Arrivederci

He was a solver of brain teasers.

A chauffeur after school.

A storybook reader.

A corrector of driving skills.

A lover of ice cream.

A veteran.

A landscape manicurist.

An origami money maker.

A man devoted to his faith.

A frequent caller to Anaheim's Code Enforcement. (True, several cards in the Rolodex.)

A man full of trivia.

A man with the cleanest bathroom this side of the Mississippi.

A husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.

To me, my grandpa. Arrivederci Grandpa. A dopo. May you rest in peace.

The birthday

The birthday came, lingered, and went. A good one it was.

We had cupcakes and cake balls complete with song at work.

That night, Scott took me to a restaurant we've heard rave reviews about but had not tried-Il Garage at Park Ave. The Italian bistro portion of the restaurant-the garage- is in the garden where the chef sources his menu from- a menu that changes 25% each day. We'll definitely return.

The big trip for the bday consisted of a trip to the Huntington Library. An amazing place that one visit will never do justice.

The Blue boy...and Scott.

A path in the rose garden.

Mona Lisa Anemone.

She spoke to me. I don't recall the artist other than he was an American and amateur-which partly explains the oddness of the woman to me.

Magnolia trees.

Cactus garden...straight out of Dr. Seuss.

Massive fireplace in the Huntington's dining room accompanied by the original George W.

Thanks to Yelp, we had lunch at Roma Italian Grocery and Deli, which was delicious and a diamond in the rough of a strip mall. If you find yourself in Pasadena and craving a sandwich, by all means, go there. The little Italian man serving up The Sandwich-yes, there's only one-may offer you 10 year old cheese to sample. If he doesn't, by all means inquire-the people behind you won't mind you holding up the line. 1o year old provolone-ZOMG.

That night Rob and Kerri came up for dinner-Scott's famous steak, Brussels sprouts and aperitifs at the Twisted Vine. We wined, dined, and talked a little shop for the planning of my 10 year high school reunion. And Krob even me this awesome succulent planter.

Sunday night my parents, grandma, sister, her boyfriend and my in-laws celebrated at our local pizzeria. It was a birthday weekend well spent and I thank everyone who made it as special as it was, from the cards, texts, phone calls, emails and Facebook messages-cheers!

Pinterest Challenge: Roman Blinds

Pinterest is a place of inspiration and very little execution. Thus, Andrea prompted me to participate in a challenge to put our pins into practice.

The timing was perfect because of our office revamp (or rather, just vamp, seeing as we've done nothing to it at after living here over a year) and the the project was chosen-DIY Roman Shades.

Source: 365days2simplicity.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

My final version:





Post project thoughts:

1) Crappy blinds yield a not so fabulous backbone of a shade. They function, as noted above, but the fabric is a home dec fabric thus its weight might be a little much for the flimsy blinds.

2) MEASURE ERIN, MEASURE. I'm not convinced each of my blinds are perfectly straight.

3) These blinds replaced the previous owners' white vinyl roller blinds. They are certainly a cosmetic upgrade, but in hindsight I wish I had used a blackout fabric on the back, as these are more light-filtering.

Overall, I like them for the pop of color to the room, and though the functionality is fair, it was also a project that satisfied my need for instant gratification.

New Year's Eve 2011

Dinner and Drinks and darn good times with Blake and Priscilla.

Strolling down Harbor Blvd.


Running into favorite coworkers.


Cheers to 2011 and it's memories and welcoming 2012!

Final 2011 Victories

1. Fruits of my labor began sprouting-ziva paperwhites.

2. Built up my tolerance of other species.

3. FINALLY got around to organizing and decorating the office.

In process of moving everything out to prep for paint.

More put together, but not the final vision.

3a. Earthquake-strapped the bookcase to the wall.

4. Started new nail trends in the painting process, "the spackle".


5. Fixed the doorbell so that it's no longer on the same frequency as the next door neighbor's.

6. Hung rain gutters and down spouts.

Goodbye 2011, hello 2012. First anticipated victory will be staying up until midnight.

Christmas

A week of fun, frivolity, family, friends, and food (and sometimes lack thereof the latter.)

Employee of the month here, who braved Costco.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Wednesday.

Business cat.

First real sewing project! Potholders for Leah!

Christmas Eve duets.

Really? It's own section?

Christmas morning breakfast.

350 miles shared with wonderful family.

Happy Christmas!

Victors

Winner, winner, Catchphrase clincher!!!





Shout out to Amie who always has her camera and tripod at the ready!