Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girl

Such a lovely week we have at the end of the school summer break.
As the Labour Day weekend is here, the weather gets nicer here in New York City.
Not too hot, not too cold.

But the most important thing is that we spent some quality time strolling around SoHo and enjoyed a leisure afternoon with a cup of yummy gelato and delicious Italian pastry in Little Italy.

cheers from Little Italy :)

We went shopping during the labour day and those crazy discounts were really tempting.
I love shopping so much we went back to the Factory Outlet twice during this weekend >_<.
Happy to get some new supplies for the kids for the upcoming school as well as winter. And some new colorful bags as well for mama :).

Happy shopping :)

And again, joining the Pokemon stampede in Central Park.
I know, I know...
It was crazy but I have to honestly say that my kids and I are really enjoying this crazy chase.

It was crazy but super fun :)

We walk a lot, have so much fun together, read more books (about Pokemon and more) more and feel happy. Now that we have caught many rare ones like Lapras, Pikachu, Dragonite, Snorlax and more.

And that's the end of summer break, kiddos.
This Thursday, they will go back to school and I bet they will have more fun there!

Meanwhile, let's party!

“Welcome to Oh My Heartsie Girls “Wonderful” Wednesday’s

Linky Party the 36th Week in 2016 and our purpose is to share with you some great blogs featured from last weeks party. Then for you to join us and share what you have going on your blogs.

Hostess Pic

An InLinkz Link-up

❢:Be Notified When This Party Starts Each Week Click Here Unsubscribe Anytime:❢

What Our Hostesses Have Been Up To On Their Blogs

Hostess Linky

We Hope While You Party With Us, You will follow our Hostesses!

♥ Karren Haller | Oh My Heartsie Girl | Tw | BL | G+ | FB | Pin | In

♥ Donna Wirthlin | Two Chicks And A Mom | Tw | Bl | Fb | Pin | In

♥ Indah Nuria Savitri | My Purple World | Tw | Fb | Pin | In

♥ Maxine White | Studio Paint Design | Tw | Fb | In | Pin | BL

♥Kathleen Kelly | Celtic Lady's Reviews | Tw | BL | FB | Pin | In

♥Kelsey Remmelts | Amen Sista!| Tw | FB |

♥Wendy Ross | Life at Rossmont | Tw | BL | FB | Pin | In

We Would Love It If You Would Pin Your Favorite - Opens In A New Window

 

The Evolution Of A Kitchen – Before And After // Worthington Court Pick By Donna // Two Chicks and a Mom (Re-Pin It ) 

 

Master-Bedroom-Makeover // The Summery Umbrella Pick by Maxine //Studio Paint Design (Re-Pin It)

   

The-Wild-Life-Parrot-Sugar-Cookies // Lolly-Jane Pick by Indah // My Purple World (Re-Pin It) 

 

Eggplant Storage // Two Sisters Pick by Wendy // Life at Rossmont (Re-Pin It )

 

Mini-Painted-Pallets // Modern Non Monticello Pick By Karren // Oh My Heartsie Girl (Re-Pin It) 

 

Cinnamon Toffee Blondies // Living On Cloud Nine Pick By Oh My Heartsie Girl (Re-Pin It)

 

But Now.....Open for a Week you are welcome to share all posts, YES, Linky Parties and Giveaways. Comments Are Appreciated after Linking Up!!

Let us know that you are following us so we can do the same! You Are Welcome To Link your DIY Projects, Tablescapes, Garden Ideas, Recipes, Reviews, Giveaways or Challenges, As many as you like. Tweet Our Party To Help Us Grow! And Thank you!

But Now.....Let's Party!!…. 

Party Linky

An InLinkz Link-up

NY Now - Summer 2016

Fancy to see colorful and artistic works from different corners of the world?

I do!

And I got the chance to see NY Now 2016 this summer.

This annual exhibition took place at Javits Center from August, 2016.

And how I love to see all those great collections of artisanal works and fantastic with an endless touch of creativity. I got the access to the event thanks to our Consulate General in New York City, who, together with Bekraf or Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy, arranged the participation of Indonesia in NY Now 2016.

As you know, Indonesia opens a special corner in NY Now. 

Welcome to Indonesian booth

Packed with beautiful, ornate works of various artisans as well as small and medium enterprises from Indonesia, Indonesian pavilion is indeed colorful and vibrant.

I love the colors and the patterns here..

This year, we have a wide range of products being displayed during this 4-day exhibition.

welcome to Indonesian Pavilion at NY Now 2016

From vintage ceramics to raw pearls from deep blue sea. From colorful ethnic bags and wallets to edgy accessories. From geometric pillowcase to traditional hand-written Batik. We got it all :).

I managed to visit our booth in there during the exhibition.
On the last day of NY Now, visitors are allowed to buy some of the samples of displayed products if the sellers agree to sell them. I was browsing around and truly fascinated by the colorful arts and crafts shown.

For 2016, we have a list of great artists displaying their works. 

We have Galeri Pot from JC's Pottery, showing series of artistic pots made with love from hand-throwing clay. Another great work in ceramics and pottery arts is presented by Sayap studio. 

Sayap Studio and some of its pottery products

Next we have Karsa, with its furnitures and home accessories made of hand-picked materials and designed by talented Indonesian young designers. Interesting work of art is presented by SylvieRomy. with MathArt+Design as their tagline, their works are beautifully adorned with patterns and colors.

Then Tala, the archipelago living art, with Mary & Teddy Collections of Jakarta Vintage label in the forms of colorful and high quality dinnerware series. By the time I saw them, I instantly fell in love and decided to have them. And I grabbed 'em all :).

Tala's beautiful designs. I just love them...

For the bags department, we have many options as well. One of them is Lungsin, which produced exquisite, exclusive casula as well as formal accessories using the traditional handwoven textile from Indonesia. Various colorful tenun and wastra nusantara were beautifully transformed into versatile bags, wallets, laptop cases, coin purses, pouch, and many more. I grabbed this beautiful bucket bag in purple color. A great addition to my Indonesian tenun collection.

don't you just love all these colorful stuff :)

bags in different colors and form...

One of my favorite items are the jewelries.  This year, we were privileged to have Sarah Beekmans's as well as Lady Quaint's beautiful collections.

We also have more silver jewelries from Bali and Jogja. A lot to choose from.

care to have some Indonesian accessories?

And finally, the wardrobe department. We have so many colorful batik dresses, coats, jackets, as well as shawl and pashmina for you to enjoy. I love the design from one of my dear friend, Yogiswari Pradjanti.
Her brilliant ideas and designs of cute, girlie, patterns applied in dresses, tops, and jackets are super cute. I instantly ordered one cute, cat dress, in purple :).

Aren't they cute? :)

We have more from Galeri Batik Jawa with its beautiful and natural indigo batik and Datie Handicraft.

Moreover, we have more great products from Nook, Santai, versaguna, wisanka    and more.

It's great to see that we have positive comments as well as orders from buyers and exhibitors coming to NY Now this year.

seriously discussing about the products displayed and orders received

Well, we sincerely hope that Indonesian beautiful and  creative economy products, with its distinct uniqueness, designs and quality, can meet the needs and demands from global markets, including in New York and the States as a whole.

Do you like coning to an exhibition like this? 

What is your favorite Indonesian arts and crafts here?

Jones Beach, New York, in Pictures

We have been enjoying beautiful beaches  in NYC and the surrounding cities.

One of the latest one we visited was Jones Beach. Located in Wantagh, New York, it took us around 40 minutes by car to here.

Jones Beach is one of the state parks of the New York state and it's beautifully facing the Atlantic Ocean. Its wide open ocean and deep sea is pretty tempting to those who enjoy a good swimming session.

welcome to Jone Beach

Its soft, white sand beach streching around 6.5 miles or approximately 10.5 km in length certainly makes Jones Beach a popular destination in summer. There are six spots where you can get the parking spots and beautiful lines of beaches.
Jones Beach is also famous for its swimming pool at West Bath House pool. Too bad when we were there it was almost close, so we didn't to get a chance to try the pool.

care to swim with me?

Apparently, around 6 million people visit this lovely spot every year. When we were there on one sunny Saturday, it was quite packed with visitors enjoying beautiful day with the family and loved ones. Happy kids were running around and screams of joy were heard as people welcomed the cold waves of the ocean.

enjoying the wave

My kids truly enjoyed our time on this beach. Running and swimming around, taking pictures here and there, eating snacks and fruits, and even rolling down on the sand were parts of our itinerary that day. It was awesome!

Bo enjoying the beach

Bo et Obi at Jones Beach

mango time :)

Near the beach, there are a few cute wooden houses.

read the rules...

At the end of the day, we just sat down and enjoyed the sunset.

Glorious sky will always be fascinating to see. Always.

welcoming sunset

Join us on Skywatch Friday and enjoy beautiful skies from every corner of the world.

4 Pantai Asyik di sekitar New York City

Siapakah yang mengaku anak pantai di sini?
Saya!
Acung tangan tinggi-tinggi :).

Lahir dan besar di Lampung, yang nota bene terkenal dengan jajaran pantai cantik, laut biru nan jernih dan wisata bahari yang mempesona, julukan anak pantai memang klop buat saya. Apalagi sejak mendapat lisensi untuk menyelam tahun 2011 yang lalu. Tambah deh menjadi-jadi main ke pantai, pulau, dan laut setiap ada kesempatan. Kalau tidak sempat pulang ke Lampung, pantai di Jakarta dan sekitarnya.

Sejak pindah ke New York City, kecintaan saya akan langit dan laut biru tidak berkurang.
Bertambah malah.

Walaupun memang, frankly speaking, cantiknya laut Indonesia susah dikalahkan. Tapi karena kita sedang tinggal di the Big Apple sampai at least 2 tahun mendatang, kami pun semangat menjelajahi pantai-pantai yang ada di New York City.

Jangan salah ya, semangat memang tinggi tapi karena banyak kesibukan lain seringkali kami harus membagi waktu untuk memastikan #myitchyfeet bisa terus eksis #eaaaa.

Jadi, kembali ke judul, ada pantai apa saja sih di New York City dan sekitarnya?
Banyak, karena memang sebagian New York City, terutama Queens, terletak di pulau yang bernama Long Islands. Sounds familiar? 
Tapi bukan Thousand islands ya hehehe..karena nama salah satu salad dressing ini memang beneran ada tempatnya :).

Ini dia beberapa pantai cantik yang pernah kami kunjungi selama musim panas ini

Coney Island

Bisa jadi, pantai yang satu ini adalah pantai paling populer di New York City.

Selain karena pantainya yang relatif bersih dan berpasir lembut, meskipun bukan pasir putih, Coney Islands yang terletak di Brooklyn ini sejak lama terkenal karena aneka theme parks atau taman permainan dengan berbagai wahana seru, termasuk yang sukses buat kita menjerit sepenuh jiwa raga karena serunya. Luna Park adalah salah satu theme parks seru yang penuh dengan aneka atraksi heboh itu.

ready to try this one :)

Belum lagi tempat jajanan hotdog yang super ngetop, Nathan's, ada di sini. Setiap tahun, Coney Island menjadi tuan rumah kontes makan hotdog terseru di New York City dan juga mermaid parade atau parade 'putri duyung' yang penuh warna. Coney Island juga menjadi tempat New York Aquarium.

Coney island juga relatif mudah dikunjungi karena terhubung dengan transportasi umum, yaitu subway N dan Q. Persis jalur subway yang lewat rumah kami :).

Walaupun kami berenang saat musim panas, tetap saja airnya lumayan dingin untuk ukuran badan Indonesia seperti kami sekeluarga :). Biasanya, kami berenang tidak lebih dari 1 jam di sini. Sisanya main di theme parks, nongkrong cantik atau menikmati jajanan sambil mendengarkan aneka atraksi hiburan jalanan yang tidak kalah seru.

Rockaway Beach

Pantai yang satu ini terletak di ujung Queens, salah satu borough atau setingkat kecamatan yang ada di New York City. Letaknya relatif paling dekat dari rumah kami di Astoria, Long Island City, karenanya kami pun sering menghabiskan waktu di sini.

Pasirnya yang putih dan lembut dan pantai yang tidak terlalu landai menjadikannya tempat berenang ideal untuk Bo et Obi. Tentunya sambil terus diawasi oleh Mama dan Bapak :). Dan memang Rockaway beach selalu ramai saat musim panas atau setiap cuaca cukup hangat untuk berenang. Enaknya, Rockaway tidak sepenuh Coney Island, jadi cukup tempat untuk semua dan tidak perlu berebut kamar mandi atau toilet. Namun memang tempat jajan di sini tidak sebanyak pilihan di Coney Island. Hmmm..ini mau berenang atau mau ngemil yah >_<.

Jones Beach

Jones beach adalah salah satu pantai favorite yang belum lama ini kami kunjungi.

Terletak di Wantagh, New York, pantai ini memang sedikit agak jauh dari New York City atau sekitar 50 menit perjalanan dengan mobil. Saya belum sempat mengecek jalur transportasi umum ke sini, namun saya yakin pasti terhubung dengan baik juga karena saya sempat melihat banyak bus stop  di sepanjang jalan menuju pantai.

Selain pantai bersih berpasir halus, Jones Beach juga terkenal dengan West Bathhouse dan pool alias kolam renang di tepi pantai. Hanya dengan tiket masuk $5 untuk dewasa dan $3 untuk anak-anak mulai usia 6 tahun, kolam renang dan segala fasilitasnya bisa dinikmati.

Oya, dan sunset di sini cakep bangeet juga lho :).

Plumb Beach

Meskipun pantai ini tidak begitu ideal untuk berenang karena airnya yang agak muddy dan pantainya yang relatif kotor dibandingkan pantai lainnya, tapi Plumb beach lumayan seru untuk tempat nongrong cantik sambil menikmati matahari terbenam. Letaknya relatif dekat dengan kota karena masih masuk kawasan Brooklyn, berbatasan dengan Queens.

Sebenarnya masih banyak lagi pantai asyik yang bisa dikunjungi, namun kami belum sempat mendatanginya.

Waktu di Jakarta, saat tidak pulang ke Lampung, kami sering mengunjungi Pantai Marina di Ancol atau ke salah satu pulai di jajaran Kepulauan Seribu. 

Selain perlengkapan 'perang' untuk berenang, seperti baju berenang, sunscreen, ban dan pelampung anak-anak, baju ganti, sabun dan sampai, serta masker dan snorkel sampai fin, tidak lupa kami bawa perlengkapan 'perang' untuk perut hahaha. Apalagi kalau bukan stok air putih yang banyak, makanan berat dan cemilan. Yuuuup..never forget!

Biasanya saya dan keluarga selalu mempersiapkan perlengkapan perang ini dari rumah. Tapi kalau di Indonesia sih tidak masalah, karena keperluan yang kita butuhkan banyak tersedia dan mudah didapat, apalagi untuk urusan cemilan :).

Pernah suatu ketika kami mendadak memutuskan main ke salah satu pantai di Lampung. Dengan pedenya kami langsung menuju tekape tanpa bawa apa-apa. Tapi tenang saja, karena di sepanjang perjalanan menuju pantai, ada banyak tempat yang menyediakan keperluan kita di pantai. Usaha ritel Alfamart salah satunya. 

It's very handy to have it...

Saya ingat pernah membeli sunscreen dan goggle untuk anak-anak di salah satu usaha ritel Alfamart yang terletak di jalur menuju pantai. Apalagi untuk urusan cemilan, komplit deeeh pokoknya. Dan memang, banyak tempat usaha yang tersebar di berbagai tempat strategis ini sangat membantu konsumen seperti saya dan keluarga.

So, that's our story saat menyusuri pantai di sekitar New York City.
Teman-teman suka menjelajahi pantai juga?
Di mana tempat favoritmu?