decisions, decisions

Well, I made the fantastic decision to spend my nose-blowing weekend by starting the show House of Cards. This proved to be rather interesting. I've successfully made it through season one, and am now on the edge of my seat to find time to watch season two. whoops! I knew I would be addicted as soon as I started..

Besides the marathon session of House of Cards- and my netflix account reminding me I have no life when I'm ill, I did find the time to clean, get some groceries, and pin a lot of unnecessary things on pinterest that I now want immediately. Like these adorable umbrella stands- would it be weird  to own more than one?

And if you haven't seen this ridiculously adorable video of baby sloths you should watch it right now and prepare to swoon...
Sloth Squeak! from Lucy Cooke on Vimeo.

I'm now adding a baby sloth to my birthday list- along with Paul Rudd and these Harry Potter glasses. Keep that in mind for August.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

TGIF!

This has utterly been a long and exhausting week for me- besides the fact that I literally cannot breathe out of my nose at this moment, Big J decided to pull some cra-cra shit starting Monday and ending never. (If it doesn't end soon, I may check myself into a facility for something I make up right now, hey hard drugs let's be friends!)

Anywho- I'm ready to curl up on my couch with a big hot mug of tea, a box of tissues, my favorite blanket, and Frozen. It will be happening in t-minus 12 hours.

But besides the outrageous child behavior I've dealt with this week and the beautiful (awful) sinuses my father so gratefully gave to me at the moment of my conception , thanks dad!, there have been some great things this week as well....

1) My newest Coffee Table Book- I've beeen a little too into coffee table books lately, but Urban Outfitters keeps me coming back for more with their shenanigans. This is my newest one- and it's freaking hilarious. You can check out the blog here, trust me- it will be the best part of your day.

a sample of my collection

2) I'm like 98% sure that I will be attending the Blogcation hosted by Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel- I'm still waiting to hear back from my boss if it's cool that I take a week off, but it will happen. If you haven't heard about the blogcation yet- I suggest you click here and read all about this perfect vacation for yourself and your blogging buddies... and if you are already going or thinking about going let me know! I need a roommate!


3) Kait, from Kait Makes A Run for It, blogged about this language app on Wednesday call Duolingo, and now I'm totally hooked and may or may not be learning spanish. We will see how that last part goes. I also downloaded QuizUp (my mistake) and I'm dominating in both The Harry Potter and Hunger Games book categories- don't mess with someone who has read those books hundreds of times. Boo-yah!

damn right I'm correct

4) I'm officially registered for the NYC Marathon this year and am actually starting to get excited about it. I've been a bit off on my running game lately but I started looking at training plans and tips and am hoping to jump back on the program in the next few weeks and then to start my official training in June. You will hear lots more as this happens. yay!

5) And as April draws to the half-way-ish point, I'm getting psyched for all my summer plans! Now I just need to order some new swimsuits, shorts, and find a good sunless tanner for my paper white legs. And does anyone want to help me install my AC unit...

Happy Friday!

32 Things That Make Me Happy

I'm a little late to the party with this link-up but with much ado- here are 32 things that make me happy!

1) Baby Animals: except for maybe snakes which is probably my only exception- I have yet to meet a baby animal that didn't make me happy

2) My family

I'm the adorable child in the middle!

3) Disney Pixar Films

4) 'Nsync

5) Candy aka Sugar

6) Coffee

7) Sadie and Phoenix

8) Harry Potter

9) Disney World

10) The Oscars

11) Singing

12) Watching a live show

13) traveling

Ireland

caves in Israel

14) gossip magazines

15) finishing a race

16) summer camp- wish I could still go back every year!

17) clean sheets

18) warm towels from the dryer

19) lazy sundays

20) Thunderstorms

21) Snow!

22) Hearing my little monkeys laugh

23) blog comments

24) Meeting celebs

Paul Rudd

Topher Grace (I swear!)

Ian McKellan

25) everything about my college

26) homemade vanilla ice cream

27) reading- check out some book recommendations here and here

28) picnics in the park- especially now that the weather is nice!

29) beach days

30) Miley Cyrus- her concert this past weekend was AH-MAZING!

we had a lot of this going on

31) new candles- lately I've been obsessed

32)  all of my friends, new and old!

yes, that's Leah from Sunshine and Traffic Jams- we go way back!

check out some of the other posts- and thanks to Erin and Sarah for the link-up!

And your time is running out to enter this awesome coffee+art giveaway! Enter now before it's too late!

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Chickpea Stew with Orzo and Mustard Greens

 I love a good stew and this one is as easy as can be- and it can be vegan/vegetarian or you can add an  extra protein. It's easy to play with,quick to make, colorful, and has some wonderful flavor.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp of EVOO, more for drizzling
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small fennel bulb or 2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsps minced fresh rosemary (optional but recommended)
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (or water)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup roughly chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup whole-wheat or regular orzo
1 qt loosely packed baby mustard greens or spinach (about 5 oz)
salt and pepper
chopped scallions, for garnish
1/4 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, more as needed

Yields: 4-6 servings 

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, fennel or celery, and onion. Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper, and rosemary (if using), and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in broth, if using, or water, plus an additional 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

 2. Once the mixture is boiling, add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and orzo. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer 10 minutes or until orzo is tender. Uncover and stir in greens, letting them simmer until soft, about 2 minutes.

3. Add more water if you want the mixture to be more souplike, and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with chopped scallions (if you want), the grated cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy! 

I've never tried adding a protein but I'm not sure why a piece of grilled chicken wouldn't work with this. And I typically serve with corn muffins- you find that recipe here.

And as usually I'm linking up with the other foodies out there today- check out what everyone else has going on!

And there is only a few days left for the coffee+art giveaway! Enter now for a chance to win!

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