The further adventures of Blythe and Madagascar....

 Sheep say, "Baaaaa!" 

 Blythe caught a ride from Mrs. Goose, while Madagascar had to run to catch up.

 "Tee hee, I can climb higher than you today, Maddie!" taunted Blythe.

 Blythe and Madagascar pause for a moment of silence in the Land of Broken cookies.

Madagascar had never had a Moe's Bagel, so Blythe begged to have lunch there.  It was delicious.

When they got home, they were surprised to find Strawberry Shortcake awaiting their return.

2011: The Goals

2010 was an intense year.  And while in the middle of it all, I had moments where I didn't think I'd still be living in Los Angeles at year's end.  But, LA has been my most favorite relationship of the past 10 years, and unlike this guy, I'm not quite ready to call it quits yet.  So for now, I'm here to stay...but in order to keep sane and continue to love my fair city, I think I need to work on the following goals:

1.) Finish the LA bucketlist.  Which means Adam: you and I have a date with Lucha Va Voom, Matt: we are going to Disneyland, and Justin: we have some serious flying to do.  I know, we are all insanely busy, but my goal is to make time to hang out with the people I love and do the things I've always meant to do.
2.) Meditate daily: It sounds new age-y and weird, but I've had 2 beloveds prescribe it to me recently, and I think they may have valid reasoning.
3.) Madagascar.  If all my soulmates are on a big island off the tip of southern Africa, why is it taking so long to visit there?
4.) Human Experiment: How many months can I go without purchasing any new clothing? Is it possible for me to only shop at thrift stores for clothing and accessories? (Shoes and undergarments are not included in this experiment...because that's just gross.)
5.) Write more actual letters to friends, family, and beloved ones.   Not emails, texts, or e-cards, but real, genuine paper and pen letters with postage.
6.) Stop using the word 'awesome.'  There are so many amazing descriptive words in the English language, now is the time to expand my vocabulary and start using them.

I was a beauty school hair model....

....it's true!  An $11 Aveda haircut?  Oh my!  Of course I'll try it!  So what if they made me look like a suburban soccer mom?  Some of dearest bffs are suburban soccer moms...its really not that bad.  And really, there are very few adventures or bargains that I will pass up.  So...I will live with this....at least until I can make an appointment back home.  And perhaps, tomorrow when my hair goes back to curls all will be peachy-keen again.  Until then....

Update:  After washing my hair, it was discovered that not only is the whole thing uneven, there are serious chunks missing on one side.  Amazing!

Merry Christmas Blythe! Merry Christmas Madagascar!

Blythe made a new friend yesterday, while having brunch at the St. Julien.  Ever since, she and Madagascar have been almost inseparable.  Check out there adventures:

Blythe and Madagascar visit Aunt Sally's house.

Blythe and Madagascar played Nativity for a few hours.  They liked how real the baby looked.

Blythe told Madagascar not to be so freaked out by Santa, "if you don't believe, you won't receive."

Madagascar climbed up to the top of the tree....

....while Blythe napped at the base.  She loves the smell of pine needles.

Madagascar and his pet Timbuktu (Blythe is a bit freaked out by him.)

 Blythe and Madagascar relax and watch a Bronco game.

Blythe catches a ride from Blitzen!

Happy Holidays!

I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Christmas.  I've been enjoying time spent with my aunt, uncle and cousins.  We've explored some of the great Christmas traditions from my past: making sugar cookies (this year I would only make cookies in the shape of trees, so my aunt had 4 different tree cookie cutters available for use...and "free-form" sugar cookies, where we rolled dough into different sized balls, then smashed them and created snowmen.) last minute holiday shopping, going to church to watch the children's performance (they used a REAL baby as Jesus!) watching old movies, and doing dramatic readings of children's stories (this year I read "Olive the other reindeer").   Our dinner combined Welsh, Swedish, Italian, and Jewish traditions and as always the wine was free flowing.  Its so nice to be home for the holidays.

Merry Christmas.

xo

Can't look back...

Did you know I once spent 5 months living in a retirement community?  It's true.  I was between adventures and in need of a safe landing pad, so I moved in.  The neighborhood was quiet, like a tomb.  Most of my days were spent walking a 10 mile path along a riverbed, trying to clear my head, figure out the next move, and plot out the novel that I was failing miserably at writing.   It was the loneliest period of my life.  My friends were all over the age of 65, evenings were spent watching CBS murder mysteries and cooking elaborate meals for one.  Boredom set in quickly.

I went back to visit recently, and found it strange to be somewhere that should look familiar but does not.  However the feeling of complete loneliness remains.  Almost as soon as I crossed the city line, my chest felt like it had been punched and left utterly void of air.  I can't go back there again.

Christmas List from 1989

Just arrived at my aunt's house.  Since my family lives all over Timbuktu (not literally, but close) my aunt tries very hard to make the guest bedroom seem like "my" bedroom whenever I stay over.  She puts up family pictures and tchotchkes from my childhood.  Tonight I found an old Christmas Wish list from 1989 sitting by my bed.  Here's what I wanted 21 years ago (I need to scan this thing, it totally makes me chuckle and further proves that my poor taste in music started at a very early age.)

1)Camcorder (I asked for a camcorder every year, until one year my parents gave me a super 8 and a 16mm Bell and Howell...honestly, I think they did the right thing.  I still have those 2 cameras and occasionally shoot stuff with them...the camcorder would never have made it this far.)
2)Prince Racket (I find this amusing, because I hated tennis, but clearly wanted this item because the cool girls all had Prince Tennis Rackets.)
3)Milli Vanilli Tape (didn't even have a CD player yet!)
4)Paula Abdul Tape (I loved MC Skat Cat...we totally had a thing.)
5)Peace Necklace

6)Hat from The Express (not sure which hat, but I'm betting it was something like this: see Jordan Knight photo.
7)Swatch
8)Exercise Equipment (Weights)...(I wonder if this was the same year that Alyssa Milano's Teen Steam came out?  Because, that was about the time that I got obsessed with making myself over to be less of a geek.  It was short lived, because I was a lazy geek and would just rather read books all day then do physical activity.)
9) an Emmy (here's where I wish you could see the list, because originally I asked for an Oscar, but scratched it out, and asked for an Emmy instead.)
10)Hanging Tough Video (ahh now you see why I'm pretty sure I wanted a Jordan Knight-like hat)
11) Nintendo


This list kind of makes me want to get a bunch of Swatch Watches and wear them up and down my arms like when I was in Jr. High.

What did you want for Christmas when you were a kid?

Things that should be obvious....

1) Don't shop at Target during lunch on the Tuesday before Christmas, it's insane.
2) Shopping at Target on the Tuesday night before Christmas is even worse.
3) If you do decide to shop at Target on the Tuesday before Christmas, being drunk won't make it better.  Trust me.

Also, telling your new boss about your dating experiment in an interview makes you crazy.....enough for them to hire you.


Amazing! 

The Simple Life - Day 28

I went over budget this week.  It happened yesterday in fact, just three days short of the finish of the experiment.  But I am okay with it, because I was celebrating the end of a grand adventure (7 months of unemployment).  And one should be able to celebrate a special occasion.  Before the play, Lauren and I went to Kendall's Brasserie, a place I'd been wanting to try for years.  We drank wine and feasted on delicious food and somehow managed to find our seats, three minutes before curtain.

So the experiment is over.  I proved to myself that I can live on a budget.   But more importantly, I was taken aback by the kindness of friends and acquaintances.  It was amazing how many people offered to cover for me, simply because either they had been in a similar situation before or I had previously helped them and they wanted to do the same.  For the most part, I was reminded of how great humanity can be.

And today, while hanging in the kitchen at yet another holiday party, helping the hostess put together appetizers.  I was reminded of how great my group of friends are.  Kim and Albert organized an amazing gathering to celebrate the holidays.  Jacqui stopped by to help me with some work that I was behind on.  Heidi swung by to drop off a Christmas gift.   Ray, Ben, and Adam all checked in to make sure I was ready to face the new job tomorrow.  I know this sounds cheesy, but I'm really lucky to have found the most amazing group of friends.

The Simple Life - Day 27

"All I can say is that my life is pretty plain 
I like watchin' the puddles gather rain"
~Blind Melon, "No Rain"

More rain and a new song stuck on brain in looping mode.  Awesome.  Although its awfully cold and gray, it was a great day.  Natasha, one of my favorite people returned to LA from Boston for a moment and we were able to catch up over a cup of coffee and a walk on the pier.  Then Lauren and I headed downtown to see "Next to Normal."  An amazing play but so depressing.  The best part about watching it is that you suddenly realize how sane you really are.  And it's way cheaper then a therapy session.  The show, combined with the weather made it impossible to energize ourselves enough to meet up with Adam out at the bars.  I'm sure he had much better luck pulling cute chickadees without our interference.  Instead we headed back to Lauren's place for late night wine, cheese, and 'Sunset Boulevard' (the perfect rainy day flick).  Then Clint surprised us with an appearance on his way home from a party, which made for the perfect night in.  

The Simple Life - Day 26

"When it's grey in L.A. I sure like it that way
Cause there's way too much sunshine round here 
I don't know about you I get so sick of blue skies
Whenever they always appear" 
~ Loudon Wainwright, 'Grey in LA' 


I always hum that song on rainy days.  The weather is so rarely miserable, but when it is, from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed, I can hear Loudon singing in my head.  It could be worse, it could be Randy Newman.


Big news:  I got a job today.  I'm overwhelmed and excited about it.  Had to sign an NDA so I won't go into detail, just that it looks like I have 10 months of insanity in front of me and I'm excited about the prospect of a new adventure.


Wasn't sure it was possible, but after getting news about the job, things just continued to get better.  Heidi had Katie and I over for a delicious homemade tamales lunch.  Finally finished Natasha's X-mas gift (see below), took some fun rainy day photos, then did bit of work for a screening of Tron 3D, after which I met up with Kevin and Todd (who showed up at my screening) for a delicious bowl of noodles ($15) on Sawtelle.  Perfect grey day!


Total Spent today: $53.68 (gas + noodles)
Total Spent this Week: $63.51
Total Remaining for the week: $11.49

 Poinsettias remind me of Christmas in Thailand

Felted Wool, Pearl, and Sterling Silver Bracelet

Elsewhere:
~ Rachel De Joode Wallpapers make me swoon.  Check her out on Trendland.
~Niki, one of my most favorite Angelenos, just moved to Kabul.  You can follow her adventures on The Gingerfly.

The Simple Life - Day 25

I had insomnia last night.  Could. Not. Sleep.  Ugh! I let someone say something and really get into my head and then spent most of the night tossing and turning about whether or not a certain guy I like actually believes that I don't like him.  It's so ridiculously juvenile, what are we back in middle school?  I mean, I like this guy.  I told him I liked him.  If he doesn't believe it, why tell that to somebody else, who then relates the story back to me and tells me I need to really be better at showing him I like him?  WTF?  I made him ice cream.  From scratch.  I've told him I like him.  I don't play games.  What more can I possibly do to prove myself?  I feel like I'm 13 all over again.  This sucks.

In order to re-find balance in my life, I decided I needed to experience Autumn (this is mainly due to the fact that I'm heading to Colorado for the holidays and will immediately be thrown into Winter.  And I hate skipping seasons!)  Off I went on a mini road trip...barely making it back in time for work...but glad I was able to visit my secret, undisclosed LA location where one can experience the pleasures of fall.
By the end of the day I had returned. To. Calm.  And realized, I can't control the universe, nor what this guy is going to think.  Let it be.

Enjoy Fall!

The simple Life - Day 24

I don't feel like blogging today.  So here are the highlights from yesterday:

Total Money spent for the day: $0

Worked, ate, threw a party (sponsored by Athenos Greek Yogurt...which explains why everyone in our photo booth pictures is holding yogurt!) had a nice chat with my mortal enemy (thanks Grace for working so hard to bring people together!) learned more then I care to about half-lings and Dungeons and Dragons, drank too much and had a jolly good time.  I love the holidays!

Elsewhere:
~Oh, I think I'm in love with Unpublished magazine.  A whole magazine devoted to beautiful, previously unpublished photographic works.
~My thoughts on "Happy Holidays!"
~Wacky Holiday Traditions

The Simple Life - Day 23

Today was such an easy day.  Woke up, got dressed, attempted to make myself look pretty, then found a corner of the house that didn't look too messy or obnoxious and sat down for an hour Skype interview with a high school in Germany.  Every once in a while I get asked to do an inspirational talk to high school students about life in Hollywood.  Mostly I just talk about staying in school and tell them funny stories from my life.  Its kind of cool, and I'm always amazed by how smart and interested many of the students are, often tossing out ridiculously thought provoking questions.  I'm not exactly sure how I got involved with it, but I've been featured in a Japanese - English textbook (there is a whole chapter devoted to me, with pictures....I still get fan mail from students who are practicing their English) and spoken to students in countries all over the world via Skype.

Interview done.  Must do some shopping for tomorrow night's Holiday Game night that I'm hosting with Joe and Grace.  Since I have a ridiculous budget this month, I've had to be more creative than normal to get supplies.  So today I accepted a Secret Shopping job.  Essentially, I go to an assigned store, take notes, talk to a few sales associates, and have to spend X amount of money.  Great!  Beer, pizza, cookies, shrimp, and a few other random groceries purchased and I only went  $1.83 over budget.  Which means I will get re-imbursed for all my shopping except $1.83.  Party shopping done!

Dinner.  Thanks to secret shopping I have shrimp to use for dinner.  Using what I had in my fridge, I was able to whip up a super easy Fettucini Alfredo with peas and shrimp.  Delicious!  And leftovers for a couple of days!

Finally had to finish up with the holiday stuff.  Again, using what I had around the house: giftwrap = an Ikea curtain that I had planned to donate to Goodwill, gift tags = old postcards, and envelopes for the holiday cards were made out of Japanese fashion magazines.  Creative recycling has been a lot of fun, and something I hope to continue doing throughout the year.

Total spent for the day: $1.83
Total spent for the week: $9.83
Total remaining to spend: $65.17

The Simple Life - Day 22

I've been waiting to hear about a job for 5 days now.  It's nerve-wracking.  When the producer first called me about it, I was kind of meh-meh, but then went in for the meeting and realized I wanted it.  So my competitive, anxiety-ridden self has been obsessing a bit, ever since.  Trying very hard to act cool, but failing miserably.  Lucky for me, my current boss is AMAZING, as long as I keep her in the loop about things, she is totally cool and supportive of any and all of my endeavors.  Rad.

So the morning was spent working on knocking off a necklace that Jacqui and I fell in love with at Anthropologie.  The locket was $35 on sale, decoupaged with a painting covering the front.  I took an old Forever 21 locket that I already owned and clipped a picture out of a decrepit children's poetry book, then created my own, unique version.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out with Adam.   In a grand attempt to deal with my anxiety he took me to the driving range to hit a few buckets of balls.  While he did work via his mobile phone, I perfected my swing....surprisingly I woke up neither sore nor callused today.  Afterwards we hit happy hour at Gyu-Kaku, so much meat, so good! (I only had to pay for the tip: $8). Then off to a holiday cocktail party at his house.....thank goodness for my little hostess gifts and the surplus of wine i picked up from WineInsiders via Groupon.  Adam and his roommates throw some of the nicest parties, and this was no exception.  They had a tree, grog, festive music, and free flowing wine and cheese.

On my way home, I stopped by my pal, Siaka's holiday party at Off Kilt.  Dive bars are always fun, but I was so exhausted I only wanted to drink water and go home to bed.  Met some very nice people though which made the evening absolutely perfect.

Total spent for the day: $8
Total spent for the week: $8
Total remaining for the week: $67

 Elsewhere:
~My Polar Ice, what a great concept.

The Simple Life - Day 21

The Sunday Morning LA Times is pure decadence.  I mean that, because if there is actually enough time on a Sunday Morning to get up, make coffee, then hop back in bed and read through every section (starting with the comics....my most favorite part! Followed by Travel, Style, Business, then everything else.) I feel like I actually had an opportunity to relax.  It's the equivalent of a bubble bath in an extra large tub.

After breakfast I headed up to Griffith Park for a hike with Chris and the dogs.  He took me to a trailhead off of Ferndell that I had never tried before.  Absolutely magical.  I loved how the trail wove past a creek and then over a bridge (while still being under the road) and through the woods.  We wandered up to the Observatory, one of my most favorite spots in LA, then had lunch at the Trails Cafe (amazing avocado sandwiches!)  Chris wanted to thank me for taking care of the dogs and I really wanted to see the girls...because I've been going thru withdrawal without them.  You could tell they missed me too.

Since Jacqui and I find ourselves currently unattached, we have decided it would be best to have a relationship with each other.  So instead of stressing out over whether or not we should get all the guys we are dating gifts or be concerned about whether or not we should invite them to any of our fabulous parties, we have decided to take each other as dates.  And to further our commitment, we are going to exchange homemade gifts....the thought of what I plan to create for her, makes me completely giddy with excitement...oh how I hope it works out the way I've planned!!

Anyhow, my point...The two of us had a holiday girl-date tonight, where we got dinner, checked out  holiday decor, then went back to her place and decorated the tree, listened to holiday music, and sat in front of the roaring fire...romantic, non?  Ahh yes, Jacqui is delightful...and she has no qualms with my quirky new BFF, Blythe (see photo below!)  I think we make quite the lovely threesome.

Elsewhere....
~Anna Bond's blog is fantastic eye candy.
~The Tea Ceremony Chair by Hiroki Takada just blew my mind.
~This little girl makes the cutest Pippi Longstocking ever!
~Smokey Mountain Christmas...Been in a Dolly Parton mood lately and this little made for TV Christmas movie is one of my favorite holiday guilty pleasures.
~Heidi and Rupaul introduced me to this sad, yet lovely Christmas song: "Hard Candy Christmas."

The Simple Life - Day 20

There never seems to be enough coffee in the world to wake you up after a long night out.  Both Lauren and I had late nights and therefore were dragging in the morning.  But, we rallied enough energy to catch the metro to Chinatown and check out the renegade craft fair in the cornfield.  Love that LA has a place known as "the cornfield," so quaint.  After a few hours of wandering and collecting ideas for future projects, we headed to Chinatown for some takeaway dimsum (late lunch on the run!), then back on the metro and home again, home again jiggit-y jog.  Met up with Ray and friends at The Village Idiot to celebrate his recently acquired MBA (Congratulations, darling!) then home for real, in bed and passed out by 9:30pm.  What a day, what a day!

Total Spent for the day: $15 ($7/Dimsum and $8/Beer at The Village Idiot)
Total Spent for the week: $49.40
Total Remaining for the week: $.60

Food Trucks at the Cornfield

Blythe loves field trips

Pooh loves Blythe!

Blythe has a secret plan to take over the world.  Go Blythe, go!

Blythe is so special, she's even tamed the ferocious crocodiles!

Christmas in Chinatown, just add snow!

The Simple Life - Day 19

"Mercury is in retrograde!" or so Tori Spelling's twitter says, according to my friend Heidi.  Which makes sense, because my phone has gone kaput!  And the tech says that part of that is due to my phone being wonky and part is due to the phone's service being out of order today.  So Monday, we will further examine the mess that is my phone...but in the meantime I must live sans internet/email/gps on my person at all times.  How smart is a smart phone when it has zero IQ?  Blah!

Moving on....today, I did managed to accomplish a ton of things...which makes up for all the other days when I was so unaccomplished.  Let's see....Laundry (check!), Homemade Ginger Coconut Sorbet (check!), Homemade Sugar Cookies (check!), Afternoon Tea with Heidi at Chado H.Wood (check!), Michelle's birthday party (check!), and Heidi's Holiday party (check! check! check!).

Okay, just for a moment let's discuss our afternoon tea.  One of my childhood traditions when I was 3-7 years old was to have a New Year's tea party with my bestest friends, all of which happened to be inanimate.  Since I sometimes get nostalgic for simpler times, days when my friends would not talk back to me ;)  I thought maybe it was time for a jaunt down memory lane, so I got Heidi to join me for afternoon tea (thank you Groupon!).  Little did she know, I would be bringing along one of my newest besties.  Blythe (whom I've loved since before my life in Japan) has teamed up with Littlest Pet Shop and can now be purchased at Target for $19.99....so much cheaper then the normal mini Blythe dolls.

Anyhow, tea was dreamy and all my friends got along marvelously...so the afternoon was a smash hit.

After the sun set, Heidi and I headed to Tiki No to celebrate Michelle's 27th birthday (she's practically geriatric!) after a sampling of strong tropical rum drinks, we hooked up with the Hawaiian food truck, "Aloha Fridays," where I intro'd Heidi to Spam Musubi...another staple from my childhood (classy, I know!) and off we went to Les Deux for the World of Wonder holiday party.  This year's theme was "Glow Job"...and it was amazing!  Beautiful drag queens, boys in speedos, RuPaul Dj'ing (He was fantastic!), and free flowing cocktails with glow sticks.  Every year I marvel at the crazy, fun, themed holiday parties that businesses throw for their employees.  And yes, I do believe we are in a recession....but you wouldn't know it.  After a crazy night out, I rolled into bed around 3am.  How exhausting!!!

Total Spent for the Day: $5 ($2/parking, $3 for 2 Spam Musubi)

Total Spent for the Week: $59.40

Total Remaining for the Week: $15.60

The Simple Life - Day 18

Ugh.  You know those mornings where you really, really don't want to wake up, but have no choice, because there are a billion things to do before you go into the office.  But unfortunately, you stayed up 'til 2AM candying ginger and attempting to watch MAD MEN (still don't love it) and not getting your much needed beauty sleep?  Yep, that was my morning.  But somehow, I managed to get up and finish the lovely hostess gifts.  Here is a picture of the completed project...sorry I can't actually tell you what's inside.

Then got some writing in (even manage to get another Blog pitch accepted!), made lunch (Branston Pickle and Cheddar cheese sandwiches, nut mix, and Strawberry pocky sticks....My fridge is truly a sampling of the United Nations.), and showered (which honestly feels like a triumph in and of itself somedays...oh my lord, I'm starting to sound like one of those over-exhausted sitcom moms), then hotfooted it on fumes (really needed to stop for gas, but no time!) to work by 11.30AM.  My goodness!  I can't believe I made it.  Seven hours of holiday party set up later and I was ready to get out and be done with the day.

Abby and I met up for dinner at Wat Dong Moon Lek, one of our favorite SilverLake restaurants.  I got the spicy lime and sparerib soup.  She got the Tom Ka.  Both of us were completely happy and satisfied by the time we were done catching up.   And then I headed home to finish wrapping gifts.
I love the holidays!!!

Total spent today:$29 ($15 for gas, $14 for soup with Abby)
Total spent this week: $54.40
Total remaining this week: $20.60

The Simple Life - Day 17

Got a crazy call this morning from a former colleague asking if I'd be interested in a job.  Since I'm letting the universe be my guide, I figured it may not be such a bad idea to meet with her about it, however it would be back in the film industry and I have a few reservations.  But, hearing about a new project  is never a bad thing.  Plus all the folks involved are super talented, so maybe this will be an amazing opportunity.  And I think the meeting went well, just have to wait until Friday, while they interview a bunch of other super talented, overqualified, former studio kids...God, I love this town.

The majority of my day was spent working on those silly holiday cards.  I realized I have over 100 to send, and that barely scratches the surface of my friends, family, and colleagues.  So far I've made 19.  I have a lot of work ahead of me.

But the hostess gifts, well I made a serious dent in them.  Candied a ton of ginger!  Tomorrow I should be done with all of them and may post pictures....or maybe I will wait until the end of the season.  I did have do a bit of shopping for supplies and spent a whopping total of: $14.46...of course that included an impulse buy of mint flavored yogurt drink...BLAH...I should have known, there is a cartoon cow on the label that says, "I made this one extra special for you." It tasted like a dairy-fied kombucha.  BLAH!

Spent my night working at the Blu Conference about Pre-fab homes and sustainable living.  There are some amazing models out there that totally make me salivate.  Perhaps one day?

Total spent for the day: $14.46
Total spent this week: $25.40
Total remaining for the week: $49.60

Lani's Christmas Wish List

Lani's Christmas Wish List by kikuejewels featuring cross-body handbags

For my beloveds....since I know that world peace and that trip to Antarctica aren't in the budget for this year.  Here are my material desires.  Of course you could just buy me some bees at Heifer.org and I would be just as pleased.  xoxo.

The Simple Life - Day 16

With the holidays getting closer, I feel as though I'm in vacation mode.  Of course I have random events that I have to work at throughout the week, but all of my personal projects...the ones I'm doing for my greater good and the future, all seem to be hanging by the wayside as I find myself procrastinating more and more each day.  Today, I stayed in my PJs until 1.30pm.  I only managed to take a shower because I was meeting Katie and Heidi for a hike in Fryman and didn't want to attract the attention of too many flies. Of course I managed to get in some writing (ironically I did a pitch about procrastination for a women's blog this afternoon), but I've barely made a dent in my to do list.

After the hike, I ran errands and made dinner.  Then with a sudden burst of creativity, I began working on those New Year's cards I've been thinking about.  Of course, in order to seriously do any work, I need to create a full on mess, and bury myself in the middle of it.  Which explains why every inch of countertop and dining room table are now covered in glitter, and the floor is a mass of ribbons.

Today's Menu: All things found in the Fridge and Pantry.  I wonder if I can get thru the week without buying any food?
~ Decaf Coffee (who knew I would like it so much?)
~Gingersnap cookies (breakfast of champions)
~Corn and Pepper Bisque
~Salad
~Spaghetti Squash with homemade pasta sauce and mango chicken sausage

Things that amaze me:
~Proverbial Wallets...if I had one of these, I probably wouldn't be doing my $35/wk food experiment.
~Forth Magazine is featuring my pal, Brooke Harker's paintings.  She is so fabulous, I am a big fan and even own one of her paintings.
~ While catching up on my TedTalks I saw Ze Frank's speech and was struck by the "chillout song".  So beautiful... just hit play below to listen:

Total spent for the day: $0
Total remaining for week: $64.06