Downpours, and lightning, and hail, oh my!

What a wild ride to work this morning! We were at a near-standstill on 295 as rain came down in sheets, and then, if that wasn't enough, hail started pinging off my windshield. Nothing big enough to do damage, but it was still a bit unnerving. Oh yeh, there was some Hollywood-worthy lightning, too. Sheesh! Got to work safely and without incident, if not a little late. The it was intermittently sunny and cloudy the rest of the day with no more showers. Crazy.

After work today I met a friend for dinner while John took care of some errands of his own. I stopped at Target, too, to get some boring things like Febreze and Tide, but also to get two new lampshades! I inherited a nice table lamp, but its shade was a little too Giddy Up Corral for me, so it had to go. And the shade on the Ikea lamp in the living room was pretty much incapable of holding its shape after some 4 years and 2 moves. And so, the home sprucing continues!

Bedside lamp, before:

Bedside lamp, after: breezy and light.

Living room lamp, after (cuz I forgot to take a before apparently).

In backlog sprucing news, I have tackled the problem under the sink! There are two small repairs that are needed--the hot water knob is really wonky; and the pipe sometimes leaks. So there's still an old throwaway bake pan under there to catch drips until we get them repaired. I do love me some organizational helpers!

It came from beneath the kitchen sink...

But then its neatnick cousin visited and we have this...

Next project, new shoe storage. Still searching for something I like to corral the kicks.

And lastly, my once-drowned caladiums (in the front yellow pots) are making an extreme comeback! This is what they looked like a few weeks ago, and below is what the look like now!

Hubby and I spent Saturday at our beloved Ocean City, NJ. We left early, grabbed some Wawa for the cooler, and were on the sand by 9:30. Ahhhh. The air was warm, and so was the water, even if we had to trek through about three feet of broken shards of shells that had washed up in Friday night's storms. We spent hours riding swells, floating around, and laying in the sand.We stumbled upon a wedding--literally. We walked out of a shop on the boardwalk to find OCBP had blocked boardwalk traffic so the bride and her dad could process across and down onto the beach where about 50 guests, a photographer, and her groom were waiting. It was awesome and beautiful. John and I John and I watched for a while, then continued on our way. We even had a delicious and romantic dinner at a restaurant right on the boardwalk.It was my perfect day. We paid a bit in the end, though...as it was our first outing, our pale flesh burned in the relentless sun. But we were strict in reapplying sunblock, so it wasn't too bad, and nothing we can't nurse with nice, cool, from-the-fridge aloe. No pics to share, though, since I had a completely unplugged day. I didn't turn my phone on at all, didn't even take it with me. And likewise left my camera home. I even left my purse, grabbing only the few bare essentials I'd need. Perfect, glorious, blissful. More, please.

Summa, summa, summa time!

Heat wave is dominating New Jersey, and our air conditioners are doing their darndest to churn out cold air. Did a little more summerizing around here, and am happy to see my once-drowned but now-rehabilitated caladiums popping back up and opening their leaves. Will post some pics of them soon--just wanna give them some more time to grow tall.

In the meantime, I'm white-knuckling it until Saturday, when John and I will depart for a day at our beloved Ocean City (New Jersey, not Maryland). Gosh I miss my beach. So looking forward to a day in the sand and surf because it's the one time and place I can completely unplug from all worry and ties to real life back on the mainland. Ahhh.

Went to tea with some girlfriends after work today, which was a much-needed disconnect from work. Sipped a delicious ginger peach iced tea, and we split a Mediterranean platter with pita, hummus, babagonoush, and tebolah. Yes, I likely misspelled them, and yes, I'm too lazy to search the proper spelling. Then I stopped off at Target to pick up some last-minute beach essentials (new floppy hat and flops), and also to scope the cute strapless knit dresses that were in the ad for this week. Well, seems I waited too long and all the cute ones in my size got snapped up. Tried one on a size too large and it looked nice, but was juuuust big enough that it didn't fit right. I may cave and order the one I like in the size I need online. Thinking that over. Then...the adventure with the maxi dress.

The maxi dress, folks, is supposed to be the breeziest piece in a woman's summer wardrobe, yes? Throw it on and dash to the grocery store, dockside drinks, twilight dunes...I could feel the breeze in my air as I closed the fitting room door. Then, I realized I might actually be too stupid to navigate one. The spaghetti straps for the slip were attached to the overlay so they'd stay together while in the store. This bamboozled me because the dress could not be shimmied up over my hips, so I had to put it on over my head. Because the straps were attached, I kept getting both arms through both straps, and the overlay was choking me. This happened in varying maddening degrees long past when I should have given up. But finally, I flipped the overlay inside-out, pulled the slip on (arms in the proper holes) and then flipped the overlay over my head and into place. Badda bing! Had I stepped out of the fitting room, everyone would have though I just woke up looking fabulous, never knowing I was struggling like a mofo behind closed doors.

Will post pics of the new stuff later on, but for now, summer in my dining room:

More Improvements on the Homefront

Subtle though they may be. I've got the bug...the I-wish-it-was-summer-now bug. Not because I'm aching for the heat and humidity we're currently experiencing to stay for good, but because it will mean the annual calm-down at work, vacations galore, BBQs, and lazy hazy days spent at the beach or lake.

I initially intended to wait to start busting out the summer decor until next weekend, as a celebration of post-commencement happiness. But alas, after a feverish afternoon of shopping for fun things like fans and vacuums, I couldn't help myself. I assembled said fan and vacuum as soon as we got home, then got down to changing up the bedding, arranging a new dining room centerpiece, swapping out the shower curtain, and putting said new vacuum to use. Oh, yeh, baby!

Why am I so freakishly excited about a new vacuum? Our old one functioned rather well despite its age (John got it as a hand-me-down when he started college--I'll let you do the math). But it was a Bissel, and those suckers (haha) are built to last. It was starting to wear out, however, and I really wanted one with the attachment to inhale the mounds of cat hair that are piling up. And holy crap is it amazing! Revolutionary! Life-changing! I don't know if Hammy hasn't yet realized that this is a whole new monster (he was, of course, terrified of the older model), or mybe this one isn't as loud/audibly upsetting to him, but he remained in the room while I vacuumed, simply starting at the thing as if he wasn't quite sure whether or not to trust it.

The tower fan for the kitchen was a long-overdue necessity. As the kitchen is the only room in the house without a cross-breeze, when you couple that fact with the fact that the back of the house bakes in the sun pretty much from 1:00 onward, it gets rather sweltering in there. Doing dishes, cooking...forget it. You better hit the showers afterward. We meant to get one last year, but just never got around to it. This year it was at the top of the to-do list.

The last new and exciting piece was a towel rack for the bathroom door. Our current one had been with us since our first apartment, and performed admirably until the bottom rung broke and I kludged it back together with duct tape. Except that it recently reached a point where I could kludge no more. So we happened upon a great replacement at Target today, and we took it on home. It even has an awesome little shelf that's handy for solving another ongoing problem: lack of storage. We can now keep extra hand and face towels right there. Ahhh.

Here are some pics, cuz I know you're dying to see and be as excited as I am! Happy almost-summer, everyone! Make sure you toast our veterans and military personnel this weekend. I have a handful in my own life I'm thankful for.

 Oh, hey there, good-lookin. You must be the new kid.

Behold, my new cleaning obsession:

Ahh, this truly makes such a difference.

Goodbye, old busted towel rack.

Hello new multi-tasking genius!

My mom made the napkin rings--they look like life savers and say S.S. Riggi on them.

Garden: Check!

Well, it's as complete as it's going to be. My caladiums flooded and the bulb rotted, but I repotted and mixed in new, dry soil so maybe they're dry out and bounce back. I'm not giving up on them yet. : )

Here are some shots of what things currently look like now that the complex's landscapers have re-edged the flower beds and put down fresh mulch. Now the plants pop against the black background instead of blending in with the brown dirt. Just posting the before and afters. If you want to compare the whole process, read down one post.

Full garden, before:

Full garden, after:

Section one, before:

Section one, after:

Section two, before:

Section two, after:

End garden, before:

End garden, after:

And here is my Shepard's hook, finally completed with bird feeder and lantern:

I've also recently gutted and reorganized and cleaned the hallway coat closet, but forgot to take pics. But boy does it make me smile every time I go in there. Versus the anxiety-inducing cringing that used to happen. Next up: It Came from Beneath the Kitchen Sink! That is the other black hole...I hope to also take that from nightmare to dream. Stay tuned.

And eventually I'll pop back on with some pictures of recent baking adventures. Hello, muchstaches. 

For now, off to enjoy the balmy day with the bestie.

...and make our garden grow...

I've gotten a lot of work done on my garden! I still feel like it's kinda bare--it's hard because it'll take until long after we've moved away for it to fully fill in. BUT I'm very happy with the progress of in-ground perennials. I think I just need to pot up some brighter (but obviously still shade-loving) annuals to add some peeks of color. I've been trying to select plants (and planters) that pop against the dark brick of the building, and this also means they'll show up nicely when they're in shadow.

I'm limited not only by the few shade (and clay soil) loving plants available, but also by the simple fact that we rent, and some of the scrubby ugly bushes we inherited we will just have to work around. If this were our own house, I'd rip all those hideous shrubs out of there and replace them with some nice ground cover, add in taller plants in the back, perhaps plant a small dwarf-type tree (one that reaches about 6 feet or so fully grown), and the go nuts with hostas and the other purple-leaved plants you'll see below. But since I can't rip it all out and start over, there's a healthy dose of "Just deal with it" here. Tis a tough pill to swallow, though.

Anyway. I'm happy with the progress, but not ready to call it done yet. Below are some pics of where things started this spring (the two hostas I put down last year are back but still filling in and opening up). And the sad wispy green leaves you see in the "before" of the end garden shot is a failed tulip bulb. Poor thing just doesn't get enough light to do anything more than sprout leaves and then feebly flop over.

Here you go:

This year's new additions:

 

Full garden view, before:

Full garden view, as it is now:

Section one, before:

Section one, at present:

Section two, before:

Section two, at present:

End garden, before (see that sad little green clump?):

 End garden, at present (this is my favorite transformation, as it's the most changed):

 And finally, this little guy is the centerpiece on our dining room table!

More to come, but I hope you can appreciate the difference. Look how nice the soil looks in the "afters." I tilled it all up before I put down the new plantings. Ahhh.

Onward and Springward!

Vacation Countdown:

Las Vegas: 86 days
Key West: 117 days
Ireland: 180 days

Also looking forward to the beginning of Princeton summer (aka June 6--Commencement is on the 5), and daytripping to John's and my official beach, Ocean City, NJ. I intend to be nice and bronze by the time we're down in the Keys! Well, bronze for my ghostly pale standards. haha

Also on the docket: My brother graduates from Camden County College with his Associates Degree in Business Management; John's cousin graduates from Virginia Tech; John's brother graduates from Raritan High School and begins preparations to attend William Paterson University. So much to celebrate between our families.

We also, of course, have Baby Boy Branin's arrival to look forward to, so some shopping at Babies R Us is in store.

With 2012 turning out to be such an exciting year, I'm thinking about how flat 2013 looks! haha Hope to get in a trip or two (Monterey Bay Aquarium? Harry Potter World?), and also to start really getting our ducks in a row for house-hunting.

For now, I'm simply looking forward to working on/in my garden this week. We finally had some soaking rain today, which means I can manipulate the soil--plan to put in 3 more hostas in the corner, and will also do some container gardening once caladiums are out and about. John also wants to get in some NJ native plants, and mentioned ferns as a nice ground cover option, so we'll see to add to the landscape bit by bit. I'm also eager to find a nice solar lantern to hand on the other side of my double Shepard's hook. It's currently home to a bird feeder (which keeps Hammy very entertained!), but I'd like something else we can leave out year-round--think of how cute the lantern would look illuminating a snowy yard. : )

As far as indoor gardening, I'm thinking I'd really like a succulent garden to perhaps adorn the dining room table as a centerpiece. Did some reading on their needs, and I think they'll do well. We shall see.

Until next time, stay tuned for more news and more pictures as I begin to work.

Land of a Thousand Welcomes

And here it is, a little look at John's and my vacation to Ireland in October. But first, a little background into how it all came together.

For those who know me, I've always been an Irish girl at heart, and since I can remember having a dream destination, that destination has been Ireland. I have, of course, lived my life accepting it was little more than a pie-in-the-sky dream. My desire to make it a reality was kicked into overdrive in tandem with my name change. I realized part of the stress I was feeling was over the loss of my readily-identifiable heritage that the name of Egan implied. Several of the people I'd encounter would comment on what a "beautiful Irish name" I had (while also questioning how my English middle name, Elizabeth, got in the mix), and one gentleman even nicknamed me his Galway girl, as a song apparently exists about the dark-haired beauties of Galway, Ireland. (I don't pretend to take credit for the beauty part, but dark-haired is certainly accurate enough.)

It made me sad to think I was losing that. Of course, another third of my heritage is Italian (the third is Danish, if you're curious), so I'm not sad that Riggi points me in that direction. But still, I felt like I was losing a link to a part of my lineage. Total overthinking, I know, but just roll with it.

And so I started researching places to go, things to do, and travel to/within Ireland. Again, if you know me, this became overwhelming in a short amount of time, and I again wrote it off as a pipe dream. Then John and I stumbled across a presentation at AAA on their Ireland vacation packages. Why not go? John had been hinting at a first anniversary gift of paper, in the form of plane tickets, though we never really talked about actual destinations.

We attended the presentation, and I sat there with actual tears pricking my eyes because for the first time ever, I realized we can do this. There were even great discounts and incentives offered for booking by the end of March. We took our planning tools home and thought about it long and hard. Checked departure dates, air lines, and which itineraries fit both financial and vacation-time budgets.

I'm am still pinching myself when I remember we're actually going. For 8 days. And what's exciting and comforting is that we don't have to worry about anything while we're over there. Our group tour package includes in it all of our lodging, meals, activities, and travel. All we need to do is buy lunch or snacks, souveniers, and parse out some Euros for tipping along the way. Add to that, of course, get passports, get some AC adapter converters, and various other vacation to-dos, and we pretty much just need to show up.

Here's a short summary of what we'll be up to on our adventure:

Arrive in Dublin, Ireland

Welcome to Dublin! At 2 p.m. begin a city tour. Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral and walk the courtyards of Trinity College to its library and world treasure, the 8th century Book of Kells. This evening, join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a Welcome Dinner with wine.

Dublin / The Midlands / Ballina

Cross midland Ireland and visit Strokestown Park House. This grand 18th-century estate still has its original furnishings. The Famine Museum, designed to commemorate The Great Irish Famine of the 1840s, is located in the former stable yards of the house. Continue on to County Mayo to visit the Shrine at Knock. Finally head to your hotel in the town of Ballina, set on the River Moy.

Ballina / Connemara

Travel to the picturesque town of Westport, then on to Connemara, Ireland’s historic western province, with its whitewashed cottages, mountains and rivers. Visit Kylemore Abbey, a neo-Gothic mansion, occupied since 1920 by Irish Benedictine nuns. This evening, relax at your elegant hotel on Galway Bay.

Connemara / Galway / Cliffs of Moher / Killarney

This morning visit Galway Cathedral before dropping in for refreshments at Rathbaun Farm. Then travel west to the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, rising 700 feet above the pounding Atlantic waves. Later, take the Tarbert Ferry across the Shannon estuary and continue on to Killarney.

Ring of Kerry Excursion

Travel the road that winds around the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula, better known as the Ring of Kerry. Stopping at Torc Waterfall, there is a chance to join a leisurely guided hike. You walk along the lakeshore and past the farmlands of the Muckross Estate. For those who do not want to join the hike, the motorcoach will return you to Killarney. The rest of the day is free.

Killarney / Blarney / Waterford

Stop at Blarney Castle and perhaps kiss the famous stone that bestows the gift of eloquence. There’s time to shop at the Blarney Woolen Mills, then on to Waterford. Visit the House of Waterford Crystal for an interesting visual journey of over 225 years of glassmaking.

Waterford / Dublin

Meet local Jack Burtchaell and hear about a gallery of rogues and rascals, all delivered in an entertaining style by a master storyteller. Then, return to Dublin. Make a stop at the Guinness Storehouse and discover what goes into making a pint of Guinness. Your evening is free.

It all looks so amazing, and I'm grateful for this opportunity. I realize how lucky we are to take this trip, and I fully intend to soak up every second possible and glue those memories in my mind. 2012 is indeed the year of making dreams come true. We've booked and made the dream come true, now we need only to wait a few months to live it. I've never seen a sunrise. Maybe I'll have the chance while we're over there.