oh hai twenty ten.

it’s been a long time since i left you…

2009 was an interesting year.  most of it good, the worst was the debit card fraud.  i try not to let that shit get me down and it definitely made us more careful and aware, another lesson learned. i think the best thing that happened to us last year was starting school.

my husband’s sister [v] and her family came out during christmas week.  we all had such a good time.  which brings me to 2010.  already one month in and it’s been interesting.  we flew into san antonio and surprised c’s dad at the end of january.  c mentioned the trip to 3 of his 5 siblings and his mama so it was really cute seeing the reactions from the others.  i really enjoyed his nieces and nephews.  i also got to see my folks & sister so i was happy.  the only sucky thing about coming home from a family trip is that i was numb from not seeing our families and being with them made me realize how much we really miss them.  you might not know what i mean but it’s been a hard couple days being home…

i’ve also started to read more.  c & i both finished “the tao of wu” by the rza of the wu tang clan.  i’m about to read it again.  so much of it made sense…

and on that note, i’ll leave you with this:

no thoughts 2 zine

photographer michael j. demeo started following me on twitter and i returned the favor…soon enough i was checking out his tumblr, flickr and site and came across photographer alyssa noches (who happens to be his gf) .   i commented on one of alyssa’s fotos and was thrilled when she asked for my address to send me some prints!  a couple weeks later i found out that they were releasing their current zine “no thoughts 2″ for FREE.  the zine is full of excellent shots.  the print quality is one of the best ones i’ve seen.  the price is right.    you should ask for it.

you should also check out their site we are now in space

get the most for your $$$: new/transfer prescriptions

my husband & i have excellent health insurance coverage,  prescriptions are FREE when we go to our hmo’s pharmacy because of our dual coverage from work… but one day a couple months ago i decided to try out one of the FREE $25 gift card coupons from CVS we’ve received in the mail for new or transfer prescriptions.  the prescription was for 800mg ibuprofen when my husband had a root canal so i knew the meds would be less than $10 without “insurance” so even if we paid $10, we’d get $15 FOR FREE.  turns out that the prescription was $7.  we paid it and were given a $25 gift card.  it was that simple.  i couldn’t believe that’s all we had to do.  it’s completely legit, just keep your eyes out for the coupons!

and it just so happened TODAY that we got one of those random coupons from target when you check out and it was for a $20 giftcard for new/transfer prescriptions and my husband had to have an extraction today so guess where we will be cashing out this week?  cha-ching!

print exchange program

i’ve been wanting to do a print exchange program of sorts for awhile now.  you basically send me any print(s) (35mm, holga, polaroid, instax, etc!!!) and i send you a different print back!  the more people that participate, the better.

the only rules are: 1) you have to have taken the photo 2) write/label your shipping address clearly 3) prints should be 5×7 or smaller 4) go in with an open mind 5) have fun!

are you in?

from now till saturday 11/7 – TEN CENTS (.10) each print at walgreens.com with code: TENEACH

XENIA

PO BOX 2332

LA HABRA CA 90632-2332

a mix of inspiration came from film por vida, sticker traders, postsecret & the 1000 journals project

big thanks to my mom for being supportive of my crazy pen pal addiction when i was a teen.  she spent hundreds in postage.

get the most for your $$$: smashbox

smashbox cosmetics is awesome.  they offer FREE shipping & FREE deluxe samples ALL THE TIME!  but wait, on tuesdays & thursdays between 9AM-2PM (pacific standard time) they have a standing offer called “let’s do lunch” where they offer a FULL SIZE FREE GIFT!  it’s different every tuesday or thursday so don’t forget to check in every week.

the day i picked up my favorite lipgloss, the free gift was a blush in candid.  it’s such a pretty color, i’ll definitely be using it.  and i opted for the photofinish deluxe sample.  my total was $19.58 and i got .78 back from ebates.com!

ice cream: neveria la flor de mexico

stanton is a small city in orange county to the west of anaheim and it isn’t known for much.  other cities in orange county point at them and laugh.  well maybe not anymore, there has been a good growth of QUALITY foodie establishments making stanton their home.  probably because of cheaper rent.

one such establishment is a cute little mom & pop ice cream parlor called neveria la flor de mexico.  the pink & white striped walls remind me of old school ice cream shops.  the people running the place are very helpful and friendly.  i had a ton of questions regarding their wide array of flavors and they didn’t treat me like an idiot.

from what i gathered, they make all the ice creams and paletas (ice cream bar) right there.

my favorite is angel’s kiss (cherry ice cream with almonds, raisins & cherries maybe even marshmallows?).  i also tried coconut pineapple but didn’t really care for the super frozen pineapple bits in it.  their scoop portions are huge, for my 2 scoops i paid $2.60

frozen goodies!

Nevaria la Flor de Mexico

(714) 761-2813

better late than never: back to school 2009 edition

so it’s been 16 YEARS since i was in school.  go ahead, do the math and laugh.  i started last week at a community college and i’m in for 13.5 units which is 5 classes.  2 of the classes are fairly easy (mainly based on opinion vs. fact) and those professors are fun but the other 3 classes are HARD!!!  i almost want to pull those 2 professors aside and ask them to be gentle lol

i initially intended to post on this blog a few times a week but even that was hard to do.  i can’t imagine how it’s going to be now that i’m in school, still working, keeping up with my husband and sons.  maybe it’ll inspire me more…maybe school is the brain food i’ve been needing!

CHALLENGE YOURSELF!

CHASE YOUR DREAMS!  YOU CAN DO IT!

make your own font.

heard about fontcapture.com from my lovely friend (& website host) erica and decided to give it a try. first you download the template, print it, spend a few minutes writing your letters, scan the page, upload the file and then it’s turned into a .ttf file (truetype font) in less than a minute. YES! that easy! then you take that file and install it into your fonts folder.

i had to write my page up a few times because i didn’t follow the line guides and it kept cutting off the tops of a few lowercase letters.

4th time is a charm and here’s my font!

since it took me 5 minutes total to do this, i’m offering my font for FREE! all you have to do is comment with your email address and i’ll email you back with a link to the file!

my guiltiest pleasure: reality shows

most people i know won’t admit to religiously watching reality shows, it’s like some dirty little secret that you don’t want anyone finding out. not me, i fucking love ‘em. there’s just something so intriguing about people that vie for love, money or airtime. why do i watch this shit? for the laughs and sometimes for the smokin’ hot chicks.

i give credit to the truly smart ones, those that are on tv to create their brand, to make themselves memorable so they either get their own show or get paid to make rounds on the club circuit or open the doors to be able to do whatever they want to do in the industry. milk it!

which brings me to my encounter with the lovely becky buckwild of flavor of love 2, i love money 2 and charm school fame. i’ve been following her on twitter and watched her romance with frank “the entertainer” maresca blossom and bomb… i was cheering for them because i wanted to see their own show. but i’m happier that she’s found someone better!

i don’t want to get into the specifics but i reached out to her and some direct messages later we got to meet up. pretty sweet deal if you ask me. so twitter, i thank you again! i thought becky & angelah were so awesome!!! they are both funny and full of life! they weren’t some conceited bitches lol

becky, angelah and i might be working on something in the future so if you are a fan, stay tuned!!!

the beautiful becky buckwild (@BeckyBuckwild) & beautiful angelah verdi (@angelahverdi)

representin’ for the gangsters all across the world.

i’m going to make this a permanent category where i give props strictly to blogstresses.

i can’t get enough of Lady Glock! i never go back more than a page or two on blogs but i made it all the way back to january! there’s something so refreshing about her shots…

super cute interior design MadeByGirl

cupcake rosaries by cupcakehustle? oh gawd yes!