Following up – Shopping @ Annie Sez!

Back in September, I was invited to a blogger preview party at the new Annie Sez store in East Brunswick.  It was a really nice event, and the folks at Annie Sez couldn’t have been more gracious hosts.  I am a terrible guest, however, because my “thank you” (this blog post) is long overdue!

Finding fabulous things at Annie Sez in East Brunswick!

There is, of course, the philosophy that all things happen for a reason.  If we subscribe to that, then we can say my delayed post is actually not delayed at all, but happening exactly when it is supposed to be.  Here’s my evidence for this line of thinking: the fabulous find that I made while shopping that fall day is actually a dress much more appropriate for the cold weather of winter.  (It’s a cozy, flattering fit, charcoal gray Calvin Klein sweater-dress.)  Up until now, the weather has been just too darn nice and warm for such a dress.

Now, after the weekend’s snowstorm, this dress is much more appropriate.  🙂

Also, now with the holidays approaching, it’s a much more seasonally appropriate time to remind all of you fashionistas that Annie Sez remains to be an excellent source for discount designer dresses for all occasions while simultaneously feels like a high-end, up-to-the-minute fashion boutique.  (I was actually surprised at how many current trends and stylish finds they had there!)

I’ll certainly be going back again before the holidays – to do a little gift shopping, and maybe find something for myself to wear to holiday parties.

See you there!

~Melissa
The Jersey Girl

Painting Pottery and Pizza

One of the best things about having a birthday is getting to choose where to celebrate.  A good friend of mine, Lauren (of the very funny blog LaurenVision), chose to celebrate her recent birthday at two central New Jersey spots that I had never been to before.

We started out at The Clay Pot in Spotswood (where I painted a sugar bowl).  The promise at The Clay Pot is that you don’t need to actually have any talent when it comes to painting or pottery (which is a very good thing in my case) to wind up with something nice.  The owners of the studio even helped me figure out how to apply a very nice sponge technique to my sugar bowl.  We were there with a party of about twelve, and I think everyone actually did do a great job with their pottery pieces – and had a lot of fun in the process.

 

The painted pieces before they are put back into the kiln. (Photo by Erin Amaty)

I’m looking forward to seeing what my sugar bowl looks like after the second firing in the kiln this week!

 

Who knew that painting pottery would work up such an appetite?  But it sure did.  So, next we headed over to Mancini Pizza in East Brunswick.  There, we had rice balls stuffed with ground meat, steak sandwiches, penne alla vodka, a grilled vegetable panini, and a delicious Italian chicken panini.  The service was great too; it really was the perfect place to celebrate a birthday on a snowy January afternoon.

And it looks like even more snow is on its way this week.  If you’re in the East Brunswick area, you might want to head over to Mancini Pizza and stock up on some good food before you get snowed in.  Personally, I’m hoping to try the pizza alla vodka the next time I’m there…

~Melissa
The Jersey Girl

Some (Don’t) Like it Hot ~ Support your local library!

Lately in New Jersey, it’s been hot.  Or humid.  Or hot and humid.

I can tell it’s hot because I typically resist turning on my air conditioner for as long as I possibly can, and it’s definitely been cranking this week.  Temperatures have been up around 110 degrees.  Humidity up around 90%.   To intensify matters, we haven’t gotten any rain in a while and the weather forecast is only predicting a few scattered thunderstorms this Saturday and a couple into next week.  Not too much relief there!

Many people choose to stay indoors to escape the heat, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay home to do so!

I’m pretty sure that wherever you live in New Jersey, your local library has air conditioning.  And you know what?  They have lots of other things there too. Like books.  Crazy, I know!  Books, magazines, computers, and other people with whom you can have conversations.

The East Brunswick, NJ library now even has a cafe!

But, as with all good things, be careful if you think this is something you can take for granted.  Here in New Jersey, budget cuts are threatening to dramatically impact our libraries.  So, get out there, New Jerseyans, and visit your local library soon.

If you like what you see and want to make sure it stays around for a while (even if for no other reason than as a reprieve from scorching summer heat and humidity), ask the librarian about what you can do to help support our New Jersey libraries.

Happy Reading!

~Melissa
The Jersey Girl