Half Marathon Perfect Playlist

Somehow I realized I liked to run last year, and decided I had to participate in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. I worked on this playlist for as long as I trained. Each song was perfect and made the run go by so fast.

1. In the Aeroplane over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel
2. Nobody's Empire, Belle and Sebastian
3. The Less I Know the Better, Tame Impala
4. Pretty Pimpin, Kurt Vile
5. Hahaha Pt. 2, Kishi Bashi
6. Atticus, In the Desert, Kishi Bashi
7. Mad World, Adam Lambert
8. Through the Wire, Kanye West
9. Kaputt, Destroyer
10. A Crime, Sharon Van Etten
11. Something Good, Alt-J
12. Breezeblocks, Alt-J
13. Matilda, Alt-J
14. Fineshrine, Purity Ring
15. In Fantasia, Kishi Bashi
16. The Mother We Share, Chvrches
17. Within, Daft Punk
18. Instant Crush, Daft Punk
19. Lose Yourself to Dance, Daft Punk
20. Recover, Chvrches
21. When We Were Young, Adele
22. All I Ask, Adele
23. Jai Ho, A. R. Rahman
24. Run This Town, Jay-z, Rhianna, Kanye West
25. Mr. Saxobeat, Alexandra Stan
26. Bitch Better Have My Money, Rhianna
27. Can't Sleep Love, Pentatonix
28. Renegades, X Ambassadors
29. Out of the Woods, Taylor Swift
30. Hold On, We're Going Home, Drake
31. The Man, Aloe Blacc
32. Dangerous, David Guetta
33. Dessert, Dawin
34. Whistle While You Work It, Katy Tiz
35. Hahaha Pt. 1, Kishi Bashi

I need 5 more songs! Please let me know if you have the perfect song that will fit in with this list!

End of summer fling

With only 3 weeks left until school starts, we are trying to squeeze in as much summer time as possible.

The greatest show on earth

Gold, Gold and Gold

Layers of gold at Under Her Charm.

Pearls and gemstones

This simple and unique pearl and gemstone gold necklace is now available in my shop.


You can also add a personalized hand stamped gold tag!

Urban Decay

Beloved Westbury Square in Southwest Houston.

Still standing but reduced to shambles.

Anyone who was around in the '60-'90s remembers its hayday. The galleria before the Galleria.

I often went to the unique specialty shops with my grandmother - candle stores, fabric stores, restaurants, her hair salon every Saturday!.

Every halloween all the shops opened their doors to trick-or-treaters and there was a makeshift haunted house that has now been replaced by Home Depot.

All that's left is Honey's Sno-Ball truck in the parking lot (delicious sno-cones, by the way!).

With all of the debate about demolishing the remains, why can't it be rebuilt to it's former charm? That would make MANY Houstonians happy!

(older pictures courtesy of houston press and houston architecture)

Broken bones

Geez, you can never keep these guys safe. Noe had a little accident on the playground at her school.

Surgery complete, pin in place, purple cast secured. She's a trooper!

The first and hopefully last broken bone in the Ostrin household. Oh, except for that time Edwin broke his foot walking around the swimming pool...

San Francisco in 48 hours

San Francisco is a great place to go in the summer... if you are missing winter! I was lucky enough to have about 48 hours to enjoy the sites and sounds, and I made the most of it. I stayed at my brother's place on Telegraph Hill, so walking out the front door, this is what you see.

Turn the corner towards Columbus and you will run into these.


My first stop was at Mara's Italian Pastry for a treat, then into China town.


Max and I had just about the tastiest chicken wings in San Francisco CAPITAL Restaurant on Clay.

Next day I did some shopping in Union Square.

Then dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. Seriously, #wherearethesealions ??

With a final stop in Berkeley for my favorite salad and a visit to my previous work, which I left exactly one year ago.

Thanks to Edwin and grandparents for holding down the fort while I retrieved Ronnie!

The latest masterpiece

Edwin was determined to make his favorite dessert, which somehow I had never even heard of. Recognize these?


Apparently these are caneles. And Edwin nearly burnt down the house trying to make them. Our nest protect was yelling at us for an hour! But they were enjoyed by all. If you happen to have your own block of beeswax, you, too, can make your own caneles.

Mother's Day Music

Edwin and I were lucky to be up close and personal with Kishi Bashi at Fitzgerald's this weekend. Here's a little snippit from my iphone:


How come my violin never sounded so good?


Definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen.

Then came the real stars. Ronnie and Ben had their first piano recital at Rice University. It was at the Shepherd School of Music. No pressure there.


Ben was in such a rush, he forgot to sit down! And he still didn't miss a note.


Next stop - Carnegie Hall.

Beautiful Gulf Waters

You heard me. You might think we were sad to give up the Pacific Coast, but I'd trade it for Texas beaches any day. Beaches that are warm enough to run right into the water.

Beaches where kids can head off with new friends and boogie boards.
Beaches that won't sweep away little Ostrins with one giant undertow.
Warm sun, warm water, warm sand and only a quick 45 minutes drive away. What more can you ask for?

Cheerful good luck bracelets

Something about these little tassels is so cheery! Just the right pop of color. This all sterling silver bracelet includes a stamped initial disc, a hamsa, cross or tree of life charm, along with a silk tassel in green, purple, wine or black. Find them in the bracelet section at Under Her Charm.

New Website Launched

Please visit Under Her Charm's new website! New simple look, and easy to browse and purchase. Not all items have been added to the website yet, so please come back soon, or visit my etsy website which is open as usual.

New Year's Eve in New York City

Girl's trip! Ronnie, Lila and I took off for the Big Apple for New Year's Eve en route to New Jersey.

School Days at a New School

We've got one nervous 4th grader, a very excited kindergartener, and a 2nd grader whose about to dart back home. Hope everyone survives their first day.

Meet our newest family addition

With a new house, new job, new schools, new everything, it seems fitting to get a new dog, too! Right? I've been researching dogs and scouring the Houston shelters for months. On my third visit to a shelter, this time BARC, I found HELEN. Helen was happy and friendly, and looked like her name should be Berkeley, so I took her home! The shelter thought she was 11 weeks old, and a German Shephard mix. Here she is on the ride home. I loved her brindle coloring and thought she would be great for the kids. Noe spent the first 3 days SHRIEKING in fear whenever Berkeley was near her. You can't imagine how bad I felt making Noe uncomfortable in her own home. I don't know what suddenly switched, but luckily, they are best buds now. Like seriously, best buds. I hope Berkeley is happy with her new family! Party of seven...

Silhouette Project

Several years ago I had custom silhouettes made of Ronnie, Ben and Lila. When Noe came along, I wanted to make hers different, because otherwise, she would look the same age Lila did in her silhouette, when they are actually 3 years apart! So, I finally made silhouettes of the two newest members of the family. It was much easier than I feared! I simply snapped a side view of Noe and Berkeley with my phone. Then I printed them on thick paper, and cut out around their profile. I spray painted Berkeley black, and Noe white. I picked out paper from the scrapbooking section of Michael's, taped the painted silhouette on, and popped them in a frame! Here they are along with the other guys.