Category Archives: good food

Date Night

Not so much this type of night but a lovely evening in Little Tokyo at our favorite sushi place, Tenno Sushi. Friday night isn’t the best night to dine there because they were s    l    o   w…it was funny because our waitress asked us how was everything twice while we had only been served water in a half an hour. However we made friends with the couple next to our table *after being served their sushi accidentally* after our yummy meal *Liv dined on peas, bananas and apricot juice* we took a walk through Little Tokyo.

Liv rocked her new pink converse *finally a pair of shoes she cannot take off, WIN!*

Translation: Japanese Restaurant in case you were wondering

*Me going a little stir crazy waiting for our eel!!*

SCORE, I got a pic of her bottom teeth! YAY!!

The store indeed was ILL!
Me likey Japanese dragons that cost $2500.
We went to Hold Up Art gallery to find the most awesome, magnificent, gnarly show. I am in LOVE with this artist Sean D’Anconia *heart*

Two of my favorite things Hello Kitty & Gloomy Bear *I wannit!!!*
We stopped by one of my favorite store, Kools, and I asked if they carried the adorable Hello Kitty bag I saw last time we were there *totally not expecting them to still have it in stock*

YAY!!! I got my early birthday present!! Thanks hunnie bunnie 🙂
So typically I *try to* stay away from Hello Kitty bags, I have been an avid HK fan since the early 80’s and I have learned through trial and error that they are made to be super cute to overcompensate for the fact that they are poorly made with low grade materials. Not the case with my new bag, it’s not Sanrio brand therefore it’s made with better quality and comes with a dust bag *hello, Sanrio, purses get dirty without them*
So now I’m all smiles and on the drive home I stopped on the side of an abandoned building *because thats how I roll* and Antz snapped these pictures *safely from the car* that I’ve been saying I’ve wanted to take ever since I saw the incredibly beautiful graffiti wall on the outskirts of downtown LA. Love it!!
Monster make friend?

Antz instructions was “Look weird!”
I look DIRRRRTTY!! No makeup and just washed hair equals mediocre Lizzie

If I were a graffiti artist, this is most likely what I would draw…er, umm I mean tag?

I love this ghetto fabulous wannabe Angelina Jolie, that’s a good look for her.
Once we got home I decided to put technology to the test and try out these nail stickers I keep seeing in magazines. I have a serious issue with keeping my polish chip free *despite allowing hours to let them dry, dipping them in ice cold water to seal them and using high grade chip impossible top coats* so here’s my review.
Nice color selection, I got gold glitter, neon green and hot pink…you know hooker colors. I love that there is no drying time involved, no matter what I do whenever I finish painting my nails to perfection, I always seem to have to go to the bathroom and end up in smudgeville, BOO! I did not like that there is 2 layers to peel, the first has a tab and wasn’t a problem but the second top layer gave me trouble because I clumsily ripped the polish part and when I peeled off the rest of top layer it caused air bubbles in my polish *although I did figure out how to smooth them* overall, it’s a cool product but sadly I only finished one thumb because I’m a Mom ie: I never have time and I really didn’t have the patience to finish the rest *but I will in the morning*
**update** These stickers are a total Monet *that’s Clueless speak for cute from a distance, a mess up close* I can’t believe my right hand turned out better than my left, oh well Antz said they look like they are for teenagers so I guess that’s appropriate for me!
Well, I’m going to watch Waiting for Superman *which I’m certain will piss me off *thank God Liv is going to private school!!*
I leave you with WINNING!!!
http://www.hulu.com/embed/Exof-3fNWVyETs6tLnXOYg

Lame-o Stupidbowl!!

Allow me to express my complete and utter annoyance with football *or any other professional sports* particularly the lame fanatics. I could care less about over paid neanderthals stuck in PE class. I might have more respect for the athletes of America if they weren’t constantly getting caught doing the dumbest things *dog murder, maid rape, driving drunk with guns in the car*, just another reason why I despise sports. Also, I think the halftime show and commercials are overrated and unless you are flashing a boob, I’m unimpressed. Okay, I have completed my rant.

Now it’s shame on me time, I have been really lazing on posting. Last week was pretty hectic but that’s no excuse. 
*Bad Lizzie!*
Wednesday night Antz came home early enough to take a sunset walk through Atwater. It was like we were in the Twilight Zone because we were shocked to discover the children’s shop we always drool at their windows was actually open. Turns out they have very sporatic business hours but we met the owner’s husband and he was super nice. We bought a skirt and he threw in some free barrettes for Liv. Now another reason for me to heart Atwater Village! We randomly ended the evening having steaks at Applebee’s in Alhambra *I know, Applebees makes a pretty decent steak for under $20!* It was Liv’s 8 month birthday so we had to celebrate. The hostess gave Liv a balloon and she ate veggies/fruit from our plates. She was giving Antz’s steak a look straight from Tom & Jerry with cartoon eyes. I think we may start bigger meals since she’s always wanting more food.
So Thursday Aimee, Liv and I went to a cosignment shop in Silverlake
I was all excited to sell Liv’s 0-3 clothes and my preggo books but after the owner evaluated my stuff she offered me a store credit of $19.50 for my $70 Stella McCartney set, Janie & Jack tutu bathing suit, 5 of my preggo books and several BabyGap onesies. I was dumbfounded. I wasn’t expecting more than $50 but she definitely got over $200 worth of stuff. I texted Antz to see if he thought I should keep the stuff and try another store but he said just get rid of it *since we are already keeping more of her newborn stuff than we should*. The store was pretty sweet, there was tons of adorable vintage clothes although they were too big for her *like 4 years and up* but Aimee and I picked out a few cute dresses and a handmade diaper cover.

Aimee loves the green dress but I would have to add some thick striped thighs, cream thermal or turtleneck and a these Mary Janes by Livie & Luca to complete the style I’m going for.

Very Brady Bunch, I know but that dress totes reminds me of my Girl Scout days and she needs a little kookiness in her wardrobe. The red dress *that looks like a dolls dress* will make it’s debut next weekend at Leslie & Stephen’s 2nd Annual Valentines Day Brunch *last year was fantastic*
We had our regular Target shopping spree but I had the bright idea to take a shirt Antz bought Liv and have her name embroidered on the collar *I am an embroidery-holic* So we went to the mall but the guy at the cart couldn’t fit his machine on the collar so I had to settle for this

The embroidery came out rad but I would have much rather had her collar monogrammed. Friday I was running around all day with my Mommy and her BFF. My Mom’s style and mine are like oil and vinegar, we never like the same stuff BUT…for some reason her BFF, Debbie mentioned to my Mommy that I was looking for baby Uggs and she found a substitute until I could find them. She told my Mom to buy these Zutano Cozie Booties. Adorable right? Say whaaa… Okay, score one for Mommy!! So we went to the store that was advertising them only to find out they didn’t have the color I wanted *turquoise* so the saleperson said she would have them transferred from another store and I could pick them up when they call me *still waiting as of today* but I think they are sweet, they are adjustable and will keep her tootsies warm *hopefully she won’t try to eat them like she does with all her shoes*. I took them to lunch at Afloat Sushi but Debbie doesn’t eat sushi and we went around 4pm so there wasn’t much selection on the boats.
3 generations of ONLY CHILDREN!!

*Debbie is always a joy to be around*
I seem to have bad luck with that place whenever I take someone and tell them how fabulous it is. I drove them home and by the time I got home it was close the 10pm *hence Friday’s lame post*!
Saturday was just as busy. We met Antz Mommy, his sister and his nephew at the cemetery his Dad is buried at and we hung out together *it was Liv’s first time going to visit her Granddad’s grave* afterwards, we went to the East LA farmers market since we were nearby and we totes lucked out on some perfect pears, yams and peanuts for myself *which I thought it would be funny to spill the entire bag in my car, lame!* We feed the ducks and ate paletas *that’s Mexican frozen fruit bars for you pale faces* and when we got home I vegged out on the couch  catching up with my DVR *An Idiot Abroad is my fave at the moment* I also finally watched A Single Man *after it was on my Netflix queue forever* which I LOVED not just for Colin Firth and Julianne Moore’s brilliance but Tom Ford’s impeccable taste for 60’s fashion, music and architecture *what I would give to have a time machine and be able to experience that decade sans the civil rights crap*. It’s pretty much the 60’s equivalent of Revolutionary Road another film I really adore.
And now that brings us up to date for today. We had to go to the Happiest place on Earth to pick up a ticket for Sarah *our amazing photographer* since this Thursday is our photoshoot and I need to drop it off at her sister’s house tomorrow. One the drive to Anaheim we noticed there was an open house around the corner from our house so we checked it out. When we saw the house, our jaws hit the ground! I am shocked there is a house this cool in Highland Park.
As you can see this house is a diamond in the rough, check out the neighbors dump…I mean apartments?

Mid Century Modern style among all these icky stucco traditional ranch houses.

Antz was sold the minute he saw this kitchen, everything was brand new, clean and tastefully designed.

This is the identical tile I want to put in our bathroom

2 bathrooms, I’m super jealous!

I am definitely inspired to renovate our bathroom and kitchen

The 3 bedrooms were modestly sized but ample closet space.

The backyard was the dealbreaker for me. The stairs may be a problem for when Liv gets older but we have stairs in our backyard so we’ll have to address the safety soon. Zero privacy from the 3 surrounding neighbors and the only view was of the noisy street below. There was 3 seperate terraces with enough space for a pool at the top but no way would I put a pool in a space with people gawking at us.
I had to get my car washed since it reeked of peanuts *I am such a clutz* and away we went to buy the Disneyland tix. We walked through Downtown Disney and checked out the Disney Store since Antz needs some new ears *his old ones won’t work for our photoshoot because they light up at night so you won’t really see them*
He tried a bunch on
Retro ears are too generic, yawn!
This one screams Dorky Dad!
*I am thinking it getting this for Antz as a Valentines Day gift but his desk is pretty crowded and I am worried Lola may knock it over, as she’s done with his figurines in the past*
We picked up a new pair of ears for Liv *in case we want to change hers during the shoot* but no luck for Papa, hopefully we’ll find some cute ones next Thursday. We went to Target to get the dog food *I forgot to buy on Thursday* and on a whim, we stopped at Old Navy to take a look at their spring line. I was hoping to score some shorts and a yellow cardigan but didn’t find any I liked. I did get an adorable dress *that I will be wearing to Disneyland* that is a total knock off of this Katie-Bot Holmes Celine dress
Antz bought some shirts and we looked at the bebe clothes but nothing really wowed me. So that was my week, I will try break my lazy habit and get back into daily posts. As a treat, here is our lovely’s latest weeklies but first, please check out my fierce Lola’s PETicure *soft paws are the best, since she’s always sneaking into the nursery against our wishes*
I crack up whenever I see her strutting around with her hot pink nails!!

This sweet girl has my heart, I cherish every hair on her head!

Antz made fun of my style choice this shoot but I love the stripes *and she is trying to eat her shoe as always*

*this is the new skirt we bought at Milas Boutique*
She’ll be a year before we know it. Stay little sweet baby, don’t grow up!!

Pottyluck

I used to loathe  potlucks, particularly work ones, but over the years I’ve come to enjoy them even if all I ate was dinner rolls and cranberry juice. Tonight, Les invited us to visit our friend who just had a sweet little guy, Elias. I am so happy we went because we had a super, fantastic time!!

*we made them a personalized name banner as a new bebe gift* shameless plug!

 

We were so happy to see how cohesively it fit into his nursery *I totes forgot to take a pic but they have it attached to his crib with the cutest Dwell Studio bedding set* The party was in a loft in Downtown LA not far from our friend Carlos’s loft and the Nickel Diner. I love their building, it was modern but had old-timey charm *15 ft ceilings, exposed brick, steel columns, open floor plan* Honestly if it weren’t for the bummers, terrible parking and lack of doggie grass for Max, we would live in a loft in a heartbeat. TOTALLY RAD!!
I busted my ass making vanilla/milk chocolate cupcakes to bring because we were running late *as always, my fault, I’ll explain below* but we made it in time for everyone to start eating.
Eating is an understatement…
I stuffed my double-chin face!! I had shrimp egg rolls, spinach mac & cheese *yesh, I enjoyed veggies* chili beans, crab wontons, and gorged on cheesy potatoes and cheesecake. I must have had 3 helpings *BOO* but I am proud of myself for trying new things and not turning my nose up at home cooked food. Most of the cooks were chefs so I knew I was gonna love everything. After going into a food coma on the couch, we hung out with Les & Stephen and had a blast. Liv was just absolutely darling even though she ate as much as me *avocado, pear juice and plenty of boob* They had the sweetest, most obedient doggy I’ve ever seen, Charlie!! He really impressed me, he didn’t even seem to care that he was surrounded by yummy food. Max would have fainted from the smell alone.
Liv was often found under my hooter hider eating

 

Party Peeps!!

 

Godbaby #3…Les is quite popular, we’re lucky to have her!

 

Antz was being Liv hogger all night, his golden phrase is…”Let me take the baby so you can eat, drink, fill in the blank”

 

 

Me and new Mama, Roxanne with her sweet little guy! He practically whispers when he cries, he’s so precious.

 

We left with enough rice to feed an African village!
Here’s Charlie, my favorite guy!

 

I love the convenient glory hole in the creepy elevator

So, we had a lovely evening and now I’m anticipating what my Wii Fit trainer will say when I have gained 5 lbs tomorrow. The reason we were rushing all day, I seemed to cram too many errands into one afternoon, as I often do*. We got a late start, I was putting together a photobook to send to my grandmother in Michigan and realized I forgot to print any of Liv’s 5 week photo shoot. I had to go to CVS and print more pics, I admit, I’m going overboard, *300+ photos* but she has never seen Liv so I want her to enjoy this amazing child.

Then we grabbed bagels and picked up some ingredients for the cupcake at Fresh & Easy. I couldn’t resist stopping by Anthropologie since we were in Pasadena and the new spring lines are out. Lucky we did because we happened to score this gnarly cardigan for Liv….for, wait for it….$20!! *High fives self!*

 

 

I have never purchased anything from Anthro for $20. It’s size 2T but she’ll be wearing it before her 1st birthday for sure.

I am not a tea drinker *unless I’m sick and I’m forced to* but I love pretty tea sets. I can’t wait to play tea party with Liv!!

 

I am going to kick myself in the face for not getting this adorable teapot vase. It was only $29.99!! Why do I always pass up the sweet deals only to regret it later??

 

I adore lower case typewriter font A’s. I really need a reason to have this in my house, A for Antz? How about Awesome??!!
I am 99.9% we are getting these birdie dish towels to replace the *sun-faded* dish towel/curtains in the kitchen
One day you shall be mine Fleur de Lys dinnerware!!
 After Antz forcibly removed me from Anthro, we went by his Mommy’s house to drop off her keys and let her see Liv *since she’s been in Mexico since Dec. 14th* By the time we got home it was 5pm and the party started at 6! ACKK!
Tomorrow we will deep clean this filth-hole and then, time permitting, we will go to the farmers market and pick up some yummy goodness for Olivia. So far so great with avocados *one of my faves*

 

 

I LOVE how she is munching and chewing all the time now, she actually smacks her wittle mouth.
I am hoping we’ll be home in time for the Golden Globes *so excited that Ricky Gervais is hosting again* so I’ll most likely be talking shit about how hideous the dresses are and complaining about how none of my faves ever win *although my money is on Nat Portman taking home an armful of Globes!! Loved Black Swan*
Nights!

I’m a house stalker part 2

So, I tried to rid my stalker ways but I’ve been leaving voice mails like cuu-rrazy with the listing agent of my new *God, I’m so fickle!!* Dream House. Homeboy must not want anything to do with me because he is not returning my calls *BOO* So I had to turn stalker-psycho, today I took Antz to see the house. It’s obvious someone must know I was on the property because there was a string tied around the gate to keep me out. Psssh, no measly string will stop me from peeking. I tried to take more pics of the interior of the house with no luck *the screens make it difficult*. I think I have a better grasp of the layout now, *using my peeking Tom skills* it appears to have 2 bedrooms downstairs, a pink tile bathroom, a den or 3rd bedroom is next to what I assumed was the formal dining room. Upstairs there is a master bedroom with an adjoining sitting room *I would use as a dressing room complete with a vanity* that attaches to another balcony. Almost every room has dark *gorgeous* hardwood floors with exception to the kitchen and the sitting room *gross carpet* and there are arched doorways everywhere. My 2 biggest issues are the lack of crown molding/baseboards *but I suppose most Spanish style don’t have molding* and the obvious water damage/roof problem. I love clay tile roofs but I know they are particularly expensive to repair. I am now starting to see why the price is so low. LAME!! Oh well, I’m still having a serious crush…

Last time I didn’t get any pics of the chimney. Our foundation is shifting due to excess water, being on a hill and the weight of our brick chimney pulling the house to the right
*this pic is before we bought the house in 2006*
I had to be sure the chimney looked structurally sound. I would still hire a geologist to inspect it.
Lovely view of the yard

Hello, my two lovelies

 

Here’s the sitting room and what I am hoping is the master bedroom. So there are 2 balconies!!

 

One of the rooms, the hardwood floors look wonderful.

This icky carpet has got to go! You can see the balcony and the tarp that I suspect is keeping water out of the downstairs breakfast nook.

 

The clay tiles need replacing. I am happy the house has plenty of security lighting

 

This is perfect, I cannot stand rough stucco but this cake-like stucco is smooth and doesn’t bother me at all

I love the deck, which I would paint black

This is the opposite side of the kitchen *no stove or fridge*

 

I noticed this side gate and…
peeked in these windows. None of the pics of the bathroom came out, the screens kept reflecting my camera

Like this, you can see my reflection but in this one you can see the living room and breakfast nook and lovely arches!

 

These are the living room stairs. Every house I’ve lived in has had stairs *our last apartment was 3 stories with a loft* so I’m used to it by now *and I need all the exercise I can get*

 

That HVAC system looks as old as ours, it will need replacing

 

Great shot of the back of the house/deck
The pool and storage shed

 

Not loving the dolphin tile, I would much prefer this tile
Sorry, my only picture is from a show I saw on HGTV, but it looks sweet in person
I definitely want a beach entry, ugh the pool needs a cleaning!

 

There are some wicked rad beach entry pools, this last one is my fave!!

There is too much brick happening, no me gusta bricks
Last time I was there I couldn’t find the pool equipment *pump/heater* so this time I found it behind the storage shed. It’s not too loud and it’s great that it’s not close to the house. I am worried about that puddle. It is either from the rain we had last week *but wouldn’t it be dry by now?* or most likely a leak from the pool plumbing *No more problems!!*

Another close up of that damn tarp!
So Antz general impression was rad, he loves the space, the style, pool, location and price *most of all* but he didn’t like the lack of privacy from the neighbors on each side, the amount of renovations we would need or the lack of views, although these views from the stairs looked pretty awesome to me.
I have to agree with him about the privacy issue, the house next door is much higher and can see into the backyard. We are totally spoiled in our current backyard, we can see everyone’s yards but they can’t see into ours *well without using a ladder* and the view isn’t so bad!!
Last spring
Well, tomorrow my neighbors are having an open house, it’s funny that they are using a realtor we know. We are going to ask the agent over to check out our house and give us some advice, then if it’s not dark out, maybe she can get the keys to *officially, non-stalker style* show us the house in Eagle Rock. Tomorrow will be busy bees, DirecTV guy is coming in the morning to fix our bedroom DVR *it’s been pretty wonky since the new satellite was installed* we are supposed to meet friends at the Hollywood farmers market and Antz wants to go visit his Aunt & Uncle.
On my resolution update, I have been battling with my Wii Fit, gain .09 lbs lose .09 lbs, all week but I may have won the war. This morning I did my regular fitness routine *I am undefeated in Super Hula Hoops and Step* but I didn’t expect any major loss. I measured myself and would you know it, I have lost 4 lbs since January 3rd??!! I lost 2.6 lbs this morning alone. I am so loving Wii Fit, too bad I didn’t keep up with it when we bought it 2 years ago. I suppose getting preggers was a good enough excuse. I am right on track to losing 22 lbs in 2 months. I don’t even miss chocolate yet! So to celebrate this major feat, Antz *who has lost 2 lbs* treated ourselves to one of our favorite Indonesian restaurants this afternoon. Our favorite dish is Ayam Bakar which must translate to yummy fucking chicken, because that is precisely what it is!
Deliciousness!!

 

She’s too big to stay in the BabyHawk

This kid thinks shes an adult!!
The owner of the restaurant *who must be 100 years old* is in love with Olivia, she took her and was kissing her and showed her to everyone who worked there. They played peek-a-boo while Antz and I pigged out. I completely forgot to take a pic of Liv and the owner *she is so cute!*
Since we were on that side of town, we made an impromptu visit to Aimee while she was at work. She really wanted us to stay at her house until she got off but we needed to get Liv to bed. Whilst driving home we noticed a ton of people outside of a new shop in Eagle Rock. We were so intruiged, we parked and checked it out.
So this is usually what it’s like in Atwater Village but this place just opened in Eagle Rock

 

I was loving the DJ, I friended him on facebook and told him he was working at Livs 3rd birthday party.

 

I heart everything, there was DIY jewelry making, toy, adorable things that tested my credit card resolution  *I somehow resisted*

I want this painting, I wanted everything this that joint!!!

 

 

I must have this teapot one day after we get the new house

 

How cute are they? I so wish I wore my bunny ears 🙁

 

There was a long line of folks getting ice cream treats in front of the store

 

These flavors sound super yum!!

I don’t know if I’ve made this known but I am addicted *like scary crackhead-ish, addicted* to french fries. However, I am sticking to my diet and I passed up the food trucks *bows to applause*

It’s begining to look a lot like New Years!

Christmas was lovely, our little girl destroyed the wrapping paper and was only slightly amused with her presents.

 

She really enjoyed eating her phone

We went to Aimee’s house to hang out and a torriental storm came from nowhere. We ordered some gross thai food *Boo* We drove past the Venice Canals but it was too rainy to enjoy the houses.

Yesterday we returned from visiting my Mommy and Antz & I discussed my resolutions *and my likeihood of achieving them* I feel very motivated and positive about them all with the exception of Francais!! I have some sort of mental block that will not allow me to retain *and correctly pronounce* le French. I have an app I downloaded on my iphone and I listen to the words but I can’t pick up the accent. I also have a Nintendo DS game but I am much better at written French than spoken. I seem to be the only one who thinks I’ll learn using Rosetta Stone. I even made about 50 flash cards a year ago but I have to find them….sigh! Well, we spent the past 3 day at my Mom’s and I did something that is so random yet amazing! I cooked! I not only cooked but I cooked a complicated recipe and it was super yummy. Antz couldn’t get over how delicious it turned out.

 

Lizzie’s Louisiana Gumbo
It’s funny because this was not only my first time cooking gumbo, but also my first time eating it. The roux was pretty tricky and I cooked it much longer than 30 minutes as the recipe stated but it somehow turned out perfecto.

We had a rad time at my Mom’s, we played Scattergories *hilarious* and I got to sit by the fire *makes me wish our fireplace worked* Early Tuesday morning guess what woke me up?? An owl!! It was hooting right outside our window. It was too dark to see it but that’s pretty gnarly. We went to Target *I like the one by my Mom’s house* and I was looking for some good deals on clearance Christmas decor but I didn’t find anything. It wasn’t too cold in Apple Valley but it is supposed to snow so much today that the freeway to get to there will be closed. I did take this lovely shot on the drive.

All the surrounding mountain peaks were covered in snow. I really wanted to drive to Lake Arrowhead *40 minutes from my Moms* but Antz needed to have snow tires and Liv didn’t have any super warm clothes and shoes *Gah, I must buy her Uggs!!* When we came home yesterday I did some cleaning but I need to take apart all the kitchen cabinets, the laundry nook, linen closet and my closet and organize, donate and clear out all our clutter. I have a big problem with saving boxes but we sell so much of our stuff that I like to have the original box, but they take up so much space. I wanted to start a project while Antz is off but painting or sanding the cabinets may have to wait until March when it’s not rainy. I started a bathroom mood board but it isn’t finished yet *still searching for new paint*

I was pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive the floor tile is. I am pretty confident that we can install it ourselves but I’ll have to rent a wet saw for cutting. My total bathroom budget is under $5k. We should be starting in March because we have to clear out the garage first so we have space for storing the tools. I feel so Design on a Dime!!
Our lovely ball of sunshine is 29 weeks
I couldn’t get one pic without her chewing her shoe
I must get dressed *Lizzie BE ON TIME!!* we are meeting my friend Aura at the Long Beach Aquarium today!!

A Christmas Cookie

More of a Christmas Tale, I was having visions of Sugar cookies, decorated beautifully dancing in my head and all I ended up with was oddly shaped cookies with a drizzle of sprinkles and a headache. This morning when we came home from dropping off Antz Mom I noticed I had a sore throat *BOO*, now I’m sniffling, sneezing, coughing, achy, stuffy head and pretty sure I have a fever. I, of course, took some Dayquill but I am not feeling the love. I had to watch a youtube video to figure out how to use my cookie press and even after watching it 5 or 6 times, I was still not getting the hang of it. Meanwhile, I was on a tight deadline because Antz was coming home to pick up the cookies to pass out at his Secret Santa party. I ended up using what I determined to be the best results *nowhere near Martha approved* but I did have fun using my Kitchenaid Mixer for the first time. I still have no idea on how to detach the wisk to wask it but I’m in no mood to read instruction manuals. I made close to 60 cookies/30 bags of cookies. I am praying I didn’t forget anyone…*I made one extra bag without a nametag* so Antz will give me feedback when he passes them out. So far Antz is Mr Popular at work, this is his office.

A bunch of these are for me and Liv too! Love our amigos!!
So I started out with all my ingredients which….left me no counter space to prep. I really need to figure out a new space for Lola *maybe move the dish rack, and give Lola that counter?* so I can fit the mixer in the corner to free up more room.
I only used 2 of the 5 bags of cookie mix and that was more than plenty. Here’s the first batch
Pretty wonky-looking!
While I was waiting for them to bake, I tested what the cover of my new baker’s cookbook would look like and I thumbed throught my cookie book
Yuck!
See! They look decent going in but coming out they spread out. I had a vision of glitterly snowflakes and this….not so much
I adjusted how much dough I used and made sure the press was working properly
I was still bagging when Antz got home to pick them up but he was totally happy with the cookies. I guess I’m proud being that I didn’t burn them and despite the lack of prettiness, they do taste yummy!

 

I suppose he’s getting a good return on his investment *and I am happy we have something to give our friends*
So, I was totes gonna post an all new Mixtape Friday *I know it’s been MIA for weeks* however you must forgive me. I am illing and I have a BIG day tomorrow, so I need to rest and fight this headache. Antz is going out with a bunch of our friends to see Tron * Lame to the max* so I’m babysitting while he nerds out.
Sayanara

I’ve been Naughty!!

I’ve been pretty busy and lazy and I cannot believe I haven’t posted since Tuesday. Tuesday!! That was like 5 Mom years ago. So, Wednesday was actually a pretty laid back day, our lovely Liv turned 27 weeks old

I ran some boring errands and we sold Liv’s swing to one of our friends for *a steal* $100!

I’m really going to miss this guy, it was a gift from Gilli *my amazing acupuncturist* and it was a major life saver for helping us get her to sleep. At least we know it’s moving to a good family, my friend Roxanne is in labor as I am writing this.

Thursday was a super busy day. Antz was off so we started early and dropped Liv off at Antz Mom’s house. We picked up Aimee in Venice and can you believe we missed Black Swan AGAIN!! I don’t know why it’s so hard for us to get to Arclight on time. Since we missed the 11:20 showing, we went to West Hollywood Target. Sigh, why do I keep going to this Target? They never have this weeks magazines, they don’t have everything on my shopping list and it’s just not one of my favorite stores. It was half-fun/half-lame shopping with Antz. He was very adament about what shouldn’t go in the cart, yet he was grabbing stuff that I wouldn’t have thought of and he kept Aimee and me on a strict schedule so we wouldn’t miss the 12:30 Black Swan showing. We got to the theater, this time with plenty of time and it was surprisingly full. I guess it was so much buzz about the movie and the Arclight was the few theaters showing it before it’s full release. Holy shit!! It was sooo worth it. I was like, damn Darren, you are one dark, twisted but talented dude. I am now a fan of Mila Kunis. She used to annoy me with her cutesy routine but, I really liked her in Extract and she was bearable in Forgetting Sarah Marshall but in Black Swan she made her breakthrough. Natalie Portman was flawless of course and Vincent Cassel was really sexy *and I think he looks like a weasel*. So 5 stars, 2 thumbs up and all that critic jazz.

We had to get back to Antz Mom’s house before 3pm so we just made it *thanks to my racecar driving* and we drove all the way to Pasadena to have dinner at Afloat Sushi. Well, we were excited for Aimee to try it *we had been raving about for weeks* but 5pm was the wrong time of day to go because it was just us and another guy in there. The boats were almost totally empty. BOO!

We had to order directly from the chef which sucked because I wanted Aimee to try the stuff we didn’t know the names of. We ended up eating much less than we usually do *which I admit, is a good thing* but I didn’t feel like she got the full experience which makes the place so cool. She wants to bring her son Holden there during his Christmas break so I guess we’ll have another chance. We grabbed some ice cream *see, I never have room for dessert* and went to this store in Hollywood called Wackos. Cobb & Jenn told us about it but we underestimated the power of radness this store had. We had to pick up a birthday present for our friend Dave and Antz Secret Santa gift. We were in the store for over an hour. There was an art show taking place and we wanted to buy everything!! I took as many pics as I could but I only had my iPhone with me. We seriously LOVE this store. So many cute toys, cool books, rad stuff for our house. It was almost tooo overwhelming, even Liv was in sensory overload! These are just a few of my favorite things

Olivia was well into the spirit of things

I love these Calaveras pieces. I couldn’t find a Groom to replace the one I decapitated.

Dear Santa,
I know I have been naughty, but if you can find it in your reindeer abusing heart to please put this super rad Clockwork Orange bust under my Christmas Tree.
PS I ate all those cookies I left for you!!

They have pretty much a little bit of everything

Antz & I are self-admitted Twilight Zone nerdies. One of our favorite episodes is called The Masks and The Howling Man, therefore it should be mandatory that I own this Jason Foster/Devil toy figurine.

Aimee and I were soo creeped out when the release of the infamous “Spider Walk” from The Exorcist came out in theaters. How cool would it be to have this in our toy collection?

I LOVE Gloomy Bear!

I wannit!!!!

I love Bewitched Barbie. All I wanted in the world as a little girl was to find out I was a witch and twitch my nose like Tabitha and make magic.

Sorry so blurry, I was so excited, I didn’t focus on taking halfway decent pictures.
//www.youtube.com/get_player

I adore this guys work *the striped series* however, the pieces were a bit pricey for us.

I love the vibrant colors and circus theme of these paintings

I was surprised to see my friend Danni’s work was in the show. Isn’t she talented??!!

I was drooling over these miniatures, sooo adorably morbid. Only $4,000 a pop!

The detail and realism is fucking ridiculous!

So proud of how I showed buyer’s resistence

I ended up sticking to our budget and we got a Dexter *from the TV show* bobble head for Dave *it’s his fave show* and a set of horror movie *Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th & Texas Chainsaw Massacre* toys for Antz Secret Santa *luckily he picked one of our good friends, I can’t reveal his identity just yet* I could easily spend all day in that store!

After prying me from Wackos we headed back to Venice to hang out a Aimee’s for a few hours. Antz brought his tools and hung some frames in Aimee’s living room. She loved the mood board I made for her so we have to start shopping to get her bare apartment looking pretty. We were absolutely exhausted when we got home at 11 but after putting Liv to bed, we stayed up wrapping presents. They look lovely except we need to buy ribbon.

Today Liv and I are going to the grocery store and I’m doing some much needed laundry, thrilling! Antz is working hard on a freelance project this weekend and he scored some pretty sweet finds at a Thrift store on Wednesday, so we may work on them this weekend. *photos coming soon*

Sometimes I surprise myself with radness

I have a sweater, it’s my favorite sweater. I bought it 2 years ago from the Gap. This sweater has seen better days. I wore it all the time and didn’t treat my sweater with care. Then sadly one day, my favorite sweater got a tear. Ok, I am not a poet but here’s my story…I no longer wore the sweater, except around the house. Antz kept saying that used to be such a nice sweater. Then when I was at our newborn infant class I saw someone with my exact sweater. It made me sad because I buy nice things and then I ruin them and complain how I have nothing to wear. So this morning I did the unthinkable. I repaired my sweater all-by-myself!

Please forgive my ratty hair, I was so excited, I forgot what a mess I looked!

I hand sewed the holes, I washed it in fancy detergent and I can now happily wear my sweater out of the house again. What is this new found domesticness? Have I settled nicely into the role of housewife & doting mother? I am the same girl who pulled all-nighters at clubs in Hollywood. I quit a job because I was hungover from a party I threw for my best friend. I would eat dinner from 7-11. I am so not used to being a grown up. 🙁

My Mommy is here now and we are meeting Antz for lunch at Sedthee…

Liv is 19 weeks today…!!!

 

Our favorite Thai restaurant
Antz was convinced Liv could sit in her own chair
Yum!!! Chicken satay.

 

So lunch was great, we got there just after the working folks crowd *so we basically had the place to ourselves*. I ordered seafood pad thai noodles for my Mommy but she really didn’t like it, she should have stuck with her usual, lamb chops. Antz and I stuffed our faces in 10 minutes and my Mom had barely started eating *we are super greedy!!*

Antz had to go back to work so we dropped him off and I tried to talk my Mom into going to Fair Oaks Pharmacy but she didn’t want any ice cream, maybe I’ll go with Aimee tomorrow. So when we got home she had to leave and Liv and I have been hanging out in the nursery ever since. She was extremely good today. I tried to pump a bottle for her lunch but sadly I only got a measly 1 1/2 ounce so I am back to drinking the Mother’s Tea. Antz wants me to make an appt with Gilli to get her advice so maybe I’ll go next Monday. I am sort of bummed because we’d planned to take Liv to trick or treat on the Boolevard in Atwater Village on the 29th but today Antz got an invitation to a Halloween party at his job on the same day.

I know his job will be more fun since all our friends will be there but I love hanging out in Atwater *I remember so many years of wishing we had a baby to take to all the Atwater events and now that I have Liv, we have missed out on so many activites*. Oh well, I guess there’s always next year and I suppose it would be better to go when we actually live there. I really dislike when it gets dark earlier but I’m happy for Halloween to get here because I’m super excited about my costume *it’s top secret*

Lemony Goodness *I hope*

Today I felt brave enough to tackle baking Lemon Bars! I know, who do I think I am? Well, I thought it would be easy peasy but alas I could ruin a bowl of cereal! I read the directions very carefully *all 3 of them* and as simple as they were I couldn’t figure out which bag of mix to use for the filling. I tried going on the Betty Crocker website but no help there. I even called the 1-800 number on the box but there was a recording that all the reps were in a meeting and wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. I called Antz Mom *my only fellow baker* and she wasn’t home. My lemon bars seemed doomed from the start so I just applied some common sense and used the white mix for the filling *it smelled lemony* and the yellow mix for the crust. It’s currently baking for 25 minutes however I see the receipe calls for powdered sugar and the box I bought doesn’t supply any. I am going to Target so I can pick up some but will I return quickly enough to finish my bars to lemon perfection? We shall see…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry about the mirror photo *I can’t stand mirror pics, they are sooo myspace* but I had to show off my pretty baking apron!! I even wore my cupcake hat *to hide my hideous hair* for the occasion.

Liv and I had a blast at Target although I was disappointed in the Halloween decor for this year. In 2008 we bought $400 worth of decorations when we had our Halloween Party but today the pickin’s were slim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I was thrown for a loop, we planned to take Liv for a walk when Antz got home *in Atwater Village of course* and have a small dinner and then try my lemon bars for dessert. My Mom called me at 5 to ask me where she can take her friend Patty for shrimp *she was at Gladstones in Malibu* I told her that place is touristy and overpriced. I told her come to my side of town and we’ll go to Sedthee for Thai. I called Antz to let him know there was a change of plans. He was game since I mentioned going to Sedthee. It’s so funny how on the fly and random my Mom is. She never has a set agenda but that’s fine by me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such nerds, they followed us to Sedthee and we got our usual booth. The shrimp pad thai was super yummers!! My Mom had too much to drink and Patti had to get back to Apple Valley so they left early. I am glad my Mom had a chance to see Liv, it was too long since the last time she saw her Grammy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They left around 9 and I fed Liv while Antz cut me a slice of the lemon bars. Holy Shit!!! They were actually yummy! I am so proud of myself. I bought powdered sugar at Target so this is how they came out

 

Antz said I may have found my nitch 🙂 Now I need to convince Santa to bring me a Kitchenaid Cake Mixer for Christmas this year *I’ve been a very good girl*

 

Labor Day Weekend Wrap up

I can’t believe summer is officially over. 🙁 Antz is returning to work tomorrow after Olivia’s doc appt *she’s getting her second set of vaccinations*. Last night was Leslie’s Mythical Creatures party and I was too tired to post this morning. I think our costumes were super cute. I worked for hours putting together my mermaid tail.

Our fairy princess is mega cute! I was spazzing when I saw her in her adorable costume.


The cornbread was a hit, they were quite yummy. Leslie made this incredible cake for her friend Yvonne’s birthday, how sweet is the topper?? An Etsy find. The party was fun but we left early because we were exhausted. When we got home I put Liv to bed while wearing my wig and Antz made me a *Baby Jane* bow
This morning Antz told me that if we made it to the LA County Fair before 1pm, admission is only $1. 🙂  We called Antz Mom and she said she could come too *sweet!* We hurried and despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic we made it to Pomona by noon. We went to the fair back in 2000 with Aimee and her son, Holden but it really has changed since then. It was like being at Knotts Berry Farm, hundreds of canival games, food stalls and rides. I was excited to go to the petting zoo but once we found it, we decided it wasn’t sanitary for Liv to be that close to the animals *as cute as they were* We compromised by taking her to the farm exhibit and she was bewildered.

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

We really had a *carny* blast. I was in deep fried heaven. It was pretty hot so we left around 3:30. We dropped off Antz Mommy after she played with Liv for a few hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandma loves to make Liv laugh. So that was our busy weekend in a nutshell. I have tons more pics but I am on the train to sleepyville. *OK,  I admit I’m going to watch Mad Men before I hit the pillow*