communal hope

CAPES [something empowering] When you don't have the strength or desire to hope, it's okay let others hope for you. Putting your trust in communal hope gets you through until you have the strength to hope again.

COFFEE [latest trend or addiction] This week, I made Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese using their own recipe. Congratulations Beecher's, you certainly have earned that title as well as made it to my personal addiction list.

THE COLOR ORANGE [something noteworthy] The website 20x200 is a fabulous resource to help you redecorate or incorporate art into your home! Limited edition prints start at $24, and each week new prints are added to the site. Yesterday, I purchased this artsy map of Amsterdam.

brussels sprouts: the ultimate hipster vegetable

CAPES [something empowering] "Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

COFFEE [latest trend or addiction] Need some extra shine? Try dabbing a bit of lip gloss on your cheeks.

THE COLOR ORANGE [something noteworthy] Here's my sister-in-law's delicious recipe for brussels sprouts: 1) halve the sprouts, 2) toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, 3) place them cut side down in an iron skillet pan* and toast them, 4) after they are nice and toasty, mix them around in the pan. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan. A once socially-hated vegetable is now hipster-cool.

*I don't have an iron skillet, so I broil them in the oven.

say no to crack, and yes to cigarette [cut jeans].

CAPES [something empowering] C.S. Lewis once said that "the heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should, obey it." So, it's okay to follow your heart, but don't forget to use your head.

COFFEE [latest trend or addiction] Tired of skinny jeans that you're constantly yanking up to keep your crack from showing? Here's your remedy: high rise skinny jeans. The cigarette high-rise cut from Urban Outfitters are simply amazing and come in super bright colors.

THE COLOR ORANGE [something noteworthy] It's a sad fact that when it snows in Seattle, my volvo cannot make it out of my parking lot (lame excuse: my parking space is in the middle of a small sloped hill). Luckily, I have two capable legs that can get me to work and back if I need to make a run for it.

fizzy hydration

CAPES [something empowering] Love > Fear

COFFEE [latest trend or addiction] I got a Soda Stream fizzy water maker for Christmas, and not only do I love it, but I have actually woken up in the middle of the night craving fizzy water. My favorite additives are tangerines, mangoes, and fresh ginger slices. Hydration has never been so easy.

THE COLOR ORANGE [something noteworthy] About a year ago, a trooper and a grad student walked into a gun range, and BANG!...a lot can happen in a year.

I Love the Toll Troll

CAPES [something empowering] Real friends say what they need to say. The act of withholding, while it may be easier to do, is actually unkind and unfriendly.

COFFEE [latest trend or addiction] The makers of Words With Friends have their own take on hangman: Hanging With Friends. I dare you to hang with me (username: annievp).

THE COLOR ORANGE [something noteworthy] The 520 Toll has begun...use the application "Toll Troll" to find out rates as well as traffic updates comparing I90 and 520.