All Hallows' Eve

May your Halloween be filled with tricks, treats, sweets and treasures.  Enjoy the spookiest of holidays and the magic of autumn.  Eat, drink and be scary, my friends! 

Le Halloween

Halloween ("l'alowine!") is certainly not a major (or even minor) holiday en France.  Perhaps you'll find a pumpkin carving kit in a market or a store front decked out in spooky style, but the French seems far less enthusiastic about Halloween than us Americans.  

Pretty Monday: Autumn by the Brush

Vincent Van Gogh

With the array of warm colors in autumn, it's no wonder artists of the nineteenth century often paused to paint fallen leaves or architectural arbors.  Autumn makes us pensive.  It causes us to consider inevitable change both in the natural world and in our lives.  Bright orange and red leaves juxtaposed next to crisp blue skies, ethereal and hazy sunlight make fall visually stunning and emotionally moving. Here are some of the loveliest looks at autumn in art history. 

On Motherhood & The Pursuit of Happiness

Try as I might to be optimistic and sunshiny, sometimes life spirals evermore out of control and I just want to curl upon the couch with a blanket and a Bridget Jones movie and a bottomless bowl of peanut butter M&Ms.  In recent weeks, it seems that sickness and sadness have been around ever corner.  Though I'm not quite sure my funk is over, I need to take today to celebrate some happy moments. 

A Taste for Nature

Today has been cool and overcast and lovely.  We spent our morning at the second pumpkin patch of the season.  Each pumpkin patch we've visited this year has a little collection of farm animals to expose these cloistered Southern California kiddos to some creatures they don't ordinarily see.  I adore watching my daughter and the other children giggle in delight as goats say "maaaaa" and ducks waddle throughout their little temporary Halloween homes.  

Flowers for Friday

Finally after weeks of lingering summer, the weather has turned crisp and cool in Southern California.  Yesterday after our first good rain since spring, my little one and I walked through the park, feeling the bright sun on our faces, listening to the winds rustling the changing leaves and noticing that unmistakable, diffused autumn light.  

To celebrate this welcome shift in temperature and seasons, I've adorned my table today with autumnal mums and bright green hypernicum berries.  Don't forget to treat yourselves to a cheery pumpkin or fall flowers today.  Harvest those last few perfect days before chilly winter blows into our lives yet again.  Happy weekend, my dears!

Brunching: The Ramos House Café

I've said before how much I adore brunch.  I love a meal where both sweet and savory foods share the spotlight, a meal where the whole day is still ahead, a meal where coffee and champagne are both sipped with pleasure.  Yesterday my sweet hubby and I brunched for our anniversary at perfect local spot in San Juan Capistrano.