guess what i got for my birthday? a surprise trip to disneyland (it's free on your birthday)! the boy and i played hooky for the day and enjoyed my first trip to see the winter wonderland version of the happiest place on earth. i finally, finally got to see the "nightmare before christmas-themed haunted house" attraction and greatly enjoyed the christmas version of "it's a small world" complete with a rouge elvis statue. other highlights include my first dole pineapple whip experience and this awesome silhouette art. i love my boy. he spoils me!
and with that, the holidays have officially begun! i've been wrapping gifts for my in-laws and family members this week as sunday will be christmas with the boy's family. we've got lots of gingerbread & sugar cookies to bake and bring to the festivities.
and then we fly out to wisconsin next week to celebrate with my side of the family for a scandinavian white christmas! the only thing missing will be the pah-rumba-lumba kitty as she will be on guard-duty while we are away.12/18/2009 02:32:00 PMwe've got a cold-snap in southern california! tempatures are in the 30s/40s which is very cold by our standards! i'm excited to enjoy this little bit of winter...the foothills are capped with snow in the mornings (melts by the afternoon) and the air has a bite. i wore my jacket i purchased in ireland last fall...super-warm wool coat with a hood.
i think only cold-weather places have good jackets, like seattle and the east coast. in los angeles, i can find horrible, puffy marshmellow things (only good for skiing or hanging with my homies), fur coats (for the red carpet and movie premires) and then silly, non-hooded, light jackets for our fake winter. nothing for *real* weather. thank goodness for my ireland coat!
recent activities include copious amounts of christmas music buying/burning as i create playlists for home and office. a perfect thing to do with the laptop in front of the heater!12/09/2009 11:20:00 AMyesterday's super-simple but delicious dinner:
red & green tomato brushetta on toasted olive bread
sauted kale with onions & garlic topped with a fried egg
pear tart (for dessert)12/02/2009 01:30:00 PMa bird flew into my window at work this morning. it appeared to be okay and seemed to stagger off, in a flying sense. it struck me as just the perfect sort of sad, wintery thing to happen on a morning. there isn't much in the way of seasons in los angeles, but i have been doing a little dance of love with the bright, crisp, wintery, morning light.
i'm still slightly overwhelmed with winter greens. i love hot meals but i'm having a disinterested approach to cooking these days. though when i do, i'm glad for the effort. i've enjoyed the pumpkin tarts i made from scratch, including the puree of a sugar pumpkin. (although the boy helped with the puree bit).12/01/2009 01:23:00 PM