What I Buy Wednesday

This purchased was a little over a month ago when I was in New York City with Janet, Evie and Josie. 

We were browsing around the streets and wound up in one of the souvenir shops. You know the type--where you can get cheap t-shirts and every other sort of object with I (heart) New York or "The Big Apple." There are shot glasses, mugs, Statue of Liberty statues, miniature Empire State buildings, post cards--you can picture it--right? They all look the same.

Well, the girls were deciding on sweatshirts, t-shirts and pants. I jumped in and started negotiating for them. Janet looked at me a little funny, but I kept at it. We made some very good deals. I asked Janet if I had embarrassed her. She said, "no." I don't think she has the negotiating skills I have. Or maybe it's just that I have more experience.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself--they were saving so much money. Janet and the girls were paying for their purchases. The "guys" were still trying to sell us all kinds of things. We kept saying "NO"--until I didn't. 

I ended up buying something I never intended to buy--therefore negating the savings I just made for everyone else!! 

Marc Jacobs "Daisy" perfume. It smelled so good. And, I know that the retail price of that is over $100. The guy started dealing with me. When I got it down to $30, I bought it. Even as I was paying for it, I realized that I had just negated the money I saved on Evie and Josie's stuff by spending it myself! 

Are you kidding me? I am such a soft touch. Did I need perfume? Heck no! I have plenty and hardly ever wear it. I am such a sucker for a good deal. 

And another thing. How can they sell it so cheap? It must be a "knock-off" but how can a legit shop sell illegal things? 

And that's what I bought on Wednesday--I'm pretty sure it was actually a Wednesday when I bought it. 

Look how cute the container is!

Barb, Barb, Barb...

Monday Mystery

Thought I'd slip in a quick post between getting home yesterday and leaving for England tomorrow.

We left the beach at (as Butch likes to say) "O dark thirty" and were home around 11 a.m. We unloaded the car and started working. I immediately went outside and fertilized my hydrangeas. 

You know me and my lists--I have a huge one to work through before leaving tomorrow. And, I'm playing bridge today. Then we're going to 5:30 Mass for the Pope tonight. But, I'll get it done--I always do.

On Sunday, I was getting chicken out of the freezer for dinner. I was confused when I opened the freezer. When we left, it was almost empty. I've been trying to use up everything. This is what I saw:

Right off it was a mystery. My first thought is that Butch "junked" it up. I mean, it's just the two of us so if it's not me, it's him!! This freezer had some space--as I said, I'm trying to use things up before I buy more. Besides the "mess" of it all, I started to notice that it was all opened stuff. I kind of yelled at Butch because I still didn't know what was going on.

He came down and said he hadn't done it. Then I remembered getting a text from Mindy telling me about her week. She mentioned that their refrigerator had gone out. Butch said, "I'll bet Mindy came over to drop stuff off." Yep, that's it. 

This reminded me of this post years ago--2017 to be exact. 

Or this one from 2014. Or one more from 2014.

We just never know what we're going to come home to. 

Opposites Attract!

That's the only way I can explain it. The answer to how Butch and I ever hooked up! 

We are finalizing plans for our Paris trip in June. I sent the following email to the girls and knew they would get a "kick" out of it--because, after all, they know us better than anyone!! Then, I thought, you might like it too!

To: Sandy, Stephanie, and Mindy:

OMGosh! It’s no surprise that your dad and I would approach trip planning in different ways. We went through all of it last night. Of course I get aggravated with “his” procrastinating ways—although admitting he definitely gets the job done. He finds the best things—for sure.

He researches to the nth degree—but then doesn’t make a decision right then. I nicely pointed out all the time he wastes by having to go back to it later—often more than once. Whereas, I, do my research, make the decision, buy or reserve. That’s it! Done! 

Of course, my way is better. He just rolls his eyes. 

And that spreadsheet makes my head spin! I get it. There are people who just love them. I know that I am in the minority, but I do not. Your dad is the KING of spreadsheets. For me, I like lists. They make sense at a glance. You don’t have to figure things out. 

Think about it this way: what if your dad and I each made your job lists when you were growing up?

Your Dad’s:

Name:    Job:   Location:    Supplies needed:    Time needed to complete:    Completed:

Mine:

Sandy

Clean the bathroom

Stephanie

Unload the dishwasher

Mindy

Just be cute

Now you tell me which is easier to read?

Anyway, we did the trip review during Happy Hour. We kept a good humor about it, but there were definitely a few tense moments—well, mostly on my side—as I want things settled! I don’t always have the most patience!

********end of email.

Okay, here's the itinerary--I'm just putting a couple of days so you get the idea:

Paris Trip 2025

Times in bold signify reservations.

5/30—Friday

Sandy and Greg arrive—check in to hotel

5/31—Saturday

Breakfast at hotel

S&G on their own

11:35—Eads, Greco, Donnellan arrive

1:30—all meet—place tbd--lunch

3:00-5:00  p.m. Hop on Hop off Bus

Happy Hour at the Bramble Rooftop Bar

7:00 p.m.—Dinner (Nicky planning)

Return to hotel by way of the Pont d’ Lena Bridge

6/1—Sunday

Breakfast at the hotel (early)

8:45—Coffee & Pastries (Steph planning)

10:00 a.m. Mass Notre Dame Cathedral (Butch working on tickets)

Walk around—points of interest: point zero; gravestone courtyard; narrowest street; geo-cache

Lunch—head to Montmartre for burgers (Steph’s suggestion)

1:30—walking around Montmartre—1 hour tour on the app

Free time—everyone on their own

5:30—walk around the Latin Quarter

Happy Hour

Dinner on your own

PS I want to add tea at some point because I didn’t get to do that the last time we were there. The place that Sandy found in NY—Laduree—has full on tearooms in several locations around Paris. 

*****************************************************

So what do you think? Are you a spreadsheet person or a lister?

Five Things Thursday

How about some beautiful bedrooms? They are all so inviting. Number 1 is my favorite. I love all of the white shiplap and the aqua together.

Me on Monday

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. Ours was pretty low-key. The girls and boys came over for dinner on Saturday night.

We went to the 6 a.m. sunrise service at St. Henry's on Easter.

We did this last year, too. The crowd quadrupled--probably about 1000 people. The whole parking lot was full, and cars were lined up on Highway 70. We've never seen that before--especially not this early.

We stopped for a quick breakfast at McDonald's and spent the rest of the day working to get everything done and ready to leave for the beach on Tuesday. It was a productive day for both of us.

Anyway, just letting you know that I'm traveling for the next 3 weeks. So, my blogging will be very sporadic. I think I need a break anyway. I haven't had much  to blog about recently. Maybe a little beach therapy is what I need! 

I'm going with a plan--I don't go anywhere without a plan. I'll let you know how it goes.

Scrapbook Saturday

Stephanie's AYM layout for February. I'm honored to be featured with my "snow angel" on the upper right.

This is my AYM layout for March--it's about our Spring Break ski trips through the years.

This is Jeannet's March layout. She's doing her AYM album as a retrospective for each month of this year.

This is Janet's layout.

Janet's journaling. 

Janet's February layout.

Friday Funnies

Ten Things Thursday

Easter JOY!

All the bunny pillows on the couch are so cute.

Stephanie made these cute Easter cocktails a few years ago.

My entry decked out for Easter.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

This has a little to do with What I Buy Wednesday.

Travel Tuesday

Once again, my pictures are out of order. Sometimes, this website just won't cooperate. Here goes.

When we arrived in New York on Thursday morning, I gave Butch and the girls a little card with the itinerary. It's nice to have something to refer to for timing purposes.

Our favorite way to start our trip is a stop at Ellen's Stardust Diner where all of the servers are singers, dancers and actors--all trying to get their start on Broadway. There's a vibe of fun and high energy.

Well, once again, I cannot get a video to work. Anyway, this was our waiter. As he was collecting payment from us, he was singing "Dream Lover" for the whole restaurant. They sing while they are working and finish by going up some steps in the middle of the restaurant to a very narrow stage. It's always so much fun. It just reminds us of the main reason we're here!! We are Broadway lovers for sure!

Mindy went out for her morning walk and decided to go by the GMA studio in Times Square. We stay at Times Square because it is a perfect location to everything! 

She met Rebecca on this morning. 

We stopped for a picture on Times Square on our way to see The Great Gatsby.

Although I didn't know this at the time, but the exact day we were there was the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Great Gatsby. Daisy was played by Sarah Hyland from Modern Family. We enjoyed the show and especially liked the costumes and sets. Plus it was special to have been there on that day.

On our way to The Edge, Sandy saw this French coffee shop that she had read about and added to her list. We stopped by afterwards for their specialty--the pistachio latte. Me, I got hot chocolate. Did I mention that it was cold and rainy? Temps in the 40's. 

This is the view from the 100th floor--The Edge. This juts out from the building and has a large part that is clear glass so you can see straight down 100 floors. Side note: my backpack purse matches my coat--it's not my big behind even though it looks like it!

We went to a really nice restaurant called, The Consulate. The food was delicious. We had lots of good food--as always. There are some places that we HAVE to go to every time--like Zuckers for New York bagels--they really are the best. And, we always make the walk to Schmackery's for cookies after a show. Luckily for us, it was only about 2 blocks from the theater where we saw Moulin Rouge. Sometimes it's a trek to go, but it's tradition now. And the cookies are amazing! I'm a cookie lover.

 

On Saturday, I booked the family for a tour of Radio City Music Hall. I had been there with Janet and the girls 3 weeks prior and knew they would like it. They did!

We have walked by these diamond lights in the diamond district without ever paying attention to them before. I had it on my list to notice them! There is so much see--it's easy to overlook things..

We ALL loved Moulin Rouge. Butch and Sandy had never seen it. I thought it would be fun since we're actually going to the Moulin Rouge in Paris when we go the first week of June.

This was our first time at this old and unusual Victorian restaurant, called Lillies. 

It was beautiful and the food was good. Next time, we're going to go for tea in the afternoon.

Prior to dinner, we stopped at our favorite bar: The Back Pocket.

They serve some of the drinks in gummie bear glasses. We wanted Butch to see it. They also serve popcorn with your drinks. It's a tiny place, but we've always managed to get one of the three tables. Another unusual find by Sandy that has become a favorite.

One of the things I was most looking forward to was the walk from our hotel across the Brooklyn Bridge to Dumbo City and back--7.5 miles. It was raining, so we ended up Lyfting to the bridge and then making the 1.5 mile walk over it. 

We went to Grimaldi's--a pizza place for lunch. It's really old. 

We also had our book discussion here. Since we all love Disney, Mindy suggested Disney High: the Rise and Fall of the Disney Tween Empire. We all enjoyed it and had a pretty lively discussion. Of course, the girls knew a whole lot more about those young stars than I did. I learned a lot. Butch was able to contribute explanations about the business aspect. 

Butch took us to the cleanest bathrooms in New York. We have passed by them dozens of times. They are at Bryant Park next to the New York Public Library.

They have a guard inside regulating the number of people going in. 

There were fresh flowers--pretty fancy. 

Art and coffered ceilings. I just peeked in. A couple of the girls took advantage of the facilities. This is what I mean. There are really cool and unusual things all over the place. You just have to know where to look!

Another fun NYC trip in the books (and how lucky am I to have gotten to go twice in just a few weeks! We girls have been going every year for quite awhile now. This was the first time for Butch since the girls were still all at home. In fact, that's what I liked the best about the trip--all of us--just us--being together! We're definitely going to do it again!!