Thursday, December 29, 2011

Food Fashion and Flow Year in Review




I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for all of your wonderful feedback and giving me an opportunity to share my world with you.  When I started this blog, I wasn’t sure where it would go and I had no expectations, but one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted this to be a creative outlet for me and a place where I could be authentically myself. 

I like to keep this a positive and pleasant place and I am so thrilled that you take time out of your day to stop and read what I have to say.  Before I share the highlights of the year, I would strongly encourage you if you haven’t already, to go back and read the written posts.  Under the flow tab at the top of the menu bar, you will find my in-depth writing on everything from friendships to my relationship with God.  You will truly have a new understanding of the woman behind this blog.   And now in no particular order, I will share the most popular posts over the past year in terms of page views and your comments.

There was one post that made a lot of you cry with me, brought my lurkers out of hiding and generated email letters of support from all over the world. This post has been read thousands of times.  This was difficult to write and even more difficult to post.  I was very hesitant.

And then after pondering for a moment, I knew that if this post helped or encouraged one person, it was worth me being embarrassed. I hit the publish button and there was no turning back.  I was real and honest and you loved me for it.  And the aftermath of this post was the dry reality that sometimes life knocks you on your ass, but what you do after that shows what you are made of.   This was not the most commented on post, but it is the most read post in the history of this blog and to this day still generates private emails in celebration of how I have lived my life after this disappointment. And there are still quite a few women who reach out to me privately and say, "Yes, I am in that club too." 


"Member of the Club
the most read post in the history of this blog. Read it by clicking here 

"True Colors" 

This post was highly commented on and it is a very special post because I wrote about my experience after getting a Leukemia diagnosis.  After an experience like this, you can’t help but tell fear to F*** off. I wanted to wear something colorful and bold and quirky to celebrate life. If you want to get to know me even better read my thoughts on life here
 "Faux Friends"
I am a person that values meaningful relationships over superficial ones.  I don’t like fake people, I am allergic to folks that aren’t genuine.  I decided to pull the covers back and write about the complexities of friendship.  This definitely struck a chord with a lot of you and after this post was when I realized that there are so many of you that read my blog, but might not comment. After I wrote this, many of you reached out to me privately for advice on your friendships.  Want to know how I feel about fake friends? Read it here

 "Rise"


I really had fun putting this post together and I was amused that so many of you thought my sexy little apron was a dress. I cook and bake A LOT and I wanted to inspire you through a recipe and based on the response and the page views this post still generates. Many of you were indeed very inspired. I also wanted to show that you can be stylish in the kitchen too.  Do you want to know what I have to say about rising? Read it here

"Yellow Pop"
If you have been following this blog for awhile, you know how much I love bold color.  Many of you loved this fun and playful post.  See the full post by clicking here


 "Lady in Black"
This all black ensemble is a look that many of you commented on. See the full post here


"Miss Mister"

I love menswear inspired looks and apparently you do too! This was another popular post! See the full post by clicking here
 "I want to be seen green"
See the full post here
 "Birthday Girl"

So many of you reached out to me by comments and emails to wish me a happy birthday.  You have no idea what that meant to me:-)

"Olvera Street"

I will go just about any where for some culture and good food.  I seriously have a love affair with food and in this post, I invite you to be a fly on the wall during one of my many food adventures around Los Angeles.  Olvera Street is a bold colorful place, so I had to wear a bold colorful dress:-) See the full post here

 "Easy Breezy Turquoise"

This was a look a lot of you loved and you liked how I wore my necklace backwards:-) 


 "Unwritten"

See it by clickiing here 


What a fun year!


"Rose Water Ice Cream in Rose Mint Shot Glass"


Your favorite food post was a tie between two sweet treats, so I am sharing them both with you. You can view the full post and how I came to create this delectable dessert by clicking here


"Praline Pumpkin Cake"

This recipe is as delicious as it looks and based on the response, you loved this too! See the recipe here

 "Mosaic"

This poem about my life was one of your favorites this year. Read it here
 "You Better Make Me Smile"
Do men read lifestyle blogs? Apparently when you flow like this..they do.   This post generated emails from quite a few men. Do you want to know what got their attention? Check out my poetic flow here

 It brings me joy to inspire you! Keep coming back!

Monday, December 26, 2011

In a Sentimental Mood...




Happy Monday! I am in an especially sentimental mood today. I had an amazing day yesterday and I hope you did too! The look on my son's face was priceless when he opened his Christmas presents. And we spent some time around the people that we love, which made the day even more special.  I really love this time of year, but I am super sappy and sentimental all the time anyway, so I don't really need a holiday to take me there:-) Today, I just plan to enjoy the beautiful weather and that adorable little prince that I call my son:-) Be sure to stop by in a couple of days when I post the year in review. It will have all of my blog highlights from the past year and I would love to share them with you. 

I am wearing a very casual coral button down shirt and jeggings. So comfortable and easy to just throw on! I will no doubt be swapping these heels for some comfy oxfords as the day goes on. We are going to lunch, but after that, I plan to put on shoes that are comfortable and easy to run up and down the street in:-) You can't chase a little boy wearing stillettos, ya know...LOL.  How was your holiday?


This big tree is beautiful, I could not resist nestling into it:-)

Have an amazing day!
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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!



Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas holiday is amazing! I am making preparations for tomorrow and getting excited! I can't wait for my son to open his presents:-) Here is a quick post to spread some holiday cheer. I wanted to share some of my favorite Christmas songs with you. I hope you have an amazing celebration with your family and lots of wonderful memories to cherish for a lifetime:-) 

 

The Christmas song by Nat King Cole is my favorite Christmas song of all time. A voice like silk and a timeless classic.


"Let it Snow" This is another classic song. So upbeat and cheerful!




No list would be complete without "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway


 


"A Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney" This song just makes me happy:-)



"Merry Christmas Baby" This song holds a very special place in my heart. When I was a little girl, my Dad always always played this song on Christmas.




"Give Love on Christmas Day" Such a powerful message in this song and I love hearing Michael Jackson:-)

 

"Christmas Time is Here" This reminds me of my childhood.  I love this music so much that I even bought all of the other  music by Vince Guaraldi and I listen to the Charlie Brown Instrumentals all year long. It is really great music and very relaxing.  I hope you enjoyed the Christmas selections. What are your favorites?













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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Black + Teal



Happy Thursday! This has been such a hectic time that I have not been posting as much lately. I had such good intentions for posting more holiday recipes, but I have been crazy busy lately.  Please forgive me, I will make up for it with some amazing stuff in the new year:-) Last night I took my son out to look at Christmas lights and he was SO EXCITED! I think the best part of this holiday season is being able to experience it through the eyes of my son. We finished off our evening with donuts and hot chocolate:-) This year is quickly coming to a close and I will be doing a year in review to highlight your favorite posts, your favorite recipes, what moved you the most,  your favorite outfits and the single most popular post in the history of my blog.  Stay tuned for the year in review! The weather for Christmas in Cali will be sunny and bright:-) Today I am wearing a simple black tunic and leggings, which are perfect for this weather.  Are you done with your Christmas shopping?
These Pour La Victoire boots have become one of my favorites. I love the details and they are super comfortable.



Happy Holidays! Be safe, Be blessed and enjoy celebrating with your family:-)
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Monday, December 19, 2011

Christmas in the City...




Happy Holidays! If you read my last post, you know I was a little down, but now I am officially out of my slump. since this is the week before Christmas, I wanted to share some snapshots from Christmas in my house! There is nothing like an adorable child to bring you out of a melancholy mood. My son and I always have the most amazing times, so I wanted to share some of our photos with you:-)

My little guy loves going to the Santa Mail Box in Macys:-)



Christmas in our City

Fresh Poinsettias


Presents!

My little one made this Christmas Tree ornament for me and I gave it a prominent spot on our tree:-)

We shopped until we dropped:-) My son is sound asleep in his car seat after a fun day of shopping and hanging out. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season too!
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