Pura Miel Honey

Holiday Party

My Favorite Things

It was my birthday a few days ago and my dear Husband surprised me with some of my favorites:

it was the best!

85°F in December

Even in sunny SoCal, the warm weather this weekend surprised the most native of Angelenos. With the temps soaring we were in desperate need of some winter merriment. So we headed to the local ice skating rink for some family fun. For my nephew's first time, the little guy took to the ice extremely well! Like a duck to water (with a little help from his auntie). 

Being Thankful

Our Thanksgiving turned out amazing! Spending the day in the kitchen and celebrating with family was delicious. And rather than navigate the crowds at malls and shopping centers, we spent Black Friday at the beach instead.  We have much for which to be thankful. So today I am sending a big 'ol shout out to family, turkey leftovers, sun-soaked beaches, and my rock star kitchen that so smoothly hosted a big familia-style dinner. ~Gracias!

Thanksgiving Dinner menu options

Only 4 days away, can you believe it?!?  Because we are hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner, I went a little overboard and planned 2 different menus. One menu is a bit more non-traditional, but both are yummy. Not surprisingly the hardest part was pairing down the dessert options. How will I ever choose?

Photo credits: via here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here

Christmas Card

With Christmas just around the corner, we're trying to get a jump on our holiday cards. The final print version might get a few tweaks, but here is what we've come up with this year: 

Fatherhood

I just ran across the most touching photo essay of fatherhood as told by a reluctant father. You must check out Phillip Toledano's photos and narrative here. His honest account of the uncharted journey into fatherhood is both refreshing and affecting. Makes the idea of plotting my own journey less scary.

Photos via here

Santa Barbara: Bacara & 26.2 Miles

After spending the last few months running our neighborhood trails after work every day and training with his buddy, a marathon pro, during long early morning runs every weekend, Ronnie was ready to run his first 26.2 miles at the Santa Barbara International Marathon this past weekend. With the proper training under his belt, we decided that the best way to overcome the nervous mental energies would be to get some rest and relaxation the night before the race.  And the best place for some plush R&R in Santa Barbara....the Bacara Resort of course. We spent our 1st anniversary at Bacara and always longed to return. Thankfully, Bacara graciously extended marathon participants a special rate, of which we happily took advantage. After  checking-in we explored the lush meandering grounds of the resort, ordered some wine, took a romantic walk on the beach, watched the sun set over the ocean and enjoyed a healthy carb load at the resort's outdoor bistro. 

3am came too early the morning of the race. Ronnie was surprising calm and bushy-tailed - R&R accomplished. After the obligatory morning coffee I drove Ronnie to the drop-off location, wished him all the love and luck in the world, and began to plan my spectator route from where I would snap pics of him along the race course. I caught up to him at Mile 6, Mile 12, and Mile 17.  He looked great and was maintaining a 3:20 marathon pace. I was so proud of him and happy to see that he would be fulfilling one of his dreams/goals. And I was happy to be snapping the pics instead of worrying about electrolyte replenishment and blisters. By Mile 22 Ronnie began to experience debilitating cramps in his quads. But he toughed it out to the finish! No longer a mere runner, Ronnie has joined the elite ranks of people (1%) that can call themselves a marathon runner. He's hooked and already planning for the next marathon.

Bacara grounds and village room

Bacara Pool

On our way to the beach

Trail to the beach

Impromptu photo shoot

Watching the sunset while enjoying a glass of wine

Santa Barbara sunset

3am the morning of the marathon 

Looking fresh at mile 17

From runner to marathoner

Mission accomplished!

Happy Halloween

Our Thanksgiving Invite

Cheez at Chesebro

Remember Ronnie's b-day gift from here? Well, I'm finally getting around to sharing some of my favorite photos from the surprise family photo shoot. The shoot was a complete surprise to Ronnie and he was none the wiser until the photographers showed up on our doorstep with equipment in hand.  The look on his face was priceless. He loved it. After taking some shots at the house, we headed to Chesebro Canyon which proved to be a truly spectacular backdrop. The entire shoot was so much fun. And I was so very proud of the kids. They were (surprisingly) well behaved. Big shout out to my uber-talented friend Mougeh W. and her equally gifted husband who took all the photos and produced the photo shoot.

All Photos Taken By The Talented Mougeh W.

Goodbye Summer

113 degree temps in SoCal???? It sure doesn't feel like Fall around here. So rather than spend the first weekend of Fall in AC, our family escaped the heat and headed up to Bucks Lake in NorCal for some boating, s'mores and much needed R&R.





007 Themed Birthday Party

Happy 30th my love!

Weekend Wrap-up

We've finally moved our projects to the outside. Friday evening we planted flowers in our front yard. Don't mind the brown lawn - we'll be laying sod soon :)

On Saturday, I gave Ronnie his birthday present.  I surprised him with a family photo shoot. My photographer friend took photos of us and the kids in front of our house and at the state park. The weather was perfect and the photos turned out amazing. More photos to come, but for now here is a sneak peek of the kids:

And on Sunday we started our first DIY project.  Instead of shelling out $2K on Moooi's Random Light, we decided to try to make our own. We used cotton yarn and fabric stiffener.  

Housewarming

We've done a lot of work to the house, but there is still a ton left to do.  Even though we're not finished (don't know if we'll ever be), here is a tour of our progress thus far.....

STAIRS

We painted and stained this beauty ourselves. It took 1 week everyday after work. And while I almost had a heart attack, Ronnie perched himself above the stairs and installed the lantern pendant. Love him, love the pendant, and glad they are both intact.

LIVING ROOM

We painted the entire house (walls, ceilings, moldings, trim, and doors) in Benjamin Moore's China White. The one color approach does a great job of making our low-ceiling rooms appear much larger. Or maybe its the lack of furniture. Installing the mantel is the next item on the to-do list. 

FAMILY ROOM/KITCHEN/OFFICE

We love this house because of its open floor plan.  The kitchen, living room and office are open to one another. It is especially nice when we have large parties. Yes, we've already hosted a few.

OFFICE

We think this once was a billiard room. But it works better for us as an office.

MASTER BATH

A fresh coat of paint, light fixtures, mirrors and hardware were all this bathroom needed.  Even though we still have a few light fixtures to install and curtains to hang, its my favorite room in the house. 

MASTER CLOSET

We love our IKEA his and hers closets so very much that they almost make us forget the torture we went through to install them. Count them...10 miserably long and exhausting hours. I'm happy to report that we survived and we're still married.