Hummingbird Bakery

Hummingbird Bakery

I love Hummingbird Bakery. Londoners have the best deal! I visited it ALL the time when I lived in London. Last May when I was in London visiting my friend Mel, we made a special trip. Mark didn't understand why we were buying a dozen for the three of us! They were scrumptious!

Do you see the size of that bag?!?! I told you we bought a lot! Every bite was worth it! The only problem is the distance between hummingbird Bakery...and my apartment.

New Yorkers have Magnolia Bakery...and here in DC we have Georgetown Cupcake. But really, Humminbird Bakery holds a special place in my heart! So you could imagine my joy wehn I stumbled upon this:

...when strolling through Anthropologie this week! I want it! Can I justify purchasing a book when I really REALLY cannot bake?

To be determined...

What is your favorite bakery?

Introducing Grace Christine

Faith and Kyle had their baby girl on Friday. She is adorable, and the mirror image of her big brother Noah. Check out this picture of the two of them just after birth:

Aren't they both adorable? I cannot get over how similar they look...and the fact that their birth stats are nearly identical! So excited for this busteling family of four! I cannot wait to meet Gracie!

Dinner and a Movie

Friday Flying Solo = Once and Thai Coconut Soup

*no one said the pair had to make sense

I am not really sure what to say about this movie. It hooked me in, but I am not sure I liked it. I am not even sure I "get" it.

{image from Coastal Living}

Thai Coconut Soup, a Coastal Living recipe. Here are the ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, sliced
1 stalk lemon grass, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
2 to 3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 (8-ounce) package sliced cremini or baby bella mushrooms
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

To view the full recipe, check out my Delicious tags.

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Johns Hopkins Weekend

Mark is at his second residency for his MBA, so I am flying solo for the weekend. We are on duty this weekend (because we are intern housing RAs), which means I am laying low around the building.

Those of you who know me understand that this does not mean I will be relaxing much. Being alone at home is a great time to get nitty gritty projects done. Here are my goals for the weekend:

1. Reorganize closet to give Mark more space - I have been dominating it
2. Complete invitations for the Kleeman Baby Shower
3. Brainstorm ideas for said shower, decorations, games, favors, the works!
4. Complete Neal Calligraphy project
5. Begin Kennebunkport Map for Foley wedding
6. Try 3 new recipes
7. Blog - both here and at Calligraphy by Shannon
8. Catch up on other blogs. Let me know if you have cyber reading suggestions!
9. Watch movies (likely in the background of calligraphy projects) that Mark would never watch in a million years! On the list so far: Once, A Philadelphia Story, & Ghosts of Girlfriends Past...because I have a girl crush on Jennifer Garner!

This is good news for you. It means I will likely be blogging about at least a few of these activities. Translation: my blog will not be stagnant for much longer!

In reality, all of this "busyness" is a rouse. The real purpose is to distract myself from missing Mark! We'll see how successful I am...

2010 Reading List: March

When I started reaching this year, my goal was 5 books a month. I was slightly over optimistic. In January and February combined, I only read five. March was much more productive, reading four books. I am still a sucker for Nicholas Sparks. At the recommendation of my friend Shannon, I read A Bend in the Road, her favorite by NS. It was great. I sobbed - no surprise with a sappy tear jerker.

The Art of Racing in the Rain was an incredible take on some of life's most difficult moments. While I do not have an experience to which I related with this book, I couldn't put it down. Told from the canine point of view, the author continued to surprise me with creativity and subtle insights which I can only image a dog would conjure.

Superfreakonomics was as I expected. A good friend of a different persuasion found out I was reading it and suggested I read the book review instead. Either way, if you like quirky information and facts about societal tendencies, you will find this book interesting.

What have you been reading lately?

I did it! (again)

Phew...I finished the race. This is a picture with Lauren, my running buddy who literally willed me to train with her superb motivational chatter! She is pretty awesome.

So the race. It went well. The first 6-7ish miles were great. I kept about a 10 and a half minute pace. Then my stupid IT band, yes that is the technical term, stupid IT band, flared and tightened. The lovely result of being slightly pigeon-toed. I was immediately reminded of the stretches and training I was given in college to ease this injury.

Enough whining? I finished the race and was so satisfied with the results that I am considering another race, Memorial Day Weekend at the Chesterton Tea Party. Just to clarify, I still don't like running.

I don't like running.

I really don't. Do you remember what happened last year when I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler?

Direct Quote:

It was certainly an incredible experience.

And now that I finished, I feel no desire to EVER run that far again!

So what did I decide to do? I registered for the race AGAIN this year!!! Momentary lapse in judgement. Peer pressure.

Training is going better. 6 miles in my new max. At least I get to run with fun people: Volpe, K-Volpe, and Nat! And a pair of hot shoes to run in. {see photo above}

So tomorrow is the big day. Pray my legs last and I don't get dehydrated again!

Spring Wardrobe Essentials

The basic tee: I love the Lux Tee from Banana Republic. It looks great under a suit or cardigan and transitions to the weekend without skipping a beat.

The basic tank: Does anything look familiar? I love the BR Lux tee so much, that I have also picked up the tank!

Classic White Jeans - with a Straight Leg you can't go wrong! I love my James Jeans. The have an easy fit, so work with everything. I dread skinny jeans in the humid city summers. An open leg allows enough movement, that I can muster a full length pant all summer long.

Summer Loafers - because you can't ALWAYS wear flip flops! Ditch you commuting shoes that took a beating all winter long for a bright new spring pair. I chose these Porto Loafers from J.Crew in Pale Oak. They were on sale in the store, significantly below the online price, so I couldn't resist!

Blessed Easter

In His great mercy

He has given us new birth

into a living hope

through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ

1 Peter 1:3

DC Spa Week: April 12-18

When did this start? Discounts on Spas: Yes please! Week long event to serve as an excuse to go to the spa: Even Better!

DC spa week is just around the corner with tons spas participating from DC, NOVA, and Maryland too. Each spa offers its own special deals, so there are plenty of treatments to chose from. Check it out: http://www.spaweek.com/spas/DC/