Oct 6, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Y’all may have picked up on this month’s theme: Autumn. Go figure. But, for realz. What, I’m gonna blog about the Easter Bunny? Nah. Not for at least six weeks.
As soon as the calendar turns to October, I turn to Fall. Even in the SoCal desert with it’s almost-80-degree temperatures and you-call-that-a-yard?-dirt, there’s something quite lovely about it all. Scarves come out, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are everywhere. It’s as if the Pumpkin Grinch himself dusted everything with pumpkin seed glitter.
The Pumpkin Grinch
I could go on and on, but since this is just a five item post, let me share my top reasons for loving October:
- It’s at most eleven weeks away from Christmas. For me, the first of October kind of jump starts the holidays. I’ll be lacing the car stereo with my Harry Connick, Jr Christmas CDs this weekend. #truestory. And in a few weeks the family will start to get cryptic texts like “For ransom: Doo Dads. Send money now.” [Note to self: Coupons are awesome. Start clipping.] Pretty soon the decor will come out of storage, the evenings will get longer. It’s one of my favorite times of year.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Holiday Doo Dads
- Baseball. Yup. That’s right. ‘Tis the season for my Yankees to bring it on home. And to watch Field of Dreams. And to eat Cracker Jacks. All these wonderful things are the zenith of my baseball watching experience. And I love it. Every. Single. Year. Does it matter that Jeter’s no longer on the team? Nah. We’re doing okay with Aaron Judge.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : If You Build It, They Will Come
- Pumpkin everything. I know, know. Y’all see it everywhere and are burnt out. This Girl say whaat?! How can you be burnt out of pumpkin? Pumpkin Spice Latte, pumpkin soup, pumpkin flavored Belvita crackers, pumpkin carving, pumpkin seeds. Did I mention Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Hello, PSL
- Autumn TV/Movies. This time of year is a guarantee you’ll find me watching The West Wing, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the aforementioned Field of Dreams, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Autumn in New York, The Godfather, and of course, Nightmare Before Christmas. I’m a sucker for all things autumn, New York, crispy leaves, and Disney. But I think all y’all already knew that, yes?
Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Bread and the Nightmare Before Christmas
- Cat Cuddles. Like I could leave my furfamily out of this. They’re the best part of this time of year. This year, in Lizzie’s absence, Little has already taken to sleeping on the pillow, and Iris is always by my side. Berry is always with me, and Sparkles has even warmed up to being in my general presence without argument.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Lizzie Cat
There are so many more things I love about October, but these are the best. My bonus reason is it’s my mom’s favorite time of year, too, and when she’s happy, I’m happy. [Hey, Mom. Let’s go Christmas shopping this weekend, okay?]
TWEET THIS: What are your favorite reasons for October? @RealMojo68 #fivethingsfriday
With an orange scarf and pumpkin latte,
Happy Autumn, y’all!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Jan 7, 2014 |
It’s official: the end of the winter Holidays is here.
Tonight I put away my treasured Nutcracker Village.
It’s nice to have my coffee table back in use as a magazine rack, fishbowl stand and, well, a coffee table.
The cats are happy their platform bed is available again.
And while it’s nice to not have to lean too far to the left or right to see Dot on the other side of the room, I miss my Nutcrackers.
Baker Nutcracker
King Wenceslas
I’ll take the tree down tomorrow.
Christmas Tree
I’m sad to see the season go. Once the hustle-bustle-busyness of Christmas came and went, I finally found myself enjoying the lights and music and Christmas Spirit.
And now it’s over.
I guess it’s time to finish the Spring cleaning I started last year.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Aug 8, 2013 |
Usually I like to write longer, thought-out posts. But tonight, there’s just a few little things that I want to share, so I thought I’d put them together in a short nonsensical collection of what my day has been.
Yesterday’s blog post My Housing Project: A New Leaf was very well received, and I thank each and every one of you who liked, linked, clicked, commented, Pinned, tweeted and otherwise shared. It’s my most popular post since Winco shared Too Hot to Cook (June’s Meal Plan) two months ago.
I woke up early this morning to make sure it posted and that I had time to spread the word to Shell’s link up and other social media sites. As I was hummingly “working”, there was a Bible verse in the back of my mind. In that confirming, most overwhelmingly see-look-I-know-you way that God has, I later checked my emails and discovered this was today’s Bible verse as shared by Air1, the Christian radio station I listen to and receive daily emails from.
Philippians 4:6
What a beautiful confirmation that my Blog post was perfectly timed. I have God-bumps just recalling how He orchestrated this message to be heard and affirmed.
[By the way, if you missed today’s other blog post, my eBook, A Study on the Ten Commandments, is free for Kindle download today and tomorrow.]
After work, Dot and I decided to go to the Dollar Movies. We now have a new favorite Worst Movie Ever. It was so bad, it was fantastic. And we thought nothing could be worse than Avatar. And for four years, nothing was. Until now. It was a huge disappointment because we’ve been so enamored with both the actor and the director for years. But there’s just some things not worth the hype.
When we came home, I immediately went to water the shrubs. I was greeted by this little fellow, whom I affectionately now call Fred.
Fred the Lizard
After a few attempts, he let me hold him and Dot got this great photo of us:
A Lizard in the Hand
Do me a favor? This is already one of my more popular photos on Instagram, and I’d love to see my phone explode with notifications and bump it up. Would you care to help me out? If you have an Instagram account, just click here to “like” my photo. Thanks!
I haven’t done my monthly newsletter or a Meal Plan for August yet. The meal plan delay is because rather than grocery shopping, we’re saving our pennies and clearing out the freezer and pantry. I haven’t bought fast food in two weeks. Although tomorrow is pay day so I’m betting there’s a Starbucks in my very near future. That excites me because it’s also almost time for my fall favorite, Pumpkin Spice Latte. Last year, Dot introduced me to the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. And Instagram. And photo filters. This was my first filtered photo (say that five times fast!).
Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Creme Frappuccino
I’m already in holiday mode. I’ve been in conversations with a few sponsors to see what goodies I might be able to offer for this year’s blog giveaways. I’m pretty much driving Dot and Obadiah (my coworker) a tad crazy with the holiday chatter.
But you appreciate my efforts, don’t you?
At least, once some delicious new recipes get posted, I’m sure you will.
Speaking of recipes, here’s a special shout-out to Kat and her blog, Kat eats. She found my Potato Chip Casserole recipe via Pinterest and shared the recipe, and my blog link, on her Blog post. Check out her delicious recipe photos and how she changed it up by clicking here. The Potato Chip Casserole pin is pretty popular lately, but Kat is the first to give me original credit, so Awesome Sauce to her! Thanks for keeping it authentic, Kat, and as I often like to say, happy eating!
The weather has been cooling down and it’s barely 90 degrees during the day, which means I haven’t turned the air on for 36 hours. Sleeping with a nice breeze and cooling temperatures have made the cats all snuggly, of course. And sleepy. I posted this adorable video of our furfamily on Vine last week.
Do you Vine? I’m getting the hang of video making, but I’m still a newbie. So if you have any tips, follow me on Vine and Instagram and let me know!
And now we’ve come to the end of this post. Because I just emptied a can of Raid on the fireplace wall in pursuit of a fast-moving spider that I finally squished with the Teddy Bear Stool. Seriously. Where’s Team One when you need them?!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 13, 2012 |
I know. This is my buzzillionth post about the Mission Inn in Riverside. But seriously… you can’t possibly be tired of hearing how stunningly magical it is. My Most Favorite Place is all lit up for the holidays.
It’s always beautiful. Especially this time of year. From the day after Thanksgiving through the first weekend in January, The Mission Inn hosts its Festival of Lights. As over 3,600,000 lights light up the block-sized Resort, the sidewalks fill with a crowd that would challenge New York City during Rush Hour. Street venders peddle their wares. The aromas of roasted chestnuts, kettle corn and hot chocolate waft on the light breeze. Neon everything illuminates the surroundings. Performers serenade the immense crowd with guitars and voices.
And if you want to really partake in the Festival of Lights extravaganza, you have to get in line. Way down there. No, keep going. That’s it. There. Around the building. Down the block. Yup. There ya’ go. It takes about an hour to navigate the winding around, into, and out of the Lobby where Santa awaits and the tall Tree is displayed. It’s worth it.
But if long lines aren’t your cup of tea, stop in at Casey’s Cupcakes for a cupcake instead. Or wait two hours to be seated at the Bella Trattoria next door.
The best view of the Festival of Lights is from opposite sidewalks. There’s nothing quite like the scene lighting up against the night sky, with the clip-clop sounds of passing Cinderella carriages and wagons.
You can see as much or as little as you like; and do as much or as little. Stroll in the crowds and hum Christmas Caroles. Sit on a bench and enjoy people-watching. Revel in the flavors and noises of being thrown into another World. A World where history and celebration combine to bring Festivity to all to enjoy.
These are just a sampling of the Merriment you’ll find at
The Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights
Lobby Tree
Glamorous Gingerbread Cupcake and Gingerbread Coffee
Main Entrance
Around the Block
The Bella Trattoria
Sidewalk Lights
Stories Tall
Horse-Drawn Carriage
Fairy Tale Atmosphere
Gifts of Light
Festival of Lights
3500 Market Street. I just love this photo.
Fallen Leaves to Play In.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
My Personal History of Coffee (and a Keurig Review)
Destination: Mission Inn, Riverside, CA
Destination: Mission Inn [“Tell ‘Em Tony Sent Ya”]
Destination: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Dear Casey’s Cupcakes… Thanks For Being So Sweet!
Dec 10, 2012 |
Dear Casey’s Cupcakes,
Casey’s Cupcakes [Photo Credit: Hannah Realy]
But I can’t help share your sweetness with the World. At least, my little corner of it.
Casey’s Cupcakes
You’re on the internet. You’re on Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. And even Instagram.
Coincidentally… so am I.
It’s the law of averages that we’d cyber-bump into each other in this neighborhood. I’m just thankful that you act and react as much as I do. I really don’t lurk. I just happen to be online. A lot. Like, a lot-a lot.
Can I just say, without sounding stalkerish, that I love love love your cupcakes?
I think you already know that. But in case you didn’t, I love love love your cupcakes.
I also love your store. It’s decorated so cutely for the Season.
Casey’s Christmas Tree
And all the wonderfully delightful pink and white and striped and confettied goodies! I’d mention my favorites, but I picked up a few to stash into Dot’s Christmas stocking. So you’ll understand when I say I really can’t talk about all that right now. (I can say we’re now the proud owners of the last two striped iPhone covers from the Riverside location! Dreams really do come true!)
Glamorous Gingerbread at Casey’s Cupcakes
I love bringing newbies to your Riverside location (being the Mission Inn junkie that I am).
Oh, I’m supposed to tell you, “What an adorable shop!”, “Dontcha just love all the pink and white?!” and “These folding boxes are amazingly cute!” My peeps think you’re magical. I think you’re delightful. What other eatery do know of where the people save the containers after savoring the contents?
Did you notice the exclamation points in those statements. Yup. We love our Casey’s Cupcakes.
You brighten my day. Daily.
It’s prob’ly a good thing I don’t live closer.
Cuz then you might hafta get a Restraining Order. And we don’t want that. We just want our cupcake order.
Casey’s Cupcakes: A Very Sweet Treat!
Yeah. On a very.regular.basis.
Don’t be afraid. Just give me cupcakes and no one gets hurt.
That’s a sweet exchange… dontcha think?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
