Chelsea's Chew and Run Fun

Good evening friends!

Hope you all had a lovely, relaxing, and merry end to the work week.

After my yummy lunch, I sped off (walked cross town, probably around 1.5 miles) to fetch Mina from school. Yesterday, the little lady had her first big school performance (she was the “Sun” in Aesop’s fable, “The Wind and The Sun”), and I was so proud of her that I promised to take her somewhere special to celebrate today. For her birthday not terribly long ago, I took her to a place made of childhood fantasies called, Alice’s Tea Cup. It’s a tea house/cafe with a vast and amazing selection of teas, plus delicious food and pastries. They throw bridal showers, birthday parties, etc. They even have a “Wee Tea” special for kids. I took Mina there again today for our post-performance celebration, we decided that this will be “our little place.”

After Mina was sprinkled with fairy dust (they brushed pink glitter all over her and told her to close her eyes and make a wish), she chose an monstrously huge hot chocolate and monstrous Oreo cupcake for her treat:

Tried a Spoonful of This, Creamy and Rich Like Whoa

I normally won’t post pictures of my charges (respecting the family’s privacy) but her Mom and I agreed that this action shot of Mina eating her goodies was priceless:

She Wasn't Even Hamming It Up For This Photo, Which Makes It All The More Fantastic

I had the thinner option, a lovely small pot of Lavender Earl Grey tea:

While working, I started to get hungry, so I had one of these for the first time:

It was ok I guess. I know this may be considered blasphemy in the food blogosphere, but I didn’t like my first Larabar. Terrible texture, muted flavor, not really all that nutritionally spectacular. I’ll give the peanut butter and jelly bar a try, but if that doesn’t suit my tongue’s fancy, then I’m going back to my old, faithful “Go Lean! Crunch” bars for my snack-bar staple.

Dinner was simple and classic, whole wheat spaghetti and turkey meatballs:

Those Meatballs Look Like Mickey Mouse

For the sauce, I combined 1 Tbs. Olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, one small can of organic tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon Oregano, Basil, and Thyme. I purchased the turkey meatballs from Citarella earlier today and threw those in while the sauce was simmering to heat up. Topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese:

Dessert, of course, was the Hawaiian sea salt topped, dark chocolate (filled with burnt caramel) that I purchased earlier:

CHOC of Amazing. Outstanding Richness.

It was pretty much the best, most unbelievably flavorful, sweet/salty four squares of goodness I ever had yummy.

I stayed in tonight because the weather was blah. It was lovely, non-chaotic, and peaceful. Just some Netflix, reading, recipe planning, and laundry. I love behaving like an old lady at the age of twenty-four.

I’m a little late on this, but Maggie is celebrating the wonderful concept of “truth week” on her blog and nominated me to share a truth of mine.

Truth: I have not had a serious romantic relationship (I’ve had some fun, but nothing close to serious) in over a year, and I’ve never been happier about that fact. I used to become incredibly depressed and lonely while single, which resulted in a string of tumultuous relationships based on neediness. Now, I prefer solitude as my date or the company of a cherished friend. This is not me giving up on the prospect of love, but rather, giving up on seeking it out like a lonely love-hound…and letting it find me instead, when it’s right and worth it.

What’s your favorite way to stay “in” on an evening when most people are “out”?

Goodnight!