Pages

Monday, March 31, 2014

My Photo Diary: March



March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

So how was your March?

Mine was kind of "dullsville," honestly, and I'm looking forward to April.

I hope wherever you are, winter grays are starting to be replaced with spring greenery. We've had boat-loads of rain the past few days, and even some "wintry mix," so I am in need of some blue skies and warmer temperatures.

I've been brushing up on my photo-a-day skills, so that I'll be ready for "Show Us Your April," the project that my friend Claire, from a little CLAIREification and I are collaborating on. Are you ready to join us?


The gist of it is that you take a photo every day for the month of April...create a post about it, and then link up with us between May 1 and 7. Check here for more info. 

Or, better yet, let me show you my March, and you'll get the idea! 

 **********************************************


March 1
Bought a new bird feeder today. It didn't take long for word to spread that there was a new "all you can eat" place in town.

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 2
Sunday papers and coffee. Simple pleasures.

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 3
Seeds are here. Spring must not be far behind. Is it? IS it???

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 4
Morning sunlight in the bathroom. 

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 5
Man cannot live on bread alone...but I can. 

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 6
Passing by The Ansonia (Upper West Side, Manhattan), home to many celebrities...en route to dinner with friends. 



March 7 
The cardinal rules. 

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 8
Springing forward.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 9
"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy." 55 degrees and sunny...first time on my deck since fall.  

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 10
What's this??? Daffodils! The very first sign of Spring that I've seen! #feelingencouraged

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 11
Mr. Goo Shoes found money tucked into an old photo album in the basement today. The story is worthy of its own post. 

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 12
Spring...on a New York City street corner (Lexington and 78th Street), passed on my way to a doctor appointment. 

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 13
The snow is finally almost all melted. Sadie is a happy girl.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 14
Dear Deer, I always get excited to see you when you come to visit our backyard, but can you please not make a smorgasboard of our bushes? 

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 15
Haven't been to Harvest on Hudson, one of our favorite restaurants, since we held Junior Goo Shoes' Bar Mitzvah party there in October 2012. Happy to be back for dinner with our good friends (the ones with the beautiful garden). What could be better? Desserts all around!

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
Clockwise from top left: NY Cheesecake; Coconut Panna cotta; Cannoli & Cookie Board; Lime Sorbet

March 16
Prepping Tomato, Basil & Kale Frittata for brunch today.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 17
Happy St. Patrick's Day Bagels!

My Photo Diary: March --- by Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 18
What's wrong with this picture? Shopping at Lord & Taylor's on 5th Ave. in New York City, and leaving without a single purchase! That's what's wrong! 

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 19
Now that the lake at the park is mostly unfrozen, the geese have returned for a little "r and r."

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 20
Mr. Goo Shoes and I took our first-ever Yoga class. It kind of ruins the mood to take a picture of yourself during class, so this will have to do. Namaste.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 21
Winter's swan song -- and the first day spring -- is a good day for a walk in the park.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 22
Bought the Waterlogue ap today. I snapped this on a street corner in Amsterdam three years ago. Just call me Toody Van Goo.  

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 23
Breakfast New York style...Bialy with nova and a shmear.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 24
Having a good hair day. Yes, that IS news. 

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
   
March 25
If you want to torture me, put a bowl of mac and cheese in front of me, and remind me of my cholesterol numbers. This was Junior Goo Shoe's dinner; sadly, not mine. 

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 26
"Be vewwy, vewwy quiet...I'm hunting wabbits." (Elmer Fudd).

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

March 27
Mr. Goo Shoes has been hanging out upside down in the basement on his new inversion table. It's really helping his back! Sadie likes to keep him company.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 28
Driving into NYC for lunch on a rainy day; stopped at a light on Broadway and 44th St.  

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 29
I'm a little behind in my magazine reading.

 My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 30
I made my own pizza from scratch today... well, almost. OK, the crust was frozen, but I did the rest. That counts.

My March Photo Diary  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


March 31 
Dinner in NYC tonight with girlfriends is the perfect way to end the month! Not the best photo, but it does convey the spirit of the evening. Cheers! (PS - I am the hand on the far left).



Don't forget to start snapping your photos for the month of April, so you can join Claire at a little CLAIREification and me for our "Show Us Your April" photo diary.

Go ahead...take your first photo right now, just to get started!

See you on May 1 for the link-up!






Linking With:Wow Us Wednesdays

Friday, March 28, 2014

In My World: Random Stuff



Just a few random thoughts on this rainy Friday.

                                   ********************
In the Park:
Raise your hands if you used to play this game...

Duck...Duck...GOOSE!

Duck Duck Goose --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
                                   ********************
In My Lap:
Sweet Sadie-Girl likes to sit on my lap and rest her head on my computer while I'm working. 

I guess that makes her a lap(top) dog. 


In My World: Random Stuff  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

                                   ********************
In The Newspaper:
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch bought a 6850-square foot penthouse apartment in NYC that cost $43 million. You heard me...$43 million!

It wasn't big enough, so he bought the entire 57th floor below it, to combine them. Total cost? $57 million.  Let me say that again.

$57 million. 

Would have made for a pretty good episode on Hou$e Hunter$ Bazillionaire$, don't you think? 


In My World: Random Stuff  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

                                   ********************

In My Archives:
Four years ago today, we were in St. Maarten with our friends whom we had met in Aruba the year before...enjoying the sunset at the marina in Marigot...and stuffing our faces with the best profiteroles in the entire world.  

The. Entire. World. 

Hmmmm...maybe I should have shown the profiteroles picture.


Marigot, St. Maarten --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

OK, you twisted my arm. Here they are in all their chocolate splendor.

In My World: Random Stuff  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


In My World: Random Stuff  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

And that's the way the profiter rolls!

                                   ********************
(Only) In New York City:
There's a new ATM in town. In this one, you put money into it...and out comes a cupcake (Hopefully not through a thin slot)! It's open 24/7, so you can head out in your jammies in the middle of the night, and satisfy your cravings. The Cupcake ATM is on 61st and Lexington, holds 750 freshly-baked cupcakes ($4.50 each), and  -- get this -- you can even buy two mini cupcakes for your dog!

Now that's what I call a "dangerous" neighborhood.


Cupcake ATM in NYC --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
Photo Courtesy of Aunt Goo Shoes

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Linking with:
Nancy at Random 5 Friday

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Bahai Gardens


Has the start of spring turned your thoughts to gardening?

Yeah, me, too.  

I'm chomping at the bit to turn a little nook in my backyard into a "secret" garden.  Thing is, I'm not a gardener. I really have no idea what I'm doing, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I've been pinning photos onto my "Garden Nook" inspiration board on Pinterest all winter long.

When I was going through my photos yesterday, I came across these, of the Bahai Gardens... which are, oh, just a tad bigger than my little nook, and they are hardly a "secret." 


Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

In fact, they are one of the most holy places for people of the Bahai faith, many of whom try to visit this site at least once in their lifetime.

We were fortunate to have visited the Bahai Gardens in December 2012. 

These magnificent terraced gardens are located in Haifa, Israel, and span from down near Haifa Bay, all the way up to Mount Carmel.

Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes 
I hadn't heard of the Bahai religion until we visited the gardens. The central message of the Bahai faith is Unity. The founder of this world-wide religion, Bahá’u’lláh wrote...

"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."

I like that sentiment.  

One of the three entrances is at the top of the mount, through these beautiful gates. 

Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

We had a spectacular view of the gardens and all the way down to Haifa Bay.


Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

It was very overcast, and even rained a bit. I can only imagine how beautiful it is on a bright and sunny day.


Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I wonder what Junior Goo Shoes was thinking at this very moment. I'd like to think he was enthralled with the scenery, but he was probably thinking about which X-Box game to get next.


Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


We didn't have time to walk all the way down.  That would have been nice, but then we'd have to walk all the way up.

Never mind, then.
 
Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

The Shrine of the Bab is where the remains of the founder of the Bahai faith is buried. I would have liked to have seen it close up, but we were on a tight schedule.

Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

The Bahai Gardens were the only site we saw while we were in Haifa...except for this magnificent view from our hotel room at sunrise...

Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

And the same view at night...

Bahai Gardens - Haifa, Israel  --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

What beautiful gardens have you visited? Have they inspired you in any way in your own garden?






LINKING WITH:


Oh The Places I've Been
Home Sweet Home
Best of the Weekend 
Be Inspired 
A Bouquet of Talent
Sunday Showcase
Mosaic Monday
Metamorphosis Monday 
Our World Tuesday 
Tweak it Tuesday 
The Scoop
Wow Us Wednesday 
A Return To Loveliness 
Weekend Travel Inspiration