Sick!

I caught my mom's flu on Christmas day. Sad! Aside from being in bed, the holiday weekend was great! So many nice gifts, wonderful food (until the bug got me) and lots of fun with friends and family.

More pictures and updates once my head/nose/stomach chill out. Until then, I'll be sniffling and drinking my favorite Trader Joe's tea trying to get through my work day.

Hope your holiday was wonderful!

HNY

Winds & Grey

We've been having Santa Ana winds the last few days. I think they make everyone crazy and I hate them.


My nose is running, my eyes are red and my skin is dry. I feel unsettled and unfocused and I swear its the winds fault. Did you know that there is an increase in homicides and suicides during Santa Ana winds? It's true. They bring positive ions that disturb peoples' moods. Runny noses and grouchy homicidal people? Yuck.


On Saturday, I decided to walk away the funk. No alcohol this time, it was 9 in the morning. I decided to take our dog along, but once we got outside the rain clouds made our walk seem like a bad idea. I tried to get Ted (the dog) to come back into the house, but once you've told him he is going on a walk he refuses to come back into the house. 



So despite some rain drops we played ball instead. I also shot some great photos of him that will make the perfect gift for my dad and step-mom. Later, we drove to pick up a sandwich for lunch and COMPLETELY forgot about Ted's issue with windshield wipers. It was an interesting lunch run to say the least. 

Blog Makeover

I thought that with Altitude Summit coming up I should spruce up my blog a little bit.


Thanks so much to Sarah of xoSarah for coming up with such a great design. She took all of my random thoughts and turned them into exactly what I was imagining. She was really easy to work with, finished two weeks ahead of schedule AND was very affordable. She is also a circus performer, which is rad. 


I'll definitely be working with her again! 


Thanks to Kathleen of Jeremy & Kathleen and Braid Creative for suggesting her. 


**the above photo is one I snapped of Stella a couple of days ago. It has nothing to do with the blog re-design, but isn't it the most adorable photo? She looks like a little Christmas caroler cartoon. 

A Walk to Remember

Allow me to preface this story with a message to those people who walk their dogs and have no control over them- I'M SORRY. I used to judge you and your arms, which I assumed were weak and atrophied. Too scrawny to handle a lab? HA! Get to the gym, slackers. That's what I used to think. Until I met Major.


He is enormous. And strong. He is the Jethro Bodine of dogs. 


Major is my mom's boyfriend's dog. I have been the victim of Major incidents before last week. I've been to Howie's (mom's boyfriend) house many times. I've been hit in the leg with bruise causing tail wags. I've been almost knocked over by the rambunctious dog bounding through the house. But I'd never taken him for a walk. Until last week.


Howie went out of town and asked us to watch/walk Major. 'No problem!' I said cheerily while my mother gave me a look of warning.


The first few nights Howie was away, my mom walked Major. I had late work nights and by the time I got home my mom would have already walked him and would be recovering on the couch with an ice pack on her shoulder and a weary look on her face. 'Ha!' I would say. You're not strong enough to walk a DOG?


Then, we got home at the same time one night. 


The conversation went like this;


Mom- 'Let's get some exercise! I need to walk Major.' 


Taylor- 'Okay, that sounds fun on this crisp winter night!' 


Mom- 'Do you want red, white or champagne?' 


{what, you don't drink while exercising?}


Taylor- 'Champagne. Duh.' 


Mom- 'Perfect. We'll walk to Howie's house, pick up Major, re-fill our champagne and walk home with the dog.' 


We did just that. Let's just say that the first part of the walk was more enjoyable than the second. 


There was lots of arm jerking, yelling and champagne spillage. Never okay. 


When we got back, my mom decided that she needed a photo shoot with the dog. 


These photos make me pee my pants EVERY time I look at them. They are hilarious and show Major's personality so well. 


Cheers! 

Stella Lee

I'm an aunt! 


My sister had her baby on Monday evening. 


Stella Lee arrived at 5:46 and was 8 pounds 2 ounces. 


We're all completely smitten with this little lovie. 


She looks EXACTLY like my sister did when she was born! 







**blogging will be light for the next week or so. Blog makeover time! 

Holiday Recipe

Whew! I'm back. I went to LA for a few days to help some new parents and their nanny with their preemie triplets and my blog totally got away from me. 


Again. 


Here is a recipe that I made for an appetizer this Thanksgiving. It is SO easy to make and tastes fresh and delicious. It won't leave you feeling weighed down like so many holiday favorites. Also, it's Christmas colors! Very fun. 


Cilantro Pesto Crostini

Pesto Ingredients: 

1 bag of frozen peas (defrost by running under warm water in a colander)

1 bunch of cilantro

2-3 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of parmesan (1/2 cup will go in pesto and 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Crostini Ingredients: 

1 baguette or 2 ciabatta loaves

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Instructions: 

Thinly slice baguette or ciabatta.

Brush with olive oil.

Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper

Bake in a 300 degree oven until bread reaches desired crispiness level.

Combine all pesto ingredients in food processor EXCEPT for 1/4 cup parmesan and cherry tomatoes.

Allow crostini slices to cool, then spread with pesto mixture.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and place one or two on top of each crostini.

Sprinkle with snow (parmesan cheese)

Enjoy!