I Love Bamboo

I love bamboo.

Random Musings of Life

I have been keeping myself occupied with classes, homework, student work, and fitting in a little social time as well. I am working on attempting to relax and enjoy time alone more, however. Overall, it has been a glorious semester, though the past week was not especially fun, for multiple reasons. Regardless, I am pressing onward. It is all I can do, and I will be a better and stronger person in the end.

{This is basically my life motto.}

I just felt like blabbing about a few of the fun things that I’ve been up to lately.

• I got a 48-pack of Prismacolor colored pencils from Hobby Lobby the other day. These pencils are amazing. Seriously, if you’re an artist, they’re the real deal. I haven’t had the chance to play with these in a long time, and I’m so happy that I found a 40% off coupon on Hob Lob’s website and went in and got myself some to draw with again. I am enjoying getting back into art again; it’s so very therapeutic. Hopefully I can post some of my drawings soon. I am silly and left my sketchpad at home, though, so I will have to see if my mom can ship it to me at school.

• School work has been busy, but very interesting and thought-provoking. I have been extremely busy with classwork, but I’m truly enjoying the learning process as of late. It has been very fun and I’m so happy to be fortunate enough to be receiving an education. I am ready to be done, though, because I do have a slight case of senioritis. But I’m doing my best to soak it all in and enjoy the moment {possessing mindfulness skills really helps in this situation}.
• I’m loving getting back into yoga. I signed up for a class at my university’s recreation center, and I am so glad that I did. I’ll be honest: yoga is not easy, and I haven’t even tried to do it in several years. The first day of class was kind of rough; I feel so awkward doing some of the positions. That being said, yoga is amazing, healing, and great for your body and spirit. I felt its effects on my body – I was sore for a day after doing it, but that will change soon. I will become stronger – both mentally and physically – as I continue practicing it. I would like to practice it after college as well.
• I am going to my first roller derby bout next weekend, and I couldn’t be more intrigued and excited about it. One of my mentors and friends is a roller derby girl, and she’s invited me to go to the local bout. I’m either going as an audience member, or I may be able to volunteer by selling tickets, which will get me in for free. I admire the derby girls; they’re tough chicks, and it looks like a lot of fun. So with all that to say, it should be an interesting experience.
• I’m working on drinking more water. This has been kinda tough, as one of my main vices in life is Mountain Dew. I can go several days without it, and then my body starts having withdrawal symptoms and I end up caving. I hope that I can get to a point in which I no longer need it, but it’s just so addicting sometimes. However, I have been better about drinking more water and unsweetened tea. I’m going to attempt to continue monitoring my intake of various beverages.

I hope that life for all of you has been wonderful lately. Despite the ups and downs of daily life, I have found an abundance of joy in my life as of late, and I hope that I continue to be joyful. I have so many things to look forward to in the upcoming months, so there’s really no excuse to be anything but happy. <3

Cupcake Love

I sketched this cupcake real fast this past Monday. I just did it on a legal pad with a fine-point Sharpie. Crappy, I know. But it was fun. I need to get the sketchbook I bought over winter break [but failed to bring back to school with me] and start drawing again. I really miss art, and I need a physical place to keep all of my random thoughts and ideas. I actually have some more ideas on that subject, but I’ll save that for another post.

But for now, enjoy a virtual cupcake! Hooray!

I Can Haz?

I decided to make a “wants” board of my own, just so I can remember all of the things that my broke self is currently coveting.

Listed below are the fashion-related things that I want, with the stores of which they are from.

One: Flats from Express. They come in several amazing colors. But I like the peachy-salmon color the best. Yay.

Two: Dress, also from Express. I just think it’s cute and simple. Plus it matches the flats. Heh.

Three: Earrings from American Eagle. Earrings are fun; particularly dangly ones!

Four: Essie nail polish. I love Essie. I adore turquoise. I am going to buy as much nail polish from them as I can get my grubby little hands on.

Five: Shirt from ModCloth. I happen to look great in that shade of yellow. In my younger years, I never was a huge fan of yellow. I think it’s starting to grow on me, though.

Six: Soda Fountain dress in Grape from Modcloth. Cute, cute, cute. I just love vintage-inspired pieces. I need more dresses in my life. MOAR, I tell you!

Seven: Strappy Suede heels from Forever 21. I’m not sure that I would even be capable of walking in these, but I do love me some wedges. My brother’s girlfriend can pull off the cutest high-heeled shoes. I usually just feel more tall and awkward than I already am once I’ve thrown on some heels. But perhaps I need to start embracing wedge heels more often.

Eight: Lemon square bag from ModCloth. Again with the yellow, and the vintage-inspired look. Love it, and I’m not even huge on purses [for a female].

What are you currently coveting? Of course, I want lots of other things too. But as my parents would say, “How’s it feel to want?” Guess I need to wait until I’m not in college anymore… ha.

PS: I’ll try to get a better-looking “board” later. Perhaps I need to do some more Polyvore-ing.

In an Effort to be a Healthier College Kid…

…I’m becoming pseudo-vegetarian.

Is there even such a term? I guess semi-vegetarian, or perhaps pesectarian are appropriate terms?

I kind of like the sound of “pseudo-vegetarian,” because the geek in me is reminded of the word pseudocode, which is related to programming. {Essentially, it is where you plan out what the actual, logical code will look like in English (aka human terms), but it is not written in a particular programming language with proper syntax.} Now then. What this does mean, for me, is that I will ensure that my diet consists of more whole grains and “natural” fruits and vegetables. I will eat little to no meat, because this works for me. I’ll probably consume chicken and turkey the most on a given weekday, but for the most part, I’ll stick to veggies, fruits, and grains. I will still consume dairy products and natural sugars. I’m also going to do my best to consume locally grown products, which means I’ll be hitting up the food co-ops more often. {I’m kind of a sucker for those places. :S}

Regardless of the semantics, I’m not doing this as a silly New Years’ resolution. You should already know how I feel about such matters. I’m doing this because well, pseudo-vegetarianism is what works for me the best. Personally, I don’t believe in full-on vegetarianism, and quite honestly, I’d miss chicken and bacon far too much to ever commit to being a pure vegetarian. I also don’t believe in veganism, but I’m not criticizing anyone else for choosing either lifestyle – rather, I just don’t think they’re right for me.

I’m doing this for several reasons: a) I want a healthier lifestyle to keep my weight regulated, and to help with my depression; and b) it’s generally cheaper for a poor college kid.

Alright. Obligatory explanations/disclaimers/yadda yadda yadda out of the way, let’s do some meal planning, shall we? I know what you’re thinking: since when did a foodie such as yourself become boring? Well, I don’t think that being a pseudo-vegetarian has to be boring, now does it? Nope. Below I’ve included what I’ll typically eat for breakfasts, lunches, drinks, and snacks. I will still be eating dinner in the dining halls, because unfortunately, I have a meal plan at college, and I cannot allow my parents’ hard-earned money go to waste.

Breakfasts:

• Crisped rice with chocolate soymilk
• Various types of granola with whole milk
• Various types of granola with Greek yogurt, sweetened with honey
• Oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon, possibly with cut up bits of fruit {I’m using the apple sauce in lieu of some of the water, because I’m not a huge fan of oatmeal, and I’m hoping this will spice things up a bit.}
• Greek yogurt with raspberries, blueberries, and pomegranate seeds
• Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, honey, and fruit

Lunches:

• Couscous with tomatoes, feta, and spices
• Falafel burgers {Falafel is surprisingly delicious; I never knew how yummy it was until I went to St. Louis and had some!}
• Turkey, spinach, and cheese wraps on whole wheat tortilla
• Crockpot vegetarian chili {There are no rules that say I can’t have a crockpot in a dorm, so booyah!}
• Whole wheat bagels with cream cheese, and some veggies on top
• Whole wheat pita bread with hummus, black olives, and fresh sweet peppers
• Frozen broccoli, cooked in the microwave
• Updated: Spinach feta blood orange salad {YUM!!}
• Updated: Chickpea, tomato, and feta salad {Also delicious, healthy, and easy.}

Snacks/Lunch Accouterments:

• Apple with peanut butter, almond butter, or Nutella
• Dried cranberries/cherries
• Greek yogurt with fruit and possibly honey
• Mixed nuts
• Dark chocolate {Sometimes with caramel, sea salt, and espresso beans. Yummy!}
• Applesauce with cinnamon
• Cheese sticks
• Green pepper sticks and carrots with hummus
• Whole wheat bread {from local co-op} and real butter
• Oranges {Specifically blood oranges if I can find them; they’re delicious!}
• Popcorn

Drinks:

• Water with a lemon or lime {Citrus fruits really do add a nice zest to water, trust me!}
• Coffee with cream and sugar
• Unsweetened teas

That wasn’t so bad, was it? There’s plenty of variety, which truly is the spice of life!

Got any ideas for me? Let me know.

*ALSO: Stay tuned! I’ll be including how my lunches will look cute and fun in my new containers, assuming that my silicone cups arrive before I go back go down to school. *crosses fingers*

On Finding a Blogging Niche

Many articles on blogging success suggest finding your “niche” as a blogger. {Believe me, I’ve read my fair share of blog advice. I am obsessed with blogging, after all.}

{via weheartit.com}

I’ve been mulling over this a lot lately, and I think that part of me agrees with the fact that one should have a niche and focus to their blog. However, part of me also wants to rebel against that notion; I don’t totally want a niche just yet.

Part of this could be due to the fact that I’m still figuring out who I am. Heck, I’m in my early twenties. How am I supposed to know everything about myself yet? I’m still growing and molding myself into who I want to be. And I guess that, to some extent, life will always be like that. And also? One of the best things about blogging is that you get to document your journey throughout life. That’s why I love it so much.

All rambling aside, what I have discovered through all of my pondering is this: For my blog, for what my future website shall be, I will have a main focus, but I won’t hesitate to blog about some of my other passions. I think it will go something like this:

• Main Focus: First and foremost, my dream is to become a food blogger. I’m obsessed with food, with baking, with analyzing recipes, and I love food photography. So I think that, for the most part, food would be my main “niche.” {Particularly baked goods!}
• Other Ideas: But I don’t want to post solely about food. I think I’d like to post some beautiful photos that I’ve taken, and I’d like to see how I improve as a photographer and artist. I’d also like to become a stronger graphic artist, and post some inspiring graphic art. In addition, I want to talk about fashion, beauty, and other forms of art and self-expression. I want to discuss crafts and other fun, “artsy-fartsy” ideas. And finally, I want to talk about life in general. I want to be open about struggles. I want to talk about my reasons for being happy. I want to write and post my goofy lists. Overall, I just want a beautiful and inspiring space in which I can share my life.

What do you think about blogging? About finding a niche?

Am I crazy, or has blogging been one of the best things to ever happen to you, too?

Because I’m absolutely, positively in love with it.

Happy New Years!

I look awesome, so I have to share this photo:

I love this fedora, and I love the dress I’m wearing. More pics to come soon, but for now I have to get going so that I can ring in the new year with two of my girl friends from high school. For more of my New Years’ babbling, go to my SIUC blog.

xoxo,

Darcie

The Basics: Daily Makeup Regimen

I wear makeup rather sporadically. There isn’t a particular rhyme or reason as to when I decide to wear makeup. It all sorta just depends on my mood at the time.

When I can actually be bothered to wear makeup [which is approximately 56.3527% of the time, to be exact], however, I generally prefer a very simple and quick regimen.

I am not a fan of having anything caked on my face, so I usually just accentuate my good features: my eyes.

In the above picture, you’ll see the basic products that I use, all laid out in a fancy hipster fashion. Below I am going to list what each item is, since you probably can’t tell what the heck anything says since I took the picture with my phone and then did a cool “1960s” Picnik edit, because I am just that awesome.

The Basics [From Left to Right]: Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother with SPF 20, in Glisten; Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara in Black-Brown; bareMinerals Eye Color in Blissful Pearl; and Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips Eye Liner.

These basic tools take me from this:

Apparently, sans makeup, I can pass for a highschooler. I guess that's a good thing? Yikes.

…to this:

I look rather deranged.

As you can see, a few simple tricks makes me look much more awake and “put together.” It’s easy and it doesn’t take much time, which is what I prefer, because there are far more important things to worry about than how my face looks.

Cookbook Love

I received some pretty groovy cookbooks for Christmas…

…Some of which contain organic, gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan recipes. I do not have any gluten allergies, nor am I a vegetarian/vegan. Heck, I’m not even what I’d call a “health nut.” But I do enjoy healthy meals, and I am into trying out interesting, unique ingredients. These books are beautiful and should provide a lot of inspiration for the near future. Plus, they’ll look very classy on my pretty bookshelf that I am currently refurbishing. {Pics of the bookshelf progress coming soon.}

For as tech-savvy as I am, I sure do love physical books. There’s just something about holding the book – feeling its weight, turning the pages, smelling that “new book” smell, and drooling over all of that gorgeous photography – I just love it. I can’t help it.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Image Source: http://www.weheartit.com

I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Regardless of what holiday you celebrate [or don't celebrate], remember to cherish this time with your family and friends.

Just for funsies, here’s our Christmas Day lunch menu:

Appetizers:

• Classic cheeseball with crackers
• Hot spinach artichoke dip [My own recipe - which I will share with y'all soon!]

Main Course:

• Ham
• Au Gratin Potatoes [Homemade by my dad - sooo good!]
• Candied Sweet Potatoes
• Green Beans

Dessert:

• Assorted Pies

Enjoy your day!

xoxo,