Where I've been

I was the only person in California who had never been to Hawaii. I was there for five days last week and am now plotting and scheming for my return. It was paradise, from the beautiful water to the delicious food, to the adults only "serenity pool." We stayed on Maui, and while it was probably not the most authentically Hawaiian experience, we left relaxed, refreshed and thoroughly in love. Everyone was so friendly, and unlike LA, the other drivers were unfailingly courteous.

This was the view from my poolside cabana where I napped and ploughed through the Twilight Saga. I'm all done!

Our hotel did a beautiful sunset ceremony every evening, and I was able to get a great picture of the performer. Sunset was amazing! They also had beautiful Hawaiian music and hula in the lobby bar. Seriously, I definitely recommend staying here here

So, I hope you all have a beautiful Monday morning. I'm back to the daily routine and it's good to be back. Because, as much as I needed a little break from daily life toddler wrangling, I missed her. Oh, I should have said that earlier...it was a child free holiday - second honeymoon I guess :)

Survivors

We survived our first cross country trip. We also survived our first night away from Baby K to attend a wedding. She's been flirting with sleeping through the night for a few days now - we'll see about that.

Fall has started creeping into Los Angeles - the sun doesn't climb as high in the sky, and the fog has been rolling in overnight a little. I'm back reading books again, and I've fallen in love with the Los Angeles Public Library. Has anyone else read "To Hell With All That" by Caitlin Flanagan? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts - I'm still processing what I think. Next up is "The Feminine Mistake" by Leslie Bennets.

K can roll over, and we're eagerly awaiting the delivery of the exersaucer because she likes to try to stand with help these days. Here's my two cents - it is actually kind of nice to go out and buy baby stuff as she needs it - there is a lot less clutter in the house. Next up to purchase: a convertible car seat - as I think we'll be out of the infant seat in a couple of months.

We are having success with bottle feeding because we found the right kind of bottles - Born Free!

I'm working on a couple of home projects - reupholstering my beautiful new (well, second hand but lovely chippendale mahogany) dining room set, working on a family gallery wall, and just generally decluttering.

So, I think after a nice long summer, I'm ready to be back blogging, and especially posting recipes. Now that I am pretty much back to cooking every night, there's a lot to think about.

We're off to visit some very special great grandparents this weekend - watch out Colorado!