Calm Before The Storm

New Yorkers are used to chaos, but perhaps not the kind of chaos that Mother Nature has brought this week. 

On Tuesday, I perched myself on a fluffy chair in the D&D building waiting for some samples at the Schumacher showroom.  And, as I watched the fabrics in the wings quiver and ever-so-slightly billow, I caught myself thinking that the floor seemed to quiver as well.  Then, the windows creaked and the shades atop those windows banged against the panes.  I thought to myself, "No way, Jose. Manhattan is an island on granite bedrock, and it's gotta be geologically impossible for an earthquake to shake this town."  But, the building kept on shaking.  And then my California-girl instincts kicked in and I booked it out of the building down the stairwell.  Out on the sidewalk of 3rd Avenue, people clung to their cellphones, desperately glad to hear that it was 'just an earthquake' and not something threateningly sinister.

And just as we're all recovering from the excitement of the earthquake, now we're all preparing for Hurricane Irene to slam us on Saturday night.  And we're not used to hurricanes up 'round these parts.  New Yorkers may think Manhattan is the center of the universe, but it's the outer edge of the Atlantic's hurricane alley.  The last time a hurricane legitimately touched New York's shores was Gloria in 1985. 

Hurricane Irene's tropical storm-force wind field is larger than both Hurricane Ike (2008) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) at maximum size.  Besides the surf and the wind, the wicked rains are supposed to be the biggest problem for NYC.  It means that New York City will likely break the previous wettest month record dating back to 1882.  Uh yea, I'm a bit of a weather nerd.  Jim Cantore is my favorite meteorologist.  He's like the Bear Grylls of weather.

via TWC.com

While I'm not at all worried about myself, my mind is with the elderly who live alone or in nursing facilities near the coastlines.  How scary for them.  If you have an older relative living on the East Coast, please call them today and make sure they are safe in case floods and/or power outages occur in their area.  Panic is common at times of disaster, and preparedness is key.  I know, I know, I know; one can never be too prepared, but I had to giggle at the sight of a young woman buying 4 gallons of milk at the grocery store yesterday.  Unless she has a bunch of teenagers at home, I doubt that 2% milk will save her if NYC is flooded on Sunday.

So if you're holed up at home this weekend, clutching your flashlight batteries and side-eyeing your transistor radio, might I suggest a little fun stuff to occupy your worried mind...



Let's all sit for a moment and think about what we would do with this 56-drawer bad boy.  I would build a kitchen around it for a client with lots of dish wares.  For myself, it would be the landmark area for fabrics and accessories at the WID offices.  Wouldn't that be nice?!

Do yourself a favor and make this.  Baked French Toast from Jenny the Great.

Feeling crafty?  Grab your kids or nephews or neighbors and try this or any of Babble's adorable activities. 

The Pioneer Woman has a show on The Food Network premiering Saturday morning.  I'd watch just to see Walter the basset hound pretend to be a cattle dog...

If I had longer hair I would rock this style often.  Not just for weddings. 

The wonderful Mrs. Blandings nears her 1,000th post by way of vacationing back to her early days of blogging. 

I keep finding excellent deals at One Kings Lane's Downstairs.  Have you checked out their clearance section?!?

If Tim Burton designed a bathroom in a vintage Amsterdam apartment, I think it would look like this.  I just pinned this to my Pinterest board titled 'BadAss Bathrooms,' on which I'm gathering inspiration images for an upcoming bathroom reno.

Last night I said to my husband that I am sort of excited about the storm. So I kinda sang, 'Come On, Irene!' and thought of this song and brought me into a fit of laughter thinking about this dorky dance party and horrible lip synching from the Dexy lead singer.

Be safe this weekend, even if Irene isn't on your tail.

Cheers,

Whitney