The tiny happinesses of a busy life

It seems as though the busier times in my life, such as this fall has been for me, require lots of fun and happiness to keep me going. Thankfully, the busy-ness of November has simply involved a whole series of fun and happy events doing the things I love to do, spent with the people that I know and love. To be completely honest, it has felt happy the way Christmas is supposed to feel(but never does) and for that I am grateful, since we are in fact, now going into the holiday season, which I so dread. I now feel much more fortified and able to deal with the stresses and mental tiredness that Christmas brings.

November started off with the happiest of things, a visit from Parents!



This visit included a lovely tea with friends and my dear, sweet mother. It couldn't have been more perfect.






We then had a series of crazy things happen in life which required cake as a solace, so I made a happy visit to Pangea bakery and cafe, which I adore!!

I enjoyed the green tea mousse with oolong tea - this was a real treat.

And I took a few little egg custards home to share with Matthew.

The end of the month has really been lovely with celebrating Thanksgiving and simply enjoying time with friends. I've also indulged in a few little purchases: tiny pans, persimmons, funny christmas cards, etc.

The persimmon is for reference so that viewers will understand just how tiny this pan is!!



I've also been thoroughly enjoying persimmons from the Japanese market



The pan is just adorable and fits perfectly under my broiler. I always have so much trouble fitting a full sized pan under the broiler that I bought these little ones for that purpose, but also to have on hand for baking tiny squashes and other small baking jobs. Maybe I should make some itty bitty cookies on them? that might just be too cute!! =)

Well, whether I'm ready or not, Christmas is on it's merry way and I've finally started to face this fact!!

Here are a few fun cards that I thought match so perfectly my Christmas sentiments

Might be the wrong gender to be me, but the sentiment is the same =)

Hey! that's the way to make punch!! Gin Punch, that is!!

Tis the season for Gin, Gin and more Gin! =)

The Holiday display at Hillcrest Hardware - one of my all time favorite places to do my Christmas shopping!!

Birthday surprises

Before flying off to Japan, I had a birthday and, as often happens, it was another birthday full of sweet and fantastic surprises that remind me over and over again of how much all the people in my life mean to me. I loved all the fun treats that they sent my way, but even more than the fun things, I loved the thoughts and care which I know is sent with each darling item. I will just post a few pictures of the fun things I recieved in the mail, just the things that photograph well. I can't include a photo of the darling sweater that I have secretly been wanting for months, or the little grey scarf that I wore all over Tokyo, or the tiny green notepads set that was so adorable that it actually made me tear up from the utter cuteness of the characters on the little booklets. I'm just not good enough at photographing things to include these things, but I love them all the same.


A little owl towel. Because my mother knows I love dish towels


A whole flock of little owls


One little owl on a green cocktail napkin. Rather cute, I must admit.


A little owl creature. He looks so cute with a candle to light his fat little body.


An extra cutie note book. Hmmm...this birthday, everybody seems to be pushing me to start journaling again.


The best sticky notes ever. And They're Pink!


It's pink! how can I possibly dislike it? but, for the same reason, how can I use it? It's too cute.


I love this pouch. I can not tell you the number of times I've actually reached for these scissors, only to discover that they aren't what they seem. I love the element of shock, every time it happens!

It really was a sweet and wonderful birthday.

How to cuten up a plain white door

This is a tutorial on how to Cuten up a plain white door.

Steps to follow:

1. Have a 28th Birthday
2. Receive the sweetest vinyl birthday owl from best friend
3. Wait a month trying to figure out where to put the vinyl owl (it mustn't be wasted on an unworthy spot)
4. Finally have a stroke of adorable genius and apply it to the plain white bedroom door that looks a bit depressing, when you really think about it (which isn't very often)
5. Notice how incredibly cheerful the new owl vinyl looks on the door
6. Wonder how it took a whole month to figure out where to put the owl



See, doesn't the door look so cute?



Cuteness abounds!

Images from an autumnal Birthday weekend

For the first time in four years, I spent my Birthday at home in Oregon amongst my family and the fall colors that I always expect to see around my Birthday. It still surprises me every year when November rolls around the San Diegan trees are still green or simply shriveled and brown, no bright color at all. This year I enjoyed having a true fall birthday at home.


My birthday cake- one of the best I've ever eaten


A stroll through the park after birthday shopping and lunch


A birthday Mother on the bridge


A sampling of the lovely trees in Ashland

Images from Pat's Autumn garden


Pretty little flowers



The Hawthorne berries before they darken for winter and lose their leaves


The Hops-still pretty, despite no longer being green



A strange little Orange berry tree that I've never noticed before


Not a garden picture, but still, very pretty little utensils. I should have posted it with my muffin recipe post.

The best birthday!

I must admit that I usually have lovely birthdays. They are always a treat, but this year was really splendid. I felt more spoiled than usual, which is quite a feat, considering how much my friends and family pamper me, in general.



I actually saved my presents and cards up until the day of my birthday(something I never do, being the greedy little girl that I am) so they really piled up. I also hosted the most charming little party ever, a get together of some of my favorite people; we just sat around eating delicious snacks and drinking Belgian ales during the late afternoon.



All this added up to make my 27th birthday the best birthday I've had in a long time.

















Honestly, I'm not clever enough to make such gorgeous cupcakes as the ones I've plastered all over this post. These were given to me by a very sweet and talented friend. I must say, I'm so satisfied after this birthday because, I've often given people pastries and other darling little sweets for birthday gifts but they always look at them oddly as though they don't want them(and maybe they don't). Of course, I don't usually make such beautiful pastries as she does(she being a pastry chef and all), but I do buy them from nice little places. So, after years of bringing pastries as party gifts, I finally received some at my party. Anyway, these cupcakes were incredible, the perfect lemon cupcakes. Matthew was even floored by them and he doesn't take to sweets like I do.



So, to everyone I know and love, thank you for giving me a dear, sweet birthday. I loved all my gifts and cards and well wishes.

Useful items- Updated

Copper bowl

Mandoline

Suribachi

Fruits Basket
(except volumes 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 19, 20)

Update:
I received all the useful items on this list. They were all birthday presents. I didn't expect to get them all, but I am far too spoiled; see birthday post for more evidence of this fact.

A busy day off

I fully intended to post earlier in the day but I was way too busy with chores and errands. In fact, I intended to post a number of times over the past week but it just hasn't happened. So, Halloween was lovely, I dressed in my usual pink fairy costume and handed out candy to hundreds of children who came by the store. It was adorable. Lots of cute cute costumes. I must admit though, my favorites are the homemade ones. I really don't like seeing 50 kids, all in identical costumes.

I also had one of the most delightful birthdays. Matthew went way overboard with the presents which was fun for me =) We went out for Chinese food which was always my choice for birthday dinner when I was a youngster so I thought I'd keep the tradition. The next day I went out with a co worker and a former co worker for drinks at the Pink Elephant. So cute, bubbles and little elephants everywhere. I got the pink princess drink which was silly sweet but fun. It was at this point when I realized that my Oregon ID really was no longer valid. I showed the bouncer both my official but one day expired ODL and then my very shoddy looking CDL papers which are all easily forgable photo copies. The guy says "good thing you have that stuff cause I wouldn't let you in with your expired license." What?! what kind of craziness is that? I'll tell you what it is, a terrible reminder that I'm no longer an Oregon citizen. So sad!

Other than that sad bit of realization it's been a lovely birthday weekend. The weather has finally been feeling fall like(as much as it will down here); in celebration I made the most delicious little fall dessert of Bartlett pear crisp with Pumpkin ice cream. It tasted exactly like a bowl of fall. Nummy!

Matthew really went above and beyond with my b-day gifts. I'd seen these Hello Kitty car floor mats a week before and didn't have money for them so he knew I'd like those. But he wasn't sure if I'd like a Sony reader. Of course, as an English major, naturally I'd like a tiny little machine that can store hundreds of books for my reading pleasure. It is fantastically impressive. So tiny, but it holds so much information and works perfectly. I love it.