A Girl Named PJ

Weekend reading: link roundup

Weekend reading: Link roundup on A Girl Named PJ

What an exciting week it’s been! If you found your way here via Say Yes, welcome! I’m so happy to have you and hope you’ll stick around for a while.

If you commented on my posts about where to live in DC or how to talk to kids about hard stuff, thank you! I’ll be responding to each and every message this weekend when I have a some spare time. With Jordan down in Washington, DC for work, this week was slightly more challenging than normal.

I hope you have a great weekend! Here are some fun links to explore:

If your baby wakes a lot, you’re probably exhausted but take comfort in this: There’s a link between “very high levels of developmental and intellectual achievement and not sleeping throughout the night,” via Buzzfeed.

An Instagram chef plates junk food like fancy cuisine. You’ve never seen a PopTart look this good, via Twisted Sifter.

I saw my fair share of pink bathrooms last week as I searched Trulia and Zillow for a place to live outside DC, but none were as bright and fresh as this pretty pastel makeover, via Design Sponge.

“You don’t learn something new and end up somewhere old.” Looking forward to listening to this interview with Do Over author Jon Acuff, via Smart Creative Women.

If you’re as obsessed with Instagram as I am (follow me here!), you want to bookmark these this post about taking better photos with your iPhone, via House of Brinson.

Brighten up for spring: The prettiest papaya-hued purse I ever did see, via MZ Wallace.

No matter your profession, here’s how to make rejection work in your favor, via The Crafted Life.

Anna wrote an honest post on dealing with negative thoughts, something that I struggle with as well. I’ve been thinking about a quote she pulled from the book Sacred Housekeeping: “Thoughts are living things, and I can bring into my life that which I think the most about. Negative or positive,” via The Yellow Table.

(image via Instagram)

 

An afternoon in New York City (and Friday links)

Schubert Alley Broadway shows from A Girl Named PJ

This past Wednesday, Jordan and I played hooky from our parental duties to see a Broadway matinee. A couple of his friends were raving about Hand To God, a play that’s been described as “Avenue Q meets The Book of Mormon,” so we found a pair of cheap tickets and hopped on the train for an afternoon in New York City.

Either Jordan’s friends have terrible taste or we are simply not cultured enough to appreciate a show like Hand to God. We walked out of the theater disappointed (ok, we hated it) and completely baffled by what we just saw. Puppets. Blood. Religion. What?!

We decided that we couldn’t leave the city on such a sour note, so we bought discount tickets to the 7:30pm showing of Matilda. If you love musicals or Roald Dahl or pipsqueak little girls with British accents, you must go see it. Even though the actress who played Matilda got sick during the First Act (off-stage, thank goodness), and they had to put the show on hold for 10 minutes so her stand by could replace her, it was one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen.

Although our tickets were inexpensive by Broadway standards, it still felt indulgent to see two shows in one day. However, we justified it by calling it an early birthday present; my 35th birthday is on Sunday.

I haven’t brought up my birthday until now because I’m somewhat in denial that I’ll be–ack!–halfway through my 30s. When did I get so old? Also, this milestone birthday sort of snuck up on me. March has really flown by, hasn’t it?

I’m sure that next week I’ll have some deep thoughts to share about turning a year older. But until then, here are some lighthearted links to enjoy!

ICYMI:

Plus, interesting links to explore this weekend:

(Photos from my Instagram. Click here to follow me!)

Arcade Bakery: The best babka in NYC?

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

The next time you’re in New York City, there’s a secret bakery in Tribeca you need to find.

It isn’t literally hidden, but if you don’t know that Arcade Bakery is located inside the lobby of 220 Church Street, you’ll likely walk right by. I managed to miss the entrance even with the assistance of Google Maps when I met my friend Sheri there a few weeks ago because I didn’t catch the small Arcade Bakery sign on the exterior of the building.

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

The passageway of the century-old office building has been retrofitted for Roger Gural’s small retail bakery. He displays and sells his handcrafted breads and yeasted pastries behind an open window built into the wall, and customers sit inside wood-paneled nooks with fold-down tables that used to be display cases.

In the morning, Arcade Bakery’s menu is limited to freshly baked loaves of bread and hot-out-of-the-oven pastries like croissants, Danish, and babka. We arrived just before lunch, when sandwiches and flat bread pizza are added to the menu.

It was a tough decision, but Sheri chose a classic chocolate walnut babka, while I went with the more unusual-sounding whisky pecan babka.

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

If I lost you at babka, let me try to explain. Babka, often described as a “yeast cake” or a “sweet loaf,” is a popular Jewish pastry that looks like bread twisted with ribbons of chocolate or cinnamon.

Beware: babka can be controversial. According to my family, babka should be slightly dry, more like bread than like cake. However, my dad once critiqued a babka for being too chocolately, something the rest of us would argue is impossible.

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

By my standards, the babka at Arcade Bakery was among the best I can remember tasting — warm and flaky but not too moist, with the perfect amount of swirly filling. The only thing I regret about my purchase is that I didn’t buy any extra slices to bring home.

(I also wish I had thought to get a baguette, Gural’s specialty, to enjoy on the train back to New Jersey.)

Arcade Bakery in New York City | A Girl Named PJ

Do you live in New York City? If so, I’d love to know what you think is the best babka. If not, I’m curious whether you’re even familiar with the yeasted pastry. My husband, who grew up in Cleveland, had never heard of it before meeting me! 

Weekend reading: link roundup (Valentine’s Day edition)

Jon Stewart

We’ll get to some Valentine’s Day links in a moment, but first, the big story of the week.

By now you’ve surely heard the disappointing news that Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show. The silver lining, I suppose, is that some fascinating articles about Stewart from early in his career are being shared on social media. This 1994 interview with New York magazine is a highlight.

Another gem is this revealing New Yorker profile of Jon Stewart from 2002. In the piece, the writer commented that Stewart, who had been hosting The Daily Show since 1999, prefers to be off the grid when he’s off the camera.

Stewart doesn’t have an E-mail address, and when I asked him why, he seemed puzzled. “Don’t you find people contact you way more?” Rather than socialize, he prefers to do crosswords, watch “SportsCenter,” or hang out at home with his wife, Tracey McShane, and their cat and two dogs. He is essentially a high-functioning hermit.

“A high-functioning hermit.” That quote brought me back to my post about introversion and shyness from earlier this week, and I can understand why Stewart, who sounds like he’s an introvert, would be able to act like an extrovert for the sake of his work.

And now, some Valentine’s Day-themed links for your weekend reading.

Snap, Crackle, Pop! // A classic childhood treat gets a festive makeover for Valentine’s Day, via Design Improvised.

Wrap it Up // I have a thing for beautifully-wrapped chocolate bars, especially when they don’t cost $10 a pop, via Oleander + Palm.

Gift Guide // Making a case for Valentine’s Day presents that are either edible, perishable, tiny, or experiential, via Reading My Tea Leaves.

Think Pink // A celebration of all things pink (including my DIY pink ombre manicure), via Pink Heels Pink Truck.

You Oughta Be in Pictures // A romantic graphic novel depicting the small gestures of love we make every day, via A Cup of Jo.

(image via Dustin Cohen, feature image via Oleander + Palm)

 

7 last-minute Super Bowl party ideas

Last minute Super Bowl party ideas | A Girl Named PJ

Am I the only one who can’t believe it’s almost February? Weren’t we all just sharing our New Year’s resolutions and words for 2015? Valentine’s Day is around the corner, then Asa’s 1st birthday (eep!) at the end of the month, then my 35th (omg!) birthday in March.

Cue the panic attack.

Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself. First, we have to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday! Will you be rooting for the Patriots or the Seahawks?… READ MORE!

Follow Friday: Instagram Fashion Favorites

Follow Friday: Instagram Fashion Favorites | A Girl Named PJ

I don’t read a lot of fashion blogs. I just can’t relate when they’re too perfectly dressed, perfectly coiffed, and perfectly posed (usually in the middle of a busy city street).

That’s not to say I don’t find sartorial inspiration in other places – like my Instagram feed. I follow several fashionable bloggers, each with covetable wardrobes, who regularly introduce me to new brands or different ways of wearing garments I already own. Here are three of my favorite stylish Instagrammers to follow… READ MORE!

Shake It Off

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of Taylor Swift. To start, country has never been my favorite music genre, and Taylor has that same fake modesty that made Anne Hathaway so unlikeable during the Les Miserables award season.

Plus, she’s suspiciously skinny.

However, her new pop-crossover, Shake It Off, is catchy. And this YouTube mashup, syncing the upbeat track with a video from the 1989 National Aerobic Championship, is perfect.

(Seriously, watch until the end. It just keeps getting better and better.)

Enjoy!

PS – A Pharrell parody, and Mad Men song and dance.

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