Category Archives: Highland Park

A walk in our hood

Surprise, this morning I was planning to run some Friday errands when I saw that Antz accidentally left Liv’s car seat in his car, D’oh! Since it turned into a lovely afternoon, we hoofed it the 4 blocks to the Post Office. Liv was happily meandering along, checking out the new shops, and ducking from the smoke clouds made by the out-of-work hipsters who babysit a cappuccino while sitting with their legs crossed in the teeny chairs all day outside of Cafe de Leche. I guess she was feeling tired and sleepy on the walk back home because she totally refused to walk home. Yet she cried when I carried her. She has been conked out for the past 2 1/2 hours!

Liv was fascinated by this graffiti, I have no idea what it says “Lanv Gurb?”
Doing her hipster impression

California coffee, imported from Oregon
Excited for this place to open *love this font!*

Thank goodness this pet shop closed, it was the creepiest shop I’ve ever been to. They only sold pigeons and birdseed and Norman Bates ran the place.
It is always packed at this bar, day or night
The food smelled yummy in the York

New gallery/furniture store/design studio the 4th to open on York

Don’t let the sign fool you, this bakery is gross, I went inside and it smelled like socks more than fresh baked goods,

This new restaurant is coming soon
Liv having her brat-attack
No animal products menu, hmmm?
Highland Park, food truck mecca

I am feeling so much love for my hood. Now hurry up and build the new park on the corner!!

HPK…Highland Park Kitchen

Tonight we tried out a new restaurant that opened on York with Story & Chris.

The name needs some punch, it’s pretty ho-hum. I sorta preferred their original Los Lobos Cafe concept. I found the place to be too casual to be a high end restaurant yet the wall of bench seating were cute just not intimate enough. We had an early reservation but it wasn’t long before all the tables were full. It also was pretty packed due to tonight being the Nela art walk. We had tapas and drinks. I ordered a yummy mushroom and bleu cheese filet. Antz had the rosemary chicken. Olivia had mac and cheese *the hostess brought her some raisins which she ate like candy* but spend a great deal of dinner cracking up at Chris. She had a meltdown moment while we were trying to eat so this lovely older woman asked to hold Liv to calm her down. It must have done the trick cause they became friends and Liv hung with her while we ate. We were filled in on their trip to New Zealand but I was disappointed to hear they didn’t spot one penguin! It was a good time but they were understaffed and the credit card system was down so our waitress had to run our credit card manually *which sucked*. I would go back for drinks with friends but Maximillianos is my go-to spot for HP. We walked through a few galleries for the art show but nothing was that great to keep us out so we stopped by Cafe de Leche for coffee and walked to our house. We watched TV for a few hours and my face is still hurting from laughing at Aziz Ansari’s stand-up show and a bizarre Portlandia episode.

Yet another awesome restaurant opening a few blocks from our house, Yay for gentrification!!!
I had a pomergrante mojito, pretty delish!
Lovely, toothy grin

Lar & Har sneaking a sip of Antz Jack and Coke, naughty dragon!
Olivia kept throwing Larry & Harry so S & C were comforting them.
Finally they took shelter on Chris’s shoulder for safety
Story’s truffle mac & cheese
My filet…yummers but why no potato?
Antz rosemary chicken, pretty tasty
Liv’s new friend, Karen *who was extremely sweet but random how she just came over and bebe whispered Liv Grandma-ninja style*
Olivia’s fro is completely out of control
I am getting Liv this ukelele *not the one pictured* for her birthday, I am praying she won’t break it in five minutes
Love me some nerdy glasses
I will probably regret not buying these rad 80’s flip shades, like fer sure!

Tomorrow we are going to a farmers market and then playdate at Kieran’s house, FUN!! Goodnights

unHappy Anniversary

Yep, today is our HOUSE’s 6 year anniversary.

March 6, 2006, Two bright-eyed, youngsters *Antz has short hair then!*

Super excited to get our paint on. It took us 4 days to get rid of that horrendous red!

We had to cut this cabinet to fit our enormous fridge

The extent of our furniture

That awful, cheap vanity

You know how you are forced to *act like you give a shit* and sing Happy birthday to co-workers? That unenthusiastic, slow rendition of “Happy burrthday to youuuu” where you get shitty grocery store sheet cake and cheap juice. Well insert Anniversary and add a big fat NOT in front of happy and you got me rolling my eyes, and folding my arms. We have lived in this house for SIX years and the first email I get this morning is from Zillow informing me that our Zestimate has decreased from $352,000 to $311,200!! As much as Highland Park is getting all these new awesome business opening in the neighborhood, dozens of houses are being flipped like pancakes and HUNDREDS of Hipsters are riding our new bike lane on York, you would think I could see a little appreciation in my home.

The good news just kept pouring in, my darling Antz got a ticket *his first in like 8 years* on his way to work for driving through a stop sign and, you remember my lovely Anthropologie quilt?

Yay for this?

I know I only paid a measly $85 but this quilt that usually costs $298 so you would think the stitching would be better quality. Unless the dry cleaners used some unholy nuclear shit to it and ruined it *as I predicted* Antz Mom can probably talk me through repairing it. Sigh. All in all, today can suck it. Sheesh March, didn’t you get the memo? You are supposed to be my happy happy, rad birthday month!

Here’s a creepy video to hopefully give you a chuckle, I sure could use a laugh. The Cheeto Queen herself….Brit Brit!

Hipster Highland Park

I had one of those I’ve got to pee moments where you know you can’t hold it till morning but you definitely don’t want to get out of the warm bed. So you weigh your options until you can’t hold it any longer. I relentlessly gave in and got up. Problem is no matter how fast I go, I get back into bed and start thinking, great…now I’m cold again, I’m awake and my cat Lola jumps into the bed and wants snuggle time. Needless to say, I’m now wide awake at 5:38 am!

Since I’m up before the sun, let me tell you what a great time I had tonight last night. I saw my friends *who I don’t see as often as I’d like* for dinner at Maximilliano, a new Italian spot here in Highland Park. This was our second time eating there and it’s fabulous. I made reservations at 5, right when they open hoping to not catch the Saturday crowds but within a half an hour the place was packed *and I felt the entire time people were giving us the evil eye for staying at our table for so long* but not only is the place incredible the food is absurdly delish. Everyone enjoyed the food, wine and dessert. This cute chick came over and said hi, she remembered meeting us at the Yo Gabba Gabba! art show, how rad!! I hope we can get together for a playdate soon.

This place has changed from a coffee shop to an art gallery and now the most popular place in HP to eat besides the food trucks! *They filmed Yes Man here too*
Liv is so funny, the first half an hour she’s terrified of Chris, then she loves him

These meatballs are HEAVEN

My bebe has blurry face

I hate to admit, HP is getting more awesome everyday. So many new shops, art galleries, NELA art walk and restaurants are popping up within walking distance from our house. Everyone is biking, or gardening and all the dudes have 1890’s beards or curly moustaches. I am even seeing really cute houses getting redone and selling for prices that are fairly decent.

Should I stay or should I go now?? Don’t fret, I still love you Atwater, you’re my #1!!

FABulous Ban.do Yard Sale

We totally scored. I am sad to report there wasn’t a single Ban.do item featured in the sale but I found a gorgeous turquoise bracelet, some fabric, some yarn *for making pom poms* a stamp set, a storage box filled with pretty paper, an Oh Joy set of mailing envelopes for our Etsy shop and a couple of candle votives.

Okay guys, I’m ready to shop till I drop!
I was stoked when I saw this guy in the front yard.

Big Pimpin’

Cotton Candy Pink tulle, for sure!
We are hoping we can use this to upholster something. Too bad it’s too small for laundry curtains. *yikes my wig is embarrassingly huge*

I am on the hunt for vintage letters

you two pink ladies are coming home with me
How amazing is this menagerie?

Antz wanted to use this rope in our new curtain design but I declined, too nautical, you know?
Baubles
Stripes & Tights, my new uniform
Jenn from Ban.do was gracious enough to take a photo with me. I LOVE her jacket!! We’re both sporting our pom poms.

My Loot!

Okay, what happened next was a tragedy…

The restaurant I wanted to eat at was CLOSED!! 

The decor leaves little to the imagination
BUMMER!

I was starved after running some errands it was already past 3pm so I HAD to have some sushi. Yet the sushi I wanted was all the way near LAX on the other side of town *like a 35 minute drive* I was relentless in my sushi craving so off we went. I was giddy with anticipation since I have been to this place 6 times in the last 4 weeks! My Mom first took me there a few months ago. I immediately brushed it off since A. It’s a total dive and looks like cockroaches and rats party there and B. It’s cheap for sushi. In my years of experience cheap sushi = bad sushi so I remained skeptical. I ordered some california rolls and didn’t give the place a second thought. The next time my Mom took me I was ravenous and I knew mere California rolls wouldn’t sedate me. I checked out the menu and after I got over my initial shock of how yummy the photos looked and the variety of sushi, I order a catepillar roll. Expecting to be totally underwhelmed it was fantastic. When my Mom was in town I found myself recommending we go to this out of the way dirtball place. I took Aimee there and she went through the same reluctant process I did but once I ordered for her, she was convinced. Antz was the hardest sell. We had a pact that we wouldn’t even think of ordering our sushi outside of Little Tokyo but when I would whine about wanting to drive all the way to this place he would not give in. One Sunday afternoon, I talked him into the drive and I again had to tell him to look past the horrible formica tables and shabby decor. It was all about the food. Tenno sushi has been good to us, with it’s modern design and Beyonce DVD concerts playing on the flat screens, we’re used to a dining experience. At this joint, they have an old clunky TV that only plays People’s Court and is large enough for one family of 6 to squeeze in. The guy at the counter won’t admit it, but he definitely gives me a look like “You again?” when I step up to order. The prices are so reasonable it’s easy to go overboard when you do order. I always get my regular and Antz has made his favorite a caterpillar roll and beef/chicken teriyaki bowl *which he shares with Liv* My journey is always worth the mileage for one thing only…

Tempura shrimp made by the Gods!

They make the best shrimp tempura, EVER! I challenge anyone to find a tastier version. Gordon Ramsey himself would bloody love them. You could tell me they were made out of human brains and baby seal guts and I’d still eat them. I order them every single time and so far, so delish *smacks fingers*. I was pretty bummed this place was closed at 4 pm on a Sunday. I SWEAR we came there at the same time before but being it’s a Mom & Pop, I’m sure they keep crazy hours. Oh well, c’est la vie. We went across the street and ate but it was whammp, whammp *thumbs down*. Antz is working Monday and Tuesday of this week and then he’s on vacation until the 3rd of January so we’ll have plenty of time to give it a go again.

Anyone has a guilty pleasure hole-in-the wall disgusting place they secretly LOVE? Mine used to be a disgusting taco truck AKA roach coach in Highland Park but Miyako has usurped it. Why close on Sunday, dammit!

Home a Love Story

Unless you are a hobo *nuthing wrong with that* you have a home. My home gives me mixed feelings. I am trying to hard to embrace that fact that we are lucky to own a house in this economy, yet I don’t love my home.

I have to admit, sometimes I feel like we settled. After writting 13 offers and having them all shot down, I was feeling rejected and depressed. We looked at every single open house in Los Angeles for 2 and a half years. I remember every Monday going to work and my co-workers asking me if we bought a house yet. We weren’t being picky but there was 3 requirements: location *close to Antz job* at least 2 beds, 2 baths and a big yard. This house ticks 2 out of the 3. I should be grateful for the proximity of Antz job. For 6 years he commuted  over an hour each way and to now drive there in less than 10 minutes is lovely. Then there’s our back yard, when I found our house online the pictures did not do it justice. Our yard is the envy of our friends. It’s private, has 180 views and fruit trees and *only in the spring* lush, green grass. Our backyard has served as the perfect spot for entertaining *don’t I sound like an HGTV show host?* and contrary to popular belief, has been pretty low-maintenance. That’s pretty much where the love affair ends. I admit, there are features I do appreciate about our house: we have a garage, our property is securely fenced in, we are on a hill so it gives us a view. I do like our Craftsman style, our fireplace is lovely *although we can never use it*, the hardwood floors are nice, and I like the layout of our house. However…as fantastic as our location is from Antz job, Highland Park was never my top choice to live. I really wanted Eagle Rock but we couldn’t afford anything AT ALL! We literally live 3 blocks from Eagle Rock’s zip code. Now, I am taking into account, HP has been improving *Art Walk and our awesome new neighbors* but the city is still not blowing my skirt up. We spend so much time in Atwater Village, people think we live there. Liv’s dance class is there, her school is in walking distance, we attend most of AV events. Then there’s the community, I am a member of the Atwater Village Mom’s group, I want to join the neighborhood council and Friends of the Los Angeles river. I want to volunteer at the library, invest in the AV Farm and clean up the river. I don’t feel the sense of community here. My across the street neighbors are a daily reminder of how much I want to move. I really want to move in 4 years, herein lies the problem. Our house is underwater, we have bad plumbing and foundation issues so selling our house for a profit is out of the question. There’s the possibility of a short sell but it will damage our credit and may make it impossible to apply for a new mortgage. Then there’s my dream house. I did something risky and sent an email to the owners letting them know I really love that house and I’d like to buy it one day. Fortunately, the owner is really nice and even though he said they aren’t planning on selling, he said if he does, he’ll let me know. YAY!! Now it’s up to me to be ready when this day comes. I have to beef up our savings, find a miracle to sell this house, qualify for a new mortgage and find a way to make them an offer they are happy with yet we can afford. That’s a tall order. You know what, I am a total optimist. I can make it happen. I will have my Barbie Dream House!!

NELA Art Walk *this time with pictures*

So I must share with you something that blew my mind. 2 Saturdays ago we walked to the Highland Park Art Walk *only 2 blocks from our house* and I was shocked to find so many art galleries on York. We went to at least 8 on one block and there was an upstairs loft over the stores that we didn’t even know existed. I cannot believe there is something cool about Highland Park after living here for 5 years. We met a ton of awesome folks and of course, Liv received dozens of compliments about her wings. I even passed out my new Etsy cards Antz made me. *I made 2 sales this week!!*

Fancy pants biz card
The walk was super fun, I hate to admit it but Highland Park is kinda cool *however my heart still belongs to Atwater Village*. Antz is all stoked about how hipster-ery the hood is becoming.

Every month we see a group of about 100 people on bikes at night, it turns out to be a biking tour that meet up for night events like the art walk. We are going to join in October when we finally get a trailer for Liv.

Hooray for crappy blurry photos!
I have never seen so many people on my street, it was packed!
We discovered this fucking rad vintage record shop *how is it I’ve never seen it before?*

I almost peed my pants when I saw the macrame in this store, Matters of Space. We met the owner *who is fucking rad* and she told me how she bought the fabric for her macrame from a dude in Tokyo. I told her about the class I took and she is going to try to find some cord for me.
I love her necklaces but they cost a million dollars

Liv played at the coffee shop on the corner, Cafe de Leche

There was a huge building on the corner we always thought was empty, to our surprise it’s an art gallery/huge warehouse full of crazy art. Sculptures, furniture and taxidermy, it was pretty awesome.

Those sculptures were made out of buttons

The chaise you are looking at was made entirely out of the tabs from soda cans… it was bananas!
You had me at Taxidermy!!
This jewelry was made out of silver flatware
We drove over to Eagle Rock to my favorite store Leanna Lin’s Wonderland. They always have the most incredible artwork *I wanna buy it all*

I wanna make one of these pendant banners for a cake so bad!
there was a mobile photo booth that we took these at

It was a little truck and you walk up a ramp in the back and there’s a curtain and you take your photos *sorry I tried to take pictures of the truck but they came out too dark* I am definitely hiring the booth for one of Liv’s birthday. I would also love to hire this adorable band that was playing in front of the warehouse. I need to look them up on itunes, they sound like a Parisian Tom Waits, really fucking rad!

The art walk happens every second Saturday of the month. I want to take my Mom but next month is Carlos & Steph’s wedding *can’t believe it’s almost here, remind me to not get stagefright* Speaking of my Mom, after close to 40 years in the music industry, she finally has her very own Wikipedia page. I am trying to work on adding her photos but I have no idea how to do it *I suck about programming html*

My Mom is mega awesome!!

She’s so cute!

My Mom played on the Rocky soundtrack…dun, dun-dun, dun, dun dun-dun dun dun duuuunn!

Mommy & Stevie

My Mommy began her career in Motown *Detroit* so she played with pretty much every single Motown band there was. I wish she didn’t write on her photos, now I’m helping her restore most of them.

Now do you see where I get my hamming it up for the camera from?

Bobbye toured the world with Bob Dylan for 2 years right after I was born. This is a pretty awesome photo of them on a train in Japan.

My Mom hired me as her make up artist when she appeared on the Late Show with Craig Ferguson with Dwight Yoakam. He begged her to go on tour with him but she wanted to stay home since I was preggers.

I don’t remember which band she was playing with but this was for a TV show in the 60s. LOVE her bouffant!!

This is her playing with her current band, she’s retired but she does perform every once in a while.

Yep, my Mommy is a superstar!

Three day weekend, Whoo hoo!

There’s nothing I love more than having a 3 day weekend with my lovelies. So far we haven’t done much but today was super fun. We picked up our niece and nephew, Evelyn & Dion and we went to the Beverly Hills farmers market *where they are celebs among the vendors* I pigged out on kettle korn and we had roach coach carne asada tacos *a Highland Park delicacy*. Then we got competitive playing Scattegories and Trivia Pursuit all night.

I really love hanging out with them. They are such fun and so smart. I am so conflicted about them leaving for Paraguay in May. I really want them to go, travel to a foreign land, enjoy the life of adventure together but for my own selfish reasons I don’t want them to miss out on the next 3 years of Liv’s life. Oh well, she will skype, and correspond with them often. I am crossing my fingers we may even visit them but honestly I wouldn’t last a day without American food and modern conveniences *hello, I’m high maintenance*

So tomorrow we are doing our preliminary shopping for our bathroom remodel. I want to go to tile stores, find a company to replaster our tub and showerwall and get our plumber Malcolm, to give us a serious quote for repairing our plumbing *he always says I’ll give you a definite number next time but never does* It would also be rad to replace our water heater *which is older than dirt* and find a good, affordable electrician to repair our floodlight and the light in Liv/Antz closet.

I’ll post my finding tomorrow.

Nighty Night!

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!!

A Walking Tour of HP

Yesterday was as good as any day to finally drag my butt to the post office to mail the book of photos I put together for my Grandmother Elizabeth in Michigan. I decided since it was a lovely day and God knows I need the exercise to walk to the PO. At a mere 7 blocks, it would seem like a piece of cake. Not-at-all! Highland Park is an urban jungle, the beginning of our journey was met to the sounds of vicious barking dogs and heavy traffic from kids getting picked up from school *not very courteous to a Mommy with a stroller *

My little hipster bebe *sans Van because she’s keen on eating them*

I would LOVE Aimee to get a Vespa!

Hipstermobile

This coffee shop saves York Ave and Highland Park. It’s really cute and charming!

Coffee is hipsters nectar, the Oxy College students come in droves on their bikes, with their skinny jeans, ratty converse and Mac laptops

This is a rare cute vintage clothing store, Aimee and I are going to check it out one of these days

This is a decent bar, The York, it’s packed Thursday – Saturday

Here’s where I begin my rant, this bakery has great potential but it’s so uncute!! Why not paint, get rid of the awful dated windows and renovate it into a sweet bakery?

I popped in but quickly retreated, the shop is filthy, no design and no fresh croissants *BOO!*

This is a treat, a Glass shop opened over the holidays. I hope it stays open by Spring because it’s a cool looking spot

This is a surprisingly cute dress shop

Unfortunately, the entire street is scattered with tacky party stores and pinatas galore *how many different pinatas stores does one need?*

This place is the pet shop equivalent of the Bates Motel *CREEPY* I made the mistake, when we first moved in, of going in there looking for dog food for Maxwell when I found myself in a PIGEON shop. Who the hell buys pigeons?? That is all they sell, seriously thousands of caged pigeons and it appeared that the owner never has cleaned the cages. It was the epitome of GROSS!

Once we got to the Post Office a seemingly nice older lady *a Memaw* struck up a waiting in line conversation *partly with me, mostly with Liv* I have no idea how to respond when it comes to the inane chitchat. I always half laugh and mumble thanks,…it’s a girl…and she’s 7 months. Then I start texting, looking for something in my bag or pretend to seem too busy. I am such a mean girl, it’s hard for me to make small talk with strangers. I want to be like get your nosey ass out of my face, I do not give a fuck that you think they should open more lines! How does one properly respond to the statement “Who is this old lady talking to me?” directed towards Olivia yet staring at me with a crazy person smile…ummm, I don’t know? Awkward!

Doesn’t this house scream charm?!
During my walk home, I was greeted by a rooster crowing at 4:30 in the afternoon. Only in Mexi…Highland Park!! So this is it, this is the eyesore, needs-to-be-condemned-by-the-city, crapshack that I live adjacent to. Please note the lovely tarp patio where the scum lives. Yep, they live outdoors, they aren’t allowed in the house *like indoors is any better* I am so terrified we will get lame ass neighbors moving next door *I spied a fatso pickup truck-driving dirtbag checking out the place on Thursday*
Last night was super fun. We picked up my Mommy and went to dinner at a Creole restuarant Harold & Belles.
 HOOLY COW soooo yummy in my tummy!

I ordered the Seafood jambalaya
Mommy had the Shrimp and crawfish Etouffe
Antz had the gumbo *and although he liked it he said mine was better, YAY!*
It was pretty pricey but well worth it, I can’t wait to go to N’orleans and eat authentic cajon cuisine!
This morning we went to the flower mart *after I circled through downtown trying to find it*. I love that place, it always reminds me of the Friday before my wedding when we bought $500 worth of flowers *heavenly* We got some really lovely flowers for $20 bucks and I now have my eye on these potted branches for the living room.
We got hydrangas, antique creamy roses, spray yellow roses and randulums *I know I totes spelled that wrong*

Antz wasn’t liking my randulums but I thought they would look sweet in Liv’s milk vase. They reminded me of a cheaper *$2 a bunch* version of peonies. Antz put together the flowers *he’s the florist in this family*

I must hurry, we are going to play The Accomplice today and I am super excited about it!!