friday family fun night

Friday night was Pettus Family Fun Night in the city! Buck and Christine came over, trudging all the way from New Jersey in the massive snowstorm, and we all had dinner together at Pio Pio in Hell's Kitchen. (GG, I thought of you when we went there- It was my late Valentine's celebration!) Then we walked through the snow as Buck begged us to take more & more pictures. (kidding, I think his actual words were actually quite different than that.) Times Square was completely deserted, and then we stopped for dessert and ended at my apartment. B&C decided to crash on the couch Friday night, but that was a-ok with me because I got hot buckwheat pancakes straight off the griddle from chef Bucket on Saturday morning! We should have family outings more often...

Can you believe all that food?! This is just one of the reasons Pio Pio is my fave! Believe it or not, we only ordered 2 menu items!

More snow!

And Central Park snow!

more snow

On Friday we had the biggest snowstorm I've ever seen in New York City (granted, this is only my second winter, but it was really big!) I woke up in hopes of having some sort of state of emergency declared in order to have a "snow day" off from work, but no such luck. Instead, I took advantage of the subways running a little slower and a little off-schedule, and I took my time getting to work and got to see the beautiful snow anyway and snap some photos!

A picture from my coworker who lives in Brooklyn.

I'm worried about how these people will manage to get out of their apartment...

I took this pic of my fire escape after work (so, after the majority of the snow was gone). More pics to come!

which is the real thing?

'cause who doesn't need a life-size cardboard cutout of themselves to have on hand for various occasions? And for those of you who know that I'm not much of a hugger, what better way to start practicing my hugging skills than to walk around a city of 8 million people carrying a large sign which reads "hug me" ?! At least I finally found a skill that I developed during those 4AM nights in Spidle Hall using my x-acto knife to cut foam core. Who would have thought interior design school would come in so handy!

the saddest day

It doesn't really matter how or why it happened, all that matters is it happened. Yesterday I was given a free ticket (no, not by my favorite Sunday school mom) to go see The View with a friend, April, who was in the city for a day. Somehow I got confused... schedules got mixed-up... I got confused again... I scheduled some meetings at work... I agreed to some meetings at work... I still wasn't thinking ahead... I thought I should be saving the date for February 26th, not the 25th... and the next thing I knew, I was sitting in Suffolk County, Long Island with an indecisive client and gruff construction workers when I should have been taking home free giveaways from The View. Aaarg.

mckay's special list

As I'm currently listening to McKay describe her day at school during our phone conversation:

McKay: Aunt Perryn, we had a tornado drill at school today!

Perryn: Wow, that's really cool! Did you have to put your head between your knees?

McKay: Well I had to put my hands over my head then lay down flat on my stomach with my face towards the ground.

Perryn: Oh, really?! (a little confused. It's been a while since elementary school, but I never had to this...)

McKay: Aunt Perryn, I put you on my special list!

Perryn: You did?? What is your special list? I feel so, um, special!

McKay: I said, "My aunt is Perryn. She has blond hair and white skin. But I spelled white "w-i-t-e". I sounded it out. But I didn't know it had an "h" in it, so I spelled it wrong, but it said white".

Perryn: Oh? Is that all you said about me? I have blond hair and white skin?

McKay: Yes. That's all I wrote.

Perryn: Well... are you learning anything new at school?

McKay: Yes! I am! We had a fire drill at school today!!

harry potter theme park

I AM DYING TO GO HERE!!!

Orlando, Florida next fall. You'll find me here, eating chocolate frogs and playing quidditch.

Today it's a rainy, dreary, cold day in the Big Apple, the perfect day to stay cuddled up in bed (unfortunately, that's not where I'm writing this post). Here's a little sunshine to brighten the day, though:

sunday afternoons

are made for napping. yaaawn.

a delicious surprise

Last week, before I left for the Poconos, I was delighted with a surprise package in the mail from one of my precious Baby Hoots from college, Julie. Not only was it a special and unexpected surprise, but it was evident that our brains think the same. I opened the box to find the most adorable make-your-own cupcake set! The pictures do more justice than I can in words, so feast your eyes on these!

And, you can find order your own make-your-own cupcakes right here from Saint Cupcake! Thanks again sweet Julie!!

tiger

Say what you will about Tiger Woods, but I respect him. Sure, he may end up proving to be insincere in his apologies and commit the same grievances again and again in years to come, but based on this speech, I believe him. He didn't try to shift the blame or make excuses, but instead made his unacceptable actions and thoughts public and did nothing but praise his wife who shares absolutely zero of the blame with him. I'm still a fan, Tiger!

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

(long) weekend fun.

Pennsylvania. Mountains. WalMart. Hot Tubs. Chick Fil A. Scranton (Looking for scenes from The Office.) Snow. Knee-deep Snow. Skiing. Valentines Party. Snacks. Headlamps. Sunsets. Igloos. Crafts. Pictures. (Obviously.) Guitars. Worship. Rest. Mafia. Red Robin. More Games. Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes. and Birthdays.

I'm not sure what else went on (as if this weren't enough) but it was a fun weekend. All documented here. And here from Maggie. And here from LeeAnne.

poconos weekend at a glance

I'm back! The weekend was a fun getaway from the city... and I spent most of it sleeping and relaxing. Thanks to Maggie and her mad photography & collaging skills, here's a quick glance (and evidence) of the fun we had on the trip. Just look at all those happy faces!

happy valentine's day!

For my Valentine's Day, I'm trying my hand at skiing again (pray for no broken limbs!), preparing a hopefully delicious meal of Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas with Maggie for 19 friends and sleeping some more. Sounds like a fun day is in store. Hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day!

[Photo via Lolita and Snippet & Ink]

i'm off to the poconos...

To stay here for the long weekend (happy birthday, honest Abe)! My office is closing early today then I'm headed to the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania to enjoy a lot of resting, relaxing, hanging out, and doing nothing for 3 entire days...

like aunt, like niece

(is that a saying?) I got a text message during the drudge of work this afternoon that brightened my entire day, maybe even my entire week. This photo was attached, which I haven't been able to stop looking at SINCE!

snow day

Instead of being able to enjoy the beauty and splendor of the snow today, I had to go to work (which, consequently, resulted in an abnormally high amount of g-chatting and photoshopping). By 4 PM, though, I could take the desk job no more. Our firm previously sent out an email stating that in an effort to keep all employees safe, we were allowed to utilize vacation or personal time if we felt at risk because of inclement weather conditions. I emailed one of my bosses this afternoon to inform her that my mental safety was in jeopardy if I sat inside and watched the snow from the window for the rest of the afternoon. (Remember, I'm from Alabama...and it doesn't snow like this there!) Luckily, she agreed that I should leave, and the two hours of "vacation" time to enjoy the white city were worth every minute!

9:01 am

Today. This is what greeted me as I walked out the front door of my apartment building. And supposedly there's more to come!

highly controversial?

or highly UNoffensive? I'll go with the second option. What's your take?

super bowl menu

Instead of coming home from church this morning and crashing like I dreamed of doing, I slaved away all afternoon in the kitchen. (Ok, I'm being a little dramatic...I didn't "slave away" and even if I had it would have all been worth it!) We had a Mexican-ish menu with white chili, chicken enchiladas, queso, frijoles, bean dip, and chips and guacamole for the main dishes. Then a plethora of desserts made their appearance as well. I'm still full.

If you're looking for a delicious soup, here's a great and very easy recipe. (Thanks Paige for sharing!!!)

White Chili

3 cups cooked chicken breasts

1 cup chicken broth

1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 can Rotel tomatoes

2 cups shoepeg corn

2 cups Great Northern beans (I actually used Small White Beans because I couldn't find Great Northern beans)

1 onion, sauteed

2 cups cream of chicken soup

Simmer until cheese melts. Watch closely as it will stick. You can leave simmering on low for several hours if you need to prepare ahead of time.

And for your Super Bowl Party next year: Football Rice Krispie Treats

This wasn't my recipe, but you can find it HERE. (and aren't they so cute?!)

my part

If you've followed this blog for more than 10 minutes you know that I have a large affinity for cupcakes. For that very reason, I decided to do my part and bring some redeeming value to my cupcake love. Instead of getting my usual choice of white cupcake with white icing at Magnolia Bakery on Friday night, I opted to spend a dollar more for the Hope for Haiti cupcake. $1.00 out of the $3.00 is donated to Haiti for every cupcake purchased. That's a mission I could get excited about!

mini chuck taylor

I got a text message a few days ago (after this post) saying that Abbey wanted to be included with her shoes on my blog too... and, she fits right in! Now, if I can just find a pair of rainbow tie-dye sneakers with silver sparkle shoelaces in MY size...

snowstorm or no?

It's a cold day in New York City and they're saying a big snowstorm is coming! I'm not sure if I'm hoping for a big snowstorm or not...however, I did find this beautiful picture from a snowstorm last February. Either way, TGIF!

happy birthdays all around

I've been doing lots of birthday celebrating recently. A few weeks ago it was a celebration for a friend Ashley's birthday at Pio Pio (my new favorite NYC restaurant, if you're interested), then LA's birthday and a few days later Pamela's! Last weekend for LeeAnne's birthday we had a terrific gathering and brunch at my apartment to celebrate her day. (Pamela's celebration is this weekend so hopefully there will be pictures to come!) Margaret's birthday celebration is this weekend, too, so even more 'happy birthdays' to come. We're having dinner at a place called Les Enfants Terribles which looks sure to provide a delicious meal.

Photos below are from LeeAnne's birthday brunch. What a blast and treat to be able to have so many friends together to celebrate such a joyous occasion!

chuck taylor

all the rave, apparently.

LA, me, and Maggie at Girl's Night Out to see Precious!

sniffle, sniffle

For the second time this year (and I'm only 34 days into the year!), I'm lying on the couch where I've been almost all day with a headache, fever, cough, runny nose, and sneezing my head off. I'm trying to convince my new roommates that I'm not always this sickly. I don't know if it's the constant changing of weather & temperature this winter or what, but I need to boost up my immune system somehow...I need to get to the Duane Reade to buy some Emergen-C that several of my friends have recommended. But for now, I'm just trying to keep myself awake until at least 9 tonight so I'll be able to sleep through the night, considering that I was only awake for one hour between the hours of 8 AM and 4 PM today. Being sick is no fun, no matter how many cans of chicken and stars soup you get to eat!

this is the new year

I just found this video linked on Maggie's twitter- I agree, I could watch it over and over. (I especially think Christine will love this video and song!)

good things come in small packages

Today I got an email at work with a subject line that stated "Run don't walk". When I opened the email it was from my coworker, Heather, who knows how much I love cupcakes. The email said: "Mini Mini cupcakes in the library, there are only a few so I suggest you hustle." 1.5 seconds later I was on my way to the library where I found the cutest and tiniest cupcakes I have ever seen (smaller than you can even imagine). Notice the sizing reference- a QUARTER! and they were pretty darn close to that size. I tried the Cookies & Cream flavor, and it was delicious! They were from a local NYC bakery called Baked By Melissa, which I would highly recommend if you're in the area!

tonight:

Sleeping Beauty at the NYC Ballet. I'm so excited because this is my first time to ever see a ballet since living in the city for almost two years now!