Saturday, May 31, 2014

30 Day Ab Challenge

Summer has snuck up on me. It's not a bad thing but I've definitely been putting off sticking to my workout routine. You see, working out and I have a love-hate relationship. I love how it keeps me healthy and allows me to pretty much eat whatever I want within reason, but I LOATH how I become beet red, dripping with sweat, and huffing and puffing. I am definitely not one of those girls who looks flawless after a workout with just a tiny bead of sweat on her forehead. In order to avoid becoming a sweaty beast, I've come up with every possible excuse in the proverbial book as to why I can't bring my lazy butt to the gym or go outside for a run. Well it's time for the beast to come out of hibernation.

For a while now, I've seen the 30 Day Ab Challenge going around the Internet. These fads seem to pop up every few months and I usually don't give them a lot of consideration but since I was going to start working out again, I thought I'd see what this is all about. For once, this seemed like something that was plausible for me to attempt. It doesn't start you off at a sprint. Instead the workout plan slowly starts you off at a walking pace that gradually increases everyday with rest days thrown in so you aren't working on your abs for 30 days straight. Your muscles do need a rest after all. And I managed to convince K to do this with me for added support (and to hold me accountable for following through)!


Summer Dresses

Rose from The Londoner just did a post on a few summer dresses and it has me itching to go buy some new ones. I've been scouring the Internet to do some pre-shopping before the weekend and found some amazing dresses. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of these might just wind up in my closet by Monday...


Thursday, May 29, 2014

Orange Curd

I've always preferred having a curd over a jam with my toast or scones. I love tangy flavors and the way they make your mouth slightly pucker with the sourness. Usually I have a jar of lemon curd in either my cabinets or in my fridge but this week I wanted something different. 

Scouring the internet for ideas, I came across a recipe from the domestic goddess Martha Stewart and decided to use it as a base for my own recipe. 


Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Weekend and Old Town

Memorial weekend is here and it marks the unofficial start of summer as well as my move back to Chicago for the next few months! I've been horrible about blogging and I have no excuse besides pure laziness. Since being in Chicago is almost like being in an entirely new city (I know a few places here and there), I decided that I am going to spend this summer getting to know this city better. As part of her plan to get me to move here permanently, my cousin K thought that she would show me around parts of Chicago. After spending 45 minutes driving around Wicker Park trying to find parking to no avail, we decided we would give our parking luck a try in Old Town. Luckily the parking fairies were on our side and we found a great spot right in the middle of Wells St!