may 2006

05/30/06

~In three more days I will be in Lake George, camping for the first time…and I’m actually looking forward to it! I went all out and bought a big back pack, a tent, a sleeping bag, etc. Now I just need to get some camping clothes! I took this holiday weekend to go to The Westchester Mall and did some quality shopping – I mean really, what’s camping if you don’t have cute pink boots?! -maria



05/25/06

~So one thing I’ve kinda been pushing off is looking for shoes for my wedding. I think it’s mostly because I HATE bridal shoes—all that white satin and bows and chunky heels is so not me, and I know I’d never wear them again. So I think I’ve decided on gold shoes—that way I can always pair them with jeans or dresses after the fact. I like these Jimmy Choos a lot, but why does everything good have to be 4” high?? If anyone has suggestions for this never-ending quest, please advise!! -alexis


05/19/06

~My little brother Kenn (though he is 6 ‘2”) is graduating from Boston College on Monday! Woohoo—I’m a proud sis! But, shhhh—I’m not a very good one. The thing is I have yet to get him a gift!! On the contrary, it’s so hard buying gifts for guys that they’ll actually be excited to receive and/or use. That said I’m thinking I’ll get him clothes. Since he is starting a new job in July and will DEFINITELY need some dress clothes (I think he owns like 1 pair of dress pants and a hand me down suit). Hmm..I’ll have to hit up Brooks Brothers on Sunday!!! -candace

05/15/06

~Very excited for the Grey's Anatomy season finale tonight. Last night they prepped us for it with a new, action-packed episode that left me in suspense until tonight's show. It's 2 hours and I can't wait to see what happens! Will Burke die? Will Denny die? You know someone is going to die - so who is it, ahhhh!! At least they didn't make us wait a week. The only problem is that it conflicts with Deal or No Deal which is a 2 hour special tonight. Oh well, I'll bypass the game show this time... -heather


~I am so excited to get home tonight - season finale of Prison Break at 8! Seriously, it's frightening how obsessed I've become. I'm sure tonight's episode is going to be edge of your seat exciting (and I quite literally was on the edge of my seat last week so I'll probably end up passing out this week, lol). One thing I'm not looking forward to is the inevitable cliff hanger they are going to end the show with - I don't think I can wait 6 months to find out what happens! -maria


05/11/06

~May is the month of weddings (at least for me)! Two of my good friends from high school are getting married this month. Next weekend I’ll be traveling to Massachusetts for my friend Colleen’s wedding at The Georgetown Country Club and then Memorial Day Weekend I’ll be in Cape Cod to celebrate my friend Seth’s wedding! Um, yea, I’m already feeling teary-eyed!!! OK, I need to change the focus here—I’m on the hunt for dresses…. -candace


05/09/06

~Let’s ignore the fact that 9 times out of 10, my blogs are food-related—I promise I do not have a problem/obsession, I just happen to be a big foodie. However, despite my love of fancy cheeses and wines, I can go pretty low-brow too, which explains my current obsession with those Nabisco 100-Calorie packs. First of all, how smart was that idea?? The marketer in me just thinks it’s a totally genius concept. And of course, the prone-to-oversnacking girl in me is eternally grateful. Finally, a way for me to eat cheese balls and Oreos and know when to stop. If I lose any weight before the wedding, I owe a little something to the good people of Nabisco. -alexis

05/08/06

~We all had a festive weekend, Maureen's baby shower was on Saturday and it happened to be a Cinco de Mayo theme. So there was lots of yummy food and even more margaritas and coronas! -erica






05/01/06

~ Heather and I were just sitting here talking about Trader Joe’s and I really needed to take a moment to praise this fine establishment. My love for Trader Joe’s knows no bounds (I even got a gift certificate there for my birthday!). They have the BEST spreads, dips, sauces, snacks (cinnamon sugar pita crisps?? So good)…to say nothing of their frozen food section. And you’ll go up to the register with like 10 items and it’ll only cost $25. How can you beat that? (For any newcomers, I recommend the artichoke tortellini…once you’ve tried that, there’s no turning back). -alexis

april 2006

04/25/06

~Last night I was watching tv and I saw a commercial for the latest Cirque Du Soleil show that is starting on Randall's Island today. My mom has been dropping hints like crazy for this show so we are going to see it for Mother's Day. Even better, my boyfriend and his mom are going to come with us (the moms will meet for the first time!). I'm just so happy that the Mother's Day Gift pressure is over - both for me and John plus Cirque shows are pretty awesome!! -heather

04/24/06

~With spring here (despite today’s torrential downpours) and summer around the corner, I realized that I desperately need a tan if I plan to wear any fun clothes!! However, I don’t need the wrinkles! Soooo, per a friend’s recommendation I’m trying Clarins’ self-tanner. I’ve tried self-tanners in the past, but I usually ended up looking a shade of awful orange and so did my clothes, sheets, etc (you get the point). Well, so far this one is spot-on without the splotches! The key is to mix it with a moisturizer. Anyhow, I’m hooked..now when will it be sunny again?! -candace

04/19/06

~Happy ::belated:: Birthday to Erica!!! We had a nice tarte celebration yesterday complete with, what else, cupcakes! For those of you who don’t know, Erica is the queen of baking around here, so Lex and I wanted to repay her with some really special cupcakes of her own…so we made Beaker from The Muppets cupcakes! They were so much fun to make, and surprisingly easy…problem is, they looked so cute and hysterically funny we almost didn’t want to eat them! Key word being almost… -maria

04/12/06

~So it’s possible that I might have a new obsession: Coke Blak. Phil has been telling me about this stuff since he saw a commercial for it during the Academy Awards, and I swear, I thought he made it up. I hadn’t seen it anywhere! But lo & behold, I spotted a 4-pack at Key Food this weekend, and I had to try it. It promises “coke effervescence with coffee-flavored essence,” and since I’m a big coffee soda fan, that’s definitely worth exploring. Anyway, it tastes just like this soda I used to drink as a kid called No-Cal Coffee Soda. Apparently me & my dad are the only ones who remember this stuff, but whatever—I am officially a Coke Blak convert. -alexis

04/10/06

~I can’t believe Passover is this week! I like the holiday because I get to see my family, but giving up foods like pizza for a week is tough. You would think I’d be used to it by now, but every year it’s s struggle. At least my Mom made an extra pot of matzah ball soup for me. Nothing is as good as her golden chicken soup and fluffy matzah balls! -nicole

04/07/06

~I'm a die-hard cat lover but I'm not allowed to have pets in my apartment. I'm dying to move to a different place so that I can get a kitten! So when my brother tells me he's going away for 3 weeks and needs someone to watch his 2 cats, I unselfishly offered to host them (ok, maybe it was a little selfish!) I figure it's only temporary so the super won't have a problem with the illegal pets - haha! Well, he drops the cats off last Saturday and it's been sort of a nightmare ever since. Turns out my boyfriend is allergic to them, they wake us up every night at 4am running back and forth through the apartment (did I mention it's a studio - 2 people and 2 cats are a bit TOO much...) and they love to sleep on top of us! I just don't know how we're going to get through the next 2 weeks! John has even threatened to move out until my brother comes home. I think my chances of getting a kitten in the future are dwindling by the minute... -heather

march 2006

3/31/06





~For those of you who haven't seen the posts on our board yet, this weekend we have two hour shows this Sunday on QVC. It is so exciting to be there, no matter how many times we're on. Hopefully all of you guys can watch and support us...it's always so great to know that our loyal tartelettes are pulling for us! Plus we are introducing some new items, and running a lot of great specials so tune in if you can! April 2, 2006 at 5am & 6pm ET! -maria

3/29/06

~Spring is here—Yay! However, I have nothing fun to wear. I think April and May are by far the most difficult months for clothes. Maybe, I think that because I desperately need a spring jacket—perhaps it’s time I buy that

Burberry, sexy trench I’ve been eyeing. I’d also like to buy some cute lightweight tops. C&C and Juicy never let me down! While I’m at it, I really want these Dita Aviator Sunglasses! -candace

3/27/06

~I just have to show off the cupcakes Maria & I made for Alexis' birthday last week! They are cookie monster cupcakes since he's Alexis' favorite muppet! I think they came out awesome and Alexis loved them! Maybe Maria & I should go into the cupcake business? -erica

3/17/06

~HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! xx the tarte team

3/16/06

~I just have a random funny story; My roommates bf was on a plane back from Florida and the group Three 6 Mafia (The 2006 Academy Award winners for Best Song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp") ended up sitting across from him. The funny thing was they were carrying around their Oscar with them! And when the plane was getting ready for take off they wrapped the Oscar up and put it in an LV bag... that's some great carry on luggage! haha -erica

3/13/06

~MARCH MADNESS: This weekend was all about Syracuse basketball!! SU became the first team in BIG EAST history to win 4 games on the way to the tournament championship. It started with senior guard Gerry McNamara’s last-second 3-pointer to beat Cincinnati, then a 2 point overtime upset win over UCONN, a 1 point nail-biting victory over Georgetown and the championship win against Pitt. All very, very close games!! Gerry (also known as GMAC) was just unstoppable! And to think the local media said, “McNamara was overrated. The fifth-seeded team will play Texas A&M on Thursday---GO ORANGE!!!! -canDANCE

3/8/06

~It’s still bordering on freezing in NY, but at least Spring is right around the corner! And with that comes spring cleaning – something I’ve never been very good at. I always start out on an adrenaline rush thinking that I’m going to scrub every inch and make everything spotless…then 45 minutes into it I realize I haven’t made a dent, get dejected and go eat some ice cream. It happens every time! Luckily I found this article in

Good Housekeeping that will streamline my spring cleaning…but I’ll probably still top it off with some ice cream! -maria

3/6/06

~Ok, I need to talk about the Oscars. First off, I’m a huge Jon Stewart fan and I think he did a great job! At first he seemed a tad bit timid, but he definitely pulled through (it’s a tough crowd to begin with). And how funny are Steve Carell and Will Ferrell?! I loved their make-up skit. Next, the actual awards…this is the first year that all my guesses for best actor/actress and best supporting actor/actress came true! I was really excited and I saw almost every movie. What I do think is odd is that none of these actors/actresses were in the best movie or in the movie by the best director. Um, and Three 6 Mafia…I’m still speechless. Lastly, let’s talk about fashion!!! Ladies that I thought looked great—Reese’s glam look and Felicity’s daring Zac Posen debut! I really liked Hilary Swank’s and Jennifer Anniston’s dresses (simple, yet classic). And let’s face it—George Clooney really stole the show this year. -candace

february 2006

2/27/06

~So Phil went to the NY Comic Convention at the Javits Center this weekend and he came back with a new friend for me. His name is Mister Toast. I don’t know much about the artist who draws him or about his whole comic “world’ yet, but he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m having fun looking at the other characters on the website…how cute is the guy called Shaky Bacon? Anyway, I love when Phil brings home fun toys for me…just one of the perks of being with a toy/graphic designer. However, between my perfume obsession and his toy obsession, our apartment is overrun. But it’s still pretty funny to see Apocalypse from X-Men and a bottle of Guerlain perfume happily co-existing on a shelf. -alexis

2/23/06

~OK, I’ll admit it—I LOVE American Idol! I wish it were on a little later because I always miss the first half! I already have some favs…Lisa, Paris, Katharine, Melissa, Ace, Elliott…. I think I have some idea of who will get the boot tonight (but I don’t want to jinx it). I should probably vote, but I leave that to my mom and aunt who do it for everyone! I’m not kidding you can’t call my parent’s house during the show. Not only do I like to watch the show, but I like to sing along! And, unfortunately I wasn’t blessed with a good voice, but I still belt out the songs. Last season, my best friend Lori and I would sing our little hearts out. Hmm, wonder how our neighbors didn’t tell us to shut up! Ha. And could someone please tell Randy to knock off that “dog pound” thing, does it annoy anyone else? Anyhow, I’m excited to see it tonight! -candace

2/22/06

~I had a busy 3 day weekend - dinner out, broadway show, etc. But the highlight of it was Saturday morning... my boyfriend was flipping through the channels and stopped on a random cartoon. And I thought to myself, "They don't make cartoons like Bugs Bunny anymore." Then I remembered that while Christmas shopping for my brother this year, I picked up an extra Looney Tunes DVD for myself! So I spent all of Saturday morning watching Bugs Bunny and loved every minute! The only thing that could have made it better would be breakfast in bed... -heather

2/21/06

~Oh how I love 3 day weekends! This past weekend was especially fun – I did some relaxing, some good eating and had some old school fun. On Saturday I went to see Eight Below with Rich because we are both huge dog lovers – it was such a sweet movie, but still very sad. Basically I cried for an hour and a half straight and probably frightened all the kids sitting around us. Then yesterday Rich, my brother and I took my nieces and nephew to Sportstime – an arcade/ carnival games/ pool hall…you get the idea! I had such a good time pretending to be a kid again! What made the day even better was getting to play my favorite game in the world – air hockey. I tied Rich and beat my nephew…yea, he’s 8 but so what, I still won! -maria

2/17/06

~So 3 weeks from today at this time, Phil and I will be on a plane to Florida to visit Pam (his sister), Anthony & Mya (our niece). I am SO excited—not just because it’s warm down there, but also because we get to have some nice QT with the family and be on vacation…nothing better than that. We haven’t seen Mya since October so I can’t wait to see how big she’s gotten. Another big plus of the trip—we’re going to Disneyworld!! I haven’t been in a million years and I’m seriously dying to re-experience Space Mountain. Mya’s too young to really get the whole thing so she’ll mostly be watching from the sidelines with her mom…but luckily, my second favorite ride is Dumbo (not kidding)—so maybe she can go flying with her aunt-to-be and a friendly elephant. -alexis

2/15/06

~I am so excited for my upcoming trip to Playa de Carmen, Mexico! One month to go! I’ll have six days in the sun and sand, and most importantly…warmth!!!!!!! Larry and I will snorkel, swim, kayak, and drink quite a few pina coladas! Ok fine, I’ll be the one drinking the pina coladas. Larry is not the fruity drink kind of guy. After the two feet of snow we got, I’m more excited than ever for my trip! -nicole

2/14/06 ~happy valentine's day! xo

~For all of you real perfume fanatics out there (especially you Alexis), I found the best site: www.luckyscent.com. OMG—it’s amazing. They offer those rare perfumes that you just can’t find anywhere!! The site is sooo easy to use—you can look for that certain scent you’ve been craving or check out the latest from your favorite brand. And, if you can’t decide what to buy, you can order $2-3 sample vials. Next time I’m in LA, I’m so checking out their new store. Oh, I’d be like a kid in a candy store! The Ultimate Vanilla Collection looks divine! But, Eau de Menthe by HEELEY would be ideal for summer. Hmmm….now what to buy…or what my Valentine could buy me. Hint hint! -candace

2/10/06

~Thanks to an invite from Lallie, Phil and I get to go see a screening of the Corpse Bride tonight to celebrate the launch of the new DVD—and Tim Burton is going to speak afterwards! We didn’t get to see the movie when it was initially released even though Phil wanted to, so I’m glad we’re able to do this—plus he LOVES Tim Burton (I do too, how could you not love the man who brought us Pee Wee’s Big Adventure?) so this is quite a treat. It’s nice that with all the useless (to him) makeup I bring home, I still have some job perks that speak to his interests! -alexis

2/7/06

~I’m so excited that JetBlue has flights to Boston—they answered my wishes!! I just booked a flight for President’s Day weekend—it’s amazingly cheap! I can’t wait to see my family and friends. I haven’t been home since the holidays and I like to visit every month. It’s also my friend’s birthday (we’ll be partying at Saint) and I can't wait to see everyone! -candace

2/3/06

~Soooo exhausted today because last night was the CEW Product Demonstration—one of the hugest industry events all year. Basically every brand comes out to show their latest & greatest products in the hopes that they’ll be nominated for a CEW Beauty Award, which is a really prestigious honor in the industry (we won last year for our slide tin lip balm!). We nominated 4 products this year—our bronzer, clean slate primer, lights, camera, lashes! mascara, and sin city liquid eyelining stains—will keep you posted on the status, but keep your fingers crossed!! Anyway, it’s so fun to get dressed up and walk around looking at all the cool stuff from other brands (not to mention the insane goody bag you get at the end)…but my feet were KILLING me after a while. I finally made the ultimate sacrifice of vanity and switched from Chanel stilettos to Pumas. Not nearly as glamourous, but so worth it.-alexis

2/6/06

~Once again, I went into hyper-baking mode this past weekend (it was so rainy out, and I will take any excuse to use my Kitchenaid mixer). I made blueberry corn bread for breakfast on Saturday, which is the yummiest treat with boysenberry jam spread on it…so good. Then I had to make a SuperBowl dessert so I scoured my Joy of Cooking until I found this amazing recipe for “dream bars.” Dreamy indeed…the middle-layer combo of brown sugar, pecans & toasted coconut was rich enough to satisfy any sweet tooth, but it basically put me on full tilt and I think I need to detox for the rest of the day….or week.-alexis

~What a weekend - I decided last minute to have Erica, Nicole and her husband over for the Superbowl yesterday. But the problem with that is my apartment (a studio I share with my boyfriend) is a disaster area. I mean, it usually looks like a bomb went off in there - literally! So I got to work and by 1am I felt like I had done alot but in reality the place didn't look that much better... But I set the alarm and went to sleep because Sunday was going to be an even bigger day! Sunday morning I bolted out of bed, went to the grocery store, rushed home, threw the food in the refridgerator and ran out to the other grocery store to get the stuff I couldn't find at the first one. By 4:30 I was finally ready to start the food - my favorite part!! I was ready about 5 seconds before my guests arrived and I have to say I was pleased with the result. The apartment looks great and the food was delicious - I think we have a food coma today. I'm so happy with my clean apartment, I need to have guests over more often so that I keep the place clean! I -heather

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

December 2005

12/21/05

~I just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha and I can’t wait to see the movie. If you haven’t read the book I really highly recommend it before seeing the movie-the story is somewhat sad, but the story telling is so artistically written and really very vivid...it’s almost hard to believe it was written by a man!-maria

12/20/05

~So now that this whole Sudoku craze has swept the nation, I'm surprised to find myself strangely addicted to it. At first I saw all the numbers, thought it was some sort of math thing, and immediately dismissed it as sooo not my style (I'm a word-puzzle nerd, not a math-puzzle nerd). But it's actually a logic puzzle and totally addictive. I've even gotten Heather into it. If anyone is listening....stocking stuffer.-alexis

~So I seriously just finished one of the best books I've ever read, hands down. It's the follow up book to James Frey's A Million Little Pieces and is called My Friend Leonard . I highly recommend everyone read it...so inspiring and just awesome! Now, what to read next?? Suggestions?-lallie

12/15/05

~I can’t wait to get into the holiday spirit this weekend! On Friday night Larry and I are going to Nobu for dinner to get into the festive mood. Then we have two holiday parties on Saturday, one at my friend Liz’s and one at Dayna’s. I love this time of year when I get to see all of my friends!-nicole
12/12/05

~Erica is always making fun of me because all the candy I love best is very Grandma-like…Jordan almonds, spice drops, weird hard candies…if it seems like it would be in a dish at your grandma’s house, I’d probably love it. Anyway, she redeemed herself for mocking me by bringing me this yummy croccante from a bakery on Arthur Ave in the Bronx. It’s basically almond brittle sprinkled with non-pareils with a few Jordan almonds stuck in for good measure. Super Italian and super old lady. What a good Monday breakfast.-alexis

12/9/05

~Today New York got hit with some serious snow. I can’t believe it’s actually snowing this hard! I really wished I live in California because I’m more of a beach and palm tree girl, not a snow and insanely freezing rain kind of girl. But, it is nice to lay and bed, snuggle, and watch Law & Order reruns with Larry! Maybe that will be my Friday night!-nicole

~So I probably should have written about this yesterday because it would have been more relevant but QVC had a special one hour John Lennon jewelry show on Wednesday/Thursday AM and since I was soundly sleeping I missed it-but, alas, QVC's website has the entire collection! I've been on the phone with my mom (the original QVC queen) all morning trying to decide Christmas gifts. I love QVC!-lallie

12/8/05

~After nine long, intense months of steady practice and studying I'm finally a CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR!! I graduated this past weekend. I didn't realize it until Sunday at graduation how amazing it felt to have accomplished this. I'll start teaching as soon as I get my insurance and few other small details. I'm so excited!-lallie

12/7/05

~Addendum to last Friday’s message about how I was soooooooo excited to go skating: NEVER. AGAIN. We did go, and it was lots of fun, but I never got my post-skating hot cocoa because I broke my wrist!!! I swerved to avoid someone, tilted back and broke the fall with my left hand. You see the result— note the unattractive swollen fingers!! Typing, as you can imagine, is a real joy. Oh well—glad it’s not my right!-alexis

~My family has finally started decorating for Christmas, most of the decorations are up around the house and we even have our tree. My dad and I are going to try and finish decorating it tonight, so we can surprise my mom when she comes back from her business trip.I love the way the house feels during Christmas. It's so warm and comfortable, especially by the fireplace!-erica

12/1/05

~I woke up with a terrible sinus headache this AM--so annoying--and I am now mainlining coffee & Dayquil Sinus to try and keep it at bay. Mostly because tonight I am supposed to go ice skating with my friends--including my best friend's sister, who is in from Chicago and I love her! So I've gotta feel good enough to impress everyone with my triple sowcow. (Heh--just kidding--I'll be lucky if I can stay up.)-alexis

November 2005

11/30/05

~I'm still enjoying celebrating Maria's birthday. Besides the delicious cupcakes, we went to Houston's last night for dinner to continue the celebration! As crazy as this sounds, Houston's is my favorite restaurant in the city (based on food only). I could eat there every night! My friend and I are going tomorrow night so I can get the ribs that I absolutely love!!-heather

11/29/05

~I had such a great birthday yesterday – calls from all of my friends and family, and Rich sent me flowers and a teddy bear, but what really made my day were the amazing strawberry shortcake cupcakes that Erica made for me! As I’m sure I mentioned several times I love just about anything pink, and pigs are my favorite animal so these were the perfect dessert for me! And I swear, these were created and hand made by Erica herself – she’s such a talented little cupcake! -maria

11/28/05

~Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!! Mine was so great-it was so nice to be home & relaxing for a long weekend. I had such a great time with my family-my grandpa made this DVD (complete with soundtrack) of old pictures from the 40s-50s of him and my grandma and my dad, aunt & uncle when they were young-it was so great. A huge hit with everyone...a hit only slightly bigger than the one Phil & I made with our homemade stuffing (recipe courtesy of Lallie’s mom, tweaked slightly by us...thanks Mrs H!). It was our first real foray into holiday cooking so I’m glad we did a good job. I love Thanksgiving. Oh, and also, Happy birthday Maria!!!!-alexis

11/22/05

~My grandfather from Scotland arrived yesterday for a 2 week visit! So happy to see him, he's really great! I love spending quality time with the family and am really looking forward to this weekend. I'm also looking forward to all the chocolate (especially Flakes) he brings over from the UK -it's so good!-heather

11/21/05

~Just saw Walk the Line on Friday night and I think I already want to see it again. I have loved Reese Witherspoon since Man in the Moon in 1991 and this just totally cemented it. Not to sound like every annoying review, but she really is completely transformative, as is Joaquin Phoenix. Their singing is amazing too and I’m totally buying the soundtrack now. You must go!-alexis

~So many people have been talking about James Frey's book, A Million Little Pieces and I even put my name on the list at the library for it. I saw a friend this weekend and she gave it to me so I don't have to wait anymore...must get through current book quickly so I can start reading this one. Can't wait!-lallie

11/15/05

~Tonight I’m going to a screening of The Squid and the Whale with Billy Baldwin. I’m so excited; I’ve heard such great things about the movie! Billy and I both went to Binghamton and he’s hosting the screening in TriBeCa, I can’t wait to meet him. I’ll let you know how the movie is!-nicole

11/14/05

~Went to a wedding at the NY Botanical Gardens on Saturday - it was absolutely beautiful there. Doesn't get any better than good food, good friends and unlimited drinks. -heather

~So I know Halloween has come and gone, but I didn’t get a chance to show you all the cutest girl in the entire world – my niece, Katelyn. Now for those of you who don’t know, she OBSESSED with Dora the Explorer so for months (literally) all she would talk about is ‘Dora, this’ and ‘Dora, that’ and ‘I’m going to be Dora for Halloween!’ So here is her absolutely adorable Dora costume! -maria

11/13/05

~So while Phil & his bro were out at a beer tasting festival on Saturday afternoon, I decided it would be a good time to do a little shopping-it’s been so long since I’ve spent the whole afternoon doing that!! I’ve been on a quest for brown boots pretty much since August and I think I found the perfect pair (alas, I can’t find a pic online). They’re great though—really comfy, casual chocolate brown suede boots with buckles up the side and a 2” heel. The only downside? The soles need a good scuffing, as evidenced by the fact that I walked into my building yesterday and promptly wiped out on the newly waxed floors. Ow.-alexis

~Well, it's been one heck of a year so far and over the weekend, a few friends and I decided we're going to take a New Year's trip to St. Thomas. A few of us were there over Labor Day and have decided it was so awesome and not that expensive so we're going back--hopefully there won't be too many newlyweds there!-lallie

11/10/05

~Tuesday afternoon Lallie and I went to the Buttercup Bakeshop to get the tarte girls an afternoon treat. We got coconut cake, red velvet cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, and chocolate peanut butter bars. Words can not describe how good it tasted. Everyone loved us! For you New York girls, and anyone who is visiting, Buttercup is a must!-nicole

11/7/05

~So, one more task down…we ordered bridesmaids dresses this weekend and I’m so excited!! Now I definitely can start planning the color scheme for the whole thing. The dresses are a really pretty smoky lilac color and I think they’ll look so nice with really autumnal bouquets. There are 5 different styles and I think everyone is going to look amazing in them. (As long as they don’t show me up, that’s ok with me…haha).-alexis

~This weekend wasn’t too eventful but last week I promised everyone I’d show pics from Halloween. Alas, here is this year’s cheerleading uniform…Not like it’s any different from other years!! HAHA!! -lallie

11/3/05

~I am so excited to have a weekend at home! After being in Binghamton two weekends ago, and then in Chicago last weekend, I can finally rest! On Friday night I’ll be going to the Park Avenue Café for dinner to celebrate my friend Cecilia’s birthday. On Saturday Larry and I will watch some football (aren’t I a great wife? hehe), and the rest of the weekend I plan to read, go to the gym, and cook. I can’t wait!-nicole

11/2/05

~Just got back from a long weekend in San Francisco and we had such a nice time!! I got to go to my friend’s beautiful wedding in Palo Alto, stay with my best friend from high school in her awesome apartment in the Noe Valley, and tour a few vineyards in Napa & Sonoma. Viansa, the first one we went to, had nice wines but even better food-Phil and I had so much fun just sampling all their sauces & condiments. So good. We decided we had to narrow it to 2, so we brought back the Cilantro Lime Aioli and Peach Chardonnay Vinegar. Looking forward to cooking this weekend!-alexis

~Well I hope everyone had a great Halloween and they didn't get too sick from eating too much candy! Everyone in the office has an on-going obsession with my crazy cat Molly, so for fun this Halloween I painted a Mollylumpkin. It's was a big hit in the neighborhood and I think Molly appreciated it too!-erica

11/1/05

~I did some major fall cleaning around the apartment this weekend - I was dreading it but I'm so glad I did it! It's amazing how much clutter can accumulate without even realizing it. And now I can fit my new tv stand I've been wanting to put in - yeah!-heather