Happy Friday!

Happy Friday darlings!  How have your weeks been?  Mine has been full of errands with the occasional break.  Yesterday Mac and I ended up doing a 16 mile bike ride down to the Long Beach marina. Nothing like having some Whole Foods snacks and watching the evening sun over the water.  Tonight we head back to Long Beach for beer and hot dog sandwiches from Joe Jost's with friends.  Have a fabulous weekend!

Balloons!

We did it, we were 2,500 feet above ground in a hot air balloon.  Here are a few of the pictures from the flight.  It was like being in a dream, even a few days later Mac and I are still saying if it wasn't for the pictures we wouldn't have believed it happened.  


 Believe it or not there was absolutely no fear of heights.  You you don't feel the motion at all when you're in the air, just quiet and peace.  I feel so thankful that Mac and I got to experience this wonderful day, watching the sunrise over the mountains, seeing six lakes at one time, and being overwhelmed by the smell of orange blossoms as we drifted over groves in bloom! 

Wednesday Wine Tasting

It's here, today we head to Temecula for wine tasting fun before our hot air balloon adventure tomorrow morning!  Growing up near wine country on the central coast I'm excited to see what things are like in Temecula.  It's supposed to be sunny and warm, we'll be thinking of you darlings! 

Carpe The Hell Out Of This Diem!

Happy Monday darlings!  I am so excited about today and this week and am feeling exactly what this poster says.  After a great weekend I can wait to sink my teeth into today and live it to the fullest.  Even if it's something simple like reading a book or going for a run let's take full advantage of life's simple pleasures today! Remember what ever speed bumps may come along today is a gift, what are you going to do with it?

Getting Ready For Some Fun!

Well it's official, next week Mac and I are taking a hot air balloon trip over wine country in Temecula!  We bought the flights for my birthday in October, but due to a road closure we had to cancel the flights and had this fun day instead.  So we decided to take advantage of some free time next week and planed a mid week wine tasting hot air balloon adventure.  Wednesday we drive to Temecula, go wine tasting, then wake up at 5:00am Thursday to go up in the air!  Anyone ever been in a hot air balloon before?


photo via

Paint Chip Wall Art

Isn't it amazing how one project can evolve into something new?  Well, that is what happened in my living room.  As you know I was playing with the idea of doing a gallery wall to fill the white space over my new couch.  The plan was to paint the frames all one color, and since this was going to take up the majority of the wall I decided to hang a few paint samples to get a feel of which color suited the room best.  

Three weeks later and I still had a few yellow,coral, and turquoise chips hanging on my wall. I loved having the bright colors in my living room and thought, why not expand on the idea and create "paint chip art." So yesterday on my way home from the gym I stopped by Home Depot grabbed a bunch more chips in a few different colors and started sticking them to my wall.  It's a little haphazard but is so much fun to look at, and it's free! I may still move forward with the gallery wall but I'm loving this right now. What do you think?

Happy Tuesday!

Darlings here are some spring flowers to brighten your day!  How was the Easter weekend?  My parents were in town for four days and it was so nice to get some time with the whole family, pictures to come tomorrow.  


Now it's back to things as usual and trying to recover from all the treats of the weekend.  Time for yoga, a run on the coast, and coffee with a good book!  Happy Tuesday loves!


photo via

Heaven In Your Mouth Lemon Bars

Darlings you may as well put on your running shoes now and do a few laps because you're gonna want to eat a few of these babies. This is a recipe I came up with my senior year of college because I could never find a lemon bar recipe I really loved, and a few of the men in my life are obsessed with lemon.  


Here are a few of the issues I've had with lemon bars:
-too much egg
-too thin
-too bitter
-no pucker
-too sweet


So I worked out this little baby and I have to say it is pretty amazing and so simple. Give it a try and let me know what you think, I'm bringing a batch to Easter brunch this Sunday!

Crust:
-1 stick butter
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-2 cups flour (scant)


Filling:
-4 eggs (room temp)
-2 cups sugar
-2/3 cups lemon juice
-3 tbs lemon zest
-4 tbs flour


Preheat oven to 350


For crust: beat butter and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.  Combine flour and salt and add to butter mixture.  Dough will be sand like, don't worry.  Press into 9"x13" or tart pan.  I love using a tart pan for this especially for parties or birthdays.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes then allow to cool while preparing filling.  

Filling: Beat eggs and sugar until pale, add lemon juice and zest.  Slowly add flour beating steadily to avoid lumps.  Pour over cooling crust and bake for 20 minutes.  


Tips: When zesting lemon avoid the white pith, this will give your bars a nice pucker but avoid any bitterness.  You can dust with powdered sugar.  I don't because I hate taking a bite to find powdered sugar all over my clothes and too much can make the bars overly sweet.  


Enjoy!!!




p.s. lavender lemon bar recipe is in the works!

Sleepy Head

Darlings, I am so sleepy today I just can't shake it.  I have had insomnia the last two nights!  Monday night I could deal with it but two nights without enough sleep and I am not a happy camper.  I wish I was one of those "I got a full 5 hours, time to start a new day" people but I have never been a bounce out of bed kind of person.  I'm more the drag my butt out of bed, hair all over the place, don't talk to me until I have seen and tasted a cup of coffee kind of person. So, not getting my full night's has got me in a funk. 


I know I've had a lot on my mind so tonight before bed I'm having a cup of herbal tea and reading a good, relaxing book.  Also if someone could find this bed and ship me there I'm sure that would help as well, thanks!


Anyone ever had insomnia, any tricks?


photo via

Pillow Talk

Hello darlings, I'm back!  I know it feels like ages but I have been without a computer for a few weeks and have hijacked Mac's until I can get mine up and running. 

So what have I been doing the last week?  Feverishly making pillow covers and launching my Etsy store Pillow Talk!  Check it out loves and let me know what you think.  When I got a new couch a few months ago I just couldn't find the right pillows at the right price so I started making my own pillow covers and now here they are on Etsy.  Inspired by vintage Hollywood and all things fun, more styles to come this week!