Sunday, January 1, 2006

january 2006

1/31/06


~It’s official Greg (my bf) has a problem: he’s a sneaker addict. No lie. In the past month he’s bought at least 4 pairs of sneakers (most of which are Nike dunk lows). Just this past weekend, we scoured the city looking for the Air Jordan Defining Moments. And we found them (despite Nike only making 11,000 pairs in the U.S. and him paying almost double the price)!! While I can’t say I have a love for sneakers, I do enjoy my own shoe escapades!! He scored his sneaks and I bought my Tamara Henriques rain boots!! So cliché, but I guess that’s why we make a perfect pair! -candace

1/30/06

~My favorite hobby by far is baking, so I especially look forward to any/ all occasions and holidays so that I can bake away! For the Superbowl this Sunday I think I’ll whip up some ‘Sure Fire, No Fire S'mores’ because…well, because I just really like s’mores! For Valentine’s Day I plan on cooking a whole meal (most likely something revolving around filet mignon) but for dessert I’m still choosing between crème brûlée, mini chocolate soufflés or mini heart shaped ice cream desserts. If I do the brûlée or soufflé I get to buy these cute pink ramekins, but if I make the heart shaped ice cream I get to buy this cute pink heart mold (both from Williams-Sonoma). Oh decisions, decisions… -maria


1/27/06

~A shocking fact: for someone so makeup-savvy, I am strikingly hair-impaired. Like, I can’t even master putting my hair back into a decent high pony with the bangs teased and pulled back (Erica’s specialty) —seriously, it’s a wonder I can put my hair in a braid. So when I want my hair to look good, I usually just shell out for a blowout —although that can get expensive after a while. So I am incredibly proud (like, 4-year-old who learns to tie his shoe proud) that I gave myself my first decent-looking blowout the other night. And it only involved one hour, a blowdryer, a round brush, a straightening iron, and 5 products!! OK—so I have a ways to go—but seriously, when I sprayed my Elnett hairspray (illegal but amazing aerosol spray stealthily imported from my last trip to London) to finish off my lovely new do, it was a fine hour indeed. -alexis


1/26/06

~So I’ve been looking for a kickboxing type class forever, but I can’t seem to find one that I like or that fits my schedule. Feeling totally defeated, I attempted to find a class one last time yesterday on Craig’s List and (finally!) I think I found one. It’s called Ki-Bo and it’s a blend of cardio kickboxing, self defense and strength training using your own body weight. Plus the instructor is a woman – who looks from the website like she can kick some serious butt – so I feel really confident that I may have finally found what I’ve been looking for! I’ll be attending my first class next week, so wish me luck and I’ll give everyone an update after the class! -maria


1/25/06

~Well, I'm finally ready to get back into running outside. I've never been an outdoors runner but I miss it!! So I picked up some heavy duty outdoor running clothes this weekend - I got the super warm spandex pants - that's right spandex! The ones only a hardcore runner can get away with (so I've got to pretend I'm one of them). I got a really cute blue windbreaker some special running gloves and a headband thing that keeps your ears warm. I'm legit now! All I have to do now is get out there - if only it would warm up just a little bit... -heather


1/24/06

~Phil & I went to the MoMA this weekend to check out the Pixar 20-year retrospective —it was so awesome. The museum was pretty chaotic and the exhibit was SO crowded, but honestly, it was worth it. You got to see all the steps they take when creating the characters for their movies—so much work goes into it, it’s absolutely insane. (The audio guide was great, too—really helped you understand what you’re looking at). Basically, we both came away from the exhibit thinking that Pixar is some kind of magical wonderland to work at. Also—the main highlight was the zoetrope (see pic) which dictionary.com defines as: An optical toy, in which figures made to revolve on the inside of a cylinder, and viewed through slits in its circumference, appear like a single figure passing through a series of natural motions as if animated or mechanically moved. (There’s no way I could improve on that explanation). Seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. -alexis

1/23/06

~Ok, enough with the rain already!! I know it’s only the start of winter here in NYC, but I’ve already had enough. I’m on the hunt for a good pair of rain boots. My one requirement is that they must have some sort of heel (I’m 5’2’’—I need all the height I can get). There are definitely some cute ones at the style bakery, though I’m really leaning towards these Tamara Henriques boots. Hmmm, or maybe the Pink Burberry ones at Neiman Marcus. Decisions, decisions… -candace



~I'm finally back after the long gone for my wedding and honeymoon! And finally we managed to move in our first place yesterday after 3 weeks weekend tough painting work! I can't wait to go shopping for some new furniture and new appliance, I really want to buy a nice king size bed so I don't need to flight for space with Terrence! -leonie





1/20/06





~I'm so happy to be all moved in to my new place. Now comes my favorite part..decorating! The bedding set I ordered from the pottery barn came in the other day and it's so bright and colorful. It's really going to look great in the room especially with the custom headboard I made. Tomorrow I'm going to make a trip out to Ikea to pick up a few more things and hopefully get some more ideas. I can't wait to start all little projects I have planned!

-erica


1/19/06

~I’ve been on a major cooking kick lately—I think the Italian wife-to-be in me is definitely starting to kick in. I actually had some time to relax this past weekend, so I made a ton of stuff—but new favorite is gnudi. They’re basically the filling of ravioli minus the pasta—literally denuded ravioli, hehe. They’re very messy but fun to make if you do it all from scratch (I used fresh spinach & grated the parm myself instead of using the pre-grated kind…definitely makes a difference!). They’re so filling, but so so good. This recipe looks like the one I used except I made a sage butter sauce—either should be delish though. -alexis

1/18/06

~This Sunday Larry and I are going to the Museum of Natural History to see the Darwin exhibit. I’m having flashbacks to Freshmen biology class when I think about it. Survival of the Fittest…that’s what I remember the most. I haven’t been to the Museum in a while. Every time I go I need to see the dinosaur exhibit, it reminds me of being a kid. And if I’m lucky..we’ll see an Imax film, too!-nicole

~My boyfriend and I officially decided that we are going to Vegas this summer – you have no idea how happy this makes me because I love Vegas! I already started looking up flight and hotel info on Jet Blue and I found a really awesome deal for the Bellagio and the Venetian. Now if I could just lose a good 30 pounds by August…-maria


1/17/06

~I had such a nice, long relaxing weekend in Pennsylvania! It was my boyfriend’s bday (Greg) and we celebrated over sushi and drinks at the Dancing Fish. As for his gift, I bought him these sweet Camel Suede Ferragamo shoes. He LOVES them! I’m heading over his way again this weekend to watch the Syracuse vs. Villanova basketball game—go Orange! -candace

1/13/06

~I'm so excited, this weekend I'm moving into the city! One of my best friends, Marisa and I got a great apartment on the upper east side. The neighborhood is so nice and there are so many great things to do... plus Heathers my neighbor! Project Runway parties will be a must!-erica


~Yay, I’m so glad it’s Friday! For a change we actually have nothing to do this weekend, which means my favorite kind of days…lazy, fixing up the house, reading the paper, cooking, just hanging out. Except we are doing ONE thing on Sunday—we signed up for a 3-hr ballroom dancing crash course. We get to try foxtrot, salsa, waltz & swing—since I’ve never done any of the above, this should be interesting. I have a sneaky suspicion that Phil is going to be one to watch. Anyway, I’m very impressed with his willingness to miss NFL playoffs to go prance around for three hours. That’s why I’m marrying the guy! -alexis


1/12/06


~Tonight Larry and I are going to see Brian Stokes Mitchell perform. I’m so excited, we loved him in Man of La Mancha. He has the most amazing, deep, rich voice. I hope he sings some songs from the show!!!-nicole~So, now I'm addicted to Project Runway. I blame Erica and Alexis for talking about the show every thursday morning. Last night I turned on Bravo and was just in time for a PR marathon. That show is great! The designers are nutty but really talented - it all makes for great tv! Just what I needed, another show to watch!!-heather


1/11/06

~Hi all!!! I’m Candace and I just joined tarte last week!!! So fun and exciting! (and yes, I tend to overuse exclamation marks). The products are truly amazing and the girls are soooo sweet! You’ll most likely see me talking about random things, but hey, who doesn’t like random? For instance, I’m really craving rice pudding right now…this place; Rice to Riches near my apt is great!-candace



1/10/06


~Continuing on my theme of awesome Xmas gifts, I have to focus on an amazing one from Phil: The Muppet Show Season 1 DVDs. So far we’ve only watched the first 4 episodes but it’s so awesome (one of my favorite sketches so far? “Lydia the Tattooed Lady,”—so cute. There’s a “pop up” track you can turn on that gives you all kinds of little factoids about the episodes, the guests, and the Muppeteers. Since I’m a total Muppet freak, I’m addicted.-alexis

~What’s the worse thing you can do when you’re bored? Look through ebay…now I found about 3-4 pairs of shoes that I am obsessing over. But at around $599.99 each pair I just can’t afford it! I’m especially infatuated with a pair of Christian Louboutin jeweled stilettos. Must be strong… -maria

1/6/06

~This weekend is my friend's baby shower (I hope she doesn't read this or the surprise will be ruined!!). This is my first friend to have a baby in the area - I can't believe it and I can't wait until she has the baby! I'm dying to know if it's a boy or a girl. I think it's a girl, but we'll see! Just when the bridal showers were slowing down... -heather

~Can’t wait for the weekend! No major plans. My friend Kara is having a housewarming party in East Rockaway. I look forward to seeing my college friends there and just hanging out. It’s been so gloomy in New York this past week, I hope to finally see the sun! -nicole

1/5/06

~I haven’t written in so long…I think the holidays have totally worn me out, because I still haven’t bounced back from exhaustion. In any case, I did get some AMAZING gifts this year—I feel very lucky—but one of the highlights came from my little Secret Santa Maria. Proving exactly how well she knows me, she got me a 2 month subscription to a Cheese of the Month Club! Seriously, this is like my dream gift. Not to sound like Steve Urkel or anything…it’s just that cheese is totally my favorite food group and brings me to new heights of food euphoria. In conclusion, Maria is the best.-alexis