Time + desire to blog = new blog post

It will probably come as no surprise, but I have a week’s worth of vacation I have to take by August 31st or I lose those vacation hours completely. I just discovered this 2 days ago and there’s no reason to waste them. So I’ll be traveling to visit family in late August. This has sort of jolted my mind back to summer thoughts. I had started to drift towards autumn with all the storms passing through and cicada’s buzzing outside.

A few photos of the flowers in my garden this year. The Sunflowers have started finishing up their season while my morning glories are just now at peak bloom. It was a rough year for gardening. Loads of pests and strong rainstorms. But I’ve seen a lot of bees come through so it’s worth it.

Mint is a really easy plant to grow indoors in only water. Just a snipping of it placed in tap water will cause it to root quickly. The trick to keeping it going is finding the right amount of light. It hates direct sunlight but needs to be in a room that’s bright at least a few hours a day or the leaves will yellow. I didn’t think much of the cutting when I started it but now it’s one of my favorite indoor plants.

I didn’t realize how often I change the space around my tub until I saw these photos. I run through a lot of little changes depending on my mood. Some of you may have seen my review of this seaweed powder pack on Instagram. I hated it. Flat-out. So the next week I bought the Big Blue bath bomb from LUSH to cleanse my palette of bad seaweed products. I don’t buy the Big Blue too often because it’s messy. It leaves seaweed in the tub. But it is very nice and mixed with their Avobomb it creates a shimmery blue-green bath.

Highly recommend the Avobomb as a non-messy but shimmery and great smelling bomb. It’s one of my favorites.

Still growing my hair out. I’ve been thinking of getting it trimmed so I’d have a blunt bob but my stylist said if I want it longer it would be best to leave the bottom as-is. I don’t want long hair; I just want hair I can pull back. It’s sort of a strange desire but I just want short ponytails right now. I know that I’ll probably cut it all off again by next spring.

Also my favorite red nail polish is gone so I bought this. I’ve been wearing shimmers since May but I’m starting to get back into more opaque colors now.

Last year I did quite a big garden project. Painting my own terra cotta pots and attempting to use very bee-friendly flowers while also being realistic about the lack of all day direct-sunlight my home gets.

I planted quite a few varities and they broke down like this:

Nasturtium – A favorite of mine, always grows spectacularly well.
Chives – Hard to germinate easier to just buy as small plant at local grocery store and pot it.
Parsley – Also not easy to germinate as it too needed certain germination conditions but grew well after sprouting.
Morning glory – Vivacious in the new spot I planted it. Also Grandpa Otto variation seemed easier than others.
Sunflower – Wow these Elf ones love containers! But are bloomed out by July.
Portulaca – Usually easy but just won’t grow here.
Lavender – Wow hardest herb everrrrrrr. Ended up buying a plant and potting it.
Baby’s breath – Out of control and not at all as expected but definitely thrived.
Zinnia – Grew well but bloomed out by June.
Cypress vine – Wow this plant won’t grow here for me.
Moonflower – Started off growing strong and fast but took a while to get to climb and blooms were rare.
Four o’ Clock – Grew large with many flowers but flowers would only half open.

This year I planted many of the seeds I collected from last year’s plants. Morning Glory and Elf Sunflower especially. The seeds germinated easily! Money saved! I bought some new nasturtium seeds plus planted some morning glory seeds from my parents’s home. They’re pastel in color. Also got some of the four o’clock seeds from them as well in pink and mixed color.

I bought a lavender plant and potted it plus a small plant of chives, parsley, and mint. Grocery stores tend to sell them for very cheap ($1.20 at times) which is the same price for a pack of seeds without the finicky germination instructions.

I scaled back variety this year and focused on the flowers that looked spectacular last summer.

This year’s garden includes: morning glory, elf sunflower, four o’clock, mint, parsley, chives, and lavender

I also have enough Italian Parsley to cook with for the rest of the summer :O

So this weekend I’ve done what can only be described as “nothing.” I’ve left the house once to pick up some groceries. I’ve eaten ice cream, binge watched some TV, taken multiple naps, ordered pizza, laid out (which is a fancy way of saying I put on my bathing suit and some tanning oil and took a nap outside,) and played video games. It’s been one of the most enjoyable weekends in a long time.

Bought some Japanese greens seeds for early autumn planting.
Tried a new pancake recipe. Failed.
Cooked old pancake recipe with some modifications that made them thicker and fluffier.
Did a ton of laundry.
Made a wedge salad.
Made a banana split.
Painted a little.
…

Oh yeah and watched that insane Hannibal finale!

This was the first time in a while that I started some seeds indoors. They were more of a “backup plan” but I’m glad I did it. During the time they were on the windowsill it had snowed twice in late spring.

I also started a few sunflower and lavender indoors as well. I transplanted everything but the lavender already.

We’ve had pretty bad storms roll through lately so I did my best to provide coverage while the seedlings were still small and weak. Don’t let anyone tell you a potted garden is easier than an in-ground version. I’ve had both over the years and there’s an equal amount of effort to be put in!

So now that there’s some real green coming up I’m starting to really appreciate the pots I painted earlier this spring. The white contrast with the green is exactly what I was going for and I’m excited to see the reds of the nasturtium mixed in later this summer.

I bought a crap-load of shampoo this weekend too. If the local Japanese market carries a new hair care line there’s a 100% chance I’m going to buy it without considering how often a single person can actually wash their hair in their lifetime. Added ISM Hair care and Umi No Uruoiso to my collection. I haven’t opened them yet though but will pick one tonight because my current shampoo & conditioner went empty.

I’m actually most interested in the ocean themed line. It uses various seaweed extracts and just sounds all around summer-mermaid-themed.

Nasturtium, chives, parsley, morning glory, sunflower, portulaca, lavender, baby’s breath, zinnia, cypress vine, moonflower.

Store bought seed packets are eye-catching and full of expectations while packets ordered from the same company online are strictly business. :)

It’s funny that after hours of hard work there’s quite a bit of time that all you have to show for it is dirt. I’m feeling optimistic. As I was planting, a few stray bees passed by me. Hopefully the lavender, chives, zinnias, morning glories, and sunflowers attract more.

I’m starting to worry this summer might be as hot as this winter was cold. It’s mid-April and I decided to turn the AC on today. I wanted to run it before it got too hot just in case it was broken or something haha! Hate to wait till a 90° day to discover that, you know!

Saturday I shopped for my gardening supplies along with every other person in the tri-state area. It was a madhouse. Fortunately no one was too bothered with the terra cotta section. Checked out and then got to work that afternoon painting them.

I experimented with layering white over gold paint. I thought it would be a disaster but now I regret not painting all of them gold underneath. I’ve already decided to repaint the ones without gold next year. :) And while I like how they look solid gold it wasn’t really the look I was going for but having the cut-out shapes in gold worked really well!

Now to start a few seeds indoors while I wait for the rest of my Burpee order to arrive.

With what will hopefully be the final snow behind us, I started thinking about my potted garden for summer. Some years I put in more effort than others. Last year I’d consider it a medium effort. I mostly planted chives for chopping up for my cold soba dishes. I’m limited to what will grow in the partial-shade that is my balcony but I’m considering expanding to the other side of my house this year as well.

After seeing this Save the Bees image on Tumblr I want to plant something for bees on the west side of my home. I get more sun there and also if it draws a ton of bees it will
1) not bother me as much there &
2) make people think twice about knocking on my door.

Mike likes sunflowers and I think I want to see if I can get some smaller versions to grow there. Bees like sunflowers and they also like zinnias which I adore. Zinnias were the first plant I grew as a kid. I know I want chives again, but wouldn’t mind other herbs so I might do a herb pot similar to what I had a few years ago. I won’t be doing mint though because that shit comes back every year and won’t ever die to the point you have more mint than you know what to do with!

I am always wanting new pots and containers too. Unfortunately these things aren’t cheap and I often want something different each year. IKEA is great for style + price but a lot of their items lack functionality (aka no drain holes for outdoor use!) I’m thinking of painting cheap terra cotta pots this year. I did once when I was younger and it was fun so hopefully I’m not getting myself into an art project that will be full of disappointment.

Inspiration for painting terra cotta

• Martha Stewart Living – Pots of All Stripes
• Martha Stewart Living – Decorative Flowerpots and Planters
• Transform Terra-Cotta Flowerpots
• How to Make Spring Chalkboard Pots (cute for indoors!)
• DIY – Garden Pot Pick Me Up!

Drinking this amazing maple blueberry tea I got while in Canada. I regret not getting the other versions of it such as strawberry and regular. It has a very sweet aroma but not flavor.

I also picked up this rose and raspberry spread in Canada. I can’t stress enough how often I look for “rose jam.” I went in looking for rose flavors where I got this and was shocked to actually finally find some. It’s incredibly sweet and has a subtle floral taste to it. I would have liked a pure rose spread but raspberry happens to be my usual pick for jams at home anyway.

Planted a few flowers and a small container garden species of tomato this week. I would have liked to have invested more time into my container garden this year but the spring was so erratic I could never pinpoint a good time to start seedlings. But I’m happy with what I picked up for the remainder of summer. A bit of color; a bit of flavor. The tomatoes are a very tangy variety.

It’s been hot this week. Heat Index reaching in the low 100°F. I experienced a little heat fatigue the other day. The first time I ever suffered heat fatigue or exhaustion was while in Tokyo a few summers ago. During that time I began eating a lot of cold soba multiple times a day because it was the only thing that settled my stomach. So now when I get it at home it’s become a comfort food that I make. It’s cold, simple, and easy to make. Perfect for the situation.

Thankfully the heat is starting to ramp down. I’ll never know how I survived summers in the south while wearing jeans. I’ve become so acclimated to colder temperatures now.

:arrow: What I’m growing:

• Cherry Tomatoes “Sugary”
• Rosemary “Santa Barbara”
• Garlic Chives
• Lime Thyme
• German Chamomile
• Portulaca “Sundial Tangerine” shade
• Clover “Charmed Velvet”
• White Clover “Dark Dancer”
• Flying Colors “Red” shade

I grew clover a few years ago too and it thrives like the weed it is! :ok: It’s super hardy and always so beautiful. This species produces a lot of lucky 4-leaf steams! :deco7:

The tomatoes will be tiny and useful in salads or on sandwiches. ^_^ I don’t like tomatoes too much but Mike does and it thrived last time I grew it on my balcony. I, however, LOVE herb plants like thyme and chives which I use constantly! :up: I got the chamomile because it produces little daisy-like blooms. Wonder if I can dry it for tea? I’m going to research that a bit. The flowers I got were the portulaca and this new plant called “Flying Colors!” Never grew the Flying Colors nor even heard of it. :!?: But it’s “award winning” :deco9: and labeled as liking sun/partial shade so here’s hoping! The blooms are tiny and red. Very pretty. :deco8:

Portulaca you can’t screw up. Like seriously… they’ll reseed themselves too hahaha~ :ok:

OK so garden-time has begun!! :deco1: :P

My nails right now :bow:

The nail polish my friend sent has amazing staying power! And the glitter is so… vibrant! It’s the thickest gold polish I’ve ever had and every little flake catches the light. I’ve been quite memorized~ especially during mind-numbing things like meetings! Haahaa, just kidding of course.
:)

:berry: shirt – YesStyle [Puffy]
:berry: leggings – H&M
:berry: slippers – San-X
:berry: blue under-tank – Old Navy

It’s really comfy but still appropriate enough to wear out to the store for some last minute run to the store or post office~ Ah, and that’s my edamame in the background!

From The-Stylish shop @ yesstyle

Also, some people were asking about hair buns. I saw this today and thought it might help some. It’s basically like any of these methods only you need to tease the hair in order to get a nice thick bun! Here’s the image.
:baibai:

e·d·a·m·a·m·e·!

I’m so excited! Soon I’ll have the freshest edamame I’ve ever tasted :food:

We went grocery shopping and stocked up on tons of fruits & vegetables. He does low carb. It works best for him. Me? I’m cutting out most unnecessary sugars. I picked up snacks like Sugar-Free JELLO and I was SOOO excited because I spotted two new flavors yesterday!

Raspberry Goji and Strawberry acai!

Good, I was getting tired of the other flavors.
So far the Raspberry Goji is tasty! Haven’t tried Strawberry Acai yet.

We’re not eating out at all either which will save on calories AND money. So that I can buy more crap! :dizzy: :grin: :grin:

This weekend I bought a few more things. I got a black dress on sale. It’s like a Roman-maxi dress look. I like it! So comfortable for summer~ I got it in a big size so it would flow and be cooling :glitz:

I’m making the dumbest face :gigglewakuface::puup:

I also picked up this Tarte blush from Sephora. Another “whim” purchase.
OMG L O V E I T ! :bow:
The texture sucks, it’s a bit tacky but the color is so rich and gorgeous it’s worth it! The color is similar to the tube’s color, but opened it looks crazy dark red; it’s not.

I also picked up a few things on sale at Forever21 & H&M :star2:

Basic tank & leggings

Got these tees on sale for $5.00!

Everyone liked the toilet shot so here’s another, LOL!
Actually it’s the only mirror downstairs.
I’m always wearing casual in these pictures,ネ～

Yesterday my iPod Touch did the weirdest thing! I went to pause it and when I tapped it the screen went inverted!! Both inverted colors AND the buttons, text, touching, EVERYTHING was backwards!!! It was like I was staring at the screen from the inside!? I powered it off (which was weird because I had to drag the button backwards) and when it came back on it was normal. I tried to take a photo. Can you see it???!! WEIRD!

:doubledquestion: :doubledquestion: :doubledquestion: :doubledquestion: