weekend to do

can you tell this horse has become the center of our world? we are so in love. and love everything he is giving back. don't get me wrong - horse ownership is a huge commitment of time, and money. but I truly believe that it is worth every minute and every penny. what we are all learning is worth the sacrifices we have had to make. he is such a gift.

but meanwhile, things do have to get done!

around the house
tape up cement board in bathroom
finish planting out garden beds.

plant seeds (nasturtiums & sunflower) at the barn :)

enjoy the rain

william krisel a.i.a.

there's a fabulous new book out on the architect of our home. (wonderful for any mcm lover - find it here.) it focuses on his work in palm springs, but also includes some glimpses of our neighborhood, including his own home on jumilla - as well as that of our dear friend and neighbor, Louise, (below) who is an original owner. (and an institution in her own right!)



we're looking forward to an event in our neighborhood in June celebrating Krisel. stay tuned!...

12/48.5

happy birthday Phantom! he turned 12 yesterday.

and we celebrated with horse & human friends - and strawberries.

happy easter!

we're celebrating with our traditional neighborhood brunch and egg hunt, then off to the barn to celebrate a special birthday.

wishing you and yours a joyful easter, and happy spring!

days of the horse

we've spent every day of spring break with Phantom. it is an absolute joy watching the girls get to know him, and him get to know us. we've done ground lessons: join-up, rope work and ground manners, and the girls have ridden him every day, dressage or trail.

he's a horse with a big personality. and somehow perfectly fits with the girls' personalities - as different as they are. i love watching them interact, individually, and together. their team effort in making this work has been noticed. i am very proud of them.



a month in, i couldn't be happier with our decision.

weekend to do

passport office visit (ugh)

around the house
catch-up on laundry & tidying that slipped during the break!
back to school baking
plan out veggie beds


celebrate easter!

weekend to do

tonight we hopped on the 101 to an intimate show by letts - featuring paintings by our friend der baca

tomorrow i'm meeting my bestest oldest L.A. friend for brunch at Love & Salt. then D and I are meeting friends to try our hand at escaperoom L.A. (The Alchemist) and then grabbing a late dinner at The Black Sheep. (I love downtown L.A.!)

and john and I will sneak a visit to tomatomania in there too!

helloooo spring break!

whoo hoo!

weekend to do

at the barn
stall signage (no treats, please)
stall storage (blanket box?)
tack shed organization
trail ride!

around the house
trip to goodwill
turtle ponds clean-up
front yard weeding

why hello there...

so i'm going to blame my prolonged absence on our newest family member. i'm thrilled to introduce Beckett's Creek Ferari Phantom. all 16.2 hands / 1500 lbs of him. we are beyond excited by this new development, which right now is taking up the bulk of our spare time - and happily so.

more to come, i promise.

xo

weekend to do (and DL recap)

we had a fabulous 30 hours at The Happiest Place on Earth last weekend while D was running the marathon. the girls and I - plus E's bestie - spent the night in a resort hotel. enjoyed a Valentine's Day breakfast in bed, then watched K play violin with her Suzuki group on the community stage at California Adventure. we hit the rollercoaster then ran across to Disneyland. K made a proclamation that this was the trip she "did" the rollercoasters. so that we did. we had a blast. perfect day with three amazing girls. hot and crowded and no complaints. and we logged 9 miles to D's 26.2 ;)





around the house
shed con't

prepare for a trial run at horse ownership (!)
local hike
fight off a cold

run!

We are so proud of David! He ran his first marathon today (the Los Angeles Marathon, no less) and did so well. He's been training for a year, and it was so exciting to see all his hard work come to fruition. Go, Daddy-o, go! xo

Love you, my Valentine!

weekend to do

Disneyland with the Suzuki Music Program Los Angeles!

Charles Garabeidan 1923 - 2016

So very sad to hear the news today of Chas' passing. And so very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him over the last year. In going back through his work from his days as a UCLA student through to his last show at LA Louver, the journey of memory inspired. And he reminded me of the need to sometimes look back, to see how far you've come. What a life. RIP

L.A. Times obituary here.

weekend to do

around the house
shed shred!
raised beds soil

cavalia
Super Bowl 50

what I'm reading

Frank Auerbach: Speaking and Painting by Catherine Lampert
Purity by Jonathan Frazen
The Last Love Song by Tracy Daugherty
Hold Still by Sally Mann

(obviously on a bit of a non-fiction kick.)

What are you reading?

weekend to do

around the house
measure for cement board
spec knape & vogt shelving
celebrate the end of the "january cure"!

bowie tribute party
Los Angeles Winter Concours Dressage International...

weekend to do

around the house
shed clean-out

find best deal on shredding. (ideas?)

play a little "january cure" catch-up.

(plan to take full advantage of nothing out of the ordinary on the calendar!)

bella

last time.

...

“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize the basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality."
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1967 Christmas Sermon on Peace




from E's class visit to the MLK memorial last year

weekend to do

IEL show
Dem Debate!


around the house
still working on the cure. feels so good!


hello looooong weekend!