Tooth Fact Tuesday

Diagram of a tooth:

Fun Fact: The enamel on our teeth is even harder than our bones and is the hardest part of our body.

Weekend in the City

This past weekend the husband and I took a trip to NYC. I have not been in about 14 years and James has NEVER been so we decided a trip was in order. Here is a list of what he hoped to accomplish and what we actually accomplished:

1. visit 9/11 memorial
2. see a show
3. go to the top of the empire state building
4. have a wonderful dinner
5. go on a tour of NBC
6. visit the Today show during taping
7. shop
8. visit Central Park
9. see someone famous 
10. buy fake Uggs (my list not James)

So our adventure began Friday night when we drove down to Conn to spend the night closer to the train station. It was going to take about 3.5 hours to get there and a little more than halfway we decided to pull off the highway to find something to eat. Mainly because I was beginning to get delirious and hungry and Kim do not go well together. We can across a cute little pizza restaurant that I wish we could pick up and move closer to home. I must say they had the BEST sangria. 

At Napoli's! Please don't pay attention to the no make up extremely tired look.

Amazing pizza

We were up bright and early Saturday morning, made it on the 8:45 train and we were in NYC before 10. After exiting Grand Central Station and turning around 3 times, we made our way to Times Square, dropped off our luggage and began exploring. However I did have to do a little convincing to have the front desk employee to upgrade our room so that we were facing Times Square, score! I must say we did a LOT of walking over our short visit. I think my feet will be sore for a few days but we saw a lot. I squeezed in some shopping before heading over to NBC for a tour. On our tour we got to witness some of the SNL cast practicing their skits for the show that night which was pretty exciting.

Hanging with Matt before the tour

 Following the tour I came across a bakery, Magnolia Bakery, that had a line out the door and around the corner. I immediately knew if the line was that long I had to have some. When I finally made it inside it was hard to decide what to get, and I don't do well making decisions under pressure, but it seemed everyone else was going for the cupcakes, so I followed their lead and decided with red velvet and a snickerdoodle. These cupcakes were the most unbelievable cupcakes I have ever had. The frosting was so light and complemented the cake perfectly. My plan was to have one right away and the other after dinner. Well they were both gone in about 30 seconds. Hello self control. 

A little blurry and they were gone before I could take another

After finishing up a bit more shopping and walking to the empire state building we finally got to our room at about 4 and I was in some serious need of relaxation. Unfortunately with so much stuff to do we only got to rest for about 45 minutes before we were out the door again. This time we were heading up to the 46th floor to the revolving restaurant for a pre dinner cocktail. The cocktail was so delicious I could have had at least 4 but at 18 bucks a pop, I limited myself to 1. The revolving restaurant was a great idea but I can't say I am a fan of revolving while drinking even at a slow speed.

View from our hotel room at the Marriott

At the revolving restaurant!

View from the restaurant

After cocktails we headed out to the "Strip House" (funny story, I made the reservation under James' email address so when he saw the confirmation he was trying to figure out why a strip club was emailing him, no hunny just steaks) I went with the 8oz filet and James the 15oz bone in filet. The steak was amazingly tender and had great flavor, but we both had the same complaint, too salty. I am not sure why but our steaks were drenched in salt, too much salt for our liking but that didn't stop either of us from clearing our plates. I felt like I was going to have to be rolled out the front door. 

Found this guy out front and had to snatch a pic

During the day while we were out walking we were stopped by one of the street vendors selling tickets for a comedy show that evening. I am so skeptical of street vendors and really hate them but at the time we had no plans for the evening and it did sound interesting and for $30 we figured what the hell so we bought them and into my purse they went. Well we should have just had IDIOT plastered on our foreheads immediately. There were 3 shows 8PM, 10:30PM and 12:30AM. We had planned to hit up the 8PM show, so after dinner I pulled out the tickets and in the middle it says: *RESERVATIONS REQUIRED* which of course was not explained to us when we purchased them and I can probably put money on it that the shows were already booked when we purchased but we called and found out the only show that had openings was 12:30AM. Well if you know me, you know that 12:30 is not something I see often and knew that it was just not going to happen. So really bummed we started to head back towards Time Square trying to think of something else to do. I knew if we went for more cocktails it would send me to bed pretty early so we tried the box office at The Lion King. James has never been to a musical before and I figured that would be a good one for him to see. The nice lady at the door informed us that each ticket would be $140 and I could not fathom spending $280, so we thanked her and headed out. Well luckily around the corner was a scalper who offered to sell us 2 tickets for $180. SOLD! The way our luck was going I was sure we would buy these and be turned away at the door but luckily they worked and we saw a great show! 

At The Lion King

As the crowd exited the building there was a large group of people congregating across the street clearly waiting for someone famous to come through the doors. Since this was on the list of things to do over I went! James was beyond "thrilled" and even more thrilled when we found out this person was Ricky Martin!! I tried to get James a little more excited by singing a few lines of "livin la vida loca" but judging by the look on his face, it didn't work. We stayed for the excitement as he walked towards his car and people were screaming and yelling how they much they loved him (I thought maybe I would have to remind these people it was only Ricky Martin!), Being on the shorter side I couldn't see a thing except for the man videoing on his IPad so close enough for me!

Ricky Martin is some where in there.....

We were up by 6:30 Sunday morning to make it over to the TODAY show. I thought we were standing in a pretty good spot but unfortunately we did not make it on TV clearly. During an inside interview I snuck over to the window so you can see me for a little bit standing behind the woman but not too clear.  However I did talk to Dylan Dryer and told her we were fans of hers from Boston! I am glad we went and would love to go back during a weekday taping. We had brunch reservations for later that morning but neither of us could fathom another massive meal after the one we had the night before so we canceled and settled on a some pastries from a coffee shop. I may have also tried to go back for more cupcakes but unfortunately that bakery was not open yet.

Following the show we headed downtown to the 9/11 memorial. We waited in line for almost 45 minutes to get in but we entered just as they were doing a Veteran's Day service with members of the Army. The whole crowd applauded and thanked them for their service as they walked by. It was great. The memorial is amazing. You can't help but just stand there and say a prayer for all the lives lost during such a tragic event. I think they did a wonderful job paying respect to the nearly 3000 lives lost that tragic day. The museum however is still not open so I will definitely have to make a trip back. Another very interesting piece of the memorial is a tree that was present at the Twin Towers and after the attacks it had been knocked down to a mere 8ft. It was transferred to a nursery where it was able to grow back to over 30ft and was returned back to the memorial site. They are also in the process of rebuilding the area with 4 more towers and I think that the end result will be beautiful. 

One of the new towers.

We finished up at the memorial a little before noon and figured it would be best to head back to the hotel, grab our luggage, and begin our journey home. With most of our list accomplished we felt that it was a successful trip. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the train station and as I turned the corner to head to our train, there it was, a piece of heaven. A smaller version of Magnolia Bakery! Of course I took this as a sign for needing more baked goods. One cupcake and chocolate chunk blondie please! With my goodies packed we boarded the train and made the 3.5 hour drive home. 

All in all it was fabulous weekend with the one I love. 

xoxo,

Kim

Kitchen Remodel

So we have finally completed most of our kitchen remodel, man what a process. We still have to do the floor but we are going to wait until after the holidays and our lives slow down a bit. Here are a few pictures of the new space! I will update with sources once I finally get our new knobs on. Hope you enjoy! 

The before and after! No more all white.

Finally have a gas stove! 

It's amazing what a difference new drawer pulls can make.

xoxo

Kim

What's for dinner?

Who doesn't love home made mac and cheese?? Here is a recipe I recently tried that came out pretty tasty! 

Ingredients:1 (8 ounce) package macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded good quality
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered
Directions:


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter.

Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.

Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly. (I only used milk)

Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).

Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.

Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Turn off flame.

Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.

Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. (I used Ritz Crackers)

Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Eat and Enjoy!!

xoxo

Kim

Tooth Fact Tuesday

"I want to whiten my teeth"

This is something I hear many times during the day and I tell the same thing to each one of my patients. Before spending the big bucks to have professional whitening trays made and buying the gel, start with over the counter strips first because they do work well. I usually recommend the Crest 3D. 

Before starting a whitening regimen, begin with a sensitive toothpaste (Sensodyne)  for at least a couple weeks before. Whitening can cause your teeth to become very sensitive and if this happens over the counter pain reliever does help. Once you have finished with the strips, if your teeth are not the shade that you would like then I recommend coming back in and taking the next steps. 

Xoxo,

Kim

Show & Tell Monday

1. Tell us what you studied in college. Is your job now related to what you studied?

The first time around I studied partying finance. Worked for a financial firm for about 4 years and realized that it was just not what I wanted to do. It is so hard to know at 18 what you want to do with your life and it took me a few years to figure this out. I had always been interested in dental hygiene but never actually new the steps to become one. I was more concerned with going to college with my best friend. Well this past May I finally graduated from hygiene school which was probably the hardest thing I have ever done but I could not be happier.

2. Tell us what your everyday job looks like.

I usually see my first patient bright and early at 7AM so this usually means I have to be in the office by 6:40 to get situated and ready. My day goes pretty non stop up until lunch time at 1pm where I have an hour break and then see patients again until 5 or 5:30. I may have a cancelation here and there but for the most part it is non stop, which makes snacking a very difficult thing! 

3. Do you have a picture of you at work? Show us.

With my favorite 3 year old at her first dental visit!

4. In 10 years, what do you see yourself doing? Same thing? More? Tell us.

In 10 years I hope that I am still a hygienist and also perhaps being a clinical instructor part time. 

5. Tell us what you have learned, and what {if any} recommendations you may have for those looking to go into the field you are in. 

Being a hygienist is a very rewarding career. If anyone is interested in pursing this as a career defiantly go for it. It is not easy but as long as you put in the hard work and dedication you will be successful. I get asked a lot "do you see a lot of gross mouths?" or "wow how can you really be doing this?" but honestly not 2 people are the same and that is what I love about it. Every person that walks into my room is different and no 2 days or 2 hours for that matter, are the same. I am lucky enough to get an hour to spend with each patient and I love learning about their lives as well as helping them with their smiles. 

I'm Back

Thank you everyone for bearing with me while I adjusted back to life as a full time employee! I will catch you all up with some pictures:

Spent time with my pups

Lunch dates with my ladies

Celebrated Halloween

Got in the halloween spirit at work

Celebrated a special little lady's baptism 

Did work on our kitchen! (more to come on this later)

xoxo 

Kim

Little Break

Hi Everyone! I am taking a little break but will be back at the beginning of November!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

We had a few friends over for the Pat's game this past Sunday and I made my "go to" spinach artichoke dip. Here is the recipe:

                                                   Ingredients:

• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream 
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened 
• 1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 1 (13.5-ounce) package baked tortilla chips (about 16 cups)
• 
  
• Preparation:
• Preheat oven to 350°. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

Weekend Get Together

I think that I have mentioned before that we purchased the house the my grandparents had built in the 1950's and that this is the house the mother and aunt grew up in. It killed my grandmother to have to sell her beloved house after my grandfather died and she is thrilled that it is back in the family. Over this past weekend my grandmother brought over her sister in laws and their children for a little luncheon get together. It was great to see the reminisce about the time that they have all shared in this house. Here is a little picture of the group ranging in age up to 98 years old!

Tooth Fact Tuesday

Below is the eruption pattern for deciduous "baby" teeth. Not all babies will follow the time exactly but the most important factor is sequence and that all teeth should follow this sequence. If you feel like your child may be missing a tooth visit a dentist for some X-rays. Otherwise a child's first trip should be around 3 years of age. 

New and Improved

My bedroom has been a room that I have wanted to tackle for quite some time. I finally convinced the husband that it needed to be painted and then surprised him with brand new bedding! He was so excited not thrilled. When we purchased our bedroom set we only purchased one nightstand and now that we have the room for 2 I had wanted to get another one but of course our set had been discontinued. So I have been searching Craigslist for a few months in search of something that would at least go with what we had. Well this past week I was very excited to find the exact one from our set and was able to purchase it for $60! Talk about a steal.

I was not a fan of the pale green walls and if I could I would paint almost every room in my house grey. I love it!

The mirror on the walls were originally pink and I painted them white to match. The chest if front of my bed was made by a VERY talented family member and it is by far my most favorite piece in the room and something that we will have forever. I still haven't put anything in the frames on the shelf. I will probably purchase a few things off Etsy! 

Home Cooked Meal

I am lucky enough to 1. having my grandmother still living and 2. that she lives 30 seconds up the street from me! For 92 she does pretty well for herself and she cooks us one meal a week which is fantastic!! I figured I would share her famous "Grammy's Chicken" recipe. It has been a family favorite for years and really hits the spot after a long day at work. 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Mustard

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Curry

Boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix the first 5 ingredients together well and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour. 

Goes great with mashed potatoes!! 

~Kim

Decisions Decisions

Loving my clipboard

So we are trying to get the ball rolling with our kitchen face lift but the one thing is that I am horrible at actually making a decision when it comes to the color of granite. I say "I" because James is at the point where he doesn't even care and just wants me to pick what ever I want. Over the weekend we went to a granite warehouse where there was just slabs upon slabs of granite. When you walk in they hand you a clip board to write down colors you are interested in and let's just say I was in heaven and could have spent HOURS in there. Well unfortunately we only had about 35 minutes to spend since we had a contractor coming to the house to take a look at replacing our floor. Let's just say I will making at least one if not four two trips back. 

Massive warehouse, talk about over whelming. 

Below are a few samples of things we liked. Hopefully I will make a decision soon. 

I ended up really liking this color and of course no one has it in stock!

~Kim

Tooth Fact Tuesday

Muscles we Use to Eat

There are 43 muscles in the face. Certain ones used for smiling, frowning, raising your eye brow, puckering your lips and so on. Today we will look at the exciting muscles used when we eat! There are four of them; Temporalis, masseter, lateral pterygoid and medial pterygoid. The temporalis, masseter and medial pterygoid raise the mandible (lower jaw) up against the maxilla (upper jaw). A good way to remember this is My Teeth Meet using the first letter for each of the muscles! The lateral pyterygoid's primary function is to protrude and open the lower jaw when chewing and is also used to help in conduction with the medial ptyergoid to move the jaw side to side. So next time you are having a snack you can think about your exciting muscles of mastication!

~Kim

What Goes Up Must Come Down

With cooler weather quickly approaching I have been trying to get outside and run as much as I can. I know once it is too cold out it's all over and I dread long runs on the treadmill. While I was on my run this morning I realized that every time I get to a certain intersection I always have a battle in my head on which way to go. If I go right, it is a shorter and flatter way home. If I go straight it goes up a mean and nasty awful hill and is longer. Just about every time I end up pushing myself to go straight. Although going up the hill is brutal and I hate every second of it, once it is over I feel better about myself that I did not quit and got it over with. Even though it is a longer way home, the majority of it is down hill or flat from that point forward.  I feel like this can relate to a lot of things in everyday life. Do you go right and take the easier route or do you go straight and challenge yourself to get stronger? Next time you are faced with this dilemma really contemplate the person that you want to be. Just a little food for thought today my friends! 

~Kim

Inside my Make Up Bag

Here is a look at a few of my favorite things. I am not a big make up person so I tend to just stick to the basics to make myself look presentable and a lot of times don't even put any on!

I am a big fan of Bare Minerals. I find them easy to use which is a big plus in my book. I also use their "Well Rested" eye brightener paired with the Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser.

I love Clinique's cream eye liner and mascara. I will admit though that I have not purchased mascara in years. My mom and grandmother always save me theirs when they receive the free gifts from Macy's! As well as Lancome Juicy tubes. I have at least 10 that I have gotten free!

Has anyone else tried the Almay eye make up removed pads? They work great for the nights when you are just so tired and want to get your make up and get into bed. I first tried these free with the purchase of eye shadow :)

This will be next purchase as soon as Target has it in my color. I have read the reviews of many other bloggers out there and it seems to be amazing! 

Happy almost Friday

~Kim