A Tea Party

Instead of being sensible and taking a nap, I am blogging because, well, I haven't blogged in a while.
And let's face it. Once I lay down, I am not going to wake up until 9:30.

So a few months back I thought about having a tea party. I've always wanted to throw one and I had these unused teacups at home collecting dust. I wrote some of my ideas and my menu on a napkin (like all great planners do) and left it at that. With everything that has happened this year with work and my dad being sick, I was not super motivated.

Well, a few weeks later I found out my co worker and friend was leaving Texas for Missouri. :(
Now my tea party had purpose. I was motivated! A tea party was the perfect send off for her.

Tea party invites 

Menu:

Appetizer

-Canapes with Garlic Herb Cream Cheese and Avocado

Finger Sandwiches

-Cucumber Sandwiches with Whipped Cream Cheese

-Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Crème Fraîche

-Chicken Salad Croissant

Desserts

-Lemon Pistachio Tart

-Blueberry Scones

-Madeleines

Tea

-Strawberry Rose Champagne & Peach Tea

Drink

-Pineapple & Orange Punch with Raspberries

Place of Honor

I had fun making the bunting and flowers.

The food.

I'm glad I bought these cute dessert plates from anthro!



I made madeleines for the first time and overcooked them. I must attempt them again.

Love this pic!

 I am in love with this tea from Teavana.

The guest of honor, Ari.

Ari drank the most tea! Haha, a true Brit.

I love candids!

 Taking another photo after Alyshia's beauty tip. :)

We surprised Ari with teacups and a tea book from anthro! Thanks to Caitlin for the idea!

Ari, trying to guess who got her what teacup.

 I so want to get that tea party book!

Relaxing (most likely in food comas) in my tiny apt.

Host gift from Ari. Thanks friend!

It was my first time hosting a tea party and I think it was a success! Even though it was hard work, it was worth seeing Ari's surprise and everyone enjoying the food. 

Thank you to all who helped and came! 

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To my friend:

So I am not great with words, spoken words at least. I do better on paper so I am "writing" my piece about you.

Ari, I have been blessed to have known you for 5 years. You are one of the funniest, craziest people I know. When Ari walks in the room, you know it. I'm really glad we've gotten closer this year and really sad you're leaving. But I know there are such great things ahead for you and Mark.

Remember the Susan G. Komen? And when you made me get up in the middle of the night to go to the porta potties? :)  And when you had a panic attack and I had to pray for you? Always know that wherever you are, I will be praying for you and thinking of you. You won't be forgotten!

You have helped me so much this year when I was down or discouraged. Your words of encouragement meant more than you will ever know. Coming from a great teacher like you, it made me feel more confident as a teacher. 

It definitely will not be the same without you at work. 

Let's make these last few weeks count! 

Henna TOMS

I love TOMS.

As a teacher they are wonderful because:

a) they are comfortable
b) they can match almost any outfit
c) the kids think you're hip :)

Plus, it's for a good cause.

I also love henna. Getting henna is on my 30 things at 30 list. I missed my chance at getting henna at the Dallas Art Festival last month, and was pretty disappointed. So I decided to put some henna on my new TOMS instead.

I bought natural canvas TOMS and bought some fabric markers, water color pencils, and scrap paper at Michael's for inspiration. There are a TON of custom made TOMS on Pinterest you can get ideas from. I also googled images of henna online as well. This is my favorite, which I'm sure you've seen:

So cute! I also saw awesome Wicked TOMS, Harry Potter TOMS, and even Hunger Games TOMS!

So instead of shelling out $100+ dollars on etsy, here's how you can make your own custom TOMS.

DIY Henna TOMS

-canvas aka TOMS
-fabric markers (I recommend Tulip fabric markers)
-water color pencils
-scrapbook paper or any other images for inspiration
-scratch paper to doodle on

optional:
-other embellishments (glitter, gems, etc)

1. Get a light colored water color pencil and draw a design you want on your TOMS. You can practice on a scratch sheet of paper before you do it. I am no artist, but I used a scrap paper design I liked and basically just eyeballed it.

2. When you like the look of it, use the fabric marker. Choose one color overall or a combination. I chose dark pink/coral for the summer and used the same color on the side with green and purple.

3. Less is more! I love the Pinterest TOMS, but I wanted to leave some "white space" on my TOMS. Maybe my next one will be covered. :)

4. And here it is...

Unlimited

My posts have been few and far between these days. For some reason I have been so stressed at work. I guess having less than 2 months left of the school year is bringing me to the realization that my students are about to become 3rd graders and should have at least a year's growth. And me being the perfectionist, doubts are creeping in about my teaching abilities and the what ifs; this week I got so frustrated because there's only so much I can do as a teacher and it's not enough. My kids deserve so much more and I just feel so limited sometimes. But I guess I can only do what I preach to my kids all the time: Just do your best. Give me your 100%. That's all you can do.

Luckily I have so many supportive, wonderful people around me to encourage and help me, cry with me, and put everything into perspective. Whether it's a drink at Starbucks, help with grading my mountains of papers (not exaggerating), or a kind word, it has encouraged me so much and I know I am blessed. Thank you!!!

So no more Negative Nancy.

On Thursday night I went to go see Wicked the Musical at the Music Hall in Fair Park. This was my fourth time seeing Wicked. My friend was seeing it for the first time. I was so excited for her because I remember my first time seeing Wicked and how I felt. It was amazing of course! There were a few sound mishaps, but it did not detract from the show. Plus, we sat the closest I've ever sat before at a musical! I could actually see their faces! :)

We had dinner at Bistro N before the show. I haven't been in so long, but the Crab Stack is still good!

At the end of the show: This was the only picture of the cast I could get. :( One day I will get a clear photo!

I'm collecting. :) How cool would it be to have the London Theater Playbill?! 

It's the weekend, so I am going to take full advantage! My sister and brother in law invited me to go watch Jurassic Park 3D and eat some Cuban food tonight! Have a great weekend. :)

Anthropologie Alert

I. want. you.

That is all.

The long haul

Today was such nice patio weather. I went to lunch (Patrizio's) with a friend and we ate outside. I wish every day in Texas was like today, but of course, this is a rare occurrence.

Yesterday I went to the Antique Mall in Plano, cash in hand. Last time I went, I didn't know it was cash only, so I was excited to return to see what I could find. Nowadays, going to thrift and antique shops are becoming more popular (probably because of cost). Here are some interesting things I spotted:

My eyes almost popped out of their sockets! Look at all those TOMS!

Haha.

The glasses reminded me of The Capitol, in the Hunger Games. I'm sure Effie would approve.

An antique Underwood. Unfortunately some of the keys didn't seem to function.

I saw some cool metal signs there too. Of course, Wizard of Oz caught my eye!

 For my brother in law who's a Batman fanatic.

And for my coffee loving friends :)

If you plan to visit your local antique mall, carve out a few hours for yourself. I was there for 3 and a 1/2 hours. When I was checking out, the store owner said, "You're still here?!" Haha.

Anyway, here are my antique finds!

Now, some of you may be wondering, why a typewriter? I'm not sure myself. But I could not pass it up. I probably spent half of those 3.5 hours circling the store, trying to decide whether or not I should get it. I love writing. When I was little, I used to write at least one poem a day. I would sing songs and write them down, or write in my little diary about my day. I just remember as a child reading and writing a LOT. Reading flourished my imagination, and writing helped put my thoughts out there. It was always easier for me to write what I thought/felt than speak. I want to try to type more of my poems and even possibly write a story this summer using my typewriter. Someone said they rarely got writer's block with a typewriter. I hope so.
It seems in working condition, although, I think I may need a new ink ribbon.

The teacup was a rare find. I try to only get teacups made from England, especially Royal Albert. Sadly, I didn't find the matching saucer, so I am on a hunt for that. It's called "Lady Carlyle" and it was $4.50. I love the details on the cup! So far this is my third teacup. I'll need at least 5 more if I want to host a tea party!


I'll end with a recipe I learned about from one of my favorite shows, Psych. If you have not seen this, you are missing out! It is hilarious and the dynamic between the two main characters is amazing. I finally got my friend to watch this show because we basically do the same thing they do: kill the conversation until there's nothing left. :) It's called Cuatro Queso Dos Fritos. It is twice fried. It has cheese. It quite possibly is bad for you. But it is delicious.
I pretty much followed the recipe here and I took her advice of using panko instead of regular bread crumbs.
I also took the skin off the potatoes; I thought it would have a better texture that way. Oh, and make sure you sprinkle kosher salt on the potatoes before you stuff it with cheese. This step is crucial before you stick your potatoes with toothpicks.

Oh, and make your friends come to you. It doesn't travel well. :)

Now I need to prepare myself for the long haul; 12 more weeks of school. 56 potential school days. Let's see if I make it!

Spring Break

It's already Wednesday, and it looks like I'll be spending the rest of it at home. I took my car to the shop and got a rent car (which was a pain yesterday) so I am trying to be cautious. That means I'll actually have to clean my apartment!


My break started off great with a brunch!

The teacups were the perfect touch!

I also went to the movies and saw Oz, which was good. It wasn't as great as I thought it would be (I guess I hyped it up in my mind too much), but I'm glad I finally got to watch it.

On Tuesday I did something VERY unexpected, for me at least. It's been a while since I've done anything on my 30 things at 30 list, so here goes:

27. Shoot a rifle 3-13-13

Guns are very foreign to me. Being a 2nd generation Korean girl who grew up in the suburbs, I did not even touch a real gun or rifle until yesterday. Of course I was terrified, but I actually tried the rifle, hand gun, and even a pistol.

Left: It's a smile of nervousness. Top right: Shooting close range with a hand gun. Bottom right: Step back Wrenn.. Kristin is packin'.


Here's a video Wrenn took of me with the rifle. Notice the laughter in the background. Thanks a lot Wrenn. :)

After about 30 minutes, I was ready to stop. I wish I could have tried skeet but I don't think I'm a  sharp shooter. This experience was enough to last me a lifetime. Thank you Frei (Rich) for teaching me the basics and a special thanks to Kristin and Wrenn for helping me cross another thing off my list!

Now I have 26 more things to check off by October 8th. I really need to hurry up. Hopefully the summer will give me lots of opportunities. Hmm, what should I try next?