Wintry Tales

I’m showing off so many new things here! My mani, for one, is super unconventional. I was so lazy about removing my last mani’s colors entirely…dark colors are so difficult to get out! So…there are remnants of my watermelon nail polish ever so slightly staining my new look. It would have been unnoticeable if I had chosen an opaque color but no…I had to go for a soft, season inappropriate nude pink shade. I used Revlon’s Sheer Blossom and it has tiny specks of glitter in it. Then I used Marie cat cartoon water decals for a cutesy mani.

I’ve recently been obsessed with POPSugar Must Have boxes and bought myself two a in row (not even counting 2 mixed boxes off of Mercari from other subscriber’s!). One box is 4x the cost of Ipsy or Birchbox per month BUT you mostly get boutique full size products in categories of not just beauty but food, jewelry, fashion items, home (my fave!) and sometimes games. Their cyber Monday deal gave you a chance to order past boxes so you know exactly what was in them. I’m modeling an indigo silk friendship bracelet with a sterling silver heart from their August box. It is the most delicate piece of jewelry I own and even though it’s simple and can be easily overlooked, I’m kind of obsessed with it because it’s so easy to wear and adjust. I also can’t wait to use this gorgeous rose gold notebook from Fringe Studios. It’s leather bound and has a ribbon. I wish the pages were unlined so I can doodle but it’s still fancy looking enough.

I still hesitate to subscribe so I’ll only be buying specific boxes or pieces from boxes that I fo sho know I will like. I have this thing about surprises–most of the time, they’re not worth the fun of not knowing because the annoyance of it being something I don’t like will overshadow any positive feelings.

I also wanted to continue my tradition of modeling my mani atop the current book I am reading so this is a shoutout to the last Foundation book in the trilogy and also the best! I’m about 3/4 of the way through and it is definitely the easiest to follow because there is only one story line and I know all the past main characters already. My hubby has been pushing me to read these books years ago so it’s the least I could do after he’s gone and read the entirety of Les Miserables, Gone with the Wind and Sophie’s Choice after I declared that anyone who wants to understand me should read the following first ;). I am lacking in the sci-fi department so finishing this series in turn broadens my horizons a little.

Is she not the most adorable little baby doll you have ever seen? Look at her pretty little face! I MADE THIS.

This was the last meal included from Gobble and it was grand! You’re looking at a miso ramen with soft tofu, hard boiled egg, bak choy (qing cai), scallions, baby corn all simmered with delicious Korean sweet chili paste and a sprinkling of Korean chili powder. The portion was so big, there was even enough for one more meal the next day! This Gobble subscription was real dang good.

It’s tummy time!

Gobble Gobble

My Thanksgiving mani is a deep watermelon shade from Formula X (not quite red!) and several cat silhouette water decals! I’m continuing to love these decals. All you need is a pair of tweezers and a shallow container with some water in it. Seal with top coat and you can get fancy with the designs!

This was my dad’s and my combined epic birthday cake (Yay. November bdays!). BEST CAKE I’VE EVER HAD. It’s called Dulce Napoleon cake from Market District. It’s basically several layers of perfect yellow cake, dulce de leche and the lightest, freshest cream topped with flaky, buttery pastry! Oh my glob, it was da bomb frosting. Literally. We’re all about the European pastries in our family so we always shy away from those sugary, radioactive colored confetti cakes usually found in this country. I mean, just look at this beauty. It’s more beautiful than some people I know.

My latest little craft project! I bought a DIY wooden frame from Michael’s for $1. Then I spray painted it gold, lined the top with a strip of washi tape and carefully pressed a silver cluster of bird body tattoos on there! Then I cut out some adhesive print paper and wrote a cool quote on it. Note to self–that sticky craft paper is so thin and tricky to apply that I’m just going to glue it down next time and forget the whole adhesive part…

 

Let’s talk about Gobble! This is a meal subscription service I signed up for. Virgin Mobile inner circle members got a whole week’s worth of credits so I nabbed it before it was gone! I’m duly impressed with the meal choices, ingredients and customer service.

Here you see 3 different meals with 2 servings each for $71. Shipping is included and it arrives the day it ships out. Ingredients are very fresh and pretty interesting! I learned what ponzu, minzu, kohlrabi were! Everything was packaged in its own bag and you didn’t have to wash or chop beforehand! That’s my least favorite part about cooking!

First meal was sesame crusted ahi tuna with kohlrabi noodles, sliced avocado, minzu, pickled ginger and wonton strips. The sauce was a sweet and savory ponzu topped with my fave–sesame oil! So fresh and good!

The second meal was even better than the first! This is pan seared chicken breasts on top of a butternut squash garlic butter risotto with caramelized fennel. Mmmm! I can’t wait for the third and final meal tonight–Korean spicy tofu ramen with hard boiled egg!