A Livable Space

I love this living room I spotted over on Apartment Therapy. That couch is fantastic and I'm actually really into the wood walls. It has such a cool vibe to it and isn't too pretentious. I can totally imagine people living in the space, unlike many homes I see featured on some design blogs and in magazines.

Day Trip

Since Melissa and I both had the day off yesterday we decided to take a little drive up the coast to Encinitas. Our first stop was a little vegan raw cafe called The Greenery. At lunch time they stock a refrigerator full of prepared goodied. Apparently they have full menu for dinner so I would love to go back and try it again.

We shared a few things things starting with the pesto pasta which was actually very thinly sliced zucchini with  pine nut pesto and sundried tomatoes on top. This was soo delicious! We also had a seaweed salad with peppers, leeks, and heirloom tomatoes and a creamy vegetable stirfry with a pine nut sauce which seemed more like a slaw of some sort but was still pretty tasty.

Next we headed over to The Lotus Cafe because Melissa said they had really great vegan cupcakes that she had tasted on her last birthday. Once we got there and saw their extensive menu we decided to eat again. Seriously, we couldn't believe it either but since we shared at the first place, and the portions were small, we decided it was our appetizer. :) We both decided on the vege chili dog. In our defense, we didn't finish it all. It was pretty good but I still think Melissa makes a better one for sure.

Oh dear, this thing was super great but I still have my half minus a couple bites sitting in my kitchen. I had never had a vegan cupcake before, and to tell you the truth I wouldn't even have known the difference. This little cupcake was so moist and delicious.

After the eating marathon we headed over to the Self Realization Fellowship to walk through their meditation garden that is perched upon the hill overlooking the ocean. It was really pretty.

Sunrise

After crashing super hard from a long couple days at work and waking up early today, this is what I saw. I thought it was so pretty. Don't you think?

The Weekend

I think it's pretty funny that I was talking about fall clothes in my last post due to the fact that we have had a super heat wave that rolled in this weekend here. After lusting for wool, knits, and boots I was laying out at our pool having margaritas and trying to catch some sun. It was fun for sure until it hit the 100's. I'm not a fan of major heat so the past couple days have killed me. I've had to work as well so it has been even more unbearable.

Sunday I was lucky enough to get off work early enough to enjoy part of the day. I was planning on meeting Melissa at the street fair that was going on in her neighborhood but due to the heat, all I could ask for was some ac and some good food. Alex met us and we had a great meal at Kensington Cafe.

I had the greatest vege chorizo tacos. Super yum, but I always find something that I think could make the meal totally complete. In this case it was something semi crunchy like a pickled red onion. But that is just the perfectionist in me. All in all it was super good and then Melissa and I made our way to the Blind Lady Ale House for a drink while Alex hung out with a friend. It was really a great place that I would love to go back to when it is less busy for sure.

  After that we headed downtown to catch a happy hour where our friend was playing music. Meliss took a pic of us since we, or I rarely make an appearance on this little blog. Here we are.... The happy couple :) It is almost our two year married anniversary in a couple weeks!

 Hope everyone is having a good week so far. xo

A Few Fall Favorites

Just a few things I have my eye on for this fall season. Even though it never gets too cold here, I still cannot wait to start layering and get cozy. Retire my sandals and start stepping out in some cute boots. Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year!

1,2,3

Shrimp Salad

I made this salad for dinner last night using this easy recipe and it was really fresh and yummy. I did make a few substitutions and added a couple other ingredients though. Since we can't get enough of baby heirloom tomatoes I used those instead, yellow and orange peppers, added a couple extra cloves of garlic, more lime, a teaspoon of ground cumin, and instead of salt I used a bit of a sazon package from Goya (coriander & annatto to be exact). So good!

Wednesday Fun

Today was a good day. I always love wednesdays because I usually head out to the thrift stores in search of treasure. I didn't strike gold today at the shops but after I payed a visit to my best friend Sheri and Miss Mila I certainly did. Mila's personality is really coming out more and more as the months go by and I am so happy to have them living in the same city once again. Sheri used to be a dj years ago, pre-marriage and baby so when I saw this onesie months ago I knew it would be fitting. She finally fits into it so we had a fun time dressing her up and laughing our little hearts out with her. She really is a ton of fun. Just like her mom!

Tomorrow is the start of my work week. Long days and loads of clients. I hope I can snap some before and after pics of the hair since I have been meaning to do that for awhile now and post them here. If only I could remember my camera as I am rushing out the door.

Shake It

Since we cancelled our trip this week we have been enjoying our staycation as Alex called it. It has been great spending the week together with no work and only play. Tomorrow we are off to Los Angeles because the hubby has a dj gig that night. You better believe that I will be shakin' what my momma gave me all night long! A perfect way to release all the stress I dealt with earlier in the week. Friends, fun, and good music. Can't wait.

I hope everyone has a fun filled weekend too!

image via

Chip Chop

I'm a sucker for loose oversized silk tops and can't get enough of stripes, so I think that this little combo below by Chip Chop makes the cutest outfit. Minus the hat. Trust me, I've tried them. I am so not a hat kind of girl.

chip chop via greedy girl

My Faves

I have always loved the Stone Roses so when my friend Zoe sent me a link to a cover of them by my other favorite band I was sooo happy. The cover is great as well. Not much could go wrong in my eyes with the Raveonettes though. Take a listen.

Now...

It has been almost ten days since I have posted anything on this little ol' blog. Many things have factored into that. My parents came for a visit and we were supposed to leave on a much anticipated trip to Napa Valley but some things happened not as planned. The trip was cancelled and I also had to deal with a court case that has been hanging over my head for quite some time now.

If you don't know me well, you probably have no idea what I am talking about. February 3rd will be two years to the day that I was struck by a car while walking our lovely pooch Haiku in Los Angeles when we lived there. I can't even go into details enough as to how this situation has changed my life. It was one of the most scary situations to be involved in and made me realize even more that pedestrians don't have the right of way, even if they are supposed to. People are in too much of a hurry these days to pay attention to other humans. It is a sad, sad thing but I see it even more clearly after this horrible situation.

I am trying to keep a positive mind with the outcome but after almost two years this has become a little bit harder to stomach. I have a much dreaded trial coming up on December 1st that could last up to ten days. As of right now, I really just want to try to focus on the truth. My hope is that this whole thing will make me stronger and learn that the truth does truly prevail. I am too much of a realist to believe that this happens every time though. I do so much hope that this happens in my case.

I have never, in the several months of writing this blog ever been so upfront and personal. I think that is where I am at right now. A little wilted, tired, and vulnerable. In my first post ever on this blog I said that this blog would be totally me if I allow it so here I am. My resilience will pull me through, I know it. xoxo. Anna

Sleeping Beauty

Isn't she the cutest? All mellow and tuckered out on the drive home from the mountains. I love my furry baby. xo

Mountain Getaway

We just got back from our weekend in the mountains and it was so relaxing. We pretty much did everything you would do in a place with the name Fawnskin. We took walks into town, shopped at a rummage sale, picked wild flowers, drank beer and cocktails, made homemade ice cream and many vegetarian meals, shot bb guns at milk cartons and cans strung in the trees (that was a first for me), and pretty much just sat around talking and laughing with good friends outside in the fresh and clean air. It felt like we were in a tree house all weekend. Now we are off to enjoy the last day of our extended holiday weekend. Bye...

Bye...

We are leaving on a little road trip for the weekend to go meet some friends in the mountains by a lake. Ahh... it sounds so nice! We can't wait. A change of scenery sounds perfect right now. Have a great weekend!

image via

Dying To Dye

 I've had red hair before, several times. I also know how hard it is to get it out of hair once I decide to make the change. Can't shake the feeling this time (once again). Are you a repeat offender? It's so pretty though, right? I think I'm going to take the plunge. Again. Alex loves me as a redhead so that's a good thing, even though I don't ever make color changes dictated by the man. It is a plus though. I can't tell you how many times a lady walks into the salon and says "I wish I could cut my hair short or change my color". That is always strange and sad to me at the same time. If you are with a man who cannot imagine you with a shorter do or a different shade of hair, maybe he isn't the man for you. Just sayin.

By the way the hair styling in the last pic is great! It is so beautiful to me!

images via weheartit