who comes on Christmas Eve?!

Tate knows! Tanny Cau is coming!!

2010, already?

Tonight I was searching through Etsy for a cute 2010 calendar. I found a few viable options, but nothing that jumped out as impossible to live without. Any good suggestions? Or comments on which is your fave? Here are a few that did catch my attention:

best Christmas song ever

and an even better rendition of it!

Merry Christmas from Perkins Eastman!

Yesterday morning, all the employees in my office met at the Perkins Eastman designed & award-winning TKTS booth in Times Square to commemorate the holiday season! It's like 'Where's Waldo'...can you find me? (I strategically positioned myself behind a very important person...) Check out the Perkins Eastman website for an animated version of the office Christmas card!

a partridge in a chair tree

I get about ten Christmas card emails a day from different vendors in the design world. This one from HBF, so far, is my favorite. Hands down.

breathing again

Upon completing my timesheet for the end of the pay period today, I discovered (what I expected anyway...) that I've worked almost 30 hours of overtime in the last 2 weeks. For most people in New York, that's probably standard but not for me, especially after the enormous downturn in the last year for such a luxury market as architecture & design. But because of those 30 overtime hours and other holiday events, my blog has gotten the shaft and hasn't seen a post in quite some time. I'm breathing again, now, and hope to get back to it because there are a ton of things I meant to post about, but unfortunately they all fell by the wayside in the last month or two.

Remember when I posted about the really fun project that I was starting? Well, I know it all too well now. Here are few images we presented to our client (unfortunately, I didn't do these renderings, but I did do the design for these spaces!) Photo courtesy of Perkins Eastman. I love when deadlines are over.

And on an even happier note, in one week from now I will be in warmer temperatures and greener pastures. The countdown has begun for the long-awaited trip home for the holidays and it can't come soon enough! Only 3 more days now...

do you Twitter?

I do. But my tweets are not making the world a better place or saving lives. Read this post on 843 acres about how one man is making a difference through his social media sites by raising awareness of homelessness in our country.

Twitter with a Purpose

a few new posts on 843 acres!

Yesterday and today I had new posts on 843 acres:

The Truth of Being Ruined and What We Have in Common with a 1-Year Old

Check them out to see what's been going on in New York in the news and in the daily grind. Also, if you enjoy 843 acres as much as I do, you should definitely keep up with the newsblog during the month of December for the Advent Readings 2009.

Here's a quick description from Bethany about the next month's daily devotionals:

For the month of December, Morning Walk will be taking a sabbatical from its daily urban devotions keyed to the M’Cheyne reading plan (you can still follow the M’Cheyne readings here). Instead, we’ll be reflecting on the promise of the Messiah as fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ. Each day, we’ll look at one Old Testament prophecy and its corresponding New Testament fulfillment.

The Old Testament was written over a period of a thousand years. It contains 300 references to the coming of the Messiah. Based on statistical probabilities, the chances that 48 of these prophecies would be fulfilled in one person is 10 to the 157th degree (that is, 1 followed by 157 zeros). Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these prophecies, which is – of course - miraculous since these prophecies were made at least 400 years before he appeared.

gold bows all around

My gold bow made it on a friend's design blog! She also has a link to a super cute Kate Spade gold bow ring that you should definitely check out!

what I'm thankful for today:

video chat & webcams.

Happy Thanksgiving, all the way from the Pettus' in New Jersey!

is it that time again...?!

I feel like I've been watching this commercial since I was 7 years old. I don't know how long it has actually been airing, but I love it just as much now as I did years ago. I just can't believe it's already time for holiday commercials again...

GOLDEN birthday!

Today is my birthday (if you haven't already figured that out from my last post) and I'm turning 24 on November 24 th! To celebrate such a fun and monumental milestone (afterall, turning the age of the date of your birthday only comes once in a lifetime!) I celebrated GOLDEN style last Saturday, for my GOLDEN birthday!

My request for all of my guests was that they don gold in some way. Most people honored that request (I cut the boys some slack; although, a few completely fulfilled the request!) and it made for some very fun pictures, and an even better birthday celebration! If only these fun times didn't come and go so darn fast!

what your birthday reveals about you

A few months ago, I was browsing through books in B&N and found this book called "What Your Birthday Reveals About You". It was some sort of astrology book that predicted your character and personality traits based on the day you were born. Although I don't believe in these kinds of sciences, I have to admit, mine was more accurate than I expected. Here's what it said about people with birthdays on November 24:

Somehow, the friendly, warm-hearted person whose birthday falls on this day manages to be honest and tactful at the same time. You tell it like it is, but you do it in a way that doesn't offend anyone. Your charming manner and aura of youthful exuberance attracts others to you. Extreme action is not your style, and your response to most situations and problems is decidedly calm and harmonious. However, despite your willingness to compromise and cooperate, you are much more likely to rely on your own judgement than someone else's.

November 24th individuals are good natured and cheerful, with a sincere concern for others. People seek you out because they like being around you. Although you are easygoing, your independent spirit keeps you from being overly influenced by outside forces. You are a born salesperson with an instinctive understanding of what's in and what's on the way out. On the creative side, you may find that you prefer working in the arts or the professions to pursuing a career in business. Many born on this date make a splash as writers or entertainers, and other find rewarding opportunities for success in law, education, or politics.

If you know me, what do you think?

two of my favorite times of year

Are both coming up next week: The Iron Bowl and Thanksgiving are almost here!!

worth it?

On this rainy and gloomy day in New York, I'm on a train to visit a client's office on Long Island. If you're from New York, you know that a trip out to Long Island requires Penn Station, Long Island Railroad, and other methods of public transportation. What one may not know is that it also includes endless fast-food and chain restaurant possibilities, as well. If you know me, you know I don't mind chain restaurants. But, there is one chain that makes Penn Station (and all the hustle and bustle it brings) totally worth it: Krispy Kreme.




Even the 250 calories for one doughnut couldn't keep me away! I think it's worth it.

christmastime is coming

As much as I dread the cold weather that is fast approaching, I can get excited about the upcoming holidays! Last week I got an email in my inbox about Anthropologie's Holiday Collection, which includes hundreds of beautiful ornaments. It's tempting to not buy them all, but it does make it a little easier knowing that chances are low I'll even have a Christmas tree in my apartment this year...

view from my lens: november 5

On my way home tonight I realized that the Christmas lights were back up on the trees! I remember these beautiful trees being my favorite thing from this apartment last year. I have this to look forward to every night when I come home!

who knew?

...that cafeteria and servery areas could be so cool and beautiful?! These definitely are!

boo!

Happy Halloween from the cutest kids ever!

life in full color

Do we have that now? Or is life in color only a hope for the future?

A new post on 843 acres: Seeing Color

What's your opinion?

got a costume?

I normally don't get too into Halloween. Not for any single or specific reason, but mainly because the effort put into finding and creating a costume isn't worth it for a few hours one night at a party with friends. That said, I'm pretty pumped about Halloween this year because I may very well have my favorite costume ever. In fact, I am SO excited about it that I have tried it on for the past three nights in a row. But it's a secret...until tomorrow.

While trying to think up other creative (and easy) costumes, I found this picture on the Today Show website this morning, and if I had this many kids this is definitely how they'd be dressed up for Halloween. What a perfect xylophone!

a beautiful mind

LA sent me the link to an article about this amazing autistic artist, Stephen Wiltshire. He can perfectly reproduce city scenes from memory after just one look at them. (And I thought I had a photographic memory!) To say that even the most seemingly horrible things can't be used for good would be an understatement. If you don't believe that, check out this video and the amazing work Stephen produces despite the obstacles I'm sure he faced to get there.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

view from my lens: october 27

Sometimes I take for granted the beauty of New York and all it has to offer. Last night, despite the rain, I walked home from the Redeemer offices and tried to look through a different lens (besides the quite literal one my clear umbrella provides!). In particular, a lens that isn't worn down from the daily hustle and bustle of city life, overwhelmed by feelings of still adapting to such an adverse culture (in many ways), or jaded by life in the fast lane of an urban setting.

I hope to post different views here, from my varying lenses over time in the city. Stay tuned.

5 PM church service, Sunday night dinner with BBQ and sweet tea at Brother Jimmy's, and friends in NYC. Perfect start to the week.

there's a new Picasso in town

My niece won her school's Fall Festival t-shirt design contest. I loved her design so much that I had to post it here. (Plus, I'm just so darn proud of her!) She's just a few short weeks shy of being 6, and she won the entire contest for her whole school!

I'd buy this t-shirt. Wouldn't you?!

challenges "we" face

By "we", I mean designers.

A new post, A Designer's Challenge, on 843 Acres, based on a recent article in the NY Times describing the occurrences between a designer and his distrusting client and the redecoration of her apartment.

Isn't this what God must feel like with us?!

in 2 months from today,

I will be with these two little adorable faces in person. To say I can't wait is an understatement!

color invasion

Any event entitled "Color Invasion" sounds like one at which I should definitely be in attendance! So I was, last night. CI is an industry-wide interior design event sponsored by IIDA, Interior Design magazine, and several other big manufacturers in NYC. It's tons of fun, but if anyone who reads this blog (doubtful) was there last night, let me know what you thought...!?

(I loved the marketing flyer for the event this year!)

what is good news?

new post on The Park Forum, a few days ago: What is Good News?

big bird and michelle

thanks to a good friend for sharing this with me! You've gotta laugh, at least a little, no matter what side of the political fence you claim.

it's hump day...

and I'm having trouble making it through the day. This would do the trick, I'm sure, if only I had this cake sitting beside me at my desk:

Thanks LA and Serious Eats for this beautiful visual.

here comes the bride

The big day finally arrived for my friends Maggie & Neal this past Saturday! It was a beautiful day in Princeton and the wedding couldn't have gone more perfectly. I'll spare you all the wordy details and get to what everyone really wants to see anyway: pictures!

(Picture descriptions, going clockwise): Maggie and Neal cutting their beautiful cake; Our group outside the church after the wedding; Dan resting on someone's bike=perfect photo opp!; Maggie's beautiful flowers (her colors were pink and grey); Chris, Pamela, Victoria and Faye enjoying fall on Princeton's campus (We had a 2 hour hiatus between the wedding ceremony and the reception, so we spent it exploring the campus and the beautiful town of Princeton on a perfect fall day!)

Me, Julie, and LeeAnne in a beautiful tunnel at Princeton; The party favors: gummy bears!; The blushing bride after the ceremony; The girls with Maggie (LtoR: Erica, Pamela, Michelle, Maggie, me, Victoria, Faye, LeeAnne, Elise); Our personal photog & friend, Josh, doing his own version of a jumping picture

Because, really, what would any good event be without a jumping picture?!

The bride & groom at the reception!

Mr. & Mrs. Winterhof being announced to their guests at the reception; Fall in Princeton; Michelle, Victoria and me...and I can't remember what was so funny; One of the delicious dinner entrees; Feng and Erica (and the rest of our group in the background) cuttin' a rug!; The wedding cake

The bouquet toss! (I'm pretty sure I caught my sister's bouquet at her wedding 10 years ago. What happened?!)

Goodbye to the Newlyweds!!!

the rest of the preview from last weekend

Last weekend my friend Caylen from Arizona made her debut trip to New York City (or debut since I've lived here anyway)! We had a great time and explored, ate, hung out- the whole shebang in just 3 (very short) days. Then on Saturday after Caylen arrived Friday night, another friend, Ashley, moved to the Big Apple for a job at a high-end residential interior design firm in Manhattan. It was quite the packed house at 3E for a few days, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I felt a little bit of empty-nester syndrome when Monday morning rolled around.

Check out Caylen's NYC Top Ten! So glad, Caylen, that you got to come visit. And please give David a big hug from me for sharing his sweet wife for a weekend.

did he stub his toe?

This is pretty old news so I hope that everyone has already seen this clip. But, if you haven't, you should take time for the 9 minutes and 41 seconds to watch it. It makes you wonder, what are his true motives for making this apology? It sure doesn't seem to be based on a deep (or even superficial, for that matter) respect for these women.

As I watched this last week at work with one of my bosses, he turned to me after Letterman had made his "big confession" and asked, "Did he stub his toe?" Because he imputes the same significance to that as what he is making a public apology for.

Dear Abbey,

Why must you refuse to talk to me?

Love,

everyone else's favorite aunt

a little preview of my weekend

come home tommy

I got an email from my friend, Ashley, yesterday informing me that she is about to be an aunt again! Then, later, I got this picture from her:

Ashley explained to me that after a 2.5 year process, her oldest sister and her husband have finally received a referral for their newest little boy: Tommy, who is awaiting his new family in an orphanage in Ethiopia. He is 9 months old and they'll soon be on their way to pick him up! The 3 kids in this picture are his new "welcoming committee", two big sisters and a big brother.

I love this picture so much!! And can't wait to see more pictures when Tommy arrives. Thanks for sharing the exciting news, Ashley!

new post, again!

Another post on 843 acres today: To Sacrifice or Not To Sacrifice?

That is the question. It's based on a statement made by Mrs. Obama in an interview for Prevention magazine, which doesn't hit the shelves until November. Some interesting points have already been raised in the "comments" section. Check it out to see the varying perspectives!

need book storage + side table?

I do!! I've recently realized that I have nowhere to store anymore books. The tiny, sad excuse of a bookshelf (although a wonderful piece of furniture!) that I'm using now is completely full, and there are still more books that need a home. Check out this DIY project that solves the answer to all the world's problems, basically (...unless you decide you want to read one of these books holding the table together).

Still, what a very, very cute and creative table!

red & yellow

Not for Chi O and cardinal & straw. Not for McDonalds to make you hungrier. Red and yellow: in celebration of 60 years of communist China.

That's the way the Empire State Building in New York City will be illuminated until Thursday. Is this a joke? I sure hope someone somewhere is laughing about all the gullible people out there, because this can't be real. Why in the world would we be celebrating China and their success of communism for more than half a century?

more beautiful images

I could look at Design*Sponge all day, especially when there are posts & images like this! This might just be the most beautiful wall I've ever seen. I will say, patience and painting don't usually go together in my head, but if I could ever muster up ENOUGH patience... every room in my house, er, apt would look like this!

(Paige, you better not let Abbey see this!)

ouch, head

I know this isn't funny, and I shouldn't laugh but just because Conan O'Brien is so hilarious, I can't help but find this a little humorous. I'm just glad he's ok! See if you agree.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

count me in!

$0.45 pizza and Pepsi?! How can you go wrong with this steal!

absolute beauty

thanks Design*Sponge for sharing such beautiful and inspiring images from Michael Penney! Ah, I could look at this all day. Ok, ok, I might HAVE looked at this all day...

843 acres, new post!

I've recently joined the 843 acres team of writers whose goal is to make connections with how everday news and current events tie to the Bible. 843 acres is the newsblog affiliated with The Park Forum, a non-profit organization to increase Bible literacy in the cities.

My first post was published Friday! Check it out here: Practice What You Preach?

party for the bride & groom

The time is drawing nigh for Maggie and Neal! Only two weeks to go now. Last week, we had a big celebration dinner for the upcoming wedding (AND a joint birthday party for Maggie and Aaron!), and it was a blast. The pictures of the cake are my absolute favorite! Don't you agree?

The BIRTHDAY GIRL, LA, Lara and Michelle at our feast!

Kyo testing out the food.

Seriously, isn't this the cutest cake ever?! Thanks Neal!

1 candle for 24 years!

The soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Winterhof!