lifestyle glimpses « ((little fat notebook))

Las Vegas good clean fun

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: las vegas, panda, pictures, travel, vacation

12 August 2014

Question: What do a pair of teetotalers who don’t gamble and aren’t into partying do in Las Vegas?

Answer: EAT (a lot), walk around (maybe even shop), and indulge in entertainment like a show or tour.

For what I’m deeming our “pre-honeymoon” trip, Panda and I went to Vegas for a few days. Sunday morning he got the rental car and came to pick me up. Off we went on our grand adventure! He drove until Baker, the place with the giant thermometer. We got some lunch and then I took over driving for the rest of the way. After checking in at our hotel, we went down the strip hunting for a deal on a helicopter ride. It was way more expensive than we’d imagined, but I really wanted to commemorate this trip with something special. We ultimately got the ideal package at a better than your average price. The rest of the night was spent walking around shopping and then trying to find a Johnny Rockets that was open past 8.

Water reflection along our drive.

The hotel room!

Yesterday we spent the morning in a time share presentation and then headed straight to the Maverick Helicopter center for our ride. We got to see the Grand Canyon and Vegas strip from our helicopter – fantastic! From there, we got some gifts for my dad and brother-in-law before making our way to dinner at Wicked Spoon. Somehow two hours just flew by in there, as we munched away on dish after dish. I think we finally made it out at the 2.5 hour mark.

Our limo to and from the time share presentation.

pilot explaining safety for maverick helicopter

Just before boarding the helicopter!

So ready for a fabulous dinner.

This morning, we got a chance to go enjoy the pool and our bathtub jacuzzi before we packed up and headed out. It was a fun trip, without involving alcohol, casinos, or clubs. That’s how we roll. More on the Trump stay, helicopter ride, and Wicked Spoon experience another time. For now, I’m pooped after a busy day on the road.

Making time for a dip.

Pit stop along the way. Check out the invisible jerky! Lol.

He’s a keeper

laelene Posted in general blog, relationships，Tags: flying, panda, pictures, planes, travel

07 August 2014

rows of empty seats on plane as first people start boarding and flight attendant waits near back

I enjoy getting priority boarding using his status. Peace on the plane as I settle in!

When Panda and I were flying down to Orlando for a vacation last year, he got an upgrade to first class, which he gave to me. I was sitting there next to a really nice lady who was going down for a meeting with Disney about those new smart bands that you get as your pass (her company makes them). As we chatted and I mentioned that my fiance had given me his upgrade, she commented that “he’s a keeper for sure!” And indeed he is.

tray of hot breakfast offered in first class of united flights

I enjoyed some breakfast on the flight.

With this most recent flight, he got an upgrade again and they were one seat short of upgrading me along with him. As usual, I got to take the seat up front and enjoy the meal service, snacks, and drinks. I’m pretty spoiled by him in general and this is just one of the many ways he pampers me. I love that he never hesitates to share these kinds of things with me. If we don’t get an upgraded seat, I get my beloved window and he’ll accompany me in the middle seat even though he prefers the aisle. At home, he takes care of pretty much all the chores (though I’m convinced that much of that is due to his need to clean more frequently than I – he ends up doing things before I think they need to be done). When we go out, I rarely need to bring anything other than my phone; he’ll take care of the driving and the payments and whatnot.

Even when it comes to things like my personal choices and life changes, he is strongly supportive. When I decided to go try out a job opportunity in Singapore just six months into our relationship, we found a way to stay connected through email and Skype. When I was interning, looking for a job, and then going to work after returning stateside, he opened his apartment to me. When he left to work on the east coast, he (mostly) indulged my newly-implemented 20-minute rule: every night before sleeping he had to announce he was getting ready and then spend the next 20 minutes – minimum – talking to me, no distractions. When I decided to quit my job, he understood my need to strike out on my own.

Most recently, he was the one who encouraged me to keep my name when we get married. I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to preserve my current identity yet meld it with his family’s (and no hyphenated names, thank you very much). I thought I shouldn’t shun all traditions, right? But then again, Chinese tradition involves no change of name either, so perhaps we are observing tradition, in a way. 😛 We’ve been together for about 6 years now and I’m so excited to call him husband soon!

plane seat decorated with blue stars and gifts for make a wish kid heading to los angeles

Mostly unrelated, but I wanted to share this from our flight… a special passenger was on our flight – a Make A Wish kid!

Tax free weekend scores

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: blazers, clothes, clothing, experiences, flats, flowers, jackets, outlets, panda, pictures, products, sandals, shoes, shopping

03 August 2014

For the first three days of August this year, Virginia stores had tax free promos for school supplies and clothing. It’s an official August Sales Tax Holiday every year in the state, apparently. Panda and I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to go try to find some of the shoes and clothes I’ve been trying to get more of. While initially the plan was to go to Dulles Town Center, we decided to go check out the Leesburg Outlet. That turned out to be a great decision and I found so much stuff that we had no need to shop further after browsing those stores. For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed shopping (and Panda didn’t! It’s like we reversed roles). I guess it was because I went with a purpose: I needed some new flats and jackets.

What a fruitful day! Check out some pics:

girl stretching hands out towards giant hibiscus flower larger than both hands

Wow, I want my own!

charlotte russe black and gold tiger sandals

I was tempted, but they’re not ones I’d get around to wearing much.

shopping bags lined up after trip to outlet

Charlotte Russe, American Eagle, IZOD, J.Crew, and Bass & Co bags lined up. I used the little red Target bag as a purse.

j.crew marley ballet flats in cabernet and black

First stop was J.Crew, where I found these super comfy ballet flats! I’d never bought from this store before and I almost got black patent leather wedges too – also very comfortable. I hope I don’t regret not getting them.

g.h. bass & co shoes elizabeth in fuchsia and sophia in yellow

Next up was a store I was not familiar with – Bass & Co. They had these fun shoes on clearance and I decided to spring for more playful shoes for cheap!

cat sticking face into new shoes enjoying the smell

“Mmmmmm new shoe smell.” (as she stuffs her face in there)

izod jackets mixed media in teal and diamond check fleece in black

As we passed by IZOD, a jacket on the rack outside caught my attention. The teal color is fun and the thermal sleeves are different! I then came across the other style and almost got the blue before trying the black. Who knew golf gear would provide the perfect jackets for me?

american eagle outfitters loose knit sweater jackets

A peek inside AE led to two discoveries of nice, loose sweater jackets.

charlotte russe palmer embossed round toe two strap flats in cam, lace pointy toe ballet flats in black, and blazers in neon orange, purple, and blue

And finally, I spent a good hour in Charlotte Russe trying on jackets and shoes. I had a gift card from a previous return that I needed to use and I found a ton of things I wanted! I now have wonderful black and tan flats to choose from, as well as an assortment of cool blazers.

I’m pretty much set with what I want now, so I’ll only need to buy things that really catch my eye. That’s the stage I’m at with dresses too. It feels great to finally have some of the items I’ve been searching stores for, so I no longer have to think about shopping. Today was an anomaly and I actually wasn’t too tired/grumpy from shopping, PLUS I found a bunch of stuff. Usually I get bored an hour in and never even find something I want. I’m so happy to have gotten this all out of the way in one day!

New furniture!

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: furniture, home, household, online shopping, panda, pictures, products, projects, smokey, target

26 July 2014

I’m so excited about the newest additions to our home – a (real) TV stand and a dresser! Panda and I got a chance to put everything together today, so I feel super accomplished.

pieces of tv stand furniture before assembly

I came home from volunteering to find Panda starting to put together the TV stand.

We got it on Brookstone’s website because we had a Groupon to use.

instructions for building tv stand and nearly finished product

The instructions were stapled on the right corner. Who does that??

new tv stand with tv and cable box set up

Yay, new TV stand all done! Now the other table that came with our sofas can actually be used as a table.

box for room essentials black 4-drawer dresser from target

Next up was the dresser we got at Target for like 40% off.

This was sooo heavy we just let the pieces slide as we opened the box.

cat sitting on pieces for dresser yawning impatiently

Smokey was already impatient for her new playhouse, aka the drawers.

Pushing together those drawer pieces.

pile of screws, dowels, cams, and other hardware for dresser

That’s a lot of screws and cams and whatnot.

cat sitting in newly built drawer for dresser

As soon as we had the drawers made, Smokey made sure to test them out.

cat sleeping in corner of drawer with face squished

Soon enough, she was passed out in another drawer. Must mean they passed QC!

adding drawers glides to side of dresser wall

Things got a little confusing when we started adding the drawer glides.

frame of dresser created and cat sitting on upside down drawer nearby

We were getting close and Smokey decided she needed to try the support of the drawer from the underside.

black 4-drawer dresser newly assembled but with one brown drawer

Alright, dresser! It wasn’t until we put the drawers in that I realized one of them didn’t quite match… looks like I’ll be calling for a replacement piece.

We’ve designated one drawer for Smokey’s enjoyment and I finally get to move my underwear from a suitcase to a drawer!!

The Body Shop hauls

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, reviews，Tags: acne, body butters, body scrubs, cleansing wipes, deals, facial wipes, groupon, lotions, pictures, products, shopping, skincare, sprays, spritzes, tea tree oil, the body shop

20 July 2014

Awhile back, Panda saw a Groupon for The Body Shop and he bought it for me to use. After visiting the store and purchasing some items, I decided to get the Groupon myself for another run. We paid $15 each for $30 worth of stuff. I now have a nice little collection of products from them, which I’m really enjoying. Let me share my two hauls!

the body shop tea tree oil cleansing wipes, bottle of tea tree oil, and vineyard peach body butter

Haul #1

The first time around, I was really focused on the tea tree oil products because of my incessant acne. Of course I also had to try one of their body butters! That’s what drew me to the store in the first place. The moment I smelled the Vineyard Peach, I knew I had to have it. It reminds me of white peaches from China, so fresh and juicy and lightly sweet. Have you ever seen those flat peaches? Between those and the peaches featured in the Journey to the West, that’s exactly what I think of here. Since they offer buy two get one free, I got either the Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes or Tea Tree Oil for free. I can’t quite remember the pricing, though the wipes were around $12 and the body butter was full price at $20 (I wonder if I should have gotten the 3 for $30 deal instead).

I’ve nearly used up the wipes and I’m probably halfway through the tea tree oil. I think they’ve definitely helped calm down my skin and I always feel so great after using them – like my acne is really being tackled. They have a slight tingling sensation upon application and smell medicinal. Meanwhile, I’m saving the body butter for when I’ve used up some more lotions, but I couldn’t resist trying out the bit that got on the lid and it feels fabulous. Just a little bit applied into my skin perfectly and left me with a whiff of peach.

the body shop mandarin & tangelo body, room, & linen spritz, special edition blueberry body butter, tea tree oil skin clearing lotion, and brazil nut body scrub

Haul #2

The second time, I was looking for more variety and actually was hoping to get more of the cleansing wipes, but they were all out. I opted for the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion instead. If I can’t wipe my face with it, why not apply it after cleansing? I originally got the Brazil Nut Cream Body Scrub and special edition Blueberry Body Butter as the other items, but since the body butter was on clearance for $10, it didn’t count towards my buy 2 get 1 free option. Sooo I browsed around and added the Mandarin & Tangelo Body, Room & Linen Spritz – turns out to be a most excellent choice!

I remember the scrub was $20 or so and I think the lotion and spray were somewhere around $12-15? So far I’ve used the lotion, which is great for offering that healing feeling without the stickiness of the tea tree oil itself. I’ve also been spraying the spritz around and I love it! I’m so glad I had to choose another item, or else I might not have discovered it. I’m putting the body butter away for now since I have a ton of other items, but I really wanted blueberry because they’re my favorite fruit. I know, total sucker here. As for the scrub, I was really drawn to the unique Brazil nut ingredient. I think it’s kind of almond-y? Plus the scrub has small scrubby bits and large scrubby bits, which is super fun!

If you’re looking for a deal on The Body Shop stuff, they’re currently running their Christmas in July promotion: 40% sitewide and free shipping!

4th of July Pittsburgh

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: cats, driving, exploring, holidays, panda, pennsylvania, pets, pictures, road trips, smokey, travel, trips, vacations

11 July 2014

Last weekend, for the 4th of July, Panda and I went on our little vacation to Pittsburgh. He chose that city because we were looking for something within a 4-5 hour drive, didn’t want to do NYC again, and wanted to try a new city. I might have gone there once upon a time, but I don’t have a memory of it, so it’d pretty much be like going there for the first time anyway. We also planned for quite awhile to prepare Smokey for the trip, since he was able to book a hotel that allowed pets for free. It was a nice, quick getaway and there was a ton going on in Pittsburgh that weekend.

We started driving at night, avoiding all toll roads.

On the 4th, we went to join in the regatta festivities.

We walked across the bridge to get to the Carnegie Science Center.

Pretty flowers!

Outside the science center, we entered the Brain Maze.

Do I weigh enough? Yes!

I had to put on a shirt since my shoulders weren’t covered. Also had to tie back my hair.

The zero gravity machine letting me hang. I did all the tasks almost twice over! Total astronaut material here.

Going through the stinky submarine. I could hardly breathe.

I wanted to be served by a robot and get a commemorative cup, so we got some froyo.

The world through my heart sunglasses.

The first time, we didn’t have cash so we had to go hunting for change! Then it was up the incline.

What a fantastic view.

Up on this steep hill.

Looking down, it’s a ton of greenery.

On our trip back down the incline, we pass over the road with cars driving under.

The journey we made.

Hey, we were up on the tiny round platform earlier!

Yelp helped us find this dinner spot.

Yum, cornbread and fried pickles!

How cute, the pizza has flavoring sides.

Final morning and I take advantage of the Texas waffle iron.

Alright! Texas waffle. 🙂

On the drive back, I discovered some slippers I might want to get.

Snagging an iPad mini retina

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: apple, best buy, electronics, gadgets, ipads, pictures, products, shopping, target, technology

07 July 2014

For the past year or so, I’ve been thinking about replacing my iPad 2. I’ve had it since 2010 and it’s bulkier and slower than I’d like. A few months ago, Target was offering $150 trade-ins plus a $50 gift card. That would make the iPad mini retina 16GB only half its original price! I should have sprung on the deal then, but I missed out and the next week they were offering the iPad mini with the same type of deal. I thought the difference between retina and not wouldn’t be a big deal, so I went to check it out. Unfortunately, the instant I looked at a non-retina screen, I could discern the pixels and it was more obvious to my eye than I had hoped. I set my resolve to get an iPad mini retina the next time I could get it at the $200 price point, with trade-in value and gift cards earned and whatnot.

Finally, on Saturday Panda and I got back from our trip and saw the Target ad for this week – $100 gift card for the iPad mini retina! Between that and my trade-in value around $100 for the iPad 2, I was ready to finally get my new device. Sunday morning, I went in prepared to trade in my iPad and get the mini retina. Then I realized that I don’t have to trade in my iPad at Target, which would give me $91 for it. Since I’m just getting a gift card back, why not go to the highest bidder? Best Buy is quoting $126 for the same one. I’ll certainly be able to spend that sort of money there the next time I get a laptop, TV, or other electronics. So I went ahead and bought the iPad mini I wanted at Target without trading in.

Today I went to Best Buy to trade in my iPad 2 and got that $126 gift card, as promised. I’ll be getting a smart cover for my iPad mini when I figure out which color I like best. I also went by Target again since the first time I didn’t put the full charge on my Target RedCard and I missed out on nearly $15 in savings from the 5% off I get with that card! I had thought that any portion of the charge made on my RedCard would result in 5% off the purchase, but it’s just 5% off the amount charged to the card. Makes total sense, and I should have known that. Good thing I checked my receipt and noticed it, or else that’s a nice meal’s worth of money I would have missed out on.

So now I proudly introduce to you my new gadget, in case you’ve never seen Apple packaging before. Ready for the unboxing?

Glad to see they had an info card instead of the whole pamphlet printed.

Of course the plastic part is far more interesting to her.

Just enough for one hand to hold.

Trading in that old iPad… farewell!

Traveling with a kitty

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: cats, experiences, panda, pets, pictures, smokey, travel, vacations

05 July 2014

For the long weekend, Panda and I planned a little trip to Pittsburgh awhile back. Panda got it into his head that we’d bring Smokey along and it’d be a grand adventure, but as we started to train her for the car ride, I became concerned that she would freak out too much. However, it turned out far better than I expected and while I wouldn’t say Smokey is looking forward to another trip, she did seem to have moments of almost enjoying herself. She certainly did acclimate to the new hotel room very quickly, but the whole moving vehicle thing still makes her antsy.

I’m so proud of how she did! We made it home with no issues and boy has she been living it up. I’ve never seen her sleep so well. Well, it was quite the eventful day for her, so she’s pooped. I checked in on her earlier to find her sprawled out along my windowsill and she didn’t even lift her head up when I turned on the light in the room. Here’s a look at how taking our cat in the car for a road trip went:

On our night drive out of town, she found a few favs including this spot.

Upon arriving at the hotel, she decided this was the optimal perch.

The next morning she chilled in her new spot.

We came home to find her staring out the window and eventually coaxed her to bed.

This morning, noises outside made her suspicious.

Got a quick break of playing in before hitting the road.

She loved perching on top of the carrier.

Just trying to get some shut eye.

A few times, she’d get overwhelmed and pant.

She really loved having her paws on the center console and her feet on the back seat… leaving her belly to hang.

Making sure this driving thing is working right.

“Is it over yet?”

Gathering herself for some zen moments.

Nauseous or sleepy?

Hanging on for dear life, lol.

Home! I see home!!

Sunday stroll

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: behavior, bugs, cats, insects, pictures, smokey, stroll, toad, walking

29 June 2014

Yesterday after dusk, Panda went on a walk to Walgreen’s to pick up some food. Along the way, he spotted a ton of fireflies, so tonight we decided to go back along the walk and catch some on our way to get groceries. We got some bug bites out of it, but it was well worth the effort. We both came away with five each, proudly stored in our respective jars. Our little stroll turned out to be a bit of a nature walk and we came across all sorts creatures! As we approached the first area we saw fireflies, a bunny rabbit scurried off. Then I spent a little time poking at an Eastern Bess beetle running across the sidewalk (thanks to my time volunteering at the Smithsonian Insect Zoo for that knowledge!). After getting our groceries, I stopped for a quick look at a June bug and then a toad.

I was pretty thrilled with our little excursion and soon we got home to play with our new firefly pets. Smokey immediately started stalking them even as they climbed around in the jars. We let one out, which she swatted at, so we quickly learned that they are not safe around her. Since they like humidity, we took them into the bathroom and let them fly free as we ran the shower. Seven out of the ten took advantage of that time to crawl out and explore. After my shower, I recaptured them all and then took the jar to the porch to set them free. Again, seven eventually made their way out (some with a little “help” from Smokey) and I decided to retire and keep the last three overnight. Smokey’s been having a blast staring at them so much that I don’t know if she’ll sleep a wink tonight!

Homegrown Collective beeswax wood butter project

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, reviews, subscriptions，Tags: home, home projects, homegrown collective, pictures, products

26 June 2014

About two months ago, I got around to trying the beeswax wood butter project that came as part of the February Homegrown Collective box. I now have some fun wood coasters that we’ve been using. Recently, I found that the sides I chose not to polish up were getting grease marks so I decided to rub in the wood butter to all of them. It’s a full set of wonder wood coasters now. 🙂

ingredients to make wood butter including beeswax and grape seed oil

Making the wood butter required beeswax and grape seed oil.

collage of melting beeswax and adding grape seed oil to make wood butter

Once the beeswax melted, I added the grape seed oil and it coagulated before melting together.

collage of bowl of melted wood butter poured in container

With a nice smooth mixture, I was able to pour it into an empty jar I had. It fit perfectly! The remainder on the glass bowl was used to start the polishing.

And then started the polishing process of rubbing in the wood butter. Check out the difference!

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((little fat notebook))

Las Vegas good clean fun

He’s a keeper

Tax free weekend scores

New furniture!

The Body Shop hauls

4th of July Pittsburgh

Snagging an iPad mini retina

Traveling with a kitty

Sunday stroll

Homegrown Collective beeswax wood butter project

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laelene

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