Days of the week.

I love my mac.  And I've had him for about a year now, but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I really discovered 'Photo Booth.'  So needless to say, between then and now, I've made up for lost time and documented my various 'hair days.' Feel free to hum The Cure's "Friday, I'm in Love" :)

MoNdaY

TueSday

WedNesDaY

THursDay

FriDay

SaTurdaY

SunDAY

MondaY

TuesdAY

(me@2:23am after doing my taxes)

......

Oh, lovely April.

Aside from the pesty fact that I have still not filed my taxes, April has been off to an awesome start. & I just looked at the date..gulp.. I have like a week to file. The reason why, and which makes it worse is because I've been waiting for my 1099 from one of my x-employers!! I need to start pestering, I suppose. asap.

I'm pretty proud of myself though, I've been on a super health kick and going strong. I really love the idea of eating & being super healthy. I've set high goals for myself this year, and I've raised my standards for myself. Its hard to stay disiplined, I let myself get away with a lot. Not to mention I am an 'all or nothing' type of girl. I either have the motivation and just go for it full speed ahead or I don't, in which case I go nowhere. This time I'm winning the tug-o-war with my self-control when it comes to my sweet tooth, late-night cravings, and peanut butter.

The Plan. My meals have been consisting mainly of fruit and/or vegetables, only high fiber wheat and grains, and lean protein. And lots of water, green tea and water! I don't have anything against milk, but I have been replacing it with unsweetened almond milk (which I just love). I'm sure if there is any connection, but my skin is looking its finest. I've been limiting the number of times I dine out, and if I do I make sure to go light with the rest of the days meals. Then I have a trick up my sleeve. Two words..Daily Reward. Everyday, I reward myself with something healthy (for lack or a better word) delicacy. For example, I just discovered how much I love fresh young coconut juice and fresh cane. There is a Cane Juice stand at the Farmer's Market that makes all kinds of healthy smoothies with fresh squeezed cane juice, coconuts, and various fruits & veggies. There a bit expensive, but they serve as Saturdays motivation to eat good and not late at night. Then come Sunday I get my treat. My usual rewards are Kombucha, smoothies from Ewewhon, 85% cacao dark chocolate from Traders, green tea lattes or red wine.

I usually start my mornings with a cup of green tea and an orange. Then for breakfast I've been having my Banana Flax smoothie. If my day allows it, I'll go hiking up at Runyon Canyon. If not, I jump rope, do at least 200 crunches, and 20 push-ups. My lunches have been consisting of some sort of invented salad with what's living in my fridge. Except today I'm going to indulge in the beet soup I made yesterday!! And then dinner.. it varies, but along the lines similar to my lunch. I snack on fruit in between meals, Kombucha, tea or coffee mid day, and sometimes a few nuts. Since going to the farmer's market I've also discovered how awesome and healthy goat cheese is, and oysters. &The fact that there's a super cute specimen shucking the oysters probably adds to their appeal as well. haha. :)

oh & then here I am.. playing around with my camera, like usual.

♥the little gypsy

greatness..?

Sooo.. occasionally I get these random thoughts at random times, and for some reason just feel compelled to write them down. I just finished watching the whole 22 episode Jack & Bobby series, which I thought was phenominal, really. Between the story lines, and topics they hit on I could get enough. I love when something can really grab me at the core, make me laugh, cry, ponder in thought, and most of all, inspire me. Anyway, I guess this show got me to thinking about greatness.

So I was driving in my car, just loving Los Angeles when I grabbed a pen and had to jot this down. "I don't know where my thirst for greatness came from, but I have it. That longing. I want one of these great old, big houses and I want to have the ability to afford it. I want a successful career, and I want to be recognized for my work, possible talent, and ambition. I want to inspire others, possibly be admired, and most of all, I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE". It sounds pretty lame typing it out, but whatever, it is how I felt, and still feel.

Greatness is a concept heavily dependent on a person's perspective and biases. Whether someone or something is Great or not depends from subjective judgements of the value of one person or thing as compared to another

. ^ Jerry L. Walls (2007). "The Wizard versus The General". in Jerry L. Walls, Gregory Bassham, and Dick Vitale. Basketball and philosophy. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 129

Banana Breakfast Smoothie Invention

So I kicked off my morning with a new delicious concoction. And its perfect for using any left over brown rice from the night before. & the best part, its super healthy!

Ingrediants (~1 serving)

~1/3 c cooked and refrigerated brown rice

1 banana

~1/2 c vanilla almond milk

2 tbs ground flax

2 ice cubes

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

Blend together in a food processor or blender. You may adjust amounts to your preference (i didn't measure it myself, just eyed it). And I did half of the almond milk, blended for 10 seconds, then added the remaining and blended for about 30 seconds.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Our adventure to Wicker Park...

Our Mug Shots...

Discover THIS IS NOT IKEA

Hiding in Los Angeles exists a hidden land mid-century treasures. It's a wonderland for the artistic eye and decorating enthusiasts. TINI is a must stop if your looking to accessorize your home with the most unique vintage items. And like have, you may actually become obsessed. 

So if you can't stand the absence of character in furniture that comes strait from ikea, then this place will be like a heaven to you. I'm always amazed at what people think up and create. I wish I had a house that I could just fill with these amazing, unique pieces. I love furniture that is just like a piece of art, yet still manages to fulfill its purpose.

When I moved out to California from the cornfields just outside Chicago, I had literally no furniture.  I rented my first apartment, and headed strait to Ikea.  BIggest mistake EVER! Yeah okay, you can get quite a bit with a small budget, but you get what you pay for.  #1 its cheap quality (for the most part) #2 their furniture looks nice and mod in a showroom, but lacks personality.  When you bring it home it seems just, uh, blah.  Well thats my opinion.  So when you solely decorate you apartment in 'Ikea' it just does not feel like home.  Its emotionless, and there is no representation of yourself or what you love.  And that is the key ingredient to creating "your home."  However, when you incorporate vintage pieces that are infused with so much character they speak to you, you're heading in the right direction.  While I still own Ikea furniture, four apartments later, much has been weeded out and replaced with thrift store finds that I have refinished myself and unique findings I just couldn't live with out. But there's nothing better then having someone (TINI) do all the leg work and compiling all of this awesomeness into one store.

So the bottom line is if you are looking for rad vintage pieces in a range of styles but have an IKEA budget, then this shop is the place for you. Shop the online galleries and have fun!

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