Texas Beach

'Twas a rough week of work. If it weren't for volleyball, dusk runs, workout in the park, Bikram yoga, and husband to give me bone crushing hugs, there would have been much more withering and complaining. So really, I guess I'm grateful. But boy was I ready for Friday! and a visit to Texas beach was in order. The walk and dip was lovely. Rusty loved it, too.




































we're always pulling rusty out of bushes!













And something to take the edge off..




Have a great weekend, alls!

a boat ride to say goodbye

On a beautiful and clear day, we took a boat out to sea to say goodbye to Ken's grandfather. It was lovely and simple, and there were dolphins. I think it was pretty much perfect.

sneaky peeks

We recently moved out of Church Hill into the neighborhood of Scott's Addition, and so far (all 30 days of it), we are quite fond of the new pad. The place is an apartment within a renovated building that used to be a factory where they would build firetrucks (which we think is sooo cool). One of the best things about this place is how it is central (location, location, location!) and the space isn't bad either.

It's still a work-in-progress, meaning I haven't been able to do a lot of things I have brewed up in my head, but I think we'll keep it like this for a while. In a complete contrast to our old place, I love the simplicity, the high ceilings, and whiteness. Here are a few peeks:



Our bedroom


The ever growing wall of things i consider lovely


Can you spy green bottles, an open cabinet, and our marriage certificate?


The black living room


I love this glass table, yay craigslist


Oh, hey Rusty!


We need to restock. Also, i am looking for the perfect sized black chalkboard to fill into that frame above the bar cart.


Elephants, leopards, cigar boxes and Julia Child, oh my!


Rusty's new bed! He likes ice cream.


We only have one window. It's huge (floor to ceiling), but there's only one. And it's Rusty's.


A few of my favorite books. I know these books so well i can pretty much tell which are which without looking at the binding. Also, aren't all the different shades of white, ivory, beige, and yellow paper so lovely!

Okay, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the sneaky peeks...maybe more later!

This is mostly an entry about how I go to the bathroom a lot.

 

Today, at work, I walked into the bathroom and thought, 'Oh no, not again', thinking that I had walked into the men's bathroom, because yes, that does happen to me more than it should. In my defense, the difference between the man figure and woman stick figure on the bathroom doors are not that distinct, especially when one is not paying much attention. So, mostly due to lack of attention, I end up walking into the men's bathroom once in a while.  My surprise and mortification is usually the same amount, no matter how many times it happens, although sometimes I find it hysterically funny to remember the reaction of dudes looking up to find a girl sauntering in.   Today, I thought it happened again and felt mortified for half a second because it is especially embarrassing for it to happen at work, because, it just is!  But then I realized that the man who I thought was a man, was not a man, but a woman. And felt relieved, but then also confused. 

Don't' worry, this is not an entry about gender or sexual orientation or anything like that, I just felt that I should share that story to get across the following things:  1) I go to the bathroom, a lot. More than I'd like to. I think that's why I end up walking into the wrong bathroom often. If the chance of walking into the bathroom is about 5% for the normal person, who goes to the bathroom, let's say, 3-4 times a day, the percentage would increase for person like me, who goes sometimes 7-10 times a day, no? So it's not just my lack of attention, it is statistics. I have to remember to tell this to Husband the next time this happens, because I suspect he secretly thinks I do it on purpose. 2) I have been eating a great deal of fruit recently, which makes me feel super pleased with myself. Mostly blueberries and watermelon, because a good watermelon is heaven on earth and blueberries are the superfood, if you haven't heard.  Fruit and sun are my elixir, my mana, and somehow it gets my endorphins going, too. Today, I've eaten mangos (on a summer salad), watermelon, blueberries, and peach.  And guess what! Fruit has a lot of water, thus, bathroom. (My other favorite thing to slurp up is sushi, and I am so excited about getting some of them fishies in my belly later tonight with Husband, Do I need to live in a tropical climate, or what?).  3)  I find it fascinating, and also sad, that I cannot get through the work day now without 1-2 cups of coffee. Coffee, diuretic, enough said.

Moving on, from and out of the bathroom, to my desk at work, at which I sit for about 8 hours, five days a week, and the place where I frequently think to myself how my body is not happy about this, what so ever.  I am grateful, for the job, for air conditioning, for a comfortable chair, and a desk on which to place all my snacks. But isn't there something strange about a person spending forty hours (or more) a week, sitting and staring at a screen? Isn't there? All other things aside, maybe frequently walking to the bathroom is ultimately going to be good for facilitating extra movement during the work day (see how I worked it in, see?). Or maybe not. But at least it is summer outside! Which means I can take walks outside during breaks to stretch my legs, and we (husband, me, dog) can do things like bounding and sit-ups and push-ups after work (we do the work-out, rusty just runs around and hides in bushes), at the green field of the architecture firm across the street from our new place, and also across the street from a strip club (Yes, yes).  It also means weekends hold possibilites of things like visits to the river, sand volleyball, camping trips, and the beach. 

All this to say, I am SO glad that it is Friday, and I am so looking forward to this weekend with Husband and dog and sleep and fruit and sun and friends. Summer, I love you. 

Blue Thursday

Blue stripey dress, navy blue-striped cardigan, blueberries and cloud blue nail polish
!

all these rambings

....I will put them here. Because really, where else would they go?
I already have boxes of journals (some of which I've had to get rid of - partly because of the sheer embarrassment and partly for the need of space) and don't feel like adding to that pile. I used to scribble down all my dark secrets, because I couldn't help myself. But then I realized that secrets change, and found myself screening my scribbles and it wasn't nearly as fun anymore. Still, once in a while, when I feel like I may burst with the misery, only remedied by a good write, I write until my wrists seize up, and then I immediately tear up the paper to shreds, feeling quite satisfied nonetheless.

I may have cursed myself. or maybe I was blessed, with this insatiable need to be fully alive and aware, as much to my ability as possible. I am learning a peace in spite of the fact that the process is long journey, but I am also wrestling with God, and I can tell that my tone is starting to get a little bit more indignant. Why? When? How? WHAT? And there is silence, except for the fact that there is this little munchkin of a plucky spirit living inside the city of my mind, standing in the tower, shouting that C'mon Christine, you know everything is going to be alright. I don't know how the spirit got there or why it has so much hope, but even in the darkest and most doomsday of moods, it's hard to ignore that annoyingly reasonable voice. Truth wins.

I can't, but I must, put into words all the things that are brewing in my mind. It's still weak and yet still so prone to beat up the heart, so I must take care to tease out the string of thoughts without shattering them into the black hole of my laziness. Since I am so very tired, I will stop now, and start up again another time with the same kind of resolve, I hope. A good cry, a bowl of watermelon, and snuggling up to my sleeping husband will have to do for now.

the beach

A very much needed trip to the beach.

orange eyeshadow 2011

I've been spotting more and more orange on the eyelids for this year, and I think I like it! I especially like the combination of orange and pink, to evoke a sunrise or sunset, and when done right, I think it makes a great statement for summer. Here are some inspiration sightings of the orange eyelid:

Scarlett Johansson at the Ocscars 2011: Dolce & Gabbana's Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Stromboli


source


source

And not to ever wear in public, but isn't it so pretty anyways?

Breakfast ideas!

Source

HOWDY.

I love breakfast. It's probably my favorite meal of the day, so I try to get it in no matter what. Sometimes I like to get a couple of breakfasts in, ref. Hobbit ideology. But working the 8:30-5 pm Monday to Friday usually means planning healthy meals ahead of time that won't take too much time to put together, and we've been trying to do just that. For others who wonder about what to fix up for breakfast, I thought I'd share here. Please share your own ideas so that I can try new things!

1) Smoothies: blend frozen or fresh fruit + organic milk + juice + spinach leaves + flaxseed, and whatever else you’d like

2) Omelet: mix egg + milk + salt and pepper, and then add in whatever vegetables you have in your fridge that you can chop up and throw in (Recently, I’ve been enjoying it with extra sharp white cheese and green peppers!)

3) Fresh fruit with Nutella (did you know Nutella has 3g of protein?)

4) Greek yogurt (Chobani or Fage) with granola

5) Yogurt with fruit - my favvvoooriiite. Pretty much a gigantic bowl of a variety of cut fresh fruit with some yogurt on the side is my dream breakfast. Or just the fruit by itself.

6) Breakfast sandwich: whole grain English muffin + sunny side up egg + slice of low-fat turkey or honey ham + sprinkle of cheese + dabble of hot sauce.

7) Baked sweet potato or baked potato: I usually bake it the night before and then cut it up the next morning

8) Leftovers from dinner from the night before: especially if it’s a vegetable and protein combo, it’s best to eat that for breakfast to get a good start on your day.

9) Toasted whole grain English muffin + sliced bananas + peanut butter or Nutella

10) Scrambled tofu: Cube tofu and add some onions, green peppers or other veggies, some light soy sauce, and maybe some garlic powder and black pepper. Stir-fry together with a little olive oil. Yum and so good for you.



If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please share here so that I can try them out!

whale-a-mania

i love them all! but especially the whale pitcher.





spotted at Short Story Design.

strawberry, lemon, and basil soda

I just tried THIS RECIPE from Bon Apetit, and it was mighty fine!

The strawberries were looking really good at the market the other day, so I got a bunch and then saw this recipe for a drink that will make sure you remember summer is coming. Also, I love basil and especially love it when a recipe calls for a basil and fruit combo, so here it is.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar (I used 2 tablespooons)
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 5 small strawberries (or 3 large strawberries, quartered) plus 1 thin slice for garnish
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 3/4 cup club soda

Preparation

Combine fresh lemon juice, raw sugar, basil, whole strawberries, and salt in a pint glass. Muddle ingredients with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Add ice cubes and soda water and stir until chilled. Strain into a 12-oz. glass filled with ice cubes and garnish with a strawberry slice.

Ta-da!!!

It's spritzy and bright and really refreshing.

And then I had the brilliant idea that Pimm's (or gin) might go perfect with this drink to make it into a special aperitif. I was right.



Let's see what else I can make with strawberries!

hands, create!

It is always so satisfying of a work to do something with your hands, don't you think? If you love the idea of that as much as I do, check out this photo project called, 'Handmade', a collaboration of Esty and Pictory, on the art of craftsmanship.

richmond eats: the jerk pit

If you are ever in search for some Jamaican fare here in Richmond, stop by the Jerk Pit on Broad Street (2713 West Broad Street). It's a very small place, with only a few tables, and the kind of place where you go up to the counter to order and get your food in a styrofoam box with a couple of plastic utensils. It is delicious if you appreciate Caribbean cuisine and are hankering for some jerk meat. Plus, the folk there call back your order to the kitchen with a 'chicken kebab, mon', which should reassure you that they know what Jamaican food should taste like.

We were apartment-hunting on Saturday and made a stop here for lunch. K. got the maroon melt (sandwich) and some wings, and I got the jerk chicken kebab and coconut water. Yum! The sandwich came with homemade-tasting coleslaw, and the kebabs came with steamed vegetables and yellow rice. If you have low tolerance for hot food (like me), watch out for the kick! We both agreed we would get the kebabs again, and I definitely want to try the fish that they had on the menu, too.

The best coconut water !


Yumm