Thursday, January 26, 2012

Fun Gadget | Camera Lens Mugs

A perfect gift for my husband . . . and I may need one for myself too :o)
Bento&co offer a large selection of fun gadgets. Are you a Canon fan or a Nikon aficionado? Both will love these amazingly detailed Camera Lens Mugs. They are practical thermal beverage mugs that look like expensive camera lenses!

You have the choice between a mug that is a replica of a "Canon" 24-105mm lens or a "Nikon" 24-70mm f2.8.. Remarkably realistic and down to the finest detail this is a great gift for the serious camera buff in your life.

Visit Bento&co for their Complete Catalog

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A England Dragon & Saint George - Review

This morning Bregje from Oooh Shinies! a blog about nail polish did a review on two [2] of my favorite nail polishes from a-england.  For a full review click link: A England Dragon & Saint George - Review.

Dragon is a mossy green that flashes coppery-golden and it has subtle scattered holographic effect.

Saint George is a gorgeous teal that leans towards green or blue depending on the light and it has a scattered holographic effect.

In addition to Bregje's Oooh Shinies! blog; she also has a wonderful blog on Coloring Mandalas. She has created over 30 great Mandalas to print and color. Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form.  

Monday, January 23, 2012

Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

Happy Chinese New Year - It's the Year of the Dragon, which symbolizes power, strength and good luck! In ancient times the dragon was a symbol reserved for the Chinese emperor, and it is considered to be an extremely auspicious sign.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Birthday Gift from my Guys!

My birthday was Sunday and I woke up to my son carrying a very large present into my bedroom. I was so surprised to see that they got me exactly what I have been wanting for a few months . . . a SEVA Large Black Aluminum Pro Makeup Case T-22.
Of course I had to fill up immediately . . . The empty area is for the six [6] a-england polishes I ordered last week :)


However, I still have many polishes that need a place as well . . .

I realize I may have an addiction to nail polish!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Silly Lily

I woke up this morning with my dog Lily cuddled up on my head.  She occasionally sleeps on my pillow but she lays next to my head not on it :)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Cutest Bento Boxes!

The 4 Kokeshi Bento Kyoto are the newest designs in the Kokeshi Bento series, now available only from Bento&co! I need them ALL!
The Kokeshi Bento Kyoto are made by Hakoya exclusively for Bento&co. It's available in four designs:

Bushi, the Samurai warrior with a red outfit and gold on his "helmet"
Ninja, warrior, but so cute with his two "ninja stars"
Maiko, the little apprentice geisha girl with a pink Kimono
Geiko, Kyoto dialect for "Geisha" with a violet Kimono

Hearty meatball and vegetable soup (that's almost a stew)

This morning maki from Just Bento posted a Hearty meatball and vegetable soup (that's almost a stew) recipe.  I don't eat meat very often (only hamburgers...once every couple months) but I do love soup and my son loves meatballs so this is definitely a recipe we will be making soon.

Recipe: Hearty meatball and vegetable stew (that’s almost a stew)

Makes 8 hearty servings
For the meatballs:
  • 350g / 12 oz. lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup or so dried bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. or so black pepper
For the soup:
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 small bunch parsley
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
  • 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
Additions to soup at the end:
  • 1 tablespoon white or red miso
  • additional parsley (chopped or a leaf or two) for garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, saute the 2 chopped onions and garlic cloves in olive oil over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add 2 cups of plain water and bring up to a boil. Lower the heat to a slow simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes.
While that simmers, make the meatballs. Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a bowl - your clean hands are the best tool for this. Form into about 30 small meatballs.
Add the rest of the soup ingredients to the pot (except for the ones listed under “additions, plus 6 cups of water. Bring up to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Put in the meatballs (no need to brown them or anything beforehand). Simmer for at least half an hour.
Dissolve the miso paste in some of the hot soup liquid, then add the whole thing to the pot. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
The soup improves after resting for a day or more. You may want to skim off the oil that accumulates at the top.
To serve, garnish with more chopped parsley. (Don’t put the bay leaf or the parsley bunch in any of the servings.)
Estimated calories per 1 cup serving with 3 meatballs is 200 calories, give or take a few calories.

Freezing notes

This soup freezes very well - mainly because no potatoes are included. Frozen cooked potatoes turn into an awful mealy mush. If you want potatoes with your soup, just carry along some boiled potatoes separately.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Naps are Good for Everyone ^_^

YAY!!! The nap did the trick...my son woke up after an hour and felt much better.  After lunch, we went to the library to do Math and History. He finished his Writing, Reading Comp. and Vocabulary at home. Everything was done in 3 1/2 hours.  I am very lucky that he can work independently with little instruction.

I can't believe my local library had a brand new What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know. This book covers the basics of language arts, history and geography, visual arts, music, math, and science.  A collection of American speeches, tales from around the world, math problems, and biographies of famous scientists add to the book's usefulness and enhance the pleasure of both adult and child as they work together.

Rough Start

Today is the second week of homeschooling and my son is still recovering from being extremely ill for almost two (2) months.  Before he left his Montessori school in December he had a severe sinus infection for 2-3 weeks, then he got ulcers in his throat for an entire month and now he has another serious sinus infection. My poor sweet boy :( After a few days on Azithromycin; I was hoping he would be feeling back to himself by now but after about 30 min. of Math he took a break to nap.  Hopefully the nap will rejuvenate him and he will power through his work.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day was sunny, with a high near 82.  It truly was a beautiful day. In the late afternoon we drove to Laguna Beach and took a lovely 40 min. walk and Lily got to run through the sand.  We all had a great time :)
Happy Dog!