I Want Your Cream....

I’m in the market for creams, not “cream” but facials…wait, not “facials” but…well, ok, I’m looking for a moisturizer and eye cream. ((sigh)) I’ve decided to get started on this anti-aging thing before it’s too late. Prevention is the key and I already feel like I’m years behind. I’ve always used Oil of Olay moisturizer for as long as I can remember, although there was a time in my mid-20’s I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t use anything.


I believe I have read reviews on just about every product and I’ve narrowed the choices down to 2. The Olay Regenerist line seems tempting and quite promising from their reviews. Since I already use their moisturizer I would just assume stay with the Olay line. I was originally looking at their eye serum but read a review that the only difference between the Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum and the Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum is the size of the price, the size of the bottle, and the eye serum has some sort of light-reflecting particles that help with darkness under the eye. The eye serum is .5fl oz bottle for average $18-$24 and the Daily Regenerating Serum is the same price for 1.7fl oz bottle-so 3x as much for the same price! It has the same ingredients (with the exception of the light-reflecting particles); its same product. The reviews were basically, it’s a light gel, not heavy and greasy, pleasant smell, non-irritating, etc. and the results were softer skin, healthy skin, smoother skin, more youthful although it didn’t make the already established wrinkles disappear, it did make them softer. 9 out of 10 would repurchase.


Avon ANEW Clinical Eye Lift also had rave reviews. For about $28 you get a combo of upper eye gel and lower eye cream in the same jar. Apparently, this product really works for puffiness and dark circles as well as tightening of the upper lid. Women who used this product twice a day noticed astonishing improvements with diminished wrinkles and tighter skin on the eyelid and softer smoother skin under the eye. It even helped with dark circles. Some called it a “miracle product.” The huge CON is that it doesn’t contain sunscreen. Also, the under eye cream is heavy so wearing it under make-up causes your make-up to crease. Most remedied it by using the products at night or using only the under-eye cream at night. I noticed a lot of the best reviews came from older women 50’s to late 70s. A lot of the bad reviews came from women in their 20’s-mid 30s. I think I’ll side with my age group and pass.


I happen to adore Avon. They’ve revived their brand and really do have quality products. I’ve tried some of their ANEW products like the night cream and the moisturizer, but I found them heavy and too greasy for my skin. I swear by their Ageless Results Intensive Line Filler though ($13). It wears well under make-up and I notice a difference when I don’t use it daily. I’m interested in trying their other line filler product-ANEW CLINICAL Expression Line Filler ($35). The reviews make it sound like the Cadillac of Line Fillers-and for the price-it better be! It’s had no bad reviews! That must be a heck of a product.

So hey, there you have it-my picks for this year’s trial of hanging on to youth tooth and nail. If you try these products, let me know what you think about them. In this economy, my money is precious and I don’t want to waste it on a product in a fancy bottle that does nothing for me.

The Olay Regenerist line can be found at any drug store and grocery store.
You can find the Avon products at www.avon.com or your nearest Avon representative. (If you need a rep-let me know-I know plenty!)

“Bag Lady, you gone miss yo bus. You can’t hurry up; you got too much stuff….”

I’ve had Erykah Badu’s Bag Lady in my head all day. I finally just realized that the song is about baggage and not literally a “bag lady.” I am so naïve sometimes. “Baggage” has been brought up 3 times this week which I find strange since it’s typically not something I hear about much. When I think of someone with baggage, I usually think of a little old feeble woman with a little yellow wig slightly askew, wearing a little old lady dress with brown floral prints, with too-red lipstick settling in her wrinkled lips, sitting in a small cluttered apartment that smells stale, filled with old newspapers and plastic covered furniture, sucking on hard candy, watching a game show as her only friend-a pet bird-squawks in the background and maybe one old holey stocking is rolled down exposing a leg that’s patched with dry spots and greenish-purple varicose veins and is in desperate need of a shave. She’s completely alone. Maybe she’s content. After all, her nails are meticulously painted. Its only in the last quiet moments before she drifts off to sleep does she think about her life and the missed opportunities. Truth is all of us have baggage: baggage from a previous relationship, from a previous job, from a previous life…

I guess I’m lucky to have baggage that I trip over every now and then, that I can stick in a corner and let it collect dust and not the type of baggage that takes up every inch of space, towering over you, denying you of oxygen…suffocating. But I’m not attached to much either. I’m not one for sentimental trinkets and old this and that. I guess it’s a bad thing, too, because I really don’t have much of my past, but it’s because it’s my past. Why hang on to it-especially the bad stuff. Why not look forward, instead of back? Why would you want to remember how so-and-so treated you like crap, or how so-and-so cheated on you, or how so-and-so really screwed you out of a promotion or money or clients? Why hang on to something that’s gone, never was, and never will be? On the flip, they say that if you forget history, you’re doomed to repeat your past. Is forgetting part of that baggage or is remembering? And what about those good things, do they hinder you, too? I guess it depends. Does it hurt to think back on lost opportunities of love? Do you ever think about the “what ifs”? How would your life have been different if you wound up with your high school love who is now a very successful business man, medical doctor, lawyer, mechanic? Do you base your decisions on a past standard that can’t be met (and probably wasn’t as you remembered anyway)? “All you must hold on to is you, is you, is you….” “Girl I know sometimes it’s hard and we can’t let go, Oh, when someone hurts you oh so bad inside, you can’t deny it, you can’t stop crying….” “Bag Lady.” “One day all them bags, gone get in your way….” “Pack light.” Sometimes it’s easier said than done. But the answer is so simple. “Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go.”

Shrimp and Pasta Kinda Like Alfredo But Not As Heavy As Alfredo And It Has Wine In It

Here’s what I made for dinner Tuesday...LAST Tuesday. It was ok but I made the corrections to the recipe so I can do it different next time. I think with these adjustments it would have been perfecto (using my Italian typing)! It was super easy too and took like 30 minutes. With saying that let me say that I DID NOT get this recipe from 30-Minute Meal Whore Rachel Ray (her legal name), nor did I plan it to take 30 minutes. Mike actually thought it up, I just enhanced it. I don’t have the name for it yet, but I thought about naming it “Shrimp and Pasta Kinda Like Alfredo But Not As Heavy As Alfredo And It Has Wine In It” but I think that’s too wordy….

Anyway, here’s the recipe:

5 tomatoes-diced (I used a can of diced tomatoes and it sucked-it was too mushy; use real tomatoes)
Basil leaves-stems removed (like whatever kind of bunch you have I don’t know like a handful of leaves. I just pulled from the bush and tore them; I don’t know how much it was).
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp-1Tbsp Italian seasoning (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp butter
½ C white wine (you don’t have to use wine but if you do-get a good wine that you would drink because the flavor concentrates when it reduces).
1 ½ C heavy cream (or you can use whole milk or creamer-don’t use skim or 2% milk)
1 C grated parmesan cheese
1 box of angel hair pasta (cook it like you would normally)
2 handfuls shredded mozzarella
1lb shrimp-peeled (you can use more-I used 2lbs and it wasn’t enough for 4-we likes skrimps!)

Preheat Broiler!

Combine tomatoes, basil, olive, oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and set aside (do this first because you want it to sit for as long as possible before you add them to the pasta-the longer it sits the better it tastes.)

In a skillet, melt butter and stir in white wine and bring it to a boil (so it reduces a little-don’t just put the sucker on high and go to the next step as soon as it boils). Add heavy cream and lower to a simmer. Let it reduce for about 5 minutes. As it simmers, add the parmesan cheese slowly while whisking-let it simmer for another 3 minutes, whisk it again and remove it from the heat. It will thicken as it cools. RESIST ADDING SALT OR ANY SEASONING because when everything reduces it will be too salty if you add it (a mistake I made). Add cooked and drained pasta and tomato concoction to skillet and toss the pasta to coat it in the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a serving platter (or casserole dish like I have-I’m so not fancy) and top it with mozzarella cheese.

Grill or sauté the shrimp and set them aside. (I sautéed them in melted butter, 1 ½ Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp dried parsley and ¾ tsp of Italian seasoning-cook them till only a little pink-not fully cooked. They will have carry-over cooking, plus in the next step they get cooked more.

Broil the pasta with the mozzarella cheese for a few minutes-til the cheese is melted and ooey-gooey.

Top the pasta with the shrimp. Garnish with extra basil if you have. (Enjoy!)

Resolutions Week 2-New Challenges

Last week went pretty well. The mornings started with Mike (aka The Enforcer) confidently strolling toward me (the flirt), then tackling me to the ground (foreplay), opening mouth open (is it warm in here?) before he stuck a big, long, thick… multi-vitamin down my throat (not as satisfying…but sort of taste the same…). I managed to drink my 64oz everyday and I do at least a mile a day between running back and forth from my office to the bathroom (64oz is killing my bladder) and then the walk from my car to my office and back. But I didn’t actually make it a point to walk after work. This job has been kicking my butt! But I am changing it up this time- I’m upping the challenge this week to 3 miles 3x this week since there is a collaborate effort to walk at Studewood Park in the Heights. The full track is about 3 miles and it has hills too so it’s quite the workout. If I can make it there 3x this week that would be great! Breakfast and lunch were the same Mon-Thursday but my boss took me out to lunch Friday (whoo hoo for me!) I’ll continue eating the same thing Mon-Fri until I trust myself to eat differently…or until I get up earlier to actually make breakfast and lunch. I’m adding sit ups to my list this week. I used to be one of those people who did like 500 crunches every other day using the ball, the ab roller, the thing where you hold yourself up and lift your legs and every other contraption and medicine ball available. I did side crunches and leg lifts and a sort of Pilates before it was called Pilates. I was no where near a flat stomach, but my clothes fit better and I had a definite waist unlike now where it looks like I wear an inner tube under my clothes (Schlitterbaun anyone?). I’m gonna try to do at least 100 crunches every other night (25 regular crunch, 25 each side obliques, and 25 leg lifts) and I know Mike will be on my azz to do it. Maybe it’ll be kinky like the multi-vitamin (action twice a day-Score!) Anyway, here’s my list.

Week 2
1.) Drink 64oz of water a day.
2.) Walk 3 miles 3x this week.
3.) Eat the same breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday.
4.) Do sit-ups every other night

Stay tuned till next week where I attempt to weigh-in. Watch Out Now!

You’re gay if you look at my hand while I make the A-OK sign…

I know I’m a little late but I’ve been recovering from Big Joon and Liz’s Birthday Bash weekend! We stared the fun at Allure…which was anything but Alluring. The drinks were too expensive; the dj played the same set twice from 11:15 to 2:30, playing Beyonce’s Put a Ring on it 4 times! 4 TIMES!, but fellas if you like nickel pieces plus a penny or two (not dime pieces) the girls were quite attainable going for about a drink a pop. Ladies, the bathroom is unisex, no mirrors, and its almost completely dark. If we hadn’t started dancing (around 12am), I’m positive there would have been no movement on the dance floor the entire night. With all that said, it was a blast! Mario, Mike, and Jose made sure we were VIP, Sarita H (aka Babe) graced us with her presence and even the Familia de Vasquez made a rare appearance. Richie even came playa down with white Gators. All in all we got it pumpin’ and danced till they kicked us out! Afterwards, we headed to Ruchie’s but between Sarita’s drunken swerving, Mario chasing her car down Shepard, and everyone in Houston being at Ruchie’s we stumbled upon Tapatia were we had great conversation about “babes” and “Party, Party, All I do is Party.” The night ended with a $55 tip (never tip while drunk) and a long drive home at 4:30am (every drive at 4:30am is long with a bottle of vodka and a pound of quesadillas in your tummy).

Saturday was chiller despite the time it took us to get a table for dinner, I could have given birth. Afterwards, we strolled over to the nearest Fast Eddies and shot some pool while the boys (and Liz) did sign language (the A-OK sign with their hands) then laughed when anyone looked (don’t even ask). I got the juke box pumping out great tunes like Rick Astly’s Never Gonna Give You Up and Aqua’s Barbie Girl (I’m not being sarcastic-they were by request). We called it a night when, again, we were kicked out at closing. Traveling down I45 is so fun at 2:30 in the morning (I AM being sarcastic) especially when Club Liquid is just letting out. Alas, we made it home safely (the power of prayer ya’ll) again around 4am only to sleep a few hours and be invited for the last leg of the Birthday Bash tour-a dinner at Ricky and Liz’s. Not much to say about that except that dinner was good, the peach tea was off the chain, and Leslie Ann’s room is a child’s Disney Land…literally.

The rest of the month has been cleared for rest and relaxation…and savings. Here are some pics to satisfy your need to look at things for 3 seconds before it changes…(big ups to my ADD’s out there). I really believe a picture says a thousand words. On the real, I wouldn’t have changed a thing this weekend. It was really nice to be with the ones we love and start the New Year out laughing, dancing, eating, drinking, and spending very needed time together! It was incredible!

Again, not so goodly with the slideshows…..here’s the link
http://tinyurl.com/972aum

These are a few of my favorite things….

I’m pretty busy today so instead of something witty and interesting, I made a list of my favorite things in no particular order… somewhat:

Olivia
The way MyCaden says “QUEEEEEEE-EEN!” when Olivia annoys him
Little 3
My Skirt Shirt!
My green shorts
Temo’s squishy face and the way he leeeeaans in and closes his eyes when I kiss him
Frosting
Seashells
Flirting
Fruity Pebbles
Red birds
Shiny objects
Fiji water bottles
Knowledge
Shady Trees in the park on a beautiful day
Fruity lip gloss
Comedy
Scarves
Football
Knee socks
Me <- yes I'm one of my favorite things...
Different Cultures
Passion
Ooey gooey chocolate chunk cookies right out the oven
Daniel's art
Education
Cheese
Mike’s hands on my hips
Music
The smell of my hair after I get a haircut
TV
Love
Good books
Mos Def
Cranberry Orange Bread
Pretty brown eyes
Sarcasm
Vivid Color
Coy smiles & sly smirks
Journals and Notepads
Halloween
BIRTH-o-ween
Laughter
Infomercials
The last moments before dream
Eye Shadow
Community Service<- not the jail kind but the kind you do because you believe in it!
Pajamas
Cupcakes
Pretty panties
The ocean

Baby, Let Me Upgrade Ya

We’re talking about finally redecorating the house. Well, technically we’re just decorating it. I guess it would only be “RE-decorating” if we had decorated in the first place. I feel so inadequate as a woman. It supposed to be natural for women to frame and hang things and match the drapes to the bedspreads. Oh! And those women who change they’re home with the seasons. Who ARE those women?! …I’ve always secretly wanted to be those women (hanging head in shame). It comes so easy to them though. Well, I guess that its not that it doesn’t come easy to me, it’s more that I never really cared. I’m so far away from the Jones’ I really never cared what they were up to, to keep up with them. I guess now I’m a little bored with how the place looks. It was so nice for Christmas and taking the tree down made for a very bare, very white wall.

I think I want an overcast-type gray color for the walls; something on the lines of a cool blue-ish gray, but on the other hand I love the idea of a soft beige color with a Santa Fe sunset-type color accent wall. I really like the idea of track lighting, but people say that’s gay and Mike is already metro- I don’t want people thinking he’s Down-Low. I’m not one for thousands of pictures of loved ones on the walls either. A few strategically placed pictures on a shelf or the mantle is sweet and of course the fridge is full of baby pictures from people I haven’t seen in years! I’m not funky enough to be eclectic, and I’m not refined enough to be traditional. I’m stuck being indecisive.

I admit I have no sense of color. My friend “the artist” says he’s the same way, but I find that hard to believe and either way, he’s a dude. I give them credit when they scratch but refrain from sniffing their fingers. The best suggestion so far has been to ask myself how I want my house to feel. I guess I want it to be open and airy; something beachy would be nice except without all the sand in my crotch. The beach is so therapeutic for me, especially since I’m a Pisces. The cool sand between my toes, the warm water makes me feel like I’m floating in space, the crashing of the waves remind me that there is a vastness so great that it could only have been made by the hand of God itself…but mostly it’s the only place you can be totally drunk and more or less naked without being looked at twice. Since being half-naked and half-drunk at home is a regular occurrence it might just feel like I’m on vacation. Maybe if I paint the walls nude with polka-dots the color of my nips I won’t even have to close the shades-I can use the work on my tan! Watch out Extreme Home Makeover. These ideas are patented!

Move over Oprah! Jenni Geezy has a Book Club!

I finally finished Victoria Olsteen’s book, Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole. Ladies, if you don’t have it, you should stop reading this post NOW and run out and buy it! Guys- buy it for the women in your life-your life will never be the same! This book is a MUST READ for every woman-religious or not. It’s not like a “bible quote” book and not only is it encouraging, but it’s witty and uplifting. It’s a fast read and its easy going-like you’re talking to a friend. Victoria gives you a different way of looking at things so you can overcome your challenges and celebrate your successes and others, whether big or small. Love Your Life really changed my perspective and changed how I interact with certain people. Her personal stories of being a wife and mother are touching and I saw a lot of people in her examples; I saw myself in those pages, too. But this book is not only for married women or mothers; it’s for EVERY woman! This book was not written by just a mother and pastor’s wife; Victoria Olsteen is no doubt an independent woman, strong in her character and her values.

Don’t get it twisted-her book is not like Joel Olsteen’s books. Her approach is uncomplicated, yet she is profound. I couldn’t get into his books. I don’t know what it is about this book but I couldn’t put it down. The one thing it lacks is a study journal like Joel’s books because I want to enhance my thoughts about the lessons I took from each chapter. The “Anchor Thoughts” at the end of each chapter pull out the key aspects to focus on and this helps when you look back on the book as I did. I’m actually reading it again. But the journal would enhance that experience. I really hope you’re not afraid of a “Christian” read. Love your life is more than that. I really hope you check it out. It’s completely worth it. YOU’RE completely worth it!

Ps. For those in the Houston area-Lakewood offers a Women’s Ministry on Wednesdays @ 6:25P-7:30P; Childcare available @ 6:00P. No need to register. Services are held afterward. Each week Women’s Wednesday Workshop helps women discover Biblical principles through innovated Bible study with drama, panel discussions and relevant teaching from a woman’s perspective. I’ve been several times and have had amazing experiences each time. You can find information on the specific topics and key speakers for the Women’s Wednesday Workshop for this month at www.lakewood.cc under ministries.

Resolutions....

It’s official-the first Monday of the New Year. That means its resolution time! But I don’t make resolutions, I make lists. Like:


1.) Stop opening all the fortune cookies to find the fortune I like.
2.) Stop eating so much cheese.
3.) Don’t be so gullible; a Brazilian wax is excruciating!
4.) Don’t lie.
5.) Read the instructions.
6.) Don’t be high maintenance.
7.) Stop putting my fingers in my mouth-I don’t know where they’ve been.

You know, stuff like that. But then there’s the one that is on everyone’s list…you know the one. Ya’ll all know I am comfortable with my figure, but I can stand to lose some pounds and inches here, here, and here (points to belly, thighs, and hair). Puerto Rico is coming up in less than 7 months so I gotsta get moving. Plus, it’s technically like our honeymoon so I want to look good for the beach, for the pictures, and for the hubs! Can you believe it’s been 10 years ya’ll?! So I’ve come up with this week’s list and I’ll continue adding as the weeks go by:

Week 1
1.) Drink 64oz of water a day.
2.) Walk 1 mile 3x this week.
3.) Eat the same breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday.

I usually drink like a fish (mostly liquor) but lately I haven’t been so diligent about getting my 64oz of water a day. I want to work up to a gallon again (water, not liquor) by the end of the month. The walking is definitely something I can do (when I drink water-not so much when I drink the liquor…at least not in a straight line anyway). I mean, getting to the gym is one thing, they’re pretty strict about not letting in the drunken; but the weather is nice right now so I can pump out 3 miles this week. As far as eating the same breakfast and lunch goes, it’s just easier for me to stick with the same thing for the week. I’m obsessive/compulsive like that. I get overwhelmed with too many options (like rum vs. vodka-how does anyone ever choose!). We’ll see how it goes.

Check out the pictures from New Years. It was a pretty cool house party. Good people, good food, good drinks, the fighting over the hidden empanadas….Good times….

I can’t figure out how to do the slide show so for right now-here’s the link…
http://tinyurl.com/7hlq9w

Cookies with PUNKY POWER (Chocolate Chip)

I made White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut cookies for Mike’s office for Christmas. I was told that they were “generally liked” but I was quite surprised that no one fell over from “general” euphoria or “general” ecstasy. I know those cookies were good. The recipe still needs a little more perfecting but one thing I know is they were not “generally” likeable. They were pretty darn good! Lawyers…go figure. They’re always asking for more than you can possibly give!

Mike made specific mention that his co-worker (the one that looks like Punky Brewster-no kidding-like what you think Punky would look like as an adult but not like Soleil Moon Frye. She’s totally adorabler-even sounds like Punky) liked them enough to go back for seconds. Since she’s the only one who recognizes culinary genius when she tastes it, I decided to make her my cookie recipient this week. This week’s cookie is my Super-Chunk-O-Choco-Lover-Frikken-Crazy-licious cookie and it’s dedicated to the baby lawyers out there that haven’t let status get in the way of liking a humble dessert such as the cookie.

I have tried a million different chocolate chip cookie recipes and taken from here and there to create the most perfect, super duper moist, choco-chunky cookie. Since I’m not having children I need to have something that I can brag about so I’m not giving my recipe away, sorry. In the meantime, here’s one of my favorite recipes. In my quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie, this was one I came back to time and time again. I think you’ll like it too. Hopefully, Punky will come back with a review of my cookies soon. Either way, Enjoy!

Good Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3.Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.