Let it Snow, Let is Snow, Let it Snow!

DAY 1 with DK

danny & kristen headed home yesterday. as ALWAYS we had a fantastic time with them. they arrived early saturday morning (they took the red eye) & we started our day with a tasty breakfast.

we picked up the pups from their bath & headed to...

this was D's first time in NY & K's second time.

the park changes so much from week to week or day to day depending on the weather!

we wanted to get on with the day so we snagged a cab and
headed back to our place to drop the pups!

we headed down to Chinatown & Little Italy for some shopping and lunch.
there was a parade in the street...it had started to SNOW!

a yummy lunch in little italy!

remember our finished tree post? well, that was the first night with DK. Snacks, a fire & snow!
here are the pups experiencing snow for the very first time.

abs exploring. she seems to like it.

heading down to the river.

poolside went snowside

i promise there is WAY more to come! we were busy bees while they were here.
Happy Christmas Eve!
xoxo

DK in NYC!

they have arrived and we are having a blast. but, i also made a promise to you faithful blog readers to post a finished photo of our tree. to make up for keeping you patiently waiting, i am bringing you a few snaps of our tree.

the first night DK was here it snowed, snowed & snowed! we made the house feel festive with a fire, as we enjoyed watching the snow swirl around outside. we did head down to the river around 10pm to take in ALL the snow!

this adorable "D" ornament was a super sweet gift from Andrea, Evan & Gav.

they always give the most thoughtful gifts.

i didn't even think to buy an ornament for our first year married...

so thank you guys for doing it for us!

we made some tasty treats to chomp down on and...

fresh apple cider!

oh & the snow!! it was A.MAZ.ING!

we have been busy. trust me, we have a lot more photos of the snow & the rest of our trip! we have already taken over 500 pictures. we have a lot to pick from!

the countdown is on to Christmas!! are you ready?

Festive Friday - Part III

and we are back. barely. tonight, in honor of my hair, i bring you white chocolate-gingerbread blondies! no i have never made them & i don't know if i will. but, i liked the name & they look pretty tasty. maybe in January when i am bored out of my mind because it is so cold.

here is what you need

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

and here is how you make them...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

i know that i still owe you finished pictures of our tree. i will take care of that this weekend. oh & i cannot wait for our Christmas Festive Friday. it is such a special, special recipe to our family. thank you mama for the idea. it is perfection & i cannot wait to share it.

can you believe Christmas is a week away?

this year December has flown by!

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas!

i must say jason & i are enjoying the cold, brisk air that awaits us each morning! it feels so festive & a treat for us california kids.

we had such a treat a few weeks ago when kristen's family was in NYC. we had two great BBQ dinners with them & did some shopping at the new AE store in time square!
this is our picture, up in the middle of time square...

do you see what our message says?
"home of the punk!"

we had to make sure everyone knew where they were shopping!

costco recently opened in manhattan. many thought, "why would they do that?" we personally thought, "why wouldn't they do that?" especially after you have seen the prices of things in the market. you just make room for the oversized jar of jelly & peanut butter.

obviously...we are partial to costco. but, come on people how could you not LOVE costco.

i'm sure i know what ALL of you are thinking. they don't have a car. true. and then you are thinking how would they get a basket full of stuff home. we wondered the same thing but figured...we'll figure it out.

what did i say before? how can you NOT LOVE costco. we didn't have to figure it out, they did ALL the work for us. a car service is there waiting to take you & your stuff home. they even load it into the car for you!

EXCELLENT!

then our doorlady helped us load in on the luggage cart...then up the elevator and in the apartment we went. piece of cake! and the money we have saved. priceless.

i told you we were feeling festive and trying to suck in the holidays. so this weekend we ventured out to check out some VERY new york christmas items.

the tree in Rockefeller Center. it was SO crowded, i had to get out of there. but, before we left we did catch the snowflake performance on the building directly behind the tree (technically, the tree looks at them).

they turn on and off to a christmas song. fun. festive. crowded.

ah. we had a little inspiration & decided to get our own tree this weekend. christmas tree "lots" are really just trees thrown against a store in your neighborhood.

jason & the pups picking out the perfect tree. he went BIG. over 7.5' tall. our angel is inches from kissing the ceiling. HEAVEN.

time to carry it home. ah. how things have changed. last year we brought it home with the top down. this year jason gets the honor of carrying it three blocks on a damp winter night!

and the before. this really doesn't do our tree justice. you kinda need to be in our apartment to really understand how large it is in the living room. i love it.

we've got lights & an angel!

which ornaments made the tree...well you will just have to wait & see. jason says you actually have to COME and see. but, we won't be that mean. i will be back with the finished tree. it is done, done, done...just haven't had time to snap pictures.do you know what happens in 4 short days? OH, boy...OH boy!!

the boyle's are coming to town! the boyle's are coming to town!

the boyle's are CO-ming to tooowwwwnnn!

THINK: "santa claus is coming to town"

And they are followed by my family. yep. the whole gang (minus sofie & keico). eek! can't wait!

P.S. i really HATE when blogger decides to format by blog however it wants to! xoxo