Kibble and Bits and Bits and Bits and Bits

Since Lucy was a puppy, we have fed her some sort of organic kibble. Our vet convinced us that it was better than the "big box" stuff since it didn't have any fillers. We bought into it and got her a big bag of Nutro Natural Choice Small Puppy Bites. She loved it...devoured it in fact until she was introduced to cat food (courtesy of her 2 cat brothers). For some reason, cat food is like candy to dogs and once she got her first bite, it was Meow Mix in ~ Organic Nutro Kibble out.

In order to fix this situation, we decided to switch things up for Lucy. So in came Blue Buffalo. We had heard good things about this stuff and after reading the ingredients on the Small Breed Chicken & Rice bag, we had a winner. And lucky for us, she liked it!
There is just one problem.

The bits.

You see, this very fabulous, expensive, organic kibble that keeps my puppy happy has these little LifeSource Bits filled with antioxidants, vitamins and vital nutrients. Sounds good, right? WRONG! Lucy does not like the bits so instead of eating them, she spits them out all over the floor.


All those little black dots resembling bugs, or bunny poop are in fact LifeSource bits. Oh, I should also mention that she does not eat over her bowl. She takes some kibble in her mouth, walks away, drops it on the floor and then eats which is why there is such a widespread distribution of bits.


When you watch her eat, you can literally see her spit the bit out. It's nuts! Figures she doesn't like the uber-healthy stuff. We have now grown into the habit of picking out all of the bits in her bowl to avoid the mess.


It's a good thing she is so cute! It also might be a good time to find some new kibble.

One Fine Piece of Table

So the tales of our exciting days that kept me from my computer continue with a chock-filled weekend. Saturday morning brought quality time for me with Mom Q. at Leesburg Outlets. My birthday gift from my parents this year was a shopping spree (hello...yah!). And since we spent girl time with Grandma Basile on my actual birthday, we postponed our retail therapy day to this past Saturday. And I can tell you...some damage was done. The goodies flowed from William Sonoma, Cole Haan, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Crate and Barrel and many more. There was so much that we had to make 2 trips to the car to unload bags ~ Thank you Mom and Dad!


Our Saturday evening was spent up in Tacoma Park, MD visiting with cousins Mike and Alisa Mangiaracina. Wouldn't you know that Ed had some family close by! They have an adorable condo filled with fun trinkets from their broad travels and more books than I've ever seen. We enjoyed great food and great company and look forward to seeing them again soon.

Along came Sunday and we had some BIG plans. One of my most favorite things to do in DC when the weather is nice is roam around Eastern Market. This HUGE open air market is filled with farmfresh produce and handmade arts and crafts. I love sampling the food (especially the cheese!) and seeing all the beautiful artwork and jewelry. On this trip, I paid special attention to the flea market area in hopes of finding some fun, unique trinkets for the house.

After loading up on veggies from Sunnyside Farm, home made salsa from the lovely ladies at Wisteria Gardens and all kinds of cheese from Bowers Fancy Dairy Products, we found ourselves at a familiar stand. We had been here before and took this picture:


I've had it in my phone for close to a year...if you can see the date it says 2010/08/08. We knew what we needed to do. May I present, our new improved entrance hallway:


We are SO excited with how the table looks in the hall. It's not a wide space so we needed something slim enough to fit, but large enough to look like it belongs on that long wall. I think we did good. :) Have I mentioned how much I love Eastern Market?!

The weekend ended with a neighborhood BBQ at the Newland house. We feel very lucky that we moved into a house that is surrounded by good people. Good food, good drink ... and even better company. Here's to many more this summer!

Fenced In Part 2

It has been an eventful few days. So eventful, in fact, that I did not have time to sit at the computer and share the details with you fine people. Well that ends now. :) The Mangiaracina excitement started on Friday morning with the arrival of Mow Cow. As I mentioned here, we are installing a fence in the back yard so that we can enjoy some privacy, and have a place for Lucy Girl to run around and do her business. The day finally came and the fence is now up and we couldn't be more pleased. It took 2 guys and about 8 hours to complete the job and I have to say, they did a bang up job. Here is how things looked around 9 am...


...and now an hour or so in.

A slight hiccup occurred when we realized that they had the wrong fence panels. What they had was indeed a spiked plank, but it needed to be a Gothic spike, so off to Home Depot they went to fix the error. Luckily the 2 guys were able to continue the job while good old Matt from Mow Cow made the run. Once the correct materials were in hand, they started moving right along.


Lucy supervised throughout the day...


... and by 4 pm, they were about done. The gate install took almost an hour and after a quick clean up, we had ourselves a fence!


It's been a long time coming, but we are extremely pleased with how it turned out. Lucy is pleased too...she sniffed the place out before finding the perfect spot to let loose. :) Next up is laying sod in the yard and lots and lots of deck maintenance. More on the weekend details to come!

Cha-Cha-Cha Changes

I recently had a bit of a feng shui attack in my office and decided to streamline/re-organize it a bit. I work from home 90% of the time so this space must be both functional and comfortable ~ and of course my goal is to make it stylish as well!

Over the years with TIA, I have collected a fare amount toys and games. Lately, I felt as thought they were taking over my desk so I needed to redistribute. A good amount went to the kids on the block which, in turn, has made me a neighborhood favorite. :) Others now live in the new book case that Mom and Dad Q. donated to us (it used to be my Grandpa Basile's which makes it extra special!). Now, my unused corner has a function:


This new space houses many of my little friends including my Mets Lubie, my original Cabbage Patch Kid, my Pound Puppies (big and small) and many others. I'm a kid...I know. But I did manage to sneak in a few books and magazines in there as well.

I also took a tip from this Pottery Barn image.


I wanted to somehow incorporate mason jars into my work space and decided to use them on my desk for pens, pencils, markers, paper clips, and all sorts of small office goodies. I think they look pretty cute next to my Ugly Doll and my Slinky.


Here are a few more views of the new and improved office...


...new phone system allowing me to do my wheeling and dealing with ease...


...a hook on the door for some of the promos I've sold...


...and of course my Toy Story plush dolls. Gotta love them!



The only thing left to do is replace the overhead light with a fun fixture...can anyone say Capiz Chandelier??

Foodie-ville

New York City is a Foodie's paradise. Sure, you have the traditional fare that New York is known for like pizza, bagels and hot dogs from a street vendor. But when you dig a little deeper, there is a treasure chest of delicious cuisine on every corner. Literally!

Whenever I am up in New York I do my best to stay busy after work hours. I mean, who wants to sit in a hotel room and watch bad TV when you are in a city like New York. So I usually book myself up and spend quality time with friends and family. This recent trip was no different.

I rolled into town on Sunday and spent a wonderful evening by my lonesome at the Intercontinental Times Square (read about my stay here). On Monday, I was lucky enough to dine with 2 of my favorite TIA gals ~ Adrienne and Amanda. Adrienne booked us a table at Dell'Anima...a chic little Italian restaurant in the West Village. The food was delicious, (how could bruschette with home made ricotta and orecchiette with pancetta and broccoli rabe NOT be delicious!), but the company was even better. I love that I work with great people. What I love even MORE is that I can truly call these 2 girls (and some others ~ you know who you are) true friends. :)


One of the best things about New York is that the unexpected can pop up at any time, and that is where lunch on Tuesday comes in. My office is in a great part of town ~ 25th and Broadway which is an intersection that houses Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building.


In recent years, the city has made it their goal to increase public space by creating pedestrian seating areas at major intersections. One such space exists right outside my building's doors and I was happy to see that Madison Square Eats was occupying the space during my stay. Essentially, a bunch of restaurants and artisans set up tents and feed locals for a month.


So despite the rain, I popped down there for lunch and picked me up a kafta arayes wrap from Ilili (a great place serving Mediterranean fare) and a cheddar cheese & truffle oil pretzel from Sigmund Pretzelshop. Words cannot describe the yummy-ness of these 2 items.


I love when street fairs pop up because it gives me a chance to sample different things from restaurants all around the city. It's one stop "stuff you face" shopping!


Dinner on Tuesday night was with Jim and Daniel at their abode in Forest Hills. Daniel whipped up a delicious meal (as per usual - great cook!) using an Anne Burell recipe as a base. Of course he added his own little zip to the Chicken Scarpiello. It was great as was the food coma that induced after we finished. :)

My final day in New York City found me with a lunch date ~ bestie Tulay. We hit up Tappo ~ a new pizza place that opened up around the corner. It is a sister restaurant to Vezzo - another amazing pizza place that Dina (work mom) introduced me to a while back. We shared their Shroomtown pizza which consists of Portobello, Shitake, & Button Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil. Can we say YUM?!


So as they say, that's a wrap. This foodie needs to detox for the next few weeks in preparation for my next trip. I'm sure there will be a whole new slew of hot spots to try out!

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program...

I need to take a break from "Being Mangiaracina" for a few days while I am in New York City for my monthly office visit. But before I go, I HAD to share some photos of my AMAZING hotel room at the Intercontinental Times Square. I am a very lucky girl that gets to stay at some amazing (and some not so amazing...ahem Holiday Inn Columbus Circle) hotels in New York City while visiting. I've seen everything from full kitchenettes at the Element by Westin, to full breakfasts at the Wingate by Wyndham, to cupcakes upon check-in at Fashion 26. But I got that extra special feeling when I walked into the new Intercontinental Times Square. First of all, there is a Shake Shack at the base of the hotel - hello YUM! The lobby has a very contemporary feel complete with beautiful artwork, a fireplace and views of a gorgeous sculpture garden.



When I headed up to my room, I was pleasantly surprised. More like pleasant thrilled!! I opened the door to a clean, chic room filled with beautiful furnishings, more great artwork and a bathroom to die for! Seriously...the navy glass tiles paired with the linen subway tiles in the spa-like shower were nothing short of a masterpiece.

I took about a thousand photos so that we can one day mimic the feeling that this room and bathroom conveyed. I even love how the bed linens and towels were not stark hotel white. Instead, the comfy bed sported beige sheets while the bathroom offered spa blue hand towels and wash cloths.

It was a great stay made even better by the fact that one of my favorite moves, Lost in Translation, was on HBO. I settled into the comfy bed and had a 5-star snooze and felt 100% refreshed and ready to start my work stint in the office.

I'm sad to say that I will not be enjoying the luxury of the Intercontinental Times Square Hotel for another night as they are sadly sold out for the rest of the week. Instead, I will be crashing with husbands #2 & #3 - Jim and Daniel! I have a sneaking suspicion that the rest of my NY stay will be just as good as the first night. See you all on Thursday!

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

An important member of the Mangiaracina family is about to find a new home. This guy has been with Ed since 2006. I first met him on our third date when I was living in Forest Hills. He was sleek...sporty...and very sexy ~ especially to a girl who did all her traveling on foot. He had me at hello and now it is time to say goodbye. We have found a buyer for the Scion. What did you think I was talking about?!


This car has been a work horse for us since the day I met Ed namely because it was our only vehicle for two and a half years (which on Long Island is a long time). Ed taught me how to drive stick shift in this baby and made me completely neurotic about curbing the rim (Ed is a little over meticulous about his cars). This puppy has clocked in over 90,000 miles thanks to Ed's job with Sprint and still looks as though it just came off the lot. It has made countless trips to VA and back and has kept us all safe along the way.


But alas, it is time to move on. Since Ed's Ford Fusion Sprint car has joined our family, the Scion has spent more time parked than on the move. Plus it's sporty design and 2-door action is not quite as "family friendly" as we will need it to be in future years. So we made the decision to post it on Craigslist.com and "see what happens." Well, what happens is that an email is received within 5 minutes and a check is in hand within 3 hours. Not too shabby.

So what's in store for us next? Well, we will remain a 2-car household for the moment and add to the car fund so that we can get our dream car when the lease on the Camry is up next year. What, might you ask is our dream car? Well, this is Ed's...



...and this is mine...


...but I think we will go with something a little more practical. Stay tuned!