Have you seen this turtle?

I saw this by the mail box the other day. There were about 5 of them pasted all over the place.

So I really feel sorry for Paul who lost his box turtle. But.... how in the world do you lose a freakin' turtle? Are they that hard to lose where you must post "Lost" signs?!

In my head, this is how I imagine how the turtle got lost....... (BTW, scenes I imagine in my head sometimes result in play-like scripts like the following. Pardon my theatre-ness.)

---

(Scene: blank stage set with one open door and one couch.)

(Lights Up. One light on PAUL, who is standing at an open door, staring out into oblivion. Another light on WIFE, who is sitting at a couch behind him, eating a gallon of ice cream with a giant spoon.)

PAUL'S WIFE: Paul! Don't leave the front door open! Remember, Boxy-Box is an escape artist!

PAUL: Uh oh....

(PAUL looks out the door, around the blank stage "house". Out the door again. WIFE looks around. Looks at PAUL. Drops her gallon of ice cream and throws her giant spoon on the floor.)

WIFE: (getting louder and louder as she speaks) Damn it, Paul! You've done it again! He's gone! Gone! Last time he made it all the way to the Mexico border before we got the phone call from that truck driver!  You better get your ass out there and post signs all over the world before Boxy-Box has gotten clear across the state! I BETTER SEE A SIGN EVERY SQUARE MILE OF THIS WOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRLLLLLLLDDDDDDDD! (WIFE's yelling is reverberating and echoing)

(And then silence.)

PAUL: Yes, dear.

VOICE FROM THE UNKNOWN: (spoken loudly from an unseen place) And that's why there were five flyers posted at the mailbox.

(End scene.)

---

(I know you love my playwrighting skills. I must say, that turned out so post-modern!)

So, either that happened or Boxy-Box the Turtle is amazingly talented with lots of secrets.

Perhaps he has secret blue wings that look like fish fins and flew away!

Or he's hiding a jet pack under his shell. Sneaky little bugger!

Or maybe he has retractable tires and zoomed outta there like a little NASCAR racer!!

But the most probable explanation for the turtle's unknown whereabouts is because of his ability to hypnotize others with the lasers that shoot from his eyes.

I hope Paul finds his turtle. 
If you see one walking around that looks lost, let me know ASAP. I'll call Paul.

---

HAPPY FRIDAY! Hop hop hop!
And if you dare make fun of my illustration skills, I'll cry myself to sleep. 
I wasn't blessed with illustrating skills. My playwrighting skills, however, are GENIUS.

Song of the Moment- PS22 Chorus' "I'll Stand by You"

Maybe it's just because I'm a performing arts teacher (theatre, to be exact) and I studied music since I was a wee one, this really pulls at my heart strings. I'm such a sucker for kids, especially ones who aren't afraid express themselves.

If you haven't heard of PS22 Chorus, they are a public school elementary choir in Staten Island, NY. This teacher brought his love of music and made it relevant and applicable to these students. And they became a sensation.

Here's a little bit more about them, according to their YouTube Channel frontpage:

"The PS22 Chorus was formed in the year 2000. We are an ever-changing group of 5th graders from a public elementary school in Staten Island, New York. We are NOT a school for the arts or a magnet program.

The chorus has become a bonafide internet sensation over the last few years, singing choral renditions of classic & alternative pop songs. The kids have sung with Tori Amos, Passion Pit, Crowded House, Common, Celtic Woman, & Matisyahu! They have also performed for President Obama and the first family, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks, Rihanna, Jordin Sparks, Randy Jackson, Marcia Gay Harden, Nancy Pelosi, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Celebrity fans include Perez Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Jason Mraz, Tom Kaulitz (Tokio Hotel), Suzanne Vega, Rob Dyrdeck, Innocence Mission, Bonnie Hunt, David Hasselhoff, Alyssa Milano, and many more....."

These kids are incredible. They have a great teacher, too, I might add. Just watch and listen to them. I love how each and every child connects with the music on a personal level and really expresses the music. That's what it's about. It's not about looking pretty and standing in perfect rows and holding your music all at the same height. In the end, when you feel the music and let it take you somewhere, that's when the magic begins. I also love their version of Coldplay's Viva la Vida, or Journey's Don't Stop Believin' and Beyonce's Halo ANNNND Jay-Z/Alicia Key's New York State of Mind Pt. XII!!! Gosh, all their stuff is amazing. Go watch it.

So, please enjoy! And go watch more of their performances! They have a blog, too!
 

O.'s Song of the Moment

PS22 Chorus: "I'll Stand By You"

(originally by The Pretenders) 

You have no soul if this doesn't touch you in any way. Just sayin'.

Way Back Wednesday- First Job

It's that time again.....!


 This Week's Theme: First Job!
My first job was a hostess at a semi-posh Italian restaurant called Perry's Italian Grille. Literally, the day I turned 16 and old enough to get a job, I was drug (kicking and screaming) down to this restaurant and basically said "You're getting a job here." I wish I had crazy stories about this place. I don't. It was a typical hostess job and it was a pretty nice job for a 16-year-old to have.

What's more interesting is my college job when I worked at:

BOW CHICKA WOW WOW!

I worked there for about 4 years or so and it was the best college job! A lot of people can't handle the retail thing, but I loved it. I knew and loved everything about the business! I ended up being on the management team by the time I graduated college and started teaching. Greatest college job! I got a ton of free bras (I'm talking drawers full) and beauty stuff! Yeah, it's stressful and crazy, but I like an exciting job. Why do you think I currently teach and direct theatre?!

The time at VS definitely gives me some funny stories...

O.'s Noteworthy VS Moments:

- One regular customer was a tranny
- Another regular customer was a stripper with a sugar daddy. She would drop $500 at a time on lingerie... no joke!
- I had a really normal middle-aged looking man come in (dressed professionally and all) telling me his wife wants him to wear a bra and panties to bed and if I could help him find something. He was completely serious. I kid you not.
- I was helping a male customer pick something out for his "girlfriend" and I asked him what size he needed. He looked at me and said, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe about your size? Turn around so I can take a look." I looked at him and said, "UH, no." Handed him off to another sales girl.
- I had this other "smooth guy" shopping for his "girlfriend" ask me if I could model some of the items he was considering. I wit-fully replied, "Let me get you a catalog instead."
- We did bra fittings. These very um, full-figured ladies would come in and say "I need a 34B."  Obviously they weren't a 34B, so I politely asked, "When was the last time you were fitted for a bra?" And I fitted them. Some of these ladies were so big that we didn't carry their size. I felt terrible and said "You should go check out our sister store, Cacique (Lane Bryant)" when that store has no affiliation with VS whatsoever. They insisted they were a 34B and would go try that size on in the fitting room. Needless to say, the bras didn't fit. Poor gals.
- One of the stores I worked in (South Texas) I was one of the only white girls. I was surrounded by Latina Divas. They were awesome. I loved some of the things they would say, like "Oh, mamas, would you go get that for me?" "Mamas, besitos!!!" and the way they would say "noooOOO" and "hAAA?" (huh?) with their accents.
- I think two people were doing the dirty in a fitting room once. Obviously, I wasn't gonna walk in on that...
- People returned OBVIOUSLY WORN underwear. 'Nuff said. I wouldn't even dare touch that health hazard. I once even got a bunch of tissue paper to pick one up and wrap it and staple it up.... in front of the customer. Shows them not to return NASTY UNDERWEAR!
- This crazy fruity guy (I'm talking nucking futs) was determined to get as many free teddy bears as he could one Christmas when we were giving them out as a gift with a certain amount purchase. I had to ring up like 523834729 different transactions so he could get his freakin' teddy bears. He was whining at me the whole time about how he needed them. WTF?!
- I even had sentimental moments with customers. I helped frustrated women buy something very personal-- a bra. When they found one that fit right, they felt beautiful. A few women cried. I've gotten hugs. I've even had a $20 bill put in my hand, which I tried to give back. Tear. Sentimental. Makes all the crazies worth it.

Aw, brings back good memories! Now I have another set of crazy stories to tell! But that's my secret (har har) since I'd like to keep my current job!

Fattoush Salad Recipe

All members of the O. Family are huge Mediterranean food fans. Even Dexter is obsessed with Greek yogurt. I know, bizarre. Greg O. is half Lebanese, after all (even though you can't really tell by looking at him because he looks like a Kennedy). I'm a good wifey and I have been trying some Mediterranean recipes recently.

It's been ridiculously hot in Tejas, and I'm getting tired of typical salads. I don't like salads filled with fat, either. That negates the whole darn point of a salad. Fattoush is the perfect answer - a different, refreshing salad. Yes, I know, funny name. Greg calls it "ka-DOOSH!"  It's a pretty basic Lebanese cucumber salad, but the flavors are rockin'.

After eating lots of fattoush and looking at various recipes, I've created one I think tastes the most authentic and the best. This recipe doesn't require specific amounts - just throw in the bowl what you like and in the amounts you like it. I'll list what I did and you can always alter it to your liking.

---

O.'s Fattoush

Mine looks very close to this, but with bigger chunks of cucumber. I really wish I had taken a picture! (Google Images)

Main Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers, sliced and quartered (skin on, but you can peel if you like)
- 1/4-1/2 a bag of chopped Romaine Hearts (whatever cucumber to romaine ratio you like)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red/orange/yellow (whichever color you like best) bell pepper, chopped
- 5-7 diced stalks green onion
- 1 large tomato, chopped (I used halved grape tomatoes because I think they look prettier and they're sweeter... about what would equal one large tomato)
- 2 handfuls chopped mint (or more if you like)
- 2 handfuls chopped parsley (or more if you like)

Dressing Ingredients:
- Vinegar (Red Wine / Apple Cider variety)
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Lemon Pepper


Mix the main ingredients in a big salad bowl. Then dress your salad with the dressing ingredients to your liking. Everyone likes their salad dressed a different way. I prefer more of an acidic dressing, so I used more vinegar and lemon juice than olive oil (my guess is about 1/2 cup vinegar/lemon juice and 1/4 cup or less of olive oil).

This also goes great with some nice pita chips or if you want to pair it with some hummus and Khoubiz (Lebanese flat bread) or pita bread.

---

The great thing about this recipe is that you add or take away what you like. Tailor it to your own tastes. And.... the BEST thing about this, even if you pair it with pita chips/bread and hummus, it's seriously healthy and low cal!  BOO YAAAAAAAH!

Hope you try and love my ka-DOOSH!
Wait... that sounded wrong....

No, but seriously. You gotta try it. Bring it to a dinner party or even better, a barbeque, (you know, where everyone brings store-bought crappy potato salad) and impress someone by saying, "Oh, I just whipped up a little fattoush." Yeah. You're gonna look super foodie-a-licious.


BTW- To find an awesome "Recipe Carnival", visit: A Moderate Life

Billboard lolz

The Houston Freeway System seriously has the best Billboards at the current moment. Serious lolz. Here are my top 2!

#2. "Nasty Radiation-Brained Monkey Astronauts"

PETA really makes me want to change my attitude towards their 'wonderful' organization:

 

Not really. 

(If you can't read it, it says: ["Nasty" instead of NASA logo] "NASA Take a giant leap for mankind. Stop torturing monkeys.")

This billboard is a big WHAAAAT?! Katie and I saw this coming back from a shopping trip at the Galleria. She shot this picture, so all the credit goes to her! BTW, I live down the street from NASA. Hopefully PETA doesn't come and start throwing blood down my street.

 Upon further investigation, I have read that PETA is pissed because NASA plans to test the effects of radiation on monkeys in outer space. Read here. So, WTF is this billboard supposed to accomplish since nobody knows WTF you're talking about?!

#1.  "When You Know You Didn't Do NOTHIN!"

These people will be the first I want to call if I get into a legal bind.

 This billboard is in a bad spot to get a picture driving, unless I wanted to risk my life. So I found the next best thing - their website! BEST. MARKETING. STRATEGY. EVER.

I will report more as I discover more. I promise.

Monday Minute 7/26

Just a minute of my time and your time...
I'm loving each and every one of my new followers!
If you're new, here's a little few things about moi!

1. Who is your "what-if" person?
(What-if person being what if I married this person or am now in a relationship with "this" person)

Why in the world would I be thinking about that? I don't have a "back up" list, thank you very much.

2. What is your nickname?

Meg, Meggie, Meggles, Texas Toast (now THAT's a story I must dedicate a blog post to). Crumplestiltskin, Crumpinator, C-Rump

3. If you could choose how you died, how would you like to die?

Quick and painless, man! And I'd like to have a chance to say goodbye to people. If that was too hard, I'd like the ability to leave my loved ones letters.

4. If you could have named yourself, which name would you have picked?

Shaniqua.... Or Shithead (PRONOUNCED: "Shi-thay-ed", you dirty minds! By the way, that's a legit name.)

5. Who were you named after or for what reason did your parents choose your name?

I was supposed to be named Amanda. My mom got put on bed rest and watched a lot of TV and became obsessed with the awesome '80s miniseries The Thorn Birds. It's also a book, which I read part of. It is crazy dramatic. The main character's name is Megan (although they spelled it really weird), whom I was named after. That was the first time she heard "Megan"!

Oh yeah, Thorn Birds!

I told you-- crazy dramatic!



Have a great week, everyone!

One Year Today

As of today, I've been married to my best friend for one year.

Here's to many, many more.

One small anniversary gift I made for Greg is this slideshow video. It's set to the song "Married" from the musical Cabaret (I actually performed in that musical in college... I'll post on that later). It's such a touching song to me because the characters in it are older people are so in love! I always get teary-eyed hearing this song. I just can picture singing this to him when I'm 70 years old and wrinkly, provided that we're both still alive. Aww. Enjoy the video!

(Lyrics:)

How the world can change, it can change like that.

Due to one little word: "Married."

See a palace rise from a two room flat,

Due to one little word: "Married."

And the old despair that was often there,

Suddenly ceases to be.

For you wake one day, look around and say:

"Somebody wonderful married me."

Friday Fetch!

Since Fridays are FANTASTIC: (even though I could care less at this point because I'm on summer...Yeah I'm going to rub it in a little more.... Hahahaha)




What could be more fantastic (and funny) than watching my cat, Dexter, play fetch with his new snail girlfriend? I mentioned I would post it soon, so here it is!



 Dexter has taken an extreme liking to this random snail beanie baby. My mom gave me a bag of old beanie babies to give to my sister- that explains why I have it (because I definitely don't collect them). Out of the entire bag of beanie babies, he kept digging and getting this one out and playing with it. My sister let him keep it. It's his girlfriend. Hopefully this "vintage beanie baby" (Remember the rage? Are they actually worth anything now???) isn't worth a ton of money after Dexter has destroyed it. 

Well, I'm signing off until Sunday! Greg and I are going on another mini vacay to celebrate our anniversary! But tune in Sunday morning and you'll see a little something cute I made for our anniversary! So until then, happy weekend and happy anniversary weekend to me!

Easy Pork Tenderloin

O.'s Recipe for Eeeeeasy Pork Tenderloin

(R&B Translation)

Ingredients:
1 Pork Tenderloin
1 cup water
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
A few shakes of Worcestershire Sauce

Preparation: (you have to interpret this part as an R&B singer)

- Throw dat Pork Tenderloin down on in a slow cooker.... oooh baby
- Sprinkle sprinkle goes the dry onion soup mix, all over dat pork
- Shake shake some Worcestershire Sauce over the top... just enough to your fancy (maybe 2-3 Tbsp)
- Pooooour that water over everythang
- Spoon some of dat soup mix over the top of that porky pork
- Let it cook nice and slooooooow on loooooow for 5-7 hours (depending on yo' brand of slooooow cooker)
- Make sure you give that pork some love by turning it over every 2 hours and spooning the delicious juicy mixture over the top of it

It's gonna melt in yo' mouth! It's so F-I-I-I-I-NE!!!!

For reference on how smooth, soft, and silky this recipe should be interpreted:

Honestly, though. This pork is AH-MAZING. Try it sometime.

Way Back Wednesday- Sports....?

So.... this week's theme for "Way Back Wednesday" is Sports!

I'm supposed to share sports memories.

Sports.
Me and sports?
HAHA.
....yaaaaay.....
Um...!
So.... sports!
Yeah!
Good stuff!
People winning on teams and...
scoring points...
and getting fancy rings...

*crickets*

....Go sports!!!

Okay, so.... um.... I didn't really know ANYTHING about football (or any other sport for that matter) until I met my hubby. It's a damn embarrassing shame.

This was my explanation of football (when the team had the ball):

"I know you're supposed to go that way!" 

(while pointing to the end zone)

I know more now! I'm being a good wifey!

However, I was on swim team as a little one. Heck, I'm a fantastic swimmer still.

So what if that's the community pool and I'm wearing the pool tag? You get the drift.

Do theatre and choir count as sports?

Um, yeah. I didn't think so either.

Oh well.

GO SPORTS!

And happy Wednesday!

My Hair Mantra

Okay, I might have said this before, but I love beauty products. It's true. I love trying out lots of things and perfecting a beauty routine through trial and error.

My hair is definitely not what it used to be. Before I started coloring a couple of years ago, I had the most resilient hair. It was shiny and healthy, no matter what I put it through. I could wash it every day, flat iron every day, and it was hardly damaged.

And then I got highlights.

GASP.

I was in for a rude awakening. I couldn't just do "whatever" to my hair any more. I had to take good care of it. WTF was that all about?! I had become "high maintenance"?! Or is that part of getting old?! Nonetheless, I am a perfectionist and had to make sure that my somewhat damaged hair looked friggin gorgeous at all times.

After some research on my favorite beauty secret, makeupalley.com (shh.... they don't like to advertise it.... like I said in another post, it's got a whole "Fight Club" vibe there...), and other various things, I have learned some little tricks that help keep my hair in tip top shape! So, if this is totally old news to you, go read something else on my blog or watch my kitty, Dexter, play fetch! I'm telling ya - THAT's some new news for ya! Does your cat play fetch!!?!??!?!?!?! OH! Speaking of which! He likes playing fetch with a weird pink snail beanie baby now. I've gotta videotape it and post it because it's hilarious.

Anyway.

Back to the hair crap. This is what I do.

O.'s Hair Mantra

- NO OVERWASHING. Wash hair every other day. This concept was foreign to me, but gosh darn it, it works. Invest in dry shampoo. It's a lifesaver for me because my roots tend to get oily on second day hair.

- LITTLE HEAT. Try to heat style only every other day. On second day hair, only do touch-ups. I wash at night (I'm DEFINITELY NOT a morning person so whatever lets me sleep in longer is worth it to me) and I don't blow dry most nights. I let my hair air dry and I style in the morning.

- HEAT PROTECTANT. Get yourself a good heat protectant to use in conjunction with your other styling products. Basically, it coats your hair to minimize damage from heat and UV rays. I've seen these popping up everywhere, including the drug store.

- DEEP CONDITION. Use a good deep conditioner once a week. I love Aveda's Dry Remedy. Just get something super moisturizing; it doesn't have to be expensive. I've also used straight up Extra Virgin Olive Oil on my damp hair as a deep condition (it works, trust me)! Sometimes I'll leave the conditioner on 30 minutes to an hour with a cap on. Once in a while I'll also apply heat to my head with a heating pad to let the conditioner really sink into the cuticle. I know they sell heating caps at beauty supply stores, so I should invest in that instead of balancing a heating pad on my head.

- PROTEIN/RECONSTRUCTOR. Do a reconstructor right before coloring. I had no idea what a "reconstructor" was. Basically it's a protein treatment that adds protein back into your hair (this is a good explanation). I love the ApHogee 2-Step Treatment (look it up and read up on it!) found at Sally's. This isn't to be confused with a conditioner, as it might feel a little dry after you do the treatment (although you are building protein back into hair). Just deep condition afterward. And like I said, do this before coloring because it can strip color. I usually do this about 4-5 days before coloring. If you don't color, then do a reconstructor every six weeks. Honestly, I've seen 85% of my damage get significantly better after doing this. I don't have crazy damaged hair, I'm just a bit of a perfectionist, like I said before.

- CUT. Be consistent about cutting your hair, even if it's just a trim. That is an automatic way to be rid of damage. And I've learned my hair actually grows better and faster when I trim. I'm growing my hair out now (I go through phases of growing it out and chopping it off) and this is helping.


I hope my ground-breaking, earth-shattering new news totally threw you in and wowed you. This mantra has worked wonders for my treated hair. Highlighting/going lighter really can do a number on your hair, and it requires the most attention! Oh, the price of beauty.

Yeah, it's friggin expensive. And time consuming. Uh.... wait a second. Maybe I should just go back to my natural color?

Nah.

Too bad the world isn't more like the mind of a cat. Dexter doesn't look at my hair and think about how pretty/shiny/soft it is. He just likes to eat it and play with it. He loves me because I love him and feed him. If life were more simple like that in other ways....

Dexter would approve of this hair mantra, but he doesn't really care.

Getting to Know You 7/19

So I've had a lot of new followers recently, and I'm having tons of fun linking up in "Follow" posts. If you're new to reading my blog, welcome! I'm glad we're friends! I linked up to some fun questions to answer. Join me if you please!






1. If you had to choose a country to live in besides USA (or the country you live in), which would it be? 
I love England. I studied abroad there one summer (and have been back multiple times since) and it is such a great place! I loooooove their theatres!! West End / Royal Shakespeare Company OWNS!

2. Which would be worse, wearing flip flops in the snow or wearing gloves in the summer?
Flip flops in the snow, because I have not really seen much snow. The most snow I've seen is about an inch on the ground.... two times. In my whole life. I would freak out if I had to wear flip flops on it.

3. Fried or Baked and why?
Baked. I like being healthy and I hardly ever eat fried foods. And cupcakes are baked (that doesn't count towards my 'healthy diet').

4. If you were an entertainment reporter, which celeb would you love to interview and why?
Ooh, so many people I would love to interview, but I'll think mainstream celebs. Meryl Streep. She's an amazing actress (pretty much incredible in every single film she's done) and I would love to pick her brain.

5. What was your favorite book as a preteen/teenager?  
Call me a TOTAL nerd, but I loved Shakespeare. Still do. I asked for the Complete Works when I was 12 and I felt like such a bad ass reading my way through it!

6. List your top 3 guilty pleasure television shows.
Real Housewives of New Jersey, So You Think You Can Dance, and Project Runway! I could keep going (like talking about Lost or Dexter or Modern Family or Big Love or Top Chef....)

7. What bumper sticker slogan best describes you/your attitude/your life?

Well, not really. But I think it's funny when people put that on their cars.

8. If you were to join a circus - what performer would you be?
Definitely the Ring Leader! I like to RUN the show! (Is that the theatre director in me talking?)

It's My Seester's Birfday

Today's my seeeeester's birfday! My little sis, to be exact.

Since I'm such a good sister and super thoughtful, I wanted to post a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" on her facebook wall but with something a little extra.

You know, everyone can write "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" on facebook, but a song especially from you sung by an Asian family, an old man in a rocking chair with a little girl on his lap and a fat guy in a maroon shirt? Now, that, my friends, is something special. (They got her age wrong, though. Minor mistake. I told them "23" and I guess they heard "29." No biggie. I got them for a discounted rate.)

This song, is especially for my sister, Christine. It's on her wall, and now it's on my blog!

I'm inviting that whole family to dinner tonight, by the way. They're gonna sing it live for her. She's gonna love it.

Working Through the Sprinkles Menu

You have probably seen me mention how much I love cupcakes, particularly Sprinkles Cupcakes. I was introduced to Sprinkles back a few years ago by one of my best friends, Anne. While I was visiting her in Dallas, she took me to the shop there! I owe Anne all the credit for my Sprinkles obsession!! I am now extremely obsessed, and I'd like to think it's freaking awesome. And just when my obsession couldn't get any more annoying, I posted 3,483,348,934 statuses on facebook about Sprinkles in the last month. I wonder if my friends list shrunk.

It felt like an eternity for Sprinkles to finally open their Houston location, which was about a month ago! I had been to the original Beverly Hills, CA location a week prior to their Grand Opening in Houston and I was acting so giddy telling the girls who were working there how excited I was for that next week. They even let me look in their kitchen. They thought I was funny.

Me taking a picture of myself standing outside the Beverly Hills shop. Yep, I'm that ridiculous.

And then... the day finally came! Sprinkles opened in Houston! My BFF, Katie and I had to go opening day. We each got a dozen, because we're awesome like that.

My first dozen from the Houston location

Since Sprinkles opened in Houston, I've made it a personal goal to work my way through the entire menu. I won't mention the three times I've been since they opened (and it's a 30 minute drive from where I live). Now, you also have to note that some of the cupcakes are limited edition, so I have less time to try some cupcakes!

So, here is their current menu (from sprinkles.com):

And here's what I've eaten ever since first partaking of Sprinkles

Please note: I've also tried limited edition cupcakes like Key Lime (which OMG is my favorite this summer and will be on their menu until Sept 6) and Blueberry Lemon (well, I took a bite of Katie's).

I didn't realize I've pretty much eaten the entire menu. That's awesome/sad/ridiculous! When you go, you have to try the Red Velvet and Black & White, because those are the two top sellers. My favorites right now are Key Lime (limited edition, but my top fave right now), Coconut, Chocolate Marshmallow, Chocolate Coconut and Peanut Butter Chocolate. I can't just pick one favorite. I think because it's summer, I'm really into the lemon/coconut thing. Once I've eaten the entire menu, I'll come back with a full report.

My next trip, I'm going to try the Vegan & Gluten Free Red Velvet, banana, and carrot! Who wants to join me? Any Houstonians out there wanna dabble in cupcakes with the Sprinkles expert?!

You know you want to....

My favorite summer beverage- The Chelada!

So, while on our mini vacay for 4th of July weekend, I discovered how much I love Cheladas. Not to be confused with a Michelada, though (that has tomato juice and sometimes clam juice...eeeeewwwwww). I sat at a posh pool bar/lounge on the gulf and let the ocean breeze take me over while sipping on this refresher. I could drink these all day! Good thing I didn't, though, because that could have been a hot mess.

A Chelada is a simple drink, really, and involves four amazing things: beer, lime juice, a lime wedge, and salt. So, you ask, "how do I concoct this delectable sounding beverage?" EASY as uno, dos, tres! (Haha, I made a cheesy funny! I should write scripts for infomercials.)

O.'s Chelada

1. Grab a pint glass, margarita glass, pretty glass, jug, or whatever friggin' cup you love and want to use. You call the shots on how big or small you want this Chelada to be.

2. Salt the rim of the glass, if you like. I think this is a crucial step. If you don't have a fancy-pants rim salter, wet a paper towel and press the rim of the glass onto it. Next, pour some salt on that paper towel and press the glass on the salt.
3. Put ice in your glass (if your lime juice is not cold)

4. Pour your favorite beer in it, about halfway up. (I prefer a Mexican beer like Dos XX.)  

5. Add lime juice (or limeade if you want a bit more sweetness). Pour more beer to top it off.

6. Stir it a bit.

7. Add a lime wedge to the top of your glass. 

Ole! You got yourself a Chelada!

Now go out and find a sunny spot to enjoy it in and indulge responsibly! 

(By the way, sorry I am blog design ADD. I'm playing around with the colors again and I just can't seem to get away from pink and white.... it's my signature, I guess! Bear with me as it beautifies!)

Dexter is Feelin' Fine this Fine Friday

Dexter got his little cojones snipped on Tuesday. He now cannot make Dexter Juniors, which is a shame, but I do not want him "marking his territory" all over our place of residence.

I was so so so so so worried he would be a different cat and he would be in tons of pain! He is my first baby and I gotta be a worryin' mama bear.

Thinking he was going to be all sad and in pain, I was shocked at his post-op disposition! I guess "downers" (i.e. anesthesia) were actually "uppers" for Dexter. He was running all over the place. He honestly looked high and his perception/judgment was off. When we got home, all he wanted to do was play, and we were told by the vet to limit his activity. I had to hide all of the toys. That didn't stop him from running around like a crazy freak. He literally tried to balance on the side of the trash can (and fell off) and later dove off of the washing machine into paper bags that were stored beside it. Yeah, he was a freaking weirdo.

But now he's fine. He was being such a lover earlier. He cuddled with me and purred and purred and let me take some photos in Photo Booth.

 ur lipz r scaring me

i r cuter than u

i r taking over ur interwebz

i morphz into othur dimenshuns

i r multiplyin' like ur calculatur

they can still see u, mom. ur doing it rong.

Happy Friday, everyone! 

Song of the Moment- "Neptune" from the Planets

This weekend I am performing in the Houston Symphony's The Planets by Holst. The Planets is an orchestral suite with each of the seven movements named after a planet in the solar system. Probably the most well-known movement is "Jupiter" (if you listen, skip to 2:48 and you'll recognize the tune). The Houston Symphony has done multiple performances of this throughout the year, along with touring to New York and Florida! I didn't do the tour, but this time around, I got selected to sing with a group of women of 32. There's 4 women on each vocal part (8 parts total). We sing in the final movement, "Neptune." We're going to be backstage wearing headphones to give us pitches. We also have to sound really light and etherial at the end and get very quiet, so we even have to put our hands up to our mouths to muffle the sound!

Which brings me to O.'s Song of the Moment: "Neptune" from Gustav Holst's The Planets! This video features the London Symphony Orchestra. If you aren't the symphonic music listening kind, skip to 3:58 to listen to the vocal part. I sing Soprano 1 in Chorus 1. Basically, that means I'm singing the highest part in the melody (not the echo). And the part where the voices fade away, that's when we'll be covering our mouths with our hands backstage. Haha!

Now I know this isn't nearly as entertaining as my thong leotard in the previous post, but turn those speakers up and delight in the mystic etherial-ness of Neptune!





 Pretty cool/creepy/etherial, huh?

What's really neat about this particular concert is that the Houston Symphony has paired up with NASA to project HD Satellite images of each planet as the respective movement is played. Check out this segment from a CBS special where the Houston Symphony's Planets was featured. It is pretty incredible!









Hope you enjoyed! If you ever get the chance to see The Planets live, you definitely should go!

Way Back Wednesday- Halloween!

 Woo hoo! Lookin' spiffy!
My BFF IRL, Katie, does these various posts sponsored by different blogs around. Thought it would be fun to indulge myself in one of them. By the way, you should go check her Way Back Wednesday post to see her and I about 5 years ago on Halloween. Please note the immaculate skills I have doing tattoos with sharpies.

Anyway, Halloween was always a blast as a kid. What's not fun about running around the neighborhood and getting loads of free candy?!?!? I have a brother and a sister and we're all two years apart (I'm the oldest). We always Trick-or-Treated together as little ones!! There were some Halloweens where we took out trash bags and filled them from candy from the Trick-or-Treating! The rule of thumb was my mom got to pick through it first to make sure there wasn't anything peculiar and to take the candy she liked. Then I literally would have that trash bag of candy for months. I kept it in my bedroom and indulged myself every now and then. (How I ended up with a trash bag of candy in my bedroom is beyond me... guess I was just a trustworthy kid!) Luckily, I didn't over-indulge and ended up throwing away a lot of candy later.

I've got a few photos from waaaaay back when.... thanks to my sister who posted these on facebook!

My brother, sister, and me! (circa 1989)

Bro is a karate-chopping (black belt, of course) aluminum astronaut without his helmet. Sis is an aluminum princess with crime-fighting abilities and ESP complete with a laser shooting crown. I'm the only non-aluminum creature. I'm obviously a newly made over bleached-blonde Snow White.

Sis, Me, and Bro again! (circa 1990)

This year we went for the non-human assortment of costumes. Last year's were so epic, we just had to tone it down a bit. Sis is a dwarf lion (a very rare breed). I'm a tap-dancing kitty cat who is genetically confused and ended up with mouse ears and a terrible perm. Bro is a BluBlocker wearing Ninja Turtle (aka the best kind of Ninja Turtle).

Speaking of BluBlockers...

Why don't they make commercials like that anymore?

To end this post, I will leave you with amazingness. I just found pictures of my favorite Halloween costume of all time. This is from Halloween 2004 when I was in college. I wanted to be a "crazy '80s aerobic instructor." What was best about this was I played the character all night.

That whole getup was found at a Goodwill. Don't worry, I washed that thong leotard quite a few times and it never touched my bare skin. And just so you know, everyone in the '80s did aerobics in coral pumps.

Witch Hazel & Lemon Toner

As I've mentioned probably in the past four posts, I'm on summer. In case you can't read, failed your Hooked on Phonics, and/or missed it, I'm using summer to catch up on my necessary mindless/not-so-mindless entertainment. One of my summer web addictions is makeupalley.com. I think I was on that website for 24 hours straight.... for weeks. Now, I'm not sure if I'm going to get some eyebrows raised or words said at me for talking about MUA (what the gals on the site call it), since there's this whole "Fight Club" vibe about it. First rule of MUA, don't talk about MUA. Whoops. Oh well. I could really give a crap.

Anyway, I have discovered a lot of amazing tips, tricks, and products on MUA. I want to share one today with you. If you want to incorporate some natural skincare products into your beauty routine, I highly recommend this. I've been dealing with some crazy cystic/hormonal acne the past couple months because of various things. Not to mention, I have a lot of pigmentation from acne scars (although not deep scars... just red splotchy-ness). I won't bore you with extensive details, even though I know you find my skin problems so intriguing. I was trying tons of things, from peels, exfoliating, argan oil (I'm going to talk about that in another post soon), retin-a, and benzoyl peroxide. Those things are good things, but once I added Witch Hazel as my toner, it was awesome!! Read what some of the ladies have to say about Witch Hazel on MUA here. And... then I read reviews on Lemon Juice.... yes, plain ol' Lemon Juice here. So... I decided to combine the two into one powerful toner. And..... it is amazing.

What you need:

1. Witch Hazel

I found this Witch Hazel at the grocery store. It was cheap for this huge bottle... about $2-3.

2. Lemon Juice

I had some of this in the fridge. I guess you could use real lemons, but I think this is easier.

3. An empty bottle

I took one of these 3 oz. bottles I had. I suggest mixing a small amount to try it out instead of wasting a huge bottle of these things. You might like Witch Hazel or Lemon Juice on its own, so start small.

Mixing and Applying:

1. Fill your bottle 3/4 full with the Witch Hazel

2. Fill the last 1/4 with the Lemon Juice

3. Shake it, baby!

4. Wipe over clean face with cotton ball/pad in place of toner

O.'s Notes:

- This has significantly helped and control my acne flare ups

- My oily skin has stayed more matte

- The biggest benefit I've had from this was the lightening of acne scars!!! YAY!!!

- I saw my skin brighten up in just one day (I've got some pink pigmentation). I looked in the mirror the next morning and was pleasantly surprised!

- Shake it up each time before using, as the lemon settles

- Make sure you wear sunscreen during the day!
- I never really used toner before since I didn't see any use of putting rubbing alcohol on my face. This is different and 100% natural.

I'm going to leave you with a photo of myself taken on Friday after getting my hurr did (sorry... can't ever say "getting my hair done"). Please note - I'm not wearing a lot of makeup at all!!! (My friends know I LOVE a full coverage foundation)

So happy to have this under control! Now stop staring at my radiant beauty.

Give this toner a try! I hope you have great results like I did!!!

Greek Yogurt, Watermelon & Agave Nectar - YUM

I am natually a bit of a night owl. When it's summer, I find myself staying up until about midnight or sometimes later either watching TV, reading, or messing around on the computer. Gosh, summer is so difficult. During the school year, however, I am exhausted and in bed far before 11:00 p.m.

The other night, I was up watching my favorite summer show, So You Think You Can Dance, and wanted a bit of a sweet snack. I looked in the fridge and saw the cut up watermelon I put in a ziploc bag. I also saw the yogurt. "Hmm, would this work?" I thought. I also remembered the last time I had my Greek yogurt I put Agave Nectar on it and loved it. So I decided to combine the three since I love all three things...

 I got a nice hunky slice of watermelon like this at the grocery store that day for $1. When I got home, I de-seeded it, chopped it up in cubes and stored it in a ziploc bag in the fridge.

This is, by far, the BEST Greek Yogurt available in most stores. I have tried pretty much all of them and this is amazing. It's Fage (pronounced: fah-yeh) Total 0%. This little guy packs 20 g of protein with only 120 calories and 0 fat in this larger 6 oz. cup. That's a power snack if I've ever heard of one!! It's a little more expensive than others, but I find it on sale a lot and I usually can get coupons.

I have this particular brand of Agave Nectar, made by Madhava (follow the link to read about agave nectar). I got it at Whole Foods but I've seen it on the shelf at my local grocery store. I like the light syrup because I feel that the taste isn't overwhelming. It's really sweet and light...  I don't know how to explain it. Honey can be overpowering to me, and this isn't. It's a perfect syrup. I put it in hot tea and other places that I would use honey.

I layered bits of yogurt, watermelon, and nectar in a short glass. I dug in and was immediately in love. It was perfection. Sure, the watermelon got a little watery, but what do you expect? It's WATERmelon. It held fine with the thick greek yogurt and my mouth danced at the sweet surprise of the agave bits here and there. It was as though I had discovered a new treasure. I felt like Christopher Columbus did when he "sailed west to China"! How DO I do it?

Here's what my late night snack looked like:

You ought to try it some time! Better than heading straight to the potato chips! Well, not that I could, anyway, because we don't have any chips in the house. Yeah, I'm the epitome of self control. Except when I'm eating cupcakes. I've only had cupcakes about 4-5 times in the last month. All these other healthy days will cancel that out. Definitely. YEAH HEALTHY SNACKS!

Just because you are unique doesn't mean you are useful.

My friend told me about this poster.

I think this is going up in my classroom.
That is all.

Song of the Moment (only because it's a train wreck)

I've decided here at O. is Me, I'm going to do a simple post series on the "Song of the Moment." I LOVE music. I've taken 8 years of piano (although I'm a bit rusty now), studied vocal performance in college (minored in it and with a few more classes could have majored), and I am a part of the Houston Symphony Chorus. Music is a big part of me, as I actively participate in it aside from listening to it. I know that just blew you away and you must think I am uber talented. It's pretty much true.

I also like so many different kinds of music. I know everyone says that, but you can literally find a smorgasbord of music choices in my iTunes. We'll get into those specifics later. The point is, I like sharing music and discovering new music. So, hopefully posting about it will further that This could be every week/month/two months/however often I get around to it. The Song of the Moment must be worthy of posting!

Which brings me to O.'s current Song of the Moment.

It's called "Real Close" by none other than the sociopath...er... New Jersey Housewife, Danielle Staub! This video is from the Watch What Happens Live show on Bravo with Andy Cohen. Let me just add that I love the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Love 'em. They're my favorite Bravo Housewives!!

O's thoughts:
- Andy's face is hilarious during this performance. He really can't hide his feelings on this song well.
- Why do Bravo Housewives think it's protocol to come out with a raunchy/terrible single in order to be complete? The only housewife who has any grounds on that is Kandi from Atlanta, who is actually in the music business. That girl is LEGIT. And by legit, I mean crazy gangtsa awesome.
- Danielle stays somewhat on key. The shock!
- At least I am not watching Kim from Atlanta sing live. My ears might bleed if I have to go through that again.
- Is it just me, or does Danielle somewhat resemble the grinch?

 

 

Case and point.
She needs a new eyebrow doctor.

Well, hope you enjoyed this train wreck... er... I mean, song as much as I did!

July 4th Mini Vacay

After all of this blog makeover excitement, I'm finally getting around to writing about our July 4th weekend. The main point I really want to drive home here is I think what we did is a really neat idea for a mini vacation!

At the very last minute, my mom decided to rent us a condo in Galveston overlooking the gulf for the evening of the 4th and 5th. That was music to my ears, because we got to have a little unexpected vacation! No doubt, I am always in for a vacation. After all, it's summer, and I've gotta get in all the vacations I can get! I can't possibly relax enough.

The neat thing about this condo, though, is that it is part of the San Luis Resort property and you can have access to all of the amenities of the resort while having the comforts of a condo! The condo was a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom literally facing the ocean. Granite countertops in the kitchen with all the appliances you would need. I would say it was about 900ish square feet. It had three, yes, THREE balconies... all facing the ocean! One in each bedroom and in the living room. We were told that we would be able to see the fireworks from our condo, which was an added bonus! The price of the condo was less than the regular hotel rooms at the resort, which was bizarre to me, and you get much more space AND a kitchen. Here are a few photos from the weekend.

Bedroom #1, where Greg and I stayed. King sized bed, huge flat screen TV, its own bathroom and balcony. Check out that view!

Bedroom #2, where my mom and sis stayed - pretty much the same deal there

Living room with balcony, flat screen TV, table off to the left and kitchen is behind it

Sis and Mom in the kitchen unpacking all of the food we brought. Another way to save some money is to bring lots of food and munch on it when you want!

Yep, Dexter even came along for the trip

 The pool bar/lounge on the property of the San Luis. Just down the elevator for us!

Mom and I loungin'

Greg and I

Adults only area of the pool! Mom is enjoying my sister's boy entourage that joined us for some festivities

View from the condo at night... notice the traffic for fireworks...

Speaking of fireworks, the apparent "view" that we were supposedly going to have of them was just OUT of our view. Once they started, we heard the boom and saw a little flash of light but couldn't see them! Luckily, we ran straight to the elevator, out of the building, across the street and right on to the seawall (which sounds like a lot to do just to see the fireworks but it took all of a minute to get across the street because we were right there). Mom had a few words with the Real Estate Agency that booked this for us (don't advertise something that isn't true, people!), however, it really didn't take away from our experience for the weekend!

Dexter had too much fun

All in all, it was a really fun weekend and it felt that we got away with only having to drive 30 minutes. We even got hour long massages on Monday at the spa, which was heeeeeaaaven! It was a blast, including the "fireworks fiasco" (which, I might add, involved some open containers and bottle of wine in our hands while crossing the street.... lol! Shh! Don't tell!)!

So it got me thinking, that is such a fun idea for a mini vacation. Instead of booking a posh hotel, you could find a condo or vacation property that is part of another resort or within close proximity to one. Find one that offers you access to neat amenities like a fun resort-style pool or includes access to a local attraction, if you're not on the beach. I've looked on websites like vrbo.com and they have some neat stuff on there, and lots of beach condos have access to some pretty awesome looking pools. Another idea is to find a vacation property within an hour or two from where you live... there's bound to be somewhere cool close to you! That way it feels like you get away without having to go far. If you want to do the hotel thing, find a neat boutique hotel in an urban area close to you. For example, Greg and I are planning to spend our anniversary at a gorgeous hotel called the Hotel Zaza in the museum district, only 30 minutes from where we live. We got engaged there! It'll feel like another mini getaway without having to go far.

Have you ever felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation? Mini vacays prevent this feeling! I know I sure didn't feel that way after this weekend.

Hopefully this has inspired you to book yourself a mini vacay. I'm totally down for another one at the San Luis Luxury Condo any ol' day! Sign me up! Tell me when and where and I'm there! In the meantime..... looking forward to our anniversary mini vacay!