Crabmeat Soup from 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know

 

I tried this recipe once before but since crabmeat is sooo expensive I used imitation. The flavor was phenomenal but the texture was...really strange; we didn't want seconds. So this time I sprang for the real deal and was not disappointed!

 

 The buttery, seafood-y goodness of this soup brought me all kinds of happiness on this rainy Tuesday.

I won't share the recipe but I absolutely recommend this cookbook! It was given to me as a gift after I put it on my amazon wishlist (check it out!) and I was so excited to get it!

What I will tell you is that this is a pretty nutritious recipe as well tasting like it should be served at Red Lobster. Apart from the crabmeat it also calls for spinach, coconut milk, an onion, and lemon juice (I've intentionally omitted 2 or 3 indredients) which all have significant health benefits. There are some other fantastic recipes in this book and it's very user-friendly. I can recommend both it and this smashing soup!

 Yummmmmm

 

How I'm Wearing my New Lace Vest

 

So first off, I never wear gold but I have a few sentimental pieces and I sacrifice my color wheel occasionally to feel near those that gave them to me. I thought they went very well with the delicate feel of the vest.

On my face I have pretty natural make-up + my signature smokey eye. :) Since it's been so humid the past several weeks (and I've just been super lazy) I've been letting my hair air-dry almost every day. Here I scrunched it a little as it was drying and then raked it into a lower ponytail with my fingers. The bangs were slipping so I pulled them loose and tucked them behind my ears.

Now for the fun part! I was at Burke's Outlet the other day looking for jeans (which I still haven't found to suit) and this lace vest caught my eye. It was an impulse buy and I was really afraid I would never, ever wear it but ta-da! Not bad for 12 bucks. :)

I put it over my black, Wal-mart maxi which has proved fantastically versatile and added the brown belt and sandals to tie in the boho feel of the vest. I loved the result! It's been my favorite outfit in weeks and I can't wait to figure out more ways to wear this vest!

Review of "The Fault in our Stars"

I had heard so much about The Fault in our Stars by John Green; and I never go much for pop lit, but I finally decided to read it. I didn't like it. Opinion of pop lit confirmed. And since I haven't heard a single negative thing about it I felt it necessary to write this review.

Maybe it's because the main character is the total opposite of me. Usually I empathize with just about anybody but this girl just made me furrow my brow and roll my eyes at her unrelenting pessimism. Why would you live your life that way? Stupid, moody teenager (Juliet much?). I was so emotionally detached from the characters that when (Spoiler Alert!) the love interest got sick my reaction was: "Good, kill him. It'll redeem your trite plot. Excellent, this is good writing. I approve." I should not have to be thinking about the crafting of the story as I read! I have rarely read anything so unable to engage me. (Oh, and wait, who was it that died first in Romeo & Juliet? Hmmm...maybe it wasn't that original of a plot twist after all...)

The few quotes that resonated with me, I began to realize after I was several chapters in, were those that the characters quoted from other authors. Sad, Mr. Green, just sad. There was one quote that the author had actually penned that I liked but it had lost all of its poignance because I had seen it plastered all over pinterest:

So when I got there I just had to force a 'that's-nice-dear'-smile at the page.

But the thing that bothered me most about the book was that I had the answers to all of its unanswered questions. Jesus! Now maybe I'm being trite, but it's the absolute truth! The biggest emotion I felt while reading was the desperate need to crawl inside the book and tell the characters:  "No! This isn't all there is! And this is not all you were meant for! The one who created the stars created you and he's waiting for you! Can't you hear him calling? Oh, please, please listen before it's too late!"

Since I couldn't tell the characters these things, the book left me very depressed. But perhaps, it served a purpose in my life to give me a glimpse into the hearts of those who don't know. It did serve to remind me that I should have that desperate need to tell everyone that there is hope and there is meaning. We are all created for a purpose, and unless we are fulfilling our most basic need to love and serve our creator-savior then we will have neither.

Q:  So why does everyone love it so much? A:  Why does everyone love Romeo & Juliet??? I'll never understand that... But I think the real reason for this book's success is its title. In my opinion: Brilliant title, poopy book.
 

A Poem Scribbled in Prayer Meeting

When I hold a pen,

It starts to itch and dance in my hand.

What do you want from me?

What do you have to tell me?

To tell the world?
 

Are you the instrument...

Or am I?
 

Day-off Summer Chic

Being comfortable is huge to me: I rarely wear heels and anything that pinches has to depart from my life. I have the day off but I still had some errands and appointments to keep so I wanted to look pretty and wear items that I can't wear working with children.
This outfit was my perfect blend of comfy & classy.

I've been craving a crop top ever since I saw a crop top/maxi skirt combo on pinterest and here is my version:

 

 The top came from JCPenny's and the skirt is from Wet Seal. Of course, I'm wearing my silver crochet Toms! I thought my hair felt mermaid-esque so I chose these starfish earrings from Claire's:

 

This was one of those hairstyles that I didn't plan, it just evolved throughout the day. I started out by straightening it. I went to my first appointment and then I really wanted it out of my face, so I did a waterfall braid starting just above my temple and going just behind my ear on either side. Then I made lunch and really wanted it off my neck, so I did the side braid and I love the result!