Hurricane Irene Is History!

Never doubt the power of prayer - it is very powerful!!

We are all ok!! :) God answered all of our prayers, when Hurricane Irene

touched land in New York City and it turned into a Tropical Storm. It could have been worse

but it wasn't. We were very lucky and I am so grateful, my prayers and thoughts are with all of the other states that were affected by Hurricane Irene and for the lives that were lost.

And no there is no such thing as being over prepared, better safe than sorry!

Many people are now regretting all the precautions they took and the MTA being shut down completely. But is there any such thing as being over prepared?

We can now laugh and say with lots of happiness that Irene is History baby!

I wish with all my heart that these coming days are nice and relaxed so that I can enjoy our last days of summer vacation, plus I have two birthdays to plan - Miguelito's on the 5th and my Mom's on the 10th of September :)

Thank you so much to all of my beautiful friends and family in Texas for your messages, prayers and words. They meant the world to me and my family. We love you all!!

I can not forget to mention some very special girls that kept me on my toes during this entire ordeal, if it were not for their messages, emails, and text messages I would have been a total mess!

Marz - my beautiful sister, darling Claire, sweet Erin, my sunshine Jasmine, and Mi Clau!!
You girls rock - I love you lots!!!!

"My friends are my estate"

- Emily Dickinson

Now for some before and after pictures, one thing that really amazed me was seeing NYC so empty, for the city that never sleeps and which is always full of people it was scary to see it a ghost town.

Before:
Taken on Saturday a day before Irene was supposed to hit us. The photographer in me couldn't help it and had to come out to take some pictures!

Saturday morning - Irene was going to hit on Sunday morning. Nyc streets empty!

NYC looking solemn awaiting Irene!

Stores following the advise of taping up there store windows.

Ghost town I tell you!

Bread aisle empty.

Cold meat section empty

Chip aisle empty, except for those poor cheetos :(

NYC stores boarded up!

 After:
 Taken Sunday afternoon.

Two bikers relaxing on the bench and paying no mind to the fallen tree branch behind them.

Two blocks away from where I live, street lamp post fell on top of the car.

Tree branches everywhere

We can now look at these signs and laugh :)

NYC stores closed!

Central Park 

 This is what the wind sounded like in Central Park a day after Irene, I can just imagine the sound of the wind during Irene!

I am happy to say that New Yorkers took all of the warnings very seriously and we can now happily say
Irene Is History - Baby!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Kary xoxo

P.S. Do keep an eye out for a very sweet giveaway that will be posted by the end of this week :)

Hurricane Irene

First an earthquake and now a hurricane!

We are officially waiting for Hurricane Irene to hit us overnight from 2:00am to 3:00pm.

We were previously told it was going to hit us tomorrow at 8:00pm, but she's a coming

faster than we anticipated. Yesterday we went shopping for water, canned food, batteries and flashlights, and it was a mob scene like never before. The shelves were empty, there was no bread, no D batteries which are the ones that flashlights mostly use, and no flashlights. We ended up at Costco after going to Target and two other stores and coming up empty handed.  Our windows have been taped up just in case and we have our supplies ready.

We are all staying together, my mom, dad, sister, brother, Humbe, Miguelito and me, we will be sleeping in the hallway away from windows, well Miguelito will actually be sleeping as I watch over him. I must say that I am starting to freak out, the pressure and the news are actually getting to me and after a mini panic attack the only thing holding me together is Miguelito.

We might lose power and this crappy laptop of mines will also stay without power, so I hope to come back on Monday or Tuesday to let you know that we are ok and how New York survived it's first hurricane.

Wishing you all a great weekend, and praying that everything is ok!

Update: We are getting hit by Irene at 8:00am and not at 2:00am like we were previously told. It is raining cats & dogs and the wind is picking up. We will still be sleeping in the hallway away from the windows! Thank you loves for all of your sweet comments and prayers. xoxo Love ya!!!

Love,

Kary xoxo

So many adventures so liitle time!

There are only 15 days left until the first day of school and the days are going by faster than ever. I have been making sure that Miguelito enjoys every single moment, and that means that our days have been full of adventures, in some cases that means we've been leaving the house at 10:00am and end up getting home until 11:00pm or 12:00am :D

Today was no exception. Miguelito has been asking me to go to the Transit Museum for a few months

now, so today we rode the train down to Brooklyn Heights and surprised him with a day full of Miguelito approved adventures (he was tired of going shopping with me - lol)

Just a sneak preview of the places we visited today :)

My mom & Miguelito having loads of fun at the Transit Museum

Me playing the role of a ticket vendor :)

Having fun at Chuck -E- Cheeses - where everyone can be a kid :)

 Now tomorrow is another day, and not just any day!!

I am super excited to see a a very handsome fellow representing his restaurant 

Gallagher's Steak House at an expo taking place at the Jacob K Javits Center tomorrow.

My handsome pappa!!

Look at that smile :D I love my pappa, he is my world!!

 My mom, Miguelito and me will be going tomorrow to the expo to see

my pappa in action and to take lots of pictures :D

It will be a wonderful Thursday indeed and I can not wait to come back with pictures

from today's adventures, the expo and of course all of the overdue pictures and posts I still have to post!! 

Happy almost Friday!

Love,

Kary xoxo

I feel the earth move under my feet...

And I don't mean literally or because of love!

Today at around 1:50pm there was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia which was felt 

all the way here in NYC!

The East Coast Earthquake

At first I didn't know what was going on, it seemed so surreal and if not for all the news channels broadcasting and going crazy with what just happened I would have thought it was all a hallucination.

Miguelito was sitting on the couch with

Manhattan and I was sitting on the armchair. When Manhattan started getting all crazy and barking

like a mad-dog, next thing I know our building feels like it's shaking and the couches

start moving. It must have been no more than 30 seconds but it really felt like more than that.

Thank God it wasn't more than a horrible scare, and after some scary moments like not being

able to communicate with my dad, or mom and sister who were all at different places but ok and just

a little shaken as well, oh and let me not forget my child who couldn't stop crying and 

thinking we were going to die - I blame it on watching to many movies!

Everything was back to normal.

I for one pray that we never go beyond this scare ever again, New York and it's people 

have been through enough scary and horrible moments as it is!

Love,

Kary xoxo

It's the simple things in life...

A recap in pictures of some of our Summer adventures :)

Warning this post is a little bit picture heavy!

【ツ】 Miguelito back at Taekwondo after a one month hiatus. 

【ツ】 Going into PC Richards just to sit in their massaging

chairs!

【ツ】Taking pictures of my hubby sleeping while we shop at Ikea.

【ツ】 Sharing a Captain America Coolata from Dunkin Donuts - yes we are

that addicted to this stuff that we needed to go big :)

【ツ】 Preview of my horrible haircut!

【ツ】 Cooking so much and having the battle scars to prove it! Ouch did that

burn hurt.

【ツ】 Being called a sad little person because I carry around a picture of my boyfriend calling

me on his cellphone - lol! Truth be said I am a dork and that explains the reason for

me running around the entire tri-state area trying to collect all of the 18 smurf toys

from Mcdonalds! I just need to get my hands on every single one of them I tell you!

【ツ】 Playing tourist in our own city.

【ツ】 Enjoying and having Central Park all to ourselves.

【ツ】 Laying down in the grass and watching the beauty of thunder! This is the

best picture I could take with my cellphone. Isn't it beautiful?

So you see we've been pretty busy, and I haven't even gotten to the food posts :)

Those need an entirely different and separate post.

Stay tuned because they are full of lots of yummy eats!

I've also been going wild with painting my nails, and my sisters and moms.

That's also an entirely different story, but I will leave you with a teaser of 

what my nails look like now :)

Jessy: Kary can you tell me what the weather will be like tomorrow?

Me: Why yes I can! It will be Sunny with a mix of clouds.

- with a small chance of rain and thunder -

:D What do you think? Can you guess what's going on with my nails?

What do you prefer to see first - the food posts or the nail post?

Happy Friday Loves

Love,

Kary xoxo

P.S. I do apologize for the not so good picture quality, they were taken with my cellphone. I think

my camera just gave up and died on me!

The countdown has begun.....

 I promise to come back with many pictures and stories of how we've spent our summer days.

I know, I know I already said that before but I promise this time I mean it, and let me tell you

they've been filled with lots of eating . From finding the best fried chicken in NYC to finally checking out Eataly and riding lots of ferry's and enjoying the sea breeze.

 Oh, and not to mention the masaquer that happened to my hair. I went in for a haircut and

came out a mess :(

But first, the countdown to two very special dates has begun!

One: The first day of school - 22 days left to be exact,

and second and most importantly we have started to count down the days to.......

Miguelito has always been a silly little boy :)

 Miguelito's 8th Birthday - Only 19 days left!!!

I cannot believe that my baby will be 8yrs old on September 5th, he will be

2yrs away from being 10yrs old!! 

Time goes by way to fast and I just want to freeze time and

have my Miguelito this age forever!!

Before I forget this is the design I had on my nails:

The one Migueltio said matched my cupcakes :)

I'm addicted to polka dots I tell you, can't wait to show you what

I've come up with since :D

 

Ah! and I'm so happy to have more than 200 followers stay tuned to

a giveaway  of some of my favorite things to celebrate and just because 

I love you all!!

Love,

Kary xoxo

Who will be the biggest loser?

Hi Loves :)

Happy Friday - I am SO excited about this post!!

Have you met my beautiful friend Elaine?

If you haven't won't you stop by her blog and say Hola!

Elaine is my darling and beautiful friend, she has two beautiful boys and loves to blog about

her everyday adventures with her beautiful family and other tidbits :)

She is also the girl behind the best idea ever!!!

 Something that will make you challenge yourself and push yourself harder then ever, and in

the process you might end up winning some cash :)

All those who participate will put down some money and at the end of the challenge

whoever loses the most weight will win all of the money in the pot!!

Start date: August 15,2011

End Date: November 15,2011

Winner Announced on: November 16,2011

Here are some of the rules:

1) In order to be an eligible challenger, you must submit $20/person which will be put in

the pot (to be kept by Elaine for the 3 month duration).

2) Monetary submission should be received by Monday, August 15.

3) Every Monday starting from August 15, your weight should be sent to Elaine so she

can keep track of it. Your weight should be sent in picture form, by sending a 

picture of the scale she can make sure that everything is correct and legit.

4) Your weight will be kept in confidence with her, and she will be sending out a progress

report every two weeks so that we can see how much weight everybody is losing and to keep us all

motivated to lose the weight and win the pot of gold at the end of the challenge.

5) At the end of the challenge, whoever loses the most weight (calculated from their beginning weight and subtracting their most current weight), will win the total of the pot.

 

So now the question is are you in or are you out??? 

Who will be the biggest loser in blog world??

Will it be you? :)

I of course have stepped up to the challenge and am so excited to start working my butt

off :) With so many things going on I fell off the wagon a little bit, and

I am so happy my girl Elaine came up with this challenge now!!

What better way to get motivated then a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Do let me know if you decide to participate :)

Love,

Kary xoxo

 

The Help - Two Thumbs Way Up!!!!!

No Spoilers - I promise

Last night I stood in line to see "The Help" and

I am SO happy I did, it was all I expected and more!!
If you thought the trailers and teaser scenes were good, hold your breath
because you ain't seen nothing yet.

 It was a rollercoaster full of emotions, from crying to laughing

so hard my stomach was hurting. It had my attention the entire time.
 The cast was amazing and perfect!!

This is a must see movie with such a powerful and important message.
Go watch it you will not be disappointed!

I will leave you with some fun facts about the movie:

• The film was shot on location in and around Greenwood, Miss., and the citizens of Greenwood willingly pitched in to find period props for the film by digging around in their attics and basements, and many played extras in “The Help” as well. Even producer Brunson Green’s grandmother’s dress wound up in wardrobe.

• Local chefs were brought in to make sure foods used in the scenes, from fried chicken to congealed salads, were regionally correct and also correct for the times, and a conscious effort was made to make it all look homemade—not fancy or store-bought—to add to the authenticity of the film.

• Due to the intense summer heat in Mississippi, the filmmakers adjusted the schedule to shoot only indoors in the middle of the day. Exteriors were shot in the early morning and late afternoon.

•  The mothers of Tate Taylor, Kathryn Stockett and Brunson Green all have appearances in “The Help.”

• A dialect coach, hired to make sure everyone’s southern accent was perfect, flew into Jackson, Miss., to record accents for the actors.  Even the real southerners in the cast were coached in the proper way of speaking specifically for the Mississippi Delta. Allison Janney picked Producer Brunson Green’s mother’s accent to emulate for her character, Charlotte. In 1963, Mrs. Green was the same age as the character Skeeter, played by Emma Stone.

Now I must go and read the book.
There was a time where I would make sure to read the book first before watching the movie,
but that usually ended up with a very frustrated me, because of all the key points that
were missing. Therefore I now tend to watch the movie first and then read the
book, plus there is that element of surprise when watching it on the big screen!
Oh and I can also put faces to the characters - lol!

Have you read "The Help"? And if you have will you be watching the movie?

Love,
Kary xo

DIY Watermelon Inspired Nails

So many things so little time!

We're almost done with the first week of August, and we're only

one month away from the first day of school - yikes!

I've been making sure that we enjoy every single day & moment.

Our days have been full of many adventures, movies, late night sleeping & yummy food :)

I can't wait to post some pictures.

In the mean time I'm leaving you with some pictures of one of my favorite hobbies and an easy

DIY nail idea  that you can do yourself. Now that it's summer I have more time to paint my nails 

and I've been loving coming up with some fresh ideas.

Pink nailpolish -w- OPI's white shatter on top

OPI in Mermaid Tears -w- OPI Silver Shatter on top

My sister asked me to paint her nails :)

DYI - Watermelon inspired nails

Things you will need: nail polish & band-aids.

 1) You will need OPI in Mermaid Tears & Sparrow Me The Drama

(These were a birthday gift from my beautiful sister's Marz & Micaela)

First paint your entire nail in Sparrow Me The Drama - I used two coats.

2)  Let the pink nail polish dry for about 15 - 20  minutes so that non of the nail
polish gets pulled off when you put the band aid on your nail.

Depending on what kind of line you want from straight to diagonal, that is the way you need 

to put the band-aid on. For this design we are doing a diagonal line.

3) After you place the ban-aid diagonally on the nail, use the Mermaid Tears and color

over the pink nail polish. I also used two coats of this mint color.

You can remove the band-aid slowly a minute or two after you finish applying the Mermaid tears.

After one more minute or two finish by applying a clear top coat.

4) Voila - You have a perfect diagonal design and manicure :)

Side Note: You can also use scotch tape - even though I do feel it is somewhat tougher and when 

it is pulled off the nail some of the nail polish does come off,  and you can also use any two

colors you like.

I now have a different design on my nails :)

Can you guess? Hint: I see spots.

Today I baked some cupcakes and Miguelto said Mami they remind me of your nails :)

Happy Friday Loves

Love,

Kary xo