Small Town Life In Big L.A.

Fun at the LA Gift Show!

January is shopping time for Mountain Rose Gifts. As soon as Christmas is over we are in the car or on a plane getting ready to buy for the coming year.

In addition to shopping many show rooms it's fun to check out the displays.

Rest assured the neutral palette and  French farmhouse look are still going strong! Gray mixed with brown wood continues to be a major trend.

We heard it from a very reliable source and saw it with our own eyes.

There will be lots of surprises in store for this year’s Halloween and Christmas!

Shopping makes you hungry. And on this day we were treated to a delicious Mexican lunch. It's an experience to dine in the midst of an elaborate gift showroom.

More shopping fueled by taking little breaks.

What do you do when you enter a show room and are greeted with a table full of chocolate cake? Be still my heart!

On the way home it’s always fun to drive through DTLA and take in all the sights.

Chinatown is especially fascinating.

Another world!

Our reward for a productive day! A stop at one of our favorite bakeries! Can't wait for all the new goodies both now and later!

 

Fun At The LA Gift Show

Shopping for our store Mountain Rose Gifts is one of our favorite things! Here's why...

 

What I Love About the L.A. County Fair

 

It's been a tradition for us. When September rolls around it's time to go to the L.A. County Fair. My husband Dale and I just L-O-V-E the fair!!! Here are just a few reasons why...

The beauty, sounds, and coolness of the Flower Pavilion.

Live animals like Stanley the giraffe.

Cooking demos! I bought my vegetable slicer at the fair and enjoy being reminded of the benefits of using it.

Palm trees and colorful umbrellas.

Riding the sky tram...

You can see the whole fair from way up high!

Tablescapes

Blue ribbons for baking.

Acting like a chicken.

Live bands.

The most amazing, crazy fair food.

The fountain that changes color.

The headliner concerts.

So thankful we got to see the O'Jays!!!

 

And the Isley Brothers!!!

There's so much more! Maybe we should go back...

Buying Adventure For Mountain Rose GIFTS!

On this day a GIANT Mick Jagger greeted us as we headed into the wholesale gift and home decor market in downtown L.A. There's no place like Los Angeles! How I enjoy living here!

There was a heatwave outside but that didn't stop us from making purchases from Valentine's through Christmas and everything in between. Here we are in Christmas mode...

...and there we are in Easter mode. Dale has such good taste! It was such a fun day.

Just when this display started to look very tempting...

...the iced coffee lady came around! Perfect timing! Can it get better than this?

YES! Yes it can. I had to practice tremendous self control ( 9th fruit of the Spirit) when the See's Candy Lady showed up. I only took two but I wanted like ten. I like the See's candy lady.

After a long day, from morning 'til late night shopping, it was time to relax at one of our favorite Glendale restaurants DAMON'S STEAK HOUSE. They are famous for several things one of them being this salad with shredded beets that they spin and toss table side. Round and round we go!

The theme is Polynesian and most enjoyable. Come visit MOUNTAIN ROSE GIFTS as we head into this Fall season and see all the new goodies. We have been shopping all year for this! Oh and THANKS for reading my blog! :-)

Love Shoppin' For Tops

This cheery display in the lobby of the L.A. Fashion capitol was the start of a FUN day shopping for our store Revelation TOPS.

First stop...a quick breakfast at the Buyers Lounge. Notice the colors in this pic. CHARCOAL & TOBACCO are top fashion colors in ready to wear and home decor. The furniture in the Buyers club is new and you can see the sofa is CHARCOAL. In, In, In.

We will crawl on the floor if we have to in search of new tops. hahahaha!

After a very successful day we caught some Pokemon at the nearest Poke stop. "Whoda" guessed? 

Taste of Sicilia at World Famous Il Fornaio

An early evening stroll through the twinkling lights of The Village At Topanga Westfield can lead to some amazing discoveries.

This evening we were on our way to experience a Taste of Sicilia at the beautiful, new Il Fornaio. My heart skipped a beat when we were escorted to this lovely table perfectly prepared for the feast.

Being a "foodie", this is one of my favorite things in the whole world...tasting things, especially from a new gourmet menu, and in this case authentic Italian cuisine.

Look at this amazing menu!!! I think I want everything! As we perused the menu, which is only available this month, their outstanding bread basket was served. Warm, crusty, fresh, chewy Italian bread! One plain and the other with rosemary and olives. It is served with a fruity olive oil, poured at table with aged balsamic added if you like. I could make a meal of this bread. But alas this is just the beginning.

You MUST order the BRUSCHIVIA. I repeat MUST. This is the best bean soup we have EVER tasted. In our lives. It's a blend of several healthy beans and farro. I was shocked to learn it is vegan. The broth and taste are superb.

This fetching plate is ARANCINI AL SUGO, fried rice balls with a meat filling on a pool of tomato coulis. Just outstanding!

A sweet couple we dined with asked me what my favorite food is. Answer PASTA. This was simple and savory just the way I like it. PASTA chi PURPETTI features long ribbon pasta with veal meatballs, a touch of aged ricotta, in a red wine pancetta sauce. YUM!

You know it's a good time when you get pasta AND mashed potatoes the same night! Here we have BRANZINO ALLA TRAPANESE, the star being roasted wild seabass. Manager Giuseppe taught us the best way to eat this is by mixing a little of the fish, potatoes, and sauce together for the perfect bite. He was right! Great tip!

To satisfy your sweet tooth there is also a totally new dessert experience. This says happy, Christmas, and Italy in the visual appeal as well as the taste. Imagine a marzipan wrapped sponge cake with a touch of candied orange peel, and chocolate. A delightful way to finish a meal.

Oh how we enjoyed our visit to Sicilia! The food was amazing and so was the hospitality, These gentlemen have a love for food and people which comes across in all they do. And yes, Chef Giuseppe came here to our little corner of the world from Italy. I couldn't wait to write about this and I sincerely hope all who read it visit Il Fornaio this month. As for me, I can't wait to go back!

 

Save

Save

Worship Night In America L.A.

Last Friday night we were blessed to attend Worship Night In America at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

It was our first time here. The Forum is very close to LAX and as we were taking these pics huge planes were low overhead as they were coming in for a landing. I loved it!

The Forum holds close to 20,000 people and this night it was FULL of people ready to praise the Lord. I don't think I have ever been in a place with that many Christians worshiping together! To say it was awesome would be an understatement...beyond words. (photo courtesy of The Forum)

Can you tell we were EXCITED to be there! Thanks to my nephew who bought our tickets weeks ago and got us amazing seats.

Imagine top Christian artists Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Kim Walker, and Phil Wickham joining together to play the famous songs they have written in one grand worship service!!!

Here Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, opens us in prayer.

Christian Author Max Lucado was there and gave a great message in his well known style.

Something historic also happened that night that has probably never happened at The Forum. You could feel the presence of the Lord and His peace and stillness as the entire crowd GOT DOWN ON THEIR KNEES TO PRAY for our country. Oh the beauty of that prayer time!

The evening ended with worship in dance as we all got on our feet and danced, jumped, and moved to "God's Dance Floor". WOW! WOW! WOW! This was a slice of heaven! L.A. was the first stop of this tour with four more cities to go. Thank you Lord for such an amazing night of refreshment!

 

Revelation Tops Summer Fashion Show at the Sportsmen's Lodge

This was the scene as we "set up shop" at the Encino Oaks Republican Women's luncheon held at the famous Sportsmen's Lodge this week. Our stores REVELATION TOPS and MOUNTAIN ROSE GIFTS were honored to be invited to do the boutique and Fashion Show.

 

My sister and I enjoy doing these kinds of events. This day we were happy to wear our latest bling tops and best selling sleeves.

My nice hubby Dale had a great time doing what he loves. What a help he was including being our photographer for the fashion show.

The tables were decorated in a festive, patriotic theme. Pssstt...check out who the speaker is for the September meeting! Yep! Dennis Prager!

What a spectacular view we enjoyed! This is the sight of many movies, TV shows, and special occasions. LOTS of Hollywood history here.

Prior to lunch we were treated to the amazing voice of Jan Lacey Chorley. She sang a variety of Patriotic songs that honored the Lord and made us thankful for the country in which we live. Just beautiful and so peaceful. I was transported by her gift of song.

And now for one of my favorite things of the day. LUNCH! Every meal I have had here has been delicious! The service is top notch too. Today we enjoyed Grilled Shrimp Salad...

and Vegetarian Pasta. Both were yummy. I could make a meal of their warm, crusty rolls and assortment of decorated butters.

What a perfect dessert!

Well ladies it's show time!

FUN! FUN! FUN! Did we have FUN! This model was such a good sport! She had us cracking up when I asked her to bark into the mic and SHE DID IT! With gusto!

Revelation TOPS specializes in tops for the season. Right now we are ready for the 4th of July and the election year with the latest red, white, and blue tops. This open shoulder shark-bite tunic with bling is a best seller for us. The black lab dog pillow is a fave at Mountain Rose.

What a beauty! You'll want to live in these pull on,4 way stretch denim capris with crystal ladder trim.

Uncle Sam wants more of this top! It sold out in blue but just arrived in mauve.

WOW! She makes our flag dress look good! Everyone should have our made in the USA $19.98 leggings and bandeau sleeves to give your tank dresses and tunics a trendy look.

Tie Dye is so in and so are the exaggerated sides on this top, They are worn with our #! pant called JEGGINGS. Phenomenal fit, made in the USA, lightweight, size 2-16, denim, black, and colors, and only $59.98 Slim legs are IN!

This gal runs the largest conservative network for millennials on the West Coast! She is rocking our drama tank and "one of a kind" Paris jeans. Being so close to Hollywood we get lots of studio execs, rockers wives, and women in the "biz".

Does this outfit look great or what? This is the look! Tunic over leggings with BLING! So comfy too! It's so exciting to see what happens to women when they step out and try something NEW!

What a happy Summer dress taken to the next level with our black bandeau sleeves. A must have in sizes S-2X.

A fitting finale to our show, a made in Italy 2 pc. top set with white ankle pants that have crystal bows on the back!

Oh what a nice day supporting the Republican party, having lunch, listening to beautiful music, seeing the latest fashions, meeting new friends, and shopping! Could it get any better?

Yes! There were raffles and fab prizes like this money tree!!!

Carole was thrilled to win our table centerpiece!

Thank you Lord for a wonderful time and opportunity! We all felt like Queen for the day!

Mother's Day Brunch at the Odyssey

This was the view as we drove down our street to head to church this beautiful Mother's Day. On the left is Nyoka Cliff, the scene of many old westerns. From this vantage you can see the mountains across the San Fernando Valley. Beyond those mountains lies the Pacific Ocean. We had a blessed time of fellowship. The message from Revelation 2, "you have left your first love", was followed by a time of holy silence. The Lord just impressed us all to... stop... and... listen... to Him. There was an amazing hush and peace over us all. Still. Feeling His presence. Awesome. 

Following church we were invited by our nephew to join them for a grand brunch at the Odyssey.

Upon entering we were greeted by a harpist. Beautiful, elegant music.

We had prayed the Lord would give us a good table and waiter and our prayers were answered. The Odyssey is on top of a mountain, the amazing view was right in front of us.

There was so much to choose from at this buffet style brunch! There was a seafood room, main course and salad room, carving stations, and a whole dessert room. Oh boy!!!

The carving station was my first stop and this leg of lamb was calling my name. They even had mint jelly to go with. I also had prime rib! The roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy were my fave. Yes, I loved the carving station!

After pacing ourselves it was time for dessert. FLAMING DONUTS!!! Gotta try that!

Six donuts being flamed for us right before our eyes!

And then there were the cakes! Cubicles of them!

My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach but I just had to taste these. French macaroons, key lime tart, cream puff, red velvet cake, and more! The orange juice was fresh squeezed and the cappuccino was topped with fresh cream. Sugar coma.

Dale had only one dessert. Bananas Foster flamed to order and caramelized.

What a perfect brunch!!! Afterward we walked to the back of the restaurant to check out the views.

We found the house herb garden!

Alas it's time to head home and take a nap. Thank you D & F for a wonderful treat!

Absolutely Amazing Passion Play at Shepherd Church!!!

Last night my dear friend Sylvia invited me to go with her to the first performance of the 25th Annual Passion Play at Shepherd's Church. Here we are enjoying a coffee and cookie fellowship in the church lobby, which is only 5 minutes from home. Little did I know at the time the tremendous blessing awaiting us.

My mind is full of superlatives as I seek to describe how BLOWN AWAY I was by the entire production. The set, the acting, the drama, and most of all the moving musical score all combined together to honor the Lord by telling the greatest story ever told. I don't want to give too much away but feel compelled to share just a few of my favorite things. Trust me. There were many. On the outside I was still, spellbound, and trying to look composed. On the inside my jaw was hanging open and I was moved to tears.

I can not say enough about the musical score composed by Jasper Randall of "Frozen", "Avatar", and "Ironman" fame. I wish there was a way to get the soundtrack because I want to hear those incredible voices again and again. I don't know who the gentleman was that sang the part of Pontius Pilate but his voice is perfection. Peter, Joseph, and Nicodemus were spot on too. And then for the ladies. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! There was a group/solo rendition of "Mary Did You Know?" the likes of which I have never heard in my life! I think it's the best version of this song I have EVER heard and I've heard lots of them.

I don't know how they did it but the simulated earthquake was very realistic. I enjoyed this play so much that I want to get the word out to my friends. GO SEE IT!!! I'm thinking about going back. I liked it that much and I want my husband to see it. CLICK HERE for times and ticket info. God Bless you Passion Play cast and crew! May blind eyes be open to see and deaf ears to hear! THANK YOU!