Still High off of this Weekend....

So I told you guys about Friday night...after being old ladies, my friends and I turned in at around 11:30pm (no judgement...we're all very productive ladies!)

Saturday was fun too...I started with an early brunch (is that redundant?) anywho...my friend made Panettone French Toast with a mascarpone cream topped with almonds...OMG!! It was sooo good...I swear when I start my restaurant said friend will be a guest chef! So yea we did that...sorry I don't have a picture..I was hungry and it smelled so good while she was cooking it I dove right in...then when I thought about taking the picture the presentation was ruined and I wouldn't do her like that so I'll just savor the image of deliciousness and you all can just trust that it was good!

Then we attended the Boulevard of Chic at the Harbor...It was a beautiful day to be outside, walking around, trying hand creams, looking at fashion,  ...on trucks...drinking hot caramel apple cider

SideBar- When did Fashion Trucks become a thing??

I'm not quite sure how I feel about them...on one hand I think it's cool that you can travel around with your merchandise...especially if you are a designer...your store follows you around...but on the down side...it's a truck! If there was another person on it it was hard to turn around without hitting somebody in the face with a hanger or elbow which was kind of a turn off to me but the event looked very successful. I'm not sure how often they do these fashion truck rally's but I'd do it again...

Then we went to one of our favorite stores ULTA just because it's one of our favorite stores..and I was looking for a lipstick to wear with my new hair color courtesy of Kurt...who is an amazing amazing hair dresser (more on him later). I didn't find a lipstick at Ulta but I did discover something...next time you're browsing in Ulta...browse with a purpose...we found a whole line of products that were 75% off. Granted the makeup line wasn't for women of color..it was still 75% off! I found a really nice red lip pencil to go with my Ruby Woo for $5...Score! We also tried on colored mascara (think hunter green, royal blue, purple)...I sense this being a thing very soon...

New Purple hair...finally got a good picture (lighting wise)

DSW was next! I need some new boots and like 5 weeks ago when boots were being stocked I found the perfect pair...but the way my bank account was set up...I had to walk away...and damnit! when I was ready to get them...they weren't there...oh the size 11 wide calf struggle. I did get some cute rain/snow boots that I know I'll be needing in a few weeks (days if the rumors are true)...

I can and can't wait to wear them...PS- DSW is having a buy 2 get 30% sale until midnight...use code 30today We made a few more stops including a French pastry shop, Marshall's and Forever 21...I ended the night with an entire season of Key and Peele and a sweet potato pie from McDonalds lol...it was a good Day!

#OoTd!!

Are we still using #ootd as outfit of the day anymore?? Or are we just not doing those anymore? Oh well...I don't care here was my ootd today...well pieces of it bc I forgot to charge my ipad last night and today I was busy at work and didn't have a chance to take a pic until I was getting ready to leave> ipad +low battery +all day=dead iPad when I remembered to take pics> so I had to use my phone to take them. But my arms aren't long enough to capture entire outfit so I just took what I could...

Trench coat from Target 

Flannel Plaid Shirt from Old Navy

Wide leg navy blue pants from thrift store

Leopard loafer from Target 

On my lips Ruby Woo with Napoleon Liner

Real talk alert: I need a hair cut bad...it becomes seriously apparent to curly girls when they straighten their hair...it's probably readily apparent in its curly form too but less offensive (in my opinion) raggedy ends on straight hair is a no no anywho I digress...because I need a hair cut I choose to hide my ends and did two large twists then tucked and pinned the ends under...then I thought I need something extra...what can I do?! 

A head piece..not band a piece because it's actually a necklace (from a friend Thanks Kelly!!) that I just pinned into place with bobby pins...

I'm pretty sure I wanted to add more to this blog but I messed up and turned on The Weeknd and now I'm vibing too hard to concentrate 🎶Hey there lonely girl...did you have to tell your friends about the way I had you....🎶

Leave me comments guys..let me know what you like and even what you don't...I'll pretend to care but let's be real it is my blog :-p

Back to Blogging

Hey GUys!

So alot has changed and alot is still the same from the last time I was blogging...admittedly I wasn't taking the blog thing seriously. I did it because everyone else had one but now I've got great ideas and I'm so excited to share them with you all! I couldn't think of a better way to do it other than blogging so here it goes!

I had a wonderful weekend this past weekend. It started with the First Friday's in Hampden and ended with a Mac and Cheese and a Raw Kale Salad. I've so much to tell that I don't know where to start soo I'll start with how I started my weekend with Pumpkin Pie Shots!

I knew my friends were coming over and I wanted to have something for them but wasn't quite sure what to make. I know when we get together we are likely going out to eat so I didn't make food. Earlier in the week I made some pumpkin syrup to make pumpkin chai lattes at home and thought hmmmm....Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey and Pumpkin sound like a good combo...then I added vanilla almond milk and Voila! I loved how it looked seperated but you should mix it before taking the shot.

DELICIOUS!! And my friends loved them!!

We sipped as we got ready to go out. Initially we were going to get our nails done then hit up a poetry event but we ended up running to Hampden for Keeper's Vintage Grand Opening, which was amazing! I bought 2 pieces (I'll blog those later) and 2 French perfumes. It was First Friday in Hampden so we went to other shops as well. Although I didn't purchase anything else I had a really good time. We did get free caramel apples from a random lady walking down the street...They were too cute to pass up!! We ended up eating at Cafe Hon...I had the Maryland Crab mixed with Cream of Crab soup..it was ok I wish I had gotten just one or the other though (review to come later)...

 Caramel Apples in Hampden

Beauties in Baltimore

I felt like a rock star!

Cheese!!

Enamored!

I love to cook and I think I love baking more than I do cooking...and it must show in my baked goods because people always tell me I should open up a bakery...so when I opened up my Christmas box from my grandfather you could imagine my delight when I saw this inside...

A brand new (to me) KITCHENAID MIXER!! I remember when I was younger, my Grannye, the ultimate baker, pined for one of these bad boys so bad. And finally after the whole family pitched in she got hers and made everything with it...from cookies to yeast rolls. Kitchenaid mixers are the holy grail of appliances when it comes to baking and I finally, totally unexpectedly, had one to call my own!!

Only one slight problem...and I hope my grandfather doesn't take offense to this...but I'm so not a red person...at all. I loved the mixer but not the color...

So...after careful consideration, many google searches and a whole lot of guts I decided I was going to make over my kitchenaid. My Dad and I went to Home Depot and picked up a can of Rust-oleum Spray Paint 2x primer and paint and a fine spongy sanding block...if there's anything for anyone to know about me it would be I love teal...turquoise...aqua...whatever you call it...it is my favorite color! So that's what I gravitated to and ultimately picked out Sea Side blue 

My dad and I went to work taping off all the parts we didn't want painted, disassembled the mixer, and lightly sanded away the shine to that candy apple red paint...

Then to the backyard we went...

After two light coats of paint the stand of the mixer and the motor cover were finished 

and looked great...the actual power house of the mixer was a little more complicated. If I were to do this again, I probably would have left the mixer intact and spray painted it that way because in order to paint the underside of the motor piece, we turned it over (as pictured in the back up there) and the top got smudged...so I had to sand and repaint the top of the mixer many times...more than I care to admit...but after a couple days of sanding and painting and letting it fully dry...I had this...

Actually...I think my iPad died so I didn't get a picture of the mixer fully dried and assembled...but take my word for it...it was beautiful...but something was missing...I thought it needed some more pizazz...it needed...DAMASK...another one of my favorite things...so again my dad and I went out (after my second knee surgery I'm required to

 have a chauffeur these days) and looked in Micheal's, Five Below, Bed Bath&Beyond, Target and Walmart for damask vinyl stickers with no luck...so back to google I went and stumbled upon a cute set of vinyl stickers from BrookLeeCreations an Etsy shop. I bought the set which included 9 stickers and shipping for $15 and asked if she could replace my monogram for one of the damask stickers and she did! Even included the extra damask sticker...I ordered the set on a Wednesday and they arrived in the mail on Friday. As soon as they came in I hobbled downstairs to the mixer and started sticking....the hardest part was arranging where I wanted everything to go but the results are nothing short of beautiful! I cannot stop staring at it and can't wait to see how it looks on my kitchen counter...are you ready to see the transformation?? 

Brace yourself...

ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?!?! I cannot (but really I can) believe how lovely this turned out! I'm so in love with this mixer now and I hope that after my grandfather sees the results he doesn't mind that I painted his gift. I absolutely love love love it and can't wait to use it!! 

Here's the before and after shot...

Gaaaaaahhhhhhh!! I love it so much...let me know what you think...leave me a comment! 

Peace, Love and Happy New Year!

Bum Knee Bummed Me

So I hurt myself on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at around 7 o'clock at night. It was a cloudy night still light outside with about a 60% chance of rain and I just got home from being out somewhere and was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat for dinner. Then it dawned on me I had the Amish bread starter that my mom gave me which makes awesome bread and some slices of pepperoni like sandwich style pepperoni and some cheese my refrigerator and I wanted to have pepperoni bread for dinner.

Problem was I was still training or attempting to stay on track to train for a 5K that I'm supposed to run at the end of September and I hadn't run at all that week I knew that if I didn't get this run in that day then I would be behind on my schedule and I would feel guilty about eating the pepperoni bread without working out. I also was on the market for some new running shoes since the ones I have been running with a were well over 2-3 years old but I hadn't  found a pair to replace them yet so instead of putting on the old sneakers I put on another pair of sneakers that I had never ran in before and proceeded to go out for my run.

Besides a couple shinsplints I was good I was on my run was 20 minutes in and doing good and then all of a sudden out of nowhere I fell... I tripped...I don't know whether I tripped over my foot I don't know whether I tripped over the sewer top in the middle of the street I don't know.I have no clue I'll all I know is I fell.

I grabbed my left leg and I could feel that something was not right it felt like someone had punched my knee all the in. the back my leg was bowed it was disgusting so I screamed for help and luckily a guy was sitting on his step down the street he ran over to me and he grabbed my dog and asked what he could do to help. I happened to look down at my knee and it just wasn't there! my leg was so gross I don't even how to explain it.  my kneecap wasn't in the right spot and There was a horizontal valley where my kneecap should have been...I couldn't move and it was very very very painful the screams that I screamed I don't know if they were more so Out of pain out of shock out of disbelief I don't know it was just bad

I called an ambulance and the guy stopped a cop who was roaming down the street. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital Where I found out that I dislocated my knee and possibly tore at least two ligaments and fractured a bone. In the emergency room they reset my knee... put me in a brace and checked to make sure that my that the circulation of the blood in my leg remained and sent me home to rest for 10 to 14 days before I could see sports medicine doctor.

Crazy coincidence or not! one of my friends stopped by my house to pick up some clothes for me and the day that I was discharged from the hospital also happened to be the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans and what shirt did I happen to be wearing but my St. Bernard project volunteer shirt!! 

 And so here I sit...on my couch as I have been sitting since Thursday, August 29, 2013

I had my MRI done yesterday so I should know tomorrow what's going off my leg and for all of you guys who've been asking for pics I'm going to post below the pictures of my legs it's really gross but it's really cool at the same time I cannot believe how huge my knee looks...

SOME MAY FIND THE PICTURES CONTAINED BELOW DISTURBING... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

My left knee is no lie to 2.5 times bigger than my uninjured right knee!

Light dinner for one!

After doubles at Movez class tonight, I was hungry but didn't feel like cooking and the leftover jerk salmon, mashed potatoes and broccoli I had in the fridge seemed too heavy for 10:30pm. 

What's a girl to do?!

Make a salad of course...but not just any ole salad...Tuna salad sans mayo (I have a strong distaste for all condiments except BBQ sauce; it's serious...I don't like the look, the smell and don't expect me to touch it...why is French's mustard the same color as the yellow Crayola crayon? And why does mayo smell like glue? Anywho I digress)

Tuna Salad over Arugula with Simple Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

1 can of tuna (Whole Foods Albacore in water)

1/4 small red onion diced small

1 stalk of celery diced small

Jalapeño diced small (amount depends in how spicy you like it)

8 basil leaves- rolled up and chopped...I can't think of the fancy name for this chopping style

1 garlic clove diced small

1/2 lemon worth of lemon juice 

2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Arugula

Directions

1. Place tuna in a bowl and use a fork to flake into tiny pieces

2. Add onion, celery, jalapeño, basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt an pepper to bowl

3. Mix well and serve over arugula

Tadaaaaa! Dinner....oh the simple lemon dressing is to squeeze a little extra lemon over the completed salad.

I enjoyed this with a glass of Lambrusco you can drink what you please! 

Hope you enjoy :-)

Resolving Resolutions?

My goal for myself at the beginning of the year (notice I did not use the term New Year's Resolution) was to lose 30lbs by March. I planned on doing this using Weight Watchers which has worked well for me in the past and Bikram Yoga and MoveZ. I'll explain them all a little more below

Left: Summer 2012 Middle: December 2012 Right: January 2013

Birthday Outfit
 January 2013

I can tell my weight is changing by my face first...my chin and cheekbones become very pronounced
Clockwise:  Summer 2012/ November 2012/ December 2012/ January 2013