During the holiday break, I wanted to learn something new and decided to learn crocheting.  Now I’m addicted!

It’s pretty easy, you can make a lot of things, and it saves money.  Now I don’t have to buy most of my accessories like scarf, hat, mittens, decorative belt.

Kleinfeld’s Blowout Sample Sale
January 31, 2012

Kleinfeld Manhattan
110 W 20th St, New York City

January 31, 2012
3:00 p.m. – Doors close at 7:00 p.m.
No appointment necessary – First Come, First Served

Save up to 70% on select sample bridal gowns, headpieces, veils and accessories from top bridal designers at Kleinfeld’s Blow Out Sample Sale!

Bridal Sample Gowns
size 10 – 28
starting at $899 and up

Veils & Headpieces starting at $99
Designers include Peter Langner, Homa, Cheryl King and Melissa Blue

Designer Shoes from Lanvin start at $299

Due to space limitations, Kleinfeld can only accommodate one guest per bride and please be prepared to share a dressing room with other brides. No regular priced merchandise will be shown…sample gowns only! Cash/Credit Card and Carry!

My first reaction when I saw the photo of the Blood Pressure Dock at Brookstone was “Cool!”  After a few seconds of brain death on my part, I came to my senses.  Why would I buy a $99.99 sphygmomanometer + iPhone dock when I can buy a pretty good sphygmomanometer for about $50 and a dock for less than $20?

The Brookstone blood pressure dock would probably be more useful if it were more portable.  The point of using my phone for a lot of my everyday requirements is portability.  Since the Brookstone blood pressure dock is as big as most sphygmomanometers, I’d rather just have a dedicated sphygmomanometer.  I actually have a manual sphygmomanometer that tends to be more accurate than the electronic ones.

Would you buy the Brookstone Blood Pressure Dock?  Share your thoughts.

STAY DETAILS
November 13-14, 2011
2-bedroom trio
Rate: $222.98 via Expedia.com

I would highly recommend Hyatt Summerfield Suites Miami Airport if you want to be within close proximity of the airport.

We booked the hotel as part of a flight and hotel package via Expedia.  We only stayed one night as a pre-cruise accommodation.  We originally booked a 2-bedroom 2 king unit.  I called Expedia to upgrade to a trio (2-bedroom, 1 king, 2 queen unit), but they didn’t have any available in the system.  So the Expedia representative told me to call the hotel directly.  I did and the hotel representative made a note on my reservation that I was requesting a trio.  Upon check-in, the front desk staff saw the note and found us an available trio unit at no additional cost.

LOCATION
The hotel is about 5 minutes away from the airport, but we never heard noise from the airport.  It is one block away from a shopping center that had Publix, Chinese restaurant, Starbucks, Office Depot, etc. which was great.  There are a lot of stores along NW 7th St which is one block away from the hotel.  The hotel is a little far if you’re in Miami to go to the beaches.  But for a pre-cruise or post-cruise stay, it was perfect.  It cost us about $28+tip taxi from the hotel to the cruise port, $23+tip from the hotel to Dolphin Mall, and $25+tip from Dolphin Mall to the hotel.  You can also catch the 7 bus on NW 7th St to Dolphin Mall.

PREMISES
The hotel was clean.  The lobby was small, but there were plenty of seating for guests to hang or wait.  The grounds was well kept.

STAFF
Since we only stayed there one night, we only got to meet the front desk staff.  They were very nice and willing to help.  I always bothered them for a taxi that would accommodate 5 people and we never had to wait.  A taxi was always waiting for us as soon as we got to the lobby.

ROOM
Our room (327) was nice except for the face towel left on the floor in the king bedroom.  I guess housekeeping don’t vacuum the floors after every guest.

Read on…

Saks Fifth Avenue Sample Sale
December 1-3, 2011

Find hundreds of gowns from the foremost designers, including Amsale, Anna Maier~Ulla-Maija, Kenneth Pool, Monique Lhuillier, Reem Acra and more.

• No appointment necessary.
• On Nine in New York.
• Final Sale. No Alterations.

Saks Fifth Avenue
611 5th Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10022
(212) 940-2269
www.saks.com/bridal

STAY DETAILS
September 9-16, 2011 (but only stayed for the weekend)
2-bedroom corner unit
Rate: $139 exchange rate via RCI (timeshare)

I highly recommend Wyndham Skyline Tower for its location, cleanliness, and the spacious units/rooms. I would definitely stay here again if I ever want to go back to Atlantic City. However, I don’t recommend Atlantic City for non-gamblers like me. For more photos, feel free to contact me.

LOCATION
It was one big block away from the boardwalk, but a little more north of where most of the boardwalk activities and people were. It was right by Pacific Ave where you can catch a Jitney. Since the place was located closer to the North end, the area by Pacific Ave and Atlantic Ave looked a little shady. I wouldn’t suggest walking there at night. Drive or catch a cab.

The hotel didn’t have a casino. But Resorts casino was right next door. Taj Mahal and Showboat were also close by. You can get to the other casinos on the boardwalk by Jitney or just walking on the boardwalk. It was also an easy and short drive to Borgata and Harrah’s by the marina.

If you’re looking for a place to eat nearby, restaurants on Pacific Ave are less expensive than on the boardwalk of course. We ate at Perry’s Cafe (Pacific and Tennesse Ave) for breakfast and it was good. It wasn’t nearby, but we decided to try the famous Waterfront buffet at Harrah’s. The food was delicious and there were a lot of selections, but I had better. We paid $30+tax per person.

PREMISES
The hotel didn’t have a big loading/unloading area. However, the street right infront of it wasn’t so busy that it didn’t pose a problem. The lobby was nice and adequate in size. The hotel overall was very clean. I saw people cleaning all the time, especially on the 6th floor where the activities center and other amenities are. The place wasn’t as big as the other known hotels/casinos, but I liked it that way.

The default temperature was a little on the cool side. It wasn’t a problem coz you can control the temperature in your unit anyway, but it’s gets really cold in the hallway.

There were only 2 guest elevators and 1 service elevator. Because of the number of floors, there may be a wait for the elevators. We didn’t experience that much wait maybe because it was no longer peak season. We experienced the longest wait on Sunday morning when a lot of guests were checking out.

Read on…

The Wedding Salon Bridal Event
November 14, 2011

For complimentary tickets, use promo code SDBC