Yes you can transform an ugly chest

I got this ugly chest for $5 from a family who is moving back to the UK.

 It was extremely ugly haha, but I took it cause I was looking for a toy storage.

For a long time it was put aside.

After completing a nice wood staining project,  I was sooo bothered by it's ugliness!

Thanks to my family, who are into Do-it-Yourself projects, an idea came upon me!

The paint was flaking, so I sanded it.

Next, I stained it with left-over Dark Walnut Wood stain.

Added some hardware: upholstery nails LOL...

I thought: Oh well, I can't remove them now, so might as well put more!

Then once the first coating dried,  I added more stained stain to darken.

Ugly Chest Transformed.

Now a sexy beauty that serves as a coffee table/chest.

Cost: under $10

Where to look for dirt cheap live entertainment

I started organizing events for singles in September of this year and every week, I look for things to do for the group. I have a big group of 900 people and I enjoy leading them to check out a happy hour, a comedy show, a movie, a club,  a tasting room, dance lessons, etc.
My favorite recent discovery is goldstar.com ;  the successful brainchild of 3 UCLA, Stanford, Harvard graduates.
So this website: Goldstar has FREE tickets! I thought, this can't be legitimate...but they are and they do have many complimentary tickets.
They work with places like IMPROV Comedy club, and other businesses,  give their tickets for free or for 50% even 75% off to fill up the show.
I organized two comedy shows, which were extremely hilarious. We got in FREE through Goldstar, while the venue sells it for $20. Great deal :)
I also got free tickets to an international gem show, which was a treat for a  crafter like me.
Right now they are offering a complimentary ticket to Allan Harvey's comedy show at the Improv on Dec. 22nd.. He is the creator and host of Comedy Central's Night after Night.

They are nationwide, so if you are planning to be in Vegas or New York  or LA for the weekend, you can also look for discounted ticket prices.

Here is the link to their website:  https://www.goldstar.com/join?p=F2269138RP

$15.95 "happy" pass in Santa Monica

The place I always visit when I go down South, is Santa Monica, California. A great place to shop, dine and I love how easy it is to park and go. Three weeks ago, I went with a bunch of friends and my little one. We were going back and forth to go to either Disneyland or Universal studios on a Sunday. But we all woke up late and the weather was too gloomy. Because of the high chances of rain, we did not want to be exploring either parks in the cold and wet, so we decided to skip both on this trip.

Since we were craving for clam chowder, an afternoon at the Santa Monica Pier was a unanimous decision.
I am glad that we did, because we all, esp. my little one had a really fun time at Pacific Park. Another pleasant surprise is that, it was  not busy because of the weather, so no lines at all!
The pier, with Pacific Park right there, is a great place to enjoy the view and fun environment of the Santa Monica beach. Pacific Park's affordable ticket prices: all day pass for rides is $21.95 for adults, $15.95 for 7 years and younger, makes it a great place for the entire family! Not so big,  clean, affordable, fun. I highly recommend!

fabulously decorated cupcakes- for less!

As a single parent, my days are very very hectic. Drive here to there, do this and that, take care of this and that, and so on.. but because I am such a DIY creature, I decided to take time off in the morning to decorate my daughter's cupcakes for her classmates on her birthday!

I am glad that parents are able to bring in something for the class on birthdays. As a precautionary measure at our elementary school, parents can only bring store brought food. I really like this rule, because when I was an owner of a childcare facility, I was paranoid of children getting sick from food. 

So I went to the nearby grocery store to pick up these cupcakes. This pack of 12 is great, it is colorful and ready made except, it is very ordinary to me. LOL.

So after I bought the cupcakes, I hurriedly went to a craft store to get some cute cupcake decorations.

 The wrapping of the cupcake did consume a lot of my time, because I had to carefully insert the cupcakes into each wrap, so hard with all the frosting on top! 

 I am very happy with the results! (^~^)

Princess, pink, high heels, pink castle for the girls

Giraffes for the boys 

This, is the special one for the birthday princess.

As soon as I walked in, the girls and boys were all like:

"Wow, so awesome!";

 "Hi, Venice's mom!!!";

"Hello, Venice's mum, can I have one for my little brother?" (In English Accent);

 "Did you put glitter on the cupcakes?..umm, was I suppose to eat it? cause I already swallowed it."

I was surprised to discover all the edible paper and glitters too! :)

It did not hurt my pocket, but it definitely filled my heart with joy.

And hers too.

The two of us  hurriedly left the school  carrying the cupcake containers on a 

very warm November day..

Then she suddenly stopped in the middle of a brisk walk and said, "Momma... "

--I hoped she did not forget anything in her classroom because I parked too far away;

her light brown eyes sparkled like smoky quartz in the sun as she smiled and said:

"Thank you, this is my best birthday ever."

Cost: under $20 dollars

Say Keen-wah, the mother grain

All these years, I  ate rice every single day. For breakfast, lunch and dinner lol. But I really needed to watch what I eat, modify my diet so that I will feel healthier. Rice is just too good to give up but too bad for the waistline!
Glad that I found Quinoa pronounced keen-wah, an ancient grain that was a staple of the ancient Incas. It is high in protein, supplies all nine essential amino acids, and for a hard core rice eater all my life, it tastes  good, a great alternative to rice, with a nutty flavor that I love! Also rich in fiber, magnesium, manganese, iron , copper and phosphorus. I switched from rice (not permanently!) to this golden grain because I notice that I do not get hungry as much. A 16- oz. bag lasts me a good 10 days. Cost: $3.99.

How I prepare it:

I ALWAYS RINSE AND DRAIN THOROUGHLY IN COLD WATER

Stove top:

Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in pan, bring to boil.

Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 mins.)

When done, the grain appears soft and translucent.

Notice the germ ring along the outside of the grain? I love it!

Then I stir fry chicken breast in olive oil

Add onions, garlic, bell pepper,  chicken broth

Then when chicken is done...

I add fresh basil leaves

                                           

Salt and pepper to taste :)

      

Super easy. Super healthy. Super inexpensive.

Enjoy!

'

Freezing fruits

I am not a fruit person, but having children requires buying fruits all the time. When the fruits are not all eaten in one week, I stick it in the freezer to preserve than letting it rot to waste. I slice the strawberries and peel the bananas before I put it in freezer bags - I buy ziplocs from the dollar store, they work perfectly fine too, 16 pieces of gallon size bags for a dollar only! Grocery stores are selling frozen fruits. I never buy it. I freeze my own fruits! From grapes, to bananas, to berries. Then, we just take it out to make smoothies!

The solution to my old problem

How many times have you painted your nails and get frustrated because you ruin it before it even dries?

Then you give up and drive up to the nearest nail salon. I use to do that...but not anymore.

This little pink speed demon dries up nail polish like magic. 

I paint my own nails and I am happy with the results. It looks like I spend a lot  on them.

                       Thanks to you Nail Life, I am able to save that $1,200/year nail salon money.

That's $1,200.00 towards a bigger purchase :)

What do you do with these carrots?

You buy a big bag of carrots because they are cheaper, one month later, it is still in the fridge, you don't want to bake a carrot cake because you don't want the extra pounds...you're too tired to make stew, aside from juicing it or tossing it in the freezer, or do nothing and forget then let it rot... you just want an easy way to enjoy this carotene rich nutritional hero.

Here's what you do:

Peel the carrots, cut , then toss in the food processor

Here is the desired result

Grab: 

A handful of raisins (or as many as you want)

1 or 2 Lemons (as desired)

1 Navel Orange

In a bowl, mix the processed carrots and raisins

Squeeze the juices from the lemon/s and orange, add to the salad (use a sieve so you don't include the seeds)

Grate some lemon zest and orange to taste (optional)

Mix well.

Here is your quick salad :)

Let the salad stand, the raisins will soak in the juices, and it will reconstitute

It tastes sweet and it's packed with essential nutrients

A great tasting, guilt- free food..yum! 

Just for laughs for $14.95

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Some I cannot post it here LOL, below are some of my favorites: