so true...

(photo via here)

to kick off the christmas movie season...

My favorite all time Christmas movie -

White Christmas

dedicated to my big sis, Gail!

This movie has always been a

part of my Christmas holiday

season and it brings

back wonderful memories

of my childhood holidays!

my people are coming...

Meet my handsome son, Matt and

his beautiful wife Heather

I think you already met

my gorgeous daughter, Stephanie

These are my babies, and along with my fave

guy, Alex and his family - we will be sharing

a wonderful Thanksgiving Meal together.

Stephanie will be my assistant in the kitchen,

I guess I should break the news to her soon.

More than anything, I am just looking

forward to hanging out with my people,

I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for my family -

I will be seeing them soon

at Christmas - can't wait!

I am thankful for my friends,

far & near, old & new.

I am thankful for food on our table,

a roof over our heads, and our health.

I am thankful, yes I am!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone,

I hope you all have a wonderful

day with your loved ones doing

whatever it is you love doing best!

Share a smile with someone!

xxoo

now that's what i'm talking about!

I could have used this keyboard today - it would have

made my day at the office, so much sweeter! :)

(photo via here)

these will be mine!

This time of year, is the time that I really

enjoy baking. My two favorite things

are cappuccino and shortbread cookies.

When I saw this recipe, I just knew

it had to be mine. Tonight I will be

enjoying these with a nice cappuccino!

Espresso Shortbread
Prep time: 25 minutes

Baking time: 20 minutes

Makes 26 cookies

8 tablespoons (1 stick)

unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground espresso

½ teaspoon instant espresso

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 300°.

With a mixer, cream together butter, sugars,

ground espresso, instant espresso

and salt until light and fluffy,

2 to 3 minutes.

Mix in vanilla.

Slowly add flour.

Mix until no flour pockets remain.

2. Shape dough into a disk,

and wrap in plastic.

Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Place dough between two pieces

of parchment or waxed paper.

Roll out into an even thickness

of a quarter inch.

Cut out cookies with a 2-inch

decorative cookie cutter.

Place on parchment-lined baking sheet,

and chill again until firm.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes,

until edges are set and

just turning golden.

Transfer to a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Update: I made these and they were delicious!

(photo & recipe via more)

Cheers to the weekend...

Have a cozy weekend. I think I'll just sit here a bit

and finish my book! :)

(photo via fullhouse)

dear 16 year old me...

There have been quite a few thought provoking blog

entries this week from some wonderful bloggers,

this one really hit home with me - Wendy has a blog

called Red Boots - she is a very charming young woman.

She wrote a blog entry titled dear 16 year old me - that

really struck a chord with me. Almost everything she

described was me at that age. Ever since I read

that I have been wondering what I would say to

my 16 year old self, I haven't figured it out yet

but it would definitely fill several pages.

Stop by Wendy's blog to read what she wrote and

one of her friends wrote - they are wonderful!

What would you say to your 16 year old self?

love.this.quote.

(via here)

Giveaway!

The very adorable Olivia is having a wonderful giveaway

today! She opened a Etsy shop with her mom called

Love Liv - Lovely Little Cake Stands

All you have to do is get on over to her blog and leave a

comment by Monday - November 23rd, 2009.

Olivia and her mom carefully select the plates from

antique and thrift shops - and I must say that their

selection has been fabulous! The plate above is the

one that I have my eye on - but if anyone else wants

it - I'll be ok with that too!

amazing....

A few weeks ago I read this article about this amazing man:

Stephen Wiltshire was diagnosed as autistic at aged three, did not speak until five but as an adult sells his art for thousands of British pounds.
Wiltshire was recently in New York for the last of nine massive panoramic drawings of major cities around the world. He has drawn each from his unique memory that stores the complete view of a city after taking a helicopter ride that lasts minutes.
"I see the buildings and the skyline and see it from a bird's eye view," said Wiltshire, 35, of his New York helicopter ride which included views of the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Citicorp building, Rockefeller Center and Central Park.
"The whole of Manhattan," he added.
The 20-foot (six meter) New York panorama follows those done in Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London.
Wiltshire said he loves New York and it shows in the shy smile and the way he recounts what attracts him to the city.
"I'm interested to see the skyscrapers and street scenes, the New York taxi cabs, limousines and big American cars," Wiltshire said.

Read More

(photo via stephen wiltshire)

Snickerdoodles..

When my son Matt was a teenager, his friend

Paul lived with us - whenever I made a

batch of these cookies, they would have

most of them eaten by the time I finished

baking the last batch and I always doubled

the recipe. They must have liked them!

Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 cup sifted flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup margarine or butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Sift together the first four ingredients and set aside.

Cream margarine or butter

and sugar; add eggs.

Gradually add dry ingredients.

Chill dough for one hour.

Roll into balls, then roll the balls into

the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place about 2 inches apart on

an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes

or until lightly browned.

Makes about 60 cookies.

(photo via here)

simple things monday..

So I am joining Christina and Gigi and several others

and listing the simple things in life that make my

heart soar. What a wonderful idea, Christina!

Here it is:

My kids who are my forever joys in life

my guy who always makes me laugh

my family and friends

for always being there

with a kind word,

a smile or a hug

(that means you too!)

vanilla, cinnamon scents

food on the table

a wonderful job

bubble baths

white daisies

a roof over my head

laughing with my mom & sis

until we are crying

ice cream

turtleneck sweaters

chatting with my elderly friends

about movies & life

sparkling water with lemon

strawberries and raspberries

sitting by a cozy fire with

friends, family, a book

or my thoughts

bookstores

unique coffee shops

reading

watching old movies

snickerdoodles

the starbucks red cup

(with a cappuccino inside)

candles

holiday music

(or music of any kind)

dark chocolate

inspiring people

like all of you!

xxoo

it's raining kindness...

(photo via here)

Last week I was given a few blog awards

and I would like to say

Thank you so much ladies, you're all the best!

My lovely friend, Lori

bestowed this on me

I truly feel honored.

Thank you so much!

I am supposed to tell you 7

things about me that you

don't know. Which is pretty

hard for me to even think of

so let me try:

I used to be extremely shy, if you

were to meet me today, you probably

wouldn't believe it. I still am shy

in certain situations though.

My favorite number is 8

I was a waitress for 25 years

15 of them in the same very quaint

Italian restaurant. It was perfect

I was available to my kids and

was very involved at their schools

and then I worked 4-5 hours

in the evening.

I wanted to build a log cabin many

many years ago. But I truly

am a city girl at heart. I would

love to stay in one someday though

I wrote 2 children's book that were read by

a major publisher, many years ago

but they passed on it.I felt very

honored that I even got that far.

My kids are 9 years and 11 months apart.

One of my best high school friends died in

childbirth when my son Matt was 4 and it

really devastated me and scared me, so

I waited a long time - a wait well worth it

as my life would not have been complete

without my daughter Stephanie in it.

My kids are my everything!

I have had around 40 jobs in my life.

What can I say, I like variety....haha

I am nominating all of my blogging friends.

I know I am breaking the rules, so

if you are reading this consider yourself

nominated and I want to read seven

things about each one of you! :)

Thank you so much, Simone!

I adore you!

This is from Absolutely Not Martha!

I truly appreciate your kindness!

Cheers to the Weekend!

Have a peacefully relaxing weekend!

(photo via here)

Living In A Dream: Beverly Hills, California

This fabulous place is literally 20 minutes from my home

Alex and I had a friend that stayed here a bit ago
and after we all went out to dinner, we returned to his
suite to have dessert and coffee - can I just say WOW!
The desserts were plenty and delicious beyond words!


Besides the obvious beauty and comfort of this place, it is in
great location if you like to shop, eat, drink or just people watch.
Very near to Rodeo Dr and if you feel like walking a bit
you can stroll thru some fabulous neighborhoods and then
drop into The Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel or
Sprinkles Cupcakes - just to name a few cool places.

After that nice afternoon/ early evening walk, what
a perfect way to spend the rest of the evening with
your fave guy or a few best girlfriends!

The Peninsula Hotel - Beverly Hills

chocolate yum..

As I was reading the December issue of Oprah magazine this evening, I came across this lucious dessert - orange chocolate mousse...double yum! It brought back a long ago memory:

When I was pregnant with my daughter Stephanie 19 years ago, I worked in a very quaint Italian restaurant....and we served chocolate mousse. How I loved it - and everday during my pregnancy, I would eat a HUGE bowl of that decadent dessert - I KID YOU NOT!

It made my heart sing. My thighs and rear end were not too happy about it, but I didn't care...I was pregnant and was going to eat whatever the heck I wanted. So I did. After that little eating stint and my daughter was born, I was only able to eat a spoonful, no more huge bowls. I just wasn't craving it any longer.

But today when I saw this recipe - those old feelings came back...I have listed the recipe below just in case you would like to give it a taste yourself and while you're at it - Oprah Magazine has

some AWESOME articles - 12 stories of giving - which are so inspiring! It just goes to show that we have so many people that want to make a difference in the lives of others and I for one am

truly grateful to anyone that wants to make someone else's life just a little bit better!

ORANGE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients:Serves 6
5 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. coffee or water
2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
4 large eggs , preferably organic
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
Candied orange peel , for garnish; available at Amazon.com
Edible gold flakes , for garnish; available at Amazon.com
Combine chocolate, coffee (or water), and Grand Marnier in the top of a double boiler. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Separate eggs. When chocolate has cooled, whisk in yolks.In a medium bowl, whip chilled heavy cream to soft peaks. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy; add sugar, and beat to soft peaks. Fold half of whites into chocolate until incorporated, then fold in rest of whites. Finally, fold in whipped cream.Spoon mousse into 6 glasses; chill at least 4 hours. To serve, top each glass with candied orange peel and gold flakes.

lucky girl = me!

Now, I am generally not a lucky girl

when it comes to winning ANYTHING

but...I think my luck is turning around!

In the last two weeks, I won not ONE BUT TWO

fabulous drawings from two wonderful bloggers:

Erin at Villa Pacis and Kimberly at Mimi Charmante.

If that wasn't enough my awesome friend Lori from Wildflowers

gifted me with an award, which you will read about

on another post.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

WONDERFUL LADIES!

I REALLY DO APPRECIATE

EVERYONE'S KINDNESS!

The first one is Erin from Villa Pacis -

a beautiful weekend tote from My Style Bags

Italy's collegiate chic take on classic L.L. Bean's bags.

I was so excited to receive a package let alone from Italy!

And the icing on an already sweet cake - my name on the bag!

AWESOME! THANKS ERIN - I LOVE IT!

The second fabulous gift arrived the same day as the

first, so I had two big boxes to open - it felt like Christmas!

Kimberly from Mimi Charmante makes these wonderfully

cozy wraps and as I told Kimberly - I can't wait to wear it

as soon as our weather in Los Angeles decides it wants to

cool down a bit - I'm just asking for a bit - not too cold now...haha..!

I LOVE IT, KIMBERLY - THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

I will be taking these two gifts with me when I go visit my family

for Christmas, they will come in very handy.

Once again, I would like to thank these wonderful ladies for these

fantastic gifts - but the best gift of all is reading their

wonderful blogs,

so if you get a chance - please stop by and say hello to them!

(this picture was borrowed from Mimi Charmante)

remember...

How important it is for us to recognize and

celebrate our heroes and she-roes!

~Maya Angelou ~

(photo via here)

love.this.quote.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ralph waldo emerson

(photo via here)

my fave thing to wear...

Yesterday I was reading about a young person that had jumped off a bridge. I think it was the Golden Gate, and in the persons belongings they found a note that read " If one person smiles at me before I get to the bridge, I won't jump" Never underestimate the power of a simple gesture - like a smile. It truly can change the course of someone's life.

Have a beautiful day!

(photo via here)

happy friday!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

I'm thankful for each & everyone of you!

xxoo

whimsical beauty...

I stopped in to visit Green & Pretty today

when these wonderfully whimsical pieces

caught my eye. I just love the simplicity & the beautiful colors.

If you stop over at KL Bailey's ART Etsy shop and mention

Green & Pretty - you will get 15% off of your purchase.

What an awesome gift these would make for a loved one!

First things first, head over to Green & Pretty to read a

wonderful interview with this fabulous artist and then

take a peek at her Etsy shop: KL Bailey ART

cozy reading..

Now, this is a perfect place to cozy up

and read my stack of books that are

screaming for my attention...add a

nice hot cappuccino and

it would be perfect!

(photo via you are my fave)

love.this.look.

I love this look!

For myself, I might wear a pair of boots instead.

(photo via garance dore)

anxious ramblings..

Since yesterday, I have been feeling a bit anxious. It was a bittersweet day for me, as a mom especially - as my friend Sandi's daughter Brooke turned 18. How Sandi wanted to be here.

How proud she would be of how Brooke has handled her life since she died. She is her mother's daughter, there is no doubt about that and that makes me smile.

Then I started thinking, silly girl - it's dad's birthday this week. On Friday, my dad would have been 80 years old, which is even hard for me to imagine. My dad was so active, that he didn't seem really old to me. He was always excited about some new hobby he was working on, always learning new things. That is how I want to be should I be so lucky to reach that age.

And then there is this - this trial, that is upcoming in our lives. I really truthfully don't like to talk about it too much, but it's always there looming over us. It has been almost 4 years and after numerous hearings and district attorney changes - it looks like it will start either this month or next. Part of me feels (well most of me feels) that it's not going to make a big difference in my life, it's not going to bring my dad back. What would my dad want me to do?

I also feel that this monster has taken up too much of my families time already, and why should I give any more time by sitting in a courtroom looking at this awful person that forever changed all of our lives. I have a few family members that want to be there, that need to be there - to see it thru, to see that justice is done. A tiny part of me wants to be there, but I know it will be such an emotionally charged journey - that I am not sure I am willing to take, time will tell.

So here I sit feeling anxious - bittersweet feelings about life, death & love.

(photo via here)

smile monday...

(photo via french-word-a-day)

let the holiday movies begin, part one....

Here's another thing you may not know about me. I am a major holiday movie buff - I can't get enough of them. I will watch them on every channel I can find and record the ones

I won't be around to watch - I just love them.

I can watch them year round, and often do.

The Holiday season to me is a season of hope, miracles, family and love. To be totally honest, I am not a big crier in real life - but when it comes to holiday movies, my tears flow very freely....maybe that's why I love them so much!

Here are a few of my fave:

We can't have a holiday without good ole Charlie Brown

a wonderful quirky film that I adore

Mia, Dianne & Barbara - need I say more?

funny funny movie

I think we can all recognize bits & pieces of family in this awesome gem!

What are your fave Thanksgiving Movies ?

eye catching colors..

As I was browsing Houzz

these colors just caught my eye -so beautiful!

Check out the rest of this wonderfully colorful house!

Happy Sunday, Everyone!