I'm Mad About ...

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. Even though the husband had to work, I did a little barbecuing and festive decorating:

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week:

• Good idea: The Everygirl's starting a book club. Are you keeping up?
• Speaking of books, how many books in Rory Gilmore's library have you read? I won't embarrass myself by admitting how few I've read (it's more than zero!), but I will say that I tried to read Kerouac and just couldn't do it.
• I'll probably never make these brownie cookies with salted caramel filling, but it's nice to think that I could!
• It's Pinterest Challenge time again. What are you making?
• Interesting differences between American and British English.

I'm off for a spa weekend with a friend! More on that next week. Have a lovely weekend!

Happy Independence Day!

Have a blast!

Cholmes75 at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

(And remember to bring your pets inside.)

Festivities for the Fourth

This week is America's birthday, and here are a few thing to help you celebrate:

Red Picnic Cooler, Crate & Barrel; Schooner Melamine Plate, West Elm; Striped Metal Water Tank Dispenser, Cost Plus World Market; Red, White and Blue Napkin; Cost Plus World Market; Oliver Stripe Outdoor Lumbar Pillow; Pottery Barn; I Tank You're Swell Dress, ModCloth.

I'm Mad About ...

                           Source: facebook.com via People on Pinterest

                         Source: facebook.com via People on Pinterest

• Well, it looks like I'm going to have to see People Like Us, since it features "LA as the fifth character in the movie." Knowing how I am, though, I'll catch it on Netflix in five years, after the DVD has been sitting on my kitchen counter for six months. Ha! Still, I love movies about the "real" LA (A Single Man comes to mind). Oh, and Chris Pine. Yes.
• Have you jumped on the colored jeans trend yet? I want to (mint green skinny jeans, please!) but haven't been able to find the right pair. Picky much?
• Tips on decorating for and with dogs (but I can do without the pooping pooch lamp!).
• For those times when a thumbs-up or thumbs-down just isn't enough, there's ReadrBoard. WTF? ;-)

Have a great weekend!

A Cabin in the Woods

There's nothing like a little mountain getaway to help you recharge your batteries. I was invited recently for a girls' weekend at a friend's cabin in the Giant Sequoia National Monument area.

We didn't do much—a little hiking, some bird/squirrel watching, and lots of eating was about it.

Folks were fishing, but I don't think they were getting many bites:

The stone-clad lodge has an ice cream parlor:

And, of course, the neighbors came to visit:

Makes me wish we had a cabin of our own.

This would do quite nicely:

                                                                        Source: pixbnb.com via sunglasshut on Pinterest

Actually, I'd prefer something a bit more manageable.  Who wants to spend all that time taking care of a big house when you're on vacay?

Something simple, like these tent cabins, would suit me just me just fine:

Metropolitan Home

 And look how lovely it is inside:

Metropolitan Home

So what do you prefer—a cozy little mountain retreat or a luxurious lakeside getaway?

Dream House in the Hills

I know it's been around for a while, but I just ran across this gorgeous Hollywood Hills home via coco+kelley, and I'm officially obsessed.

                                                                            Source: magazinec.com via Beth on Pinterest

From the neutral color palette punctuated with shots of bold color to the big windows that let in all the glorious LA sunshine, this home has me written all over it. And then there's the location. It's no secret that I covet a house in the hills.

                                                                      Source: livecreatingyourself.com via Jacquie on Pinterest

Every detail is perfect.

                                                                                Source: magazinec.com via Beth on Pinterest

The place is owned by Hollywood insider Jacqui Getty. See more pictures at C magazine—but have a tissue ready, because it's drool-worthy!

I'm Mad About ...

Happy Friday!

Last week I went I went a little overboard at the farmers market. It was so hot (108!) hardly anyone was there, so the stands were offering fill a bag for $5. How could I resist?

Since Erik doesn't care for fresh fruit and I couldn't eat it all myself before it went it bad, I used some to make a fruit crumble (using this recipe, more or less) for my book group:

It was quite a hit, so I'm making another one to take up to my friend's cabin for a girls' weekend. Can't wait!

To get you in the mood for a fun weekend, here are some things that caught my eye this week:

• Today is Take Your Dog Work Day (although around here, every day is!). Don't have a dog? I have a few I could lend out ;-)
• Love the crisp new look at Sacramento Street and the fresh colors at Danielle Oakey Interiors.
• Corgis + Call Me Baby = Awesome!
• It's certainly not scarf weather in these parts, but when it is I want one of these.