Stuff I share with my besties
Luke (age 6)- Can I have more chicken mommy?
Me- Sure, what do you say?
Luke- Please?
Me- What do you do?
Luke to dad – Look dad!
Dad to Luke- Don’t kiss my woman!
Luke kisses me on my lips looking at daddy’s reaction from the corner of his eye 😆
Luke giggling – But daddy she let me!
Have you ever been gifted a recipe? It’s so special. The recipes I’ve been gifted by relatives, friends, and even a bed and breakfast, are recipes that I repeat and go back to most often. I also love seeing them labeled in my collections by the giver- mom’s gluten and onions, Rochelle’s beans and rice etc…
Here are 5 I have been eating currently –
Bed and breakfast green chili quiche-
Back in college, I worked at an acupuncturist’s office located in a Victorian home. We visited the bed and breakfast across the street for brunch once and I tasted THE. MOST. MOUTHWATERING. quiche I had ever put in my mouth. I told the owner how much I loved it. She said, “Do you want the recipe?” I’ve made this quiche for decades and added anything and everything- ham, bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, kale… it goes with everything. I will never make another quiche again. Is it a quiche or a frittata, who knows?!
Hikari’s grilled Greek meat marinade
I am a self professed lazy foodie, so I want to get to the eating part as quick as humanly possible. I love this marinade so much because it tastes good on every kind of meat- I’ve tried it on lamb, beef, and chicken. Superb. I get asked for this recipe when I make it for people. I will never make another grilled Greek meat marinade again.
Mom’s tofu and green beans
My mom is not a cook, BUT she had three must eat recipes on repeat and the one I’ll share is my favorite tofu recipe of all time. It’s a Filipino dish with soy sauce, tons of garlic, lime, sugar, and pepper. It brings me back to my childhood every time I eat it. The annoying thing is that it has no measurements like so many typical inherited recipes. Just know that the base needs to taste more sweet than salty or tangy. It is sweet and garlicy with a hint of tang and saltiness. Good luck 😆
Rochelle’s black beans and garlic rice-
I don’t personally know Rochelle, but Rochelle was my brother Allan’s classmate and she gave him this recipe and he gave me this recipe. I never make any other kinds of beans and rice. I get regular cravings for this and make it at least once a month. The thing that makes this rice and beans so special is that the rice contains an entire head of garlic. So if you are a garlic fan, you will LOVE this.
Sol’s cucumber, tomato, onion salad
I eat this almost every week, with almost any meat or protein- see black beans above. 😆 It’s so simple and so delish! Again, no measurements but I do about 1 capful of apple cider vinegar and a lot of salt, like 25 grinds on my salt grinder-
Do you have any recipes you’ve inherited that are you make over and over? I’d love to know!
There’s one thing that revives my faith in humanity, makes me feel a little bit naughty, and tickles my insides…
And that’s when someone passes me in a car and flashes their lights at me to warn me that a police car is ahead.
One of life’s little joys! I don’t know them. They don’t know me. But they got away without getting a speeding ticket, and they want to be kind. We are bonded in this fleeting moment of avoiding this infraction, this civil violation. When you slowly pass the said police car, you get that feeling that you got away with something and you and this stranger have exchanged a meaningful code. Someone went out of their way, knowing they would never get anything in return, not a thank you, not even an acknowledgment that you recognized the sign, they will never see your face or meet you, but they did it anyways. Isn’t that so lovely? Have a great weekend friends and please share something currently making you happy. I’d love to know ❤️
At 4am!
Noah’s at the edge of my bed.
Me- Baby why are you awake?
Noah- I just have one question.
Me- Yes?
Noah- What do you get when you combine a prime number with an Octopus?
Me- Honey let’s do this later. 🤦🏽♀️
Noah- Optimus Prime!
They cannot make this parenting $h!+ up. 😆
A little hack I discovered when you’re having a crummy day or just need a quick pick me up—
Search your google photos for “hugs”
Everyone you’ve ever captured on film hugging will show up, including you and your beloved. It’s just a reminder of what really matters.
Every evening, I end my prayers with “Thank You Lord for another day that my family is all alive and healthy” knowing that one day I will not be able to say this and many people in the world cannot say this today.
“To be human is to know you’re going to die and everyone you love is going to die and you just don’t know when.” I saw this on a tik tok once, and I’ve never been able to stop thinking of it. That makes it easier for me to be gracious to others and more gracious to myself.
We all live in a state of this not potential unknown but this definite known truth and all it makes me want to do is hug the ones I love more often and treat myself with more tenderness. Sending you virtual hugs. ❤️❤️❤️
I’m guilty of watching movies or tv shows merely to watch what the characters wear on screen. Anyone else? I’m also a sucker for a bright colored, vivid, romantic tv show/movie. So… of course Emily in Paris fits the bill in every way. The shocking thing was that I fell in love with Camille’s closet instead of Emily’s. Her closet is fearless, fresh, funky, and very French- that effortless but cool I-can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-why kind of fashion sense. This outfit made me decide I must have red boots in my closet pronto. Now they are in my outfit rotation on the regular and I love them.
Here are three outfits I feel like Camille would wear! What do you think?
A funky puff sleeve black dress with side and back cutouts and red boots. This dress is out of stock but it’s an “Edition” dress, this one is cool too. Similar red sued boots.
A funky geometric dress and cape. Similar cape.
All black with pops of red and funky shoes
Funky puffy sleeves. Similar here.
Funky mix of casual and formal. Similar skirt here.
I think the thing that sticks out the most about her style is there’s always something fresh (unexpected) or funky about her outfits. What do you think? Do you have a favorite Camille outfit from Emily in Paris? The real Camille Razat who plays Camille on the show also has incredible style!
My husband is the biggest prankster, so I cannot take credit for these cool pranks. He is known for coming home with treats for our two boys, sometimes in the form of candy, other times in the form of fun pranks. These three are our favorites. They are small enough for a kid to take to school, but don’t get me in trouble with your school! Send them in your kid’s backpack at your own discretion! We go to a school that is non-traditional, and I’m there the whole time so I can make sure the pranks don’t get out of hand.
The reason why I love these little prank toys is because my two boys tend to be on the shyer side, and these toys really make them interact with other kids. They suddenly and effortlessly have the attention of all the kids on the playground in a fun way! There’s nothing like going up to a new kid and showing them the prank, the prank makes the kid jump and laugh, and now the new kid wants to do it to someone else, and then it just moves through the entire playground. So fun!
They ask a kid, “Want some chips?” The kid says, “Sure!” They open up the chips and a springy snake flies out! Reusable! Get it here.
This prank requires some stealth movements. You have to sneak in and clip the string to someone’s shirt or pants. When they move, the snake will be following them! The string is clear so they won’t see it. This one’s a hoot!
They ask a kid, “Do you want some candy?” Of course the kid will say yes. The kid will slide the box cover open and a rubber spider will almost jump on their hand! I love how this one is so compact! You can get it here.
We love bringing fake poop when we go camping with other friends. You wake up early and put poop right in front of your friends’ tent. Then you hide back in your own tent and watch and try not to giggle too loudly while you video tape the whole thing. When your friends wake up they will be wondering if there was a wild animal near their tent. Where else would this poop come from? It’s a hoot! You can get this fake poop here.
Do you have any favorite prank toys? We are always excited to add to our collection!
My best friend is so sexy without trying to be. She has a natural flirtatious way of just being which I highly, highly admire because she just is that way without even trying. She oozes sensuality without being vulgar, and I think it’s because she just enjoys being a woman and her feminine confidence makes her super attractive. I admire this trait so much because I’m someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with being seen as sexy in any way (at least in public 😉) Being short and always being called cute, that’s what I’m comfortable with. Some of the best piece of relationship advice I’ve ever gotten is from my bestie! Here, check it out-
I know this only applies to very few people, BUT I have met other flossing enthusiasts so I know I’m not alone! I’m one of those crazy people dentists love. I cannot fall asleep at night without brushing and flossing my teeth and I enjoy flossing. I used to find unwaxed floss at stores, but it is getting harder and harder to find this variety. See, the problem with waxed floss is that it doesn’t get everything. It’s like rubbing two plastic bags together-there is no friction. You need friction to get gunk out of your teeth. Since it’s nearly impossible to find unwaxed (more friction!) floss at your local grocery store or Target, I’ve started buying my floss online. Dr Tung’s is my favorite! It stretches! It tastes great! It also isn’t smooth and really has that rope like friction you don’t get from regular store waxed floss. If you try it, let me know what you think!
Dry shampoos have been around for a while, but did you know that there is dry conditioner!!!??? Dry shampoos are for oily scalps, while dry conditioners are for the lengths of hair or to get out any food or other smells. Great for the ladies or guys! I know my brother hates the smell of food on his clothes or hair. This fixes that. This one is also acne safe for anyone who has acne prone skin. I check all my products for pore clogging ingredients using this list by Emme Diane, a esthetician that specializes in acne prone skin. It has seriously changed my skin just making sure all my skin and hair products don’t contain any of those acne causing ingredients. I say skin and hair because nobody wants bacne or scalp acne either!
Anyways, just some random fun things I’m loving! I hope you have a great weekend. I woke up super early this morning and reminded myself that it’s a treat to wake up early, because I am a morning person. I also sat in a sticky dining room seat and a propped my elbow on a sticky dining room table, but that’s what comes with two boys. It’s a sticky, maple syrupy kind of season, and I’m here for it. Have a great weekend!
Call me the queen of lazy cooking, aka the lazy foodie. One of my favorite meals is a hearty Asian rice bowl. It could be chicken, tofu, salmon etc…, some kimchi, (my brother Allan made this, and it’s BOMB), some grilled veggies, some pickled veggies and rice of course, maybe topped with a fried egg for good measure. I just discovered my favorite vegetable side and it’s super duper easy to make- lightly sautéed salted cucumber. I had never cooked my cucumber before. Now I’m a believer! Here’s the recipe. If you’re not a lazy foodie and just want to make a big bowl of bibimbap, this is the recipe to use. I made all these sides for my brother one Sunday and it took a long time. I told him to enjoy the meal because it would be the last time I made it. 😂
Billy Joel is my husband’s favorite artist. It was our first ever concert, me at 42 years old and him at 43! I have a newfound appreciation for him as an artist having seen him live. I think that’s what live shows do. He was really funny and self-depreciating. “My piano can move right and my piano can move left. That’s all the theatrics you’re getting tonight,” or something like that. I might be paraphrasing. Before another song, he admitted that the song made him nervous because of the high notes. I can’t imagine if I was Billy Joel’s grandkid. At 75 or 76? years old, he’s still a rock star! I can’t imagine just sticking to one field of work for so long and being so good at it and having so many fans. My favorite song was “New York State of Mind.” I don’t know how he does it, but it just sounds like New York.
These short are soooo comfy. They have this wide stretchy garter band of a waist. They are the perfect short especially if you are an apple shape because horizontal lines in the hip area give the illusion of wider hips, which give the illusion of a smaller waist, and I don’t know why, maybe it’s all the layers of fabric, but they don’t shimmy up the center of my legs like most shorts do. I’m in LOVE.