Black Friday / Cyber Monday Mayhem!

ow. Black Friday and Cyber Monday completely wiped me out! I told myself that I would NOT go shopping this weekend, especially not at a mall. But I was in New Jersey heading to work and the Boyfriend and I had a lot of time to kill so....long story short we ended up at Garden State Plaza, one of the largest malls in the area. Boy was it chaotic in there! But I did get some amazing deals and pretty much finished all of my Christmas shopping! I always end up buying and returning because things always seem to goes on sale the day after I buy them or I find something else I like better. This season was no exception. I already have boxes from Bloomingdales and Ann Taylor in my house and I'm about to stop by Ann's tomorrow to return some things. I DID, however, make some purchases for myself. I can't resist the sales....they're too good to pass up!

Here are some Holiday Shopping Tips:
1) Always keep your purchases stowed away in a safe spot, and keep ALL of your receipts. Sales keep happening and what you thought was a good deal is likely to become a better one and you may qualify for a price adjustment!
2) Again, keep your receipts! There are always bigger sales happening closer to Christmas so you might find a better and more affordable present.
3) Order online if you can. I say this to help you preserve your sanity. There are a lot of Free Shipping deals, take advantage!
4) If shopping online make sure you first google for any promotion/coupon codes. I always do that and I pretty much always find a coupon of some sort! (I got $10 off my new boots!)
5) If purchasing online make sure you go through "ebates". Ebates is basically an online discount site. You log onto ebates.com, then search for the store you are looking for, and click on the store's site. MAKE SURE you click on the store through ebates so that they can track you. Ebates provides at least a 2%-10% discount on each purchase. Hey...every penny counts and you get $$ for signing up! Leave me a comment if you want to get referred!
6) Buy boxes, gift bags, and tissue paper well in advance. Go to a craft shop like AC Moore to get a better and prettier deal!
7) Buy lots of gifts for people! What I mean is....everyone loves opening multiple gifts. If you can afford to do so, buy everyone at least 3 gifts! Even if they are small things that cost $.50, everyone loves to open lots of gifts!

That's all I got for now. But let me show you my most recent purchase (gift from the Boyfriend):

{Nine West Takedown Boots, 30% off plus $10 off coupon plus free shipping!}

Pears, Pears, and more Pears!

ello all. Its me with yet another post on pears. I can't help it, they seem to be showing up wherever I am! Today I woke up ready to trek to the hospital in Brooklyn Heights for my EEG. Stupid me, my appointment is actually next Monday and not today. But all was not lost as I made my way to the charming Montague Street to make a quick stop at Garden of Eden, one of my favorite grocery stores. They have a wonderful variety of fruits and veggies and the best cheese counter short of Murray's! With all that said, I wasn't surprised with the variety of pears they had to offer and had to indulge in a couple. I picked up a D'Anjou, Bartlett and a Forelle as well as a block of me and the Boyfriend's cheese of the moment, the Monte Veronese. So far I am loving the Bartlett -- it's sweet, it's soft, it's very juicy and has that "pear-ish" scent that you imagine proper pears to have. I urge you to go out and pick up a couple of pears to taste. I lugged 6 pears and a bunch of bananas home in my tote and I don't regret it at all!

Click here for a very informative site on Pears.

{Bartlett is the one cut, Forelle is the slightly orange/reddish one in front and on top, and the D'Anjou is the green one hiding in the back}

Coco Before Chanel

esterday the Boyfriend kept true to his word and took me to The Paris Theater in Midtown to see the movie "Coco Before Chanel." I won't give too much away but I love Audrey Tatou and thought she played the part very well. The story is actually quite moving and I'm still thinking about it today. I highly recommend it to any girl who has dreamed of Chanel and would suggest you watch it at The Paris Theater. It's so clean and set up like a real theater, complete with heavy curtain drops and a mezzanine!

Oh and thank you to the Boyfriend who endured 2 hours of girly film for me and who, without a second thought and in one swift movement, bought me a new cup of apple cider after I dropped my almost full one all over him.



This one is another version of the story that I watched previously.

Latest Find: Fragrant Pears

'm fully aware that this post may not be the most exciting but I just had to write about my recent discovery. I was at the market today, shopping for groceries long overdue, when I ran across a somewhat familiar sounding fruit, the Fragrant Pear. I vaguely remembered a friend telling me that his friend from China would always look for Fragrant Pears and buy them by the bunch whenever found. Out of curiosity I put a couple in my cart and mosey'd on. Little did I know the wonders of this fruit! The Fragrant Pear has only been imported into the U.S. in the last couple of years and are grown in a small region of China. This fruit bears a strong resemblance to the Asian Pear is but much sweeter and juicier. I'm not a huge fan of the Asian Pear (I know, my fellow Koreans are gasping as they read this) but the Fragrant Pear provides a satisfying taste for this non convert. Unlike the Asian Pear you don't have to peel the skin as its soft and thin exterior makes it easy to bite into. It's also crispy, juicy, and sweet and I think I'm in love! This is the perfect fruit for a snack or for desserts.

Click here for a very informative NYT article about this fruit.

{Photo courtesy of Rasa Malaysia}

Oh How I Love You Martha

hristmas is near and my bank account and wallet are shaking in fear of what is to come. I love buying gifts but this year I'm going to have to budget wiser and keep the purse strings drawn just a bit tighter. In lieu of purchasing gifts, this was sent to me from Tasha over at New Beautiful. We've decided to handmake each other gifts for Christmas this year and seriously, those people over at Martha's workshop are geniuses. Here are a few of my favorites:

{Hard Flower Barrettes}













{Leather Planner}













{Felt Slippers}













{Button Necklace}














And my absolute favorite: The No Sew Tote. Watch the video here and you will be just as amazed as I am!

Photographs of the Moment

{Astoria Bridge by Sacred Lotus}

Recipes of the Week!

ust when I thought I was finally catching up with my life I take a look at the calendar and see that there is only one week until Thanksgiving! I can't believe it, time sure flew by! November has been quite a busy month for me. I volunteer 2 days a week for a couple of hours at a non profit organization in Brooklyn and I tutor a 7th grader in New Jersey. The commute alone is very long and eats up a large chunk of my days. Plus, the boyfriend and I have had 3 groups of visitors within a month (2 back to back for a total of 10 days) and we also went to Puerto Rico less than a month ago! Whew!
One of the ways I regroup is by cooking. I won't have a chance to do any of that until this weekend but I'm looking forward to trying some new recipes. I want to try a new pumpkin bread recipe, the Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, and stock up on some jars of my own marinara. This time, I'm going to take a stab at incorporating this recipe with my own.
But til then, take a look at Heart of Light's post on making your own pasta. It sounds so amazing!

{Photograph from Heart of Light}