October 2011
1 post
8 Course Food & Wine Pairing Extravaganza at...
Every once in a great while a true food and wine lover will experience a match made in heaven. A meal that pairs food and wine so perfectly that each enhances the other and a marriage is made. A recent special occasion with cause for celebration lead to a meal just like this. The location was the Saddle Peak Lodge nestled in the Malibu Canyon Mountains. Only a 30 minute drive out of LA...
August 2011
1 post
Summer Spirits of Paso Robles
In the last month of summer, the pre-harvest buzz of wine country has already begun. With a few months of uncommonly cool weather, the Paso Robles wine makers have had to deal with a range of issues from fruit on the vine not growing properly, to rain causing mildew and other infections to run rampant among the vines. Despite the weather challenges, everyone is moving full steam ahead with the...
May 2011
1 post
Back in the swing of things
Fact: I am the QUEEN of getting side tracked…so it’s no surprise I haven’t blogged in awhile.
SO, I’m going to get back in the saddle again and try and recap what’s been going on lately….What’s new….
We went to Ireland with a few friends to explore the country and visit my Sister studying abroad there. We saw SO many wonderful things,...
July 2010
1 post
Mi Scusi!
So…..I said from the beginning that I may stray from the blogging at some point, and if you’re reading this you know it’s true since a month or two (or three!) have gone by since my last entry. All I can say is that in true form, I jumped from one project to the next, and on and on, and unfortunately when I do that….sometimes things fall off my radar. In my defense I...
April 2010
3 posts
Chick Chick Chick!
We are now the proud owners of 3 baby chicks! They are the White Rock breed for those of you who know a bit about chickens. They are about 2 to 3 days old and couldn’t be cuter if they tried. Little poofs of warm fuzziness…..with little repetitive peep peep peeps.
This is the beginning…we have always tried to hold on in little ways to being somewhat...
By way of San Diego
This past weekend we had a mini road trip adventure down to San Diego. It’s only a few hours South of Los Angeles, but as anyone in Southern Cali knows, a few hours of traffic on the 5 lanes of traffic in each direction freeway is enough to make anyone yearn for a wide open country road that doesn’t even have the median line painted on it…
It was a great oppourtunity for us, my...
Missing in Action
Guilty as charged….I haven’t been blogging. I meant too, but it seemed like suddenly we were really busy for the last month. I kept saying, I’ll get on tomorrow, I want to write about this, that or whatever. Then somehow, a few weeks went by. It’s hard when you get in a cycle of sorts, and then when you get off of it, it can be hard to get back into it, even if you...
March 2010
3 posts
Unexpected Surprise!
I’ve been really excited these past few days…my sister Danielle is coming for a visit in about a week, and I really can’t remember the last time we had DAYS to hang out, catch up and just spend time together.
It’s hard when there’s not only an 11 year age gap, but also 3,000 miles and change between us, to always be a part of each others day to day lives; but...
Spring Awakening
It’s that time of year…the chill in the air starts to vanish …we open our windows and let in fresh air (or what we like to think of as fresh air in LA!) and best of all, like magic there seems to be growth all over the place. A quick lap around the back yard today proved to be a great way to get my green thumb out of hibernation. PLANTS - that’s right, I’m talking...
A different view...
Today we got some great news - my Sister Danielle who hasn’t been out to Los Angeles since 2004 is coming out over Easter break for a visit!
Suddenly I find myself looking at the city I live in with a whole new perspective - what to do, what to see, where to go! It’s funny how when you live somewhere you can take for granted some of the basics that as a visitor you yearn to see. ...
February 2010
13 posts
Fungi Surprise
Ted and I got an unexpected surprise today! As some of you know, we’ve tried over the last year or so to grow Shitake mushrooms at home. We’ve had some turn out, and others…well they were a bust. The last round of mushrooms to our disappointment were a failure, so we were waiting for the growing medium (what the mushrooms grow out of) to dry out so we could try again.
Today...
Something to be said...
There is something to be said for a good friend. What defines a good friend? For me, it’s someone who truly cares about you. Someone who tries to be a part of your life without expecting anything in return except for you to be there for them as well. It’s the exchanges that you have with that friend, there’s give and take…not just take.
I think it’s funny that as...
Chickens in the Valley
We are country folk, living in the city. Ted and I both yearn for fields of green, both in the plant and sustainable living sense. Alas, living in the Valley of Los Angeles can seem like the farthest place from wide open spaces. Despite this, we try in our own little ways to keep some things a little more down to earth. Whether it’s planting beets, carrots, tomatoes or cilantro in any...
Thrill of the Grill
Let me say for the record that this is in no way, shape or form any kind of taunting to our friends and family back East in the frozen tundra we like to call home, aka: Western New York…but I think that it’s safe to say that we’ve kicked off the official grilling season out here on the West coast for the year…I know what you’re thinking - it’s warm there all...
By way of the West coast
One of the hardest things about being out on the West coast sometimes is being out of the loop with friends and family both literally and figuratively… so much can happen on a day to day basis and when you get that bi-weekly or monthly call some things just slip through the cracks - I hate that!
Also, sometimes not being right there back at home means that those close to you don’t...
The ability to have an opinion.....
Since this blog is in the beginning phases…it’s going to morph here and there…till I feel like it’s truly “me”, so I added a section where those of you who actually read this, have a place to say what you might want to say…..feedback, comments, constructivecriticism…blah blah blah. I guess in a way, it’s also a way for me to see if anyone...
Feast of Love
I’m a big believer that there are many languages of love. By this I mean that there are various ways that people can tell you they care. Some people are caretakers, some are creators, others are givers, some provide an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on, etc, etc. I know that I tend to fall into the category of giving. I like to share things with those I love whether it’s a...
My Valentine's
In honor of Valentine’s Day I’m stating simply that I’m lucky enough to have many…and too many to list individually, but you know who you are, and that I’m thankful to have you in my life!
I plan to spend my Valentine’s Day with my loves:
The Hubby & my Fur Children
Ted & Red
Opie
Queen Muggs
Red (Solo this time)
I’d also like to let...
Senses of Nostalgia
I’m a foodie, no doubt about it. I love all things food - cooking it, eating it, learning about new genres of food, taking something old and putting a modern twist on it, methods of cooking, cook books, etc., but most of all my favorite part of food is the emotional transport it provides in mere moments.
Case and point - this morning I was soaking in the tub when suddenly a faint but...
The Birthday Boy, 34.....and counting!
So…already I’ve missed a day of blogging, but given it was Ted’s 34th birthday yesterday I’ll give myself a break, and try to double blog in the next few days to make up for it.
Sooo…..34! My old man :) I was trying to figure out what I could do to make his day a little special, while still being laid up and pretty useless…and then it came to me - recruit...
Snail Mail Surprises!
As many of you know, I’m an advocate for hand written letters. It’s a lost art form that unless rallied for, will one day be as obsolete as carrier pigeons! As of late, I’ve been receiving a lot of good old fashioned mail and today was no exception. I’m like a kid on Christmas morning, dashing to the door as soon as I hear the mail carrier drop the lid on our mailbox.
...
Grateful...
I am grateful. Life is great, despite recent health issues. There are too many things to name that I am grateful for, but of all these things my husband Ted is the thing I am most grateful for. We’ve been married 2 1/2 years now, but have been together since 2003 and as Ted describes it, EONS….we were friends before we dated so that adds on a few years as well….but...
We'll see if it lasts....
I’ve blogged before…I’ve gotten over it before….but it’s a new year, and I’ve got time on my hands and words in my head so we’ll see if I keep up with it this time. It’s not that I don’t love writing, I do deep down at my core (and as an English major with horrendous grammar) but I’ve always been more of a tactile person, and will gladly...