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Hunt for the perfect moisturizer...

My skin is a dry flakey mess. If only there was a moisturizer that worked as well as egyptian magic cream but abosrbed faster so I could reapply it in the office as needed. I ended up buying Complex 15 and Aveeno - the only two options that were fragrance fee. I wonder if bag balm is fragrance free?

Weekend in Westerly

We went to Westerly, RI a few weeks back (Apri 12 to 13) to get away from the chaos of home. With Matt's students, Lola being ill, and crazy avweek it was nice to get away from it all. The trip was filled with quaint and yummy restaurant stop overs and tons of shopping. It felt very New England, though I'm not quite sure what that means. All I know is that I enjoyed visiting, though I couldn't imagine being permanently living there.

Water Street Cafe, Stonington Borough
Our first pit stop, after shopping, was at the Water Street Cafe. The plan was to shop a little and then drive to Kitchen Little but we ended up shopping a lot and hand to find an alternative since KL closed at 1. Water Street was a delicious find. The decor was a little kitschy.

I had the miso halibut lo mean, which was chock full of ginger goodness.

Matt had the steak with a very garlicky sauce. He liked it. Me not so much. But the fries were perfectly crisp goodness.

After lunch we walked around a bit. It was a rainy day but the sun broke out while we were eating lunch. Very cute, TINY town. I took pics with the Holga and crossing my fingers they came out. Will post those pics if there are any.

We checked in at the Villa in Westerly. After an extensive search for a property in the area with a hot top, with the help of Ask Sunday, I chose the Villa. All the work and didn't even turn the water on in the tub. Oh well, next time.

We had dinner that night at the Up River Cafe, which is raved on and on about in various sites. It was just eh. The service was painfully slow and the food was not as inventive or as memorable as everyone claimed it would be. Cute interiors though.

Had the pork tenderloin dish and it looked pretty much the same as when it came (below) after I was done with it. When do I ever leave food on the plate? Not a good sign.

I put the pics for the breakfast at the Villa in tripadvisor too. It must be noted that since it was an eggs-travagant breakfast, I only ate the granola. Matt had nooooo problem eating everything else.

We were nearby Foxwoods so of course we got our gambling on. I was up $500, but then Matt was down about as much. Oh well. On the way home, we stopped in Mystic, CT. We planned to visit the Aquarium but were scared away by the $18 entrance fee. So we walked around Old Town Mystic instead. Saw the bridge. Went window shopping. And had lunch at the Daniel Packard Inn. It was very cute...again felt very New England. I should really make sure if I have a good grasp of what feeling New England really means. Maybe
our next trip will be more up north and I can compare and contrast.

Lola RIP

Lola died on Friday, the 25th. This video was taken on the 6th. Look at her amazing smile.

A Sad Sad Day

I said goodbye to Lola today. She was so weak and fragile. Her hair had fallen out but she still had that pretty face. It's so weird saying goodbye to someone knowing that you'll never see her again.

Lola used to tell me the story of the little red hen and even when she was in the hospital she was able to say it. I remember asking her that story at home and she didn't remember it, but at the hospital she knew the intro word for word. This story is really so her... I'm going to miss her.

One day as the Little Red Hen was scratching in a field, she found a grain of rice.

"This wheat should be planted," she said. "Who will plant this grain of rice?"

"Not I," said the Duck.

"Not I," said the Cat.

"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

Soon the wheat grew to be tall and yellow.

"The wheat is ripe," said the Little Red Hen. "Who will cut the rice?"

"Not I," said the Duck.

"Not I," said the Cat.

"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

When the wheat was cut, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will thresh the rice?"

"Not I," said the Duck.

"Not I," said the Cat.

"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

When the wheat was threshed, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will take this rice to the mill?"

"Not I," said the Duck.

"Not I," said the Cat.

"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

She took the wheat to the mill and had it ground into flour. Then she said, "Who will make this flour into bread?"

"Not I," said the Duck.

"Not I," said the Cat.

"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.

She made and baked the bread. Then she said, "Who will eat this bread?"

"Oh! I will," said the Duck.

"And I will," said the Cat.

"And I will," said the Dog.

"No, No!" said the Little Red Hen. "I will do that." And she did.

Lunch at Totally Baked with Alli

The chips were perfectly crispy and utterly bland.

The picture really doesn't do that potato justice. Its piled with steak, onions and cheese sauce...but kind of looks like a pile of you know what. Alli said it tasted better than it looked but needed salt, which was nowhere to be found.

Reviewed this on yelp. Wasn't the impressed but always do enjoy lunch with alli.

Moules, moules and more moules at Waterzooi

Moules were surprisingly delish. The prices were a bit high but the portions size matched. Had the fois presentation which was served with a shrimp wrapped in bacon. Would have snapped a pic but it disappeared too fast. http://www.waterzooi.com/

Other pluses about Waterzooi....

1. Made the reservation through opentable and mentioned the egg allergies and they came with a list of what not to eat. Nice.

2. The selection of beer is massive. Pages and pages worth. If they had tasters or beer flights it would have been event better. Had the Leffe Blonde because that's what I had that last time I was in Belgium.

3. The location. Nice to not have to take the train. Tom Tom was very handy - because even after two years of living in Nassau County we still don't know how to get around.

Now the minuses...

1. Loud. Matt has listening problems when crickets are too loud so having a conversation in there was near impossible. Good thing the food was so hands on.

2. They have an expansive dessert menu. For most people, this would be in the plus column. Alas I am not like most people.

3. I ordered the "Blue Moon" moules. "Belgian style white beer and country bacon," according to the menu. I assumed this would lend to a nice blend of savory and sweet, and they did. One problem, the base was cream. When I finally did see the "soup" I noticed it was a creamy white. Hmmm...I've drank Blue Moon before. It sure wasn't this color. Oh well. The upside - Matt took me out to TCBY after since I already was due for an allergy attack. And when I got home I became extremely tired and proceeded to pass out for 3 hours.

Look at how huge those mussels are. Matt doesn't look that excited about it but boy were they delish.

My left overs from dinner...I tried my best to get through it and I thought I made a dent. Good thing mom was home to clean up.

Christines B-Day

Almost a week later...

Lola is still spunky.

A Visit with Lola

Lola looking much happier.

This was the 2nd attempt at the photo. She just wasn't smiling as big with me. She must like Matt more. He does photocopy her GSIS checks for her.

The Doctor is in the house

And playing call of duty of course.

Batch #5

Fifth attempt at egg free cupcake goodness. Used Betty Crocker Super Moist Devils Food as the base this time. Yes it has nonfat milk in it but it is the last ingredient on the list. Way after the dicalcium phosphate and monoglycerides.

Verdict: 4 stars. Took a star off cause the shell is a little crispy. Must be too much sugar in the mix.