First Snow of 2014

We awoke to a winter wonderland this morning. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, until it dawns on you... "Oh crap! I have to go outside! Do I really need to shovel out the car?! ...Boo!" To be fair to Mother Nature, it wasn't so bad. Even though it was 11 degrees out (not even kidding), the snow was actually light and fluffy, so it made it pretty easy to shovel.

I know it's been a while since I last posted, so I wanted to stop in and see how my blog friends were doing. I hope you had a wonderful holiday and got to spend it with loved ones. Santa was pretty good to me this year... I was gifted a super bad-ass awesome camera! I've been taking pictures every chance I get. I'm still learning all the new functions and buttons on my new camera. So, I figured I would share some of the pictures I took today.

By the way... My mum plant does not look happy covered in snow!
  

Sleepy Hollow, NY

For years now, I've been wanting to go and planning a Sleepy Hollow road trip. You know how it is, things always happens or comes and we always end up pushing our trip to the following year. Not this year! With Halloween around the corner and since Halloween is my jam… Off we went to Hudson Valley in the covert of darkness (Hehe… Doesn't that sound mysterious?!).

I love road trips! Just the idea of spontaneously jumping into a car and driving to an impromptu destination is just romantic. Think about it. Experiencing new places, foods, and sites together… Romantic!

For a couple that always late to everything (it's a Latin thing), we arrived in Sleepy Hollow pretty early in the morning. See! There's actually morning dew on the leaves and we were ready. Our day of sightseeing started at Patriot's Park and ended at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

There was a cookout happening at the cemetery when we arrived. I know that might sound weird or macabre to some people, but I found this quite normal. Growing up in Brasil, this is very normal. It's just common for people to pack a picnic lunch to share a meal and stories with their departed family members. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see this here. I was also pleasantly surprised to see people decorating headstones for Halloween. As others left toys for resting children.

Our walk through the cemetery was really pleasant and peaceful. By far my favorite thing that we did all weekend. We enjoyed learning about the people who rest there. We enjoyed listening to stories of how some changed the course of our history. Whether its how they changed our business world or how they impacted our literary culture. So, we definitely paid our respects! 

 

Cruising...

As I mentioned before, I just came back from a cruise. This was actually my first time cruising and I was pretty worried. For about 5 months leading up to our vacation, I tossed and turned at night wondering about what to expect.

To be really honest, I worried about things going wrong based on all the horror stories I heard and stories on the news… i.e. being stuck on the ship for days without running water or sinking. Yes, I know this sounds silly. Believe it or not, I don't know how to swim! So being worried doesn't sound silly to me.

My husband is still amused at the fact that I can't swim. Especially since he knows that I was basically raised on the beach. My siblings can swim like guppies or whatever you call awesome swimmers, but apparently I inherited my mother's swimming talents… sinking!

I enjoy the beach and water very much, but I still worried about cruising. I wasn't so much worried about being seasick because I've been boating and jet-skiing before. Which I absolutely love since I'm an adrenaline junky. I worried about how I would react to not seeing land for miles anywhere around me for days. Remember, I can't swim! So if anything goes super wrong… I'm up *bleep* creek (without a paddle).

Honestly, I quite enjoyed it. It was calming and majestic. At times, it felt like it was just the hubby and I drifting away from all our worries and work. Provided you got up pretty early in the morning to enjoy a little peace and quiet. Because in reality, there were about a gazillion (not really, it was more like 500) screaming kids running and jumping everywhere with their parents right behind yelling at them every 2 seconds... "Richard stop that!" "Richard put that down!" "Richard don't climb that!" "Richard get over here!" "Richard!" "Richard!"

It didn't matter how hard we tried, yet we couldn't escape "Richard!" Regardless of Richard and his family, we enjoyed ourselves. Would I cruise again? Nope!

As you can see from the pictures, the weather didn't want to cooperate with us. I mean really Mother Nature?! Didn't you get the memo... I'm on vacation! But the captain did a great job going around the storm so we could enjoy some sun and turquoise waters.

I Protest!

My husband and I just returned from a cruise to Key West and Cozumel. We've been home for about 3 days now and I'm not quite ready to let go of summer yet.

Even though we awoke to a chill in the air... I protest! Its still summer! Sometimes the gravity of how fast time passes by hits me all at once.

In protest of the impending season… I refuse to touch pumpkin until I put on a sweater. I was actually tempted today, but I refuse to cover my awesome tan (not trying to rub it in or anything, but it is an awesome tan).

And yes, I know. Laying out to tan is taboo and/or bad for you. And yes, I know about harmful ultraviolet rays, but remember moderate exposure to the sun contributes to the production of vitamin D by the body. And I did use sun protection.

In the next few posts, I'll be sharing a few pictures of our trip. :)

Martha Stewart American Made

I warn you in advanced that this is a shameless self-promotion post. Do not read on if you hate them!

So... Zugar Haus is a nominee for Martha Stewart American Made contest! Martha Stewart American Made supports the local and celebrates the handmade! Check it out... discover new makers and support your favorites (like Zugar Haus)   ***wink, wink***

Voting actually started August 26th. You can actually vote 6 times every 24 hours. If you feel inclined to do so... We would love your vote! Or 6 every 24 hours! ;) 

Here's the link - http://www.marthastewart.com/americanmade/nominee/80084 

I thank you in advanced and we truly appreciate your support!

Grounds for Sculpture

So, it's been pretty hectic around here lately. I have a few things in the works that I can't really share yet, but I hope it'll all work out. [fingers crossed]

Any-who, about a month ago (on my birthday), I got to spend the whole day outside basking in the sun and enjoying beautiful art installations at Grounds for Sculpture. Have you guys been there yet? I highly recommend you go if you live in or are visiting the Princeton area.

Grounds for Sculpture is really quite a remarkable park. You feel at peace and inspired as soon as you arrive. They're dedication and appreciation for contemporary sculpture is just breathtaking. As we channeled our inner art critic, we took in the sites. Every so often, hidden behind or nestled between cherry blossom trees were hidden sculptures. By making art accessible in an informal setting, just makes it less intimidating and fun.

Not to mention that there are peacocks frolicking about the park. Okay, so this is a little off topic... but have you heard a peacock "chirp?" For a lack of a better word, I'm sticking with chirp. It's actually kind of creepy, weird, and awesome all at once. They make screechy cat-like sounds. It's so weird! I telling you... Bing it (or Google it)!

P.S. Pictures were taken on my cellphone so, they're a little blurry 

{Giveaway Update} Happy Valentine's Day!

{Giveaway Update} The winner of our Valentine's Day Gift Box is Jenn! I wanted to thank everyone who entered our giveaway. Don't worry if you didn't win (this time)... We'll be having another giveaway soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!