New Adventures

I've just returned from my trip with my family - it was great! We visited the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Salt Lake City, and Mt. Rushmore. Now that I'm back, I can pack and get everything ready for college. Xuewei and I have decided that we'll put blogging on hold while we're in school, to give us more time to transition to the new environment. As a parting message, here's one last outfit post, from earlier this summer. I've been making friendship bracelets nonstop - it's so fun and rewarding when you can wear your own creations. I get my designs from friendship-bracelets.net. 

Outfit details: Shirt: American Eagle / Shorts: LOFT / Necklace: DIY / Bracelets: DIY / Sandals: Merrell

The top bracelet was made by my friend. I made the bottom two bracelets.

It's been a great experience writing this blog and I hope to continue blogging in the future. 

Have a lovely day!

Recipe of the Week: Kale and Fruit Salad

Today's the last day of camp. It's been a lovely six weeks, full of learning new things alongside the children and learning to be patient with myself and them. I've made countless friendships and friendship bracelets, and realized how much energy I have. After camp, I still have the energy to cook, tutor or meet up with friends! As I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, I won't be blogging for a while, but I'll keep it up when I get back. I'll take lots of photos! 

This salad was made during my week of cooking with kale. This summer, I tried to cook with fresh ingredients (read: short amount of time before they go bad) so I had to be creative and really plan out recipes in advance so I could use up all the ingredients. I made a kale and fruit salad, just improvising like last time, and basically tossed in a bunch of different fruits. 

Kale and Fruit Salad 

Ingredients

Kale, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces

Mozzarella cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces

D'Anjou pear

Peach

Walnuts

Chia seeds (I added these after the photos were taken to my lunch the next day)

Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for drizzling

One tip I've found online is to rub the kale to release more of its nutrients. According to this, it softens the leaves and essentially "wilts" them. I think it tasted nice and crisp, while reducing some of the bitterness. 

Mmmmm...fresh and just the right balance of salty and sweet.

Have a lovely weekend! See you in two weeks.  

Garden Updates: Cucumber Harvest!

Now that the end of the summer is approaching, the garden is really beginning to grow. My dad has been taking great care of it and we've already harvested some cucumbers and tomatoes. I just wanted to share some photos of how tall it's gotten - the tomato plant is about 6.5 feet tall! 

Recently, we went to a family friend's house where they are growing a ton of tomatoes, cucumbers, and other plants. I ate one of the tomatoes the other day and it was so juicy and sweet - it tasted nothing like a tomato from the supermarket! I'm going to miss home cooking and home grown food so much when I go to college. 

Have a beautiful day.

Rosette Half-Up Hairstyle

It's the last week of camp and while I know I will miss the students, I also feel ready for the two-week trip to the American Midwest with my family. We're leaving this Saturday, and I'm probably going to take a two-week break from blogging. When I'm back, I have to pack for college! I'm thinking of starting a new blog for college...I'll keep you posted.

This hairstyle was fun and simple to create! It was perfect for a breezy and cool camp morning. I'm so glad the heat wave of a few weeks ago has come and gone. The weather has been gorgeous! Isn't the sunlight in these photographs simply magical? 

Rosette Half-Up Hairstyle 

Part hair in the middle. Braid two 2-inch sections of hair on each side of the head and secure with elastics. Use an elastic to tie the two braids together in the back of the head. Take the end of one of the braids and twist it around itself into an O shape. Secure with bobby pins. 

My hair is wavy because I put it in braids the night before. I like how it gives the look some more texture. 

Have a fantastic day! 

Recipe of the Week: Egg and Kale Pizza

As I'm getting more experienced in the kitchen, I've been experimenting more with my own ingredients, getting basic temperatures and cooking times from sources online and then improvising on my own. It reminds me of the improvisation that is so essential to becoming an individual in art forms such as music and painting. Cooking is the same. Initially, I depended heavily on recipes found online, but now I've become much more independent and relying on my intuition. 

This time last year, I was at a summer program called the NJ Governor's School in the Sciences. In addition to great classes about Neurobiology, Molecular Orbital Chemistry, and Anthropology, I participated in the talent show. I joined up with two of my friends to play a jazz version of Eleanor Rigby. I played the flute and my two friends played the piano and cello. We had no sheet music; we arranged the piece on our own. I remember how uncomfortable I felt at one of our first rehearsals, having been accustomed to always following along on a sheet of paper with carefully delineated measures, notes, and rests. On the night of the talent show, however, I stopped worrying about how it would sound and just let it come together naturally. It was an eye-opening learning experience for me and taught me that it's okay to not plan ahead so much - to just go with the flow.

For this recipe, you will need:

Ingredients

Pizza dough

Cheddar cheese, grated 

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Kale, stalks and stems removed, washed, dried, and cut into bite-size pieces

Egg

Thyme

Tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's Organic Marinara Sauce)

Salt

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread out pizza dough until it forms a thin, flat sheet. If holes form, seal them up gently with your fingers. Spread tomato sauce on the dough. Add the kale, followed by the cheeses. Crack an egg over the top of the pizza and sprinkle with salt and thyme. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is golden brown at the edges. Enjoy! 

 I love this variation on a breakfast pizza. I made another pizza that day too - recipe coming soon! :) Have a gorgeous day.

Lovely Findings

I'm going to introduce a new section to my blog, called Lovely Findings. I've come across some great sites online lately and I wanted to share them with you! 

Found these free downloadable desktop wallpapers recently...aren't they gorgeous? I'm currently using the "You got this" one. It's a great affirmation to keep me motivated and positive!

This site is surprisingly accurate...if you put in your birthday, it tells you some major traits of others born on that date! You can also check relationships with other people. I don't completely believe in these, but I find them fun to read and ponder about! 

I've been meditating everyday for the past few months and it has been great for me. I feel more calm and less anxious. I like to meditate twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, before bed. I found this website and its guided meditations have worked wonders. If you're new to meditation, I would recommend giving this a try!

I hope you enjoy these suggestions. Have a beautiful day.

Camp Style and Swiss Miss Braids

A typical day at camp for me begins with deciding how to wear my hair. This is usually dependent on the weather forecast for the day. Today's forecast was a high of 82 degrees and sunny. That meant an updo! I decided on this style by The Beauty Department, but also found online in many places. The Beauty Department has a great tutorial. I modified it by making a side part in the front and Dutch braiding the first two inches of hair behind my hairline. I have some short hairs by my hairline and the little front braid helps keep them out of the way. The shirt says Summer Super Stars, the name of the camp. 

Outfit details: Shirt: Old camp shirt / Shorts: American Eagle / Sandals: Merrell / Earrings: Anthropologie 

Here's some inspiration for your day.

In high school, I changed my mindset. I learned to enjoy the process of the events in a day, instead of always focusing on the destination. That's really helping me feel more fulfilled each day. I hope you're having a wonderful day. 

Recipe of the Week: Watermelon Feta Salad

This week's recipe features a summertime staple in my house - watermelon. Always refreshing and always delicious, we love watermelon here. I decided to mix it up and add feta cheese, cucumber, and tomato. 



Ingredients:
1 cup watermelon
1/2 cup tomato
1 cup cucumber
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme 

Recipe:
Chop watermelon, tomato, and cucumber into small pieces. Mix together with feta cheese. In a separate bowl, combine Greek yogurt, thyme, and olive oil for dressing. Combine with the salad and sprinkle chia seeds on top. 

I enjoyed the mix of sweet and savory flavors in this summery salad. The colors look great together too. Salads are so easy to make - I can take almost any combination of fruits and vegetables and mix them together. Great for lunch or snacks! 

Have a fabulous and fun weekend.

There's Always a First Time for Everything

With this outfit, worn to a picnic last weekend, I debuted my first maxidress! So I've worn long dresses before, for prom, but those have been on the formal side - this is a casual maxi dress that I'm loving. One of my favorite parts is the sheer skirt. There's a black skirt underneath a sheer panel covered with brilliant blooms. I love the colors of this dress - they're what initially drew me to it when I spotted it at TJ Maxx. 

Since I started working at summer camp, I've gotten a lot more creative with my hairstyles. I spend time poring over hair tutorials online and in magazines, trying to figure out the best ways to keep my hair off my neck and out of my face for work. One technique I've discovered is braiding and pinning or clipping my hair up into buns. This is one of my favorite updos, and it's deceptively simple and foolproof. I've written out the steps below!

Outfit details: Dress: W118 by Walter Baker via TJ Maxx / Sandals: Franco Sarto / Earrings: Shop in China / Sunglasses: Target 

Hair Tutorial: Braided Side Bun

Make a deep part to one side. Separate 2 inches of hair in the front. Begin Dutch braiding hair, starting from the part, toward the other side of the head. Keep the braid close to the hairline. 

 When you get to the side of the head above the ear, begin to gather more hair into the Dutch braid. When you get past the ear, gather up the remainder of the hair into a braid and continue to work around the head until you get to the other ear. Continue to braid until you have a side braid. 

 Tie off the braid with a small elastic (I used black ones because my hair is black, but you can use clear ones as well). Twist the braid up toward the front of the head and insert a bobby pin to secure. Continue twisting the braid around and tuck the end of the braid behind the first part of the braid that was twisted upward. Add more bobby pins until the bun feels secure. 

Good luck with the hairstyle! I'm so glad last week's heat wave has passed. I'll still be trying new hairstyles and showing them on the blog. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of milder summer weather - lovely!

Have a great day.

Duke Farms

Recently, my family and I went to the Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ. It was great to be able to share a meal with my grandparents, parents and brother followed by some amazing natural beauty. Here are some of my favorite shots from the gardens. Aren't the flowers and plants just gorgeous? Nature is one of my favorite sources of inspiration. Enjoy :)

Have a splendid day!