Ciblek Mania

Since leaping back on the workout wagon I've had so much energy - good energy, positive energy, happy energy.  Yesterday afternoon I got a rad call from a shop girl informing me she'd nabbed a leather skirt I've been coveting that's been sold out for weeks.  Score!! Rather than freaking out about work I let myself quit a bit early and scoot out with the Chef for a game of cat and mouse aka skirt.  The night was whimsical and fun; lighthearted, filled with shared smiles and laughs with people we've grown to love and appreciate in LA - a city that once seemed so unfriendly, but has become a warm community.

After I nabbed my skirt - oh yes I did - AND made a great new friend in the fitting room (who says you can't make friends in LA??), the Chef and  I found ourselves wandering about semi-emptied stores admiring the early phases of Christmas/Holiday.  I do love this time of the year.  It leaves me nostalgic and hopeful, sentimental and happy - but also just enjoying every moment.  Sounds cheesy, but couldn't be more true.  So in the spirit of the season (before someone jacks my parking spot and flips me off) I thought I'd share some of the things that are topping my giddy list right now...whether for self or others - they bring a healthy dose of cheer!

• Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I'm thinking this golden wishbone might need to arrive within the next week.  We've got a lot of wishes over here at this free bird!!
• The Weepies newest album - 'Be My Thrill'.  To say I adore The Weepies would be an understatement.  I've been listening to their music from the beginning and am so happy to have their current album mixed into my faves right now and for always. 
• Last night when I was strolling Anthropologie I saw the cutest Christmas tree ornaments.  Admission: my tree is filled with quirky cat ornaments, but I sense a change.  Thanks Anthro!!
• The Holiday season is upon us...let's fill our homes with sparkle and shine like this peony candleholder from Eighteen Karat.  Makes me want to run to Vancouver right now.
•  Speaking of sparkle and shine, I can't seem to escape these Siwy sequin pants...I might need an intervention.
• But not before I get this ring on my finger.  I can't seem to get enough silver right now.

We closed the night at one of our fave restaurants - a place we started frequenting when we were "just friends".  It was heartwarming to have familiar servers sit down with us to catch up and dish on the latest in all our lives - people who have become our friends.  Suddenly, in the middle of everything, I recognized feeling so ridiculously happy, content, and at peace.  Living in the moment is where it's at.

Happy Wednesday everyone!!  Thanks so much for sharing your Holiday lists recently...so many great ideas to contemplate.  If you get a chance check out a list I contributed to over at Elleinad Spir - super fun!

There are a lot of great perks that go along with dating a Chef. Aside from the obvious (amazing home-cooked meals!), there is the joy of an organized fridge, having someone to ask what the crazy looking stuff is at the grocery, and my personal favorite - testing out different restaurants. The Chef is a true food connoisseur and not a snob at all. He can find just as much beauty at a hole-in-the-wall diner as there is in a 5-star restaurant, and it's one of my fave things about him.

Dining out sometimes leads us to places that provide the perfect excuse for snazzy wardrobe items, and there is nothing like a proper date!  After a super sparkly event this weekend (details coming soon) we headed out for cocktails and small bites at one of our top haunts. Confession:  it was my first time adorned in sequins. Until now I had admired from afar, but after Saturday I'm on sequin crack. Having ordered some items a couple weeks ago I decided it was time to put one to the test.  Summary:  it was a love affair from the moment I put the top on until the moment I begrudgingly exchanged it for my pj's. Glitter, sparkle, shine - they bring out the best in everyone. I had the cheeriest conversations, met the most sincere smiles, and received a slew of compliments.  Does anyone know if there's a support group for sequin addicts?  I think I'm in trouble...

Then again, perhaps sequins are the solution for world peace?