DIY Succulent Terrarium <3 

So, you must know I am obsessed with plants.  I absolutely love them!  Growing up I would build flower gardens in our yard and have always been fascinated by all the different types of flowers and their beauty.  I also love having something to tend to and care for but don’t always have the time or am not always around since I also have a passion for travel.

 Because I live in a high-rise apartment in the city, my ability to enjoy this passion of mine is very limited.  I have exhausted the amount of orchids it is appropriate to have in a 1 bedroom apartment (I believe I currently have 9 different plants) and they are very difficult to keep flowering.  Aside from that I have a spider plant and bushy green plant that is much larger and both fill a good amount of space but lack the chic look and vitality of a flower bed.

Then I discovered succulents- the super easy, somewhat colorful, and very chic type of plant that you can arrange into a nice centerpiece or home accessory.

So I went ahead and bought an assortment of mini succulents, some stones, cactus dirt, and moss and grabbed some glass containers I had around the house and went to work!

 

My aunt has her own flower business, Anthurium The Love Flower, and so when I was last down in Ocala I went with her to a succulent farm and picked out some little babies to bring home.

Next, I went to Home Depot and got some cactus soil along with some white rocks and a little bit of moss.  Now I have read that layering the soil and rocks will help to keep the water from sitting on the succulent roots and that especially helped in my situation since I used glass containers that didn't have any drainage holes.  Plus it makes them look better!

This was my end product:

I also think that my next project will be like this image I took of a succulent at the kitchen of the Little Goat where you use one bigger succulent and different colors of sand or in wood :

I had a lot of fun putting these together and highly recommend it to anyone who likes DIY, crafts, or gardening in general!

Thanks for looking- xoxo

       K

GOURMET(ish) HOT DOG MAC & CHEESE

Yes, Hot Dog Mac & Cheese.... Don't knock it until you try it!!

This recipe is courtesy of my foodie friend Peter- and no this recipe in no way reflects his normal eating habits of dining at the top restaurants of some of the best chefs in Chicago... BUT IT IS STILL AMAZINGLY GOOD!

Hot Dog Mac and Cheese, Very Very Simple and Cheap Recipe.  And Never Any Leftovers…

2 Boxes of Velveeta Kraft Shells and cheese.  (I know.  Don’t judge.. It’s way easier and faster than having to melt all the cream and butter and paying $10 for Cheese only)  But’s still really good.

2 Medium Broccoli Crowns

1 small bag frozen corn (cup and a half)

1 lb bag of shredded Cheddar

1 Lb package of Vienna All Beef Hot dog (Sliced ¼ to ½ inch thick diagonally)

Pan Fry Sliced Hot dogs till edges are browned and caramelized a little.

Cut tips off of broccoli crowns into small pieces the size of medium marbles. ( ½ to 1 inch pieces) and STEAM ALDENTE (Don’t overcook)

Microwave frozen corn to till it’s warm, usually 2-4 minutes

Cook Pasta Shells Aldente in a lot of water (Don’t overcook) (Drain ALL WATER OUT and put back into pot)

Mix in Velveeta Cheese with the Shells

Then Mix in other cooked items and 8 Ozs of the Shredded Cheese.

Pour all into a roasting Dish.

Put the rest of the 8oz of shredded cheese on top.

Put into oven on low broil for about 3-5 minutes until carmelized top.

Final Product

Let's Get Started!

So, I am starting my own blog as an outlet for my creativity and interests to shine through and be shared with friends and whoever feels like reading...

It all started about a year ago when I was moving into my current apartment on a normal windy day in the CHI. One of the bags I was carrying up (yes, I was using grocery bags to move my stuff- recycling people!) had in it a wooden giraffe.  While this giraffe is nothing exceptionally out of the ordinary, it was given to me by my aunt and uncle from their safari trip to Africa.  I had managed to keep it with me in all my moves and travels the past 12 years without breaking any of the long thin legs and have grown quite fond of the wooden figurine.  Well, sure enough as I walk up the ramp to the back door of the apartment complex with the bag among a couple other bags in hand, we get a nice blast of wind from the lake that lingers for almost minutes and somehow has the strength to flip the bag into the air just enough for the giraffe to catapult out of it and careen  down the ramp.  To my surprise the giraffe looked to be intact until I actually picked it up and there it was missing the nose which had broken clean off.  I feverishly checked the path and the bushes and the entire surrounding area for that nose.  The wind was not helping and neither was my moving buddy who at this point could care much less about a broken giraffe's nose than getting inside, out of the wind, and done with moving.

I couldn't let it go, I couldn't give up finding that nose.  I was crazed about it and was determined to find it.  But I never did, and at first I was so frustrated about it.  Not really for much of a reason other than up to this point I really disliked living in Chicago and I felt that I hated everything about it and it hated me.  The giraffe was special to me and I couldn't believe that after keeping it in tact after all these years some stupid wind was the reason it flew out of the bag and broke.  I thought it was an omen about my new apartment, and that not much would get better about my opinion on the city.  But I was wrong, and my moving buddy was the one to help me realize it.

It's all about perspective and attitude.  Yes, some places you will like better than others and life will always be full of challenges, but it you can find something good in each day you will live a little lighter and with a little more enjoyment.  and so, for me this blog is my way of appreciating the things in my life that bring me enjoyment.  For instance, my giraffe, nose or no nose I still like having it....

My posts will share what I enjoy and as you will come to realize if you read any of these posts I am obsessed with making lists.  So here is my first list to give you an idea of what I enjoy and what my posts will most likely cover:

Horses
Flowers
Interiors & Design
Marine Life
Wine
Outdoors/Nature
Real Estate
Art
Puppies

Thanks for reading!  xoxo