GAH YEE!

Your cousin Kaitlyn is our goddaughter. Currently, she's learning new words such as her Chinese name. Her Chinese name is Gah Yee, which is the same as your cool Aunt Cathy (Hi Cathy!).

Kaitlyn just learned how to say her Chinese name and she is very enthusiastic about it. Here she is saying her Chinese name over and over again. You can use this video to make fun of your cousin in the future :-D

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

Boots and me have had a tough relationship. I never seem to get the style right. In the past, I've tried heeled boots, flats, wedges, leather, suede, ankle, bootie, over-the-knee - I can't seem to find a style that suits me. I always get a bit panicky during this time of the year because boots are mandatory in NYC during the winter.

During the blizzard of winter 2011, ST and I got bored and trekked to Court Street for pizza and a movie. Check out the mountains of snow!



The kids on our block made this fat snow man... so cute. Side note: I'm pretty sure that brown stuff on the bottom of the picture is poop... just noticed that.





Here's us, all pale, freezing, and newly wed.



So anyway, if you live in NYC you need boots well into spring. I have four pairs of boots that either haven't been worn at all or just worn once or twice :-(



They're cute but just not for everyday. Also, they were purchased prior to my shopaholic recovery so they don't count. :-D

These are my everyday boots. I will continue to wear them this winter, of course.



So I've still been on the lookout for some boots that will last more than two seasons, both in construction and style. I've scoured the Internet for reasonably priced leather boots and came up empty. I was almost resigned to just buying a pair of Frye Dorado Low boots when tía Kim texted me about leather boots at Target.

Lo and behold, they had imitation Frye Melissa Button boots for $70! HOLLA!

Images via Target and Zappos.

The Frye boots are probably hand-stitched and made of higher quality leather but who cares? I doubt anyone can spot the difference when I'm wearing the boots. ST, on the other hand, can definitely tell the difference between $328 and $70 ($258, in case you're wondering).

I'm sure the Frye boots are sturdy and long-lasting, but who's to say the Target ones aren't? Tía Kim has been wearing a pair of $9 Forever21 sandals for 3 years now! Like everyday wear, not special occasion wear. Last summer, she bought a pair of Tory Burch flip flops for $65 that didn't even last two months. Lame. Mel also has a pair of $20 H&M sandals that she's been wearing for about three summers. So, quality is not necessarily about materials or designer.

I quickly narrowed my choices down to three pairs. Then, I called your tías and ordered pairs for them too. In short, I ordered 5 pairs of boots for less than the cost of one pair of Frye boots. SAY WHAT?!



I also found a coupon code that gave me $5 off my order. Woohoo!



I'm not planning on keeping all the boots. I was worried they'd be sold out soon so I decided to just order a bunch and return what tías and I didn't like. I only plan on keeping one pair. Maybe two... maybe :-D We'll see.

365

My project is going well. I've been using Instagram to keep track of it. Today's picture features El Taco, simply because I almost forgot to take a picture and my laptop was right in front of me.

Rainy Day Entertainment

Besides online window shopping, there wasn't too much to this weekend. I wrote new curriculum and watched tons of TV. This is not really different from a typical work night though. ST and I watch TV and catch up on Internet stuff (news and blogs) to de-stress. We have three laptops for two people... suffice to say we get our money's worth in cable and internet.

This is what I've been into lately, in no particular order.

Awkward. This show is actually pretty cool. It's about this girl who is infatuated with this boy. She has low self-esteem and they're in a secret sort of relationship because she's not cool enough. Sad, but very entertaining and realistic. It's the kind of show that should bring teenagers solace in a "this too shall pass" kind of way.

Teen Mom. There are mixed feelings about this show, but I truly feel that this show should have its own curriculum taught in schools (working on it!). It is so educational. Aside from the fact that it's a reality show and the moms are sometimes negatively influenced by being in the spotlight (Farrah's breast implants and Amber's fighting) every teen should watch a few episodes to glimpse the bleak reality of teen parenting.

Futurama. One of my favorite shows of all time. Back when the iPod Nano first began playing video, I uploaded all the seasons of Futurama onto it and watched it while traveling, commuting, and even at the gym. My favorite character is Leela, the bad ass mutant cyclops.

A Game of Thrones. I watch this on my iPhone using tío Saul's HBO Go account. I like that it stays so true to the novels, which I've been reading through this summer. My favorite characters are Daenerys Targaryen, Jaime Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, and Jon Snow. Also, I've been into Sean Bean since he came out as Boromir in LOTR.



Alas, his characters always die first.

I'm reading A Dance with Dragons, the latest book. I really enjoyed reading the first three, but a Feast for Crows was awful. I should have just read a synopsis online and skipped it. But I digress.

Family Guy. This is another show that I've loved since forever. Your tías and I still quote Family Guy whenever the appropriate situation arises. I've even showed clips of this show when I was an adjunct professor at a local community college. Quality TV!

South Park. What a great cartoon! Another classic. Nasty, yes but also politically outspoken (Two Days Before Tomorrow is one of my all-time favorites).

I think that's it. I wasn't joking when I said we watch copious amounts of TV :-D

More Gloomy Day Musings

We survived Hurricane Irene! Our neighborhood doesn't seem like it was affected. There were a bunch of leaves in the street this morning when we peeked outside but no branches and thankfully no trees down. Barney is okay!

We checked in on our friends and family and everyone was okay, despite the flooding on Staten Island :-(



It's gloomy in the aftermath of the storm, but also beautiful. I woke up today refreshed from 10 hours of sleep (glorious!) and flipped open my laptop. I was ashamed to see three tabs open, each with loaded shopping carts. During the storm last night, I shopped around on my favorite sites and some new ones too. I am such a sucker for coupons. Every time I see a good coupon, I feel compelled to buy stuff just for the "savings."

I'm a recovering shopaholic since... April 2011. That sounds lame, but it feels like it's been such a long time!

Before ST and I got married, I had the most horrendous spending habits. Since laundry was my most loathsome chore (even the drop-off service), I only did it once per month. Rather than doing laundry more often, I'd just go out and buy more clothes. I have tons of dresses, tops, pants, and shoes that I've only worn once (who am I, Paris Hilton?).

This is what my side of our closet looks like:



Last week, I bought two pairs of shoes for fall...



Update: I returned the Dolce Vita booties on the right.

Tía Winnie lent me this adorable blazer while we were in Hawaii and I decided that I too needed a blazer. Here it is, tags still on:



I bought this shirt last year and promptly never, ever wore it. It still has tags on as well. Side note: I tried it on out of curiosity and it's loose! High five!



And here is a jacket (never worn) and a plethora of dresses that were only worn once.



That quick survey of the closet was definitely sobering.

Prior to this relapse, the most effective way for me to stay on track was our goal of purchasing a home in 2013. As I find myself justifying frivolous purchases lately - usually with thoughts to the effect of "I need it," "I'd be crazy to pass up this deal!," and "I don't have anything like this" - I think it's time for a tougher crack down.

A quick Google search returned a lot of great resources. Get Rich Slowly offers lots of practical tips:

• The 30 Day Rule. If you really want something, add it to your shopping list, wait 30 days and see if you still want it at the end of that time period. For me, an overnight wait is usually enough to curb the urge to spend.

• Create a shopping list. This works! Create a list of items you need and restrict yourself to buying only those items. Currently, I have boots and cardigans on my list.

• Tax yourself. For every purchase you make, tax yourself 10% to add to your savings account.

These are some of my own:

• Stop comparing yourself to others. Whenever I see a friend or a random girl in a cute outfit, I always tend to think, "Why not?" Everyone's financial situation is unique. A 21 year old who lives at home wears most of her assets on her back - not so for 27 year old me who has her eyes set on starting a family. I don't need something just because someone else looks cute in it.

• Save more money for FB. The more money I spend on myself, the less I will have to buy you a nice home, a bomb-ass nursery, cute clothes (although tía Mel has already vowed to always keep you looking proper), a fancy camera, and vacations.

I think I needed to write this post to get myself on track again. The change of seasons is always an excuse to shop.

The Recovering Shopaholic was brave enough to do a one-year shopping ban. She is now one of my heroes. I think maybe I can do this but in small steps - I don't want to set myself up for failure. Perhaps 3 months? That seems doable.

Kendi Everyday started the 30 for 30 Challenge in which she chooses 30 pieces from her closet (tops, bottoms, shoes, anything) and makes 30 outfits from it. During this time, she abstains from shopping in order to cultivate an appreciation for what she has and to assess her real needs. Some people are so creative!

Rainy Day Things

Today has been super gloomy. I woke up at 6:45 am because Bloomberg's robots called me yet again. This time, it was Chancellor Walcott assuring me that I'd get paid for working at the evacuation centers. Great - where do I clock in?

I'm pretty sure my time is better spent at home with ST this weekend.

Most of the day has looked like this:



And most of the day, we looked like this:



I mostly worked on this year's curricula while watching copious amounts of TV. Your grandpa has also been Face-timing us for updates on Brooklyn.

Then, I decided to make sausage meatball heroes for dinner. I use this simple recipe as a guide. I skipped the cheeses because we didn't have any. I also liked that the recipe called for oats instead of bread crumbs since I always substitute oats for bread crumbs anyway.



I also used only one egg instead of two since we already had eggs this morning for brunch (I made scrambled egg spaghetti).

The great thing about using sausage for meatballs is you don't need to season it at all. Everything is already in the sausage. So, just squeeze the sausage out of their intestinal casings (I love this part) and mash, mash, mash.



Then roll into cute little balls...



Drizzle some olive oil into the pan and gently place cute meatballs in. Lower the heat, cover, and flip as necessary.


While those cuties get cooked, I cut a loaf of some nice, crusty bread ST picked up from a shop on Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street. I don't know the name but the lady who works there is sweet as pie.



When the meatballs are almost done, toss in some sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, spoon meatballs and sauce into your bread. Ta da!





I thought it was just okay but ST loved it and devoured every crumb.

As the rain and wind picked up, our satellite signal started breaking up. ST was prepared though - he'd taped episodes of Family Guy, Futurama, Frasier, and various movies for me. He's a handy guy to have around during a hurricane, the zombie apocalypse, or just any normal day :-D

I'm worried about tía Mel though. She's an RN at NY Presbyterian. She's working all weekend and due to Irene, she has to sleep at the hospital. Since we don't have you yet, tía Mel is kind of our baby. Our 23 year old baby. She's as tough as she is little so she'll be fine, but we still wish she was hanging out with us during Irene's rampage instead of out there :-(

So anyway, after dinner I started craving Nutella for some reason. Since we had some of tía Kim's homemade pizza dough, I rolled out two little pizzas, baked them for 15 minutes at 375, spread Nutella on them, and baked them for another 5 minutes.



I don't think I needed to bake it again - I think next time I'll just slather the Nutella on and eat. It doesn't look pretty but it was delicioso!

Hurricane Hysteria

Mayor Bloomberg sure has a sense of humor. He took away our raises in exchange for not laying off teachers. Then, he proposed layoffs anyway. When that didn't work, he criticized us in the media, blaming everyone but his own bureaucracy for the dysfunction in NYC schools.

Now, he has robots harassing us, forcing us to "volunteer" at hurricane evacuation centers. Estás loco, Bloomberg. Go call your friends for help - I'm not one of them.

Anyway. After work today ST picked me up and we went to Lowe's to refill our propane tank. Surprisingly, Lowe's was out of propane. Great minds think alike, I guess. Fortunately Home Depot was only a 5 minute drive away and they had a few tanks left. It was more expensive but ST's piece of mind is worth the extra $5.



I'm worried about this tree right outside our house. It's big enough to cause damage if falls down. Poor Barney will be outside during the storm so we definitely have to find a safe, tree-less, and pole-less area to park him.



While I was at meetings today, ST was busy securing our grill to the deck, buying extra provisions, and filtering a lot of water.



Side note: That's 2 pitchers, 3 bottles, and one tupperware container. He is still filtering. Also, the lumpy cake with the yellow flowers in the background is the first tier of our wedding cake. We ate it last week for our anniversary and it wasn't bad.

He's also been doing some research (examples: "Science and Math Prove this Hurricane will Destroy us All" and "New York Evacuates Low-Lying Zones, Shuts Down Subway") that might have made him slightly paranoid.

On a brighter note, Hurricane Irene has helped us determine that we probably don't want to live in any beachy areas.

Hurricane Irene

NYC is all abuzz about the imminent hurricane this weekend.



I received 5 messages today from some NYC agency urging me to volunteer at one of the city's 65 hurricane shelters.

How have we prepared? Well, due to my slight obsession with the inevitable zombie apocalypse, I think I have enough food to last us about a month. ST will start bottling up water tomorrow. He also plans to refill our propane tank for the grill in case there isn't gas or electricity in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. We also have flashlights, lighters, candles, and a first aid kit.

Hopefully, Irene doesn't live up to the hype.

365

A few months ago I decided I wanted to start a photo project. On the first day of our second year of marriage, I wanted to take one picture everyday. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these photos but it will be really cool to look at them all on August 21, 2012.

This begins Day 1. It's a rose from the beautiful bouquet ST got me for our first anniversary.

El Final

Tía Kim and tío Tommy are FINALLY peacefully, blessedly, definitely done with their wedding duties festivities.

After we got back from Hawaii, your dad went back to work the next day while I relaxed for the rest of the week. Before we knew it, we had three days to finish planning and projects for their Chinese banquet at East Harbor Restaurant in our neighborhood. With work and wedding preparation, we were all stressed and frustrated trying to get everything done on time.

Weddings are fun, but for the bride and groom, the best part is the end of the night. To have it all start over again a mere week later is a cruel joke.

But that's what happened.

So we cut, tied, punched, glued, taped, and STRESSED for three days straight.

The first task we tackled was their BBQ sauce favors. These were a nod to Tommy's southern roots. They purchased several cases of BBQ sauce in bulk and stripped off the labels. I designed labels and printed them on label paper. We tied your grandma's BBQ ribs recipe to each bottle using leftover raffia ribbon.





We were really happy to do this, can you tell?



Tía Mel tied recipe cards to each bottle and packed them neatly.



The favors came out really cute though. Cohen Authentic Southern BBQ Sauce - Oh, Taste and See!





Then, we made 100 cupcake flags. My heart punch that I used for the heart garland project broke (I've owned it for like 3 weeks) so I had to hand cut hearts from card stock. It was a sad, sad job. Not as bad as tía Kim who had the task of cutting and curling tiny strips of paper.



We decided that to purchase flowers on the morning of the banquet and arrange 11 small centerpieces, prepare flower petals, and prepare 2 small accent arrangements and one large arrangement. I thought it would be easy. It was NOT. Mad props to florists everywhere.

On Saturday morning, tía Mel and I drove over to a Key Food in Bensonhurst because I'd noticed they had a large selection of fresh flowers every time I visited Pastor Wing. Their selection that morning was okay - we purchased 3 dozen red roses, a whole bunch of yellow mums, 2 bunches of red carnations, and one arrangement of red spray roses from Shop Rite in Borough Park. The total came out to $70.

As soon as we got home, I turned on the AC so that the flowers would be as cool as possible. I stripped the leaves and removed ragged petals and soaked the flowers in water.





For the centerpieces, I knew that anything large would be immediately removed from the table. Chinese people have a reputation for not caring about anything but the food at a banquet. I am nothing if not detail-oriented and couldn't bare the thought of bare tables so I bought 11 cube vases from the dollar store ($1 each) and tía Mel bought 11 memo clips from Michael's ($1.25 each).

Tía Mel glued the memo clips into each vase so that it could hold a table number. Well, as soon as I added water into the vases, the glue popped off the glass. Boo.



I tossed the bad roses into a dish and Mel and ST stripped the petals. About half a dozen roses were more than enough to cover the guest book and cake tables lushly.



Then, I began cutting the blooms and placing them into each vase. ST actually created each arrangement.



There was a huge mess : (



Mel sprinkled each arrangement with water and placed them into the fridge. Side note: ST is appalled that I posted this picture of our dirty fridge.



The effort wasn't too bad and the price couldn't be beat - petals, 11 small arrangements, 2 medium arrangements, and one huge arrangement for $97. People seemed to like them since a lot of people took them home. Also, we now have a bunch of vases to use for future events.

After that, we relaxed and ate lunch. The madness that ensued after that is too traumatic for you. I will skip it.

In the end, we had a good time so I guess it was worth it. Your grandparents had a great time and it was basically their party, so mission accomplished.



Kim and Tommy were champs. They smiled and took pictures for hours on end and looked good doing it too! Side note: Smiling until you twitch is integral to a wedding.



Our lobster even came with smoke and LED eyes. Fancy!



ST was a silly old bear, of course. He is a walking party.



The cupcakes from Elegante Pastry Shop were delicious, even if the flags started falling apart. So sad but oh well. Side note: One of the ladies at the shop shamed Kim for 1) ordering her wedding cupcakes three days before the event and 2) ordering cupcakes.



Stupid me charged the battery on my camera and forgot to pop it back in so I went to the banquet with no battery in my camera.

IT'S FINALLY DONE. Now I get to plan tía Mel's wedding. MUHAHAHA...