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In love with this.

+Hair Babble+..."Beach Waves"

How about a little hair talk?  Up for that?

Well, last week when my hair was still straight, I decided to try to give my flat ironed hair some "beach waves" via bantu knots.  Because my flat ironed hair is VERY resistant to any type of curl--it was necessary to spritz each section with a little water before putting in the knot.  Don't worry, one squirt isn't enough to revert my hair as it doesn't really penetrate my hair shaft before it evaporates.  Anyway, each section I applied coconut oil and then gave a squirt down the length of it and then proceeded to put in the knot.  This is what I ended up with.  It was 5 knots:

After leaving them in for about half a day, this is what I ended up with.

I didn't get a full head shot, as the waves weren't as uniform as I'd wanted.  That's something I will have to work on--making sure all of the knots are the same size with the same amount of tension.

I decided to pin my hair to one-side and wore it out to a reggae party with one of my gal pals.

By this time the waves had fallen some, but you get the idea.  Next time, I will use some kind of "hold"-ing product as well.

Also, may I mention that Sean Paul was there, and he's not that short!  I assume all celebrities are tiny....because well, they usually are.  Though, that mohawk gave him a couple extra inches.   haha

Have a spectacular weekend!!

Neon + Pink

I LIVE for this color combo.

Jennifer Lopez at on “Melhor do Brasil” with Rodrigo Faro in Brazil - March 26, 2012

That is all.

Confetti Nails...!

This past weekend, I happened to be in Target and came across these Kiss Nail Dress nail sticker thing-ies.  I know there are several brands of these things that have been out for quite some time, but I never gave them a try.  Lately, I've been making an effort to keep my nails polished (since I fell off after having kids), and because I don't get the acrylics put on anymore.  I don't have anything against the fake nails--I love them, it's just it has become a hassle actually going to get them done and making sure I go back regularly to keep them filled in and looking nice.  I'm not really a "stick to a schedule" kind of girl.  So they usually end up growing up too far and looking like crap, so I take them off and my real nails are left weak and chewed up looking.  Anyway, as most of you probably know, the regular nail polishes actually only stay looking nice for a few days on natural nails before they start chipping.  So I thought I'd give these "sticker polishes" a try to see if I can get it to at least last a week.  So far I'm on day 3 and so far so good!  I'm so happy I tried this, because I've found it a little complicated to find the perfect time to polish my nails, due to having small children who constantly need my attention and thus having ruined numerous manicures.  These things, you just stick on and go!  No drying times needed.  This brand and the Sally Hansen brand even come in regular plain colors, if you're not into the design thing.  This will definitely be the way I keep my nails looking nice for a while.  So convenient!

P.S.  This Kiss brand even gives you enough stickers in a range of sizes that allows you to even put them on your big toes.  Well, at least, that's what I did. I'm definitely getting my $6 worth out of these. haha

Happy Monday!

+Nosh w/ Nik+...Man Pleasing Chicken

Okay first off, I kind of take issue with the name of this chicken dish that I'm about to share with you guys...because hey, I think it's lady pleasing as well--and if it doesn't please this lady, the man of the house won't even get to try it. lol  So....

Pinterest does it again, ya'll.  Saw this lovely picture of a chicken dish on Pinterest and immediately clicked on it so that I could take a look at the the recipe, original website, etc. 

Source: wittyinthecity.com via Nik' on Pinterest

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the recipe was like REALLY simple.  Plus, it involved ingredients that I always have on hand: dijon mustard, syrup, and rice vinegar.  So I already knew that I would try this recipe this week.

Mine, fresh out of the oven:

My tips & mods are as follows:

- I used a pack of chicken thighs that had 8 thighs instead of 6.  The sauce was still enough.

- Line your baking dish with foil.  The burned sauce around the edges (inevitable) is hell to clean off.

- I didn't have REAL maple syrup on hand.  When in the grocery and saw how expensive it is--I said funk that!  I used regular pancake syrup instead.

- In the write-up, she says to use "rice wine" vinegar.  My vinegar just says "rice vinegar".  Not sure if there is a difference, but am happy with how mine turned out.

- As you will see in the pics, I topped mine with a little bit of chopped green onion

All I can tell you guys.....is that we LOVED this dish!!!  I put the chicken over brown rice and served with a side of steamed broccoli.  We had to force ourselves not to eat more, just so that we could have leftovers the next day!  Don't be afraid of the mustard--it doesn't turn out with a mustard-y flavor.  It just ends up with this savory flavor that I can't explain.

Also, I read most of the 100+ comments on this dish on the blog that this was posted and some people used chicken breasts, pork chops, etc.  It's very versatile.  Some did not like the recipe at all and complained that theirs turned out grainy, didn't like the taste, etc.  I will say, that I didn't use any special ingredients.  My dijon mustard was the store brand, and again, I used regular syrup.  About twice while it was cooking, I flipped the chicken and kind of stirred the sauce in-between the pieces of chicken because it does separate a bit.  I also finished it off on broil, so that I could get a darker color on it somewhat like the original picture.

This will definitely be added to the rotation.  Nik approved!!


Click here for full right up and recipe:  Man Pleasing Chicken Recipe

+Less is More+ Hexagon

Hola mamacitas!

So last week I happened to be at the mall (nice day, needed to get out of the house) and of course, I had to check out one of my guilty pleasures--Forever 21.  I peruse F21 online often, but sometimes I like to go into the store and actually see in person some of the items that may catch my attention online.  At times I'm pleasantly surprised and other times...let's just say I'm so happy I didn't press "check out".  Meanwhile--while browsing the store, I came across this ADORABLE crossbody bag.  I'd noticed it online a couple weeks ago, and though I'd thought it was cute, something didn't move me to buy it.  Well looking at it face-to-face, I fell in love with it!  It is so me.  Now let me say this, I am sometimes a tad leery of all of the faux leathers out there.  Which is one of the reasons I didn't buy it online.  By the way, what is with all of this faux leather that I'm seeing in shoes and accessories, and they're priced at like 60+ bucks.  Like you really have to read the fine print of even some of the popular brands.  Look, I'm not a vegan, and though I don't have anything against faux leather (obviously), I refuse to spend over 30 bucks on it....I digress...

To make a long story short, I had to have the bag.  It looks great in person, doesn't scream faux, and of course, I love the ethnic "look" of it. Plus, it only cost 22 bucks!  I think this will definitely be one of my most carried crossbodies this summer!  Even my camera fits into it nicely!  

If you like the bohemian/ethnic look AND a good bargain--Go get this bag!

Click below to buy! [Hopefully, it is still available online.  I snatched up the last one they had in my local store.]

metallic hexagon crossbody

Weekend Mentions

So as you all know, this past weekend was pretty nice weather-wise for everyone in the continental United States.  Me and the family decided to get out and about a bit.  Saturday afternoon, we decided to go get some exercise and take the kiddies out to the park for a stroll.  First, however, I had been bugging hubs about checking out one of the Vietnamese restaurants because I'd always wanted to try their cuisine, especially since I have a couple friends who have raved about it.  So we decided to grab lunch at Pho Dai Loi, a pretty popular and authentic Vietnamese restaurant that was suggested to me.  I think most people have heard of "pho"--which I think may be the most popular Vietnamese dish period.

So here are the basics.  If you're a newb to Vietnamese cuisine, there are probably 3 things you will be told to try first:

1.  Bubble tea - which is some kind of blended drink with tapioca balls sitting at the bottom.  Those are the "bubbles".  I got an avocado bubble smoothie, and it was delish.  I don't like to eat/drink the balls though.

2.  Spring rolls - I'm sure everyone has had a spring roll in their lifetime.  These had shrimp in them and were fairly tasty.  They are just very simple and mild in taste.  The peanut dipping sauce was definitely the star of that show!

3. Pho - Last but not least, the popular dish "Pho".  It is basically a noodle soup with various meats.  I got the Pho Tai which contained flank steak and eye round.  It was DELICIOUS!  And you can't tell from the pic above, but that bowl was HUGE and I'd ordered a medium bowl.

Verdict is:  We will definitely be back!!

So after that we hit up the park, but before we got there, we caught a glimpse of Baton Bob on the street!  He is definitely one of Atlanta's sweethearts!  A Baton Bob sighting is always a treat!  As you can tell from his name, he is usually twirling a baton--but this time he had pom poms along with tartan wear.  Maybe for St. Patty's day?  He gets tons of honks & heckles from the cars driving past.  No one is sure why he does what he does--but HE GETS THE PEOPLE GOING. lol

We eventually made it to the park and had a lovely time walking around and seeing SO many people out enjoying the weather.  Spring is definitely here.

I luv to see a man pushing a stroller, by the way.

Oh and as for SUNDAY:

Nerdy girl swag.

Mojitos with the girls!  [Don't think an explanation is needed for that.]

All in all, it was a great weekend!  What did you all do?

Throwback.

Anyone out there still have one of these around??  Some of you may not even know what it is!  Only us 80's babies, perhaps.  And by "80's babies", I don't mean people born in the 80's, but who actually remember that decade.

Well, GOTCHA.  I don't have one laying around either.  It's my latest iPhone case.  Because I'm all about anything nostalgic and kitsch-y, I couldn't resist. Oh, and have I mentioned that yellow is my favorite color?

 

You know, now that I think about it--hubs does have a box of old reggae mix tapes put away somewhere in this house.  A BIG box, actually.  I live with a hoarder.  Anyway, this case can be found on eBay, and they come in an array of colors!  As you can tell, I buy lots of "random" stuff off of there.  I'm starting to even scour Etsy for knick-knacks.

Wait, maybe I'M a hoarder too. :^(

Anyway, happy Monday!

Moved me to tears...

...and I'm a tough broad.  Pass this along and do something to help like call/write your local congressmen. #KONY2012







Let's try to help to create more happy endings in the world out there.

Yes, I luv fashion...

...but sometimes I "wear" my baby. :^)