So it turns out I'm sitting in the lobby of the Sheraton in downtown New York City.
The trip here was a very last minute decision that involved a two-day Fall break, a cheap plane ticket, and a big achievement for my dad. He played at Carnegie Hall tonight - a once-in-a-lifetime kinda thing - and I had to be there to witness it. The last couple days have been full and wonderful. A time of refreshing that I desperately needed (and one I can really find in a city like this one). There have been many highlights, one of which will have to wait for tomorrow because it deserves a post by itself. But here are a few. Thanks for indulging me.

Our view from our hotel window, my happy mom, and some of the score from my dad's concert.

Central Park

I spent one glorious hour in the late afternoon here, sipping Argo tea, sitting on a rock, listening to a fiddle play and watching the sun sift through the falling leaves. It couldn't have been more beautiful. There's just nothing like Central Park in the Fall.

Seeing cousins

Well, my mom's cousins, actually. They're two talented, sweet guys who we don't get to see enough but who both happen to live in NYC and made time for breakfast with us. And they both work at the MET, which I think is wonderfully impressive.

Protesters

Have you heard about the Wall Street protests? Of course you have. It's all over the news. I'm still not really sure exactly what they're protesting, but they seemed pretty serious about it all camped out in tents in the middle of the city. I thought it was reassuring to see their little camp surrounded by NYPD to make sure nothing terrible happened. 

Babycakes

We were serious about getting to this place. As in, it took us about 30 minutes to find our way on the train serious. But getting to order a banana cupcake with maple frosting that was gluten-free, no questions asked? So worth the trouble. It was darling inside, but no photos allowed, hence these two. 

I head back tomorrow morning to the real world of school, sewing, and responsibility. And my husband, which is the best part. I'll share more bits and pieces of the trip throughout the week, but I have to say, it's been exactly what I needed. And seeing my Dad walk out onto the stage at Carnegie Hall tonight in his tux and take his seat at the piano - that was a proud moment that made this whole trip  more than complete.

The best kind of dessert.

A few weeks ago, on a rainy and chilly Saturday, we spent some time at my parents' house with these  three little cuties, my cousins. (You'd think they were my nieces for the age difference, but nope... cousins indeed.)

We chowed down on fajitas, watched some of our favorite YouTube videos, and enjoyed our family. I wish I had color pictures of the sorbet they're eating... but it's one of our family's very favorite desserts and is so easy to make if you have a good juicer. My parents and Shawn and I each have the same juicer - a Champion - which is one of the best. Not only does it juice amazingly well, but you can even put peanuts into it and it will come out as peanut butter! Amazing, huh? Or in this case, you can put in frozen fruit, and it comes out sorbet! It is the perfect, creamy consistency and is only fruit so it's super healthy. The men were in charge of making it tonight.

Sometime, I'll do a post in color so you can see the consistency... but let me just say, it was yummy!

Does anyone have a good juice recipe I should try? 

Thank you, Pinterest.

I'm sure you've all heard about Pinterest by now (I hope so!). It's an amazing spot for inspiration where you can see all kinds of ideas that people have "pinned" and wanted to remember from the internet. I love it most for all the DIY projects that I can find in one place.


Well, Pinterest has been my friend this week. Somehow, this DIY heating pad I made a while ago made its rounds and was pinned lots and lots of times and, in turn, the traffic on this little blog went up about 500%!

So I guess you guys like the DIY posts?
I'm planning one for as soon as possible that I think you'll like too.
Hi to all my new readers! I hope you stick around!

To see more from Elm Street Life on Pinterest, go here. You'll be sure to see the heating pad. About 29384 times.

Therapy.

This afternoon I got home to a house full of fabric scraps that are seriously taking over,
a to-do list with not nearly enough check marks on it,
a sewing machine that's being finicky,
nursing books waiting to be read,
and not much motivation to dive into everything that needs to be done from now until bedtime.

Solution?
Backstreet Boys radio on Pandora.
I blasted it as loud as it would go and danced and sang my way to a clean house and a much happier me.
It took me back to 7th grade - and it's a little scary how many lyrics I still know.

Feeling stressed today? Unmotivated?
I think I found a temporary solution.

PS - Brian is still my favorite.

Weekend highlights.

This weekend was gorgeous. Most of this whole Fall season in Tennessee is. We hit the Franklin Farmer's Market which just keeps getting bigger and better every time we go. Shawn tried basil lemonade and pumpkin donuts. I had fresh juice. I could seriously live at the Farmer's Market. It's hard to pull me away when it's time to go.

We also celebrated this little guy's birthday. He's not so little anymore... and he's kind of a daredevil on a skateboard. The nurse in me couldn't watch.

Favorite photo of the day: 

We also got to go to an 84-mile-long yard sale (does that not sound heavenly?) that started in Franklin. I should've taken pictures!

How was your weekend?