poco dolce

One of dear friends gave me some of these for valentines day and they were some of my favorite chocolate I have ever had! The flavors are amazing! They have toasted
sesame and burnt carmel just to name a few! They are a little on the pricey side for the size ofthem. Around $2.25 a square ( you can get them at Zinc Cafe) but are worth every penny...I love having them with a cup of tea on a brisk day! Definately treat yourself to one someday! You can get them online too at pocodolci.com!Cheers!

Oscar Win for Christian Bale

I do have to say I was so excited tonight that a great movie won the Best Picture this year!! The King's Speech! But I was more excited that Christian Bale won supporting Actor!!! Finally! He is such a great actor and has covered so many unique type of roles! I first fell in love with him in 1992 when he starred in Newsies (cheesy but awesome Disney film)! With his tough guy act and sad story while singing and dancing about what he believed, how could you not? He finally became more widely known when he did Batman but he doesn't get much credit for Swing kids, Prestige and the Reign of Fire...He has such an amazing spectrum of roles he can play, I am thoroughly impressed! He is also in one of my all time favorite Sci-Fi movies that did not get the credit it deserved! Great story line! Great Choreographed fighting scenes, great message...Equillibruim...I recommend it!

All in all pretty excited to have your favorite actor win an Oscar!!!

hair extensions

I decided to get hair extensions a few weeks ago a friends wedding that I was in. My hair will only grow a few inches below my shoulder bone and even when it does it is quite thin so I've always thought it would be fun to have them put it but thought they were way too expensive ! I remember back in high school I knew a girl who had and it cost her around $700! When my friend told me about the Living Room in Costa Mesa and that they do it for less than half that price I thought I would give it a try!
They consult with you first to match your color and then you come back after they have purchased your new "real" hair! It takes about an hour as they weave 3-4 strands ( depending on how thick you want it) into your own hair. It feels like they are sewing it in as they take part of your hair intertwine it with the new hair and clamp a silicone bead every 1/2 inch or so. It is so tight and uncomfortable for the first few days, it took me a week to really feel like I didn't have a tight headband around my head at all times! From the beginning you can wash it and style it like it's your own hair. It holds curl better than my own hair and you can straight iron it too! IF you have shorter hair they say it's better to wear it curly most of the time so people won't see your "new hair" starts and your "old hair" ends but I have been able to wear it both ways and its been so fun! You get them tightened every 2 months or so and they can last up to 7 months (so I hear)....So all in all minus the pain its been a fun little life luxury!

Favorite Fridays

I love watching movies on Friday nights! I used to love GOING to movie's Friday nights but with kids things have changed....Earlier today I went to the local blockbuster to rent "Life as we know it" but sadly it is closing down and is now only selling their movies till they shut their doors...so after realizing there is nothing good on TV on Friday nights I bought the movie on "On Demand"!

The kids were down early and I was by myself which for some reason I really think I prefer watching movies by myself...it was raining and windy outside and I had my sipping chocolate and watched "Life as we know it".

It was okay, typical love story with a fight and then back together...but i love those! They make me so happy inside!

Wouldn't call it a instant classic or favorite but here's list of a few new ones I've really enjoyed:

The King's Speech-Inspirational
The Fighter- Christian Bale is amazing!
The Social Network- Interesting

Okay so their all up for the Oscars this week...maybe this year they got some of them right!!

fabric barn? or le creperie?

Many might disagree that the fabric barn is a luxury in long beach, but today i visited with some friends and although there are many items that you are not sure what do with, there is a great selection of ribbonand favor bags for dirt cheap!! 25 yards of satin ribbon for $3! I definately think its worth going to if you know what you are looking for and are on a budget. And if you want some random entertainment of doll heads, fancy lace and miniature top hats...hmm...but redemption is nearby on 2nd street full of its quaint delicious restaurants. One of them, Le Creperie has great breakfasts from sweet to savory and a dramatic atomosphere with its grand piano and 1,000 lb. crystal chandeliers. A definate luxury to get to go to a non chain restaurant and enjoy your friends company!

Cheese Grits at the Old Vine Cafe

I went to breakfast at the Old Vine Cafe today which is such a charming place with great food! I wasn't sure what to order from the banana crepes to the homemade english muffins with pistachio or apple butter! I decided to try something new and ordered a side of the "cheese grits"! So yummy! Sort of a risotto texture with melted cheese and garlic and salt! It was so satisfying! If you go for lunch try the "meatball sandwich", its' the best one I have ever had!!

Yoga at St. Andrews

Recently my friend started teaching Yoga at St. Andrews on Tues. mornings from 9:30 to 10:30! She does such a great job! It's in a dark quite room and she starts off with a reading and then leads you into stretching as you begin to let go of the daily stresses. She took us through balance stances and times of relaxation! It was just what I needed! They also provide childcare for $5! The class is $10! But the first one is free!

Candy!

It's never too early for Easter Candy in my humble opinion! I was at the grocery store at 10 p.m. last night and didn't really want to be until I realized the easter candy was out. The only one I truly love or ever buy though is Cadburrys Robin Eggs. Not every place has them, so right before i checked out I went to the Easter candy display and to my delight there they were! They aren't too sweet and of course are made of Chocolate! They have a thin outer shell that melts quickly to a smooth center of chocolate! They melt in your mouth and are addicting! They have mini pouches available if you just want to see what the hype is about! Enjoy!

WONDERFILE

I saw this cheesy add for the "wonderfile" a few weeks before I moved and thought, "that could actually work!" I always struggle with my pile of bills, ripped out photos from magazines, letters I want to save, business cards,etc. I ended up a few months before putting it all in a cute basket but even though that made it neater it still was a pile I had to look thru to find anything! So when I saw the wonderfile I thought I would give it a try! It's only $20 and you buy one get one free! I started using mine few weeks ago and its perfect for storing all the different type of documents you want to save and in different compartments. You can label each department if you wish and it all wraps up into a folder size! A total organizing luxury! here's the link in case you might want to get one! www.buywonderfile.com

Chai Debate

One of my favorite hot drinks besides hot chocolate is Chai Lattes... For some reason i really dislike Oregon Chai so much so that i won't order it if thats what the place serves...I was on the hunt for my favorite chai when I found out I loved Gypsy Den's Chai and you could get vanilla chai or a decaf spiced chai. There is actually a lot of caffeine in Chai so sometimes I would order Decaf spiced chai with a shot of vanilla. I started testing other peoples chai's and found I also love to order a chai latte at Pain Du Mondes, Milk and Honey and Alta Coffee. Several of these places use Big Train Chai mix. SO I found it online and it taste just as good at home!! Suprisingly enough Trader Joe's chai mix is very similar and overall gives the same luxury of sipping a hot chai on a cold day! Here's to the good chai's out there!

favorite fridays

I had the luxury today to go to my friends class she so cleverly calls "Farm to Feast" Its a great time to relax and start with a cup of tea as you go around and answer a food question she might have. Today it was "What did you have for dinner last night?" Meanwhile she is preparing buttermilk cake with creme fraiche frosting, spinach salad with lime dressing and pumpkins seeds, potato asparagus tart and we tasted amazing blue cheeses, breads and chocolate!She goes to the local farmers markets for her produce and has the eggs she uses are from her very own hens! What a treat! It is one of my favorite luxuries to sit around with friends and watch my friend work her magic in the kitchen as we try new flavors.

musac

I love finding a great song that fills you with emotion and makes you want to let loose! I first found Florence and the machine when i heard her cover of "addicted to love" on the show "so you think you can dance" and loved it!!!Her voice is so quirky yet soothing and sultry.. A few months or so later I kept hearing this song that made me want to unroll all my windows including the sunroof (crazy, i know ) and turn up the radio fullblast and just bask in the beat and the melody! It made the world seem alright for a few moments and that life even in all its messiness was beautiful! The song I am referring to is "Dog days are over" ! It's available on Itunes for $1.29 and well worth it!

sipping chocolate

one of my favorite little luxuries in life is hot chocolate with real whipping cream...i am always looking for a good cup of cocoa at local coffee shops and am dissapointed time and again by their mock up hershey syrup version...ugh!

but then i came across sipping chocolate at Trader Joe's and thought I would give it a try! And it was perfect!! It's rich and dark and stirs well if done over stove!

hope you are able to sip a cup of it sometime and enjoy!

valentines day

valentines day is one of my fav. holidays! despite many who say its just another hallmark holiday to get us to buy into all the hype...i still love it! i love red and hot pink together! I love to add black and white and silver to it to give it an edge...

i discovered a great etsy sight (bekahjennings) who makes hand crafted signs! her's is the "be mine" sign on the mirror and i was so excited to find black and white stripe lanterns from z gallerie! its so fun to have a day to celebrate your friends family and lover!

All about the Gels

I keep hearing about "gel nails" and how great they are...that you can get the color you want on your nails finally without the chipping!... that they last 2 weeks! I was skeptical at first but I started seeing my good friends wear them without ever a chip! So i had the perfect time to try them, a friends wedding! I went for it with hot pink to see if the "no chipping" really applied! So far 10 days into it and I have had chipless hot pink nails! So fun! They are only about $13 more and are totally worth it!!

Here is a great link to read more about them
http://www.nailsplash.com/gelnails.html#what

Just look at all the colors available too...