Things happen in 3s.....

....or so they say - whoever "they" may be.....the kids & I have just returned from a fabulous week away...lots of firsts for them all - first time at the ocean, first time in Manhattan for the boys, first visit to Aunt Kimmy (see, there goes that 3 thing again).....more on all of that late
The 3 things I want to talk about were 3 brushes with fame!

On our first day in NYC we headed to the American Girl Store....I noticed a man taking pics with a BIG camera but did not think much of it - saw him a few minutes later taking someones picture...hmmmmm....wonder why? Turns out it was Brandy










Needless to say my kids had no clue who she was - but I did! she was so sweet when I asked if I could take her picture with the kids - she asked them each a few questions, asking Klem how he was surviving the "girl" store!

Then we headed over to the Natural History Museum....the kids had a hot dog on the bench & as we were sitting there I noticed this sign....





then I took note of the big trailers etc...lining the street! After the museum closed they were filming Night at the Museum 2! We hung out for a bit after our visit hoping for a glimpse of Ben Stiller but the best we got was a shot of this plane that has a part in the upcoming movie!





whew...what a day!

then as we headed north for home a few days later we learned that they were filming Extreme Makeover Home Edition in a town just off of our route home! Brush with fame #3!














the final picture is one of the neighbors we met - Tony...he'd been watching the activity from his porch all week & was a wealth of knowledge...No, Ty was not on site ;(...but Tony may have a little role on teh show in November! They filmed a segment where Ty is in a boxing ring and they had Tony play the role of his manager, taking off Ty's robe, lacing his gloves and cheering him on! Pretty cool!

We may venture back today for the finale..."Move that Bus!"

The Big Apple

I promised some photos from our trip ....so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

6:00 am - waiting for the train at the station

our favorite place to go on the train - the SNACK BAR! At 8:50 the kids were ready for lunch!

getting close....about to cross over to Manhattan

saturday afternoon - sunny and gorgeous - Eily sees Ellis Island & the statue of liberty

mmmmmmm....gotta have a hot pretzel on the streets of NY!

Sunday morning we spotted the opening of the Macy's 34th annual flower show and decided to pop in to check it out

the store windows were decorated with a floral outfit from each decade...this was the 50s

we spotted my idol...up close & IN PERSON! Martha Stewart was there to cut the ribbon to open the show!

eily marvels at the height of the buildings

Sunday afternoon we spent a delightful afternoon watching a Pippi Longstocking marionette show at the Swedish Cottage in Central Park

this was followed by a stop at Dean & Delucca for some lunchtime provisions....only managed a few snaps before I was told pics aren't allowed

Monday Morning - Happy St Pat's day and Eily's first visit to American Girl Place

WOW!

watching the parade...I knit the hats on the train ride down...
my nephew Maxim, Eily & my sister
(just coffee in her cup ~ we're getting old!)

this stop is 1 block from Parsons....home of Project Runway!

we stopped at the Hershey store where they had some of the designs from this seasons challenge!

a quick visit to MOOD! just to say I've been there ...no time for any real shopping, hoped to soak in some of the genius

I will be posting all of my photos from the trip on my flickr site later this week - pop over there is you want to see more!

nervous excitement.........

I have been asked to participate in a show in Manhattan at the end of May!

Vida's Market

this is being held for the 1st time on May 31st and features over 50 vendors of childrens handmade items. I am so excited but also wondering where I will find the time to make enough items to take - and then how will I fit them all in the car to get down there LOL!

I will keep you posted on my progress...if there are any of my designs that you love & think I should take with me...leave me a comment or email me ;)

Fabric Therapy....

well, Stanley was not the only one to have some fun in NYC...I also had the chance to take a quick trip through the garment district...WOW!! It is a good thing I was on foot and limited by how much I could carry otherwise I could have done some major damage!

The selection, colors, textures, trims were overwhelming and inspiring at the same time...I limited myself to a few goodies that I will share as I use them...for now, enjoy the photos...