30 things you probably never knew about me

I posted this as a note on my facebook a few months ago and thought I'd share it with you all. It was originally a tag so if you would like to do this, feel free. ;)

1. I can never hold a grudge. I am a woman of peace and I choose to let by-gones be by-gones and put the past where it belongs-in the past! Life is just too short not to forgive and move on.

2. The only time in my life I considered myself to be "thin" was during my sophomore year of high school. I tried out for the "Saber Steppers" team (a cross between a dancing/cheerleading team) and made it. What I wouldn't give to get that body back!!

3. I'm a lefty. Lefties rule. :)

4. I can't stand bad grammar and spelling. i.e. it's would've not would of. Would've is a contraction of the words 'would' and 'have'. The same goes for the dreaded 'could of'. I see that a lot and it's like a bad itch that I can't reach. lol.

5. (ok, you probably knew this one already) Makeup truly makes me happy. Not only the makeup itself but the art of expressing myself through beauty and a world of color intrigues and captivates me. It is something that I am truly passionate about. Just the sight of makeup gives me butterflies in my tummy. lol. I am also a makeup addict/hoarder. =T

6. I love food. (i know, you knew this one too lol) I consider myself to be an intermediate cook. I also love to bake. I try to make home-cooked meals for my family whenever possible. Even if I spend 2 hours cooking something, the time is all worth it when I hear one of my little ones say, "I love your cooking, Mama!" It's also satisfying to see my other half enjoy a home-cooked meal after a long hard day at work. :)

7. I can get very emotional & sensitive about things-even when Aunt Flo is out of town lol. Sometimes, when I hear a certain song, my eyes start to well up. Or when I start talking about something I feel strongly about, I get teary-eyed. Hell, I even cried during my interview at Sephora because I started talking about how much I love makeup. lol.

8. Aside from having a sensitive side, I am a gemini. So I definitely have my yin and yang. I'm down-to-earth, quick-witted, enjoy a good sense of humor, like to make friends, and I like to have fun! :) Although I must admit, I've been a bit of a homebody lately lol.

9. I truly love my mom and dad. I see so many qualities of them in myself. They have made many sacrifices for me and forever grateful I will be. Even though I've made mistakes in the past and have disappointed them in more ways than one, they have never abandoned me and have always given me their unconditional love. We have our differences like all families do, but at the end of the day I am so very thankful to have them both in my life as my parents. ;)

10. When typing, I like to type 'lol' after things I say. Sometimes I'll use 'lmao', seldom do I use 'lmfao', and rarely do I use 'roflmao'. lol.

11. I love to laugh. Most people know me by, or can recognize me in a crowd by, my laugh. lol.

12. Every time I play monopoly I always choose the thimble. And no, I don't know why. lol.

13. I've always wanted to learn how to knit or crochet.

14. I don't know how to swim.

15. I LOVE sushi and raw fish. Spicy ahi and unagi are my best friends. I could eat sushi every day. But that would never happen because it can get pricey.

16. I can't stand it when people don't know how to take a good picture. Come on people, it's not rocket science. It's all about using the zoom when necessary and getting good angles.

17. I hate waiting. Waiting in line. Waiting to eat. Waiting for someone to pick me up. Waiting for a limited edition makeup item or collection to finally hit the stores. Waiting for the next stall in a public bathroom when I'm sweating bullets to go number 2. Waiting for an open parking stall at very crowded places such as the mall or swap meet. You get the point.

18. I used to hate avocados and pinacbet. But now I love them like a fat kid loves cake.

19. I HATE BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE! I am one of those people who will send my bloody rare steak back when I ordered a medium well. I am one of those people who will call the 1-800 toll free number on the back of my Oscar Mayer premium thick cut bacon to complain about the mold. Can't stand lazy people who don't do their job because I will ask to speak to the general manager. Trust me, you will not win.
20. I'm a total germophobe! Yes, I am aware that hand sanitizers are pretty much useless in keeping germs at bay. However, I still like to use them for the sake of feeling as if I'm actually waterlessly washing my hands. lol. I do not like my kids touching things when we are out and about. They often hear me saying, "Stop!", "Don't touch that!!", "Touch that again and you're gonna get it" If all else fails, I just give them the glare. Then they know what's up. lol.

21. I consider myself to be pretty computer/tech savvy. I started making webpages almost 10 years ago. It was a hobby that I enjoyed at the time. That has evolved into blogging. I've been blogging on and off for almost 4 years. It's pretty much like having an online journal to document your life. I find it interesting to look back on things that I used to do or say. Or wear. lmao. It's cool to see how I've changed and grown over the years.

22. I hate rushing. I always try to plan things accordingly. Being that I am a mother of 3, I have learned that time is definitely of the essence. I am constantly looking at the clock. I like to allow myself enough time, sometimes a litle more than needed, to prepare for things I need to do or places I need to go. If I am running late or end up rushing it usually frustrates me and I stress out about it really bad.

23. I hate my big feet. I'm a size 9 1/2 or sometimes 10, depending on the brand and type of shoe. I wish I had smaller feet, like maybe a 6 or a 7, even a 8 would be good. There never seems to be anything cute in my size. Usually all the good stuff is in the smaller sizes. When I see something cute in the 7 or 8 aisle, I try to look in my aisle for the same thing and if, IF I do find it, it just looks like it was made for an ogre. Which is why I am usually seen in flip-flops or my trusty gladiator sandals lol.

24. I refuse to drink tap water. Period.

25. I am completely, utterly in love with my children. I may be strict on them but it's all out of love. They make me laugh, they make me smile. They get into cat fights here and there as all kids do, but they are very close and love each other very much. They are my pride and joy. ;)

26. People always seem to think I'm Hawaiian & Japanese. When I tell them I'm full filipino, they trip out and no believe! lol.

27. I believe that EVERY woman can rock red lipstick. When done right, it's a no-fail.

28. I LOVE dinuguan. Yep, the chocolate meat (pig's blood). I asked my dad to make that instead of turkey this Thanksgiving. lol.

29. I tend to be judgemental when it comes to certain things, but never people.

30. I can be very indecisive. I'm always the last one to order my food. I'd rather shop online because I can leave things in my 'shopping cart' for days or weeks until I finally decide. Sometimes I think I've made my decision and then I'll change my mind at the very last minute.


I didn't tag anyone but if you want to do this, feel free. I'd love to know more about YOU. =)

Cake Pops!

These little balls of cake-like goodness have been the talk of the town for quite some time now. They are very popular and are even being sold in stores like Starbucks. Being a lover of all things food (especially sweets!) I googled 'cake pops' to see if I could get an easy recipe to try. Lo and behold, there were so many easy recipes out there and most of them featured step-by-step instructions complete with pictures. I just had to give it a go. So I headed out to get the supplies that I needed and went to work.

I've gotta admit that these were fairly easy to make. However, it was a little time consuming considering the fact that I had initially put in too much frosting with my crumbled cake, which resulted in having to bake another cake! Had I not made that mistake, it would've been easier. Keep reading if you'd like to see how I made my own cake pops.

Ingredients/Supplies:

1 (14.25 oz) box cake mix (Any flavor-I used Butter Pecan & Funfetti)

1 (16 oz) can of frosting, you will not need all of it (Any flavor-I used Cream Cheese)

1 (24 oz) package of almond bark/candy coating (white or chocolate) or Wilton Candy Melts (Any color-I used White and Light Cocoa)

Sprinkles

Lollipop sticks

Directions:

Bake the cake mix according to the directions on the package.

Crumble the cake into fine pieces.

Place in a large bowl and stir in half of the frosting container.

Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined and thick. Mix in additional frosting if necessary.

 Roll mixture into 1″ balls and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. You can do this step the day before and then dip them the following day.  Do not freeze them before dipping or it may cause the chocolate to crack after they are dipped.

 Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the flat end of the cake balls. Put your stick in the cake ball a little more than halfway, this helps it to stay secure while dipping.

(I don't have any photos of the dipping process or decorating process)

Carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered, remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too. Immediately cover with sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set, then insert in a styrofoam block to harden. (I just poked holes in carboard box and it worked just fine)

 And here they are! :)

Juse use your imagination when decorating them. The possibilities are endless.

 A shot of my kids, ready to devour their cake pops. :)

I hope you all enjoyed this! I look forward to having more recipe posts! =)

*This recipe was adapted from: Recipe Rhapsody & LittleMissMomma. For more cake pop ideas, visit Bakerella.

Aloha & Welcome!

Aloha! Some of you may already know me from my makeup blog, Makeup Artistry By L.J. Blogging has been an incredible creative outlet for me and I wanted to continue to blog on a more personal level, sharing tidbits of my life aside from my love and passion for makeup. So I hope you all enjoy this blog as I will be sharing random thoughts and special moments in my life. Please feel free to follow or comment, I appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you! ;)