Take One Last Look in the Rearview

I had to work today.  *mumble mumble profanity grumble*

I really can't complain.  I mean it's not that bad.  It's just the feeling of next week barreling towards me at, oh, 750 miles an hour.  And the fact I'd convinced myself I was the only person in the free world working (not true after all. go figure).  *pauses to lie down while there's still time*

Early this afternoon The Chef came over for our semi-annual garage dive.  The one where he pries a bunch of crap from my vulcan grip to give to charity while I stand on one foot debating whether or not I need it anymore. But this time I was ready for him.  I wanted to give it all the heave-ho!  Off the starboard bow, over the hurdles and into the great unknown.  *you know, because it's always so much easier to purge when it's a situation of work vs. purge*

When I'm in the mood to let it all fly I'm in the mood to let it all fly and suffice it to say it flew.  There were just a few treasures I couldn't let go of this round.  Examine the evidence:

Dudes.  Everyone needs a magic wand.

And some Foo Dogs, a rotisserie chicken thing, a set of jumper cables and a cat carrier.  

But who's keeping track?

And there's no way I'm getting rid of the gift box from

 the bomb a** Missoni throw the Chef got me back in 2009 when the 

recession had bit a hole clear through the derriere of my pantalones.

It was the nicest gift evah...even though it sat in a crate in NYC until February while

we called and called and called realizing the receiving company was in dire straits and

couldn't pay for the shipment so the blanket had to be reordered through a different store.

It was the Great Blanket Adventure of 2009. Woot!

What is this you ask?  Brace yourself.

Hell yeah! It's a Piglet phone cover circa 1998!  

Don't ask me what I was thinking at time of purchase.  Clearly very brainiac thoughts.

Anyway on that note I give 2011 the royal kiss off with a wave of me magic wand!  It was a wild one and I'm ready to shake the dust from my heels and slide into 2012.  PS- yesterday was Good Riddance Day.  A time to say goodbye to one bad memory from 2011, write it down and shred that mother up.  Did you tear one up?  *I may or may not have stuffed an envelope full and clogged the shredder.*

Red Alert on the Shoe Front?

Rather than launching off into the post-Christmas wrap-up, I bring you the following:

This is not okay.

Holiday sale or no holiday sale these need to become extinct immediately.

Tsk tsk Saks.

I. Can't. Even.

So while everyone else is posting about homecomings and last minute gift guides, my house is a disaster and I've been buried under a pile of Trader Joe's Candy Cane and Mini Peppermint Waffle Cookies (daily bread) watching the following on repeat.  Everyone and their mother probably saw it before me, but I've made up for it in the past 3 days.  'I mean, get it together.'



I haven't laughed so hard on the rinse and repeat cycle since this one.  Still leaves me gasping for air:


You're gonna need a snack or ten once you get all caught up in the youtube videos, so why not head over to Danielle's?  I'm guest posting over there today and whipped up a Black Forest Trifle complete with Baileys infused chocolate pudding.  And then proceeded to eat half of it in 3 days. Er, breakfast lunch and dinner?


ps-thanks for all the kind words yesterday. just needed to say it out loud and close the door.  gotta get back to singing 'ding dong the witch is dead' now.

Woman Treading Water Wants Out of the Pool

Has someone ever disappointed you so much that you kind of got stuck at a certain place in your life? Loaded opening sentence there, but one I'd like an answer to.  Recently - and I guess stemming back to not so recently - a person I really trusted and thought highly of (and no not the bf) completely trampled me in what I've come to realize is their ongoing tirade of self.  It feels like such a long time that I've been weaving in and out of a deep level of hurt.  Sometimes, admittedly, without much grace.

Yesterday I was in my car and managed to forget it for awhile when suddenly at a red light this jolt of remembrance left me feeling as though I'd been kicked in the stomach all over again.  Yeah, it sounds dramatic and certainly isn't all unicorns flying out of your a** like blogging's supposed to be (or something), but whatevs.  It's the truth.  A guttural sigh and a green light later I thought to myself, 'I've gotta get away from this. I don't want to let this moment define my life and destroy me.'  It was a turning point, I guess.  There have been months of dark days dealing with this person and I'm really tired of it.  The Chef's been cheering me from the sidelines and it's helped a lot, but every once in awhile I am faced with the fact that this thing, this person, will forever be written in my life story and I wish I could just erase the entire thing.

Hell's bells.  Not so much on the cheery side today I'm afraid.

Some dark pics to go with?  You got it.  Pass the chocolate.

~Outfit:  Juicy Couture-Vest, Old Navy-Sweater, Alexa Chung-Skirt, Frye-Boots, Rings-Flea, FP, Bracelets-Vanessa Mooney, Madewell, Motif 56~

Bright side: skirt's on sale, sweater is too and so good I picked it up in two colors.  Santa's sleigh came early and I was driving it.  Maybe that was him behind me in that picture?  Nah!

This is How It's Going Down

Epic bummer on the home front:  I can't go back to Canada to be with my family for Christmas.  It is the tale of a passport that UPS "misplaced" for 21 days, that a loyal blog friend then located and had delivered, followed by line upon line upon....well let's just say the passport isn't here yet and airline tickets are at a minimum of $1500.  All this sent me into a bit of a tear-filled spiral this weekend. Okay and last week.  Christmas is the one time of year where you can have guilt-free days off from work because everyone else is doing nil with their friends and family too.  I want my mom's cookies! *whine*

Sigh.

Looks like it'll be a concrete jungle-filled Christmas this year.

It's pretty tempting to just get into a nap-induced fetal and remain there until January 2nd.  And it might happen anyway, but it would be nice to get some traditions of my own going.  I'll be honest:  one thing I always do at this time of year is buy and religiously wear Abercrombie & Fitch sweatpants.  Go ahead.  Laugh.  Laugh all you want, but know this:  the sweats they push out at the holidays are unparalleled.  Soft, smushy fabric that's like velvet on the skin.  Sized to fit the adults of the world vs. the 12 year old skinny girls they cater to the remainder of the year.  I lived in mine all weekend and given the need for comfort at this traumatic time *drama queen in the house* am hoping Santa hears my cry and drops a couple more pairs under the DECORATED (victory!) tree.

Santa?  Santa you out there?  More smelly A&F sweats please.  This is a red alert.

Is it wrong to want to spend Christmas day lying around in one's A&F sweats munching sugar cookies, watching Elf, and dozing in and out of a food-induced coma?  We think not.

Decorate What?

On Friday we arrived, filled with excitement, at the beloved tree lot.  Determined to linger and not get caught in a panic we were, of course, late and had to rush a little.  This led to strategizing prior to departing the vehicle.  Dialogue included the following:

Him:  Don't get caught up in the wreaths.  We're here for a tree.

Me: Oh ma gah I want to ride the train.  Do you think they'll let me on there?  

Him:  Are you listening to me?  

Me:  Is there a height restriction for the train?

Him:  Hel-lo! TREE TREE TREE

Me:  Fiiiine (eye roll)  I hear you.  Stay out of the 7 footers.  Capiche?  I don't think we can fit one of those mothers through the door.  Remember last year? (don't ask)

Upon exiting the vehicle here's how it went down:

Nerves dissipate as the scent of Pine, Noble Fir, Douglas Fir and whatever other wonderful

tree smells are out there waft into our nostrils.  It's Christmas-tree time.

He thinks this might be the one.

While I make best friends with this tree which is, coincidentally, over 7ft tall.

Ahem.  Insert foot in mouth.

The tree guy agrees that this is the one.  The Chef doesn't really care.  It's over 7ft tall. Sold! 

Time for gymnasio into the dojo aka trying to stuff it up the stairs into our place.

Sunday afternoon we limber up for decorating time.  

Okay he mocks my stationary lunges.  Whatever.

Three hours later we had one strand of lights on and went for a Mexican food break.

Sounds about right.

Cut to scene and it is now Wednesday night.  That one, lone, strand of lights remains on the tree due to insanity decorating at the restaurant (which looks marvy btw) while the house looks like a tornado blew through here flinging one strand of lights on the tree in the corner.  On that note:  I gotta go.  It would be nice to have the tree decorated by Christmas and I only have 10 days left to make that happen.

Operation Sequin Pants: The Eagle Has Landed

In the process of undergoing Operation Sequin Pants a couple of things have come to light:  a. I am not particularly risky in the clothing department (read: fears the thunder thigh effect) and b. one can never have too many lunges and/or squats per 24 hour timespan.  It's been a few weeks since the pants were secured, but yesterday was the first time they actually saw the great outdoors.  Conclusion:  you have to have nuts to be traipsing around in these things in the daylight hours.  They are ideal for the New Year's Eve or Holiday party circuit, but I'm contemplating how to meander around for the next few weeks in a more casual ensemble.  Perhaps the ballet flat, simple white t//blouse + blazer effect will bring it home...once the ten inches of rain stop falling.  Until then, examine the evidence.  Warning:  sparkly pants apparently bring out the inner crazy bird.

~J.Crew-Sweater, Siwy-Sequin Pants, Forever21:Booties~

I'm sure the neighbor was wondering WTH was going on. Niiiice.

Picked up this sweater on the fly at J.Crew just days before locating the pants.  

It sold out moments later, but I saw a few strays in my local store this weekend in case

you're on the hunt and/or feeling chagrin over lack of online availability.

~Bracelets: mix of Madewell, J.Crew, Vanessa Mooney, AE and random hairband.~

*I'll add outtake pics to the facebook page later today (now done)...prepare to pee your pants laughing.

ps-next up:  Operation Trim the Tree.  Here's hoping the lights are on prior to NYE.

Holiday Gift Guide: Give & Give Back

Usually I have gifts purchased or in view by the first week of December and am sitting in a pretty decent situation counting down the days until the 25th.  Usually.  For some reason this year is a repeat of last when I found myself in a bit of a frenzy, kind of stumped for what to buy and with only a couple tchotchkes tucked into the closet.  One thing I don't want to do is just click away at items on the internet to make it go away (although it is tempting). Giving meaningful gifts is half the fun of giving in the first place, so one thing I am planning to do is give at least one item that gives back to each member of my family.  It's really easy (at least for me) to get swept up in the excess of it all, even if I don't necessarily purchase mass amounts. And then without fail as I'm wrapping presents a degree of chagrin sweeps over as I think of thoughtful things left out that could have made an impact on someone else's life too.  So with that in mind here are a handful of wonderful goodies that can make a difference and do double duty at the holidays:

1. Pura Vida Bracelets - These are so cool to pile on and are the perfect stocking stuffer.  Pura Vida provides food, clothing and shelter for the 15 Costa Rican artisans who make these bracelets, and donates 1% of each bracelet sold back to The Surfrider Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting oceans and beaches worldwide.

2. Glassbaby - I raved about Glassbaby last year (see here).  These votive holders are beautiful and come in a wide array of colors.  Different colors give to different causes, and one of my favorites to gift is the BFF.  A.  love the color.  B. 10% of proceeds go to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centers C. get your colors/sets here.

3. TOMS Shoes - I'm such a fan of TOMS.  For every pair of shoes sold, a pair is given to a child in need.  I recently had a chance to spend an afternoon at TOMS and left feeling so inspired and moved by the spirit of giving that permeates the company.  Everyone in my family is getting a pair this year.  Secret's out!

4. Made With Love Recycled Rubber Bracelets - made by a Women's Cooperative in West Africa, these bracelets not only provide the women who make them with a viable means of support, they are also sold to raise funds for L'Empire Des Enfants--a center for homeless children from the streets of Dakar, Senegal.  The center provides shelter, meals, education and training as well as works with local organizations to reunite children with their families.  I have a set of these bracelets and love them!

5. Mother and Child Candles - made in California by Maura Peters, all profits from these candles are donated to the Tibetan Healing Fund (THF) a not-for-profit humanitarian organization established to improve primary healthcare and education for rural Tibetan women and children in the Tibetan regions of the P.R. China.
6. Dutzi Design - this business is near and dear to me.  Founder Ariane Dutzi has become a dear friend and it's been wonderful to watch her business grow.  Ariane designs the bags and then empowers Mayan men and women, skilled craftspeople, to earn a living and set fair prices for their work as they bring her designs to life.

Do you consider/include gifts that give back in your holiday shopping?  If you have additional ideas, please leave in the comments.  I'm hoping to knock out some serious shopping this weekend!

If At First You Don't Succeed Try Again: Gluten-Free Donuts

Last week Tiffani from Dancing Branflakes sent out a plea for real gluten-free donuts.  You know, like, real donuts that are fluffy and light vs. cake donuts.  She tugged at my heart strings (and truth be told read my mind. As a former Krispy Kreme visitor and child of a donut maker life just isn't quite the same) and memories of growing up with a mom and grandma who made the best homemade donuts in all the land.  So many times after school I would walk through the door and find fresh made glazed or sugar donuts waiting for me.  Sigh.  Those were the days.

So with these things fueling me I worked up the courage to find a recipe that looked like it just might work.  Now I'm not a professional baker by any means and a lot of gluten-free baking is by trial and error.  With the Chef backing me (read: egging me on) I set out making the dough on Saturday.  It appeared to work and, following instructions, I set it in the refrigerator overnight with dreams of donuts dancing in my head all that night.

Cut to scene and there I was Sunday morning.  It was donut time!  The Chef bought me a little gift:  candy thermometer for the side of my deep fryer.  There was no way I could fail now.  It was go time.  Go donut time. Whatever.

Step one: roll out the dough.  Was it going to hold together?  Could it handle it?

Why yes, yes it could.  Sigh of relief.

I took it back to the old school and rolled the dough out on my dining room table just

like my mom and grandma used to do.  Everything was on track.

I laid the donuts and donut holes out to rise for an hour or so (lightly covered) and crossed my fingers.

The rest was kind of a letdown.  After an hour and a half the dough had only risen maybe half as much as I wanted it to.  Chances are (and my gut was telling me) gluten-free dough may work better without that time in the refrigerator slowing the yeast down.  At the end of it all I decided to deep fry a few donuts just to test the texture of a finished product.

Here's what I got:

Pardon my giant thumb and not so fancy plate.  

By that time I was pretty much traumatized and disappointed that I wouldn't be having any of the 

super light and airy donuts that had filled my dreams just hours before.

What I can say is this:  the taste is there.  The texture on this batch was a little heavy, but lighter than a cake donut so maybe, just maybe, if I tweak the recipe just a bit there may be a chance for a donut that is a little closer to the fluffy ones of days gone by.  Wish me luck!  I'm hoping to go in for round 2 this weekend if I can manage to get the Christmas tree purchased at some point this week.  And then there's always that Christmas shopping that isn't near done...or even significantly started yet.  Where is this month going??

It Was a Case of True Love

I had something to say, but can't remember what it was seeing as I just made the grave mistake of watching 'Virgin Diaries' on TLC and fear my mind has been wiped clean.  If there is a possibility of being scarred for life simply from watching a tv show I've got third degree scars.  Did any of you happen to catch the two who got married and had never kissed before? (see here)  Uh, can you say maul?  I was mid-air with a fork of pan seared green beans and can't even recall eating them.  There were some other awkward scenarios to behold, but suddenly they've escaped my mind.

Did I do anything this weekend?  Laundry, couch, worked on testing gluten-free donut recipes and laughed my head off on Friday night over dinner with friends.  At some point I made a pitstop at Whole Foods where I had a stranger tsk tsk me for purchasing green beans that weren't organic.  Excuse me lady, but do I know you?  I'm paying $4.99/lb for green beans and counting out exactly 14 so as not to break the bank.  Do ya mind?  It was on this very excursion that I seized the moment to try out my new Current/Elliott Rollers for the first time.  The love story continues.  No big shocker there.  I've been raving about the brand since the very beginning.  I guess this makes me a one denim brand loving woman (you know like a one woman man)--except nothing like the peeps who got married on Virgin Diaries.  *washes eyes out with bleach*

~Details:  Alexa Chung for Madewell-Sweater, Current/Elliott-Jeans, Joie-Wedges~

Effective immediately:  Channeling the 80's love for fisherman knits.

~Jewelry close-up:  Vanessa Mooney x3-Silver/Grey Suede, Madewell-Gold, Motif 56-Leather~

All those late nights watching Grease and Saturday Night Fever are manifesting before 

our eyes.  Next up:  big afro wig!  (wishes and dreams)

It's a Sign: The Sequin Pants Saga

A couple years ago you would have found me hunched over the computer staring at Siwy's sequin Hannah's for hours.  I am by no means daring with the sequins, yet there was just something about these pants.  Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? It was a never-ending cycle of staring and questioning.  Then they went on sale.  It was the height of the recession (or is that now? It's like a broken record...) and I just kept watching and waiting for a slightly lower price then BAM! Those hookers were gone!  Snatched out from under me while I fell asleep at the watch computer being a cheapskate.

Funny how it goes, isn't it?  You think you might not need something and then the moment you can't have it anymore you suddenly realize, 'Hey I really do need those pants.  I need them now.  I will wear them every day.' Of course it was too late, but I never forgot those pants.  Every once in awhile I would take it to eBay and do a search that resulted in, well, nary a sequined pant.

And then last fall rolled around and Isabel rained down with her sequins during which time 

I almost poked my own eyes out for having dropped the ball.

image via Corks and Caftans 

which if you're not reading you're seriously robbing yourself.

Aaaand of course in winter Carey appeared wearing the gold version I had lamented over, though likely would never have had the nuts to wear.  Yes I just said nuts.  I bawled softly into a kleenex while kicking myself yet again.

And then it happened.  A few weeks ago I was perusing Hautelook (which I rarely ever do uh, hel-lo SIGN!) and spotted a Siwy sale on the horizon.  Silently I whispered, 'If those friggin' pants are there they are mine.'  Cut to scene and there I was, clicker finger at the ready, 8am PST the following day.  I open the sale, I see the pants, I scream out loud and purchase the mothers!!!  Admittedly, a bit of angst remained.  Would they live up to my long-awaited expectations?  Did I really need them after all? (seriously I have no idea what is wrong with me).  Well they arrived and all I have to say is hell yes!

*Due to copious amounts of work you may notice I have not had an outfit post or consistent posts of any sort in weeks.  My bad on that front and we're doing what we can to rectify, but as you well know love don't pay the bills.*  

In the meantime examine the evidence:

In parting I leave you with the words of Winston Churchill and the kid on Martian Child:  

"Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up."

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

I've been lunging around the house for the past week anticipating the arrival of a pair of sequined skinny pants purchased in a spur of the moment click of the mouse.  It would only figure that during this time Danielle and I got to chatting about Udi's gluten-free snickerdoodles and this led to the cheapskate in me (uh, $7 for a little package of cookies = not happening) lunging into the kitchen to see if mastering a version of these cookies could be a possibility.  In a word:  victory!

After searching the internets, I discovered this raved about recipe on Smitten Kitchen.  The only substitution was a one-for-one of my favorite gluten-free flour blend (listed below) in place of the regular flour and ta-da.  Truth be told there was a bit of trepidation taking on this recipe because any cookie or cake of a pale variety in the gluten-free world can be tricksy (Lord of the Rings residue after marathoning all weekend), but this went off without a hitch.  Examine the evidence:

Chill the dough for at least an hour to make sure it can be rolled into little balls and then dipped

in a sugar/cinnamon combo before being placed on a cookie sheet.

I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper because, well, I'm a freak that values 

my Williams-Sonoma cookie sheets and doesn't want them scratched up.  Confession.

They cracked on top and were cake-like in the middle just like the recipe made with

regular wheat flour.  I love it when these things work out.

Here is the gluten-free flour blend so you don't have to click back:

Gluten-free Flour Blend
*I use this blend in place of regular flour in a one by one substitution for cookies, pancakes - you name it.  This will make a large batch of the Flour Blend that can also be stored and used for future.*

1C        Brown Rice Flour
1 1/4C  White Rice Flour
1/4C     Potato Starch Flour
2/3C     Tapioca Starch Flour
3/4C     Sweet Rice Flour
1/3C     Corn Starch
2tsp      Xanthan or Guar Gum

And now I must get back to lunging and squatting away seeing as the pants arrived this afternoon and it is officially time for Operation Sequin Skinny Pants.  Please enjoy the cookies and have one for me...I managed to eat approximately 20 of them over the span of 3 days before releasing the remainder to the Chef.  They're that good.  If you try them let me know how they work out--would love to hear what you think!

The Ultimate Escape

This weekend may have gone down as a massive fail on the blogger front due to approximately zero photos taken, unless you count the instagram of the pumpkin pie sliders taken in the wee hours Sunday morning, but in every other way it was a total win.  We hauled it to Laguna on Thanksgiving for dinner at the Chef's uncle's place where we listened to crazy stories, ate and drank... until I had to get cut off after spilling water all over the table upon hearing how the uncle used to work at a burger joint in his teens where they snotted in the burgers of particularly rude customers.  The next time you hear a burger employee holler, 'we need a SPECIAL' I highly recommend you immediately vacate the building and find another establishment.


I purchased zipola on Black Friday (victory!) and didn't even get out of bed until 5pm as a result of sleeping, Felicity marathon, Lord of the Rings extravaganza and more sleeping.  Did you hear about the mayhem that ensued at a Walmart here in SoCal?  Some lunatic woman pepper sprayed herself a path to the Xboxes leaving 20 sets of burning eyes in her wake.  Really lady? Really?? And people wonder why I refuse to leave the house.  There's something about Black Friday that has become so distasteful.  People camping out 5 days in advance, stampeding each other for crap they don't need and consuming en masse.  It's kind of gross.

The rest of the weekend went by in a blur of Elf, more Felicity, visits with friends, a closet purge and lazing about on the couch for hours on end.  Somewhere in there I finally managed to leave the house for margaritas and a mini dance-off, but that was it.  Yesterday when tossing out the Bed Bath and Beyond catalog I noticed something I might actually feel like buying:

If I had a Wii this inflatable car might be set up in my living room right now.

Given the hysteria taking place in stores over the next 30 days, however, I will be remaining at home in a mace-free zone, eyeballs and hair safely in my head.  

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Did you take your life into your own hands on Black Friday?  I want the mad details.

This or That: Fisherman Knits

I'm in the market to update my closet with a couple of sweaters for winter, and have 

always been a fan of this style.  Isabel Marant's version is a real beauty, but at a whopping 

(at least for my budget) $775 there's basically no chance of that mother landing in my 

closet anytime soon.  The other day I was out shopping when Alexa Chung's version caught my eye.

It looks pretty close, is cut to hit just at the hip and has a bit of a shrunken fit like so many of 

the cable knits that are out now.  I do believe that was a rhyme.  I scooped up Alexa's version and think 

it'll be cute with shorts and tights or denim and boots.   

What do you think?  Go big or go home?

ps-Madewell has up to 30% off online starting today!

Twilight Breaking Dawn: Innocence is Dead

Remember this Edward and Bella?  Well kiss it goodbye.  

On Saturday I ventured out to see a matinee of Twilight:  Breaking Dawn.

And yes I am admitting it despite being moderately horrified.

I've never read the books and only caught the other movies when they hit HBO, but

 found them pretty entertaining despite the cheese factor.  Okay because of the cheese factor.

That being said I was completely caught off guard when Edward decided to chew

the baby out of Bella's womb during childbirth.  I'll give you a moment to let that sink in.

I mean I get that it was a super strength baby and all, but really??

It's been 36 hours since the movie ended and I'm still jacked up.

Did you catch it this weekend?  Thoughts?

And what on earth with the blood shakes?  Gagging.  

Man-ize Your Pad

Yesterday I was perusing Gilt Group (read:  screwing around during a conference call) when 

I saw this picture out of the corner of my eye.  Steve McQueen.  Sitting there

all nonchalant, talking on the telephone, cat head calling out to the cat ladies.  

As a cat lover (yes I just used the word cat 3x in close proximity) I'm slightly 

mortified by the skin on the floor, but the overall vibe of the room is pretty spectacular.

This photo was used as an example of how to incorporate masculine elements into your space.

Note to self:  back to scouring flea markets.  

ps-I recently read that McQueen was supposed to be at the Polanski/Tate residence 

on the night Manson and his crazies committed that mass murder.  What a mix of emotions

he must have went through upon learning of the deaths of his friends.  Life is crazy.

When All Else Fails Just Wear His Shirt

It's Tuesday night and I'm sitting here wrapped in a blanket listening to the new downstairs neighbors hammer and drill away at the walls at, oh, 10pm.  I just can't win.  Irony struck once again today when I hauled out the vacuum to get my clean on thinking I'd be all productive when, apparently, it blew out the pilot light on the heater.  California:  home of the annoying wall heater.  This is the price you pay if you want to live in a place that has character and doesn't resemble a human filing cabinet.

Note to self:  stock up on sweaters and blankets. Or just stay away from the vacuum?

Why am I not lighting the pilot myself, you ask?  Let's just say I could write a series of short stories on negative experiences with gas (and not the kind that comes from eating beans).  Suffice it to say I once witnessed a man from the gas company come flying out of the floor unit with his pant legs in flames after hearing a very loud bang.  Imagine me beating a stranger with a tea towel.  True story.  Shortly thereafter I discovered 18 months of lethargy was due to a lit-tle carbon monoxide drip that had slowly been killing me.  One of many I've got in my pocket, friends.

How did I get off on this rabbit trail? Can't remember and now have zero segue into an outfit.  Well I do have a coat on, so let's go with that.

On Sunday I hauled out a Mike & Chris (now defunct) leather hoodie I picked up a few years ago on HauteLook.  Prepare for screams from fashion diehards as I confess it's worn primarily with sweats and a t-shirt.  Another true story.  It's a uniform I can't live without:  James Perse sweats pulled up to the knee + one of his t's + the hoodie + flip flops = grocery store, post office, Home Goods, bank errands.  We keep it real over here at the bird.  This means we tell the truth about what we're really wearing daily. And by we I mean me.  *loses it*

For Sunday dinner I managed to amp it up (insert sarcasm) with Current/Elliott denim leggings, one of the Chef's t-shirts and my faithful Joie military boots.  You will note that Sunday's lid resembled a rat's nest.  All I could think about was getting to the Mexican place for margaritas.  My bad.

The whole purpose behind this thing was to say I've basically swiped this t-shirt from the Chef.  After pouring over the closet looking for a shirt I looked down and decided to just wear what I had on which, coincidentally, may or may not have been what I wore to bed the night before?  Can't quite recall, but it would help in carrying on with my whole pajama theme.  HAHAHA!!

ps--if you like the hoodie here's one the former CEO of Mike & Chris has out now. They're really great jackets.

Gotta jet! Chelsea Settles is on! New addiction.

Weekend Blur

Saturday found us in a mess of wind, rain and slow a** drivers as a storm rolled 

through Southern California.  We had to meet the designers at the restaurant

rather early (read: before noon which is like 6am to me--sad but true), so I rolled out

of bed and tossed on a grandpa sweater, a pair of jeans and some trusty boots.

Why did I ever leave Seattle again?  

Sample of one of the presentation boards they put together for us.  

After watching this stuff on tv for so many years it's been fun and interesting to watch

these people work their magic to come up with the coolest ideas.

What we have is a bare demo'd room at present, so we're pretty excited to see how it

all comes together. I'll share pictures when it's all finished!

On a random note:  I passed out on the couch pretty early on Friday night only to awake to 

this hot mess staring me in the face around 3am.  

Do the words 'stay out of the water' mean nothing anymore??!?

Disney's Oceans was on and, as someone who is a member of the JAWS generation,

the shark parts hit just a lit-tle too close to home.  Dry land people.  Dry land!!

Needless to say I sat there riveted for the last half of the movie.  

Think deer in the headlights.

You'll notice Instagram has once again dominated the Saturday activities.  Perhaps I'll pull it together enough to locate my real camera at some point this week.  Niiiiiiiice.  Blame it on all the naps I needed to take and movies I needed to watch this weekend. Ha!  What were you up to?