L.A. Winter Wonderland

You may have heard that we had snow in Los Angeles yesterday. Last week we were given advanced notice by local meteorologists that this was going to be a chilly weekend with a lot of rain -- they were right! A low in the 30s is pretty rare for this part of the country. We've had that for the last couple of nights. And yesterday, by around 2pm, it rained buckets and buckets. Buckets of rain and more hail than I've ever seen or heard. It kept up for 4 hours. The ice from yesterday didn't melt until 8am Sunday morning when the sun emerged. Having not grown up in a snowy climate, I don't understand why it rained at our house and snowed (legitimate snow, not ice) about 8 blocks away. If we're at the same elevation, why wouldn't it snow here too? Boo. I really wanted a picture of Nate playing in California snow. Guess we'll have to wait another 30 or 40 years. In the meantime, this is all I got:

No No No No No No No No

Hi. I'm Nate and I'm taking over my mom's blog again. I thought you'd like to see what I've been doing this week.

Mommy, Daddy and I went to the Natural History Museum. I got to see dinosaur bones. I asked to touch them but I was told "no." People say that word a lot to me. I can say it too, listen: no no no no no no no no. That's sooo fun!!

I did get to touch some stuff at the museum. I really liked that place. My daddy was mad that we had to pay $8 to park there. Is that a lot? I thought everything was free. Oh, my mom doesn't like the school that's across the street from the museum. She made me yell out "go Bruins!" as we drove away. 

My mom and I went to Descanso Gardens. Here is the Japanese tea house. I don't like tea. I drank juice while I was there. I ran around a lot. I think it made my mommy tired.

This is a picture of me and Molly at church. Molly is pretty. Do you see that I'm holding a cookie? They didn't run out of cookies this time - yea! I like Molly but I think I like this cookie more.

There was snow on the mountains near my house! I didn't get to touch it. I want it to snow in my backyard. 

Daddy makes my hair look silly when I take a bath. 

I get tired after we do fun things. Night night!

 

Weekend Wishes.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and I could say, "I used everything that you gave me." -- Erma Bombeck

Thursday Threes.

One.

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First, big prayers going out to New Zealand from your friends in California. We know what damage earthquakes can do but this is really horrible. 

Two.

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Hard to move on to utter silliness after #1 but....I finally got around to watching Downton Abbey on PBS Masterpiece Classic. I set the DVR to record it a month ago and since I'm the only one around here interested in British dramas, it was difficult to find time to watch it. But I did this week and I love it! It's 4 parts and I have one last hour to go. If you liked Upstairs, Downstairs, you'd love this series.

Three.

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The Academy Awards will be on tv this weekend. I haven't seen many of the movies but I'm always interested in seeing the gowns. I love the draped silk chiffon dress that Grace Kelly wore in Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 classic To Catch a Thief. That's what I'd wear if I was invited to the Oscars (Colin Firth, call me! I'm free to go on Sunday!). Here's a bit of trivia -- Edith Head was nominated for a Best Costume Design award for To Catch a Thief but lost. She was nominated 35 times during her career and won 8!

Brand New Bangle

I made a quick dash into a thrift store a week ago and came out with this:

That's a plastic bracelet covered in bright yellow dots. Very 1986. Cost me $1.25 (they must have considered it retro!). Anyway, I've been wanting a bangle bracelet so I took this one, found a scrap of fabric in my craft drawer, covered it using Modge Podge, and finished it off with a quick spray of Poly. From start to finish, it took me 1 hour.  Here's the final results:

I think it turned out pretty nice. The inside where the fabric overlaps isn't super tidy but who's going to know besides me?? Wouldn't this also make a cute napkin ring? It wouldn't be difficult to find 6 plastic bracelets and then cover them in a pretty fabric for Easter dinner...just an idea! And here's another tip -- if you want designer fabric for small projects like this, look on Etsy under "supplies" and "fabric scrap pack." I bought a bag of scraps  for $10 and received some decent pieces. You just have to accept that it's a grab bag so you may not like everything you get.

I've linked up this post to the following. so hop on over and see what other creative people have been up to this week: 

Weekend Wishes.

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. -- Dr. Seuss

Thursday Threes.

One.

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Anthropologie launched their bridal line on Valentine's Day. Be still my heart. I have a huge crush on Anthropologie and an even bigger crush on wedding gowns. Combine the two,  and, well... there are no words. Except this --  you're five years too late :(

Two.

The duo known as "The Civil Wars" has gained a huge following recently. I heard about them via a Nashville blogger and now I see that their album is a current top seller on iTunes. I love it when singer/songwriters get the recognition they deserve for their writing and vocal talents (this is where I'd insert a negative comment about Justin Bieber but I'd rather not receive any death threats from his fans.)

Three.

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We rented Sunset Boulevard this week. I had forgotten how fabulous it is. Billy Wilder is a genius.

Not Feelin' The Love Right Now

Nate (in car): Nate wants more juice.
Me: When we get inside in a minute, we're going to have lunch. Would you like milk?
Nate: Nate wants juice!
Me: Well, you can pick - juice or milk?
Nate: Juice!


Now inside, I put his juice and lunch on the table. He takes a sip of the juice then looks at me in horror.
Nate (crying): This not milk!!
Me: You said you wanted juice.
Nate (still crying): Mommy take it away!!
Me: Okay, okay, I'll go get milk.

I think this is how kings and queens treated servants back in medieval times. Or Bettie Davis. I think she probably yelled at people. My life has become Mommy Dearest in reverse....

Hello. My name is Nikki and I'm the parent of a toddler. Is there a support group out there???

Happy Valentine's Day

Santa Fe, NM - 2007

The door 

  was marked, "you."

I walked

  through it and

          found the

          better part of

              myself.

Weekend Wishes.

Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow. -- Alice Mackenzie Swaim

Thursday Threes.

One.

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 I've heard Nancy Pearl on NPR. She's been a librarian for years and her book reviews always make me think "oh, I've got to read that book!" If you've struggled with finding books you like, pick up Book Lust. I saw it at Costco in December and quickly put it on my Christmas List.  Book Lust organizes books into over 175 lists (biographical novels, coming of age books, cold war spy novels, etc. etc.) Now I have too many things to read!

Two.

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I've already shared how much I love Friday Night Lights here. Well, the final episode aired last night on DirectTV. Big sigh. NBC has committed to begin showing the fifth and final season on April 15th. And in a weird twist, season 5 will be released on DVD 10 days earlier. Oh NBC, you are such an odd duck...

Three.

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I'm in the process of framing several pieces of art. I wanted to do the framing myself because having it professionally done can quickly cost a bundle. I've looked at Ikea frames but they weren't the right size. Michael's selection of wall frames left me wanting more. Thankfully, Aaron Brothers is located across the parking lot from Michael's. Aaron Brothers has a great selection of frames; I felt like I had many options that would work. I love that they have 40-50% off coupons all the time. My only complaint is that the coupons apply to regular priced merchandise and my local Aaron Brothers does a very poor job of marking which frames are on sale and which aren't. Every frame I brought up to the cashier ended up already being on sale so I couldn't use my coupon. It was more than a little frustrating.

I Can't Count Up to 35

This is Nate. I'm taking over my mom's blog to tell you about my weekend. It was cool! We celebrated Daddy's birthday AND the Super Bowl. 

On Saturday, we went out to brunch with the family. It was a warm day and we ate outside. Everybody said the food was good but I stuck with fruit and orange juice.

Then we had cake. Look at all of those candles!  I helped Daddy blow them out. Daddy is old. All of the smoke bothered my eyes.

 The cake was really chocolate-y. It was good. I ate a huge piece and got frosting all over my clothes. I don't do the laundry so what do I care?? I still don't understand why I had to eat my piece of cake outside. Whatever.

Then Dad opened presents. He didn't get any toys. Poor Daddy.

Back at home, we had fun with balloons. My parents used the balloons to make the hair on their head stand up. They thought it was funny. I think they're strange.

The next day was Sunday and I went to church. I like the cookies at church but they ran out before I got one this time. They need to fix that. Later on, we ate dinner in front of the tv and watched a football game. I learned to say "touchdown!" and put my arms above my head. It was fun! I like football. I don't like Christina Aguilera. I think she sings too loud. Anyway, that's my weekend!

Weekend Wishes.

The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.  -- Vincent Van Gogh

Thursday Threes.

I'm going to try and post regularly every Thursday. Thursday Threes will highlight three things on my mind -- books, music, news items, and other randomness. I'll include recently discovered favorite items and things I've long enjoyed. So, here we go:

One.

I'm loving all of the Cylamens I've seen around town. I've spotted them at the bank, at the gas station and I'd love to spot them in my front yard! I think I'll be doing a little planting this weekend. Our weather will be lovely on Saturday (sorry Midwest!!). They're the perfect Valentine's Day flower.

Two.

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Dry, cold weather has left my skin looking, well, blah. So a week ago I started using Jergens Natural Glow moisturizer. Presto chang-o! A tiny hint of color on my face - yippee! There's a Jergens product designed specifically for your face but I'm too lazy to buy 2 products so I'm using this body moisturizer on my body and face. So far I haven't experienced any breakouts but we'll see what happens as I continue to use it every couple of days.

Three.

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Do you know what thru-hiking is? I didn't either until I started reading AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. This isn't a book I would normally read as I'm not, shall we say, athletically inclined. But when I read a review of the book on my Kindle homepage I thought I would give it a try. Wow, thru-hiking is fascinating! The book's author quit his day job to hike the Appalachian Trail -- it covers 14 states, 2100 miles, and takes 5-6 months to complete (and, yes, he left his wife and kids at home!). While I would love to see America by foot, I think I'll leave thru-hiking to people like David Miller. I enjoy a hot shower and my comfy bed a little too much to partake in this particular sport. But reading about it is sure fun!

Art Gallery

What type of artwork is hanging in your house? Do you prefer modern, traditional, or vintage? Photos, prints, paintings, posters? I tend to like a real mix of everything. Here's a little vintage vignette I have hanging in our hallway:

The larger piece at the top is a sunday school certificate for my great Aunt Rose. I discovered it in a scrapbook she gave me years ago. It's dated 1925. I had it matted and framed and I enjoy looking at it every time I walk by.

I bought the sweet print on the left at the Rose Bowl Swapmeet (I think) ages ago -- long before I became a mom. Little did I know then that I'd have a little boy just like this one.

On the right is a vintage New Years postcard in an old frame. A few years back I began collecting vintage postcards that had an illustration of a church on them. My goal was to have a rotating display of my postcards but I have earthquake putty on the back of this frame -- that stuff sticks! So I can't really move it around too much.

Now it's your turn....what's hanging on your walls??