New J.Crew Swimsuit + Countdown to Israel

I bought this cute new swimsuit for my trip to Israel in a few weeks. The family that I nanny for has invited me to come along on a work trip. I'll watch the kiddos while they lead a group of 120 people on a tour of the Holy Land. Pretty cool huh? I'm so excited to see Israel! I needed a suit that was somewhat conservative so I thought this was a perfect middle ground... not too old lady but still keeping it classy. I can't wait to go swimming in the Dead Sea and Jordan River with my nanny babies and Shan {<-- My best friend is coming along too!}.

 

{Some pictures of Israel}

 

 

{Fun Facts}

 

The Dead Sea’s salt content is four times that of most world's oceans! You can float in it without even trying, which makes swimming here a magical experience. This is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water while reading a book.

The water and mud from the Dead Sea contains more than 35 different types of minerals that are essential for the healthy skin including: Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine, Sulfur, and Iodine. They are also known for relieving pain caused by arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, headache and foot-ache, while nourishing and softening the skin.

-Atlas

Oh I’m going to slather that mud all over me!

 
Pictures: jcrew, sunset, floating

Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Strawberry Tart

 

 

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry dough
3 tbsp. of Dickinson's Vanilla Creme Curd
8oz. mascarpone cheese
3 cups strawberries {sliced}

Directions:

-bake puff pastry according to package instructions {let cool}
-mix 3 tbsp. of vanilla curd with 8oz. mascarpone cheese in a bowl
-spread the vanilla mascarpone cheese onto the puff pastry
-arrange the sliced strawberries on top

Nail Polish: A Stripe of Gold

{Add a stripe of gold to your manicure}

Just for fun.

5 Joie De Vivre {Simple Joys In Life}

{Truffle Tremor Cheese at The SoCo Mix Cheese Shop}

 

We stumble across this cute little cheese shop. I love the way they display their menu (on the butcher paper). They had the most amazing cheese: testun al barolo, rich goudas flavored with truffles and sharp cheddar with chives etc. We got the truffle tremor - a creamy truffle bree cheese with a mild goat cheese in the middle. Gawwwh. So good.

 

 

 

{Lavender}

 

I secretly steal a sprig when I pass by this bush on our walks. I can't help it, they smell so good!

 

{ Homemade Toffee Popcorn}

 

This is what I think heaven would smell like. It's so nice to cozy up on the couch, share a bowl of this magical stuff and a cup of vanilla coffee. I'm thankful for moments like these with my Hub. So relaxing.

 

{Our New Krups Juicer}

 

I'm very excited about  our new juicer that we got with the rest of our wedding money from Macy's. We bought some fun fruits and veggies to test out the new machine -- peaches, guavas, apples, blueberries, grapes, spinach, carrots etc. Yay to investing in our health!

 

{Lunch With My Mr.}

We made lunch at home and ate in the backyard on a sunny afternoon.

Fun New Food

I love trying new foods whenever I get the chance. Our friend Dany told us about these amazing little shops that her Mom would to take her to. Dany's parents grew up in Cambodia, so she knows some great authentic Asian bakeries and resuarants. So we all piled into the car and headed to Westminster for some yummy pandan bread, desserts, Vietnamese sandwiches and milk teas. It was a fun afternoon!

 

 

 

 

 

Our Travel Gnome

Meet Felgar. He is our official travel gnome. He mysteriously appeared in our backyard during a BBQ with friends. Hmmmm… I suspect Justin Felgar (hence the name and because Felgar suits him so well). Our friend Justin (beau of my best friend Shan) will be away for the next 9 months or so with the Navy, so we've decided to bring Felgar the Gnome along on all our adventures. We'll send the real Felgar pictures of his gnome friend so he won't miss a thing. Any who -- this is him. He's going to be traveling to Israel in 2 weeks! Yipppeeee!

Easy Nutella Cupcakes

Super easy, yummy Nutella cupcakes! I made these with the rest of our Nutella from Berlin and the hazelnuts from Istanbul. Well, what an international cupcake -- A tasty way to reminisce about our honeymoon! 

Bake for 20 min at 350.