What's Up Wednesday!

Oh hey Wednesday! 

It's the last Wednesday of the month and that means its time to catchup on August! If you are new to the blog or these posts, the last Wednesday of every month is devoted to answering the What's Up questions. This month was primarily dedicated to vacation time but there are a few random bit and pieces included for sure. Ok here we go! 

What we're eating this week 

After a fantastic trip away and off cooking duty it is soooo hard to get back into the swing of things and cooking dinner every darn night. But something delicious and easy such as this chicken quinoa bake makes dinner duty a whole lot easier. You can find the recipe here!

What I'm reminiscing about 

An AMAZING trip to New York City with my sisters and mumma. We had the best time, the weather was beautiful, the food was exceptional and the memories are priceless. Someone take me back already please! 

What I'm loving 

My new R. Nichols candle which may or may not be a Friday favourite this week ;) Stay tuned for more details! 

What we've been up to 

Washing, unpacking, grocery shopping, work and slowly adjusting back into reality / non-vacation life :(

What I'm dreading 

I had to have a small mole removed from my face last week and I now I need another on my back out. I'm not a huge fan of stitches but I have had worse. This is a reminder just how important those skin checks are ladies! 

What I'm working on 

Aside from the mountain of catchup work I have going on I'm starting a new research proposal which is keeping me extra busy. I know I'm lucky to enjoy so many elements of what I do, so there really isn't much to complain about! 

What I'm excited about 

Fair to say I'm not a big winter fan, I love me the sun, the beach and ice -cream. What can I say I'm a summer baby and will always love the heat. Thus I'm not a tad sad to see winter go and welcome spring. Bring on the flowers, baby animals and warmer weather ;) 

What I'm watching

A whole lot of Gilmore Girls and then some more! A few friends have already watched this show and recommended it, a few of us are watching it for the first time now. And the rest will eventually give into our nagging and watch as well. I love the Gilmore Clan! 

What I'm listening to 

Gilmore Girls! I have the show playing on my laptop whenever I'm home at the moment. If I'm doing chores or even cooking I have an episode on in the background. 

What I'm wearing

Tomorrow I will be posting my weekly wardrobe so be sure to check back in then! 

What I'm doing this weekend

This Sunday is fathers day here so we are celebrating my fabulous dad and grandfather. There will be cake and presents and a whole lot of family! So grateful for my sweet dad! 


What I'm looking forward to next month 

September is another big birthday month in my friendship circle. So bring on the parties, champagne and cake!

What else is new

After the mega excitement of my NYC trip, not a whole lot. Remember if you missed my two posts on our recent trip you can catch them HERE  and HERE


Have a wonderful Wednesday friends!

Lou
xxx

Four hobbies For me

Morning Friends! 

I hope your week is off to a good start! Amongst the chaos of life lately, spare time has certainly been limited. However one thing I'm conscious of is making time for simple and cheap activities which keep my mind active and which I enjoy. The four that I'm trying to work on / do more often are a mixture of old and new and I'm pumped! 

Yoga 

I love me some yoga but honestly don't have time for my scheduled classes at the gym anymore. So I have been using the free app Yoga Academy to help me work on my yoga at home. This app includes mini classes for all levels and is fantastic! I have mentioned the app before on the blog but I'm a serious supporter! 

Italian 

I learnt a few languages back in school and Italian wasn't one of them. But I have always loved the language and figure that if I can improve my Italian I deserve a trip to Rome ;) Beside learning a language is a fantastic brain work out! There are hundreds of online resources to help you get started however I'm learning the old fashioned way with text books etc. Yes they still print them!

Sewing 

I learnt to sew in school and sadly haven't sewed since! I always thought it took too long and was boring however now, in my 20's its a skill I'm very envious of. My grandmother bought my one a few years ago in the hope I would pursue it again and I have now decided its time to give it a crack! Before you know it I'll be whipping up wedding gowns! Just kidding, hemming my own jeans would be plenty ;)

Piano 

Much to my parents disappointment I still can't play the piano! After years of lessons and about a dozen teachers I haven't quite cracked it. But the older I get the more I realise how nice it would be to  have that skill. So I'm determined to give it a shot. Lucky enough we have a piano *who knows why? So I'll keep you posted on my musical venture! 

No matter what you are interested in or what your work schedule it is so important to have one or a few activities that keep you active, creative and busy! I hope you enjoyed mine and maybe even leave with a little inspiration! 

Have a beautiful day friends! 

Lou 

xxx

NYC Trip continued!

Morning Friends!

I hope you all had a splendid weekend. I;m finally getting on top of the mountain of washing and work catchup. But I'm thankful for a quite weekend filled with lots of sleep and Netflix! Total bliss! Today I'm sharing days four, five and six of our holiday to NYC! 

Day Four 

 We started day four with a slow stroll down town towards Greenwich Village. If I was to live in New York this is where you would find me. Beautiful brownstones, tones of amazing cafes, young families, this is my place! 

After a wonder through the village and a little real-estate shopping ;) It was time for brunch at By Chloe!

This place has to be the best Vegan cafe I have ever stumbled upon. The food is amazing and well worth the wait! 

After lunch we headed uptown to Top of the Rock for a little tourist activity. We checked out the amazing view and soaked it all in. 

A little sister selfie high in the sky! 

After Top of the Rock it was time for a quick coffee break before we headed to MOMA. 

If you haven't already been to MOMA I can not recommend it enough. As an art nerd this place is my mecca but I defy anyone not to like it or enjoy the space. 

Including the famous outdoor sculpture garden which is pretty darn special! 

After MOMA we where utterly exhausted so scraped our dinner plans and instead opted for a night in! 

Day Five 

Day five saw us heading down to Soho where we enjoyed a sugar filled breakfast at the Dominique Ansel Bakery, this place is famous for inventing the Cronut and trust me they are well worth the calories. 

Holy moly, I'm still dreaming about it! 

After a walk and shop through soho, where I took no pictures. #bloggerfail We headed down to the financial district to check out the new One World Tower, Westfield shopping centre and the 9/11 memorial. 

Some seriously  amazing architecture there! 

After a very somber tour of the new 9/11 memorial which is truly breathtaking. We took a moment to relax and have a snack at Brookfield Place. A shopping complex across from One World Tower, directly along the water front. 

After a little rest, river side we changed hotels and had a nap! We switched to the Evelyn Hotel just above madison square park and the flatiron building. 

For dinner we headed back down to Soho to meet my mum and sister for dinner at their hotel. The stayed at Nomo Soho and the restaurant is simply spectacular! 

Day Six 

My travel / action/ forgetful brain was in full swing at this point and I forgot to photograph breakfast and the cafe we ate at. However you can trust me when I say the Penelope in Mid town East is Fantastic! The food is great and the cafe is super cute! 

Day six was all about the museums. I'm an art junkie so I was super excited for both the Met and the Guggenheim. 

 We started off with some modern art at the Guggenheim and took in the amazing architecture as well :) 

After a good look around we headed further up 5th Ave to explore the Met and sink our teeth into some couture.  

The Manus X Machina exhibition was truly incredible! Like breathtaking! These outfits really art masterpieces! 

After collecting ourselves post couture overload, it was back down to Soho and straight to Joe and the Juice for lunch! *Probably the best fresh juice in town +  multiple locations = must do ! 

Another stroll and shop through Soho before a restaurant repeat at Nomo Soho! 

What can I say? The food is fantastic and the fit out is dream like! 

Day Seven 

The next morning I was up bright and early packing, before heading to Balthazar's for a quick breakfast. This is an iconic restaurant and my favourite spot in NYC for breakfast! 

Then it was off to the airport and home bound. 

Our trip was short and sweet and filled with memories I know I will have forever. So grateful I get to spend special time traveling with my sisters! If you are heading to NYC soon be sure to check out my previous post. And if you have any questions about this trip or any NYC related queries please comment or message me! 

Have a wonderful Monday friends! 

Lou 

xxx

New York Trip!

Happy Friday Friends!

I’m home and so excited to share my amazing trip with you all!  We got home yesterday morning so I’m still drowning in dirty clothes and trying to catch-up on admin/ work and life. But I thought I would share the first three days of our trip today. If you are planning a trip to NYC soon or thinking about it, check out these next few posts. My sister was queen of the itinerary so I give her full credit for our excellent schedule. We really did see so much in just 9 days and had an absolute blast! Ok are you ready? Here we go! 

Day One

After landing late the night before we headed straight to the hotel, showered and basically passed out. Those flights are long, my friends! This trip we decided to stay at the Empire Hotel, just a few blocks from Columbus Circle, great location, nice interiors but unfortunately the service is nothing to rave . (I will post about our accommodation later on as we stayed at three different hotels this trip.)

Our small but sweet room. 

The next morning we hit the ground running. We walked past the Lincoln Centre which is literally straight out the door from our hotel and then wandered north to Sarabeth’s on the Upper West Side for breakfast. This place in a New York icon and the food never disappoints!

After breakfast we walked through the upper west side and into central park. We took photos, explored the many, many, many little paths, sitting spots etc the park has to offer and soaked in the gorgeous weather!

My sweet sisters and I enjoying the park!

After a long walk and a boat ride (I rowed the boat) and yet somehow we have no images of that! We wandered to the upper east side for G.J mellons *a legendary burger restaurant , for some lunch and a cold drink. 

After a quick break we walked down the upper east side towards fifth avenue, window shopping and popping into one of my favourite stores anthropology.

Once down on Fifth Ave, we checked out the Rockefeller centre and then headed home to get ready for the baseball.

You really can’t come to NY in the summer without checking out a baseball game. I’m a Yankees gal so watching them playing their home stadium is always fun!

Clearly splurged on the tickets ;)

After a subway ride back to Manhattan it was time for a quick evening snack at Schmackary’s (A cookie & milk store) of course! Then we where straight to bed!

Day Two

Our second day in NYC was absolutely huge!

Lucy and I wandering through Soho.

We headed down to SOHO bright and early for breakfast at the Egg Shop. This place was so cute and the food was next level.  I 100% recommend this place, I’m still dreaming about my breakfast there!

  

After a wander and shop through Soho it was time for a quick snack at Georgetown cupcakes. Dare I say the best cupcakes in NYC! And trust me I have tried my fare share of cupcakes.

  

After a little cake stop it was time to head back uptown to check out the NY public library. 

For all you Sex and the City fans you will know this historic place as the almost wedding location of Carrie and Big! We toured this incredible building and sat in the adjoining Bryant park, before walking back to our hotels to change.

After a shower and short rest we walked to the Plaza for a late high tea. The Plaza Hotel is perhaps the most historic hotel in NYC and its high tea is almost as legendary.

Three for high tea please! 

After High Tea it was down to Time Square to check out the chaos and those famous lights. Before we caught a Broadway show. 

We saw An American in Paris and absolutely loved it. The music was fantastic and the dancing was simply amazing. We where so impressed!

Day Three

Day three saw us off to Brooklyn. We caught the subway over to Dumbo where we wandered those beautiful cobble stone streets and grabbed breakfast at Almondine.

After a light breaky it was time to walk a few blocks to the water and take in the incredible view. Dumbo is the best spot in Brooklyn for views of both the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. 

The Manhattan skyline from there is also pretty special.

A little sisterly love featuring the Brooklyn Bridge!

After a long wander along the water and a bit more exploring we headed to Grimaldi’s for the biggest and probably best pizza of my life!  

  

After lunch we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to burn off some of that pizza and take in the Manhattan skyline. Then headed home for a quick rest before a Free Walking Tour in Greenwich Village. The tour was awesome and full of so many interesting New York facts. For all tours provided by the company check out their site here!

After our walking tour it was time for a quick dinner at a family favourite, the Brooklyn Dinner *not located in Brooklyn. My dad always took us here before Yankee games so its a family tradition to visit whenever we are in town! 

Phew! You still with me?!? So there you have the first three days of our trip! I will be back on Monday with more pictures etc. Have a wonderful weekend! 

Lou 

xxx