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From mid-February to about mid-March, I worked in the Psychiatric ER. Working an entire month of almost exclusively night shifts (mostly 7pm to 7am) meant completely shifting my schedule to a nocturnal one if I wanted to survive the rotation. This included the days that I wasn't scheduled to work. I was initially apprehensive about working through the entire night, and found myself wondering what I would do on the nights I'm off at home and have the whole night to kill. After all, there's only so much Netflix one can watch. So what did I do long after H retired to bed and I was left all by myself? Work on art projects that I almost never get time for anymore!

DIY watercolor galaxy

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Indoor plants are a great way to liven up a living space and add some green to the scene (I'm sorry I can't help rhyming). When I was in high school and living with my parents, my inner grandma really unleashed herself and I got into gardening a lot. My parents have a huge yard in the back so the highlights of my weekend mornings were planting beds of flowers that my dad would buy from Home Depot. My after-school plans always involved watering the plants, and I loved just standing there with the hose for 15-20 minutes every afternoon, letting my mind wander. Now that I've painted a somewhat depressing image of my total 16 year old homebody self, it should come as no surprise that 10 years later, not much has changed. I still love gardening and greenery. Living in an apartment takes out the option of having a huge garden like I had when living with my parents all those years ago, but there are still other ways to accommodate my love for plants. The unfortunate reality of life now is that I hardly have time to water plants daily or even weekly. After a few pathetic failed attempts to grow a basil plant (my high school self would be so disappointed in me), I knew I had to find something that would be difficult to kill. What better plant group than the popular, hipster, cool succulents?

I've gathered some of my favorite trailing succulents here. These plants are perfect to have in a pot on a counter, or a hanging basket because they grow beautiful trails. 

Fishhook succulent or String of Bananas (senecio radicans)

Native to South Africa, this specie can't tolerate temperatures below freezing (not ideal for outdoors if you live in a cold place). Of note, this plant is toxic and should not be consumed- keep away from pets and kids (and curious, hyperphagic, hyperoral adults). 




String of Pearls (senecio rowleyanus)

Native to parts of southwest Africa, this plant is also toxic when consumed.



Ghost Tail (graptopetalum paraguayense)

Native to Mexico, and not Paraguay as the name would suggest, this plant can tolerate freezing temperatures. If you decide to plant it outdoors, it is "deer resistant".




Donkey Tail plant (sedum morganianum)

This plan is native to Mexico and Honduras. It's leaves are extremely delicate and will fall off at the slightest touch. 



indoor trailing succulents

Sunday, March 19, 2017


While in New Orleans for a quick New Years trip back in December, H and I stumbled upon a writing supplies store while walking around the French Quarter, Papier Plume. Seeing different calligraphy inks in the window display obviously sucked me in immediately, and while perusing the store, I found an array of sealing wax and stamps. After seeing the sealing wax and stamp used in action during a demo at the store, I purchased them. Excited to finally use it, I sealed a wedding card envelope I recently sent to a friend.

The composition of sealing wax has changed over time. In the Middle Ages, it was largely composed of either beeswax or extract of the European Larch tree. Later, resin and shellac became more common. Unfortunately, by the mid-nineteenth century, pre-gummed envelopes made their debut and thus wax seals lost their appeal. Nonetheless, wax seals remain a timeless extra to personalized snail mail. I've put together a quick how-to if you want to try using your own wax and stamp to seal envelopes, letters, or ribbons.



Step 1: Light a candle. Dip the end of your sealing wax stick into the fire to melt some wax. When it looks like the surface of the tip has melted (should take less than 5 seconds), you're ready to place the wax on your paper. Be careful- leaving the wax in the fire too long will cause the wax to start dripping everywhere. 


Step 2: Place and very gently press the melted wax tip onto your desired stamp location. Hold it there for just as long as it takes to get a puddle of wax onto the paper.


Step 3: After removing the stick of wax, let the wax puddle sit for about 2-3 seconds and then press the stamp onto the wax. Hold the stamp firmly there for about 5 seconds. Remove stamp and you're done!

wax seal for snail mail

Monday, March 13, 2017


If you've read some of my other muffin recipes/food entries on this blog, then it should come as no surprise when I say I love blueberries. They're full of antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber, and when they're baked into foods, they taste even better. This blueberry oatmeal muffin with granola crumb topping recipe adds an extra crunch thanks to the granola on top, with a boost of fiber thanks to the oatmeal. It's a healthy on-the-go breakfast (my favorite type) that goes great with a cup of coffee. 



The only small change I made to the original recipe, which can be found here, is that when it came to sprinkling the top of the muffins with granola just before putting them into the oven, I used my favorite KIND banana nut granola clusters that were broken up into smaller pieces. The banana nut flavor is almost unnoticeable and didn't mess with the overall flavor of these delicious muffins. 

blueberry oatmeal muffins with granola topping

Friday, March 3, 2017

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