In a pickle

Photo from T Magazine (The NYT's style magazine)

Who knew my kickball team was so trendy? We've been drinking picklebacks after our games for over a year now. Way to catch up, New York Times...

(And in case you don't know what a pickleback is, it's a shot of vodka, chased with a shot of pickle juice. The NYT article cites it as a shot of whiskey [Old Crow bourbon or Jameson, specifically] followed by the brine from a jar of spicy dill pickles, but I'd rather have vodka any day. Ouch.)

I know it sounds disgusting, but it's actually really good. Just as the bite of the alcohol (vodka, bourbon, whatever) hits your throat, you shoot the pickle juice, which has a salty/sweetness to it that totally vanquishes the burn of the liquor. Check out the full article here for a more eloquent and entertaining description, plus an interesting "history" of the drink. Maybe you'll try this green treat for St. Patty's Day?

Rain, rain, go away

Hand-painted watercolor card by Anna Fraser, as seen on design is mine.

It rained all day yesterday and it's still raining this morning. It seemed kind of dreamy and relaxing as we went to sleep with the soft sound of it last night but I doubt it will seem as sweet when I have to head out of the house this morning and into it. Wish I could stay in bed today. Ah well, I guess this rain is better than another monster snow storm, right?

Is it raining where you are?

Amazing birthday weekend

I'm late in posting today. I have no excuses. All I can say is that I'm still recuperating from a busy, busy, super-fun weekend of birthday activities. From photo booths to free pretzels, mani-pedis to a ladies lunch, and an awesome surprise party, I had the best time celebrating with my favorite people.

I'll be back tomorrow with regular posting, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with these two shots from Saturday night:

How can a girl be anything but happy with amazing friends like this?:

Thank you, Kim, Sara, Val (and Sarah, who sadly is not in this photo) for an awesome girls day surprise. That's me, grinning like a lunatic, second from the right.

And of course, the biggest thanks go to my lovely B for an amazing four-day celebration of me becoming old:

I love you, babe.

Both photos taken by Eric Reinhardt, our photographer extraordinaire Saturday night.

Thanks to all of you for coming Saturday night!

Be back tomorrow, hopefully with a clean house, a refreshed liver and ready to roll with new posts for the week!

xo, r.

Comfy and cute

These photos are technically supposed to be showcasing the Valhalla Brooklyn handmade leather bags (which are gorgeous, by the way) shown on the model's arm. When I look at the photos, though, I can't help but think, "so that is what comfy casual is supposed to look like!" It's definitely much better than my normal schlumpy weekend get-up. I'm still nervous about rocking the whole leggings-as-pants look in public, but maybe pairing them with beautiful boots and a proper top would help. I'm also loving these tights below:

...but I don't think my sausage legs are ready just yet.

Love the bags though. Buy them here.

Bags originally seen on Greedy Girl.

Languishing on a Tuesday

Photo by Rodney Smith

See that lady there? Languishing in black and white? Lounging idly? That's kind of how I feel right now. So ma dears, I need to take a little break from blogging this afternoon to get my arse up and moving. I'll be back tomorrow with some fresh stuff and hopefully out of this slump a bit. Promise I'll see you then? (All four of you?) Wish me luck, loves.