Okay, first things first: beets. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent a significant portion of your life avoiding them. I mean, they look like tiny heart transplants waiting to happen, and they taste like… the Earth. Not “earthy,” not “fresh,” just straight-up dirt. If you told me they were dug up yesterday by some farmer named Hank, I would believe you. So when I came across *The Kitchn’s* *beet box* recipe, my initial reaction was a healthy dose of skepticism and fear. But, seeing as I am a mature adult who tries new things (this is not entirely
Author: Kristen Grace
Beauty junkie, food obsessed, and constant wanderer.
A Study in Scarlet – Sherlock Holmes’ Fever Dream
The TL;DR on Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes makes his debut in *A Study in Scarlet*, and it’s got all the classic elements of a Sherlock story: murder, intrigue, and the kind of deductions that make you go, “Okay, dude, but like… how?” But then, as if Arthur Conan Doyle said, “You know what this story *really* needs? A hard pivot to the American West!”—suddenly, there are Mormons in Utah, and I’m left clutching my tea wondering what just happened. Watson’s Broke Roommate Saga: A Relatable King It starts innocently enough with our friend Dr. John Watson, who, much like every
Palm Readings in New Orleans
Ahhh, New Orleans—the city of jazz, ghosts, and enough fried food to make your arteries weep for mercy. It had been on my bucket list forever, and I finally made it! A city that wraps its sticky, humid arms around history and haunts, where Bourbon Street smells like the desperate aftermath of one-too-many-bad-decisions, and honestly? I was here for it. I went full-on tourist mode and I am not sorry about it. We’re talking graveyard strolls, overpriced bus tours, and gorging on beignets like I’d never seen powdered sugar before. I partied hard on Bourbon Street, made some spectacularly poor decisions (read: paid way
The Life and Times of Kristen
It’s been awhile. It’s been hectic. It’s been life-changing. And I’m still recovering from it all. Once upon a time, a pandemic hit the globe. My man and I hid in our house and took walks at appropriately safe distances from other pedestrians. We planned. We enjoyed the small break from having to “head into the office”. We were both still receiving paychecks and felt incredibly blessed. I had chosen this most fortunate time to go back to school, to get my Masters. In the process I had quit my previous job and easily found a new one that aligned
The Capitol – Then and Wednesday – Washington D.C.
It’s hard for me as an American to put into words the horror that was last Wednesday, watching what could only be domestic terrorists overrun the heart of my country’s government. I want to say that I’m shocked such a coup was attempted, but I’m not. Definitely shocked that the security detail was so pitiful given the obvious rage-building happening amongst Trump supporters on social media. I actually toured the Capitol on my trip to Washington D.C. a year and a half ago. I didn’t blog about it at the time partly because the pictures I took were pretty awful
Cosmetic Ingredient: Cyclopentasiloxane
Cyclopentasiloxane? Sounds like a mouthful! Does it go by any other name? Yes! It is also referred to as decamethylcyclopentisiloxane. I bet you thought it’d be something simpler, eh? Never fear, it is also abbreviated to the humble “D5” thankfully. Cycloblaaaaaah–What is it? Cyclopentasiloxane is yet another version of silicone you can find floating around in skincare and haircare products and is part of the broader cyclomethicone category. Its main purposes are as an emollient, lubricant and a solvent. But what’s the main point of it being in skincare? Unfortunately, cyclopentasiloxane doesn’t have much benefit when it comes to the
Self Portrait #7: The Refusal to Make Resolutions and a Happy Blogiversary to Me
Today marks the anniversary of the day that I officially wrote my first post and hit “publish”. It happened on New Years Day becauuuuuse, DUH! Resolution. And I’m beyond happy that resolution was one I followed through on. But the idea of a resolution never really suited me. At one point, I decided to change the word to goals (or better yet, as one meme suggests, to label goals as “side quests” is much more fun). Goals felt more defined, less slippery, more tangible. But after 2020? I don’t think I’m the only one to give a profound “#$%* goals!”
Self-Portrait #6: What Did You Accomplish While the World was Experiencing the Apocalypse?
I’m not going to lie–I honestly believe I had a successful 2020. Mostly because I made it *through* 2020 in one piece, but I did get some things done while quarantining drained my life energy away: I got married! Yes, after three years of being each others’ everything, we finally tied the knot on August 29th, 2020. I started my Masters program and ended my first semester with a 4.0 GPA. I started a new job, which has been exciting and nerve wracking all at once but it’s progress (and let’s face it, being able to start a new job
5 Favorite Things – July 2020 (Super Late Edition!)
I know, I know, it’s almost September and I’m only now telling you about my favorite July things. I didn’t want to skip it though because I got the BEST bridal gift from my parents. It was so sweet, it made me sappy and I just DO NOT do sappy. My mother wrote a poem to go with the gift. Think of it as a teaser for what was inside. Something Old Something New Something Borrowed Something Blue Dated 1986, a lucky penny for your shoe A ring of hearts just for you A Rolling Stones pin from you know
National Air and Space Museum – A Museum in Washington, D.C.
I can’t believe my trip to Washington D.C. was a year ago. It seems like decades ago, an era before pandemic and a global crisis. A time when going to a museum was a fun day out and not a potential source of COVID. Le sigh. However, I can’t wax too lyrical about the National Air and Space Museum. Not because it wasn’t cool but because… I’m a terrible travel blogger. My problem is I go to museums and take a lot of pictures of crap without actually going through and figuring out exactly *what* the crap is. And being