Spring Moments

Dear Friends and Readers, I hope you're enjoying Spring on your side of the world. It's been raining quite a bit here in the countryside of New York, but flowers have been blooming. Pictured here are daffodils and hyacinths. I do love the blue and yellow color combination!

This Spring, I traveled to Italy and saw lots of beautiful art. Here is one of my favorites, a fresco, which is a technique of mural painting from the Renaissance. I really enjoyed the Spring motif and cherubs in this art piece I saw in Rome.

In Florence, one of the museums I visited, called Museo del Bargello, had beautiful antique ceramics. I really liked the floral design in this intricate bowl. So apt for the Spring theme of this post!

Back home, I celebrated Easter with family. Lately, I have been trying to learn how to bake. I made a small batch of vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting, topped with mini chocolate eggs. They were so festive and quite delicious!

Here is another picture from the Easter table. This is a bit sentimental as the grape scissors are a vintage item from my husband's grandmother. We enjoyed sharing good food and happy memories.

When I'm not baking, I have been eating as healthy as I can. Spring salads are always on the menu at home. So easy to make, colorful, and good for you! I hope you enjoyed some of my Spring moments and I will see you soon! xx

Christmas 2018 in New York City

Hi everyone! I hope you're enjoying the holiday season! As it's always a tradition on my blog at this time of the year, I'm sharing festive photos from New York City. Here I was at Rockefeller Plaza which is famous for the beautiful Christmas tree and ice skating ring. The tree really sparkles!

Here is a close-up of the gigantic Christmas tree with a Swarovski Crystal star at the top!

Across from the tree in the Plaza, there is a beautiful display of angels.

Here I braved the cold weather as I enjoyed the sights on Fifth Avenue. You can see the Empire State Building in the distance all lit up for the holidays!

And here is a photo of Park Avenue all lined up with trees in golden lights. I hope you enjoyed this little tour of festive New York City! Wishing everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all the best for a wonderful New Year! See you next year! xx

Autumn Colors

Hi everyone! After a very rainy summer, the landscape has been so green until this weekend when suddenly we had some colorful foliage! I love maple trees and their vibrant crimson leaves, pictured in the first two photos. My husband and I went to a pumpkin patch and picked out a large pumpkin for our front porch. Aren't those pumpkins a lot of fun? We had strong winds today and leaves have been falling everywhere. This is Autumn peak and soon the trees will be bare. I took the last two pictures later in the afternoon when the sun was setting. I like the blue sky as a backdrop to all the red and golden leaves. Nature surely knows how to paint a pretty picture! Enjoy and I'll see you soon! xx

End of Summer

Hi everyone! Although Summer seems to end after Labor Day, it officially ends on September 22. Here are a few photographs of some of my favorite flowers as we head into Fall: carnations, chrysanthemums, and daisies. I love these bright colors. Did you know that chrysanthemums symbolize optimism and joy? I had fun using a painterly effect on the first picture to make it look more artsy. Enjoy and I will see you in Autumn! xx

Downtown NYC

Hi everyone! Now that summer is almost over, my husband and I decided to spend a Sunday afternoon in downtown NYC. We went to Washington Square Park, a popular meeting spot in Greenwich Village. One of the most prominent monuments in the park is the Washington Square Arch you can see pictured here as well as a beautiful fountain--nice and cool on a hot summer day!

Here is a close-up photo of the south face of the Washington Square Arch. It's made of white marble and it was built in 1892 in honor of the centennial of George Washington's Inauguration--a truly majestic historical monument. The quote at the top of the Arch, attributed to Washington, reads: "Let Us Raise a Standard to Which the Wise and Honest Can Repair. The event is in the hand of God.” 

We took a long walk in Greenwich Village, which is known for its unique brownstone townhouses on pretty streets lined with trees. These homes were built in the 19th century and are made of brick with a sandstone facade. If you thought NYC only has skyscrapers, this neighborhood is really quaint!

Another popular spot downtown is SoHo, which stands for "South of Houston Street." It's very vibrant with shops, restaurants and colorful low-rise buildings. It's fun just walking around this area.

We stopped for lunch and dessert at a wonderful restaurant in Little Italy, also located in SoHo. They served us lemonade and ice tea with Italian lemon sorbet which was so good and refreshing. A perfect way to end our tour of downtown NYC. I hope you enjoyed coming along for a stroll! xo