AUR REVOIR

I'm on my way to France on Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. Three days in Provence. Three Days in Nice. Three days in Paris. If anyone has any recommendations of places to go, eat, things to do, etc., I'm all ears. I'll post pictures upon my return!

A Special Treat for a Monday

OBAMA! OBAMA!

I feel hopeful!

I thought I'd share this article I read yesterday. My favorite line in it is from I love this quote from Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights. She says, "On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes."

Free Halloween Card from The Black Apple

I discovered this artist, Emily Martin, on one of my favorite websites, http://www.etsy.com/. I have these cute little bandits hanging in my kitchen.



Emily is generously offering this free Halloween greeting card to everyone for download. Go here to download. You can explore more of her work on her blog: www.theblackapple.typepad.com

Pumpkin Cake!

I made this pumpkin cake, using two bundt cakes, for my friend Sarah's pumpkin-themed birthday party. I'm not much of a baker, but I was pretty proud of this little number.

My Grandpa

My mom found this great old picture of my cousin Grant and I with our grandpa. I love it. Grant and I were his first grandkids so he's only in his 40s here. He is one of my heroes, and some of the fondest memories of my life are with him as a child -- trips to Goleta Beach or to the Club or to UCSB to go swimming in the pool. We share a love of books, politics and music, and I feel so lucky to be his granddaughter. He is still very involved in his community, writes book reviews for the local paper, and provided impetus for his city government to lower carbon emissions and to make the city more "green". In short, the man is wicked awesome!

photo tribute to october. i love october.