Birthday blog - 30th bday celebrations!

Good evening all. I hope August has been as good to you as it has to me. I have been so busy the past week and a half celebrating my birthday. I was lucky to have so many little events to look forward to. First was the lovely arrival of my sister Michelle to kick off the celebration. We met at LGA on Thursday night and were quickly transported to the farm by my trusty car service. We arrived and sat out back with Adam and had some wine and beers to kick off the weekend. At around 2:30am with decided to call it a night with some Advil chasers. Next day we were off to the city for breakfast with Nicole Feig and my standard tour of the city. We went (window) shopping on Madison, bought a few things at Saks, then drinks at the MoMA! At the MoMA we had a drink called the Devil in White! OMG! White Whiskey with a beautifully sweet Vermouth and some cherries. So amazing. (Waiting on pictures from Michelle)

Then we headed to none other than Gramercy Tavern for a late lunch and a bit of wine (Weingut Trapl St. Laurent 2007) it was fantastic. After lunch was a milkshake at the Stand. Michelle had been mentioning this place for months so we checked it out. It did not disappoint. We had the Toasted Marshmallow milkshake. After all this we felt a bit ill and needed to walk it off. So we walked to Soho for a bit more shopping and called it quits. On our way to the train we met with Danielle for a beer to send us on our way back to Pound Ridge. (Waiting on pictures from Michelle)

We went home and freshened up a bit to head to dinner with my cousin Anna (coming in from Jersey) and Vanessa (from FL). We headed to one of our local spots Moderne Barn for a grand dinner and then followed up on the porch again with Champagne and beer. (My stomach and liver were crying for help!) We had a great time, it was so fun to be able to share our home with family for the first time.

The next day I let Adam sleep in and the girls and I went on a tour of Bedford with the sole intention to stalk Martha Stewart. I drove the ladies by Martha's place and they were just as excited to see it as I was for the first time. It is unreal. She has everything so perfectly taken care of, I can only imagine the army it takes to keep her house up. (BTW, this is what we can see from the road.) After stalking 101 was over we headed to local spot # 2, Meetinghouse for brunch. After brunch Anna took off to home and we headed into Manhattan for dinner and drinks with friends.

Ladies in the garden


First stop was Jimmy's # 43 for a fabulous southern gritty dinner and beers then to Stanton Public for drinks. It was such a great time but so exhausting.

First picture of the night (Danielle and Vanessa)


With Michelle


Arriving at Jimmy's


Complete with an Owl cake (Surprise from Adam!!)


Fun with the Owl cake


Sexy gift from Caroline and Matt


A few more random pics of all the wonderful people that came out.

Wednesday night...in DC

So I have been super lazy about blogging. I have been working in DC and have not had any time to blog. I have been working long hours but looks like things will be getting better soon. I totally miss Adam while I am away! :-(

I am heading back to NY tomorrow which makes me really happy. Adam and I are going to relax at home this weekend. We discovered the Bedford Movie Theater a few weeks ago and I love it! I think there maybe a movie in our plans this weekend depending on the weather.

We had some visitors a few weeks back. The Feig's drove up on a Sunday to spend some time at the farm and to grab brunch. We had such a lovely time with them, it was so fun to see Emma play and enjoy the playground...discovering the area. I hope they come back again soon.

Adam and I discovered a new trail really close to our house. We did a 5 mile hike 2 weeks ago. It was really great, we went early in the morning to avoid the heat and the bugs. I plan on doing it again soon when it rains more to see some of the waterfalls that were dried out.

Last weekend we went to Long Beach to see Matt and Caroline. We had such a great time there also. It was so relaxing to go to the beach. It is a little odd going to a beach in NY for me being from FL but I think Long Beach is pretty nice and would totally return. It was a short drive for us to which makes it much more appealing.

The next few weeks will be busy, I have family coming up for my 30th birthday and will be celebrating with family and friends. I will document Michelle and Vanessa's visit! I am so excited.

Good night and talk soon!

xoxo!

I am attaching a few pictures but I will upload our nature walk pictures this weekend.

At the Bedford Fire Department - Emma was getting loads of attention.

Emma in the playground

Our neighbors house we just discovered. It is ridic! I am in love with it and the waterfall.


And just because this is an amazing pic of John Ham from Sunday's Mad Men!

Good morning! Happy Friday!

Hello everyone! It's been a long week for me. I hope everyone enjoyed our special guest blogger! I know Adam enjoying doing a post and I have heard from a few of you asking for regular updates from the Brit. (Thanks a lot!) It is funny getting his perspective on things and a bit of a sanity check for me.

I have been traveling a bit the past two weeks. I have been to DC twice using all sorts of transportation. Needless to say I have been on planes, trains, and autos a lot in the past 7 days. I am currently...you guessed it...on the train!

DC is a great town so I shouldn't complain. I could be in Oklahoma City or Indy or something. No offense to people that live in those cities. We are staying at the W which is right across from the White House. I forget how beautiful DC is and then I go for a business trip and I get excited to be there. A big difference with NY is that DC is quite sleepy at night. I go to dinner at 8:30 or 9 and places are empty. Again no complaints, nice to be able to sit without waiting an hour at a great restaurant. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

Adam will be traveling next week to San Francisco, so it makes me feel a little better that he won't be home alone all week.

Adam and I plan on heading for a long hike this weekend at the Ward Pound Ridge. This will be our first adventure there. I also hope to clean the house a bit (boo!) and use the grill a bit this weekend. Eating out all week makes me want to cook! I will post some pictures from the Ward this this weekend or next week. I won't make any promises.

Have a great weekend!

XOXO

Who needs water anyway? Special Guest Blogger Adam Denny

First, maybe last (lets see what the boss says) of my blogs. Its been bouncing between 95f and 100f last few days, grass has gone from green to a sad yellow/orange, the hydrangea is dehydrating, even the squirrels have sunstroke. Luckily we had the Culligan chaps round to fit a flash new water system, luckily they spent 7 hours
installing it yesterday and luckily they managed to bollox it up. So no water! Apparently the nob-end plumber is coming round in 1 hour to fix it so a shower is in sight. Mari is talking at I type and reading this weeks Time Out 3D edition "Adam our house is kind of 3D" ..yes Mari it is.

As Mari mentioned we had a brilliant 11.5 days with my mum and dad visiting, most of the time was spend in the garden (although we did shop in Manhattan, wine taste in the North Fork of LI, watch footie in Greenwich and drive passed Stamford (through necessity, what a eye sore of a pit Stamford city centre is, 'oh yes, lets pop in quick mart deli for lunch', behave please).

So the photos below, most are in the garden. Please note the father and son effort at chopping down a dead tree using an axe (very much in the style of The Waltons). this quick job took over 4 hours over 2 days and only accomplished creating a area of extremely danger. The tree is now leaning only held by a neighboring tree. Once it eventually falls (hopefully missing the house, car and us) I'll send it over to dad as a kinda thank you gift ;P

Ok, still no nob-end plumber, time to use the car's window wiper spray as a make shift angle shower.



Laters

July.... that was fast!

Hello! I am back from a very long break. I hope our not too exciting adventures were not missed much. We have been very busy all summer with travels and visitors but it looks like things should be quiet for a few weeks (I am sure this will change). It has also been so hot the past few days that my internet at home has not been working. It was 104 in Pound Ridge yesterday which is CRAZY! I have never been this hot.

We had Gill and Colin (Adam's parents) stay with us for about 2 weeks, they went back to the UK yesterday and will be missed. I can't believe they handled the weather so well with the lack of proper AC in our house. It was fantastic having them over, we all had a great time and got so much done around the farm. In the past 2 weeks we (Adam and Colin) have been able to remove a lot of useless trees and bushes from our property as well as planting lovely new flowers and vegetables. The garden looks so much better now we just need to maintain it. I will post pictures tomorrow and I believe Adam will be writing a ("Special Edition" lol!) post too.

Gill and Colin also bought us a lovely grill (picture coming tomorrow) that we used a ton while they were here. It is much better cooking outdoors when it is this hot. It is a Weber Genesis and it is amazing. It is so easy to cook when you have a great grill. I wish I would have known this earlier in life.

I am almost at Grand Central but I will let Adam blog about the Denny visit. All I can say is that the Gill and Colin know more of our neighbors than we do and they are famous at the Northstar too!

Things I have recently discovered

So I don't have a lot to say about the house at this time. We are just saving money to begin fixing her up. I had the Culligan man at our house last night giving me the lowdown on installing a neutralizer, softener and filter (all needed). Needless to say the house needs a ton of work.

Since I don't have a lot to discuss I figured I would right about general stuff I discover recently (disclaimer: This is new to me but may be old for you) that I really love. I might throw in a few good recipes that I have been experimenting with, etc. This is my ode to Martha's "Good Things" we can all it "Mari's New to me Things".

1) Greek Yogurt (must be Fage)
I know everyone has been eating this forever but I finally tried it and I am kicking myself. I don't understand how something fat free can be creamy. The texture if great and you can add preserves, honey, sugar... I have been using it instead of mayo in egg salad and I am sure it would be great with chicken too. It can be used on anything, I am in love.

2) Tuna packed in olive oil (go for line caught)
I always hated canned tuna. It's because I was eating the stuff packed in water that taste like cat food. This is a huge difference. I love it with pasta and pesto or by itself.

3) Shellac nail product
Nail color that last for 14 days. It works like magic and I am very happy to not have to worry about my manicures. This stuff is not harmful to nails like gels are. Check the link and find a salon that carries it.

4) Papaya
So yummy and good for you.

5) Freshly made Papaya and Coconut juice (thank you Barcelona)
Not sure how this was made but I am going to be experimenting and will provide a recipe, it is a life changing juice.

6) Sea salt and olive oil over chocolate ice cream

7) FIOS on demand exercise (on demand anything really)

8) Captain Lawrence Beer
Seriously awesome craft beer made in Westchester. They only sell by keg and to restaurants (website lists where to find). Try the smoked porter. I will be getting a keg for my birthday.

9) YSL Mascara bye bye Dior Show
No smudges and last all day.

Back to blogging

Hello! After my long break I am back. My hand has improved a lot but typing is still a challenge.
We had a wonderful honeymoon, it is surreal to be back after 15 days away. We have been home a week and I am finally caught up on bills and laundry. Here are a few pictures from our trip.







I will post more as I edit them and put them in order.

The trip was fabulous we started in Santorini which is one of the most magical and amazing places I have been too. It is like Venice in it's unique beauty. Every morning I would wake up and think it was a dream. Here is the morning view.



After Santorini we headed to Spain for the Fiesta de Amor! Spain was very warm and beautiful, it is always great visiting a place where you can speak the language. The wedding was perfectly planned, with a great wine tasting to kick off the weekend and a trip to the Alhambra. After the wedding we spent Memorial day poolside at Cazulas and headed to Barcelona with the newly weds and Brian and Tara. That is when the fiesta de food began. I love Barcelona and I hope one day I can spend more time there. I think it's one of the best cities in the world. We took a day trip to Sant Pol de Mar to visit Carme Ruscadella a 3 Michelin star restaurant. It was an experience of a lifetime. The amazing architecture, markets and food rounded out the trip. I will post more on that and pictures soon.

Well that's all for now, I will update again this weekend.

xoxo!