My favorite Taiwanese dish?

Pork chop rice of course.



Liang's Kitchen in San Gabriel

What's hiding in your make-up bag?

I finally tossed out a bunch of old make-up that's just been sitting around in my bathroom and vanity. God knows how old it really is or what's growing in there. I really don't want to know.

I've watched segments on this topic on the Tyra Show and the Dan Ho Show. Girls have weird attachments to their make-up. Many consider a precious collection of some sort. I am guilty of this too. I always thought "I might need this color one day" instead of "How old is this? This might give me pink eye or acne". Anyway, I decided to part ways with much of my old make-up and make it a point to buy new cosmetics only when I run out of something. So far so good.

The Tyra Show had a good suggestion on keeping track of when to toss out make-up. Put little stickers with expiration dates on the bottom of cosmetics using the following guidelines.

When it's time to toss them...

Blush: 2-3 years
Liquid Eyeliner: 3 months
Eyeliner Pencil: Can be kept until you've whittled it down to the stub, as long as you sharpen regularly.
Lipstick: 1-2 years
Foundation: 6 months - 1 year
Mascara: 4 months
Make-up sponges: Wash weekly. Toss after 2-4 weeks
Make-up brushes: Clean every 2 weeks with gentle shampoo and water.
Moisturizer: 1 year
Self-tanner: 2 years
Sunscreen: 1 year
Tweezers & Eyelash curlers: Swab with alcohol after each use.

New luxuries.

Fresh sheets
A clean desk
An entire day where I have nothing to do.
Beautiful luggage to globe trot with
Weeds that look like flowers.
Beauty products that actually work
An old-school Leica film camera
Not being in a rush
Things made by hand
A vintage Rolex
Having fewer items instead of tons of junk.
People and places that haven't been discovered yet.
Swimming in the ocean (but not anywhere along our coastline!)
Having cupboards filled with pretty china and glass.
Humor - not taking stuff too seriously
A cleaned-out closet.
Good coffee
A Lee Industries sofa.
Being more instead of having more
Caring less about what others think and more just what makes us happy.

Pre-Mother's Day Luncheon @ Huntington Gardens

Mother dearest and I spent a lovely day at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. We had high tea at the Rose Garden Tea Room and walked around the beautiful grounds.

There was something terribly wrong with the camera I was using. There is tons of noise in the photos. I lost the charger to my trusty Fuji Finepix so I had to bring along an older camera.

Of course we had to stop and smell the roses.

Confession

For now, I found a balance, one that works for me, and I work hard every day to keep it that way. To keep things simple. I write about life, about relationships, about love, about creating and creating some more, about the good in my world. A world that is all about family, friends, and faith, one where I can create and by myself. What more could a girl need?