the best invention ever

Everyone, stop whatever you're doing for a second, because I need to tell you about this right now.

To the casual observer, this might look like ordinary, slightly melty chocolate ice cream.

Not so!

It is, in fact, made of a few simple ingredients, none of which is milk! This is actually banana ice cream!

That's right!

I'm sure a lot of you have heard of this, so this is most likely not the revolutionary discovery I'm making it out to be. It just feels like one because I've been meaning to try it forever, and when I finally got around to it this evening, I promptly ate all of it. At once. I never eat ice cream--now I may never go back--and here I am downing an entire bowl of this delicious chocolate creaminess!

Basically, here's what it is. Frozen sliced bananas, placed into a food processor, are loudly blended until the consistency is sort of sticky and creamy. Personally, I proceeded to add a tablespoon of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder, a dash of vanilla and maybe a tablespoon or two of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Notice how many of these ingredients are specifically unsweetened. However, when the dish was finished, you would have no idea that there was absolutely no added sugar. I might be biased, because I love bittersweet things, but this was so perfect without anything put into it.

So, for anyone who is:

• Vegan
• Lactose intolerant
• Watching their sugar intake 
• Interested in trying this amazing treat

This is essentially a gold mine. On top of that, I'm pretty sure this is way healthier than a regular serving of chocolate ice cream, considering that it's minimally processed and has only one main ingredient (plus any flavoring you want to add--it's just as delicious by itself). Also, I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but that is a decent sized serving, and I'm almost positive it's only a little over 100-120 calories (again, depending on the individual ingredients). Let's see those sugar-free yogurts and teensy "healthy" snack packs of cookies top that!

Did I mention it's really cheap? A pound of organic bananas is a tidy 69 cents at most stores where I live, and one is all you need for one serving--so, you can get seven or eight of these for less than a dollar all by itself. A giant box of unsweetened cocoa isn't too bad, maybe $2 or $3, if you find it on sale! Vanilla is nice, but not essential, and I found mine for $1.99 at Fry's. The almond milk is the only thing I can see being slightly pricey, but we buy it for $2.99 every couple of weeks and it seems to last forever. One or two tablespoons certainly won't use it all up! If you also felt like shopping around for in-season fruits to add to this, you'd find yourself swimming in possibilities.

Now, shortly after finishing my dessert, I'm eagerly plotting my next attempt. The possibilities are suddenly endless. I almost fainted when I realized I could chop up some pineapple and orange, toss it into the food processor and make my own little healthy Dole Whip. What else? Peanut butter, mint, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chunks, whatever! I'm pretty sure unless you go insanely overboard, no matter what you choose to do with this recipe, it'll be infinitely better for you than ice cream...plus, as I said before, look at that bowl! I got to eat that entire thing. Okay--Marcus did try a bite, proclaim he wasn't a fan, then promptly ask for four more. Actually, right now I'm making him his own. The bananas are in the freezer. The things we do for love.

Anyway! Please, try this if you have the time and ingredients sitting around! 

The original recipe is right here, and there are step by step instructions with pictures and other flavor suggestions. 

So, there you go! Banana ice cream. It's really fun, leaves a lot of room for creativity, and I kind of like that I get to wait for the bananas to freeze for an hour or so...it gives me just enough time to look forward to what I get to eat!

If you try this, please tell me how it goes! What combinations did you try? Did you like it? Does it compare to regular ice cream, or do you prefer the original? 

introduction to my personal challenge

I've decided to challenge myself to some intensive hair growth treatments!

Even if they don't REALLY work, they make anyone feel like they're pampering themselves, right?

Here's the story. My brother has about a month until he goes back to college, during which time I will probably join him for a visit. There's a stylist up there I found just before I graduated, and she seems pretty great! I figure that if my hair grows enough to be able to cut it into a legitimately cute style--not just "I'm still growing my hair out, this week I look like a medieval prince so let me curl it a little bit"--I'll treat myself to a brand-new haircut to continue growing from!

This is a pretty huge deal, because as anyone who has ever had a pixie cut, a bob, or in my case, sort of both, can tell you, growing out that particular style is a bit of a hassle. The back sort of does this mullet thing while the pieces in the front grow at their own pace--usually uneven and completely irrelevant to one another. Seriously, I've learned that even though in theory your hair would grow proportionately to the layers it was cut into, this is almost never the case. My brother keeps finding pictures of 1970's folk singers and saying I look like them.

It's been a long couple of months.

But, anyway, that's why I've decided to try this! I'm noticing some increased hair growth with my new vitamins, but maybe doing a couple of these will help it along a little more. Worst case scenario, I use a lot of items from my pantry without really accomplishing much aside from a sense of spa-day indulgence. Not a bad deal!

So far, on my list for the next month or so:

• Mustard hair mask (I'm going to try my first one tomorrow, I think!)
• Rosemary and green tea rinses
• Egg and honey masks
• Gelatin protein masks
• Hot almond oil massages

I'm usually up for trying anything once, as long as it isn't completely over-the-top, so there's a pretty good chance I'll find more things to throw into my hair between now and then.

Additionally, I'm thinking of posting the recipes I used and some progress pictures, just for fun! Who knows, maybe I'll actually see a difference!

Has anyone actually tried any of these aforementioned treatments? I've done a couple before--they do seem to make a difference, even though they aren't all necessarily meant to encourage growth (that gelatin mask is wonderful for thickening/increasing curl factor!) 

I'd love to hear about anything you've tried, along with your results! 

a small documentary on hair growth

I am very much of the impression that every woman should do the short hair thing at least once in her life.

And I'm not talking about the whole "let's go from waist-length to shoulder-length and flip out about how all my hair is gone" situation.

I'm talking full on pixie.

Over the course of about a year, my hair gradually became shorter until one day I decided it was time to try something a bit different. Okay, if I'm being completely honest, the last haircut I'd had was a complete disaster. The stylist had essentially grabbed my hair, twisted it at the top of my head, and hacked it. The new person I promptly started going to informed me that my hair was pretty damaged, and that it would take about as long to grow out that monstrosity into something decent as it would to get a shorter haircut and start over.

So, I said, let's do it!

That is the face of someone who is not unhappy with their haircut.

Later, a couple of my friends complimented me on it and mentioned that I could even afford to go a little bit shorter. I was going through a huge flapper phase at this point, so I was only too happy to go back and request a couple more inches off.

I was pretty sold.

The trouble began when winter break came along, because I decided I'd get a trim that would be a little bit shorter to last me through the long vacation. The stylist assured me that she understood what I was going for. Then this happened.

I was trying to be a good sport.

I kind of cried when I got home. No, I'm not proud of it, but at the time, I was horrified. I had asked for a little extra trim, not a complete pixie cut. I had no idea what to do. For awhile, I was just really sullen. Later, I sort of came into it a little bit. Playing around with different things was pretty fun! Here's a little snippet of the last several months, for anyone who's interested.

It was waving again! I'm not sure what's up with the face, though.

I was actually pretty okay with this. As an aside, how cool is that Aladdin sweater?

This must've been during an awkward phase or something, because I do NOT look happy!

I wasn't a huge fan of my birthday hair, because it made me look a little crazy...

This was all right, too. The thing about short hair is that it goes through phases.

And this is a little before/after picture. This was taken several weeks ago, and it's actually grown a fair amount since.

Here are a few positive things I've learned about short hair.

• My big one: it forces you to accept what you look like. When your hair is cropped that close to your head, forget about hiding behind it. It makes you come to accept and appreciate the features you have.
• It can be a huge confidence booster. From what I gather, quite a few people have the curiosity and the urge to try a pixie cut, but few want to commit to getting rid of a foot of hair to do it. It's nice to hear about how bold you are for taking the plunge, even if it was accidental.
• Personally, I got a lot of fairy comments.
• Despite the awkward phases, watching it grow is kind of exciting. If you decide to keep it, then you can experiment with fun styles and hair accessories, but if not, it's a whole other journey back to growing your hair. Since my original intent was to grow back damaged hair, I ultimately decided not to keep mine that short.

However, here are some other things to keep in mind if you decide to go for it.

• Short hair is a commitment. Cutting off your hair takes all of two seconds, but growing it back can be a longer process. I originally cut mine in December, and I'm just now reaching what I hope is shoulder-length territory. But describing it that way is being very generous. 
• The awkward phases are a little maddening. It literally felt like one week I loved my hair and the next I couldn't stand it. 
• If you're the kind of person who loves to try out lots of styles, you might get a little bit bored. Personally, I was a little dismayed to find that my hair was now too short to be wavy. On top of that, there was really only one way to wear it. However, that can really work for some people, depending on the look they're going for and their hair type, so that's entirely based on preference. 
• Trims get a little pricey. That was a main reason I ended up deciding to continue growing it. The particular style I got--sort of a mini-flapper-bob--had to be maintained about every 4 weeks or the style completely grew out. I don't know about you guys, but as a college student, that wasn't happening, and I certainly wasn't about to attempt cutting it myself. I've done that once--it didn't end well. People notice. Not in a good way.
• Mullets. I don't know how everyone deals with it--probably different, depending on the person--but I just left mine there. It's only vaguely starting to look like regular hair again.

Still, ultimately, I'm glad I did it. For most of my life, I'd wondered about what chopping it all off would feel like. Liberating, for sure. Cold in the wintertime. And, as it grows, I can take note of how it looks at each length. If I ever wanted to cut my hair off again, I'd have a better idea of what did or didn't work for me.

Currently, I'm enjoying seeing my hair hit little growth spurts. Little DIY treatments at home like rosemary rinses or egg masks feel indulgent, and even if they do or don't really affect hair growth, it keeps things fun while I wait. 

I'll probably post more as time passes, since documenting hair growth is actually pretty neat. Sometimes when you feel like it just refuses to get longer, pictures can really give you a reality check. I'm hoping by the time my brother goes back to school in August, I'll have grown it enough to get a trim and finally eliminate this overgrown bob shape! (It's not a great look when it's months and months grown out.) 

See what I mean? ;)

I'm still glad it happened. :) Try it sometime, you will be, too! I've seen people rock a pixie WAY better than I ever could, and it's such a cute look for some of the styles floating around these days!

Who knows, someday I might end up doing it again. ;)

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wishlist I

It's the world's least heavily guarded secret that I can't control myself when it comes to Modcloth. My brother got me a gift card for my last birthday, and within about a nanosecond I was deluded into thinking I had the purchasing power of Queen Victoria before her Diamond Jubilee. For someone like myself who generally describes themselves as "the sort of person who likes to shop around"...(translation: really cheap)...the outcome was shameful. I bought five dresses and a Great Gatsby sweater all at once. To my credit, I wear all of those things all the time. 

Okay, not so much the sweater, since it's been known to reach 120 degrees where I live around this time of year, but it's sitting in my closet eagerly anticipating autumn. 

I digress.

I spend a fair amount of time daily on this website, and my wishlist is so extensive, I'm almost embarrassed to share even part of it with you. Honestly, this is just the first eight that came to mind. This doesn't even include the skirt section, let alone the shoes or tops. I may have a very real problem. 

Oh, well!

Here's a list of my current lovelies that are hopping in and out of my shopping cart. If I cover up the prices, it isn't that bad.

If anyone is interested, in order from left to right, here are the aforementioned articles of clothing:

1. Jetting Ready Dress
2. Doll in All Dress (this one is mostly sold out, as a warning)
3. Too Much Fun Dress in Airplanes
4. Bernie Dexter Year Abroad Dress
5. Too Much Fun Dress in Cherry
6. Sea Shanty Singing Dress in Navy
7. High Socie-tea Dress
8. Too Much Fun Dress in Boats

I'm really not kidding when I say I could do this forever. I knew every single one of those dresses' names by heart (because seriously, how cute are some of those?)...and my browser even knows that 9 times out of 10 something I type is going to be related to Modcloth.

Someday, I'll be able to afford half of one of these...

To be fair, I do have a decent amount of this shop's clothes in my closet. All my pieces get a lot of love. It's kind of surprising...lately, my tastes have been shifting more towards "buy less things that I love for a little bit more money" as opposed to "buy more things that I'm okay with for cheaper".

It must be part of growing up, I guess?

Any fellow Modcloth lovers out there? How do you deal with your addiction to these adorable prints?

I have yet to discover the magical properties behind a successful blog.
I don't think my life is that interesting at the moment.
If I'm being honest, that could actually be a pretty big part of it.

I'm here this evening because the craft shops were already closed, and I was becoming too fired up browsing Modcloth. I could feel myself becoming more open to the idea of purchasing my entire shopping cart. Needless to say, a distraction was in order.

With luck, this will be my last evening-long attempt at creating a whole new page for myself.

Previous attempts have been short-lived, and I think it's because they were pretty forced. I'm a huge admirer of vintage and style blogs, but I think my efforts to emulate my favorite ones may have been my downfall. I might just see where this goes. There isn't always a whole lot to discuss. I live in the middle of a desert, and it seems like nothing ever happens here. The highlight of my day today was picking up new conditioner from Target and making my own taco spice for dinner.

(In case you were wondering, I bought Organix Repairing Awapuhi Ginger. It smelled like the beach, while the other ones I was debating on were more expensive-salon-scented. They were a little too intimidating for me.)

Now for the fun part--I suppose it's time to let my first post be finished and see what comes of Darling Mine from here!