Netflix: What We're Watching

Shawn and I don't have the attention span for movies, so we watch a lot of tv shows instead. That's not to say we don't binge-watch shows... (we watched all of Stranger Things in one afternoon!!) but it's easier to pause between episodes and do something else than it is to commit to a nearly 2-hour chunk of watching time. Here are a few of the things we've been watching lately!

Star Trek: The Next Generation- I never watched Star Trek growing up, but Shawn has been putting this on a lot lately; we're halfway through season 3 and I'm diggin' it. I love that some of the episodes have a Twilight Zone feel to them. I also like all the cameos from popular 90's actors!

The Great British Baking Show- If you like British accents and baking shows, then you need to watch this. It's a baking competition, but the contestants are so nice to each other compared to American competition shows! It's also fun to learn about different British baked goods.

Stranger Things- It seems like everyone and their mother is talking about this show. And with good reason! Like I mentioned earlier, we flew through all eight episodes in one afternoon. It has a very Twin Peaks feel to it. I really hope they make a second season!

La Promesa- My mom told me about this show almost a year ago, it just took me a while to start watching it. It's in Spanish, and it's about sex trafficking. Definitely not one of those shows you can just put on as background noise; you have to invest some time to watch a few episodes, and the subtitles are subpar, but it's entertaining and has really good cliffhangers.

Hell on Wheels- Shawn started watching this without me, but I got really into it after catching a few episodes. I'm not usually into historical stuff, but this is an interesting look at the building of America's railroad system. Plus, Anson Mount with that beard is pretty dreamy...

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt- My friend Amy told me to start watching this; it's about a girl who was held underground for fifteen years and then gets freedom and moves to NYC with the mind of a fifteen year old. I wasn't super into at first because it's so ridiculous, but I couldn't pull myself away from it. I'm glad I stuck with it though because each episode is better than the last. So many cameos in this too!

Good Eats- What do I need to say about this other than Alton Brown is amazing? I was so happy when Netflix acquired Good Eats!

Law and Order: SVU- I always told myself I would never be one of those people that watches SVU at will... "Oh, there's nothing else on tv right now so I guess I'll watch SVU"; then Shawn started playing it on Netflix and, well, it's a time-sucker. That drama pulls you right on in.

Chopped- Another Food Network classic. We put this on whenever we don't know what else to put on. It's my favorite of the Food Network competition shows. If you have Food Network, try to watch for Chopped: After Hours - those are the best!


It's funny, when I'm home by myself, I rarely turn on the tv. I prefer to spend my time in front of the computer. Shawn is the opposite - he pretty much has the tv on all the time when he's home... whether he's watching sports, Netflix, or playing video games, the tv screen rarely gets a rest unless we're out and about. When I do sit down to watch something though, I binge-watch. With tv, it's all or nothing if I'm involved! Have you been watching anything good lately?

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Magic Gardens

Back in July, my sister, brother, and I spent a day walking/eating/drinking around Philadelphia. I love showing people around Philadelphia; it's such an underrated city! Everyone on the upper east coast is all about New York City, but I personally find Philadelphia to be so much more interesting. Aside from all the history, there's art everywhere you look, coffee shops on every block, and restaurants of every sort! Plus, the big appeal for me is that it's so incredibly walkable. Sure, you can't see everything there is to see in one day (or one weekend), but you can see so much of the city just by walking from one end to the other. So that's pretty much what we did! We almost got heat stroke because I thought it would be a great idea to walk along the boardwalk on a 95+ degree day in full sun... oops! Note to self, don't drink whiskey and then walk outside in full sun.

One of the places we spent a little time at was Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. I had walked past this place a few times before but had never actually gone in. It's a non-profit gallery space on South Street, and it's the largest work created by artist Isaiah Zagar. There's an outdoor labyrinth and some indoor galleries as well. Everything is made from recycled objects - tiles, bottles, plates, bike wheels, found objects... it's really just a giant mosaic garden! He also has a few mosaic murals along South Street.

We had a lot of fun walking through it, and since we went during the week, it wasn't overly crowded. I took a bunch of photos but I'm not happy with the way most of them turned out. It was just too sunny that day, and I only had my phone on me. Regardless, I thought it'd be neat to give you guys a glimpse of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens!











If you're ever in Philly, you should check it out!

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Cat Selfies

Lloyd has been working on his selfie game...
(i.e. Our apartment from a cat's view!)

Sylvester isn't quite as adept yet, but he's getting there!




Just a quick fun post for your mid-week enjoyment ;)

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Snapshots

I only posted twice in July and both were birthday posts for the boys. WOW. Indicator of an obsessed cat-mom, or of a busy/working/lazy lady? Are you guys dying for a real-life update, or what?! Not much has changed around here. Shawn moved the furniture around, not that you would know... since I haven't shown you many photos of the apartment yet. (Soon though, I promise! I want to get some plants and another rug or two first...) My sister was in town for a week! She was house/dog-sitting for some friends of mine, and we had a ton of fun while she was here! I've got a post with photos from the Magic Gardens coming up. I also went to the beach. And fell asleep. And got really really burnt. But it's all good now - I pretty much just have a skin bikini for the time being. And some lots of extra freckles!

Oh, and I got a new job! I start in a little over a week. An opportunity arose, and I decided that it was time to move on from the brew pub. I'll be baking croissants, danish, and tarts at a local wholesale French bakery. I am overjoyed to finally learn how to make croissants from scratch, and from a French pastry chef! Nothing like learning new skills, amiright? These are seriously the best croissants in Philly, hands down. When I decided to make the switch, Shawn and I both let out a sigh of relief. I'm not going to go into the nitty gritty details, but I finally feel like I'm adulting correctly. Know what I mean?

Favorite things lately...

• Summer sunsets, and summer rainstorms... sudden afternoon summer showers are my favorite!
• We're planning on going to the Renaissance Faire at least a handful of times this summer, so I finally got myself a proper costume. We're going for opening weekend on Sunday - I can't wait!
• I love Philadelphia in the summertime. All the locals go away on vacation and the city is so much more peaceful. There's just something about walking around without all the hustle and bustle... makes it worth the train ride in.
• Yoga teacher training really sunk in for me last month and I've been more mindful of how I'm breathing during stressful situations. It was like a light bulb went off in my head and I realized "Oh! That's how I use these tools off the mat!" Mindfulness, awareness, forgiveness... all very useful stuff right there.
• Speaking of teacher training, I sewed up a quick tote bag to carry all of my books and snacks to and from class. And I remembered to take photos along the way! That means there should be a DIY tote bag tutorial on the blog soon! :)

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