Inspirational Weekend Quote

I must have been feeling deep and reflective when I stumbled upon this Inspirational Weekend Quote. Something strange happened to me this week when I was reminded by a stranger to stop and smell the roses. 'Joyce' was at my grocery store and she started chatting with me while we waited for the cashier. She let me know that her husband was waiting for a liver transplant and she's staying as positive as she can be.

I felt like she wanted to talk and connect, so we sat down for a half an hour. We both taught and reminded each other that it's not what we leave behind, but how we touch and teach others. She spoke of all the wonderful people at the hospital who cheered her up.

Sometimes all it took was a smile.

Going through this difficult time with her husband allowed her to stop and appreciate all the good times. She reminded me, "It's not what you have, but who you have in your life that matters."

This inspirational quote is a wonderful reminder that we are truly woven into the lives of others.
They must say, "You can't take it with you when you're gone" for a reason! I hope you have a wonderful weekend sweetie. How do you feel about this quote?

We all scream for ice cream

Why do children have habits...like watching certain TV shows and eating the same ice cream over and over. Last week my co-workers reminded me of my habits. We were talking about the cartoons we used to watch as kids. My fav was Jem and the Holograms and I would race home to catch a new episode. Yes, Jem was truly outrageous.

I also remember when my brother and I were kids; he had a particular way of eating ice cream. His favorite was bubble gum ice cream from Baskin-Robbins, but it was his ritual of eating the yummy goodness that I will never forget.

Have you ever had bubble gum ice cream as an adult? It's an acquired taste I think only children can understand...

My brother would SO look forward to eating his ice cream. He would first place a white paper napkin down on the table. Then he would start to eat the ice cream and remove each and every piece of bubble gum and place it on the napkin. Once this was done, he would eat the rest of his ice cream and sugar cone. His last step was the rewarding one.

He would shove all of the bubble gum pieces into his mouth and chew for hours.

Imagine my brother covered in ice cream colors. The colors on his white T-shirt were from the pink ice cream and the blue dye from the bubble gum. As an adult, my brother decided to go vegan. I laughed out loud when he told me because all I could picture was his seven-year-old self covered in ice cream.

"You scream, we scream, we all scream for ice scream!" My brother never stopped being a character and his addiction to Baskin-Robbins should have been my first tip! I can't wait to hear what kind of habits you had as a kid...

Calling all creative children and fashionistas!

Children are some much fun and lovely fashionistas. Well, is it the children or the mommies that are the fashion divas? And if you know me, it's safe to say that I love all things boutique design, retro and colorful. Come along with me as I imagine through pictures a day in the life of a creative child....

These colorful plates would make a wonderful addition to a kitchen or playroom. And easy to make, creative and loads of fun to use. In fact, I think I'll do this to my registry wedding china when I get them. Hmmm maybe not.

This picture has a warm and playful design to it. It's almost like the children were just called out to play and quickly put their things down.

I love how bright eyed this little one is. But secretly I must have this outfit for myself. What a fashionista!



I feel a little confused by this pic. How easy would this be if the children's clothes were hanging in the family room? If your child spilled some juice they could change their clothes near the T.V. Ah we can dream can't we?

* Retro kids play kitchen can be found at NexTag

*Retro Knits: Cool Vintage Patterns for Men, Women, and Children from the 1900s through the 1970s

*Picture taken from the site inbabitots. Such a cute site!

Oh I enjoyed calling on the creative children fashionistas! Of course kids don't have to dress up all the time, but once in awhile why not? I believe creatively dressed and boutique design helps create creative kids. Tell me sweetie, how would it look it I had one of those small retro fridges in my kitchen?

My addiction to the Oscars

Why is watching the Oscars so important to me? Is it the glitz and glamour of a different time and place? Yes it is. Do I love seeing the fashion and gowns. Definitely. But it also reminds me of my childhood. The Oscars was a love of my mothers. She would look forward to it every year and gather the family around the T.V. while we chose our winners on a ballot. My mother was also addicted to reading People magazine so knowing about celebrities was something we would talk about throughout the year.

But I love watching the Oscars because I simply love movies. I love watching incredible performances of actors that take my breath away. Actors have a way of losing themselves completely into a character and I enjoy following their career. Going to the movies for me was always a treat and not just because I adore buttered popcorn. Watching a movie allows me to escape my life and be carried into someone else’s. My movie tastes range from classic to documentary, to romantic and comedy, but I still shy away from westerns and horror.

I get excited about getting a new Netflix movie and creating my very own list of gems. And then the Oscars become a reward for all of my movie dedication throughout the year. Whether I’m watching with friends and dressed up or at home snuggled under a blanket, I feel the glamour and excitement of the Oscars.

Last night I watched as Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the awards. I was touched by The Hurt Lockers wins, Sandra Bullocks speech, Oprah Winfrey toasting the actress of Precious, seeing Up win best score and was amazed by the incredible dancers.

But to actually be at the awards is an out of body feeling.

I’ve had some experience with this, as my stepmother is a makeup artist. She has helped prepare stars for their red carpet debut. And I can’t tell you how hard we’ve all screamed when we saw them coming down that red carpet. I guess I will always been struck by the Oscars and I hope I never lose the feeling of escaping into Hollywood royalty every year. And I hope to see you at the movies real soon! What was your favorite part of watching the Oscars?

Dear noisy apartment neighbor

Why do I always feel better after I sit down and write to you my lovely readers? Well I've decided to use this post as therapy. You see, I wish I could tell my upstairs neighbor to think of others so instead I've written him a letter. And if your following my blog noisy neighbor, I hope you see this as a bit of fun.
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Dear Noisy Neighbor,

You live directly above us, we've bumped into each other only a couple of times and yet I seem to know you more intimately then my friends. Let me start off by saying its not you, but blame the San Francisco paper thin walls. With that said I must tell you that I had no idea someone loves to watch The Office as much as you do. Is there a 12-step program for watching too many episodes? I can hear the beginning Office theme music, but its several nights a week over and over and over.

So you play your music too loud and forget that people live underneath you, but I think I have to draw the line when there are barks coming from your apartment D. Yes barks, ball throws and paw nails on the wood floors. It's great to know were allowed to have dogs in a 6 unit apartment.

Now I just found out that I'm not the only one feeling like this about you Apartment D because Honey called the landlord yesterday. Our garbage disposal wasn't working and a light bulb went out on a high ceiling. My landlord 'Annie' is so sweet and Honey called her to make the handyman arrangements.

The first sign came when Annie’s usual reaction about the light bulb was different. She asked that we pick up our own light bulbs and was a little snappy about it.

Honey said, "Of course no problem. "

Annie said, "OK, I’ll send the handyman over to Apartment D. "

"No, Annie this is Honey from Apartment B as in boy not D (the guy upstairs)."

Annie’s tone changed right away.

"Oh your Laura’s Honey don’t worry about the light bulb and we’ll take care of it right away."

So I guess I’m not the only one who feels this way? My only question to you Apartment D guy is what do you hear from my apartment. Do you hear the theme song to General Hospital, talk on my phone too loud or my alarm go off in the morning? Well, I for sure know one thing, Annie seems happier to hear from us. xoxo Tell me lovely, what would you write to your noisy neighbor?

How do I become a Pinup girl?

So my secret is finally out...can you help me fulfill my life long dream of becoming a Pinup girl? Where do I sign up and pose like one of these lovely vixen ladies? There's always been something so strong and sexy about Pinup girl's poses. And I love these modern day pics with a twist...get ready to let me know which Pinup girl is your fav sweetie.

Pinup girl rocker chick: Her hair matches the couch. Her short bangs, sultry guitar holding and purple backyard makes for a very strong picture.

These Pinup girl boots are amazing. Could I wear these boots during my Pinup girl photo shoot?

Pinup car girl: This shot feels very innocent due to her pose and feminine bathing suit and yet she still has that come hither look.

I'd love to wear one of these retro designed bathing suits. I think the middle one is my favorite!



With the above Pinup boots I think I might wear this retro apron. Wait do you think its a little much?

Pinup peek-a-boo: Who doesn't like a hometown girl with a surprise.

Just stunning!

Pinup office girl: She looks very serious, but we know she's a fashionistas with those boots and pearls.



That was fun! Why do I now feel the need to put some curlers in my hair and lather on some red lipstick? So have you decided where I can do my Pinup pics? No, well OK. I'll settle to hear about which Pinup girl is your favorite...

Wedding planning: 3 months to go

Recently my guy friend asked me if I was blogging about how the wedding planning was going. Why do I get surprised when my guy friends show their wedding interest? Like last week I went to our friend’s birthday dinner and was surrounded by guys and they wanted to hear the details and find out how they can help. With only more 3 months to go, I feel my internal clock counting down to the big day. And it seems we have a skeleton of plans and now its time to finalize them. This bride is ready to get the show on the road!

*Picture taken by Wedding Style Guide

Some of the advice that’s been given to me is to enjoy the planning as everything goes by fast and so does the big day. Except our planning process has changed to be doubly busy with plans so we can arrange two ceremonies.

What will I do with my free time when the weddings are over? Ah Honeymoon here we come!

And recently I thought our Rabbi had stood us up. Let me explain:

Finding a Rabbi hasn’t been an easy task. After months of searching I found a Rabbi that I felt a connection to and so I arranged a meeting for Honey and I to go and meet her.

On a Thursday night, it was starting to rain outside and the lights were out at her office building. In fact, there wasn’t a soul in sight. 6:30 came and went and there was no answer at the door or from her phone. 10 minutes went by and then 20. I turned to Honey and asked him, “Did we just get stood up by a Rabbi?”

I just knew something had happened. Rabbi's can't stand people up, can they?

The next morning my phone rang and it was the Rabbi sounding very groggy and loopy. She let me know that she had broken her leg. She also told me she felt horrible that someone hadn’t gotten in touch with us to cancel the appointment.

Oh no! I let her know we were just happy she was OK.

So there seems to be some ups and downs with our wedding planning. And then the exciting call came yesterday that my bridal dress was in the store and I can come in for a fitting. And so the craziness and wonderful things begin. What wedding planning stories and advice do you have for me?