On a recent shopping trip to Goodwill I found the gold platter for only $6. I am going to put it on my desk and use it as like a Victorian style inbox, lol, for loose papers and ongoing projects. And these candlestick holders were only 50 cents each.

I was inspired to make Japanese curry rice after watching the j-dorama Cat Street. That was such a short and sweet show and teaches you to do your best がんばって!

It really surprised me that I could get all of the ingredients at my local grocery store. This curry sauce mix was from Japan and the package comes with chunks of dried mix that looks like a chocolate bar. You basically make a stir fry of onions, meat, potatoes, and carrots and then you add water and the curry mix. You mix it all together and serve it over rice. It was really yummy and I am really proud that it turned out so well for my first time trying a Japanese dish :).

A momma bird made her nest right outside my door in a little decorative planter and these are the baby birds! They are so cute. They don't even open their eyes, they just breathe really fast and open their mouths really wide for food. The momma bird gets really agitated and upset every time we go in or out of the door; she is really protective. It is so cool to watch these little guys grow up. 

You know that saying that if you mess with a baby animal and the mom sees, then she will abandon the babies? That is a myth. The mom is still protective and takes care of them just like any mom would. I feel relieved to know that I am not hurting them. 

Wanted to snap a couple pictures of Colin's neighbor's Easter decorations before they were put away. They were really cute and cheery. I haven't ever seen people decorate for Easter so that was a nice surprise. 

Went to the mall for a much-needed spending frenzy. 99% of the time I am frugal and miserly to a fault but then sometimes I just need to spend money and not feel guilty about it. I deserve it since I work a lot.
I liked this new Aloha line of body sprays from Victoria's Secret so I got them all. The blue one is my favorite. They are all beachy and light.

Splurged on my first Clinique purchase. My skin has been needing some TLC, not to mention a daily face routine. I have never been consistent until now. I have dry skin so I got type 1.

Check out all of the freebies that came with my purchase! These are all really great quality and things that I actually will use, too! Amazing. Left to right: a little palette that includes a mirror, two eyeshadows, and a blush; a deep moisturizing lotion, a mascara, a perfect lipstick/lipgloss color for me that I will actually wear (extremely rare), a really great makeup remover, and a travel size of the lotion that is in the three step skincare line that I bought. Plus, two cute little springy makeup bags. I use the smaller one as a sunglasses case right now, lol. This is the best stuff I have gotten for free, ever.

The real reason I went to the mall was to take advantage of a 30% off sale at Crabtree & Evelyn so I could get a birthday and mother's day present for my mom. I got her a lavender bath set and an iris soap since those are her favorite scents. Look at that packaging! It is even prettier on the inside...I died. I love that store but I am kind of bummed because I like the men's fragrances a lot more than the girlier stuff. I am usually that way: I prefer muskier and manlier scents over light florals. The problem is, I got my boyfriend the best smelling/most amazing cologne they have (called Nomad) for Christmas. He wears it only for special occasions and it is his signature scent now. But now I have nothing from there that I like for me!!! I should have bought Nomad for myself. Who cares if I smell like a man, right?

Last stop was H&M where I got this turquoise bracelet with pretty gold baubles. I was actually pretty disappointed. It was my first time being in an H&M because they just opened some up in my state but I kept thinking to myself..."um, how is this different than Forever 21?" Everything was so cheap/cheaply made and there were little screaming girls everywhere. Not all that it is cracked up to be. 

The mall was closing right about the time that I was done with my shopping but I was still hungry and didn't want to leave so I wandered around for a little bit. I followed my nose to Cinnabon and OMG do they not have the best cinnamon rolls? I can't even talk about it. Divine. Heavenly. Orgasmic. 

Our Easter egg dying competition this year was a lot of fun. I think this is our third one and each year the stakes get higher. Everybody tries to one up each other. This is Elizabeth, Colin's niece. She is very advanced for her age which makes her a pretty awesome baby. She was "practicing" for her first Easter egg hunt.

 The tie dye kit was a big hit this year. Everyone wanted sparkles and hand-painted eggs. We get very messy.

The magnolias, tulips, and daffodils are in full bloom!

Bought a mini rose bush for my bedroom window sill and planted it in a clear mason jar. The buds are just starting to bloom. It is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.

Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are right up there as one of my favorite things. I am always so happy to see the blossoms bloom and always so sad to see them go. I sat under the tree staring at the blossoms for hours trying to imprint them on my memory before they fade away. This big tree is right outside my bedroom window and is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. 

I had never noticed the star shape of the flower or the color of the pollen stems - the pink blossoms look like they have gold-flecked pollen! I just couldn't get over looking at them and held it in my hand as long as I could.

I have this old book about the meanings of flowers that is modeled after the Victorian era. It really inspired me to start pressing my flowers. I am going to keep my pressed flowers in my mini red moleskine and write a corresponding entry about each flower and its meaning. 

March 29th was the anniversary of Colin's grandpa's death so I gave him a card and a single red rose. He was a good guy and I am sad that I barely got to know him because he had such an impact on his family.

Lately I have had to become more creative with my free time. I am done with school now and I don't have internet at home. I mostly just hang out at the library and steal their internet. The library bookstore is stocked with some antique books. If I had money to spare I would buy their edition of Don Quixote in Spanish from 1900.

 

Colin and I went to the farmer's market with my aunt and uncle. There were a lot of fresh herb starts, organic produce like apples and pears, and vegan cookies and pies. I bought this beautiful bouquet for myself. I am going to make it a point to buy fresh flowers for my home every Saturday. Not only do I love the way they look and smell, I get to learn more about each flower. I love pressing flowers and attempting to draw them.

The new Starbucks Petites are the death of me. Tiny cheap desserts? Yes please. Red velvet whoopie pie, birthday cake pop, peanut butter cup and carrot cake cupcakes. Also some new purchases from Target. I fell in love with the nautical stripes of the shirt + it is so breezy. The boho sandals are comfy and a little more bling than I usually wear. And I have been wearing these cute bow sunglasses everyday. I am so excited for summer.

Went foraging in the forest on one of the first sunny days of the year. Promises of blossoms to come and an abandoned dock. Found a Yoshi figurine, baby mushroom, and deer bones (I think). Any ideas of what to do with them?