Tea time, macarons, and SoCal sister time bliss

I'm still having serious withdrawals from my weekend with my big sisters in Southern California.

And now, let me start from the beginning. 

After stepping off the teeny plane at Burbank airport, trying to finagle my oversized carry-on while simultaneously waving like the First Lady, I couldn't help but feel like I was graciously welcomed back to the 80s. The music blaring in the terminal agreed. This was, after all, my first time flying into this airport. 

I hadn't seen either of my sisters' "new" houses, and I wasn't sure what to expect without the ocean just a stone's throw away from Stef's pad. 

I met sister Stefanie curbside, and she was waiting with a mini cheese and meat spread to tide me over until we made it to her house (of course she was, right?). Then, we sped off to Santa Monica to pick up Elizabeth at Fred Segal, where her husband just so happened to be launching his line of sunglasses. Tres chic. 

I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

Good morning, Hazel. I loved sleeping on your couch and gifting you with your first two pair of baby Nikes. You loved these pink and red Jordans, with the heart detailing and lace overlay.

Stefanie decorated the whole house a la bride-to-be.

Both sisters bought me blue undies. Such a sister moment. 

Those shades almost became a lost cause at Michael Levine's in downtown LA, but we found them and all was well in the world.

Walking around the fabric district, looking for some wedding essentials...and anything else flashy and bright.

We hit up the flower market, just to prove it's open to the public.

Hazel, are you tired of your aunties dragging you all across town yet?

Couldn't find any matching sweatsuits for us to bedazzle--sorry, ladies. 

Then, on to Bottega Louie. My new favorite and must-see in LA. 

Drooling over the macaron spread.

And the beignets. Takes me back to Nawleans.

We just had to devour one of those cheese pretzels, too.

Devouring those macarons was just like this photo...a total blur.

Don't look at my face. Look at that gooey center. Oh my goodness. 

Then, it was time for my big surprise: Tea time at Huntington Gardens. So special to share this with the sisters.

And this lady.

Who really loved the scones.

I mean. She REALLY loved the scones.

Yes, we had tea. But, of course we had mimosas, too!

Buffet o' tea sandos.

Stopping to smell the roses.

People used to stop us and ask us if we were sisters when we were all together. Not anymore. They just stop and talk about our leading lady, Hazel.

How awesome is this place? Looks fake, right?

Love that one-two-three-weeeee giggle.

Does this look familiar? The Wedding Planner, perhaps? Bridesmaids? Eh? Yep. 

And, following the Gardens, a quick stop at THE ORIGINAL TRADER JOE'S for more champagne, vino, and snacks. Followed by a Thai feast and many toasts with custom wine glasses courtesy of brother-in-law Jordan.

The next day, we headed to San Diego for some beach time with the Heits. Leo and H getting reacquainted. 

She loved this.

And, I loved this.

We "beamed" lots of photos to our parents throughout the weekend and even had a quick Skype session as they love it when we're all together.

I almost cried in the airport because it was so hard to leave. We had such a good time, and heading back to reality just didn't appeal to me at the moment. I wish my sisters lived closer, especially now that they have families. I mean, there are very few people who love champ and charcuterie as much as these two.

The good news is I'll see them again in just a few weeks. Eeek.

Thank you, LA and SD. I love you to Portland and back. XO

Split personality no more

Not sure if I've mentioned, but I have a writing mentor at work, which is just plain awesome. Awe-some. I meet with her once a month, and we discuss whatever I'm working on outside of work. On work time. I'm super serious. It's just one of the many perks of my job.

You know what I've been working on for...hmmm...well I guess it's been about a year-and-a-half now?! My book. It's back. Yes, it's back with a vengeance, thanks to this monthly meeting. I'm all about the deadline, people.

As part of this resurgence of working on The Busy Girls Cook, I'm trying to merge blogs so I'll have one singular outlet for writing about my life, learning, inspiration, inspirational friends, and of course, cooking and baking. Right now, those aspects of my life sit here. Maybe I should say sat here since I haven't done much to add to this since November. No-vem-ber. Talk about embarrassing.

I've been cooking up a storm, especially this tax season, so I'd love to get back in the habit of documenting. My girlfriend Allison and I, and also my sis and I, have done some satellite cooking, too, where we'll choose the same recipe for the same night, cook with our own spins, and then chat about the outcome.

In related news, I've also become the self-proclaimed queen of meal planning...and now even outfit planning. With a long commute and marathon training thrown into the work week mix, I have gotten to the point where I don't want to worry about what I'm cooking for dinner or what I'm wearing to work. It pans out quite nicely because I only end up going to the store once (let's get real here, I go to several stores one day a week, just to make sure I have all the necessities, and as much as I adore TJ's, we all know they don't have some of the weekly must-haves...and we also know about my love of grocery stores, especially of the health foodie variety).

I'm really rambling. And it's my lunch break. And I think it's time to get back to work.

The whole point of this post was to see if anybody out there (so, I guess this goes out to the five people who read my blog) knows how to merge blogs. One is WordPress and this, obviously, is Blogger. Holler if you can help!

Welcome to the family, Hazel Diane!!!!!

Fashionably late to join the party, little miss Hazel Diane DeVries came into the world Friday, September 16!!!

Although she was due about two weeks ago, she decided Friday would be the day. 

She is perfect with tons of hair and plenty of meat on her bones, weighing in at more than 9 lbs! She may have inherited some Benz height, too, because she was 22 inches long at birth. 

My sister and Jordan are doing great, and my parents are heading down to meet the new bundle this weekend.

I really thought Stef was having a boy, so I was doubly surprised when I received the news "it" was a "she"...and we're all pretty pumped to start picking out dresses and bows. Elizabeth said she freaked out and went straight to the mall to buy girlie outfits. (This coming from someone who has two boys.)

Congratulations to Stefanie and Jordan! Welcome Hazel...you already have a lot of nicknames and a whole lotta love coming from your aunties, uncles, and grandparents.

Love, Auntie Kate