where dreams come true

I've known Bruce roughly 5 years and as long as I can remember he has been dreaming and talking and salivating over these immortalized pumpkin pancakes on Sunset Blvd, CA.
So you better believe it was a pretty big deal when we actually revisited the cafe! Just looking at the menu was a treat in and of itself...
take a look, seriously, how do you choose between these dishes?!!!
The Griddle Cafe

We narrowed it down to: Yellow Brick Road
Tis the Season, Mounds of Pleasure, A Time to Love, Scotch on the Rocks......

o.k., it was super hard to narrow it down! We ordered the "mounds of pleasure" and "kicking and screaming breakfast tacos." The other orders:
Stef : "addicted to noisella french toast"
Amelia: red velvet panCake
Marva: poached y papas Benedict
GJ: some giant breakfast burrito

and the delivered masterpieces? decadent beyond belief.

-The benedict was possibly one of the best I've ever tasted. ever. Genius to use potato skins in place of english muffins!
-The french toast was nutella-rific. I almost forgot it was actually french toast and not just nutella smoothering some bread form.
-Red velvet pancake- cake for breakfast. literally. with the cream cheese icing to prove it. delish!
-Breakfast tacos- no "kicking and screaming" about them, but nothing to complain about.
-Mounds of pleasure= mounds of coconut+chocolate in cake form, baked in pancake shape. rich and gooey, melt-in-your mouth. giving the candy bar the true breakfast challenge.

So the question: with all the richness was it too much? after like 5 bites, probably. But did we make a decent effort in clearing them? yep.
I'd say an hour later we were all still feeling the sugar overload.
But two hours later I could've had just one more bite and secretly wished we'd boxed the remains. :)

But for Bruce! Years and years of dreaming about this place, talking it up so much and making it a must while in California?
sadly, failed to fulfill.

He wished he'd just relive the pedestal memory- the pumpkin pie pancakes and cobb omelet.
sorry Bruce.

And my dreams came true staying at Amelia's in-laws house! a pool and hot tub, lemon, orange, grapefruit and avocado trees. And still 30 minutes from the beach (I think, I seemed to fall asleep every time I got in the car, sorry bruce!) I'm convinced I could become a resident of the lovely Glendora. Thank you Stowells!!

heartaches

"why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die?"

I know there's plenty of Jack Johnson critics and haters out there for his monotony but you have to admit, he poses a valid question with these lyrics.

These past two days I can't stop looking at ksl, anxious for updates on this story involving some of our friends. I've been constantly thinking about death and the finality that occurs from one unexpected chain of events. My heart goes out to everyone involved in such a horrifying experience and especially to Molly who became a widow way too early.

That story was one of 5 deaths reported over the weekend, not to mention the unfolding aftermath in Japan.

Does anyone else feel like there has been an overabundance of bad news, heartache and tragedy surfacing lately? I want to cry every time I see pictures of Japan and the faces of the survivors who have seen so much damage to their beloved country. It's heart-wrenching seeing the look of hopelessness as they search for lost loved ones and shifting through the remains of where their homes once stood. Can you even imagine not knowing where your family and friends are? or if they're even alive? Can you imagine trying to rebuild your life after going through something like that, after literally losing everything?

And that's just one of the many problems happening to so many people around the world. It's hard to see heartbreak. It's hard to even fathom having to endure what people don't choose, but have to experience. After being a mother for less than a year and a half I can't imagine losing a child, or your unborn baby, or even not being able to have babies, but still having to go on day by day. It seems like this has been happening so frequently lately and the situation never gets easier or less shocking. It doesn't help working in the hospital either.

So much uncertainty really unearths so much fear and despair and questioning. But it also brings us back to our core beliefs and dependence on those closest to us. Times like this forces people to turn to God for the hope and peace that only He can provide.

I know there is a God. I know He does love us and is aware of our daily lives and our inner most emotions. I know He wants us to be happy and feel the joy and true happiness in this life and the next. And I believe in the next life- that parents will be reunited with their babies, and childless couples can raise children and lonely individuals will have love and companionship. I believe in the Gospel and I'm so so thankful for it.

amen.

bed head

This girl's got it 24/7, with no escape.




sometimes it hurts




sometimes it doesn't

was this your grandma's china?

Because I need to thank someone.


I've always had a thing for pretty dishes, pottery, etc. and always wanted my own set of china. My mom has a set that I love and I convinced her to give it to me when she dies...but you have no idea how healthy my mother is. (THANKFULLY!;)
So, last weekend I was perusing my favorite consignment shops and came across this beauty:
a 63 piece, setting for 12!

My thoughts: "the last thing I need to buy right now is china, the first thing would be new pants, or a trip to somewhere warm, yet not particularly China, but look at these dishes! well, my mom has a set, but I won't inherit that for years and..hmmmm..it's just so lovely, where's Claire running off to?...."

and now you see the tangents of my mind.

Yet the design, the colors and the price kept me circling the store, always to come back and pick it up and want it as mine.
...and the next thing I knew I was loading it in my trunk.

I'm in love with it!! LOVE!

I'm eternally attracted to blue and it has the prettiest design I could ever pick out. and believe me, the price was right for the value!!
so I'm the new proud owner of my own set of china....all the way from New York (can you name that song? it's been in my head since the purchase.)

That's not all for today:

If you can't tell what this is a picture of, it's a green feather on my counter. It's just proof of the sacrifices you have to make when you dress your child up in something like this.
Trust me, it was still totally worth it, but yes, there are STILL stray feathers showing up from time to time.



Next, this is for McCall. Claire couldn't be happier in her Carhartt coveralls.
Thanks for making her an all-American girl!



Lastly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ASHLEE!!!
xoxoxo

a mafia valentine's

The Corleone Family Some couples like to spend valentine's alone, but the Godfather called the family together this year. And when the Godfather speaks, the family listens. betrayal leads to death...

top 3 habits I need to overcome

January was far too long and I'm very grateful it's almost the middle of February, (although it's still much too cold for my liking) but in the spirit of the new year I'll list some changes I need to make in 2011.

I do feel it's going to be a good year, it is the year of my golden birthday afterall...

1. Picking off my toe nails.

Yes, I said off! Self-inflicted Chinese torture? afraid so. You have no idea how many nights I've been woken up by throbbing pain from my poor little pinky toes. And I do it to myself! It's gross to me and I'm sure horribly disgusting to others. sorry. I don't know, you'd think I'd learn but time and time again, it just happens.
It goes like this: I'll be sitting watching TV, or sitting at the computer and my restless legs end up bending up to my chest and and suddenly I'm unconsciously picking, (I'm a picker/popper/plucker by nature), grab a snag and all of a sudden I have a bleeder... and no toe nail.
My most recent offense was a couple of weeks ago and because I had no baby toe nail, my toe was swollen enough to hurt when trying to put my shoe on and I missed out on a zumba class that Libby talked about all leading up to our girls weekend. so sad.

2. Reading the last page/chapter of books.

Again, who does this?!! I do.

I love reading and can really get into a good book. I'll finish reading where I'm at in the book and just flip to the end, mostly to see how many pages I have left, and take a quick glimpse at the last page. I can't help it, the suspense can kill a girl.
Well, this backfired when I was reading Jane Eyre and found out the whole story when I was at the first initial climax. The events yet to unfold totally surprised me and I couldn't pick the book up for a week. I finally just finished it and must admit that reading it through explains so much more and really builds the story so much better than sneaking to the end. Lovely book, no wonder it's a classic!

3. Having to have something sweet every day.

To say I have a sweet tooth wouldn't be 100% honest. I like my chocolate, always have, and afraid I always will. But I also know that with aging comes the slowing down of the metabolism. And it's my observance that people make up the difference and make wiser choices to stay ahead. I realized I've yet to master this and the ever daunting word of SELF-DISCIPLINE.
Example: I was out to lunch with my friends and their kids a while back and noticed me and their children were the only ones taking the cookie samples. And then one friend didn't even finish her single cookie that came with her lunch. seriously? you're too full to finish one cookie? my mentality just isn't there.. but I wish it were. People just say no, just take one, just chew gum or drink diet coke instead, so why can't I?! Well, that's why it's on my top 3 things to change in '11.

wish me luck!

and please get excited about the dear little one's first piggy's:

darling, no?

heart warming

that clever little child.

knowing I was at work, missing the nighttime ritual and my little peach, she wrote me a special message and had her dad text it to me to send her love.

and it made my night.
how sweet.