Jul 25
i love going to the farmer’s market. we have a good one close to our house – it’s grown quite a bit in the last few years. the fruits and vegetables have become a bit more exotic, there is usually entertainment and yummy food to sample. most of all, it makes me feel like i live in a community – people are out, enjoying the sunshine, buying locally, buying organic. it’s cool, i love it! i like to just walk through and see at what is in season. i nabbed some squash blossoms so i can make cheese stuffed squash blossoms with shaved squash and toasted pumpkin seeds. i’ve had to wait all year to find squash blossoms! the girls like to eat at “Red,” east african food. they make yummy sambussas stuffed with savory delights like cream cheese and coconut, spinach garlic and assorted spices, potatoes & lentils. so good and so different! it’s pretty at the farmer’s market – beautiful shades of natural color, textured fruits and vegetables and exotic foods to sample. my favorite booth has a couple dozen vintage chalkboards that they strategically place around their booth. so much to look at!
Jul 20
bass lake 2010. getting ready for the trip is half the fun – it’s about the journey, right? i love the feeling of excitement, anticipation, familiarity, tradition, family & friends and relaxation all rolled into a nice little package. that’s bass lake to me. this it the 61st year my family has gone to bass lake – my girls are the fourth generation to attend. it’s a special place for us and we go every year and wouldn’t miss it for anything. i love getting ready – it’s a ritual and i have it down to a science. tightly packing the girls into the car, they seem to like the comfort of creating a little cave in the car. surrounded by pillows, coloring books, “uno,” books, movies & snacks. they’re ready to hit the road and get to bass lake. only a seven hour drive… i love it when we hit the line where the pines start to grow, we roll down the window and take a deep breath. we’re here! bass lake 2010.
Jul 18
we just returned from our yearly family tradition – bass lake! this is the 61st year my family has been to bass lake. it’s a special place – a place of memories, fun, relaxation, time to collect your thoughts and renew. i feel great! a bit sad to be home, but happy to have such a special place where my mom spent her childhood, i spent my childhood and now my girls are continuing that tradition. i will blog about our trip this week but just wanted to let you know that….we’re BACK and refreshed!
Jul 10
it’s time to shut off the blackberry, close the laptop and tune out. it’s summer time after all and i really, really need a break. i have a magazine stack about a foot tall, a new swimsuit and some new sunglasses. i’m ready to chill. i have waves of being totally overwhelmed and i need to ride it. so here we go… time for a break. will you miss the blog? would sure love to return to some nice comments…. see you real soon! xo, zoe
Jul 6
please come to the city of hope’s “taste of hope” on august 22nd in coronado, california. i am so honored to be the “ambassador of hope” and would love to see you there – supporting the fight against cancer and having a good time! buy your tickets here.
Jun 30
we like to keep ourselves entertained…. we crack ourselves up and laugh A LOT throughout the day. i am LUCKY the ladies “get” me (or maybe they pretend to and then snicker behind my back), regardless i am blissfully happy that i get to laugh every day over silly stuff. here are some snippets of conversation:
* frida kahlo is cool because she boldly rocked the unibrow
* we heart dexter. probably too much and to an unhealthy degree
* lunch is served while watching true blood on monday – team erik wins by a landslide. we are patiently waiting for true blood action heroes. do you hear us mattel?
* we are learning the fine art of voodoo. some people have left us no choice
* we love the name “max.” “christopher?” not so much. stamping has changed our perspective on naming your child, just ask us
* we eat a new food each week – we have had cuban, turkish, mexican, peruvian, chinese, jamaican. next up? indian.
Jun 29
we try and keep our sanity while we pound metal all day. how do we do this you ask? well…. lots of ways! recently, we celebrated jessica’s college graduation by wearing dexter masks and drinking mimosas at 9am. then we stuffed our faces with azucar’s cuban pastries and fell into food/drink comas. so fun! more fun times to come…
Jun 26
i don’t get out much. and when i do, well sometimes i am a bit impulsive. i am a true contradiction – very practical, yet…NOT. my friend and i went to the mall today. i haven’t been to a mall in about 10 months – i just don’t have the time. but we decided we needed some retail therapy to kick off the summer and went shopping and to lunch. so what do i do? buy sparkly, glittery things that really don’t fit into my lifestyle. really, i should have bought flip-flops, jeans and t-shirts. but well…. i couldn’t help myself. they were so pretty, fancy and irresistible and my wardrobe desperately needs a face lift. i love them. they’re so pretty. bling-a-ding-ding. sometimes you just have to go for it!
Jun 16
being proud is up there with my top most important emotions. compassion, loyalty and of course, love, are up there too. when my mom died, i wanted to establish something that would reflect the amazing person she was. i am PROUD of my mom – she was dedicated, compassionate and well…cool. i think back during that time and have no idea how i functioned – two small children, massive grieving and wrapping up her affairs. but somehow out of the grief, we decided to establish a nursing scholarship in her name. my mom was a nurse and so PROUD of her profession. she worked for 26 years in the same hospital and took her profession very seriously. she worried about the future of nursing and hoped that bright, young people would be drawn to the profession. so it was perfect, we established a scholarship in my mom’s name at the local nursing school. so every semester for the past five years a young, hard working person in need of financial aid receives the scholarship to help them makes ends meet. last night the school e-mailed a pic of the latest recipient. i’m so PROUD! and i know my mom would be too.
Jun 2
i put a lot of value on memories as well as creating memories. i’m a super sentimental person and my friends know they can count on me to always cry with them. i have worn water-proof mascara since my mom died because i tired of removing the smudges under my eyes on a daily basis. there are a few objects sitting around my house that always spur a spontaneous cry. my mom’s penny key chain is one them. she collected smashed pennies from her travels and put them on a ring. a compact, memory-filled treasure she carried with her. the girls and i carry on this tradition – we add pennies to the memory ring as we continue our travels without her. although i have no doubt she is with us in spirit.
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