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Bar Harbor Beige Buffet Revamp – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi! How has your week been? So many people have asked me how everything has been going with John quitting his job to join  me at FunCycled. Since I don’t get as much time as I’d like to to chat with everyone,  I thought I would share what it has been like for him making this transition.

The 1st weeks was busy… almost like a whirlwind. We had custom furniture orders that were time sensitive because of people moving; it was crunch time to get everything ready. John rose to the occasion and pushed and pushed to take care of everything without sacrificing quality. That’s what I love about him. He’s a perfectionist which is a good balance (yet sometimes annoying) to an artist like me. I honestly think he is a better painter than I am, but he doesn’t have an eye for the design or antiquing of a piece. That’s where I come in now.

The 2nd week was equally busy, but this time everything John put his hand at went wrong. From bleed through to knobs not fitting right on a dresser,  and then replacement parts not working with an older piece. I’ve been dealing with those problems for over 1 1/2 years so I know some of the tricks that he just hasn’t learned yet. It was a very frustrating week for him and I thought he might have wanted to call it quits. He said he didn’t know how I could do this for the last year and a half. I assured him he was just learning and working together I showed him how to fix the troubling problems.

Time to reevaluate, right? I was a manager for 7 years before doing this so I’m all about making sure you’re on the right path and doing what you love. I would even say that to my staff at my last job, this is America and if you don’t love what you do, let me know and I’ll help you find a job that’s a better fit for you. We went out to dinner, just John and I, and talked about went wrong and what went right. He asked me if this was his “evaluation” and chuckled. John reassured me that he loved doing this and was sure learning more would  only make the job easier. Up until this week, he had never even used an air sprayer. For those of you who have ever used one, you can understand why that alone can make you want to cry. He’s a hard working, patient guy and was ready to dive into this past week with gusto and excitement. Also, note to the DIYer’s out there that think what we do is easy. Some projects can be easy, but others definitely not so much. It’s a learned skill and you have to love it to do it every day.

So, this past week came and went and was SO much better! Things went smoothly and we’re starting to get a good schedule down. We definitely complement each other. I’m honestly not sure how I did all this without him. I really don’t! The only one flaw this week was ordering a gallon of the wrong color paint in a miscommunication. That doesn’t sound like much, but that’s a $45 mistake and a $45 mistake to this family is a big mistake.

Ok, I’ll stop blabbing on and get to the furniture makeover. That’s why you’re here anyway, right? Cheryl reached out to us because Dawn over at Botanic Studio told her about us. If you haven’t been to the Botanic Studio or met Dawn, you simply must go. Her terrariums will take your breathe away. I’ve been hinting to John for years that I want one… hopefully some day soon. ;) If he reads this blog, that is. lol. Seriously though, her pieces are amazing and Dawn is right up my ally. She’s kind, professional and encouraging. Definitely go see her and the beautiful shop in downtown Troy.

Here’s the buffet before. It was in good shape, but Cheryl wanted a different “look” in her livingroom. We went back on forth on some colors… should it be black, teal, red or beige? After a few days, Cheryl went with beige. Benjamin Moore’s Bar Harbor Beige 1032 to be exact!

We kept all of the hardware original because they were in good shape and Cheryl liked the color. We primed, painted and distressed the whole piece and then sealed it with a water based clear coat.

Are your ready for the after??

You might have missed Cheryl’s daughter’s dresser and end stand makeover earlier this week. If so, check out the Pottery-barnish Dresser Makeover.

So classic and stunning, isn’t it?? Thanks for stopping by today. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below. Have a wonderful week!  

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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White Pottery-barnish Dresser Set

It’s Saturday!! Why am I posting on a Saturday?? Well, I was up early and with having John home I’ve had time to get more pieces done in a week.  That being said, I have so much to share with you and not enough time to write up the posts and share it. Since I’m up early, I thought I would share some before and after pictures of a dresser set we did for Catherine! Stay tuned for next week’s Tuesday’s Treasures to see her mom’s cream buffet makeover.

Here’s the before pictures of this set. It’s very little girl-ish; Catherine is moving away from home and into her own place. She is ready for her furniture to look more mature… {Pottery-barnish} as I like to call it. I’m was so happy she wanted to give life to her old piece instead of buying new since it was structurally great and solid wood.

Catherine ordered the knobs from Anthropology. Do you know how much I love Anthropology knobs? It’s one of the things in life that melts me inside. Just sayin’.

I painted it white, glazed it with Valspar’s antique glaze and distressed it a bit.

Catherine already had an end stand in white that she wanted to match it so I distressed and glazed the end stand at the same time. Here’s the set together!! So beautiful, right??

Catherine, I hope you love your new job and the area  you’re moving to. Thanks for being so sweet to my kids! Keep in touch!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Coffee Table Inspiration From a Canvas Shopping Bag – Tuesday’s Treasures

Has it really been a week since I wrote my last blog post?? I feel like I was just here telling you all about John starting to work with me, I blinked and now I’m back at the computer again. lol That’s how wonderfully busy the past week has been. I’m not complaining, in any way, because I LOVE what I do. I’ve been loving the custom orders, color consultations, and creating some of my own beauties. Check out this new piece on our Furniture For Sale page: Yummy goodness… don’t you want to make it yours?? I know I do! ;)

But for this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures, I found inspiration from what?? A canvas shopping bag!! Say what?!? It’s a true story. My mom’s friend Susan had this coffee table that was given to her from her father years ago. She wanted to keep it for memory’s sake, but wanted more color to brighten her small sitting room. (Sorry for the bad picture! I forgot to take a before picture)

Susan came over to talk colors with this canvas shopping bag in hand. She loved the design and the color combinations so we decided to take the plunge!
It’s super cute right?? So, I painted cream on top (I know it looks really white, but it’s not), graphite grey on the base and I drew the top design by hand. I changed the design a bit, but not too much. Then I sealed it for an extra layer of protection using a water based polycrylic.
Here it is… cute as a button. Or cute as its’ buttons. Ha ha! I crack myself up.

Susan is moving out of state (back to her VA home) at the end of this month so I’m happy she’ll have something to remind her of her NY friends. We’ll miss you so much!!!  “Y’all” have been a huge blessing to my parents and I am so thankful to have met you this year. God knew we needed you here in NY for a while.  Thanks to everyone from back home for sharing you with us. :)

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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After’s Without the Before’s – Tuesday’s Treasures

It’s been quite the week here at the FunCycled home. John’s first week working with me was AMAZING. What most people take as normal, I was able to enjoy for the first time. John and I went to bed together and woke up together. This may sound little, but it’s the little things that mean the most, right? With his last job, he was in bed by 8:00pm and up at 3:30am. I was in bed by midnight and up at 6:30am. John being able to see the kids at breakfast and be a second helping hand in the morning was worth it’s weight in gold. We were even able to have lunch together some days. A girl could get use to this change of pace. Feeling pretty spoiled over here!!

I’ll keep you posted on the progress of everything as we go. I’m sure there will be good and bad with the change, but for now I’m so blessed by the good. I’ve missed that hubby of mine who’s been working 60 hour weeks and doing FunCycled work every minute he could squeeze in. If you’ve been vacationing and missed out on my post about John working for FunCycled full time, we’re now creating more custom furniture and also expanding into interior painting and kitchen cabinet painting.

On this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures, I’m sharing some noteworthy “afters” that I forgot to take before pictures of. Hey, I get busy!!  This is a judgment free zone. lol

Here they are in no logical order. ;)

Becki’s Cream Distressed Display Cabinet. Paint color: Benjamin Moore’s Carlisle Cream

Audrey’s Antique Book Case with glass doors in black

Dee Dee’s White Cabinet with mirrors on the doors Paint Color: Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White

Dee Dee’s Queen Canopy Bed painted Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White

And last but probably my favorite out of all the pieces…
Jacquie’s  Distressed Pink Dresser with knobs from Hobby Lobby. LOVE how this one came out.  The color is Benjamin Moore’s Pink Starburst. I wish I had the before pictures of this one because this dresser was in rough shape with about 20 large holes drilled all over the top. Definitely had to paint over this one!

And a close up to see the knobs and distressing a bit better.

I hope you all had a safe and a fun family filled 4th of July!!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

 

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Retro Atlantis Blue Dresser – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi friends! Can you believe it’s the 4th of July this week?? I always feel like the 4th of July is the half way point of the summer. I know it’s not really, for most it’s the official start of summer but in my mind I think summer’s nearly over when we hit the 4th of July.

This week John starts full time with me at FunCycled! I’m BEYOND excited about this change!! :)  Now in addition to furniture make-overs, we will offer interior home painting, color consultations and kitchen cabinet painting. If you’ve missed the post about the transitions, check it out now.  If you are interested in any of those options, please use our Contact Us form to reach out to us.

On to the furniture, shall we?? lol We’ve had this dresser on our Upcoming Projects page for a little while. It’s much larger than it looks and it was the other 1/2 of the Navy Number Dresser that we customized for Carly. This part of the set is going to a different family. Kerri reached out to me to see if the dresser would work for her daughters room. They came over with decor in hand and we picked a color that would best coordinate with the room.

Here’s the dresser before. Still in good shape, they just wanted a pop of color.

A pop of color they have!! The color is Benjamin Moore’s Atlantis Blue 768 and I glazed it after I painted it. We also painted the knobs with a hammered black spray paint.

I love how I was able to get the texture of this piece to almost look like leather. Just love it!!

I hope you all have a safe and a fun family filled 4th of July!! Please keep us in prayer as John joins me on this adventure. We need it!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity.There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Red Hoosier Cabinet Revamp

Happy Tuesday everyone! This week’s makeover is super fun! Very few houses before 1930 had built in kitchen cabinets and free standing cabinets were for the up and up. Many different manufactures made a hoosier style of cabinet but the most popular was “Hoosiers” so the name stuck. I love all the hidden treasures you find with Hoosier Cabinets. There’s usually anything from a built in cutting board to a pull out counter-top and metal flour drawers.

Tricia reached out to us about this piece. Her mom had passed away and she wanted her furniture to go to a place where artistic input, love and creativity would go into the pieces. Her mom loved art and painted herself. I could tell when I walked into her house. I could actually picture myself living in her cute little cottage. It wasn’t grand, but you could tell that she made the most of the space she had and loved every little inch of that place. Thank you, Tricia,  for being so kind to us. I hope we would have made your mom fall in love with each piece again.

Here’s the Hoosier cabinet before.

Back and forth I went with so many different colors and design ideas. I was thinking green, then teal… you know I always have to think about everything being teal. Red hutches are really popular so I’ve painted many a red hutch. That being said, I almost didn’t want to go with red. Mostly because I like to try new things when it’s not a custom order. Well, after mulling it over time and time again, I just couldn’t get away from red. I knew it had to be red.

I thought it would be fun (and useful) to incorporate chalk paint because I like being able to write scripture verses, recipe ideas or to do lists in my kitchen and the top doors were the perfect place. I replaced the knobs with ones from Hobby Lobby. They actually weren’t that different from the knobs that were the original. Just a little different style and definitely a different color! 

Then, I distressed it and glazed it heavily to give it a primitive feel. The best part?? It’s FOR SALE! Check out our Furniture for Sale Page to see if it’s still available.  

And a quick before and after recap for…

Have a wonderful holiday week and enjoy the 4th of July festivities! :)

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity.

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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FunCycled Interior Home and Kitchen Cabinet Painting

We have some REALLY exciting news to share with you today! John and I have been considering our next steps for FunCycled for a few months. After praying about it and asking others’ advice, we decided to have John resign from his job to join me  full time on this adventure. With this change, in addition to furniture repurposing Funcycled will now offer interior home painting, kitchen cabinet painting, and color consultations.

Don’t you all want to hire this guy to make the walls of your home look as pretty as the furniture we’ve made for you??

John has done cabinetry work, interior painting, and construction for over 13 years and he’s beyond excited to get back into it full time.

You all already know how much painting can change the style and feel of room, right?? We can paint a room (or your whole house) for you and help you pick colors. It’s a win, win! :)

If you haven’t seen it done before, painting kitchen cabinets can completely change the look of your home without the hassle of major construction, wasting perfectly good cabinetry, or spending as much money. Here are some great before and afters that I thought would help you see what a difference it could make.

From Lisa from lisadamrosch.typepad.com adds a fun pop of color give her kitchen a whole new look! 

You can never go wrong with a clean cut white and black look and Erin over at growingafoosa.blogspot.com rocked it with this one.

You’ll all know why I LOVE this little kitchen makeover by Kristi over at addicted2decorating.com. Everything from the cabinet color to the free hand painted tree on the wall to the ceiling- oh so beautiful. Please let me do this design someone! ;)

Get ready to catch your chin when you check out this kitchen from frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com. Ahhhmazing, right?

We can also custom build furniture for you! Desks, book cases, benches, etc. You might even see a FunCycled furniture line soon. Shh… don’t tell anyone! ;)

Having John here with me to help me move furniture and paint is beyond exciting. If you’ve ever been a manager in food service, you know how little time you get at home. Combining that with trying to run a business can leave very little hubby or daddy time. So, we’re stepping out in faith and trusting that the work will be enough to support our family. Thank you to all of the customers who’ve made this little dream of ours become a reality in just over a year and a half. I sit here in awe wondering can this be true … so blessed this little Trop family is. :)

If you have a project in mind, please us our Contact Us form for a furniture, kitchen cabinet or interior painting quote.  From now until the end of July 2013, we will be offering a free color consult for each painting job booked. If you are interested in a color consult without having us do the painting, we charge by the hour for that service now.

Making a big life change is pretty scary. But know what’s even scarier? Regret. 
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity.

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

 

 

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Black and Cream Chair Set

Hi All! I hope you had a wonderful week. I’m sure for most of you, it was filled with graduation parties, father’s day celebrations, and yard work. Tis the season around here! Congrats to my little niece Emma for graduating kindergarten and to my sister in law Tasha for graduating high school! We are so proud of both of you!

Because of the seeming endless festivities, I’m going to make today’s Tuesday’s Treasures short and sweet. I bought these chairs from a guy on craigslist. The caning is in excellent condition and the cushions under the fabric were in good shape, too. That gives me two solid pieces to start with. :)

I painted both black and bought a fabric shower curtain to use as the fabric to recover the seats. Mom redid the seats for me… she’s amazing. I like to use fabric shower curtains because they repel the water which helps to resist stains.

This whole set is for sale. Check out of Furniture For Sale Page for more info. 

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity.

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Loretta’s Lovely Armoire on Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I’m beyond excited to share this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures with you. If you haven’t seen it yet, I also did a post on our recent NYC trip for John and my 10th anniversary.

This armoire was in Loretta’s entry way and if you had a glimpse into  her house, you would know that it just didn’t fit in. She has beautiful natural, but elegant colors throughout her home.  I stopped over and looked through colors and designs with Loretta for a while. She’s so sweet! I wanted to stay all day and keep chatting…

We decided to go with  Benjamin Moore’s Catalina Blue 703 to give her entry way a little bit of color without being too bright. I thought it could use some elegant detailing for the front so we ordered these hand carved onlays. Now this step is not for someone who is trying to redo a piece on a budget. They were pricey, but I felt like they gave this plain piece a touch of splendor.

Here, John is putting them on with a nail gun. I was scared to hold it and every time he nailed, I thought he was going to hit my hand. It kept moving until I learned to just trust him. Then all went well! lol

So much  better, right??

We sanded everything first, primed and painted it. After that, I glazed it with a silver glazing by Martha Stewart and sealed it for extra protection.

Are you ready for the after?? My oh my!! Doesn’t even look like the same piece, right?

The hardware is all from Hobby Lobby and sprayed silver to match.

Look at that hand carved detailing!!

And one more side by side to see the transformation!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity.

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US.  Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

 

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Quick Tips for a Weekend Trip to NYC

This is a quick overview about our anniversary trip to NYC. With some time saving, $$ saving tips to help you have a great time in the city, too!

On a rainy Saturday afternoon ten years ago, I said “I do!” to this handsome guy. Aside from asking Christ to forgive me for my sinfulness and give me a home in heaven because of what He did by dying on the cross for my sins, John is my biggest blessing. Don’t get me wrong, marriage is work for sure but anything worthwhile is work, right? We have so much fun together!! I love that he’s hard working, loves God and teaches the kids about Him, isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right, laughs at my silliness, and just as importantly knows what color Kelly green is. :)  Do you want to know why the Kelly green thing is so important to me? Because it shows he cares about what I care about. It’s the little things that mean so much to me.

For our 10th anniversary, we decided to go away for a long weekend to NYC. If you know us, you would know this is right up our alley!! Lots of people, plenty of culture, art, and limitless food options. How could you go wrong?? Since we live in upstate NY, it’s an easy weekend trip when mom is willing to watch the kiddos. Thanks MOM and JO for taking good care of our little monkeys. They didn’t even want to talk to us when we called. They were having WAY too much fun. Heart breakers. ;)

So here we are on our first ever mega bus double decker bus ride. If your close to NYC this is a super affordable way to travel to the city, drama free. We had round trip tickets for $47 and that was the most expensive option  because we had to go at prime time. If you can leave earlier the price went down from there. For info on pricing go here: http://us.megabus.com/

It dropped us off right near Times Square and of course I had to take a picture of the Superman poster to show our little man when we got home.

Off we went to grab a coffee and quick lunch. We went to Fresh & Co. for lunch. If you want a quick lunch with fresh, farm to table food, this is the place. Our sandwich was delicious. I always try to buy a little to eat when we stop for food because it’s hard to find a clean bathroom in NYC. So, if I need a bathroom break, I go into a restaurant or coffee shop where you really should buy something to use the bathroom. Eat small little things throughout the day to keep the clean bathrooms available. lol We split a sandwich and tea. Yummy!

Then we walked about 10 blocks in the pouring rain. Rain must be a sign of something in our marriage. ; )  It was actually the first hurricane of the season and we walked the city through blinding rain and wind. We stopped by Cafe Bene and the barista made me this latte’ with a heart on top. Seemed very “instaworthy” as the lady behind me said. lol

I can’t tell you how much I LOVED this spot. I loved the design, the service, the lighting, everything was perfect, including the latte! Off to the hotel we went. We stayed at the Hudson Hotel right next to Central Park. It’s not the cheapest option but for $50 more than the typical hotels, I really, really loved it. It was modern and minimalist but in a very artsy fartsy way.

That night we went to see Newsies on Broadway. This was a special play for me!! I watched this movie 100 times at least when I was a kid. My brothers, sister and I would sing every word. I was so excited to see my favorite childhood movie come to life. It was full of memories and amazing music.  A definite must go in my book.

See how close we were?? I could see them spit! lol

The bad part? It was still raining buckets so when we left the theater, we grabbed a ride from a “pedicab”,  one of those guys who ride a bike and pull people behind them. Doesn’t that sound like an adventure we would remember? Well, note to self: NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! The bill for about 10 blocks was $160. That’s more than our tickets to Newsies. I had no clue it would be that high! I think we may have been robbed!!  I have since learned that Mayor Bloomberg signed a law effective summer 2013 to ensure that pedicabs have clearly identified by the minute rates so that “no pedicab rider will be surprised with unknown, illegal, or unexpected charges at the end of their ride.” Scamming tourists seems to be pretty routine. Enough said!

On to Saturday (trying not to be bitter about what happened the night before and the major loss of our anniversary money), we ate breakfast at the Star Dust Diner. I think the first time I went here was with my brother Jesse when I was 16. I’m not a diner fan, but I love this one. All the waitstaff have amazing voices and sing Broadway music as they serve you. Now that’s talent! It’s really loud and full of life; I like that! Here we are at breakfast, I had french toast stuffed with fluff and topped with strawberries. Oh my word! Heavenly bliss! If any of my long time friends are reading this, you’ll know why I love that so much!! 

Next up was a walking food tour of Greenwich Village and Soho. It was from 12-3 and our tour guide took us to all different places that I would have never tried otherwise. I definitely recommend this to anyone!! It’s so much fun!! For ticket info go here: http://www.foodsofny.com/greenwichvillage.php

Here are some of the highlights from that trip. We are coffee lovers so stopping in at the Porto Rico Importing Company was so much fun!! Amazing!!

Oh and I loved, loved this door that we saw on our walk through town. It’s the little things that made this trip so fun for John and me!

The hanging tree in Washington park where there would be public hangings in the late 1800’s. Eeeek!

One of my favorite parts of the food walking tour was our stop at Cuba! A huge thank you to our tour guide, Diana!! We highly recommend this!

 

adventure to anyone. :) 

After the food tour was over, I had a glorious day planned of window shopping (and maybe a little buying ) in Soho. Instead, I hurt my foot. That’s not a good thing to have happen in NYC. I wobbled around for a bit, bought a brace, elevated it, but nothing worked. Change of plans. I moved up our dinner reservation so I could sit down and be off my foot. We went to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill.   Definitely my favorite meal of the trip. John had a pork tenderloins (below) and I had prime rib with a double baked potato. The steak melted in mouth!! It was ridiculous!!! SO good!!

 

I definitely couldn’t walk after dinner so our options were go back to the hotel for the night or go to the movies. Off we went to the movies. We’re goers! :)

On Sunday we visited Calvary Baptist Church which was just a couple blocks from our hotel. My parents always went to church on vacation and it made a big impression on me. We didn’t just go to church when we were home. The Lord’s day was the Lord’s day no matter where we were and my family always liked to hear the Bible preached and spend time with Christians wherever we were. I feel the same way still so it was fun to meet new people and enjoy a Sunday morning service here.

Since I was still having a hard time walking on Sunday, we decided to go on a bus tour of NYC. This is the 2nd time I’ve been on one and it was just as much fun. Here are some photos from the ride.

Amazing architecture, right? The best part about this trip was being reminded about how John is my best friend. Hands down! When I spend time with him I have fun, laugh, feel one of a kind, and am reminded of God’s grace in my life. I was married at 19 and know that it’s only by God’s grace (and my parents prayers) that I ended up with someone so special.

Thanks everyone for your patience due to my lack of online and email presence over the weekend. Your kind notes meant so much to us!!

Have any of you been to the places we enjoyed?? Or if you have any more recommendations to share, please do so in the comments!!

Blessings,
Sarah

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