Wild Week

I'm praying I can get through this post without passing out. This week at work has been INSANE to say the least. My manager was on vacation from last Wednesday to this Wednesday and it was pretty crazy. I was a good thing though because a lot went down and my office buddy J and I kept it all in place and even got praise from the executives :D See now that's what I'm talkin about.


I feel bad not being able to post because then I'm like "eh". I still check out everyone's blog in the morning and then at night for the day time posters, but I do feel bad because I've been a long time blogger. I'm back in the game and I'm hoping I'll have the opportunity to do many things rather than just blog about what I ate today and such. But until my life calms down, this is what I've been up to in a rather quick type of rundown…


So last week I started my Friday night off with some sushi from Bamboo. I was invited to a friend's cookout (I mentioned before she was here from TX visiting), and I literally had one beer and left. I haven't been that mentally tired in a really long time. I got the Alaska Maki (right) and a Philadelphia Maki (left), my favorite. The cream cheese and smoked salmon is A HIT! I got a complimentary beef soup with that. Very very good. White wine. That was all I needed :)

I cleaned and reorganized my room, and just did a bunch of reading.


Monday night we had “date night” at Casablanca :) The best Mexican restaurant in the area by far. M had a burrito and it comes with a huge shredded salad with guacamole and sour cream along with lime and delicious sauces. I had sautéed jumbo shrimp with extra avocado and lime over rice and salad. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. I’ve always got to have extra avocado. There’s no ifs ands, or buts about it!

I said “I’m definitely not having a Presidente Margarita” because you have half and then it hits you. Well I had a Casablanca as you can see and I drank it down about an inch and was pretty wasted. I didn’t finish it all. M laughed at me :P But it was good to say the least. Next time I WILL NOT forget my camera. There’s too many good things to be eaten and photographed out there.

I FINALLY got spinach. It was from a local grocer (I’m too lazy to go to the next town to Whole Foods lately). Also, they didn’t have Almond Breeze at the local store, so I got organic vanilla soy milk. NOT what I like in my GM’s so I’m going to steal M’s chocolate Silk :) Shhh! He won’t know! ;)

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Light night I was in mood to cook even though it was 90 degrees out. I made Chicken Picatta. I know it’s M’s favorite (well favorite from me), and he loved it. Although his mom cooked dinner he called on the way home and begged me to whip a bit more up for him. I still had a few pieces of chicken left, so I just did as usual and fried the chicken in skillet with a half cup of wine and and two fresh squeezed lemons. There was some sauce from last night’s so I added that to the skillet since it had a bunch of capers in it. Just to give the whole thing flavor all over again. Great idea, yes I know I know. I even had some for lunch at my desk!

<^Breakfast!!! Organic PB, a HUGE banana sliced on a FiberOne light multi-grain english muffin.

M called asking if I wanted a CD since he was getting one at Target. I couldn’t remember which one I wanted (I usually get music online or through my phone, AT&T). He says “yeah you like mp3’s better huh?” I said “yeah, it’s easier, I think I want a Zune.” So we go to talking about iPod vs. the Zune. A friend’s brother is a Principal Engineer at Microsoft and she raves about the Zune. So anywhoo, he said “ok well I’ll be home soon love”. And he comes home with this…

Wow-wow-wee-wee!! What a surprise! I was like “what else is in the bag?” Lol. I don’t like sneaky people and he showed no signs, only the fact that there was a box in the bag. Hehe. I’m charging it now (via pc only which is greaaat!), and then I’m syncing my music and pics. 120gigs what what!? Psyched!

Ok, this post is running long AGAIN!

More tomorrow as I’ll be working at home all weekend and I have to go pick up my younger big brother at Logain Airport, he gets in at 1:15am. Whoop! I smell a D&D stop!



Ciao friends! xx- Q

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Happy Monday… Not Happy to go to Work!

So… Unhappy Monday! :) I got absolutely no sleep last night. I’m still exhausted!! It’s my fault for not putting my earplugs and sleep mask on though. This summer’s been full of torrential downpours at 2am. I can’t stand it. But we’re saving on using the auto sprinkler system :D

My weekend flew by and I feel like I got absolutely nothing accomplished. Well besides cleaning the bedroom and bathroom. The next large task is my office. I need to clean the guest room out but I’m not too worried because I have a couple weeks before Karol & Sylwia arrive :D Yay, I’m so excited!!!

Today’s Plan:

• Work (I eat before I leave work around 5:30-6 or whenever I get out just so that I’m not eating too late)
• Walk Maia
• Mel B Fit (Abs baby!)
• Read Cooking for Mr. Latte while in a nice HOT bath
• Blog a bit & catch up on other blogs
• Look for my dream house :)

I’m starting my 1.5 year plan. I’m doing a little research in order to find a condo to buy in the next year and a half. Max! We’ve rented homes for the past 3 years and the rent payments have ranged between $1,700 and $2,500 so I am planning on putting that money INTO something rather than let it go to pay someone else’s mortgage, got my drift? I’ll be 26 in January and don’t want to have to worry about a home that needs updates, etc especially at this point in my life where I’m working a lot and such. I don’t have any kids yet and my dog is 6lbs so… no house needed here… yet.

Yesterday I had the chance to cook before heading out to the pool. I made Peanut Noodles with chopped snap peas and celery. I love anything crunchy and green in noodles.

The noodles were good but I added a little spicy peanut sauce and hoisin sauce. I love sauce!! I may have overdone it but whatever. Still good. So I took the rest today for lunch and even had some asparagus that didn’t look too bad :)

Made a grocery trip after we ate at Sichuan restaurant and grabbed a couple of goodies: Bolthouse Farms fruit drink (pics later of all of this), more yogurts, 1% milk for light smoothie days, and THEY HAD NO FRESH SPINACH! I haven’t had a GM in a few days and I’m feeling the withdrawals. I’m so mad! :( I’m going today during lunch and hopefully I can grab it before all of the damn stay at home moms do. I know they’re the ones ruining my life this week! LOL. All jokes, just jokes.

But… I grabbed this. Is he dumb? His wife is going to take him to court for making her look bad then he’ll really be able to live his “young adult life”. IT’S GONE BUDDY, GET OVER IT! John & Kate taking the spotlight from me! Ugh! :P

Anyway, I’m off to work. I’ll share my thoughts on this madness on tonight’s post and I’m going to try and do something with the sweet potatoes. I think (nervous). I gotta call my dad for instructions!

Ciao friends- have a super Monday!!

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Clean House

Warning: LONG POST AHEAD… and cleaning is involved :-X

When we first moved into this house I hated the position of the bed. It was directly over the kitchen cabinets (kitchen is below our master bedroom and it’s not good feng-shui, but it’s the biggest room unfortunately). This house is old and we have the old fake wood cabinets (new house in a month, HERE I COME!- I’ll share the process when the time comes) and with every step and every cabinet, you can hear EVERYTHING, hence my post on the sleep mask and earplugs :)

I started cleaning then I was like "well I've always wanted to corner the bed and M says 'no its too big" (we have a queen), but I'm the woman in this relationship so he can just help me move it then get the hell outta the room so I can clean!!! Grrrr! Haha. He goes “Damn, ok!” Lol. By cornering the bed it really gave us more space and I will have less bruises on my hips from going from side to side.

I woke up early to let Maia out then we sat in the back yard by the pool. The sun was just coming out.

This is my attempt to give you before and afters from a crazy busy day of cleaning. That St. John’s Wort definitely has started working because I was NO STRESS and ALL BUSINESS yesterday!!

After we moved the bed to the corner and everything else was cleaned, I cleared off the dresser and dumped the stuff on my bed to sort through. I filled a large black heavy duty trash bag with junk!

Before

After

Dresser Before

(Seriously, wtf!! This WILL NOT happen again, there’s no excuse for this mess!)

Right Left ^

Dresser Afters

(I think this was originally a plate from HomeGoods, but I use it as a little tray for the things that I need to remember in the morning before I leave to work. What happens is I always forget my work badge. The Clif bar kept me fueled during the cleanup along with the OJ.

Minus a curtain. Mid-clean, forgot to take pics before I stripped this thing!

Bathroom Before (nail fell out of the curtain rod, magazine rack old/dirty, floor had hair all over it haha sorry sorry M!!)

After

(Swiffered, “green cleaned” via the below, curtain fixed, candles in the holder)

These products don’t have a chemical smell and are simply FABULOSO. After I cleaned it smelled like a spa in there!

BEFORES ^

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AFTERS ^

Don’t mind M’s clothes. He comes home and goes “Oh my God! Wow!” Before he left he told me not to put his clothes away. He’s very picky about the way his things are put away. And this is a man who’s 27 and his mom still does his cooking and cleaning for him?! He really surprises me sometimes! Lol. But I have to say, I think because he’s so organized.

I did not have a Green Monster this morning because I've been so swamped at work I've been living off of the bare minimals food-wise. So I fueled with Simply Orange.

Some of my favorite parts about my newly organized room are:

The cornered bed gives me full access to the window that points to the pool unlike before.

Then (covering the back facing window, cluttered night stands, cluttered dresser, heavy comforter, furniture blocking entire side of the room)

Now

(I’ve got some shopping to do today. We have pictures to hang and artwork, but I need them framed. We haven’t put up any pictures and it’s a big letdown because this room’s had the potential all year we’ve been here, but when we move, I won’t be working like I was last year, so I’ll have the chance to decorate and organize the way I want!!)Window is easier to access and the table is the perfect space and I can still get out of bed in the morning :D At first I had my OUT OF CONTROL plant sitting on the red cabinet to the left. It’s actually a jewelry cabinet I got for Xmas the year before last.

This is my gorgeous antique table $.99 at a sale on Lynnway (north shore, MA). The old Spanish man said I was cute, so I got a deal. Hell yeah. The mirror is removable so easy to clean and the space underneath serves great for book and magazines. I have the Small Steps tissues (which I’m in love with now), a couple of scented candles, a pic of the lovely couple ;) and the cell because my mom calls daily to check on Maia… not me haha.

Now for my OUT OF CONTROL plant. I love it but it grows so fast. I’ve heard of people clipping them to keep them short but I just can’t. In my parents’ home in NH, they have about two and just wrap them around the ceiling beams and they don’t stop growing. The vines are thicker than my thumb and mine’s getting there. I have to water it daily to keep the water flowing through the limbs and I talk to her as well :)

If you look down the right of the door, it’s touching the ground. Four months ago we hardly hung it over the door but she won’t stop. The vines are wrapped repeatedly around two bamboo sticks in the middle and it goes over both windows on the right and its growing down. I’m debating to cut it. I think I need to for the move. Sorry Mom, I have to! :( lol.

Oh yes, and mid-way through the cleaning (wanted to clean this before I really got down and dirty because of the dust bunnies! I had a Blue Moon before I got started :D REFRESHING!

Aaahhhh! Not the healthiest, but oh so good! Eeeeeew! You could even see it from afar! :( Fuzzy edges!! Yuck.

BLING BLING!!

I jammed out to the following while I cleaned:

Ciara- Work

Mario- Me & My Girl

Lyfe & Fantasia- Hypothetically

Carmen Liana- Luv Me 4 Ever

Bow Wow- You Can Get It All

Cherish- Killa (yes, I know haha)

Bayje- Find A Way

Bobby Valentino- On the Edge

The Fray (Bunch of stuff by them)

Mario Winans-

Mario- Lay in my Bed

DJ Shadow- Building a Stream with a Grain of Salt

Lady Gaga- Love Games

Jeremih- Birthday Sex (dont ask haha)

Beyonce- Brokenhearted Girl

Mariah- Obsessed

Swizz Beatz- Money in the Bank

Nate Dogg- Ring the Alarm

Tony Yayo- So Seductive

Pleasure P- Boyfriend Number 2

There was more but that’s just from my playlist. Enough of that. I’ve put Julie & Julia on hold for a couple days (I always reach a point where I get bored and give a book a break, so I’m into Cooking for Mr. Latte. Great so far. I’m on that today along with laundry and DVR.

Ciao friends!!!

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Am I a Workaholic?

Anyone else feel like all you do is work? I worked from 8:30am to 8pm. I only work down the street from my house, so no problem there, but seriously… I got to read for about 15 minutes before my eyes gave up on me. Yesterday at work was a whirlwind (I think that’s how you spell it). I constantly feel in a rush, not just from work life but when it comes to enjoying myself as well. I’m always watching the clock thinking about what needs to be done. I think it’s a good thing considering that at my age I could be constantly traveling, going to clubs and parties and having nothing to show for it, right? Right.

I’m huge on relaxation, communication to alleviate stress, no drama, scents and such, I try anything that works to keep me relaxed since I’m one that really takes my work seriously. I’d like to join a book club or start a virtual book club or start crafts again (which I love love love drawing and painting and such) that just gets me out of my rut when I come home so that I can wind down. Even if I had to do something two or three times a week, that’s better than nothing.

A friend of mine I haven’t seen in a long time is coming in from TX to visit. She just moved there after her company closed and their largest client offered her a job there. So she’s living a great life now. I know I’ll see her while she’s home but I’m going to have to come home right after work, shower, get dressed, do my hair (ugh torture!), makeup, pick out a small bag to hit the city (The Greatest Bar in Boston- 25 minute drive), come back late, wake up early, work again. I’ll be exhausted at work. The question is, what’s more important? Decisions, decisions.

I don’t even have any pics to post. What did I eat again? Hmm.. oh, I had spaghetti (a few bites here and there), a couple of bites of my Maple Clif bar, and hmm, oh some peas with my ‘ghetti! It’s a must for me. I need something green to go with pasta AT ALL TIMES! Lol.

I hardly had time to take down my Green Monster yesterday and it was practically warm by the time I drank it all, just simmering on my desk. YUCK! So today I opted for M’s chocolate soy milk with a splash of almond milk. It just makes it creamier :) Mmm.

Tonight I plan on getting out of work around 7-7:30ish. The plan is:

• Take a 30 minute walk
• Do a 9-10 minute session of Polly’s yoga (it’s great since I’m a newbie)
• Tackle Mel B’s “Tums” section of the DVD- you want an ab workout, here you go!!!

So that’s the plan for tonight. M has work in Philly so he won’t be home until late, which is great… only because I can do this in my room and make as much noise as I want (he makes fun of the British accent and has the worst impressions- nooooooo! haha.)

Sorry this was such a boring post, I figured something was better than nothing and I really just needed to vent :D haha.

So… my question is: What do you do to relax after a late and crazy night at work?

I’ll be awaiting your suggestions patiently :)

Ciao- xx Q

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Really GOODE News for the Hopefuls 2Day! :)

Good luck to Jenna, Todd, and the rest of the applicants who made it to the top 10 for the "Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent", which will be announced today, July 21st. Watch it live here at 1:30pm PST.

Good luck friends!! :)

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What’s in my Bathroom Cabinets

For awhile I’ve been wanting to do a post on my favorite products, perfume, and make-up. Additionally I’ve been thinking of new organizing tricks and the best and most affordable way to tackle the extra stuff you just can’t give away but somehow “need”. Yeah. My life story.

Here are a few of my favorite products and why I tend to lean more towards these than other brands.

These are my daily “must haves”, and without them I can honestly say I couldn’t make it through the later part of the day. And I mean the “after lunch” period where you start to get sleepy and shut down and can hardly concentrate on your computer screen. Yeah, that. Melaleuca Vitality Calcium Complete and Multivitamin and Mineral (for women). Healtier hair, naills, skin, and the fats and such go to where they’re supposed to when you eat instead of sitting in your belly or going to your flabby arms :) Lol, not that your arms are flabby, but you get what I mean!

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A few products from The Body Shop. I got the Cocoa Butter body wash for spending over $30 so hey, free is for me! The Vitamin E Cream Cleanser smells like a cream you’d use on a baby. All of these are natural and not animal tested. The Moisture White Serum was a discontinued one because no one bought it. You couldn’t tell what it was or what it was for (bad advertising TBS!). But the cleanser I really swear by. You only need a dime size to cover your whole face and its a great make-up remover as well. You really notice a difference in your skin in the first couple days. You really glow!

Okay, we preach about “love your body”, “embrace your curves and the things you can’t change”, but if you have a little flabby skin issue, this is where my friends over at bliss come in. I love me some FatGirlSlim! Now I love the name because come on. You may think “I feel/look fat” but deep down you know that ish is not true! They say you don’t need to workout to see the difference, but if you’re in a transition stage and are really getting in shape, this just helps firm the skin up and it goes deep into your skin and its like a detox type of deal. It’s worked great for me, no lie.

ChanelChance. If you’ve ever smelled it, you’ll know why I’m milking this last half an inch. It was only half a bottle when I got it from Janet before she moved to Cali. Thanks J! Still milkin it drop by drop :) Lol.

About a month ago I went into Macy’s to get some blush and came out with over $150 worth of Bobby Brown cosmetics. I got the whole concealer set along with the brush, a foundation stick, and the awesome blush. The blush gives my cocoa skin a roasted cherry type of look. It’s very natural so you can play it up for work and up-up for a night out. I just use my .mark brush for blush application (I’ve been a .mark rep since I was like 18 lol, 40% off is all I need to hear haha). Now that I’ve gotten a little darker from beach days I won’t need the concealer as much but definitely the blush. I have always used Maybeline for mascara, and always will :D

On to hair. As a black woman you need frizz control, and constant moisture. I’ve been using Ellen Lavar’s LiquidGlass Anti-Frizz Smoothing Styling Gel. I apply this last before I blow dry. As soon as I finish with the shower I use Dr. Miracle’s Relaxed Hair Potion. It helps the relaxed hair effect last a bit longer than normal and keeps your hair in great shape while reducing split ends and heating tool damage (we need our flat irons!) Carol’s Daughter has an amazing line of hair products. I use the Tui Hair Oil (friend suggested this to me a couple years ago). It has a real flower floating in it so you get the natural scent and I use this for everyday treatment if I’m not washing and such. BioInfusion I grabbed at Walgreens. I’ve started to see it alot all over the place. It’s natural and not tested on animals and has a funny olive oil smell to it but overall I like how it makes my hair feel and the moisture soaks right in while keeping it smooth.

Last but not least… the skin. I use St. Ives for a long time now and have to say that the Vitamin E is one of the best that they have. It keeps my skin hydrated all day without being too thick. I used to use Cocoa Butter as a child from Palmer’s but it’s too greasy on my skin. No complaints from St. Ives.

I usually end up switching up my products depending on the season since skin changes with climate, same as hair and diet. Also I do what works for me and now what everyone else is using. I think it’s important to pay attention to your body and really take into consideration what products you’re using. Are they animal tested? Are you using out of date cosmetics because you still have just a “little” left and you’re milkin’ it? (Yes, I love that word!) Bacteria really builds up and you must realize that this is the only body you get. A lot of blogs stress the importance of what you put in your body but take care of it from the outside as well. When you get a little older and have less wrinkles and your skin is fabuloso you’ll thank yourself! ;)

All for now, Ciao friends- xx Q

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