Jingle Bells or Not

There are many things that I miss in my life now that I live in Hoboken.

At the top of my list is my family and being able to sit down to regular dinners with them, watch weeknight tv shows, hearing my brother and sister tell stories about their school days - the list could go on and on.

Next would be taking my dog for walks.  You would think I told Misty she won $10 million with the way she responds to "Hey Misty, wanna go for a walk?"  She runs around and can't get to the door fast enough. And it's amazing how much thinking you can do in a 15 minute walk and how easy it is to "talk" to a dog and then some how Misty makes it all better by the time you get back to the driveway...

And what sparked my thought for this post was driving in my car and singing along to the radio.  Now that it is Christmas time, I have been listening to Christmas music at work.  A few of my favorites have come on and I want to belt them out - but I can't.  Well, I mean, I could but then I would look like a crazy person and disrupt productivity.  So it got me thinking about how much I miss being in a car and singing my favorite jams. 

 So - I will continue Skype home to talk to my family (and yell to Misty to come to the screen even though she has no desire to move from her spot on the couch) and just hum along to O Holy Night and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays... 

It's a beaut, Clark.

My first Christmas tree in Hoboken!  It is so nice to come home to the smell of the tree and light it up each night as we watch TV, make dinner and hang out.

Jen, Drew and I also decorated a gingerbread house which came out pretty cute!

This weekend we attended an ugly sweater party and Tom found us matching t-shirts that had a pattern of a typical Christmas sweater!

It's certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hoboken!

A interesting article

For those in their mid-20s...

Perhaps this could be a new years resolution guide of sorts as next year I will be turning the big 2-5. 

A whole lot...

In one post.

I have been severely lacking in the posts throughout the last month or so - allow me to catch you up to speed...

Victoria turned 16 and we had a wonderful time celebrating and dancing with her friends!

Soon after her party, it was time to celebrate Halloween.  With most of our friends choosing superheroes - I felt I was left no other choice than to be Mighty Mouse - in hopes of ridding our apartment once and for all of mice by making a joke of it...

The costume was a success (though ridding the apartment of mice hasn't proven as successful...). Nevertheless, Halloween was a good time this year - despite the random snow storm!  Here are a few shots from the night:

As November began, I started the think more and more about working on "opening" a catering company of sorts.  I love to cook and bake, I enjoy preparing food for friends and family and think that with a solid client base, I could really start something!  

So - Good Afternoonan Catering has been established, I created a business card, am working on trying as many recipes as I can and slowly but surely am getting the word out there that this is something I really would like to try.  

Here are a few "tah-dah" shots of some of the food I have been making:

Spaghetti squash with homemade sauce and chicken/spinach/onions meatballs

Side of garlic bread (naturally)

Homemade spring rolls

Pumpkin apple muffins

Oatmeal cookie sandwiches

I have had two clients so far - and hopefully will have more to come in the next few months!  Here are the trays I put together for one of the clients:

Spinach dip in a bread bowl with veggies and bread

Assorted cookie tray featuring
Italian cookies, Oreo truffles, sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies, and pumpkin bites

Know anyone interested in sampling some of Good Afternoonan Catering's food at their next event?  Send them my way - goodafternoonancatering@gmail.com !

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (and to rival my local Hoboken competition - the Cake Boss) - I gave it a shot at trying to make a turkey cake.  With a little help from some trusty toothpicks, we got Tommy the Turkey to stand and here he is:

Now - if that doesn't get you excited about Good Afternoonan Catering - well, I don't know what will!

Ah, scratch that - I will be posting pictures of my Christmas cookies soon - in case you have any further doubts!

So - stayed tuned for pictures of my first Christmas tree, a gingerbread house fit for a king (currently stored in the refrigerator so it is not home to a mouse) and Christmas treats galore!

Today

"Do what makes you happy,

Be with who makes you smile,

Laugh as much as you breathe,

Love as long as you live."

Flower Power

Last night I went to a floral arrangement class in Hoboken.  The two-hour class was really interesting and we learned some techniques to perfect floral arranging.  Laura Clare conducted the class and has a degree in horticulture and interned all over Europe to learn the ins and outs of flowers.  She has been in business for over 11 years and loves to teach people how to not only make beautiful flower arrangements, but also teach the importance of conditioning the flowers to make them last longer!

Since my hands are pretty small, I had a hard time holding the flowers while trying to arrange them - so I needed some help from the instructors - but I was really happy that I went. 

We created a pretty fall arrangement and I'm proud of my first go around with flower arranging - what do you think?

There is another class in the spring and I think I will go again to continue to learn more techniques!  

Happy Sweet 16!

Today is my youngest sister, Victoria's 16th Birthday!  I cannot believe she is already celebrating her sweet 16 and will soon be driving!  Victoria is growing into her own and she can only be described as a loyal, kind-hearted person who I am proud to call my sister and best friend.

Victoria has always been thought of as "the tall one."  As a little girl, she would ask for glass upon glass of milk everyday and we often joke that all that milk must have made her so tall!  She ranks the tallest of all five of us - although Sean still has a few growing years left... so only time will tell how long she will hold the title!

Victoria - gaining on my height at the mere age of 10...(I'm 18)

Victoria also loves dogs more than anything else in the world.  She prayed night after night for a dog until one Christmas our Mom and Dad gave in and we got Misty!  I guess you could we surely have Victoria to thank for the youngest Noonan sister....

Having sisters is by far the best thing in the world.  Shopping, talking on the phone, getting our nails done - you name it - we like to do it.  Unfortunately we don't get to do it as often now-a-days, but the time is always treasured when we do.  

  

Victoria definitely is a lot of fun and likes to make people laugh.  She has a quick wit and often comes out with one liners that are just hysterical!  Dinner conversations usually have a token-Victoria story and I can definitely say that I miss being at the table to hear them nightly.

If there is one thing Victoria has - it's tons and tons of friends.  I can't seem to keep track of all their names and faces but I do know that each of them are lucky to know and hang out with her.  She would do anything for anyone and always stands up for what is right.

Victoria has accomplished many things so far - from sports to school to personal life - she has been successful and can only add to her "resume" as the years go on!

May Queen

Student Council President

I know that I can speak for everyone in our family when I say that each of us are equally proud of her for who she is.  

  

She is becoming such a beautiful young lady

  

And on this very special day, I would like to wish her all the love and happiness that a big sister can.

 

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Toria.  

I love you very much!

<3, Kath-cakes

Weekend Wrap Up

This past weekend, Tom and I went to go visit our good friends, Phil and Laura.  They have an awesome house right by the beach in Sea Bright, NJ and we have been there a few times before and just love spending time with them!

Our last visit was at the very beginning of the summer but unfortunately, the weather was not nearly as perfect as it was this past weekend.  

On Friday night, Tom and I met Laura after work to take the ferry from 35th and 1st down to the shore.  It was such a cool trip and we had so much fun catching up!  Once we got off the boat, we met Phil to head to his house to freshen up before headed out for dinner and a night out!  

We went to a bar (watched the Phillies lost - still in a little bit of shock!) and then went to a bar with a live band and danced the rest of the night!  We had fun meeting some of their friends and then we headed home for a little friendly Wii dance competition.  After busting a move, we went to sleep so we would be rested up for Saturday's plans!

Last fall we went to the race track at Monmouth Park and had so much fun!  Tom loves to bet the horses and I love a day out in the sun with great friends!  

We bet on horses in almost all the races and for every race we bet, we won some money!  By the time it was time to go, we had nearly doubled the money we started with!  Not too bad!

Winners! :)

Then we went to their favorite local bar for some pizza, brews and tons of games of darts.

Thank you again for having us - we had such a wonderful weekend!

Where there is a Mickey

There is a Minnie.  I remember my parents saying that every so often when I was little and due to the recent events at my apartment - this saying takes on a whole different meaning to me.

Last Wednesday night, my roommates and I went to the W Hotel in Hoboken for a Johnnie Walker tasting.  It was a free event and we learned how to taste whiskey and then we were given a ticket for a free drink.  It was a really swanky place and the view of the city was really cool - so it seemed like a really nice night out.

Then we got home and out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something move across the floor.  Drew saw it too - but I tried to make myself think that it was a leaf or a figment of my imagination.  Our fears were confirmed when we saw the little mouse run from the kitchen into Jen's room.  Since it was so late that night, our only choice was to pray that he ran back outside and that he would be a one time visitor.

Oh, we decided to name the mouse Alfred - since none of us like the name Alfred all that much and we certainly did not like the idea of a mouse in our place.  

The next day Jen and Drew stopped at the hardware store to buy the traps and the poison - again in hopes that we really wouldn't need them.  Tom sent them all up for us and again our fingers were crossed that this was just a one time deal.

On Friday night, I got a text message from Drew saying that Alfred is gone!  Well - he must have eaten some of the poison because he was slow to move when Drew came in the room so she and her boyfriend placed a box over him and were able to take him outside.

We have an exterminator coming this week to try and figure out where the mouse got in and how we can prevent any more "unwelcomed vistors."  

This adult certainly has it perks but it also comes with its not-so-fun times.  There are certainly days where I wish I were a kid again -

and these were the only mice I knew...

Don't settle...

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Steve Jobs
Stanford commencement speech
June 2005

Fall Fashion

The turn of the weather came pretty quickly it seems.  Last week, I was definitely still wearing open-toed shoes and short sleeves.  Then this past weekend, it got pretty chilly and I was wearing boots and jackets!

So I thought it might be a good time to check in on the fall fashion this year and see which new trends I might indulge in.

I would say I have a conservative, feminine style that involves lots of color (not all at once of course!), a bow wherever possible and the more dresses and/or skirts, the better.  My mom likes to tell the story of me as a little girl running to my room to put a dress over pants - and to this day, I would much prefer to be wearing a skirt than pants.  

After reviewing some fashion sites, I think I found the top three pieces that I will be on the lookout for this season.

Polka dots - this is just perfect with the color and the bow!

A touch of lace - I like how it has sleeves that show the feminine lace detail

Jade green - this necklace would add something special to any outfit!

I am also looking for some new warm sweaters, a pair of black boots and I might go to a cheaper shoe store to see if I can score a pair of trendy booties.

The change of season is a great time to invest in a few items to spruce up your wardrobe and I am excited to get shopping!

It's Broadway Baby!

I have made it a point to take advantage of living next to New York City and having the ability to go to Broadway shows whenever I want!

The last show I reported that Tom and I went to was "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" for our 2nd anniversary and we loved it!  A few weeks later, we got tickets for Sister Act and had such a great time.  The music was awesome, the story is just like the movie and the performers were so entertaining! Oh, and it was set in Philadelphia, PA and they even mentioned the Philadelphia Inquirer and I loved that as it reminded me of my Dad!

The best part of all - Tom got us tickets in the first row of the balcony - it was incredible!  To not have a head in front of me to have to look around - made the show so much better!

About a week later, I went to go see Memphis with my friend from work, Lindsay and her mom.  They stood in line for the 1/2 price tickets so we had amazing seats for half the price!  Not too shabby!

It was absolutely amazing and it was so nice of Lindsay to invite me!  The leading lady in the show had such an impressive voice and I felt the hairs on my arm stand every time she opened her mouth!

Last night, Tom and I went to The Lion King!

It was absolutely incredible.  The costumes, the dancing, the songs, the set - just amazing.  They made the story really come to life and we left the theater so  impressed! 

Every show we see, we take the playbook and decide which show we want to see next.  I am proud to say that we are making quite a dent in the Broadway shows so far and cannot wait to buy tickets for the next!