Monday Musings with Manny, Volume 3

Just look at this guy...can you believe they let him talk to clients? ;-)

This week from Manny's mouth:

Manny: I’d like to learn Latin. I know pig latin…maybe I don’t need to learn. Radek how did you learn ‘Spy’?

Radek (who speaks Polish): [in Russian accent] Manny it’s top secret

Manny: "That’s what I noticed in Seattle."

Paul: "What did you notice in Seattle?"

Manny: "There are tons of Inuit people."

Paul: "Really? Like the tribe?"

Manny: "Yeah, well they are Eskimos, so yeah, cold weather Indians!"

[I have NO IDEA how he comes up with this stuff]

Happy Monday from ConnectEDU!

**Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own (or Manny's) and not those of my employer.**

Instagram April

My mind is blank right now, so I'll let the pictures do the talking:

My FAVORITE candle on the planet - French Cade & Lavender from Anthropologie

I love my new glasses - *surprise!* they're leopard print inside :)

One of my all-time favorite purchases from France - my crepe cookbook. It'll come in handy this coming Saturday when I host a crepe potluck!

Oh, you know, the office...

Ah, she knows me so well! (Adanna was leaving for Turkey - yep the country - and almost missed her bus.)

CJ was gracious enough to have me over for dinner on Tuesday and I got to try THIS awesomeness - bisteeya, a Moroccan potato dish (SO GOOD)

CJ's boyfriend, Mark, was the chef that prepared our meal - here we have Moroccan chicken over couscous mmmmmmmmm

So on Thursday I had to go in to the doctor for a lactose intolerance test....it was 3 hours, so I brought something to fill the time. This is my current endeavor - all 600+ pages of it.

(can you tell how much I love Instagram???) On Thursday evening, my friend Loren invited me to go to a Stella & Dot trunk show hosted by her friend Lauren. I had an awesome time and got to meet a few new girls, gossip about J Lo dating Casper Smart, enjoy a glass of Skinny Girl Margarita (new favorite beverage alert!), and purchase this necklace. If you want to purchase any of the beautiful jewelry, just go to her site: http://www.stelladot.com/sites/LaurenMS

I've discovered a new way of doing my hair! Pretty excited about it :) 

A step in the hair process - after washing/conditioning with an at-home keratin treatment, I blow dry it, straighten, and then use a curling iron to 're-curl' it into bigger curls. Then I just run my fingers through it to break up the curls and voila!

Can't get enough of Avana Sushi and the dumpling station next to it...

I was SO EXCITED to go out with my friend Vanessa! I haven't been feeling too well the past several weeks and haven't gotten to go out and 'get my groove on' in awhile, so it was super fun to go out with her (and man this girl can dance!)

All dolled up!

I was super stoked to get to hang out with my friend Loren as well! Earlier she and I went to a house party hosted by my friend Divesh, and then she and I went with Vanessa to District for Latin Night 

The ladies :)

I got to be in the DJ box! Woop woop! 

So, funny enough, I've had multiple people send me the article "12 Problems Busty Girls Have" (no idea what they're trying to say)...I figured out a way to handle #6 on the list - wear a bulky hoodie!

This cute little guy was on the T - we had fun smiling at each other :)

If I could have a BerryLine in my kitchen (à la Richie Rich), I would. I met up with my friend Tara for some froyo before she moves back to California....I'm sad to see her go, but was happy we could hang out and eat some delciousness before she did :)

Mmmmmmmm...original flavor with ground up Taza chocolate and candied pecans

Whole Foods is becoming my 'home away from home.' I get lost in the gorgeous displays and free food samples. The produce section is my favorite...

I'm still recovering from my night out (I know I'm still 'young' but I definitely can't be out all night like I was in college and still have the ability to function the next day!) so I'm going to head to bed...super pumped for church in the morning, meeting up with Hilary to do a little retail therapy, and cook this week's meals (so glad I already did laundry today!). Be sure to check back Monday for Musings with Manny - I have a great Instagram photo and more of the hilarity that comes from his mouth every day ;-)

April showers bring May flowers...right?

So the setting of this blog post is basically the exact opposite of last week's post - it's cold and rainy outside...but that's ok because I get to be inside! I'm about to put on the kettle to make a cup of hot tea (hold on, I'll go do that now...ok back), I've already made this week's lunch (my good ol' standby, Black Beans & Quinoa) and next I'll make my frittata for breakfast. I've done some laundry, then I'll clean my room and the living room, then catch up on some work. I already went to church and grocery shopping this morning...so yeah, I'd say this is going to turn out to be a pretty productive rainy Sunday :)

Ok, on to this week's highlights:

I made my own 'homemade' cheese plate! Yesssssss all the ingredients are store bought, but I picked them all out and assembled them!

Mmmmmm, mmmmmm...I discovered that Whole Foods sells 'homemade' pickles - the ones that are still bright bright green and have just a hint of the 'pickley' flavor. Those are my *favorite* cause they have a unique crunch.

This was part of last week's lunch - corn salad. This is a recipe from one of my favorite spots in Durham - Parker and Otis. They make the most *phenomenal* grilled pimento cheese sandwich and you can get this as a side item. It's super easy - just cut corn fresh off the cob (no cooking), add in chopped red onion, fresh parsley, halved cherry tomatoes, and apple vinegar/salt/pepper to taste. Simple, fresh, and tasty!

Now *this* is for the homemade pizza I created (recipe courtesy of Dad) - you marinate halved cherry tomatoes in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, minced garlic, and a bit of garlic salt for a couple hours and then use it as a pizza topping - mmmmmmm

I bought pre-made multi-grain crust and added on organic pizza sauce, 3 cheeses (Romano, Parmesan, and Asiago), then topped with my marinated tomatoes and prosciutto)...oh and you can't forget the crucial step of sprinkling on cornmeal and a *little* bit of garlic salt on the pan before putting the crust down to give it that yummy salty/textured crunch.

TA-DA! Pizza for lunch!

Last week's flowers - pink Gerber daisies :)

Flowers are still blooming and it makes me so infinitely happy to seen them on my walk to work!

My friend Loren came over for dinner on Monday and I tried out a new recipe - Avocado and Crab Salad. Only a few ingredients, no cooking or prepping involved - just chop, throw it all in a bowl, and toss together. Be sure to save your avocado shells for a fun presentation!

This was my to-do list at work on Tuesday. I got about 85% of it done...still have a couple things to wrap up, womp womp

I love the gorgeous houses up here - I found this one on my walk to my eye doctor appointment.

Look what came for me all the way from Hong Kong! I've been rocking a solid purple case on my phone since I bought it last fall and now I got one to 'express myself' ;-)

So imagine the phone case from above...and this is my home screen. Very fun, eh?

Saw this pretty flower on an arrangement in my work building - any idea what it is?

I was feeling sick earlier in the week and my go-to feel better food has always been cold Spaghetti-o's straight from the can. Thank you Mom for sending this in my Easter basket! :)

Can you tell I'm obsessed with the Instagram app? 

So yesterday I rented a Zipcar to drive to Natick so I could go for a bridesmaid dress fitting. It was a mile walk to the car, and I saw so many gorgeous flowers along the way!

Dogwoods remind me of home

And I'll be coming home soon enough! I'm flying back for my sister's college graduation in a couple weeks - WAHOO!!!!!!

Another pretty house - I like the 'round' parts and the bright colors.

An unexpected walkway.

Yesterday was SO FUN! My friends Sarah and Tara came with me for the mini-road trip and we hit up Nordstrom Rack and the Natick Mall along with going to my fitting. I seriously considered getting these Steve Madden pumps, but I could barely walk in them, so thought better of it...but aren't they fabulous???

So I left with plenty of time to get back and get my Zipcar in on time, but we ran into horrendous traffic the entire way back...so what was a 25 minute drive to get there turned into an hour and a half to get back. While I was frustrated and bummed to get fined for being late for something out of my control, Sarah and Tara made it fun/funny. You have to understand that Massachusetts drivers aren't called "Massholes" for nothing - it was CRAZY trying to drive back. Half the roads don't have lines drawn in and people kind of just do what they want. Luckily we were able to laugh about it :)

This past Wednesday was Lisa's 21st birthday (woop woop!) so last night we all went to The Creperie on Newbury for dinner and drinks. This was the Cucumber Mint Cocktail and boy was it GOOD. Very light and refreshing :)

Next up - Croque Madame (ham, cheese, and fried egg) - tasty!

And for dessert....the Tiramisu Crepe!

This is it on the inside....oh my gosh so delightful!

New glasses! Super exciting - I haven't had new frames since high school (which - believe it or not - was about 8 years ago...crazy how time flies).

This one is for you Dad (no offense to any of my blonde readers out there - it's all in good fun) :)

Ok, gotta go pack up my lunch and get crackin on that frittata :)