Friday Top Ten (on Saturday): New York Style

Just so you won't have to go another 24 hours without hearing from me I thought I'd just give you a snippet into my life this week:

Beautiful Sprout "Picnic" Box- Well, that is what is says on the packaging. Last night at Food for Health I picked up a my box of various sprouts for $2.99. They are just so pretty: alfalfa, broccoli, pea, garbanzo bean, clover, lentil and sunflower. Each box has a different selection. I just love them and ate some last night for dinner and today for lunch.

Orange Ginger Scented Wallflowers- I worked at Bath and Body Works for five years. Since I quit in 2004 I'm really not an avid B&BW shopper. Except during SALE time. Today I bought refills for my home fragrance diffuser in peppermint, orange ginger & jasmine vanilla at 75% off each. I try to avoid candles etc. in those yummy scents: pumpkin, nutmeg, butterscotch. They just make me want to sit down and eat a big cake.

Armani Code- is the next perfume I want. Badly. Hanae Mori was the first. Then Thierry Muglar's Angel (which evidently everyone loved) and now Code. I do really like Dior Addict, but that is my sisters scent and as personal as fragrances are, and as defining- I'll let her keep it - for now.

I'm a woodsy, oriental, warm, warm, warm fragrance wearer. So, for now it's sandalwood in a solid perfume and patchouli oil which are much more affordable. But, I love Code so much that about twice a week I go into the Sephora across 42nd Street from my office building and put some on during my lunch hour. It smells like confidence and cigarettes and hot cocoa and the way NYC smells at 10:30pm when I'm riding home in the back of a cab because I've had to much wine. It's nice.

Trader Joe's- Grocery store. Foodie Disney Land. They are in California and the Northeast, but somehow bypassed central America all together. It's been a love hate relationship with TJ's for three years now. When you have the time I will give you my complaint. For now, let me say they've opened two other stores in Manhattan and thus, the crowdedness factor has seriously been reduced. I visited the one on 22nd street and 6th Ave. and was able to actually shop. Amazing. Organic. Affordable. There own line of products/ brands. I am happy. Now, if they'd open one in the UES....

Journaling - I've been following an outline that our pastor's wife shared with a group of women recently. She has a list of questions which she seeks to answer while doing her (mostly) daily journaling. Sometimes she answers all of them. Sometimes one question really stings or sets off a chain reaction and she spills her guts on that one topic. They are:

Is my pace sustainable?

What is my body telling me?

Am I loving God and other's more?

What answers to prayer am I seeing?

What am I grateful for?

Am I overcoming fear?

Is my pride subdued?

And maybe my favorite-

What is the theme of the day?

I've thought about changing the list, or adding a question or two that speak more personally to me, but for now, this is working.

Forty Hour Work Week--- don't even get me started. I wanted to call in sick, or take a half day, or a two hour lunch. The first week back is always the hardest.

Frosted Windows- I can't see out into the elevator bank anymore from the reception desk at work, which is really upsetting me. No one asked the receptionists if we thought that putting a huge frosted decal on the windows was a good idea. So what if it's the company logo, I didn't think there was anything wrong with the nice sized logo on the door. We are the only office on the 19th floor- I doubt there is much confusion. And now, the five or six glass panels that let me see who's coming or who's going are frosted over. This is so unfortunate.

Veal Stew- Friday night Chris and I visited our dear friends The Atkins in Astoria, Queens- our old neighborhood. Everyone at church loves The Atkins because they are so real. Middle-aged, New Yorkers, no children, authentic, honest and have the biggest hearts for people and community and loving well. Susie made delicious stew and after eating a hearty portion I was ready to hibernate, but instead we sat around and talked and laughed and drank hot tea until 10:30pm. It was lovely.

Cut and Color- So against all opinions and other's advice, I both cut and colored my hair. Clairol 28 washes non-permanent color in Nutmeg ($8.00, Bed, Bath and Beyond) and ... hair trim with a few non-committal side bangs ($26.00). The hair cut was only $26 because a.) I didn't get conditioner and b.) I didn't let her "blow out" -- (What is this term? In Texas we say "blow dry") my hair. With conditioner and leaving without wet hair the total would have probably been $45-$55 dollars. Are you kidding me right now?

Inception - I watched a movie. I didn't like it. Chris loved it. I got it (I've heard alot of people say they didn't get the movie.) I followed it, I understood the plot, but I still didn't like it. Which made me feel like I didn't get it. But I know I did!

3" Platform Booties- Last week I was so so so tired of wearing goulashes that on Sunday I wore my booties to church. With cropped jeans. (Not really cropped, cropped but they were shortish. My ankles were showing. I didn't care that there was still snow piled up on every curb or that is winter. I was gonna be cute dang it! To be fair it was in the 50's last Sunday. But I doubt I'll do that tomorrow.