Anyways, while lately I feel like I’ve been living anything but a charmed life, I stumbled across a link to matchbook magazine, (http://matchbookmag.com/) a crazy cool “monthly digital lifestyle publication” which is a fancy title for online magazine. The magazine says they seek “to inspire women around the globe to design a life they adore”. I love the concept and love the magazine. One of my favorite articles “10 Things You Never Knew About Princess Margaret” … I also loved the piece they did on Peru, so on my “to do” list!

Plus ……… it’s a free publication!

Check out the magazine … what inspires you?

~bobocela

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• Currently no sales for curio1902

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I’ve gone back to my modified Atkins diet, it’s the only thing that works. For those who love to lecture for the sake of lecturing (I know many), I don’t load up on tons of fatty foods without carbs. Instead I do meats, low sugar veggies and such. I learned my lesson. I first did straight Atkins when there was nothing with sugar alcohols on the market and the only choice was to do straight Atkins. The summer before I went to college, I did it and I looked FABULOUS. However, everything in life comes with a cost, that was the summer I had to have my gallbladder taken out, or rather in the fall my freshman year. Maybe it wasn’t related to the Atkins, apparently there is some sort of bad gallbladder gene in me (yes, true), but I don’t need to risk anything for the sake of dieting. My new favorite find … almond milk! I absolutely love it, it’s low-carb and good for you too! I also crave the the cilantro, cumin (or some other random spice), pepper tofu at whole foods (don’t knock it before you try it). And the best low-carb bars out there are the chocolate chip oatmeal fiber granola bars from the Atkins line.

I also make this incredible sandwich with a low-carb pita, onion & chive cream cheese, smoked turkey and a spring herb mix, yummy!

What are some of your diet secrets?

Also, for my fellow Grey’s fans, my favorite quote from this weeks episode:

“Biology says that we are who we are from birth. That our DNA is set in stone. Unchangeable. Our DNA doesn’t account for all of us though, we’re human. Life changes us. We develop new traits. Become less territorial. We start competing. We learn from our mistakes. We face our greatest fears. For better or worse, we find ways to become more than our biology. The risk of course is that we can change too much to the point where we don’t recognize ourselves. Finding our way back can be difficult. There’s no compass, no map. We just have to close our eyes, take a step, and hope to God we get there.”

I hope and pray everyday! oooh, that rhymes

~bobocela

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So, all these years I have been paying megabucks to watch television.  I couldn’t imagine life without my DVR … how else could I watch Grey’s Anatomy and The Office at the same time?  Now that I’ve moved cable TV is included in the rent.  However, I still haven’t figured out how to make use of this deal, I plugged the TV into the cable jack and only get a few of the channels I should be getting.

Enter, the future of television! Not really television at all! Since I’ve stopped shelling out tons of money to the cable company each month I have discovered Netflix and Hulu.

Netflix is awesome … I have it streaming through my wii and I can get tons of television shows, movies, documentaries, etc. anytime I want. Yes, I do pay $9.71 to Netflix every month, but this is nothing compared to the $100 plus I was paying out to DISH each month. I still will never understand some Netflix movies and TV shows you can get streaming and others you have to order through the mail, makes no sense.

Now, Netflix doesn’t have access for users to watch any new television shows. Enter Hulu. This awesome little website allows me to watch any show I’d like the day after airing. Some might say they have to watch their new show as soon as it comes on, but I do have a life doing all the wonderful things I do. I was letting my DVR do the work before, but now I have Hulu.

What more could a girl ask for? What are some of the little known places you get your TV fix from?

~bobocela

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Well, most of the time anyway! bobocela is a sucker for “old” things, things just aren’t made like they used to be. Geez, I sound like I’m 100 instead of 30, LOL. It is so true though. I’ve always loved older things, but my real passion started a number of years ago when I walked into Target to buy a Scrabble game, I LOVE Scrabble. When I got the game home, I opened the box and all I could think was “what the heck is this junk?????” It was horrible, a cheesy piece of flimsy board with crummy plastic letters and a paper score pad … a PAPER SCORE PAD. Thus began my search for a Scrabble game made in the 1970′s, deluxe version, nice box, and little plastic pieces you stick metal pegs in to keep score (pegs are the only way to keep score … paper, scoff). I found it on eBay and have been unstoppable ever since. My treasures include the 1970′s Scrabble Deluxe game, a 1980 Trivial Pursuit game still in the original plastic wrap, a 1940′s glass baster in the original perfectly kept box, a 1940′s medicine ice bag used once and again still in the original perfect box, a 1970′s hardly used hand mixer, the list goes on and on and on.

Throughout my years of collecting “old stuff” it has come to my attention very few people know the difference between an antique and not … they throw terms out there, antique, vintage, classic, collectible, retro, estate. The madness has got to come to an end, so we will clarify here. Keep in mind we will go very basic here people, there are too many different things out there that have different classifications. That said, I’m always up for a fab discussion so let me know if you want more or have questions. We will learn together!

Antiques: An antique is an item equal to or greater than 100 years in age. The reason being … the U.S. Customs Office enacted the Tariff Act of 1930 which states 100 years plus defines an antique. Why did they choose this time period, you ask? Well, back in 1830 we began mass producing items and the difference between 1930 and 1830 is 100 years! Makes sense. Now, the biggest argument I get when I tell men this (they always love to TRY and prove me wrong) is when they refer to an antique car show and this amazing 1950′s car considered to be an antique. Well, it is, I told you this can get confusing. See, there are different rules for different items and cars have a 50 year rule for being an antique. Think about it, rules are based on production types.

Vintage: Technically, the term vintage applies to wine, specifically wines made from grapes that were all (or almost all) grown and harvested in the same year. So the wine snobs can say “This 1999 vintage Cabernet is the best I have ever tasted.” However, as in the case of all hijacked terms, we can apply the term “vintage” to the wonderful world of shopping. The most common age of “vintage items” is 25 years or greater up to 99 years, remember, at 100 years it becomes an antique. Again, you will find many who argue with this.

One other thing we must remember, and this is where the shopping term “vintage” or “antique” ties back to our wine definition, a vintage or antique item is one of very high quality/craftsmanship/etc. almost a treasure.  Can you just imagine, 100 years from now, having to call a cheap product from Walmart “antique”?  LOL

And this concludes our lesson for today. As I stated above there are many more misused terms out there when referring to old things, but these two are the most important. Really, any item not falling into one of the two categories is either on it’s way to becoming vintage/antique or is just plain JUNK. If it matters to you and you like it, who cares what it’s called, right?

oooh … I’m 30 years old, I must fall into the “vintage” category … and don’t anyone dispute that!!

What are some of your fab finds? Also, let me know if you want to discuss any more related terms and, as always, please share some of your own thoughts/experiences in the comments section below.

~bobocela

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For my “welcome back” post I’m going to post my favorite quote from the first episode of the seventh season of Grey’s. It’s all about change, I absolutely LOVE the piece, sans the part where Meredith pronounces “literally” exactly like Rachel Zoe. Let me know what you think.

When we say things like “people don’t change” it drives scientists crazy.
Because change is literally the only constant in all of science.
Energy. Matter. It’s always changing. Morphing. Merging. Growing. Dying.
It’s the way people try not to change that’s unnatural.
The way we cling to what things were instead of letting them be what they are.
The way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones.
The way we insist on believing, despite every scientific indication, that anything in this lifetime is permanent.
Change is constant. How we experience change, that’s up to us.
It can feel like death, or it can feel like a second chance at life.
If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline.
Like at any moment, we can have another chance at life.
Like at any moment, we can be born all over again.

~bobocela

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bobocela tote bag

$29.20

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First I had to decide what I was going to put into the tart. I didn’t want anything too rich and creamy, chocolate sounded good just not in the summer time. So I decided upon berries, raspberries and blackberries … my only problem was what to put the berries with. So after much debate I decided to use lemon curd, absolutely awesome stuff. So I could have used store bought lemon curd, but no, I never make anything easy, I decided to make my own and I was so glad I did!

After deciding what I was going to make I had to go grab some necessary kitchen tools. The tart pan with removable bottom was first on my list and was almost impossible to find; Who would have thought??? If there were any around they were the wrong size, finally, when I was about to give up my search I found a 10″ tart pan at Marshalls (the LAST one), bigger than the required 9″, but close enough. I simply modified the tart shell recipe to get a little more dough and cover the extra inch. After finding the tart mold, the rest was easy, a pyrex bowl, pastry brush, citrus juicer, and an impulse buy of an expandable berry colander, I was good to go!

I was a little nervous about the tart shell at first, but just went for it and, guess what, it worked just like they said it would!! I was so absolutely proud of myself. I did it pretty much by the recipe, adding just a bit more to cover the extra inch in the pan.

After the tart shell, I had to make the lemon curd filling, I had so eyed the jars of lemon curd at the store, but I wasn’t about to cave, I was going to make this stuff. I had researched tons of recipes and pulled something together based on my research. Everyone was saying to use a double boiler to make it (so it wouldn’t burn), but the way I did it, you so didn’t have to. What I did was whisk together 3 whole eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of lemon juice. I poured it into a sauce pan, put it on medium-low heat and never stopped stirring it for about 10-15 minutes. After it had stiffened a bit I put the mixture through a handheld strainer into a bowl (to remove any lumps). I then quickly whisked 4 tbsp. of cubed unsalted butter into the mixture along with 1 tbsp. of freshly grated lemon zest. The lemon curd tasted AMAZING.

Next, after the tart shell and curd had cooled a bit, I heated a cup of some apricot preserves with 2 tbsp. of water to make a glaze. I suppose I could have used any type of preserves but so many people had used apricot for the glaze, I didn’t want to chance it on my first shot. When the glaze was ready I used a pastry brush to coat the entire tart shell. Coating the tart shell helped prevent anything leaking though, sorta sealed it in. I poured and spread the lemon curd into the glazed tart shell and then plunked my raspberries and blackberries on top of the curd in a random pattern kinda way. Then I took some more apricot glaze and, using my pastry brush, glazed the top of the tart.

Finished! I so wanted to eat it right away, but I refrigerated for the day and allowed it to set. I was so excited to get home and try some. Before I had my first piece, I whipped up a batch of fresh made whipped cream … no pun intended, LOL. I blended 1 cup of heavy whipped cream along with 1/2 cup of confectioners powdered sugar and a little bit of vanilla, there is so nothing better than fresh made whipped cream. I cut myself a slice of the tart, added a bit of whipped cream and enjoyed every bit of the fruits of my labor … again, no pun intended (ok, ok, maybe it was intentional).

What do you think?

~bobocela

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I had a fabulous Father’s Day post, but with everything going on, I never had time to post it. So, I’m posting it now. My father, is by far the most intelligent man I know and I’m not just saying that because he’s my father! Like many others he does things in a silent, manly kind of way. Many fathers do things we may or may not understand, but there is always some deeper meaning behind it, no explanation given either way. We trust them, but every now and then we forget they always have a meaning behind their actions.

With that said, I’d like to share one of the sweetest videos, it was sent to me by a dear friend and also a fabulous father himself. It says a lot and reminds us as “children” to accept and understand a father’s love with or without explanation. Let me know what you think … there are sub titles but turn up the sound to get the full effect.

Happy Father’s Day … Love you, Dad!

~bobocela

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… “Blues Brothers” with Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi premiers.
… Mrs. Shakuntala Devi mentally multiplies 2 13-digit #s in 28 seconds.
… Funkytown by Lipps, Inc. was the #1 song on the Billboard charts.

Interesting, huh? Probably not so much. What I think by far was the most interesting, 30 years ago today, a little girl was born … this “little girl” now goes by the pen name, nom de plume, and literary double, bobocela.

So yes, my dear readers, your little gemini/monkey, bobocela, turns 30 today. I’ve had this little voice in my head for the past two weeks repeating “you’re turning 30″ over and over again in a quite evil manner. My mother told me this voice will go away as soon as the big day arrives. She was right, however, the voice has now been replaced with an equally evil voice saying “you’re 30″ over and over again!

I’ve decided to begin this momentous day “bloggy style” … LOL. Actually, I don’t turn 30 for almost another 6 hours. Yes folks, bobocela, was born in the 6th month of the year at 6 minutes to 6. No, I promise that doesn’t say anything about me, although I’m sure you’ll find MANY people who beg to differ, let’s not go there.

Yesterday, I made the long trek from Texas to Connecticut and today I will travel from Connecticut to New Jersey to celebrate the big day 1980 disco style in no place other than Atlantic City! Decked out in vintage garb, me and my closest will dance the night away in a disco. Yes, I’m crazy like that.

Thoughts on turning 30, you ask? I don’t know … part of me thinks it is like the prom, you prepare and prepare for weeks on end, then you get there and in your head you’re thinking “this is it???”. My mother compares life to a play. From 1-9 you are learning how to act, 10-29 you’re in dress rehearsal, 30-49 all the world is a stage and you are on it, 50+ is the after party. I guess one might say I’m now on stage. It’s scary, we spend all this time learning and going through the moves and now I have to put it into action.

1 year ago today I thought I had my life completely figured out. Shortly thereafter, it all fell completely apart into what I thought was one HUGE mess. I can now reflect back and say, in the past year, I have learned more than I ever thought I would. All those “messes” brought about something beautiful. At 30 I can now start a new chapter in my life and honestly say, I’m a new person, the world might have other ideas, but I will start this new decade and face life in a totally new way.

Bring it on …

~bobocela

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