i'm having a party.

you're invited!

this thursday, april 29th
{ 9-12 pm }

@ SHORTY'S
(9th avenue btwn 41-42)

why?
why NOT?!

karaoke (hilarious)
the best philly cheesesteaks ever (trust me)
the best italian fries ever (again, trust me)
and
fire water specials
(for those of you who do the drinky)

hope to see/meet you there!

xo n

homemade take 5 bars

kristan, her man, doug, and her mom, bobbi take care of me in the sweetest ways.
usually with meals and great conversation.

but those tricksters (well, i have to clarify, it's bobbi's recipe ;)
introduced me to what i call,
"homemade take 5 bars"

1. place a pretzel on a baking sheet
2. put a rolo a top aforementioned pretzel
3. bake @350 until the rolo is soft (not melted)
4. squeeze second pretzel on top of rolo and press it gently.
5. hide "homemade take 5 bars" until you are
emotionally stable/not pms'ing to avoid eating the entire pan.
um..... i forgot to do #5 tonight....
eeps.

you're welcome.

tonight's dinner table topic..

do you think men refrain from pursuing women
who have a
higher degree of education/
attended a more prestigious school/
maintain a higher position in their jobs?

discuss....


pic by sussy

kristan in SHAPE

did you see??

my bestie (and celeb hairstylist) kristan serafino
was featured in the may issue of SHAPE magazine !
(pg 76- with ellen on the cover!!)

she's so major!
go kristan!!

{ winner } julie the fish designs

congrats, amy morris!!
an early mother's day sussy from us to you!

email your info to
mormoninmanhattan@gmail.com

for all of you who didn't win,
i LOVED your ideas....
now buy them anyway-come on!
i've never seen such great work at such a low price point.

mother's day is just around the corner!

julie the fish designs


winners are chosen by random.org

stella and me

stellie is a peculiar nugget.

she's a very independent girl.
she sleeps in the crook of my leg (when i sleep on my side) and doesn't do snuggling.
but as the night turns into morning, i'll find her either face to face or laying neck to neck
(no! we weren't necking!... or were we?).

she was the gift of a beloved fb.
naturally, she loved him dearly.
when that ended, she was VERY protective of my time with other men.
she adored mister (though it took a little while..) and even stopped eating for a good week after she realized he wasn't coming to play with her daily.

i don't introduce her to just anybody. sure, she'll be cordial, but...
if she dislikes a potential suitor
(and he's in our home),
she will stand at attention and bark at the edge of the bed.
if she REEEEEALLY dislikes him,
she will wet in a special elaborate pattern all over my bed.
kinda kills the mood....


nani has a hard time allowing me to smooch in front of her...
she wants to be involved.
and if anything reaches a boil, she will promptly hop in between the fella and me
and fake sleep....
which also means she fake snores....
literally... she plays dead.
(or sleep)

always the drama queen...

now, the chastity belt.

{ happy earth day }

our earth in nyc, gave us glorious sun,
insane allergies,
beautiful pear blossoms,
and a torrential downpour.

let the sunshine in!

{ giveaway } julie the fish designs

eeeeeeeee!!!
how awesome is this?!

our *newest* sponsor, julie the fish designs has offered
ANYTHING from her shop.

i know what you're thinking....
"natalie, did you say anything?"

yes, my dear blend, i said anything.

she has earrings, key chains, rings, necklaces, bracelets... you name it.

AND
you customize it.
(you can even choose the font!)

so the options really ARE endless...
and fabulous.

i'm still trying to decide what i want...
maybe something to get my mojo back?

just leave a comment by friday
telling me what YOU want from her endless selection of lovelies....

and you just may win!

good luck!

i want to marry

pulino's sunchoke salad & semifreddo.

we're very much in love.

subsy and i sat next to

mr mcnally.

cause that's how we roll.

flea food

last week,
worthini, stellie, a stoic bulldog (kingsley?) and i meandered around the brooklyn flea.
i'm not so into vintage clothing (who knows WHAT those people were doing in those clothes!)
but there were loads of fun vendors and
we found lots of delicious food treasures including pizza, homemade popsicles, homemade chocolates and pickles.

but we saved room for blue marble ice cream.

i like brooklyn.

i love friends who consistently keep me busy.

(i DON'T like the weekend subway schedule)

found: stellie cupcakes

at harmon's grocery store in orem, utah around valentine's day.

cupcakes.

hilarious.

and now i want one.... for stellie's bday.

cover the girls

want these.

and these in every color...
sooo tired of seeing the line of my tank around my waist when i'm layering.

seersucker politico

let's take a break from my personal tragedy (i know, you're grateful!) and visit one of the stories from my sordid dating past....

i started dating seersucker (ss for short) while i was in DC.
he was a politico of sorts.. you know, the guy who just put a down payment on a georgetown town house, who drove a bmw (a 15 yr old bmw but a bmw, nonetheless)
and found great solace in "knowing people"... or "knowing people who know people."
well, i know loads of people, but in the DC set, i'm a frivolous show girl.
or, political terms, i'm a "marilyn," not a "jackie."

long story short,
one sunday, he picked me up in the aforementioned bmw to take me to church. he was decked head to toe in a seersucker suit, a lily pulitzer bow tie (which donned tiny embroidered whales or some other ridiculous animal), aviator shades, and nubuck saddle shoes.
he (and his costume) had just come from the white house easter egg picnic...... naturally.

after our 3 hr church set, we hung out doing all sorts of appropriate things like wander around georgetown and talk about life (which was really more like answering an intense college interview (when i was allowed to speak) and listening to him rant about his prior love conquests gone wrong).
our day ran into night, and ss decided that i would be sleeping over cause he was, quite frankly, too tired to drive me back to my flat.

at that point (4 am) i was cool with it... i just wanted to shut my eyes.

he forked over his flannel harvard (of course) plaid pjs (which were verrrrry verrrrry small- he was a wee guy_ and hot... remember, this is spring in DC)
and i hopped into bed....
in the morning, i was twisted tight into the (also) flannel bed sheets like a trapped spider in a very hot web.

miserable, i pried myself free and found him awake at the end of the bed....

i wasn't digging him (there hadn't been any smooching
all night so i was already sure the feeling was mutual)
but before i left, he sat me down and insisted i listen to a song that really explained his heart. a song that captures his "essence right now."

i braced myself....

what could it possibly be?

this epic statement of self expression!

"this train don't stop here anymore"

thank you, elton john for that melodic way of telling me he's
"just not that into me"
and that
it's not me....
it's him.

i loved it.
can't make that stuff up!

gotta love rich white guys with problems.

my breakup sounds like this :

ingrid michaelson | everybody

brandi carlile | give up the ghost

laura marling | i speak because i can

john mayer | battle studies

she & him | volume two

any other suggestions?

words to live by...

"Charity is a legacy passed from heart to heart. . . "
President Eyring said, “I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day.
Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?”
As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day.
As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.
More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew.
I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ.
And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened. . . . My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness.
It will build our testimonies. . . . Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him. I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized. I know that is true, and it brings me joy to remember Him.”

{Ensign, November 2007}


{ happy sunday }

image via sussy

neck deep in powder.

{ s5 buried in powder }

the nugget and i had a lovely time in utah.

she slept over at my (grand)mama's and

enjoyed chicken fricassee and ice cream for dinner (spoiled brat!)......

while i got in a strong 3 ski days.

i've NEVER skied such incredible powder

(hello, utah spring?! 21 " in 24 hrs??)

and

consequently, suffered two end-o's (end over end wipe outs)

that gave my body bruises that could match

the black and blues on my heart.

i returned to nyc hoping to feel restored...

but i'm still buried in powder....

still hope

that every ring is his call,

that every time my doorman buzzes,

he's waiting in the lobby,

and

that every time i turn the corner,

he'll be there to surprise me.

but no dice...

guess i'll have to wait for a real spring

(not utah spring)

to thaw this snow....

my fabulous new agents!

hip hip hooray!

i'm happy (no, thrilled) to announce that i have just

SIGNED

with

innovative artists

to represent me for commercials and voice over!

{ they are undoubtably one of the top agencies in nyc -

and, even better, they are a team of the COOLEST people! }

i couldn't be happier or more excited to work with them....

and,

ironically....

you should know, my FIRST commercial callback was for

ky jelly.

isn't ironic?

don't you think?

a little too ironic.....

{ happy easter }

stellie nugget and i fled to utah for

easter

general conference

dad hugs

skiing with mom and sisters

and

love . love . love .

this morning, we woke up to a white....

easter.

(all the better to follow the easter bunny's tracks?)

colored many many eggs.

and even received a basket from the very thoughtful easter bunny.

feeling so much strength and comfort from being close to my people

and

from hearing the sacred words of our prophet and inspired leaders.

He is risen!

eating my feelings

i wish i were that dainty heartbroken girl who withers away with the slightest worry.

you know, the "oooh, i just dropped 20 pounds from stress" girl?

my cousins are that way.

a little anxiety sends them nearly anorexic.

i'll admit, that first night was rough....

i was nauseaus beyond belief, but after that, chocolate and salt were my two best friends..

(but so is exercise so i think i'm ok....)

my former babysitter (seriously) and dear friend teisha sent the perfect heartache band-aid.

smart cookies.

and the good folks at smart cookie even threw in a few extra and overnighted them to me.

(you really should go buy a cookie and tell them thank you in person for me...)

it's funny, because the night after d-day, kelly moon and i were lamenting that the one thing we needed was a sugar cookie from smart cookie....

so, he and sese came over (part of my slc saigon crew) and indulged in our favorite utah treat.

thanks to good friends.

and good cookies.

and a robust appetite..... wah woh.

once i book my first national commercial,

i'm gonna buy me some new linens.

the thread count isn't amazing, but i'm crazy about this duvet cover in white.

the secret.

the secret.

the secret.

let's see if it works...

my new friend: the morning crush.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable.

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

c.s. lewis

oooh no no no.

that's not for me.

see, here's the thing... i wish i could be mad.

but i'm just sad.

the kind of sad that wakes you up 3 hrs before your alarm bellows and grips your chest

(like an elephant is sitting on your heart) and crushes/squeezes out tears from who knows where.

it's exhausting to be so sad.

he his, without a doubt,

the greatest man (other than my amazing d)

that i have ever had the privilege of loving.

(and i can tell you that because we're friends, and i know that he's definitely not reading this...)

i thought this was it.

in my bones.

the same bones that are crushing my chest every morning.

i know this will not last forever.

i know i will move on.

i will be ok.

time is a healer.

i have said the same things to my heartsick friends.

but even that makes me sad because that means i will have forgotten.

and right now i don't ever want to forget what this love felt like....

while it lasted.

even if it crushes me.

thanks, s. borg for the lovely quote. i have the dearest friends.

may your birthday be bright from morning till night.

happy birthday, nikkeh.

wish we could be at disneyland this year..... last year was muy bueno.