New Haircut

I took Hank recently for another haircut. He sat quietly on my lap and played a game on my iphone while the woman I see deftly trimmed his hair. Every so often he would turn his head and look suspiciuosly at her but basically he had no idea what was happening. Not everyone is into Hank's new look. Mike is convinced he looks like Michelle Williams but I stand by my opinion that it is cute.

Criterion Collection

Have you ever explored the Criterion Collection's website? They have assembled the most incredible mix of cult classics, foreign films, obscure early films and the list goes on and on that make up their collection and they are constantly adding new films. The most incredible gift ever would be to give someone the collection. The films often have great special features that make the edition stand out from the regular old version you can rent or find on-line. One feature on their webpage that I stumbled upon is their top ten list page. It features a fascinating group of people's list of their favorites in the collection. You could definitely lose an hour or two on this page.

Drive Through Weddings

I have been to Las Vegas several times for work, and I must confess I still can't quite figure out what all the fuss is about. It's such an odd place. There is nothing more jarring then walking through a hotel/casino at 8:00 am en route to work and seeing people drinking, smoking and playing craps? This trip involved me spending hours at one of those wedding chapels that has an Elvis and lots of drunk people. I witnessed a lot of people get married (we are talking at least twenty couples in twenty-four hours). I even watched people get married from the comfort of their cars. I will admit that I went a bit crazy as a bride and had a very elaborate wedding. I guess I can see the appeal in eloping or even a classy city-hall wedding but a drive through wedding is just bizarre.

Holiday Parties, Hanukkah and the Weekend

Hank and I are rocking a 90's grunge look with our matching flannels

It has been busy here of late (although I seem to be beginning most posts with that claim), but I swear it really is busy. I keep meaning to post more but it doesn't seem to happen. This week I hope to do better.

I thought I'd start with our weekend. We celebrated Hanukkah and I tried a new recipe for latkes and these were hands down the best I've ever made! You must immediately try this recipe if you are craving delicious potato pancakes. No need to even be celebrating the festival of lights. They come from the editor-in-cheif of Bon Appetit Magazine which I have to say is a pretty amazing publication these days. One that I look forward to every month. We also made this chicken which is always delicious.

One highlight of the weekend is we went to a preschool mixer. Hank will be starting in January. I get a little choked up just thinking about it. It was at one of the other parents houses and they had a pool which had a cover on it. Somehow the kids figured out how to venture out on this cover and soon the party was full of two-year-olds running around on a modern day version of the water bed. Hank was in heaven.

We also went to visit the "fishies" at the California Science Center, which never fails to disappoint. This is a good choice for kids in Los Angeles if you are looking for a cold, rainy day activity.

THE HOBBIT

I must confess I am sucker for films set in Middle Earth which is why I am secretly so excited for "The Hobbit." I really loved all of the "Lord of the Rings" films. I think this one should be pretty spectacular. I am a bit worried about this news story that says some people are leaving the film feeling ill. Hmm I am still really looking forward to it.

Busy

I haven't had a moment since our lovely, long weekend to post really. Work is busy, busy, busy and we are experiencing some serious internet problems at home. I am talking to you Time Warner Cable, what's your damage? Last night I spent a total of two hours on hold and was disconnected "accidentally" four different times. I was told a supervisor would call me back. That didn't happen and our interenet still doesn't work. Ultimately I just gave up and attempted to watch the Lindsay Lohan movie about Elizabeth Taylor. That didn't make me feel any better people. We had a wonderful weekend filled with food, friends and even the odd home project around the house. More on that later but here are a few photos of Hank riding a horse again over the weekend. I still can't believe he doesn't hold on.

 And here is a lovely shot from Isabel Marant's instagram that I found inspiring. How gorgeous is Arizona Muse:

Thanksgiving

Found here

Thanksgiving is upon us again. How did that happen? Last year we had a cozy dinner at home with family and friends. My good friend Katie's kids even did a post-dinner puppet show out of a home made theater made of cardboard boxes. This year we are heading to a friend's house. I am excited to sit back and let someone else deal with the turkey. It's a potlock of sorts and most of my favorite dishes had already been claimed by other folks attending so I am going out on a limb and cooking two dishes I've never made before - sauteed winter greens with mushrooms and a butternut squash dish. Wish me luck. I hope everyone has a wonderful holidays surrounded by loved ones.

found here

The Weekend

Checking out the Zoo 

I have a new appreciation for single parents. Mike had to go out of town this weekend so I didn't get to have that hour here or there to myself that I realize now I really cherish, and need. Also our power went out for a while Friday night which was a bit scarier when you are solo parenting. Note to self, perhaps it's time to purchase more candles and disaster supplies when you find yourself burning that fancy diptyque one you love. Don't get me wrong Hank and I  had a lot of fun. We road the train at Griffith Park on Friday, went to the zoo on Saturday and visited LACMA with a dear friend on Sunday. Perhaps it was a bit harder than normal because Hank is fighting a bad cold. He is a bit fussier then usual. We had a great time but it was so fantastic to have my husband home late last night.

Bubbles at the Americana 

Swinging at our local park 

Checking out the flowers on our street post-storm

Growth

Last night I documented some growth that's happening around here. Recently Hank has started "reading" books to us. It's just about the best thing ever. He has managed to recall most of the words in his favorite books and enjoys reading them to us. The best part is the enthusiasm he has when reading. He gets really into it.  His favorite book is still "The Little Engine That Could," and hearing him cry out when the train reaches the top of the mountain is pretty darn cute.

The other noticeable growth is happening in our backyard. We planted these vines several months ago in the hopes that they would eventually cover the top of the pergola over our deck. Well let me tell you these vines have taken their sweet time and have gotten a bit confused about the direction they are supposed to be going. I guess I hadn't taken a good look in a bit since things have finally cooled off out here, and we haven't been spending as much time in our backyard. Last night I went outside to check it out and was stunned by how much everything has grown. It was really amazing. They are finally going in the right direction.

España

Lately I have been seeing non-stop evidence on Facebook and blogs of friends and acquaintances who jump on a plane to exotic locales with their kids in tow. When Mike and I first got together we traveled overseas a bunch - Argentina, our incredible honeymoon in Mauritius and South Africa and our lovely visit to Spain. It's so hard to imagine making this work with your kids. Part of me thinks there is something incredibly romantic about creating the kind of family where jaunting overseas is no big thing and your children grow up with an incredible dose of culture, but the other part of me thinks there is a reason I didn't get to go overseas until I was a teenager and perhaps it would be more romantic to go on a trip like this just me and my husband. Either way I am still impressed with people who can pull off taking their kids on ten-hour flights and bringing their little ones to Bali or Rome. With no big travel plans on the horizon, but lots of dream-itineraries in my head I will have to content myself with pictures from past journeys. Today I was revisiting our trip to Spain in  2008. We flew to Malaga and spent a couple days here and then headed to Seville (which is just beautiful) and then visited Madrid and ended our trip in Barcelona where my sister was studying at the time. We had such a wonderful time exploring Spain. This was our first big trip together and I learned what a wonderful travelling companion my husband it, and that he has nerves of steel. When our car stalled on a busy, massive rotary in the middle of downtown Malaga I crumbled into a heap of panic but he just endured and even drove through the narrow streets of Madrid.

Flackers

I am by no means affiliated with flackers. They do not sponsor my blog. They are simply a delicious, gluten-free cracker that happens to be raw that I happen to have fallen in love with....seriously! I think these things are so good and intense and so much better than a regular, old baked cracker. They are highly addictive. 

I happened upon a box a week or so ago and have since bought three more boxes. Perhaps the health benefits are lost a bit if you binge eat them all weekend long? The jury is still out but I just had to share my love here.

Local Spot

There is something so wonderful about having a local restaurant that you can spontaneously drop into and count on the food being delicious, the cocktails being stiff, and the atmosphere convivial. We live within walking distance to lots of restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries but none somehow quite fit the bill. Some are a bit too trendy and therefor virtually impossible to just drop in, and others while delicious and lovely don't quite capture the celebratory vibe I am sometimes seeking. Thank goodness Mess Hall  has entered the local Atwater/Los Feliz dining scene. Any place with oysters and delicious cocktails is OK in my book and if we go a bit early nobody blinks at Hank and his dinner shenanigans. Also I have to confess I am a sucker for any place that has an outdoor fire feature that allows me to sit outside in the dead of winter. If you live on the East side of Los Angeles I encourage you to check out this place.

Nanny Sharing

We have been sharing our beloved nanny Anna with another family from the moment I returned to work when Hank was just six-months-old. When Hank was first born I visited a bunch of day-cares and got on several wait lists but I hoped that we would be able to get him a nanny (and it's a good thing we did since we are still on the wait list at many of those places!). Sharing with another family seemed like the perfect solution - the costs aren't quite as high and Hank gets the benefit of being with another child every day. I found Ellie and her family through a mommy website that is popular where we live and then we realized we had friends in common once we actually met. We found our nanny Anna through a similar series of events and for the past year and a half we have had a wonderful time spending each week with each other's families. We spend one week at our house and one week at their house. We have had to invest in a few things to make the arrangement work - each house has two high chairs and we invested in a double-stroller that we switch from house to house. If you are looking for childcare solutions I can't recommend this situation enough if you can find a family and a nanny that is comfortable with two. Hank and Ellie are just one month apart and they have gone from two babies sitting side by side drinking bottles of breast milk and tasting their first foods together, to crawling then walking together, fighting over toys, to squealing in delight in loud unison whenever they see each other. This is the first week that Hank and Ellie are no longer together. Ellie started preschool last week at the same school where her old brother goes. Hank will start in January at a different school. In the meantime we have found a wonderful new family and a baby to share with but we are all still getting used to life without Ellie. It has been a wonderful eighteen months. Better than I could have ever imagined. Here are some of their cutest moments together: 

Eating together

Drinking Together 

Hank Proving that Chivalry isn't Dead

Hank and Ellie with their beloved Anna 

To New York and Back

Snuggling up with my favorite guy at MessHall

Last Sunday I hopped in a plane and headed to New York to be there for work when Hurricane Sandy came ashore. I won't go into what it was like being in Manhattan when the powerful storm hit the city because so many people have shared their stories at this point. Suffice it to say I was lucky to be staying on the Upper West Side where we had all of our basic needs met. It is odd to be back in Los Angeles where it's business as usual. I have been to other natural disasters - Hurricane Katrina and the terrible Asia Tsunami and it always feels so bizarre to be back in a functioning society where it's sunny and life is going on when the place you left is barely functioning. I missed Hank's second Halloween and our chance to see the "Book of Mormon" during my extended stay. They seem like awfully small losses barely worth a mention when you compare them to what others have lost. I am just happy to be back in Los Angeles with my guys. I had a three-day weekend and I tried to make the most of every moment. My mom and younger sister were out here visiting and we had a blast. Here are some highlights:

Dim Sum Love at Our Favorite Spot 

Hanging out on the hammock at the place my Mom rented

Hank on a pony

Getting ready to ride

November Swim (It is hot here)

Date Night at Baco Mercat 

Griffith Park 

Griffith Park 

p.s. I agree with you that it looks terribly unsafe to allow your two-year-old to ride on a horse solo and he isn't even holding on. This was not easy for me to watch but my husband assured me he was fine. Mike had taken him once before to the ponies who go round a circle and Hank loved it. I am not in a rush to do that again until he at least holds on to the saddle!

STONE FOX WEDDINGS

So honored to be featured on my good friend Molly's incredible website for Stone Fox Bride. Check out the little feature she did here.

Be sure while you are there to check out all of her amazing custom gowns, jewels, and crowns and be sure to send your engaged lady friends there while you're at it.