We had a dinner party for some friends a few weeks ago.  I had discovered that my husband makes the best Mac n' Cheese in the whole world so we dedicated our menu around that dish.  It is not your typical child's favorite food, his dish is an adult version with five cheeses and a spicy kick to it.  Mr. BAW also made an incredible New York style cheesecake, at my request.  There are two things I love from New York, pizza and cheesecake.  So I asked for cheesecake for dessert, not realizing until it was too late that we were serving two cheese dishes!  I was almost tempted to serve a cheese plate for the appetizer just to see if anyone would notice the cheese theme.  But we decided not to be cruel.  I make a fresh walnut and apple salad for the side.  The party was a hit, all the food was consumed, along with two bottles of wine.  We're having guests this weekend, so I will be eating well again. :-)  Happy Friday!

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Randomly we had two days of extreme heat.  I'm talking about 85F along the coast and >90F inland!  It was 80F in at 9pm at our house for two nights.  It was a good chance for us to try out our new hammock.  Actually, Mr. BAW got the hammock from Costa Rica 7 years ago!  But we only recently bought a stand for it.  I have always wanted a hammock.  I love being rocked like a baby.  Thank goodness Toby had no interest in climbing into the hammock with me.  It is actually quite tricky to get into the hammock without falling off of it.  Toby's content just sitting next to me and getting scratched behind the ears.  He's at the perfect height for me to scratch his ears when I'm in the hammock. But thankfully, we're back to Spring-like weather.  I can't wait til it gets warm again so I can nap in the hammock.

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Happy Earth Day!  Why April 22nd?  Well, it makes sense since it typically coincides well with the Vernal or Spring Equinox, a day when there are equal day and night hours for all latitudes on Earth.  The dates of the true Equinoxes (yes, there are two) do vary each year, so Earth Day doesn't always fall directly on the Equinoxes.  But I guess the founder of Earth Day didn't want it to be a floating day.  I think we should all get a day off from work on Earth Day don't you think?  That way, we can give all the computers a break and save on electricity.  It should be mandatory that everyone spends the day outside enjoying nature.  Hey, it's worth a try. I took this picture at Descanso Gardens a few weeks ago.  We celebrated Earth Day in advance by spending my Friday off in a beautiful garden. Hope you all had a wonderful Earth Day!

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What is the obsession with Macarons?  Not to be confused with the more humble looking Macaroons.  Both cookies are French.  Which partially explains the popularity of Macarons with brides.  The other reason for the popularity of this cookie at weddings is because of the variety of pretty colors they come in to fit any wedding colors.  Since I've been seeing these little cookies everywhere, I've been very curious as to how they taste.  Because, ultimately, it's the taste that matters when it comes to a cookie!  Unfortunately, I've had a tough time finding these little critters locally...until last weekend that is! While dining out with friends in the Riviera Village,  we stumble upon this adorable new cafe, Yellow Vase.  When I moved away from the UCLA and the Westside, the one thing I missed the most are the quaint little coffee/bakery shops.  I loved sipping coffee and having pastries with friends.  We used to hang out at coffee shops and spend hours just chatting about life.  Being more family-oriented, the South Bay does not have any of the hip coffee shops, until now!  Yellow Vase is a cafe/bakery/flower shop and it's charm score is through the roof!  It is so adorable inside, with tons of seating indoors and out.  It is just the place I would take my friend TNK next time she visits.  They have quite a menu for a cafe, including crepes, salads, sandwiches, and soups.  They also have pastries, cupcakes, and various sweets, including these popular Macarons!  So I had to try one out, I tried a chocolate Macaron.  So the verdict?  Well, I'm not crazy about them.  I liked the crunchy cookie part but did not like the gooey center.  Now I can say that I've had them.  :-)

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Remember the Travelling Gnome?  Well last Friday (my off Friday), we took Toby to UCLA after a visit to the Descanso Gardens in Pasadena.  We just wanted to hang out on campus and Westwood Village.  I got to get coffee at Kerckhoff, dine at the Nappa Valley Grill, and eat dessert at Elysse, all of my old hangouts during grad school.  We had a fantastic day.  I also wanted to get pictures of Toby all over campus, kind of like our very own travelling gnome.  Toby's familiar with all of the places since I used to bring him onto campus with me.

It was a beautiful day in LA.  Since it was Friday, all the students fled campus at the end of the day.  We were able to take Toby around campus for some nice pictures.

This weather display in front of the Math Science Building is kept by my old department, Dept of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.  They replaced old TV screens with plasma screens now!  My office used to be on the 7th floor of this building.

Toby and I at the Court of Sciences.  Toby used to sniff the grassy areas here after a long night of research.

The University Research Library.  This is where they archive all the thesis written by their graduate students.  Mine is also buried in there somewhere.  Maybe I'll look for it one day...

This is the famous inverted fountain in front of the Physics building, fondly known as "the toilet" by students.

The softer side of campus, this is a beautiful park in front of the music school.

Toby enjoying art at the Sculpture Garden.

Toby had a bear encounter!  But it looks like they got along pretty well.

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Obamicon yourself here!  Upload a picture of yourself and turn it into a hip campaign poster.  Make sure your picture is smaller than 400MB.  They also recommend uploading an image with no background, like in GIF format.  Be sure to adjust the color blocks, you'll find a color combination that best suits your picture. As you can see, I had some fun with it and made a couple of posters for myself, Toby and Mr. BAW.  You can also customize the text at the bottom of the poster.  These posters are too much fun!

Toby for president?  What do you think?  He'd definitely bring back the mandatory afternoon naps and lower the sales tax on rawhides.

Mr. BAW or Mr. AWESOME?  I didn't come up with that text here, but it's quite catchy.

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It was the first day of April and the weather was gorgeous.  So we headed down to the beach for Mr. BAW's volleyball class.  Toby and I of course did not participate in volleyball.  But we enjoyed a brisk walk along The Strand and watched the beautiful sunset.  March was a little rough for us.  Work was quite stressful and the economy continued to report dismal news.  But when April arrived, things seem brighter and fresher.  Mr. BAW has a new job and it's closer to home.  So we're hoping that we'll get to spend more time together.  With the longer days, we're getting to take Toby out for longer walks after work.  This picture was taken on our walk down to the beach in Hermosa.  You can see Mr. BAW on the lower right hand corner.  Happy Spring!

Toby enjoying a little people-watching along The Strand.

A peaceful sunset.  You can see an airplane streaking by in the upper left hand corner.

Toby watching his daddy practicing drills during the volleyball class.

The Hermosa volleyball class is pretty popular. These folks take their volleyball seriously, playing until the last bit of twilight dims.