Weekend Update II

Sunday (aka part 2 of summer vacation weekend) was pretty low key. What started off as a Mean Girls viewing party turned into a veggie taco dinner and United States of Tara filled afternoon. 

Grabbed some basic ingredients at WinCo. 

  

Put Sam in charge of chopping. 

and voila! veggie tacos

$10 meal, easy to make, and comfortably fed five people. 

p.s.: I know Mean Girls is supposed to be campy delightful fun (and I love Tina Fey), but I just never got into it. Actually it kind of irks me. Am I a killjoy?

Here, cleanse the palate with the goodness that is this opening sequence:

Weekend Update

I've been referring to this past weekend as my Summer Vacation Weekend. It was the only break I had between Spring semester and Summer semester. Sadly I didn't make out to Cancun or the Riviera. Buuut I did finally make it out to the Irond Bird Cafe. I've been meaning to check it out since they opened up, but haven't had a chance. 

The super windy Saturday night made for a perfect excuse to enjoy some hot coffee goodness.  

I had the 'Jessica Alba'. Delish.

Liz and Sam shared a lovely little French press.

Dan enjoyed a grilled cheese and hot chocolate.

Good friends.

Cool space.

Delicious coffee.

Simple Necklace For A More Simple Life

I was just trying to straighten up my room which is not a light task, mostly because I have too much stuff. I do not like having so much stuff clutter about, but I have a mild case of hoarding. (If I ever watch that show I seriously freak out.) I hate to fall into the trap of uber-consumerism, but it's hard sometimes. My goal in life is to live more simply. Thus cleansing the room of stuff. My mom's mantra: Love it while you have it or need it, and then let it go. Good philosophy I think. 

Oops got off track there for a minute. Point of post is that I was cleaning my room and I found this bead I got in some clearance bin at a craft store a couple of weeks ago. It was $1.50 and it called out to me. Using some embroidery thread (gifted from a friend) and a necklace clasp, I made a quick and easy necklace. It's very simple, and I like it that way. 

Best part: it's reversible! Two necklaces in one. 

I think the leafy green side is my fave.

These are the clasps I used.

 They were 36 for $2.50 at the craft store.

Colorful Cooking

Today was our staff appreciation day at work. We all met up at our director's house in Madera. In the haze of some long ago staff meeting I had agreed to bring a salad, a side dish, and dessert. Apparently I was feeling very ambitious that day, but more likely I was hungry and ready for lunch. I can make a few things well: scrambled eggs, pancakes, pupusas, sandwiches, spaghetti, etc., etc. You get the point. I can make things that are quick and easy. I put out a call on twitter and Facebook for recipes. Surprisingly (or not), most suggested going with pre-made stuff from the store. Considering I was coming to the end of a frazzled finals week where I'd been averaging 4 hours of sleep a night, that would have been the way to go. 

Anyway, this is what I came up with. Using materials already in the kitchen I got some pretty delicious (and colorful!) dishes to share. 

Fruit Salad

kiwi, Fuji apple, blackberries, strawberries, nectarine, and mango 

Shrimp and Veggies

Sautéed shrimp, zucchini, tomato, and onion. 

(used pomegranate vinegar wine and olive oil to cook) 

Cupcakes

Devil's food cupcakes decorated in our office colors. 

Everyone's a little bit crafty right?

I pretty much love DIY, crafting, and anything that lets you create. I also firmly believe in upcyling. I've seen so many blogs with amazing projects and ideas, and I always follow or bookmark them for another day. Somehow never having the time to actually go back and try it. In high school I used to sew my own bags out of old t-shirts and other fabric scraps. Recently I've recommitted to crochet. (It feels awesome to create a scarf or hat and be able to gift it to someone.) In the past I've also used my minimal sewing skills to make my costumes. The best one by far being an old prom dress I converted into a Queen of Hearts ensemble. So I guess you can say I'm a dabbler. 

Now that summer is almost here (and the thought of crocheting anything makes me sweat), and the possibility of free time on the horizon - I want to try out all of these projects! I also need to save money for fall tuition, and upcycling is your budget's best friend.  

This weekend a friend and I tried out a project from cutoutandkeep.net and made some awesome candle holders. Kind of like the religious ones they sell at the market. Only we stuck with our preferred musical deities. She made a Janis Joplin, and I (of course) chose The Beatles. 

Really easy project (and fun)!

All you need is:

- a glass container or glass candle. We got ours at the Dollar Tree.

- Mod Podge. We got ours at Michaels with a 40% off coupon you get if you sign up on their website.

- Colored tissue paper. Again Dollar Tree. 

- a print out of whatever image you want to use 

(Here's the site with instructions, if anyone wants to try it out.)

Best of all, now that we have all of the materials we can make as many as we want.  

Hopefully this is just the first of many projects to come this summer