What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.31.12

1. Last night I instagrammed/tweeted a picture of the Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili I had made for dinner.

One of my readers who I met this Spring tweeted that it looked so amazing. I was pretty sure she lived in the same complex as me, so I told her to come on over. Shortly after, I sent her back home with chili, Sriracha, and a few pieces of chocolate. She had never tried Sriracha before and I knew I had to convert her. The chocolate was given for obvious reasons: always eat something sweet after a spicy meal. It’s a rule.

I LOVE MY READERS. You guys are the best.

2. Last Friday when Danielle and I were out, we ran into our friend Will who is just as much of a beet lover as I am. Danielle suggested that we just get married and demanded that Will get on his knees.

Obviously this was a joke, but I’m humored that a) he’s holding his own arm up, b) he’s holding my wrong hand, c) he looks like a Twilight vampire, and c)we are in front of a gay bar. But by far, the funniest part of this whole situation was people’s reactions.

People take stuff on Facebook so seriously! No one in my family called me -- they’ve either abandoned me or know quite well how peculiar my behavior is.

3. After I ate on Saturday, I boxed up my leftovers before I went out for the night. I left myself a love note.

No, it did not work….for me or Danielle.

4. Last week  Groopdealz had a sale for these chunky anchor bracelets for only $7.99. I bought the blue and it’s just as pretty in person.

I found some similar bracelets on Etsy here and here.

5. This is pretty darn accurate. 

6. I was one happy child on this day in 1987.

25 years and 92875298729687 cavities later, I want to wish you a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Highlights From The Weekend

1. I went a little nuts on the C. Wonder site. They were having a major sale – an extra 50% off already reduced prices. I wanted one of everything and originally had 19 items in my cart. Yes, 19. I somehow narrowed it down to 6. I felt so rational.

Clockwise from top left: XO decorative plate, Resin hammered bangle, cutlery glass plate, Round lacquer box, Calf hair skinny belt, Cord winder

2. I also got to hang out with my favorite blend, Katie! I went to a wedding as her brother’s date. I absolutely love her family! Such great people. Now that Katie has graduated from Clemson, I’m hoping she’ll move down to CHS so I can adopt her as my little sister. ;)

Katie’s fancy instagram of us:

Do you use instagram? Follow me: @christinaorso

3. I crammed lots of veggies into my tummy from Week 4 of my CSA with Gruber Farm.

In this week’s box:

• kale
• lettuce
• strawberries
• red potatoes
• zucchini
• squash
• sweet onions
• cabbage (hidden)

I used the cabbage to make a yummy recipe from Skinny Taste. Check out her Stuffed Cabbage Casserole. It’s great!

(source)

4. Lastly, I’m a little obsessed with this song. Enjoy!

Have a great week!

Pure Barre Charleston and a Blogger Meet Up!

Twitter is constantly making me happy. Reason #298529875: The owner of Pure Barre Charleston recently discovered my blog via my friend Danielle, who happens to be one of her instructors. Jen offered to let me try some classes at her studio, so Wednesday evening, I stopped by.

Pure Barre is located to the left of Whole Foods in the Houston Northcutt shopping plaza in Mt. Pleasant.  The studio is very sleek and has good energy. Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted by Danielle, Jen (the owner), and Margaret (who would was teaching the next class). Everyone was so friendly and I instantly felt comfortable. I think this is very important in new fitness situations.

The Pure Barre workout “utilizes the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements set to motivating music.” These movements, which Margaret kept calling “tiny,” really are just that. I noticed that I paid much more attention to the individual muscles as I worked on them rather than just letting my body flail around. The workout targets the abs, hips, thighs, back of the arm, and seat. Each area is worked until fatigued and then stretched .With that said, each muscle group was on fiiiiiiiiiire and stretching them felt so good.

Margaret was an excellent instructor. She was very motivating and cheerful. I appreciated her coming over several times to improve my form. Proper form during a workout is key to maximizing your results.

In a nutshell:

• Pure Barre provides a great full-body workout that is sure to strengthen and tone females’ problematic areas.
• The staff was very welcoming.
• The music was up-to-date and fun, but just a tad loud.
• All the equipment we used (dumbbells, mats, balls, and double tubing) were brand new.
• To clean up, they use disposable wipes rather than spray & rags – this made me so happy.

For more information see Pure Barre’s:

• website
• facebook
• twitter

Huge thanks to Jen, Margaret, and Danielle for inviting me in. I had such a good time. Charleston friends: if you’re interested in taking a Pure Barre class, I have a pass for you! Tweet me or email me at christina orso at gmail dot com if you’re interested.

In blogger news, I met Sierra from Posh Meets Pavement on Monday! We met for drinks and dinner at Hall’s Chophouse. After reading her blog for several months, it was great to meet in real life and just chat! We had so much to talk about and I wish she lived here so we could hang out more. Maybe I need to vacation in South Africa… ;)

We both had a glass of red wine and my favorite salad, but I added beets. I’ll tell you again and again that their Blackened Salmon Salad is one of my favorite salads ever. It has sliced pears, oranges, buttermilk blue cheese, candied pecans, and white balsamic dressing. Although this picture does not do it justice, here’s photo from earlier this summer.

After dinner we snapped a photo in front of the Christmas tree. How bad is it that Amanda and I took the same photo less than a week ago? #hallsobsessed

What new fitness classes have you taken recently?

Who’s your favorite blogger that you’ve met in real life? (Btw: blogger + friend = blend)

What I’m Loving Wednesday

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. Chick-fil-A is coming out with the new cow watches tomorrow. I’ve been waiting like a month for these silly things. See ya later Michael Kors – the cows have replaced you.

Ok, let’s be real. MK isn’t going anywhere – I’ll just wear these to the gym/while running.

2. Nancy discovered a new fancy way to transport wine on the Uncommon Goods site. Classy!

But even more amazing is the Wine Rack from The Beer Belly site. With this contraption, I can turn my barely Bs into beer-filled Ds!? 1 win for me, 1 win for my mental state, and shoot, a win for the boys too. And it’s only $29.95. That’s cheaper than most Victoria’s Secret bras.

3. Speaking of clothing, I am mildly obsessed with these ballet flats I got from Gap a couple weeks ago. They are hands down the most comfortable flats I’ve ever worn.

4. Next Monday, I get to meet Sierra from Posh Meets Pavement.

Sierra is an American girl living in South Africa with her new husband and his family. I have been reading about her adventures on her blog for a while. She’s smart, adorable, perfectly fit, and even got married in my city! Check out her blog!

5. Dom Mazzetti. Thanks to my friend Ryan, I have fallen in some type of love with a youtube sensation. I could watch Dom’s videos on repeat for an entire day. Honestly, I have watched every one he’s made. This one is my absolute favorite:

You’re welcome.

I’m also not ashamed to say that my obsession with this fake meathead has caused me to purchase these two t-shirts.

Watch his videos to understand them.

I swear I dress really normal despite what the Chick-fil-A watches and Dom t-shirts might imply…

Tell me what you’re loving lately! xx!

Blogger Meet Up at Social…

Who’s going to this?

Amanda and I will be going… Hope to see some others there!

Laura Albert’s Lunch with Sarah!

For lunch on Friday, I met up with Sarah. We had been trying to plan something for week, so I was excited to finally hang with this awesome girl! She’s super friendly, easy to talk to, and loves food and wine. That’s a good friend!

She was sweet enough to pick me up from work, and we drove right over to Laura Albert’s on Daniel Island. I had been to Laura Albert’s a couple times before, but this was her first time. LA’s is a restaurant, catering company, and shop, all in one! They serve lunch Monday through Saturday, and on Wednesday evenings they do beer/wine tastings with dinner.

There are so many options on their menu, from salads, to sandwiches to special entrees. As usual, I changed my mind several times! One entrée that caught my eye on previous visits was the Mediterranean Marinated Chicken & Couscous Drizzled with Siracha Sauce and Basil Pesto with Seasonal Vegetables.

Sarah got the Spinach Salad with Parmesan Cheese, Chopped Egg, Onion, Tomato, Crispy Bacon with a Warm Bacon Dressing.

It was great to catch up and I look forward to hanging out again! I think she’s going to join our book club! Of course we had to take a picture outside.

She sent me home with goodies, too! Here are some homemade cookies and homemade beer. Yep, her husband brews his own! Sarah said this beer was similar to Blue Moon so I know I’ll enjoy it. Thanks, Scott!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday! Although this weekend looks gloomy, I don’t mind one bit. Why? Because I just finished Twilight and Amanda is coming over with the second book and the first movie!! We’re going to cook a TJ’s inspired meal, drink wine, and watch vampires! Ahhhhhh.

Have a great weekend!!

What I’m Loving Wednesday Version 6.0

1. About a month ago, one of my readers contacted me for information about moving to Charleston. Closer to her move date, Hannah revealed that she also worked for Blackbaud (at our Cambridge office) but was transferring to headquarters!! On Monday, her first day in the office, she brought me a jar of pickles from her home state of Pennsylvania! How sweet of her!

2. After reviewing Uno Mas on Monday evening, Matt and I walked the bridge. Before we started we played on the equipment at the foot of the bridge. Look at this gymnast! Such balance.
As we all know, I have no balance so I stuck to the monkey bar.

How freaking creepy is this picture?

3. I spent this afternoon reading Twilight in a hammock by the water. (I’m housesitting with Lucy at her aunt’s house.)

I’m declaring myself obsessed with this book. Like I said before, I know that I’m behind, but shoot, it is GOOD! Everyone keeps telling me the books get better, too. By then I’ll just want to be a vampire or something.

I’m also loving this post from Price’s wall:

4. I’m meeting this pretty lady for lunch today!

Sarah and I are going to Laura Albert’s on Daniel Island. They have delicious food! Now go check out her hilarious blog on her transition from NY to the South!

5. This Bits of Truth:

6. This picture from last weekend! Such awesome girlfriends!

Sorry for the quick post, but I have to go catch up with Bella and Edward, haha!

Monday Can Be A Fun Day

Mid-morning while at work, I got a call that my glasses were in! I was so excited I almost took an early lunch get them. I’m glad I waited…Rewind to about a month ago: I found out that one of my readers, Amanda, also works at Blackbaud. She e-mailed me because she, too, had purchased the Pearle Vision coupon. We tried to coordinate our schedules to pick out glasses together, but that didn’t work. Luckily our schedules matched up today! I got a text from her saying her glasses were ready and she asked if I wanted to ride with her to pick them up. Blogger meet-up and new glasses? YAY! Her next text was “Pick you up at the front door! Valet service at Blackbaud!”

And then I jumped in the car with a stranger.

An awesome stranger! Amanda is so fun and sweet and I was glad to meet her. :)

That afternoon, my coworker and I planned a meeting to review my first 3 months of work. Her plan was to have an off-site meeting...at Menchie’s! Elizabeth got a bowl of cake batter froyo with cinnamon toast crunch cereal, and I got a bowl of cake batter and brownie batter froyo.

And here are the glasses!

After work, I went to the gym even though I felt like I had been sweating enough to skip it. It was over 100* here today. Ahh. You see why frozen yogurt was necessary? The gym was sort of miserable, but the Pandora app got me through it. I may or may not have made a couple moves on Words With Friends during my interval run…the walking part, of course.

For dinner, I made Jenna’s Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Quinoa. Oh, hello heavenly beets and goat cheese.

This was my first time cooking quinoa, which is a shame because it’s a powerhouse food. Quinoa is fluffy, slightly crunchy, and nutty. It is high in protein and a good source of magnesium, manganese and iron. Although most people consider it to be a grain, it is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables.
Don’t forget how wonderful beets are. Check out these beet balls I saw in Whole Foods on Sunday. Wtc are beet balls? Odd, to say the least.