so much wan randomness

i don't think i've mentioned it here before, but in the last couple of months i've tried out something fun - mystery shopping!

if you're not familiar, this means that i get paid to go to shops or restaurants, pay close attention to customer service, and then come home and fill out an online form providing the details of my visit. basic stuff, like how many employees were on the floor, did they acknowledge me when i arrived, how long did it take to be served, etc. i've done about four or five assignments so far, and it's always fun and easy. mind you, it doesn't pay much - i just got my first check for one of those jobs for a whopping $8.85 - but if it's close to home and i don't have anything else to do, it's cool to get out of the house and browse around.

i did a job a couple of days ago that had me posing as a bride-to-be and shopping for tuxedo rentals at a local shop. i kept my e-ring on, left my wedding band at home, picked an imaginary date and venue, and the teen posed as my "sister" while she kept the bean occupied. the job itself was simple, and it was kind of fun looking at the colors and options that are available these days.

it totally made me wistful for the days of wedding planning - all that anticipation and excitement, dreaming of how all the details would pull together, imagining how much fun we'd have with our guests. i so wish i'd started blogging back then! anyway, the teen and i did a little reminiscing and giggling over our memories of our wedding and local reception, and now we're even more excited to take part in my brother and o's wedding.

love. weddings. SO. much!

oh, and the job pays $20. whee!

after we were done, we headed to the nearby mall and walked around. the teen and the bean checked out the offerings in the baby section at nordstrom while i bought a pair of cheapo sunglasses (i never did get those fabu dior shades that i wanted so much), and i laughed when i rejoined them to find this:


ha! awesome.

when the teen was a baby, i met an older filipino lady who babysat her for me while i worked. she was such a sweet woman, and it was like having one of my aunts nearby. anyway, she introduced the teen to a yummy, savory, slightly sour filipino dish called sinigang, which she often served for lunch. of course, the baby teen couldn't pronounce the word, so she simply called it "rice and soup."

and all her life, the teen has loved rice and soup and gobbles it down every chance she gets. when we were living with my gram, i got her to show me how to make it (so we didn't have to hit her up every time the teen had a craving), and it was so wonderfully easy to make, it's almost ridiculous.

the hub's not a huge fan, so whenever he's gone for dinner with clients or whatever, the teen knows that we'll be partaking in some delicious rice and soup that evening. last night was one of those times. yay!

yesterday also saw me trying my hand at crepemaking. the teen and i adore crepes, and when i stopped to think how silly it was to shell out $8 for them, i decided i was going to give it a shot. my mom is a master at making crepes, and i have great memories of her delicious crepes suzette. of course, she has a fancy-schmancy electric crepe maker, and all i had was my griddle pan and high hopes. heh.

so i found a recipe for crepe batter, mixed up half a batch, and got to work. sadly, since my small nonstick skillet pan was in the dishwasher, i settled for ladling the batter onto the flat griddle pan. look at how ugly my crepes turned out:

but once i added a bit of this:

folded it over, and served it to the teen with a dollop of cool whip, i got this:

and so, yeah - when we'd gobbled up a couple of crepes apiece and cleaned up the kitchen, i went straight to the 'puter to look for a fancy-schmancy electric crepe maker of my very own.

and i found one! on sale, with free shipping! whee!

i see many, many crepes in our future.