sarah
another roller coaster week. things started off kinda wonky but ended on such a high note... graduation, a wine festival, family, friends, love... i'm still smiling and my head is still spinning.

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter


Sunday




photo a day: something i can't live without... my DVR. as a Capricorn, i hate to waste time. my DVR affords me the luxury of watching 3 hours of television in less than two! the downside... no commercials, although i don't know how much of a downside that is.




Monday




photo a day: where i stand. this is the front half of my living room. that open doorway on the left leads to my tiny charming kitchen. as you can see, i need way more pillows on my daybed/sofa and i should probably empty my recycling bin.




Tuesday




photo a day: pink. the fact that there is pink ink on my eggs telling me its expiration date makes me never want to buy eggs from the mini mart down the street again. but i'm broke and they were something like $1.29 for a large dozen. #shruglife




Wednesday




photo a day: technology. i've been keeping a secret. no, i don't love Apple products. but, i do have a job. i'm a tele-agent. you call with issues about your Apple products, i answer. it's a home-based position and i hate it. hate it so much that i no longer do it and have to return all of these Apple incentives. #NCT




Thursday




photo a day: something new. these are a pair of really cute and deceptively uncomfortable shoes my mom bought me for mother's day.




Friday




graduation day! if i'm honest with you, i was not looking forward to this day. graduations have been very anti-climatic in my experience. it's supposed to be a joyous occasion, then something happens and everything is ruined. someone has a bad attitude, doesn't feel like waiting, it's notoriously hot as hell... but i have to say, this was the best day ever! my family and friends really showed up, i actually enjoyed crossing the stage and was the first person in line, and the ceremony was really short and sweet. i enjoyed this day so much, i'm gonna post another picture!



these are some really pretty flowers, two bouquets of lilies. the white ones are from my father. the orange ones, my favorite, are from my boyfriend. i went out to lunch with my friends where i lavished over my accomplishments, the past, where we see our futures, and i opened my cards and cried. life was great right there over lunch eating cheap Chinese food, as it should always be.


Saturday


went to the Caribbean Wine Fest Saturday with my sorority sisters. this sea of people... that was just the mosh pit! there were twice as many people in the tents surrounding it. there was food and music and wine/drinks galore. it was a blast and a great way to end the week (^_^)
sarah

my momma started my love affair with "the juices". at any given moment in time, there could be four different juice drinks in our fridge growing up... typically OJ, AJ, cranberry or grape, and a blend of some sort. see, i have a weird aversion to fresh fruit, but i eat a lot of veggies, so to get our fruit intake, we drank a lot of juice, taking care to pay attention to sugar content of course. my least favorite of the juices were the ones that came from packages or frozen concentrate. they never tasted fresh to me so i would dread walking over to the frozen juice section in the grocer. #thestruggle

whelp, i am struggling these days and dishing out damn near $4 for fresh juice is just not in the cards for me. but, while kicking sad rocks away from the Simply Apple the other day, i paused in front of that nostalgic Dole 100% Juice frozen concentrate section and gave it a grab. it was less than a dollar and i was juice starved. but, when i brought it back home, i was perplexed as to what i could do with it. the dreaded frozen juice memories haunted me and stymied my creativity, until serendipity, and my clumsiness, caused my herbal teas to fall onto my counter and a juice blend formulated itself in my mind. if i use it as an ingredient... duh duh duhnnuhhhh!


i chose Wild Sweet Orange Tazo tea. not only is it a great color, but i figured the lemongrass, ginger, and hibiscus flavors would play well with the pineapple concentrate. i've had this tea in my cupboard for a while, along with the Passion blend. i don't make them as often as i used to, but i might have to remedy that this summer...


first, i made a simple syrup with 1/2 cup of raw sugar and 3/4 cup of filtered water. i let it simmer for a bit until the sugar melted and it smelled faintly of caramel, which i also thought would bring a depth of flavor to the juice, instead of a cloying sugary background. agave nectar and honey might also work, but try think outside of the white sugar box.


then, i took four bags of the tea and put some water on to boil. i steeped them in 2 cups of boiling water for about 5 minutes until i got the right strength, which is indicated by the color... a nice deep orange, one of my favorite colors and the reason why i love this tea. should take no more than 5 minutes. steep any longer and it might go bitter.


i have a simple and cute 1-quart carafe into which i put half of the pineapple juice concentrate, followed by the brewed tea and topped it off with 2 cups of cold, filtered water to cool it down. finally, i topped it off with the 1/2 cup of simple syrup, but you can add more or less to your liking.


ta-da! juicy juice. just store in the fridge to completely cool it and let the flavors marry, but don't keep it longer than a couple of weeks. and, as with the case with frozen concentrate juice mixes, you must shake well before serving. serve it straight up or you could mix it with champagne, sparkling water, or ginger ale to really drive the herbal and complex flavors home. serve it with a great meal as i did here:


the exotic, fruity flavors paired well with homemade salmon hash i made for brunch. yum! this should make a perfect summertime drink and could pair well with any type of grilled meat or veggie salad. stay tuned for what else i have in store for the juice concentrate...
sarah
this was a sorta stressful week. i'm sitting on pins and needles as i wait to hear word on three job positions for which i interviewed (keep your fingers crossed for me). and i'm preparing for my graduation this Friday! as a result, i again didn't take very many photos. life gets in the way.
follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


photo a day: mum. here is my mom from our Mother's Day IHOP feast. check the shoes... yeah. i had on Converses that day. we are very different, but we look like twins. my mom loves to give. so much so that on Mother's Day, she bought me gifts instead.


Monday


photo a day: grass (i warned you it was a slow picture week). this is the grass bed by Mount Vernon park where i live. i barely typed that without laughing at how ridiculous this entry is!


Tuesday


photo a day: love. this photo was sent to me by my sorority sister who is studying to be a doctor. fitting, right? love is life. just a note here, but i was feeling ok after the breakup with my bf until this day. a lot of the ppl i follow on IG posted pictures of them with their bf/gf... but fuck it, my picture is dope!


Wednesday


photo a day: what i'm reading... i haven't really picked up a book in months, but my Google reader keeps me reading with all of the natural hair, interior design, and food/lifestyle blogs i subscribe to.


Thursday


photo a day: snack. i actually don't do a lot of snacking. i don't keep any in the house, not to restraint reasons, but because i'd rather enjoy a meal rather than graze over small bites all day. it took me a while to enjoy tapas. i'm serious.


Friday


i went to Houlihan's in the Baltimore Inner Harbor and had some disco fries. man, look... it was a very small bowl of them, but it was enough! they were so decadent! it was fries, mozz cheese, and pot roast with gravy, but the pot roast tasted like boeuf bourguignon with rich wine and veg, yum!


Saturday


'nuff said.
sarah
i wasn't nearly in the mood to capture photos this week. it's been very busy and sorta rough. to top it all off, me and my bf ended things. even though it wasn't a bad breakup, it was a breakup nonetheless. sunrise, sunset. but, coming home to DC for mother's day was a great way to turn my week around. Happy Mother's Day!
follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


easy like Sunday morning! after a day of cleaning and doing laundry, i went home and made some good ole catfish and grits. i got the catfish from the farmer's market and it was so fresh and sweet!


Monday


photo a day: someone who inspires me - Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. for obvious reasons. she has a cool elegance and makes delicious delectables. i hope to throw dinner parties like her one day. i even have that same dutch oven.


Tuesday


photo a day: a smell i adore. this is my pantry, full of spices and powders that make my kitchen smell heavenly. a few of my fave are cumin, cocoa, and vanilla.


Wednesday


photo a day: something i do everyday - watch Golden Girls. little secret, i wake up and go to sleep by the show because it comes on three times a day. sometimes i catch the afternoon showing too. i'm watching it as i type this up. so?


Thursday


photo a day: a favorite word - congratulations. as soon as i see or hear the word, i instantly feel thankful and so blessed. it reminds me that i accomplished something big. another secret of mine... seeing my name written out makes me feel special too. i love my name.


Friday


bitchin loft space. i love lofts. i almost lived in one, but most lofts in Baltimore have terrible views. but i love everything about this one, the wood flooring and beams with feature lights, the island range in the kitchen, the painted exposed brick, and the staircase. this is beautiful.


Saturday


photo a day: something that makes me happy. this is about 20% of my family pigging out at IHOP, take up two tables and the booth. i love getting together with my family and feasting. it's the best time you'll ever have! the laughter and stories... it was just what i needed.
sarah
hello May! you're gorgeous! unfortunately, my apartment does not reflect that. my place is a wreck! so messy with clothes and dishes everywhere. *slaps wrist* but, this weekend is all about cleaning things up. my boyfriend is the catalyst, helping me by cleaning my kitchen. i'm off to do laundry at his place today, but first... week in photos time! enjoy (^_^)
follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


photo a day: circle. for the past two weeks, i've ended these posts with food fun with my boyfriend. this week, i'm starting off there! we went to brunch and i finally, finally, finally filled my craving for chicken & waffles. it's been too long.


Monday


photo a day: something that makes me sad - i search for jobs and put in tens of applications per week. it's rough and i don't really want to move Muncie, Indiana.


Tuesday


photo a day: peace - of cookie! i made some cookies this week because it was that kind of week.


Wednesday



photo a day: skyline - this was the skyline the last time i went home to DC. sigh.


Thursday

i wanna live here.


Friday


came across this butterfly on the concrete streets of Baltimore while i was headed to Starbucks. it must be lost. i know the feeling.


Saturday


took some leftover mashed potatoes and some leftover ground chicken and made spicy chicken potato fritters. with gravy. always with gravy.