I had such a great day yesterday so that's as good of a place as any to start!
Yesterday I.....
Listened to my favorite songs.....
I'll be seeing you, Unforgettable, They can't take that away from me, The way you look tonight, All the way, I won't dance, Cheek to cheek, Me and Mrs. Jones.
These are hands down my all time favorite songs. Complete classics. I can't even begin to describe how much I love these songs. I listened to 'I'll be seeing you' at least ten times yesterday and 'Me and Mrs. Jones' at least twenty.
What makes them my all time favorite? Each song reminds me of my favorite things: chivalry, fitted suits, class, dresses, and candid professing of ones love. Call me crazy but I view life in a rather 40s/50s type of way compared to most. A majority of my musical selection reflects that.
I'm sure some of you are asking "Do you really listen to this music?" Why yes hypothetical question asker. Yes I do. I was born the daughter of a professional jazz musician - it's only natural for me to favor this style of music over others. I suppose it's in my blood or something. That's not to say that this is the only genre of music I listen to - it's just what I think to listen to first.
While we're on the subject - you might as well listen to this for the remainder of todays post.....
Words can't even explain my absolute adoration for this song.
Absolute perfection.
Yesterday I wore one of my favorite dresses.....
What makes it a favorite?
The pockets.
The ruffley sleeves.
The colors.
And the way it fits my bod.
Wrinkles aside - I think the combination of these qualities is just fantastic!
I finally planted my seeds in the ground yesterday morning!!
Woooooo!!!! Yaaaaaay! Wooooo!!!
You're welcome mother earth :)
I had to buy a seed starter this year!
Why use a seed starter instead of just planting the seeds in the ground?
Let me preface this by saying - when I was younger we had a really big garden right by our kitchen window that I really liked. I would love to plant my seeds in this area now but over the years it's become grassy/overgrown and needs a bit of work. Until I dig that whole area up and put fencing around it (because my puppy is a little mischievous digger) I'm going to let my seeds grow in these little plastic containers in my dads greenhouse. After a couple of weeks the back yard area will be ready and I'll transfer the little plants from the greenhouse into the ground!
What seeds did I buy?
I absolutely love flowers. So I wasn't surprised to find myself having such a hard time narrowing my floral seed selection down. I had about thirty different seeds I wanted to buy lol. But when it came down to it - it just made sense to start with my favorites: sunflowers & daisies.
The african daisy is my all time favorite flower :)
I have a tattoo of one on the top of my right foot...
Last year my dad and I got our african daisies from a nursery nearby and then replanted them in front of our house. Seeing as I doubt I'll find african daisies in seed packet form - I think I'm going to swing by that nursery sometime within the next month or so to see if they have any this year. Fingers crossed!
These won't be the only seeds I plant all year, but I think I'm at a pretty good starting point! Over the next couple of weeks or so I'll take another trip to pick out additional seeds to add to my collection. I refuse to believe that there is such a thing as too many herbs, veggies, or flowers!
Prior to planting my seeds my mother made name tags for the containers so I wouldn't get them mixed up....
I could've written them myself, but my handwriting is horrible lol.
After labeling my seeds - I went into our greenhouse to plant them.....
My dad cleared a big spot in the sunniest part of the greenhouse for me!
My fathers soil and earthworm castings of choice....
While I filled my pots with soil - my mom watered hers, and my dad sifted......
It was a Black family gardening party to say the least.
My shadow was with me for the entirety of the planting party.
Rarely does she ever leave my side. I spent half of my time gardening, and the other half chasing Marcie around trying to make her spit out the rocks that line the greenhouse floor. I found a few rocks on my bed later on. She's a sneaky snake that one.
Each brunch shift Lee Anne and I keep a bucket on the ground next to the line. We fill this bucket up with egg shells and I take them home to my dad. He dries the egg shells out then grinds them up into small pieces. He mixes these egg shells in with his dirt to break up the clumps and such. Every week I take him anywhere from 10-20 dozen egg shells.
Nothing goes to waste at this restaurant I tell you! Lol.
We utilize absolutely everything.
Now for the planting....
Voila!
My little ones are ready to grow!
Gardening is very similar to baking for me. When I bake I listen to music, chill out, I get to use my hands, take my time, and am rewarded with a delicious treat. When I garden I also listen to music, relax, get my hands dirty, take as much time as I need and am rewarded with beautiful flowers, fragrant herbs, and delicious vegetables!
I love gardening. It's such a rewarding and calming practice that not only teaches patients but gives a sense of purpose and responsibility. Call me an old soul but I would much prefer to slow it all down and grow my own food. I'll save money in the long run - as well as my sanity.
After I gardened I went to the store to pick up a few things......
Not every item I purchased yesterday was a bare necessity. I could've done without a couple of things, but hey I'm young, I have no obligations, and my money is mine and mine only. I can do with it what I please! What exactly did I purchase?
A cushy thing for my lap when I blog (cushy thing is a very technical term in case you were wondering lol)! My old lap thing is crappy and doesn't ventilate heat all that well. The one I bought yesterday is much much better! I'm using it as we speak!
There are certain known things in the world that I absolutely can't resist. This list is quite long now that I think about it but it includes things such as: A man in a nicely fitted suit (preferably with a scruffy face), extremely dark- dark chocolate, strong beers, a pretty dress, a good sing along in the car, my dogs face etc.
Lucky for me I came across both yesterday! I mixed the two together and spread it on toast this morning then topped it all off with a fried egg! It was quite a delicious breakfast if I do say so myself :)
I didn't necessarily need a new wallet....
But it was too 'me' to pass up lol.
Seeing as I'm moving back into my parents house I need more space for my dresses.....
Before I get to my storage issues - I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves "Why are you moving back into your parents." Long story short: I'm twenty one and I want to save money while I can. I moved out on a whim for no reason other than my wanting to experience what it's like to live on my own. I had a good time, and then realized that I should've just continued living with my parents for free.
So the whole excitement of being on my own(for absolutely no reason other than the experience of it all mind you) kind of wore off and I got serious about wanting to save money. One thing led to another and now my roommate and I are looking for someone to take over our lease! Don't get me wrong - I'm not super excited to be living with my mom and dad again after half of a year of freedom lol. It's not ideal, but it's what works now.
Within this last year I moved from my parents - to florida - to my parents - to my apartment - back to my parents. I'm planning on moving out again within the next year - for good this time lol. I just have to save enough money....win a bunch of money.... or be lucky enough to find someone who wants to take care of my broke self lol.
But I digress.....
In my apartment I have this nice big walk in closet with plenty of room for all of my dresses and shoes. Well unfortunately my closet at my parents house is already filled up with a bunch of stuff - and when I fully move back in I'm probably going to put a lot more in it. Soooo that means there won't be a lot of room for my dresses to hang freely or for my shoes to sit.
So I decided I'd take the easy route and instead of dealing with the hassle of cleaning my closet out and rearranging everything - I bought a clothing rack (pictured above) and two shoe storage hangers to hang from both sides of the rack.
I feel much better having all of my belongings organized - I can't stand clutter! Unfortunately my bedroom now looks like a walk in closet , but I could care less lol. I'm hoping that the rest of my shoes and dresses (that I have yet to bring over from my apartment) will fit too. I'm afraid if I put any more weight on this thing that it'll collapse!
For your viewing pleasure: here are the last couple of brunch/lunch specials that Lee Anne and I made at work....
A massive grilled cheese sandwich with egg, tomato & bacon plus an awesome scallion aioli!
French toast stuffed with pistachio, orange zest, whipped cream cheese and drizzled with an orange maple glaze!
A cobb salad with chicken, hard boiled eggs, pancetta, tomatoes & feta tossed in a cilantro, lime & avocado yogurt dressing!
Well it's time for me to bid you farewell and get to work!
I hope each and every one of you have an amazing day!
"Open since 1996, the bakery is often credited with starting the modern day cupcake craze with its signature pastel-colored buttercream-frosted versions. Magnolia Bakery specializes in classic Americana baked goods including red velvet cake, icebox cake and banana pudding. Magnolia prides itself on tradition and quality and strives to satisfy loyal patrons while maintaining the integrity of the brand. All Magnolia Bakery locations are certified as Kosher by the United Kosher Supervision. For more information and location hours, please visitMagnolia's website."
"It can calculate recipe scaling to create less or more servings as well as deal with portion sizing. Plus it will even do measurement conversions between US and foreign weights or measures. Then if you need to do some normal math it’s also capable of those types of calculations. If you need a spare timer, it has one built into it for those times when you have multiple things going at once. If you’d like to remember those recipe sizes for future use, it has a memory function for that as well."
To turn this alarm off you have to get up and step on it. I’d place it as far away from your bed as possible for the best results lol.
This alarm clock conception is good for couples who need to wake up at different times. Instead of waking with sound, it uses a wireless vibrating ring, which will allow a sleeping partner to continue sleeping undisturbed. It could also be a great help to the hearing impaired.
The alarm will go off and I’m sure you’ll hit snooze and go back to sleep- what’s the catch? This alarm clock’s propeller will shoot up and across the room a few minutes after you hit sleep - and the alarm will continue to go off until you get up, find the propeller, and place it back on top.
Won’t turn off until you do a certain amount of reps. Sounds like torture to me!!
The alarm clock goes off, the pillow slowly lights up and becomes brighter and brighter which is supposed tos lowly wake you up from your sleep.
First it will ring and tap it’s arms – but if you hit the snooze button – this little guy will throw a tantrum, ring like crazy, pound his fists, and give you a pretty big headache.
The only way to shut this bad boy off is with a lazer pointer. I guess you're s.o.l. if you have bad aim lol.
(3) IF I COULD CHOOSE ANYONES WARDROBE AS MY OWN.....
I would choose Dita Von Teese. Hands down. Her style is so ridiculously elegant - I absolutely love and envy it all at once! Dita is the epitome of old Hollywood.
Dear Dita: Mad respect sister.
[[Today’s food clip(s)]
(1) SNOOP & MARTHA
Snoop and Martha are quite the pair lol.
(2) MAN VS. FOOD – BURRITO CHALLENGE
[[Today’s curly head]]
DANNY MASTERSON
[[Today’s recipe]]
CHEERIO TREATS
(Quick note: Always be prepared to get a little messy when using marshmallows)
::Ingredients::
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
6 cups miniature marshmallows (10.5 oz bag)
½ cup peanut butter
5 cups cheerios
::Directions::
-Grease 13x9 inch pan
-In a very large bowl melt margarine in the microwave (20-35 seconds)
- Remove from the microwave, add marshmallows to the large bowl and toss with the margarine
-Put back into the microwave for 1 ½ minutes (or until smooth when stirred)
-Quickly stir in peanut butter ; the faster you do the better – because the heat from the marshmallows and butter soften the peanut butter.
- Immediately add the cereal
- Mix well: or until the peanut butter and marshmallow have covered the cheerios completely. (The marshmallow should have a stringy like texture to it.)
- Using a greased spatula or wax paper, press this mixture into the prepared pan.
-Cool.
-Cut into squares or whatever shapes you so choose!
ENJOY!
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Jenna is the name blogging about food appears to be my game. Self declared funny gal, and budding chef-to-be. I prepare food for a living at @olivedive . Click the 'About Me' tab to learn more!
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