Mistaken Adventures Are The Best Kind Of Adventures…

Posted on September 26, 2015 by BeautyFrosting

Sometimes mistaken adventures are the best kind of adventures…

I have many a golden Lindsey memory that shine in my mind: late night parties with giant stuffed teddy bears and an impromptu Bill Withers dance party at the Lyric Theatre on a weeknight rank high.

But, this was the first one where we set off on a mistaken adventure and ended up bathed in golden light at sunset in a pumpkin patch on a farm.

Bathed in the harvest glow.

Yes, I got the date wrong (SO wrong) on the charity dinner for my beloved Max Love Project, so my dear friend, Lindsey Vaerst and I drove all the way to Tanaka Farms in Irvine, only to find out that it’s…wait for it…in OCTOBER!! Ahhh. Didn’t even get the day right! (It’s October 24th NOT September 26th and tickets can be bought HERE for $150/person.)

Some might be frustrated or feel that a 3-hour round trip down the 405 is wasted time. Not us. We laughed. Oh, how we laughed! And then we took a picture, bathed in that gorgeous dusk light, to mark the moment – as though we could ever forget!

#MercuryRetrogradeIsReal #HonestLovesMax

Open Hearts, Can’t Lose: Goodbye, Sweet Ann!

Posted on May 25, 2015 by BeautyFrosting

It seems to be fate at work that my friendship with Ann started at Jan’s on Beverly, where she was my waitress 15 years ago, and ended here in America in a diner in North Hollywood, this past Saturday.

With Ann (center) and her friend, Sunny

I met Ann when I was 22 and she was 53. I had just moved to LA that week. Ann says Buddhism saved her life in 1983 when she was in an abusive marriage and was about to commit suicide, and now she considers it her mission to spread the “magic” of Buddhism to everyone she meets so that they can share her joy.

Well I didn’t become a Buddhist today, as Ann had hoped, but I will say that she shared a chant with my mom and me 15 years ago that helps me fall asleep whenever I have a sleepless night, and calms me whenever I’m feeling restless or nervous. She also planted a huge seed of joy in my heart, that continues to grow.

I’m so grateful to have met her all those years ago, so thankful to have reconnected with her a few months ago, and am so sad for me (and happy for her) to see her go back to her native Thailand on Wednesday, where she will reunite with her husband, and retire, after working double shifts as a waitress for over 31 years.

I’m so proud that today I got to sit NEXT to Ann in a booth, and buy her and her friend Sunny lunch, instead of her bringing me my lunch. Full circle, indeed. The lesson here? Always be open. You never know the friends you will make in your day-to-day life, the lessons they will teach you, and the impact their spirits might have on you, so, keep your eyes, minds and hearts open. Always open.

Ann was one of my first friends in LA, and you know I don’t often believe in accidents. I’m a better person for knowing this angel we call Ann…better known in Thailand as Sarinya Chaimongkol.

p.s. I can’t wait to visit!

McCoy’s Me-Cations: A Taste of Texas – Fall ’14

Posted on October 21, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

Gosh, Texas was fun.

It's been too long, my homestate!

My trip home to Dallas consisted mostly of family time, catching up with friends, hanging out by the pool, napping, eating…and more eating.
Hence, the 5-lbs that decided to come back to LA with me – and I’m not talking about in my carry-on – but I digress.

Here is just a taste of the Texas I know and love. I am dedicating the next 3 days to my 15-day Texas fall experience.

The first thing I see when I come home is THIS. The cutest. That’s mine – Miss Ellie – in front and her brother (my mom’s) in the oh-so-festive bandana. His name is Reagan.

Meet Reagan (in back, my mom's pup & Miss Ellie's big brother). That's Miss Ellie in front, of course.

Here are a few of the highlights of the trip. And did I mention the delicious food?

First stop? Mi Cocina. And I can assure you, it won’t be the last.

Our second family home: Mi Cocina Preston Forest

I spent many an afternoon, laying out by the family pool. Mom would bring me delicious snacks when I’d been out there a while! More details (and pics) on Thursday.

Fall in Texas looks a little different.

A Dallas autumn (almost) citywide blackout calls for marshmallow soup, soufflé and wine at Rise Soufflé. Obviously.

A blackout calls for one of my favorite Dallas restaurants.

There’s Breakfast and then there’s Texfast. This is the latter at The Original Pancake House on Midway and Northwest Highway. Banana Nut crepes with coffee caramel sauce. Delish.

Almost every morning, we eat at our neighborhood's The Original Pancake House. We've been coming here for 23 years.

Next up? Lots of visits with friends.

All my exes live in Texas. Well, not all of em. But this one’ll do. We checked out some live music at Poor David’s Pub with a few other friends. I have always been in awe of the Dallas music scene.

One of my exes, who - yep! - lives in Texas.

We used to play hooky during our high school days to hit Bubba’s for lunch. Now, hooky is no longer necessary. Known this girl for over 18 years and so thankful for that…and for Bubba’s mashed potatoes that we demolished over our ladies’ lunch.

No more need to play hooky!

Sunday ladies’ brunch in full effect at The Grape on Greenville.

Mimosas & muffins to start at The Grape on Greenville in Dallas

Warning: Brunch and mimosas at The Grape may cause intense laughter and inappropriate conversation. Love the chance that I had the opportunity to introduce two of my friends, KellyAnn and Lori to one another on this trip home!

Warning: The Grape's mimosas may lead to intense laughter and inappropriate conversation. Um, sorry to the table sitting next to us.

Laughter never ages. Love these two – Tadd and Jenna . One of my favorite traditions every time I’m home – Hendrix alums & dear friends unite at Mi Cocina! (Yes, again, with the Mi Cocina).

Hendrix '00 friends at Mi Cocina!

And I love that I timed my trip perfectly so I could attend my college friend Camille’s wedding party in Texarkana with our other college best friends, Jenna and Cathleen!

Hendrix '00 in Texarkana for Camille's wedding party

You knew this was coming. RED MEAT ALERT.

When you’re raised in Dallas, good steak and lobster only means one thing…Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. I spent almost every birthday dining here, from age 10 onward, with my family, which totally spoiled me for life. Even though the Lemmon location is gone, the deliciousness lives on on Spring Valley. My taste buds experienced a bit of nostalgic heaven that night and I am still thankful. (Thanks, Mom!)

Why, yes! As a matter of fact, we did have steak AND lobster!

A lighter night. Girls’ night at Cafe Istanbul with Mom.

Cafe Istanbul girls' night with Mom.

And the, ahem, family “food tour” continues. Sharing a fiesta omelet and French strawberry crepe with Mom at Original Pancake House, before we hit the mothership, Neiman Marcus Northpark.

The best Dallas breakfast spot..and it's right in our 'hood.

One piece of advice for y’all before I wrap this up: When in Texas, there is only one beer you can drink, in my opinion: Shiner Bock.

Sippin' on a Shiner Bock in Texarkana, Texas on a Friday night. Life's pretty good.

Yep. Texas Forever.

**
Tomorrow? The man I always fall in love with every fall in Texas. He’s the dreamiest.

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What are your favorite Dallas restaurants?

High-Low 6/30/14: Bye, Bye Boys

Posted on June 30, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

As is the case in all of our lives, sometimes the high is the low and the low is the high.

That’s the case with this week’s High-Low.

As I’ve mentioned before, I live in this magical neighborhood called Wilshire Vista, which is a flashback of the past. All of my neighbors and I say “Good Morning” every morning, take the dogs on walks around the block every day, borrow sugar from one another, walk to the french bakery and share a cup of coffee, take care of each other’s kids and pets, pop a beer on the front porch or a glass of wine in the backyard and whoop it up at one another’s parties.

But it’s much more than that. This neighborhood has become my family, here in Los Angeles. I am told that this is a rarity. So when some members of our tribe move away, it is a deep loss that is felt at our core.

This week, we said goodbye to one of our favorite families – the Bowers-Disney clan.

The Bowers-Disney family at my past birthday party

This family of four taught me so much that I never even knew I needed to learn. I met Robert on a walk one day when my 5-lb Maltese pup, Miss Ellie, took a shine to his huge brute of a dog (with a mushy heart of gold) named Bubba. A friendship was born between us and little did I know that their lives were about to majorly change.

Within the year, sweet Bubba passed away, Robert and his longtime love, Joe fostered two adorable little boys named Elijah and Theodore and then got married on the same day that they adopted those two little boys. The picture of seeing these 2 men and 2 boys become an instant family in one day was one of the most powerful things I have ever seen in my life.

They are such a beautiful, kind, creative and fun family and the whole neighborhood was inspired by them. I know I certainly was. From them, I learned that families can be formed in a million different ways and that love is the common ingredient in every enviable family.

This past weekend, they moved to Washington D.C. to start a new chapter together. And boy, will those boys be missed. But as they start that new chapter, I hope they will remember this slew of characters from their chapter here in Wilshire Vista, who will think of them with love and blessings every time we walk past their house.

I miss y’all already.

*Afterthought: Later, they told me that long before they adopted the boys, they had had a piece of art hanging in their living room that they were never able to let go of – even though they thought many times that they should as it wasn’t quite their decor. It was a painting of two men holding hands with two little boys. The power of this piece of art hit them after that day when they became a family. It’s as if it was always meant to be. Needless to say, they never gave away that painting.

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What’s your neighborhood like?

High-Low: It Takes A Village & Too Much Everything

Posted on March 24, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

HIGH: It Takes A Village

High-Low: It Takes A Village

Well, you may have noticed that I took a little break from BF the past few weeks. Believe me, it was not voluntary. I was in the throes of celebrating our BeautyFrosting 2nd bloggiversary and threw quite a fête here at The Cupcake Palace to celebrate (more on that later).

With the help of my mom, friends, assistants and generous sponsors, I “single-handedly” threw the party that I had dreamed of to celebrate 2 years of BeautyFrosting. See, that’s the joke! Everyone said, “Wow! How did you manage to pull off a party at your home for 70 people when it’s just you working full-time at it?” Well, here’s the thing. I may be a one-man shop but I’ve got a whole host of people who help it run smoothly and make it so much more fun. From friends to part-time assistants to my champions cheering me on, I never feel like I’m alone in making my dreams come true.

I am so lucky to be surrounded by people who believe in the beauty of my dreams and who encourage me to keep doing my best and giving my all every single day. I am beyond thankful for them.

So, my high this week is all of you folks who have supported me the past 2 years, who helped make this dream of a “BF Turns 2″ bloggiversary party a reality and to the people who inspire me every day. There are SO many of you but let’s just start with the party people who made my party a seamless and beautiful affair: Mom, Vanessa York, Chris Richards, Lindsey Vaerst, Joey LiMandri, Lindy Ryan, Heather Adair, Rosy Usagi and Malina Li. Between stuffing giftbags, hanging decorations, shopping at HomeGoods, bringing ice, waiting for people to arrive, offering to help in any way and offering moral support, y’all make it all so much sweeter!

LOW: Too Much Everything

I’ll be honest with ya, here. People often ask me how I do it all – “How do you come up with ideas to write about? How do you go to so many events? How do you stay so positive? How do you make time for spin class? How do you make time for makeup? How do you find time to bake with all of that going on?” And when they ask me this, I always feel really flattered. I’m so happy that I make a busy life seem so easy and fun. But let me tell you, y’all, it’s not all rainbows and cupcakes and puppy dogs all the time. The past month has taught me a lot. The main thing is this little life lesson above – “You can do anything but you can’t do everything.“ Yep. I hear ya. LOUD AND CLEAR.

For a person who really thrives when they’re multi-tasking as much as I do, it’s really hard to know your limits. And it’s even harder for me to say no to a friend or business associate. But, by golly, I am learning – albeit, verrrry slowly – that I cannot do everything, no matter how hard I try. I can’t do it all. I can’t please ’em all and I can’t be it all to everyone. But I sure can try to do my healthy best.

So today I am trying to focus on the things that I can do, the ways I can improve the lives of those around me and am trying to let go of the superfluous so I can have a little bit more me-time every now and then. Because when your business is, well, you, the lines can between work and play can get pretty blurry.

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

*So what exactly is a High-Low, you ask? High-Low is the BEST & WORST part of your day, week, month, etc. I started this tradition with friends & family after I discovered it through a movie decades ago. Not only is it useful for reflection sake but it is also an excellent way to communicate with your spouse, kids or friends over the dinner table. By introducing this tradition to folks, parents have told me that their kids have opened up more and friends have told me that their spouses have become more communicative. Try it for yourself and let me know what your experience is!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Posted on February 25, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

I truly am The Luckiest.
Happy birthday to the woman –
who taught me how to be a woman,
who loved me as a little girl,
the woman at whom I would stare for hours wishing that I would one day be as beautiful as her.

Happy Birthday to the woman –
I told – and still tell to this day – all of my secrets to.
The woman to whom I would say how beautiful she was every day ad nauseam until she literally made me stop.
My teatime partner.
My margarita partner.
My cheese and Wine partner.
My partner in all things.

I hope that I am as good a daughter as the mother you’ve been to me.
And I pray that one day I’ll be half the mother that you are.
I know that you would like me to live the single life forever and live in Tuscany and Paris and such but seeing you be the mom that you were and are makes me want to be a mom one day.
You just make it look so beautiful.

You have accomplished so many exemplary achievements in your life but this one is your best.
Everything I am is because of you. And I could not imagine a minute without you in my life. I truly am the luckiest.

I love you the whole wide world and back again.

High-Low 2/17/14: Valentine’s Fun & Forced Relaxation

Posted on February 17, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

HIGH: Valentine’s Fun!

I celebrated Valentine’s a little early on Thursday by hosting a sweet and inspired shoot here at The Cupcake Palace. And I loved celebrating the sweetest of days with my sweet – and talented – friend, Lindsey Vaerst.

We had a wine tasting dinner to attend for BeautyFrosting – later that evening – but first we had a little girly fun doing the shoot, sipping some pink champagne and nibbling on some sweets. Then we had some girl talk as we got ready for the big night ahead. What a perfect day!

This is how my Valentine's looked. How did you celebrate? Hope it was a sweet one! (*heart champagne flutes by World Market)

LOW: Forced Relaxation

My low this week? I got a bad case of food poisoning. No lesson learned. Nothing positive from it. Oh wait, or is there? Yep. By being completely incapacitated for 2 days, I actually had to rest, relax, take baths, read, watch a movie and do nothing but be sick and take care of myself. Okay, universe, I get it. I GET IT. Relax more or you’ll make me relax. Point taken. And, um, no picture needed – am I right?

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

High-Low 1/21/14: Saturday Tea Party & The Worst Kind of Unexpected

Posted on January 21, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

As many weeks are, this week was filled with delights and happiness and some sadness and fear mixed in there, too. Let’s start with the good stuff, as always, shall we?

HIGH: Saturday Tea Party Celebrating Friends

A "sprinkle" shower tea party on a Saturday…so lovely!

I spent this past Saturday having a sweet and simple “sprinkle” shower for a dear friend expecting her second child. Filled with friends, my Ginger Tea Punch, tea sandwiches, Porch Pies (getcha some!), homemade Texan chocolate cupcakes, champagne and more, it was just a perfect little Saturday.

Porch pies, cupcakes & tea, oh my!

I whipped up my signature tea sandwiches:

Cucumber Dill Cream Cheese on White and Zesty Southern Pimento Cheese on Dark Rye (usually, I use Pumpernickel but the store didn’t have it!)

Tea Sandwich Tower #1

And…Turkey, Mascarpone & Spinach on Wheat and Zucchini-Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese and a Butterscotch Drizzle

and...Tea Sandwich Tower #2

It was such a sweet day and probably the most relaxed and relaxing little party I’ve ever hosted. It was also a good lesson to me that sometimes more is not best and simple can be beautiful. Good for this queen of overkill to remember!

LOW: The Worst Kind of Unexpected

Life moves so fast and the mere movement of time makes it very easy to take things for granted. I was reminded again of how fragile life and health can be when a friend of mine was found unconscious in his home and rushed to Cedars Sinai for H1N1-induced pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome last Thursday. He’s out of the dark, dark woods but he’s still in the woods a bit. And he has quite a journey of healing ahead of him. So, if you would, please keep Jake in your thoughts and prayers this week. And please, please get your flu shots and be grateful every day for the life and health you have today. I am preaching to you right now as much as I am reminding myself. We’ve gotta watch out for ourselves and each other.

Have a great week, beauties!

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

High-Low 1/6/13: Vegas & Reflecting…

Posted on January 6, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

Happy 2014, friends!! I hope it is off to a shimmering start for you. Here is my High-Low this week. It was a good one!

HIGH: VEGAS FOR NEW YEARS

What a year 2013 was!! And it wrapped up in grand style for me in Las Vegas with some of my dear friends that I made during my years working for Barbra Streisand. So what was on the agenda? Seeing amazing shows, staying at the MGM Grand, eating delicious food, drinking wonderful wine and laughing…a lot.

When in Vegas, SHINE!!! Dress by Honey Punch ℅ M. Caroline Boutique

I spent the first night seeing my old friends, Maroon 5. It makes me so happy when I see people I’ve been friends with or crossed paths with over the years turn their talents & passions into success. I remember seeing Adam Levine and the Maroon 5 guys (when they were Kara’s Flowers) playing for our friend’s birthday party on La Brea. Seeing Kara’s Flowers play was a frequent thing in the early 2000s. I haven’t seen them live as Maroon 5 so it was SUCH a treat. I had a dorky, proud mom smile on my face the whole time. Adam was the same star then that he is now. And my friend, Sam Farrar, was at that party and now he’s in the band. Love how full circle things are. Just melts my heart.

Maroon 5 at Mandalay Bay on December 30th in Vegas

The next night we were treated to a ridiculously delicious dinner of sushi at Shibuya at MGM Grand. Then it was on to a private Fleetwood Mac party/show.

Fleetwood Mac Private Party & Show at MGM Grand

Wowsers, y’all. We had a table but ended up being front stage center for the show. It. Was. AMAAAAAZING. Lindsey Buckingham had us touch his guitar. As someone who adores them who happened to be in a coed/Fleetwood Mac-style band back in the day, it was just a huge treat! And what a way to kick off the new year!

Fleetwood Mac at MGM Grand

My 2014 continued to be awesome when I realized that the ticket I had bought was actually in first class. I thought that if 2014 only went up from that point, I was looking at the best year of my life.

Well, that's one way to kick off 2014!

LOW: REFLECTING…

In our room at the MGM Grand reflecting back on the year…with a glass of vino, of course!

My low was not really a low-low. It was more a big ole casserole of lessons learned, regrets I’m trying to move past, people I’m trying to let go of and intentions set so as not to repeat the past again.

But sometimes even the best of intentions and most honest of resolutions get broken. Simply put…being human is hard. Really hard. It is so easy to judge yourself and get lost in that grief. As they say in August: Osage County, “Thank God we can’t tell the future. We’d never get out of bed.”

There is only ONE thing that we are guaranteed in this life – that this life will end. So my main resolution this year is to forgive myself a little more and treat myself a little bit more gently, if possible. To accept defeat, rejection and sorrow as chances to grow gracefully and become a better human being. And to let go of the patterns, people and events in my life that don’t serve me and don’t make me a better person. Life is far too short to have anything in it that detracts from your life rather than adding happiness to it. So as I reflect today, I will grow tomorrow. At least, that’s my intention.

And I have to tell ya…I have a sneaking suspicion that 2014 is going to be the best year yet. Here’s to keeping resolutions, actualizing dreams and celebrating every day we get in this life!

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week? What are your resolutions? What did you reflect upon with the turn of the new year?

High-Low 12/2/13: Birthday Bliss & A Boy Named Paul I Used To Know…

Posted on December 2, 2013 by BeautyFrosting

This week was a reminder in how precious life is, how much we should celebrate our life & health every day…and how quickly it can be taken away.

HIGH

My high would have to be my birthday on Saturday.

Midnight cake, champagne & wishes. The best birthdays always begin at midnight. And so it begins...

It was a day filled with friends, food and fun! It started with a morning hike at Runyon Canyon…

A morning hike at Runyon Canyon to make me feel all 36 years alive!

Then there was a brunch with good friends & bottomless mimosas (the perfect marriage if you ask me) at Chic Wine Bar in my hood…

First, second and third apparent rules of bdays? 1) You must brunch with good friends and, well, 2) there must be bottomless mimosas and, of course, 3) you MUST wear sequins. Yep. It's a thing.

A manicure & pedicure at Polish Couture…

Now, THIS is what I call a birthday mani

And dinner and dancing with friends at The Village Idiot followed by Fubar.

Nothin' better than dinner & dancing with friends on your birthday!

LOW

Low: Remembering Paul...

As I was getting ready to leave for my birthday evening out on the town, I heard about the death of Paul Walker. I knew Paul Walker. He was one of the first people I met in Los Angeles and he dated my first roommate out here for years. I hadn’t seen him or talked to him in over a decade but those memories of that first year in LA came flooding back to me. Two Texas girls in the big city of LA ready to take on the world. And there was Paul Walker…a moviestar being a frequent face in our apartment on Holt. Eating pizza with us on our red couch. So this was LA.

I remember Paul hanging things in our new apartment when we first moved in and my mom making a joke that “If that acting thing doesn’t work out, you could be a handyman.” I wanted to die. At this point, Paul had been in Varsity Blues and had The Fast and The Furious franchise going on. This “acting thing” was workin’ out just fine for him. My mom knew this and thought it was good to keep people down to earth.

But Paul didn’t need that reminder. He was a born-and-bred Cali boy with a beautiful little daughter named Meadow who used to play at our apartment. I remember starting a diet on a Sunday and him telling me to eat some chinese food because “No one starts a diet on a Sunday. Everyone knows you start on a Monday.” I remember that I would get super annoyed that he wouldn’t buy toilet paper when he was basically living with us. I remember that he had a very cool car – and I had no idea what it was, of course – and people used to stop in front our yellow 4-plex to look at it. Cars were a passion of his. So it seems even more tragic that they led to his premature demise.

Whenever someone passes, I always say that you feel an absence whether you really knew them or not. I would never profess that Paul was a good friend or anything like that. But Paul was basically my 3rd roommate my first year in LA and I feel the loss of that memory. He was a presence in that new chapter I started in LA all those years ago and I am so sad that his story has ended much too early. My thoughts, prayers and love go out to Meadow, his family and my former roommate who loved him very much for a chapter in her life. I’m happy he was a small part of mine for the brief time he was.

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?