The Zoo!

Yay! Today I got to explore DC a bit, so I decided to visit the National Zoo. I have to say that going early on a weekday is the best time to be there. The zoo isn't too busy, and most of the people there are parents with really young and adorable children. The animals also seem to be much more active in the morning. To read more about my trip, click here.

Library Book Sale

I went to the library book sale, and found the perfect book for me. I saw it and I had to have it. And since the price was right, here it is.

Target is a Hole in My Pocket

The pictures say it all. Beautiful Issac Mizrahi coat that's fully lined, in my size, and not made in China! It was a sign.

My Trip to the Mall

I was roaming through the Potomac Mills Outlet Mall when I saw it. A cop riding a segue. It was all I could do to keep from laughing the first time I saw it. Then I walked around the mall for a couple of hours. Yeah, the cop definitely had the last laugh. Those floors are hard! I think they must be solid concrete below the wood floors, with no cushion in between. Makes me wish I had a segue of my own. Then I went to Ikea. I think I could live at Ikea. It's the perfect store. It has beautiful models of functional houses that are even smaller than the solar homes I saw in DC, plus a restaurant with the best food ever! The swedish meatballs at the Ikea Cafe are one of the few items that make me rethink giving up beef. At least for a little while. And the ligonberry drink is delectibly delicious. Here's my dream Ikea house setup, with beautiful artwork: (who doesn't love Audrey?)

Solar Decathalon

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Solar Decathalon in D.C. and it was amazing. I never realized how attainable a truly solar home was before this. And beautiful. Before attending the decathalon, I always thought that solar homes had to be uber-modern and sterile looking. Now I realize that they can be modern while still being organic, and amazingly functional. The houses were only 700-930 square feet, but they felt huge on the inside. Plenty of room for two or even three people to live comfortably. And with the modular style that a lot of the homes had, they could easily be expanded to fit a growing family. This trip has totally inspired me to go solar for my first home.

Bento #1

Yay! I finally made my first bento :) It's not terribly pretty, but it's functional. And I can always learn pretty later...

I found this cute little container at the mall for like four bucks, and it's even dishwasher safe! In the top compartment I've put strawberry yogurt on one half and apples with peanut butter on the other. In the bottom I packed raisins, peanuts, grilled chicken and barbeque sauce. All in all I think I'm not going to have to worry about being hungry at lunchtime. I could even fit a fork and spoon in my bento. Overall I believe this was a pretty successful attempt at the famous Japanese lunchbox.