Gratitude, Part I

Can you believe that gratitude was described as a trend? During the last eight months, I have tried to express my thanks for recent happenings in my life, but I certainly wouldn't consider it trendy. Here's just a few of the things on my gratitude list:

My family
My friends: day one friends, high school friends, college friends, new Bay friends

My pups and fat cat

Books
My lovely job
Photographs
The little Corolla that takes me everywhere
BBM, Ping chat, Facebook: anything that keeps me connected
An amazing lib two blocks from my apartment
Jeff, my sweet landlord (thank you for taking a chance on me)
My teeny apartment
Baby watching with the sissies
Laughter
Cheesy quotes

Being able to pay my bills, all by myself
Bubble baths
Inspiration
Learning something new every day
My roots
Baking, baking, baking
The Power of Positive Thinking
Sunshine

Can't wait to share more Thanksgiving pics!

Shine On

Need to spice up the end of your week? Start with a sparkly bottle of nail polish. This cranberry color is called "Sparked," and makes me so excited for Thanksgiving.


Pick out a ridiculous card for someone you love. Folks, this is for my dad's birthday. Our fam has a thing for silly cards (especially if they involve animals), and I cannot wait to see my dad's reaction next week.


Drool over a necklace you know you'll be unable to resist if it goes on sale. Nerd alert: I first saw this in the WSJ, not the J. Crew catalog.


A little extra shine never hurts anybody.

Walnut Creek

I met up with my mom and sisters for a day of eating, shopping and catching up in Walnut Creek. It was sunny and beautiful but chilly, so I finally got to test out my first, legitimate winter jacket. Broadway Plaza gives the Stanford Shopping Center a run for its money, and they were starting to put out Christmas decorations. We aren't the most efficient shoppers (ahem, three trips to J. Crew), but we got a lot of our Christmas shopping done and didn't stop laughing the entire time. I cannot wait until we are together for Thanksgiving!

Delicious cookies at Boudin Bakery.

Maggie's bf joined us for a few hours.

Hmmm... rabbits are not very Christmas-y.

Cute dancing peppers on the El Charro menu.

World's biggest sombrero (or something like that).

Happy Holidays

Now that Halloween is over, I am so excited to start decorating for Christmas. When I was home recently, my mom asked me what I envisioned my Christmas style to be... uhhhhh, anything sparkly? I have a great start thanks to my mom and some lovely family heirlooms, but I've been keeping my eye out for beauties to add to my Christmas collection.

Partridge in a pear tree via.
Bows via.
An advent calendar perfect for a cold morning via.
These orb-like ornaments via.

Minty Goodness

After I saw Martha Stewart in person last week (she is a real person), I was inspired to share my experience making a Minted Chocolate Cookie recipe. I thought I was going to use her recipe, but wanted to make the wafers myself. And it was a little easier. Basically, they're the non-trademarked version of almost everyone's favorite Girl Scout cookie. I actually made these when my mom and baby sis came to visit a couple weeks ago. I needed a cookie that could be made in steps and would freeze well. They were just what I was looking for!

Cornstarch everywhere.

The hardest part was cutting these babies just the right thickness.

Doused in butter and chocolate... delish!

Weekend In La La Land Top 10

1) Jo and Ashley battled L.A. traffic to pick me up at LAX, and we finally make it to Brew Co by 12:30 a.m. Woke up the next morning still giggling about the night before. My friend Jo (in purple) is in grad school at UCLA right now, and Ashley technically had the longest drive for this magical weekend. One night out with these girls was not enough!

2) UCLA footbal game vs. Cal. Pretty much attacked Britt upon my arrival at the Rose Bowl. Hey Brittany!

3) Kyyyyyy. Basically the nicest person you will ever meet.

4) Classy tailgate. Those cookies were darn good!

5) My Disney gal. I haven't seen her since graduation, and we finally got to catch up.

6) A BRUIN WIN!

7) We celebrated Halloween two days early in West Hollywood. Luckily, my friends had a magical costume box since I didn't pack one of my own. And Katie's dino costume is pretty epic.

8)We went to this bar called The Hudson. Anywhere with baby Mason jars is more than ok in my book. And Snooki was a hit!

9)Feels like home to me. I managed to see (almost) all of my college besties this weekend. Catching up is so much more fun in person!

10) So happy this pretty lady loves ADPi as much as I do. Cannot believe it's been four years since I wore a white dress at Presents!

Oh Los Angeles we leave you now,
At the setting of your skies.
As we leave the comfort of your ground,
With your angels we will fly.

Fear the 'Stache

I saw this video for SF mayoral candidate Ed Lee and just about fell over. The creators of the video had the same idea we did when we were cheering on Dad at his marathon last year. If you don't have a beard to fear, well, the next best thing is a mustache. Featuring the likes of B. Wilson, Ashkon, will.i.am. and more, Lee is hoping his 'stache gives him the extra leg up in the upcoming mayoral election.