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


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

Breakfast ideas!

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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

disposable camera

I like discovering and learning about all the amazing high-tech cameras that are coming out these days. It's amazing! But also, it is nice experimenting with different mediums and sometimes it is fun to try out a disposable camera. You can usually find a waterproof one, which means its perfect for pictures near the water and other sandy locations! I like feeling the freedom to snap away while being aware that you only have 25 pictures to take, so, choosing wisely.

Here are some of my favorite results from a disposable camera from past years, most of them are from the summertime, and the only editing I did was to increase the exposure a little bit to get more light.

Note to self to keep shooting with a disposable camera this upcoming summer!

Random thoughts

1. K. and I are so jetlagged. I don't remember my sleeping schedule being so off like this on my other trips from Korea. Last night we got 3 and 4 hours of sleep respectively. I consider not being able to fall asleep as a legitimate pet peeve. It's up there along with stupidity and ignorant people. I get really cranky when I can't fall asleep and it's bad because I just lay there stewing about how upset I am that I still have not fallen asleep after laying awake in the dark for three and a half hours. The crankiness is mostly due to the fact that I know I will be completely wasted for work the next day if I haven't gotten 7-8 hours of sleep the night before. Lack of sleep is my krptonite, along with cold weather.
K. is less cranky about his insomnia and jet lag, even though he is just as affected by the lack of sleep, and apparently he does things like walk the dog, eat oranges, and watch Seinfeld. I did watch one episode of Seinfeld with him before falling asleep finally. The one with the junior mints. What female body part rhymes with the name Dolores??

2. I really dig swell.com. I keep putting things in my online shopping cart, and even though I will probably not purchase most of the things that end up in there, I get a small sense of satisfaction from collecting things into my cart. A sort of window shopping and therapy, if you will.

3. UK Urban Outfitters always has better stuff than US UO. Also, sometimes, I can't help rolling my eyes at UO.

4. Things I want to get done soon: dress-making, watermelon nails, finding a good bronzer blush

5. Wish I had a tree that grew money just for traveling and vacations.

6. Education reform is so hot right now.

7. I need to pick a hobby or two and just stick with it. My interests are so varied and widespread that I feel that I will miss out if I don't curate myself. This problem could be solved if someone would pay me to cultivate all my interests and hobbies.

8. I would like to throw a grown up dinner party with proper decorations and food and everything, but I am such a perfectionist when it comes to things like this that it might be a while before this goal is realized.

9. Job searching while working a full-time job is tough but it must be done.

10. Regardless of anything else that could and should be a downer for me right now, I get so happy when I think about summer coming. I am thinking about: watermelon, grilling, obx, afternoons at the river with K. and Rusty, summer dresses and flip flops, camping...

happy easter!

GOSPEL = great news.
Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is my true satisfaction.

We went to church and brunch, and I also got these lovely dyed eggs from my sister. The brown one is dyed with coffee !

Today I am once again reflecting on the great news, being grateful, and recovering from our trip to Korea. We are back! And although terribly jet-lagged and wobbly-legged, we loved being away. I am not quite ready to face reality yet, but will do my best. It was a busy trip, and it was glorious because we got to spend some time with my family, and for me, I just loved the simple fact that I was traveling with my husband. Being in a different context was refreshing and I got to see even more of why being married to K. is so grand. I am appreciating him more as time goes by, as a husband and best friend. We have lots to learn and challenges to face, but thank goodness I have this man to laugh through it all with.

Art gallery


Jeju


Hot spring

And more smooches:

grilled oysters

We were recently introduced to glory that is grilled oysters by our food connoisseur friend, D. Nelms, for which we are grateful because we love it! Especially paired with this garlic chili and pepper sauce. One of the many reasons that K. and I love the warmer months is because it gives us that many more days to grill, and now we have something else to add to our list of 'things-we- like-to-grill-and-eat.



Last weekend we got our oysters from Yellow Umbrella, our favorite seafood store, because the guys there are friendly and knowledgeable, and they like getting things locally.





You know the oysters are ready when they start to crack open, and then you can use a glove and knife to pry them open. Here is Ken shucking 'em oyster.



Here is hot oyster covered in hot sauce. Yum.


I'd been craving some sangria, so I made up a big batch to have with the oysters!


Our friends, the Hams, were over that weekend, and here we are eating oysters after a really big lunch from Ronnie's Ribs. We are happily stuffed.

health: smoothie

Hellloooooooo, smoothie

I just made the best smoothie! I've been making a lot of different kinds of smoothies for breakfast, but I think this one tastes the best so far. It may also have something to do with the fact that I was feeling kind of low and this helped with the pep.

Ingredients
(the measurements are a guess because I usually just eyeball it):

- 1/2 c. of frozen wild berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
- 3/4 c. of frozen strawberries
- 1/2 c. of vanilla soy milk
- 1/4 c. of orange juice
- small handful of spinach (don't worry, you can't taste it!)
- 2 tbsp of whole ground flaxseed

Really yum, and good for you too.


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day to day: sister art

12/25/10: Christmas card by S

2/12: Handmade birthday invitations by E

snack attack

A few of my favorite snacks these days (also works well as breakfast):


apples + ants on a log


omelet (vegetable galore with turkey or ham) + avocado


fruit smoothies

Lauren Moffatt

I am a big fan of Lauren Moffatt - she does a fabulous combination of feminine and smart, and you can pick up so many styling tips from the colors and textures in her collections.

That being said, her Spring 2011 collection, "The Honeymooner," is no different. There is definitely a vintage throw-back to this collection and I am in looove. Here are some of my favorites.










So inspired! You can see the rest of the collection here.


Just for fun, and because its still one of my favorite spring collections, let's look back on her Spring 2010 collection.