If I should ever be so lucky....

to have a room that is turned into a closet (my absolute dream) or even a walk-in closet, I would definitely decorate with Inslee Haynes fashion art (link here). I happened upon her blog awhile back and bookmarked it so that now when I get the chance I can gander through all the pretties that she creates (and also sells). She does commissions as well, see the third pic below. How fun to create a header design for the blog through her.

Speaking of rooms that are turned into closets, don't you think that it qualifies as a girl-cave? Why do guys get their own rooms? I would love for B to get a man cave and once that's accomplished then I can think about getting my very own. 

-J

Wanderlust Thursday

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My mind is still stuck in Paris after reading the book. I think I'm going to keep it there to get me through the week.
-J

Oui Paris!

I just finished reading Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard. How brilliant an idea to create a memoir discussing her life in Paris with her French husband and adding in the recipes for the food she eats at the end of each chapter. Such a great way for her to remember because after all so many memories can be tied with food. I didn't want the book to be over, it was such a nice, casual breath of fresh air. So much so that I ended up reading the discussion and about the author section at the end, which was great because now I know she has a blog (click here to visit). Yay! Adding it to my blog reading list (which seems to grow daily). In one of her  entries there was a girl who wrote telling her that her two daughters and her were cooking their way through her book. I love that idea, so very Julie and Julia but on a much more reasonable scale.

BTW, how cute is the watercolor on the front of the book? On her blog heading there is another one that is of her in a similar pose and her husband next to her, both walking together. I would absolutely love to have someone replicate that of Brian and I. Looks like I will need to finagle Brian into a "walking away" photo shoot. 
In other good news, Brian has finally seen the magic that is J. Crew. Not that special of news, I know, but love that he's into that design now. He's gonna look so handsome in this shirt we picked out.

-J

Duck, Cover and Hold People!

Guess who's a floor warden at work for emergencies? We had a fire drill today and thankfully Brian's boss sent along this awesome pic. I think Brian found his calling as the newest member of the Village People.

-J

Weekend in Carp

Just had such a relaxing weekend. Tracy and I drove up to Carpinteria on Saturday night to stay with our friend's Ben, LeighAnne and their son Luke (Tracy's godson). After the beautiful drive up north, we reached their house which sits on an avocado farm near the beach. We talked and relaxed in the living room and headed off to bed.  Sunday morning, Tracy and I took Luke and their dog Kenya on a walk to the beach. I just can't get over how beautiful it was and to top it off, the weather was perfect. I felt like I could breathe again. Tracy and I then went off to the Santa Barbara Polo Fields for the last polo match of the season. I had never been to a match so it was a lot of me learning the rules, but great fun. We channeled our Pretty Woman nostalgia and went out to stomp the divets. Champagne was flowing to complete our proper polo experience. All we were missing was our large hats and polka dot dresses. When the match was over and trophies were given, we joined Ben, LeighAnne and Luke down at the beach to play around in the sand and watch the sunset. On our way back to their house, Tracy drove me around Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito. Have to say, I cannot stop imagining what it would be like to live there. Such an easy going lifestyle compared to the hectic Los Angeles that we have been dealing with. We did all these activities in one day, had we been in Los Angeles we would have had to stick with one activity since the logistics of doing all three would be a nightmare. And the rents up there weren't that bad at all. Something for me to chew on for the future. :)

"Of course you can be a Power Ranger and Batman at the same time"

Stomping the divets

-J

Hugs n' Kisses

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Here's a great big sloth hug to B from 2800 miles away.
Hope you have a great weekend!

-J

Ain't No Sunshine When He's Gone

Boyfriend is in New York starting today for five whole days. I count Monday as a whole day gone because he doesn't get in until the evening. Yikes, what do I do? Is it wrong that I already miss him terribly and his flight hasn't even landed? Oh well, must occupy myself. Good thing that I have a great book to read, trashy girly television shows saved on the DVR and am well stocked with one person meals. That should get me through. I look forward to hearing about his time spent there with his Dad when he gets back.

Sources: Cup of Jo 1, 2

-J

Gooey Goodness

I wished that the cold rainy weather lasted just a bit longer. Don't get me wrong, the warm weather this weekend was perfect. It's just that I had perishables in the refrigerator that I was going to use to make a cozy pasta dish. This is definitely a fall/winter dish so when it was raining I was so excited to finally make it again. And then the temperature went up, a lot. And the shelf life of the food started going down. Monday was my last shot, so there we go. Giada's Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables (and smoked mozzarella) was made and was pretty yummy (although some bites were a little to heavy handed with the seasoning). As you can see from the size, we will be having this again tonight. Even though it's in the mid-80's.

--J

A Walk in the Park

Chained to a desk all day during the week certainly does a number on the body. My pilates instructor was telling our class about all the negative effects from working in a sit-down job and it horrified me yet there's not much you can do. There are some ergonomic ball/chairs out there and standing desks, but neither is suitable or even allowed I think at my job. Most days at lunch, to get away from it all, I was driving to the park across the street to sit in my car and read. I was watching people run around the park on a makeshift track and thought "Hm, I should probably get off my butt and get out there to at least walk". Thinking and doing are, as we know, two totally different things. It took me a couple of months to decide to actually do it. I also told my friend Tracy my lunch break plan and she completely jumped at the chance to join. So now, every weekday from 12:30 - 1:30 you will see two girls dressed in their work outfits (this includes dresses sometimes) with sneakers, getting their walk on. Kinda funny to look at, but eh, who cares? Someone else also started in on the trend - Brian. Unfortunately he has to take a slightly later lunch so usually I just get one lap with him but its better than nothing. And to tell you the truth, we both feel so much better during the rest of our day and in general. Not sure if its the walking or the vitamins from the sun, but I'll take it.

-J

Another Super Charged Weekend

I know that it's already Tuesday Wednesday (wow, what day is it, haha) and I haven't posted my pics from the weekend. We went to another wonderful game with Mike and Mel. So fun to be able to share this with them. I bought myself a Charger's sweatshirt to wear for the games and I was so happy that the weather report said it was going to be chilly. Turns out, it was ridiculously hot. But I did come home with a sweet farmer's tan. :)

-J