Last month

Since it is been a while since my last post, I will try to summarize the last events of the month in a couple of photos.

Since I last posted I have been:

Watching Shakespeare in the park

Eating breakfast at home - I am obsessed with hard boiled eggs--, brunch at Tasi, sweets at Pistacia Vera

Enjoying the night sitting outside

Seeing art - at a museum or at the street

Celebrating our 7th year anniversary - This photo was our dinner at Lindeys Restaurant in German Village.

Bread making

This weekend I spend two days working on making and baking bread. I made my starter a couple of weeks ago following the recipe on the Macrina book that I bought in Seattle.

I made a rustic baguette and a Casera loaf, which were both really tasty and even though they use the same basic ingredients each one has a different consistency and flavor.

Making bread is a long process especially since I do not own a mixer, but I can assure you it is very satisfying when you have your first bite of the crisp crust, soft center loaf. The warm aroma of bread filling the air is very comforting.

15 minutes beating and a mess

More beating

Casera Loaf

Rustic baguette

To finish it up, we spread some raspberry, strawberry jam I made a month ago. It was delicious if I can say so myself. This is pretty close to the jam recipe I used from the SURE.JELL box directions.

Raspberry Strawberry Jam

Click here to see on the Macrina webpage how they made their starter.

Have a great week!

There and back again

I have to say that Summer is my favorite time of the year! Everything is brighter and happier and I love it! The last two weeks were filled with outdoor activities for us. We went camping on Memorial day at Deer Creek Park, we went to Pittsburgh last weekend to watch the Phillies vs. Pirates baseball game and eat some fair food, and this past weekend we just stayed local working on some home improvement under the sun and doing some gardening. The funny thing is that I don't have many weekends off and I had people asking me what I was going to do this past weekend since I had Saturday and Sunday off. I actually did not have anything planned and I was fine with it. I am fine with going out for the day to a place that is three hours away, or with doing nothing major for a whole weekend. We are not planners, we decide things last minute, but aren't those unplanned moments the best time in life? Happy Monday! Here is for a great week ahead of us!!!

Getting the fire ready for s'mores time

Wild flowers, candle, and center piece for our camping table

Yum!

Philadelphia come back kids

Three River's landing - Pittsburgh, PA

Phillies and Pirates Fans

The Frick Museum - The green house - I could live in there.

OH HAPPY DAY GIVEAWAY

How amazing it would be to win a free trip to Paris! Well, now you can try to win one with the Oh Happy Day giveaway. This super cute blog talks about my favorite subjects: Party planning, Home Decor, and DIY projects. How fun! Check it out!

Click here to Enter and Good luck!

Out of the box

We are finally unpacked and felling more settled these days. I still need to work on decorating and organizing, but the simple stage of our new pad works for now. Plus, the place is so cute that it will not need too much to get everything together.

Our first focus was the back yard. I guess other people would normally work on that last, but it's spring and we are anxious to be out and to enjoy the sun on the lawn. Since we had no grass at first we had to throw some seeds and be patient for a couple of weeks. Which by-the-way I wasn't and now I'm blamed for the empty grass spots. Ops! But no regrets, I'm tanned now and that's all it matters.

Our humble bar filled with good finds from this year's German Village yard sale

Can you guess what cozinha means? I bought those letter pressed letters at Paper Hammer in Seattle ( check out: www.paper-hammer.com )

Adding some fire without the mess

More "GVYS" good finds for our back yard - $5 old chair and some hostas

Watching the grass grow - fists stages

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Happily Ever After

Last weekend was my brother-in-law's wedding. It was a wonderful day with no fussy ceremony or party for 300 people.. in fact, it was only about 15 of us.

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The bride and groom were stunning, like they came out of a 1960's magazine ad and were ready for a cocktail party.

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They had a party bus which drove us to the ceremony location, a park they had driven through that morning where the trees were blooming. On the bus we had Champagne, strawberry, and chocolate (party favors I put together for the bus ride).

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After the 15 minute service we headed to Alana's food and wine pairing restaurant. At Alana's there were several delicious appetizers and two main dishes, both scrumptious.

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From there we headed to the Burgundy Room for drinks, and that was the night. No stress, lots of fun, and a evening full of charm.

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Packing

I am in the process of moving... again, so I am home these days packing my whole apartment into boxes. I feel like a pro-packer since I got in a routine of moving every couple of years. I try to clean and purge things as I go through them. Do you ever feel like you hold on to things for no reason? I am not a hoarder, in fact I came from Brazil with just a couple of suitcases, but now I just like to save things and when I move I realize that I didn't use those things for a whole year and a half or two. And that's why I like when I am in the mood of throwing things away. Have you ever felt that? It's just a combination of the right mood, right day (sunlight has a lot to do with that in my opinion) and the right music. Yes, the right music -- I can't pack without music, it's double boring. Anyways, these are a couple things to enjoy this week:

1. My new job, new co-workers, new challenges.

2. New bargain shoes I found yesterday at Anthro.

3. The first recipe I baked from my new Macrina cookbook: Morning Glory muffins.

4. My new watch that my dear aunt gave it to me. And I wanted one like this for so long.

5. Finishing packing and living the next days before the move with only the necessary - which means, no dishes to do and moving day is right at the door, yay!

6. The cute nail polish choices for this week.

Change is good!

This past week was one with a lot of changes as I had given my two weeks notice at my job and accepted a new offer at another place. Meanwhile, I had vacation days already planned - my trip to Seattle.

The day of before my departure I got a call from old job saying I did not need to come back from vacation, since I had to work three more days to complete my two weeks. At first I was confused and worried. I did not want to leave on a bad note. As much I complained about it, it was a good job and it paid my bills for a whole year. I did not wanted to go on vacation and worry all the time.

That night I read Matthew 6: 25-27, 34: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own", so I decided to enjoy my trip, my family and friends and to deal with everything else when I got back.

My long weekend in Seattle, WA ended up being great and there were a lot of things I would like to mention, however, because of constrictions of time, space, and desire to write I am listing ten of my favorite things:

1. Macrina Cafe and cookbook - I'll eat anywhere that has pink boxes for take-out pastries

2. Green Hunters for Seattle weather

3. Vintage purse found at VAIN hair salon

4. Wine Tasting - wines from Washington.

5. Brunet on the internet Sephora nail polish - btw, you can see that I am again at Macrina Cafe - could not resist.

6. Public Market - Fresh fruit, Flowers, People, Seafood

7. Burt's Bees Rhubarb Lip Shimmer for when I want just a touch of red

8. New necklace found in Vintage store - like this

9. Views of Seattle: Architecture, People, Snow-peak Mountains. PS: I love the bride's maids pink heels.

10. Hiking in Snoqualmie - outside Seattle. Refreshing!

***BONUS: Even thought it is not listed as one of my 10 faves, my favorite moments were spent with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and husband in a little neighborhood outside of Seattle. We spent our days cooking, watching movies, and hitting some shops. Is there anything more precious than family? :) ***

What's playing?

Anthropologie Blazer, Anthropologie Top, Banana Republic Trousers,

Vintage scarf/belt, Target Pumps, Brazilian grass necklace

I am just another girl who loves to dress up, but unlike the other blogs I follow I cannot afford Marc Jacobs amazing bags, Topshops cool little dresses, or YSL gorgeous pumps. So, my outfits consists of sale items, some vintage finds, and -since I work in retail- my associate discount purchases. On top of that I have a husband that consistently reminds me of how much I shouldn't spend, which I am glad to have that balance or I would be broke by now. So to all of you that might share the same experience, I decided to post some ideas, outfits and links for some great looks on a budget.

Obsession

Why is that we want what others have? I'm afraid I won't want it anymore once I have it, but sometimes I can't stop thinking about it. Everywhere I look, there it is, and now nothing makes sense without it.



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Making sense

While feeling lonely and waiting for my take out at Northstar on a friday night, I sit here wondering what kind of person am I. Everyone seems to like me, but yet I don't have many real friends. Well, at least none in the US.

It's kind of tough sometimes. People say: it must be hard having your whole family and friends living in another Country. It is, but most of the time I don't think about it. Except when I am disappointed with the high expectations I have for people that I barely know. I guess I expect them to love me, understand me and not be able to live without me right away. Crazy? Hmm.. Yeah. Maybe I just need to be more true to myself and enjoy my singleness.

On a second note, here are some things to enjoy: 1. Go home and eat my take out, with a glass of wine and my netflix on my huge new tv. 2. Lindt chocolate can cure any sadness. 3. Saturdays off rock. 4. Peanut Butter cookie from northstar, which I purchased in an act of rebellion and anger and I will not feel guilty enjoying it. 5. This is me anyways, as a stranger in a foreign Country with no fear to be different.


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I know, I forgot about you!

Well.. life .. leaves you time to do nothing else.. I know, it makes no sense - but it does.

So where should I start - again? Well, let's start with today. What a great day! Any day that I don't need to work is a great day. I never thought I would want to be home and cook for my husband, clean the house, go food shopping and feel good about it, but yes I do! I cannot wait when I can become a full-time wife and part-time worker - because it surely feels like the opposite lately.

So this was tonight's dinner selection: Two recipes from a vegetarian book and the meat from my Brazilian memories. Wild rice stuffed acorn squash, stir-fried salad with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and dill, and carrot rolled in beef and bacon. White wine, cucumber water and for dessert Passion Fruit mousse - which I also made.

I think I did pretty well based on the fact that my husband usually does all the cooking at our home.

Now off to bed with a good book, to enjoy the last moments before I have to go back to work tomorrow morning.. uughh!