A tie-dyeing frenzy.

I had bought a package of Rit dye in royal blue awhile back, and finally went about experimenting. I was inspired to turn some of my drab clothing items into something "new," especially now that my clothing selection is rather limited due to physical circumstances : P. I looked towards other blogs for inspiration, which resulted in a variety of dyeing methods ranging from the traditional tie-dye (rubber-banding segments first) to more of the recent ombre gradient effect. In order to maximize my pack of dye, I ended up dyeing a a bit more than what I had initially intended!

 The second round involved ombre-ing a pair of maternity shorts I received as a gift. The color was a drab beige and needed a little something...who says maternity-wear needs to be boring?!


Tips: 

• Wear rubber gloves - I was lazy towards the end and took them off, which resulted in blue fingers for a night.
• Don't rush - I was too excited to begin and ended up getting dye onto the parts I wanted to remain white, but a good soaking in Chlorox bleach helped erase some of the mistakes!
• Start off with clothing you are okay with parting, that way if you do make a mistake, it isn't as painful.
• Dye clothing in a garage or bathroom sink and away from carpet, you'd be amazed by the amount of splashes you can incur while dyeing.
• Practice on a men's undershirt!
• Wash dyed clothing separately by hand for a few washes, as the color tends to bleed.
• Keep pets and children away unless you want them to match your newly updated clothing : ) 
• Have fun!

Babymooning up the California coast

We decided to do a Babymoon road trip up the California coastline back in May, making pit-stops in our favorite little towns - Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Avila Beach, Monterey Bay and last but not least, San Francisco. It feels so surreal to think that this will be our last "vacation" as a married couple minus children. However, I'm looking forward to bringing our future child around to experience the exciting world around them. I have a feeling it'll end up being us adults who learn to see the world through a different perspective, as children have a way of revealing a hidden world we have lost while growing up.

Mother's Day weekend.

Wore a vintage dress I fell in love with last summer at a little boutique in Old Town Orange to the opera --  I literally had to suck in (as much as it was physically possible), but the occasion called for this dress and I was determined to make it work!

The Hubby surprised me with dinner and an opera as my belated Vday gift (the earliest date for La Boheme was May!). Since I am rather limited with what I can consume at restaurants these days, he figured he would take me to a place that was organic, all natural, meat and dairy-free. Sounds like a recipe for bland, tasteless food resembling that of cardboard, right? However, Shojin in Little Tokyo, LA was quite the opposite! If a restaurant can fake spicy tuna rolls, mad props to them. It was the closest I've come to sushi since being preggers. The killer ending was a tofu lemon-lime cheesecake. Trust me, it tastes tremendously better than it sounds. Vegans, vegetarians, macrobiotic-lovers and adventurers need to come and try this place.

My loverly god-daughter took me out for Mother's Day that same weekend and we ate at Seasons 52 in Costa Mesa. One of my friends is a server there and so I had heard about their 500 calories and under menu. The dishes were tasty, but definitely healthy in flavor. In the end, our favorite part was the mini dessert cups displayed for you to choose according to your preference. 

A beautiful bouquet given to all the mothers at our church in honor of Mother's Day! For the first time, I had people wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. The feeling is still so very surreal, but it is a new label I am more than happy to get used to.

A Weekend in Utah

A couple weeks ago, the Hubby surprised me with a weekend getaway for an early 5th anniversary celebration. I had some guesses as to where he was taking me, but none of them included Salt Lake City, Utah! Little did I know we were headed eastbound until minutes prior to boarding. Then it clicked: he was taking me Forage, a restaurant one of my friends opened with his business partner in Salt Lake City. I had been wanting to eat there since hearing about the restaurant and how successful they have been. They have been featured several times in Food and Wine, as well as many other publications locally and nationally. It's always amazing for me to see my friends pursue what they're passionate about and become successful doing so -- such a blessing that is!

So here we are, Utah in a day in a half...

*Warning - Photo overload!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{ | Recommendations for Salt Lake City, Utah | }

Forage - Highly recommended, and I'm not speaking on bias terms just because I'm friends with the chef. The unique flavors in each creative dish takes your taste buds on an adventure. This restaurant has automatically placed itself in a top category of my favorites. The name was created in honor of the chefs, who enjoy foraging in nature and discovering new herbs and items to place in their ever-changing menu, which changes daily to feature what's fresh and in season. Be sure to check out their little greenhouse and herb garden in the back! 

Bruges Waffles & Frites - I thought I had the best Belgian waffle in NYC, but boy was I wrong! This place makes legit liege waffles that will send you begging for more. I'm still dreaming about them weeks later (or my belly is). Sadly, we only had one because we were saving our appetites for dinner. The Hubby even stated that it was comparable to the actual Belgian waffles he had in Belgium. Oh, and their frites are pretty darn good too (with a variety of aiolis to choose from!)...

The Copper Onion - This place was recommended to us by several people, as it is known as one of the better brunch joints in SLC. The restaurant features local fresh farm produce and dairy. The lady claimed that the eggs were plucked fresh from their farm that morning, but unfortunately I still had to have my eggs done medium well just to be safe. I recommend any of their dishes with an egg in it (I can never get enough of my eggs!). 

Jack Mormon Coffee - Alright kids, a quick lesson on Mormons...my friend who lives in SLC told us the name "Jack Mormon" has been used to describe rebellious Mormons who have been lax in their faith and make it known through piercings, tats and oh yes, drinking coffee (caffeine is not allowed in their religion). Soo, hence the name of this little cafe. We were craving coffee (okay, I was) and ended up finding this place which roasts their own beans fresh each day. I stuck with decaf, but they have a variety of international beans. 

Tea Grotto - Go inside for a zen-like environment, reminiscent of a spa-meets-cafe. They have a variety of loose leaf teas from around the world and they even offer quick workshops on the art of tea drinking. 

Hiking - We didn't have enough time to thoroughly explore the trails, but we did visit Mill Creek Canyon, which was about 10-15 minutes from the main city. There are many beautiful canyons, lakes and waterfalls to be discovered - next time, Utah.