average anywhere from $1,900-$3,500/month plus utilities (oh and yes, my dear, that's RENT... not a mortgage!) We do save a lot of money on cars and gas and insurance & repairs by walking or riding the subway. Still, it's definitely not the cheapest place to call home!

That's why (as a Manhattan resident myself) I found THIS ARTICLE in the NY Times really entertaining: "How to live on $500K in New York City." Sure, for most people, a half-mill salary sounds VERY excessive, but this article shows how quickly that money can disappear! (Well, for THIS type of high-rolling socialite lifestyle...)

If you have a dog...

You MUST check out this website! So cute!

Modern Disney

Check out THIS MODERN TAKE on Disney- basically wardrobe suggestions tailored to your favourite Disney character!

(My style is totally Snow White or the Evil Jasmine)

Which are you?!

I'm into dreads

I saw these dogs on the street near 5th avenue- can you say ADORABLE? I love their dreadlocks! Talk about high maintenance though!


Look at this adorable face! He smiled for me!!


-- Posted From My iPhone

Back in PA

Aw, I found this picture of me and my Romeo that was taken just before we moved to NYC! Ah, memories!

Have you ever SEEN a trillion dollars?

Check out this website to see how much a TRILLION DOLLARS really is. Wow, pretty crazy! So, the next time you hear politicians throwing around the term like it's no big deal...it IS a big deal! That's a LOT of money!

For you crafty folks

I found a fun website called www.whipup.net that gives you simple and fun crafts that you can "whip up" in a flash. Check it! :)

oh, and if anyone wants to knit me this Yoda hat, I will totally give you my address and you can mail it to me for Christmas. lol how AWESOME is this?!)