the bliss is back

I've finally updated my wedding blog..

Let me know if you have any florist or officiant (preferable one that is familiar with pagan rituals) recommendations!

...and all i got was crabs..

Spent a quick weekend in San Francisco with a few of the girls. Nothing was on sale so we pretty much just ate our way around town. Actually, we didn't even make it that far.. We ate at Michael Mina, which was in The Westin St. Francis where we stayed! Made it easier for the bell staff to roll us back to our room.

We started with a complimentary appetizer trio, nearly everything was served as a trio! (My apologies for the photo quality. I just used my iPhone... Didn't want to be a complete dorkus-malorkus and disturb the others enjoying their dinner!)

shrimp, a fish fritter and a stacked tuna nicoise salad bite

Dungeness Crab ~ Local and Seasonal
• Poached Claws, Endive, Aïoli
• Roasted Whole Leg, Beurre Blanc, Espelette
• Cioppino, Backfin Meat, Roasted Peppers

I was pretty much full at this point and we were barely even into the meal! The crab was so heavenly. There were three poached claws, each topped with a different aioli. A trio in a trio!

Pasta ~ Braise and Confit
• Fettuccini, Rabbit, English Peas
• Ravioli, Duck Leg, Radicchio
• Orecchiette, Pork Short Rib, Fava Beans

The pork short rib was melt in your mouth good.

Brandt Farm Beef ~ Spring Vegetables
• Filet Mignon, Sacramento Delta Green Asparagus, Sauce
Béarnaise
• Dry Aged Rib Eye, Wilted Spinach, Morel Jus
• Braised Trio, Young Leeks, Horseradish Vinaigrette

The Béarnaise sauce was dreamy. And the rib eye? Fuhgettaboutit. I heart morels! And what's this? Another trio? Count me in. This time it was tongue, cheek and... something else delicious. I can't remember!

Maine Lobster Pot Pie
• Brandied Lobster Cream, Seasonal Vegetables

Ah-mazing. Whole lobster with the creamiest, silkiest sauce. I could've bathed in it. Seriously. I want to. Getting naked now.

California Squab ~ “Peking” and Citrus
• Smoked Breast, Pixie Tangerine, Pea Leaves
• Consommé, Poached Breast, Shiitake Dumpling
• Foie Gras, Steamed Buns, Pickled Tokyo Turnips

Mmm... What's not to love about little birds? I could've eaten that foie gras all night, while sitting in a tub of lobster sauce.

Cheeses ~ Goat, Sheep, Cow
• Minuet, Pear Purée, Hazelnuts
• Pecorino Ginepro, Port Cherries, Juniper Balsamic Vinegar
• Pianoforte, Porcini Syrup, Puffed Wild Rice

I was soooo stuffed by this point, I could barely eat the cheese. The waitress mentioned that they were all local cheese made by an artisan near Napa. And then something about them being named after musical terms and being available at some rainbow grocer's.

Citrus ~ Herbs
• Meyer Lemon Marmalade, Basil Financier, Huckleberry
• Lime Curd, Shiso Meringue, Sablé Breton
• Grapefruit Gelée, Tarragon Ice Cream, Masago Arame

This was the only thing we didn't really care for. I guess our palates aren't so sophisticated because the combination of herb and citrus flavors weren't exactly harmonious.

Chocolate ~ Exotic
• White Chocolate Panna Cotta, Passion Fruit, Almond Crumble
• German Chocolate, Coconut Espuma, Candied Pecans
• Bittersweet Chocolate Cream, Rum Bananas, Macadamia Nut

Rich, dark, bitter.. Just how I like my men.

Our only real complaint about the evening was that the sommolier was not very helpful. He didn't ask what we were eating, which is totally weird right? All he asked was what we liked to drink and then he proceeded to point to random wines in the wine list and just say, "This one is good... I like this one.. Or you could just get this one.."

He didn't once mention the flavors of the wine or anything!

Anyway, I just chose something and it was good.

Twelve hours later...

French toast with sliced strawberries and coconut cream

Stay tuned for more crab.

splendid!

Remember when I decided that instead of denying my shopping needs, I would curb my other expenses e.g. haircuts? Well imagine my surprise when darling blogger lily.splendor sent me an email with an offer a couldn't refuse!



She had an extra coupon for a free haircut and wanted to share it with little ol' me. How utterly thoughtful of Miss Splendor! And to send along a sweet card in my latest color obsession - fuschia!? I die! She certainly knows the way to a girl's heart, no?

Let's see what happens when I get my hair did on Monday.. Stay tuned.

i'm not good at math.. but i'm good at sales!

I can figure out discounts super fast. Sad. I know.

Anyway, I made a random stop at the mothership, I mean the Rack, on Saturday and as soon as I walked in, I saw a giant table covered in Giorgio Armani and Trish McEvoy makeup!

Most of it was seasonal stuff like bright coral lippies and seafoam green eyeshadows.. But of course I managed to find a couple fun things. I picked up a Giorgio Armani high color cream lipstick in a punchy berry color. I'm more of a neutral lip kinda girl but lately I've been intrigued by the berries so what a great way to try it!

(That photo really isn't true to color. Stupid lighting... It's more purply-fuschia, less orangy-red.)

The funny thing is, no one was even looking on that table until I started rummaging. Then all of a sudden there were five or six other women digging for colors. Good thing I snagged a couple glosses too! Each was under $10.

Done!

Not really. After the makeup frenzy, I looked around the unusually crowded store and noticed signs that said nearly everything was an additional 35% off! (Including the items in my hot little hands!)


So I grabbed this too!

Hope you guys all had a lovely Easter with loads of chocolate bunnies and fake grass and baskets and plastic eggs that I can never open.

oh no she didn't!

It's that time of year again - time for the crazies to come out.

Sakura Con 2009!

Every year there's a convention in downtown Seattle for hmmm.. I'm not exactly sure what.. Anime? Video games? Whatever it is, these broads are definitely not Harajuku girls.

D'oh!

in and out

I swear this was the fastest shopping I've ever done. Between Posh on Main and La Ree, it took me just 45 minutes total to do all that damage. I guess it's all that running I've been doing.

Everything I bought was 85-95% off so nothing more than $50. Including this Les Chemins Blancs wool skirt with side pocket. I normally prefer wearing shorter skirts but I really like the casual ease of this skirt. It's so comfortable. I think I'll wear it with flats and a hoodie.
(Sorry for my ghetto photos. I didn't realize it was blurry!)

Anyway, I had to have this Alexander Wang knit tunic. It's a bit on the sheer side, but I have an American Apparel racer back tunic that fits perfectly underneath.

Aside from that, I have no idea how I'm going to wear it. Ideas? My closet is so overloaded right now, I can't see/think straight!

I'd been eyeing this floral Christopher Deane dress for a looooong time. Even when it went down to 60% off, I didn't want to plunk down the dolla-dolla-bills-y'all. But at 90% off, it was calling my name! I like to think that it was meant to be!

I love the square neckline and the flutter sleeves actually make me look feminine and less errr... broad.

I tried it on at home with my new Pedro Garcia flats, you know, for that whole pop-of-color thing that everyone and their mom keeps insisting is a must-do. They were right! It's tres romantique.

Lastly, I grabbed this Jenni Kayne top. Can you guess why?

They're my, I mean our, wedding colors! Yay! Is that lame?

Probably.

But seriously. Why was that top originally $500? Who can afford that? Certainly not I...

I got it for $25.

only two feet

I went a little crazy.. Okay. Not just a little. A lot. A lot a lot.

When I arrived at HB's house after my frenzy, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he opened the door to see my arms full of shopping bags.

It was the Duet Spring Warehouse Sale between two of my favorite neighborhood boutiques - Posh on Main and La Ree. I stood in line in the rain for this sale. And it was soooo worth it.

Do you not love these rosy gold Loeffler Randall Celery flats? $50 (orig. $400)

They'll be perfect for my trip to San Francisco in a couple weeks.

Next I have these delicious Marc by Marc Jacobs. So these aren't necessarily my style but I saw them from the window and knew I had to have them.

I had to have them even more after some Russian lady snatched 'em from behind when I was trying to squeeze through the crowds. I kept my hawk eyes on her while I continued hording shoes to try on. All was nearly lost when I overheard her saying that she really liked them. But minutes later, I saw her without them in her arms.

I quickly turned back to the racks and there they were! YES. MINE. $50 (orig. $400)

Simple and cute - really a staple in any wannabe fashionista's closet. Jewel tone Pedro Garcia flats! I grabbed the dark blue ones. $50 (orig. $325)

And finally my splurge. Chloe.

$150 (orig. $740)

Mango was there too and picked up the same Chloe heels and Marc by Marc Jacob sandals. She also snagged another pair of Marc boots too. Adore! (And a little bit jealous too because they were only $50.)

I'm hoping Veen will do a guest post because she found some gorg steals too! *hint, hint

So thankful we three wear different sizes! No fighting.

La Ree is next... Stay tuned!

back in form

Oh goodie. It's not me. It really was the miserableness of last week's run that held me down.

Don't get me wrong. It still rained this time, but it wasn't snowing and I didn't need to wear fleece!

I completed another 5K run (part of the Mercer Island Half Marathon) this past weekend and am quite satisfied with my time. Still not as good as I want to be, but getting there! 11:07 minute miles and I finish 30 seconds faster than the 5K I did last month.

And I guess it feels so nice to come in at 115th place in overall women's. Hahaha! Thankfully that's out of nearly 250! I'm better than more than half. Yay! 17th place in my age group. Another thing for me to work towards. Dang, when I put it that way, it sounds kinda lame.

Thank you guys for all your support! It really means a lot to me and I appreciate all the motivation!

smoochies.

letter from reader

Learning from the Master

Dear LRB,

I must be reading your blog too much because now I'm starting to find my own bargains. There was this sweet jacket that I found over the xmas holiday but I refuse to buy full price. Anyways, it's on 50% clearance right now AND I got a coupon for an add'l 40% off too. I just hope that jacket is still there tomorrow when the coupon is finally active. Haha. You're like the yoda of bargain searching.

Sincerely,
jackalope

Golly, gee whiz! *blush* Glad I could help!

little bunny foo foo

Clearly I'm having trouble accepting the loss of a luxury item and have thus made maddening decisions in an attempt to relieve some of my grief. Retail therapy at its finest, or worst.

Behold.

My first pair of Christian Louboutin kitten heels - Miss Bunny.

I vaguely remember how it happened. I was that despondent. No really. I was. Next thing you know, I had the winning bid on eBay.

EBAY!!!!

They are cute though, aren't they? I'm not much of an animal print girl, but Diabolina swears there is one in all of us and I'm starting to believe her.