right now

l'shana tova

& happy friday

::41::

brought in my birthday in LA style with tickets to the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at the Hollywood Bowl. (thank you Robyn & Joe!) friday the 'hood came over to celebrate a 10 year old and her mum's special days - and to break in the finished deck. (made me unbelievably happy to see these peeps around our new table.) and today, we're chillin'.

i have so enjoyed 40. it hasn't been an easy year. but i feel like i've owned it. and that feels very good.

no big ambitious list this year. (i find myself still checking things off my old one!) though i do find my self visiting here. we will see.

hello 41. looking forward to getting to know you better.

growing inspiration...

a visit to some amazing schoolyards over the weekend. and two inspiring days of very inspiring lectures. (sorry for the poor photos. we were a bit rushed - and i was working with a borrowed camera.)

so many good ideas...

speakers included: evergreen (canada); movium (sweden); Grun macht Schule (germany); learning through landscapes (uk); edi (japan) & playlink (uk)

visits to:

sherman elementary school



tulee elk child development center



commodore sloat elementary school



and of course, Alice Water's edible schoolyard at mlk middle school








(one speaker actually said that every schoolyard needs fire! our kids need to learn risk assessment... yes!)






(kitchen classroom)

too funny - the program director for evergreen ends up being someone i knew from high school. small small world.

my new mantra: "trees, rocks and mulch"... and a dream to tear up as much asphalt as possible.


btw, my friend sarah, who i stayed with, has launched a great service. appSmitten. sign up for daily app suggestions for your iphone / ipad / android. i've already found two new ones i love: cozi and seafood watch (which i have carried around in my wallet as a tattered piece of paper for years!)

off to sf for this. so excited!

almost 10

early tomorrow morning she will be 10.

9 has been wonderful. she has grown so much. so confident. inquisitive. opinionated. but thoughtful.



and kind. (she is amazing with animals - and has become the mama hen to the other kids in the neighborhood.)

and i am filled with giddy anticipation at 10. (i remember 10 well.)




happy birthday baby. (you always will be.) xo

(both pics taken from our time in london. oh what a summer.)

last year

weekended

hello monday!

we had a wonderful wonder full (albeit camera-less) weekend. highlights : first soccer game of the season (go kixx!) and a visit to the beatrice wood exhibition at the santa monica museum of art. it was so wonderful. girlies all loved it too. and i went with a neighbor who took a pilgrimage to ojai to meet wood in the 80s as a young woman. (loved learning this gem about my friend while she was visiting us up on the island this summer. never would have guessed!) the girls were curious about her technique and mesmerized by the video of her.


image via MADMuseum

the journal pages & letters were wonderful. and her work is gorgeous.


image via MADMuseum

she discovered ceramics at 40. and lived to be 105.


image via Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts

i picked up her autobiography and am looking forward to getting into it. (finishing up beatrix potter's biography first.)

the exhibition was designed by adam silverman. and is the first show we've taken in as part of pacific standard time (which d has been working so hard on!). can't wait to see more.

so good to be back to school. the girls are so happy to be back :) and our return to routine is so far so good. good stuff.

september 11 always conjures such strong memories. and this year - as we plan for a 10th birthday party - i thought about that little baby inside me that day and all the fear i held for the world she would come into. and i look at the amazing almost 10 year old she has become and my heart swells.

looking forward to fall weather and quiet weekends.

'za on the grill

i have thought about making pizza on the BBQ many time. i have various recipes torn out of various magazines and shoved in binder to inspire.

it has been in the triple digits all week. hottest day of the year yesterday. (at least 104.) everything we do is on the BBQ when the weather gets likes this.

thinking of a vegetarian grilling option that would appeal to the girls - pizza immediately came to mind.

i love you mark bittman.

all the toppings (except the cheese and olives) came from our CSA box. e prepped them all and lined them up and played sous chef while i worked the grill. on a base of pesto (basil walnut), we had: summer squash, leek, arugula, turnip (!), spinach and tomato.

we really should have done this sooner. yum!



(has anyone tried baking pita on the grill?)

Warm Chickpea Salad with Arugula

for lunch today...



from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

(20 minutes with precooked beans)

3 T olive oil
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t cumin seeds
alt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 c cooked (or drained canned) chickpeas
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 t honey
4 c arugula leaves
1 leek - chopped (substituted for red onion)
4 hard-cooked eggs - quartered (optional)

Saute ginger, garlic and cumin in olive oil stirring constantly - about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then add chickpeas. Stir until hot and coated in the oil and seasonings - about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and with a fork, stir in the vinegar, honey and 1 T water. Mash a few chickpeas as you stir to add texture to the dressing. Put the arugula and leek in a large bowl and toss with the warm chickpea dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, with egg if you like.

first and last

e's first day of her last year. 5th grade. and 2nd grade for my baby. man "the days are long, but the years are short". it has been an amazing journey. (it isn't over yet!)

this year - we have neighborhood kids - kids walking to school! - in every grade at our neighborhood school. (except 4th.) as well as two in middle school.

going back

2010

2009 (this one kills me!)

and so on ...

open house

we did make it to this open house on sunday. the listing is with my friend (and neighbor!) craig. he made me promise we wouldn't buy it and move away :)







the house is absolutely amazing. literally open to all the elements. apparently, koenig said something along the lines of "screens are for keeping insects inside". the cross ventilation made it comfortable on a very hot day. it felt like we were up in the trees.

the house is being sold by its original owner. she was a baker - and it is full of custom built-ins (flour sifter etc.) that mesmerized the girls. and a little door in each bathroom that connect to the laundry room for a quick deposit of dirty socks. the details are wonderful.

such a treat to get to peek inside a gem like this.

more pics over here.

last day of summer vacation.

sigh. "best so far"

Back on the farm!

My daughters and I have been away most of the summer. And David isn't a big veggie eater. We put a hold on our CSA subscription - but started back up this week. We celebrated Labour Day with a trip to the farm.

We harvested tomatillos (and snacked on heirloom tomatoes).







Tonight... my favourite salsa verde. (and baked black bean taquitos to stock the fridge for back to school!)

There are many new options to subscribe to Calvert's CSA program. With only three weeks left in the season - for as little as $18/week - that's $54 for this season - you can try out the amazing produce, delivered to Calvert weekly.

You can read all about the farm, the programs, how to visit, and how to subscribe here: www.jointhefarm.com. Or email me at calvertgreencommunity@gmail.com

Happy Back to School!

labour day

we harvested tomatillos (and snacked on heirloom tomatoes) at "our farm"







tonight... my favourite salsa verde. (and baked black bean taquitos to stock the fridge for back to school!)

on deck

our new table has arrived. eating outside as much as possible.





this morning :: pancakes with orange rind and walnuts, fresh fruit and too much coffee.

d's next project... extending our deck & a chicken run is underway.

thanks for your backpack feedback. in our school district all school supplies are pretty much supplied to the kids. so buying a backpack, lunchbag and a folder is our back-to-school shopping. it had become a habit. we did order new lunchbags. (last years' were in pretty poor shape.) and picked up folders. i feel good about our backpack decision moving forward.

bits and bobs. without my camera.

my camera has died an untimely death. it is off to hopefully be resuscitated. we will see. i miss it more than i could have imagined. my phone and e's little point and shoot just aren't cutting it!

and there is lots going on.

my mom is in town. it is always so great to have her here. the girls are in heaven!

and my dear dear friend Jennie was in town from Wellington New Zealand! we went to grad school together (what feels like ages ago - i guess it kind of was.) and she has lived all over before heading to NZ, falling in love and recently getting married. it was so wonderful to get to know her new husband and hang out with them for two days. we got to the farmer's market for lunch, back-to-school shopping at the grove and squeezed in a visit to the getty. they are off on a two month world tour - and we wish them safe travels - and some time to relax! xoxo

coming home meant a return to our CSA. tonight, an armenian cucumber leek raita that knocked my socks off! simply: thinly slice cucumbers and leeks into strips, add a few cloves of finely chopped garlic. stir in 2 cups of plain yogurt, 1 cup finely chopped parsley, juice of one lemon, and salt and paprika and cumin to taste. we are headed to the farm on Monday to help weed and harvest - to labor on Labor Day!

k finally had her hair cut today at lucas, after the debacle of our last attempt. hopefully getting in a beach day before wednesday. definitely taking in this open house this weekend. inspired by erin to stock of the freezer with goodies for school year lunches and dinners...

oh and yes - the first day of school. 2nd grade. and (gasp!) 5th grade.

(aside - do you buy a new backpack each yr for your student? we had been. and this year i took a stand and said no. the girls' bags from last year were in excellent condition - and i just couldn't do it. they were not happy. funny enough - k's chickadee magazine arrived yesterday in the mail, complete with a board game - with this month's green theme - that states "You buy a new backpack even though your old one is in great shape. Move back 1 space." i smiled.)

and because the post looks naked without any images: an iphone pic from our time with j & j. lunch out: amazing fish tacos and freshly squeezed lemonade and a girl in a snazzy hat.