What I’m Loving Wednesday 11.7.12

1. When my old roommate moved out, she sold her dining room table. Until I replace it, the dining room is empty. It has become the “Activity Room,” aka the place I do handstands.

In this space, we have enough room to exercise, blog, do arts & crafts, have dance parties, or maybe even play spin the bottle.

2. I was browsing through the Juvenile section of the library this week and stumbled upon this gem:

What kind of message are we trying to send our adolescent girls? Not all men are dogs! Just half of them. ;)

3. I used to never (ever!) drink Red Bull. Then I met Danielle, a Red Bull rep and enthusiast. Since then, I've learned the magic of having Red Bull wings from drinking RBVs. They make for incredible dance sessions. Today Danielle informed me that the sugar in red bull is produced from a sugar beet. No wonder why I love the drink!

4. If any of you were wondering if I had commitment issues, you are correct. I can’t even keep a cart for more than one aisle.

5. I secretly want to decorate the apartment like this for the holidays:

I call it “Pastels meet Winter Wonderland.” All of that glitz was at Marshall’s if you’re interested in glamming out your home, too.

6. Speaking of glamorous, I found this pretty nail polish in the clearance bin at Target. L’Oreal’s “Brit Invasion.”

7. Once a fan of hipsters, always a fan of hipsters.

Is that not great? It’s a totally different kind of hipster, but still, the look of pure joy on my face cracks me up. It is the exact same face I make after a shot of tequila, haha!!

I want to thank each and every one of you who commented on yesterday’s post about my half marathon training. You are all so sweet and I will remember that as I cross the finish line. Big hugs!

What I’m Loving Wednesday 9/5/12

1. I often forget about Old Navy, but occasionally I’ll see something really cute on someone and it ends up being from there. Amanda bought a bunch of this beautiful colored top, and thankfully she doesn’t mind me being a copycat. After wearing it once…

I fell in love and bought three more. They’re classic, can be worn many different ways, and were cheap. After an extra 30% off the sale price, I ended up paying around $8 a pop.

2. Another store I often forget about is Versona, a jewelry store in Town Centre. It’s huge and overwhelming; think Forever 21 but with mostly accessories. While most of it is junky, you can find some gems in the rough. I picked up 3 necklaces on Saturday:

3. Oh, you want to see some food? Okay. I’ve got that covered too. On Monday, Boding and I went to our favorite restaurant on Daniel Island, Ali Baba Deli. As always, I stuck to items from the deli case. I got my usual favorites: hearts of palm salad, fattoush salad, foul madamas, and grilled chicken. Four items from the deli case cost $9.95 and it always lasts me two meals.

4. As I was placing my leftovers in the fridge, I laughed when I looked in the bottom drawer. I’m now convinced that I was Greek in a past life.

5. One of my favorite parts about being single is that I spend my free time doing whatever I want. So what if one of my favorite hobbies is reading anything I get my hands on? And no one gets to make fun of me nerding out with my glasses on. It’s not surprising that I’m the foursquare mayor of my library.

The best part is foursquare asking me if I have a crush on the librarian. No.

6. Speaking of books, I just added a bunch of books to my “to-read” list on Goodreads. Are you on Goodreads? Add me! I’m always up for book recommendations.

7. This sums up my Labor Day Weekend:

WHEN SOMEONE SAYS I’M A LITTLE SUNBURNED

When you really like something, do you buy it in multiple colors? I have multiple Longchamp totes, Camelbak water bottles, necklaces, shirts, and shoes in different colors. When I like something, I really like it.

What’s the nerdiest thing you like? I’m a proud fan of the library, crossword puzzles, online grammar quizzes, and the Twilight series.

The Friday Five 7.20.12

1. What I’m Reading: Though I’m still reading Gone Girl for book club, I picked up a heavy stack of books that I had put on reserve at the library.

The one I’m most excited to peruse is The Naked Foods Cookbook.

2. What I’m Eating: We’re pretty fortunate to have a cafeteria at Blackbaud, even if it means that Rachel and I spend a silly amount of money there, just out of convenience. This week, I had a delicious lunch: sundried tomato wrap with turkey, feta, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, banana peppers, and hummus. Why does a wrap/sandwich always taste better when someone else makes it?

3. What I’m Listening to: Another good song by The Airborne Toxic Event.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Carrot, Almond, and Raisin Energy Bites.

5. GIFs I’m Loving: 

WHEN I’M TOO LAZY TO PUT ON MASACARA

So true!

WHEN I FIND THE MOTIVATION TO GO TO THE GYM

BEFORE:

DURING:

Happy weekend, friends!

What I Love From A to Z

This post been floating all around the blog world.  Here’s my list, just in case you guys forgot the letters of the alphabet.

A – Asics. I have tried to run in many different brands of sneakers. Asics always win. Bonus points if they’re in my two favorite colors, lime green and purple.

B – Beets. Although it’s not my favorite flavor-wise, I have a mild obsession with this rooted  vegetable.

Could it be the color? How it dyes everything pink? That is pairs so well with honey and goat cheese? That it makes for the creamiest Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese?

C – Cookies. A soft, chewy, chocolate chip cookie is my favorite. No question about it – nothing compares.

D – Dining out. Who doesn’t love being served a delicious meal without having to do any work? I know I do. Some of my favorite restaurants in Charleston are: The Macintosh, Hall’s, and Cypress.

E – Essie makes a great nail polish. They come out with the best colors! Their newest line, Mirror Metallics looks beautiful:

F – Farmer’s markets. Fresh, local veggies taste better. They just do.

G – Grammy. I absolutely adore this woman! 

H – Hungry Meets Healthy. The blog title perfectly exemplifies my life. And I adore each and every one of you for reading!

I – IceDreams from Chick-fil-A. They’re perfectly portioned and pair well with pickles. Ew? No.

J – Joy! If you open your eyes, there’s plenty of joy all around you. Just look for it.

K – Kitchens. My favorite room in the house.

L – The library. I could spend hours in a library admiring all of the books. I live very close to one and I try to go once a week. I never stop reading.

M – Music. Can’t function without it. I shower, drive, work, exercise, cook, and blog with music. Totally necessary.

N – Nancy and Nikki. These two ladies have been my best friends since, well, forever. I love them both dearly!

O – Orzo. Spelled so closely to my last name, I get a kick out of every time I see this short-cut grain of pasta.

P – Pickles. Enough said. 

Q – Quick! I do everything quickly. Walk, talk, type, eat, read,run, write. I like doing something and moving onto the next thing!

R – Running. Be it sprinting, interval training, or distance running, I love this form of exercise. Receiving medals doesn’t hurt either. Right, Mary-Legare?

S – SUNSHINE!

T – Target. What would I do without this wonderful place? It’s an adult’s playground and a surefire way to spend money on things you “need.”

U – Unique. There’s nothing worse than being ordinary.

V – Vegetables.

W – Wine. Red wine, white wine, pink wine. Any wine.

X – Xtina, the nickname. Or just X to some of my friends. It’s the only nickname that has stuck with me.

Y – YOU! I’m so grateful for all you lovely readers. Thanks for the comments, emails, and tweets. You’re the best.

Z – Zodiac. Confession: I like reading my horoscope and I am a true Cancer.

Do this survey and send me a link!

Thoughts on Thursday

1. I almost always prefer red wine, but when I picked up some cod  from Trader Joe’s, I opted for a bottle of white. Per the recommendation of a staff member, I went home with this white blend.

I love the name, I love the label, I love the taste. Oh, and the price? $4.99. Not a joke. I drank a glass while cooking and then used it to make a sauce for my fish.

2. While at Trader Joe’s, I got chummy with my 2 favorite bag boys. They love that I’m incapable of making a grocery list and end up in the store 3x a week. Hey, it’s on the way home from Pure Barre, so I’m not wasting gas. As they were ringing me up, I asked about their favor products. They brought over a jar of Cookie Butter, opened it, and handed me a fork right there at the register. I love them.

Oh, and this butter? It’s candy in a jar. Absolutely terrible for you, but delicious.

3. Geek Sugar posted a slideshow on Geeky Wedding Venues. The library was one of them.

Picture it. I’ll slide down the aisle on one of those awesome book ladders. You’re all invited.

4. One of my favorite bloggers, Holly, just announced that she’s pregnant! I’m so excited for her and Craig. This couple is going to make the sweetest blue-eyed babies!

5. As much as I think about moving away from Charleston (I’ve lived here for 15 yrs.!), I’m often reminded how beautiful this city is.

6. I’ve been to the beach twice already. I was pretty excited to use my new towel.

7. I hate the number 6, so I’m writing a 7th thought to tell you how much I LOVE YOU for reading!! Thank you!!

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. I haven’t found these yet, but when I do…

I’ll be opening them up before I can make it to the register. I promise to pay.

2. I reserved all of these books at the library…

but they’re all waiting for me to finish Fifty Shades of Grey. My (new) book club girls and I decided to make this our first book and boy, oh, boy, our first meeting will be interesting. I raised my hand to host this month’s book and come up with discussion questions. I feel like it’s going to be a game of “Never Have I Ever…”

3. On Easter Sunday, my family and I played the game Apples for Apples. Of course I was dealt the beets card.

It was destiny. However, I don’t agree that beets beat Brussels sprouts. I like them equally.

4.  The Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market started yesterday! For a mere $9, I got a bunch of beets, sweet potatatoes, cucumbers, yellow corn, and a 1/2 pound of local shrimp.

5. Do you guys remember when I posted about the Foodie Terms That Make Me Cringe? It’s a funny post – check it out asap. Well, Serious Eats just posted their own list: Our Secret List of Banned Words. My favorite? Mouthfeel. That word is awful.

6. One of my new favorites from What Should We Call Me:

MY MAIN PROBLEM WITH DIETING:

7.  This dress.

And this dress.

Oh, and this dress too.

My bank account doesn’t get upset with me when I find dresses that are each under $30.

Now tell me what you love! xo