Would You Like to Be My Hobby?

A couple weeks ago, I traded one workload for another [read: my day job for one week with three pre-adolescent girls].

On one of our lazy afternoons, we went to Grafitto so we could paint our own ceramics.  I've been there a couple of times and love how therapeutic and relaxing it is to sit for hours and concentrate on nothing but your masterpiece - or whatever it turns out to be. 

Below are photos of our experience from beginning to end. 

THE PLACE

 

  

MINE

Off the Shelf

 

Painted but not finished...

My new favorite mug!

 THE GIRLS' PICKS!

 

 

I had so much fun that I'm thinking of making this a regular hobby...maybe my pay-day treat every now and then!  I can relax, hone my mediocre painting/artistic skills and begin a collection of hand-made pieces. 

PMS Munchies

You know the feeling, about a week before you drain your evil, when you're stuffing handful after handful of popcorn in your mouth while thinking about what you want next?  That's me tonight all day.  I started with some perfectly fried potato oles from Taco John's for lunch.  I literally wiped out all but about 25 pennies from my wallet to get their $1.79 goodness.  After that desire was satisfied, my mouth began watering at the thought of eating leftover stir-fry when I got home from work - which I did almost immediately upon entering my 85 degree house.  Oreos came next, followed by sour cream and onion pringles and a pickle (odd combo, right?).  I ended up devouring an entire bowl of popcorn, which is what brought me to my blog - because eating so many random things can't not be documented.  The popcorn's salty dryness made me crave something cold and refreshing like the frozen fruit smoothies I make.  So far, I've been able to resist making that, but I have a feeling it's on the menu sometime tomorrow, perhaps after a bowl of guacamole...mmmm!

Finding Beauty in Destruction

Yes, my mother would be proud; I have seen the beauty.  Every winter she gracefully listens to me bitch about how ugly the dead trees are or how depressed and angry the wind and snow are making me.  Her response is always an unwavering, "Jita, you just need to look for the beauty in things." 

So what if the snow sparkles like glitter?  That doesn't mean I have to think it's "pretty," right?  It's not pretty when I'm shoveling it in 20 degree weather, that's for damn sure! 

But today something was different.  Today, after the hail storm raped my trees and shrubs of their leaves and murdered the flowers and plants I'd worked so hard on, I grabbed the shovel and headed out to clear the sidewalk.  That's right, I needed a shovel to get rid of the golf ball sized ice balls strewn across the neighborhood.  Yet, as I shoveled, I couldn't hep but notice the beautiful fog emanating from the battered ground.  With the ominous sky still hovering above me, I felt more at peace than I was prepared to admit.  I saw my neighbors outside helping each other clear the sidewalks and I felt the warm air against my bare arms (definitely better than winter cold).  My positive outlook clearly outweighed my negative thoughts about all the raking that would be required once the hail melted and the ground dried up a little.  In fact, at one point, I clearly recall thinking what a good work out the raking would be.  So maybe (just maybe) my mom was right.  Maybe through whatever storms we face, we have to find the beauty.  It surely doesn't hurt.

Street Flooding

The Vine Was Stripped

Yesterday These Bushes Were So Voluminous

So Many Leaves!!

Another  Tree Minus Its Leaves

And Someday Will Be Again

4th of July Pot Roast

I'm a week overdue in posting this one; forgive me.  While not your typical 4th of July (or even summer) meal, I decided to try my hand at making a pot roast while I took my fabulous little cousins out for a swim that day.  I suppose I can't claim all the credit for this meal since the crock pot really did all the hard work, but I have to say I was proud of my accomplishment.  It's one more notch on my counter top, adding to my various other kitchen conquests (yes, I just used a 1 night stand metaphor; don't judge).  Below are a few photos - enjoy!

Finished product!

 
What I did:

• Brown the roast in a bit of olive oil (seasoned with salt & pepper) before putting it in the crock pot.
• Add veggies of your choice. 
• Top with finely chopped celery, garlic and green onion.  
• Add about 1/2 to 1 cup water.
• Set on low heat, cover, and go on with your day.

Thrifters Anon Link Up - Outfit for Less Than $25

On a recent outing to my local Ross I perused the dress racks not expecting to find anything I'd actually want to by or anything in my size for that matter.  That was until I found this made-for-the-office nude dress at a price of only $9!  The heels are something I picked up on 15dollarstore.com a few months ago for, you guessed it, $15.

Always happy to snag a deal,
Me

Tilapia at Thai Phoon in DC

On a recent trip to DC, I had the pleasure of eating at a restaurant called Thai Phoon located near DuPont Circle.  I'm always a little nervous about trying new food because I have a fear dropping a decent chunk of change on a meal I may not like and will subsequently be left hungry and disappointed.  This was not the case at Thai Phoon.  I could not have been happier with my breaded tilapia covered in a sweet and spicy chile sauce.  It was topped with juicy bell peppers, onions and crunchy cashews, which totally hit it off with my taste buds!  The shredded purple cabbage and carrots were a cool, refreshing addition to the spicy meal.  It was a meal I wished my stomach had room to finish and was worth every penny.

Opposite of disappointed,
Me