Saturday, September 5, 2009

Harvest

What a beautiful September Saturday. I spent most of the day cleaning up around the house and cooking. My husband and I decided to harvest some of the goodies from our garden.
Look at all them pretty colors!
I made two recipes out of the September/October issue of Clean Eating magazine. The first one was this yummy Walnut Blueberry Banana Bread. No fat, no sweetening aside from agave nectar and natural banana/blueberry sweetness. Only 200 calories per slice.
Here is the yummy goodness up close:And for dinner, I used the eggplants, basil and tomatoes harvested this morning from our garden, and prepared the Eggplant Parmesan with Bulgur & Pine Nuts - from a recipe from the same magazine issue. Once again, this plate totals at less than 300 calories, and is packed with fiber (15g) and protein (19g). And it tastes gourmet (at a very cheap price - especially if you grow your own eggplants, tomatoes, and basil).
And now is time for a run around the lake with my goggie.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Home deco inspirations

Those who know me well, know that I always leaned towards a minimalist style in neutral tones when it comes to home decorating. Clean lines, earthy tones, lots of light, and nearly nothing to clutter and distract. One good example of that style is embodied by hotel Vetro in Iowa City where hubby and I stayed on one occasion:
But lately, I've been really into eclectic, colorful styles. Browsing through blogs, I saw this and had to share:
Love the vintage fabric pillows, colorful prints, and even wallpaper.
My current guest room is a disorganized storage facility. I want to turn it into this:
Yes! - books, pillows, window, bed - my idea of cozy. I also like how folksy and nostalgic it looks.

Stylistically, I am still torn between these two extremes. Maybe my rooms can alternate to reflect my complex and contradicting preferences?

Pictures from here.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Free as a bird

I forgot to mention that I acquired some new cool stuff.

I've been wanting some Nike+ running shoes for quite a while. This is the kind that work with your iPod. They tell you how long you've been running, what distance, and at what pace. It allows you to upload you running info on their website, where you can also get coaching. It's simply awesome! You can see my little Nike Mini Me prancing around on the right of the blog. It keeps track of my running activity. The energy of the Mini Me is directly related to how active I've been.
I LOVE them! What a great impulse buy. I've already told you about my personal record - a 9:43 minute mile. I am already itching to beat that. These shoes are a great motivation.

I also bought some pretty necklaces and earrings. One of the necklaces feature a set of wings, another a bird and a feather, and the third is an owl. The earings are of birds (from Aerie, see below) and owls. Notice a trend?
I am just loving jewelry that features organic elements (leaves, birds, trees). I am on a hunt for more stuff like that. Let me know if you see something that might interest me. :)

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Walking in the moonlight

Sunday night, hubby and I decided to walk our puppy around the block. The dog and I already hit the ground this morning (we ran for an entire 3.46 miles and I beat my record by running a mile in 9 minutes and 43 seconds!)
We walked by our local grocery store, and puppy started window-shopping.
He even attempted to go inside, thoroughly excited about the doors that open themselves. Like gates of puppy heaven.
He REALLY wanted to go inside. All those people, and things to sniff, and FOOD.
One day, dear puppy... they will maybe allow doggies inside.

Anniversary and campus days

Friday was my parents' 27-year anniversary. Happy anniversary, mom and dad!
I got them a lavender-vanilla house candle and some Teavana tea. We went out to eat at Red Rossa's with some family friends, and then hit the mall for some shopping.
On Saturday, I spent some time with my sisters on campus. We mostly played ultimate Frisbee and goofed around.Drake Relays!
Some pillars.
By the fountain.
The girls at the water fountain.
Playing Frisbee.
By the famous rock.
In front of Old Main.
By the library.
Here they are with B, Z's boyfriend, who also attends Drake.
My sisters taking on the campus.
M & I around Dogtown.
B jumping over my sister Z. He could be a skater.
The traditional jump photo my sisters like to do everywhere.
Fun times!