Anticipation is keepin' me waitin'

Cinnamon rolls. The sight and smell of them from the Cinnabon kiosk in the center of Stonewood Center made my mouth water and next thing I knew, I was ordering several for my breakfasts the following week.

Cinnabon was started in 1985 by a father and son on a quest for the perfect cinnamon roll. With a combination of Makara cinnamon, fresh-baked dough, and Ooey-Gooey™ cream cheese frosting, they found the combination that made the rolls a success.

I enjoyed every bite!

"Pleasure is found first in anticipation, later in memory."
~ Gustave Glaubert

Elegant hands

Elegant desserts should have elegant hands to serve them. These hands caught my eye a few weeks ago at one of the kiosks at Stonewood Center.

In knots

Have you ever watched someone make a pretzel? These hands belong to Lourdes, who is making pretzels at Wetzel's Pretzels at Stonewood Center.

It's fun to watch. First, Lourdes cuts off a line of dough, then rolls it out. (It made me think of playing with Play-Doh.) Next, she picks up both ends and flings them around in some kind of fancy movement that was too fast for me to follow (or catch on camera). At the end of that motion, it lands, magically pretzel-shaped, on the counter. She sticks the ends together, and voila, there's a pretzel, ready for the oven.

What the dog sells

Who can resist a cute doggy face? Whether it's Goofy on top of the gelato at Stonewood Center, or just a kid's ride with a goofy blue dog, images of dogs help sell products. (Remember Subaru's "Dog tested. Dog approved." marketing campaign from a few years ago?)

Trick or treat at the mall

Looking back, what strikes me most about Halloween when I was a kid was the level of participation. I grew up on a block of seven houses. Once around the block, both sides of the street, and the total went to 30 houses. And every one of them had their porch light on, welcoming the neighborhood kids.

On my current street of 40 houses, there were four porch lights on. (I think this explains why trick-or-treating seems to be such a car-bound experience anymore.) No wonder community events, such as Trick or Treat! at Stonewood Center, are so popular! With great participation from all the stores, kids could have the excitement of running from place to place in a warm and dry environment. And safe, too, especially under the watchful eye of the security storm troopers.

It almost felt like the old neighborhood.

Santa's helpers

Jolly Old Saint Nick doesn't always bring a smile, especially to small children. After all, the kids are suddenly expected to chat with a complete stranger while sitting on his lap! And that's when Santa's helpers, including the kids' mom, are needed.

It took a lot of effort to get these two to smile, but Santa and his helpers were patient and persistent, and eventually won some smiles.

The other zoo

I was walking through Stonewood Center and noticed these animals penned up. They were pretty active for that time of day, just hovering above the ground. I think they were waiting for someone to take them for a walk before dinner. I also think the bunnies were the leaders of the pack. They usually are.

Black Friday

What does everyone want to find on Black Friday? A great bargain? Well, maybe, but first, you have to find a parking space.

This is the Stonewood Center parking lot on Friday afternoon, with not an empty space in sight.  Just lines of cars before and behind me, all looking for the same thing. We don't even care if it's a good spot—any space will do.

Mathematically, your odds of snagging a space are much better if you sit and wait instead of circling the lot. (For the details, see Use math to beat holiday shopping crowds.) Keep that in mind if you venture out to the mall again tomorrow.

Window appeal

I like books. And I like to travel. So I was immediately drawn to this window display at a clothing shop in Stonewood Center.

As appealing as it was, though, I'm not sure it was very effective marketing, since I can't remember the name of the store.

Clearance!

Another sign that Christmas is over is the post-Christmas sale, and the resulting traffic at the malls.

"Buying something on sale is a very special feeling. In fact, the less I pay for something, the more it is worth to me. I have a dress that I paid so little for that I am afraid to wear it. I could spill something on it, and then how would I replace it for that amount of money?"
~Rita Rudner

Santa is here

I've grown resigned to the fact that retail Christmas starts as early as September. So I guess I'm grateful that Santa waited until after Halloween to arrive at Stonewood Center.

He arrived, along with Mrs. Claus, to a fun-filled night of sing-alongs and crafts for the kids, who seemed thoroughly fascinated with the old man. Mrs. Claus led the kids in Jingle Bells and other fun Christmas tunes, while Santa looked on from the sidelines.

The artist's hands

At a small side window at one of the Stonewood Center jewelry shops, you can watch the skilled hands of the jeweler work with gold and silver.

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."
~Louis Nizer

Kid's Club

Saturday was Kid's Club at the Stonewood Center Mall (sponsored by National Geographic Kids). Kids gathered around the stage while Wacky Wendy talked about sea creatures. Here you see some of the participants being kelp.

After a fun teaching time, complete with live music, the kids were invited to use the provided materials to create their own "under the sea" art project.



This little artist was proud to share her work!



"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to  remain an artist once he grows up".  
~ Pablo Picasso

Pets with benefits

I noticed these little "creatures" at the mall a couple of weeks ago and thought they were so oddly cute. It kind of looks like the zebra above is ready to make his escape.

It was fun to see how many of the kids were "walking" their animals around as their parents shopped. It's a great deal, true low maintenance pets...no feeding, no cleaning up after.

Today I came across this little girl attempting to tie her pet up to the gate surrounding the train.

In a good light

I noticed these new lights at Stonewood Center a week or two ago. They are so fun! They are made of plastic and twisted together and seem to give off a glow. It would sure be a great way to add some funky color to your room.

The cobbler

cob·bler 1 (kblr)
n.
1. a mender or maker of shoes and often of other leather goods

Earlier this month, I showed you a little shoe store in downtown Downey where you can buy new shoes. But where do you go when you  just need to get your shoes fixed?

This is Shoe Express, in Stonewood Center, where Kevin is busy at work repairing shoes. Kevin's father was a shoemaker in Sicily. When he came to this country, shoes were too expensive to make, so he went into the shoe repair business instead.

Kevin has continued in the family business, and was very helpful to me this week with the "other leather goods" part of cobbling.

Mary's birthday

When Charles See arrived in Los Angeles in 1921 and opened his first candy store, he chose a picture of his mother Mary to represent the quality and personality of his products. According to the company website, "Mary See died in 1939 at the age of 85, but the company's ability to adjust to changing times - without abandoning the passion for quality and service that Mary See represented - kept it going strong throughout the decades to come."

Now, nearly 100 years later, the See's Candies store in the Stonewood Mall has celebrated Mary See's birthday this past weekend with discounts on their fine chocolates. Yum!

Shop till you drop

Young or old, a full afternoon of shopping at Stonewood Shopping Center is justification for giving your feet a break in one of the many comfortable chairs in the mall.

How much is that doggie?

These days, the animals at the "pet store" at Stonewood Shopping Center aren't the furry variety. Instead, they are rubber and colorful and tend to float away if not properly "leashed." 

In spite of the food dish in this shot, I don't think these pets require much food—which makes that whole discussion of "If we get you a puppy, do you promise to help feed it and take care of it?" a moot point.

The fears of a clown

He looks rather lonesome. I think he must be looking off into the distance, at the Easter bunny at the other end of the Stonewood Mall, where all the kids are gathered.

Is he afraid that he made the wrong career choice?