silence is golden

I hope I don’t sound like an old grump when I say this, but I hate unnecessary noise.  As much as I love music, I don’t need to listen to it when I’m getting ready to go out.  I don’t need to flip on the television when I’m sitting down for dinner. I can sit in total silence and be fine with it. In fact, I prefer it.

A woman who sat next to me on the bus inspired me to write this post. She was fidgety at first, and then she picked up her cell phone and proceeded to make several phone calls to friends. From what I heard, the conversations were of no urgency or importance. And it got me thinking. Do we often feel the need to fill the silence? Are we really that bored with the quietness?

There’s obviously nothing wrong with making calls to friends. But I often wonder whether it’s because people are uncomfortable otherwise.  If that is the case, then I would love to invite them (or you) to perform a routine activity without the TV blaring in the background or talking on the phone (I like to put my phone on silent for a little while, so I'm not tempted to answer it if it rings). Consider it a form of meditation.Your mental health will thank you.

-jillian m.

p.s. Along the same lines, here’s a very interesting article I found about the dangers of noise, its effects on the body and how the younger generation is in most need of quiet time.

diy "febreze" aka fabric refresher

Whenever an easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself project presents itself, I find it almost impossible to not bookmark it. And when it's something useful for everyday life, it's an instant must-try.

Like this recipe for "Febreze" fabric refresher. I use fabric and linen sprays quite often to freshen up sheets and curtains with that nice, freshly-laundered scent. But I try to keep the spritzing to a minimum, as it's almost shocking how you can go through one bottle so quickly. However, according to Fake-It-Frugal, the diy version will save you over $5. That's what I call a super deal.


You will need:
A clean, empty spray bottle
1/8 cup liquid fabric softener
1-2 teaspoons baking soda
Warm to hot tap water


Mix the fabric softener and baking soda. 
Pour into spray bottle.
Add the water and fill to the top.

Ready, set...spray!

 Just as good, if not better, than any store brand, in my opinion.

And for a greener, more natural option, try this simple tutorial (I'm trying it next time!).

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: merry christmas to me!

In an effort to keep the holiday gift-giving cheap this year, Bob and I are starting to frequent the thrifts and fleas like mad. There's no shortage of wonderful trinkets and treasures, but nothing has really spoken to me yet. However, I did find a pink blazer that I'm absolutely in love with. An early Christmas gift to myself, I suppose!

Chicken and rice from the Halal Guys cart, our yummy after-shopping nourishment. This is must-try street food (at about $5 a heaping plate!).

 Followed by out-of-this-world chocolate and praline cream-covered pecans. Max Brenner is a genius.

Thanks to turkey day, I had an extended weekend and loved every bit of it. A portion of it was spent watching (and re-watching) British period dramas like Lost in Austen and North & South. If you haven't seen them, you're missing out on some seriously good stuff. I love a good swoon-fest.

-jillian m.

snapshot: thanksgiving eats

My small feast consisted of turkey (of course), garlicky green beans, cranberry sauce, my Mom's sweet potato souffle (my favorite) and an appreciation for all in my life. To those that celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope yours was wonderful too.

-jillian m.

sunday morning ritual

Wake up early. Enjoy a cup of coffee with the Sunday funnies and use the sports section as something of a coaster (I don't much care for sports).

Clip coupons and reserve the perfume samples for a special occasion.

Soft morning light and complete silence, excluding the sipping and the turning of pages.

Do you have any Sunday routines?

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: it's that time of year again

Just before Thanksgiving, New York can become an attack on the senses. With its influx of tourists, aggressive shoppers, constant Christmas music playing on every radio station and in every store, unpredictable weather and the noisy bell-ringing Salvation Army donation collectors on every street corner, it's difficult to maintain that "holiday spirit". 

It can be hard to ignore, but that's exactly what I did. I looked past all the little annoyances like crowds and focused on better things - nothing was going to ruin my good mood. This can probably be attributed to my three-day weekend, in which I found time to be productive (signed the lease to our new apartment, yay!), relax (watched Pride and Prejudice on repeat) and have fun (saw Breaking Dawn with my sis - don't judge me, I love it!).

A cup of coffee and fluffy scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for brunch. 

"Aaaw"ing at cute pups in sweaters and watching playful dogs romp in the park. I felt like I was watching the Puppy Bowl (which, for the record, I would rather watch than the Super Bowl).

The Union Square Holiday Market is one of the best places to find gifts in the city. They have tons of things from local art to specialty teas to handcrafted accessories.

After perusing the lovely little treasures at the market, I've decided that I need to get creative with my gift-giving this year. I'm leaning towards things you might find in a boutique or thrift store. Or perhaps some d.i.y. gifts. Either way, I have a lot of thinking to do...

Have you done any of your shopping yet? Or are you more of a last minute shopper?

-jillian m.

snapshot of the day: just say no

Those triple exclamation marks mean business.

Happy weekend to you all! Hope it's a good one :)

-jillian m.

what is your best feature?

 I feel my best feature is my hands.

They're dainty, graceful, petite. My fingers may be short and a bit bony, but they are slender enough to slide under couches and desks when retrieving things that rolled underneath the very tiny space between that and the floor.

And I love to touch. To feel something with my fingertips. Whether it be a light caress or forceful taps. I have no preference.

 I couldn't imagine life without my hands. I would not be able to

...dip my fingers into the cake batter
...run my fingers through my hair after a fresh cut
...squeeze my nephews' baby-soft cheeks
...knead dough
...vogue (if there was ever an occasion when I needed to)
...hold on for dear life, literally.

Among many many many other things, I'm grateful for these hands. These particular hands. That have gone through much. And can tell a few interesting stories. And will continue to.

What's your best (or favorite) feature? Get as shallow or as deep as you wish. Judgment-free space here.

-jillian m.

no-bake energy bites

A few months ago, I gave up on oatmeal. I just could not fathom a way to enjoy it, no matter how much I wanted to.

But thanks to my love affair with Pinterest, this recipe for energy bites popped up on my homepage. Yes, it called for oatmeal. But this time, it was in solid form and included chocolate chips and coconut flakes (woo!).

 No-Bake Energy Bites (adapted from Smashed Peas and Carrots)

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix almond butter, honey and oatmeal in mixing bowl.
Then add in chocolate chips and coconut flakes.
Add in vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated.
Chill in the refrigerator for up to an hour.
Roll mixture into balls. Store in container in refrigerator.

I half expected it to taste health food-y. My other half kept telling me that the marriage of chocolate and almond butter would make these super tasty and addictive, in spite of my dislike for oatmeal. The latter half was right. Just like Maggie of Smashed Peas and Carrots, I had to stop myself from popping too many of these at a time. After all, I wanted to save them for those mid-afternoon hunger pangs I experience at work. Lately, I've been satisfying my cravings with lattes from Starbucks (and maybe some black and white cookies), so this was a welcome healthy change, despite it tasting like a nutty Mounds candy bar (yum!). I'll be making these again...and again and again.

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: pizza, rooftop sunsets and growing up

 The weekend was spent delighting in small, significant moments: heaps of food (obviously) and just taking the time out to think about upcoming changes. Reminiscing with an old friend or even just taking a short pause triggered some scary, albeit exciting thoughts about the future.

A Thai chicken pizza shared between me and my love (and leaving him my crusts).

Spicy chai tea lattes.

Stopping to savor the surrounding beauty. I can't resist snapping photos of gorgeous, cheery blooms.

Enjoying the last few minutes of the sunset from Bob's rooftop, where Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan are in clear vision.We even spotted the neighborhood we'll be moving into (hopefully) by the end of the year.

And having lots of Italian food and wine with my newly-engaged best friend (eeeek!). Witnessing a friend's life from childhood makes events like this all the more impactful. I still can't believe I'm at that age where the people around me are getting married, pregnant and moving away. It's just all happening so quickly...and yet, not really.

This part of my life reminds me of the very first day at a new school. I was terrified of being in an unfamiliar setting and not knowing anyone. But once I stepped inside, I formed relationships I knew I would keep for life and memories to cherish forever. So while I'm nervous about the next chapters of life, it's a good kind of nervous.

-jillian m.

snapshot of the day: let's get it on

...thank you ma'am!

It's funny to me how detailed Urban Dictionary gets with this particular euphemism. It seriously sounds like 13-year olds wrote these - and they probably did. So entertaining. Sometimes, I have a juvnenile sense of humor.

*Warning: clicking on the link above is not for the easily offended.

Also, anyone who has the day off for Veteran's Day: I envy you. Have a great weekend!

-jillian m.

how do you find your creative inspiration?

 Everyday the wheels in my head are turning. I've always got something on my mind:


What dish can I make with these leftover ingredients before they go bad?
What should I wear?
How can I improve my photo-taking skills?
What should I blog about about next week?
What do I want to do with my life, career-wise?
How do I go about traveling the world with as little money as possible?

I may not have the answers to these questions. But I'm finding my way in the details, those little things in life that are so often overlooked. It lies in the shape of a cloud, a random conversation with a stranger or an advertisement on the side of the bus to create a light bulb moment.

When I feel like I could be running low on ideas, I like to turn to my scrapbook, a collection of articles, quotes and images ripped out from magazines and books. Things that are useful to remember. Things that stimulate my mind. Things that are visually interesting. Things I aspire to.

And it never ceases to amaze me. How a concept is born from something as trivial as an album review or a photo of a blushing bride.

In these cases, I always make sure to have my notebook with me. You never know when an interesting thought will strike.

(Bob likes to give his moleskins women's names)

These days, I'm finding a wealth of inspiration from Pinterest. It's such a functional and visual bookmarking website. Which is so convenient for a perennial bookmarker like myself. I love that I can access my pins from any computer or Smartphone. The world wide web is just a brilliant thing, really.

Where do you turn to for a little boost of creativity?

-jillian m.

fashiony things i'm currently infatuated with

Colorfully-printed socks subtly peeking out from under my favorite lace-ups.

My faux leather jacket that I'm always excited to wear whenever cooler temperatures arrive. I only get to sport it for short amount of time, so I try to wear it as much as I can.

The faux fur-lined hood keeps me just that extra bit warmer. I also like to put it up when I feel like being all loner-y and mysterious.

Stripes against stripes. Love.

My polka-dotted belt that goes with (almost) everything. I'm simply mad about polka dots.

Hair elastics in lieu of bracelets. Color and function.

This outfit, among others very similar to it, has become somewhat of a uniform these days.

-jillian m.

adventures in weekending: the cook(ie)-off

Recently, I'd come across articles regarding where to find the best cookies in NYC. And the two places that were most often mentioned were Jacques Torres Chocolate and Levain Bakery. I've tried Levain's monstrous cookies several times before and have practically fell over from sheer delight. But I was intrigued by the comparisons. Could Jacques Torres' cookies be better? Last weekend, I went on a quest to find out.

Contestant 1: Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookie. No small chips here, only long pieces of quality disk-like chocolate chunks made exclusively for Torres. Chewy texture with a very buttery dough. Perfect for one hungry cookie fiend.

And contestant 2: Levain's Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie. Giant and over-sized. Crisp edges with a warm, almost-doughy inside. Can be shared, but why would you want to?

As I had expected, Levain's remained closest to my heart. Torres's cookies were absolutely amazing in that there was an abundance of delicious chocolate in every chewy bite. But there's something about the soft, slightly under-baked, ooey-gooeyness of the inside of a Levain cookie that makes my knees weak. And in this case, size does matter.

Bottom line: Torres is for the cookie traditionalist, while Levain is for the type of person who likes to eat the cookie dough before it's put into the oven (and has no regard for calorie intake). Enough said.

However, let me just say this: finding the best cookie is like finding the best slice of pizza in NYC (or anywhere). There is no be-all and end-all. It lies in tastes. Some people like gigantic cookies with rich, soft interiors. Others prefer their cookies flat and crisp. Or chewy. Or slightly burnt. Or with nuts. How do you like yours?

Are you craving cookies now? Here are some tried and true chocolate chip recipes from around the web:

• Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie (discovered and repinned this one from Monica. Thank you, m'dear!)

• Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies from Smitten Kitchen (Deb can do no wrong).

• Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from AllRecipes (more than 3,300 people from around the web have tried and reviewed this recipe, which averages 4.5 out of 5 stars)

-jillian m.