Archive for July, 2009

Favorite Etsy Items

July 31st, 2009 by Manda | 6 Comments | Filed in Online

I love surfing on Etsy. There are some amazingly talented artists there, and there is so much great, fantastic stuff that you simply can’t find anywhere else. Here are some Etsy items I’ve marked as my personal favorites:


Custom Map Necklace Blooming Stripe Bag Koto Blue Slouch Bag Yellow Orange Paper Fan EarringsHand Stamped Heart Necklace

I have purchased the hand stamped heart necklace and wear it daily; I think it’s absolutely beautiful and I love the interpretation of treasures and hearts. I’m also toying with the idea of buying the custom map necklace. I love the idea behind it! If I do get one, I’m going to request Hong Kong as the city for my custom map.

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The Best Mac and Cheese Ever

July 30th, 2009 by Manda | 11 Comments | Filed in Food

The Best Mac and Cheese Ever

I’m a huge fan of mac and cheese. The cheesier, the better, in my opinion! But obviously just cheese and pasta is not the healthiest meal, so whenever I make mac and cheese, I use a tomato mac and cheese recipe. It’s chock full of yummy, tasty things, not just cheese: ripened tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, cream, red wine vinegar, garlic, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and of course, macaroni. It’s so delicious; I’m not sure I’ll ever enjoy “regular” mac and cheese without the bells and whistles that this recipe has!

Just thinking about it (as well as looking as the photo above, mmm) is making me hungry. I made some last night, and without a doubt, this is not only the best mac and cheese recipe ever, but it was also the best I’ve ever made it. Success!

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Quelqu’un M’a Dit

July 28th, 2009 by Manda | 6 Comments | Filed in Entertainment

I remember the media (or the US media, at least) had a field day when it was announced that Nicholas Sarkozy’s new wife, Carla Bruni, was an ex-fashion model. Prior to Bruni’s marriage to Sarkozy I had never heard of her, but after she became First Lady of France I heard a few things about her here and there, mainly about the media scrutinizing her wardrobe when on diplomatic visits with Sarkozy or other useless, trivial news1. I also heard bits and pieces of career as an ex-model when nude photos of her surfaced, but not once did I hear a peep about her singing career. So when I discovered that she has not one, but two recorded albums released (one in French and the other in English) and that they are really good I was incredibly surprised!

Without a doubt, her song Quelqu’un M’a Dit, which translates to “someone told me,” is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs, and the other songs on her French-language album (also titled “Quelqu’un M’a Dit”) are also superb. I’ve always wanted to add more French music to my iTunes, and Bruni’s songs are a great find. I just wish I had known about her music career sooner. If the media hadn’t been so focused on her ex-modeling days and her marriage to Sarkozy and talked a little bit about her music then I wouldn’t be so late on discovering the magic of Bruni’s songs like Quelqu’un M’a Dit!

I wonder, though, that if I had known Bruni had a music career in addition to being an ex-model and the wife of the President of France, would I have given her songs a try? Probably not. I stumbled across Quelqu’un M’a Dit on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack and hadn’t known who sung it the first time I listened to it. When I realized it was sung by Bruni, though, I was shocked for two reasons: I hadn’t known she was a singer, but I also didn’t realize she had actual singing talent (unlike the majority of singers out there these days)!

  1. Yes, it is important to know that Sarkozy was on a diplomatic mission with so-and-so country. Is it important to know what designer his wife chose to wear for the rendezvous? No. []

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