1.29.2012: Snow day outside of our office window.
1.30.2012: Nude & Dark Plum mani. I used Zoya colors Kennedy and Casey.
1.31.2012: Early morning sunrise from our front porch.
2.1.2012: Stepping out on a not-so-wintry day sans socks.
2.2.2012: Juicing! Grapefruit and Carrot.
2.3.2012: Favorite breakfast, corn tortilla/egg/cholula/avocado.
2.4.2012: Saturday morning coffee with the Mr.
1.15.2012: yeasted waffles. weekends are for waffling.
1.16.2012: green beans for dinner.
1.17.2012: jalapeños for pickling. like these.
1.18.2012: Happy 27th to my favorite dude, Husband Sean.
1.19.2012: cup-board. the chevron tumblers are my favorite new cocktail glasses.
1.20.2012: enoki mushrooms for udon soup. enoki’s are just so dang cute!
1.21.2012: the meat cone from Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, MI. This place is as amazing as everyone says it is.
1.08.2012: A swampy walk in the park with Luxe and Jezebel (no pictured).
1.09.2012: A dirty window view above the kitchen sink.
1.10.2012: Cilantro, lime, salt, and yogurt sauce for taco night.
1.11.2012: New dish towels! I use Valentine’s towels all year.
1.12.2012: eating a kiwi with chopsticks.
1.13.2012: Snowy woods right outside my front door.
1.14.2012: Megan’s dining room table is so cute! We fried things on Saturday–I’ll be posting about our adventures soon!
Pyramid Highway w/ Mt. Rose in the distance.
When I started college almost 10 years ago in Reno, I never, not once, thought I would refer to the Biggest Little City as “back home.”
I never knew I was a girl with a western heart.
Can you even believe that I lived in Reno, Nevada for 9 whole years?!
Can you believe that going back for a 2 week vacation didn’t even seem like enough time? I fell right into an old routine, with my favorite people, and nearly felt completely at home.
I say nearly because Sean was still here, in Michigan, working away…and honestly, without him, nowhere feels complete.
Can you believe that I cried the minute I got to my house? I felt completely torn, my heart in two distant and different places.
Can you believe that I long for that dusty city, nestled between the high Sierra Nevada’s and desert mountain ranges? A city of contrast: desert and mountains, wind and sunshine, hot days and cool nights, delicious mexican food and sushi, neon lights and big, bright stars.
The Biggest Little City
Rib Cook-off and scenes from the 18th floor
Reno has become a place that feels a lot like home. It’s where my people live, not just my family, but the best friends a girl could ask for. Friends that welcome you into their homes like a member of the family. Ones that don’t ask when you’ll be leaving, but how long can you stay?
It was such a good stay, so fun to lunch with my besties, share a billion lattes, devour some frozen yogurt, and just sit, chat, joke.
I napped a lot, ate a ton, got my hair did, soaked up the sun on the shores of Lake Tahoe (and forgot to take any pictures!), went to the rib cook-off with my fam where we ate our weight in delicious BBQ, could not get in enough time with my sweet, funny niece, or enough conversation with my best pals.
Baby Ava, Reno Balloon Races, Hair did, more Ava!
In-n-Out Animal Style, RIBS!, Feta Dip fixins, Hummus + bread sticks.
While I was gone I had lofty plans to do a few blog posts, snap a ton of real-deal pictures, but I didn’t. I just let myself go, I just enjoyed my time with people I was missing, and snapped a few phone pics when it seemed right.
And, guess what?
I don’t even feel bad…
Rude? Maybe, but it was totally liberating.
Sometimes, you just gotta live life and not even feel bad about it.
Bailey’s living room, glitter crafts at Brooke’s, Drinks + Dinner at Old Granite St. Eatery
I am back in Michigan now, in my little house amongst the trees, catching up with my much-missed husband, and snuggling with my pups.
Like any road-weary traveler, I am happy to be back in my bed, cooking/baking in my kitchen, and getting back to a normal routine.
But…seriously, I cannot wait to visit again for Christmas. It’s always exciting to go home.
This is another DIY nail art post. Ignore it if you hate it, read on if you don’t :) I will be back with a delightful brownie recipe tomorrow!
ESSIE Lapis of Luxury + OPI Dazzled by Gold
I think it is fair to say that I’m obsessed with nail polish this summer.
It’s also fair to say that I am also obsessed with glitter…all the time. Ask Sean, he’ll tell you all about it.
So it’s no surprise that my current favorite mani is this one, a sponged on glittered-tip application.
AMERICAN APPAREL Summer Peach + OPI Dazzled by Gold
I LOVE it, love it. Just can’t get enough…for real. I’ve rocked this look on my nails for the last couple of weeks and I don’t see it going anywhere soon.
Here is how to do it:
*Paint on 2 coats of your color of choice on CLEAN and DRY nails. Allow base color to dry completely.
*Dot a small amount of glitter polish onto a scrap of paper (I used a Post-It). Use a small amount so it doesn’t dry out, thus wasting precious glitter polish.
*Using a small piece of make-up sponge, dab glitter polish onto tip of nail. Continue to dab onto tips–heavier at the very tip of the nail to create a gradient look–until the very tip is completely covered in glitter. This layer will dry fairly quickly.
*Finish with a coat of quick-dry top-coat of your choice. This will allow your freshly polished nails to last longer. Clean-up skin around your nail with a remover-soaked q-tip.
AMERICAN APPAREL L’esprit + OPI Sparkle-icious
To ensure that my polish is smooth and sticks to my nails for days, here are some tips I’ve learned:
Roll your polish between two palms instead of shaking. Shaking your polish bottles causes air bubbles to form on your nail surface–thus ruining the smooth effect that I so covet when painting my nails.
Remove all previous polish from nails before beginning. Filing and buffing is a good idea too, but usually I just can’t be bothered. Also, push back those cuticles!
Use a special base coat formula if so inclined, but more importantly start with CLEAN and DRY nails. Oily or greasy nails will just make the inevitable chipping (and even the dreaded peeling) happen more quickly.
Layer 2 coats of polish to get a saturated look. Keep in mind, some polishes are more opaque than others. A sheer formula will still be sheer after two coats. I also think thinner coats are better than thicker–in my experience thicker coats mean more chipping.
When using a Q-tip for clean up, I soak it in remover and then roll the q-tip between my fingers to make sure there isn’t any stray cotton that will drag and possibly ruin my fresh mani.
Be patient! Don’t start a multi-step mani if you have to be doing something with your hands in 10 minutes. I like to give myself at least 30 minutes, if not an hour. I usually do my nails right before I go to bed, when I have something awesome saved on my DVR. If I do this, I forgo the q-tip clean-up and just clean it off in the shower–the scrubbing action of washing my hair usually gets it all off effectively!
**I am not a professional manicurist or beauty expert! I’m just a girl with an obsession with all things pretty and I like DIY. The original technique for sponging was seen on YouTube here (she also has lots of marble nail tutorials. FUN!).
***I am not a paid sponsor of OPI, Out the Door, Essie, or American Apparel. All of the polishes and products I use are purchased by me. All opinions are my own.
Hey y’alls. This post is a lot different than most, as it doesn’t contain something edible. It’s just a little DIY nail art technique I saw on Pinterest (are you addicted, like me?).
Yeah, I said “y’alls” and “nail art”. In my head both sound like “ya’llz, nailz artz!”
Anyway, how I did it. I used:
Essie basecoat (not pictured)
2 coats of Essie Blanc
A straigntened out bobby pin (if you’re fancy you can use a dotting tool)
OPI Black Onyx
Essie Mint Candy Apple
E.L.F Mango Madness
INM Out-the-Door top coat (my very fave top-coat EVAR…that’s why I have the big girl bottle)
For the dots I dropped little bits of nail color onto a post it and dipped the end of the bobby pin in the color, then dotted my nail in a random pattern. I did one hand at a time and one color at a time, before moving on to the next. I wiped the end of the pin off between colors with a little bit of remover soaked cotton. I let the dots dry a bit before applying the top coat. That was it, not rocket science…or baking science for that matter.
Other than my messy cuticles (it will most definitely come off the skin surrounding the nail after I do some dishes or wash my hair…this has been my experience!), I’m pretty pleased with the results! I have been obsessed with all of the creamy colors that are out this season…so, you may see more of this nail goodness.
I hope y’allz don’t mind.
Last weekend was kind of a big deal. I have been avoiding writing about it all week. Writing it down makes it all really, real…and really, real means both really, exciting and really, scary. Do you get that?
My dear friend turned 27, I made her this cake, and…Sean, my husband, got a job offer. A good one. One that will be great for his career as an engineer. One that will move us across the country to Michigan. Somewhere I have never even been.
It’s exciting and a little bit sad. For the first time in 13 years I will not live within 5 minutes of my best friends. People I could not imagine my life without. As I type this, tears sting the corners of my eyes, and I can’t help but wonder if I can handle it. Our conversations jump from excited chatter about where I will live, the new things to discover, and promises of visits…to the sobering reality that they won’t be moments away. Coffee and lunch dates will be missed and crafting and art projects done separately. But, I remind myself people do this all of the time, under much more serious and dire circumstances. When my mom was my age she had 2 kids, lived in a foreign country, and lost her husband to a tragic accident. Moving for a new job is cause for celebration and I count my stars.
I know I am a lucky girl. Lucky to have friends that are more than family. Lucky to have a great family. Lucky to have an amazing, supportive husband. Lucky to be able to afford a simple, yet beautiful life. Lucky to be able to dream and do what I like. Lucky, that despite these dire economic times, my husband found an excellent job, in his field, in a time when so many others cannot.
I couldn’t be more thrilled, excited, anxious, and scared at once.
I remind myself,
Homesickness ain’t nothin’, girl…plus, I have chocolate cake.
Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Walnut Dulce de Leche
Cake recipe adapted from Bittersweet
I used Valrhona cocoa, which is Dutch-processed. To assemble the cake as I have above, I baked the cake in an 8inch-square pan. After cooling, I cut the cake in half before dividing each half into layers…which resulted in the rectangular cake you see above :)
1 cup +2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs (cold)
1 large egg white (cold)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a measuring cup, combine milk with espresso powder and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Add butter, whole (cold) eggs and egg white, to the dry mixture. Mix on medium-high for 2 minutes (set a timer). Scrape the bowl and add the milk mixture. Continue to mix batter on medium-high for 2 more minutes.
Scrape batter into a prepared pan (either a 6 cup capacity tube pan or an 8in-square pan). Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Dulce de Leche Coconut-Walnut “Frosting”
This is not so much a recipe for frosting as it is opening 2 cans of Dulce de Leche and mixing in coconut + walnuts. You can find prepared Dulce de Leche in the “Latin Foods” section of most well-stocked super markets.
2-14 ounce cans prepared Dulce de Leche
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (I used both sweetened and unsweetened…cause I had them both in the cupboard)
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces (or other nut, pecans would be lovely)
Open both cans of dulce de leche and place in a medium saucepan. Melt dulce de leche until it is smooth and easy to stir. Add in coconut and walnuts. Stir to combine and allow to cool before spreading. I found that the slightly warm dulce de leche mixture spreads best…meaning, cooled completely it was a little tough to spread.