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Thinking Out Loud: Just Call Me Cinderella

Posted on February 5, 2015 by kissmybroccoli

So…something MAGICAL happened!

I finally bought a new washer and dryer! It will be delivered at some point today…during a three-hour window…that was rattled off to me on a scratchy voicemail by a robot man. I know. I’m rolling my eyes as I type this. But yay! After it’s finally in place AND set up (which the robot man’s henchmen will do), I get to celebrate by singing and dancing and washing 928536 loads of laundry tonight!

You should know, that hamper is two and a half feet tall. :-/

After some dropping bank on those, I was in need of some retail therapy to lift my spirits. Wow, y’all are seriously gonna start thinking I’ve got a job on the side with all this #treatyoself stuff…and I’m not talking housecleaning if you get my drift. Cinder-fucking-rella? Lol. But no, seriously, I was on a mission: I got invited to a wedding this weekend so I’m in desperate need of a new dress ~~and some glass slippers~~. Obviously, I headed to my favorite store in the entire ~~kingdom~~ world, TJ Maxx, thinking I’d find exactly what I needed…

Instead I came home with a pair of jeans (!!), two pairs of yoga pants, a workout tank, ~~a magic wand~~, a purse, and some paintings for the bathroom…oh and a coffee mug that spoke to me while I was waiting to check out. I figured it was a sign. I mean, it’s not every day you find a personalized mug at TJ Maxx…

All that’s missing is a group of singing birds and SQUIRRELS! 😉

But back to the dress sitch-E-ation…how could there be like NONE in the entire ~~kingdom~~ store?! I tried on the only one I could find but it looked like I was wearing a trash bag made of lavender-colored lace. I’m not exaggerating…much. I mean seriously? How do I get a fairy godmother up in here?! Do I have to click my heels? Wait…wrong story.

If I any energy left, I would’ve tried looking elsewhere, but after ~~researching how to kill my evil stepmother~~ a killer yoga session the night before AND shopping in boots (not to be confused with Puss in Boots!) for hours, I was spent.

Speaking of toning my body ~~so I can kick some stepsister ass~~, can I just say how AMAZING it feels to be back at the gym? Or more specifically in the weight room? I’ve been spending most of my time ~~scrubbing floors~~ reading on the treadmill, but since finishing my last book, I quit looking lustfully at the weights and got my booty over there!

For the record princesses don’t sweat, we sparkle!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a dress to find…and a stepmother to kill…and some mice to sprinkle fairy dust on…the prince AWAITS! 😉

In the meantime, why don’t you bibbity bobbity boo yourself on over to Spoons to see all the magical linkups for this week’s Thinking Out Loud!

What is your favorite Walt Disney princess movie?
I have to say I’ve always had a soft spot for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast what with my mermaid hair and love of books!

Anyone seen the new Cinderella movie trailer yet?
March 13th! Let’s have a princess party! 😀

Posted in Shopping, Thinking Out Loud | Tagged gym, selfie, shopping, TJ Maxx, workout | 11 Comments

#Treatyoself

Posted on February 3, 2015 by kissmybroccoli

I know it’s probably against some sort of writer code to title something with a hashtag, but have you ever tried to type that out before? Treat Yo’self? I don’t know, just looks weird to me. Like I start picturing some badass Czechoslovakian dude in shades cornering me in an dank interrogation room…or maybe I just have a guilty conscience and my days of international espionage are soon to be over. So yeah, N-E-way…

#treatyoself

As in “sometimes it’s ok for things to be all about you” because well? you fucking deserve it. It doesn’t have to make any sense. It can be a bit out of your budget. Hell, it could be something that doesn’t cost any money at all. The point is that there is no one better out there to take care of your needs but you. Because you know you….or at least I hope you do. And it’s important to give ourselves a break sometimes…a moment to relax, unwind, laugh our asses off, break a sweat, or whatever it is you ~~need~~. because life’s too short and all that shit. Knowwhattamean?

Friday morning, before my work weekend started, I went in for a massage. It’s been about a month since I had one and my last wasn’t the best in the world so yeah, technically it’s been longer than that. But this time? How about I was only minutes into it and my back had already cracked twice, a couple of sigh/moans slipped out, and then…I freaking snored myself awake! Oops? Guess I needed it more than I thought!

Later, after I wiped the drool from my face, I indulged in a little stupid humor with a friend before it was time to go home and nap. And we loved every minute of it. Seriously? Most I’ve laughed over a movie in a while. Though I have to admit I kept waiting for Zooey Deschanel to walk on-screen.

After waking up a little earlier than expected on Saturday, I decided to make good use of my extra hour and went to the gym for a little walk-and-read time. I finished reading Wide Open later that night at work and? After reading the last paragraph, I turned the page…and turned the page again…and? There weren’t any more freaking pages! A quick online search told me what I figured already to be true: this is book ONE of a series of THREE! Guess that’s what I get for my random book picking.

Sunday, I woke up a little early on purpose to go scour the shelves of the library before work…only to discover that they don’t carry the other two books in this series. But guess what they DID have!!!

Library World Cheese Book

Yep! I got it…the World Cheese Book in my possession at last! If you haven’t already guessed, when I went back to the store to buy it a couple of months ago, it was gone and has yet to reappear. I was a little hesitant to buy it online since I never really got a chance to look through it, but let me TELL you…I only made it about five pages in before I hopped online and bought myself a copy! I’ll just hug this one close to my chest until mine comes in the mail. My precious. 😉

And speaking of online shopping, I just got one of my Open Sky orders in last night. Yes, I said “one of”…I’m caught in a cycle of shop, get coupons, shop more, get MORE coupons. I can’t stahhhhhhp! and I don’t care because now I’ve got an under eye concealer that works like a dream, soap that makes me smell good enough to eat, and soon there will be jars of cookie dough peanut butter in front of my face! Oh it’s been TOO long!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to treat myself to some sleepy time. Since getting home from one INCREDIBLE hot yoga session with my good friend Bedazzled Buddha, I’ve been fighting the head-bob…so you guys should feel extra soopah special that I took the last umm…two hours? (*embarrassed sideways glance*) to type this post. Anyway, it’s just after midnight and I’ve been awake for eight hours. Calling it done.

Om shanti shanti shanti. 🙂

What is the last thing you did to #treatyoself?

Bloggers, how long does it typically take you to type a post?
Please make me feel better about taking so long!

Posted in Treat Yourself Tuesday | Tagged massage, movies, Redbox, yoga | 9 Comments

5 Food Styling & Photography Tips

Posted on January 30, 2015 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

It’s a good thing you all liked the Chunky Monkey Granola Bars I posted on Tuesday because well…you’re gonna be seeing a LOT more of them today! As promised, I managed to wrangle up a “few” pictures from my snap-happy weekend photo session for a little photography post today. While I am in EVERY way still an amateur photographer, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned in the last few years that have helped me improve the quality of my shots.

So here’s hoping you all can take away a few things from this post BESIDES a puddle of drool on your keyboard and an intense craving for chocolate chips! 😉

Google is not just your emergency medical contact, but also your friend in photography. Most of the time, before I’m even done MAKING a recipe that I plan to photograph, I’m looking up images to see what sort of direction I want to go in. It’s great to get an idea for what angles to use or how to arrange props! And who knows, you might even spy a certain Treat with a Twist that you end up pinning later! 😉

You wouldn’t just buy a car without knowing a little bit about it, right? Same thing goes whenever you’re trying to “sell” someone on a recipe. If it’s possible, you want to convey as much as you can about a particular food in one picture. From the shot above, I was able to tell you that these granola bars are baked, they are made with bananas and chocolate chips, and that they’re pretty darn tasty with a cool glass of milk!

At hiya you will find snack bars based on a traditional Indian/Punjabi recipe and created with lots of love and passion.

I usually try to gather my “storytelling” ingredients before I set up the food…that way I have everything at hand and I can assemble/disassemble as I go because what’s a story without a little PLAYTIME?

This is the FUN part!

I’d love to say every time I get ready to shoot a recipe, I have this clearcut vision in my head that gets executed within minutes, but well, that’s just not how it goes when you’re a wannabe food photographer. But who says learning can’t be half the fun? With these bars, I first started with the cutting boards. Then I moved on to the place mat which later became the place mat AND the napkin! Different camera angles… different arrangements…and I won’t even tell you how many different positions those bananas ended up in! Meghan would be so proud!

Please note that long periods of playtime are only suggested if you are not in a state of hanger. 😉

I find it’s best to stick with solid-colored plates and I try not to have more than one pattern in a shot. You want to have fun (and by all means utilize that massive collection of props you’ve accumulated over the years) but you don’t want to forget what the main focus is…the FOOD!

Hands down, the BEST part of having an edible subject! 😉

And just because I was shaking my fist at the sun the other day (please God forgive me for I know not what I do…in the DEAD of winter!)…

Whether you’re shooting indoors or out, please AVOID direct sunlight! It can create a harsh look and distort colors in your photos as well as casting strong shadows that are very distracting.

And since we haven’t yet managed to find a way to control the weather just yet, here’s your bonus BONUS tip: A couple of panels of sheer curtains (that I keep meaning to pick up) are great to diffuse light. Also, it pays to experiment with different rooms in your house until you find the right window at the right time of day where the light is just right! Because with three rights, how could you be wrong…RIGHT?! 😉

Now go, pick up those cameras and have some fun!
If you need me, I’ll be over here with my mouth full of granola bars.