Life of Larisa or LOL

...and the award for worst brownie ever (and possibly worst picture ever) goes to...me. Maybe I'm being overly critical? After all, I still ate two. But, I won't be a contestant on Top Chef Just Desserts anytime soon. Today was a BUST. This morning was supposed to be my Halloween inspired Hui morning, but it ended up being the Hui that never was. Zach was still dressed as Mr. Bones though. Morbidly cute. To try to help turn the day around, I decided to bake. The first problem I encountered with that plan, no bundt pan. I was all set to bake a delicious treat (coconut chocolate bundt cake from the Coconut Cookbook I grabbed at the library last week), and realized that I don't actually have a bundt pan. I swear I did. On to baking back up plan---chocolate, coconut, ginger brownies. I had all the ingredients on hand, only a 30 minute cook time, and no bundt pan required. Should have been a piece of...well, brownie! I melted my chocolate and butter, got out my ing

Here's what eight looks like at our house. Eight year old boys have a silly streak. Mine does anyway. At eight, Gabe is full of bizarre, random thoughts. He is filled with stories from his day that are taken out of context and sound weird to the parental ear. Eight year old Gabe is sassy too, and has already decided Isom and I are complete morons. It's only okay because at eight, Gabe is loving and kind to his little brother...who is also eight...weeks. The large age gap that I spent many sleepless nights worrying about has turned out to be a mostly good thing (a few things are awkward and take some adjusting). It's nice to see the big eight caring for the little eight. Eight week old boys are a little fussy, but it's because they now know exactly what they want. Me. Momma. All day, everyday. Good thing I'm able to stay at home. At eight weeks, Zach is the exact opposite of his big brother in every way. Gabe would scream at bath time. Zach loves it.

Bet you didn't know I am married to a hunky mechanic. I didn't either. I discovered that I was on Saturday. Me and the boys were on our way to Yogur Story again (yes twice in one week) when suddenly I see the car turn down a seedy side street that is NOT the side street Yogur Story is on. "Flat tire" Isom announced. You are joking. My car always gets flat tires. I guess I should be glad Isom was with me to change said flat tire, but honestly I was irritated our wonderful waffle breakfast was now being delayed. A nursing mom gets hungry! Knowing that changing the tire might take a few minutes, I decided to amuse myself by taking various photos of our surroundings...and the hunky mechanic. First, in front of us and behind us were our car. Seriously. A blue Honda Fit (exactly like mine) was parked directly in front of us. A white Honda Fit (exactly like Isom's) was parked directly behind us. Next, there was a very low budget bar (0pen and packed with patr

It's a weird name, I'll concede to that. But, in this case, weird is good. Weird is actually better than good. It's waffletastic. I'm almost afraid to get excited about this new restaurant find. First, it seems too good to be true---they serve good, giant cups of coffee, they serve breakfast, they serve brunch, they serve pupus and have a bar, it has modern decor, they have friendly service, they have free parking. Second, the last place I loved this much turned out to have a junk owner, slow service, overpriced food, and left a bitter taste in my mouth. You see why I might feel reluctant to put all my taste buds in one basket. I'm going to try to be an optimist in this situation however. Yesterday, on the eve of National Dessert Day, Tutu, Lehua, and I enjoyed the most fantastic breakfast. It could be that I am just over my homemade breakfast of toast with strawberry preserves or it could be that this place truly is delicious. Again, going for optimism, s

It's not a typo...not in my title...on my mother-in-law's Facebook comment, yes. Tutu as we call her or Toto as my mother-in-law types it. Either way, Tutu and Zach laid eyes on each other last week Tuesday and it has been love at first sight ever since...on both their parts. We have been enjoying a wonderful visit with my grandma (Zach's great grandma). It has been perfect timing with Gabe's fall break from school. We have spent the past few days admiring baby Z, eating good grub, enjoying a daily beer, and hanging out. Baby Z has now experienced the Hale Koa, the Yardhouse, the Hard Rock Cafe, and the Hale Ikena...all from the comforts of his car seat. He has successfully slept his way through all our family meals out. What a good baby! The eight year old on the other hand is having some behavioral issues, or maybe it just seems all the worse in comparison to the perfect, none talking baby. Gabe was also once a perfect non-talking baby too and I am wondering w