R's Photo Project - Week 6

May 20 (Sunday):  Ledson vineyard!

May 21 (Monday):  A cork from our fun weekend with my college friends!

May 22 (Tuesday):  A classic shot of an LA classic spot

May 23 (Wednesday):  My closet rods fell and I came home to this....

May 24 (Thursday):  Propellers from my flight back from Portland

May 25 (Friday):  Yummy sangria on our first night in Vegas at Julian Serrano in the Aria.

May 26 (Saturday):  The conservatory in the Bellagio.

R's Friday Food Porn

It's rare that I ever find a Friday food porn post early in the week.  But this post has been lined up since early Wednesday morning.  

Espresso Swiss Rolls

N's Friday Food Porn

Burmese Tea Leaf Salad

R's Photo Project - Week 5

May 13 (Sunday):  G and I wrapping up a weekend with a yummy bottle of wine at our new favorite wine bar.

May 14 (Monday):  I <3 that my gym lets me valet - makes "not finding a parking spot so I don't have to gym" no longer an excuse.

May 15 (Tuesday):  This GF/LF/DF/Soy free/nut free/egg free/vegan bar should also include "taste free" on their description.

May 16 (Wednesday):  Nothing like pho to get you out of a funky bad mood.

May 17 (Thursday):  I changed one of the fishies to swim in the opposite direction at a thai restaurant.  hee hee.

May 18 (Friday):  Bye bye old office.

May 19 (Sunday):  My inspiration for my nails this weekend.

N's Friday Food Porn

Apparently we're both feeling boozy today...

Limoncello and Prosecco Cooler with Raspberry Ice Cubes

R's Friday Food Porn

yummm...

Skinny White Sangria Sparkler

Nailed It: Part 3 - Bling Finger

On New Year's Eve, I met up with Gravy Train and fell in love with a trend that I saw her sporting.  On all her nails she had a deep burgendy color (Wicked by Essie I believe) and then on both her ring fingers, she had gold sparkles!!!  


So since then, I've been all about it.  I've sported a bling finger with just sparkles.  However, taking off pure sparkles can be QUITE a pain.  So after a few visits with our favorite manicurist, Tanya, I love layering a couple of sparkle coats on my bling finger with either the same or contrast color underneath.


Here are some of my favorites:

Bling for your Blackberry Finger (similar to the colors I'm currently sporting)

Tangerine for China Glaze, Mint Green with Techno on top

Some Bling on your Finger

Nailed It, Part 2: Magnetic Polish

I finally bought this stuff after talking about it for months.  It seems that British company nails inc. is the pioneer in magnetic polish - they started with a wave pattern and just released a fishnet pattern.  The color options aren't super summery, but the good thing is that they're mostly neutral.  You can get away with not looking too outlandish but still having a little something fun going on.  


Upon sitting down to start this project, I must admit that I was pretty nervous since R and I had disastrous results when we tried crackle nail polish.  This was SO much easier.  The polish has a great consistency and shine, and the brush is just the right size.  I did one nail at a time, putting one semi-thick coat of polish and then holding the magnet on top for about 5 seconds.  The cap of the bottle has a flat magnet on it, with a little ledge that you can rest on your finger to avoid getting too close to your nail.  Your nails immediately look texturized since the magnet attracts iron particles in the polish, and once they're dry they're all set.  Here, see for yourself.

[nails inc. Spitalfield Fishnet Magnetic Polish]

It's only been a day, so we'll see how they hold up.  So far so good though, and my coworkers definitely loved them!

R's Photo Project - Week 4

YAY - it's been a month and only one miss!  I will warn you, my photos are getting pretty boring.

May 6 (Sunday):  A funny dressed man at the Los Gatos farmer's market.

May 7 (Monday):  Some fun sunglasses that N and I picked up during our shopping excursion.  And that's my face scrub on the table.

May 8 (Tuesday):  I love when hotels either have a guide on the tv, or an actual print out.  I hate not knowing what channel I'm looking for.

May 9 (Wednesday):  My first official ballot package!

May 10 (Thursday):  Three GF/LF cupcakes (that were pretty much free) from Flour Chyle Bakery when they were at the San Carlos farmers market.

May 11 (Friday):  G$'s request for dinner upon his return from the motherland.

May 12 (Saturday):  Look at all those pretty colors...I don't think I have a nail polish addiction...do you?

"Running" for a Cause

This July, I'm participating in the progressive version of the SF marathon.  This means that I can complete the first 23.1 miles on my own time, over however many months/weeks/days I want, and then run the final 3.1 miles with other participants on the day of.  In order to make this a challenge for myself, my personal goal is finish the entire distance within one week.  

I've chosen to use this opportunity to raise funds for the American Institute of Cancer Research.  There is no minimum that I need to gather in order to participate, so I'm not mass emailing people for donations.  I'm just putting this out there in blog land so that anyone who feels like giving a few bucks to the cause can do so. :)

R's Friday Food Porn

To follow Miss N, I'm going to also do a food porn that my mom would love.

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

N's Friday Food Porn: Mothers Day Edition

Not a "typical" thing, but a food that I think my mom would love...

Mango and Saffron Swirl Ice Cream

Happy Mothers Day to all my favorite moms (and a couple of my favorite soon-to-be moms) out there!

R's Photo Project - Week 3

April 29 (Sunday):  Chocolate dipped figs at the girl and the fig in Sonoma

April 29 (Sunday) Photo 2:  This lady is the future Gravy Train!

April 30 (Monday):  ooooops - my first miss.

May 1 (Tuesday):  Sequined shower caps at Ulta!

May 2 (Wednesday):  A completely FULL 60 bottle wine rack!  

May 3 (Thursday):  Drove by this place in SF - there's furniture ON the buildings.

May 4 (Friday):  G$ and my way of celebrating his grandma's passing.  Yummy 2006 Cab Franc from Savannah Chanelle and 2008 Zin from Ledson!

May 5 (Saturday):  A gluten free turkey sandwich (and N's gluten free veggie sandwich) from Zest Bakery.

R's Friday Food Porn

Pan Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad

Wow, This is What It's Like to be Married - By R

We've all heard so many times people say "I love him more than I love myself" and this has applied to a spouse, boyfriend, or a baby.  I've always said that I love my spouse more than I loved myself, but until today I didn't really know what it meant to feel that way.


Now I do.  It means that you feel terrible when you see your spouse go through something that hurts them.  As soon as they feel like they've been punched in the stomach, you take that feeling on, in hopes that it alleviates how he is feeling.


As much as it hurts, I'm glad to love someone more than I have ever imagined.  

N's Friday Food Porn: Cinco de Mayo Edition

Cilantro Lime Agave Biscuits

Roasted Pepper and Cheese Tamales

Nailed It, Part 1: The New French Manicure

R and I are both obsessed with our nails, constantly experimenting with them, and thought it'd be fun to share some opinions/tips.  I love, love the fact that so many new trends are coming about.  To me, having a great manicure (whether done at home or in a salon) has many benefits.  For one, if you need to dress pretty demurely for work, your nails are a "safe" way to show off your personal style.  Two, they're a good conversation starter.  Three, if you're like me and can't make decisions or commitments, you're in luck because neither of those is really required!  Anything goes, and you don't have to worry about what size you wear. :)


On to the "new" French manicures.  I can't really advise on how to get a nice, straight tip because I just freehand it.  There are a few different options:

1.  Clear nails with colored tips.  This was my first venture, so I didn't use a super bold color.  It's a great way to ease into it or to use a color that you feel is too overwhelming on your full nail.

[OPI natural nail strengthener + some slightly sparkly OPI magenta that I can't remember]

2.  Light nails with dark tips.  Once again, subtle because it's the same color family, but it's something different.  The opposite would also look great.

[OPI Do You Lilac It? + Chanel Paradoxal]

3.  Colorblocked.  Oh, the possibilities are endless.  Pink + orange, blue + yellow, purple + teal, color + metallic...I'm obsessed with this YSL photo and would love to try it.

4.  The reverse.  I have yet to find the patience to attempt this, but I think it looks amaze.  Any of the combinations mentioned above would work.