Candy Cane Lane

For those of you that don't live close by, our neighborhood has one of those streets. After Thanksgiving it's official street name becomes Candy Cane Lane (there's even a plaque!) and every house on the street becomes fully decorated winter wonderland.

This year we walked down with our neighbors and enjoyed a crisp California night while looking at all the incredible lights/décor.

Since I have  yet to meet anyone who actually lives on this street ----- I have the same conversation every year ---- "if you buy a house here. is it in the contract that you have to decorate ?" "where do they store ALL this stuff?" "I guess they never leave their house after 5pm at this time of year."

The street is a dead end and on certain evenings Santa awaits.

Naturally, this is when Brian and I suddenly hear that Emily wants purple boots with a swirl and William wants some toy I've never heard of ---- ?? These items were NEVER mentioned before!!!!! :(

Manhattan Beach Girls Lunch

Emily and I had a girls lunch with one of her buddies from school and her Mom. We ate in Manhattan Beach and got ourselves a little dessert.

This little gem in MB is SOOOO yummy. It's all set up with cupcakes, ice cream, cake and more ---- stands hold old fashioned candies and a few naughty ones! (Curious? You'll have to go and find out for yourself!)

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon friends!!!

Raining! + temptation

For someone who lives in CA this is going to sound strange ---- but I love rain. I always have. I have great memories attached to rain. I'm not saying I'd want it to rain everyday, but as I sit in our family room, listening to the rain on the skylights, it feels very cozy!

And then I start thinking about what's in the refrigerator..........

I've always been a die hard Sprinkles fan. And then my friend, Tracy, showed me the light at a close by Susie Cakes. I mean, seriously delicious cupcakes. Moist cake, rich frosting. Just walking into the store and a Zen-like peace falls over you. The beautiful cakes twinkle in their cases and the magic begins........

And then Brian brought home Casey Cupcakes. A gift from one of his work folks.......

I'm no great photographer, but come on ----- isn't that a work of art? I did smoosh it a bit in my frenzy to hold it!!

And even though I don't like coconut ---- this baby still looks amazing!!

It's so festive looking!! It's a gingerbread/spice cake with a creamy frosting. I just love looking at it!!! See how it sparkles??? I want everything in my life to sparkle like that!!

I think you have to have a cute name, like Susie or Casey to own a cupcake place.......Louise's Cupcakes doesn't hold the same draw. And can you imagine MY silhouette stamped onto the chocolate topper?? EEK!!! Not at this weight folks!

Guess I'll just have to leave it the professionals out there! YUM!!1

Sugarfish

Happy Birthday dear Nicole!!!

A great reason to go to lunch with old friends and celebrate her 35th *cough* birthday!!

These ladies are some of my first friends from Westchester ---- the cute neighborhood we lived in for six years! Nothing makes you closer to people than experiencing your pregnancies and baby years --- so it's really nice to get to catch up every once and a while!!

This was my first time eating at .......

Sugarfish

.....looks like they are only in CA right now --- amazing Sushi. It was unbelievable fresh and the blue crab roll was a knock out. Jamie's advice to order the $25 lunch sampler was disregarded by me. But honestly, it's the way to order there. Skylar and I tucked into many delicious Sushi rolls and everything was over and beyond good. But it is a bit snobby. They take great pride in their sushi and don't want to see anyone "muck it up" with extra sauces, etc. I'd say come prepared to spend some money and be a sushi-purist.

I'd also recommend......

Koi

.......so freaking amazing. I went there with my friend Lisa who knows her sushi. We sat at the bar and had the most incredible sushi I've ever tasted!

Lisa is a professional Koi visitor and knows the guys by name ---- so she started ordering and my taste buds were in heaven. She also said "Surprise me with something new" ......and wow, did this chef (is that what you call sushi masters?) ever!! A blend of fish with a teeny dab of pesto (I know sounds weird but it worked) and the flavors exploded!

It's well worth the trip to Seal Beach!

I would like to go to a "sushi-off" between the two places and sample everything!!!