Family
Marriage
Philadelphia
Philippines
Visiting the Santa Catharina Cargo Ship.
On Tuesday we got to visit my Father in law here in Philadelphia. My Father in law is a ship captain and gets to travel the world. (He goes back home to the Philippines for around 6 months every year). The ship he is on right now is trading between Costa Rica, Columbia and Philadelphia.
So on Tuesday my husband and I drove down to Pier 82 at Coloumbus Blvd, on the Delaware River to meet up with my Father in law. (The last time I saw my Father in law was January 2010, and F.B. hasn't seen his Dad since he came to the USA in 2011).
The ship was docked until the next morning. They were unloading lots and lots of bananas, (that are probably in almost every supermarket in Philadelphia right now.) My Father in law gave us a tour of the ship and we got to visit for about 2 hours. I should have worn my sneakers, instead of flip flops though! Lot's of stairs in the ship!
So on Tuesday my husband and I drove down to Pier 82 at Coloumbus Blvd, on the Delaware River to meet up with my Father in law. (The last time I saw my Father in law was January 2010, and F.B. hasn't seen his Dad since he came to the USA in 2011).
The ship was docked until the next morning. They were unloading lots and lots of bananas, (that are probably in almost every supermarket in Philadelphia right now.) My Father in law gave us a tour of the ship and we got to visit for about 2 hours. I should have worn my sneakers, instead of flip flops though! Lot's of stairs in the ship!
We needed guest passes to tour the ship.
They were unloading bananas.
Map of the Delaware River
My husband pretending to "drive" the ship.
My Father in law showing us the ships radar.
All of us.
Up on the deck. You could see the sport stadiums, etc in the distance from up there.
Historic ship also down at Pier 82, that Philadelphia is trying to restore. The SS United States.
In my Father in laws office on the ship.
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the way home, stuck in traffic on I-95.
My husband got some Pringles from his Dad, from the ships private stash. Lol.
7/26/13
12:10:00 PM
No comments
Electronics
Laptop
I mentioned the other day how the keyboard went in my laptop. (I have a Dell Inspiron 1545- it's about 3 years old now). It started Friday evening with just N and M not working. I used a dry toothbrush to clean the keyboard lightly, I even popped the keys off to clean underneath the ones that weren't working. Nope, didn't fix my issue. By Sunday it had spread to H, J, Y, U, 6 and 7. Arrgh. I ordered a new keyboard on ebay for $15 and free shipping Friday evening and it arrived today! Talk about fast shipping! (Seller I bought from is: hiparts).
All I had to do was take the battery out, remove 4 screws, pop the front panel off, remove the old keyboard, then pop in the new ribbon and keyboard. Took less than 10 minutes. Whoo hoo for a working keyboard again!
Each computer company has service manuals available online. (You can also just Google your computers make & model plus the search term 'Service Manual'). The service manuals show you step by step with pictures how to repair anything in/on your laptop. I've replaced (In my own laptop, my husbands & cousin's), LCD screens, touch pads, hinges, casing, keyboards, RAM. Much much cheaper than taking it somewhere to be repaired.
Dell Inspiron 1545 Service Manual
Keyboard repaired! (Dell Inspiron 1545)
I mentioned the other day how the keyboard went in my laptop. (I have a Dell Inspiron 1545- it's about 3 years old now). It started Friday evening with just N and M not working. I used a dry toothbrush to clean the keyboard lightly, I even popped the keys off to clean underneath the ones that weren't working. Nope, didn't fix my issue. By Sunday it had spread to H, J, Y, U, 6 and 7. Arrgh. I ordered a new keyboard on ebay for $15 and free shipping Friday evening and it arrived today! Talk about fast shipping! (Seller I bought from is: hiparts).
All I had to do was take the battery out, remove 4 screws, pop the front panel off, remove the old keyboard, then pop in the new ribbon and keyboard. Took less than 10 minutes. Whoo hoo for a working keyboard again!
Each computer company has service manuals available online. (You can also just Google your computers make & model plus the search term 'Service Manual'). The service manuals show you step by step with pictures how to repair anything in/on your laptop. I've replaced (In my own laptop, my husbands & cousin's), LCD screens, touch pads, hinges, casing, keyboards, RAM. Much much cheaper than taking it somewhere to be repaired.
Dell Inspiron 1545 Service Manual
7/22/13
6:39:00 PM
Laptop
Layla
Nails
Essence & OPI Gradient
Feeling a bit under the weather today. Also... the keyboard in my laptop decided to go... so I am left without N, M, H, J, Y, U, 6 & 7... ordered a new keyboard. (They are not difficult to install. I have a Dell Inspiron 1545. It's about 3 years old now. I've done laptop repairs before). For the meantime, I have to either use my Kindle Fire HD 8.9", or the on-screen keyboard in Windows 7 (under accessibility) to fill in the missing letters when I use my laptop... not fun...
I decided to do a gradient with Essence Hello Marshmallow & OPI You're such a Budapest. I used Konad animal print stamp M57. My stamping wasn't the best, because I was feeling dizzy... I smeared them a little bit. The colors are pretty though!
Right before I stamped my nails. (And my awesome Lush Lemony Flutter cuticle butter!)
I decided to do a gradient with Essence Hello Marshmallow & OPI You're such a Budapest. I used Konad animal print stamp M57. My stamping wasn't the best, because I was feeling dizzy... I smeared them a little bit. The colors are pretty though!
This is the acetone nail polish remover I use. It's 99 cents from Shop-rite & works better/faster than any I've used before. I only use it once a week to remove my polish. I usually only change my polish every Friday. (Unless it chips really bad during the week).
Look what I found on drugstore.com! Herbal Essences brought back two of their old favorites. I used to use this rose shampoo and conditioner when I was a teenager. It still smells the same! I love it!
I also re-swatched Layla Hologram Ultra Violet. I love Layla Holo's!
7/21/13
1:00:00 PM
Cooking
Food
The most amazing pork chops...
I get a lot of hits on this post! Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, if you've tried this recipe!
These are the most amazing pork chops ever! I've made bone in pork chops using this recipe (my own) three times already... and they are out of this world. Every time we have them, I feel like I'm eating restaurant pork chops or something. They are that good! I wanted to share my simple recipe with everyone.
These are the most amazing pork chops ever! I've made bone in pork chops using this recipe (my own) three times already... and they are out of this world. Every time we have them, I feel like I'm eating restaurant pork chops or something. They are that good! I wanted to share my simple recipe with everyone.
- 4 Bone-in Pork Chops
- 1 Large Onion
- McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning
- Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce
- *Optional: 1 can of mushrooms (or a package of fresh sliced mushrooms).
Note: Don't try this with boneless, it tastes completely different. You need the dark meat bone-in chops.
1. Coat each side of the pork chops with brown sugar, McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning and Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning. (I don't really measure, I just shake the seasonings on each side of the pork chop until coated). Line pork chops in a large casserole dish or pan.
1. Coat each side of the pork chops with brown sugar, McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning and Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning. (I don't really measure, I just shake the seasonings on each side of the pork chop until coated). Line pork chops in a large casserole dish or pan.
2. Slice a large onion, toss in a bowl with a little soy sauce. (Just to coat). Pour onions on top of the pork chops.
3. Cook on 400F for about 40-45 minutes.
I usually serve these along with some white rice. They are amazing! Enjoy!
There's some pork chops hiding under there. ;-)
7/13/13
6:42:00 PM
Layla
Nails
WinstoniaStore
Layla Coffee Love & Owl Nails!
I recently got another Layla Hologram polish I've been wanting. Coffee Love. (I still want Emerald Divine!) I don't usually buy brown nail polish but this one is too pretty. I own 7 of the Layla Hologram polishes. They are my favorite holographic polish brand. They dry incredibly fast. So even though you usually need 2-3 coats you will be amazed how fast each coat dries.
I did some owl themed nails with my Winstonia Store stamping plates. I used 3 different stamps from plates: W115, W110, W119. I used Konad Special polish in white to stamp. And I covered everything with Seche Vite topcoat.
If you haven't already. Check out my Complete Nail Polish Collection!
No Top Coat here. Just 3 coats of Layla Coffee Love
I did some owl themed nails with my Winstonia Store stamping plates. I used 3 different stamps from plates: W115, W110, W119. I used Konad Special polish in white to stamp. And I covered everything with Seche Vite topcoat.
I also got a mini gold Konad Special polish... but it's super sheer. Blah... what is a good gold polish to stamp with? Does anyone know?
If you haven't already. Check out my Complete Nail Polish Collection!
7/13/13
6:23:00 PM
LAGirl
Nails
Revlon
WinstoniaStore
Zoya
Peacock Nails
I call these my peacock nails. I used Zoya Aurora, LA Girl 3D Effects: Teal Dimension, Revlon Celestial FX (for the diamonds which I applied with a toothpick), Konad White stamping polish and Winstonia Store plate W108 for the feathers & peacock. I used Seche Vite top coat when I was finished.
(Click on image to make larger)
7/7/13
2:15:00 PM
Pets
Rainbow Bridge
Rats
Sweet Pea: Dec 2011- Jul 2013
Sweet Pea came down with a bad respiratory infection a few day ago... she was on antibiotics but by Saturday was having a hard time breathing. She was making awful wheezing sounds, struggling to breathe. We had her in a towel and I was petting her to comfort her and calm her down. She ended up messing herself really bad in the towel, (side effect of the antibiotics) and I wanted to rinse her off a little to clean her up. She passed away while I was rinsing her off in the sink....
Back in March, Sweet Pea had a really bad inner ear infection. She was left with a permanent left tilt to her head afterwards. But she still had a lot of energy and was still running to hoard food or treats even with her tilt. ♥
My husband picked Buttercup & Sweet Pea out back in December 2011. Sweet Pea was really shy at first and it took her a really long time to finally show her personality. She could be very mischievous sometimes, sneaking up beside one of her sisters and then nipping one of her sisters on the ears or face & running away. ♥
Sweet Pea had really interesting coloring. She was a beige hooded rat, but her beige color was so light it was almost gray, and with the camera flash she would sometimes just look all white. ♥
Back in March, Sweet Pea had a really bad inner ear infection. She was left with a permanent left tilt to her head afterwards. But she still had a lot of energy and was still running to hoard food or treats even with her tilt. ♥
My husband picked Buttercup & Sweet Pea out back in December 2011. Sweet Pea was really shy at first and it took her a really long time to finally show her personality. She could be very mischievous sometimes, sneaking up beside one of her sisters and then nipping one of her sisters on the ears or face & running away. ♥
Sweet Pea had really interesting coloring. She was a beige hooded rat, but her beige color was so light it was almost gray, and with the camera flash she would sometimes just look all white. ♥
Sweet Pea yesterday a few hours before she passed away...
7/7/13
2:04:00 PM
Holidays
Nails
Philadelphia
Revlon
WinstoniaStore
Zoya
Happy 4th of July!!!
Here are my festive 4th of July nails! With Zoya Liberty & Blaze. Konad special stamping polish in white & Winstonia Store stamping plate W107. And Revlon Celestial FX stars!
(You can click to enlarge the photo).
I did a clear coat of Seche Vite over Zoya Liberty so I would have a more even surface for stamping. And I used a toothpick to place the little stars from Revlon Celestial FX once I fished them out of the bottle. Then a few more coats of Seche Vite covered everything. I'm really happy how this turned out, I don't usually do "Nail Art". :-)
I did a clear coat of Seche Vite over Zoya Liberty so I would have a more even surface for stamping. And I used a toothpick to place the little stars from Revlon Celestial FX once I fished them out of the bottle. Then a few more coats of Seche Vite covered everything. I'm really happy how this turned out, I don't usually do "Nail Art". :-)
(Left to Right: Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, 1st Congress and the Betsy Ross House, from our 2011 trip)
7/4/13
2:19:00 PM