Grey Matters

I kind of just "threw" today's outfit together. Wanted to wear this top and couldn't figure out the bottoms, so I grabbed these shorts pretty much just because they were there, and then thought it was a wee bit chilly (this morning anyways), so I reached for the knit blazer.

Looking over these photos now, I'm not sure I made a real successful outfit, and in retrospect, the half-tuck top could've not been there. But why bother being self-critical when the day's nearly done and I spent it looking whatever way I did. At least I was comfy and my food baby had lots of room!  :o)

Off to try a chicken piccata recipe I found on Valerie's blog. Am already way late in getting started!

Jacket: Anthropologie Cartonnier Flipside (worn here before)
Top: Forever 21 Dandelion (worn here before)
Shorts: Old Navy ruched (worn here before)
Shoes: Nine West Temani wedges (worn here before)
Necklace: Anthropologie Lydell Jahara

Weight Loss Overview - Keeping A Perspective

If you want to lose a little weight, I recommend that you cut back on all the empty carbs you may be eating. Bread, pastas, crackers, buns, cereals and potatoes. However, you must not go hungry, and you must eat enough proteins, vegetables, salads, fruits, and healthy fats.

You don't want to lose any muscle mass, or visceral fat - the fat that protects your organs. Some dancers weigh too little - oh yes.

Here are some tips to keep this all in a healthy perspective:

How To Lose Some Weight and Keep It Off this article has a link to protein calculator;

What Ballet Dancers Need To Understand About Weight Loss and Calories

What Is Your Protein Requirement

Learning To Develop Lean Muscles

Healthy Fats For Ballet Dancers

Cowparsley and doilies...

Firstly, I must admit, I am feeling sorry for myself. I had a dental procedure today and now the novacaine has worn off...it's really, really sore. Trying to take my mind off things, I scrolled through my blog list and happened upon Cowparsley. If ever you wished for a calming mental meander through some beautiful images, oozing with a certain 'Britishness', this is it...

images via Cowparsley

This week wages on, and ever so slightly wearing it is. I shall be very pleased when the weekend arrives with the hope of more summer fun; the beach hut, sandy toes, no cares in the world...

Secondly, OK, so I know I have been a tad wedding-crazed recently...I wanted to follow up on the lots of comments I was left about that dreamy doily wedding dress! Heart-stoppingly lovely. Love the green. Love the shoes. I have found out where the images came from...here...

It's funny when I saw the whole wedding feature, I kinda wanted the dress to be full-length and was surprised that it wasn't. However, the vintage style of it and the wonderful green...you can't help but love it for it's quirkiness.

New Nikes

Acapulco Gold Accessories

New Acapulco Gold

New Rebel 8 Hats

New Rebel 8

the first thing that comes to your head

you could fry an egg on my stomach. getting shit together. making the robin hood master CD tonight. got the rehearsals for the full band tour coming up. nervous. just listened to phil selways free song from his new album. its real good hey. talking of radiohead, thom yorke and jonny greenwood played a surprise set at glastonbury over the weekend, and jonny was wearing a t-shirt designed by arran gregory! the very same dude that is helping with the art on the shoes and socks off lyric book, and has done poster designs for MMISL back in the day. he is a talented one. you can find his blog in the links page. got a bit of a plan for album number 5, but im taking it slow. working on bermuda ern and amateurs for a while. big plans for next year. new band. rad drummer. loud noises. enough wetting of the bed already. the dead weather have a new album out, as do wolf parade.

Minty Spaghetti

Feeling a bit whimsical today. And better lighting.

Dress: H&M (thanks, sis - worn here before)
Sweater: Mossimo by Target cropped cotton
Belt: Anthropologie Infinity (worn a million times over)
Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction Pine-A-Colada (worn a million +1 times over)

Thanks for the good comments about the Texas Spaghetti. I actually never heard of the dish until my BF (who went to college in TX) cooked it for me a while ago - since then we have it on fairly regular rotation (once every couple of weeks because we always make TONS) and I've been the one making it (BF says I make it better than he does - true comment, or is he just getting himself out of having to cook? Hm).

I don't know how "Texas" this actually is, since to me, it's just a kind of amped up meat sauce. I actually thought the name was made up until I Googled it today, but Texas Spaghetti actually exists - in about two million variations. Here's a rough recipe for the dish as I know it - great thing about this is that you can pretty much add what you want to taste. And yes, I make it a little different every time ...

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble ...

"Texas" Spaghetti (loose recipe)
1 green pepper chopped
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion chopped (or 1 medium chopped)
5 cloves garlic chopped
1bx spaghetti
2 jars spaghetti sauce
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Salt
Bay leaf
1 jalapeno chopped (optional if you like your sauce extra kicky)
Other options: fresh chopped basil, sprinkle of nutmeg, dash of cinnamon, chopped rosemary

1. Saute all the onions and peppers in olive oil until softened, about 5 min. (make sure the pan will be large enough to accommodate the sauce later on)
2. Add garlic to the mix and saute another 3-4 min.
3. Sprinkle in some pepper and chili powder
4. Add ground beef to the mix and saute until all the meat is cooked through, about 5-7 min.
5. Add bay leaf, tiny dash of cinnamon (if you like it), and about 1/2 tsp each cayenne pepper and chili powder
6. Add in first jar of sauce and mix in - let simmer for about 10 min, stirring occassionally
7. While sauce is simmering, cook the pasta to the directions on the box
8. After 10 min, add in about 1/2 the second jar of sauce and let simmer a few more minutes - add pepper, salt and other seasonings to taste
9. Reserve about 1/2 C the pasta water - drain the pasta and put back into cooking pot
10. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and mix in well - add dashes of the reserved pasta water and the uncooked sauce if things are looking a little thick
11. Cover the pot, flame off, and let sit for about 5-10 min. to let the pasta suck up the good sauce

Makes enough to feed 4-6, depending on how hungry you are. I usually serve mine with some garlic bread and a simple salad - and I always have a ton of extra sauce, so that can be served on the side in case others want a bit more. And don't worry about over-cooking the sauce as long as you have it on simmer - the time just lets all the spices and ingredients blend in flavor (look at me sounding like I know what I'm talking about - ha ha).

The finished pasta in pot. Saucy goodness - def not authentic Italian.

Tonight's dinner is going to be a "doozy" - grilled hot dogs with fresh corn, beans, salad, assorted chips. What can I say, BF and I are addicted to the Ball Park brand Angus beef hot dogs - soooooo good, for reals.  :o)

Flip Flops

The last week has been incredibly hot. An awful lot of people are wearing flip flops.

As I have said before, the popularity of sandals and flip flops these days show that very few people are embarassed about their feet. So don't be afraid to ask your guests to remove their shoes.

Its no coincidence that flip flops are the first choice of footwear in shoe-removing South-East Asia. Flip flops are the perfect choice of shoe for us Offalists, easy to remove at the door and still leaving our feet comfy when we put them on.

GFS in Dallas: Homebound

As much as I loved my trip to Dallas, I was kind of ready to go home. I could never be a celebrity. I got sick of living out of a suitcase and eating out every night. The one thing I wanted when I got back to Houston was a homecooked meal, and to watch tv in bed and have nowhere to go. I see why people like Prince don't tour alot..he wants to sleep in  his bed! I don't know that for a fact but he's a friend in my head and friends usually think alike.

I met some wonderful people in Dallas, people that I will surely keep in contact with. Before I left, I grabbed a fab statement necklace from Juanette because the necklace haunted me every night since I saw her wear it!

(You have to see it on...you can see Juanette wearing it in the post GFS in Dallas: Day 1)

One of the highlights (outside of meeting the Dallas bloggers) was finally making it to Buc-ee's! Do you guys have a Buc-ee's? I've traveled across Texas from time to time and I've always seen it...I thought it was just a truck stop. But oh no boo, Buc-ee's is anything but a truck stop! It's a movement! I don't really know how to describe it except that it's kind of like Wal-Mart meets Chucky Cheese meets a gas station meets a Deli Shop sponsored by CRACK! It was overwhelming!

It's the only place that you can get Jalopeno Cream Cheese in a jar, turkey jerkey, homemade Butter Pecan Fudge,  a DR. Pepper ICEE and the cleanest restrooms ever all under ONE ROOF! I'm a Buc-ee's believer! If you ever see one, stop and go in! You will never look at truck stops the same!

I was on the chartered bus on the way back home and I was reading my new book by Chastity Garner called "The Curvy Girl's Guide to Style". One person saw it and wanted to see it and by the time I got back to Houston, half the bus was asking about the book. That's when I was all like "Umm hmmm girl, my homegirl wrote this here book!" Totally pimping out the book! Chastity, the book was very popular among the curvy teachers I roll with!

Next stop? Norfolk, VA and Washington Dc in a few weeks!