Candy Cane Cookies!

We got crafty in the kitchen this winter and decided to make some home made cookies. A certain recipe caught my eye in an issue of a magazine that somehow landed in our house. This Martha Stewart recipe is a winner. My wife loves candy canes, so I know she would most likely be a fan of these cookies. Basically, they are made of sugar cookie dough, then you roll them in coarse sugar and crumbled up candy canes. The best part is beating up a bunch of candy canes into dust and crumbles. :) We are affectionately referring to them as Candy Cane Cookies and I'm sure they'll be made in future years. Now I just need to get the recipe for my grandma's Crackle cookies, and we'll have Christmas cookies settled!

Instant Bunnies & Beach

We found a sculpture park. (We found a sculpture park!) 

With a view of the ocean. (With a view of the ocean!)

And our new Polaroid and new Impossible film and some Fuji peel-apart and my old Polaroid got some mileage.

Post bunnies and sculptures, we headed down to the ocean to stick out toes in the sand. The water was pretty cold, but it was bringing in all kinds of shells. Then the sun started to fall and the colors got quite nice.

And I "accidentally" made a double exposure of a palm tree and the sunset... and I kind of like it.

A New Polaroid and Some Impossible Fun

We finally made our way over to a little film / camera shop nearby. Shutter + Light is a hub of all things instant. Todd is the guy of Shutter + Light and he was so flipping' helpful. Not only did he give us a good deal on a few packs of film and a cool bag to put them in, but he was quick to offer tips and advice. Including setting me straight in regards to a camera that I had totally given up on. Our cute little rainbow One Step, that my grandma bought for me at a yard sale, became a member of the "cute cameras we never use" club. Todd helped us along to the right information, gently in the midst of my shame. :)

He also stocked us up on some film to put in the one thing we purchased on our Orange Circle exploration day. We got a new Polaroid camera, that comes with its own story. We thought it was broken, but it actually had a broken film pack. 

Now we have a pretty nifty little camera that we love and the rainbow yard sale camera that we love again. 

We're coming to the conclusion that we were born in the wrong time. This is a dark photo, but my wife recently got a subscription to The Wall Street Journal and she loves reading it. Right next to my typewriter. What year is it?

Zoe checking out my cool little typewriter... *sniff* *sniff* *sniiiiiff*

Toast flipping, breakfast making, wife!

And the queen bee. :)

Grandma Cookies

My grandma sent me my very favorite cookies for Christmas this year. Dreams really do come true. And I might almost need a refill already!

A New Old Typewriter

I recently decided that I wanted a typewriter in our home. I didn't know much about them, but started researching and quickly found the style I wanted. Something from around 1950 or so, with that sleek "mid-century modern" body style. But I also wanted it to be functional and actually able to type. 

We spent a weekend roaming around antique stores and flea markets, where we did see a few typewriters. They just weren't "right" though. I narrowed it down to a specific one that I hoped to find - the 1953 Royal Futura. That led to eBay searches, and then finally, Etsy searches... and there he was.

Even better, he was for sale from someone who is about 10 minutes from where we live. I cashed in an early Christmas present this year, met the gentleman at a grocery store parking lot, and this cool typewriter came home with us. 

His name is Leo. 

(I name everything.)

Orange Circle

On the hunt for a typewriter, we made our way to Orange and the historic circle to explore all of the antique stores and flea markets. We came up empty on the typewriter, but it was a great day of walking around and poking in all kinds of goodies. We ended it in a "soda fountain" with fries and a malt and a root beer float. Oh, and a big Santa by the Christmas tree and palm trees. :)

Puddle Norm

It rained for a few days this month. Norm enjoyed a puddle. This is winter in Orange County, I think.