i desperately need your opinion.

Migranes have never really been part of my life, until the beginning of the month or so. Occasionally my focus fades in and out and my head fills with pressure. I know you may think I'm some sorta dummy, but about two or three years ago, i got an eye exam and the optometrist clearly said I ought to wear glasses. So I did..for about a month. Now I'm facing the consequences and I'm on the hunt for some glasses that "fit me." I NEED your opinion as to which ones look best. I found a couple of adorable shops with not-too-high of prices and cute styles, and here are some photos from my "home try-on" sesh. Please excuse the askew zooming and rotating of the product. Haha, kind of cracks me up.

Before. 

Bowery Perfect Amber















Bowery Blonde

Bowery True Tortoise

Castor True Tortoise

Clarice Matte Tokyo Tortoise

Delancey Matte Tokyo Tortoise

Greenwich Dark Khaki

Jermyn Perfect Amber

Jermyn Brown Sugar

Lafayette Tortoise & Blonde

This one was kind of a joke. Hahaha.


Magoo Blonde Tortoise

Quincy True Tortoise

This is a very serious situation here. Would YOU want me to walk around in Magoos?

Portland Love: Tea Chai Tè

Since I live in the most wonderful city in the United States, (Great Northwest, REPRESENT) I think I'll start a great new series called Portland Love. In this, I will feature coffee shops, venues, eateries, and just spots I love in the beautiful Portland, Oregon. You'll love it.


And to start things off, I'd like to present one of my favorite spots on 23rd Avenue (They have a brand new location in Sellwood). Tea Chai Tè is not your typical "granny's brunch and white gloves" tea shop. When you walk in, instantly your're captured by their friendly service and wall dedicated to little jars of tea blends there for your love of aromatic pleasure. One of my favorites to get is their hot coconut milk tea with tapioca pearls. Yup, hot bubble tea. I've ordered this drink a countless amount of times and i'm thrilled to go again today (they open at 9a, and i'm counting down the minutes). Since I'm extremely obsessed with coconut, this is my favorite winter drink. :)
Here is their bubble tea menu.

It was all uh-blur. Went there.

The famous wall of teas.

 LOVE these little guys.

10:57a
I got Spiced Vanilla Chai this morning and as always it's yummy. Buuuuuuut, Coconut Màte is my favorite still. 

Also.. If you work (or live, you luckies) around 23rd (or Sellwood), you can utilize their order ahead option too. How fantastic.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-10

experimentation!

Alyssa and I went to the mall yesterday and spent a bajillion hours at Sephora where I tried a new liquid lipstick by Kat Von D and loooooooved it. I'm normally not a huge fan of pink lips, but this was absolutely a super fun color. I can't find the exact product online, but when i do, i'll definitely post it.

Also, i like spending time with my sissy. :)

Friday, February 10, 2012: I FOUND IT.

Everlasting Liquid Love Lipstick

The color I sampled is called Backstage Bambi.
It's super pigmented and when i wanted to try on another color, i had to SCRUB to get it off. Talk about long wear. Definitely would be worth the 19 bucks.

hazelnutty readings.

I'm definitely trying very hard to keep my new year's res for this year, so at the moment I'm reading Blue Like Jazz  written by a fellow Portland dweller named Donald Miller. I'm on chapter 6 and it is SO difficult to put this stinkin' thing down! It's memoir-style and so great. I'm excited to finish this.

It's subtitled, "Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality."
SO. GOOD.

As for the hazelnut? I just finished my almost midnight snack of a nutella sandwich with sliced apples. One of my very favorite snacks.

wiggly mug, 65 inch moose, and a university.

I spent last weekend hanging out with a super cool girl from my church, Shauna. She grabbed her company's Costco card and we had a blast perusing the isles for office supplies and snackage...and found a 65" moose! IT WAS SO CUDDLY OHMYGOSH.

Later that day, we tripped it over to Multnomah University and engaged in awesome activities and spent the night talking with our hostesses about our life stories and God. Let me tell you something about Bible college: you will always find inspiring people with uplifting (and challenging) stories. I love it. And I canNOT wait. 

Yep, you heard me. 

Here is my letter of acceptance:

I am stoked out of my mind to grow and learn about the One responsible for this gorgeous earth. YESSSSSS.

Yummy Yum: Fruit Parfait

Lesson to learn from this post: Sometimes cooking on a whim WORKS. This was my very first parfait and i just created it as i went. It's soooOOoooOoooOOO easy to customize.


Ingredients [what i used]:


(one diced) apple [braeburn]
(one eighth cup) water
(two tablespoons) powdered sugar
(one handful) berries [raspberries]
(one ounce) chocolate chips
(one cup) Greek yogurt [vanilla]
coconut to garnish

Here's How:
1. heat half of the water over medium heat and toss in apples. Let simmer for about 6 minutes or until slightly softened. add half of the powdered sugar and cook for another 2 minutes. pour in a bowl and chill. 
2. repeat with raspberries, but reduce total cooking time to 3 minutes, also chill.
3. melt chocolate chips
4. layer ingredients: yogurt, apples, yogurt, berries, yogurt, apples, berries, chocolate, and garnish with coconut. 

Such a masterpiece and I'm having it for breakfast again tomorrow. :)

Thing 1 & Thing 2.

SO.

Thing 1. The Clean Eating Challenge lasted me a good 3 days. Not because I gave in though, so that's good! Day one was good, day two i noticed myself getting a bit weaker and by day three, i realized i wasn't as prepared as i thought i was. It may be because
A) I discovered this challenge three days before the start date,
B) I didn't put enough effort into buying the right groceries, or
C) I like sweets.

 This isn't the end, Clean-Eating Challenge! You may have won this battle, but sleep with one eye open.

Here is a little recap of my adventure, however.

Me with my blender buddy..

Pesto Whole Grain Linguine/ Spicy Chili Veggie Stir-fry via Noodles & Company.

Thing 2. I did come up with some fun ideas for meals though, so I'll be posting em. I guess that's a great thing to take from this experience!

I <3 cooking.