Here Comes the Rain Again...

J/K! It's actually not raining today! Hurray! While I love the rain, it sure is nice to have a bit of a break from the six straight days of it we've had. I thought it might make me reconsider moving to Seattle, but it hasn't.

And I am loving the way it has made my backyard look...

Look how green it looks? Very Twilight-y, right? Those are mostly all weeds people. That's going to be fun to take care of. And so is this:


Yeah, I am not looking forward to helping the hubs clean this up. =( And after many of these:



And "Felicity" and "Mad Men" marathons, I am looking forward to getting out of the house. We'll be driving up to the desert later today to spend Christmas with my parents. I am so looking forward to the drive now that it is not raining.

Crockpot Sundays

So lately I have been totally into using the crockpot on Sundays. The weekends are actually the only time where I can relax and enjoy cooking, so I love being able to throw something in the crockpot and have the smell permeate the house.

I have made:

A beer and cheese soup...


A spicy as heck chili...



Dilly beef sandwiches...and barbecue chicken, which I apparently forgot to take a picture of.

I LOVE me some crockpot. I even found a hot buttered rum recipe I can throw in there. What are your favorite crockpot recipes?

Holiday, Oh Holiday...

Am I the only dork who finds out about songs from car commercials?

I've fallen in love with the song "Holiday" by Vampire Weekend, which is featured in the new Honda commercials. I've been down this month (we just decorated our tree today finally), but whenever this song has played during commercial breaks it has put a smile on my face.

Now if only the "Jingle Bells" mash-up with "Our House" from the Verizon commercials was available...

Lovin'...

My peppermint jojos...

My vanilla and cinnamon black tea...

And the fact that I am now officially on vacation for two weeks. Happy Friday!!

Black Swan

It's been awhile since I have been moved by someone's performance in a movie, when an actor has had me so mesmerized that I have been left completely spellbound by his/her performance. The last time I was just blown away was when I saw Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood." But, it happened again last night watching Natalie Portman in "Black Swan."



I literally walked out of the theater speechless after seeing this movie. Every bit of hype and praise you have heard about it is absolutely true, and I believe Natalie Portman will sweep every major award there is for her performance. She was breathtaking, captivating, and brilliant. The story...amazing. Run, don't walk, to the theater when this opens in major release. You will not regret it.

Too Much Starbuckies...

It's is no big secret that I am a huge fan and customer of Starbucks. I go there way too many times a week and love most of their blended drinks. In fact today at my favorite store, they even gave me a card when I got my drink that will allow me to get a free drink when I purchase one the next time.

So I freaked out big time when I saw the new Jonathan Adler products at Starbucks. When I think of Jonathan, I naturally think of the Parker Palm Springs, and it makes me long for a little road trip.


Since I didn't purchase one of these right away, and they are sold out online, I am hoping my sister in law, who is a manager at a Starbucks, will be able to snag me one.

On another note, what is with this crappy warm weather? I am so over it. I would at least like it to be cold so it feels a bit more like the holidays out here in Cali. ::le sigh::

One Day at a Time

I try to remind myself of this phrase whenever things get too stressful or I get depressed, but it's so hard to do when you get caught up in things sometimes.

Last week on Wednesday, my 29th birthday started off great. In fact, I had just received some gorgeous flowers at work from my husband when I received the most devastating news: his grandmother had died.

I don't know how I made it through the rest of the school day. My students were so sweet, thank goodness. I tried to hold it together for the hubs at home, but I was the one who kept breaking down.

Though I only knew her for a few years, his granny was definitely a kindred spirit. We shared a love of books, wine, and dancing. No one could crack a joke better than her or make someone feel as special.

Our weekend trip to Seattle was pushed aside so we could drive to Arizona to be with his family.

It just made me remember that it is so important to take the time to let your loved ones know how much you truly love them.

Granny, you will be missed more than you could ever know.