currently coveting: blue maxi from anthro

this girl (pointing at myself) took a little detour to anthropologie while running errands on sunday. i had zero intention of buying anything aside from options for door pulls for the media console table and came out successfully without buying a thing not on the list. but what i also came out with was a lust for this silk in the abstract dress. obsessed. the only reason i didn't walk out with it right then and there is the $248 price tag. come oooooon, go on saaaaaaale!

the new console table is in

happy superbowl monday! nick and i had an awesome weekend - friday i went to a movie with some girlfriends, saturday we cleaned our entire house top to bottom, went out for sushi and caught a show at antone's (robert randolph and family band, so good), and yesterday we ran some errands and had some friends over for ribs and the superbowl. and the new console table for the living room (first blogged about here) arrived just in time. i looooooove it and just have a few details to work out - the decorations on top of it and replacements for the hideous door pulls it came with. stay tuned!

ps. yes, that's ferris.

snow in austin!

dudes, you're not going to believe this but we actually had a snow day in austin on friday! the crazy winter storm hit austin like a ton of bricks with temps in the teens and almost an inch of snow. needless to say the city has no freaking clue what to do with any snow or ice so everyone was advised to stay home for the day. emilio was SO CONFUSED about the cold white stuff.

trying out le garage sale

le garage sale is self-identified as the "coolest independent boutiques all under one roof" - and all at clearance prices. every other season or so le garage sale makes its way to austin and all of the local boutiques bring their seasonal merch to the palmer events center and slash prices. for a $10 ticket at the door, you can spend all day digging into racks and racks of shoes, jewelry, clothes and other accessories. it doesn't look like much from my bad iphone photos, but it was chock full of designer (and some not designer) gear worth a look. kinda like a big huge sample sale that brought me back to my nyc roots. i spent a few hours there on sunday (they slash the prices continually as the weekend goes on) with my friend andrea and walked out with a bright blue maxi dress for $30 that was originally priced at $130 and that will be perfect for the spring and fall months here in austin. andrea got a staple boyfriend blazer for a mere $20. worth the $10 entry fee, i'd say! not sure if it's a national thing or just a few cities here and there, but it's definitely worth a look for one in yours.

recipes: aunt linda's penne a la vodka

it has been WAY too long since i made this recipe. sourced from my lovely aunt linda back home on long island, this penne a la vodka will bring all the neighbors knocking on the door. it's super easy and super delicious - and it makes a lot so you can feed a few people and have plenty of leftovers. nick and i actually split the sauce into two parts and freeze one for a quick, delicious meal when we don't have time to cook.

below: onions, scallions and garlic in butter and olive oil (the recipe calls for four shallots but i usually do half onions, half shallots instead)

below: after adding the tomato

below: instead of getting the ginormous bottle of local dripping springs vodka down from the top shelf of the pantry, i used this nip that was randomly on one of the lower shelves. exactly the amount i needed. i'm wearing opi's opi on collins ave on my nails.

below: all of the ingredients together for a quick simmer

below: ready to serve. love! we also had these on the side.

i meant to pick up some fresh basil or spinach while at the grocery store and completely forgot. instead, we whipped up some gulf shrimp to add more lean protein to our meal. i'll eat more veggies for lunch tomorrow to make up for the missing food group (i'm guessing parsley doesn't count).

opi texas collection launches today

i'm back, bitches! and what better timing than to commemorate the launch of the opi texas collection? i haven't seen any of the hues in person just yet but i look forward to trying austin-tacious turquoise, san tantonio and do you think i'm tex-y. i don't think those names could be any better. i haven't seen many of the colors for sale online yet but this entire set could be yours for a mere $73.

ps. thanks for sticking with me during my hiatus. it's been a crazy long couple of weeks but it was also super rewarding. i finished up yesterday with a massive presentation and work product under my belt and i couldn't be more pumped. now i have time for my fun, non-paying blogger job, yay!

my paying job comes first

hey kids - bad news...I have to take a tiny blog breather for a few days. working weekends and 14 hour days leaves roughly zero energy and time to post. plus, what could I possibly have to write about after being trapped in excel spreadsheets, powerpoints and conference calls all day?! things should go back to normal soon and I promise to be back in full force. Don't abandon me, it will only be a few days. promise. ps. I swear I love my job...my hours and stress level may be brutal but I love what I'm doing so it makes it all worth it.