A Pasta Recipe (& Dining Room) I’m Dreaming About, Another Great Summer Shirt: 5 Quick Things

Arlyn HernandezJuly 23, 202116 Comments

image via Jon & Vinny's

WE MADE IT. I think I’m going to start every Friday with that, in celebration regardless of how the week was. In truth, every day should be celebrated, yeah? WE MADE IT…Monday edition. WE MADE IT…Wednesday edition. You get me. Imagine waking up every morning with the vigor to jump out of bed and yell with glee at the top of your lungs “WE MADE IT!” I mean…that seems like a great way to live, I think. If I try that tomorrow, I’m sure Charles—who wakes up well before I do most mornings—will run into the room and check on me. We’ll see what happens.

Anyhow, we did, indeed, make it to Friday, and it’s so wonderful. I think we’re going to get a break in the heat this Sunday, which I’m looking so forward to, and I took Monday off as a “get some personal stuff done” day which includes my first salon haircut since December 2019. I’m pretty excited, tbh. Anyone doing something they’re looking forward to this weekend?

Here’s what’s been swirling in my head this week:

Quick Thing #1

I love my dining room, but I dream of the day that I can put up some moldings and wallpaper and create something more like this.

Quick Thing #2

I’m about a year+ late on this but I just bought a new set of fabric masks because mine were literally falling apart, and I really like them! They’re from Baggu, and they have so many cute patterns. The size is really great on my face, they have the metal nose closure, adjustable ear straps, a pocket for filters and just pretty comfortable in general. I have some friends who have been wearing these all along so when it came to pick up some more (mask mandates are back here in LA—not that I really stopped wearing them—plus I’ll be traveling soon), I knew just where to go.

Quick Thing #3

After my cotton shirt roundup from earlier this week, I narrowed in on a handful to buy and a package already came. I didn’t write about this one shirt in particular, because I found it at the last minute, but I really like it! But I have a hack: I find that tie-front shirts are always so short, and with a larger bust, it just makes short shirts even shorter so I opted for the “tall” version instead and it’s the perfect length! It hits me right at the end of my torso with just a little bit more to cover a waistband. Score!

Quick Thing #4

Forgive me if I’ve shared this already…I may have, but I’ve taken to staring at photos and videos of pasta on Instagram (I love to torture myself when I’m not eating a certain thing) and I can’t stop thinking about one of my favorite simple pasta dishes from one of my favorite LA restaurants, Jon & Vinny’s. Their spicy fusilli is essentially just a vodka sauce but the balance is a bit different—way more tomato paste, shallots, red pepper flakes—than a traditional vodka sauce and it really works. Give it a try if you haven’t already and it fits into what you eat. It’s so good.

Quick Thing #5

Have you heard of the app Be My Eyes? I stumbled upon an article about it a bit ago and while I haven’t done it yet, I’m very much thinking about it. It’s so wonderful. Here’s the gist: it pairs blind or low-vision people with volunteers over video chat to help them with everyday tasks. For instance, if someone needs help picking almond milk in the dairy case if they can’t pick it out over all the other options. They open the app, it connects them with a sighted person, they guide them to the right pick, and that’s that. How wonderful, huh?

See you tomorrow, FOAS!

Rusty 🥰 says:

July 23, 2021 at 9:01 am

Your dining room is great! I get the vibe with that wallpaper though and it’s a similar direction to what you have…nice!
Great hack with the t-shirt sizing. Clever!
I’m still wading through my stack of surgical nasks coz we’ve only ever had to wear them for @3/4 weeks total since the start of the pandemic due to eradication in Australia….until now, with Delta outbreaks on the east coast growing by the say coz they waited too long to lockdown and the opinion is that they did not go hard enough. They might have to clamp down, fast.🤯
.
I have a quick couple of things to share. My sister, BIL and brother spent the day with me measuring for my back porch deck, and we bought all the materials to build it ($ ouch!)- currently stored in my garage, bc no car. It might be built on Tuesday depending on the rain. Yup….going into the 3rd week of virtually non-stop rainy days.
So. Excited!!!!!!!🤩
.
Also, when my sister arrived, she brought me a pumpkin and 2 SPAGHETTI SQUASH from the new 5 acre property they bought!!!😂
I texted my other sister who cooks them in the microwave and she said:
*Cut in half.
*Scoop out seeds.
*Place cut side down on a dinner plate.
*Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
*Scoop out flesh with a FORK.
Ta-da!!!! There ya have it! Enjoy 🤗xx
1. Rusty 🥰 says:
  
  July 23, 2021 at 9:02 am
  
  PS Scoop out flesh ehen cool enough
  1. Pam R says:
    
    July 23, 2021 at 1:31 pm
    
    Hi Rusty,
    I’ve added a pre-cutting step when I cook hard/winter squash. If you slit it a couple of places lightly with a knife (I’ve also had success with piercing with a fork), and then microwave for 5-10 minutes, it is so much easier to cut. Proceed to cut, remove seeds, and then finish cooking as you mention above. I feel like I’ve saved myself a visit to the ER with some horrible knife wound by learning this method. Other people are probably less clumsy! I do love squash. You are so lucky to have a sister with a mini-farm.
    Pam
    1. Susan says:
      
      July 23, 2021 at 4:46 pm
      
      I do this, too, Pam!
    2. Rusty 🥰 says:
      
      July 23, 2021 at 7:30 pm
      
      Thank you!😊
      1. Pam R says:
        
        July 23, 2021 at 8:35 pm
        
        You’re welcome!
    3. Arlyn Hernandez says:
      
      July 23, 2021 at 10:37 pm
      
      ohh good tip. The squash I had this week was SO tricky to cut. I tried and tried, and had to call in Charles reinforcements. Even he barely got it open. Dangerous stuff!
2. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  July 23, 2021 at 10:36 pm
  
  Ohh a back porch! Hopefully the rain dies down enough for it to be built! That sounds like a wonderful addition. And thank you for the spaghetti squash rundown! I’ve never tried microwaving it, but I will surely next time. This time, I had better luck with it not being soupy/watery. I used to add water to the roasting pan to steam it a bit, but I didn’t this time. Just roasted it cut on half, cut sides down and it worked out great, but it took over an hour. The micro is way faster!
  1. Rusty 🥰 says:
    
    July 24, 2021 at 7:33 am
    
    Yessss! It’s a deck IN the back porch, kind of a raised platform , to meet the height of the house. It’s under cover and the build is on Tuesday based on the least rainy day. They’ll use the garage as the cutting room/workshop.
    Soooo lucky that my rellies have the know-how! It’d be 5x the price otherwise.🤗
    I told mh sis that I shared her recipe on a blog and she was like “Whaaaaaaaat?!?”🤣
Pam R says:

July 23, 2021 at 1:44 pm

What a great suggestion for the tie-front shirt! The last time I bought one I upped the size, so now the length is good, but the width is so wide so I’m going to have to do some altering. Your idea is much better and one I hadn’t thought of.

As for dining rooms, that wallpaper is beautiful. I usually find too much molding in a room fussy but it really works here. I agree with Rusty that your current dining room is wonderful, but it’s always fun to think about changes (at least it is for me).
1. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  July 23, 2021 at 10:38 pm
  
  Yeah I think molding can be fussy, but there’s a part of me that loves fussy design. As long as the architecture supports it…and the furnishings are on the simpler side. Balance!
Suzanne says:

July 23, 2021 at 4:07 pm

I can’t wear tie front tops. I have a long torso, so even tall sizes don’t work sometimes. The exception is when I wear a shirt over a dress and tie it. It works for casual outfits and as an alternative to a cardigan or jacket. I’m not really into showing off my torso, so I just skip them most of the time.

As for masks, I’ve wanted to try the Baggu ones, too, but I already have so many, because I over did it, and we aren’t out enough to go through the dozen or so I have.

I’m loving the wallpaper and wainscot look, but you have an amazing rental dining room. You really did an awesome job on the design. The question is will wainscot and wallpaper still feel fresh when you have an opportunity to implement it. Design is so cyclical, and we tire of certain looks eventually. Knowing which will last is tough. And I mean which will last for an individual’s taste as opposed to the Pinterest and Instagram trends.
1. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  July 23, 2021 at 10:39 pm
  
  I have the opposite problem. Short torso (just made “longer” in terms of shirt length because of my chest). If you do ever find yourself looking for more masks, honestly they’re SO great. The fabric is thick and sturdy. You can tell they are very, very well made.
Debbie says:

July 23, 2021 at 7:34 pm

Yay! TGIF!
Loving the looks of that fusilli recipe. If my husband hadn’t already prepped some bruschetta for our evening meal, I would have insisted he make this!
I am not familiar with Be My Eyes, but it sounds like a great use of technology. Thanks for introducing it.
After your post about cotton shirts for summer, I looked at all the labels in my closet and found I have just one 100% cotton summer top (a thrifted find). Then on my latest Target run I happened to find one that is a cotton/linen blend, which I snagged for half price! The style of the shirt was out of my norm, sort of boho or peasant with puffy sleeves (similar to your Target #4 but different colors), but your post was very convincing so I bought it. Can’t wait to wear it on Sunday to meet up with a cousin who will be passing through town for a quick visit. She is going to think I’m so cool in my chic new top!
Have a great weekend everyone!
1. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  July 23, 2021 at 10:40 pm
  
  Bruschetta doesn’t sound so bad! Sounds like a great pairing to spicy fusilli ;). I’m so glad you nabbed a new shirt. I hope your cousin tells you how fabulous you look.
Emie says:

July 23, 2021 at 11:53 pm

I did get 3 of the Target shirts you recommended…. and while only one of the colors has arrived so far I think I’m going to LOVE them. I’m hoping to see the white in my size back in stock before summer’s end but I’m not holing my breath. Thanks for the recommendation.

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