Bingley.

Just look at that smug son of a bitch. Full of self-entitlement and Kirkland brand cat food. He's 10lbs now. I found that out after spending about $120 on him at the vet after he decided to get into a tussle with something obviously much, much larger than he, all because he is a jerk who caterwauls in the middle of the night until you let him out. Regardless of the dangers lurking in a midnight desert neighborhood. So they weighed him at the vet, and he's 10lbs. I don't know why this pisses me off, unless it's just further proof that all I do is feed this fucker despite the way he treats the family (Patton excluded).

Anyways, despite that warm and fuzzy intro paragraph, I've actually grown fond of him. I'll never love him the way I loved Kittums because Kittums was like my familiar, and would sleep belly to belly with me. If I ever did that with Bingley I'd wake up with no face. But I have affectionate feelings for him now. It only took a year!

He's definitely mellowed out now, though and that has a major impact on our day to day interactions. Thank God we chopped his balls off, is all I have to say. Now he lets me pet him which is just such a bizarre thing. I almost forgot that the purpose of even owning a cat is to share a little love instead of possible inter-species tranmissible diseases through blood contact.

And I have to say that perhaps my re-thinking how I behave during our interactions has had a positive effect. See, about six or seven months ago if I tried to pet him he'd immediately sink his claws and teeth into me. He wouldn't let go so I'd have to pry him off and throw him to the ground, trying desperately not to cry like a baby. We tried spraying him with water, everything. Eventually we just made up a rhyme to remind Alex that he sucks ("orange and white, loves to bite") and then stopped touching him altogether.

Hey, maybe THAT is the reason he purrs now when we scratch his ears and massage the back of his neck (any other area appears to be strictly off limits), and lets us pick him up. Maybe a few months of laissez faire made him realize that a little human love isn't such a bad thing. There's been times that I have walked into a room and he will lift his head and look at me with kindness. He will actually semi seek out some loves from me. And then I'm turned into a teenage girl whose crush glanced at her in the hallway so I run off to tell Todd that the cat let me pet him and didn't try to bite me. Yes. It's that rare.

He's still a pain in the ass. Do you know, if one of us sleeps in, the fucking cat will actually come into the BEDROOM to caterwaul that he wants back out after his breakfast. He will walk past Todd or me, awake and sipping a caffinated beverage, to go into the BEDROOM TO WAIL. I mean, if that is not the very definition of sadistic shit, I do not know what is.

And he still bites. I seem to have tamed the beast a little more than Todd. Instead of dropping him to the floor after getting bitten, I lightly blow a little air in his face, which is just such an affront to his sensibilities he stops immediately to stare at me as if I just served him cold french fried or paired steak with warm white wine. Then I set him down on the sofa or something. But yeah, he still bites. He bites Todd when he picks him up. He bites Alex on the forehead when she tries to hug him (me: Alex, remember about Bingley? Alex, forlornly: "orange an' white, love a bite"). The only one who receives his unadulterated and unconditional love is Patton. Which really, why?

In conclusion, he's a bastard, but he's our bastard. And I think I've literally written that sentence in another Bingley post. He's funny, he's weird, he's a jerk, but I just described everyone on the internet ever, so I guess he's normal. Plus, I know he'll stick around longer than any other cat we've ever owned, any other cat on the goddamn planet, so I might as well just resolve myself to loving him. He just may end up choosing my nursing home.

Pan-seared Chicken with Olive Relish & Warm Lentil Salad

Well that was a goddamn mouthful, and it was only the name of the recipe. Although if you REALLY want a mouthful, just try this awesome dish. There's a lot going on flavor-wise, and though the portion is smaller than American standards, thanks to the lentils it fills you up without filling you out. Did I just say that? I DID.

Pan-seared Chicken with Olive Relish & Warm Lentil Salad
serves 2
1/2 cup lentils
1/3 cup mixture of chopped kalamata and green olives
1/2 cup chopped celery, divided
3.5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped red onion
3 tsp fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 oz feta or goat cheese crumbles
8oz chicken breast

Place the lentils in 2 cups water and bring to a boil. After that, lower the heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 - 30 minutes.

Combine the following for the relish: olives, half the celery, 1 tbsp lemon juice, half the thyme, 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

For the stuff that's going into the lentils, combine the remaining celery, lemon juice, thyme and olive oil, the red onion and parsley.

 I like to add the goat cheese to the lentils once they're done, like so:

Mix that up!

Now we cover that with the lid and get to work on our chicken. Remember, it's warm lentil salad, not piping hot lentil salad. Which makes this recipe ideal for summer or, if you're in Tucson, an 80 degree day in goddamn NOVEMBER.

Ahem. Anyways, the chicken! I used 5 tenderloins, two for me and three for Todd.

After several minutes in a hot skillet and olive oil, out they come!

Cut up your chicken any old way you like, and it's time to plate up. I like using my shallow bowls for this dish. Put the lentil salad in, then the chicken, and top with the olives. Presto!

Deeelicious!

The Bug Queen!

Two Christmasses ago, I got Alexandra these B. Bugs that connect together. She was about six months or so at that time so they were basically baby chew toys for awhile and then she got bored, and I tossed them in her toy trunk and there they stayed for the longest time. I don't think she was crawling then so she wasn't really exploring stuff in that way, either. I can't remember.

Wow. Parent of the year! I have a video that Todd took of her first crawl, but I forget the time stamp on it. Thank God for technology! Thank God for blogs! I never have to print another photo of her, I'll just pull up my blog and scroll through the Oh Baby tag. I guess I should probably go print some pictures. Grandparents everywhere just took a collective gasp of shock and outrage. "I want photos in my hand!"

Anyways, for some reason, these bugs have come back into her favor. She's strong enough and possessive of enough finesse to actually get the little knobs into the holes in order to make a bug chain, and then the other day, after I had done it once for her (I posted that picture), she figured out how to make herself a crown. Enter, the Bug Queen.

Let's not forget that her very first nickname as a tiny little glow worm newborn was Bug.

Which morphed into Buglette. Which is really rather cute.

And then because the inevitability of evolution, another nickname that has cropped up is Bug Butt.

Don't you side-eye ME, young lady! You're the one who tantrums when I open the door before you can!

Turkey, Spinach and Artichoke Heart Calzones.

Whaaaat, two food posts in a row, that hasn't happened in like a year. Not that my super short and lame Roasted Veggies post was a stellar thing of creativity and gastronomic genius, but it did taste good.

Anyways, last night's meal was specifically planned to occur the day after Second Thanksgiving, which makes us sound like hobbits. See, we forgot to steal a bunch of leftovers from Thanksgiving at my mom's, and Todd and I were craving those flavors, so Friday afternoon I got a turkey, some stuffing and potatoes.

I called/texted Kendra and Amery and before I knew it, I had roasted my first turkey (delicious, might I add), mashed up some potatoes, cooked up some delicious stuffing and had family and friends around my table by 7pm. Kendra brought an amazing fresh spin on green bean casserole (um, stand aside, cream of mushroom soup, here comes creme fraiche).

Needless to say, I knew I'd have some leftovers, so I checked my little recipe box and found the extremely tasty, extremely easy concoction you are fixing to read about. If you've got turkey leftovers, I strongly suggest this recipe. It's a fresh twist on turkey leftovers. Originally it called for a rotisserie chicken, so if you already hoovered all your turkey, use that.

Turkey, Spinach and Artichoke Heart Calzones
serves 4 - 6

3 cups turkey, chopped into bite size pieces
2 packed cups fresh baby spinach, torn up
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup crumbled feta
1.4 cup fresh basil, torn up
1 (1lb) ball ready made pizza dough - $2.50 at Trader Joe's!
2 tbsp olive oil


Look how fun and kinda badass the whole operation looks!

Ok. Put rack in upper middle position in the oven and set to 450. Put turkey, spinach, artichoke hearts, cheeses and basil in a bowl and stir to combine.

Take your pizza dough and divide it into two. Roll out into 9" rounds one at a time. This will take some time and some elbow grease with a rolling pin, but in a few minutes, it will stretch out without returning to a ball shape, I promise.

Place half of the filling onto half of the dough round, leaving about an inch of dough on the outer edges. Brush water on the edges of the dough and seal it up, using a fork to crimp the edges shut. Hey, is that a kid's book on the floor there?

And I just want everyone to know I had flour on my hands when I started taking pictures, so sue me if they came out a tad blurry. Anyways, once you've done your second calzone, brush one tablespoon of olive oil on a rimmed cookie sheet. Then, brush the tops of your calzones with the second tablespoon of olive oil, cut two one inch slits on top of each calzone and pop in the oven.

The best part of this relatively easy dinner is that it only takes twenty minutes in the oven for this magic to happen.

Boom! Enjoy with red wine and the knowledge that you are indeed a total fucking badass.

Roasted Veggies.

Look at those gorgeous things.

Roasted Veggies
2 - 4 side servings

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced small
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into thick chunks
1/2 green bell pepper, diced thick
8oz small white mushrooms
1 parsnip, peeled and diced small
1 handful baby carrots, diced
1 small handful sun-dried tomatoes
5-6 cloves garlic, halved
olive oil
salt and pepper
pinch red pepper flakes

Set oven to 375 and pop this dish in for about 30 minutes. YUM

Wednesday Workout!

 I've avoided plyometric workouts due to the old knee issue but I dipped my little toesies into that fitness pond yesterday and am happily pain free today. Another good thing about this workout is that it can be done in your living room.

I might have posted this one already but if so I don't care.

Wednesday Workout

4 sun salutations
30 jumping jacks
20 push ups (I do mine on an exercise ball)e
100 ab moves: 30 crunches on the ball, 30 bicycles, 20 crunches on the floor, 10 metronomes, 10 foldouts
20 push ups
10 burpees
40 second plank
50 squats
40 second plank
10 burpees
30 leg lifts
20 push ups
40 second plank
10 burpees

Woo hoo!

Well, it's about time.

I always find it amusing when something dawns on me all of a sudden. One day, for whatever reason, clarity slaps you upside the head and you go "Oh my God, I never said thank you!" or "Oh my God, Alex's crib rungs are all dusty!" or "Oh my God, that is my ALARM going off!"

The sort of thing I'm talking about falls more into the dusty rungs category, but at least in that I'm not alone. Todd had the blinders clapped onto his face too. See, we live in a charming little house that needs a lot of little things done, but we sort of closed ourselves off to them because it was orignally purchased to be a rental. See, with rental properties you tend to want to keep everything a little more bare bones because the more money you put into fancying up a rental, the greater the likelihood of the renters absolutely trashing it. I speak from experience.

But when Alex was born, I wanted to work part time and in order to do that we had to downsize, somewhat drastically (good bye three bedroom, 2.5 bath, hello two bedroom, 1 bath), in order to keep things budget friendly. Hello, new house. And like I said, if you're going to spend a ton of money fixing a place up, you more than likely would want to spend it in a house you intend to live in for a goodly amount of time.

But there were things that needed immediate attention. The backyard, for example, used to be a literal dust bowl. Add a dog that loves to run around, and that means the house turned into a dust bowl. We have repainted all the rooms finally, we got the kitchen sink re-painted, and Todd patched the gaping hole in the hallway where there once lived a light fixture, upon which poor Todd would whack his forehead several times throughout the course of the day. You can imagine the ferocious victory with which he wrenched that sucker (I myself did something similar to a towel bar in the shower after hitting my hip against it all the time). Todd also recently scraped away all the junk that was hanging out in the caulk around the tub and repainted it. He also used a razor and scraped all the soap scum off the tile. By the way, that is the only way to take care of that problem.

When Todd went hunting, I repainted the front walkway and porch slab and my GOD it was such a face lift for the house. Before it was a faded red, painted over with a chipped and faded sage green. It looked horrible. But it was one of those things that we never thought about. The front yard is basically a hot mess anyway, and since the front door area gets constant sun beating on it, it's like a convection oven. Not pleasant. Best to just block it out of your mind.

But I'm delighted to report that it totally got Todd fired up to fix up other things. He's painting the back patio today, for example, and this holiday weekend we'll be painting the exterior of the house, if everything goes as planned. And that's very exciting stuff! If you can believe it, we opted for all that manual labor instead of a family camping trip. So, yeah, we're putting time and money into the old girl, but I figure there are some things that are just worth it, and Todd and I are two of them. It's worth it to get rid of the eyesores, to live in a decent place, and leave it for a future tenant. If they fuck it up, fine, because I won't be living there anymore.

iFinally got an iPhone 5

Can you tell? Notice any... startling differences in this photo and, say, this one?

Yeah, me neither.

Anyways, I am officially in love with this phone. I can't compare it to other smart phones, as this is the first I've ever owned, but I can tell you that I love it and I never never ever never want to be without it. Already this weekend I've used it in somewhat crucial ways. 

Yesterday, on our way to a birthday party, I was able to go through my old emails, find the electronic invitation, open it up, find the address and then Google map it to get directions, all while in the car, less than five minutes away from the destination.

Later that afternoon, after thinking I'd dropped a stitch (Kendra recently taught me how to knit), I was able to text an extremely vivid and close up photo of the knitting to Kendra, who in turn texted me a link to http://knittinghelp.com and then reassured me that I hadn't dropped a stitch at all, I had just neglected to finish off my purl row and only needed to turn it around, complete the purl and boom, done. Crisis averted.

And those two instances don't even include all the fucking fun I've had on the phone. I downloaded a free Draw app so Alexandra can play with it, I got Siri to call me Pups, I started three Draw Something games and Todd and I kicked some small ass with Angry Birds last night.

And did I mention the photography skills?! This blog is moving on up in the world, man.

Truth!

Hitler hated to eat, right?

My Favorite Tumblrs.

For the longest time, Tumblr was as mysterious as Pinterest came to be for me. I was like, so it's like Live Journal? But it's mostly pictures? And gifs and stuff? I don't get it, I see plenty of gifs and pictures in the posts and comments on Oh No They Didn't. But eventually I found some really hysterical tumblrs and I figured I'd share them.


Suri's Burn Book

This is all fictional snarking from the point of view of adorable Suri Cruise, who uses the blog to bash the fashion choices and mishaps of fellow celebrity children. While it might seem cruel since it's a grown woman who writes the blog, imagining the ever-stylish Suri Cruise saying that baby Harper Beckham has "let herself go" is undoubtedly hilarious.

Robert Pattinson Says Stuff Sometimes

So, Robert Pattinson, that guy from Twilight. He's just as painfully aware of how the Twilight franchise is absolute utter bullshit and how insane/slightly disgusting Stephenie Meyer is for imagining c-sections-by-teeth, grown men falling in love with newborn babies, etc. And the best part is that I know this because of all the stuff he says without a care in the world for how it might piss other people off. For that brutal honesty to come out of a world of professional liars and self-serving silences, I applaud him.

Fuck Yes Once Upon A Time

Surely you must know why I frequent this site. It's all about my super favorite show (aside from Doc Martin) and is a great source of gorgeous gif collections, links to spoilers and articles, photos and interviews with the cast. They have humorous spins on the show, serious fan tributes, and everything inbetween. A must have for people who like immersing themselves in a favorite television show, and for people who know how fucking hot Captain Hook is.

Wednesday Workout!

WHAAAAAAAT this cannot be happening!

I had a great workout yesterday that I got from Shape.com and I loved it. It was only 30 minutes long, it got right down to business, and I'm sore today! Anyways, if you would like pictures for the workout, click the link below, otherwise, read on and go sweat!

Rowing Machine Workout


Row moderate pace: 5 minutes
Row fast as possible: 1 minute

20 squats, arms raised above your head. Go nice and slow to avoid reliance on momentum
Row fast as possible: 1 minute

15 push-ups
Row as fast as possible: 1 minute

Plank: 1 minute - keep those hips up!
Row as fast as possible: 1 minute

20 Split Squats (I have never heard them called split squats before, they're basically backwards lunges)
Row as fast as possible: 1 minute

15 Glute Bridges

Now, repeat the whole sequence, starting with the first minute of fast rowing!

I did round off the whole workout with 20 crunches on an elevated ab bench just to target that area a bit more. And I figure, if you don't have access to a rowing machine, a minute of jumping rope or jumping jacks would definitely work.

Enjoy!

Ginger Beef Soup w/Ramen Noodles

BOOM it's a food post. That hasn't happened in about four years.

I didn't take any pictures though. Considering how crappy the photos come out, I don't imagine a lot of you are crying about it though. I did, however, find a photo online from Cook's Country that was used on the recipe card. I hope I don't get arrested for posting it here.

Ginger Beef and Ramen Noodle Soup
serves 4

1 1lb flank steak
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
8 cups chicken broth
3 (2" long) strips of lime zest plus 1 tbsp lime juice reserved
1 2" long chunk of fresh ginger (I used 2 tsp of my Penzeys ginger chunks)
4 packs of ramen noodles, spice packets discarded
5 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped


Pat the flank steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high heat and when it's juuuust smoking, toss in your steak. Cook 6 - 8 minutes, flipping once, until done. Cook's wants you to wait til it's 125 degrees inside, but whatever bro, I live life on the wild side. Plus the hot soup will totally finish the cooking process for you.

Remove skillet from heat and the steak from the skillet. Let your meat rest for 5 minutes under tented foil, then cut in half and cut into thin strips against the grain. Meanwhile! Put the broth, lime zest and ginger in a Dutch oven and allow it to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.

Remove the ginger and zest (unless you're using ginger chunks like I did; they were a treat to bite into while devouring the soup) and add your noodles, lime juice and soy sauce to the broth. Cook about three minutes (God I have missed ramen) or until soft. Divide your broth and noodles evenly among the bowls and top with the steak and cilantro. Chomp and slurp your way to serenity and peace.

We had this last night and my goodness, it was so good. And easy! I wrote this post absolutely from memory because Cook's Country won't share recipes online unless you agree to a 14 day trial, credit card and all, to view their site. I wrote a bunch of bitterness but deleted it because this post is about FOOD and not RAGE.

<3

Review: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (aka AAAH I LOVE IT)

I am a crazed and rabid fan of Pride and Prejudice and though I did read P&P in school, it was really the TV mini series by A&E, starring the stunning Jennifer Ehle and the ravishing Colin Firth that got me hook, line and sinker. Yes, I had understood it in high school, and could even appreciate the witty dialogue and the parallels between Elizabeth's own pride and the pride of Darcy. But the magic, I will admit, was lost on me until watching the series. It helped me appreciate the story that much more, and prompted me to re-read Austen's book with far more affection and attention than I had done so when I was 15.

Another contemporary version, a movie starring Keira Knightley as Lizzie and Matthew Macfayden, was okay for me, although it does reign supreme for my bestie Kendra. I was too hooked on the loveliness of the A&E version to get really engrossed in the movie, although the scene where Darcy is walking purposely towards Elizabeth though the misty, dewy fields that separate them, all the while bathed in a misty, dewy English sunrise, absolutely swept me away. But on the whole, it didn't captivate, not in the way that Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle had done so all those years before.

Now, though, and in a completely different way, I've found something that is so entertaining, so charming and hilarious and witty and FUN: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. It's a web video series that retells Pride and Prejudice in an very modern way. Lizzie Bennet is a grad student studying mass communications, her sweet sister Jane is an underpaid minion in the fashion world, and the only other sister is the irreplacable Lydia, an oversexed community college student who wears a lot of Victoria's Secret Pink! casual wear (she once tried to give Lizzie a kiss on the mouth, and when stopped promptly by Lizzie, says "What, don't you want more viewers?"). There is no Kitty or Mary in the immediate family, though they do have a cousin Mary who, if memory serves me, has a cat named Kitty. At least someone has a cat named Kitty, who follows Lydia around wherever she goes. Clever!

Lizzie's best friend is no longer Charlotte Lucas but Charlotte Lu, the director and editor of Lizzie's vlog and an aspiring director. She's cool and collected, much like Charlotte Lucas, with a very logical mind and outlook on life. She's also hilarious and cool in a nerdy but not quite hipsterish way (thank God), and reels Lizzie in during her frequent rants and ravings over people like Darcy and Caroline.

Mr. Bingley is actually a med student named Bing Lee, a very handsome young man who is as sweet as the original Bingley, but with an extra dose of comic value that is a delight. His sister Caroline is a surprise; so far into the series (we're on episode 35 of 60) she hasn't shown the original Caroline's bitchiness and oozing approval for Darcy, though we can tell she's a snob. And we know she's a snake in the grass. She has to be! There's also Mr. Collins, an annoying old schoolmate of Lizzie and Charlotte's who, thanks to the financial backing of Catherine de Bourgh, has started his own web video business.

That brings me to Darcy. We've yet to see him but as of now we are in the midst of Lizzie's utter dislking of him, which is hilarious in its own way as she groans and pulls faces for her video diary, despite Jane's insistence that it isn't criticism Darcy is displaying, it's affection. But when we do see him, and I know for a fact we will, it's going to be so exciting. Especially considering how freaking hot Bing is. Darcy has to be comparable. RIGHT?

What I really appreciate about this web series is how well they mirror the troubles that plagued Austen's Bennet family, but in more modern times. All three Bennet sisters still live at home due to crippling student loans and, in Jane's case, a sadly underpaid but much adored job. The Bennets are facing the reality of losing their home in the bad economy, which somewhat explains Mrs. Bennet's mad dash to get her daughters married both quickly and richly. It all makes sense. And when she decides to remodel the house, in order to get her daughters invited to Bing Lee's house (Netherfield, natch), it is done under the guise of improving the value of the home in order to sell it and make more money to help the family stay afloat.

Look, I am basically retelling the whole damn web series up to episode 35, because that's how into it I am. The videos are 6 minutes or less, most of them hovering around 3:35 minutes long, so before you know it you've ripped through 20 of them and are out of wine. There's a tumblr, a twitter and a you tube channel all dedicated to the series, but the link I gave you up above will take you to the offical site, and you can get all the nitty gritty on that page.

"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love" this series.

Grade: A+++++

5 Things I'm Into Right Now.

1. OPI's I'm Not Really A Waitress



Arguably OPI's most hilarious and badass name for a color, I've always assumed it was more candy apple hooker red, and not this lovely, Christmassy shade. I am currently wearing it and I can tell it's going to be my holiday season color.

2. Doc Martin

Yes, another BBC show! This is easily my favorite new show and I look forward to Thursdays now more than I did even when I still watched Grey's Anatomy. Taking place in the absolute most gorgeous place EVER in the entire WORLD, a small village in Cornwall named Portwenn, it is all about Doctor Martin Ellingham, a brilliant surgeon who develops a fear of blood in the middle of a basic operation. He moves from London to Portwenn (where he had spent his holidays with his aunt Joan) in order to take up practice as the village's general doctor. He's brusque and painfully blunt to the point of rudeness, but we see many moments of genuine concern and empathy as well as loads of hilarious dialogue and commentary. Every single thing about this show delights me: the location (I now want to live in Cornwall), the acting, the snappy British humor and all the colorful villagers. There is chemistry between Martin and the school teacher, Louisa, but of course his lack of social skills will often ruin the moment before any hot making out happens.

It's on Thursdays on PBHS at 9pm.

3. Market Warriors

Um, yes it's more TV and you can shove it! Todd and I are unbelievably hooked on this show and I can't explain why. We're fans of Antiques Roadshow so maybe that's it, but for some reason this show just snagged us. The four crazy people shown above, John, Miller, Bob and Kevin respectively, are all different types of professionals when it comes to antiques and collectibles. They all have different styles and personalities, each is hilarious in their own way, and it's just fascinating to see them navigate through flea and antique/furniture markets. They each get $1000 to buy stuff that they turn around and sell at auction, and whomever makes the most profit wins. For some reason it's insanely addictive, and we get unnaturally excited right before it comes on. I love seeing what they find, I love seeing how much they pay versus how much they get and I love knowing that the shit they sell in antique stores and antique malls are ridiculously overpriced. I look forward to the day when I can walk into an antique mall and offer some seller like 60% of the asking price and get it. Cash money!

Mondays on PBHS at 9pm

4. V8

No, I'm not putting vodka in it. I'm actually really enjoying having a glass with my lunch. Just add some celery salt and cayenne pepper and bam! A tasty, healthy drink that actually fills me up quite a bit. Once I drank the whole glass while making my salad and found I was more than full. Poor salad.

5. Neutrogena Body Lotion Light Sesame Formula

Oh, man, I am in love with this stuff. I am a huge fan of their sesame formula body oil but sometimes I want a lotion instead of oil. Then I saw they had this, with the same delightful fragrance, and I about died of happiness.

I used to use a ton of Neutrogena stuff and sort of fell out of it after switching from using facial toners and cleansers to just using a Dove beauty bar on my face. But now, with the oil, this lotion and my lip balm, I'm thinking I should just buy stock and be done with it.