Signs of LaLa Land - Home Sweet Home

Here's what I get...if you want to change your mood - go out for a while.

Check out this Leopard Limo -

We took my sister-in-law from Arizona around looking at Beverly Hills and Hollywood holiday decorations last weekend - even though we were all born here it's still fun to see what's going on. Mr Beach and I take rides and day trips all the time checking out different towns and beaches, or checking out landscapes { to copy } so we're into it, and my sister in law misses it.

Not many decorated mansions at all - but the ones that were....were beyond belief.   Night photos didn't come out and I couldn't fit the big houses in my camera frame - but I hope you enjoy what I did get...

Here's the bronze statue guard in front of a mansion on Sunset Blvd.

Same house - statues of couple looking at the house thru binoculars and kids playing with a dog

Bronze painters

Wonder what they represent - funny

Movin on - this house is the Witch House, supposedly used in movies and then moved to this corner. Looks like they're renovating now, probably preserving it for the historical society.  This whole area is on the tours - you know, like the one Lucy and Ethel took.

Rodeo Drive - Shopping

Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Walk up the narrow street to Tiffany's

My hangout in the good ole days

Gotta stop at Turners - check out the "NO CRUISING ZONE SIGN" this is Sunset Strip -

sometimes ending up here at crazy hours

Is this how you imagined House of Blues?

Mr Beach says THIS is THEE hardware store of hardware stores -

we pulled into a Christmas Tree lot and saw Cristina Aguilera - see her getting into the passenger side of the black car.

we had dinner at Farmers Market -

Walked the Grove - did a little holiday shopping at only ONE store - Anthropologie - great displays and great stuff  -  here's 99 bottles of beer on the wall -

loved these suitcases and right next to that

I loved this - S hooks with clips

Chandeliers

how cozy are these

the amazing Tree at the Grove

That's it for now - so much to do, I don't know where to begin -

Our Menorah, Chanukah & Christmas

Evenin' - hope you're having a good one -

It's so cold and I love it so much.  Something about lighting a fire, cozying up with a blanket, wearing a sweatshirt and drinking endless cups of tea to help keep warm that turns me on.

I put this Chanukah Menorah together last year - I don't know if I broke any religious rules, if I did - I've tweaked them just a little bit, and I'd say it's ok.  This went right down the center of my Dining Room Table and I enjoyed it every time I walked by.    

We light the candles every night for 8 nights, we eat potatoe pancakes non stop, they're our appetizers and we serve them with applesauce, strawberries, cranberries, powdered sugar, apricot marmalade, and whatever else we can think of.  Maybe we'll try Nutella and cool whip this year, hmmm.  They are so good and they are gone so fast.  Sometimes the guys help out peeling and rubbing the potatoes and onions on a graph like grater the old fashioned way, or they stand and flip pancakes for a while and we all talk - I love that.  It's a messy job { especially with guys flipping }so I line the entire top of my stove with foil because the pans of splattering oil quickly get out of control, and the cleanup is - well you can imagine.  


This year, I'm doing everything on a tight budget of $0 - we'll be dipping pretzels and dried fruit in chocolate for gifts, decorating canning jars of tea lights, and a few other things.  I will be dropping off dog food at a few local rescues as often as I can - I've been told they give the food away to people who can't afford to feed their dogs - and then they won't have to give their pets up.

My sister-in-law is coming into town this weekend so we're starting Chanukah a little early - here's my Menorah this year - couldn't help but light the whole thing for a preview just a little early.  


Simple Beach House Menorah this year -

We're heading into the city tomorrow - making a special point to cruise Beverly Hills and photograph the decorations - they're always amazing.  Last year I took some photos of the crystal Chandeliers that were hung all along Rodeo Drive - I'm anxious to see what's up this year - I'll post both sets of photos over the weekend.


Tomorrow morning I'm hittin up a few garage sales if I can scrape up a few bucks - and believe it or not, I'm makin a ham for our early Chanukah dinner. hehe


Then it's Christmas with our "created family" -


Have a great weekend - Blogged to join http://theinspiredroom.net/ and funky junk interiors and Kelly's Corner - Christmas Trees { and my Menorah }

Going in Circles

Today I jumped out of the tornado I've been caught in.  That's never happened to me before - I forgot to be happy,  I forgot to be thankful, I forgot to be busy, I forgot to pay attention to blogging and working and I really forgot that I'm letting go,  I got stuck.  I'll tell you later what I'm letting go of.

So I got up today, went for a hike, and now I'm gonna get it together.

A few weeks ago it started,  my family and I dropped everything and went to Arizona for a week to be with my Dad - he's got cancer and is hanging on - my uncle says he gets happy when we're there.  Next week he's coming here for a visit to the beach -

The Arizona sky -

Here's the wreath I found for $3 thrifting - pretty much sums up me going in circles lately

A great thing happened - my son Tony flew in the 2nd row left - formation over Los Angeles to honor Veteran's Day

Prep for Thanksgiving - lots of peeling going on

Jennifer and I made Thanksgiving Dinner together all day - we had the best time while the guys watched football and ate and played and the neighbors stopped by

 Dining Room - we didn't BBQ the turkey, but we left the doors open anyway - just about to set the table - forgot to take photos as we got busier.  

My favorite Chandelier - found the bottom part all chippy and old down the beach in a pile, and the top part  - it's all mother of pearl squares and it goes up to the ceiling...I think it was part of a floor lamp once

Love the finish and the old flowers so much

Found this old bread loaf baker thing - filled it with garden flowers

Here's where Jen's getting married - Pt. Dume in Malibu

 

This is where I resumed letting go today - because I've made the choice to focus on happy

Stopped at the Flower Market - keeping it real and simple 

I'll see ya tomorrow - thanks for being my friend

Laundry Room Chandelier & The Old Gate

Ello!
Ya know how when you change one thing in a room, you're prompted to change the whole room?  That's what happened to me a few weeks ago in the laundry room.  I found a light fixture on the ground at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and couldn't wait to take down the old one and install the new one.  There wasn't much to change in my really small laundry, but it inspired me to change other stuff in other rooms, so I did literally nonstop. 

Here's the old laundry chandelier pretty much the same as I found it about 10 years ago -

Here's the one I'm lovin today - quite a difference I'd say. Ooops, took the photo before I added a really old long pull chain -

So this change started some more rethinking around the house and I pretty much went thru every room and closet movin out all the things that are on my long list of things I walk by and say 'this has to go.'   I try to remove things the first time I say that but I don't, I wait till I absolutely can't stand it anymore, why? I don't know.

Then I hit my stash in the storage, yard, and garage and I made HUGE decisions on everything I have been storing, hoarding, and saving to repair, paint, part out or whatever - and I decided to let go of tons - so we're loading up and letting go.  That is big for me, really big.  So here we go... all that plus the Chandeliers and lighting that we are creating today and love love love -

That started a couple of weeks ago, and we've been working our buttinskys off everyday preparing, loading up the trailer and and we're almost completely ready - and it feels so good.  I've been on a thrifting shopping spree for so many years now that my style has somewhat changed and all the GREAT stuff I won't be using anymore is going to the Flea Market on the beach this Sunday.

As you can imagine we're beat up, I messed up my shoulder lifting things I shouldn't have, like cement statues and pots { dummy me } and I've been popping pain pills because I just didn't want to stop.

We're almost done and ready to go - Sunday 4 am.

Couldn't help but snap a photo of my favorite little gate while taking a much needed break with Mr Beachy and a Costco chicken.

 

BEACH HOUSE WEDDING UPDATE

Jennifer & Ryan have set the date June 26, 2010!  Last Saturday afternoon I got my first treasured moment being Mother of the Bride when Jen and I went wedding gown shopping. As unbelievable  as it sounds - we both knew the very first dress she tried on was the one.  Can you believe it?  She tried on several more so we could be ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE, and we were - it's perfect for her and her dream wedding, and she looks amazing in it.

She's so happy and so am I.

See you at the Flea Market - you'll find us beach side...

Later -