Afronauts

While reading my daily news articles, I discovered the Afronauts. Zambian space program from the 1960's that never quite took off. Very interesting article and cool pictures! You can find the full article here. 

-M

Is it Friday already?

The weekend went by way too fast! The rain put a damper on the weekend but that didn't stop me. Friday I went to my favorite "hidden gem" restaurant Tong Thai and ordered the usual, curry puffs and Thai fried rice with their special basil sauce. That started my weekend off on a good note. I took my mom and A to the Eastern Market for the first time and I think they were pretty impressed. A good spot for summer mornings. Sunday we decided last minute to go to the Caps game which was pretty intense even though they lost in sudden death overtime. (its ok we still have one more chance!) Hopefully next weekend is just as fun! 

-M

Tong Thai and The Eastern Market 

Caps Game! (I know nose bleed section but I didn't mind, at least I could see the whole game)

New York, New York

Hi y'all... sorry for the absence! I recently took a trip to NYC to visit some of my besties from college--I usually visit them every quarter or so, and let me tell you, NYC is awesome throughout Fall, Spring, Winter and Summer. This particular trip took all of us out of our comfort zone AKA anything above 14th street or out of the West Village. Saturday we had this awesome brunch at Sons of Essex in LES and "walked" to Brooklyn afterward since the weather was awesome. [Side note: for those who have never done so, there are three bridges you can walk across, one most famously being the bridge that Miranda met up with Steve in the SATC movie. *Side, side note: we did not end up on this bridge] Williamsburg is...really...cute. Like Disney cute--particularly Bedford Street. All the restaurants and shops are places you can see yourself going to and spending a great deal of money. Some local advice led us to "Smorgasburg", an artisanal food fair by the water. If you happen to end up in Brooklyn, go here please--it's totally worth the 30 min trek a bridge. We ended the day by going all the wayyy uptown, Harlem to be exact, to dine at the popular Red Rooster [for DC nerds like myself, chef/owner Marcus Samuelsson recently cooked Easter dinner for the Obamas]. The food was great [order the fried chicken]... the dancing at Ginny's below was amazing. Until next time New York...je t'aime.

--T

The Bridge. Smorgasburg, top left.

intriguing?

Art is something that can be different for everyone. You put the Mona Lisa in front of me, and I just don't get it? I react more to modern art such as Banksy, where its out of the box and intriguing to me. Colossal  is one of my favorite art websites that I wanted to share, Enjoy!

(if you coulnt tell I like "dark" pieces of work) 

-M

Punta Cana, DR Part 2

Hola! this is my part 2 in two ways, this was my second time in Punta Cana and part 2 of A's post. Since I was alone most of the time in my own world (like always), I took a lot of pictures of my surroundings. So here they are to share with you!

pretty views from the beach 

we ventured out the hotel one day to local shops, we found more then just souvenirs! chickens and all 

some souvenirs from the shops 

I never read up on what the figures meant, but they sure were interesting. 

Some random snaps of night and day

the water was so clear you could even see the small fish's that came up to your feet! the nicer ones were deeper in the water but I couldn't take my iphone that far out!

-M

Easter (Food) Weekend

Happy belated Easter/Passover weekend everyone! I spent my weekend doing what I do best: eating. Here is a little picture recap of what eventually ended up in my stomach...

lemon bars & chocolate pudding pie for Easter brunch

cupcake from baked & wired, more pie and some italian wedding soup.

BTW--super excited to be reunited with A & M!

--T

Vintage Weekend

This weekend was pretty busy for me with a wedding on Saturday and then a family party on Sunday.  I was still pretty tired from our vacation and still sick, but I got through the weekend and I am recovering at home sick from work today.  I wanted to share a few photos of the dresses I wore this weekend.  Shopping for vintage finds is something we all very much enjoy, and I found these two vintage dresses at a flea market in the area a few months ago.  The first one is a black lace dress that reminds me very much of a 1950's movie star.  And the second one was a perfect spring dress with the crochet sleeves and the tan and creme colors. They are both pieces that you could over and over again with different shoes and accessories.  Hope you all had a great weekend!
                        

                                                                                -A

Punta Cana Part One

The husband and I came back from our family vacation a few days earlier than the rest of the family because we had to attend his cousin's wedding back here in Virginia.  Although our time was short there, we had a great time with the family and enjoying/relaxing by the beach and pool.  Here are a few snapshots from our vacation in Punta Cana, DR.  More pictures will follow once M comes back later this week.  

-A

       
                      

Spring is Here=Eat More Lamb!

I’m trying to spend less time and less money on food. I am at (or give myself reasons to go) the grocery store almost every day. I need to tone down my illusions of grandeur when it comes to my weeknight meals. Recently, I’ve been make big pot meals to sustain my weekly eating: one pot for lunch and one for dinner. Pasta usually does the trick, particularly pasta + a meat-based sauce —I had leftovers for the entire week and some! I recently made this lamb penne dish which came out oh.so.good. and comforting and satisfying. The cinnamon works well with the lamb so don’t be put off by adding less than 2 tspns! I also suggest really browning the onions and parsnips (crunchy, raw parsnips are no bueno). I was rather ambitious that night, so I made some healthy-ish banana bread to bring into work. Some of this may sound too rich to be eating during the spring but it’s just right for these fluctuating temps!

--T

Armon's Circus Birthday

Armon's 1st Circus Birthday Party!

 

 Happy Birthday Banner

 Prizes Table

 Pom-Pom Birthday Hats

 Dessert Table

Bean Bag Toss and Lucky Duck Game