Summer Picnics

I love picnics!  All seasons really, I'll even bundle up in fall but there is something so perfect about eating alfresco on a warm summer evening.  Mac and I are going to the Hollywood Bowl this weekend with friends and family and it has got me thinking about all the wonderful goodies we can take to munch on.  

When it comes to picnics we normally keep it pretty simple, brie is a must, bread, apples, a hard meet, honey to slather on everything, and of course who can live without champagne and french macarons to satisfy that sweet tooth.  What are you favorite things to bring when eating outdoors?  


*Confession, the last outdoor concert Mac and I went to was so supr of the moment we ended up having Carl's Jr. french fries and champagne for dinner and it was heaven!

Tricycle Sunday

This is one of Mac's latest swap meet finds, a grown up sized tricycle.  So naturally on Sunday we did what every 20 and 30 something does...ride around the neighborhood squealing with delight.  Ok, so maybe most 20 and 30 somethings don't do that but they should cuz let me tell you it is darn fun!

We had a wonderful weekend.  One of my new friend's had a 1930's themed 30th birthday party, pictures to come it was fabulous!  Then after our tricycle riding on Sunday we decided to get out the real bikes, ride to the beach, go for a swim, then BBQ and watch Julie and Julia...sometimes I count my lucky start for finding Mac.  How was your weekend?

Taking Care Of Yourself

How many of you take enough time for yourselves?  You know I am a big fan of "me time," I take baths, do yoga, relax reading with a glass of wine but lately I have been forgetting to take care of some of the bigger things...the one's that require more cash.  

Like a lot of us over the past few years things have been a little tighter financially. Yesterday, however, I was reminded that was no reason to skip certain things.  

My right shoulder will lock up once or twice a year, yep immobile at least once a year.  Yesterday I felt the symptoms coming on, asked around, read some Yelp reviews, and went to a massage college 10 minutes from my work.  If you have never been to a massage college do it!  I requested a graduate not a student and she was wonderful, you can't beat a $29 massage.  Like others I had been to, she said "uh oh" when she felt my shoulder and chewed me out for letting it get that bad, then explained that in order to fix it I would have to be sore for a few days.  I am.  

This was a big reminder of something my mom told me when I was thirteen, "when you're older always find the means to take care of yourself."  We get so caught up in our lives and what we can and cannot afford that we often forget to take care of ourselves.  So my new promise to myself is less dinners with friends, cocktails, or fancy cheeses (ugh) in order to put those funds towards regular massages for my very screwed up shoulder. 

What is your gift to yourself, massages, facials, work out classes? 

Morning Routine

Sunday morning in the craft room when I woke up with chevron on my brain.

I am not a morning person.  I love to wake up early and get things done but it does not come easily to me.  In fact, I am sitting here right now with my cup of coffee and thinking how I would love to crawl back into bed.  But, I have changed my morning routine.  It's not much at all but I am making an effort to wake up 15-30 minutes earlier and it has made such a difference.

I have a tenancy to sleep in as late as I possibly can to still get ready and make it to work on time.  I realized that those extra 15 minutes wouldn't make much change to how energized I felt but would give my day a wonderful boost.  Now I have time wake up, sip my coffee, and relax a little reading before going into the office.  And when I say reading I mean catching up on your wonderful blogs, it's like having coffee with friends every morning.  Such a nice way to start in a calm state of mind and carry it with me throughout the day. What are your morning routine's?  Is anyone lucky enough to be a morning person or enjoy morning workouts?

Sunday DIY Chevron Rug

I woke up Sunday morning and decided I wanted a chevron rug.  There is a tiny whole in one of the floor boards in my new craft room at Mac's house.  Rather than tripping in it over and over or redoing the entire floor, I decided that I was going to finally put a rug in the room like I planned and that it needed to be chevron.  I looked up a few DIY chevron tutorials, bought a $20 black rug, and took half a  gallon of white paint down from the shelf in the garage.  

Used these to guide me here and here.

Mac was skeptical about painting a rug, and laying out the lines was not as easy as we thought but I am so happy with the way it turned out.  To create our rows we divided the seven foot rug evenly and chalked out lines.  I originally wanted a white rug to paint black (easier you would think) but when the store only had black rugs and we already had white paint, what ya gonna do?

I wanted each row to have two zigzag peaks.  We divided the width by four and marked each point along the vertical lines.  I connected the bottom corner of the rug to the first point in on the vertical line and continued to connect the dots up and down with tape.  I know, confusing right?  This is why Mac and I had a debate laying it out, we're not mathematical people.

Because I don't trust myself with paint I marked every other row with chalk so I wouldn't end up with two white rows back to back and was sure to tape the edges of the rows that would be painted.

After a coat of a "dab and brush" technique and some touch ups the rug turned out exactly as I wanted!  It's not perfect but for something that is going in the craft room and that the cat is going to shed all over I am happy.  

It was so rewarding to wake up in the morning with an idea and have it in the house by that afternoon.  If you're dreaming on a budget or you're not sure how long the chevron trend is gonna last give it a try and have some fun!  


Hopefully we'll be adding storage for my supplies and get some pictures on the walls soon.  The room is a work in progress but so far I'm loving it!

Raspberry Fingers

Thank you summer for fresh beautiful raspberries!  I just couldn't resist popping them on my fingers before enjoying because, really, are we ever too old?  

Harlot At Heart

How do you have a fun Sunday?  Run around a wild west ghost town playing dress up with your friends dressed as a 1850's harlot!  I can not even tell you how fun this weekend was.  My friend Blake is applying to film school and part of the application process is submitting a series of photos that tell a story, it is amazing what he can get me to do...

Let me say getting to be a part of the shoot was amazing.  I was going off of three hours of sleep having helped with props the night before, but getting up at 7:00am on a Sunday for hair and make up was well worth it.  


The shot I was featured in was actually a few of us girls chasing Gary (above) out of the saloon.  The fun part about my costume, getting to wear my real-honest-to-goodness-can't-breathe-corset, heels, lace stockings, and showing a little leg.  The down part of my costume doing take after take running in my real-honest-to-goodness-can't-breathe-corset and heels.  My direction from Blake after a few shots was "more like a gazelle" my reponse was "honey, you try running like a gazelle in a corset and heels."  Let's say I have a new appreciation for women of the 1800's.  

I am so happy and proud that Blake was able to put all of this together...getting a permit for the grounds, story telling, imagination, organizing a group of "actors", creating the costumes with Gary, and keeping everyone smiling through the day.    Hopefully I'll have all of Blake's pictures soon but I hope you enjoy these that we took behind the scenes!

Claire and Jordan getting make up on site while the boys did their shots

Inebriated saloon girls

Beautiful Claire being laced up for her scene, Gary was so strong we really did need something to hold on to. 

 iPhone meets 1850's

Any decolletage is due to padding, amazing shadowing, and one heck of a corset 

 Absolutely beautiful

 Our fabulous director Blake playing with props behind the scene

After hours in the corset I think I deserved a treat!

Wine And Yoga Pants

Have you guys seen this?  I know this e-card has been floating around for a while but I love it!  Wine, yoga pants, and maybe chocolate...I swear there are some days where that's really all I need.  

Happy Friday!

I love this print!  Makes me feel better about being covered in them, haha.  Mac and I don't have much planned for this weekend which means I'll probably in the sun reading working on my freckle collection.  Sometimes the best weekends seem to happen when you have no plans and can go any direction you want.  Anyone doing something fun?

Date Night

I love that every season brings new ideas for date nights.  Last night was a great one, Casablanca on the beach.  Long Beach has started a summer movie series showing free movies on the beach every Monday and Tuesday night.  Well Mac and I just couldn't pass up Casablanca.  


It was a perfect evening, we met our friends at the beach for a double date, ate dinner on our blankets before the movie, sipped wine and toasted every time he said "here's looking at you kid." I think we may be hooked, next week they're showing Annie Hall and I can't wait!  Anyone else had any fun summer dates?

Summer Rain

I sat looking out my window yesterday morning at the July gloom and thought of how amazing it would be to have rain, but it's July in Southern California and I'd have to wait until at least October.  I got a little melancholy for autumn. Then it seems mother nature decided to go and prove me wrong.  Sitting out on my balcony reading in the evening I started to feel the occasional drop landing on my foot and sure enough, went to bed listening to the sound of summer rain. 


I don't know if there is anything better than waking up early this morning to feel the fresh summer air and smell the wonderful scent of rain drying on my neighbors citrus trees.  In that minuet I felt like someone had transported me to Europe, I was instantly on vacation.  So thank you mother nature for even a few hours of summer rain and the beautiful way it smells outside this morning!

Week In Review

What a week!  Since my dad's birthday it feels like things have been going non-stop and I love it.  Mac and I had a wonderful 4th of July, his sister's birthday, filled with ice cream cake, neighborhood fire works, and late night In-N-Out Burger...sometimes you just have to splurge. 


The rest of the week included a movie date night (we saw To Rome With Love and Brave), low cal ice cream for dinner, swimming with friends, a trip to the children's section of Barnes and Noble, and sipping margaritas in the evening.  Don't you just love having a vacation week in your own back yard?