Tag Archives: the dainty squid

I don’t normally write posts like this but lately I’ve been looking around for some fashion inspiration. For the first time, in a very long time, I am shopping for clothing. Mostly maternity clothing, and it has been an interesting adventure trying to find maternity clothing that are cheap, but ethical. Which pretty much leading me down the path of making my own.

The fun part of making your own pattern is that the sky’s the limit, and you can draw inspiration from anything. Which is leading me down a rabbit hole of general inspiration of other fashion blogs, and is getting me a little into the fashion blogging spirit. Who knows? Maybe I will be posting my maternity fashions with tips? But for now, let me share what I’ve been digging lately- maternity or otherwise.

I am in love with Kaylah’s new sunglasses. They look so cute with her bright green hair… *swoon.* I really want to grab a pair but right now I need to get my eyes reexamined to get a new prescription, and therefore more contacts. So for now I am stuck with my glasses. I suggest checking out her post because the dress is pretty cute too.

I sincerely hope I am not the only one obsessed with the site Advanced Style. I might not have the most over the top style, but I do have a certain degree of who gives a fuck attitude with what other people wear. And I hate the clothing that is given to women over 40. Even my boss loves to joke that she doesn’t want to “dress like an old lady,” but um…. I politely say she does dress her age. That is why I love this outfit. It is something even a 20-something would need a lot of guts to wear. I love it to pieces, but let’s face it, I pee way too often to wear a jumper/romper. But I can dream right?

Speaking of jumpers, I am in love with the ones that Tracee Ellis Ross has been wearing. Everytime I flip channels and see her on a game show, she is wearing something amazing. Just to give you a little snippet, I love this silver lame jumper! It looks so comfy but fabulous with a pair of heels. Heck, I would wear it over big preggers belly! And sorry guys, you have to WATCH the video to see the jumper, I couldn’t find a photo of it, and it isn’t in the screencap.

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Talk about reflective disco ball bellies- I JUST bought this shirt from H&M. I had the link saved for the blog post and when I checked it out today I saw that it is on sale for $13. I couldn’t beat that price, so I took the plunge and bought it with some preggers jeans and another shirt (that’s a little more casual.) I have to say that I am slowly working on buying some pregnancy clothing since my belly is starting to get a little big. I can get through most of the summer (I think) so I am trying to hold off, but I am still trying to take advantage of sales.

I am not a big fan of this blogger, but I found this outfit on Pinterest. And I just want to ask- why isn’t there more tent dresses at maternity stores?! Outside of making my large belly reflective, I have only one fashion dream- and that is to dress just like Rosemary’s Baby. I think dresses are best thing that women have. In the summer we get free air space flowing on everything below. We only need to pick ONE thing to wear with a dress (…. it’s the dress), none of this matching a shirt with shorts deal. And it is SUPER CUTE. I am in the process of constructing my own tent dress patterns because I don’t know why this isn’t more of a thing, but whatever. I can also scout Etsy and totally embarrass my husband with my fashion choices.

One of my favorite thing about fashion blogs is that you can view so many different types of fashion choices. You move past the mainstream options like preppy, girly, and whatever you see in a fashion magazine. Nope you see real people taking normal clothes and making it their own. I am alway amazed at how Kaylah from the Dainty Squid takes clothing that looks blah on the rack, and puts her own punk/counter culture twist to it. (note first fashion inspiration.) Now I’ve found Sumeyye from Modcloth’s Style Gallery and love how she mixes vintage clothing and makes it her own. I really hope Sumeyye continues fashion blogging because I love what she has posted so far.

And finally, Emileigh from Flashback Summer recently posted a series about her new Maasai inspired outfit. She takes a lot of care talking about why her outfit is similar to the African people. Then posted two entries about how she made the skirt and made her blouse. Both are pretty awesome. The blouse is so cute, I like the longer length of sleeves… for short sleeves that is. I just think it makes them look classier.


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What I wear to my local CSA, cat sweatshirt, stripped dress shirt, cloud leggings, purple striped socks, and super old docs.

Oh boy guys. I’ve been so busy with Vegan MOFO! I’m a little glad to be over with it, and I am also excited to sign up again next year! But for now there are lots of posts to catch up with that I want to write that were “Vegan MOFO themed.” And I’ve been collecting so many of these links that I’ve wanted to share with everyone! So sorry that it is a little long and overwhelming! Take you time guys. Oh! And I can start doing my Farm Haul again! The summer is pretty much done, so that insanely long shopping lists are done. And I get a little bit of break since some of the foods can be stored long term. So yey!

Farm Round Up:

What I got:
1 jack o’lantern
1 bag of stir fry greens
1/2 bag collard greens and kale
1 head of red cabbage
5 tomatoes
9 small potatoes
1 small butternut squash
1 red onion
1 yellow onion
3 big beets
5 small green peppers
4 small broccoli crowns

What I’m cooking:
red lentil dal (with onion and tomatoes)
black bean “chicken” and broccoli stir-fry
Pad See Ew
ginger, beet, and carrot soup
tacos with roasted peppers
collard and kale greens in shake

Food Links:

I need to try out these mango yolks. I really do miss the joy of popping a liquid orb on top of toast. 

So my husband has been pretty trying to get a waffle maker and I am not a sweet bread breakfast person. But these savory waffles? Uh hell yeah.

So I love Eat Your Kimchi, videos of a Canadian couple in South Korea. They recently did a video of making raw and vegan coconut oil chocolates. They give some nice tips, which makes me want to make some… maybe filled with cookie butter?!

Paleo vs Vegan! Such a heated debate. Even the whole protein thing, ugh. My Mom gave me “you brainwashed gurl” eyes during lunch when I told her she probably shouldn’t worry about protein going on a mostly vegetarian diet (especially since she is still eating chicken and fish occasionally, and eggs and dairy frequently). Anyways, I like this short story about how a guy switched from Paleo to Vegan, and nothing happened.

I am not sure why but I am mesmerized by this blue ice cream.

I love reading vegan travel blogs, because it makes me believe that traveling with my husband in the future will still be enriching. One of the things I miss after going vegan is the spontaneity about traveling. Trying the local foods etc. Travel blogs show that it still kind-of is. This post on Denmark on Oh Lady Cakes is getting me pumped. Now I just need several thousand dollars for the plane tickets. XD

Pumpkin Ice Cream is back at Franklin Fountain, hope they are still doing it vegan because the all vegan Great Pumpkin Sundae was THE SHIT!

There is a nitro infused black coffee in Philly? I need to try this out.

Ted Nghiem writes a great post about why food is exciting… and it isn’t just about trying the new hip foods. I love learning about the history and the story about the food sometimes more than the food itself.

I never knew there were so many vegan friendly places to eat in Cleveland. Roadtrip?

The other night I got asked by a vegetarian why I didn’t eat honey, and I had a few points of why it is bad, but a lot of my logic is that there isn’t really a NEED for honey. I mean it isn’t as culturally important as meat in the USA. I was also happy to read this article saying honey is pretty much as bad as sugar

I really want to try this squash, it’s seed was 800 years old!

Feminism and Human Interest

I am sure most of you have already seen this article- about emails sent out to and from trees.

I love animal skeletons. I said it. I know, it isn’t vegan. But I find skeletons so beautiful, human or otherwise. So I’ve been thinking about the ethics of being vegan and taking animal for decoration. Well, this blog post does a great job pretty much saying “ethical” taxidermy is bullshit. Although this person eats animals, I love her wording, there is no bullshitting and dancing around the issues here.

Is it nice to read something POSITIVE about climate change.


I’ve seen a few article talking about the horrors of “trigger warnings” in school settings. And I think there would be some good points, but most of the time it felt like rantings of someone who hates Millenials. I think this sums up how I feel about trigger warnings. It isn’t about trying to get out of doing the work, but more about setting up a discussion!


I knew that women had a pretty big part of the early film industry but rarely do people name names. So this was a nice educational video about Alice Guy-Blaché.

Health

I’ve recently taken some Orange Theory classes, like about 3 months worth. I stopped taking them for various reasons, but I started to learn why people like taking fitness classes. I think this article makes some great points that I didn’t really believe before taking Orange Theory. Like it is nice to have free hair ties and pads in the bathroom for emergencies.

This article by NPR is a little disturbing about the effects of not getting nutrition for young female athletes. Some of the effects will last into adulthood.

The science of body positivity.

Epigenetic is an important key in todays health. This article talks about a study that tries to compare adults who had troubling childhood experiences and their health conditions. It’s an interesting read. And if you don’t know much about epigenetic I would recommend watching this SciShow video that explains it.

Art

I need all these crowns.

These are beautiful machine that walk on beaches. With some cool videos of them walking around.

I don’t know if this is art but I want Glittery Rain Boots

I love these retro spoopy pins.


If you watched the video above about Alice Guy-Blaché, then you might want to see this video by her.

Science

Mental floss reports on cool glowing bacteria, the story is pretty interesting and show that you shouldn’t dismiss kids.

POOP CARS. Got you to click on that link.

And the future of toilets, which is again oddly interesting. What do I listen to when I poop? Nothing. I’m fast.


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Jen’s Sunday Unpacking Tunez: Stryper

Hey everyone! Jen and her husband moved from their apartment into their new house! It’s adorable and I am beyond excited for them. This week for the Sunday reads Jen posted what she could while she still had internet, and there were a few things I had wanted to share as well, hope you all like! – Alexa

Food:

OMG, I think I died a little when I saw that someone made an adult vegan choco taco. This was the ice cream dessert for kings (at least when you were a kid)

I’ve never been fussy about my vegan butters. I use it so little, I never really used real butter that much. But this recipe for vegan butter is making me wonder if I should try it out.

Here is a brief history of the vanilla bean.

Fashion/Visuals:

So Kate from Scathingly Brilliant started to scan her old copies of Delia’s Catalogues. I thought why would anyone possibly need that?! But it is a great reflection of how much I have changed. First I never noticed how “boyish” and boxy all the styles were. I remember them being very “adult” and therefore sexy, for some reason. I also remember how bold the clothing was, and now I am like “I would wear that and not even think twice about it. EVEN the dress with the open field photo, which I remember wanting SOO bad when I was little but was afraid of how many people would STARE at me. I’ve definitely changed over the years, and am so much more confident about myself. I liked my high school (well, enough anyways) but I do think since it was so small the need to blend or disappear completely was strong. Sure I rocked a Daria look (no seriously, it was all about knee high boots, plaid skirts, and quirky shirts) but there was a line that shouldn’t be crossed. I already knew I was different, and I couldn’t wear my vintage clothing unless it was halloween, or look too goth or something. So much has changed. BTW I am pretty sure my sister or I had these dyed shirts.

I love this cute little travel video on The Cat You and Us. I want to do some videos for YouTube about veganism and traveling. But I will have to wait until I get a new computer so I can process the video. Ugh. But this video gave me hope to keep the dream.

This outfit gave me chills. Perfect hair-dress combo.

Sports

Alexa here! It’s been a really exciting week for women’s sports, and I want to talk about it some more! I unfortunately did not get to watch the Women’s World Cup, but I do think it’s fantastic that the whole event has been getting a lot of press and opening up doorways for other women’s athletics to get more notoriety. 

I really enjoyed this article about how women need to start supporting women’s sports. It’s something I’ve noticed but never really thought about until now. I’ve only recently gotten into sports recently, and it’s mostly been wrestling or UFC but I have grown to love the women’s divisions more than the men’s in some cases. Which leads me into my next link…

Why I’m Done Defending Women’s Sports. I legitimately love watching women’s wrestling. People who don’t already love wrestling don’t seem to understand ( I could say that about wrestling itself but when I mention that all my favorites are ladies I get a weird look). I too, am done with defending them, because they shouldn’t need it. 

And finally…

3 of the top women of WWE’s developmental division (NXT) debuted on RAW last Monday. The Divas division has been stale recently and I’m really hoping that this is the start of something great. While I personally think the division is full of talent the writing for the Monday night show has not done any favors for the women. Story lines are started and dropped for no reason, characters aren’t cohesive, and they don’t get a lot of time devoted to their matches. NXT is a very well written show with good character development and great athletes, and while I think it’s great to add new blood to the Divas locker room I can only hope the influence reaches high up to whoever gets a say as to how everything shakes out. I have hope…but it’s not like WWE hasn’t flopped in the department before. Only time will tell.  
 


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My goodness this has been a super busy week. Monday I was so annoyed at my apartment that I had to get out, so I went into Philadelphia and walked around. So I figured Tuesday afterwork would be when I make a post. Midway through a HUGE storm came in and I had to shut the computer off since the lights kept going out. Then the next day I found out that the storm was super awful. There were tornado warnings, heck there WAS a tornado. Apparently my husband drove home from work during the height of the storm, which wasn’t cool. The next morning my husband finds out his work didn’t have power, I find out my gym class was canceled because of power outages, and so I called my work, which luckily had power. 

Anyways, my husband hogged needed the computer for his work the next two days since it took so long to get the power back up. So I couldn’t work on the site. I also had my best friend who is currently living in Portland come to visit so we spent a day in Philly. Which was pretty cool. Then the next day I went out to dinner with my Mom, oh and got to watch the USA play against China. So I am PUMPED for the Germany vs US game, but I’m a little scared. It will be an intense game.

Anyways, I’m pooped today. I ran 5.3 miles and thought “Yeah today would be another great day to walk a lot in Philadelphia.” So I proceeded to walk 4 more miles in Philly with my husband. We originally were going to see the tall ships and the rubber ducky but the lines were crazy. And decided that it wasn’t going to be fun in the end. Oh well. Here are reads we picked this week and my list of produce:

Farm Round Up:

What I got:
1 quart of green beans
1/3 bag snow and snap peas
buttload of lemon & purple basil
nappa cabbage
1/2 bag bok choy
scallions
1 large kohlrabi
1 bunch beets + greens
2 large summer squash

What I’m cooking:
Black Bean Tempeh + Snow Pea + Nappa Cabbage Stir-fry
Bok choy + Tofu Stir-fry with vermicelli noodles
Kohlrabi + Red Lentil Curry
Purple Basil Ice Cream
Pickled Peas in a lemon and basil brine (recipe will be posted)
Chili with squash
Lentil Burgers with a side of green beans

Fun:

This was an interesting article about the richest witches in Romania. The photos are just simply an interesting look into a world that virtually unknown in the US.

We all know that technically tomatoes are fruit, but did you know blackberries aren’t berries? My mind got blown away from this SciShow video.

These photos of the Mermaid parade really put a smile on my face.

This tea mix sounds super tasty for the summer. If only my fridge was packed with greens.

Kaylah managed to find so many animals in the desert. How did I mess that up when I would visit my parents in Utah?!

I am excited that they are reopening the pop-up park near the art museum! That means one night will be beer after the art museum!

Political:

Emily from Bite Size Vegan interviews a man who is vegan and in the military. It is pretty interesting and brings up and important issue about how the military can support vegans better.

Ted wrote a really interesting post about a local restaurant, but it isn’t vegan. In fact it might make a vegan’s stomach turn, or maybe not at all. What the difference between cooking pig’s head and a pig’s belly? But then he takes a big turn and starts talking about illegal immigration, and I think brings up lots of great points. It is a great story that everyone should read, skip the first few paragraphs if you don’t want to read about stewing meats.

Living in an apartment in Philadelphia we had mice and cockroaches. The mice didn’t bother me as much as the cockroaches and house centipedes (I don’t know small things that go fast, mice are just big enough to not bother me.) Traps had been set, and I feel a little bad about it. Which is why I loved this article reflecting on all the housemates the author had over the years.

I loved this post about a guy who tries to eat all “women food” for a month. Which I like since I’ve had some guys who refused to eat something because it was targeted for women.


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This has been a crazy busy week. Alexa has been up to her neck in bridesmaids duties. And I have been in one of those so busy but I don’t know why sort of weeks. Well, truthfully I think a lot of my “business” is simply working longer hours. Suddenly there is a surge in frame jobs coming in, which is great. One cool thing that come in were Hardy Boys original paintings. They were from the books rereleases from the 90s. We got the painting from Sky Sabotage and The Voodoo Plot. The customer says he has a bunch of paintings he bought and never framed, so that is something I am looking forward to at work.

I think since I’ve been so busy I think I picked out more fun reads and such for the blog. I hope it cheers you guys up.

Farm Round Up:

What I got:
1 bunch collard greens
1 bunch radishes with greens
1 large kolhrabi with greens
2 small summer squash
1 bunch garlic scapes
3/4 bag of mixed greens (spinach, lettuce, arugala)
2 quarts strawberries
1 quart shelling peas
1 pint snow peas

What I’m cooking:
Buffalo Collard Greens
Kimchi Tofu Salad Sandwichs with Radish greens & slices
Jap Chae with snow peas & kolhrabi
Tempeh Helper with Peas
Lunch Wraps with hummus and mixed greens
Acai Bowls topped with Strawberries & Blueberries
Very Berry Chocolate Chip Cobbler

Recipes:

I am thinking about jackfruit a lot lately, and this jackfruit sandwich with tahini slaw looks bitchin.

This looks so yummy, and I am not the type of person who particularly likes making their own nut butters.

Happy Corner:

These chalkboard drawings are a lovely little slice of Americana.

I need to get that “Life…uh…finds a way” brooch.

Eat Your Kimchi really cheered me up with their new pantyhose challenge game.

Kaylah captures some great photos from a party supply rental warehouse. It really is haunting and a great visual of the worthlessness of our material crap.

Veganism:

I love when I find articles defending the almond industry. Yes they suck up lots of water, but cows use lots more from the food they eat.

This is an old article but a good one, 5 reasons for why animal activism is a feminist issue.

Ever hear people say veganism is white? I never fully thought that. Working at Animo I remember there being a few black vegan customers, which made me wonder why aren’t there more black vegans in the media? Well, there is a great post with 100 Black Vegans, helping bring some of these people out and in the public. I am surprised how many of the people are on the list have restaurants! So many I now would love to check out in a road trip.


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Hey guys. Alexa came down to visit yesterday and we went to Flying Fish Brewery which was a lot of fun. I really like major breweries that have nice tasting rooms to make a cheap day-drinking bar. We will be posting a more in depth review of it, this week.

Alexa’s little brother Trevor James is performing in the Crossfit Games yesterday in the Northeat regionals. He is currently ranked number 10 but ranked first in the fifth event! Trevor snatched a record breaking 279 lbs! Whoo! There is a little article on the Crossfit website here and here

Fun Stuff:

So I saw these cool shades on Dita Von Teese’s instagram account. Loving them.

This dress is just amazing.

These photos are just amazing by Kaylah.

One of the photographers from my wedding keeps a blog where he photographs local restaurants. One of recent posts is about his vegan parents. I love it.

Smart Stuff:

New York Times wrote and interesting article about how lack of exercise can mess up your circadian rhythm. The study made me think of my cat, and I wonder if she get consistent enough exercise. Which gives me more motivation to get a bigger place to more space to run and exercise.

SciShow shares a study where flies were showing signs of fear! It was a really cool study and challenges if bugs have emotions.

Feeling a little blue? Thinking about how hard it is to get a house, pay rent, and so on? Well, I think I mentioned briefly that my husband and I are looking for a house and once crunching the numbers what we could afford has gone down because taxes were so high. Apparently they are much higher than everyone else. The New Jersey average is $8,000 for property tax, only 0.2 homeowners in the whole of the United States pay that much! Not looking for pity, just a good “at least it isn’t that bad” thing to tell yourself.


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I’ve been in a weird mood lately. I think it is mostly the weather and stress. The weather has been hot and muggy, and I am mentally not getting use to it. Is that weird? It is like my body and brain is just giving a big ol’ nope when it comes to productivity. Shopping around for a house has been weird. We don’t have much money, which means very little to choose from. And then there is the concept of resale value. My god, resale value. It is enough to rip out your soul and personality. I think that concept alone is enough to make me hate house hunting. Seriously.

BUUUUUT…… it is my birthday and I am pumped for that. I was able to go for a run this morning, we went to an open house (which is probably confirming our need for a house over a townhouse), and for dinner we are going into Philadelphia for a dinner at Charlie Was A Sinner. Yesterday, we made a chocolate 2 layer cake and pizza. So life is good in that sense. 

Art:

These photos of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park by Kaylah are awesome.

Some of these hotel rooms are amazing– I mean some are sleeping in little spheres in the forest!

I heard I’m Sorry by Inflatable Boy Clams on the radio on the way home on Friday and it just made my day.

For real, this bathing suit is art. Ugh, I hate loving one pieces so much. They suck when you have to pee.

For those who are into the culinary arts, and photography, I’m drooling over these Shiitake Bok Choy dumplings.

Kanaho’s Show has posted a bunch of posts with great photography. My two favorite collections are MIZUHO and TOKYO.

Science:

I love hearing about new species.

Reading this article that defends coffee is nice and refreshing. So many people and health nuts are quick to dismiss coffee as a bad thing, though I still think it can be bad if you are dependent on it for energy. I never feel “buzzed” when drinking coffee, and I only notice that my hand get jittery because I just keep drinking for the flavor. XD

Feminism:

So it is worth noting that I (Jennifer) am not a huge comic book SUPERHERO fan. It isn’t like I hate it, just never got into American comics in that way. But Alexa on the other hand is very into comics, and reads some of the superheroes. But even still, I don’t watch the new superhero blockbusters, but I knew there were some hubbub about Black Widow. I read a few articles and I think NPR wrote a great article, which sums up how I feel about what I HAVE seen with superhero women. The article made me feel inspired to write a post of one of my favorite comics, Ray. So hopefully that will be up later this week.

Huffington Post wrote a small piece playing off the phrase “gives zero fucks“.

Flashback Summer writes two interesting posts about people of color wearing vintage clothing. I love vintage, and I love vegan food, both are online communities that are associated with white people. Emileigh sets it up by interviewing pinup girls of color and ask them about the issues they face and why they think there are less people of color that are into vintage clothing.


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Aww! It’s Alexa werkin out with her little bb brother!

This week is pretty mellow, I guess. I haven’t felt very passionate about what to share with everyone this week. Or maybe it is because so much of the articles I felt were important this week have been about Baltimore and Nepal. So maybe this week I feel a little like I should share happy stuff, and hopefully everyone has been keeping up to date on the other events.

I will be spending my day prepping hubs lunches (chopped veggies and cookies), making homemade peanut butter, and doing some spring cleaning. What about you guys? Any weekend plans?

Good News:

I don’t eat Nutella anymore because of the dairy, but there are tons of fun ways to use nut shells in an eco friendly way.

This is an interesting article about how Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi are working to build a healthy fast food restaurant for lower income families.

I love Kaylah’s super inspirational article about biking everyday for 30 days

Vegan Stuff:

Bite Size Vegan does a great post and video about vegan tattoos. She was so much more thorough than I was, and she gives great links to various products that are vegan.

Jon Stewart is opening up a sanctuary for animals? I forgive you leaving the Daily Show.

Oh and his wife is writing a book about how to live with animals. I am interested in this as well.

My birthday is coming up and I wish I could go to this Vegan Beer Festival that is happening the day before my birthday!

Vegan Shit At Franklin Fountain:

Okay so one of my favorite stores isn’t all vegan, but it offers a lot of customization for vegans. Franklin Fountain is an ice cream parlor that is gives a nod to soda jerks. They feature seasonal treats, rotating coconut milk ice cream, and tons more. So their recent blog post features these vegan snacks:

  • Dairy-Free Strawberry and Green Tea Ice Creams (I am thinking of a rose soda with a scoop of green tea? Rose Matcha float anyone?)
  • Looks like their Wiener Eiskaffee can be veganized (with their vegan vanilla ice cream and coconut whipped cream)
  • Pinolero is the new soda drink… which looks super interesting- cornmeal, coconut cream, cocao and cinnamon

Oh yeah, anyone recognize Alexa’s brother? My hint is that if you recognize him, you probably are a die-hard crossfitter. xD