Buy Less...Enjoy More

Now that the blah moments temporarily escape, I am going to get a bit more productive with blogging while I am at it!   I hate shopping! Never in a million year thought this sentence would ever slip out of my mouth. After almost 5 months of “no-clothes/bags shopping”, the rhythm of recycling/digging old items has become my way of getting dress. I am getting warm up to the idea of “less is more” so very much I must say. It was not my intention to do a “ban” of any sort but what really bothered me was those clutters in the house and those clothes hanging unworn years after years. I kept buying craps I don’t need and I was so sick of it. And that’s how this whole ordeal started.       This past weekend I put myself to the test and made a trip to the mall, I found myself walking aimlessly for two full hours - store after store – Gaps, H&M (yeah it finally opens here but I am not so thrilled by far at their offerings) and a few more stops just to come out empty handed. Yes, empty handed. If it was “the old me”, it would have been a different story of a shopaholic gone wild.   Not only I was amazed at my ability to stay firm and shop with conscious, my husband was even more amazed as he has witnessed my shopaholic pattern in the past 8 years since we live together. He was quite thrilled indeed. The time has finally come, I embrace this change quite well so far. A transition from a girl who buys everything and anything to a selective shopper was much easier and not much of struggles I realized. Sticking with goal and determination is the key to stay on track. My goal is to get rid of the clutters in my closet/house, use what I already have and buy only if nessessary.    First thing I did was to identify my weak spots and try to avoid any temptations that can wreck havoc my plan. In my earlier weeks, I stopped the followings: 1) reading fashion blogs   2) checking out sale, deals, steals, bargains, the hottest, the latest, the trendiest altogether 3) last but not least stop going to the mall   Is my approach too drastic? You may ask. I didn’t feel it was too drastic because since the beginning of 2012 I began to lose interest in chasing after trends. Time and time again, I bought stuff I thought they looked beautiful and prices were reasonable without thinking about their practicality nor my lifestlyle and that simply led me to have several giant junk piles of clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories. I just knew it had to stop.I still love fashion overall but I hate seeing stuff go unworn or unused sitting all over the place. Every little thing added up and I was quite confident those items would add up to be such significant amount over time.   Since April 2012, many changes have been made from budgeting to hobbies. Clothes/shoes/bags/accessories were no longer on the budgeting list. It sounded like a cold turkey approach but worked quite well for me because it forced me to use the stuff that were readily available and be resourceful. I diverted my attention and interest to some new things like gardening, heathly eating and cleaning (not fun but gotta do what you gotta do, right?) which help tremendously. Once I start my new habit, it is not difficult to get accustomed to not checking those sites like a maniac hunting down best deals of the year. I no longer have an urge to go out and buy what others buy or want to have the latest and the cutest.   Spending has also become more of a “process” that requires me to think through and answer: 1) Why do I need this? 2) Does it fit my lifestyle or wearable on my daily basis? 3) How many times I am going to use this? rather than emotional buying.   Since I will be downsizing my wardrobe, I know I don’t need 20 skirts that I don’t wear half of the amount. In order to set myself up for a success, thought It would be helpful to do an overview of what pieces I need in my wardrobe and start building from there. Hopefully I can start shopping (with concious) in a month or so and actually buy some practical pieces that I can wear frequently for both work and play.

A "Blah" Moment

All bloggers know this unpleasant feeling we go through at one point or another - a “blah” moment in blogging. This blah moment appears to be making frequent visits a lot lately if you can’t tell already by my blogging frequency and content-wise. My posts used to be more personal with an edge, and I know they are not to be seen much as of late (oooh I have just made a rhyme – yipeee).   A lot of things happened in the past months in the realm of life, motherhood and many more and I want to write about them on this blog but can never seem to finish any of them. So many stories to be told, so many blah moments. Have you ever drafted something just to go blank half way? I have many drafts saved at this point due to that reason. The other day, I was in a “wanting to blog” kind of mood. I decided to turned the computer on just to turned it off 2 minutes later – lol. What an inspiring writer I was! Thank god I am not a freelance writer nor a professional blogger who depends on income from blogging, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to make any $$ when I experience a road block like this. And again, thank god this is a personal blog..a place where I can blog even when I don’t have anything informative to share…a pure sense of self satisfaction / stress reliever. This post seems to be out of place but let it be...let it be.   I am still pretty much on track with healthy eating and want to share some of my favorite things to eat while on a road to a healthier moi. Fresh fruits are something I am going to miss tremendously when winter arrives becaue selections will be very limited and they just don't taste as good :(     I try to go organics on particular fruits and veggies, one of them being strawberries.   Fresh Fruits Extravaganza - every Sunday, I preapre fruits for the week for our family. It is quite a chore but worth every effort. I usually eat fruits with greek yogurt for breakfast from Monday to Friday. A refreshing wayt o start my morning at work.   Current favorite brand of greek yogurt. I tend to change from brand to brand with yogurt.     1% lowfat regular milk for the hub and I. The DHA version belongs to the little one. I started drinking organic milk since I was pregnant.      Try to eat healthy when dining out. Grill fish taco with fresh veggies. Ummmm!!!   We spend quite a lot on grocery each week. It is one area I am willing to spurlge because I believe it is important to put good/healthy food into your body. I would rather spend high dollars on groceries (as long as we can afford to) rather than paying doctors/hospital bills.

Let the (late) Summer Party begin~*

  Colorful straws with sandals/umbrealla/coconut tree   Beautiful and bright colored cake - very YUMMY!   Devil eggs - so evil and dangerously delicious   A table centerpiece   Spam with pineapple/cherries   Chips with Hummus dip - Coconut and Thai curry hummus (store bought)   Fresh veggies   This past weekend, my little girl and I went to a little party at my in-law's house. It was a tropical/Hawaiian theme which was nothing but perfect to get all of us in an exciting mode for a future trip to Hula land. Everything was beautifully arranged down to tiny little details. Don't you just love the pineapple centerpiece? Brilliant!

Braids and Print

I have seen many ladies sporting their braids and always thought braids add such sweet touch to anyone who wears them, but never really made any attempts to do one until today. To me it seems difficult and too complicate to replicate but to my amazement, some braids designs are as easy as a pie (given that I am quite a handicap in the DIY hairdo department). Braids are classic and will never go out of style. They are a great way to turn your unmanageable/messy hair into something lovely and feminine. On another note, I am in a dire need to get my hair colored asap!!      [Dress: Forever21 since last year / Sandals: Payless]         Currently hooked to this song - "It might be you" by Dave Koz featuring India Arie    

Lazy's cook favorite: Homemade Peach Pie~*

As mentioned in a previous post about my plan to make peach pie, so I did it tonight. OH MY GOD - it is sooooooooooooooo good that I have to share the yummy slices of heaven.        The burst of delicious flavors from sweet and juicy peaches and the cripness of the fresh baked pie crust plus the warm and gooey filling....it is a perfect marriage in your mouth that you don't want to miss.         This is my first attempt at making peach pie and let me tell you - it is as easy as 1-2-3. All you have to do is peel and slice peaches, use store bought pie crusts, mix the flour and sugar mixture, sprinkle with some butter, bake and voila~~~ No kidding, it is THAT easy. If you are like me, who easily get discouraged when seeing more than 5 ingredients on any recipe - this recipe is for you.       Peach Pie Recipe [adapted from AllRecipe.com]   > 10 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced  (I only used 6, peaches I bought were huge) > 1/3 cup all-purpose flour > 1 cup of white sugar (per other commentors'recommendation, use 1/2 cup white + 1/2 cup brown sugar but I'll cut down to 2/3 cut of brown next time since it is too sweet for my liking) > 1/4 cup of butter (I used unsalted butter and will cut down to 2 tablesppons next time) > 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (used store bought)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Directions

(adapted and tweaked by moi)

* Mix flour, sugar in a small container

* Cut cold butter into small pieces               

* Place one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Line the shell with some sliced peaches. Sprinkle some of the flour mixture and some butter on top of the peaches, then put more peaches. Continue layering until both the peaches, flour mixtures and butter are gone.     

*Top with another pie crust and cut a few slits for the pie to vent (too lazy to make lattice).  

*Brush the top crust lightly with egg white.             

*Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 mins, then lower to 350 and bake for antoher 20-30 mins or until crust is golden (it only took 15 mins in my oven). Allow pie to cool before slicing. Best when eaten fresh (I cut it to soon because I wanted to eat it badly so it was still runny yet still delish). Per other commentors' suggestion. Let the pie set for 1-2 hours.

        I literally busted my diet tonight by eating two slices of this pie. I had a hard time keeping my hands off of this delightful pie, that's for sure. Be sure to grab some peaches before the summer is over and make this. Let me know how you like it if you decide to make one.

Currently in love....

Summer is quickly appraoching the end of its season. As much as I dislike the cruel heat, I am going to miss that (extra) warm ray of sunshine, bright blue sunny sky, the sounds of insects and birds, fresh fruit/veggies and did I mention - summer clothings? With that said, I better enjoy the rest of the summer to the max. Below are some of my favorite things I truly enjoy this summer.     [New Love - I coveted to Caudalie skincare line in the recent weeks and am totally in love with everything I have tried so far. No breakout and they do work wonder at much reasonable price ponts, what a big plus! If you haven't tried this line, I recommend getting a sample kit before buying full sized items (which I did and went back to get full sized products a week later)]         [August 12 is a Mother's Day in Thailand so I bought this along with a couple things for my mama. It smells so fresh and heavenly!!]       [More lip candies for mama. She has always loved Revlon products. The colors look delicious, don't they??]         [Peaches taste best in the summer. So juicy and sweet. I bought these to make homemade peach pie this week. Will share the recipe if it turns out good.]       [I love eating soup all year round - Spring, Summer or Winter. Homemade soup with pork, cabbage, zuchini, carrot, tomatoes, barley, lentil and jasmine rice]         [Thai Holy Basil in the backyard]       [Talking about green thumbs here. Hooray, I will soon have some homegrown tomatoes!! Yipeeee!!]             [Currently in love with this song - "A Shade of Blue" by Incognito - So summery..easy..breezy and relaxing]   Please excuse my irrigular postings and the lack of comments on your lovely blogs (you know who you are) in the past weeks. NO excuse other than feeling so DARN exhausted and lazy - so lame, right? Well, that happens when you have a child who has all the energy in the world and sucks all your energy like a leech sucking blood..wahaha.    I need a good night sleep!!!!!!!!!

"B" is for "Brunch"

    These pictures were from a Phuket trip earlier this year at Villa Zolitude. I LOVE..LOVE..LOVE having brunch when on vacation especially if it is a buffet style, simply because I prefer trying a little bit of everything. What I really like about buffet here is that their choices are not overwhelming with 50 different options to confuse my morning brain. Although some people may complain of the limited choices, I kind of appreciate that.     [The Restaurant]   [A cute little greeting sign awaiting you at table]   [Gauva juice - refreshing and delicious]   [Yum yum!]

Weekend in the pictures

[Weekend Outfit]       [Inspiration Bedroom: LOVE LOVE LOVE big bay windows that let in natural sunlight]   [It just sounds soooo incredibly yummy that I had to buy. Great for marinade, dipping and so on.]     [Thai Papaya Salad at a Thai Restaurant]     [My first time trying Vietnamese Sandwich with Char-grilled pork - delish indeed]     ****************************************************   On a seperate note, a fellow blogger Jo is hosting lovely giveaways at her blog Jo's Jumbled Jardinière. See the thoughtful prizes that she put together for the potential winners, I want them all myself! 

Next Destination: Kaua'i, Hawaii

[Photo credits: here] Breataking and spectacular, or what?!?!? Counting down to another GREAT..GREAT getaway and daydreaming about an oceanfront dinner. Looking at these awesome pictures only make me want to buy a new len for my camera to capture every little thing.