weekend to do

final bit and bobs for two culminations
clean out elementary school parent group files(!)

dwell on design
ranch clean up

around the house
trim the bamboo

#tbt

was cleaning out some files and found this...


2003



same spot this morning




one of the greatest lessons from my mom about living with kids, is to not put off nice things, but to invest in your home and fill it with things you love. teach your children to appreciate that and you don't have to worry about them getting marker on the sofa or being careless with the good china.





p.s. the shape magazine in the top picture actually made me laugh out loud. xo

play ball

and here we are again, three years later and the little is up to bat for the 5th grade students vs. staff baseball game. the tradition of this is deep. i have neighbors who had kids here in the 60s and 70s who remember attending their child's game. so sweet.









bittersweet, in this is really the beginning of the end. this has been an incredibly special group of kids.

one more week of school...

weekend to do

heeellllooooo long weekend!

(let's keep our list short!)

have fun :)
get stuff done.

and so they grow...

they met in preschool, and quite frankly, i think mine was a little overwhelmed by the big personality of the other.

then they spotted each other again at middle school orientation, and have been inseparable ever since.


then (the end of preschool)


now (the end of 8th grade)

this fall, they will be walking to high school together, and i couldn't be more proud of them both. and grateful for their friendship. and our families' friendship. they are still quite different. sassy and serious. (i think i can say that safely.) both strong and smart. they compliment each other. help each other be brave when it's needed - whether that's in speaking out, or in holding back. excited to see what the future holds for them both. and hopeful that their friendship can weather whatever comes next. (they talk about it openly. the challenges and opportunities ahead of them. and how they too hope their friendship can endure.)

time flies...

weekend to do

breakfast with sam at gasolina cafe
school carnival
show team meeting
violin recital
sunday ride

that'll do it...

night at the museum

k and i had a very special date night this week. d was working late, and e is up in the mountains with her class.

it was the opening of two exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Ed Moses: Drawings from the 1960s and 70s and Drawing In L.A. The 1960s and 70s. Both beautiful shows. (Great to see Moses at the opening.) The former full of gems I didn't know, and the latter many icons of L.A. art.

we started our evening with dinner at The Original Farmer's Market (sadly our favorite spot over there, Short Order, has closed). the Farmer's Market is always a good choice though, as there really is something for everyone. and the ice cream. oh the ice cream. we couldn't resist sharing a banana split from Bennett's




then on to LACMA - which, I think, is always extra special to visit in the evening. their courtyard is the perfect party spot.




Study of Man in the Phonebooth, 1969 by Charles Garabedian



and we had to deek out of the party and visit Chris Burden's Urban Light. so sad to learn this week of his death. he was an amazing artist, who i first discovered as an art student back in Manitoba. such an integral part of the Los Angeles "scene". he will be missed.





we are excited to return to LACMA next week, when his final work, Ode to Santos Dumont, 2015 debuts. it promises to be just as inspiring as his previous work.




this kid. so funny. so sharp. so much good energy. such a treat to have this one-on-one time with her.

weekend to do

around the house
inbox clean out


pack teen for a week at camp
hair cut
happy mothers' day!

yesterday.

it was a full weekend. E showed for the first time yesterday at the Los Angeles Equetrian Center. that meant helping transport 11 horses saturday then support friends in 26 different events sunday! she tested in Dressage Intro Level C (walk, trot, canter) and placed 4th. pony's first test too! sweet neesa is a fjord belonging to E's friend and has only been training since last fall. we are so very proud of both for them.


I was so moved by the support the other TEE riders gave E. it really was a team effort.

while E rode, K spent the day as a groom. i have never seen that girl work so hard so happily. it was wonderful to watch.

so blessed to be part of this barn family.

weekend to do

pond pumps
clean bbq

e is riding her first dressage test tomorrow! (intro test c)





*the photo shows moxie waiting while I tuck in the girls for our nightly television hour. d and i have been picking a series on netflix or amazon prime and watching it through, one episode a night. we've done madmen, orange is the new black, house of cards, shameless (uk version), and now just finished up the americans. moxie knows the routine (she knows all our routines) and seems to look forward to the quiet hour. so do i. its nice to just sit side-by-side at the end of the day. not talking or planning or anything. just being together. xo

studio project

I'm thrilled to be doing a short contract with a wonderful painter, who at 93 is still going strong. working in an artist's studio is still my favorite thing.



when I was in my teens i wanted to be a painter.
when I was in my 20s I wanted to be an art conservator.
when I was in my 30s I wanted to be a mom.
in my 40s, I love what I do. all I've ever wanted mixed together perfectly.

blessed.

weekend to do

breakfast at gjelina with sam!

around the house
sort through k's dresser drawers & storage bins (she's had another growth spurt!)

local fuel

adding to our list of favorite local spots...

gasolina cafe serves up spanish influenced, farm-to-table cuisine as well as a good variety of coffee, tea, and sweets.

i had the (very tasty) breakfast stew, a traditional Spanish garbanzos con espinacas topped with a perfectly poached egg and crispy toasts. the latte was perfect as well. (coffee comes from Poway,CA roaster James Coffee Co.)

this is Chef Sandra Cordero's first brick and mortar venture and she wanted to open something close to home (lucky us!). she was in the house - prepping for a photo shoot - and took time to stop and chat with us.

even thought it was an overcast morning, it was nice to sit outside at the colorful tables and watch woodland hills go to work.

will definitely be returning.





gasolina cafe
21014 ventura boulevard
woodland hills, 91364

more in the sfv...
local peasant
pedalers fork

weekend to do

around the house
hang pictures in dining room
hang bulletin strip in office


make plan for pool deck and call for quotes(!)
fill out high school registration packet (!!!)

sit out

looking at some outdoor seating for our bedroom patio. i keep changing my mind. chair with ottoman? bench? match what we already have, or something new?

here are some thoughts...



1
2
3
4
5
6

weekend to do

*

around the house
clean out 2012 files


chatsworth day of the horse




*we did an impromptu family date night last night. (a school night no less!) Dinner at Lemonade Venice (chat with chef Alan Jackson , and share of kid pics), sunset from the boardwalk, Enrique Martínez Celaya at L.A. Louver (see this show!), and taking the long way home with the sunroof open to the stars and everyone singing along to the White Stripes on the stereo . ‪#‎goodlife‬

form & function

my favorite finds are those beautiful items that i use every day. (i came back from our d.c. trip with lincoln's gettysburg address captured on a tea towel.) these little bowls exemplify this. i use little bowls daily, for snacks and toppings & condiments at the table. (i love a well set dinner table, with pressed napkins and nice serving pieces. it gives a sense of completion & pleasure as we gather at the end of our day.)



these little bowls have been collected from trips we have taken (apt ware from france and terra-cotta from mexico as well as the heath factory in sausalito); trips taken by others (my sister-in-law knows my weaknesses); and lucky studio pottery thrift finds. the latest addition, sweet little thimble cups from pigeon toe ceramics (found for a steal off their instagram sale!).

their form is perfect. (who can argue with a bowl?!) and their function threefold: to pretty our table; and to hold sustenance and memories!

easter (monday)

such a treat to have today off. technically, it is because today is ceasar chavez day, but it is also easter monday, and i am reminded of the holidays of my own childhood.

we try to keep it simple. baskets filled with a few high quality sweets and something that they'll use. when the girls were little, a small toy or game, but now that they are older, a book, or last year a ceramic mug and this year a sweet monogrammed ring dish. (the bunny brought me the gin truffles!)



yesterday felt springlike and full. quiet time together, very good eating, noisy friend-filled traditions, and time with their horses. perfect.


hope you had a wonderful weekend. xo

weekend to do

unpack & laundry
bring out & clean outdoor cushions

good pesach, easter, spring! xo

day 5

independence hall (philadelphia, pa)



national constitution center

reading terminal market


benjamin franklin's gravesite at christ church



franklin court



"rocky steps"




home.




oh what to say? it has been an AMAZING 5 days with these 27 AMAZING kids. we crammed as much US History into our days as possible - and had a lot of fun doing it. I learned so much about this nation - my adopted home - and its ideals of Freedom & Liberty. and so much from these kids, who impressed me to no end, and once again gave me faith, as these ideals are realized in them.



(and recalling my last trip with them, 2 years ago. what changes!)