Author Archives for wpadmin
December 2, 2015 9:00 am
Published by wpadmin
I am in full "Grey Gardens"-mode these days, now that Tony's been shooting a movie in Texas for nearly a week. I've been sleeping with the alarm on because I'm a paranoid nutjob, but forgot about that this morning and woke all of Los Angeles up when I let the dogs out and the alarm blasted the hills. And here I am last night, playing dress up and eating Candy Cane-flavored Joe-Joe's while trying to figure out how to use the new-fangled TV remote Tony hooked up. Not pictured: My eating pants and slippers. Spoiler alert: I could not figure out the remote, so here's what I trolled on the internet instead...View Article
December 1, 2015 11:41 am
Published by wpadmin
I'm almost finished reading Lauren Groff's "Fates and Furies" and I Cannot.Put.It.Down. I tend to jump on the bandwagon of the books everyone else seems to be talking about. This one was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award, and I tend to fall in love with their choices. So, when I kept seeing this book pop up on lists I follow and respect, I ordered a hard copy because it just felt like the type of novel to hold in my hands, not in my iPad. The story is a portrait of Mathilde and Lotto's marriage over the course of twenty-four years; the first half is told from his perspective, and the second half is told from hers. He is a failed actor-turned-famous playwright and she is the woman behind his success. It's an epic love story that gradually reveals the complicated layers, cracks and secrets behind the "perfect" marriage the world is jealous of... The characters are never quite who you think they are, and neither is their relationship. Groff's words are like art.View Article
November 30, 2015 10:39 am
Published by wpadmin
Friday night, I went to a Korean spa for the first time with a pack of my girlfriends. It was both the most traumatic experience I've ever willingly paid for, as well as one of the best. I knew very little about what I was in for, beyond the fact that all the magazines and Instagram and beauty experts keep telling me Korean beauty treatments and products are the fountain of youth, and also my bestie Katierose is obsessed with these spas and I am obsessed with her, so. Plus, it was $100 for a full-body scrub, a massage, a facial, and a hair wash over the course of 85 minutes. $100 is a lot of money, but as far as spa treatments go, that's on the very affordable end. However, I should have done a little more homework so I'd be prepared for what I was actually in for... Like that EVERYONE IS NAKED, INCLUDING YOU.View Article
November 27, 2015 1:11 pm
Published by wpadmin
Last night was Tony and my first time hosting Thanksgiving at our home as a married couple (first time hosting ever, actually). It was a dream come true for me, as my favorite things in the world are the holidays and having my house packed with the *people I love (*I consider dogs to be people. We had five in our house. It was glorious.) I've never spent a holiday in Los Angeles before and, I have to say, it was pretty perfect... Somehow, I've lived here for 10 years and this is home now. This year, people came "home" to us. Throughout the week, I cooked up a storm, we volunteered at a few Thanksgiving dinners, my parents were in town, and it all culminated in a house full of good food and the family I was born into, and the family, I chose last night. Days like these remind me I have so much to be grateful for, and here's just a glimpse at a few of those blessings I'm counting right now...View Article
November 25, 2015 10:34 am
Published by wpadmin
THANKSGIVING IS COMING! THANKSGIVING IS COMING! It's a madhouse of cooking up in here. I'm elbow deep in another batch of my GrandBettye's Texas Pecans, chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting. I'm doing as much baking as I can today, so I have time to bathe and not panic-cry tomorrow as Tony and I host our first Turkey Day. I gotta dash back to fighting my dad for cooking counter space, but here's what I'm trolling on the worldwide web while he's spread out making his *famous homemade key lime pie. (*Famous in our house.) Have the most beautiful Thanksgiving! I hope it's full of love, gratitude, tryptophan and the family you've chosen (whether it's the one you were born into, the one you met along the way, or a hodge podge of both.) I'll be back Friday, 10 pounds heavier with this week's gratitude list - as always, at the top of it is YOU for reading Heels in the Hills. Thank you. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!View Article
November 24, 2015 4:46 pm
Published by wpadmin
On Saturday, November 21, 2015 - more than a month before Christmas - Tony and I chopped down our first tree as married Cavaleros. I use the term "we" loosely, as I wore high-heeled over-the-knee boots for this occasion, and Tony sawed it down without any help from me. But we're a team now, so WE chopped it down. Before you decide we are what's wrong with America, replacing our Halloween pumpkins with holiday decorations and blasting Mariah Carey's Christmas album while it's still 90 degrees outside, just know that we had to get our tree last weekend. Tony heads out to shoot a movie the morning after Thanksgiving and won't be back until it's practically Christmas. This was our only chance. (But, to be fair and honest, I DID start playing Christmas music on November 1 and drag out our holiday decorations, so you can hate me if you want. #sorrynotsorry)View Article
November 23, 2015 2:21 pm
Published by wpadmin
Last week, I shared my GrandBettye's recipe for corn pudding, a Thanksgiving staple in our house. By now, you probably have Thursday's menu planned but (if you're like me) haven't actually done the shopping yet. (Full disclosure: Gonna make Tony do it. Sorry, Tone.) So, if you still have a grocery store run on your To Do list, add these ingredients for an easy make-ahead appetizer: My GrandBettye's recipe for Texas Pecans. They're simple and quick to make and are addictive. So so so delicious. Around the holidays, I'm constantly making them; baking these suckers makes the house smell amazing, and it's nice to have a snack on hand when people drop by unexpectedly. I'm sharing them today because, if you're hosting Thanksgiving, the last thing you need to worry about is also making appetizers. Bake these in advance, throw them on a cheese platter with some dried cherries and crackers, and you are good to go. And if someone else is hosting, these make a great hostess gift that your loved one can stress-eat while trying to figure out how to un-burn the turkey. ENJOY!View Article
November 20, 2015 11:18 am
Published by wpadmin
What I'm grateful for this week (like being on set with these awesome people, and eating the best cinnamon roll of my life for breakfast. #TEXASFOREVER.) I may not be a nurse in REAL life but I get to play one in a movie, and that ALMOST makes your dreams come true, right Mom?????View Article
