Weekending it

This weekend Dan and I took a mini road trip to New Jersey. His boss let us borrow his car and we headed to our next door state to run some errands and explore the area. In the afternoon we saw La La Land at the theater.

You guys, I really really wanted to love this movie. But, we just didn't. We rarely go to the movies here because it is so expensive but since we were in New Jersey and it was a matinee showing, the tickets were pretty cheap. That combined with an ancient gift card we had from a wedding present we saw the show and got popcorn for a total of $10 out-of-pocket. Steal! Everyone was raving about La La Land and insisted it needed to be seen on the big screen and since I'm a huge fan of musicals, I really wanted to see it. Unfortunately, for us, it just did not even come close to the hype.

First of all, high expectations are always ripe for disappointment. It didn't help that the kid who took our tickets at the theater told us he had seen it 10 times! I mean, it's gotta be great if someone saw it 10 times, right? At one point during the never-ending movie I leaned over to Dan and said "someone saw this 10 times??!!" We just were not wowed.

The music was fine and the singing was fine and the acting was fine. But it was all just fine. And it's fine, for a movie to be fine. But this movie has been so hyped that I expected to be crying or laughing the whole time, and then purchasing the soundtrack immediately after, and then thinking about it hours after it ended, and then plotting when I could see it next. None of that happened for me. I kind of already forgot most of it.

But please, if you are a mega fan of this movie I would appreciate if you could explain why. Perhaps we missed something.

Sunday was a down day for me but it perked-up by the end. I made the Pioneer Woman beef enchiladas for dinner. It was good but a pretty involved process that fell apart immediately when plated (tortillas soaked in sauce never survive delivery). I also nearly burned the rice. It's my special skill. I follow the directions exactly but I always manage to catch it about 1 minute before becoming inedible (even when there is like 5 minutes left on the timer).

Also this weekend, we watched the entire first season of Z: The Beginning of Everything on Amazon Prime about Zelda Fitzgerald. We enjoyed it.

Peeks from the Week

Fair warning, I'm moody today. The sun was out approximately one day this week and we've had a series of trivial but still inconvenient and unfortunate events this week.

It's my annual January grumpiness making way for my February grumpiness.  

One, the toilet stopped working properly on Saturday. We hobbled through Sunday but it was done by Sunday night. You never know how important a toilet is until yours doesn't work. It's times like these when having more than one bathroom would be really nice. Fortunately, the Super was willing to come after his work hours on Monday night to fix it. We tipped him generously.

Also on Monday we had strong winds and rain all day and apparently the window in the spare room wasn't locked so the force of the wind pushed it open, letting cold air and rain into the apartment for who knows how long (we were both at work). The curtain absorbed most of the moisture but it took a good six hours for the heat to come back into the apartment once we got the window closed.

Last night Dan accidentally knocked over one of my wax warmer things spilling the green wax all over my laptop. I was pretty mad at first but luckily I got it off with goo-gone and, for now, the laptop still works. Time will tell.

Sorry this is super complain-y but I just want to make sure I document the fact that our life isn't perfect and because I don't have a handful of photos to share about happenings from our week, it proves we are normal human beings making no effort to present our lives in a pretty box with a bow.

To end on a better note, it is Friday. So yay. Also this week we got to spend time with some friends we don't get to see much anymore. They came over for dinner and games and we had a great time. And part of my cold dead heart defrosted for a bit because I got to see their baby. Tonight we get to babysit for said baby!

Hoping you all had a better week or something fun to do this weekend. 

Show and Tell Tuesday: Steal & Splurges

I'm happy about participating in Andrea's Show and Tell Tuesday link-up again this year. I'm hoping to have something relevant for the majority of the prompts this time around.

Today we're sharing Steal & Splurges: How your family saves what you feel is worth the splurge.

Living in New York is expensive. This, everyone knows. In reality it is primarily the real estate (rent or mortgage) which is outrageous and the grocery store prices are slightly higher as well. It's the price you pay for living in a city with tremendous amenities? The standard rule is to spend about 30% of your gross (before taxes) monthly income on housing. But that rule doesn't take into account the cost of living in certain cities. This is an interesting article to check out. That being said, most of our income goes to paying the rent. But we're used to it and have learned other ways of saving.

Dan and I were both raised in frugal households. Saving and pinching was normal, so normal that we didn't really know a difference. Would I say I liked not being able to get whatever I wanted when I was a kid? Heck no. I used to cry about wanting my dad to be like Daddy Warbucks. But, as an adult I really value that my parents raised me to understand the value of earning and saving. When we have kids, we plan to raise them the same way.

Until recently, we didn't watch expenses too carefully. We didn't spend crazy but I didn't think twice if I wanted to get a new tablecloth at TJMaxx. In the fall when we stepped away from Dan's salary at the church, we took a big hit to our monthly income. At that time I watched that monthly amount much more carefully and we cut all unnecessary spending (we called it the austerity plan).  Fortunately, just cutting those little trips to Old Navy or going out to eat more than once a week has been enough prevent too much budget shock after losing an income. Dan picked-up an extra day at the law office he works at part-time and that's has helped to make-up some of the difference. Also, our insurance and my retirement are taken out of my paycheck before I even see it. So I don't worry about any of that. It's gone before I can even miss it. Dan sets money aside every year in his own retirement fund. If we happen to be gifted money throughout the year or Dan gets a bonus at work - it goes into savings and we might skim a tiny amount for having fun.

These are our general cost saving rules:

Treats and Eating Out

Things like Starbucks are occasional treats, NOT an every day purchase. Same goes for eating out. If we do go out we try to keep the total bill around $25 so that means we eat at Chipotle or Chick-fil-a more often than sit-down places. I do like eating out so we splurge no more than once a week if we have a coupon or gift card. Also, pizza is cheap and I'm just as excited about that as I am fancy pasta with waiter service.

3 Square Meals

I bring breakfast and a sack lunch to work everyday and Dan gets his lunch provided by his boss or he brings one. Lunch dates are a rare treat. Things become more special the less often they happen. For dinner, I meal plan on Saturday or Sunday and we do our weekly grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon. We have some standard pantry items like spaghetti sauce and chili fixings always on hand for weeks when we "run out" of food. I will not go to the grocery store more than once a week if I can help it.

Clothes

Clothing items are purchased on sale and no new items go into the closet without older items leaving. We dress pretty exclusively in Old Navy, Gap Factory, and other discount retailers. We both have summer birthdays so it's perfect timing between b-days and Christmas to ask for new shoes or clothes as presents. I almost always clothes shop with coupons. We are not and will never be boutique shoppers. We just aren't classy like that. I'd rather have 10 shirts than 1 shirt for the same price.

Amazon 

Amazon Prime is an essential asset.  It is SO convenient living in the city. We have one nearby Target but we rarely ever go there because it is crazy crowded and we have to haul everything on the Subway. Also, shopping Prime helps me reduce impulse buys. Once a month, or every other month, we make one Prime Pantry order for items like toilet paper, Lysol wipes, and bulk items that are expensive to buy in the stores here (for example Nature Valley granola bars are about $5 a box at our local store. They are $2 on Prime Pantry). Our Amazon credit card is the only credit card we have. We use it for Amazon purchases and other large expenses like plane tickets. The bill gets paid every month.

Vacation

Since we live far away from both of our families, most of our vacation time and travel money is spent visiting them. And we are fine with that. Neither of us are travel addicts.  Every spring we take a bus trip to some place along the East Coast (Philly, DC, Boston) for a weekend. Every summer we take a beach trip to some place along the Jersey Shore for our anniversary. Other days off we spend locally.

Mad Money

This winter we started a new rule for Mad Money. We used to just swipe our debit cards whenever but now we each get $20 cash at the beginning of the month to spend as we please. Once it's gone you have to wait until next month for more. This I feel like is a little tight and restrictive but I also like the challenge of seeing how much I can have left at the end of the month. I keep track of all debit card purchases and bill pay on a spreadsheet and color code all expenses so we know where the money is going.

Laundry and extra expenses

We have $60 a month for laundry and package pick-up. Any leftover at the end of the month is a little extra mad money for a date or take-out! That's a special splurge.

Debt

We have no debt. We paid off my student loans in 2015 and never looked back. We don't have a car and we WILL NEVER buy a home in NYC. My philosophy is "owe nothing to no one."

Entertainment

You can't live near NYC and not take advantage of the awesome sights and entertainment. We pick and choose what we want and always look for the cheapest options. We go direct to the box office to purchase tickets to avoid the online fees. Also so much of what the city has to offer is free, you just need to be willing to ride the subway and brave the crowds. It's no secret that we love Broadway so that is our biggest splurge but we also know our way around cheap options. See our tips here.

Dan and I like nice things but nice doesn't mean expensive. And we don't feel like we're missing out on anything. That's the key. Be happy with what you have and work towards what you want. Don't look too hard at other people and wonder how they do it. "Comparison is the thief of joy."

We are thrifty and careful with our money but I always say, you can't take any of it with you. On the day you die would you rather have a huge amount in the bank or a treasure load of memories from all the fun things you did? Your kids won't remember all the toys and clothes they had, they'll remember the time you spent with them. So be smart but don't be afraid to enjoy what you've earned.

Weekending it

This weekend we worked on two things.

1) Puzzle

We started this puzzle on Thursday night and finished it Sunday afternoon. It was super fun and it feels like such a great accomplishment when you finish.

2) Kitchen Cart

I brought this little counter-height table and stools set with me to New York when I first moved here seven years ago. I had a strong sentimental attachment to it and really didn't want to part with it but it was getting shabby and we really needed more storage space as opposed to sitting space in the kitchen.

So we ordered a new kitchen cart on Amazon. It got great reviews and we pooled gift cards and our Amazon credit card points to purchase it for less than $100! We assembled it together on Saturday and we LOVE it.

It's about two inches bigger on each side and the drawers are perfect for all the foil, plastic wrap, and sandwich bag boxes. We had those previously stored in a tub way up on the tip top of the overhead cabinets. Super inconvenient. Now they are easily accessible! We have lots of empty space at the moment but I'm sure we'll fill it up. For one, I want to get a dutch oven which I had NO space for before but now it should fit nicely on one of the shelves. It feels like a whole new kitchen.

I'm sad it's a full work week but I'm hoping I can still be as productive. Happy Monday!

Peeks from the Week

I think during the winter our lives become dramatically boring and yet more exhausting at the same time. Truly, the lack of sunshine really withers my soul.

I am grateful for every week that is only four work days. On Monday I cleaned the entire apartment which included vacuuming under the dressers and conducting a 20 minute science experiment with baking soda and vinegar on the the bathroom sink. I also made a batch of the Pioneer Woman's baked ziti which I split into two pans and stuck in the freezer for the future. It was a productive day which was strangely relaxing.

Also this week I splurged and got a bundle set of the Pioneer Woman's first two cookbooks (they were 50% off) bringing my total to four. Oddly, I've only ever seen one episode of her show. I just really like her cookbooks because the recipes are easy to follow, serve more than 4 (hello leftovers), and are amazingly delicious. 

This week we also reinstated our Unplug Nights. We started this last year with one night a week designated as no-devices (phones, tv, etc.). We got started late because I was flurry texting with Mandy, but eventually we got to the puzzle we got at Christmas as our unplug activity. It will make for an entertaining weekend project.

This weekend is blissfully wide open. No plans and that's my favorite.

Random question to anyone out there reading this page who also has a blog. One, do you use Google Analytics? And two, has your blog been overrun with spam bots since October? Mine went rampant (same time as the election) and it was so out of control and confusing that I paid someone to filter it for me. Just curious if anyone else experienced this. I don't run any ads on our site or sponsored posts but I can't imagine if we had what a mess that would be. Spam bots basically skew the reporting on your site to make it look like hundreds, if not thousands, of people are viewing your page when in reality its a ghost(s).

Weekending it

Happy Holiday Monday!

I forgot to post my Peeks from the Week on Friday because we had an unexpected early dismissal for the holiday weekend so my brain was in weekend mode too soon.  On Friday night we went to Gino's to cash-in the free pizza I won on New Years Eve for posting a picture of our dinner date on Instagram. Clearly there was no competition so I won!!

It was really good, we'd never tried their pizza before.

On Saturday we hung out in the morning and then headed into the city to go bowling (free!) with a bunch of other people in this leadership program we've been doing.

Dan and I played with another couple and I came in last every single game. Dan did pretty well and I did get two strikes, so I'm happy with that.

It snowed again on Saturday but didn't accumulate much and it was all melted by Sunday. After church we did our weekly grocery shopping and then a friend came over for cookies and tea and chat. It was nice to spend some quality time with her.

Dan was glued to watching all the football on Sunday but sadly his KC Cheifs lost to the Steelers and they are out of the playoffs. It's sad but I'm okay with it because if they had won they would play the Patriots next week and I despise the Patriots to no-end so I'm glad we won't have to watch that game with much emotion.

For our Johnson Sunday dinner I made BBQ chicken drummies, Momma's Mac & Cheese, and salad.

I have today off. Woot! And I have big plans to deep clean the apartment and do some freezer food prep. 

2016 Broadway Review

At the beginning of 2016, Broadway wasn't on my mind at all. Of course I love seeing shows but I had no intention of seeing more than one show and I was fine with that. But somehow by the end of summer we had managed to see five shows (six for me) and then I decided why not make it a Broadway year and see as much as we could? So we did and ended up seeing 12 shows (11 for Dan)!

That's a personal record not likely to ever be repeated or exceeded.

We had so much fun and I will always look back on 2016 with fond excitement because Broadway really ignites a spark in my heart. I've never wanted to be a performer of any kind but I truly love seeing other talented people perform live on stage. I think it's pretty great that God made us to be creative and entertaining and I often get a powerful and positive sense of hope and connection to humanity when I see a show.

Since we saw so many great shows I thought I would review what we saw and rank them in order of favorites. Unfortunately, many of these shows are no longer playing in NYC but many are classics and likely to return or are touring around the country. See them if you can!

#1 Overall Favorite Show: Wicked

We saw this show in July as part of Dan's birthday celebration. It was without a doubt the best show I have ever seen (I've seen over 20). It's the full Broadway package and leaves nothing out. This show absolutely lives up to the hype. We paid for full-price tickets at the back of the mezzanine (a little over $100 per seat) but it was worth every penny. We still had an awesome view and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Bonus points, the theater is huge and we had a ton of leg room. Double bonus points, the energy of the show stays with you long after it's over.

#2 School of Rock
We saw this show via Rush in October. Front row seats for $37 and we were floored by the performance. Epic. Bonus points, amazing child actors and fantastic choreography.

#3 Blue Man Group
We saw this show in April and it is technically "off Broadway" which just means it isn't in a theater in Times Square. I wrote a lot about this show back here. It was just really different and interactive. We loved it. Bonus points, the theater is small so you really feel like you're part of the show - even from the back row! Double bonus points, Dan was touched by a Blue Man!

#4 Waitress
The music in this show is absolutely beautiful. I also loved this show because Mandy was here with us when we saw it. Great story, good laughs, and memorable music. Bonus points, the theater smells like fresh baked pie.

#5 Finding Neverland (no longer on Broadway)
This show was really magical and fun. We saw it via Rush during our epic Broadway weekend. It was the show's last weekend and it felt like the cast really delivered their best which I wasn't expecting. Bonus points, talented child actors, flying, and a live dog.

#6 Something Rotten (no longer on Broadway)
This show was rather obscure and didn't get a lot of attention but we loved it. We saw this the day after Thanksgiving with my parents and sisters and everyone was a fan. It was hysterical and the costumes and music were phenomenal. Bonus points, a totally original plot.

#7 Cats
I was really surprised by this show. It's a classic but just returned to Broadway. Neither of us really had any idea what it was about so we enjoyed the unexpected experience. The costumes and staging were great but the story didn't really flow like a typical show (this was intentional). Bonus points, we saw the original revival cast with Leona Lewis as Grizabella.

#8 Les Miserables (no longer on Broadway)
We saw this as part of our epic Broadway weekend. It is a classic and a musical I've always loved and wanted to see on Broadway. It is long and somewhat hard to follow if you are not familiar with the music or the story but still superbly done.

#9 The Illusionist (no longer on Broadway)
This wasn't a musical so it falls outside of what I would personally call "Broadway" but it was highly entertaining and we were pretty captivated the whole time. Magic is really hard to believe in this age of technology but there were definitely some acts that we are still wondering, "how did they do that???"

#10 Matilda (no longer on Broadway)
This is only far down on the list because I'd seen the show before, but if I hadn't it would be near the top. I've said it many times before but I LOVE kid actors and this show is full of talent. The only downside is kids are sometimes hard to understand and even harder when they have British accents so be aware of that. Bonus points, there are swings on stage!

#11 Chicago
Another classic and only far down the list because I'd seen it before. I saw it again this year with my friend for our epic Broadway weekend. This show lacks that Broadway flare with the fancy stage and use of props and costumes so if you are expecting something like the movie, you'll be disappointed. There really aren't any scene or costumes changes to speak of but the music can totally stand alone. Bonus points, if you are sitting towards the front of the stage you can take some "razzle dazzle" home.

#12 Fiddler on the Roof (no longer on Broadway)
I'm glad we saw this classic before it left Broadway but I'm definitely more of a fan of the upbeat and sparkly shows and this was not one of them. Still a superb performance just not one of my favorites. 

It should be noted that we never paid more than $105 per ticket for any of these shows and most of the shows we saw for less than $50 per ticket. It's fully possible to experience most of what Broadway has to offer on a low budget!! If you are in NYC or hoping to visit, take a look at my Broadway on the Cheap post to find some tips to make Broadway more affordable for you.

I'm not sure we will ever have the time or freedom to see this much Broadway in one year again but it was fun while it lasted. These are the shows I'd love to see this year: The Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Anastasia, Hello Dolly, and Miss Saigon. And in 10 years when everyone else in the world is done obsessing over it, I'd love to see Hamilton.

Weekending it

We had our first major snow of the season/year this past weekend. I didn't even know we were supposed to get snow at all but we ended up getting 4-5 inches! I would have loved to sleep all day but we had tickets for Escape the Room NYC in the Lower East Side that afternoon. We trudged through the blowing snow and navigated awkward weekend trains to reach our destination on time.

My uncle gave us tickets for this experience for Christmas and I'll admit I was scared. I am claustrophobic and the idea of being locked in a room does not sound fun. But it was fine. Not traumatic at all. We were with 6 other people (strangers to us) and we were locked in the 1980s themed rec room and had one hour to locate all the clues and unlock the door. We had fun but ended up being completely overwhelmed by the other dominating personalities in our group. We tried to help solve various clues but I don't think either of us contributed much of anything. We were bowled over very easily. At the end we had to beat the Pong game on the Atari machine and Dan was trying so hard and was doing really well but ultimately the Clue Master just gave us the code because she said the game was basically impossible to beat. So technically we won since we got the door open in time but Dan and I didn't feel very accomplished.

We had fun but would have enjoyed it more if it had been just us or with people we knew. The people we were with were very nice it just wasn't much of a team effort.

Afterwards we trekked back home with the snow still coming down pretty hard. We played Sonic racing, watched movies, and snuggled the rest of the day. We watched Gleason which was a beautiful documentary but so tragic and sad.

On Sunday we went to church, did our grocery shopping, and lazed around the rest of the day. I'm really loving slow weekends.

For the new year one of my goals is meal plan for the week, do our weekly grocery shopping on the weekend, and make a full (semi-involved) meal for Sunday dinner with enough for leftovers for Monday night. So far I'm doing well! We had chicken pot pie last week and chicken corn chowder this week!

Napkin Notes, last of 2016

We had a really nice low-key week. Just work and then relaxing at home. There isn't anything for our regular Peeks from the Week post, so instead I'm recapping more Napkin Notes. 

I got behind on documenting my Napkin Notes from the last half of 2016. These date back to August and I had a pile of 60 accumulated!

Sorry, I still haven't figured out the best way to photograph these.

His little drawing of the Squeetie Bird (his nickname for me) is my favorite.

These are my top picks (the ones I'm keeping forever in my memory box).

These little notes mean more to me than any amount of flower bouquets (which die) and chocolates (which get eaten). Gifts of the heart.

Looking Back at 2016

For the past two years I've filled out these little printables for the new year. Gotta keep-up with blog tradition!

The two with the blue are covered for privacy

Looking Back at 2015 
Looking Back at 2014

I got these cute print-outs here.  

2016 was a hard year for us. Hard doesn't necessarily mean bad but we definitely had our fair share of cloudy skies and heavy hearts. But for all the ways that 2016 was difficult, it truly brought us closer together. We learned to lean on each other. We learned to listen and understand. We learned to show up and stand up for one another and not as two separate people but as a committed couple.

Aside from our incredibly supportive families, we also had two valuable souls who were entirely unrelated and under no obligation to counsel us through our particular circumstances. They helped us to see that what we were experiencing was not from God and we didn't need to feel obligated to remain in a harmful place. Without their guidance and continual encouragement, we'd still be in an emotionally oppressive place. I am grateful for them. They are gifts from God.

2016 brought our most difficult decision as a married couple but surely not the last. Through it all, the one thing we learned was that on the other side of pain there was incredible freedom and love.  Big changes are always scary but also incredibly powerful and can be agents of healing. Embracing temporary discomfort can lead you to a happiness waiting to be experienced.

So if you feel like you are in a dark place or have been for some time I encourage you get some help from friends, family, and outsiders. Talk about it. Believe that you deserve better and do what you can to seek it out. Don't sit in the pain and let it take over. Move forward bravely. And when you look back on those dark times, don't be bitter but treasure them in your heart. They are what make you strong.

Weekending it

New year, new look for the blog!

We had a fun and relaxing New Years weekend. I kind of loved having both Christmas and New Years fall on Sundays this year. At my job they always give us half days the Friday before and Monday was a holiday as well so it felt like a lovely long break.

Last Thursday night Dan and I met-up after work and saw The Illusionists on Broadway. This year for Christmas I asked my Uncle Greg for "experiences" instead of physical gifts. The tickets to the show were one of his gifts. Times Square was absolutely the most crowded I have EVER seen and it was so overwhelming and frustrating. We are guessing it was a madhouse because there are so many tourists in the city for the New Years Eve celebration. But anyways, the theater was smack in the middle of Times Square so we had to push our way through.

The show was awesome! It was a magic show that was meant to feel old-timely turn of the century. We loved the Clairvoyants the best because it was literally impossible to tell how they were doing their act. Apparently the pair won second place in America's Got Talent this year. We had balcony seats but front row by the railing so we could see everything. Fortunately, we were too far up to be called on stage as "guest participants." It was our last show of the year bringing my total to 12!! An all-time record, likely never to be exceeded.

On New Years Eve Dan and I hung out most of the day and had friends over for a bit to play with their baby. That night we got all fancy and went to dinner at the nice Italian restaurant near us. It was so yummy and festive. We go "out" a lot but rarely to fancy places so this was a nice treat.

We watched a movie the rest of the night and I was sooo tired by 11:30 but rallied until midnight to see the ball drop. We toasted to 2017 with our traditional goofy glasses and sparking cider (I bought grape-apple thinking it would be new and different but it was revolting).

On New Years day we slept-in, made muffins, watched TV in bed, and had a lazy day. The church we've been attending didn't have service on Sunday for the holiday. That night we made chicken pot pie and I made a butter pecan cake with maple buttercream frosting for Dan's half birthday.

This is the same kind of cake that Mandy made us for our wedding. The last time I tried to make it was an epic disaster (see here). I did a much better job this time.

We had a great weekend together and feel refreshed for the New Year.