Web Wins

I used to feel guilty about spending so much time on Pinterest. I probably should still feel a little guilty about spending so much time on Pinterest -- you ultimately end up spending hours finding things that you likely will not look at ever again, much less attempt to cook, build, or style in real life. BUT! Sometimes there are gems on there that are well worth the discovery that you say to yourself, if I hadn't lied on the couch all morning in my U of M sweatpant capris on my laptop, I would've missed on on this.

My primary obsession with DIY's and making things from scratch is not really to be all-natural or anything like that. Although I do greatly appreciate knowing what ingredients are in something I'm eating, if you leave a plate of the chemical storms of horror that I am sure Oreos are in front of me, I will eat them and not think twice. The driving goal behind my missions is to save money. Some things are such a ripoff that it drives me absolutely crazy. We get the bill at a restaurant like Longhorn and I about faint, because that chicken and rice was not worth that much, let alone some beers.

I am all about saving money! Then I can buy more stuff for me that's fun! :) Right, Darin?!?!?

THE BEST FINDS THIS SUMMER

1. Peasant Bread

I am in disbelief at how beautifully this bread turned out. It was so mega easy that I can actually see myself making it on a semi-regular basis for our ordinary bread usage -- sandwiches, toast, anything. You don't have to knead it, and and if you stick the dough in a Pyrex bowl, it can rise and bake in it without any fuss. It was way tastier than I had imagined. Try slicing it up and serving with this outrageously delicious and simple feta dip. These two recipes comprised my dinner last Sunday all by themselves. If you are not culinarily blessed -- try this bread! It's almost foolproof!

A nice buttery, crispy crust!

2. Homemade Laundry Detergent

Way back in the winter time, I made my own powder laundry detergent. And it sucked. I probably should have put all of it in a food processor or blender to make the particles smaller, but I was afraid of my smoothies tasting like baking soda for the rest of my life and left the mix as it was. Chunks of soap would keep not dissolving in the wash (especially since I like a cooler wash to save energy) and would subsequently melt in the dryer and just be a big fat mess. Lame. Luckily, I found this alternative recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent!

The best choice was buying Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. I hadn't heard of it until I read this method of making detergent -- it's a really neat company that is fair trade and has all-natural ingredients. And this huge bottle was under $15.00. The amount of soap I used for my huge batch of detergent was like, two tablespoons. I found it at Meijer, so I guess it's pretty mainstream now and at most regular stores.

(Pic from Amazon where you can buy it as well)

I poured my detergent mix in a huge Tupperware bin and just give it a good shake before scooping a cupful into the washing machine, and there you have it! Saving mega dollars and no dyes or irritating stuff, in case you have people with sensitive skin in your life. I feel like a pioneer when I use it and that works for me.

3. Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Now there is no way to make alfredo sauce with healthier ingredients that won't sacrifice taste a bit. Accepting that fact, I gave the above recipe a try and was really, really pleasantly surprised at how good it was. If you are okay with the mild taste of cauliflower, this sauce is really good! I found myself tasting it over and over when it was heating up just because I straight up liked it. 

I melted a good bit of parmesan cheese into it and mixed it up with some tricolor pasta and grilled chicken and Darin ate it, so that's a healthy meal success in my book! But this sauce's tour de force for me is as the sauce on a healthy pizza. OH MY GOSH! I had it for dinner tonight and it was every bit as satisfying as a real white sauce pizza. I toasted a healthy flatbread (this kind from Aldi, which is really really tasty) and put my cauliflower sauce on, and some chicken and a half cup of mozzarella cheese, and had an awesome under-400-calories dinner that I couldn't even finish.

Melty goodness with pesto chicken on top. 

4. How to Shave Your Legs Less

Yes, please. Where was this tutorial in February where our bathroom was so cold that I chose not to get razor burn from all my goosebumps and just my leg forests thrive? (Ew, sorry that I wrote that.) I only tried the first step, and rubbed my St. Ives Apricot Scrub on my legs and rinsed it off before shaving, and HOLY WOW did it make a difference. So soft and fancy. I am now on an exfoliation mission -- it probably solves many other skin woes. This was one of the few beauty/health tricks I've encountered that actually worked in a noticeable way, not just a placebo effect. I think? Maybe I'm losing it.

Nevertheless, give these four Pinterest discoveries a try. 

Now enjoy photos of what we have been up to lately. 

In my opinion, a sweet shot of the Ambassador Bridge as Darin and I locate a certain rum that my dad wanted that we could only find across the border.

Darin and I enjoyed a nice shower at DTE Energy Music Theater (or Pine Knob, if you prefer) to watch Dave Matthews Band.

Our view from our room at the wonderful Yorkburg Manor Bed & Breakfast. I seriously loved this place. 

Happy to have arrived after a painful, painful many miles over hot sand dunes.

Love the photobomb of my sandal in my hand.

Lake Michigan is very pretty... and very freezing.

Sleeping Bear Dunes is a neat place. I highly recommend not trekking across them to the beach -- next time I will be content to roll down them like the little kids do.

It was sweet to get some fresh air on our anniversary in Williamsburg & Traverse City. We had a great time! 

Fun in the D

This morning I couldn't stop myself from going through all my travel photos. (I am employed and start work next week so this bit of Thursday laziness is okay by me! Just to justify my bum actions to myself... sigh.) I think the little map on Facebook caught my attention and had little pins on the places I've been, and it made me nostalgic about all the really cool things I have been able to do already in my lifetime.

I really am the most blessed, lucky girl in the world, in my opinion. I can't believe that at age 22 I've set foot in so many countries. I got to see Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, hear Big Ben chime, cross Latinski Most (the bridge where Franz Ferdinaned was assassinated in Sarajevo), jump between boats in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia, and so much more. Even seeing the awesome things within the U.S. is so exciting! I rode the carousel in Central Park and wandered around Alcatraz, and put my hands in Marilyn Monroe's prints on Hollywood Boulevard. I really treasure experiences like those. If it came down to it, I'd sell most of my clothes and things if it meant I got more memories and tried so many new things.

I know it will be a while before Darin and I are able to "travel" again. We would love to go to the Balkans and visit my friends and be total tourists someday. I personally would love to go to Thailand and China and Tanzania but we will not get too far ahead of ourselves, ahaha. Luckily, I am getting more than my fill of new adventures while we are somewhat homebound for the time being!

Darin found out about a Mustache Day at the DIA in honor of a new Dali exhibit, so we went with some friends to enjoy some art... and then brewskis at the Motor City Brewery. I had me some Ghettoblaster for the first time, yum!

I promise someday, I will use a real camera and not be so Instagram-tastic. It's just so easy.

And then, for the next fun thing...

D totally surprised me yesterday by coming home with tickets to the Tigers vs. Yankees game! I was so excited -- I said that I was thinking I wanted to go for my birthday present this year. (I needed an occasion for my Verlander shirt!) Since the Tigers would mostly be away in September, Darin picked out some awesome seats and we had such a good time! I am learning things about sports. ;) We lost but it was a great game anyways. Plus I am a cheapskate gross girl and kept my cup as a souvenir. Whatever! I will start a Detroit weird souvenirs hoarding club.

Every day, I become more and more convinced that God knew what he was doing setting the two of us up and making it so that I would need to move up here for the beginning of our marriage. I really do love this place. Detroit has character that other cities don't have. There is history, former opulence, an all-American feeling, urban flavor, grittiness, and pride. Growing up in Florida, things are mostly too new for that. Our old things are Spanish forts and the winter homes of the famous people from up here. (Seriously -- Henry Ford's winter home was in Ft. Myers I think, haha.) It has a special place in my heart, but now, Detroit does too. I may live about 3 minutes outside the west city limit so it's pretty close. :)

Hopefully, one day, we will be adventuring overseas again, whether just for fun or specifically to share the gospel, but until then, I am thankful to have "smaller" adventures here in Michigan to tide me over!

Oh, and because I sort of mentioned it hit-and-run... I am indeed employed now! I am starting next week at a daycare! It is such a relief. I am starting part time so I am still looking around for other ways to fill that time and make some more bacon but it is better than alternating between going on a cleaning frenzy in our house and then lying around like a couch potato. Anyways, more stuff to come!

Love, Lara

Good Morning, Sarajevo

Today I am having withdrawals that a select few people in this world would ever have, and which sound pretty weird to everyone else: Bosnia withdrawals.

It is a special, special country in my heart. I went there on Summer Project with Cru on what can almost be considered a whim, but not really; it was totally prompted on my heart by God. The first summer I spent there in 2010 was wonderful, and, again on almost a whim, I returned in 2011. $10,000 fundraised, tons of new friends, and two years later, a little chunk of my heart became converted to Balkan, and it can never go back.

While I'm sure everyone who has been to a somewhat obscure country for an extended period of time says this, I am sad that most people will never know what a gem Sarajevo is in this world. Reactions to my announcement that I would spend the summer in this city said it all -- many haven't heard that name since the 1990's, and will always associate it with war and ethnic conflict, or communism in the very least. The legacy of Sarajevo is mostly confined to the location where WWI started, the Winter Olympics in 1984, and then the horror of the war as Yugoslavia broke down in the 90's. But what has it been by the year 2010, when I first stepped off the plane at Butmir Airport?

It was beautiful mountains, dotted with red-roofed houses, surrounding the whole city.
It was the bustle of trams full of people rolling down the wide European avenues.
It was the smell of ćevapčići in Baščaršija. (That is a lot of accent marks!)
It was the call to prayer ringing through the valley 5 times a day.
It was the thumping beat of techno at coffee shops and bars in the Austrian part of the city.
It was the children biking and running on Vilsonovo.


Today, I am missing the food -- which I was so afraid I wouldn't like -- with the most delicious bread in the history of the world. I miss sitting "on coffee" with my friends from the University of Sarajevo and getting their help shopping at Mercator (which is a little like Target). I wish I knew the next time I would get to take a walk by the river and just be there again! It would be so awesome to get to visit with Darin one day and show him around, if all my favorite places are still there. They probably will. The mixed reaction to McDonald's opening in Sarajevo is a good marker of how much Bosnia likes to stay Bosnian.

Yes, the man in the photo above is a brief fling I had in Sarajevo. Darin is aware of it. Everything is okay.

Love, Lara