everyday is a party

I don't live in a big city, and I don't have a lot of money. I am young and smart, but I'm currently underemployed, with in a less-than-fulfilling job that drains almost all the happiness out of me everyday. I could sit down and be mopey about it, blaming the economy and faulting a society that undervalues the importance of critical reading and appreciation of literary works. But that would be a waste of time. Plus, the wrinkles that would form from my brow-furrowing would totally ruin my face.

So I try to make everyday a party as much as I can. Usually my daily parties involve mini treats in the form of baked snacks or reading a comic book. Other days, they take the form of painting my nails or spending an afternoon at the park or library, immersed in a steamy critical analysis of a favorite author's work. Sometimes, party=impromptu dinner dates with my darling husband and I get to indulge in a fudge sundae and quesadillas. When I party everyday, my life becomes a bit more magical.

I hope you all have a magical weekend!

*The winner of the eShakti giveaway is Sam Sasek! I'll be emailing you shortly!

if i were a schoolmarm

le outfit:dress: H&M :: floral top: thrifted:: quilted flats: Target:: panda necklace: Forever 21::

Every once in a while, I wonder if I shouldn't be a schoolteacher. I love teaching and passing on factoids (my knowledge on sedimentary rocks and clouds spans volumes! like, 3 pages total.) and I used to think I would love to teach children.  But in all honesty, I have no patience for screaming, snot-nosed, extremely hyper kids. I hate cleaning up after them, and I also don't like children's food, which to me consists of macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers.

But I totally enjoy channeling the schoolmarm through my outfits. Comfy flats for running around? CHECK! Dress with a poofy skirt to hide legs while sitting Indian-style at storytelling? CHECK! Modest top that double duties as a bib? CHECK! Whimsical details? CHECK!

I'm totally set. At least to LOOK like one.

ps. One more day till my GIVEAWAY ends! Enter now!

Mango Pico De Gallo

It's basically summer, which means lots of fresh produce! I truly get excited when I see shiny tomatoes or sprigs of cilantro or huge basins full of arugula, lettuces, and other greens at my market. All the yummy produce inspires me to be in the kitchen more often, making easy but flavor-packed treats. This is a recipe I make almost weekly at my house during warmer temps. The mango is from the grocers, but I do love the extra fruity sweetness it adds to the mix.


Ingredients:1 mango, peeled and chopped.3-4 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped.  I like using Roma. cilantro, choppedonion, 1 medium, chopped as thinly as possiblelemon juice, about 2 Tablespoons1-2 jalapenos, seeded (if you don't like that much heat)
Directions1. Add all ingredients in a large bowl. 2. Refrigerate and let sit for at least an hour before serving.

too much fun

You've probably noticed that I've gone a bit crazy lately with the add-ons in the photos of my recent blog posts. Ever since I discovered Pugly Pixel, I've been playing around with brushes, fonts, textures, and other graphics. Though I hate being hunched over, staring at my laptop, I can't stop it!!! It's just too much fun! I'm still not at the level of actually editing my photos like playing with color/ light balance/ smudging or anything like that. That may never happen since I'm too preoccupied cutifying everything else. 
A few of you asked what kind of ice cream cone my husband was holding in this post. He got a giant waffle cone, dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed Butterfinger. The ice cream shop we went to offered quite the variety of dipped waffle cones, and I included some photos of those that I remembered to capture. I dunno how he does it, though. I can barely finish a kid scoop of ice cream, let alone the skimpy sugar cone in comes in. He gobbled down a large scoop AND the whole cone! SUGAR COMA afterwards.
Before this post gets out of hand, I wanted to show off my new pink specs! They're from Coastal, and I LOVE them to death. You can't see them (because I forgot to take close up pics) but there are little hearts on the edges of the cat eyes! If you didn't know yet, your first pair at Coastal.com is free! *I wasn't sponsored these glasses, I just love them a lot!!

a weekend to remember

outfit detailsmaxi dress: GAP:: lace shrug: Forever 21::necklace: c/o Anjolee:: floral shoes: Report::feather cuff: H&M:: specs: Glasses USA
Here it is, folks, the last of the photos from my anniversary adventure. If you missed them, check all three parts here: 1, 2, 3. In retrospect, actually, I don't think we had much of an "adventure," since we mostly just relaxed and stuffed ourselves silly with pastries and delicious food. On our last day, we had the yummiest breakfast I've had in a long time. I'm not a fan of Cinnabon since they're just too sweet for me, but I did love these mini Cinnabon pancake bites. Oh my gosh, just typing it out made me drool. Perfect tiny bites of sweet.
We spent the rest of the morning at the Farmers' Market and got some delicious cheese and creamy honey. Sharp cheddar + a bit of creamy honey + fresh baguette= delicious snack. For realz. 
I hope you're having a beautiful, long weekend!  and don't forget to enter my giveaway.