Sunday in New YorkHave you been enjoying your weekend? Looking back at yesterday Saturday, I can say with all certainty that it was a day of equal parts fun and productivity!  SWIM TEAM TRYOUTS... After a brisk 2-1/2 mile walk yesterday, I brought Kelsey over to try out for the CYO swim team. She came through with flying colors and made the team!!! Of course, I was in such a rush to get there, I forgot her towel! No worries, Tedd was out and about and just happened to be at Sears, so he quickly purchased a brand new, fluffy towel and headed over to the swim center just in time. EATING AND HOUSE PURGING The rest of the evening was nothing less than a blast! Denise promised to come over late in the afternoon to help me with my continuing effort to purge the much-accumlated "stuff" around the house. So, we decided since neither of us were free until dinnertime, to just make it a family get together and eat as well. Her and Marcello brought in a huge assortment of prepared food from nearby "Ivarone Brothers" Italian Gourmet deli. Our feast consisted of sauteed broccoli rabe and spinach, baked macaroni & cheese balls, quinoa salad, stromboli, London broil, eggplant parmesan and baked sweet potato wedges. Of course, wine was on the menu as well and by the time we finished eating, I was pretty convinced we would not be up for the challenge of clearing and organizing -- but Denise is a trooper and a slave driver, so we persevered! (in spite of us both having several glasses of wine by this time).  We attacked my kitchen and made 2 big piles of mint-condition cookbooks - one for me to sell online and the other for the used bookstore. Then we moved upstairs to Gianna's room and managed to get through her entire closet - get rid of half, if not more, of old clothes, toys and shoes. Another 3 bags for the Salvation Army! It's amazing what's possible when you have someone screaming "GET RID OF IT!! CHRISTMAS PARTY PLANNING... Today, is a pretty mellow day. Later this afternoon, I'll be heading over to my friend Maria's (along with Denise) and the president of the PTA to discuss details and a plan of action for the upcoming annual school Christmas party, which Maria will be hosting next month. PLANNING FOR THE WEEK AHEAD... * Upcoming Articles The upcoming week is pretty full. Have lots of fun stuff to write about for our blog, including another installment of Throwback Thursday and my Throwback China Trip. I am also looking forward to sharing my Rome Illuminated "Rome at Dusk" tour from my August Italy trip for "Travelin' Tuesday." * More Purging On the home front, I still have lots of hauling to do as I continue on my house purge mission, including my sun room (which we never got to last night), as well as my home office. * Thanksgiving Dinner Planning I'll start making my shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner, which will include 16 of us. I can't tell you how excited I am to have Tanya and the kids celebrating the holiday in New York this year!! See ya back here tomorrow! PLEASE READ ALL ABOUT TANYA'S SECOND DAY IN ICELAND!! ---------->>>>>>>>>> -E  | Sunday in IcelandHappy Sunday from the Northernmost Capital of the World - Reykjavik, Iceland!  I am just loving this itinerary! Already doing and seeing so much, having such a great time and plenty of time for the kids to chill and relax too! We are all having a wonderful time, and it’s only going to get better!!! Tonight we are scheduled to go on a Northern Lights Tour! My fingers and toes are crossed that the night is a success and that conditions are just right to see the Aurora Borealis! And I sure do hope that I can manage to pull off a few good shots while I’m at it! Find out tomorrow… So, if you’ve been following me daily, you’d know that Priscilla came in this morning. We got to hang out with her briefly before her room was made available and she headed off into dreamland as we went back out to into town to explore! Finding tee-shirts and souvenirs everywhere that say “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!” and it’s so true! When at first it seemed as though we were in for a day of bad lightening and I began deciding not to go to the Hallgrímskirkja Church, but that all changed by the time we were nearby.  The church most notably features, a gargantuan pipe organ designed and constructed by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn. Standing tall at an impressive 15m and weighing a remarkable 25 tons, this mechanical action organ is driven by four manuals and a pedal, 102 ranks, 72 stops and 5275 pipes! It also offers the best view in all of Reykjavik at the top of it’s tower! So of course I HAD to check it out!   The organ was absolutely HUGE and the view was magnificent! So glad that we checked it out!   We continued our walking tour and found ourselves at Lake Tjörnin at sunset. There were a ton of birds feeding and a wonderful view!  Getting back to our apartment and having dinner before heading out for our tour! As I was cooking, Priscilla came to the door with an important message...find out about this message and the rest of our SCOOP tomorrow! Wishing you a most wonderful Sunday! -T |
