Petite Insanities

We decided to get outta dodge last weekend for a temporary escape from the brutal fire near Los Angeles so we packed up the pup and headed for an adventure to the Cabazon Dinosaurs ! Remember this funky place from Pee-wee's Big Adventure ? Aside from the scorching 104 degree heat (no joke!), it was pretty awesome checking out the massive T-Rex. I even ventured inside, climbing up the inside of his belly until I reached his jaws (just like Pee-wee!). It was hot... like ridiculously hot... but totally worth it. Truly one of the weirdest roadside attractions. If you're ever looking for something strange and fun in the desert, this would be it! xo Sécia F O L L O W   U S   O N   I N S T A G R A M   ::    @seciasophia

Late last night we decided to bake pie. Okay… we decided to bake  three  pies! Ben wanted pumpkin, his dad wanted cherry and I had to have pecan. Have you ever tasted pecan pie followed by a sip of coffee? Only the most orgasmic of flavors ever! Thanks to Ben's mom {because moms are great} we were able to whip these babies up in no time. It all started with the crust... :: The Crust :: 2 2/3 c. un-bleached flour 1 tsp. salt 1 c. crisco 8 Tbsp. ice water In a small bowl combine flour, salt and crisco. Use a fork to mash in the crisco but make sure to leave chunks to create a lighter, flakier crust.  Add the ice water and work between your hands to create the dough. Separate  half of the dough and mold into a ball.  {note: the other half of the dough could be used as a pie top if needed. Otherwise, why not just make a second pie with it?!} Flour a dry surface and begin rolling crust with a rolling pin. Flip and re-flour surface and crust continually...

Ben snapped this shot of Cooper and I enjoying the sunshine. Cooper was very happy to see the lounge chair return to the patio this week. He loves his perch and I'm loving this warm California weather. My last week of freedom before going back to work went by way too fast. At least I'll still have my weekends to hang with my boys and work on my tan. And let's not forget daylight savings to extend the days to come. Currently Reading:   Pride & Prejudice  by Jane Austen Highlights of the Week: an afternoon in the park & game night with friends Weekend To-Do List: create latte art  & find a vintage caravan  of our own Bloglove: * I'm really loving these photography tips from A Beautiful Mess. * Hula Seventy shared the most amazing double decker dress shop . * The beautiful story of Keep Calm & Carry On via Probably Best. * Totally dreaming of the new  Red Valentino Lookbook  shared by A Piece of Lisa. * What?! An instagram printer ?! Min...

We thought we'd take advantage of the lovely weather so we grabbed the pup, stopped by the store for some yummy essentials and headed to the park for a picnic. We found a quiet spot in the shade of a huge tree, gave Cooper a bone and just laid back and enjoyed a lazy afternoon. It's moments like these that make me thankful for my life and the people I share it with. xo

I just found the coolest treasury EVER created by the lovely, talented and amazing Rachell of  No Mark At All  and what makes it so totally awesome is that she dedicated it to me! How cool is that?! She totally knows my style and I'm loving how she's completely captured the things I love. That zombie t-shirt and watch are calling my name. Even the " Lab's Conundrum " artwork in the top right corner totally represents Cooper's current obsession. Thanks, Rachell. I love you. xoxo

I've always made fun of those stickers people put on the backs of their cars representing their family. You know, the ones that let everyone know exactly how many people live with them, whether or not they have that guard dog at home and letting any potential stalker know exactly what to expect one night as they break into their house. That was until a friend of mine surprised me with these...  And now I'm one of those people that I make fun of... Except my stickers are way cooler and we'll eat your brains if you try to break into our house. xoxo

Yesterday we celebrated Cooper's First Birthday with a Party! All of his buds came over, we (the humans) enjoyed margaritas, Ben cooked some amazing ribs and Cooper got some awesome gifts. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends who celebrated with us!  Today... Coop is pooped .

It's arrived... and it's so much fun! Tiny, little, itzi-bitzi, instant photos. Thank you, wonderful husband. I heart you. And my new Fujifilm Instax Mini 7s !

Tammy  over at  PuNk rAwK pUrL  has featured our little  Cooper  in a new column written by her  CAT ,  Rosco P. Coltrane , and I must say he's quite a cat. Cooper's question:  How come I still squat when I go potty? I would think I'd be lifting my leg by now. Rosco's answer:  READ IT HERE Thanks Tammy and Rosco! Cooper is glad to have a savvy cat in his corner. xoxo & Cooper

Thanks, Luaces {aka Doe a Dear} for his nifty, new collar.

Lots of organizing and cleaning this weekend. Preparations for more painting, installing and decorating in the weeks to come. What are your plans for the weekend? Hopefully no matter how busy you are you will still find time for the sweeter things in life... like my No. 5.

Don't forget to enter my  giveaway . Only two days left! I'll leave you with what I have to look forward to this weekend... This = Awesome. Hugs and kisses and have a wonderful Easter weekend.

My project is finished! Some of you may have been wondering what I had planned for all of those  doilies  my mom sent me. Thanks to a fun idea from  Ashley Ann Photography  that I found courtesy of  The Ardent Sparrow , my dining room has that special touch you can only get from personal creativity. I love how this doily runner turned out! After finally figuring out exactly how I wanted the doilies arranged it only took a couple of hours to actually tack them all together.  I even have enough left to create another one.  And if I don't like it after awhile I can easily take it apart and create something new. That = awesome. Keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway I have planned that might just include one of these beautiful doilies. Of course, there was more baking this weekend. Ben wanted more chocolate chip cookies but that last recipe I used wasn't the greatest. Joan from  for the love o...

And I love it!  My wonderful mother sent me a special package that arrived yesterday. I asked her to send all the vintage doilies she could spare for a little  project  that I plan to do over the weekend.  Apparently, she can spare some. She sent me a total of 29 doilies, 4 potholders and 2 vintage Pyrex pie dishes in melon and spotted pink (my dad apparently fought for the pie dishes but she found more for me too). She really must love me. Buried under all of that color are quite a few that will be perfect for my project (which I will leave for another post). And I'm sure you will find some of the leftovers for sale in our  vintage shop  soon. Sécia P.S. Cooper loves monkey.

Rainbow gift tags added to my shop. Recycled from paper scraps. Buy them here ! Rainbow cupcakes for my honey. the batter... naked cupcakes... the frosting... yum. Thanks to The Dainty Squid for the cute inspiration. I'll list the recipe in the recipes section this week. The cake was a guick yellow cake recipe from my KitchenAid mixer cookbook (right after I baked these I realized there was an easy white cake recipe too so I think that one's next). The frosting was a buttercream recipe also from the book and it's a very yummy one. Oh, and where there's rainbows... Life is good.