we have filled the last few days to the brim with neighborhood fun. the weather has been glorious.

this spring break felt just long enough and i think we are all ready for the final stretch of school before the summer arrives.

there was lots of hanging with friends up and down the street...





there was some serious springtime crafting...




egg carton wreath

and of course the requisite egg dying


onion skin


beets & red cabbage

we were supposed to head north for the easter weekend. i was very much looking forward to visiting dear friends in berkeley but alas, d wasn't feeling up to snuff and we had to postpone our visit. soon. soon...

and while our plans have changed, we look forward to familiar traditions and a celebration of spring...

happy easter.

12 hikes :: march :: caballero canyon

this one was a two-fer for march...

i did the 4 mile loop with my friend earlier in the month (great workout) - and returned with the family for a quick saturday morning hike (only 1 mile) just up the trail along the fireroad and up along mulholland drive.


view of the longer loop from reseda




Caballero Canyon (Topanga State Park)
top of Reseda Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 91356
Neighborhood: Tarzana

Proximity: 5 miles from our home
Hike length: various trails : i love the 4.2 mile loop for a workout and the shorter trails with the kids
Bonus features: beautiful chaparral with seemingly old manzanitas and wildflowers in the spring. great views of the ocean and valley. shorter trails dog friendly (on leash). lizards, rattlesnakes and coyotes have been spotted.
Tips: we parked for free on Reseda. (there is a propensity for car break-ins on this very popular hiking spot so windows up and doors locked.) bring lots of water. the longer hike takes almost 2 hours and the the shorter allow for at least 45 minutes.

* * * * *

E: I'd say 7 out of 10. It was a really good hike. I didn't really want to go at first. I felt lazy today. But it was pretty on the path we went on so I'm glad we went.

K: 7 too. This hike was more fun than I thought. I thought it would be very boring but it was better than I expected.

D: it had the potential of being a 10, but its a hot hill you want to start early in the morning. with what we actually did, it was good for a leg stretch.

happy spring (break)

and a new foal at the ranch... hello spring!



so ready for the week ahead with my girlies. xo

all decked out

i'd been looking for a large teak doormat for the backdoor for a while. everything seemed a little more than i wanted to pay - and a little smaller than i wanted to buy.

when d was repairing the deck outside the modern shed over the weekend (we planted a new tree in it and had to cut a section away) we had an "aha!" moment and used the scrap to fashion two doormat / transitions.

i love how it is big enough to keep a pair of shoes dry on (its the length of our extra-wide slider) - and not so precious that i'll be shoo-ing the chooks away.

(i also love the contrast between the weathered redwood and the new on the deck... looking for a natural sealant to try and keep it this way.)

pause

a few moments of quiet found with treasures from our CSA box.







the week went by in a whirl, punctuated by a weekend catching up on chores and finishing little projects, and having my 'big girl' nieces over for dinner. love them so.


count down to spring break is on.

enriched

reeling off the election e and i packed our bags for a long weekend at catalina island's toyon bay with her 6th grade class. it was a perfect ending to a crazy few weeks. (k and d had a marvelous daddy daughter weekend full of fun!) while we came home exhausted, it was such a wonderful experience. the kids challenged themselves to try new things - snorkeling in 20 ft depths, hiking steep mountain trails and taking on lots of responsibilities for the day-to-day chores. they strengthened bonds and made new friends. i was very proud of e. and happy to get to know her classmates a little better.

we left L.A. on a gloomy damp morning and made our way to paradise...

































i feel so lucky to have such amazing resources so close to home (an hour ride to the ferry in long beach and then another 2 hours boat ride.) CIMI provided a wealth of outdoor experiences, alongside rich hands-on lab work. it was great enrichment for the kids - and for me as well. i can't wait to go again with k!

school me

from today's L.A. Times

The election that has consumed us for the last 6 weeks or so is over. And we won. Not by a huge margin - but by enough to feel really good about it. With millions of dollars thrown into the opposition's campaign by outside (outside of L.A.!) interests it was an incredibly tough race. In turn, our strong teachers' union backed our candidate, even though he is known to question some of their policies and actions. It was politics at its worst in my opinion - with lots of nasty ads and mailers daily from these outside groups. As I walked around our Board District I kept asking people to try and push all that aside. To take a look at the two candidates and to listen to where they stand, and to consider the experience they are bringing to the position.

What they don't mention in the L.A. Times article is the outpouring of support from parents and students for Steve Zimmer. (That's me with two other LAUSD moms standing behind him. E says we look like his back-up singers - which I guess, in a way, we are.) I think my biggest take-aways from this experience are the amazing parents and families of the LAUSD. Families who have made the choice to stick by their neighborhood public school and work to make it the best it can be.

And that there is a national movement stirring. The Charter School solution isn't panning out - and people are noticing. (See here and here and here.) It will be an interesting time. My mom always told me that our generation could be the one to make it better (take away the high stakes testing, focus on the whole child, experiential learning, social justice...) and I think she might be right. (Again!)

Finally - that kids are not too young to engage in our political goings-on. I think it is imperative that they do. Voter turnout in Los Angeles is embarrassing and I am proud that the girls saw how aware D and I were of the issues, how we asked questions, and got involved. I kept telling them that it is always a personal choice who and what you vote for - but that the important (and wonderful!) thing is that you make that choice.

As D asked this a.m. "What's next?" (I may have to get that citizenship bit taken care of so instead of just talking the talk - I too can walk the walk!)

a month of fridays

i think we all have the february blahs. this short month seems to have dragged a little too slowly.

it is a busy month ahead. with weekends away and a much anticipated local election*. and spring break. so looking forward to spring break!

in the meantime, our fridays are so special. ending the week on horseback is a treat. i joke that if we ever own a horse we will have to name her Friday.



















good to see the month ahead is full of fridays. hello march.


*if you read this an you live locally - and specifically in our school board district - a vote for zimmer is a vote for our kids, and a vote for neighborhood schools. the alternative is a sweeping change of public education as we know it. this election is pivotal. vote sz!

52 cookies :: week 52 :: oat and "shower" cherry cookies with chocolate chips

as soon as the latest 3191Q issue arrived i set on to make the oat and sour cherry cookies delivered by MAV.* the recipe is an adaptation from "Short & Sweet" by Dan Lepard and we took it a little further to make it our own, and using what we had on hand. (lesson learned from this entire experiment: everything is better with chocolate chips.)

the girls eyed the bag of cherries with suspicion (hoping i wasn't returning to raisins) and misheard my naming of them as "shower cherries"... hence...





Oat and "Shower" Cherry Cookies with Chocolate Chips
adapted from 3191Q issue no. 10

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1/2 c sugar
1 c light brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 c rolled oats
1 c tart dried cherries
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare cookie trays with silpat. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt together. Beat sugars and butter until extra light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in oats and stir in cherries and chocolate chips. Spoon tbsp dollops of dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on the sheet before transferring to wire rack. Store in airtight container.

Makes 2 dozen large cookies

* * * * *

K: These cookies are super good. At first I thought they won't be as good. But Mom said "Don't pick at the cookie, just take a big bite!" The cookies taste good when doing big bites!!!!

A huge thank u to TRACY BARTLEY for 52 weeks of cookies

E: Yum... I kinda like the sour cherries and of course I love the chocolate chips!!!! :) :D Also a huge thx to u cuz u stuck to the cookies!

D: This combo of chocolate and cherries is perfect. And the oatmeal cookie is too. Biting into this is like acing your final exam. You could serve this with a little port wine. Mighty fine.


so this is it... whew! i am looking forward to a look back at our year of cookies. stay tuned...

*yes - i am posting this and dating it back after much delay in pulling it together! forgive me ;)

52 cookies :: week 51 :: salted rye cookies

Salted Rye Cookies
via shari
from epicurious
1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
kosher salt
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 1/2 cups (230 g) whole (dark) rye flour
3 tablespoons coarse sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, a pinch of salt, and the orange zest. Gradually mix in the flour. Divide the dough into two portions and place each on a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into logs about 2 inches in diameter and wrap tightly. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a sheet of waxed paper, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the sparkling sugar. Unwrap the dough logs and roll them in the mixture to coat well. (I rolled one log in the sugar-salt mix, and the second in just sugar. My kids aren't used to too much salt - and I worried they'd be put off.) Place each log on a cutting board and cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds, arranging the rounds 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 16 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through so the cookies bake evenly. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.



* * * * *

K: The cookies I prefer with sugar not salt. The salt is a little too salty for me. When you bit into the salty, all of the edge is salty. But, the sugar is the kind I like best. Not salty on the outside.

E: I like these cookies. The ones with salt, personally, are not my favorite, the one's with sugar are better. They are good to have in my lunch.

D: A salt encrusted rye flour "cookie" was all that was missing from my busy life. Not. While I found nothing wrong with this palette cleanser...digestive... it didnt qualify for my "Life is too short...eat more cookies!" mantra. Marie Antoinette would have been safe to offer these biscuits to the masses. I too will find a way.

12 hikes :: february :: upper los virgenes open space preserve

it is a beautiful presidents' day weekend. d had to work today - but the girls and i were off, and so were our neighbors, so we decided we better head out for a hike. we've been so under the weather, i knew the fresh air and sun on our faces would do us a world of good.

located on 3000 acres in the simi hills, this beautiful open space preserve was originally part of the ahmanson ranch. a decade or so ago, after much discussion, it was sold to the santa monica mountains conservancy for its importance as an ecoloogical link and wildlife corridor between the santa monica mountains and those to the north. we are so lucky to have it. it is spectacular. rolling hills studded with valley oaks and sycamore lined canyon bottoms. you really do feel like you are miles and miles away.







Upper Los Virgenes Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch)
western end of Victory Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 91307
Neighborhood: West Hills / Calabasas

Proximity: 6 miles from our home
Hike length: various trails : we did a perfect 2.3 mile loop
Bonus features: beautiful old oaks close enough to hug and though we didn't find them, there are supposed to be caves to explore (next time). the creek was (surprisingly) dry. vistas that conjured up what settlers must have seen when they arrived in socal. dog friendly (on leash of course).
Tips: we parked on Victory and hiked up to the trailhead so we wouldn't have to pay for parking ($3). it was warmer than i thought (though only around 70 the sun was intense and there isn't much shade at all.) i was glad we wore layers, brought lots of water and a healthy snack. we were there around 1 1/2 hours.

* * * * *

E: 7. It was ok. I like it better when there is a river nearby to explore. It was fun though.

K: 8. I liked that our friends joined us. I liked that we did our own thing. We went our own way down the hill and then met you.