more weekend means more food, more fun!

This has been a fantastic weekend.  My day yesterday began at 5:00 AM so I could get to the local farmer's market to choose the best produce and herbs for my dinner party.

I found great heirloom tomatoes, fresh green onions, broccoli, sage, and dill.  Later on I found some great kalamata olives, capers, mandarin oranges, grapes and fresh pasta.  A quick trip to the market yielded salmon steaks and organic chicken breasts.

I began by blanching the tomatoes and putting together all the ingredients for my gazpacho which would be out first course, following "nibbles" and drinks to begin the evening.  Cheese, olives and nuts. 

getting ready

After the gazpacho, which I garnished with sour cream and fresh minced dill, we had bowtie pasta salad with kalamata olives and sage, broccoli salad with mandarin oranges, slivered almonds and a zesty lime dressing.

Our protein was salmon steaks poached in lemon, white wine and capers and then topped with a teriyaki and crushed red pepper glaze along with poached chicken breasts topped with a blackberry confit.

awaiting guests

Dessert was fresh berry salad generously anointed with Salonee's simple syrup with basil and served over vanilla bean ice cream.  I loved it. Oh yes - we had garlic bread!! Friends brought tasty sugar studded cheese rolls (YUM!!)

friends

I had a great time breaking in my new kitchen.  Everything is conveniently situated and I am so happy with the warming oven which made it so easy to prepare the chicken and fish and keep it warm until it was time to eat.

Of course - the entire event wouldn't have happened without the dear friends gathered in my living room and around my table!!

a fun, food-filled weekend!

What a treat awaited me as I arrived home last evening after a particularly challenging week at work!  Salonee and Nat had shopped, prepped, prepared and served me a most delightful and delicious meal!!

a delicious meal lovingly prepared

Salonee is an amazingly good cook for such a young woman - I am impressed!  Even the croutons for the zesty basil and tomato salad were home made from crusty french bread rubbed with olive oil and garlic...yum!!  The linguine pasta was just as amazing...

I am so lucky to be able to spend quality time with these two young people.  And, they don't seem to mind hanging out with me on occasion, and if they do mind...they hide it well and I appreciate that!

Chef and Sous Chef!!

Happy Birthday Tim !!

August seems full of birthdays...the kid's step mom, Laura, begins the month on the 4th; followed by my former father-in-law on the 7th who shares the day with my dear friend Anne Marie; then Matt on the 21st; and my sweet friend, Tim, on the 23rd with the last one on the 27th - my brother Tim!

WOW...lots of people to love and celebrate!!

TODAY - is YOUR Birthday Tim!!  Celebrate wildly...

Happy Birthday Tim Wright!!

Enough IS Enough!!

Each of us feels inadequate at times.  Like we haven't done enough.  Like we should do more. Like we aren't good enough.

I read a message on Facebook yesterday that I really like.  I wanted to share it with you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW PATRICK FRENCH!!

sharing a meal with Matt

Matt is one of my favorite people in the world and today is his birthday!  Thank you Judy French for giving birth to this wonderful human being!!

I've known Matt for a very long time - 4 jobs ago, I think (which is how I generally figure out dates!) and we became fast, though unlikely, friends.  Matt was young, single and carefree.  I had two kids, married and divorced and very much older.

Darling Matt!

There were months when Matt came over every week and hung out with my kids and ate a home cooked meal. Matt fell in love.   Matt went back to school. I got a new job.  My daughter needed a last minute prom date - Matt stepped in and they were the cutest (platonic) couple ever!

Matt has seen me though job changes, cancer, a break up and daily life challenges.  I have seen him through the same (except, thank God, for the cancer part!)

Matt has been a part of our family life for so many years that I consider 'family'.  We've supported each other through ups and downs and will continue to.  I am very proud of Matt.  He went back to school and then completed his Master's degree.  He is a gift teacher, a fantastic dancer,  a good fix-it guy.  He is someone to laugh with, cry with, dress up for Halloween with, party in Palm Springs or North Hollywood with...and yet, Matt is a very sensitive soul.  He asks big questions.   He can listen deeply.  Matt moves my heart and he cracks me up.

Today is YOUR day Matt French!  I love you!!  Happy Birthday!!

Patio Progress

Due, in large part, to the massive efforts of Nat and Salonee....my ugly patio underwent a bit of a clean-up project (NB - previous post!!). 

peaceful corner

I've been waiting for a break in the heat to take the next step but finally gave up waiting and trekked to Home Depot early bird this morning.  My friend had suggested meeting with the lead gardener to get suggestions for easy maintenance, drought resistant plants. I followed her advice and spent an hour with a very nice guy who told me way more than I wanted or needed to know, but it was fun to see him speak about his passion.  I decided against flowering plants and stuck with native greens and grasses.  As almost an after thought he asked if I had dogs or cats.  I showed him a picture of my two sweet pooches.  He reassured me that my plants were non-toxic for dogs. Stay away from ficus and aloe he warned!

some native grasses

WHAT???

The two largest plants on my patio are ficus and aloe - confirmed this morning by Salonee!!  Maybe that is why from time to time my pups seems to get mysteriously ill for a day or two. The plants are so huge and heavy that my 6'4" son could not remove them.  No really sure just what to do now!!

the toxic ficus!!

the deadly aloe!!

the curious canine!!

Patio Project

the cute couple

Phase One of my patio project is complete thanks to the hard work and sweat of Salonee and Nat.  They spent a very, very hot (over 100 degrees) afternoon at my place, while I was at work, cleaning up my patio.  They removed spider webs, dead leaves, old plants and planters.  They scrubbed and cleaned every surface carrying out trash to the community dumpster!

Only two large plants remain - my ficus that I've had since 2000 and a huge succulent that is way to heavy to be moved and in great health.  The space is now ready for transformation.  I will have fun this weekend scouring local nurseries for draught resistant native plants and grasses.  My goals it to create a green Zen space.  Flowers not necessary!

As a 'thank you' treat I hosted them to dinner at a new local spot.  We all enjoyed the food, but the REAL fun came with dessert...COTTON CANDY!!  I wonder if there is some kind of rule that you should not eat a dessert that's bigger than your head!!

my silly son

weekend plans

I like to make plans for the weekend.  Often I overbook my time.  Weekends are for relaxing, recharging, being peaceful...and having FUN!  Sometimes plans just don't work out.  For a variety of reasons...that happened twice this weekend and it was OK.  It was OK mostly become I am finally becoming more of a grown-up and at least a little more able to 'go with the flow' which has never been easy for me.  The gift of the 'cancellations' of the plans was that two more opportunities for fun replaced them!!  See- the universe is all caring!!

I had plans on Saturday afternoon to welcome a dear friend to my home with the idea of a glass or two of wine, visiting and (most important) letting her ooh and ahh over my new kitchen and bathrooms which I am loving.

ready for my guest!

She wasn't able to come at the last moment and surprise to me...I was actually OK with that.  I put away the glasses, cheeses, olives, nuts, etc and just relaxed.  It was a nice evening after all. There was a time in my life that I would have gotten bent out of shape and even angry about the last minute cancellation - but I seem to have somehow evolved past that response and I am glad of it. Other plans for Sunday evening also fell through.  Two very dear old friends were to come over for much the same reason as the friend of the previous night...but due to  conflict of needs (one of us had youngsters to attend to and two of us wanted grown-up only time) we decided to re-schedule.  And...it was OK!

The universe conspired to create some fun for me this weekend anyway.  My eldest nephew (Sean) who lives in NorCal was in town for a quick trip.  We managed to get together, unexpectedly, for an early Sunday brunch in Santa Monica.  I am an early bird and arrived at the beach an hour or so before our meeting time and had the chance to take a long and lovely walk along the shore.  Then Sean, Nat and I had a great time together. 

a walk on the beach...

Sean and Nathaniel

Brunch with the Smith Boys!!

Another little gift from the universe was getting to know one of my neighbors better.  Diane is 81, lives alone and always says 'hi' when she sees my walking my dogs. Earlier in the week she stopped me to ask what all the commotion going on at my house was about.  I offered to show her, so on Sunday afternoon she came over to admire my remodeling efforts.  I gave her my number, in case she is ever in need of help or a ride somewhere (she no longer drives) and SHE offered to walk my dogs for me.  She is so tiny and frail (no more than 85-90 lbs) that I'm afraid Skipper would topple her. She's a hip fracture waiting to happen...so I thanked her profusely and will never ask her for fear of her getting injured.  We did make a plan for me to cook dinner for her soon.  She only eats chicken and fish, no salt or sugar, no alcohol...should be a blast (!!)  Seriously, I enjoy her and since she said her kitchen is out of order, it will be nice for her to have a home cooked meal.

CONGRATULATIONS JORDAN AND MEREDITH!!

Our family is filled with joy at the news of Jordan and Meredith's announcement that they will be married!  They've been together for five years and are a perfect match and compliment to one another.  I am thrilled to 'officially' welcome Meredith into our family.  I see how they love, respect and support one another and it brings me great joy.  A parent wants nothing more than happiness for their child and Jordan and Meredith make one another very, very happy.

There will be a private ceremony in New York (thank God for Marriage Equality!) followed by a festive dinner reception on November 10th.

The girls are handling all the planning and details and I am so impressed with their organization and creativity.  Here they are on the front page of their wedding website!

We're getting married!
(Jordan on the left/Meredith on the right)

These thoughtful young women are not impressed by material possessions and are not interested in acquiring a 'bunch of stuff'.  They are VERY concerned with the needs of others and have made this clear with their message:


We hope you will consider donating to one of the following charitable organizations in place of a gift.
Human Rights Campaign/Millions for Marriage Equality We are fortunate to live in a state where we can be legally married. We are eagerly awaiting the day when this is a federally-recognized right, and greatly value your support of this cause on our behalf.
Brooklyn Animal Rescue Coalition (BARC) We’re just now becoming a family in the eyes of the state, but adopting our dog Sprout is what truly made us a family. We are thrilled to use this occasion to support this small, local shelter that took such good care of her before we did.
Hosting this celebration would not have been possible without the generosity of Jordan’s parents– Holly (Mom), Kirk (Dad) and Laura (Step Mom). As a way of paying it forward, we’re happy to have a chance to support two charities important to their life and work: Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (Holly’s pick) & Episcopal Relief and Development (Kirk and Laura’s pick)

I am in awe of these two.  They inspire me.  They fill me with hope.  And now, best of all... I get to have another daughter!!!  Congratulations girls...I love you!!

a great evening!!

It's been a very busy week for me, but it started out with a wonderful evening of fun with dear friend, Barb in Long Beach!

Barb and I met when our older daughters were about to go off to Northampton, MA for their first year at Smith College.  The LA Smith Club hosted a lovely picnic for the incoming first years.  Family was invited.  Barb's daughter (Aria) and my daughter (Jordan) had already connected at weekend for new students held at the college and were delighted to learn they had grown  up just miles from one another in the metropolis of  greater Los Angeles and first met 3,000 miles away in rural Western Massachusetts!!  Barb and I became friends over the years.

Our girls are out of college, have finished their Master's degrees and our friendship remains strong. Barb was one of the most helpful and supportive friends I counted on during my chemotherapy treatment days.

Barb's  daughter recently announced her engagement to her long time beau!  Everyone is thrilled.  Barb and I have both recently embarked on major remodeling projects - bathrooms and kitchen.  We have shared stories and compared processes and talked over ideas at each step.  This past Monday I got to see Barb's finished product in person...and, it is simply gorgeous!!  I love all the elements she chose and we even bought the exact same stove for our new kitchens!

Barb and Mike treated me to a home cooked pasta dinner (so yummy) and we enjoyed that on their lovely back patio.  Barb knows how to make any occasion a true celebration and Monday night was no exception!

Barb making everything perfect!

She was very, very patient as she walked me through the steps of folding origami paper cranes for Aria's wedding...I am sort of a loser at doing it, but know that if I practiced I would improve.  I love knowing that at least ONE of the cranes I made will help create a festive and fun vibe at Aria and Daniele's wedding in Wisconsin.

Moms having fun....

Thanks, Barb, for a fabulous evening and thanks, Mike, for putting up with all our silliness!!

a crane for Aria and Daniele

Welcome to my KITCHEN

I spent all day yesterday putting the kitchen back together. It was quite a task.  I tried to pace myself, tried to take frequent breaks...but really wanted to get the job done so I could begin to enjoy the gorgeous new space.  I was entirely sick of camping out in my own home!

It was challenging to figure out where to put everything.  I gained tons of storage space in the pantry cupboard but the rest of the cupboards and shelving is pretty different so things couldn't really go back into their old places.  I know I will probably make some adjustments as time goes by, but for now...I have found a spot for nearly everything.  Today I need to do a big grocery shop - I am out of almost everything. I also need to get a new coffee maker and a new toaster oven.  The old ones were casualties in the temporary kitchen electrical fire.  Nat inherited my beautiful, very new still microwave since the new kitchen comes with a built in microwave!

the little green sign in the center of the bottom shelf says "when in doubt, dance!"

the picture is not blurry...the glass is 'milk' glass

finally a place for one of my favorite Georgia O'Keefe prints - hiding the electrial panel

more gorgeousness

now we're "cooking"

tons of storage space

 a nice little detail

drumroll please....TA DA!!!

At last....a few minor details need attending to...under cabinet lighting needs installation, some touch up paint work, moving the garbage disposal to the other sink, but for the most part my kitchen is finished!!  I LOVE IT!

hard work pays off!

Ever since the cancer diagnosis followed a few years later by the diabetes diagnosis I have had a greater appreciation of the value of good health.  Breast cancer was scary and the fear contiues to lurk about my brain but the diabetes diagnosis was terrifying in a totally different and profund kind of way.  It's hard to explain.  I became filled with self blame.  I turned that self blame into self-motivation!  In the first year after learning of the diabetes I managed to lose 40 lbs.  Not at my goal yet: and I keeping trying but am losing at a snail's pace now.  I am determined NOT to fail however!

Eighteen months after the diagnosis I got the results of what has become twice a year blood work.  Here's the email note by doctor recently sent along with all the details of the numbers, etc (which I am not inlcuding, since I have a small measure of need for privacy!!).

"Hello Holly,

I hope you are doing well.

You recent labs appear excellent. The major markers, ie LDL cholesterol and HgA1c are perfect. I am just waiting for the Vitamin D level.

Suggestions:

1. Continue the same therapy for now

2. Repeat fasting blood tests again after six months from today. (ordered for you already)

3. Keep up the good work."

kitchen update

I've mentioned in some previous posts that I've had a harder time with this remodel than with the bathroom remodel.  I under estimated the impact of the disruption in daily life.  This is is NO way the fault of the amazing workers or company (Quik Kitchen) that's doing the remodel.  Its my own fault for not thinking things through carefully enough and preparing for how to manage during this period.   If I ever go through another remodel - I will be much better prepared and handle things differently.  I will have a handy alternate 'kitchen space' to prepare simple foods.  I will have readily accessible cold water.  I will cook ahead and have a stash of ready to eat meals.

All in all, it hasn't been THAT awful and everyone keeps telling me horror stories of their kitchens taking weeks and weeks and even months and months to complete with endless tales of postponements, days that nothing happens, supplies on back order and so on.  NONE of this has happened to me!  My kitchen will be all done by the time I get home from work on Friday - a total of TWO WEEKS start to finish!!  Nothing short of amazing.

Here's a peek at some of the new kitchen...my photography skill don't do justice to the actual beauty of the cabinets and counter tops.  Today - the back splash will be installed!

gorgeous quartz

i LOVE it