Bonds with my oldies, but goodies.

To set the record straight, I’m referring to friendships here, not age. Come on. However, after last night, I am definitely feeling it. Slow on the up-start and coffee did not help. Aleve Gel caps were my panacea of choice. Let’s just say I was licking my wounds. Good times.

I’ve known these compatriots most of my life. Going on four decades. Okay, so now I did just age myself.

For time travel purposes, a High School pic. However, we had been tied together long before this capture.

From the right to the left: Kammi & Lance her HS sweetie, Julie, Mio and Maylin. Nice jeans Kammi. Hiya Paige and Buffy!

Fast forward to our lil 20th HS reunion. Nik, Kat, Kammi and Kelly. Tears well up when I think about how my life has touched these women. Just how different it would be if I had never been born. A true Wonderful Life sentiment.

Julie would have never found her husband

Kelly would not live in Maui

etc. etc. etc.

But it goes both ways. DH may not have been my man without Nik up there.

Pause; to compose myself.

So, after College we all made a pact to meet for dinner once a month. We did. When children entered it became once a quarter. We all understood.

Some nights we had cart-wheel contests. DH called it Cougar Olympics.

Others, we rode our kids play equipment. Shhhh, don’t tell them now.

And we always had the Beach House.

Letting our hair down, being obnoxious, NEVER acting our age and laughing until we pee’d has kept us young at heart.

Proof.

Nik is going to kill me for this one.

Okay, I’ll be nice nice.….

Keep it sassy honey. Forgive me?

So tonight, as I type, I urge you to reach out and love an old friend. The best mirrors in life are those.

I leave you with final images from 24 hours ago:

Missed you Nik…. and your baby carrots.

Until we laugh again,

of this amazing

Gourmet Filet Cooking Kit:

HOLLY W!

Congratulations

You will be contacted regarding you Totally Haute Cooking Kit post haste!! You can read all about the Gourmet Company HERE

Happy Mother’s Day to those who have given birth to, adopted, and nurtured children in your lives. Warm hugs and smooches to all of you, from the bottom of my heart.

xxoo

We are all reading it. This Shades of Grey book. Well, maybe some more than others. But I’ll tell ya, there is so much controversy surrounding this series of books.

Three books in total.

Yes, I’m reading them – you know, to see what all the fuss is about. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil it for those out there, not in the know. Just to say, when the movie is made, and it will, the director shall have an extremely difficult time trying to keep it within those spicy NC-17 boundaries. Recall that movie 9 1/2 Weeks? Google it if you don’t.  Shades of Grey makes that storyline seem dull and boring by comparison. I discretely read mine on a kindle because carrying the book could give an interesting first impression around town.

Which brings me to the subject of this post, who should be cast in the main controversial roles?

Hmmm.

After careful thought and sleepless nights, I have found and intriguing combination for this Shade of Grey story. A few friends have helped me out on this one, thanks guys, and thought it would be a lively Friday share.

Ladies and more ladies, I bring you Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.

Lead Actor Christian Grey: Henry Cavil (Tudors and Immortals) the curly hair, the eyes, the chin, muscles…ok fanning myself now.

Lead Actress Anastasia Steele: Emilia Clarke (Khaleesi from Game of Thrones) I know! Take away Emilia’s overly blonde hair from her Game of Thrones days and there is the perfect brunette underneath. Who Knew? Not to mention her scenes on Game of Thrones have somewhat, emphasize somewhat, have prepared her for the Shades of Grey role.

Here is another look:

Yep, that about nails it in my mind’s eye.

Do you have any other suggestions friends? I’m open to discussion before I have my casting people call their casting people.

Have sizzling mothers day.

photo credit IMBD

Time to download a month of Instagram April photos. Who is up for that? For those who have asked. All photos are taken on my iPhone thru an application called camera+ with post editing done in snapseed. There you have it, no more, no less.

By the way, have you entered the Gourmet Meal Kit Giveaway via Totally Haute?

If not, you totally should.  Imagine winning a gourmet meal where you dine in with your family or entertain friends. You serve a delectable meal and take all the credit. Don’t worry Totally Haute doesn’t mind. That is what they are there for. Click the link HERE if you would like to drop your hat in the ring my Orange County friends.

Now for Project 365, April style.  It has been a while. Pull up a chair.

Windmills and Dog Legs.

Dragons and Heights.

Boiled with Color

Fair Conditions and Seeing Double.

Iceberg and Strawberries.

Prism and Raindrops

Before the show and ALMOST a fourth.

True Food and Umami

Awards and Ladies who Lunch

Four Corners and Los Angeles

Cheese and Wine

Farmers Market and Fried Dough

Superstars and Seymour

Pistachios and Pink

True Food and Bobbi

Dinner? and the Hidden Jewel.

Here Fishy Fishy and Saving this for a Rainy Day.

Instagram April, it’s a wrap.

Be inspired to pick up that phone and capture the world as you see it,

TO ENTER:

 ** FOR DELIVERY You need to live within these Orange County zip codes: Costa Mesa–92627, Irvine–92602, 92603, 92604, 92606, 92612, 92614, 92617, 92618, 92620, Newport Beach–92660, 92663, Newport Coast–92657, Orange Park Acres–92869, Santa Ana/N. Tustin–92705, Tustin–92782, 92781, 92780, Villa Park–92681, 92867.

Or meet at a NEW PICK UP LOCATION: Pick up Fridays between 2-7 p.m. THE WINE CLUB–Santa Ana, 1431 S. Village Way, Santa Ana, CA 92705 (near Roger Dunn and The Baseball Academy) off the 55 Frwy at Mcfadden.

---

Really Good Food. Don’t you just love it. We all deserve it. Particularly on a special occasion or memorable vacation. The choices, however, are dine at home, spending hours in the kitchen after shopping all over town for just the right ingredients or make a reservation. Both can have equally high price tags or a ton of work.

But what if someone did all the work for you by providing the fabulous food for you to finish at home?

Enter Totally Haute Cooking Company owned by fabulous Suzi Holte. Totally Haute is a gourmet cooking kits company. Emphasis on gourmet, friends.  For an added bonus the kits are delivered right to your door.

Totally Haute takes care of the planning, shopping, driving, unloading, unpacking prepping and sous chef clean up. Not to mention, uses only the finest and freshest ingredients available.

Last week, it was my lucky day. Totally Haute delivered: a Niman Ranch Peppercorn Filet with Blue Cheese Butter Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Glaze, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Crusty French Bread Kit. Come along to see for yourself. After you drool over this gourmet kit, it’s Giveaway time!!! At the bottom of the post, if you are a local friend, you can win one of these amazing dinners too. How about that!

Delivery by the lovely Suzi Holte herself.  Let’s check it out.

Every detail is taken care of. On the back of this paper you will find a complete instruction list. Very easy to follow directions for both the chef and non-chef alike.

Here are the filets, asparagus and accoutrements. Plus a fun conversational starting question. How cute is that?

You will also find information about the Niman Ranch Filets, how to prepare them by touch and how you can recycle your box afterwards. Not a stone is left unturned.

I could not wait to see these filets. A long whistle escaped when I saw these gorgeous cuts. Thank you Niman’s Ranch and Totally Haute.  Well done, but I’ll take mine medium rare.

Next up are the mashed potatoes. Oh my, these look dreamy.

Crusty bread with olive oil and seasonings. Hungry yet?

Wait, there is more. Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes. Oh good heavens.

Whip cream, powder sugar, along with a mint garnish.

Them smell divine and seem so perfectly fancy. And gourmet.

Dinner is a few hours off. I needed to keep things cold. The box Totally Haute uses fits perfectly in the refrigerator. It is a sturdy box housing the prepared meal until the time is right. Such attention to detail in all the packing.

5pm. Time to pull out those directions and get started.

Easy prep with the beautiful asparagus and filets.

Add the prepared crème to the mashed potatoes and sear the filets.

Oven time and then rest time with that divine garlic butter.

Viola. Dinner time. Everything was absolutely delicious. After serving you feel like a culinary superstar. Oh, one more thing. Can’t forget these.

Dessert time.

The directions will hold your hand every step of the way. From turning on the oven to final garnish. They are very well written. Ensuring all the dishes come out of the oven at the precise time, and served together.

These gourmet boxes are extraordinary. I will be using them as gifts for new baby arrivals, house-warmings or condolences. Or maybe just because. My real estate friend even said she wants to start giving these to new home owners on move-in day. Now that is a terrific idea.

These kits would also be ideal for out-of-town vacationers staying in a rental. Who wouldn’t want to dine at the beach, watching the sunset, eating a Totally Haute creation.

On that note, it is Giveaway Time! Would you care to win a Totally Haute Gourmet Kit for four people?  You have three ways to enter to increase your odds.  Daphney wishes everyone good luck and expects a doggy bag. ** FOR DELIVERY You must live within these Orange County zip codes: Costa Mesa–92627, Irvine–92602, 92603, 92604, 92606, 92612, 92614, 92617, 92618, 92620, Newport Beach–92660, 92663, Newport Coast–92657, Orange Park Acres–92869, Santa Ana/N. Tustin–92705, Tustin–92782, 92781, 92780, Villa Park–92681, 92867.

Or meet at a NEW PICK UP LOCATION: Pick up Fridays between 2-7 p.m. THE WINE CLUB–Santa Ana, 1431 S. Village Way, Santa Ana, CA 92705 (near Roger Dunn and The Baseball Academy).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Psst – Check out the Totally Haute menu this week, they are featuring MOTHER’S DAY boxes. I think this week I just may order that one for my family.

I was provided a gourmet box from Totally Haute which facilitated this review. I did not receive additional compensation. All opinions expressed here are from yours truly. My family loved our Totally Haute meal and hope yours will too. xxoo

Yesterday I plopped my booty down in a Bobbi Brown make up chair looking for some new Bobbi Brown make up.  It has been eons since a department store make over has been applied. Back in the day my pick was Dior. Skin painted whiter than a fishes underbelly with black caterpillar eyebrows and ultra red lips was the result. Think ‘Addicted to Love’ by Robert Plant. To wear this look today, I’d feel like complete tranny hot mess.

Knowing that I needed a few new additions to the make up drawer repertoire, I felt a make-over was a good idea, to try things out.  Since Bobbi Brown’s signature look is light and natural, this is where I landed. I requested a light ‘daytime’ face to make doubly sure a Geisha look would not ensue. My fingers were crossed.

The result resided somewhere between, full coverage – but natural. Mind you, I am not the type to don full coverage for my average day. Makeup application MTWThF is few and far between. Totally cool with that. This Bobbi Brown application would be great on a weekend night out on the town. Want to see what I found whilst having my make over?  Here are a few finds I’m swooning over. Some are old finds, some new!

Addicted to this one. Brightening SPF 50 UV Protective Face Base It shields your skin from the sun with both broad-spectrum UVA and UVB shield. That means super good protection. Lightweight and quick-absorbing. You and your make up of choice will never know it’s there. Promise.

Next up,  an eye liner that gives you the look of liquid liner with the ease & feel of a gel formula. It is long-wearing, water-resistant and let’s you get it just right before it dries. Then stays without a smear or crease. Awarded ‘Best of Beauty’ by ‘Allure’ Magazine (2011). Awarded best liquid liner by ‘The Knot’ Magazine(2010). I love Sepia Ink, but found a new one to hoard Espresso Ink.

On that note, if you are more of a pencil gal and don’t care to apply with a brush. Bobbi Brown just introduced Bobbi’s Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in pencil form. Don’t be surprised if they have already sold out of them at your local department store. They are flying out the door.

This one was a surprising, Treatment lip Shine SPF 15. It is a lightweight, soft shine lipstick that doubles as a moisture treatment. It instantly comforts dry, chapped lips. Really all the colors are beautiful – Raspberry, Papaya, etc., but for me, I settled on Plumberry and Desert Rose.

Lastly, Bobbie Brown Lip Balm SPF 15.  Okay. First hand. It feels non-greasy as well as comforting, while strangely lip plumping. It is now the very first thing I grab in the morning after my coffee.  I think it is magical and will never be able to live without it.

FYI, the first week of June, Bobbi Brown at Nordstrom is offering a gift with purchase. This is a RARITY! Bobbie Brown it NOT a gifting cosmetic line. The make up artist let me peek at it. If you send $150 you will receive a gift set that is beyond cool. The eye shadow palette sold me.

Saving my pennies,

I’ve always wanted to write a bucket list; for things I have never done or 40 things before 40.  I know you have heard of them. But here’s the thing, when I start, writers block sets in. My fingers stop tapping on the keyboard.  I can come up with; Effie Tower, French Laundry, and learn a new language. Then the well runs dry. Whatevs. Frustrated, I tuck it away for another day.

Until I came across a work in progress that inspired me. Thirty Things Before Thirty from my home-slice Joy. It’s a slightly different bucket list. It’s not so much a list about Sky Diving or Swimming with Sharks. It’s more about making yourself and others feel good. Really good. Think cloud nine. Would you care to join me, trust me, it’s good stuff.

Forty Things for my Forty-ish Years.

Kiss each member of my family once a day.

Read 2 extra books at little people’s bedtime.

Buy 3 strangers their morning coffee.

Deliver 4 people flowers for no reason

Send 5 people photos I’ve taken of them – framed.

Mail 6 hand-written letters.

Forward 9 favorite links to 9 favorite people.

Bake 8 cakes to give away.

Compliment 9 strangers.

Have 10 lunches with my mom or dad.

Share 11 bottles of good wine with friends

Make 12 dinners for my parents.

Hug my kids 13 times in one day.

Take 14 walks with a friend.

Leave 15 nice comments on 15 other blogs.

Bring 16 hostess gifts to fun occasions

Enjoy 17 sunsets in silence.

Send 18 unexpected thank you cards.

Walk the Beagles 19 times.

Cook for 20.

Donate 21 pieces of clothing to charity.

Quietly leave 23 cupcakes at the elementary school’s break room

Mail 24 Thank-You notes with in 24 hours.

Pour wine/champagne refills in 25 glasses

Tip 26 percent more at breakfast

On 27 occasions, Volunteer my time

Let traffic go ahead of me 28 times

Answer 29 emails immediately

Message DH’s feet for 30 minutes

Give 31 doughnuts to my little person to share with their class at snack time.

Surprise a friend with a 32 ounce Ice Tea.

Wrap 33 gifts

Inspire 34 friends

Let DH sleep 35 minutes longer on the weekend

Find 36 amazing items to give to our schools silent suction

Share 37 great wine finds.

Learn 38 stars constellations to teach my kids.

Watch 39 waves crash on the beach.

Manicure 40 nails and toes

Hug 41 special people.

Tell 42 how terrific they are

That is all for now.

What about you, like to add one?

** stay tuned for completion updates.