Flower Friday In Tan And Red

Not really a flower, I know, but I make the rules here.

And I like it, Audrey brought it home.

Also, a new thing, a few of my favorite blogs for you to check out this weekend.

"Just Be Blogged"

Tara is an amazing photographer, she works from the heart and she is really who has inspired me to look more closely at family portraits.

"DESIGN LOVE FEST"

I have just discovered this gal, Bri.  I like her.  She finds cute and clever items and happenings to post about.  She has mad style and shares some great fashion photos and she is happy and industrious and ambitious in a fun, good way. 

"Color Me Katie"

Pure love and happiness and positivity and humor all day long.  I visit Katie for a daily burst of rainbows and hearts and sunshine and cute pics of her cat--Moo.

Now, if I could only figure out how to leave a blog list on the side over there.

It will happen.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Nature In The City

We live in an apartment building and letting the dog out into the yard is not an option so there are a lot of walks on our daily schedule.  Sometimes we grab the nature basket and gather (or just look at) the pretty little things we see along the way.

I will show you next week what we made with the leaves.

Happy Thursday.

Stop The Car

The next time you are driving the Ortega Highway (the 74 from San Juan Capistrano to Riverside 'ish area) and you are feeling very hungry and keeping an eye out for, I don't know, maybe something like an In-N-Out Burger (not that that's what WE were looking for), STOP looking for the In-N-Out Burger and start looking for The LOOKOUT Roadhouse and then STOP THE CAR!

There will be motorcycles.....

....and handsome men in suits reading papers.

(Okay maybe not every time you're there.)

Frosty beer mugs--this alone can make me love a restaurant.

A quiet corner seat with a view.

They have an outdoor patio with an amazing view but Rebecca said it was bee season.

So we sat inside.

  

The very best, lovely, sincere, sweetest service ever.  It was more than service.  

She was our guide through a marvelous afternoon of fun, relaxation and truly some of the BEST food ever.

Rebecca, you are awesome.

Speaking of food, you must order the mushrooms.  The best I have ever had.  Succulent and garlicky and buttery and perfectly spiced (a bit of oregano and onion and pepper I think).  

The broth was divine and I never use that word.

And then the ribs came and I am sorry I do not have a great pic of the ribs.  We dove in so quickly and lost our minds and only remembered to take a pic mid-meal. 

Do you see those soft hot buttered buns and the pinto beans and the tender and crispy but not at all burnt fried potatoes that are exactly like my papa used to make?

Yes, we had dessert too. But no I don't have a picture of it.  

We were fighting over who would get the most bites of the best boysenberry pie ever and neither one of us would put the fork down long enough to pick up the camera.  

Rest assured it was the perfect temperature, warmed through but not too hot, the crust was buttery and lightly flaky and not at all greasy. It was topped with creamy vanilla ice cream and fresh whipped cream.  

It was a big beautiful mess.

So go....by yourself, with your friends, on a date, for someone's birthday lunch.....just go.  

As soon as you can, it's worth the drive.  

Good Food...Good Friends...Good times......

We will be back there soon.

Oh, I almost forgot, there is one important rule.

Flower Fridays In Pink

Isn't she pretty in pink?

We have a very busy weekend ahead of us but all fun stuff.  I will take pics--of course--and be ready to share on Monday.  I also have a huge to do list--including figuring out how to make my blog not crooked.  I have a huge shout out to a couple of bloggers who have reached out and helped me with advice on blogging and changing code and some photography tips and I am so crazy appreciative.  

Feel free to use the above flower pic as wallpaper on your computer, it really brightens up your screen.

Special thanks to Laura at A Tailored Line for e-mailing me the deets on enlarging my pics, I think I did it right today.  She saw my comment on another gals blog and sent me a message.  Super sweet.

Also, a super shout out to Kara at mi & mo photography for taking a ton of time today to talk shop and give me links and a lot of great advice.  Kara and her sister do really fabulous work.  Very sharp and bright and warm all at the same time, they really get their subjects laughing and smiling and what more can you ask for.  So check these ladies out and spread the word.

xoxoxoxo

Happy Friday.

It's About How You Feel

A couple of weekends ago we had what we called a "quiet weekend".  However, we did not stay home the whole time--no can do with two energetic little girls--so we went to a little place not too far from us called Greystone Mansion, (did you guess right?) just on the border of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.  It is always so quiet there and tons of parking (and free--which is unheard of) and you can roam the grounds and run down hills and take a picnic (remember a towel or blanket because the picnic area is way dirty--did you hear that Greystone?!) and look at turtles and really beautiful and unusual flowers and plants and peek into windows at huge beautiful garish rooms that make you fantasize about what it would be like to be young and hugely rich in another era that seems so much more glamorous and romantic than ours.  Wow, big sentence.  I highly recommend you check it out if you live in LA and if you don't live in LA and you are visiting, skip The Grove and go here instead.  Seriously, you can get a better view of Mario Lopez on TV.  I promise you will love it.

Look here.

(don't ask what's on that cracker!)

Perfectly imperfect.  

I always manage a shot of a rose past it's prime every time I am out and about.

Lots of things to see.

These two, getting into the spirit of things with their make-do flapper headgear.

And the best part of the day, spending it with my three most favorite people in the whole wide world.

You know, thinking about it now, it took me awhile to edit these pics down because I love every one of them and it was hard to choose.  Not because they are the most perfectly executed photographs, with perfect lighting and white balance and wardrobe and subject etc.   I love them because it gets to the heart of who these three are and why they make me so happy and spending time with them is the best gift on earth.  And I just feel so...tender hearted when I look at them.

That's it.

Have a beautiful day.

Oh, if you want to see some more of these pics that I loved go to my new Flickr account.......here.....http://www.flickr.com/photos/7231080@N07/

The Funniest Picture I Have Ever Taken

Ok, maybe not THE FUNNIEST ever, but one of the funniest ever.

And, really, I just aimed and pushed a button.  

The funny award goes to little miss turning into quite the class clown.

And.

Here are some of the prettiest pictures I have ever taken, from yesterday's head shot session.  

A lovely and truly sweet and go with the flow young woman.  

Gorgeous, no?

Keep your eye on the big screen for this one.

Have a great Tuesday.  

A Quickie

I have some great photos to share from a place we went with the kids during our quiet weekend.  It is taking me a while to edit it down but I just wanted to post a few as a preview of sorts.

Here we go.

Can you guess where we went?

Too Cute & A Dude

Here are a few from last weeks head shot sessions...........

First up, the cutest girl ever!

Very smart.

(need to retouch that wayward hair, but it is one of the cutest we took that day, I think)

(ok, no, I think this is one of the cutest, love that 70's cool vibe)

I say cool but 10 seconds later she was a total goof ball.

And then, this guy, a hay bailer from Indiana, my home state. A family man. 

Super sweet and kinda rough around the edges.

Looks like an unpolished Tom Cruise.  I use "unpolished" as a compliment.

  He wanted some character shots, hence the werewolf from True Blood look.  

I love it!  

And last but not least, a little bit of crazy.  

Don't worry, he's pretending.

Need some pics done? Send me a line and I'll schedule you in.

Happy Tuesday!

Quiet

We had a very quiet weekend.

We cancelled everything.

And just stayed close to home.

It was a really nice change of pace.  

I highly recommend you try it.

Take Shelter

While the rest of the country starts to enjoy fall's cooler weather LA gets hit with a heat wave.  Happens every year, although usually in October.....or November....or December.....you get the picture.  I'm not complaining though, we get creative around here.  The girls tossed up a makeshift shade canopy over their "treehouse".

This little kitty decided to take ownership for the day.  Smart cat.  I wonder if she'll scoot over and make room for me?

Happy Wednesday.  Stay cool.