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 6/3/14: Synchronicity & Ricky Nelson

Posted on June 3, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

Yet again, it’s time for the most popular column on BeautyFrosting – my High-Low. *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 the sake of reflection 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…

***

HIGH: Synchronicity

High: Heroes Becoming Friends - Tracy McMillan & I at Step Up's Inspiration Awards

Synchronicity is defined as the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality.

Increasingly, I am starting to believe in sychronicity in our lives and that we really do in fact become what we envision. I have seen it quite a bit in my own life and although that dubious cynic in my head likes to battle the Polyanna in my heart and perk its head up when it happens, it’s becoming difficult to ignore. Here are a few reasons why the cynic isn’t winning which I was reminded of this week when I ran into my friend, Tracy McMillan at the Step Up Inspiration Awards.

1) I grew up listening to country music. My dad used to tell stories of listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio in his room as he fell asleep as a child. So imagine my dad’s delight when I played the Grand Ole Opry back in 2003 and 2005 and he got to come backstage to the place that shaped his youth and helped him escape a rather difficult childhood. It was one of my all-time favorite dream-turned-reality moments.

2) I used to read Moll Anderson’s column in Nashville Lifestyles every month as I ate macaroni and cheese on my lunch break while working at a beauty store in Nashville. At the time, I was missing L.A. and feeling like my best opportunities had passed me by. I felt a little hopeless and I saw this gorgeous, smart, creative and inspiring woman living the life that I could only imagine living. Fast forward 5 years and I randomly (or was it?) met Moll’s son in the elevator of an office that we shared in Hollywood. Now, I am a correspondent for Beauty Beat on The Moll Anderson Show every week on iHeartRadio and I call Moll my dear friend and inspiring mentor. And let me tell you, knowing her is even more inspiring than reading her.

I used to read her column in Nashville Lifestyles. Now, I call her my friend and mentor.

3) Another example? When I was going through a rather painful breakup with my ex (don’t worry, he’s now my best friend), I was depressed. So depressed that I had been sitting around my house, drowning myself in breakup movies and Friday Night Lights episodes – trying to forget what might have been. At one point, I knew I needed to get out. So I made myself go out to a wine bar called Bottle Rock in Culver City…alone.

I sat on a couch outside and there was another single girl there, Alexandra. We ended up chatting and, after sharing our stories, she told me that I MUST read this book called, I Love You And I’m Leaving You Anyway: A Memoir by Tracy McMillan. Alexandra told me that I would get so much out of it at that point in my life. I bought the book on Amazon that very night and had read it within 4 days. I loved it and consider it a huge part of my heart-healing process. A few months later, my dear friend, Amy, came by and saw the book sitting on my table. “Did you read this? My friend Tracy is the author.” I was stunned.

I ended up meeting Tracy a few months later at Amy’s holiday party and am now grateful to call her my friend. And she continues to inspire me as writer and as a person. I have never seen Alexandra again but we are friends on Facebook. If I had not made myself go out, not chosen to go to that wine bar, not chosen to sit outside, sit on that couch or near Alexandra, I never would have read that book that inspired me so much. And I never would have been able to meet one of my now-literary heroes.

4) I’ve seen it with my friends, as well. When I worked for Barbra Streisand, I met Moe and Tini who came on to the team as Barbra’s assistants. Moe and Tini had been loyal Barbra fans since their childhood days in Philly. When they ended up working for Barbra in Malibu, there was no way to ignore that their dreams had turned into their realities. Now, they’re on to their next dreams of being writers/directors/producers and have an amazing film in pre-production based on their Philly days.

5) And I also saw it with Tracy McMillan, herself. She – and her friends – recall countless times that she said her dream was to be on Oprah. This past May, that dream came true when she appeared on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday.

So don’t tell me that synchronicity isn’t real. Don’t tell me that dreams don’t come true. And don’t be afraid to believe in the beauty of your dreams. Those dreams are some powerful things, my friends. Believe that they just might come true. And look for the synchronicity in your life for synchronicity is basically just a reminder that your dreams are works-in-progress, just waiting to come true in their own time.

LOW: Ricky Nelson Knew Best

LOW: Ricky Nelson Knew Best

As I have mentioned before, I tend to be a major people pleaser – so much so that I have been working at trying to become a little less of a people pleaser. But it is no easy task. While I don’t make it a habit of letting down people, in the past few months, I have done just that a few times. One of my best friends is not talking to me because I was tardy in replying to a text when she needed me…apparently very much. Another friend told me this past weekend that I hadn’t been as actively supportive and helpful of their career as they would like while they have always been my biggest champion.

Listen, these are not things I enjoy admitting. It breaks my heart and makes me question whether I am on the right path a bit. But here’s the thing: I know that I am. I am just learning new boundaries, taking care of myself and slowly – very slowly – learning not to take everything so personally. My parents used to love Ricky Nelson – and he was, in fact, one of the first concerts I attended as a small child. So that might be why the lines from his song, “Garden Party” keep ringing in my head. “I’ve learned my lesson well. See, you can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself.”

Well, I’ll still probably try to make people happy – most especially those people I love. But I am learning that in this busy game called life, you can only do your best and leave the rest – and hope that you can be forgiven when you fall short. Because you will – as hard as you try not to – sometimes, fall short.

xoxo,
BF

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

High-Low 4/7/14: Wrecking Ball & Sick For A Day

Posted on April 7, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

HIGH: Friends who just know you-and give you the best gift of all

High: Meeting Emmylou Harris & Daniel Lanois on their Wrecking Ball tour

When I was 18 – and a senior in high school – I lost my beloved grandmother whom we lovingly called, “Nanny.” Nanny was the heart of our family and her heart was in the kitchen. I think that’s why I always feel so at peace when I’m in the kitchen now.

When we lost her, music became even more important to me – and it was already very important. I would listen to Mancini’s “Moon River” on the Breakfast at Tiffany’s soundtrack incessantly. This only stopped when my big brother, Davy, introduced me to a record by Emmylou Harris – which was produced by Daniel Lanois – called Wrecking Ball.

One vivid memory I recall – among the many I have of that record – is sitting in the sunroom of my brother’s ex-girlfriend’s-stepmother’s house for which he was housesitting that summer. This room was the “truth” room in that it coaxed us into sharing memories, complaining about – and to – one another, and was a place where secrets had a way of coming out that would change us forever.

The one common thread – amongst all of the drama – that I remember that summer is that record. Wrecking Ball. And what an apropos title it had! Good music has the most magical way of doing that – sitting in your memory like a lover lost that you just can’t ever forget.

Now, I have another magical memory of that record – thanks to one of my dear best friends, Lindsey Vaerst. This girl is one of the most considerate, thoughtful and giving people I know. She told me about Dan and Emmylou going on a Wrecking Ball 20-year reunion (really, that long??!) tour and I’m pretty sure that when she did, I turned into a giddy-faced, glee-filled 18-year-old again.

Giddy.

But she went above and beyond. See, she knows Dan and Emmylou and ended up getting us all-access passes. Well, shoot, y’all! I don’t get too impressed by many celebs – but Emmylou??!! Holy heck. I got to meet her and Dan and tell them the profound heart-filling effect that they had on my family with that record. It was SO special.

It meant the world to me. And I met the most magical people.

Magical folks - LA meets Nashville

Magic just seems to follow Lindsey Vaerst around – even when she can’t see it – and sometimes, I’m lucky enough to have it spill over into mine.
Thank you, my precious friend. This is a lifetime pass gift – meaning that you can’t give me anything ever again. What a memorable – and magical – night! I thank you.

LOW: Oh, just sick…for a day

Sick. But so much healthier after.

I’ll keep this simple. I got sick. I got sick because I was going non-stop and my body rebelled and declared, “I NEED A BREAK!!” So I rested Friday and most of Saturday and (as Gomer Pyle used to say), “Surprise, surprise!” I felt better. I stayed in bed and read the rest of Mindy Kaling’s book (GOD, IT’S GOOD!!!), and ended up working on my book. Oh, what’s that, you say? You didn’t know I had a book? Well, I’m 1794 words in so I do now, folks! It was an important reminder to both listen to my body and take a little bit more me-time every week to see what creative magic might be stirred up. As always, the lesson of the low outweighed the low itself.

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks:

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?

*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!

High-Low 2/10/14: Showtime & Expectations

Posted on February 10, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

With everything that happened in the last week, it felt like it was more like a month! Wednesday was one of the most challenging days I’ve ever had because literally everything that could go wrong went wrong. I had two band members who had to take their loved ones to the hospital unexpectedly for dire emergencies and there was a world of changes going on that I just was not prepared for.

But then there was so much sweetness that I thought my heart would burst. Ah, life, how you love to throw the curveballs and the cupcakes at us all at the same time. Without further ado, my weekly High-Low.

HIGH: Showtime

Beau’s Debut! Well, now that People Magazine announced it last week, I can announce that my heart just got a little bit fuller – and pinker – thanks to the birth of Beau Katherine Brower!!

HIGH: Beau's Debut!! I got to visit her on her first day at the hospital and I fell instantly in love. Swoon.

Beau was born to some of my best friends, Ned and Sarah Brower (also known as actress Sarah Jane Morris) on Saturday, March 1st and she is just gorgeous and perfect! And since they waited to find out the sex, it was the sweetest of surprises that she was a girl!!! I went to meet Miss Beau and, of course, couldn’t show up to the hospital empty-handed! So I swung by my fave baby store, Bel Bambini on Robertson and picked up some pink to properly celebrate Beau’s debut! I’m utterly smitten and am determined to spoil her rotten. As you can see, it’s already started.

Pink presents for Beau from Bel Bambini - I couldn't help myself! Girls are so fun!!

Hotel Cafe As many of you may know – and many may not – I am a singer/songwriter. I’m not full-time anymore at all but I still write and love to play my favorite venue here in LA (and my home away from home), The Hotel Cafe.

High: Hotel Cafe Show 2/8/14 - For The Lovers, Love-Hopeful, Heartbreakers & Heartbroken

I had the pleasure of playing this past Saturday and it was just the most fun! I got to play with some of my all-time favorite musicians and friends including Ben Peeler, Garrett Hanson, Joel Martin, Jon Button and Malcolm Cross. I realized it had been 10 months since I’d played there and that is 10 months too long. I love to title my shows so this Valentine’s one was called “For The Lovers, Love-Hopeful, Heartbreakers and Heartbroken.” One could argue that I was workin’ through some pretty powerful emotions up on that stage but I worked it out through singing my heart out, dancing and seeing 100 of my friends’ faces smiling at me from the audience. It was just perfect. And it’s gotta happen more often. It does my soul so much good.

This photo perfectly captures my joy of the evening. Just bliss. (*Dress is Plenty by Tracy Reese for Anthropologie and sideways cross necklace is by Flea Market Girl)

LOW: Expectations

Low: Expectations

Let me start by saying that I am so grateful for the week I’ve had and the amazing people that I have in my life. Whenever I express the lows, it’s not to complain but rather to really experience these lows so that I might see the highs more clearly and appreciate them more richly. This week I let myself be let down by a few people. What do I mean by that? I mean that I had some expectations of people and well, they fell short. Not the people but my expectations. I was expressing my annoyance and hurt with my dear friend (and talk show host/therapist) Matt Marr and he blew my mind once again with his insight and wisdom. He said to me, “Expectations are future resentments.” Word. They sure are.

And with me, this goes tenfold. I don’t have many pet peeves but one of them is when someone makes a plan with me and cancels or doesn’t follow through. It gets under my skin like nothin’ else. Those closest to me know this and try to operate accordingly. But what I’m realizing is that I need to lower my expectations a bit. People are human. Things come up. People make mistakes. I’m not saying it’s going to happen today but an ongoing goal of mine is to become a little less rigid and a little more forgiving in terms of people who don’t meet my expectations as I think they should. Thank you for these thought-provoking words, Matty.

xoxo,
BF

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

High-Low 2/3/14: Honest Turns 2 & The Bad Ones

Posted on February 3, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

HIGH: Honest Turns 2

Celebrating The Honest Company's 2nd birthday with one of my besties, Lindsey

I’m not talking about a kiddo’s birthday party here although this celebration was all about the kids! I was honored to attend The Honest Company‘s 2nd birthday party this past Thursday at their headquarters in Santa Monica. With party planning & whimsical details from Details Details, delicious catering, yummy wine and sparkling wine from my favorite, One Hope Wine and a most-delicious cake by Cakes by Rumy, the fête was just the sweetest high of my week.

Jessica Alba with The Honest Company's 2nd birthday cake by Cakes by Rumy

Partners – Golden Globe-nominated actress and mom, Jessica Alba and former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World & father, Christopher Gavigan – formed The Honest Company to, well, keep things honest. These dreamers-turned-doers turned their desire as consumers for a brand based on integrity into an integrity-based brand for all consumers. They say it best themselves, “We tried to think of all the qualities we would want in a dream brand – savvy style, sustainability, and extraordinary service & convenience all wrapped in a passion for social goodness, tied with a bow of integrity and sprinkled with a little cheeky fun.” That’s exactly what they have created in The Honest Company.

Champagne & cake to celebrate a magical company!

At the party, I was delighted to be treated to a mini shopping spree with a chance to try a wide range of The Honest Company‘s products. I picked up a good cross-section of their products and I can’t wait to try! In fact, I was so excited about the organic, vegan, cruelty-free bubble bath picked up that I had to take a bath with it that very night!

Goodies from my mini shopping spree at the Honest Turns 2 party!

By visiting The Honest Company‘s headquarters, getting to see the founders with their families and getting to take part in this celebration, I realized just how magical this company and its founders and family of employees are. They create good products, do good for others and are just good people. How could I not support a company like this 100%. Happy Birthday, Honest! I’m happy to know – and celebrate – you!

LOW: The Bad Ones

Low: The Bad Ones

There must have been something in the water last week because many of my extended chats with friends consisted of us being challenged by bad boys, bad friends, bad jobs, bad situations. So when I attended an Obagi brunch at Soho House last Thursday and they asked all of us to share what sin we’ve committed that we wouldn’t commit again and step into the photo booth with this admission of guilt, I realized I had to state the obvious. The sin? Bad boys. The promise? No more bad boys.

Now, hold your judgment. I have never been one of those girls who liked bad boys. I avoided the bad boys like the plague. For the most part, I have always liked the good guys. You know the ones – the ones who behave as men should. So what exactly do I mean by that? Oh, the men who are thoughtful, kind, smart, creative, considerate, that sort of thing. The kind that opens doors, keeps plans, makes you feel special and considers how their actions would make you feel. But after dating a seemingly bad boy once in my life and commiserating with girlfriends about these bad, bad boys and their actions or lack thereof, I had to ask myself and my friends this question. “Why do we pick them? Or do they pick us?”

It made me recall that quote from that glorious book/film, The Perks of Being A Wallflower: “We accept the love we think we deserve.” So does that make my girlfriends and I feel better or worse? Are we picking bad boys, bad friends, bad jobs, bad situations because we actually think that we deserve it? Gosh, I hope not. My friends are too beautiful – on the inside and out – to sell themselves so short.

Oh wait. And so am I.

I love it when a lesson plays a trick on you like that.

xoxo,
BF

High-Low 1/27/14: Sweeter Than A Cupcake & Sitting With Sadness (thanks, Louis C.K.!)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by BeautyFrosting

Here’s my High-Low this week. It was a week filled with sweetness, gratitude, love and light and a little bit of sadness. I just consider myself lucky that I get to feel the entire range of emotions. I’m realizing that there are many people who either physically can’t feel these emotions or have blocked themselves to where they’re devoid of feeling emotions on such a scale. So while that means that I’ll have my share of ups and downs over the years, it also means that I’ll be able to continue to share my High-Lows with you all. Lucky ducks…

HIGH: SWEETER THAN A CUPCAKE

HIGH: SWEETER THAN A CUPCAKE - "I Dream To…" Mentor Day with Step Up Women's Network at the Dermalogica headquarters

This past Saturday morning, I showed up at the Dermalogica headquarters in Carson, California to participate in Step Up Women’s Network “I Dream To…” Mentor Day. I am a visionary member of Step Up Women’s Network and am a big fan because their sole mission is to help inspire girls from under-resourced communities to live up to their full potential. They have done this so effectively that 100% of Step Up graduates over the past 4 years have been accepted to and currently attend college.

I had no idea what to expect and to be honest, I was a little nervous. But after meeting my mentee, “S.”, all of my nervousness went away. We were very different and yet we had qualities at our cores in common which bonded us.

My goal going into the day was to encourage, inspire and motivate her. So imagine my surprise, after spending the day together when I was the one tearing up as I read her letter of gratitude to me and realizing how much she had taught me.

I learned more from this 15-year-old in one day than I have learned from most people in the past month. And by sharing with her some of my successes, struggles and strategies, I actually learned lessons that I didn’t even know I needed to learn.

I am so thankful to have met S. and to have been able to share this day together. My hope is that she took as much away from the day with me as I took from my time spent with her.

LOW: SITTING WITH SADNESS

LOW: SITTING WITH SADNESS (Thanks, Louis C.K.!!)

This past week – like so many other weeks we have in life – I had a bump in the road. I felt sad, disappointed, confused and totally out of my comfort zone. As the extrovert that I am, my initial instinct was to pick up the phone and call a close friend. Usually, that’s what I do. I call my Mom or call or hang out with one of my best friends and share my woes with anyone that I trust. I tell them what’s going on so they can help me work through it and by the end of the call or visit, I get over it and feel better…somewhat.

But this time was different. As I was picking up the phone, I remembered that chat that Louis C.K. had on Conan about cell phones, sadness and basically how it all ties back into our fear of sadness and our fear of being alone. He told a story about getting really sad in his car while listening to Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland” (best song ever!!) and how his first instinct was to text like 50 people. But instead of doing that, he took contrary action and just let the sadness hit him like a truck and pulled over and bawled his eyes out. He said that afterwards, he actually felt better because it was like there were antibodies of happiness that came along to counter the extreme sadness.

So, I tried it. I sat in the sadness and let it take me over. I cried like a baby on my bed. I let myself feel out of control. And, well, it worked. I’m not saying that it made me feel all better but it certainly helped me get a little bit more comfortable in my own skin that day. And I truly feel blessed that I get to have those sad moments because they make the happy ones that much sweeter.

xoxo,

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 12/23/13: Home & Doing Your Best

Posted on December 23, 2013 by BeautyFrosting

HIGH: Home!!

Well, my high this week is an easy one. I get to be home in Dallas for 12 days with my favorite people for the holidays! Done. Easiest High ever.

So what’s that entail? Well, many-a-night spent at our favorite family haunt Mi Cocina, board games, catching up with precious old friends over texmex and brunch, lots of delicious southern fare, political debates at the dinner table and reminiscing. What could be better than that?

HIGH: These guys!! My big brother, David, and my mom, Clarice. Here we are at our home-away-from-home, Mi Cocina Preston Forest.

LOW: Learning That My Best Is Good Enough (‘cuz it’s gotta be)

As a wise friend of mine always says to me, “You can only do your best. Did you do your best in this situation?” Usually, the answer is yes but sometimes it’s hard to really believe that in a given moment because I always think I can do a little bit more. I’m learning though that sometimes you’ve gotta let your best at that given moment be enough.

I had so much to do before I left Los Angeles for Texas and, of course, I didn’t complete it all. There were gifts I didn’t get to give, people whose necks I didn’t get to hug and unfinished blog posts and articles that are just going to have to wait til the new year, darn it.

But I did my best…and if I’ve learned anything it’s this motto of mine:

“DO YOUR BEST AND LEAVE THE REST.”

xoxo,

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

High-Low 12/16/13: Santa For A Day & Maturity?

Posted on December 16, 2013 by BeautyFrosting

HIGH: Santa For A Day

I am not exaggerating when I say that I had one of my favorite days ever last Friday. I got to be Santa for a day. Yes. Really.

Santa for a day at the Toys and More! Holiday Toy Drive Shopping trip for Saint Joseph's at Target

So how did this come about?

My super generous and thoughtful friends, Michelle Lankwarden and Mike & Lauren Hissrich have hosted a Toys and More! toy drive for Saint Joseph’s kids for the past 3 years.

Michelle & Lauren - dreamers, magicmakers and Santas

But the one they hosted this year on Crowdrise went above and beyond all of the expectations and goals. They raised over $14,000 to buy toys for the kids of Saint Joseph’s!!

Well, I may be exaggerating a bit but it was IMPRESSIVE!!

So we all met at Target in Burbank on Friday morning. I received my dream assignment of buying toys for girls ages 4-12 and my partner and I set out with shopping carts to fill. We had almost $3,000 to spend on our group.

Meet my new little friends…don't tell Miss Ellie!

As I made my way down the Barbie aisle, I felt the magic of Christmas take hold.The Barbie aisle is one of my favorite places on earth. Don’t judge.

In my happy place - the Barbie aisle at Target

It reminds me of the little girl I used to be, the creativity that Barbies brought into my life (I wrote EPIC storylines for them) and it just is my happy place when I need a little pick-me-up at Target. To think of the countless wide, glee-filled eyes and smiles that these Barbies, Care Bears, dolls and colorful, crafty toys were going to bring into the lives of these kids – and the various ways they might be inspired by their new toys – was almost too much for this heart of mine to handle. It seriously felt like it was gonna burst! It put a huge smile on my face and it didn’t go away all day long.

The smile wouldn't stop...

I was so proud – and honored – to be included in such a warm, generous and fun group of people as we shopped for these special kiddos, enjoyed the spirit of the holiday season and enjoyed the special luxury of having our own cash register ringing up all of our treasures. Thanks, Target!

I’m pretty sure that the unparalleled joy I felt that day must be what heaven feels like. I already can’t wait for next year!!!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!

LOW: Maturity?

What other people think of me is none of my business…yep.

I pride myself on being sensitive to the feelings of others. Mix that with the fact that I’m a sensitive soul and sometimes things can get tricky. So when someone I love expresses an opinion about me that’s a little, um, unflattering and a little hard to hear, I really try to listen and look at it from all angles. Especially when it’s someone I dearly respect and greatly admire. In the past – in my youth – I would take someone’s opinion as fact without questioning where they were coming from, what their motivation was or what my own feelings were about it. I would take it in, let it wreck me, torture myself over it and never forget it.

The beautiful gift of getting older is that you start trusting yourself and start listening to your instincts more. Another beautiful gift is that you relinquish a little bit of the need to please everyone. Because folks – you’re never gonna please everyone! And that golden nugget, my friends, is coming from a people pleaser! Learning that not everyone will like you, you will not always love everything that people have to say about you and that other people’s opinions truly are none of your business are all beautiful things about getting older – and, hopefully – wiser.

So today, I sit in peace with the fact that I have a few friends who may not love or understand my life as it is right now but I am comforted to know that they always want the best for me. And while I appreciate their input and love, I appreciate the choice I have to either listen and take it in or listen, trust my gut and simply say thank you. I think this might be what they call – what’s the word again? Oh yeah. Maturity.

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