Daily Photo

She’s a good listener, and you know how some neighbors make a lot of noise? Well, Charlotte’s really quiet. 🙂

She lives on the deck between a cherry tomato plant and a bell pepper. Next time you swing by, I’ll introduce you.

Speaking of bell peppers, I have a question for the green thumbs out there.

Uh…how do you tell when green bell peppers are ripe?

Mine look plump, and green, but they’re still kind of small (the biggest one fits in the palm of my hand), so I can’t tell. A lot of the veggies I grow on the deck are in planters and don’t usually get huge like grocery store size.

I’m wondering, though, should I pick it now or wait?

Most of the time when I get to the register at Sephora and the sales person asks, “Would you like to redeem your points for this set of glosses/hair products/knuckle hair remover?” my gut reaction is “No thank you,” since I am a “points hoarder.”

Yes, I’ve been officially diagnosed, and no, there is currently no cure in Western medicine. I will cling to my points until the apocalypse, honey. 🙂

Also, rarely do those kits ever move me.

Oh, but this one by Marc Jacobs certainly did, ooh la la! I gave up — gulp — 1,000 points for the Love and Lust 2 Piece Lip Set.

It has two new full-sized lip products, both limited edition shades. Love Marc Lip Gel in Cabaret 146 is a rich wine, and Lust for Lacquer Lip Vinyl in Shooting Stars is a warm shimmery plum.

I feel like I’m still too deeply invested in summer to wear either shade right now, but soon…

Soon…

I had this open-faced sandwich with a chickpea spread for lunch at Rustic Bakery in Novato yesterday, and that whole top veggie action was dayum good.

Served with a side of pureed artichoke soup, and I washed it down with iced tea.

Those are kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, chives and sprouts on top of the sammy.

The chickpea spread was interestingly tasty. Not quite as smooth as hummus. More chunky and a little citrusy (Meyer lemon, I think), with lots of fresh herbs.

It was nice and filling, which is great because I’m always hungry.

I’m going to try to reverse engineer the sandwich at home, so wish me luck. I’ll need it, because my taste buds, like my vision, ain’t all that.

But I make up for it with my freakishly strong sense of smell! Seriously, if you ever need someone to let you know if your neighbor six doors down is baking brownies, I’m your gal. 🙂

Remember this: the grilled salmon on the lunch menu at the Cheesecake Factory.

BOMB.

I remembered my mom-in-law mentioning it, so I ordered it the last time I was there, and it totally hit the spot.

The fish was cooked perfectly and lightly seasoned with herbs, salt and pepper. Simple, but delicious.

It also comes with mashed potatoes and broccoli, but I substituted the potatoes for white rice because fish plus rice equals one happy Karen. 🙂

You know a meal is good when the food comes out and everyone at the table immediately stops talking because they’re so busy chomping and scarfing it down, LOL! Seriously, you don’t mess with a Filipino girl getting down with some fish and rice. Best to just get out of the way until she’s done, for real.

I HAZ THEM!

It’s too warm to wear these right now (I’ve been living in flip-flops and sandals), but when fall comes, I’m ready.

Fluffy Cats Crew Socks by Hot Sox, $6.

It’s like the shirt understands me.

Sometimes, you just don’t want to do much with your mop except wash it (maybe) and let it do its thang.

That’s what I’ve been doing lately, and to quote JT, “I’m lovin’ it!”

My tomato plants are having a moment!

Especially the romas and cherry tomatoes.

It’s like all of them suddenly ripened overnight. BOOM! I’ve got a bumper crop.

I just picked these, and I seriously cannot wait to eat them. 🙂

What should I do with them??