We are halfway through the year! Already into the third quarter. Crazy!

Making: vegan chocolate mousse using avocado and cocoa powder. So good! I might put up the recipe.

Cooking: almost every single day in our house. I cooked rice and ginger and soy sauce veggie stir fry last. We don’t have a live-in  help so cooking is on me or mum. Mostly me. But my sister is home for the SA winter holiday so we get to split duties.

Drinking: rooibos tea that my sister brought me from S.A. I’d forgotten how good rooibos is!

Reading: Haven’t read anything since my last Taking Stock. Bad! Gonna try finish A Short History of Nearly Everything, though.

Wanting: things in my life to come together. I’ve had a rough past few months.

Playing:  Old Tanzanian songs. Professor Jay, Mwana FA, Mr. Blue, Ali Kiba way back when…

Wasting: lemon juice. We’ve been having quite a good stock of lemons in the house and I’ve been using lemon juice in everything. I tried it in coffee yesterday, which was a disaster!

Sewing: Getting my tailor to see me an African crop set and it’s taken forever to get it.

Wishing: I could have completely clear skin. My skin oscillates between clear and a rashy mess. It’s confusing

Enjoying: the grey skies and chilly weather because that means TEA!

Liking: this DisCoucher book that is full of savings! For KES 2000 you get to enjoy deals at cafes,  restaurants, bars, hotels, spas etc. The book is valid for 12 months. I’ve already saved over KES 2500 by using my vouchers. You can too… You can check it out on this link if you’re interested in purchasing one.

Wondering: why bad things happen. As Christians, we’re taught that suffering happens because of man’s fallen nature. I just always wonder if it’s all necessary. Like there must have been a better way. Floods, mass shootings, suicide terror attacks, political tension… I can’t justify it in my head.

Loving: Quay Australia’s sunglasses! I’ve been obsessed with them for about a year now. I just wish they were more affordable for the #Funemployed.

Hoping: the off shoulder trend never goes out of style because my clavicle is one of my favourite parts of my body. I think shoulders and clavicles are such a sexy part of the body to show off whilst still being modest.

Marveling: at how different people’s perceptions can be. I saw something about 2 young men, one an alcoholic and one a teetotaller. When each asked why, their answer was the same: “I watched my father’s drunkenness when I was a boy”. People perceive the same reality very very differently.

Needing: a free version of Adobe Premiere Pro. I got the 7 day free trial, and while it’s amazing software, it expired before I could edit a full video because I was taking forever to learn the software!

Smelling: lemon and tea tree oil that I was burning in my room yesterday.

Wearing: granny clothes. Seriously, if you saw me, you wouldn’t know what to say. I’ve got a dress, pyjama pants,  socks, sweater, hoodie and headscarf on right now. What? It’s cold!

Following: the following instagrammers recently:

@bakedtheblog– A South African style blogger who happened to go to the same university as I did.

@caxmee– a lifestyle blogger who lives in NYC and has the coolest style, is bald and beautiful.

@crissyteigen– I’ve never been crazy about her, but she’s pretty big on the gram so I decided to see what the craze is about.

@patmcgrathreal– celebrity makeup artist who epitomizes black girl magic!

Noticing: that Nairobi has more and worse potholes since devolution began. Is it just me?

Knowing: that God’s plans are perfect and that they prevail. I’m having a bit of an existential crisis and I need to keep affirming myself with scripture.

Thinking: about how I portray myself online. And also seeing through what others post online. What I put out online is only a tiny fraction of my life and is only what is relevant to my blog. Don’t be fooled by social media.

Feeling: FAT. I know I should do something about it, but I seem to have zero motivation. I just wish I could wake up skinnier. 

Bookmarking: business articles.

Opening: my bedroom door to go make more tea!

Giggling: at how ridiculous my sister and I are when we’re together. We don’t know when to stop. We made this video for fun and I keep laughing whenever I watch it. Especially the part where I nearly die!

Lots of Love.

Happy Independence Day to my American (resident) readers!