Wilde Week #43

Never mind that title, let's call this post...

A Wilde Month

You may have been wondering where I have been all month. Well, most likely you haven't been that curious. Usually just my mom asks why I haven't been posting, but she knows my schedule has been crazy. Over the past month, I've been around the world and back again.

First stop along the way - Singapore. A city state right near the equator, Singapore was an amazing combination of Asian cultures, modern high rises and delicious food.

I was in Singapore for a business trip, but was lucky enough to have an extra day to explore the city. And eat! During the week I was there, I indulged in amazing Cantonese, Indian, Malaysian & Thai food. I also spent an afternoon with my team, soaking up the atmosphere and some original Singapore Slings at The Raffles Hotel. One thing I ate a few times over the week - Chicken Rice. Go to Singapore, eat some chicken rice. Totally worth the trip.

Our flight home went via Tokyo and while some of my coworkers indulged in McDonald's, two of us decided to get some noodles, katsu chicken and fried squid legs. Ah-mazing. Definitely helped with the fact that we were about to sit on a plane for 13 hours.

Stop by later in the week for a little more of my wild and crazy month!

Wilde Week #41

1. Such a busy week at work! I've been working on quite a few different projects, including securing lab space for our research team. Those lovely flowers up there? They're from our lab real estate broker.  I think she really wants us to lease a lab space through them.

2. I might be ready to wave the white flag on winter this year.  I'm usually pretty hardy when it comes to snow, I grew up in Buffalo, NY after all. Buffalo is one of the snowiest places in the states. I once brushed over a foot of snow off of my car and drove to school.  But this winter in New Jersey has been ridiculous! Last Thursday, we got 14 inches of snow, followed by two hours of hard rain, followed by three more inches of snow.  The temperatures are supposed to rise above fifty degrees this week, which means I'll be watching the streets flood as the entire state of New Jersey is a flood zone.

3. At least my Hunter boots have been getting lots and lots of use this winter. I really want a few more colors of rain boots.  I think a bright pink pair would really cheer me up on a rainy/snowy day.

4. This weekend was another big Bloomingdale's sale and I picked up these Joan & David flats for a song. They are so shiny and pretty! I want to wear them all over the place, but sadly the sidewalks are coated in a foot of snow.  Montclair is having trouble removing all the snow, because there is no where left to put it!

5. Did I tell you that the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery is amazing? We were in the neighborhood of one of their shops on Sunday and I got myself a treat.  Not in NYC?  I made it a few weeks ago and the recipe is so so so close to the real thing!

6. Umm, so I haven't gone grocery shopping in a few weeks. We were okay for the first two weeks, I like to keep chicken in the freezer, but now we're running out of food... We have even run out of eggs and bread, so much for omelet Wednesdays! I think tonight will be a risotto and whatever is left in the fridge night!

7. All this snow that we've been getting is a bit of a pain, but at least it makes Newark Penn Station look pretty.

8. I think I might be terribly un-American. I am almost completely apathetic about the Olympics this year. Maybe it's because it's warmer in Sochi than it is in New Jersey? Maybe I'm sick of looking at snow? All I know is this... I spent the last winter Olympics on vacation in St Kitts. I want to be there again.

Wilde Week #40

1. We've been hit by snowstorm after ice storm after blizzard this winter.  I'm not surprised, I was expecting a crazy winter.  The past two winters were super mild in the Tri-state.  I'm also not scared of all the snow.  I'm from Buffalo and these adorable storms drop only 5-7 inches of the white stuff.  I cleared over a foot of snow off of my car and driven to school when I lived in Buffalo.  My only issue with all the snow? I've only worked one full week since starting my new job!  We have had so many snow days!

2. This is the time of year that I'm so happy that I take public transportation.  It takes over 12 inches of snow to stop the railroad.  Sure, the trains might be a little late, but I'm usually home only ten or fifteen minutes later than usual.  Most drivers find themselves doubling their commute time during a snowstorm. Save your sanity tri-state friends, take public transit!

3. I'm so glad the the Biggest Loser is over once again.  It totally sucks me in each season.  Mostly because I'm so surprised when they interview these people and they have such a poor understanding of nutrition.  This season was so much better though. No more two or three hour episodes, no more voting people out (at least early on), a bit less footage of people losing their lunches.  Don't worry, I won't talk about who won. Not only because I'm sure some of your DVRed it, but also because I was so distraught by the reveals.  You know what I'm talking about if you watched it!

4. Tuesday night is also PLL night, that's Pretty Little Liars to the uninitiated, and I'm so addicted!  If you're not a teenage girl or a thirty something that thinks they're still a teenage girl, then you may not know about PLL.  You should definitely spend a snow day watching it on Netflix.  Ever since last seasons finale and the reveal(?) of who A actually is, I have been waiting to see how they screw it all up again.  I'm thinking that there are a few more plot twists coming up soon.  Who am I kidding, this whole TV show is one giant plot twist.

5. I've been working my way through my cookbooks for my 2014 challenge and came to the Magnolia Bakery cookbook this weekend.  I made their banana pudding and promptly ate SO MUCH of it!  Watch out for the recipe this Friday, it's so easy and über delicious.

6. I'm in love with these new earrings of mine!  My mom got me an Etsy giftcard for Christmas and I finally had time to peruse the website.  There are so many adorable things on Etsy and I had such a hard time deciding!  You want some cute birdie earrings?  Check out Once Upon a CHO!!!

7. I'm falling back into my employed rhythm.  Monday through Thursday, I have my slow cooker oatmeal on the train.  Friday is "Treat Yo-self" breakfast!  These days, I'm transferring trains at Newark Penn station.  They have a Dunkin' Donuts and I like to treat myself to a hot chocolate and muffin on Friday. It's been a long week, I totally deserve it!

8. I bought myself a Fitbit Flex last week and I have been totally obsessed with it since I put it on. My new job is more computer oriented than lab focused at the moment and I'm not on my feet all day.  It keeps tracks of my step count, my sleep and my food.  I love fitness and stats. It's also way less obtrusive than the Bodybugg that I used to wear.  I always got lots of questions at work when I wore my bugg at work.  Hey office workers, how do you keep moving during the workday?  How do you stay fit?

9. One last note - I love snow days!  Disclaimer - I live in an apartment and don't own a car.  I don't have to clear snow off of anything.

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is merry and bright!!!

I've noticed I have quite a few food themed Christmas ornaments...

Holiday Gift Guide - Stocking Stuffers

We're only a few days until Christmas. Hopefully you've made all your big purchases, wrapped those presents and just have a few things left on your to do list. But have you remembered to fill those stockings yet? Personally I like a stocking full of candy and beauty products. (Hey Santa - gummy life savers and Sugar Fresh lip balm please!)

Whatever your favorite person likes in their stocking, be sure to drop a chocolate orange in the toe!

Image is clickable! Click away!

1. Williams-Sonoma Toffee South Poles
2. Doodle Salt & Pepper Shakers
3. Vanilla Beans
4. LorAnn Oils - Super Strength Candy oils
5. Mini Ice Cream Sandwich Press
6. AmeriColor Soft Gel Colors
7. Starbucks Vanilla Syrup
8. Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark Hot Chocolate
9. Peppermint crunch sprinkles
10. Chocolate Orange

Ortho Countdown

I'm so excited that I just had to share the news with all of you.  In a short four weeks I'm heading to the orthodontists office to have my braces removed! I can't believe that it's been almost two years since I made the decision to go through with the dentists suggestion and get braces.

I have to say, it hasn't been that bad of an experience! After the initial acclimatization period, it hasn't been that bad. In fact after I learned how to speak normally, I haven't had any problems or too many complaints. Though with that said, I have big plans for once my tooth prisons come off!  What plans you might ask?  Here are a few ideas...

- Buy a pack of gum - chew to my hearts content.  I've been very good the past two years and haven't had a single stick of gum. I need me some bubblegum!

- Make more taffy, in every flavor possible. Oh it's going to be so good!

- Get a big bag of popcorn from Zaro's in Penn station. Eat it like one of those obnoxious people on the train who eat popcorn when you're starving.

- Bite into an apple, a big crunchy one. It's just not the same when you have to cut an apple up to eat it.

- Smile bright and show off my new and improved pearly whites!

Before... Can't wait to post After!

What I did on my Unemployed Vacation

Today is the last day of my unemployment. Tomorrow I rejoin the ranks of gainfully employed! It's been almost seven months to the day since my former company closed and let us all go. In those seven months I've been very busy, I...

rode a camel through the Moroccan desert...

Wilde Week #37

It's been a crazy week around here. In between job hunting and prepping for the upcoming holidays, I'm just exhausted. I'm so ready for a little break. How about you?

- I had my first cranberry bliss bar from Starbucks this week! There are a few things that signify the start of my holiday season and having one of these treats is right at the top of my list. Behind that is putting up the tree the weekend after thanksgiving, enjoying a peppermint hot chocolate with my mom and late christmas shopping with my dad.

- I've got one more can of pumpkin puree in my cupboard. I really need to use it before we're all sick to death of pumpkin flavored everything. I'm thinking these pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin pie chocolate cups or this pumpkin creme brulee!  Do you have any favorite pumpkin recipes?

- I met up with a bunch of the girls from my former company this weekend for brunch at Penelope. It was so great to catch up with everyone and see how all their new jobs are going. You want to have brunch at Penelope on the weekend? Either get there before 10am or after 2pm. We got there at 10:30 and had to wait about 45 minutes. Go and get Andrey's egg sandwich, it's amazing.

- Did I tell you that the Boyfriend and I are heading to Florida for Thanksgiving? I can't wait to get to the warmer temperatures, but since we're traveling on Thursday we won't be getting the traditional thanksgiving dinner. I couldn't do without the turkey and mashed potatoes so I whipped up the traditional meal this past Wednesday! I mostly wanted to eat pie.

- What did we have for our early Thanksgiving dinner? I kept it simple since I was preparing the entire thing on a weekday - Herb-roasted Turkey, classic mashed potatoes, my favorite stuffing and a chilled asparagus salad. Oh yeah, and pie. Always pie.

- Did you know that if you leave an entire French silk pie in my fridge that I will eat all of it in a few days? Next year I should make a smaller pie.

- I have BIG NEWS that I'll be sharing next week. I'm so excited to tell you.

Have a fantastic holiday!  Here's to a filling and delicious thanksgiving dinner and a productive and sale-filled weekend.

Say Hello to WITC!

I've been wanting to expand my online postings from the food arena and post about some of my other loves - fashion, photography, NYC, travel, etc, etc...  In order to keep WITK focused on cooking and all my fun adventures in the kitchen, I've launched Wilde in the City!

Feel free to stop by occasionally and see what life outside the Wilde Kitchen is like.  And thanks so much for making the internet such a fun place for me to come!

Wilde Week #19

1. Happy Fourth of July Week everyone!  I hope that you were one of the lucky people with a super long weekend.  I love it when the 4th is in the middle of the week.  It means you can go and watch fireworks all week long!  We got to watch three different displays, even one right from our couch (thank you mystery town west of ours!).

2. I'm totally behind on my Restaurant Wars challenge.  Please, don't go up top and click on the tab.  I'm way behind.  Like months behind.  This is totally crazy because I've been unemployed for a month and a half.  I should have all the time in the world to complete the challenges.  I promise I'll fix it.  Don't give up on me!

3. In the meantime, I need to make cookie dough brownies, like stat.

4. I spent a good portion of this long weekend at a photography workshop with Aran Goyoaga (of Cannelle et Vanille).  It was a two day workshop and day one was dedicated to foraging and outdoor photography!  I'll tell you all about it later this week, but I wanted to share a few photos from the weekend.  If you have the chance to take one of Aran's workshops, you should definitely sign up.  It was very inspiring.

5. I was at French Connection this weekend and tried on those pants up there.  Thoughts?  My only problem is, it's a million degrees outside right now and I can't imagine wearing pants.

6.   Want to learn a neat trick in to use Photoshop?  Check out this video.  Now you don't have to worry about all those tourists in your photo of Lady Liberty.  Just average them out.  Amazing.

7. I have discovered the absolute best time to go shopping in Soho.  It's July 4th.  All of the city dwellers have fled the island for the beaches and all of the tourists are on the west side trying to get a good firework viewing spot.  This leaves Soho completely empty, yet all the stores are having amazing sales.  I got a Tahari suit for 60% off.  I'm going to be styling on my upcoming interviews!   Put it in your calendar - July 4th 2014 - shop in Soho.

Wilde week #18

1. It's been another fun week of unemployment here in the Wilde household.  Actually I've been trying convince Boyfriend to quit his job too so we can both be unemployed.  He doesn't seem to keen on the idea.  I guess I'll have to continue to entertain myself during the weekdays.

2. Yesterday BF and I headed to Palisades State Park and hiked over ten miles along the Jersey shore.  If you aren't familiar with the area, the Palisades are right on the NJ/NY state line.  We actually hiked up into New York.  That's me up on that tree swing, enjoying a relaxing moment at the halfway point of our trek.  This swing sits over the Hudson river, open to the breeze and right in the soft spray of the water lapping at the rocks below.  It's a funny place to hike, knowing NYC is only a few miles to the south.

3. Without my daily commute to Long Island, I have really been slacking on my book reading.  On a normal day, I would have four hours on the train to burn through the pages of about two books per week.  I'm a multitasker and I felt that commuting and reading was like getting two things done at one time.  Sitting and reading at home just seems lazy to me.  I am about 80% of the way through the new Dan Brown novel - Inferno, and really want to get to the end.  Since my reading of the book has been so broken up and the book is a little bit confusing, I feel like I have to keep jumping back and forth to remember what happened earlier.  Has anyone else read this book and been totally confused?  Or is it just me?

4. Last week I headed up to Boston for another job interview.  I haven't been to Boston in years and forgot how nice it is there!  It's a much smaller city that NYC and so much more walkable.  Plus, it is home to Wagamama, a fun little asian fusion restaurant that BF and I both love.  Actually, there are two locations of this restaurant!  Totally reason in an of itself to make the move north.  With all these job interviews all over the place, I wonder where I'll be by next year!

5. This Wednesday I headed into the city to meet up with the girls.  We had a plan to meet up at Clinton Street Bakery and get brunch.  Apparently all the tourists in NYC also thought that would be a great place to spend their hump day morning.  Seriously, an hour wait on a Wednesday?  Welcome to tourist season in the city.  We decided it would be silly to wait and walked down the street to another cafe.  Why wait for a table in New York?  There are thousands of restaurants!

6. Speaking of Hump day.  Have you seen the Geico commercial with the camel walking around an office asking people what day it is?  HUMP DAY!  Love it.  Watch it.

7. Have you migrated your Google reader over to a new platform yet???  Be sure to do it today, because it's the last day!  I can't believe that it's finally shutting down.  It was my first blog reader!  Oh the memories I have with Google reader...  Personally, I migrated my blog list over to Feedly.  I really like it because they have a great iPad and iPhone app and I can read my feeds from anywhere!  Others have touted Bloglovin, I haven't tried it out yet.

8. I am super terrible when it comes to blogger about holidays.  By the time realize it's almost July 4th or Halloween or Valentines day, there isn't time enough to cook or bake, then photograph and post.  Enjoy July 4th this week!  Make something tasty.

Stitch Fix Review - My First Fix

With my recent unemployment situation, I've found myself having more time to write about non-food related things.  And I'm so excited to share this non-edible post with you today!

Have you heard of Stitch Fix?  Apparently I had been living in a bubble for the past few months because I became aware of it only a few weeks ago.  Jumping on the success of other monthly subscription boxes like Birchbox, Julep Maven and Barkbox, Stitch Fix is a monthly (or how ever often you feel) women's clothing!  Here's a little pictorial explanation of how it works, straight from their website.

Basically you fill out the extensive style profile.  Do you like classic, edgy, boho or glam?  What's your size, arm length, desired clothing shape?  Do you go out a lot or do you mostly dress for work?  It's seriously long, but the more honestly you fill it out, the better your fix will be!  You can even link up a Pinterest board with ideas for your stylist.  You also can choose how much you want to spend on each item.  I set my accessories to "the cheaper, the better" and you can choose price intervals up to $200+.

After you fill out your style profile, you may be put on a waiting list.  I think it all depends on your size.  Most people have been waiting about two weeks for their Stitch Fix invitation.  Personally, I got mine right away.  They must carry a lot of size 6?  Even though I got my invitation right away, I scheduled by first fix to arrive right after we got back from Morocco.  I wanted a little something to look forward to after coming back to the real world!  Then my company decided to go and close.

Thankfully, I'm still getting a paycheck through August, which means I didn't cancel my fix.  I needed something fun and positive to look forward to!  I was so excited the day my Stitch Fix was set to arrive, I waited patiently by my phone for the package notice to arrive.  I couldn't wait to see what my stylist had picked for me.  They had a little challenge when it came to me - I'm a girl who loves shopping that lives near New York City.  I have endless options when it comes to clothes, what would my San Fransisco stylist pick for me?  (Ooo, I have a stylist, I'm so chic)

First, the box is totally adorable.  Everything is all matchy-matchy, from the emblem on the outside of the box, the pattern on the inside and the way the clothes are wrapped up.  It's like getting a little present!  I was thrilled to open the box and see all those pretty colors!  Then it was time for a fashion show.

First out of the box was this magenta cut-out button-up tank from RD style ($58).  So pink!  Love it.  I've been looking at laser-cut tops for a while and was excited about this top.  The only problem I had with it, it's a mullet shirt - longer in the back.  Each item in the box comes with an attached styling card, just in case you're not sure how to wear your new clothes.  It came in handy when I realized I could just tack all that shirt in!  This shirt made its way into my closet.

Next up was this houndstooth print skirt from Lasome ($48).  I love everything about it, except the waistband.  The fabric was great, length perfect, print was something I really liked too, but the waist was a thin elastic band.  It felt just a bit too cheap.  I also sent back this green tiered racerback tank by Eight Sixty ($58).  I just couldn't picture where I would wear this top.  And I thought it made my chest look droopy.  It went back in the box.

This pink cinch-waist textured cotton tank from Tulle ($48) was also a disappointment.  I marked my style profile with definitely non-peasanty and I would describe this top as very peasant inspired.  Totally not me.  Great color though.

The last thing I tried on was this crochet detail belted dress from Evolution by Cyrus ($128).  I set my dress price range a bit higher than everything else, so that's why this one is a bit on the pricey side.  I absolutely loved this one!  It isn't anything that I would have picked up in a store, but wound up being my favorite piece in the box.  Thanks for pushing my fashion choices Stitch fix!  Into the closet this went...

The three items I wasn't sold on went into the pre-paid mail bag and into the blue post box down the street.  Overall my first fix was pretty good.  Three out of the five items I really liked and I was on the fence about that green top.  I almost kept everything because of the 20% discount!  I've scheduled my next fix for the end of June and added some more comments to my personal style profile.  Here's hoping for another fun fix!

Want to try out Stitch Fix and join the legions of home shoppers?  Here's a personal invitation from me!  (Total disclaimer, Stitch Fix gives me a nice referral bonus if you sign up!  Then I can buy more clothes!)

What else have I gotten?

Fix #1 - May 2013
Fix #2 - June 2013
Fix #3 - July 2013
Fix #4 - August 2013
Fix #5 - September 2013
Fix #6 - October 2013
Fix #7 - November 2013
Fix #8 - December 2013
Fix #9 - January 2014
Fix #10 - February 2014

Packing for Morocco

Today I'm posting something a little different from what I usually post.  When preparing for our trip to Morocco, I had such a hard time trying to decide what to bring with me.  What should I wear?  How much should I pack?  What is appropriate desert wear?  Boyfriend and I were going to be travelling around the country a bit and didn't want to deal with large wheelie bags.  We each packed a single small duffle bag and messenger bag and were totally prepared for our ten days in Morocco, which included rock climbing, two days in the desert, three days at the beach and touring through the city.  Here's my Moroccan packing list!

Clothes - There are two things to keep in mind about Morocco.  1.  It's very close to the equator and can get pretty hot.  2. Morocco is a Muslim country and it's best not to pack your short shorts and tube tops.  I packed for comfort and moderate modesty.  Though we did see women in all states of covered-up.  From completely robed from head to toe, to short skirts and tanks tops (mostly tourists or Casablanca girls).

2 white Gap ribbed tank tops
4 short-sleeved Old Navy tees in different colors
1 long sleeved white Gap favorite tee
1 long-sleeved workout t-shirt
1 hooded, zip-up wind breaker in a bright color
Black maxi skirt
Linen pants
Dark green cargo capri pants
Black yoga pants (for rock climbing and our night in the desert)
1 big t-shirt for sleeping
Underthings for 4 days
Scarf (I got a bright one from Target to dress up any boring outfits for venturing into the Hassan II Mosque)
Hat (I went with a straw fedora similar to this one)
TOMs shoes in burlap (comfy, so hipster, goes with everything)
Merrell shoes (lightweight and colorful!)
Teva Sandals (I really only wore these twice, at the beach)


Toiletries - Morocco is near the equator and we were spending some time in the desert, SPF was a key item in all of my toiletries!  Don't worry about soap & shampoo most hotels & riads will supply you!

Spray sunscreen (for those quick applications and your part)
Body Sunscreen - SPF 30
Face Sunscreen - SPF 30
BB Cream (for light color and more sunscreen)
Eyeliner & mascara (minimal makeup for this vacation!)
The usual stuff - deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, contact solution, etc
First Aid kit - bandages, antibiotic ointment, aspirin, antihistamine, immodium, ibuprofin, Purell

Extras - Things you might want if you head into the desert or up a mountain or to the beach.  Morocco is a land of diverse locations, where are you going to go?

Metal water bottle w/ carabiner
Tissue packs
Sunglasses
Bathing suit
Mini flashlight
iPad (for books and games and movies!)
iPhone (excellent multitasker - alarm clock, camera, map)
Cameras (I bought my Canon T3 & Sony Cybershot)
Memory cards for cameras (4GB, 8GB & 32GB)
Charging cables for your devices
Power converter (220V --> 110V)
Dropps (portable laundry detergent!  The reason why I could bring half the clothes as usual)
Snacks (we brought Clif bars, trail mix, gummy bears & peanut butter crackers)

Vicki's Travelling tips!

Here are some things that I wish we knew before we headed to Morocco!

- You will get sand in everything you bring to the desert.  Try to shake out before you go back to your Riad or hotel! 

- Load up the map on your phone once you locate some Wifi.  My iPhone was able to locate me through the GPS, even without cellular data turned on.  This was so useful in the Marrakech Medina, there are so many small streets and alleys but they all show up on Google maps!

- Stay in a Riad, but find one where you have your own bathroom.  The Riad gives you the perfect Moroccan experience, but there is nothing like enjoying a hot shower after a long day in the Medina - without walking through the building in your bathrobe.

- Packing light makes travelling through the country much easier too.  My small duffel bag fit below my seat on the bus and was easy to throw overhead on the plane & train.

- Bring clothes that you don't mind getting a little dirty, or even leaving behind.  I abandoned a few t-shirts so I could bring home some souvenirs!

- Don't worry if you forget something.  Boyfriend and I found grocery stores in Marrakech, Agadir and Casablanca.  Came in handy when I didn't like the shampoo at the Riad, I bought myself some Dove. 

- The water in Morocco won't make you sick, but a two liter bottle of water will cost you only 4 dirhams.  Less than $1 for flat or sparkling is a deal.  Personally, I supplemented my water intake with plenty of Schweppes Citron.

Have fun in Morocco!  Learn a little French and Arabic along the way!  Check out some pictures from our trip and be adventurous too!

Wilde in Morocco - A quick photo review

Boyfriend and I have returned to the States after ten days in Morocco!  We came home exhausted, a little dirty and full of new adventure.  While I finish looking through all 1300 photos from our vacation, here are a few shots to sum up the trip.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day mama!  Since I'm not home visiting you this weekend, I thought I would post some flowers for you. Because they are pretty and so are you!

Enjoy your day, I hope it doesn't really snow in Buffalo tomorrow. 

Wilde Week #15

1. It has been a week full of baking!  I was making all sorts of fun sweet for the NYC bake sale for No Kid Hungry and went through pounds and pounds of sugar, chocolate, almond flour and butter.  It was an amazing day where I got to help out a great cause and meet so many NYC area bloggers!  Such a great group of ladies (and guy!).  I'm looking forward to making some savory treats over the next few weeks.

2.  This is the most amazing lip balm ever.  A little expensive for lip balm, but it's amazing!!!

3. While in Brooklyn yesterday, BF and I came upon the Bust Magazine craft fair.  There were so many amazing artists, jewelers, sewers and crafters from the area and I found a few amazing pieces.  Including this necklace!  I have been lusting after a geode necklace for months and this one really caught my eye. (You can find the super nice jeweler, Eileen, here on Etsy!)

4. I love this list.  And yes, it makes me feel old.  So very old.

5. Chemistry has been not only fruitful this week, but it has been fun to look at!  The first flask contains dry potassium dichromate, the second flask is after dissolving in hydrochloric acid and adding zinc dust.  Inorganic chemistry is so pretty.

6. I bought a container of dried kiwis are Fairway market the other day and I have no idea what to do with them!  Other than eat them all, of course.  They taste like candy.

7. Spring is slowly coming to the Tri-state area.  I'm looking forward to the hot days of summer when BF and I can get strawberry shakes at Shake Shack and sit in the park.  We spent some time at the Brooklyn Bridge park this weekend, napping on the lawn, it was fabulous.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend and decompressing for the week to come!

Wilde Week #13

It's been a wild week for everyone, I'm glad the weekend has arrived.  Here are a few things that will hopefully make you smile and ease you into a low-stress weekend.

1. Cat comics!  Nothing is better than cat comics!  Makes me want a cat.  And not want a cat at the same time.

2. Crazy skirts!  Apparently Lucky magazine thinks I can wear a wicker lampshade as a skirt.  My only question, what if I want to sit down?

3. Disney Princesses in sloth form.  Go ahead and look, it's silly.

4. Green hair!  Do you think I can pull off this look at work?  I wonder how many people would come up to me and say "Your hair is green!"

5. Layer cakes.  So pretty.  This one is so simple too!  Bonus?  Sweetapolita is working on a baking cookbook!  So excited!

6. Spring has finally shown its face here in the Tri-state area.  As memories of winter fade away, I'm looking forward to walking through New York City in my cork wedges, sipping an iced tea.  Spring makes me smile.

7. Go ahead and watch all the episodes of Better off Ted.  It will take you all afternoon, but you'll enjoy laughing all afternoon long.  Tweet me with your favorite moment.  I have so many!

Wilde in Washington, DC

I spent this past week in Washington, DC for a work conference.  As luck would have it, as my train was pulling into Union station, the famous Japanese cherry blossoms were getting ready to bloom.  Over a million people travel to Washington every year to enjoy the Cherry Blossom festival.  Then there are those of us who just lucked out and were there at just the right time! 

Also, I was lucky enough to be training for a half marathon and had many miles to cover over my six days in the city.  Twenty-five miles to be precise!

I even got to test out my new macro lens for my iPhone.  That's right.  The photographs below were shot with my iPhone.  I want to wallpaper my house with these images.

 

I was so lucky to be in Washington this week.  I didn't want to leave the flowers, it was so beautiful.