Earth Hour

It's lights out here at 80 York Ave for the next hour in observance of Earth Hour 2009! The Empire State Building (which you can see from our office window) along with Times Square just went black in celebration. We have candles lit and the computer running on battery power only, everything else in our house is off!! We've been playing with the camera a little bit...here are some pictures from this evening.

P.S. It looks like the lights are on in some pictures, but they are not...the flash on our camera is super bright!

The Living room just after we turned off the lights!

Even our penguin is in on the action!

Adam playing with the candle lights and the camera.

Cuddling on the couch:)

Happy Earth Hour!

A garden full of beautiful things!

Adam and I had yesterday off so we took advantage of the gorgeous 65 degree weather and visited the New York Botanical Gardens. Our main reason for going was to visit the world famous Orchid Show. It takes place in the Haupt Conservatory which holds their rainforest and desert plants. The orchids are grown in a different area and then placed among the exhibits for the durration of the show. It is truly a breathtaking exhibit! Some of the orchids are so strange they don't look real, many are attached to hanging plants and you have to look up to see them, and some are so delicate they look like paper creations! Here are pics from our visit. Enjoy!

Missing the moments...

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

105 Years Young

So I had a plan to blog about basketball and how crazy it was today, but then I started watching the news and I changed my mind.

I'm instead going to say Happy Birthday to 105 year old Edith from Brooklyn, NY. She has children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. She has witnessed 12 mayors of the City of New York and 16 presidents be elected. She loves politics and baseball and plans on making it to her next birthday!

May we all get the chance to live such a long and healthy life! Take care, and may God Bless all of you:)

March Madness

It's that wonderful time of year...it's March, spring training has started, the days are getting longer, and perfectly productive people are glued to their tv's/computers at every available moment checking the scores of NCAA College Basketball Games! Yep, it's March Madness!! Adam and I spent the evening watching as many games as possible between not having cable, and ncaa.com. So far I have more right than wrong, but that's not saying much...the right ones were pretty much guaranteed!

*Final Four Picks: Lousiville, Syracuse, Memphis and Duke.

*Championship Game: Memphis and Duke (battle of the 2 seeds!)

*Winner: Memphis...it was hard going against Duke, but I think Memphis has something to prove after getting screwed out of a number one seed.

Here are some notes on my bracket:

*I have UNC going out early...partly because I think they're overrated and partly because I loathe them.

*I have Syracuse going to the final four because of their HUGE win over UCONN in the Big East tourney.

*My prediction for the Cinderella team this year is VCU...I heard a guy on ESPN say it and my theory is that he gets paid to do this so he must be trustworthy..right?!

*I love Barack Obama...I hate his bracket.

Operation: Reach Out '09

I'll admit it right now...I'm terrible at keeping in touch with my friends. It's half the reason I started blogging, joined facebook, and am addicted to myspace. But I'm finding that it's starting to make me a bit of a hermit. It's just so easy to send a quick message on facebook, pump out a blog about my day, or leave someone a comment on myspace, and while that's nice, I need to do more.

I'm sure some friends would call me not a very good friend because I don't keep in touch, but here's my defense: I work 9 hours and commute 2 to 3 hours a day. That easily makes my day 11-12 hours, and when I get home I have to walk the dogs/make dinner/talk to my husband/relax so I don't always answer my phone/make calls/or send out emails. And when the weekends roll around we're busy being domesticated...cleaning, shopping, playing. It's not an excuse, but I have to say, it is hard.....that's why I'm starting Operation: Reach Out '09!

Reach Out '09 is my attempt to get back in touch with friends!!! Each week (baby steps...first one friend a week, then a few a week, then one a day!!!) I will reach out to a friend via phone/snail-mail/e-mail (what, you think I could give up technology completely....no way!) in hopes of rebuilding this part of my life! It shouldn't be hard, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who struggles with this, but it will be a challenge.

So, I also want to challenge everyone else out there to try and do the same! Pick up the phone, or a pen and let your friends know you're thinking of them. Because no matter how much or little I talk to my friends, they are always on my mind, and in my heart!:)

(Disclaimer: I stole this idea from a lady in my Real Simple magazine...but how could I not...it's such a good idea!)

Puppy Salon Day

This morning, after having blood drawn (yuck!!) and breakfast, we took the girls to Snug Harbor for some play time. Of course they had the times of their lives and got filthy! We've been putting off bath time for a few weeks now, but we could not put it off anymore! The girls got a much needed trim, bath, and brushing, and Libbey got her big floppy ears cleaned as well. Neither of them really enjoy the bath, but Maggie loves, loves, loves to be brushed. Libbey, on the other hand, hates everything about bath time. She will jump in when you tell her too, but she shakes and tries to run once she's in there, and she avoids the other parts of beauty shop as best she can! So now our house is damp, covered in hair, and smells of wet dog, but the girls are clean and soon the house will be too and we'll all be happy at 80 York.

Maggie being brushed.

Libbey hiding from daddy:)

Libbey trying as hard as she can to get away from Adam!

Oh Staten Island!!

So on Sunday a very large part of Forest Ave. here on Staten Island was shut down from 11:30-3:30. Forest Ave. is a busy stretch lined with shops, restaurants, chain stores, bus stops, the works. So, what do you ask may have caused the shut down?! Keep in mind that the date this past Saturday was March 8....the streets were closed in both directions for Staten Island's annual....wait for it........St. Patrick's Day Parade. Yes, you read that correctly, a parade, on March 8, for ST. PATRICKS DAY!!! There were people dressed in green getting set up on the streets at 9:30 am when we drove through on our way to Trader Joe's in Jersey. The mayor even showed up and walked in the parade (of course he is in campaign mode after overturning term limits so that he can run this next year for mayor again!), along with other political figures...none of which I know. Now I understand that SI would have to compete with the citys HUGE parade on the actual day of the holiday, but they could at least do it on the Sunday before...not the Sunday before the Sunday before St. Patty's Day!!! Oh Staten Island:)

Method: People Against Dirty

I don't really like to clean. I'm probably the least domesticated person on the face of the planet. I especially hate doing dishes, though I do love to eat and make them dirty!!! And really, am I alone on this...who actually loves to clean? But, while I may not love to clean, I do love my cleaning products!!!

Method was started by 2 roommates who were tired of being exposed to toxic chemicals in cleaning supplies. Method is a company that makes environmentally friendly cleaning products that are safe for home and human. The founders, Eric and Adam, now run a certified cradle to cradle company that doesn't just focus on creating earth friendly products, but also in being environmentally friendly and sustainable in all that they do, including their offices, packaging, shipping, and production methods, as well as their actual products.

Method makes products for every room of your house to help keep it clean and smelling wonderful. They also have products to keep you and your family clean, including a line of baby products. Their scents are not overpowering, and of wonderful combinations. They also have products that are frangrance free. I use the frangrance free (they call it "go naked") for my hand soaps, eucalyptus mint for my bath cleaning products, cucumber for my dish soap, mint for the glass cleaner, sweet almond for wood, sweet water for the plug in refresher, and many more depending on my mood when I shop at Target! The best part is that my house smells fresh and clean without burning my nose or giving me a headache when I'm all done cleaning!! Check out their products and become a person against dirty, it'll help you clean up your act!!!

Ideal Bite: A sassier shade of green!

I am actually quite tired of the word "Green" and "eco" and "all natural" because of how loosely they are used these days, but I find myself using them anyway...oh well!

I wanted to let everyone know about one of my favorite websites, idealbite.com, and their bite sized ideas for green living (there it is again!)! I have been subscribing to their daily tips for a little over a year now, and I love them! They present tips on everything from health, to beauty, to fashion, to food, to home and all in a way that isn't overwhelming, and they give reasons why, how, and examples...so easy!!!

Idealbite's founders, Heather and Jennifer, have appeared on television, most recently Good Morning America where Jennifer introduced the newest eco savy electronics. Here is a peice from their mission:

"Ideal Bite offers bite-sized ideas for light green living - ideas for real people who lead busy lives and want to make small changes that add up to big results. Our Daily Tips cover everything from biodynamic wine to eco-pet products to organic cosmetics. The secret sauce? A spoonful of "incremental environmentalism" combined with a keeping-it-real attitude."

And they also have fun art work (an example being the picture at the right!)!!! If you are looking for some helpful, easy ways to "be green" check it out!!!

Snow Day and the Blizzard

NYC public schools closed today for the first time in 5 years!!! That means I too get a snow day! I wasn't going in at all regardless...it's just too far of a commute for me, but the fact that everyone is closed makes me so much happier! I have to say...it wasn't THAT bad, but honestly, it was blowing and cold and nasty...enough said! The girls enjoyed playing in it though!!! Adam ended up staying home as well, so we slept in, did some organizing, went to Target, took a nap, and pretty much lazed around, enjoying our happily extended weekend!! Now, if only spring could show up....it is March after all!!!