Showing posts with label newlyweds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label newlyweds. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wedding Letters: Part One - Nick's Letter to Anne
When Anne & I were married, we had two ceremonies: A catholic one and a Jewish one, to honor both of our religions. For the Jewish ceremony, the Rabbi had both of us write letters to one another (addressed to the Rabbi) which would be read allowed for all to hear. In honor of our two-year anniversary, we thought it would be nice to share those letters with all of you. First up - my letter to Anne.
Dear Rabbi Kolton,
I feel so incredibly lucky to have found the most caring, supportive, funny, smart, adorable, beautiful, and of course, loving partner in Anne. If you asked me three years ago if I was going to marry this woman, I honestly would have had no idea. Mainly because she played more hard-to-get than any woman I had dated previously. But I was up for the challenge! I must admit, from the very first time I saw Anne, her infectious smile is what caught my eye. The Mazzeo smile will get you every time -- there is no escaping it -- and I fell victim immediately.
As our relationship grew stronger, there was no doubt in my mind that she was the one for me. I felt like a kid in high school again, with our phone calls that went on for hours, sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning. It was so exciting for me to finally be with someone who likes to talk as much as I do. It wasn’t before long that I realized I was falling for this woman, and I was falling hard. I started to miss her when she wasn’t around me, and I found myself anticipating her phone calls on a day-to-day basis. I knew that she felt this way too, because soon we were absolutely inseparable, and talks of a future together was a popular topic for us.
Over the past three years, I have really begun to see more meaning in my life, with real responsibilities, and this is largely because of the woman I am marrying today. She met me at a time in my life when I was in somewhat of a rut – I now realize I didn’t have much in the way of real responsibilities. If I planned on being with Anne for the rest of my life, I decided I had better put the pedal to the metal, metaphorically speaking. With her support, my first two years of real estate have been such a life-changing career choice for me primarily because she believes in me, and loves me every step of the way.
I love how she would rather make it a Blockbuster night, and curl up on the couch with a nice glass of wine, as opposed to going out on a Saturday night. I love how she crinkles up her nose when she gets frustrated. I love how she always orders $5 lattes and never finishes them. I love how she will order a side of veggies with her grilled cheese and then end up eating my French Fries. I love how she always knows where my keys are when I forget where I put them just 10 minutes earlier. I love how she sets the DVR for “GLEE” because I never remember. I love how she’d rather eat at a diner than have fine dining. I love how she makes the best baked ziti I have ever tasted. I love how she loves to watch Ultimate Fighting – well, just Chuck Liddell. I love how she pouts when she doesn’t get what she wants, and folds her arms like a little kid. I love how she doesn’t care if I listen to Howard Stern when we’re driving, and she’s able to tune it out and read the newest Harry Potter installment. But most of all, I love us, and I love how she loves me. She is love, and she is all I need.
-Nick Baldwin
Labels:
happy anniversary,
just married,
just married real estate,
newlywed home buying,
newlyweds,
wedding anniversary,
wedding vows
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Coming May, 2012!
Ladies and Gents, you may have noticed that we haven't been up on our blogging as much as we used to be. My wife especially. Now, we would like to tell you that morning sickness has been one of the main reasons. Yes, that's right...my beautiful wife Anne is officially 12 weeks pregnant, and little Baby Baldwin is due on May 15th, 2012! We couldn't be happier, and we are honored to share our fantastic news with all of you!
So what do you guys think? Is it a boy or a girl? :-)
So what do you guys think? Is it a boy or a girl? :-)
Labels:
due date,
expecting,
just married,
just married real estate,
new born,
newlyweds,
pregnancy,
the bump
Monday, October 31, 2011
I'm Dreaming of a White...Halloween?!?!
It all began with a light snow fall in...October? For New Jersey, that's a rarity. But it didn't take long until trees were collapsing on to power lines and electricity was going out all over town. My wife has to work every 12th Saturday, so she had to commute into Manhattan. All the trains and buses back to New Jersey got cancelled later on in the day, so I had to go pick her up. It felt as if I was in a car commercial, dodging every tree limb that had fallen into the street due to the heavy snow. It took me 90 minutes to make a trip that should only take me 30.
We were one of the few unlucky ones who lost power and heat, so we packed up the pup and are spending two nights in a hotel. Power is not expected to be fully restored until Wednesday. As you can see below, there's a certain K-9 that doesn't seem to mind one bit. He is so spoiled!
Don't worry. Even though we are spending All Hallows Eve in a hotel, my wife and I were able to dress up last week. It's her all-time favorite holiday (aside for Christmas, or any holiday where she receives presents), so there is NO way we would have missed the opportunity to be...Toddlers & Tiaras and Baby Bieber! Yes, I am wearing a REAL diaper! And no, that is not my real hair. Although, a very long time ago I did have hair like that.
Since the wife and I are not putting on costumes today because we're living out of a suitcase for the time being, Barney decided to throw on an outfit (that's right - he made that decision all by himself). He's going as a DEVIL DOG!
Happy Halloween everyone! Stay safe & warm!
We were one of the few unlucky ones who lost power and heat, so we packed up the pup and are spending two nights in a hotel. Power is not expected to be fully restored until Wednesday. As you can see below, there's a certain K-9 that doesn't seem to mind one bit. He is so spoiled!
Don't worry. Even though we are spending All Hallows Eve in a hotel, my wife and I were able to dress up last week. It's her all-time favorite holiday (aside for Christmas, or any holiday where she receives presents), so there is NO way we would have missed the opportunity to be...Toddlers & Tiaras and Baby Bieber! Yes, I am wearing a REAL diaper! And no, that is not my real hair. Although, a very long time ago I did have hair like that.
Since the wife and I are not putting on costumes today because we're living out of a suitcase for the time being, Barney decided to throw on an outfit (that's right - he made that decision all by himself). He's going as a DEVIL DOG!
Labels:
baby beebs,
baby biebs,
celebrity real estate,
devil,
devil dog,
dog halloween costumes,
halloween,
just married,
just married real estate,
justin bieber,
newlyweds,
toddlers and tiaras
Monday, September 26, 2011
Women Are Always Right. There, I Said It!
Hey, Nick here! Wow, has it really been two weeks since our last blog entry? I’m so sorry, guys. Sometimes life just gets the better of us.
After leaving my clients, I spent 3 hours at the cell phone store where luckily my insurance covered the damage and only cost $100 (I say only, because it could have been MUCH more than that), and came home to Anne with the, “I told you so” look on her face soaking up her rightness. She didn’t even need to say the words. Needless to say, I’m back to having a phone the size of a DVD player attached to my hip.
Labels:
broken cell phone,
just married real estate,
newlywed home buying,
newlyweds,
real estate,
women are always right
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Coming Soon- Our First Giveaway!!!!
For those of you who don't follow us on Facebook, you may have missed our HUGE announcement last night. We are gearing up to do an AWESOME give away. Now you're probably thinking "Oh great, another blogger who is going to give away some books!" Well, think what you want, but this is going to be HUGE. We are partnering up with a great organization for the chance to win a giveaway worth $1,000. Yes, you read that correctly, something worth $1,000. However, the deal with them is we can only begin the contest ONCE we have reached 200 followers.
So, if you are a phantom reader and you want a chance to win, follow our little blog. Once we hit 150 followers we will tell you all just what the prize is and how to officially enter. But until then, stay tuned for some little hints and clues.
Hint One: All of these people have something in common.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Home Prices Are Falling, But the Realtors Are Staying High!
Hi, Nick here. Everyone loves to peek into the lives of celebrities. Especially celebrity homes. We are OBSESSED with the way famous people live, so when a celebrity puts their home on the market it's the perfect time to snoop. Rose McGowan of "Charmed" fame put her Loz Feliz, California home on the market recently, and it's priced at $1.85 million - the same price she paid for it in 2004. Now, before I get into Rose's "technique" for getting her home sold, let's have a look inside her digs, shall we?
The Massive Front Door
The Impressive Foyer Entry Way
The Spacious Living Room w/ Exposed Beams
A real estate agent myself, I have done many open houses. A good way to attract other real estate agents to visit your listing is to offer food. Realtors LOVE free food. Sandwiches, pizza, sweets, you name it, we are a sucker for it. Rose thought the same thing, so she gave her Realtor some brownies to leave out for the agents to munch on. It seems the brownies had a "special" ingredient in them that impairs ones mental state. Rose was quoted as saying in a recent interview,
"There were eight Realtors and inspectors coming to the house...and you have to get out of your house...and I notice there's a big, huge plate of brownies that said 'Enjoy!' on the surround-wrap...and I just left, I didn't think about it. At 4:30 that afternoon, I get a call from my Realtor saying, 'I'm at my parent teacher conference; was there anything in those brownies?'"
Oh, Rose, what are we going to do with you? Unfortunately, any offers that are written up while someone is under the influence are considered void. But hey, it was worth a shot, right?
(photos & references courtesy of www.outrageousestates.com & www.sfgate.com)
The Massive Front Door
The Impressive Foyer Entry Way
The Spacious Living Room w/ Exposed Beams
A real estate agent myself, I have done many open houses. A good way to attract other real estate agents to visit your listing is to offer food. Realtors LOVE free food. Sandwiches, pizza, sweets, you name it, we are a sucker for it. Rose thought the same thing, so she gave her Realtor some brownies to leave out for the agents to munch on. It seems the brownies had a "special" ingredient in them that impairs ones mental state. Rose was quoted as saying in a recent interview,
"There were eight Realtors and inspectors coming to the house...and you have to get out of your house...and I notice there's a big, huge plate of brownies that said 'Enjoy!' on the surround-wrap...and I just left, I didn't think about it. At 4:30 that afternoon, I get a call from my Realtor saying, 'I'm at my parent teacher conference; was there anything in those brownies?'"
Oh, Rose, what are we going to do with you? Unfortunately, any offers that are written up while someone is under the influence are considered void. But hey, it was worth a shot, right?
(photos & references courtesy of www.outrageousestates.com & www.sfgate.com)
Labels:
brownies,
celebrity homes,
celebrity real estate,
just married,
just married real estate,
newlyweds,
real estate,
rose mcgowan
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Family Dinner
No, I'm not talking about Jersey Shore. I'm talking about Sunday dinner with my grandmother.
Tonight Nick and I treated my Nana to dinner. For those of you who don’t know, Nick and I live in the 3rd floor apartment of my grandmother’s house (more on this in another post) and it is actually the house my dad grew up in! We see my grandma at least once a day to say hi and check in on her, but for the past 7 years Sundays have always been our ‘’dinner date’’ days. In the past, Nana would make a typical 5-6 course Italian meal. The kind that had 4 different pasta dishes, salads, 3 types of chicken and meatballs, and if you didn’t eat at least 3 helpings she would call home to tell my parents that I must be sick! Recently however, Nana’s arthritis has gotten the better of her and hasn’t had the energy to cook, or do much of anything for that matter. So instead of me cooking tonight we decided to get her out of the house and get her some ribs (she LOVES ribs). We headed over to a little bar/grille near our house and had a nice hour and a half hanging out and eating.
Nights like this with my grandma are my favorite. While living with her isn’t always the easiest, Sunday dinner is something that I look forward to every week. Seeing my grandma healthy and up and moving around makes me so happy. Getting her out of the house was a great end to what was a pretty hectic week.
Labels:
family,
newlyweds,
real estate,
weekend
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Newlywed Nutrition: Zero Motivation
Lately my motivation to work out has been non-existent. Normally, I am a 5x/week work-out-aholic. Whether I am walking outside, at the gym, taking a class, doing a workout DVD, I do at least 1hr of activity 5x a week. Lately, not so much. Between this crazy heat wave, my long commute to and from work, laziness, and summer fun, I've been lucky to get in 2hrs/week. I just have no desire to workout and it's so not like me. I love to workout. I plan my day around my workouts, I look forward to my workouts and I even schedule plans with friends around my gym time. Some of my friends think I'm a tad bit obsessed, but I think it's more dedication than anythign else. I don't just workout for the health benefits and I don't workout to lose weight. I do it because it is a natural stress reliever for me. When I workout on a regular schedule I have more energy, less stress, and I love the way I look. It makes me feel GOOD. I know that I'm in good shape and that skipping the gym every-so-often isn't a huge deal, but working out is a hobby for me. It's something that gets my mind off of everything else going on around me and lets me focus on myself. I want to workout, but lately going to the gym seems like such a chore to me.
So...What do YOU do to stay motivated?
-Anne
-Anne
Labels:
excersize,
newlyweds,
nutrition,
real estate
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
But...But...You're SO Young!
If there is one thing I hate, it's when people judge me based on being young and married. I get very sensitive about this subject and it seems to come up quite often. Maybe it's because I am in NYC, and around here it is sort of odd to get married in your early 20's, maybe people are just dumb. But voicing your objection and opinion on my life choices is not only rude and inconsiderate, it's annoying. What sparks this you ask? This morning and my wonderfully awkward train ride to work...
I was minding my own business like every morning, reading my book and I noticed that the woman sitting to my left kept looking at me. She would look at my face, then down to my left hand, and back up to my face again. Now in normal circumstances, I don't start conversations on the train. I like my 40 minutes of peace and quiet in the morning, my "Me" time if you would. But, when you are sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone and their eyes are glued to your face, it's a bit hard to concentrate on reading. I looked over to her and asked her if I could help her with something. She gasped and said "I am so sorry, and I'm not judging you, but are your really married?" The only thing I could say was "Um, excuse me, what?" so she said again But, you're so young! I see the rings on your hand but you just look SO young to be married" Calmly I asked her how young she thought I was and she said 15! When I told her that I was almost 25 she didn't believe me.
Ok,I know I look young. I'm 5'1", skinny, and I get carded to buy tickets to rated R movies, but 15?? This is what I look like today.....
(sorry for the crappy quality, on the phone in my office)
The rest of the train ride was spent listening to her talk about how she just couldn't believe how young I was and how shocked she was that I was married. She told me to wait on having children because 23 was too young to get married and 25 is way too young to have babies. According to her, I am still a baby myself. Gee, thanks lady!
This wasn't the first time someone has asked how old I was and were shocked when they realized that I was married. I don't get it, even if I was 15 and getting married, it is none of your business! How does my being 24 and married have any impact on your life what-so- ever? I'm not 15, pregnant with my 2nd child, and living in a trailer and married to my 2nd baby-daddy(I know, I know so UN-PC of me, but I'm painting a picture here)! I am 24, have an amazing career, my life together, and most important, a loving husband. I AM young, I know this. I also know that a lot of people my age aren't mature enough for this type of commitment nor do they WANT this type of commitment at this age. But I also know plenty of men and women who are in their 30's who aren't ready or mature enough either.
Now, I am not saying that I'm the most mature girl in the world, but I did know that when I met Nick, I had something very special and uncommon. I WAS ready and I did WANT to get married. Before Nick, it was hard for me to let anyone into ''my-space" (no not the website)and I didn't let anyone get close to me. I would find the littlest fault in any date I had and quickly end it. I had a 3 year relationship before Nick, but it was long-distance so I didn't have to constantly be around my boyfriend at that time. It was safe. But when I met Nick, I knew I couldn't push him away. I had found someone who accepted me and all of my faults, quirks, fears, etc and loved me despite all of that. I wasn't about to let that go even if I was "young".
While I don't have many friends here on the East Coast who are married, I do have plenty of friends back in MI that are- some even with babies! To me, it's not uncommon to be married in your early 20's. Both of my older sisters got married in their early 20's and so did my mom. Maybe it is a regional thing. I do notice many more women here who are single until their early to mid-thirties and there is nothing wrong with that. But, I don't judge them for taking longer to find someone to spend their life with, so don't judge me because I did it a little quicker. Age is just a number and sometimes people forget that.
Labels:
newlyweds,
wedding,
young marriage
Friday, July 29, 2011
Celebrate Good Times! @ Stamna Greek Taverna
Yesterday was a momentous occasion in the world of Nick's real estate career. He closed his 50th transaction in less than 4 years! It is our little tradition to try a new restaurant every time Nick closes a deal and this time we settled on Greek. 3 summers ago, we went on a family vacation to Greece and fell in love with the food. So when Stamna opened only 10 minutes away from our house, we knew we had to try it.
Athens Greece 2008
Overlooking Athens
Dinner in Crete
Donkey rides in Santorini
Stamna Greek Taverna is a little Greek place near our house and it is ALWAYS packed. It is owned and operated by a Greek family from a small Island in Greece. They have a pretty big menu with lots to choose from. I really like that they have a big fish selection and veggie meals for me and lots of meat options for my hubby the carnivore.
Nick before dinner.
We were seated outside on the patio and ordered hummus a Greek Salad and grape leaves to start. Nick ordered pork chops and lemon roasted potatoes for his meal and I ordered the grilled salmon and roasted potatoes. The portions were HUGE and we took home at least 1/2 of everything we ordered. After dinner they brought out Loukoumades (fried pastry dough with honey, a lot like Italian Zeppolis) and we ordered frappe's which we haven't had since our vacation. The food was amazing and so authentic. If I had closed my eyes, it would have felt like I was back in Greece.
Our bottle of wine (it's BYOB).
Massive amounts of appetizers!
Our entrees.
This may have been our first time to Stamna, but we will be going back again!
Labels:
date night,
newlyweds,
real estate
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Macho Macho Man (I Am Not)!
If you were to ask my wife to chose some words or phrases to describe me, she would probably say that macho, tough guy, burly, Mr. Fix It, handy, strapping, courageous, valiant, daring and jock are definitely not what she would use. But that's okay with me. It's so okay, that while Derek Jeter was driving home his 3,000th hit this weekend (the fact that I know that is astonishing) I was catching up on episodes of "The Bachelorette" with Anne. That's right, I'm in touch with my feminine side and I'm proud of it! I will probably catch a lot of flack from this post, but I've been catching flack for years when it comes to this. I guess I never understood how watching a bunch of muscle-bound men in tight uniforms chasing after a ball and jumping on one another is manly.
Dictionary.com defines "Manly" as having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength or bravery.
That definition definitely does not define me. The beginning and end of my sports career was one season of tee ball when I was seven, and then I promptly opted for performing in the school musicals. My idea of fixing something means calling a contractor. To me, getting dirty is having to pick up Barney's poop. I just don't have the usual "guy" gene that is attributed to being...well...a guy. I have never been interested in the stuff that makes up ones manhood. Sports, eh. Video games, pfft. Chugging a 12 pack of Natty Ice by myself in under an hour, no interest. I know, it's strange, right? I mean, my wife has more masculine interests than I do.
Tools Anne used once to open a wine bottle when she couldn't find a cork screw.
My wife taking our bed apart in preparation to move to our new apartment...as I stood idly by.
Anne gets mad at me when I take the car for an oil change because she likes to change it herself. Her father is always telling her to let me do things around the house so I can learn to be more handy, but she would rather just git-er-dun. Fine by me! But you know what? I honestly think our non-traditional roll reversal of a marriage is what makes it so great. She gets a kick out of how uncoordinated I am with things you'd expect a man to be good at, and I think it's hysterical when we get a flat and she actually wants to change the tire. When we moved into our new apartment she painted the entire place herself. I wanted to help. Really, I did. But, it's for the best if I don't. I would've just ended up painting smiley faces on the wall.
In all honesty, what we have works. So why try and fix something that's just not broken. I actually enjoy watching episodes of "The Bachelorette" if it means that I get to spend time with her. The end!
Dictionary.com defines "Manly" as having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength or bravery.
That definition definitely does not define me. The beginning and end of my sports career was one season of tee ball when I was seven, and then I promptly opted for performing in the school musicals. My idea of fixing something means calling a contractor. To me, getting dirty is having to pick up Barney's poop. I just don't have the usual "guy" gene that is attributed to being...well...a guy. I have never been interested in the stuff that makes up ones manhood. Sports, eh. Video games, pfft. Chugging a 12 pack of Natty Ice by myself in under an hour, no interest. I know, it's strange, right? I mean, my wife has more masculine interests than I do.
Tools Anne used once to open a wine bottle when she couldn't find a cork screw.
Anne gets mad at me when I take the car for an oil change because she likes to change it herself. Her father is always telling her to let me do things around the house so I can learn to be more handy, but she would rather just git-er-dun. Fine by me! But you know what? I honestly think our non-traditional roll reversal of a marriage is what makes it so great. She gets a kick out of how uncoordinated I am with things you'd expect a man to be good at, and I think it's hysterical when we get a flat and she actually wants to change the tire. When we moved into our new apartment she painted the entire place herself. I wanted to help. Really, I did. But, it's for the best if I don't. I would've just ended up painting smiley faces on the wall.
In all honesty, what we have works. So why try and fix something that's just not broken. I actually enjoy watching episodes of "The Bachelorette" if it means that I get to spend time with her. The end!
Labels:
handy man,
home buying,
just married,
macho man,
newlywed home buying,
newlyweds,
real estate,
the bachelorette
Saturday, July 9, 2011
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding- OBSESSED!
Nick is out with clients all day and I can't seem to find motivation to get myself up and actually do something productive. So naturally the only logical thing for me to do is watch a marathon of crappy reality tv, DUH! Because Nick doesn't share my obsession (other than the Bachelor/Bachelorette but more on that later) this was the perfect time to catch up on one of my favorite things of all time- My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

So a few years ago my oldest sister Laura was getting married. While on the search for her wedding dress we came across this amazing website. Featured on it were what they were calling Irish Travelers. Back before the glory that is the TLC show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, this website sucked me in and I couldn't look away. It was like a bad car crash where you know you shouldn't look but you do anyway. I then spent the next few weeks learning everything about these Irish Travelers that I could find-it was mind boggling that they existed and their weddings were so insane. I mean, who wouldn't want a chubby mini me bride on your special day? Or your bridesmaids to look like Day-Glo Hilighters mashed up with strippers?

So a few years ago my oldest sister Laura was getting married. While on the search for her wedding dress we came across this amazing website. Featured on it were what they were calling Irish Travelers. Back before the glory that is the TLC show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, this website sucked me in and I couldn't look away. It was like a bad car crash where you know you shouldn't look but you do anyway. I then spent the next few weeks learning everything about these Irish Travelers that I could find-it was mind boggling that they existed and their weddings were so insane. I mean, who wouldn't want a chubby mini me bride on your special day? Or your bridesmaids to look like Day-Glo Hilighters mashed up with strippers?
Fast forward five years as I'm flipping through channels on tv, I almost fall of my chair. In front of my eyes was my dream come true. TLC picked up the hit British TV show "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding". How better to rekindle my obsession by a weekly show featuring one bride's wedding and everything that goes into it?! I was in Gypsy Heaven!
Here are some of my faves-
The errr, blushing bride!
And who wouldn't want guests like this at their wedding?

So here I am on this gorgeous summer day, coffee in hand, lazy pup by my side, catching up on my obsession with no one to complain!
Labels:
gypsy,
newlyweds,
real estate,
wedding
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Newlywed Nutrition: The Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen
Organic? Pesticides? Chemicals? WHAT!!! Sometimes going to the produce section of the grocery can be more of a headache than it needs to be. With every grocery store offering a wider selection of organic goodies it's hard to figure out what is really worth buying organic or not -especially when organic can be so dang expensive!! $5.00 for a red bell pepper? No thank you! So how do you figure out what produce is worth buying organic? Follow the rules of The Environmental Working Group and their list of "Dirty Dozen" high pesticide produce and the "Clean Fifteen" lower pesticide produce and you'll be off to a good start!**
The clean 15 and the Dirty dozen is a list of produce that is split between what should always be bought organically, and what is ok to buy from the regular section of the grocers produce section. If you notice, most of the ''clean'' products have a hard shell or peel that shelters the fruit/veggie from the harsh pesticides or chemicals. Also many of the ''clean'' products are heartier and tougher.
The Dirty Dozen
celery
peaches
strawberries
apples
domestic blueberries
nectarines
sweet bell peppers
spinach, kale and collard greens
cherries
potatoes
imported grapes
celery
peaches
strawberries
apples
domestic blueberries
nectarines
sweet bell peppers
spinach, kale and collard greens
cherries
potatoes
imported grapes
lettuce
The Clean Fifteen
onions
avocados
sweet corn
pineapples
mango
sweet peas
asparagus
kiwi fruit
cabbage
eggplant
cantaloupe
watermelon
grapefruit
sweet potatoes
sweet onions
My Paper Crane came up with this adorable cheat sheet that you can pop into your bag when you go shopping.
The Clean Fifteen
onions
avocados
sweet corn
pineapples
mango
sweet peas
asparagus
kiwi fruit
cabbage
eggplant
cantaloupe
watermelon
grapefruit
sweet potatoes
sweet onions
My Paper Crane came up with this adorable cheat sheet that you can pop into your bag when you go shopping.
Now keep in mind that these 2 lists were compiled using conventionally grown produce and no matter what, when buying non-organic produce even the ''clean'' products will have traces of chemicals and pesticides in them. There is just no getting past the fact that in order to grow thousands of tomatoes at a very low price, chemicals are needed to keep the product fresh and cheap. With that said, remember to ALWAYS clean your produce before eating (even if they have a peel) to help lower the amount of chemicals even more.
** I am in no way trying to push anyone to go organic or change their eating habits. Nick and I don't even eat purely organic foods nor do I think we need to. However, when it comes to foods such as produce I do try to be a bit more careful with chemicals/pesticides etc as the chemicals tend to be higher and much more present than in, lets say, a pasta product. I am more of a firm believer of buying locally grown in season products. This is because when produce is grown and sold in season, they have a much less need for pesticides and chemicals than those items that are trying to be grown out of season (they won't grow as big or flavorful during the off season without the help of chemicals). These farms are also trying to grow thousands of tomatoes to service a large grocery store chain- these local farms tend to have less stock but are better in quality.
Labels:
clean 15,
dirty dozen,
newlyweds,
nutrition,
real estate
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Just Married Real Estate on News 12 New Jersey!
Hey, Nick here!
Late last year, Marci Rubin from News 12 New Jersey came across a write-up on me from Baristanet.com and thought Just Married would make for a great feel-good piece in the midst of all the negative housing news we're used to seeing these days. A few weeks later we shot this spot with a lovely newlywed couple named Sandy & Danny (no, it wasn't Olivia Newton John & John Travolta), and it aired 15 times that weekend.
Late last year, Marci Rubin from News 12 New Jersey came across a write-up on me from Baristanet.com and thought Just Married would make for a great feel-good piece in the midst of all the negative housing news we're used to seeing these days. A few weeks later we shot this spot with a lovely newlywed couple named Sandy & Danny (no, it wasn't Olivia Newton John & John Travolta), and it aired 15 times that weekend.
*Disclaimer: News 12 did not give me a copy of the tape, so I had to film it from the TV using my Flip Cam, hence the shakiness. Hope you enjoy nonetheless :-)
Labels:
baristanet,
home buying,
just married,
newlyweds,
news 12 new jersey,
real estate
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Soon to be Newlywed (again), Nick Lachey's Bach Pad for Sale.
With his wedding to Vanessa Minillo fast approaching, soon to be newlywed (again) Nick Lachey is putting his bachelor pad on the market.
After his split from Jessica Simpson (I am still in mourning from this), Nick bought this 4,722 sqft home with 4 bedrooms in LA for $4 million from Heidi Klum and Seal. Now, 6 years later he is putting it back on the market for just under $6 million.
Do you think the house is worth almost $2 million more than when he originally bought it in 2005?
The swanky outdoor pool and bar area.

Large Living room with wet bar and pool table.
Gorgeous view!
Gourmet kitchen .
All photos from http://www.tmz.com/
Labels:
celebrity homes,
newlyweds,
nick lachey,
real estate
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Decorate 4 Less: The Wall Collage
A few days ago I decided to finally decorate our very boring, very large dining area wall. We had this wall put up before moving in to create a 2nd bedroom and while it was a great addition to our place, it created a lot more wall space for us to fill up. I wanted something that would showcase photos and other ods and ends but wouldn't be shelving (our cats aren't too bright and would knock everything down). After some googling and bing-ing I came across the oh so popular wall collages.
Like this from Pottery Barn
Lightbulb went off and I was on a mission to have my very own wall art collection. I already had a lot of photos that I wanted to frame and other odds and ends (like a painting of my home town and a vintage poster). Because I am cheap smart, I wasn't about to spend over $5/photo frame. Seeing as Nick and I love our antiquing and garagesale trips we saw this as the perfect opportunity to help us decorate for less! We hit up 3 garage sales and ended up with 10 mismatched photo frames for $14 total! With the help of my best friend -spray paint and sandpaper, we had matching frames!
Nick spray painting the old frames
Next, I stuck up newspaper in the same sizes as our frames and mapped out where each frame would go. Once it was perfect, I spent about 20 minutes nailing and hanging and viola, our photo wall was complete!
(Sorry for the awful quality- our Cannon wasn't charged so we used the Flip Cam)
The finished product!
Here are some details of what is hanging.
Barney shilloutte- I painted this and I will do another DIY on this later one
This was in the fram when we bought it at the garage sale. It is actually the front of an old menu from the 30's!
This is a painting my mom and dad bought me and had framed. It shows the two sides of Main Street in the town I grew up in! I love that it's a little piece of home away from home!
We still have plenty of wall space to fill up- so we will be adding as we go and will be updating the progress!
Labels:
home decor,
newlyweds,
real estate,
wall art
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