Everything is Bueno

Our family Mexican Restaurant.

Where everything is...

Gotta have the hot salsa.

And, because I'm apparently twelve, a Shirley Temple.

There's something about the paintings on the wall...

Although, that unfinished door has always bothered me.

So good to be back in California.

It's very difficult to take an overhead view of food with my siblings.

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Especially when things like this happen and I get distracted.

This is what Pico De Gallo is supposed to look like.

And, my chimichanga. I can't help it, I love the crispy tortilla.

My darlin's chilli verde. Num.

Look at that delicious chicken.

One of the things Nick and I were looking forward to most about returning to the homeland was the Mexican food.

Our hometown in Southern California has a huge Mexican population of 45.5%, which is significantly higher than the average state population (have a look at the city statistics). Because of this, there are a myriad of family owned Mexican restaurants, many of which have been around for several decades. My family has been going to a few of these places since before I was born.

This particular restaurant; "La Colonia" is nestled in a residential neighborhood in South Eastern Bakersfield. Though my family is a huge and pretty loud group of people, for whatever reason, the waiting staff seems to genuinely love us. I'll never understand why--if I had to wait on a huge group of my family members, I would probably want to shoot myself after about twenty minutes. And we're usually there for more than an hour. But, what do ya know? They really like us.

There is something wonderful about slow cooked beans, enchiladas and salsa verda made from family recipes honed to perfection throughout generations of both tradition and experimentation.

Give me cilantro and refried beans, jalapenos and avocados, queso and peppers any day.

And everything is bueno.

Antler Headband DIY

Step 1: create the skeleton from wire and secure with glue.

You can create antlers without the skeletons, but they will not be as sturdy making the horns more likely to break off.

Step 2: Create mold. Use whatever type of clay you prefer.

Step 3: Details. Antlers without grooves and bumps and holes just look like lumps of clay, so don't forget the details.

Step 4: Paint and Varnish.

I'm a firm believer in dry-brushing, especially for things with lots of little details. There are at least five layers of dry-brushing on these little guys.

Step 5: Enjoy! These are perfect for Halloween or when you just need a little nature in your outfit.

I'm back from out West. My darling and I explored the Vegas strip, visiting places I haven't been since childhood. Later we ventured further, to our hometown in Southern California.

Now we are back in our little apartment in New York where it is about 30 or so degrees cooler than the desert. To keep from dwelling on the fact that we're so far away from our families, I made myself a little antler headband.