LA dreaming, all the kids in this town were way too cool for me.

sister road-tripping weekend for short and sweet trip to visit friends. a little getaway for the brain.. you know what i'm saying. change of scenery is good for you, even though this whole trip did feel a little deja-vu-y.

6 ladies, midnight, roscoes. don't caaare.

chicken and waffles get into my MOUFFF! always a must stop.

tom cruise..something about aliens. that's all that i'm allowed to say about it.

the oaks. i am such a sucker for gourmet food stores.

the most ridiculous coffee shop EVER! bourgeois pig really was the coffee shop of my dreeeams.

not to mention it's right next door to the daily planet, cute little news paper stand type store.

oh i'm sorry and did i forget to mention that it's right next door to the DAILY PLANET!! ahem

m- o- o- n- that spells moon.

perfect.

dim lit, dark and cozy. exactly the place to sneak away with someone for a just for two chat.

there was a special back room with the moon that makes you feel like you slipped into Neverland. there were all sorts of trees that had cut outs for shelves and these small secret nooks with tables and tiny stools. plush pillows, interesting mismatched chairs, velvet couches and did you see that purple pool table? overload of awesome.

we get it LA you are SUPER cool. sheeesh 

we hit up melrose because i desperately wanted to check out Japan LA! i remember getting to meet the owner at the magic convention a few years ago and ever since i've been following the shop on the interwebs.

it's weird and awesome forming these little bonds just because of small moments that happen to you.

it was so neat to see Twinkie Chan's Yummy You line in the store! so cool!! there was so much cuteness in this store, there was literally videos of kittens playing on the tv inside. my friend jess's sorta, totally kinda worst nightmare.. but that's a separate story.

trinity of koi fish.

such colorful shops and random eye catching candy every where. we walked all up and down this street.

mostly because i forced everyone to go to the Johnny Cupcakes' store which was conveniently located no where near where we where we started our melrose madness. i have met the man twice now, i couldn't NOT stop by had to follow through.

did i buy anything? no. the one shirt i was set on claiming was out of stock in my size and then my overwhelming indecision kicked in and i settled on nothing. why? because i wanted eeeverything.

the wall of ovens were surprisingly fully functional. randomly they would open and some kind of misty smoke would spray out. first time it happened i did kind of freak out a little haha

giant mint oven? but of course why not, they are just the doors to their back room. pssh no bigs that's not totally fantastic or anything. gosh, it must be so fun getting to work there. all the employees were really helpful and very laid back friendly. my cup of tea.

while we were there we bumped into a couple teams participating in an LA scavenger hunt marathon of some kind. a set of girls needed their photo taken in front of the oven back doors and a team of fellas needed a photo of them presenting a johnny cupcakes balloon to a person. jess, my darling friend who lives there, got to be the recipient of said balloon - random, right?

these are what making memories are about, allowing life to bump into you.

records and bikes.

i can't wait to start a record collection, that's supposed to be a small future goal that i have my heart set on happening.

we found a small corner alley way filled with the raddest graffiti art.

i went snapping crazy!

he was everywhere, everywhere.

..this was my favorite one, she was beautiful.

where the wild things live.

off with your head, dance till you're dead.

so so true, just have to keep remembering that when it's the most hardest to.

these photos were us trying to be sneaky and snag a photo of an actor having lunch in that restaurant behind us.

noooo we're not super creepy or anything. stalking?? pssh no. once i realized who it was my eyes were seeing i had myself a little nerd moment and we had to do a back track to make sure we grabbed photos him. if you've watched grimm or true blood he may look familiar to you too.

losers and we don't even care. putting our business on the streets!

oops, there he is! james frain.

a photo of me taking photos, they just will never stop.

so sad i didn't snap ANY photos of our lunch at birds with my camera. way too involved into our conversations and shoving chicken caesar salad into my face to bother with the silly camera.

don't bother me, i'm eating.

the adorable spot that my friends call home couldn't be any cuter. i love getting the chance to step into someone else's life. that peep into a different way of living. certainly not how i live but get to pretend for a moment that maybe i do? that's the best part about a vacation or trip. letting go of who you are for just a little bit helps give me perspective on who i'd like to become.

my hosts couldn't have been anymore gracious and welcoming. next trip i am going to aim to almost over stay my welcome.

more photos of my lala land trip and my general randomness will always be readily available on my instagram.

i'd love to get to you know more of you lovelies so if you are on instagram, please don't be shy to say hi!

xox

rita

when i first saw that photo i wasn't sure exactly what i was looking at.

first glance all i saw was a callused hand but something wasn't right.. is that thread??

YES!

i couldn't imagine why someone would do that to their own hand? willing sew right through the top layer of your skin, ouchies. right? 

eliza bennett is an artist who deliveries a strong statement through her work of art 'woman's work is never done' by embroidering her skin to purposely look like calluses.

she used embroidery a skill that antiquatedly represents feminity and applied it to the opposite by boldy displaying her hard worked hand. eliza decided to do this to hopefully challenge the idea that a women's work is easy and delicate.

any person who has had a strong female role model in their life knows just how untrue those words are.

isn't that just amazing? the dedication, her thoughtfulness, those photos. that's what art is exactly supposed to do.. move you.

my family consists of a lot of tough, hard working, and callused hand women.

i aim to earn my own.

thanks for letting me share.

xox

rita

photos & original article by hi-fructose magazine.

awhile back i went on a dreamy little getaway..

who knew this magical little place was just a short drive away from vegas.

just wishing for a little r & r and thinking about all the escaping i'll be doing over this next year. 2014 seems like it's shaping up to be quite an interesting one but shouldn't all years be interesting?

eh, no i have totally had my share of duds.. a few years where maybe my brain was switched completely off but let's not let flaws hold us back from the now.

that's why i prefer to measure my life in moments.

the Mission Inn was anything but ordinary.

it was like getting a peek into the past tied up in a bow of luxury. certainly a place you'd want to spend with your someone special, perfectly romantic..

let's not leave out their amazing spa - the eucalyptus steam bath. um, wow. if every day would start with one of those it'd be impossible to have a bad day.

our room's windows lead out onto a terrace.

one of my first additions to the Foodcourt was for Casey's Cupcakes who's shop was located on the property. see? just keeps getting better. not to mention that post was and still is particularly popular. people love cupcakes just as much as i do.

this place definitely was one for the books and i'm happy that i got to preserve and share it. perhaps one day a special someone will take me back here and i can make new moments in such a beautiful place.

xox

rita

always dreaming.

my luck with computers is really terrible so it's totally funny to me that i actually want to have and keep up with a blog. i can't explain it but i am magical at making specifically MY computers, yes computerS, become pretty much non functional. but no excuses! if something is broken find a way to fix it OR throw everything away and start again new. its okay to do that. it's not giving up it's being brave.

things have been quiet on here and words have been even more difficult for me lately but i wanted to break the cycle and share some holiday moments.

starting with thanksgiving.

i love to start the day with bagels & lox, an accidental tradition that i don't mind keeping up with. popping into starbucks for the paper, latte and phone chat with the biff is must as well. we used to do that together but when life puts you in different spots you have to improvise.

as i mentioned before i really wanted to make Joy's parker house dinner rolls and i have to say i had a lot of fun with these babies. i am super in-experienced in working with yeast so i always seem to put those recipes in the save for later pile but not anymore. it got me pumped to play a little more with things that are aliiiive.

and okay so maybe i threw away my yeast starter like 3 times because i couldn't tell if it was "foamy" enough but look, everything worked out.

a hint of sweetness with just a slight chew, warm with butter - these rolls were just perfect.

cheating.. is bad.

but it can be so SO good and easy. i try not to cheat in the kitchen, i try not to make so many dishes dirty i want to cry when i look at my sink. but when you need four pie crusts STAT break out that food processor and save yourself from unnecessary holiday stress.

the key is to keep your fat (butter/shortening) as cold as possible, i freeze mine, and use ice cold water too.

first timer at pre-baking a pie crust.

i used rice, parchment paper and crossed my fingers.

not to mention, first time making a chocolate pie too.

nifty trick i picked up while interwebs researching? wax paper helps from that weird thick filmy layer from forming on top of your chocolate pudding filling. guess what? it worked.

action shot of goodness.

just like that chocolate pie made with a lot of love.

oldies but goodies, sweet potatoe and cran-apple pie.

it was a romantic affair.

my schwester slicing up the bird.

me and my second eldest niece. she may murder me for this photo, but i couldn't love her any less. teenagers and their aversion to smiling, i remember that. oh wait, because that was like 3 months ago for me!

like the inappropriate photo taking blogger that i am, i assumed the postion and stood on my chair right at the dining room table to snap this.

real life.

the most amazing thing to happen to me all winter.. my hooded AND footed adult cupcake onesie.

gingerfraaaanz with their mega intense blue eyes. pssh Twinkie Chan magic, of course. Did you make it to the winter Renegade craft fair in San Fran this year?

brown butter.. dark chocolate.. fleur de sel the ingredients for one magnificent chocolate chip cook. dark, decadent and delicious.

hand candy via Stoopidgerl.

my christmas bars.

buttery shortbread crust topped with craisins, dates & shredded coconut. these are one of those holiday treats that i copied from an old and very used recipe card from my mom's recipe box.

admittedly it isn't much the same anymore. originally hers is topped with a medly of candied fruit and coconut but when you grow up you get to decide how you want your christmas bars made. sorry mom.

this year it was my turn to bring the watergate salad.

christmas cheer at my parent's house.

christmas eve is my favorite because it's the epitome of anticipation of what's about to come, what you have been waiting for all season long.. christmas.

my family decided to change things up with our normal christmas eve festivities by wearing pajamas, normally meant for the next morning but why not start by celebrating in them?

the EXTRA awesome members of the fam rocked full onesies. no waistline? yes please!

have you ever watched this film? when i was little my dad let me watch this and i was captivated, i can't count the number of times we've watched this together. Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe essentially sums up who i am.. what i'm interested in and i didn't realize that until recently. it's funny looking back on your childhood and making those little "oooh, well that makes sense" connections.

ew that means i am getting older some more right?! omg. it. just. keeps. happening.

my favorite christmas gift this year was from my sister, they usually always are, she framed and hand painted all the gold embellishments. these are the gallery cards from the sylvi ji exhibit we went to in LA, remember that?

the schwester is too talented for her own good, i keep encouraging her to share more of her art with the world. one day hopefully she'll let me do that here at PassionPending.

new years eve morning looked like this.

and new years eve evening looked a little like this.

2013 you took all my words from me. the ups, downs, discoveries, and lessons learned will all help me be a better me for the new year to come. i want to strive to keep growing and focus on finding the happy in each day. i am beautiful, you are too and so is this life we have been gifted, lets keep remembering to try and make the most out of it.

i can't wait to see what adventures await for me but first i have to create them. here's to more words, more tea and much more love in 2014.

oh and new friends too!

xox

rita