O Christmas Tree

The lights are on, and the ornaments hung!  My favorite thing about these long nights, is coming home, and lighting the tree.  It’s so pretty and I love to turn the rest of the lights off when it’s on.  It makes the room glow, and it just feels very magical.

A lot of people have “themes”  for their tree, but I love the ritual every year of hanging the ornaments I’ve collected.  My favorite ornaments are a pair of white mittens, some ballet slippers, and a puppy in a paint can (cause he is just too cute!)  Tradition all the way!

It’s the Little Things…

Still in the spirit of Thanksgiving, one of my non-new years resolutions is to be thankful every day, and find joy in the little things in life… after all, sometimes the little things, are the best things….

This week I’ve been thankful for…

1. A brisk walk with this little pup.
He is my wing man at work, and I like to take him out for walks during lunch.  Can you imagine a better mid-day pick me up than this little guy??

2. The night lights in my pretty city

3. Red lipstick
There is nothing easier to make you feel pulled together when heading out to an impromptu after work dinner…

4. My new booties with a pretty lace skirt 
Do I even need to explain why this makes me happy??

5. The fall colors of the trees near my parents house
This is one of the things I miss the most about autumn.

Weekend Getaway

I’m back after a much needed break!  To celebrate Kris’ 30th, we escaped to Malibu, to soak up some sun, surf, and unplug – literally – Malibu gets absolutely no cell reception!

We left really early the morning after Thanksgiving, and Kris drove while I slept.  I woke up to perhaps one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen.  You should also know that this photo is non-edited.  It was absolutely breathtaking.

We got to the beach by 10am, and it looked like this.  So much for 80 degrees and sunny, right??

Kris headed out into the water, while I bundled up.  I was less than amused here, but this trip was all about him, so I pulled up the hood, and sucked it up.

A few freezing cold hours later, we dusted off the sand, and made our way up the road, to the house we rented in the Malibu mountains.  After a few minutes of driving, the fog disappeared and I realized that the sun was hiding maybe a quarter of a mile away from the beach!  The injustice of it all!!

After showering off, we enjoyed the sunset from the backyard, sipping wine, and nibbling on cheese until it was dark out.  I was happy to be able to wear my cute sundress after the sun went down, and as you can see, the view of the ocean from the backyard was stunning.

The next morning was sunny and hot, and after a solid 12 hours of sleep, we were all very happy campers.  After a quick hike on the trails surrounding the house, we headed back to the beach where I was bound and determined to get a tan.

Mission accomplished.  By the time Kris and his buddy got out of the water, I was quite warm and very hungry, so we headed into town.  We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the shops, and discovered a brewery where several hours slipped by more quickly than I’d like to admit.
Another pretty sunset later and I was hooked – we must find a way to move down there.

The next morning, we were sad to leave, but the trip wasn’t over.  We drove up the coast to Santa Barbara – my old stomping grounds.  It is (in my opinion) one of the best kept secrets in California.  The town is old and beautiful, located right on the beach, and set against a dramatic lush mountain back-drop.

We stayed in an adorable hotel, that was covered in vines and pretty flowers.  Our room had a big deck overlooking the beach, and it was absolutely perfect.

That night we got all gussied up, and headed to a fancy dinner to celebrate Kris’ birthday.  In my opinion, it isn’t a birthday until you blow out a few candles!
The first day back at work was a bit rough, but that’s the sign of a fabulous long weekend!

Give Thanks

I know I’ve been a bit MIA this last week, but I’ve been busy doing things like getting my hair highlighted, lunching with old friends from highschool, and making cookies.  With a week off from work, I’ve become quite accustomed to the life of a stay-at-home-fill-in-the-blank.

It’s awesome.

With tomorrow being Thanksgiving – AND my sweethearts 30th birthday – I suspect I’ll be MIA for the remainder of this week, but couldn’t let Thanksgiving pass without counting my blessings for all the things in my life that I’m thankful for…

I am thankful for my parents – it’s rare to have a mom and dad that are as good parents as they are friends.  Best friends.  I am truly blessed.

I am thankful to have a big sister who is as mothering and grounded as she is.  She is a sounding board for all my ridiculous thoughts and ideas, and is the first person I call when I am frustrated, or excited, and she always makes me feel good about buying that pair of booties, or that cute cocktail dress… or… well… yes, she is as addicted to shopping as me.  An enabler perhaps, but an amazing one 🙂

I am thankful for my health – despite the minor aches and pains (and the GREY HAIRS that I was recently introduced to), I am so lucky to be healthy and happy, with good eyesight, strong muscles, and a sharp mind.  Sometimes too sharp, but in a good way.

I am thankful to have a warm and lovely home – it’s small, and as much as I hate the kitchen, it’s our home, and I love it.

I am thankful for a good job.  Not just a job, but one that I love – I get frustrated sometimes, but my team is amazing, and I am lucky to be able to complain about the minor annoyances when so many other people would give their left arm for that luxury.  I mean look at these co-workers of mine… so amazing.

I am thankful for my friends.  I have always been the type to have a tight group of close friends, and without them, I don’t know what I’d do.  They show up on my doorstep with a bottle of wine after a rough day at work, and make me laugh until my stomach hurts on a regular basis.  Oh yeah… and they have sworn to show up with a shovel (and no questions) if it was just me and a body.  I kid… kind of.

And last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for my utterly handsome, unbelievably patient, funny, mellow, wonderful boyfriend, who puts up with me when I decide to paint the entry in stripes (and again when I decide to paint over those stripes a week later).  He eats and loves my cooking (sweet man), and tells me every day how beautiful I am (even in sweats with the prior day’s makeup still on) and how much he loves me (even with morning breath).

To another wonderful year of blessings, and to a day bursting with love, family, food, and thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Carmel Weekend

So… it turns out, November is THE month to visit Carmel.  This picture was taken at Sunset on the main beach in Carmel – it was unbelievable!  (Pretty good for an iPhone photo, eh?)

Unfortunately for me, I was packed for typical Carmel weather – misty, cool, overcast…  I was NOT prepared for the 80+ degree weather we encountered, however it made for an absolutely amazing weekend.  A full post on Carmel to come, once all my photos get uploaded.

Happy Monday, and cheers to another heat wave… in November!
xo

Workplace Halloween Costumes

I happen to LOVE getting dressed up for Halloween, but you have to be careful when getting dressed in costume for work.  I put together an elaborate Cruella DeVille costume, but it’s a little much for the office…

If you are like me, and love getting dressed up for Halloween, but you don’t want to be that person with painted whiskers on your face in a meeting (yes, that happened to me last year), I’ve put together three work appropriate costumes, that are easy to throw together, and are adorable to boot!

Workplace Witch:  
All you need is a standard black dress and a few accessories to get this together… striped tights, and witch hat.  Everything else is optional!

Workplace Witch

Sailor Girl:
Not sexy at all, and who doesn’t own a striped shirt??  Time to break out your white jeans (yes, even after labor day), and snag a sailor hat from the costume store, military depot, or your dad (in my case)!

Sailor Set

Comme des Garçons slim fit shirt / Mango denim skinny jeans, $56 / Charlotte Russe ballerina shoes / GANT leather belt / NARS Cosmetics , $28

Where’s Waldo??
Another easy costume… red stripes, beanie, funky thick rimmed glasses… and call it a day!

Where's Waldo

Comme Des Garçons Play red long sleeve t shirt, $160 / Replay denim skinny jeans, $200 / Leather shoes, $105 / Sunglasses, $180

It’s a Party… on my Nails!!

glitter gradient manicure

I just got my nails done last night, and decided to go out on a limb for something out of the norm.  I saw this manicure on Pinterest a while back, and thought there was something so sweet and fun about it – like a party on your nails.

I usually go with OPI sweetheart when I want something subtle and pretty, Essie Chinchilla if I want a mid-range taupe, or OPI Linken Park after Midnight if I’m feeling sassy, but this time I let my manicurist take a good look at this photo, and choose the colors for me.

This is what I ended up with:

I am kind of loving them!  What do you think??

Happy Weekend!!

How’s this little rear-end to get your weekend started off right??  Puppy butt!  Ahh, love.
This weekend I’m looking forward to doing a whole lot of NOTHING.  I’ve got a hair appointment, and will return to my “natural” blonde hair color I was born to have.  It’s also supposed to warm up here, for our “Indian Summer” – sunny and 80 degrees is what I am talking about!!
Happy Weekend!