Lucky in Love

Sweater: Borrowed from sister

Belt: Thrifted

High-waisted shorts: Thrifted

Leggings: American Apparel

Oxfords: Borrowed from sister

My hairdresser convinced me to keep my hair longer, so I ended up with just a trim.  Tomorrow I'll be dying my hair a darker shade of brown (almost black, if all goes well).  It'll be the first time in a long time that I'll be dying my hair with color from a box and I'm more than a little nervous; the last time my hair was home-colored was in middle school when my sister tried to put red highlights in my hair... it was a disaster.

Mabel and her sister are very groggy from their surgery but they should be back in shape by tomorrow.  Unfortunately, the vet found out that the puppies have fleas (probably the California kind) so we'll be spending all day tomorrow disinfecting the entire house.  Ew.

Today's outfit was "librarian who knits in her free time"-inspired (I hope it shows).  I got a lot of compliments on my hair by many elderly women while out thrifting.  :)  I think that means I got the "knitting" part of the look down by association...

Lalilocks

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I'm getting my haircut tomorrow!!  And I haven't decided if I'm going to chop it off to make a bob or just trim it.  I have a tendency to really change my hairstyle whenever I go to get my hair cut so I have a feeling it may end up shorter, but we'll see what happens.  I do really enjoy putting my hair in pigtails, though; I'd hate to see those go!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!  My biggest gift this year was an iPhone, which I was very excited about because it means I'll never ever get lost again while driving (the Mapquest function is brilliant).  I'll also finally be able to Tweet like the pros, which is something to look forward to :)

Tomorrow I'll be thrifting (hopefully) while poor Mabel and her sister, Pearl, get "fixed" at the vet.  I hope it won't be completely heartbreaking to see them once they've returned.  They're both pretty enduring dogs, though, so I'm sure they'll recover fine.

I'll be photographing my homemade Christmas gifts this week and will be posting them on the blog soon.  My sister's romper turned out adorable!!  I'm so excited to show you all the result.

**The title of this post comes from the nickname my dad has given me (Lali, pronounced lah-li), which happens to be one of many nicknames, including La (which I am most often referred to as), Li La (lee-lah), Ellie Kay, and Peanut.  My family is very keen on nicknames.  

No place like Home for the Holidays

Colin and I will be leaving wet San Diego today for sunny Phoenix!  I can't wait to get home to see my family...

And guess what else?  It's Christmas Eve tomorrow!!!  Which means Christmas is coming soon!  Wee!

[Ellana steals computer away from Christmas Tard]

I hope those who celebrate Christmas have a good Christmas Eve tomorrow :)

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Save for a Rainy Day

I put together an amazing rain-inspired mix, but something went awry as I was about to push "finish" and all my songs disappeared.  So this is the second, less complete version.  If the Beatles were more easily accessible, I'd have also added "Julia" and "Rocky Raccoon."  If I think of the other songs that I had forgotten that I'd included in the original mix, I'll revise this post to include them!!  

Defeated by technology once again... [sigh...]

**I didn't realize I had put the acoustic version of Staraflur on, but please check out this song as it's played on the album.  It's MUCH more moving.

***I don't think I've told you this yet, but I'm crazy about Radiohead.  I tried so hard not to inundate the mix with Radiohead songs.  I did, however, include my most beloved song of all time, Pyramid Song.  (I've had an obsession with this song in particular (as well as the band) since I first discovered it junior year of high school... it's my go-to Radiohead song)  

(!)

I was so excited to have found these photographs in my inbox yesterday!!  The lovely Cristina was dear enough to send me photos of her wearing her new Betties sunglasses, and after receiving them I couldn't stop smiling (some may say I was even glowing).  I love seeing whose hands the Betties' items fall into; it's like having an open adoption! (Yes, I just compared my merchandise to my unborn children).  Don't they look divine on her?  I'm sure they will live a long, happy life in her company.

Cats and Dogs

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We haven't seen the sun here for several days now; the rain hasn't stopped pouring!  It's like it's... what's that word?... oh yes, winter!  (How very exciting!)

I spent the whole day sewing Christmas gifts (while listening to Christmas music of course) and I think I just might finish them in time.  I'll be posting photographs of the results after the 25th.

Speaking of rain-spattered windows [see last photo above], Mabel spent the entire two hour drive from LA to San Diego yesterday staring at the rain droplets as they scurried across the window of the car.  At one point, she tried to eat them but much to her dismay wasn't able to.  She most certainly has an obsession with food, which I used to find sort of endearing and altogether amusing, until it put her life at risk...  

Mabel developed a routine during the evenings where she'd scour the kitchen for remnants of food (she found the mother load of stray popcorn in the corner of the kitchen after I'd made a bowl for myself using the air popper and hasn't forgotten it since).  While making dinner one night last week, Mabes had managed to wedge all but her two little drumstick back legs underneath the cabinet that we put our microwave on.  I wasn't aware she was stuck until I realized that she wasn't able to move... at all.  That was when Operation Free Chunkster McMabes was put into place.  She still forages while I cook, but has learned to stay away from the Big Bad Silver Box.

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(These photos remind me of our cloud babies, which have unfortunately been dwindling in number.  I'll have to inspire Colin to make a project out of them... he loves LOVES loves working on projects.  [Note to self: buy more SuperPlus tampons to replenish cloud population.])

gloom and GRRRunge

Another gloomy day here in San Diego.  I'm quite fond of overcast days in the winter, though.  It's a substitute for the snowy days we should be experiencing around the holiday time.  It's hard to believe that Christmas is coming when the sun is shining so brightly day after day.

Speaking of Christmastime [one word because it's so epic]...  

As loyal readers I think you should know that there's an alter ego of mine I've been trying to hide for some time now.  Known to some as Christmas Tard (I apologize if that offends anyone, but I couldn't help the nickname that was bestowed upon me), she emerges from within the day after Thanksgiving and wreaks Christmas havoc on herself and those around her.  She feels compelled to play Christmas music at all hours of the day (though she realizes that the few songs they continually play on the radio are often times horrendous; ie, Bruce Springsteen's rendition of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town"), her eyes seem to twinkle as she thinks of all the gifts she'll give (and ashamedly, the ones she'll receive), and becomes uncontrollably giddy at even the thought of Christmas itself (a smile so big begins to form that she must forcibly purse her lips to prevent its viral-like spread across her face).  

When she finds herself on Christmas day, opening up her last gift she realizes that this overwhelming joy she's been feeling for the past month will leave her as quickly as it took her to shred through the wrapping of that gift.  Another year over and a new year to wait in anticipation as Christmastime awakens the Christmas Tard once again.

Sweater: Thrifted

Jeans: Thrifted

Satchel: Coach (thrifted)

Boots: Dr. Martens

Scarf: Thrifted

As requested by Miss Krista, an outfit post!  I really have no way to gauge whether or not you enjoy looking at photographs of my outfits, so please comment if you do!  I've always felt a little narcissistic when posting a bunch of photographs of my outfits, but am more than happy to divulge what I'm wearing if you all enjoy it.

I was feeling grungy today, in more ways than one (I haven't washed my hair in a couple days; all girls do that, right?), so I outfitted myself around the Docs.  I regrettably haven't worn these particular Docs since they were gifted to me a couple Christmases ago as I thought they made me look clownish (self perception is such a deceitful thing), but I think they look pretty good with the outfit, and I hardly feel clownish at all!  More like a Cobain groupy...

Tonight Colin and I will be attending a mixology class as part of his early Christmas present.  We'll be attempting to take the city bus to the bar so that we can drink our (fingers crossed) delicious concoctions, which I hope will go more smoothly than our last attempt at public transportation.  Alcohol consumption won't be involved pre-city bus adventure so I don't think we'll have any problems...  

Fanciful Notions

I had my first actual sewing class today with my oma (German for grandmother) and I'm completely smitten!  It's so exhilarating creating a garment from something as simple as a piece of fabric.  It feels so organic.  I imagine the male equivalent of this feeling is hunting for your dinner...

I hope that one day I'll have an adorable little work space that I can escape to, where I'll create the most beautiful things.

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Mabel Syrup

The movie was SO GOOD!  Colin and I are going to be seeing it again.  The sound effects and the music were incredible, the plot line was a refreshing twist on the classic, and the visuals were... mmm!

While waiting for the gas man to come and fix our furnace, I put together a film of Mabie.  I didn't realize that I'd chosen a five minute song to accompany it (and I'm not technologically with-it enough to figure out how to fade the music out) so it's a little long.  Gosh, she's cute!

I'd always swore to myself that I'd never become one of those mothers that thinks that her kid is the smartest, most beautiful kid on Earth, but this obsession of mine with Mabel is making me think that I might in fact become one of Them.  Oh boy...

**I've posted this movie on my little sister's youtube channel.  Check it out here if you love to watch movies of adorable pets in your spare time!  

Must see (hopefully): Black Swan

I can't wait to see this film. (!)  I only just discovered that it existed yesterday while obsessing over my new favorite magazine of all time, Wired.  Doesn't it look amazing?? I LOVE the ending scene where Portman's character, Nina, plucks a feather from her back, along with the scene that shows Nina rising on her point shoe as if the ballerina in the music box willed her to do so.  I'll be seeing it tonight with Colin, and I'll be sure to report back tomorrow.  

Potato Peel Pie & spit bubbles

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Lazy, lazy Friday! Colin had work off today so we spent the time to ourselves reading on the couch (while I occasionally dozed off on Colin's lap), forgetting altogether the gloomy weather right outside our door.  Oh how I love getting caught up in a good book!  I've just started reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and it is so delightful.  I've only made it to page 41 and I already feel so attached to the characters.  I can't wait to read about their lives tonight before I doze off...

Mabie seemed especially anxious today (she bolted out the door once I'd opened it and ran off to the neighbors' place to be greeted by oohs and aahs and petting hands) so we took both her and Z to the dog park.  We hoped she'd come back from the park and pass out on the floor of our apartment, but instead of chasing the pack she waddled from person to person waiting to be pet.  Zeena was an embarrassment at the park, as usual.  Once I let her off the leash, strings of drool start forming at the corners of her mouth and spit bubbles inflate, burst, and reinflate until we're back in the car on our way home again.  She loves scanning the perimeter of the park, marking every blade of grass she finds to her liking and all too often claiming territory with the more unconventional kind of excrement (bluh!).  

 "Excited" spit bubble

"Anxious" spit bubble

Paw cleaning time

It turns out requesting to be pet from people is exhausting... mission accomplished!

Simpletons

...and I'm not talking about the dogs.

I would like to say that videochating Human to Pet doesn't happen often. Sadly not only is it a reoccurring event in our family but a highly entertaining and much anticipated one.  This was an especially joyous conversation as we rarely see any actual communication (or even acknowledgement) from Pet.  Mabel's acutely cognizant self definitely warranted a recording of the conversation as well as some blog space.  I hope you agree.

Once Mabel's iChat ended, she promptly scoured the apartment for the source of the high pitched squeals.  Much to her dismay, she did not find them in the kitchen, under the front door, or in the bedroom...

New New New

PALE BLUE DRESS with white piping and cinched waist...$26

brown leather low-rise RIDING BOOTS...$36

natural fiber Keds-ish sneakers with TWINE-TRIMMED SOLES and gold accents...$32

black and brown geometric print blouse with FAUX-ASCOT...$28

As always, the prices for the items listed above have been conveniently linked to the item's shop page should you feel so inclined to purchase any of them.  :)  

Do the boots look familiar?  I was so excited to have found some that so closely resemble the ones I've been wearing all too often (sorry, Keds, you'll have to wait until spring time to reclaim the throne that is my feet).

More non-Betties related stuff to be posted later on...

Obsessed

...with baby doll parts!

There's something about the uber happy and totally unrealistic faces of vintage baby dolls that I find so utterly fascinating.  If I had a bigger home, I'd probably start a little collection of the creepiest dolls I could find and/or they dismembered parts.  For now I'll have to make do with my little makeshift collection that rests on the windowsill in my kitchen.