beauty tip #3 EXFOLIATING SEA SALT & APRICOT KERNEL OIL Body Scrub

Good day!!!  I hope that you have tried at least one of the body scrub on my blog. Today, Body scrub #3 is about exfoliating, increasing blood circulation, stimulating the lymph production to eliminate toxins, while trigerring the skin's own oil. This recipe is again, from the book Secrets of the Spa. So, take your time today,  perhaps ask a partner or a friend to do a at home spa with you, do a little R&R and be refreshed when you come back to work on monday, while I, as a matter of  fact will be doing some R&R with my family and relatives not in my house doing a spa, but up in the mountains enjoying the cool breeze and the night star, away from the hustle and bustle of the city life....See ya!

                                                                           RECIPE

                                                                  2 cups coarse salt

                                                             1/4 cup apricot kernel oil

                                                                  body-scrub tool

      Make a paste out of the sea salt and apricot kernel oil in a bowl. While standing in the bathtub, shower, or on a towel with a space heater nearby, place a handful of the mixture on your body (starting with the legs, then the arms, the torso and the back) and begin spreading in a smooth, cicular motion.

      It is important to keep palms of hands and the fingers flat against the surface of the skin while applying firm but not abrasive pressure to the skin. The point of the rub is to affect the surface of the skin, not the underlying tissues. After the entire body has been scrubbed and exfoliated, gently shower or rinse off the mixture using a sponge or loofah and a mild bath wash. Pat dry.

beauty tip #2 OATMEAL, ALMOND & AVOCADO body scrub

Thanks to all, for leaving your sweet messeges on my blog. Today i am going to share another body scrub recipe from the book Secret of the Spas. this particular scrub is ideal for irritated, tired and dry skin.

OATMEAL - rich in vitamin E (anti-inflammatory, anti-itch, skin soothing)
ALMONDS - natural emollient and when ground, effective exfoliant
AVOCADO - contains vitamin A, D and E which possesses collagen-rebuilding properties

                                                                      RECIPE

                                                                 1/2 cup almonds
                                                               1 cup dry oatmeal
                                              1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed

                 Place almonds in a blender or coffee grinder and grind until coarse and not too fine.
  Mix almonds and oatmeal and place in glove or muslin mitt. Scoop up avocado and rub on body    with  mitt. rinse off with warm water pat dry and moisturize.


NOTE: to avoid clogging your drain, make a small pouch or bag out of muslin cloth and fill it with dry oatmeal and grated almond.


HAVE A FUN AND RELAXING WEEKEND......

beauty tip #1 BODY SCRUB for dry and flaky skin

REVITALIZING SEA SALT & ROSEMARY OIL SCRUB
Secret of the SPA by Catherine Bardey

This is ideal for dry and flaky skin. Sea salt exfoliates the skin's; the invigorating effects of rosemary will increase blood flow

                                                                     RECIPE

                                                            1/2 coarse sea salt
                                                          1/4 cup rosemary oil
                                                             body-scrub tool

                Dip the body-scrub tool in a bit of oil, then dip i in the coarse salt. Rub over skin in a circular motion, paying attention to rough spots like the knees, elbows and heels. rinse off with warm water, pat dry and moisturize.


note: rosemary oil are available at health food stores


A few years back, i bought a book about do-it-yourself beauty regimen. It was on sale at Barnes & Noble so i thought i 'd buy it; #1 for the good price, #2 for when i feel like pampering myself whenever i can or have the "time" to do it. And so, just like some of my books, they all end up in my little bookcase. But anyway, i was cleaning and dusting the other day, i then spotted this old book of mine called " secrets of the spa". I thought this would be a great book to share on my blog. The book is by Catherine Bardey, and it features a head to toe recipes to pamper yourself at home. From rubs, wraps, masks scrubs, lotions to potions! i would be posting a lot of these home beauty recipes on my blog. I do hope that you too, will be able to set aside a time for yourself, and try these potions for yourself and let me know what you think! Have a fun and relaxing day to all!!!



baby doll dress

floral baby doll dress, "romper" style. nice summer outfit. looks great when worn with belt. Buy it HERE

Vegan Chocolate cake

The easiest chocolate cake to prepare. Vegan or not, you will enjoy this simple delicious recipe. you can make a cake or cupcake with this recipe.  I did not use any frosting, since i dont really like frosting that much, but for those of you who are crazy about frostings, i have included a vegan frosting recipe as well. ENJOY!
RECIPE SOURCE: The Joy Of Vegan Baking

INGRIDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups (188g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (80ml) canola oil
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) white distilled vinegar
• 1 cup (235ml) cold water
• 1 recipe chocolate frosting or buttercream frosting (recipe follows)

PREHEAT oven to 350 F (180 C, or gas mark 4)

lightly oil a bundt pan, 9-inch (23cm) springform pan, or muffin tins.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder in a bolw until thoroughly combined. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the vanilla, oil, vinegar and water. Mix until just combined. Pour into your prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. If making cupcakes, check for doneness after 15 min. Cool on a wire rack. to remove the cake from pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. cool completely before frosting. you may also dust with sifted confectioners' sugar and top with fresh raspberries.

YIELD: one 9-ich cake or 8 cupcakes.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS & VARIATIONS

add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/4 teaspoon chili powder for a "Mexican Chocolate Cake"

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 1/2 cup (112g) non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter, softened
• 3 cups (300g) confectioners' sugar sifted
• 1/3 cup (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoon (45 to 60 ml) nondairy milk, or more as needed

With an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. with the mixture on low speed, add the confectioners' sugar, and cream for about 2 minutes. add the cocoa, vanilla and milk, and turn the mixer to high speed once all the ingredients are relatively well combined. Beat on high speed until forsting is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon (15 to 30 ml) more milk if it's too dry. Cover the icing with plastic wrap to prevent drying until ready to use. Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator fo up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

• 1/2 cup (112g) non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter at room temperature
• 2 cups (200g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) nondairy milk, or more as neede
• red coloring (optional)

With an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, milk and food coloring (if using). once all ingredients are relatively weel combined, beat on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) more milk if it is too dry. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying until ready to use. Store in a covered conatiner in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using. Enough for one 8 inch or 9 inch cake.



wrap around denim

bring back the 80's fashion. deim wrap around skirt. buy it HERE

HOOT!

Love owl? Get this very cute Zuni style inlay brooch. In good condition. Buy it HERE

visiting Nanay, Lancaster, Ca

the beautiful scenery, on our way to lancaster



lots of trees like this in the desert, i beleive this are called joshua tree. for some reason they remind me of a camel




almost there




nanay's pet, her constant companions



we were here to buy a few tiles for her sink



at the cinema





pls. fall in line




here to buy a small charcoal grill, air bed




oh this was lunch



my husband fixing the sink and his cousin ryan as the supervisor :)




the two fixing the screen door which was blown away by the desert wind some weeks ago.
and ryan's sweet baby girl.



tadah....heres the brand new grill!



us....



way back home...

so, we were in Lancaster last weekend to visit my husbands aunt. at the same time, we were there to help her fix her sink. It was like a family gathering since her son and his family came to visit too. They took us to the movies, of course we watched harry potter! we're all fan of the series. I say it was good.

it was warm that day, well of course Lancaster, CA  is a desert area, its near Mojave, but it sure was windy. at night the wind is a bit chilly, yet very relaxing. We had a barbeque, got to have it, otherwise its not a family gathering. It's nice to feel the cool breeze while enjoying the beautiful  night sky with the twinkling stars, and from time to time we see a couple of satellite passing by. I really appreciate this kind of stuff, since you dont get this kind of opportunity when you live in the city.

The night was perfect, dinner was great, we had our belly full...:), we bought ice cream, but gosh, everybody had to pass, no room for any kind of dessert. I think we ate a lot of rice, barbecue, and drink a lot of Nanay's thirst quenching lemonade! Ahhhh...that was the best! As usual, on gatherings like this we often tell stories, chit chat for almost two hours on the table before we clean up. It was exactly midnight when we decided to quit chatting.:) one by one, we start yawning. We clean up the table, then afterwards my husband fix the broken tiles. It was past one in the morning, when we went to bed.

the next morning, I asked nanay if we can go thrifting. Oh, i love thrifting . We went to a couple of stores, since most of them are close on sundays. I was so excited and anxious to buy a little something, But My gosh, i was in despair when i saw how expensive their thrift store was :( it was twice as much he price from our thrift store. Huh....my "high" became "low" from the "high price" LOL! I told Nanay, that i like their place, so clean and quiet, no traffic, but i just dont like your thrift store...hahahhaa. i'd rather buy something new cause its cheaper. :) Although i didn't get anything at the thriftstore, we did have some fun spending time with them.


crop top

so 80's green and white crop top. buy it HERE

marked Czech necklace

nice vintage piece. marked Czecho Slovakia mother of pearl necklace. this item is available HERE

vintage 12 pcs. cups and sandwich plate

very nice vintage federal glass server. Love to serve coffee, tea, cookies or crumpets? this lovely set are just perfect for entertaining. 6 cups and 6 plates, all in good vintage condition. no chips or cracks. buy it here

back to the 80's

very cool indigo jumsuit buy it HERE



TIRAMISU CUPCAKE

Tiramisu, which means "pick me up". Oh! yes, you will surely pick up this very moist cupcake. Soaked in coffee-marsala syrup. Freshly brewed coffee or espresso would be a great accompaniment for this delicious cupcake, frosted with mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder.....yum!

recipe source:  Martha Stewart's Cupcake

makes 18 cupcakes

ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup cake flour (not self rising), sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
• 4 Tablespoon(1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
• 3 large whole eggs plus 3 yolks, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar

coffee-marsala syrup(recipe follows)

mascarpone frosting(recipe follows)

unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium just until bubbles appear around edge. Remove from heat. whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard vanilla-bean pod. (sometimes its hard to find vanilla-bean pod at our local grocery, i just use the regular vanilla instead, about 2 teaspoon)
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.
3. Gently but throughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
5. To, finish, brush tops of cupcakes evenly with coffee-marsala syrup; repeat intil all syrup has been used. Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes. Dollop frosting onto cupcakes;refrigerate up to overnight in airtight containers. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving.

COFFEE_MARSALA SYRUP

enough for 18 cupcakes

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly brewed very strong coffee(or espresso)
• 1 ounce marsala
• 1/4 cup sugar

Stir together coffee, marsala, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool

MASCARPONE FROSTING

makes about 2 cups

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounce mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form(be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). in another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioner's sugar until smooth. gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. use immediately.

4th of JULY

well hello there, im back from hibernating :). i've been thingking of writing this blog since last week, but i just got busy around the house. anyway, last week the 4th of July, we went down to Anaheim, CA to visit my sister-in-law for the holiday and at the same time it was her husbands birthday the following day. We just had a good time spending the holiday with them. They took us to Dana Point, we were suppose to have a nice afternoon picnic by the shore, but geez! the marina was packed with people. Just about every corner you look, everybody's having a barbecue party :). we were lucky to find a parking space, but not so lucky on the picnic spot, they are all occupied. So, we then decided to stroll around take some pictures, watch the bird, kayakers and few people fishing. The weather was just perfect. before the sun sets, we head back to Anaheim hoping to find a park where we can barbecue. Oh we have lots and lots of food. At first we went to this park where they would usually take us everytime we visit, but again, it was packed with people, after all it was a holiday. So, we turn around and decided to go to a smaller park nearby. Ahhhhh....finally, what a relief! everybody is hungry, its getting dark and we wanted to go the restroom hahahah....As soon as we park, we then get busy with the food preparation. The food was DELICIOUS!!!!!MMMMnnnnnnnnn, good old home cooked flavor! we stayed late, till about 10 p.m. we played guitar, sing song, tell stories. It was absolutely a lovely night. I went thrifting the following day with my sis-in-law and her mother-in-law, we always and love to thrift whenever theres a chance, meanwhile the husbands are out too, jamming with their friends, just around the neighboorhood. Good Times.....we felt sad when we left, we missed their company already. Just spending time with family is PRICELESS.

Aurora rhinestone earrings...

new ietm at the vintage village.....buy it HERE

fancy costume jewelry, oval amber with aurora rhinestone. clip on.

camping #4

laughing at themselves



at the summit, trying to hard to make a wish, they saw one shooting star!





at the campsite again




next morning




preparing breakfast





chow time!



Finally, the moment they have been waiting for. We were at the summit, the kids were so anxious, its getting dark, and one by one the stars start appearing in the sky. The astronomers were getting busy, mapping n charting and recording everything. They were really busy working. There was this really nice couple next to us, they were heading back to their campsite, but was so kind enough to introduce us to one of the astronomers, they got acquainted with earlier that day. He was so humble to allow us to peak through the telescpoe. And boy, we were so glad. We saw Constellation, the milky way, the galaxy as far as 25 million light years away. And the best part of it all was, seeing the planet SATURN, ring and all.......I ca not forget that wonderful experience. we even see satellites, it look just like stars except they move and fade slowly when they are hovering around the earth to get some signals.

Anyway, the next morning, it's time to get ready to go home. I wish we could stay for one more day. The girls was still sleeping, perhaps too tired from last night. we prepared our breakfast, scrambled egg, pork tocino, rice and some fruits. While were having breakfast, we couldn't stop talking about all of our adventures, the star gazing for the most part :)......we finish our meal, we took our last group pic and we all head home a happy camper!!!!!

MT. PINOS is located in Frazier Mountain Park, CA

fee is $ 16.00 per vehicle

primitive camping, no shower, no water. there is however restroom within the campsite(no flush)

exploring the forest needs a wilderness pass for $5.00 per vehicle (one day)available at DONS LIQUOR or at the ranger station