It's that time of year...

I think all weekends should be 4 days long.  Think about how much happier and well rested we'd be if that were just the norm?  I know it's a long shot, but sometimes I really wonder why things are the way they are and if they could ever change.  Like why did it become that weekends were going to be 2 days?  Why not 3?  Why are work weeks 5 days?  Why not 4? 

We spent Thanksgiving Day at my Aunt Christy's house where there was food, drinks and football a plenty.  Then we stayed with my parents for a couple days in the valley.  My younger brother was home and we all hunkered down for a marathon of leftovers and movies.  

Then the boy and I headed back home where I proceeded to unpack all our Christmas decorations.  We put up the tree, which is now lit and tinseled.  All that's left to do is trim the tree with our assortment of funky ornaments from Christmases past.  I've been working on a few different crafts and projects which I hope to share in the weeks to come, but I also tried to spend a bit of time this weekend vegging out and watching silly Christmas movies.  Here's a few snaps of our apartment decorations...

But the long weekend wasn't all fun.  I did have a bit of a freak out on Sunday and decided that I'm done with facebook, so I deactivated my personal account.  It's something I've been thinking about doing for quite sometime now and already I feel like it was the right thing to do.  I still have my Lilac & Lace page so if you want to stay in touch with me through that be sure to check it out and "like" the page.   

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what you're thankful for and to be honest, I probably could have done a bit more of that.  I am so incredibly fortunate and am so lucky to be living the life I lead and in the weeks to come I really am going to try to keep that at the front of my mind.  

Oh yeah, and one more little tidbit from the weekend - My cousin Kaitlyn cut my hair!  I now have full on fringe!  

I'm still getting used to it and the boy is not the biggest fan, but I think she did a really amazing job, don't you?  

Happy Thanksgiving

From the boy and I to you, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!  I am so thankful to have this little online space and interact with you all.  I am taking a long weekend off, but I'll be back next week with all kinds of Christmas goodies!  Until then, Happy Turkey Day! 

Blast from Halloweens Past - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

This photo is from Halloween in the year 2000.  I was dancing with the Milwaukee Ballet, not even old enough to vote, and totally obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

My obsession started when my high school friends kept remarking over how I looked and acted somewhat similar to Alyson Hannigan's character, Willow [read: NERD.]  I got hooked on the show and it has become something of a guilty pleasure from my past.  I think I related to Willow as the smart, ackward teen, but I also related to Buffy and the teenage sacrifices she had to make as the slayer.  I know it's a shoddy comparison, but sometimes ballet (and all the "normal" things I had to give up in order to do it) sort of felt like slaying.  ;) 

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I haven't watched the show in years, but in honor of Halloween, I went on a bit of a Buffy bender!  It was like hanging out with an old friend and with all the ghouls, monsters, and of course, vampires it's been the perfect show to watch in honor of the season! 

Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat Nails

Happy Halloween Everyone!  I just adore this holiday and am completely in the Halloween spirit - Right down to my finger nails!  Orange polish and black glitter makes for some festive fingers! 

I'll be back later with some more spooky posts!  :)

Happy Labor Day!

Hope you're not laboring too much today!  Enjoy a day off!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Memorial Day always signifies the start of summer for me.  It's the final marker out of spring and into the season of swimming pools, sundresses, Popsicles and barbeques... I kinda love that.  I love the summer.  I love the sunshine.  I love being out and about, playing games and going on adventures.

Perhaps one of my favorite summertime activities is spending an evening at a ball game.  In my opinion, baseball is the most fun sport to go and watch in person (though I generally don't like watching it on TV.)  I like being there at the stadium!  The smell of the grass, the hot dogs, the organ music - Oh I get a kick out of the whole thing!  And the boy and I were fortunate enough to attend a game just last Friday (thanks Dad!)  Dodgers vs Cardinals and the Dodgers won!  I think the whole team is looking so good this year, they really seem to be coming together as a team and I can't wait to continue supporting them all summer long!

What's your favorite sport to attend?

 

Also, just like to say thank you, on this memorial day weekend, to all the men and women who have served and are serving for our country.  You are incredible people.

Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day, to all the sweet mommies out there!  I'm not a mom, but I'm getting to an age where I am being asked about it...Do I want to have kids and when are we going to get on with it.  And honestly, I don't really have a strong desire to be a mom, just yet.  But I do have a strong desire to build a family (so I guess that makes me mom by default.)  So one day, yes, Mom-dom would be nice.  But for now, let me just salute all the lovely Mom's out there who do so much and make it all look so easy! 

Here's a list I helped compile for the Jigsaw blog, of my favorite bloggers who also happen to be mothers.  And here's Alycia's list of ways to tell if you're a "dog-mom," which I think is about the cutest thing ever!  And on that note, I am totally up for being a dog mom.  I want a dog so much it's sometimes painful.  But our place is so tiny, and we have no yard, or porch or patio to speak of, so it doesn't seem likely that we can pull that off.  Maybe one day soon. 

Lastly, I just want to salute my own lovely mother (that's her above) for being so wonderful, so kind, patient and generous.  She means the world to me.    

Happy Mother's Day! 

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Last weekend, the boy and I went to the plant nursery and got some succulents.  Since we have no garden and limited space (and since I am notorious for killing plants) I thought some succulents would be a nice and safe option for our front porch. 

I wanted to just get nice pretty looking ones, but the boy insisted on a spiky cactus-- It's actually growing on me, no pun intended. 

Anyway, we're off to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a burger and a beer!  Hasta Luego!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter All! 

I am spending the day with my family, eating chocolate, watching the Masters and (unfortunately) paying taxes! 

But I wanted to take a moment to remind all of you that today is the last day to enter the Postcard Giveaway!  And I notice that not many of you have participated....Maybe you just haven't thought about the possibilities for these free postcards and so let me give you a few ideas.

-You could have them printed with information about your own indie-business or etsy shop and use them to pass out to friends or include in shipments. 

-You could design your Christmas or other holiday card now and have those printed up for free!   One less thing to have to worry about during the hectic holiday season.

- You could design your very own postcard stationary and start sending postcards to family and friends - More personal than email and you'd help to keep the US Postal Service in business! 


And that's just the beginning!  There are loads of other uses for postcards.  So get on it and leave a comment to enter!

Now that I've reminded you of that, here's some Easter snapshots to brighten your day!

Happy Easter!

Spring has Sprung

Over the weekend, I did some much needed spring cleaning.  I still had Valentine's Day decor up (shameful) and the place needed some overall sprucing.

I'll admit that I'm the kind of lady who likes to change her decorations each month to correlate with whatever upcoming holiday is on the horizon.  I used to love it in elementary school when my teachers would change the bulletin boards and classroom decorations at the start of each new month in this same way.  My mom (who does teach elementary school) always did this in our home and I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

In any case,  here's a peak at some of my Spring-themed stuff!

As you can see, I am trying my hand (quite literally) at writing on my photos...I really hope it gets easier / I get better at it because I really do love this look!  ;) 

Happy British Mother's Day!

To all the Mum's across the pond and especially to my very own Mummo-in-law

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Happy Mother's Day!

A St. Paddy's Day Poem!

 

Ádh mór duit go léir ar an Lá breá le Pádraig!

Seo dán beag a scríobh mé chun tú go léir in onóir an lá speisialta:

Cé gur féidir leat smaoineamh ar féidir leat deoch ar nós na hÉireann sa lá atá inniu agus ní bheidh sé Gortaítear le beagán,
Is iad na faeries cinnte a bheith ag imirt cleasanna a n-
agus amárach beidh a fhios agat i do cheann pounding
Is féidir nach bhfuil tú go leor Gaeilge mar is tú a dúirt!

 

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! Irish Rover's Part 3: Carrick-a-Rede

Top o' the morning to ye all!  And yes it's St. Patrick's Day, huzzah!  It is raining like crazy in Los Angeles this morning so I feel like we could imagine we're back in Ireland!  But in honor of the day I thought I'd share with you some more photos from our Irish Roadtrip!  

Here's a look at the beautiful Irish coast line as we went on a little hike to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  We weren't able to cross the bridge as it was too windy, but just roaming the cliffs around it was exciting enough.  I felt like it was one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen.  

Those last two photos were actually taken the day after as we were leaving the coast.  The Sea was angry that day my friends!  And it was so cold and windy.  I just love how disgruntled we all look!

And finally, here is a little joke my brother-in-law sent me this morning.  It makes him proud to be Irish and I am awfully proud to be Irish too!  (Well, partially and then by marriage...It totally still counts!  And besides, I am way more Irish than most of the people who will be sporting a "kiss me I'm Irish" button today!) 

Sláinte!

Some Enchanted Evening

Happy Valentine's Day Friends!  As I've said before, this is one of my favorite holidays.  Not only do I love pink and red and doilies and paper hearts and roses and chocolate (all of which are abundant on Valentine's Day) but I also love having an excuse to stay in and watch a romantic movie with the boy.

With all the craziness that surrounds Valentine's Day, we much prefer to skip a crowded restaurant and spend a quiet evening at home. Which basically means the boy will cook something delicious and we'll snuggle up on the couch to watch some romantic classic film.

When we first started dating, the boy and I bonded over the fact that we're both movie geeks and love classic films.  So in honor of that, here are a few of my favorite classic movie choices for Valentine's Day...(Warning: Major spoilers to follow!)

Roman Holiday - This film is just so sweetly romantic! Especially the last scene, when you just know Gregory Peck just wants to take Audrey Hepburn in his arms and give her a big smakeroo!  But he can't because she happens to be a princess and you know that, through their silent desire , they know it's probably the last time they'll see one another.  (Sigh.)  Also Audrey just looks gorgeous from start to finish! 

Sunrise - This film has been highly acclaimed as a masterpiece and a feat of it's time with the special effects used and the compelling cinematography, but beyond that, it's also an extremely romantic and dramatic story.  Perfectly composed from the acting, to the effects, to the story telling, I feel like this film is easily the most romantic thing ever put on celluloid.  It really shows the caliber of a truly great silent film.....And there's a pig that gets drunk, bonus! 

Ball of Fire - Barbara Stanwyck is just about the coolest chic ever in this rendition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  In this version, the seven dwarfs are actually 7 professors writing a new encyclopedia and shenanigans ensue when a love blooms over a lesson in slang and some mobster hijinks.  I laugh all the way through this film from start to finish and Gary Cooper couldn't be more hopelessly adorable!  It's a film you're sure to enjoy and you may walk away with several choice slang phrases like, hoi toi toi and scram, scrim, scraw! 

It Happened One Night - A Capra classic, this film wrote the book on what a romantic comedy should be.  Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert find themselves as unlikely travel buddies on a bus trip to New York.  While they fight like cats and dogs every step of the way, a love eventually blossoms between them that even the walls of Jericho can't keep out. Oh and Clark Gable, let me join Judy in saying that you made me love you!  He's pretty dashing. 

An American in Paris - Yes, it's a musical starring Gene Kelly, and all the music is by Gershwin, and there is a complete ballet in it, and it's set in a technicolor version of Paris...So do I even need to go on?  While it may not be traditionally thought of a a romance film, just trust me on this one, it is.  I personally think that the scene where Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron dance by the Seine to "Our Love is Here to Stay" almost exclusively without touching, is one of the most romantic moments captured on film.  It perfectly communicates their young, tenuous, and uncertain love affair all through music and dance.  It's brilliant.  Also, Leslie Caron wears just about every color pointe shoe possible - Delightful!

Gidget - Ok, it may be completely hokey and cheesy, but if you're looking for something that captures 1960's wholesome adolescent love at it's best, look no further.  Plus it's the perfect film to make you feel like your 1960's summer is just around the corner!  It certainly makes me want to wax down my surfboard and hit the swells!  What makes this film most charming is the way Sandra Dee tries to figure out a way to get her Moondoggie (James Darren - quite the looker in his day) to see her as more than a surfing pal - it's just adorable.  It's a super fun film to watch.  Plus it features a few choice songs and Gidget's swimsuits are totally cute! 

So there you have it!  Those are my classic Valentine films of choice.  Hope you all have a lovely V-day and let me know if you watch any of these films - I'd love to hear what you think!

Lots of Love,

Heather

Made this Monday: Good Fortune Valentine

Ok, so actually my mom made this for me, but I thought it was so cute I just had to share:

It's a Valentine Chinese Take-out box filled with delicious chocolate goodies and some very special fortune cookies!

My mom made each cookie with pink or red felt, cut in a circle, filled with Hershey kisses and a special fortune.  She then folded the circles over and sealed the felt with double sided fabric tape and glued to give it that fortune cookie shape. 

Then she decorated the take-out box with cute stamps, cut -out hearts, a valentine message and a red satin bow - so cute!  

This would be a wonderful Valentine's Day gift for a friend or co-worker.  It's simple to make and super sweet! 

What We Did on New Year's Eve

It was a nice and quiet affair...The boy and I spent New Year's Eve at my brother's place, eating food with our friends and playing Apples to Apples.  It was really fun.  And even despite the low-key festivities I still did my hair in a festive up-do and donned a glitter star crown.  Cause if not on New Years when is a better time to wear a star crown? 

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Hope you had a fun and safe evening too! 

New Years...

I know everyone in blogland is doing the look-back posts these days.  The best of 2011 and all that.  I'd like to say that I am not going to follow the trend, but I am easily influenced.  But 2011 was actually a very up and down kind of year for me; there were some amazing things that happened, but there were also some terrible things that happened. 

I try to keep this blog positive and a place where I can focus on the lovely things in life, so here is a look back at some of my happiest moments of 2011 in pictures. 

We saw Kristin Chenoweth on New Year's Eve

Went to Paso Robles with my Parents

I was a bridesmaid in McNally's wedding

My sweet cousin Kaitlyn got married too

Anna and Manisha came to visit LA

We visited my Aunt Jeanette in Portland

We shot our first ever Desolation Dance Video

We started our Burger Quest!

The boy took me to see Kevin Arnold's house from The Wonder Years

Stef and Tracy came to visit and took us to Disneyland!

The boy took me on an amazing road trip that included seeing The Grand Canyon

The boy's Mum came to visit!

The boy took me back to Disneyland at Christmas time

I danced in the Nutcracker again, despite being totally out of shape!

And here's to a great New Year everyone!  See ya in 2012!