Now we are cookin with FIRE!

Well...not yet but soon enough we will be.  We had a slight problem with our kitchen.  And when I say slight...well..here goes:

When we bought the house the kitchen appliances were a bit dated.  They were circa 1965 and they didnt work very well.  So, the husband and I decided it was time to get new, pretty, shiny, stainless steel appliances.  Not a huge deal, just roll out the old ones and bring in the new ones.  That plan went off without a hitch until we realized our 1965 oven was not your standard 30" inches wide, it was 26" wide.  Which means the counter top around it wasnt wide enough to fit the new oven in.  Okay, not too big a deal- we will just cut the counter tops 2 inches on each side and call it a new day.  Folks- when you are working with 40+ year old Formica, things dont tend to go that easily.  We had a contractor come in and before he ran out of the house scared, he told us this was not easy because the counters would shred apart when cut, so, not such an easy fix.  So we realized we would have to get new counters, and hey why go do it for cheap when you can get granite (cue the oooh la la's).  We picked out our granite and were told 7 days from the time of templating (meaning from the time the two huge men from Sweden come to measure your shit and then leave a mess in the kitchen).  So the husband ripped out the old oven, and worked for days ripping out the beautiful mess that was Formica all over our kitchen.  It did not look fun and I was very happy to do other house work while he pounded beers and cursed like a sailor.  Anyways, the below photos are what we have been living with now for approximately 15 days, 8 hours and 34 minutes- I am not counting or anything.  Let me remind you that since we had no oven and since the sink had to be replaced, we have been living without running water in the kitchen the entire time...and eating takeout.  It sounds like fun until you have a Bagel 3 times a day with the same toppings.

proof is in the empty beer bottle on the left..

Formica graveyard

 My what beautiful holes in the wall you have here in your deluxe kitchen...

And now introducing...the new counter tops!  Hello gorgeous Bianco Sardo...goodbye Formica FOREVER...

Holes are still there but we are taking baby steps.  The husband is going to put up a sick back splash and put the new oven in and all will look fabuloso!  

P.S- while we are on this little tour let me show you some other new duds that 1172 Broad St got hooked up with:

 The craigslist chair got decked out in a new faux shearling throw from IKEA

 And check out the amazing shots of our new headboard!  I love love love the way it came out...such a good idea that all started with the hubby finding this old door on the side of our old street! Right now it blends in too much with the walls but once those babies are painted white, this jazzy bitch will be right in the spotlight!

Berlin- photo tour!

So much for one city per day!  I have been so lazy lately with this blog...sorry to all my fans out there (all 10 of you that is). Below is a little photo tour of Berlin.  Its much easier than doing a commentary on 2.5 days- but I'll still make some comments here and there....

 Our first night in Berlin- we stayed at the Hostel bar and drank them out of beer...things got a bit crazy late night (cue the drunk man falling and taking out a table and 4 chairs while Jenn looked on)

 If I was a better tourist I would know what this is called.  Its the entrance into an important square where the Hotel Adalon is...

 Holocaust Memorial.  Very very cool.

 J & A...who would guess they know each other?

 The husband inside the Holocaust Memorial.

 A section of the Berlin wall

 Again- I have no idea what this is because the tour guide talked too much and I didnt want to listen

 Oh fancy seeing me here!

 Gorgeous Architecture.  We tried to go in but were too cheap to buy tickets, so we just stared from outside

 Check it...just me taking a little run in my army gear and my small peanut head.

 Largest bread on the planet...or in Berlin

 Sections of the East Side Gallery (all the below are the same)

 Read it...small people doing BIG things!

View from the riverfront  by the East Side Gallery.  Best napping spot of the trip!

Overall- Berlin was a very very cool city.  Cold and rainy though- which sort of put a damper on our two days there.  But, the beer was great and the Currywurst- even better.  Who knew I would fall in love with small pieces of sauseege in a grimy looking red sauce?  We took a free tour of the city and learned so much it made our heads hurt and we had to get more beer.  It was pretty insane seeing the Berlin Wall though and thinking that we were alive when this came down and East and West Berlin were reunited.  Berlin's history is truly astounding and I think it made us all realize how little we really know about the struggles that the rest of the world has faced.  All in all- I give Berlin a 6 out of 10.  We didnt get quasi- arrested (no no, that was the next day in Prague) but we did see a ton of sights and learn a lot.

I can DO this

I am totally 100% stealing this look- I have all the makings, now I just need to put it all together and rock it out!

No Upper Cabinets, No Problems!

I always tell the husband how I dont like the way upper cabinets look and if it was up to me, I would have none (or maybe just some on one side).  Perfect case in point, the home below in Forest Hills, Queens.  No upper cabinets but still plenty of room.  Maybe I will win him over really slowly...I say this at 1130pm while the husband is literally ripping apart our fabulous 1950's kitchen full of pink formica that the old owners nailed down to every piece of wall/wood in the house.  Awesome, thanks ex-owners!  We are officially without sink and oven until next Tuesday.  This is going to be dreadfulllll.

Feathers?

Not sure if I like it or not but I want these just to look at in my closet...

Oh Hello there...

Oh Heyyy James Franco...looking pretty hawt here in Esquire...just sayin...

Europe Review- Amsterdam!

So almost 3 weeks later I am just finally getting around to reviewing our awesomely amazing, 17 day European extravaganza trip that we took with our friends Jenn and Adam.  We visited 9 cities in 17 days and when I tell you we didnt stop moving the entire time, I mean it.  First stop on our trip was Amsterdam (well, after a 2 hour lay over in Iceland which I am not counting as an actual stop).  We arrived, and were immediately confused.  It took us about 90 minutes to make the 1/2 mile trip to our hotel because the directions told us to cross the canal and the bridge....but there are hundreds of both in Amsterdam, so we were a bit confused.  Throw in the danger element of crazy bicyclers everywhere and you have yourself a party.  4 people, 4 backpacks weighing 30+ pounds each and 4 empty stomachs.  We finally found our Hotel, plopped our stuff down and headed out to explore aka EAT and DRINK.  We found a local bar, ordered up some beers and "snack variety" and went to town.  Fried Cheese stick things, sizzlers, and 2 other snacks we were never quite sure about- it was true love.  And this is all before we visited a coffee shop and started the real party wink wink!  Overall- Amsterdam was beautiful and very clean with lots of history and lots or bridges and waterways and houseboats.  Thankfully, we found all you can eat restaurants and the red light district, so we were all set.  Below are some of my favorite shots from Amsterdam, which is located in Holland, not Denmark like the husband thought the entire time.  He also thought they spoke Swedish.  Poor husband, just cant catch a break.

Adam's favorite house.   Slightly obsessed may not even explain it...

 Oh you know, just smoking a delicious cheese stick.  Better than smoking something else psssshhh

 Our snack medley.  Amsterdam at its finest

 The happy short couple- They AMSTERDAM

 chocolate and extra-special ingredients- check.  mini coca cola classic and a smile- check

 Houseboats all over

 The husband and I.  Yes- my hand is already opening the menu.  A girl needs to eat.

 Random shot of buildings.  Check out the dude in lower left corner...run dude run!

 Waterways lit up at night.  So beautiful.

How am I supposed to work when all these pretties are staring back at me?

Some eye candy for your Friday afternoon!

Thinking to the Future

I am clearly getting way ahead of myself here but the following would be so perfect for a totally glamorous New Years Eve Party.  We currently have no plans (but are accepting offers in the NJ/NY area) and this is something that would pair well with the large bottle of champagne I will consume.  Happy Friday!