the bright side
March 9, 2010
So here I am sitting watching Oprah’s Oscar special, the Sandra Bullock’s interview to be exact, and Sandra says something brilliantly positive. “She’s missed so many moments but I think those moments wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been up there.” She was speaking of her mother who passed away. There are times in your life when someone says something that resonates completely, so deeply with in and makes you think and realize, yes that is SO true. Maybe it makes a little of your sorrow lift and you see the bright side for a little while.
My mom passed away 7 years ago on this upcoming March 26th. It’s hard to believe it’s been 7 years since that life-changing day took place. She has missed many moments in my life – my wedding, the birth of my children, the birth and success of my business, etc. etc. etc. but to hear Sandra Bullock say that I found myself thinking, EXACTLY. Who knows what my life might be like if she hadn’t passed away. I often think of the opposite, how my life would be if she was still here, and feel overwhelming sadness. Tonight I felt a little relief when I was reminded there is a bright side (not to be confused with the blind side ; ), for once. It’s not easy to turn a negative into a positive, but it’s never to late and I have strong admiration for those who do.
Vote for Ty and WIN
March 3, 2010
AND THE WINNER IS Cathy Blackstone! Cathy – Look for your digital gift certificate from 20×200.com to arrive via email tomorrow. If you’re wondering how I chose the winner, I had Bren choose a number between 1 and 10 (the number of participants) which was 6. Cathy was the sixth person to comment/vote. Oh and just FYI, it was a tie between photo #1 and #3. Hmmmm. Thank you all for participating. : )
I’ve been dying to break out my old Hasselbad camera, load it up with some black and white film and have a little photo shoot with Ty on my bed. Since it’s too cold outside and I don’t think he would be very fond of sitting in the over 2 feet of snow we have in our front yard, and since our bedroom is one of the only rooms we get really good light in our house, my bed was our stage. I have a photo of Conner at the same age (about 9 months) sitting in a park. It’s the same square format and is printed beautifully on fiber, matte paper. It’s framed and is hanging on the wall in our family room and I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to take a matching one of Ty to hang right next to it. Now my dilemma, which one do I choose?
HERE’S THE DEAL:
Please help me make my decision and VOTE for your favorite in the comment section.
If you vote you will be entered to win a $50.00 digital gift certificate (which will buy you one awesome 11×14 print) from one of my favorite places to buy affordable art, 20×200.com.
Spread the word through Twitter by Retweeting OR by following me and you will be entered 2x, doubling your chances of winning.
Winner will be announced HERE Sunday, March 7th, 12pm, eastern time.
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING.
ONE
TWO
THREE
ALSO, if you are interested, I’m offering a strictly black and white film session this year. The package is a little higher in price and doesn’t come with quite as many photos as a digital shoot includes but if you love what you see above, inquire within.
.
we made it
March 2, 2010
Miraculously we made it to the John Mayer concert this past Friday night. Thanks to my very brave in-laws who bared the crazy storm and made it from NJ to baby-sit for us, we didn’t miss out on our anniversary present to each other. I woke up that morning saying over and over to myself, “there is no way we are going to see John Mayer tonight, having dinner at The Standard Grill and spending the night at the Ritz” while I tried to come to terms with my disappointment. As the day went on Bren and I would look out at the sky trying to determine if the storm was coming to an end and amazingly enough, right about 3pm it did, just in time for us to make into the city to share a night alone. (THERE IS A GOD.) A night we had been looking forward to for quite some time. It was a great night which started off with a good ol’ fashion burger and one of the best cocktails I’ve had in awhile – The Penny Drop, served over a few huge square ice cubes in a copper/tin mug (for details, see below) at the bar of The Standard Grill. Then we headed to the concert where we enjoyed John Mayer (even after his much talked about risky Playboy interview) from great seats at one of my favorite venues in NYC, Madison Square Garden (because it’s not too big or too small). After, we tucked ourselves into bed where we stayed until 9am the next morning, which is pretty late in our world.
All photos shot with my new Lumix camera.
The Penny Drop:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. ginger syrup*
1 oz. lime juice
ginger beer
Pour vodka, ginger syrup and lime juice over ice cubes in, preferably, a copper or pewter mug (if no mugs, a Collins glass will work just fine). Stir. Top off with ginger beer. Try to resist the temptation of gulping this drink down—it packs a subtly disguised wallop.
*You can make your own ginger syrup by adding crushed fresh ginger to simple syrup while it is on the stove or, even easier, buy a small bottle of it in a Chinese market.
taking the plunge
February 26, 2010
I’ve been thinking of joining Twitter for awhile now. I’m still not completely convinced but have decided to try it out. SO here goes, I’m taking the plunge and hope you will too. Find my “tweets” link above in my navigation bar. Come follow me! Tweet tweet.
amazing
February 24, 2010
baby food that I love, big time, and more importantly so does Tyler. Even I could live off these adorable pouches of roasted bananas, oatmeal with apples and cinnamon or the butternut squash and white beans (just to name a few). Sprout baby food by one of my favorite chefs, Tyler Florence. Sold at Whole Foods.
olympics
February 18, 2010
This sums up my feelings towards the Olympics. Jerry Seinfeld’s I’m Telling You For The Last Time came out when I was in college. My roommate and I used to sit and listen to the CD over and over. Brendan and I also saw him in Vegas a few years ago. Absolutely hilarious.
and we’re off
February 13, 2010
to lie beachside
to soak in MANY rays of sunshine
to spend QT with my family
to relax
to sleep with the windows open
to abott kinney
to run on the beach
to eat at rose cafe
to clear our heads
to forget about the snow in ny
to hang with the boys in san diego
to take our first trip as a family of 4
we’re going back to cali. see you in a week.
kandi
February 12, 2010
LOVING this. Not only the song but the amazing black and white video. Kandi by One Eskimo. Listening to it over and over and over and over and over and over……..
cali here we come
February 10, 2010
Our trip to California could not come at a better time. Next week we are headed West to see my dad and all of the boy’s uncles.We got dumped on today and it’s still coming down. By the time it’s all said and done, we’ll have about a foot of snow. Conner loved it though. Here are a few of him sledding in our our driveway, all taken with my new Lumix point and shoot. I’m still trying to get the hang of it so bare with me. I have to admit, I miss my SLR ALOT when I use it but am going to try to get used to it. It’s the only camera I’m taking on our trip. I’m a little nervous but really have no choice because all my gear is being cleaned. Definitely looking forward to traveling light and will post my results when we return!
the family chef
February 6, 2010
I recently purchased this amazing cookbook, The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore and there isn’t one recipe I don’t want to make, all of which are healthy, simple and packed with flavor. The sister chefs are from New Mexico so a few of their recipes are right up my alley. Think burritos with leftover meat (yes, alot of awesome ideas for leftovers are included – love that!), tostadas, Mexican breakfast… I’m a sucker for all southwestern/Mexican/tex-mex food – anything with avocado, cheese and beans makes my heart go pitter-patter. There is also great chapter on soups. And not just plain old Jane, every day boring soups, but soups like Grilled Tomato Soup and Clean out the Crisper Vedgie Soup. Yum. Another favorite is their fish marinade which can also be used to dress quinoa salad, and that’s just to name a few highlights.
I’ve never read a cookbook from cover to cover like I did with The Family Chef. I was captivated by their history and guidance. Jewels and Jill provide many gourmet meal ideas, leftover recipes and good little tips (for example, lettuce wraps) helping you to bring healthy, clean, tasty food to your families table for every meal. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes are easy to follow (most cookbooks lack one or the other), all of which will add more than a little flair to your recipe collection. Enjoy.
