When Stef, Tihua, Karen and I moved off-campus our Junior year at UCSD, we, as typical college students, acquired by all means an assortment of random, mismatched, yet functional, furniture. Some of our better finds was the soft sage green love seat I got for free off craigslist (was it craigslist? did they even have craigslist back then?), N64 and PS2 consoles complete with dozens of games from Caleb, and our solid oak dining table complete with leaf insert and 6 matching chairs. Perfect condition for $60. $60! Stef actually found the deal while flipping through our local copy of Penny Saver magazine and bought it off the old man right away. That dining table served us VERY well for many, many years to come, hosting dinners, game nights, study sessions, etc, and was the centerpiece upon which many great memories were made.
Since then, I have never overlooked a copy of Penny Saver whenever it arrives in the mailbox. Especially when I'm on the look-out for something... like a puppy!
Wayne and I have been talking about getting a dog for a little while now and have visited shelters and even put ourselves on the puppy waitlist. I thought it would be a couple of months, at least, before we would welcome a rolly polly puppy into our home, plenty of time to prepare and ready ourselves for this ginormous committment... except, that on Wednesday morning, I dutifully scoured our most recent Penny Saver, and lo and behold, there was an ad for "13 adorable puppies. $100 each." I called right away, and when I found out they were Golden Retriever/ Chow Chow mixes (gotta love those Chow Chow mixes :) ), I got sooooo excited. I've been saying that the perfect dog would be another Indee. That very night, Wayne, Emily, and I went to look at the puppies and... well, needless to say, we brought one home!
So Lucy was quite unexpected. We didn't even have any puppy supplies! That night, she slept on a towel and it wasn't until the next morning that I even had the chance to get her any food. That night, I actually had trouble sleeping, not only because I was tending to her, but because I was thinking about the huge responsibility we had just taken on, the commitment we had just made, not to mention the financial burden... my mind was busy making mental lists of what we would need to do and obtain--supplies, vaccinations, a reliable vet, puppy classes... where will she go when we go out of town? What are we going to do when I get a job?
I'm still a little nervous, but Wayne assures me we'll be okay. Haha, it really feels like we got a baby, except I know Lucy is MUCH less demanding. I suppose this is good training for parenthood one day. Except, I probably won't be consulting the Penny Saver at that time.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Everyday Food
I recently started receiving Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine! I don't know how or why, but I love it!
If you are responsible, THANK YOU! (and please let me know!)
If you are responsible, THANK YOU! (and please let me know!)
Friday, January 09, 2009
Sight for Sore Eyes
I went to the optometrist the other day (yay, for having vision coverage again!!! marriage is great!). The bad news is my eyesight has gotten even worse! I am now -500 in my left eye and -700 in my right eye! The good news is the vast difference between my two eyes qualifies me for medically required contacts, or something like that, which means that instead of my insurance covering just $150 of my contacts, I can have them COMPLETELY for free. Any kind!
Right now, I'm trying out some daily disposables. It's great; I just pop them out at night and toss them away! I also get to save money from never having to purchase contacts solution again!
If any of you have eyes that are at least 200 degrees apart in severity, ask your eye doctor about the medically required contacts (although I really don't remember the term, so I hope I'm not sending you off sounding like a fool).
This is the first time I've ever been so excited to be blind as a bat!
Right now, I'm trying out some daily disposables. It's great; I just pop them out at night and toss them away! I also get to save money from never having to purchase contacts solution again!
If any of you have eyes that are at least 200 degrees apart in severity, ask your eye doctor about the medically required contacts (although I really don't remember the term, so I hope I'm not sending you off sounding like a fool).
This is the first time I've ever been so excited to be blind as a bat!
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Ceci in Boots
(... that's a play on the children's fairytale "Puss in Boots", in case there was any confusion).
It's been a while since I last posted (and since I last visited this site... because apparently, the title of this blog has changed in the interim, thanks to Wayne, who, in his usual understated and cool nature changed our blog title to its new and improved moniker without saying a word, so that I am pleasantly surprised and confused at the same time when I accessed our blog just now. See, I, on the other hand, being the hyper, attention-lover, sayer-of-all-things-on-my-mind kind of person, would have brainstormed out loud what I should change the title to, gotten really excited when I thought of something I liked, then announce that I would indeed change it, change it, and would have excitedly dragged Wayne over to the computer so that he could see that I had indeed changed the name of our blog. ...we really are so different. I love it!)
Anyway, back to me being in boots.
... or not being in boots, because even though they are really quite a straightforward yet fashionable staple in any woman's wardrobe, I don't know how to wear them. I actually have a problem with pairing and matching clothes and accessories... I suppose it's called being unfashionable. I love cute things and can appreciate color and fine fabrics and fun ensembles, and I like to BUY them... but when it actually comes to wearing these purchases, I sometimes go into a sort of freeze in which I suddenly don't know what goes well with what, or I fear looking too "trendy"... and so I reach for the same purple zip-up hoodie, leaving my closet that boasts potential, intact. (If you want proof, ask Angela, who lived with me for a year and had to coach me on what to pair with khakis. KHAKIS! I still don't wear khaki pants... probably because Angela isn't with me anymore).
But I do want boots. I've wanted a good pair for a few years, actually, but have never had the patience to search for the right pair. Except, now I have a lot of time on my hands, and when I'm not making up projects to do or starting a bakery, I sometimes like to window shop online. So I've been window shopping for boots, and I found a few that "Fashionable" Cecilia (which I can barely be called) liked, but Frumpy Cecilia is hounding me with all these questions like, "what kind of heel is pretty AND practical? what shade of brown looks best? pants in or out of the boot? can i pull off pants IN the boot? does this look too trendy?" I am ashamed to say that I even did a google search on "how to wear boots", which was not very fruitful, and a sure sign that I am, indeed, a fashion frump. Oh, well. I suppose there are worse things I could be.
Anyway, here are the boots that I liked.
These Corso Como "Sadie" boots are my favorite (but are way out of my price range, so don't worry, Wayne, I won't even consider these). I like the low heel and color, and especially like the button detail at the top of these boots.
These Bandalino "Edwina" boots are similar... yet so different, because I don't like them NEARLY as much. Maybe it's the heel that I don't like and makes them only okay.
But I'm leaning towards these Kenneth Cole Reaction "Keep N Stylish" boots, because not only is the name so cool (just kidding), I like how the wedge heel looks comfortable and unslippery... (but does it look funny?). Plus, I found these on another site for $70, which is a great deal for leather boots.
Okay, time for bed. Angela and I are going outlet shopping tomorrow! :)
It's been a while since I last posted (and since I last visited this site... because apparently, the title of this blog has changed in the interim, thanks to Wayne, who, in his usual understated and cool nature changed our blog title to its new and improved moniker without saying a word, so that I am pleasantly surprised and confused at the same time when I accessed our blog just now. See, I, on the other hand, being the hyper, attention-lover, sayer-of-all-things-on-my-mind kind of person, would have brainstormed out loud what I should change the title to, gotten really excited when I thought of something I liked, then announce that I would indeed change it, change it, and would have excitedly dragged Wayne over to the computer so that he could see that I had indeed changed the name of our blog. ...we really are so different. I love it!)
Anyway, back to me being in boots.
... or not being in boots, because even though they are really quite a straightforward yet fashionable staple in any woman's wardrobe, I don't know how to wear them. I actually have a problem with pairing and matching clothes and accessories... I suppose it's called being unfashionable. I love cute things and can appreciate color and fine fabrics and fun ensembles, and I like to BUY them... but when it actually comes to wearing these purchases, I sometimes go into a sort of freeze in which I suddenly don't know what goes well with what, or I fear looking too "trendy"... and so I reach for the same purple zip-up hoodie, leaving my closet that boasts potential, intact. (If you want proof, ask Angela, who lived with me for a year and had to coach me on what to pair with khakis. KHAKIS! I still don't wear khaki pants... probably because Angela isn't with me anymore).
But I do want boots. I've wanted a good pair for a few years, actually, but have never had the patience to search for the right pair. Except, now I have a lot of time on my hands, and when I'm not making up projects to do or starting a bakery, I sometimes like to window shop online. So I've been window shopping for boots, and I found a few that "Fashionable" Cecilia (which I can barely be called) liked, but Frumpy Cecilia is hounding me with all these questions like, "what kind of heel is pretty AND practical? what shade of brown looks best? pants in or out of the boot? can i pull off pants IN the boot? does this look too trendy?" I am ashamed to say that I even did a google search on "how to wear boots", which was not very fruitful, and a sure sign that I am, indeed, a fashion frump. Oh, well. I suppose there are worse things I could be.
Anyway, here are the boots that I liked.
These Corso Como "Sadie" boots are my favorite (but are way out of my price range, so don't worry, Wayne, I won't even consider these). I like the low heel and color, and especially like the button detail at the top of these boots.
These Bandalino "Edwina" boots are similar... yet so different, because I don't like them NEARLY as much. Maybe it's the heel that I don't like and makes them only okay.
But I'm leaning towards these Kenneth Cole Reaction "Keep N Stylish" boots, because not only is the name so cool (just kidding), I like how the wedge heel looks comfortable and unslippery... (but does it look funny?). Plus, I found these on another site for $70, which is a great deal for leather boots.
Okay, time for bed. Angela and I are going outlet shopping tomorrow! :)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Squeeze Inn
There's this legendary little burger joint in Sacramento called Squeeze Inn. I call it legendary, because it has all the markings for legend-status:
1. The place is an old establishment (I don't know exactly when Squeeze Inn opened, but from the dumpiness of it, it looks like it's been around for a while).
2. As alluded to in point #1, it is dumpy.
3. The place has been featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
Actually, that's how I was introduced to Squeeze Inn, by Guy greedily stuffing this whopper of a burger into his mouth... and I knew I had to have this burger too.
So Wayne and I finally made our way out to Squeeze Inn last weekend (this was precluded by an unsuccessful attempt a while back right after I first watched the episode and we were all on fire to find this mouth-watering burger... only to learn that they close on Sundays. This thwarted our quest up until now). Anyway, so we got to Squeeze Inn at 1pm, hoping to pass the lunch rush, except apparently, at Squeeze Inn, it's more like as unrelenting rush, because even at 1pm, there was a line out the door. But we were on a mission, so we got in line.
During this wait time, we got to take in this place and it's surroundings. Squeeze Inn is indeed a tiny little place that you have to squeeze in to. The inside consists of the grill/kitchen area and the counter, and an area right in front of the counter that is just wide enough for one row of hungry people, waiting for their orders. Oh, and Squeeze Inn is orange--the whole exterior! Very fun, indeed! We also noticed that the falafel place right next door was completely empty... poor falafel place.
So we waited and waited in line, slowly inching our way along the outside wall of the restaurant and then up the steps, through the door, and finally, to the counter, where we placed our order of 2 cheese burgers and an order of fries! Done? Nope, the wait continued as the staff had to prepare all the orders before us, and judging by the number of people packed into the tiny space, waiting for their food, we had a long time to continue waiting.
And wait we did... we played games, Wayne quizzed me on the Pac 10 teams (Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, ASU, Arizona, Washington, Washington State), we stared out the window ("wow, look how long the line is now"), stared at the walls, stared at those sitting at the counter, scarfing down their burgers... and then, "Cecilia, your order is ready." We both actually CHEERED! Someone commented that we sounded like we had won a prize, but that's exactly how I felt! "Cecilia! Oh, my goodness! That's ME!!!"
We grabbed our food, couldn't help but smuggly smile at those still waiting in line as we passed them on the way to our car, and then proceeded to DEVOUR our burgers that COMPLETELY lived up to the hype! Squeeze Inn burgers are known for their "cheese skirts" which is created by sprinkling melted cheese onto their burgers while still on the grill, and then covering with a lid so that the cheese melts and bubbles around the patty, creating a little skirt of cheddary goodness! The meat patty itself was thick and juicy, perfectly grilled. There was plenty of lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes--no skimping on the fresh ingredients. And the sesame bun!!! A good burger is made a GREAT burger by its bun. This bun was not just sprinkled with sesame seeds, it was EMBEDDED--ALL OVER! (Like a pimply teenager. yum. :) ). I ate almost the whole 1/3-pound burger (stopped short of a bite, just so I wouldn't feel so bad about eating a whole burger).
So yes, as you can tell by all my all-cap words and the length of this post, we are fans of Squeeze Inn. The wait was about an hour (!), but it was well-worth it. And I would readily do it again for another legendary, cheese-skirted burger.
1. The place is an old establishment (I don't know exactly when Squeeze Inn opened, but from the dumpiness of it, it looks like it's been around for a while).
2. As alluded to in point #1, it is dumpy.
3. The place has been featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
Actually, that's how I was introduced to Squeeze Inn, by Guy greedily stuffing this whopper of a burger into his mouth... and I knew I had to have this burger too.
So Wayne and I finally made our way out to Squeeze Inn last weekend (this was precluded by an unsuccessful attempt a while back right after I first watched the episode and we were all on fire to find this mouth-watering burger... only to learn that they close on Sundays. This thwarted our quest up until now). Anyway, so we got to Squeeze Inn at 1pm, hoping to pass the lunch rush, except apparently, at Squeeze Inn, it's more like as unrelenting rush, because even at 1pm, there was a line out the door. But we were on a mission, so we got in line.
During this wait time, we got to take in this place and it's surroundings. Squeeze Inn is indeed a tiny little place that you have to squeeze in to. The inside consists of the grill/kitchen area and the counter, and an area right in front of the counter that is just wide enough for one row of hungry people, waiting for their orders. Oh, and Squeeze Inn is orange--the whole exterior! Very fun, indeed! We also noticed that the falafel place right next door was completely empty... poor falafel place.
So we waited and waited in line, slowly inching our way along the outside wall of the restaurant and then up the steps, through the door, and finally, to the counter, where we placed our order of 2 cheese burgers and an order of fries! Done? Nope, the wait continued as the staff had to prepare all the orders before us, and judging by the number of people packed into the tiny space, waiting for their food, we had a long time to continue waiting.
And wait we did... we played games, Wayne quizzed me on the Pac 10 teams (Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, ASU, Arizona, Washington, Washington State), we stared out the window ("wow, look how long the line is now"), stared at the walls, stared at those sitting at the counter, scarfing down their burgers... and then, "Cecilia, your order is ready." We both actually CHEERED! Someone commented that we sounded like we had won a prize, but that's exactly how I felt! "Cecilia! Oh, my goodness! That's ME!!!"
We grabbed our food, couldn't help but smuggly smile at those still waiting in line as we passed them on the way to our car, and then proceeded to DEVOUR our burgers that COMPLETELY lived up to the hype! Squeeze Inn burgers are known for their "cheese skirts" which is created by sprinkling melted cheese onto their burgers while still on the grill, and then covering with a lid so that the cheese melts and bubbles around the patty, creating a little skirt of cheddary goodness! The meat patty itself was thick and juicy, perfectly grilled. There was plenty of lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes--no skimping on the fresh ingredients. And the sesame bun!!! A good burger is made a GREAT burger by its bun. This bun was not just sprinkled with sesame seeds, it was EMBEDDED--ALL OVER! (Like a pimply teenager. yum. :) ). I ate almost the whole 1/3-pound burger (stopped short of a bite, just so I wouldn't feel so bad about eating a whole burger).
So yes, as you can tell by all my all-cap words and the length of this post, we are fans of Squeeze Inn. The wait was about an hour (!), but it was well-worth it. And I would readily do it again for another legendary, cheese-skirted burger.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Our House...
... is a very, very, very fine house!
before... (drab and drab!)
after!
(notice the beautiful refinished table!)
rich chocolate accent wall and subtle stripes on the back wall keep my kitchen fun, yet tasteful! Goodbye, McDonald's!
next on my home improvement list--curtains and wall art!
before... (drab and drab!)
after!
(notice the beautiful refinished table!)
rich chocolate accent wall and subtle stripes on the back wall keep my kitchen fun, yet tasteful! Goodbye, McDonald's!
next on my home improvement list--curtains and wall art!
gettin' freekeh!
Wayne and I went to Trader Joe's, where he was quite amused by this new wholegrain we found.
Happy Thanksgiving!
from our family (of baking pilgrims, brooding sensitive socialists, frightening bears, giving native americans, and shouting newsies) to yours!
this should be our Christmas card...
this should be our Christmas card...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)