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Lunch (Hour) with Poppy Montgomery


The rain let up for a couple of hours this afternoon and I returned to the filming of "Unforgettable." After studying pictures of Poppy Montgomery and conferring with my colleagues -- we don't get a lot of excitement in the neighborhood, so this was big news -- I realized the woman whose back I'd photographed yesterday was Poppy Montgomery.

It was fun watching the filming, though I was asked to move several times and ended up wedged between two parked cars kitty corner across the street from the where the actors were standing. It was well worth it to be able see a television show being filmed.

If that were my only thrill for the week, I would be perfectly content. But on Thursday night I get to meet one of the sweetest and most talented woman in Blogland. I am so looking forward to our get together. You know there will be pictures!

Wishes for sweet excitement!

(I Think) I Met Poppy Montgomery Today

I don't watch a lot of television. It's not that I don't like to watch television, I do. It's just that I don't get to it. I get home eightish. By the time I eat dinner, glance at the mail, catch up on blogging and email, there isn't much time for television viewing. Many shows have come and gone and been very popular and I am totally unfamiliar with them.

Such was the case when I saw this sign on my way to lunch today.


We work in semi-industrial neighborhood and there's not a lot of filming that goes on in the area. Actually it's the first film shot in walking distance of the office in the six years we've been here. I was excited just at the thought of filming.

This is the scene across from the restaurant we ate in. The police cars are part of the filming. 

When I came out after lunch there were a number of people on the steps of the restaurant. I didn't know anything about "Unforgettable" and asked a nice young woman who were the stars of the show. She told me Poppy Montgomery was the star. I thanked her and started to walk back to the office. Neither I, nor the colleague I ate lunch with was familiar with Poppy Montgomery.  After about a block of walking I googled Poppy Montgomery and the pictures on my phone looked very much like the woman I met.


I may be wrong, but this may be Poppy Montgomery. This was taken just before I asked the woman in green who were the stars of the show, totally unaware that I might be speaking to one of them. Of course, I might be totally wrong and I may just have had a brief conversation with an extra in the cast.

I'm going to spend time on the "Unforgettable" website and get more familiar with my new favorite show. It's definitely filmed on location in Long Island City, NY and it definitely made my day.   

Cranberry Fest Sunday

Alas, like all good things this blessed four-day weekend must come to an end, and with it our salute to the cranberry. I don't have a recipe today, but simply a beautiful photographic homage to my favorite berry.


Source: flickr.com via Carol on Pinterest


Next Friday begins the next salute. I'm keeping it a surprise, but it's sweet and pretty and calorie laden and definitely one of my favorite foods of this season. I have found some terrific recipes and pictures on Pinterest and I am so looking forward to sharing them.

It was another glorious day in New York City, perfect for walking and enjoying the sights. I'm happy to share a photo of the season. I love the Christmas tree sale areas -- both for the greenery they bring to the city and for the aroma.

Columbus Avenue, Upper West Side

As always, wishes for a sweet week! 

Cranberry Fest Saturday

When I was growing up cranberries came in jelly in cans. I'm not sure that I really knew that the cranberry was an actual berry and that it could be used in any other way than the jelly in cans. Somewhere in the 1970s or 1980s cranberry juice appeared and then cranberry muffins. I'm not sure when I realized that the cranberry would surpass almost every other berry as my favorite. I still love strawberries and blueberries, but the cranberry holds a special place in my heart and I could eat them every day.

For something totally different than relish or muffins, I introduce -- courtesy of Martha Stewart -- chicken in cranberry sauce. I haven't tried this yet, but it's high on my list to try. I'm thinking of cooking this tomorrow evening. It looks so good and not too challenging.




Before our cranberry time slips away, inquiring minds want to know...What's your favorite way to enjoy cranberries? I pick the cranberry muffin, served with a mug of hot coffee. This is a treat that can cheer me on any snowy day.  

We had another beautiful day today. I spent the afternoon shopping with my college friend, Jane, and we had a great time. The store wasn't crowded, we weren't rushed and I loved having her with me to consult with. Bought two adorable baby presents and found some great Christmas serving pieces.

Hope you had a sweet Saturday!

Cranberry Fest Friday

As a lover of all things cranberry I am reluctant to let my Cranberry Fests end. I had originally planned to begin my next themed Food Friday today, but I found some great recipes and my friends, it's all cranberry, all weekend!

 


It's thanks once again to Martha Stewart for the Mini-cranberry Meringue Pie. Isn't this a little jewel of a dessert? I still have over a pound of cranberries in the refrigerator and if I hadn't had a taste of a host of delicious treats at dinner yesterday -- home made Apple cake, blondies and chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie and pears with cranberries from last week's Cranberry Fest, I would be baking tonight.

I spent today with my friend of the greatest duration -- we met in nursery school -- and a mutual friend from high school. We had lunch together and walked all over Manhattan, including Rockefeller Center and Times Square. We had a wonderful time and I've got great pictures of holiday decorations to share. But first I'm going to stretch Thanksgiving fun for just a few more days. Please stay tuned, lots of New York at Christmas to share!

Wishes for a sweet weekend!

In Everything Give Thanks

In Everything Give Thanks
1Thess 5:18

This photo is courtesy of my sweet friend and colleague, Donna. She is a greatly talented woman and this is her Thanksgiving card this year. I keep encouraging her to start a blog. She would be a wonderful addition to our blog community. 

My thankfulness for my blessings is overwhelming tonight. For good health, for family, for friends around the world, for work, for my home and country my heart is grateful. I thank G'd for all I have been given...happy times and loved ones to celebrate with and strength and support in difficult times. In everything I give thanks. 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Yes, I know that Christmas is still a month away. Yes, I know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. But when I got to the office yesterday this is the scene that greeted me.

To keep my journalistic integrity intact, Pepe was not part of the scene. I had, however, dressed him in his elf outfit on Monday and he was a perfect addition to the sweet scene. My friend and colleague Donna had brought in this lovely little tree for me and the goodies for our unit. On the left are delicious brownies with cranberries and on the right is the best pumpkin bread I've ever had.

As a I walked home from the subway in the evening this was the scene that greeted me. It was a few days earlier than I anticipated, but so eagerly awaited. It was raining hard last night, but I had to take pictures. The white circles you see are raindrops.

 The Christmas trees are here from the North Country

Is it any wonder I have Christmas on my mind? I will be back tomorrow with Thanksgiving greetings. I hope everyone's preparations are going well and wishes for a Thanksgiving day of warmth, family and friends and much for which to be thankful! 

Sunday in New York

After yesterday's excitement today was a quiet day. I spent the morning catching up on indoor chores and made a batch of carrot-apple-ginger soup. The apples were a new addition to my favorite standby soup and they work well in it. I went out this afternoon to a benefit book sale which supports social service programs in the neighborhood. I found some great Christmas presents and am feeling (somewhat) organized in that area. 

While yesterday was bright and sunny and a perfect fall day, today had a much more reflective look of late November. It seemed that the leaves had dropped off the trees overnight and I saw more bare branches than bright autumn leaves. One plus is that the details on the wonderful turn-of-the century brownstones in the neighborhood are much easier to see. 


I hope everyone is having a sweet Sunday. I've got a cup of coffee -- at this hour decaf, of course! -- and the NY Times puzzle ahead of me. I hope your evening is as relaxed and happy. 

Delicious to See and to Taste


During our tour of Greenwich Village on Saturday our sweet guide Nikki had a surprise treat for us, a visit to Sockerbit, a completely delightful Swedish candy store on Christopher Street. Besides being a delicious stop, it was also a visual treat.

I am a candy fan and my special love is -- after toffee -- all candy gummy, and Sockerbit was a gummy paradise. We had lots of treats to sample. Big, lovely marshmallows that would be perfect in a cup of cocoa; salted licorice that was new to me and what a great discovery; and a fun fruit gummy with a subtle fruit flavor were my favorites.

     
These gnomes and trolls caught my eye. They would make cute presents!

The store was so delightful in pink, white and red.

I will definitely return again when I have more time to peruse the candy selection and to be sure and take home some of the fabulous marshmallows. Hot cocoa time won't be complete without them. 

Inquiring minds want to know, what's your favorite kind of candy? 

Hope you're having a sweet Monday!  

The Best Afternoon in Greenwich Village

I've got lots of pictures of my best afternoon and I love them. But the pictures don't tell the whole story because you can't hear the laughter and you can't feel the warmth.

A couple of weeks ago I got an email letting me know about a walking tour of Greenwich Village and lunch with Adriana Trigiani. I was thrilled. Adriana is one of my favorite authors and I love her series about Big Stone Gap, Virginia. It's sweet, it's thoughtful and the characters, especially Ave Maria, have stayed in my heart for the last decade. I gave it a little thought -- it was a bit of a splurge -- and then decided it was money very well spent. A favorite author, a walking tour of one of my favorite places, a book to keep, lunch...Count me in.

The day was a perfect fall day. 

The sights were as charming as ever. 

The women in the group -- including our terrific tour guide Nikki -- were wonderful company. 


And Adriana...not unlike her books. Warm, thoughtful and in person, wildly funny. 

I'm smiling as I think about the today and so grateful that I counted myself in. Many thanks to Jen and the folks at Harper Collins for a wonderful experience and sweet, sweet memories. 

My only regret, dear friends, is that I all of my blog friends couldn't join me. Hopes and wishes that your Saturday was half as much fun as mine, and that you have a sweet, sweet Sunday!  

Cranberry Fest




I am prepared for all cranberry recipes. I just bought three pounds of cranberries and am enthralled with browsing through myriad Thanksgiving cooking articles. I spent some time on the Martha Stewart site and found great recipes, including this one for poached pears and cranberries. It may even be featured on the Thanksgiving table I will be visiting and I am rooting for its selection.

This has been a mostly work week. I had a late meeting on Tuesday and an early trip to Brooklyn this morning. As a result, I am much more tired than most weeks, but could not miss Cranberry Fest Friday or the opportunity to wish my blog buddies a sweet weekend. I've got some very fun things planned for the weekend and rest assured, I will be back with pictures!

A quick hello to #203, my dear friend, Robin! Thanks for stopping by, and again wishes for a sweet weekend.   

Find a Penny, Pick it Up?





True confession. I admit it. I pick up pennies in the street. I also pick up nickels, dimes and from time to time, a quarter or two. I also once picked up a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk on the corner of Eighth Avenue and West 57th Street. My parents picked up pennies, too, and the phrase, "Find a penny, pick it up. All the day you'll have good luck" still goes through my mind every time I find a penny.

I thought everyone picked up pennies until recently. I was walking with a colleague and I stopped to pick up a penny. He looked at me as though I were handling nuclear waste and told me it was "only" a penny. This incident didn't stop me from picking up pennies, but it made me realize everyone didn't think finding a penny in the street was a lucky windfall. I was pleased to find this article in one of my favorite blogs, Get Rich Slowly, which discussed the benefits in  picking up pennies.

Is anyone else out there a penny picker-upper? My guess is that there are a number of citizens of Buttercupland that pick up pennies. Let me know if I'm right.  

I'm a Lucky Lady!





And I love my blog friends!

When I wrote that I hoped for one new friend -- to round the list of citizens of Buttercupland to 200 -- I never dreamed that I would be blessed with three new friends. LeAnnMichelle, and Lemon Lane Cottage  have become part of the Buttercupland family and I am looking forward to getting to know them. I've visited LeAnn a few times, but it's my first visit from Michelle and Lemon Lane and I look forward to lots of visits with all three of them.    

The weekend has whirled by. I spent most of the day in New Jersey at the Bat Mitzvah celebration of my dear friends' daughter, Rachel. Rachel is the sweet gymnast I wrote about last summer and she officially became an adult member of the Jewish community yesterday at services.


I had the same style cake in 1963. This was a yummy chocolate and mine was yellow sponge cake with white icing and marzipan flowers. I was in Rachel's parents wedding and they are part of our Bible Study group, so this was a very special celebration.

I hope there was sweetness everywhere in Buttercupland this weekend and sending wishes for a great week!

Who Will be 200?

I know this is a little goofy, but as the number of blog followers came close to 200 I began to wonder who will be 200. # 199 is a Becky, who writes a fun, fun blog. If you've been visiting, but want to become a full-fledged citizen of Buttercupland, please sign up. If you'd like you can even guest blog. Actually I am happy for guest bloggers at any time. Just let me know and I will very happily set aside a day for a favorite topic, project or just an opportunity to say hello to the folks in Buttercupland. Don't be shy, it's a great place to visit!

Cranberry Fest




I think this may be the ultimate cranberry dessert for me. It's definitely the prettiest. I need to buy my first bag of cranberries for the season. I get carried away this time of year and pretty soon half of my freezer will be filled with bags of fresh cranberries. I make cranberry ginger relish all winter and it's really good with vanilla yogurt.

I'm having a practical day. We're off from work and I spent the morning clearing email and waiting for the window repair man. He arrived -- of course -- after the time frame I had been given, but that errand is done and the sashes are all repaired before the winter. So glad to have that out of the way. I'm off to get my haircut in a little while and am planning to spend the late afternoon blog visiting. What a treat that will be. I'm going to make a cup of coffee to drink while I visit and I may get a cranberry muffin to go with it. I've got cranberries on my mind.

Wishes for a sweet weekend, and many thanks to our veterans, who have done so much for all of us. 

The Names Were Carefully Placed in a Hat...

...and Yoga MommyBrenda, and Melissa jumped out of the hat. Congratulations to the three winners of the Shutterfly giveaway. I'll be forwarding the information from Shutterfly, so the lucky bloggers winners can have lots of fun choosing cards.

Shutterfly was very generous and I get to pick out cards, too. It's been very tough choosing just one card, but this is the one that I am leaning to today. I keep changing my mind, but I know I really have to make a decision soon.

Again, many thanks to Shutterfly. I am so happy to have been able to host this giveaway. 

Chicago on My Mind

Reality hit me with a thud today, as I sat (squirmed) through a long, long day of meetings. It's the second day of a three day workshop and it's going slowly. My mind kept drifting back to Chicago and some of the sights I most enjoyed.

Autumn on Michigan Avenue



The wonderful Art Institute of Chicago

 Robert Indiana's sculpture of "Hope."

Though technically it's Wednesday, this is my "Tuesday" post. I will be announcing the three winners of the Shutterfly giveaway later today. And speaking of giveaways...the mail brought a terrific surprise for a giveaway, thanks to some terrific folks I met at BlogHer. Stay tuned! It's yummy. 

Chicago, Chicago...

That Toddling Town!

From beginning ...

to end, and in-between a great time was had in Chicago! These two pictures were taken at the Lego store. This green dragon circled the store.

This is the fourth get-together for a group of friends I've met online. The group started eight years ago and we are still going strong. This is our fourth get-together and we came from New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma and Colorado. We missed our friends from Georgia, Texas and Calilfornia, but hope we can all be together next year. We're dreaming of Santa Fe.  

We visited the Navy Pier and the Stained Glass Museum...

Got an early look at the decorations at Macy's on State Street 
It was the first day for the Christmas decorations and we just missed seeing Giuliana Rancic, who was there right before we got there. We sampled some Frango mint fudge and had a delicious lunch in the Walnut Room. What a fun treat. It reminded me so much of having lunch with my mother on Saturdays at the department stores in Hartford when I was growing up. 

But the best part was laughter -- lots and lots of laughter. I found photo machines at the Navy Pier and we couldn't resist having our pictures taken -- several times. This one came out well -- though we're missing Indiana Phyllis -- and I can't help but share it. 

I'm in the left corner.

Thanks for the travel recommendations. We loved Navy Pier, but unfortunately didn't make it to Superdawgs. I'll just have to make another trip to Chicago. 

Back to New York to sunny fall weather, but my heart is still in Chicago. Thanks, Chicago, for the memories. 

Autumn in New York

The New York Public Library 

Cranberry Fest




We had a wonderful time with Pinterest Pumpkinfest, but I'm going to say goodbye to pumpkins. For the next few Fridays I want to celebrate the cranberry. I am a great cranberry fan and soon half of my freezer will be stocked with cranberries. In honor of our first Cranberry Fest  I'm sharing a sweet way to celebrate cranberries, the cranberry caramel bar. It's lucky we can't gain weight by looking at pictures and these do look delicious.

Wishes for a Sweet Weekend!    

Chicago


Source: google.com via Carol on Pinterest


I'm off to Chicago! This is my (fourth) annual weekend with my on-line buddies from all over the country and there will be lots of laughter and fun. You know there will be pictures to follow!