The Colors Don't Touch Me

(Tally Weijl Blazer, Charlotte Russe Tank, 2b Bebe Shorts)

Re-installed bangs! I've had bangs most of my life, so without them my face felt kind of... naked. Also layered my hair, and now my head feels a couple hundred pounds lighter. Brushing is no longer a thing.

Had afternoon tea at the Huntington Library, then explored the gardens for the next couple hours. I'm not usually one for the wild outdoors, but I love botanical gardens. Tame, man-made, outdoor excellence.

As for the outfit, pretty standard for me. Black and white and loose. I've got four blazers and this is my favorite.

Huntington Library Tea Room

Huntington Library has a nice Tea Room in their Rose Garden. It's the only afternoon tea place I've ever been to that's been buffet style. While this probably makes things a lot more efficient for them and lets you eat as much as you want (yay eating!), it does take away from the "feel" and atmosphere of the afternoon tea. They don't have very many different teas, mostly fruit teas and their most popular rose tea, so we usually just go for the rose.

Overall, a more casual tea place, but still lovely.

In Men's Clothing: Argyle Sweaters

(Ann Taylor Loft Vest, Kohl's Sweater, F21 Shorts, Target Tights)

I buy a lot of clothes from the men's sections of stores. Like, a lot. My brother and I actually loan each other clothes occasionally because I enjoy business casual men's wear so much (vests, sweaters, etc). Just because it's men's wear, however, doesn't mean it has to look manly. This is probably one of my more feminine looks involving men's clothing, as I've contrasted the potential manliness of the sweater with tights, heels, and makeup. I stole this particular sweater from my cousin during a white elephant event (and he in return got a flowery yellow blouse and purple leggings, sorry!), and have worn it several times since. Since I don't want to distract from its argyle pattern (I love argyle, it's so... geometric), I usually match it up with plain bottoms. Sometimes I wear it with a collared shirt, sometimes I don't.

Also I'm really excited in the second to last picture because I found a slug.

Mojitos

We made soup, and just so happened to have a bunch of mint leftover. Given the warming weather, it seemed appropriate to turn the rest of the mint into a makeshift mojito. It's more of a carbonated alcoholic lemonade with mint, really. Whatever it is, it was the perfect addition to my most serene day ever.

Ingredients:
Several Leaves of Fresh Mint

1-2 shots of White Rum

1 Lime or Lemon (Traditionally made with limes, but we have a ton of lemons that need using)

2 tablespoons of Sugar

1/2 cup Club Soda

Dissolve the sugar in a little bit of hot water, then add the mint leaves and mash them up. Squeeze as much of the lime/lemon juice as desired (I used the whole thing because I like it tangy) and add the rum. Add ice, then the club soda and give it a stir. Garnish with some whole mint leaves.

Those Warm and Fuzzy Days

(Forever 21 Jacket, Charlotte Russe Tank, H&M Shorts, Sperry Top-Sider Boat Shoes, Target Sunglasses, Bag was a gift from my roommate while we were studying abroad in Paris)

Vivi's not getting any younger, so I've been taking her to the beach whenever I can. One of my friends visited from the East Coast to enjoy the weather, so it seemed like a good opportunity for another beach stroll (and mojitos). The weather is warming up some more (is that even possible? I honestly think we skipped winter in its entirety), so soon I'll be back to shorts 24/7.

I've had this jacket for years, and its cropped length works perfectly with over-sized tanks. I also like that its plaid-like pattern sort of matches the plaid on my shoes (I'll put some better pictures of them up later). As old as Vivi is, she still manages to drag me around, so flats are necessary to avoid breaking my ankles.

Overall, one of my more casual outfits for what turned out to be one of the most ridiculously serene days I've had in months. It's been a hectic year, and this was very necessary.

Carrot and Cashew Soup

A friend and I were talking about how soup seemed to be a common theme in some of the Zelda games, and this then prompted us to want to make carrot soup. A few days later, I decided to make a similar soup to bring to work, but in a lazier fashion.

Ingredients:

5 carrots

1/2 onion

Few leaves of fresh mint

dash of cumin

dash of cinnamon

lots of black pepper

dash of salt

2 handfuls of cashews (about 1/4 cup)

 Peel and chop the carrots.

 Boil the carrots until soft, around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice the onion, then cook them in some cooking oil on medium heat until transparent. Lower the heat, then add the cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, and salt, to taste. Shred the mint and throw that in too. Stir for about a minute. 

 Strain the carrots. If your blender is plastic, like mine (mine's not really a blender haha), then you should probably rinse the carrots in cold water first. Blend the carrot, onions, and half the cashews together, adding a little water if the mixture is too thick to blend easily. After it's blended, add the remaining cashews and blend for a few seconds so that the cashews are chopped but still a little coarse.

Eat it cold, eat it warm, whatever pleases you.

New Lens, Old Dog

This post doesn't really have much to do with anything. But I got a new camera lens and was making my dog model for me to test it, and I thought I'd put them up.