Craigs Easy is just that... EASY

Like my profile says I scour Craigslist almost religiously. Although I try and narrow it down to what I'm currently cruisin' for, but I hate narrowing it down, sometimes a gem can be unearthed and you didn't even know you were looking for it. But in order to do that you must click on a bunch of links. Not anymore. Not with CraigsEasy, this has made my  craig habit sooo much easier to get. I have used this several times a day, and I swear it's an addiction. I would say go get Craig Easy, and I am, but that means my secret weapon is out there for all of you to use.

Fine, I'll play nice and hope the fastest one gets the prize. Def. go check it out, I swear it will become one of your favorite tools to find new bargains on craig.

What I also want to point out that I love is the favorite button on CraigEasy, I can store all the things that I'm currently looking at and go back and forth without losing any. 

Zorro doesn't have to have all the fun!

Do you know what your going for Halloween as? Maybe some sort of masked crusader? Well you don't need to be a crusader if you want to wear a mask. I stumbled on these masks through etsy and man are they sexy! Just the right amount of mystery but so much precision that I'm amazed that it conforms to ones face so well. Seems as though they are custom made specifically for your face. I want one but I really don't have any place to wear it to, you think wearing it trick or treating with my 3 year old is too much?

Anyhow if you want to get one before Halloween you need to act fast, they are selling out quick go check em' out!

Kitchen gadgets - vers. 1

I wanna start by saying that I cook a lot and before I got married I registered for a bunch of stuff, I also bought a lot of stuff afterwards setting up my kitchen. I have to say that there is a lot of unnecessary crap out there. As I became more confident in the kitchen I came to the realization that a lot of these tools only did one thing and took more space than I had to spare. Looking trough my everyday "gadgets" I wanted to show you what my favorites were. None of these tools were brand specific except for the rice cooker - Ill get into that.

• Rice Cooker (This really isn't essential unless your asian which my husband is Filipino so we cook a lot of rice) Although if you cook a good amount of rice or like oatmeal or rice onepot dishes - all of which a good rice cooker can handle - than this is essential. Notice I said good rice cooker not mediocre. Tiger brand is by far the best rice cooker out there - most rice eaters will tell you that this is the best brand, expensive, but lasts forever. My mother-in-law had hers for 20+ years. I have made all types of rice, white, black wild, brown - all come out perfect. No measuring really required, just a knuckle water test. (meaning 1 cup of rice, water sits to the first knuckle on your index finger white rice) I have made oatmeal in it, soaked it and cooked directly in this machine. Rice always comes out perfect and is always done much faster than when cooking on a pot with a lid - I think its the lifting of the lid and stirring that screws it up. 

• Electric Kettle I love this gadget, boils water so much faster than a traditional kettle on the stove. While we were in Poland back in 1997 I noticed that EVERYONE had an electric kettle. So when we got back to the states we went out and got one too. Haven't gone back since. 

• Cutting Boards I say you need a few in your kitchen. Having a wood one and a silicone/plastic one is essential. I have a few of each not too heavy, not too large or too small just a medium size where the food doesn't fall off the board and you can still lift it with one hand to pour food into pot. Don't buy glass ones - throw those out they dull your knife. 

• Kitchen Knives A good set will set you back but if you take care of them they will last you forever. I don't care which brand you get Cutco, Henckels, Wüsthof, Shun etc. A good knife will be made out of stainless steel which resists corroding better is carbon stainless which is strong yet flexible. The part of the blade that goes into the handle (called the tang) should go all the way through on both sides. There are other factors that go into a good knife but I think that these are the most important ones. Also if you have a good knife, never stick it in the dishwasher, tends to dull the blade. 

• Citrus Squeeze I love this tool, makes squeezing limes and lemons sail right through. Don't get a plastic one either get something thats made out of metal and doesn't have plastic hinges. Trust me the first one I purchased was a nice see-through plastic one, after the first lime it was done for.

• Graters probably the tool that has a ton of uses it grates ginger and garlic and cheese and spices and zests citrus and the larger grate instead of using my box grater, grates dry bread for bread crumbs.

• Silicone Tongs I use silicone because I have anodized pots and pans and I don't want to scratch them with the metal tongs but what I like about this brand which is Giadas from Target is that you pull the little pull on the top to open and close them. So they don't take up a lot of space on your drawer. Theses come in several sizes I also have the oxo brand which work the same way.

What essentials do you have to have in order to function in your kitchen - I'd love to know leave me a comment. 

Next up is the kitchen tools that you can skip.

Thank you Dermalogica

You know those people that have awesome skin, the glowing flawless complexion that they can go with out makeup and still look fabulous type of skin? Yeah those people. 


I'm not one of those people, not by far. I have always had problem skin. It's not as bad as a teenager, but it wasn't what I thought I would have as a grown up. I always imagined that once you get out of your teenage years your skin becomes flawless, or least good enough to go without makeup. 


While I was pregnant, my skin became clear, might also have to do with all the vitamins I was taking. After the baby I kept taking the vitamins and the skin went back to its earlier condition. Not so nice.  I did take care of it, I got facials and had alpha-hydroxy masks done. It wasn't improving much. 


I was doing what I thought was the right things for my face. When one day I really looked at my one girlfriend and her skin was glowing. What was she doing? She preceded to tell me how she found this brand of face wash and is loving it. She said that she cant wait to wash her face in the morning, it feels so nice. It is a powder and when you put a bit of water in your palm, and rub over your face, the granules start foaming. It gently takes away the layer of dirt and dead skin that is constantly on your top level of your skin. She has been using Dermalogica for a while now and her face has looked fantastic. I always figured it was great genes and not great product.

The next day I went and researched the brand, I have to admit my interest was piqued. I liked what they had to say about the products plus all of them were made without harmful irritants. No artificial fragrances or colors, no mineral oils, no S.D. alcohol, and no comedogenic or allergy-causing ingredients. Being that my skin is sensitive I liked that and went to Ulta the same day to get a consult. I read that if you've never used their products before to have a specialist analyze your skin and recommend the products to you. 

I had the face mapping done and was told that although I have adult acne in some areas its mostly because the skin isn't shedding that layer of dead skin and clogging the pores. I would have thought that I would have been recommended the products in their acne system. Instead I was recommended that I use the cleanser or daily microfoliant. 

I went ahead and bought 3 products the microfoliant, special cleansing gel and the skin hydrating booster. The booster is a tiny little bottle and I paid $50 for 1 fl oz but it has been worth it. Since buying these products 7 months ago, I still have about 25% left. The booster only requires that you put a tiny dab on your fingers and spread it on your face under your day lotion. Man what a difference it makes in my skin especially in the winter months when its super dry and flaky. It apparently has: 

• Hyaluronic Acid holds up to 1000 times its weight in water for hydration and improved elasticity.
• Panthenol aids in tissue repair while hydrating skin.
• Algae extracts help restore moisture balance.

In the summer I have used it by itself without any moisturizer, since I don't need much through the humid summer.

I just want to say no one is paying me to write this. I just want to say that I love this product. I noticed when I got a little lazy and went back to a soap cleanser my skin also went back to it's crappy self. You might think that it's too much to spend on skin care, but really it lasts forEVER and it is your face, it's the first thing people see when they meet you. I know. I had terrible skin and I remember the looks from people when they would notice my skin instead of me. 

I will never go back to the things I used before, even proactive never worked long enough for me, but this does and I'm a convert for life.