Dressing up...

One of the bummers of being a grown up (and not having kids yet) is realizing that dressing up is really for the kids... Unless you're my hubby, who is basically just a kid at heart. He went to work dressed as Clark Kent today! Anyway, I couldn't stop smiling this morning when I saw this pic:

 

I mean have you ever seen anything quite so adorable?! I'm sure my little sister had more fun taking pics than this little guy did wearing the costume, but I totally get it. As much as he resents it, little Mumfie (AKA 'The Wolf'), the handsomest young pup I've seen, really wears a costume well. For as long as you can keep it on him. Like this one:

I mean... Superpup?!?!?! He looked so hilarious and cute in this costume... But as soon as it came off, he got back at as for this. He disappeared for about 10 minutes and went potty in the house, and left it for us to find. That was a few months ago. And you'd think we'd have learned our lesson about this little pup and costumes. But nooooooo. I did warn my sister to hide her leather purses though! This pup totally understands payback! :P

I am not dressing up... except for my nails. I figured they could be a little fun and fancy for the day.

I kinda love how girly and pretty they are!!! Maybe they can 'dress up' like this more often :)

 



It's the little things in life...

Like this tiny, indescribably delicious tub of the WORLD'S MOST AMAZING GELATO that my friend recommended. Do you like salted caramel? I am a tad obsessed with it at the moment. Do you like gelato on a hot day? Never mind whether you like hot days in October - that's besides the point. But GELATO makes everything better, even weather that seems like evidence that points to global warming, climate change and enormous problems for future generations... ALL forgotten with one spoonful of THIS. Try it. Savor it. Try NOT to overindulge - I dare you. One spoonful feels a bit like crossing the line :P


I found this creamy deliciousness at Target!!



An open letter to Southern California...

So I have googled searched 'nearest place to see real fall Los Angeles'. And 'nearest snow Los Angeles'. And other cold weather related searches. Because I'm not sure how much longer I can take this bizarre weather. And apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way. I guess I probably need to go read my first world problems blog post. Which I will. Right after I post this open letter to Southern California. Sometimes it helps just to feel like your voice is heard.

Dear Southern California,

It is FALL. Mid-October. Almost THANKSGIVING!!! Enough of this HIDEOUS, hot summery weather. We want to wear SWEATERS and scarves, drink hot coffee/chocolate and eat SOUP and pot roast!!!

Sincerely,

Me (and that poor lady I saw at lunch rocking knee high boots, an adorable coat and a sweat mustache.

As if waking up to an 80+ degree forecast wasn't enough, I had to find THIS posted on Facebook this morning too... Sigh.

What October looks like elsewhere



Baking it up as we go...

Somewhere out there in other parts of the world, people are enjoying views like this. I just know it. While we are still seeing temperature forecasts up in the 80s this week. So no chocolate candy for trick or treaters coz it will probably just MELT. Sigh.

Well, I spent a lovely weekend with a few fun house guests, stayed up late (waaaaaaaaaay too late), laughed and chatted the whole time and we BAKED. Yeah, it wasn't cold or raining, but we pretended the weather was baking appropriate and had a GREAT time! Two of my FAVORITE easy recipes to share with a crowd:

Apple Crisp ~ the simplest, most deliciousest (word invention!) creation that evokes the happiest, homiest smells. Mmmmm. No picture (SORRY!) - but imagine... If you have a bunch of apples you need to use (or that you happen to buy at the store with the very intent of baking this!), it's the perfect thing to make!

And Aunt Holly's Banana Bread ~ yummmmmm! Yeah, I know, pictures!!! Sorry! Neither of these treats were around long enough to take a pic, the apple crisp was whisked straight from the oven and out the door to church!

These two recipes are so super quick and easy to throw together, completely forgiving if you get a little 'creative' with the ingredients, and perfect for you to try if baking isn't really your thing. Trust me. You will SUCCEED. And nothing emboldens a baker like SUCCESS!!!

Gosh I want to go apple picking. I've never been, it sounds like SUCH good fun. Of course if I were to go apple picking in Southern California, I'd probably pass out from the heat right now. Exaggeration? Maybe... just a tad :P

If you don't have anything nice to say...

Don't say anything at all. Sigh. That is why I've been so quiet lately. Too busy to get around to posting pictures of my lovely trip. Too tired to get up early to clean my house. Too exasperated by the relentless summer in October weather (with the exception of the next few days, but fret not, the 80+ degree weather will be back next week). Sigh.

Perspective...

Sometimes we all need a healthy dose of perspective, right? I know this is true for me. On Friday night, I was stuck in bumper to bumper crawling traffic (I have lived in LA for 10 years, believe me, if there's enough traffic to bother me, there is a SERIOUS problem), for more than an hour and a half, with a dinner party for more than 15 guests to host and no idea whether I'd even arrive before my guests. Why? Because of a road that was closed for the space shuttle. I was filled with a little rage, frustration, exhaustion, and completely overwhelmed. Mentally raging about my job (why must I work so late?!), every driver on the road beside me (why must they be on THIS road RIGHT now?!), the space shuttle (really, whose idea was it to move this thing on a FRIDAY evening during peak hour in LA?!?!?!!), the whole world really... And then I took a deep breath. A deeeeeeeeeep breath (job = a total blessing in this economy, other drivers have somewhere to be too! the space shuttle probably made some valuable contributions to our world, space technology, exploration, science (I sure hope it did, for all the trouble it caused!)... I am a lucky lady, with an amazing husband who let me rant a little, then did all of the jobs I would have been doing if I wasn't captive on the interstate, and when I arrived home, the candles were lit, the early bird guests had icy cold beverages in their hands, the birthday girl hadn't arrived yet, and I was reminded that sometimes, it's really, really important to take a breath and find some perspective.

Over the weekend, I came across this video, which made me laugh! I think it can give us all a healthy dose of perspective. And I'll be honest, given that it was over 90 degrees here today, and the weather forecast has temperatures soaring for the rest of the week, I'm gonna need some perspective! :P

Rain!!!!!!!

All my posts seem centered around the weather lately. Probably because it's almost mid-October and it feels like summer still in LA. With the exception of today. I know the weather report has temperatures in the high 80s/low 90s predicted for next week. I know my lovely scarf collection is not coming out of hibernation for a while and I know my feet are a little too toasty in the boots I excitedly put on this morning when I looked out my window and saw little puddles on my patio. But I also know it's been raining off and on all day, and I am gonna enjoy every second of it, coz who knows how long it will be before we see another sign of fall. Heck, I'd settle for temperatures under 74 and call that fall at this rate :P

AWOL



I really want to go someplace where they have REAL fall ~ like this!!!

I know, I know, I've been a little AWOL. It is for a great reason, I promise. And since I haven't had a chance to upload pics to prove it, you'll just have to wait for an explanation. But until then... I noticed a few things while out shopping this weekend. Like pumpkins and Christmas cards (I LOVE Christmas, but Christmas cards in October seems to be jumping the gun a little, doesn't it?!), and salted caramel mochas on the menu of a certain coffee place I haven't frequented in years but will likely be visiting often for the next few months. So what if it's still too warm to contemplate drinking a hot coffee, that's why they invented Frappuccinos! I wish it were already here, but all of these little signs point to ONE thing ~ someday, hopefully very soon, fall is coming and bringing winter on it's coattails!!! And I, for one, can't wait!! Meanwhile... I don't care that the weather report has temperatures soaring back up to the near 80s this weekend. At this moment, there are clouds in the sky and the air is not hot, which is as close to Southern California has been to fall so far. I'll take it! :D

Picture perfect



There are no words to describe this - picture perfect.