Trejo's Tacos in Los Angeles,CA!

 

Danny Trejo has appeared in a large number of shows & movies my husband & I love and watch often; I would definitely say he is on our list of favorite actors. A few years ago, when it was announced he was opening up his own taco restaurant, we had agreed if we ever happened to be near one that we wanted to try it out. We like trying out new restaurants & it would be a neat experience to do in general. We recently happened to be right next to one when we went on vacation in California, so we decided to stop by for lunch. We visited the Trejo's Taco location on La Brea Ave in Los Angeles, CA. We were lucky & when we arrived it wasn't during any kind of lunch rush, so we were able to find a parking spot & two open tables to sit at. The location has a small parking lot, so parking is limited. 

I like the assortment of dishes they had to offer & that they offered both Dairy-free and Gluten-free options. Between our party of six, we ordered an assortment of tacos + quesadillas along with an order of chips + guacamole. We didn't try any of the drinks though as we already had drinks when we arrived. It didn't take long for our order to be completed & one of the staff members had delivered everything to our table which was nice. The weather was perfect for sitting on the outdoor patio to enjoy our food. 

We were all very happy with our food! It was delicious and very filling. I have been wanting to try a beef barbacoa tacos for a while now so when I saw they had a beef barbacoa quesadilla on the menu I had to try it out. I am so glad I did! It was fantastic and the sauce it came with was great as well. As I had mentioned it was very filling the portion, I was given was a pretty decent size which I was happy about given that the quesadilla was almost $15. Depending on the area you live in eating out can always vary price wise so this spot might be a little expensive to some and not that expensive to others. Some of the menu items I found to be fairly priced while others seemed slightly high such as almost $7 for one taco, but they did have a decent amount of meat in each one as you can see below. 

Everyone in our party did enjoy their food though! My husband thought the cheese quesadilla my daughter ordered tasted pretty basic, but she was quite pleased with it. The guacamole had a bit of a kick to it, it had small sliced up serrano chilies on it. The nachos my son ordered came with a nice assortment of toppings & was another dish that was a pretty good size. It would be great if they offered the normal nachos shown above & also nachos that came with meat although I am sure you could add some on for an extra charge. If you are someone who likes to buy merch they had a decent sized selection of shirts, cups & more inside of the building. Overall, the outside & indoors was well kept and the staff were attentive checking on guests and even taking away plates once you were done. It was an enjoyable spot that I am glad we were able to check out. 

**This is not a sponsored or hosted post, We paid for this hotel on our own while on vacation. I like sharing fun spots we visit, restaurants to eat at & lodging that we stay at to help others who may be traveling to the area & are looking for recommendations.**

Let's take a look at Kings Forge from TableTop Tycoon!

 

It is always exciting to receive a new board game especially when the theme fits an interest or hobby we already have. When I saw Kings Forge on the list of games Tabletop Tycoon has in their catalogue I had a feeling it was going to be a hit with my family. A little run down of the game before I get into what we thought of the game - This game is for two to four players ages 14+. Depending on the level of board games your children are used to this game will be just fine for children under the age of fourteen as well. It takes between 45-60 minutes to play, but as you get used to how the game is played & you are on a roll it will feel a lot shorter than that. It can be purchased for $50 on the Tabletop Tycoon website.

The goal of the game is of course to become the Master Forger & become favored by the King. Players will be working against each other to race to become the four to build four separate requested items to win favor with the king. It is a card & dice based game so how easy it is to build each item purely depends on the luck of the dice rolls and how well your ability is at working with what the cards are able to offer you. Prior to playing you are able to select one of their forge mascots to represent your smithy. I like using the Bat mascot shown below.

Each game will be slightly different as you'll only use a certain amount of cards each game. The game will consist of a number of rounds that will vary from game to game depending on how long it takes the first person to build four crafted items. Each round consists of three phases, the fist is basically a collection round where you'll score cards to help you with your goal of getting the correct number & color of dice need to build a item. The second phase is forging the items, this is done by making sure the number of dice & the dice color match what is on the items card. For example if a product shows three black dice + two blue dice that is what you'll need unused in your hand. If you have the correct combination of dice/color you will need to roll them & get an equal or higher number shown on each dice on the card. If you have a successful roll, you get to forge that item. Careful though, other players might have a chance to steal what you built. It doesn't happen often, but it has happened during our games. And finally the third phase is just cleaning up the dice putting them where they belong & reshuffling the cards to be placed back out. 

Some of the cards & items picked up during the collection round can change the numbers of the dice you roll during the forging phase. Having those extra boosts can be quite helpful especially later on in the game, that way you won't need to entirely depending on the luck of the roll. Otherwise the game is pretty straight forward, you will just keep completing the three phases until someone is the first (at the end of a full round) to complete four builds. We have been enjoying playing this board game & look forward to playing it more. We like the mixture of it being a card game & dice game and I love the colors they selected for the dice themselves. The dice, game cards & the board itself are all aesthetically pleasing & fit the theme of the game perfectly. Setting up the game & putting everything away at the end goes quickly since there isn't anything complicated to set up. 

Does this sound like a game you might be interested in playing? 

If you want to find more great board games like Kings Forge head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section - While you are there you'll find a review for another fantastic Tabletop Tycoon game called Everdell.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Tabletop Tycoon for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Visit The Grand Canyon Deer Farm in Williams, Arizona!

 

I love animals of all shapes & sizes so when we have a chance to visit a new zoo, animal experience or new area to go hiking/exploring, I am all for it. I live in Arizona & as long as you have the paperwork for it the state has a large list of animals you are allowed to legally own which means there are several animal experiences & interactive ranches/farms that have unique animals for you to see. I have written reviews for a few locations here in Arizona in the past & today I will be sharing a spot called the Grand Canyon Deer Farm which is located in Williams, Arizona. If you are interested in what the other animal spots I've reviewed are, I will include them at the end of this post. This is a spot we paid to visit, it is not a sponsored post. The Deer Farm is easy to reach, it is just off of Interstate 40, so even if you aren't planning on staying in the area it is a fun spot to stop on a road trip through the area or during a day trip like we did. 

As the name suggests the Grand Canyon Deer farm is home to dozen of deer, however they also have a few other farm animals & a couple exotic animals as well that you get to see up close. The farm has a few species of deer including reindeer along with peacocks, a cockatoo, wallabies, a camel, a marmoset monkey, coatis, Zonkeys & more. You will be able to see & pet a few of the animals up close, the others are just for viewing. How much does it cost to get in? It is $16 per adult and $9 per child, the cost does not include food for the deer. Based off of our experiences at other animals experiences like this I would say the price is moderate in comparison. They also have encounter opportunities that can be purchased separate for example you would pay $30 per person to interact with the wallabies. I would recommend booking that part ahead of time to make sure you can get in. We had stopped by on a trip & had wanted to do the animal experiences but there wasn't enough staff on hand that day to do it so they were not letting anyone buy the extras. 

In total I would say we stayed for about an hour and a half, some of the spots we stayed at just a little bit longer than others. Wear close toed shoes as you will be walking through dirt & possibly mud depending on the weather and of course some animal poop. They didn't put any holes into our clothing, but just in case I wouldn't wear your favorite top while visiting. Some of the deer started nibbling onto our shirts if they weren't being fed fast enough. Most of the deer were very sweet while we were walking around feeding & petting them, a couple were slightly pushy but that is any animal when they want a snack. Depending on what time of the year you go, you might get lucky & get to see some baby animals while you are there. 

The farm is set up in a way that it is easy to do a self guided tour without assistance, the paths are easy to follow & all of the animals pens are set up along the trail so you can see them as you walk. One of our favorite animals to see was the mini Zebu cow! She was so sweet and soft. Another stop that was a favorite of mine was over at the Coati cage! I love how cute those little critters are, they are like a cross between a lemur and a raccoon & they are actually native to Arizona. I hope to one day be able to spot them out in the wild while hiking & exploring. 

It was a nice spot to stop, we enjoyed the bit of time we spent there viewing the animals & interacting with some of them. They also have a huge gift shop & indoor bathrooms available & they also have outdoor sinks so you can wash your hands after touching the animals. If you want to make your trip more of an adventure the deer farm is right up the road from the Grand Canyon Go-Karts (click the name to be taken to the review). It is also located just up the road from Bearizona which is a walkthrough & drive thru animal park. 

If you want to check out other animal experiences in Arizona here are some of our favorites! Click on the name of the attraction & you will be brought to the review I wrote for it.

★ Bearizona which is mentioned above is wonder it has bears, wolves, otters & more that you can see up close. 

★ Ghost Ranch Exotics out near Tucson offers up close encounters with a Kangaroo, Capybaras & more. 

★ The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is a mini zoo, aquarium, hiking zone and more where you get see a number of amazing animals + you can pay to feed a sting ray. 

★ The Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch near Tucson offers you a chance to feed & touch a number of animals including Donkeys, Rainbow Lorikeets, Deer, Goats, Ducks & More. 

★ The Phoenix Herpetological Society in Scottsdale gives you a chance to see gators, monitor lizards, otters, raccoons, snakes & more up-close. 

★ Odysea Aquarium in Scottsdale is home to hundreds of fish, but they also offer the chance to have unique encounters with a Sloth & with Penguins!

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

Make a smoothie on the go with Popbabies!

When I wake up for work in the morning, I get up pretty early, in fact I wake up two hours before anyone else in my household. So of course, I try to be as quiet as possible while getting ready so that I do not wake anyone up. Sometimes in the morning a homemade smoothie sounds delicious, but our blender is very noisy, so I never make one and I'd prefer not to spend a bunch buying one. So, when I found a small portable blender by a company called Popbabies & was offered one to review I was very excited. Popbabies is a portable smoothie blender that comes in a few different colors & can be purchased for $36.99. For a review I received the portable blender classic version in black. 

Your package will come with the blender base, blender bottle, a silicone funnel, a small ice cube tray along with a charging cord + manual/recipe book. The bottle that comes with this blender is 17oz however the available volume for smoothies is 14oz. There is a built-in blender blade at the bottom of the glass bottle, the base of the bottle does not open. Only the top of the bottle opens so you will need to either add hot water + soap and shake the bottle around or purchase a bottle scrubber to get down to the bottom. I picked up a bottle cleaner which has been helpful to make sure the blades are clean, if I am out & about after I finish my smoothie and have access to a sink I will give it a quick rinse until I can get home and wash it. The bottle is just the right size to fit into a lunch bag. This would be great to take on a road trip or even camping! All you need is some fruit and some ice. 

Does it actually work? Yes! I do need to work out the right proportions though, I usually like my smoothies pretty thick however this blender requires the liquid/smoothie to be slightly thinner. According to the suggestions in the booklet you will need to keep your fruit pieces as close to about half an inch as possible to help everything blend properly. I find that most pre-made smoothie mixes have pieces that are a little too big so I either cut them up a little before adding them to this or I pre-make my own smoothie mix the night before with fresh fruit then let it sit in the freezer overnight before adding it to my blender bottle. So far, I've used ice, bananas, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranate, and dragon fruit in this blender & everything mixed up just fine. 

The blender isn't completely quiet, it has a little bit of noise but overall, it isn't very loud at all. It will blend your smoothie for thirty to sixty minutes before turning off, however if the smoothie is to your liking, you just need to hit the button a second time to turn it off. The bottom portion of the bottle fits into my purse perfectly & can be stored in my glove box if I do not feel like bringing it into work with me. The smoothie bottle has a carrying handle at the top which is convenient for on the go travel. I have used this out at the park, at work, & in my car. It is a great & easy way to make smoothies when you are in a hurry or don't want to wake others in the house up. I look forward to using this more & being able to have smoothies for breakfast in the morning more often. If you have been looking for a small blender for similar reasons, I suggest checking them out. They have the classic version, an improved version & they also sell a protein shaker. 

🍓 Does this sound like a helpful travel appliance you would use? What kind of smoothies would you want to make with a blender like this?

Disclaimer- The product mentioned above was provided by Popbabies for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

The Phoenix Zoo Lights are back for the 2023 Holiday season!

 

It's that time of the year again! The stores are decked in holiday decorations & goodies, Christmas music is starting to play and several of my neighbors are putting up their holiday decorations outdoors. I personally love seeing all of the holiday lights during this time of year. Speaking of holiday light displays, the Phoenix Zoo has brought back their Zoo Lights this year. It doesn't officially start until November 22nd, however I was able to visit early during an event so I have shared a reel over on my Instagram of a peek at this years event & will share some photos below. This is not a sponsored post, we paid for discount tickets as part of an event that was put on by the zoo. 

The event runs from November 22nd until Jan 14th & cost $35 per person at the gate or $30 a person if you buy tickets ahead of time online. Depending on how fast you walk & how many photos you stop to take, expect to be at the zoo for anywhere from an hour to two hours. Their merchandise booths & food/drink areas stay open during this event so you can purchase hot chocolate, kettle corn & more to enjoy on your walk.

This year they added some new displays & more of the wildlife lanterns which are my favorite part! I love how they look and want to get some to show off in my yard. We also haven't been to the zoo since last year so even though it was dark we were able to see the newest section of the zoo that we hadn't seen before. 

The walk itself is very easy, they have everything set up to keep the flow of traffic moving along while still being able to go at your own pace. There were tons of people at the event we went to but we didn't feel crowded while looking at all the lights. There is a lot of walking & some areas with hills so you will get a small workout as you go along looking at everything. The zoolights event is wheelchair, motor scooter & baby stroller friendly.  

Be sure to keep an eye on what time they will do the main show on the giant floating tree in the middle of the lake! Good spots tend to fill up fast so if you arrive to a viewing spot slightly early you'll be able to view the show without anyone blocking your view. My family & I always enjoy visiting the zoo lights, it is nice to stroll through the zoo while the weather is cooled down and see what they do differently each year. 

Have you ever been to a Zoolights event at your local zoo? If not, does it look like an event you would want to attend? Drop a comment below and let me know. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" (Click or locate it on the right-hand side of my page) section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

Joancee Jewelry Review!

 

The holidays are coming up which means it is time to start thinking about holiday shopping (that is if you haven't already). If you have a jewelry lover on your shopping list, or want to leave a engagement ring hint to your significant other, then you should check out Joancee. Joancee offers a wide range of stunning jewelry that comes in ready to gift boxes + they come with a small cleaning cloth. You'll find a wide range of gorgeous pieces at affordable prices. Looking for a Men's wedding or engagement ring? They have one hundred and twenty-one different Men's rings to choose from.  I was lucky enough to be offered a chance to select a ring from a number of pieces I was shown to do a review on. From the list I was shown I selected the Round cut Amethyst 925 sterling silver engagement ring. This beautiful ring can currently be purchased for $107.85. 

This ring features a stunning large round Amethyst setting accompanied by a smaller amethyst on the front & back of the ring. You will also found four small amethysts on either side of the large stone plus 50+ mini white sapphire stones adorning this ring. The band itself is silver & you can pay extra to have a custom engraving added to the ring. I did not choose an engraving, I kept the ring as is. The sizing guide they have on their website is very helpful for finding the right sized ring if you aren't sure what size ring you wear. 

The ring I selected fits beautifully & is quite comfortable to wear, it is light weight & you can hardly tell it is there. Since it is sterling silver you won't need to take if off when you wash your hands or get in the shower. This ring is gorgeous especially in the sunlight watching the colorful rays of light dance off of the jewels. The purple of the stone is quite vibrant & will draw the eye directly to it. I am quite pleased with the ring & feel like it is a stunning high quality ring at a fantastic price. 

Best of all? You can get 20% OFF of your purchase using code IFL20 

If Purple isn't your favorite color, what color would you love to see this ring in??

Disclaimer- The product mentioned above was provided by Joancee for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Let's check out Neotopia the board game!

 

I had a short hiatus recently when it comes to new board game reviews! We've had a busy schedule on the weekends lately which is when we usually have the most free time to be able to sit down, learn a new game, play a few rounds & get our thoughts into order. Over the weekend we carved out a bit of time to play one of our new board games which I will be sharing with you now. It is called Neotopia & we received a copy of the game from their publisher Arcane Wonders, it retails for $49.99. I am not going to lie, when I first read the title of this game my first thought was about the website Neopets, did anyone else play on that site when they were younger? Or even still play it now as the site is still going. Enough about that though, let's get into this game a bit, shall we? This game can be played with two to four players ages 8+ & each game will take anywhere from half an hour to a full hour to play which is dependent on the number of players. 

This is a tile placement game that can move along quite quickly, the goal of the game is to complete tile placement patterns that match the pattern shown on cards in your hand. You will gain points each time you cash in a completed card pattern. There are four different groups of colored round tiles - Green, Purple, Red & Blue with matching character card + score trackers. The color you select doesn't affect anything, even in a two player game all four colors are used so the only important part is the score trackers & if you like how one character looks over another. Getting everything set up & ready to play takes five minutes or less & learning the game doesn't take up much time either. It may look like it would be a slightly complicated game, but it is actually very easy to play and is very straight forward in terms of the game play. 

When it comes to the rules, there are a few, all of which are easy to understand & there was only one that threw us off a little, which was only due to us not paying attention to the board as other players were taking their turns. Every player is allowed three moves during their turn unless they have bonus coins that can grant them one extra motion. When making your three moves, there are two different movement types available - you can do three moves of just one movement or mix it up between the two. The two movement types are 1. Pick up a card from either the "offer pile" or the deck 2. Move a tile from a factory out into a region that is located on either side of that factory. If you look at the board in the image above, you will see that there is what looks like a home base with three walls branching out in the middle. Each of those branches is called a "factory" & the very center is where the next tiles waiting to be placed out will be sitting. The board is split into three regions, each region can gain tiles from the two factories which touch its borders. When placing a tile on the board it will always come from one of the three factories unless you have the specific bonus that allows you to move it from a reserve. While placing down a tile, the only thing to keep in mind is that you have to start from the center of a region & any titles placed after the first initial tile need to be touching a tile that was already previously placed. There are only four tiles in a factory at a time & they will not be refilled until all of them have been removed. Once a factory is empty (Even if it is in the middle of a players turn) you will refill that factory using the tiles in the center of the board. There is a stack of production cards in the middle of the board, so when you refill an empty factory, you will also remove the card directly under them & use the next tile under to determine which color tiles go in the middle next.

You'll want to take a look at the board & your hand before placing down tiles so you can try to match a pattern on a card & score points. There are two important things to remember when trying to cash in cards - 1. You cannot claim a pattern that was already prebuilt from someone else in a previous round, the pattern you claim you need to place the last tile down for. 2. You will need to look at the region you are trying to claim a card for & see what picture is on the previously played card. If the photo on the card, you are trying to claim matches what has already been placed you cannot play that card. You would have to wait until a different image card was played last. This is the rules that caught us off guard from time to time from not paying attention close enough while others were laying down cards. 

Here is an example of a pattern matching a card, you can see where there are two green & a purple that make up a little triangle. You are allowed to rotate the card to make the pattern work, the tiles just need to be in the same order as on the card.

Even if it isn't a ton of points you will want to try to earn at least some points in each region, balance is key to trying to win. On the score sheet your lowest scoring region will be multiplied by three which could give you a chance to slip past another opponent when it comes to points. We've been enjoying playing this new board game & look forward to more game play in the future. It is a great option for when we are short on time, but want to play a game that is easy to set up, easy to play and quick on time. We also enjoy how the game looks, the tiles are thick quality pieces that won't be ruined if you play the game a lot and the graphics on the playing cards are quite lovely as well. Over all we are pretty pleased with this game! We recommend it to any families looking for new board games to add to their game nights or looking to get into the world of board games. Stop by the Arcane Wonders website to see what other board games they have to offer. If you are looking for more board game reviews please stop by the link on the right hand side of my blog titled "Board Game Reviews" or CLICK HERE, to read other reviews I've written. 

🎲 Does this look or sound like a game you would be interested in playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

Disclaimer- The product mentioned above was provided by Arcane Wonders for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

November Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

 

Holy Moly, November? I feel like October really flew by this year. Last month we had a lot going on that kept us busy, which is what made the month feel like it went by so quickly. It was a great month though, we went on quite a few mini adventures many of which I have already shared or will be sharing here on my blog. If you live in Arizona be sure to keep an eye out for those posts along with some other posts about wonderful holiday events to visit with the family this year. Slowly, very very slowly the weather has been starting to cool off here in the desert which has been great. I can't wait for it to drop even more so we can start going hiking & doing more outdoors activities again without feeling like we are going to melt in the heat. I also love this time of year because there is so much to do, lots of fall festivals, events & more that come to the valley and I look forward to sharing some of those activities with you.

If you've been a fan of my blog for a while, then you know that a new month means it is also time for a new Beauty & the Book giveaway which is of course a combination of two of my favorite things - Books and makeup/beauty products. Although this month I realize I did include more goodies than makeup but there is still some makeup in this month's bundle! Sometime there is a theme, sometimes there isn't this month there is no theme, it is just a bundle of goodies I have put together. From time to time if I get several products from a company for a review I will pop one of those products into the monthly giveaways I host, so as promised in a recent review for Canna Bath Co I have included one of the bath bombs I received in this months giveaway.

I always enjoy putting these giveaways together & I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. It is my way of saying Thank you to everyone who helps support my blog through out the month by following me on social media, liking + commenting on posts and even sharing posts. You are all awesome & I appreciate you! Last month's winner will be announced on my Facebook page when I announce that this month's giveaway is up.

⭐ Here is a list of what is included this month! ⭐

🤎 Hardcover copy of the book "A Thousand Fires"
🤎 A His & Hers Pumpkin Head Victorian Styled Drawings
🤎 Kiss Long Glue On Nails
🤎 Impress press-on falsies lashes
🤎 Sally Hansen Pro Nail Brush Kit
🤎 Dragon Scale Glitter in a bottle
🤎 Mini Mickey Mouse Car Decal
🤎 3D Printed Dumpling
🤎 A Necklace that says "Bitch Please I'm A Unicorn"
🤎 Canna Bath Co. CBD Bath Bomb
🤎 Cuticle Oil for your nails
🤎 Jesses Girl Makeup Palette
🤎 Covergirl Mascara
🤎 Revlon Red Liquid Lipstick
🤎 ELF liquid eyeliner in black
🤎 Purlisse Facemask 
🤎 By Nature Facemask
🤎 Eye cream sample
🤎 Bumble & Bumble hair primer oil 

This is open Worldwide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 12/03/2023

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering at least one of these questions.

Which item in this bundle are you most excited about?

What is something you are looking forward to this month?

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? 

What is your favorite thing about this time of the year? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can complete as many entries as you want, there are several one-time activities and daily activities that can earn you more entries into the giveaway. Be sure to keep an eye on my site & social media pages for more giveaways headed your way.