my life with garlic

About.com

2010-06-18T22:22:00.002-04:00

I have been working hard to get myself out there. And by out there I mean submitting myself, my work, tips, articles and photos to online sites, magazines, TV shows, etc. It feels like things are beginning to pay off. About.com put me in as their lead designer in an article about small bathroom renovations. And there are a couple more things in the works with other outlets (fingers crossed). Check out my write up when you get a chance.

Piddles in the Potty

2010-06-13T23:17:00.002-04:00

Ahh the joys of potty training. Or lack of. We bought a potty many months ago but I decided not to push it much. Leo is 2 months shy of 2 years old & changing poopy diapers is not my favorite thing. I have no idea why people complain about newborn diapers. That was nothing. Yes it came in a variety of strange colors but it actually did not smell all that bad. Fast forward to now when Leo is eating solid food...WHEW!

So, Leo will sit on his potty (with his diaper on) from time to time & pretend to push one out, but that's about it. Until a few nights ago when Tom & I were getting him ready for bath & bedtime. We took his diaper off & he ran around the apartment just like he does every night squealing with glee. I noticed that he stopped and kind of held his knees together so I asked him if he'd like to pee on the potty. His response, "OK". We had a very minor victory. 3 droplets trickled out into his potty. Of course Tom & I clapped & cheered & showed him his fine work. He actually did not seem all that impressed. And since then there has not been any progress. No repeat performance. Like my mom always says, "He's not going to have a plug, blankie or diapers in college so do not worry too much about those things."

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T10:52:00.004-04:00

I hope you are all having a great holiday weekend. Mine has been quite full so far. Saturday we took Leo to our new favorite spot Gantry Park in LIC. This is how all of NYC's waterfront should look. Every inch was well thought out & utilized. Trees, flowers, docks, hammocks, benches, all blend well with historic pieces. It's relaxing to walk along the boardwalk looking out at the Manhattan skyline. There's nice grassy areas to run or picnic & 2 playground for the kiddies.

We stopped at the Water Taxi Beach to let Leo play in the sand. We learned from our Vieques trip that he did not like the feel of it at all. So we got him a pail & shovel & set him down in it this weekend. Victory!! He eventually took his shoes off & was running & jumping in the sand.

I headed to Yankee Stadium yesterday without my boys to meet up with some former high school pals. A busload of RI Yankee fans descended upon the Bronx. It was fun to catch up & reminisce and it ended up being a fabulous game to boot. Sunday's events would not have been possible without Facebook. I know it can be a major time suck, but some good things can come from it too. I have been reunited with some long lost friends. Today we are venturing out to Coney Island for more fun in the sun.

Let us not forget the true meaning of Memorial Day which is to honor all of those brave people who have fought valiantly for our freedoms. If anyone needs to be reminded of just how much has been sacrificed for us check out HBO's miniseries The Pacific or the Academy Award winner The Hurt Locker.

2010-05-26T21:26:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we did go out & celebrate Poppa's BDay in style. A hot fudge sundae with all the trimming served in a silver dish. It was delicious! I was able to get a couple of spoonfuls while Leo gobbled away.

HGTV.com

2010-05-13T00:54:00.003-04:00

I heart HGTV. I can watch it for hours. I never tire of seeing the "reveal". I recently submitted something & was featured on their website. It's not my own show, but hey, it's a step in the right direction. Check out my work here.

All-Star Storage: Sportacular Closet Organization
New York apartments aren't exactly known for their ample storage space, but interior decorator and professional organizer Dawn Falcone hit a homerun for this active family who needed a place to store their three active kids' sports equipment. Determined to use every inch of space, Falcone chose adjustable shelving and added a drawer unit on rollers for smaller items like gloves, wrist bands and protective padding. She finished the space with hooks for sweatshirts, tennis rackets and caps.

A Change of Color

2010-05-06T05:40:00.002-04:00

It's almost 6am and I've been up for hours. I was stirred awake from my lovely slumber by a not so lovely coughing, wheezy fit. Not sure what set it off. It's been weeks since I took Leo on a playdate to the home of a friend that had a cat. Thought I'd be OK but ended up sick for a week after that. Can cat still be in my system 2 week later? Dreaded CATS!!!

Since I'm up I'll tell some of my latest projects. I took a color certification class for interior designers. I still have to submit a final project before I actually become certified. I will be honest & say this class is whipping my butt! I thought it would be easy since I think I have a good eye for color & love to work with it & help clients bring it into their home. There's a whole science to color that I completely forgot about. And so many thing to remember like definitions that are always used incorrectly on all those HGTV shows. Oh and then there are the harmonies & the properties of each. I have not even begun my final project because I want to get them down pat. It's a struggle. I swear my brain is not what it used to be since having a child.

The second big thing going on is redecorating my apartment. Poor Tom is already over this. We've been here for nine years and suddenly I feel a deep rooted urge to paint walls and change things around. It's more than just an urge since it eats away at me & keeps me up at night. So we'll be working on our new kitchen floors this week. I have a feeling that painting the cabinets will soon follow. Have avoided it for years since they are not real wood & I'm a bit scared to tackle that 80's laminate.

Our faux finished hallway that serves as my office will get the biggest overhaul. Walls will be primed and painted. The walnut (yuck!) office armoire will go bye-bye and Tom & I are designing new custom pieces. I have actually been dreaming about the finished product and getting excited about putting everything in it's new home.

Then there's the living room. This one is not too drastic. A slipcover for the red velvet chair & some new pillows, accessories and artwork. I need a change. Tom thinks that doing all this work will distract me from some other "big projects" that I need to focus on for my biz. Maybe he's right to some degree but I'm feeling so confined and uninspired especially in my work space right now. I truly believe that changing even little things like the color of a room can spark so many things. So my home decorating plate is a bit full for the Spring/Summer. That's OK because the results will produce an amazing Fall/Winter.

A Letter To Poppa

2010-04-27T10:35:00.001-04:00

I was inspired by some other blogging friends who wrote beautiful letters to loved ones that they lost. It's been over three years since Poppa died & I miss him so much.

Dear Poppa,

There is so much that I want to say to you, but first I have to tell you that I'm so sorry. I've been reliving the last day I spent with you over & over in mind. I'm filled with such regret about it that sometimes it's overwhelming. We were alone in the living room & you looked up at me and told me you were tired. At first I did not understand what you were trying to say. I asked if you wanted to you lie down. Then you put your hand on mine & said, "Dawn, Poppa is tired." I cannot even remember what my exact response was but I know I told you to hang on.

I wish I would have said; "Poppa, I understand. You can let go. You have been fighting this disease so valiantly & you are hanging on for us but you no longer have to. We love you so much and we will all be fine. You're the strongest & greatest man I know. It's OK to go."

I also wish that I held you just a bit longer when I said goodbye. I was in denial & thought I would see you again. I was coming back the very next weekend. Tom knew that it was going to be your last time together. He later told me that you both looked at each other with that knowledge & shared a beautiful moment when you kissed goodbye. I just was not ready Poppa to lose you. Or face the inevitable & for that I apologize.

I think about you up in heaven sitting around a big table playing cards (screw your neighbor, of course) with your mom & dad, Uncle Eddie & Ralph, Auntie Camella & Uncle Frank, Lena, even cousin Al. I know you're all drinking coffee or great grandpas homemade wine, cursing like sailors & smoking cigarettes. I'm pretty sure in heaven you can have them except they do not leave your clothes or breath smelling foul or make you sick.

You are never far from our thoughts. Words cannot express how much we miss you & your wisdom. I swear that I feel your presence from time to time shining through our little Leonardo Felix. He's a wonderful boy & you would have adored him. He definitely has some of your traits. He loves life to the fullest, is a fan of traveling and going on new adventures. And he a huge foodie. All foods not just sweets. He oohs & aahs at the sight of it & has a great passion for it just like you. And he even likes some of your music. Not the slow Lawerence Welk stuff, but big band/swing.

Tom put together a video of us cooking your famous Easter frittata from years ago & we watched it on Christmas. It was so nice to see you joking, laughing & uttering your favorite phrase, "Someina bitch!." Leo is the ultimate mimic & I'm sure if you two boys hung around he'd be saying it all over NY. Watching you so full of life made me feel such gratitude. I was truly blessed to have you as my grandfather.

Thank you Poppa for being there for me now matter what & loving me unconditionally. Fathers came and went but you were a constant in my life.

Thank you for making me feel special. That was one of your true gifts. You made everyone feel that way. I'm sure if you asked all of your grandkids who was your favorite we would all respond "me".

Thank you for teaching me the value of hard work. You worked your entire life even after you retired. It kept you active and young at heart. And it taught me that things are not just going to be handed to me. If I want something I have to go out there & preserve.

Thank you for being a feminist. You probably did not think of yourself as one but you were. You always told me that women we superior creatures. You thought we were stronger & smarter & we needed to be treated as such. You told me that I could do anything a man could do including changing a tire and you went on to show me. You made me feel like I could do anything or be anything. And that if a man did not treat me well he was not worth the time of day. That saved me from lots of heartache.

Thank you for showing me that life is about exploring. You were happiest when you were traveling. And spoke fondly about trips to Italy and Hawaii. You liked meeting new people and hearing their story. You were always open to new things especially if there was a buffet involved!

Thank you for showing me the definition of real man. You worked to support your family and never complained. You could fix anything from cars to bikes to toasters. You were built like an ox but you were also man enough to cry & show affection. You kissed and hugged us even as adults. No hand shakes for the boys either. Big bear hugs & smooches. Real men show emotion. You cried when someone you loved was hurting or when you told me the story about losing your mom when you were 12yrs old. You cried when you were proud of us or when your beloved Yankees won the big game. Showing vulnerability was not a sign of weakness in your book.

The first year you passed the family celebrated your life in church with a special mass. It was fine but just did not feel right. It seemed far too serious a way to celebrate the life of a man that really liked to go out & have fun. And while you believed in God, I do not remember you being a huge church goer. So my family and I began a new tradition in honor of your birthday. It involves one of your favorite treats....ice cream.

Last year Leo was not yet one so we opted for frozen yogurt instead. This year we are going to celebrate true Poppa style with the real thing. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge swirl in a waffle cone with jimmies on top. We'll tell Leo stories about his big Poppa and show him pictures. We will do this every year on April 27th, no matter where we are to celebrate you; a gentle giant with a big heart, who's spirit still lives with us today. Happy Birthday Poppa. You were & are so very loved. I hope you are up there eating a huge cannoli & washing it down with some coffee milk.

Labeled

2010-04-23T11:04:00.003-04:00

Tom is off to visit his college aged son Kyle. It's a big party weekend up at Radford and Tom is going to hang out & help keep the boys from going too far off the deep end. Those of you who really know my husband are probably laughing at this thought. Tom is a wild child himself & has been known to party. I'm sure he can still hold his own even with those twenty something frat boys. Tom assured me that while he will not be a wet blanket on their festivities, he still must set some kind of an example.

I think it's kind of interesting sometimes that my hubby a.k.a. "wild child" & me a.k.a. "gets looped from one glass of wine" connected. We have many things in common such as basic moral values & beliefs, politics, interests etc., but Tom is wild at heart. I'm not. At least I do not think I am, though I so admire that trait in him.

I hear stories about his fun loving high school years and all those college pranks he played and get quite a chuckle out of them. And there are times that I feel even a bit of envy. It's not like I did not have some crazy ideas as a teen or in my early twenties. I fantasized about being footloose and fancy free quite often, but that's pretty much where it ended. Those thoughts were quickly replaced with worst case scenario images or pictures of family members disapproving faces. I was referred to as the one with "her head on straight" after all. How could I bunk school to go party or sneak out of the house in the middle of the night? No way. The label was too heavily ingrained.

Labels...tricky things. I'm very aware of them now that I have Leo. I will do my best not to call him wild child (even if he is) or the responsible one (even if I hope he is). I would like him to feel free to try new experiences even if they may be a bit wacky. Stepping out of the box can be very rewarding. You can find yourself out there & then have some interesting tales to share for years to come.

April in NY

2010-04-15T22:14:00.002-04:00

April is an action packed month in my household. There are a bunch of birthdays (including my own), Easter egg hunts, spring cleaning and organizing & the big wardrobe change out. I did put away most of my winter clothes when it hit ninety last week only to have it drop down to 40 degrees days later. You think I would know better by now.

East coast weather is incredibly unpredictable, especially in the spring. Actually it seems like weather everywhere is going crazy. Virginia got more snow this year than we did. Every time I look at the news there's an earthquake or some weather related disaster. My home state Rhode Island made national headlines with the flood of 2010. The worst in 100 years. Hmmm....didn't Al Gore warn us about this?

Poor Leo does not understand what's going on with the crazy temperature. He goes from shorts & a tee one day to sweater & a coat the next. He hates wearing clothing at all. It's a major workout for me just to get that boy dressed everyday. The minute he sees an article of clothing coming his way he bolts. If I have him on the changing table he thrashes and twists about. Toddlers are very flexible. I'm grateful that he keeps his clothes once he's dressed. It's only a matter of time until he learns how to strip down to his diaper on his own. I can picture him running bear-arsed through own local playground. Ahhh..to be that free.

Vieques

2010-03-31T21:07:00.004-04:00

We returned home last week from our glorious family trip. Please note that a" family trip" is very different than a vacation. In fact, many people will feel like they need a vacation after a family trip. I have to admit that it takes me a bit longer then it use to, to get back into life's groove after being away from home. Is this an age thing? Anyhoo... on to some Vieques details.

We stayed with some dear friends who have almost 3 yr old twin girls. They have been traveling to Vieques for many years & got married there. I have never been to any place quite like this before. I almost do not want to share any info about the island because I fear word will spread & it will change.

Vieques is a quick puddle jumper ride from the San Juan airport. There are 2 main towns, Esperanza & Isabel II. Esperanza is the beach town so most shops & restaurant are looking out onto the ocean. The other town is more city like & it's where banks & grocery stores are. We did not check out much in the city though it did seem to be some decent bars and restaurants.

I fell in love with Vieques' gorgeous, uncrowded beaches. Warm turquisoise water & white sand for miles and literally a few other people within eye shot. There's also a black sand beach (which we did not go to) & pretty rocky beaches as well. We spent most of our time in a cove that was perfect for the little ones.

Horses roamed free all over the island & geckos entertained the kids. Chickens wandered into our yard every morning to awaken us from our slumber. The backyard had lime, mango and cashew trees. There's something so nice about picking the limes you need to squeeze into a rum punch or on our chicken tacos.

Both ends of the island are protected nature reserves. We drove through the old military bases with lots of bunkers built into the hills. Many of the beaches in that area are now open to the public but the rest of it is completely untouched. And it seems that much of Vieques is just like that; untouched and under developed.

I know that my words are not doing this place justice, but I really liked it here and hope to go back. There's still so much to explore on this small island.

Vieques Bound

2010-03-15T22:26:00.002-04:00

We are in the middle of getting ready for a vacation. There's still too much to do before we leave. Why is that? I swear I started making lists and running errands for this weeks ago with the hopes that I would not be scrambling at the last minute. Guess what? I'm scrambling as we speak. There simply are not enough hours in the day or enough hands to get everything accomplished. I sooooo want an assistant. Ok, Im off to cross more things off my list. See you soon!

Shame on You!!

2010-03-08T20:49:00.002-05:00

A phrase that is so rarely uttered nowadays. Or so it seems. I would love to bring not only the phrase back to life but also the feelings of shame. I'm just plain sick and tired of seeing one more politician, starlet/socialite & even every day folks doing things that use to make people blush (& not in a good way) without a care at all. Being able to show regret is not a weakness. It's a sign that maybe you truly cared about hurting others with your actions. A fall from grace many times opened the disgraced eyes so that a lesson could be learned.

Hollywood types, it's not OK to be photographed without your underwear over & over again. Put on a pair of panties! Not all publicity is good. Let's all say it together now, "SHAME ON YOU!"

Politicians what happened to the days when a sex scandal meant the end of a career? Or at the very least, a heartfelt apology to your family and your constituents? And even those that stayed in office laid low for a while, working to rebuild a reputation. Now you can get caught soliciting sex in a public bathroom, sleep with your male aid, live with other senators in a frat house where all the married boys bring in loose women daily and still go on CNN preaching about family values. Please, wipe that smirk off your face! Everybody now, " SHAME ON YOU!"

It's not OK to get convicted of beating your girlfriend(Hiram Monserrate), get expelled from the NY State Senate & then try to run for your old seat as a Republican, I mean Independent or anyway you can. "HAVE YOU NO SHAME!"

Sarah Palin, there's absolutely nothing funny about writing speech notes on your hands. That's something we did in grade school. Once you hit the big leagues you can use things like note cards or teleprompters. And to turn around and say that God wrote on his hands so it's OK, is crazy talk. "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!"

And these discrepancies are not only for the rich or famous. Nope, it's trickling down to everyday life as well. Married people cheating openly & getting caught without one ounce of remorse; backstabbing tactics in the business world; excessive greed & consumption, stupidity & ignorance & so on & so on. OK everyone join in together," YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!!

Try To Make Me Go To Rehab

2010-02-23T00:09:00.000-05:00

I was asked to be a guest blog for my friend Robin at My Point and I Do Have One. It was great fun to get up on that soapbox for a bit.

There once was a time when the only rehab that was on the radar was for alcohol or drug abuse. Something has shifted over the years. People go to rehab for everything from overeating to sex, but there's a new addiction on the horizon. This week Chynna Phillips announced that she's in rehab for anxiety. I know that panic attacks & severe stress can wreck havoc on a person's body, mind and spirit. The solution used to be taking a yoga class or learning to mediate. Or going on a long vacation or getting a new job to help relieve some of the stress. Is anxiety really a disease that requires rehab? Now I'm curious about what actually takes place in this kind of facility. "Hi. My name is Chynna and I'm a stress monger..."

I'm not trying to make light of Ms. Phillips situation. She could be dealing with something very serious like a nervous breakdown for all we know. I do feel like there's some key information missing from her story. I'm just wondering why in the good ole USA are there rehabs for just about anything that ails you? And are these afflictions truly classified as a disease? Is having 27 mistresses at once really an ailment or the result of a sense of entitlement & power?

Turn on your TV and there are drugs on the market for all kinds of conditions now referred to as a "disease." Take acid reflux and dry eye. I had tons of both when I was pregnant. It was the result of hormones, having a very big belly and eating too many cannolis. Both magically disappeared after I gave birth and dropped 40 pounds.

My point, and I do have one is that it seems to me that many Americans are looking for the easy way out. Label my condition a disease or an addiction and suddenly, it's not my fault and I do not have to truly take responsibility for it. I can take a drug or go to rehab and it will all just go away or at least ease the pain. Am I being too harsh on this subject matter? What's your take on this subject? Thanks Robin for letting me guest blog!

For The Record

2010-02-18T05:41:00.000-05:00

I've always been a fan of vinyl. I held out as long as I could before I bought my 1st tape. I hated it! Then came Cd's. I held on to all of my records even when I did not have anything to play them on. About 7 years ago I was given a turntable & I broke out my record collection. I cannot explain the joy I felt listening to the crackles and hisses featured behind the music. Tom made lots of comments about how inferior vinyl was to Cd's. I did not care & continued to play them with glee. So many wonderful memories were wrapped up in those albums.

Technical difficulties made it impossible to play my records for a couple of years. Basically something got unplugged or wires were crossed & it affected not only my record player but my VCR as well. Hmmm.. suspicious..since all of Tom's modern playing devices worked just fine. YES, I still own a VCR! I have some great thing on tape, like me jumping out of an airplane & Buns of Steel. Tamilee Webb's workouts kick butt (pun intended) to this day. Well, quite recently, Tom decided to conquer the abyss of wires behind our entertainment unit & fix my antique artifacts.

It was no small feat. We have 5 pieces of equipment, but there are 300 wires back there. I could not even sit in the room while he performed this surgery because watching made my stomach queasy. I moved to the kitchen & some time later I heard the strangest sound coming from the living room.....Olivia Newton John. Tom was playing Xanadu. And it sounded awesome!!! We both sat back and listened. And then something magical happened; Tom finally understood the beauty of vinyl. He got it. Those crackles are pure and good. Voices sound so clear and real & you can feel the emotion in a singer's voice on a record.

And albums covers are fun to look at. Many were works of art. They opened up and had great pictures and lyrics in normal sized print. Many record sleeves also had more eye candy printed on them. I spent hours as a kid looking over every inch of them. I wonder if any else remembers this....sometimes posters were included with your albums. You would unwrap the thin layer of plastic, pull out the record sleeve and folded up inside would be a poster of the artist. Bonus!! I inherited a Prince poster this way. Can't remember which album it was from but I treasured that free gift with purchase. Put it up on the back of my bedroom door and kissed him every night before bed. Kissing posters through the years is a story for another time. I'm going to pull out a record for Leo and play it for him today. I want him to be familiar with vinyl and learn to appreciate it. Not sure what I'll play. Maybe some old school Prince or Madonna. The Boss is always good or maybe The Cure.

I Dream of Marshmallows

2010-02-10T19:54:00.002-05:00

Big, thick, creamy ones. Not anything that can be purchased in a store or comes in a plastic bag, though I've enjoyed those immensely. Nope, today I'm dreaming of the homemade delicacies from City Bakery. It's hot chocolate month there & I've yet to get me even one sip. Today's flavor is "Moulin Rouge". MMMmmm..sounds hot.

There are a few things that you begin to realize once you have a child. One is that you may forever have dark, puffy circles under your eyes from lack of sleep. The other is that time is no longer your own. Gone are the days of wandering around the city just to window shop or explore. Leisurely strolls through art museums are few and far between. Special trips to City Bakery 14 times in the month of February just to get my hands on the latest chocolaty nectar are non-existent. At least until Leo goes to school.

Wishes for 2010

2010-01-12T21:12:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year to all. I've never been one for resolutions since I think it just puts so much pressure on ourselves. Instead I make wishes for the new year. I'm not just wishing upon a star & hoping they all come true. I'll put some work in and try to make them become a reality.

My big wish for the new year is to spend more time doing the things that I truly love. I'm now at a point in my life where I'm beginning to wonder what it's all about. Is this really why we are here to work, work and work so hard spending time away from our families? Only getting to spend quality time with dear friends once in a blue moon? Days of just relaxing and recharging ourselves are few and far between. Time spent being free to be creative are even fewer and farther between. Maybe this is just life here in NYC. Maybe in other parts of the country and the world things are very different. I'm not sure but I'm tired of working and feeling like I have little to show for it.

I dream of spending days with Tom and Leo under the Costa Rican sun playing, cooking and creating together. I fantasize about having enough space to entertain family and friends the way that I know I could. I urn to nurture a beautiful garden, not just a tiny window box. I guess I'm searching for true freedom. Does that even exists? Well if you are born into say the Hilton or Johnson family maybe. Or if you hit Mega Millons. But, one can not pin their hopes on such things.

So I'm going to find ways in this new year to create that dream and bring it to fruition. Works less but make more. Maybe invent something or write a few ebooks to help during the slower times. Or for times when me and my boys are chillaxing on a sandy beach. What are your dreams for the near year? I hope they come true!

Snow Day

2009-12-21T05:15:00.002-05:00

Much of the East coast was blanketed with lovely snow and NYC was no exception. It started Saturday afternoon while we were at a Christmas party. It was nice to look out at the Hudson River watching it fall from the sky. The local weathermen had already labeled it Blizzard 09' but we were not giving into the hype. They are always wrong about this stuff.

We, being good city folks, made sure Leo's stroller was encased in plastic to protect him from the elements. He kept sticking his hands out to grab at the flakes. By the time we put our baby to sleep that evening and headed out the door to another party it looked like those forecasters were dead wrong. Nothing was accumulating at all. A few stuffed mushrooms and hours later we walked outside to a winter wonderland of snow! It was so glorious that I just had to drop on the sidewalk and make a snow angel.

I awoke at 4am that morning so excited to show Leo what took place while he slept. He decided to sleep until 6:30am. Once he was up I opened his shade and held him to look out his window. "Whas dat?" he asked pointing outside. "Snow" I replied. His answer? "Wow". We stood there for a good 10 minutes while Leo babbled on with amazement. I could not wait to take him out in it but I decided to wait until after his 1st nap of the day.

I was like a kid on Christmas Eve getting him dressed for his adventure. He was not too happy about all the layers, squirming and pulling at his hat & coat. He did like his snow boots which look very much like Tom's, Leo noticed with glee. We headed out to our backyard sans stroller. This in itself is a rare occurrence and made our little man quite happy.

So, in my head I had envisioned Tom and I making a snowman for Leo while he rolled in the snow at our feet laughing. I thought we'd be out there for at least a half hour and come back to our cozy place and whip up some hot chocolate. That dream may still happen but probably not this year. Leo took one step in the white stuff and fell face 1st. He was not amused by this. I quickly gathered a snowball and tossed it in front of him. He liked this. I gave him his own to throw and he actually got a little excited. But again he tried to take a step and landed on his face. Game over. Not even the sight of me making a snow angel interested him. He was completely over it. Our venture lasted a grand total of 5 minutes.

Something About Christmas Time

2009-12-18T23:29:00.004-05:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year". Really? Even with all the running around, cold weather, and stress? I inevitably get sick almost every Christmas. I guess I just push it too much like everyone else. I did try to begin shopping early this year. Most of my gifts were bought by Thanksgiving. But then there's the cards to send, tree to put up, gift to wrap and ship & so on & so on. Tonight my throat is scratchy..oh no.

On the up side is Leo. He is absolutely loving all of the lights in our neighborhood. We take a tour every night. And he really does like Santa and our tree. In fact whenever he walks into the living room from a nap he says"WOW"! I can't wait to watch him open presents Christmas morning. He gets very excited even when he gets clothes for a present. Having a child really does make you remember the true meaning of this holiday season. Thank you Mr. Leo for showing mommy what true joy is.

New York State of Mind?

2009-12-05T19:08:00.002-05:00

Alrighty then, here's another political vent coming your way. This week, right here in NY our senate voted against the gay marriage bill. I was quite surprised by this as were many of my fellow New Yorkers, especially those that live in the Big Apple. And we are angry, too. I mean it's legal in IOWA but not NY?!

I live in the fashion & financial capital of the world. A place where art, music and avant-garde theater still thrive. It's a place where gay men and women can walk down the street holding hands & display other forms of PDA without getting hassled. They work hard and raise their families just like the rest of us. They are a welcomed part of our communities. Yes not all of NY is the city. There are some pretty conservative areas. 8 Democrats voted against this bill. But the real shocker is that 6 of them represent NYC! What?! When will everyone realize that gay marriage is not a political, religious or even moral issue? It is an issue of civil rights. And they deserve to have them just like the rest of us.

Since I'm on a rant I may as well mention another issue close to my heart - Healthcare. I'm astounded that in almost 2010, we are still fighting for this issue for all Americans. I'm so over all the "It's socialism" BS. Give me a break! We are the only civilized country in the world where not everyone has the right to health care. We pay more for insurance than anyone else & in turn our insurance companies make more profit than anywhere else in the world. In fact, in most of the other countries they do not profit from their sick citizens.

Let's put in in perspective. The "public option" would help create another avenue for Americans who are uninsured, under insured, dropped by their current insurance carriers, have pre-existing conditions or simply can't afford their current plans. They then would form quite a large group that can then compete with the big insurance companies. What? Did I say COMPETE? The public option would finally help create real COMPETITION for the multi-billion dollar insurance companies?! Why that's sooooo un-American!

Any conservative Democrat or Republican Senator that is against the public option is in the pocket of these big insurance companies. Do not be fooled. They do not have your best interest at heart. They do not care about protecting America from the depths of Socialism. They care about one thing only; getting campaign donations, favors, trips and presents from the big money that these insurance companies are giving to them. Come on America, we've never been closer to achieving this. Stand up and let your voices be heard before it's too late!

Whooo. OK. I'm getting off of my soapbox now. Have a good night.

Gratitude

2009-11-27T14:08:00.004-05:00

I know times are tough for so many people. Unemployment is high, prices keep going up on everything while many of us are experiencing pay cuts or freezes, we are involved in 2 wars, terror trials soon begin here in NYC, the weather is completely out of whack, our country feels incredible divided & Sarah Palin's face is everywhere (Ugh!). Yes, these are difficult times, but I'd like to share some thanks especially now.

I'm grateful to have been given a beautiful son who loves to laugh, run and jump. I'm seeing the world through his eyes & wonderment is all around.

I'm grateful to have a husband who loves me and works hard for our family. We do not always see eye to eye and man are we tired lately but, I do appreciate all that he does.

I'm grateful to have my mom in my life. We bickered so much through my preteens, teens, early twenties & so on. I was not able to fully appreciate all the sacrifices she made for my brother, sister and I until I had a child of my own. Now it's all clear. Thank you mom for always being supportive of my dreams and goals even if they we unconventional. You allowed me to explore my creative side and I'm a better artist because of it.

I'm grateful for the rest of my family. My sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, grandparents, are all important pieces of the pie. Love you.

I'm grateful to have amazing girlfriends. Some I've know since I was a child, other we met through life in NYC, blogging, local mom's groups and the restaurant biz. Here's to girl power.

I'm grateful for all the old friends that I've recently reconnected with. Many are from high school & fun old RI days & we've found each other again through FB.

I'm grateful to have my health, creativity in my life, to still feel passion & to still have hope for a wonderful future ahead.

Chow Baby

2009-11-18T20:04:00.005-05:00

Leo is an excellent eater. I'm not sure if that's a strong enough word for it. It's more like a passionate, overly excitable eater. All I have to say is "Do you want to eat?" and he runs clapping his hands into the kitchen. He goes right over to his high chair, babbling with enthusiasm. He's quite impatient and wants food in his hands immediately. Yums, ohs and ahs accompany pretty much anything I give him from bread or pasta to meatballs to sweet potatoes or peas. So do yelps and screams of joy. Leo really likes things with flavor, sometimes quite complex flavor. Nothing bland for this boy.

One day I was feeding him when Tom called from work. Leo was making so much noise while he was chowing down. All kinds of Ummmmms and sounds of pleasure were coming out of him. Tom asked what he was eating. "Broccoli," I answered, "can you believe it?!" Now I'm not sure if he was simply born with this insatiable appetite for just about any kind of food or if it's learned.

I did make his baby food (pureed fruits and veggies to start) and very much applied the 10 times rule. Basically, babies may need to taste something 10 times before it's acceptable to their palates. And believe me, there were many days that I was covered in the stuff I had made for him because he had just spit it out at me. But, true to the rule, by his 5th try there was less fussing and spitting. By the 8th try, he was eating more of it and by #10 he was actually enjoying it.

Now there are some down sides to have a baby who is a "foodie". For one I still make everything for him pretty much from scratch. Organic meatballs seasoned just like the ones I make for me, organic chicken marinated in lemon and rosemary, mashed rutabuga, kolrabi and leeks are all on his menu. Cooking for him takes up a good deal of my time and to be honest, lessens my enthusiasm for cooking for the hubby and I.

The second negative is that Leo will eat until he bursts. Seriously, he never willingly leaves a piece of anything uneaten. He does not have that "full" button. We learned this lesson the hard way one evening over a friend's house for dinner. We sat him at the table with us and he ate large portions of fish, portabello mushrooms, asparagus, bananas and cried for more. Well, he was up all night (as were we) with a belly ache after that one.

He's also a fast eater. He barely chews anything so all his food is cut into tiny pieces. Even with that we had an incident recently. Part of our morning routine after a bottle and playing is to watch a bit of Sesame Street. Elmo is Leo's favorite. I usually sit him down with a plastic bowl with small pieces of bread it in. Last week while he was doing that I went on my computer to see about flight delays. It was a windy, rainy day & Tom was due to fly back from a business trip. I was about 5 feet about from Leo. I'm not sure what made me look up at the exact moment I did, since he was not making a peep, but he was standing facing me with the strangest look on his face. And it hit me. He was choking. I ran to him and with my index finger hooked & pulled a wade of bread out of his throat. Leo then puked on me, himself and the carpet. He then gave me a hug and preceded to try to reach for the puke on the rug. It did have pieces of bread in it after all, but decided against it. Instead, he went right back to his bowl and the bread that was still left within it as if nothing had ever happened. Needless to say I'm still a bit shaken and no more bread during Elmo.

Does Motherhood = Loss of Brain Cells

2009-11-12T20:04:00.003-05:00

I'm seriously posing this question to all of you moms out there. How long does this condition last? Maybe it subsides once they go away to college. I'll be an old lady by then & dementia may begin to set in. Or is it permanent? If so, I'm screwed!

Let me start by saying that I did have, what my husband liked to refer to as, "Jessica Simpson moments" before Leo was born. They were not a daily occurrence. Many times it was just me not really paying attention or being observant. I'd also like to add that I was never a big pot smoker, so that can't be the reason for my current condition. Yes, that's what I refer to it as because sometimes it's downright frightening.

In the past year I have done things like stand in a very long line at the post office with Leo, only to get up to the counter and realize I did not take the stuff I needed to mail with me. And it's not like it was a couple of letters that I thought I placed in my purse, we're talking packages. I have called friends and family to tell them something but can't remember what. And it does not come to me after we stay on the phone for a while. In fact, IT NEVER comes to me. I have gone into the kitchen to do something and cannot for the life of me remember what. Then Tom will call on his way home from work to see if I need anything & it hits me. Oh that's why I went into the kitchen - to make dinner!

I have misplaced things like keys and sunglasses only to find them in my pocket or on my head. I have misplaced gifts that I bought in advance. Which is strange, since I have a bin in my closet for this purpose. Well, this one is not too strange. I think this might be a family condition. My mom would say things on Christmas morning like, "Did you like the gold bracelet Santa got you?" I would look at her perplexed because one, I was 15 & no longer believed in Santa & two, there was not any gold bracelet under the tree. I'm still waiting for that gift.

The strangest thing about this condition is that when it comes to Leo and my job, my mind is super sharp. I'll pack for a family trip and remember every single tiny minute thing for the baby. Heck I remember everything I need even just to take him on a walk. I was also the designer/project manager on a huge gut renovation this year. I could remember everything down to the smallest detail like the color of the grout in the master bath, but some days I'm not sure if I took a shower.

So all you moms out there please let me know what I can do to help with this. Are there some brain exercises I should be doing? What about herbal remedies? Is this just something I must now learn to live with like my C-section scar? I may be grateful for my condition once Leo is a teenager.

Lessons Learned From Leo

2009-08-05T09:12:00.001-04:00

It's been almost a year since Leonardo Felix came into the world. It feels like only yesterday that Tom & I were labor. What a year it has been! And what an incredible journey. Words can not express the love I feel for Leo & the joy he brings to Tom & I.

I thought that I had prepared quite well for motherhood. I took all kinds of baby classes, read tons of books, blogs & websites & spent hours researching every baby product on the market. I spoke with family and friends to get their take on motherhood & I've been around kids for most of my life. Well, things do not always go according to plan. I learned (rather quickly) that "motherhood" is more difficult than I imagined. Especially when you do not have family members living close by to help out. And of course, its also more rewarding.

The biggest surprise of it all is how much I'm learning from my own little boy. I'm the parent, the teacher, the guardian. I am suppose to be all knowing & yet Leo has taught me some wonderful life lessons already. Here are just some of them.

1. To Do Lists become irrelevant, esp. in those 1st few months. I'm a big"list" person. It brings me great joy to have a daily list & have it all checked off by the end of the day. That was BB - before baby. Hey, I was lucky to get a shower in those first few months let alone complete my daily list. My daily lists have now become "weekly" list & I noticed that they are much shorter now. Of course now that I have a 1yr old, I've lost a few brain cells so I have to write everything down or I'll forget it!

2. Do not even think about putting on a cute outfit until exactly 2 minutes before you are going to walk out the door. This lesson goes not only for myself but baby also. I'd dress Leo up in the cutest outfit, sit him in his bouncer & turn around for 1 minute & he'd be covered in spit-up. And the same goes for me. I must add to this lesson "always check out your backside in the mirror before going out." You may be 100% puke-free in the front but you never know what's splattered on your ass.

3. Farts, burps and other normal bodily functions are funny. Yes, it's OK to admit it. Even the smallest bambino thinks it's the best joke in the universe. Of course Leo laughs very hard when he or I toot, but, not so much when Daddy does it. When Daddy let's em rip it's just plain gross!

4. You can survive on much less sleep than you ever thought possible. I do not think this needs much explanation. All you moms (& dads, too) out there know it's true. You still have to get up, take care of baby, house, chores & work even on none hours of sleep.

5. Always trust your motherly instincts. They really kick into high gear once your baby arrives & yet sometimes we push them aside or just do not trust them. I learned this lesson the hard way when Leo was 5 weeks old & not gaining weight. I knew something was not right, but doctors told me everything was fine. It was not. No need to be alarmed. The problem was addressed & now he is very healthy & heavy!

6. Slow down and really look at the world around you. Leo is quite the observer. He was born with his eyes wide open & he's been alert from day one. He really looks closely at everything around him & does not miss anything. He has made me slow down & look at birds (his fav), flowers & people. Beauty is everywhere.

7. Playing is so very important. I guess as adult you lose it for a bit. "Playing" can be looked upon as frivolous, immature behavior. Oh how very wrong this is!! Not only do you learn & connect with your baby through play, but you both smile & laugh. A lot. I think it keeps you young, calm and healthy. I want to play everyday for the rest of my life!! Hide and Seek anyone?

8. Laugh more often. Have you ever heard a baby belly laugh? That sound is so pure and wonderful. Some days any little face you make at them sends them into a chuckle frenzy. Other days they make you work harder for it. None of this matters because once the laughter begins, you realize it's the best sound in the entire world. No symphony can compare.

9. Live in the moment. Let go of the past & stop looking to the future. The here and now is where it's at. These precious moments are fleeting so revel in them because in a blink of an eye your precious baby will be a teen. Thank you Mr. Leo for teaching me this. I was very much a "future" person. I'll be happy when... The here & now.. that's the good stuff.

10. Celebrate all small victories. We mark every little thing our babies do from their 1st smile to the 1st time they roll over. We clap our hands with honest enthusiasm, cheer them on, and dance with glee at every new skill they learn, no matter how small. But somehow we lose this as we get older. The small steps do not seem all that important. We celebrate only the leaps and bounds. Why is this? Isn't it the small steps that enable us to climb to the top of the mountain? So hats off to every little step we all take because combined, they will lead us towards our big victories.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL BOY!!! YOU ARE LOVED SO VERY MUCH!

"Been A Long Time"

2009-06-23T23:34:00.008-04:00

Well hello all. Is anyone out there? I wouldn't be angry at all if you've abandoned my blog. I've not been a good friend. You have been on my mind, and I did write some amazing posts...in my mind..in the shower. Just didn't seem to make it onto the net. I will admit that I can not blame my lack of posts on the baby. It must be blamed on Facebook.

Facebook is very addicting. Now, I've never really taken many drugs, but I think that FB is kind of like crack. I can't help going on it over, over, & over! Some good has come out of it. I've reconnected with lots of long lost friends from Cranston & other parts of RI. I now can say hello to college pals & former co workers. And I can keep up with my sis & cousins. But, I'm now going to limit myself to only going on FB 3 times a day max. I swear! I can do it!!

So, to catch you all up on what Ive been up to these many months, here's a quick recap.

-I changed many poopy diapers

-Worked on a big, long term design/organizing project with a wonderful family near Columbia University (still finishing it up)

-Spent more than half of my day pumping my boobs, than feeding my boy, then pumping again

-Went on a much needed spa day

-Shopped for organic veggies at Trader Joe's

-Walked around in a zombie like state

-Spent a good deal of time cooking, pureeing & freezing baby food

-Got peed on while changing poopy diapers

-Had wonderful friends come to visit us with amazing food in hands

-Fretted over my C section scar

-Fantasized about going away to a fabulous hotel with the most comfortable bed & sleeping all weekend in that bed......alone!

-Had play dates with the lovely moms of Jackson Heights Summer Babies 08'

-Ate sushi for the 1st time in many, many months....hmmmmm.

-Interviewed many babysitters

-Had a lovely glass of champagne

-Pumped & dumped in order to have that glass of champagne

-Fired the babysitter & found 2 wonderful ladies to watch Leo

-Had a houseful of relatives in for a visit in December

-Had too many sleepless nights to count

-Traveled to RI for Xmas

-Decided to let the baby cry it out in order to have less sleepless nights

-I cried along side of him for 3 nights

-Traveled to VA twice

-Threw a big Margarita Sunday party

-Dressed Leo up in a poncho, sombrero & mustache for the Margarita Sunday Party

-Stubbed my toe after the party & it hurt so much!

-Began running & taking boot camp classes to get back into prebaby shape....OUCH this toe hurts!!

-Realized that even when your baby begins sleeping through the night, you probably won't because it freaks you out that you've not heard a peep from him in over 6 hours!!

-Maybe cooked a few dinners though Tom cooked way more than me.

-Found out that my toe was broken.

-Heard the most beautiful sound ever, "Mama" uttered by my then 6 month old

-Had to walk around in a very sexy boot for 8 weeks to help my broken toe heal

-Celebrated my BDay with a big night out with lots of friends

-Watched my baby scream from his 1st vaccine

-Planned a big Costa Rican family vacation

-Cleaned spit up off of almost every surface imaginable, including the TV, the rug & my butt

-Fought with Tom (baby stress + lack of sleep = fighting spouses)

-Discovered that I have magical powers to make my baby laugh out loud

-Missed my mom immensely

-Took naps in a hammock in Costa Rica

-Came back home to rain, rain and more rain!

So that's it in a nutshell. See, I've been a busy girl!

Here's To A Sweet 2009

2009-01-04T23:27:00.005-05:00

Well hello, it's me. Yes it's been a while. I've been a bit overwhelmed. Motherhood is whipping my butt! I'm giving props to my mother who had 3 kids and worked and cooked and cleaned without the help of her husband. I'm lucky because Tom has been great with coming home from work and cooking dinner for us if it's been a difficult day for me. And he's great with Leo. He loves spending time with him alone so I can sleep or get a little pampering. It's so hard balancing work, baby, hubby & daily chores. I really wish my mom lived closer (like in NY state) so she could babysit! Leo is just sooooo cute which makes it all worth it. He's smiling a ton and laughing out loud. He loves his Johnny Jump Up & music. Everyday now he does something new which is very exciting.

We've been on the go lately. Traveling with baby in tow is an experience in itself. Lucky for us our little man loves the car. Thanksgiving in Virginia & Xmas in RI. Both holidays were mellow and fun. Leo has a few cousins around the same age in RI & watching them interact was interesting. Tom & I laughed out loud as cousin Ethan grabbed Leo's foot and began chewing on it. Leo did not mind a bit, in fact he thought it was quite funny. Tom & I think those two boys are going to be good friends.

We stayed in for New Year's and treated ourselves to a feast fit for a king. Alaskan King crab legs, champagne and yummy desserts. Hats, noise makers and a confetti bomb were nice touches. By three minutes past midnight I was already cleaning up the mess. And starting my diet to lose baby weight.

2008 was a very good year. The gift of our little boy was the highlight, but we also shared fun times with friends and family. Tom & I both took some career risks that were very scary but seem to be paying off. And we have our health. what more can one ask for? I'm very exciting about what 2009 will bring. So here's to you all & the new year. May it be full of joy and sweetness!!

Halloween II & Hope

2008-11-05T12:03:00.003-05:00

Here's some more pics of my favorite costumes from our neighborhood parade. The lamb was so sweet & she left a trail of cotton balls as she marched down the street. And take a look at the Chrysler Building. Poor little guy was exhausted from holding his head up.

I live in a city called Jackson Heights & it's amazingly diverse. In fact, it's one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the entire world. I swear...look it up. Hundreds of different languages are spoken on the streets. I'm so happy that Leo will grow up here & get to play with kids of all kinds of ethnicity's & religions. He will not even notice things such as the color of someones skin. How great is that?

Last night, Tom & I cried. They were tears of joy, relief and especially hope. Barack Obama has given me & my family a great gift, for without hope, what do you have? I truly believe that he will do all he can to make this country better for my son & generations to follow. Will he falter from time to time...sure, but his heart is in the right place. Finally we are back on track.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T22:51:00.009-04:00

Our neighborhood, Jackson Heights, really gets into the Halloween spirit. The main avenue is closed down for the annual parade. Kids of all ages get to march, walk or dance down the street while hundreds of people cheer them on. Goody bags are given out and then trick or treatin' takes place in all the local businesses. The kids make out like bandits!

It was our 1st Halloween with Leo & of course we all had to dress up. The costumes were all Tom's idea. I think it was inspired by Auntie Jes from Maine. Leo was the hit of the parade. At least 75 people made Tom stop to take pictures. It's not every day you see a baby being carried around in a big pot dressed like a lobster. There were some other adorable kids in costumes. We're already planning for next year. I figure I maybe have 1 or 2 years when I can dress him however I want, so I'm going to take advantage of it.

Pics Of Leo

2008-09-08T22:36:00.007-04:00

Sweet Boy

PEE Protector

Dreaming of Boobie

Bubble Time

Things are going well here. We're trying to get the little one on a schedule. And we're still working on getting the hang of breastfeeding. Man, do my nipples ache!

Leonardo Felix Kettells

2008-08-19T17:38:00.003-04:00

Our little boy finally arrived on Tuesday August 5th at 12:13am. Leo weighed in at 7lbs, 6 oz & 20 inches long. I won't go too far into the gory birthing details, but I ended up having a C section after pushing for almost 4 hours. My pelvis was just too small & he was basically stuck. Leo came out with his eyes wide open & was very alert. He definitely recognized my voice & Tom's too. We spent lots of time talking & singing to him while he was in my belly.

I wanted an Italian first name and we chose Leonardo because our favorite artist is Leonardo DaVinci. Tom took me to Paris for my 30th B-Day to go to the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa. It was a beautiful moment that I'll never forget. His middle name Felix is in honor of my late grandfather Felix Zito. We think he already has some of his great grandfather's traits, esp. his appetite. I'm having a difficult time keeping up with the little guy. He's always hungry.

Right now I'm just trying to get the hang of breast feeding (it's not easy) & recover. Walking around the block is quite a feat. I'll keep you posted on Leo's progress. Thank you everyone for the well wishes.

READY AND WAITING

2008-07-29T17:02:00.003-04:00

I'm officially 40 weeks prego. Our little guy's due date was this past Sunday. Now the waiting game begins. He doesn't seem to be in a big hurry to come on out. We're all so anxious to meet him. My mom & stepdad's bags are packed & they'll jump in the car & head our way from NC as soon as they get the call. Friends text & check in every day. I'm more than ready. Not only do I want to meet this feisty little guy, but I'm excited to get rid of my ginormous belly, swollen feet legs & ankles. And not having my inner thighs rub together when I waddle about will be a treat.

We have been in full blown baby mode for months. Tom took on the very big project of building the nursery. I say building because he took our big bedroom & created a nook for baby Awesome. It comes with a fab pocket door and beautiful molding that actually matches the rest of the bedroom. This was not an easy feat since we live in a Prewar building with original details. I spent a great deal of time sewing a quilt for the baby & designing the rest of the nursery.

The freezer & fridge are fully stocked. The apartment is squeaky clean & we're raring to go. "Come on out little boy. We can't wait to meet you!!" OK. I'm off to drink some Castor oil to help the process along.

Showered With Love

2008-07-01T16:06:00.006-04:00

My mom threw Tom & I a lovely baby shower some weeks back. We had it at a local Italian restaurant that's very old school. The place always reminds Tom & I of Goodfellas. The staff is very attentive and they served up lots of Italian standards like chicken parm & rum cake (YUMMO!) & the not so Italiano standard Sangria. I just had to add some beautiful blue cupcakes, too from this fab place. It's not a party without cupcakes.

The moms (mine from NC & Tom's from VA) came in the day before to help put together centerpieces. We even had a few car fulls of Rhode Islanders in attendance. Included in one of those cars was my dearest friend Mary Lou who made us the cutest diaper cake ever. She did a jungle theme with a monkey on top. Guess what was in the center of the cake? The one thing I've been craving from the beginning of this pregnancy - a bottle of champagne!!!! My cousin Lea, who was so very pregnant, also made the journey. She was such a good sport walking all over NYC with swollen piggies all weekend long. Someone did take a belly pic of the 2 of us, but I haven't received it yet. She didn't have to suffer for too long because a few weeks later Ethan Mathew was born.

I must also mention that my TAO co-workers threw Tom & I a surprise shower some months back. It was just so beautiful & I wish I had pictures of it to share. Food, cake, champagne & lots of laughter filled the air. Their generosity was overwhelming. They took such good care of baby Awesome.

My Web Girls

2008-06-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

While Tom was in Colorado celebrating his sister Gina becoming a veterinarian, I stayed behind and celebrated the success of my webgirls. Hope, Leslie & Kathleen were featured in the Stationary Show here in NYC. Jes decided to come down from Maine to help me set up Hope & Leslie's booth. We worked very hard but it turned out great! Jes & I had a fun girlie weekend while the other girls worked the show. We went and had pedicures (Jes' first & yes Jes, your toes look pretty!) & went to a cool Brooklyn flea market. And we napped quite a bit because my preggo butt did get tired.

All of us got together one night for an Italian dinner in Hell's Kitchen. As always, my girls were so super generous, showering baby Awesome (Tom's nickname for our baby-to-be & the girls just love it) with cute outfits, funky leather slippers & toys. They did not leave the mom to be out in the cold, showering me with gorgeous jewelry & a spa gift certificate. I will not have to wait very long to see them again. Leslie will be back in August with her kids & hubby. Kathleen will be back for the gift show in a month or so. And Aunt Jes will be back with friends in September. They'll all get to meet baby Awesome when they return!

A Doctor in the Family

2008-06-11T10:06:00.003-04:00

Kudos must be given to my sister-in-law Gina. She graduated from vet school in May & is officially a doctor. Whoo Hoo! We've all been on this journey with her. She emailed us updates on her rotations as well as pics like the beauty above. Then there was the time I got the mail and there was an enveloped addressed to Tom from his sis & it felt like there were cotton balls inside. The "cotton balls" turned out to be the testicles of a flying squirrel that she had neutered. She thought Tom would get a kick out of receiving such a gift......he did. So congrats Gina! you worked so very hard for this achievement & we're all proud of you.

Real Simple Magazine

2008-04-21T14:16:00.004-04:00

I did an interior redesign for Real Simple Magazine in December. I've kept my lips sealed for months. Well, not totally sealed, family & close friends knew, but that's it. I had absolutely no idea if my design would make it in the magazine or when. Well, to my surprise and delight, I did make it in the May issue which is on the news stands now. And I'm the lead off story & photo spread for"Ready, Set, Redecorate". It's very exciting! I've already received some calls from potential clients saying, "I saw you in Real Simple magazine..." Tom's calling me his superstar, designing wife. And every once in a while he makes me to shout out, "SUPERSTAR!" & throw my arms in the air, ala Catholic girl, Mary Katherine from Saturday Night Live. Except it must look pretty funny with my pregnant belly & all. Hmm...that must be why he laughs so hysterically. Any hoo... here's a little peek at the article. And click here for photos.

What to Do When a Living Room Has No Breathing Room
Douglas Friedman

At 12 feet wide, this Jersey City town house couldn’t accommodate its furnishings. “If I see something cute, I buy it,” says Winston Gitonga, 34, who lives in the house with his wife, Charmaine Delarama, 35, and their daughter, Sibel, 1. As a result, says redecorator* Dawn Falcone, owner of Dawn Falcone Lifestyles (www.dawnfalconelifestyles.com), in New York City, “the family was always tripping over everything. I’ve never had to deal with so many chairs.”
The SolutionAfter getting rid of bulky items, like “a large, manly media center,” Falcone started to rethink the room. “When the family had people over, everyone crowded around the TV, and no one sat anywhere else,” she says. To keep the TV from being the focal point, she carved out two distinct zones: one for conversation and one for entertainment. Falcone shifted the sofa to the opposite wall so that “it faces the home’s original coal-burning fireplace rather than a blank wall.” A sturdy ottoman found in the bedroom replaced the mini stool–cum–coffee table, while an acrylic chair swiped from the kitchen filled out the seating area without adding visual heft. For the entertainment nook, she placed the TV on a slender cabinet near the windows and traded a small area rug for a larger sisal. “Our guests love the new arrangement,” says Gitonga. “They say, ‘Wow, why didn’t you think of that before?’”

Big Ass Belly Shot #1

2008-04-14T09:00:00.011-04:00

This is not the 1st belly photo that we've take, just the 1st one that we're sharing with the world. I'm officially 25 weeks (6 months preggers) and its also happens to be right around my birthday. Whoo Hoo! God, I could really go for a glass of champagne. That's one of the things I'm craving. The other is sushi. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a few more months to indulge in either. We celebrated my BDay by having a dinner party with some friends. I cooked my gravy & meatballs and Tom's made pomegranate mohito's. Speaking of celebrating, there's been lots of it recently.

Cousins Matt & Dillon welcomed their first child a few weeks back. Nathan Robert (photo to left). Isn't he a cutie? I think he looks just like Matt did as a baby. And my California friends Roxanne & Owen welcomed their son Henry Hale. He too looks like his dad with that gorgeous jet black hair.

In other, non baby news, it's my dear friend Hope's birthday. And what better way to celebrate than a marriage proposal! Hope's boyfriend Mike proposed last night. She said yes! Congrats guys!

Things Never To Say To A Pregnant Woman

2008-03-24T08:02:00.004-04:00

It 's amazing the things that come put of people's mouths sometimes. It's also quite strange, at least to me, that loved ones, acquaintances and even complete strangers feel the need to voice their opinions about everything when it comes to babies and pregnant women's bodies. Now, I'm very lucky because I have a close group of girlfriends, sisters and cousins that are already on the motherhood journey and are a wealth of information. Tom, my hubby, has also been great with cooking, cleaning, and basically waiting on me & trying to deal with my ever changing moods. I thought I'd compile a small list of things not to say to a pregnant woman unless of course, you'd like to get your butt kicked. Pregnant woman are fierce and and should not be messed with!!

"Wow, your butt has really gotten bigger!"
"You've got a big ass belly."
"You do not look pregnant, just fat."
"What's up chubs."
"Your boobs are ginormous...they look like Pamela Anderson's"
"Are you glowing or did you just puke?"
"Are you going to throw up dinner again? Do you know how much that wild salmon cost?"
"You look very small for 5 months, are you sure everything is alright?"
"You look very tired"
"Can't you walk a little faster?"

Suddenly, everyone is an expert on nutrition when it comes to telling you what to eat or not to eat.

"You shouldn't eat that shrimp, it's not good for the baby."
"You need to eat healthy, you know!" ( said while I was sitting and eating steamed broccoli)
"You should basically follow the caveman diet throughout your pregnancy"
"Cravings are not real, don't give in to them"

And my advice to mommies-to-be about telling people names that you are considering...Keep Them To Yourself!

"I went to school with someone that had that name... he ended up being a child molester"
"I don't like that name at all!"
"I went to school with someone that had that name & he was a big jerk!"
"That name sounds gay"
"I went to school with someone that had that name and he wasn't too bright"

Baby Baby

2008-03-08T16:40:00.002-05:00

I've been away for a while but, I have returned with some news to share. I'm 5 months pregnant! Tom & I are very excited. We found out while vacationing in Costa Rica. And as luck would have it the morning sickness started immediately after the news was revealed. It would have been great if I were only nauseous and vomiting in the morning and if it all cleared up by noon. That wasn't the case. I was sick all day & night for the entire 1st trimester.

Many different things would set me off. Weird smells, which are everywhere, especially in the NYC subways; the thought of certain foods, cooking, quick movements, loud noises, Tom's morning breath (I guess that goes under the weird smell category) just about everything. I also caught some kind of bug right before the holidays. Christmas Day & New Year's were spent in bed drinking water and eating saltines. It took me over a month to shake the thing. I guess my body was very busy & didn't have the time or energy to ward off infections.

Speaking of energy, I had absolutely none for a while. There were a few Saturdays that I did not even get out of my pj's. And the big task of the day was moving from the bed to the couch. I do think that Tom enjoyed this since I wasn't all over his case to go to Costco, Target or Trade Joe's or fix things around the house.

The good news is all of that has passed. I have my energy back, I'm feeling much better, I'm back on Tom to get things done before the baby arrives and most importantly our little guy is healthy. Yup, I did say guy. It's a boy!! Which I knew from about the time I was 8 weeks along. I had very strong feelings about it. And I had dreams. My mom believes that if you dream that you're having a boy, you are actually having the opposite, but this is also the same woman that told me that if a bird craps on you it's good luck.

The day before I found out for sure I had a dream about my grandfather. I've not had a dream about him since he passed. In my dream he was sitting in his chair in his home and holding my son. He didn't say a word. He just looked very happy. That's when I knew for sure.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T12:48:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to put up a quick post & wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you day is filled with love from friends, family or your significant other. And I hope your day also includes chocolate!! I don't know about you, but chocolate makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I swear that it cures my bad moods.

PURA VIDA in 2008

2008-01-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

Pura Vida is a common Costa Rican expression. It's literal translation is pure life, but it generally can also mean cool, great, OK or even used as a greeting. Pura Vida is a sign of the optimistic outlook that Ticos (local Costa Ricans) have on life. I'm not big on new year resolutions. I find that for myself, it just adds more pressure to my already stressed days. But, I do have some goals that I like to set at the beginning of every year. Some are personal, others career oriented. Some are easily within reach, others are way above the stars. I write them done and place them in an envelope and look at them from time to time. I have not sat down yet to put them on paper for 2008. I do think at the very top will be to adopt a more "Pura Vida" attitude.

It's not only to be more optimistic, I think that I'm very hopeful about things. Tom does tell me time and time again that I worry too much about things that may never happen. I call it being prepared, just in case. It's also about living a more pure life. Now that can be translated in many different ways. To me "pure life" means to enjoy more, worry less; Relax more, stress less; To spend more time doing what I want to do and less time filled up with obligations; Control less and let spontaneity in; To feed my creative soul more and the work monger less. And to surround myself with family and friends who know how to laugh out loud, enjoy life and be truly loving and supportive of one another. So here's to 2008! May you all find the things that you've been searching for, the things that truly feed your soul. And may you all find your very own piece of PURA VIDA.

That's What Friends Are For

2007-12-15T14:14:00.000-05:00

Tis the season to give a shout out to the ones that we love. Tom & I are blessed with some amazing friends in our lives. Everyone is super busy and we wish we could see them all more often, but we do treasure that times that we have together.

My dear, dear friend Jes stopped by for a quick weekend visit a while back. Can you believe we met through blogging just over a few years ago? It feels as if we've known each other forever. We definitely have a sister like relationship. I really miss her and wished she lived closer. She spoiled me with fabulous goodies. A Junque Revival necklace that I've been eyeing since I went to stay with her in Maine. Now it's all mine. Who's a lucky girl?

Another blogging buddy of Jes' was visiting NYC that same weekend. Lea & her hubby Pasi came all the way from Finland. We met up with them on a Saturday night & I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had never met them before, or even corresponded through their blogs. I wondered if it would be a bit awkward. Well, to my surprise and delight, we all instantly hit it off. They are a wonderful, intelligent couple. Lea is a sweet blue eyed blonde beauty & Pasi is lively & adorable. They brought Tom & I fabulous gifts from their homeland. Chocolates, jam, rye crisps, hard liquorice candy. Lea, who is a jewelry artist, made me a gorgeous pair of earrings. I've worn them dozens of times already. We had a nice dinner at Fig & Olive. Tom then took us to some cool Meat Packing District bars & lounges. We laughed, danced, drank lots & really connected. Tom & Pasi had some serious male bonding action. They were hugging by the end of the night. We do hope they come back to visit us soon. Or maybe our next trip will have to be to Helsinki.

Jes & I went on a Brooklyn shopping adventure with Mary. Mary is that friend who knows where to find anything that you're looking for. From homemade olive bread to a hand crafted skirt by an indie designer. She's the queen of speciality shops, fabulous boutiques & great little cafes. I'm sending her hubby Eric a big Congratulations on the opening of his very own dance studio. Not only is he a fabulous dancer & teacher, but he also designed my biz website & Tom's, too! What a talent!

And last but certainly not least, our pals Caryl & Mike welcomed their sweet son Anthony into the world a few weeks back. He's joined by his adorable 4 year old sister Jacqui. What a Christmas they will be having!

My 1st Risotto Recipe

2007-11-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

Hmmm......The wonders of the risotto. This Italian favorite was not part of my family's recipes while I was growing up. In fact, I didn't have my first risotto until I moved to NYC for college. I've been hooked ever since. I find it almost impossible to resist ordering it while dining out & I've never had one I didn't like. But, the thought of actually making one myself seemed down right scary. I heard that they were difficult and time consuming so I avoiding making one for a long time. I'm not sure what came over me, but I was craving it one night so I decided to conquer my fear. It came out so creamy and yummy!! It's not very difficult to make, but a bit of patience is needed. And a strong arm because you must continuously stir to perfection.

RISOTTO RECIPE

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1/4 cup of herbs mixed (basil and thyme) chopped

1/2 cup chopped shittake

2 large portabello mushrooms, diced

2 cups of risotto or arborio rice, rinsed

2-4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 Tablespoons of butter

4 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup of white wine

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

-Saute onions in a heavy, preferably non-stick pan with olive oil (a couple of tablespoons will do). Saute about ten minutes and then add a pat of butter & garlic and saute for another five minutes, until translucent.

-Add portabellos and shittake mushrooms to pan and continue to saute.

-Then add risotto and a little more olive oil, and saute for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

-Have your stock ready and ladle a bit into the pan; whenever the pan gets dry, just add another 1/4 cup. You must stir often or the risotto will stick. Never let the pan get dry. Continue this process, adding increments of stock, and about 1/2 cup wine as well, for about 25 minutes.

-Then add fresh herbs and cook for another couple minutes. At the very end add the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper to taste, and voila! Risotto.

Boys Will Be Boys

2007-10-08T22:57:00.000-04:00

We went to a big Italian Wedding in RI a couple of weekends ago. We had a good time. The highlight was the dance off to "Ice Ice Baby" and these two cuties. That's my nephew Bobby, he's not a baby anymore. The little boy next to him is my cousin's son Jared. Aren't they adorable all dressed up in their tuxedos? They both are so much fun. Tons of energy and very pleasant to be around. Everything is hilarious to them.

In other "boys" news, my dear friend Alex was visiting from Chicago. It's been a long time since we'd seen each other. What an adventurous NYC night we had. Dinner, laughing and infused vodka martini's. I had plum while Alex chose the much more daring horseradish one. It was so good to see him & I'm glad I had him all to myself. He loves Chicago & is doing so well out there. He's a writer and very close to getting his first piece published. And he's suppose to be working on Oprah tickets for us. I think he needs a reminder of that.

And finally, Tom had an exciting adventure of his own. He had been planning a get together for a couple of months with some of his old high school buddies. The occasion? The Van Halen reunion tour. Tom met up with them in Richmond, VA where they rented a van & headed to Greensboro, NC. I can't even express how excited he was about this trip. It's like they were back in the 80's all over again. He bought a couple of alligator shirts to wear and everything. The morning that he was heading south and woke me to say goodbye and show me this sign (see below). He made it and had it copied at Kinko's to plaster all over the van or as he referred to it "the Van Halen Mobile". I was a little worried that he'd return sporting some parachute pants and a mullet. True 80's style.

Sum Sum Summertime

2007-09-11T01:14:00.001-04:00

It's been a whirlwind of a summer. It seemed as though Tom & I were traveling every weekend. We headed to Virginia Beach, VA twice. Once for a retirement party for one of Tom's college professors & then back again a couple of weeks later to watch Kyle graduate from high school. Yup. He's away at college.. scary.

We went to Maine to visit Jes & Jon. It was a great trip! Jon took us out on his boat & we saw a baby seal & a bald eagle. We eat lots of lobster, hung out with some of Jes & Jon's cool friends, hiked, & visited an adorable town with old fashioned charm. Jes & I even had time to make some bracelets out of sea glass. We then spent a day with some of our NYC friends who now live in Portland, Maine. I love that town!! We tried to convince Tom to move there, but no such luck. His heart is in NYC.

Me & Jes

Picturesque Maine Town

We then ventured out west for a visit with Tom's sister in Fort Collins, Colorado. We spent some time babysitting our nephew Jackson. He's very cute! We hiked a bit, visited the funky downtown area, took walks on bike paths & relaxed with Tom's sis, a soon to be veterinarian. The rest of our weekends were filled with a trip to RI, the Police concert (they rocked!) Coney Island's annual Mermaid Parade & ventures around NYC.

Classic Coney Island

Blue Mermaids

And we are not done traveling, yet. This weekend it's back to RI for my cousin Becky's wedding & we are heading back to Costa Rica in a couple of months. I do hope this trip to Central America is a bit more relaxing than our last time there. I do not even want to see an ounce of mud. I never did continue the story after mudfest. The basic gist is that we moved to a different location (about an hour away). The place we stayed, Finca Los Caballos, was truly paradise!! I could ( & probably should have) stayed by their pool the entire time. Instead we ventured out to some waterfalls where we scaled cliffs & I got stung by god knows what & almost fell off of the cliff. We stumbled upon the strangest beetle I ever did see. We later found out is was an Egyptian beetle. How it ended up in C.R. I'll never know. We were stopped by the C.R. police for riding our mopeds without helmets & had to pay a fine. And on our very last day I packed for what I thought was going to be a chill day on the beach. That chill beach day involved a 3 &1/2 hour (yup.. we got lost in the jungle) hike through the swampy, bug infested rainforest, which I was not at all prepared for in my flipflops and sequined bathing suit. One flipflop broke and at one point I hiked barefoot. Tom was gracious enough to give me one of his hiking sandals & fashioned a sling for my other foot out of a beach towel and vines. Very MacGyver. We finally did arrive on that beach. The extra rocky, no darn place to lay a blanket & we were out of water, beach! I started to sob, only to be told by my husband, "There's no crying in the jungle!!! This is a life or death situation here!!". That made me feel better. We did make it out alive (obviously). Tom gave me his other sandal and he trekked through the jungle shoeless. What a guy. I made it very clear that the next trip to Costa Rica better not involve and f*&##ing nature crap!! I want to sit on a beach and be served Pina Coladas!!

The Lodge's Zen Pool

Montezuma Waterfall

Freaky Beetle

Costa Rican Mudfest

2007-07-02T09:35:00.000-04:00

Our trip to Costa Rica was quite the adventure. Tom looked up the weather forecast the day before we were scheduled to leave. He called me at work to inform me of a huge storm front that was moving toward Central America that was going to linger for about a week. I poo pooed him & told him that "they" never predicted the weather correctly. We arrived on a gorgeous and balmy day to join some friends who had already been there for a week. I was not even bothered that it poured the entire next day & night. It was a good excuse to sleep in and lay on a hammock & read. We started a gin rummy tournament on the porch. I was a bit over it by day three. Oh the sun did make some appearances, mostly during the early morning hours, so one had to jump out of bed to take advantage of them. There were even some breaks of light during the afternoon & we quickly scooted over to the beach, set up a blanket only to feel the sprinkles start soon after.

Luckily the house we were staying at was right on the beach. The grounds were stunning. We had lots of lizards & geckos on the grounds, as well as a large Iguana that we named grandpa who lived in an old tree stump. We could view him right from the porch. We soon found out that grandpa liked to eat cantaloupe, bacon, toast and whole raw eggs. While the grounds were breathtaking, the house itself was basically a surfer shack. We made the most of it & cooked up some great meals, but the place really got on my nerves after a while. Old moldy beds, no AC, limited furniture and cooking utensils and my least favorite thing about the place - the bathroom. It constantly smelled of sewage. So, even though it was raining we left the shack to go on adventures. We saw some beautiful country sides & beached. Crossed a few rivers & bought fish from local fishermen.

We rented ATV's & toured all around the Santa Teresa & Mal Pais area. These surf communities are just starting to gain popularity. There are some adorable cafes, restaurants and shops along the main (and unpaved) roads. Most are owned by Canadians & Europeans that came for a vacation & decided to stay. And there were a couple of high end resorts that we visited for mohitos & Cuban cigars. So, I mentioned the unpaved roads. After days & nights of torrential rains they turned into big, muddy swamps. It was impossible to keep dry or clean. Let's just say by day 5 I had had enough. And so did my friend Jeanette. We insisted the boys moved the only dining table, which was outside, indoors. We could not take the dampness for one more second. I fantasized about being dry and warm.

On our last night with my friend & her man we decided to go out for a nice dinner. We were going to dress up & keep dry at all costs. I made a skirt out of a garbage bag, placed my rain coat over it & even rode the ATV while holding an umbrella in my hand. We had a lovely dinner at this place and then moved here for after dinner drinks & stogies. We headed home feeling a sense of victory and were less than 3 minutes from our beach shack when we noticed our friend's ATV stuck up ahead. It looked as if it were tipping over. Tom stopped & tried to push the vehicle out of the mud by himself. It did not budge. He called to Jeanette & I to help. We looked at each other in totally disbelief. Tom was standing knee deep in mud, which means it would reach close to my thigh. "But, we're all dressed up!?" I cried. He did not show even the slightest bit of sensitivity to this. In the mud pool we went. Three of us pushing on this thing while Jason (Jeanette's man) stepped on the gas & tried to manuver the vehicle free. Every time he pressed on the gas, the wheels turned in place spitting up loads of mud right in our faces. Not that it really mattered since we were already in it thigh deep & it was pouring rain, & I fell face first in it several times. We freed him about 20 minutes later. I had mud in every crevasse of my body. I was not a happy camper. I think I was crying a bit. We ended our night by finishing our gin rummy tournament (I won) & drinking lots of rum & pineapple juice. The next day the sun was shining, our friends headed back to NY. They're puddle jumper flight was delayed, so they hung out with fellow passenger Vince Vaughn for a few hours. We headed off to a different part of Costa Rica for what was suppose to be the dry, adventure free part of our vacation. NOT.....TO BE CONTINUED....

Wine Biscuits For All My Friends

2007-05-13T17:45:00.000-04:00

My posts have been few and far between and for that I do apologize. I've been working very hard on my design/organizing business. And I've been working with a career coach and I have many hours of homework every week. Things are starting to take off a bit. I done some decorating consultations and I assisted another organizer on a big job. I was asked by NAPO-NY to be a spokesperson for the organizing biz and I had to work on tip sheets. And it looks like I'm going to be in the September issue of Woman's Day magazine with an article all about organizing your purse. I'll pass along more details when I get some. So, I bet you are all wondering what's going on with the cookbook? I had to make a major & difficult decision about it.

I was dividing my time between working at the restaurant, writing the cookbook, trying to get my biz up and running, errands & life. I was becoming so frazzled and anxiety ridden. I hired a career coach to help me focus and she soon realized that I was simply trying to accomplish too many major things at once and everything was suffering because of that. So, I thought long and hard about exactly what I wanted. Whenever someone heard that I was writing a cookbook I would get the following questions; Do you want to be a chef? No.... Are you going to own you're own restaurant someday? Goodness, I hope not... Do you want to have you're own show on the Food Network like Rachel Ray? Definitely not..

It started to become very clear to me that I was focusing much time and energy and I wasn't exactly sure why. Yes, I did want to preserve family recipes and I did that. It took many years, lots of blood, sweat and tears, but, the recipes have been perfected and are done. Then I began working on the stories to go along with the food and it started to feel like a chore. I must admit that it's been very difficult to focus on funny or happy or even crazy family memories now that Poppa has passed. He was definitely the glue that held our family together. I will not go into all the gory details about what's been going on in my family, except to say that most are not even on speaking terms. It definitely does not make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and want to take a stroll down memory lane. At least not now.

The cookbook has been put on the back burner and I must tell you all that I feel as if a huge load has been lifted off of my shoulders. In fact, I do not want to continue to call it a cookbook. I'd like to refer to it as my memoir with food, which will get done, eventually, but I do not know when. Right now, I'm focusing on my business which is my true passion. I love going into people's NYC apartments and seeing beyond what is there to all that it can become. My mind instantly reorganizes, rearranges & redecorates every single space that I walk into. It always has. Now I understand why. This is truly what I was meant to do. And I get to do some hands on sewing and painting projects which fills me with glee.

I owe something to each and every one of my readers over the years. I know I would not be this far along if it was not for all of your support and encouragement. I will continue to post stories, daily (well, more like weekly) babbles and even a good recipe or two that I come across. My gift to all of you is a family secret recipe that Poppa just loved. Wine biscuits. They are more like a cookie than a biscuit. We eat them as little treats after dinner, lunch, heck, we eat them all the time when someone bakes a batch. They go great with milk & even a glass of red wine. And they are so very simple and quick to put together. I can totally picture Poppa sitting at the kitchen table chowing down on a few. I hope you enjoy them.

WINE BISCUITS

1 cup sugar

1 cup red wine (Italian table wine or the like)

1 cup vegetable oil

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon of salt

5 teaspoons of baking powder

1-2 eggs, beaten

-1/2 teaspoon of cold water

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees

-In a large bowl, mix together the first three ingredients with a wooden spoon.

-Add in salt and baking powder.

-Slowly add the flour & begin to knead with your hands when you can no longer stir with the wooden spoon. Add more flour if needed.

-Shape into pretzel twists and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

-Add ½ teaspoon of water to the beaten eggs.

-Using a pastry brush or spoon or even your finger, spread egg mixture over the tops of the biscuits.

-Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Roxanne The Rock Star

2007-04-25T01:35:00.000-04:00

Roxanne Hale is a gorgeous blonde California girl. She wasn't always a Cali girl. She's originally from Texas, went to college in Massachusetts and lived in NYC for quite a while. This is where I met her. She was part of my success team. A huge part. She definitely added a sense of humor to our meetings and was always optimistic. I still remember her big, long, bright, orange winter coat. It was down filled and very puffy. She really hated East Coast winters. Roxanne is the one who turned me on to blogging. In fact, she's not only suggested that I start my own blog, but, she taught me how to go about doing just that. Ms Hale is also an accomplished musician with a very sexy, sultry voice. Tom & I hung out with her & her cool hubby Owen from time to time. We had a blast with them & their friends one Thanksgiving (See Nov. 2004 for pics). Owen loved to surf. He would brave freezing waters and hop on his board in Long Beach, NY in the dead of winter. We were not surprised when they decided to move to sunny southern Cali almost 2 years back. Owen is still surfing and Roxanne has taken up mountain biking. They bought a house, so they are definitely there to stay. And Roxanne is still making music. One of her songs was just featured in an episode of The Black Donnelly's. Tom & I listened to it tonight. It's awesome. She has the most amazing voice. Click on scene 4. Look for the girl (butt girl) dancing towards the end of the sequence.Way to go Roxanne!!

National Garlic Day

2007-04-17T23:13:00.000-04:00

Thursday April 19th is National Garlic Day. Yup, there's a day to celebrate just about everything. Someone forwarded me the following history of the event and a recipe. April 19th is also my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!! Enjoy your day.

APRIL 19^th MARKS NATIONAL GARLIC DAY

Enjoy a Few Cloves a Day To Add Flavor To Your Meals

GILROY, Calif., April 16, 2007 — For thousands of years, garlic has held near mythical status. Egyptians worshipped garlic and folklore has touted garlic’s power in warding off vampires. And even today, garlic’s nutritional properties, from fighting colds to preventing cancer, coupled with the herb’s unique flavor, are helping to keep garlic in popular demand among home chefs everywhere. With all of these benefits packed into one single clove of the infamously-coined “stinking rose,” there’s even more of a reason to crack open a bulb of flavorful California-grown garlic on April 19th in celebration of National Garlic Day.

Flavoring Up Dishes

Today, Americans consume more than 250 million pounds of garlic annually to add flavor to many meat, poultry and seafood dishes. Consumers are also calling for more of the herb at their favorite restaurants across the United States, as evidenced by Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2006 survey, where 21 percent of respondents indicated that they’d like to see more garlic dishes on the menu. In fact, garlic was the second most requested ingredient/menu choice after “healthy” items. Garlic even stands alone as the primary ingredient in new “adventurous” food items including garlic ice cream and garlic jellybeans.

Keeping You Healthy

It addition to garlic’s flavor, research has shown that it can help keep you healthy. According to Tufts University, researchers in Italy found that both onion and garlic were linked to significant reductions in certain cancers. Those consuming the most garlic showed a 25 to 88 percent reduced risk, depending on the type of cancer, compared to those eating less. Studies have also found that daily garlic consumption can reduce the risk of catching a cold by half. And garlic has been found to be effective in treating the "superbug," a germ that usual antibiotics won't kill.

Heading to the Garlic Mecca

For those of you wanting to celebrate “National Garlic Day” all year round, head to Gilroy, Calif., the garlic capital of the world and home to one of the largest garlic growers, Christopher Ranch. While there, make sure to stop by Garlic World, where you’ll find a large selection of signature foods and novelties from garlicky olives to garlic pistachios: http://www.garlicworld.com/. And, make sure to mark your calendars for the 29^th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, July 27-29: http://www.gilroygarlicfestival.com/. More than three million have made the pilgrimage to Gilroy to attend the world-famous event, co-founded by Christopher Ranch. With, on average, more than two tons of fresh California-grown garlic — courtesy of Christopher Ranch — used each year to prepare beef, pasta and seafood dishes, not to mention 750,000 garlic fries, this three-day event is bound to appease every garlic connoisseur’s palate.

Recipe For Garlic Artichoke Dip

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts – drained, finely chopped

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1 small can chopped green chile peppers

4 cloves of fresh California-grown garlic – crushed

Mix all ingredients in bowl, spoon into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350°. Serve warm or cold on crackers or bread.

For other flavorful and fresh California-grown garlic recipes, please visit http://www.christopherranch.com/recipes.htm.

About Christopher Ranch

Established in 1956, Christopher Ranch grows, packs and ships more than 60 million pounds of fresh California-grown garlic each year for retailers and foodservice while continuously improving farming, food safety and good agricultural practices. The Ranch, owned and run by the Christopher Family for more than 50 years, has grown into a major international agribusiness with 600 employees year-round and a seasonal harvesting crew of 1,200 working its 4,000 plus acres of fresh garlic, bell peppers, shallots, Bing cherries, and sweet corn. Christopher Ranch is co-founder of the world famous Gilroy Garlic Festival that takes place July 27 through July 29, 2007. To learn more, please visit our Web site at http://www.christopherranch.com/.

Don't Mess With Mother Nature

2007-03-19T17:04:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday, it was almost 70 degrees here. The sun was o' so bright. We traded in our down filled coats and wool hats for flouncy dresses and funky sandals. And it seemed as though most New Yorkers were positively giddy. I was stuck in the dungeon like restaurant for a dirty double on the warmest of the warm days. Co workers pranced in after spending the day playing frisbee in Central Park or hanging out in the numerous outdoor cafes. Some even mentioned that they put away all of their winter clothes. "Be careful." I warned, "winter is not quite over yet." I was not trying to be a party pooper. I want spring here just as much as the next person, but come on! Anyone who has lived in the Northeast for more than 2 years should know better. We did get over 8 inches of snow on Friday.

The weather here is unpredictable and it's not just because of global warming ( although that has made it even more quirky). We all remember days, even weeks in March when it's been warm and the smell of spring is in the air. Flowers began to bloom, birds are chirping, people began their spring cleaning and then, sometimes overnight, the temperature drops 40 degrees and you awake to a foot of snow. Heck, it's happened in late April. A friend of mine claims that he remembers it snowing as late as June in upstate NY. I'm not too sure about that. It did snow in Port Charles in August, (when I was 12 years old) but, that was all because of the Ice Princess. And Luke & Laura did come in and save the day. OK.... back to reality. Is Mother Nature just cruel? I don't think so. Every once in a while she likes to remind everyone that she's still the boss. And these little glimpses of warm weather that she throws our way is too show us the light at the end of the very dreary, dark grey tunnel we call winter in New York. So, who knows when the nice weather will truly arrive. In the meantime time, I'm heading south to Nashville for an interior redesign conference. It will be a balmy 68 degrees the entire time I'm there. Thank goodness for inexpensive air travel.

De Do Do Do, De Da DaDa

2007-03-12T08:23:00.000-04:00

Tom and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversay yesterday. Well, we started celebrating Saturday night. Can you believe it's already been a year since the wedding? Time flies. Jes & her hubby Jon came to NYC for the weekend. We met them at a bar in Little Italy for a drink then headed to a cute tavern in the West Village for dinner, where we met up with friends Mary & Eric. The food and company were good. Jes brought Mary and I some of her gorgeous handmade jewelry. I now have four Jes Berry one of a kind necklaces. I already have my eye on another and may ask Tom to get it for my birthday. After dinner we went to a fancy cigar bar, one of the few places left in NYC that allows public smoking. Jes and I had the most amazing Bellini's made with lots of fresh peach nectar. Yum. And of course we all smoked a stogie. Our boys, who were meeting for the first time, really seemed to hit it off. We are going to visit Jes & Jon in July for a Maine nature adventure.

Sunday, Tom & I decided to just have a chill day. We slept in, went out for breakfast, and lounged around. Tom got lots of goodies for our evening celebration; goose liver mousse, caviar with blinis & all the trimmings, aged Reggiano cheese, pink champagne and chocolate truffles for dessert. Wow! I felt spoiled. The first anniversary is paper so I got Tom tickets to see The Police at Giants Stadium in August. Actually our friend Paul Raff got the tickets for us. We're going to tailgate before the show. I haven't been to a tailgate party since my college years. It should be lots of fun.

Hello Again, Hello

2007-02-08T17:38:00.000-05:00

I do not rock half as much as Hope Wallace does. She is the one who got this site up and running again after Blogger switched to the new and improved version. The new version was not improved. In fact, many of us couldn't post for months. I wrote support so many times that I lost count. I began logging on to message boards chatting with other bloggers in distress. Thanks Hope! Oh Queen of Rockness. Did I mention that her store Paper Relics received a fabulous write up from Daily Candy? Check it out. Hope is hot!!

So much has happened that I thought I just give a quick review starting with my southern Christmas.
Tom & I drove over 7 hours to Richmond, Virginia the Saturday before Xmas. Tom was behind the wheel the entire time and boy, was he grumpy. We had a wonderful dinner with his parents, sister and her man Justin and Kyle. Missing were his sis Gina, hubby Steve and our nephew Jackson. They were stranded in blizzardy Colorado. Xmas Eve as full of shopping, wrapping, cookie making and cramming in as much time with Kyle before he headed back to Virginia Beach. Our formerly stranded family members arrived after 10pm. We scared the Bjesus out of little Jax with our excitement of his presence. Loads of gifts were opened. Champagne flowed as did Tom & Jerry's (family tradition egg nog like drink). Xmas morning we all jumped in Gina and Steve's bed, playing with Jackson, waiting for HoHo to arrive. Ho Ho was very generous! Tom and I got a trip (to Costa Rica) which we'll be taking at the end of the year. Bill (Tom's dad) made an amazing breakfast. A frittata like sausage & cheese combo that was yummy. We packed up our car and drove 5 hours down to North Carolina to see my mom and sis. We arrived in time to drink wine, eat stuffed mushrooms, pickled everything, and lasagna. We played with Bobby (nephew) and baby Gabriella (mom's friend's child). She did the best Cookie Monster impersonation that we ever did see. The day after Xmas we went to lots of furniture stores, ate, and chilled. We were up early the next morning and hit the road and drove mucho, mucho, hours back to NYC. Are you thinking that we were totally high to do all that traveling in 5 days? Yup, so were we. We now realize how crazy it all was and probably will not ever do that again, unless we have about 2 weeks to play with.

Back in NYC preparations were being made for Karen, Gina & Steve's (Tom's sisters & bro-in-law) visit with us. We have never had 5 people stay overnight before in our 1 bedroom apartment. It was fine. Worked pretty well. We ate lots of pizza, visited Ground Zero, shops, had a good French meal, went to Astoria for authentic Greek pastries and Ouzo. OOOHPA!! The pastry place made the wedding cake that was featured in "MY BIG, FAT, GREEK WEDDING". We threw a New Year's Eve dinner party. I made an antipasto, gravy for cavatelli, meatballs & sausage. Cooking is a breeze when you have people slicing, dicing and grating your garlic, onions and cheese. Tom took everyone out for the afternoon so that I could set the dining table all fancy and decorate for the festivities. What a blast! We ate loads, champagne flowed, cigars were smoked and games were played. Girls against the boys (80's trivia & SNL Trivial Pursuit) and we kicked their butt! Hangovers were had by all. New Year's Day was officially slug day. We stayed in our pj's, ate leftovers & lentils and watched movies.

Since then it's been all about keeping warm (man, it is brutally cold) and working on lots of projects. Stuff for Heart of Gold, gathering content for my design/organizing business website, getting this site up and running again, and catching up on lots of movies. Pan's Labyrinth was the best we've seen so far. I'm going to Nashville in March for a conference. I'm excited about visiting Music City! We're headed to Costa Rica in May with friends. Yup, we're going twice this year. Checking out all different areas and going on some real estate tours. And taking an excursion to Nicaragua. Our Costa Rican bathroom is finally done! It looks so funky! We still have to take some after pictures and then I'll share the results with you all. All in all I'm psyched about 2007! It's going to be a year filled with adventure, changes and progress.

Dawn Rocks!

2007-01-11T14:15:00.001-05:00

She does.

Nigella Rocks

2006-12-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

Tom & I decided to head to RI to see some of my extended family recently. We will not being spending Xmas in New England this year. We're heading South. Our time will be divided between Richmond, Virginia with Tom's family and Charlotte, North Carolina with my mom & sis, new Southern bells. It will be the first time in my thirty-five years that I will not be with my entire family celebrating the feast of the seven fishes. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Xmas Eve last year was so much work and not very fun, but it's all I know. The thought of being in my grandparents basement eating and partying without Poppa just doesn't seem right. I guess there's no time like the present to try something new and different.

Walking into my grandparent's house and not seeing Poppa was so strange. He was the first person you'd see when you opened their front door. He'd be sitting in his chair in the "breeze way" (TV room) watching the Food Network, QVC, or his beloved NY Giants. His head would pop around the minute someone entered and his face would light up if it was a grandchild or a great grand baby.

My grandmother is doing surprisingly well. She becoming a bit more independent. She took Tom for hot wieners when we arrived on Saturday. How does one describe hot wieners? Well, they are only available in RI because they do not pass the health regulations of any other state. Sad but true. They seem like regular hot dogs but it's the toppings that set them apart. A special mystery meat is place on top along with chopped onions and mustard. They are usually made by some big, sweaty, hairy guy who will line at least six of them up on the inside of his forearm and add all the fixings. Yum.... maybe the sweat from his arms adds to their flavor. It's important to state that if you eat a hot wiener you will be burping them up for days. And do not eat them in your car!! The smell seeps into your interior and you'll have to have the car reconditioned to get the stench out. Again - sad but true. But they do taste great. And once you've had one you do develop strange cravings for them.

Our trip to RI also included visiting all of my cousins babies. All are too cute. A bit of shopping and the Olive Garden. I know, I know. You're all shocked that I, a real Italian, would set foot into such an establishment. Let me say in my defense that it was not my idea and I really didn't enjoy it. We wanted to take my grandmother out to lunch and decided to let her choose the place. I was a bit surprised by her choice, but happy that she wanted to venture out of her normal routine and try a new place. Next time we visit we'll try to take her Federal Hill, RI's Little Italy, for some authentic cuisine.

Tom & I were watching the Food Network one of the nights we were there and fell in love with Nigella's show. Tom thought it was lit and shot so beautifully. I loved how it takes place in her home, not some studio. And she has a warm, relaxed quality about her. I totally felt like I was one of her pals watching her cook up a feast. And all of her recipes looked amazing. She even made a version of Shepherd's Pie that looked great. And I absolutely hate Shepherd's Pie because I'm not a fan of corn, mashed potatoes or plain ground beef, but she added so much pizazz to her version. I can't wait to check it out.

Nigella's Rudolph Pie (Shepherd's Pie)

Cook's Note: This is one of those simple-hearted, down home kind of dishes that in fact is quite fiddly. Nothings difficult, but there are quite a few steps. But that's often the way with food that you can simply reheat when you need it: you have to put more hours in earlier. Often, especially at this time of year, it's worth it. I sometimes think that 1 hour's cooking alone, calmly and in advance, is so much more preferable than 15 minutes frenetic, last-minute activity when you're tired and have a roomful of people to entertain. I say this now, as a form of defence on my behalf, but also to warn you, however encouragingly, of the labour to come.
1 3/4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
4 onions
4 carrots
4 cloves of garlic
3 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced or quartered
2 1/4 pounds minced venison
2 1/4 pounds minced pork
2 tablespoons flour
2 (14-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup Marsala
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
9 pounds potatoes
3 1/4 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup full-fat milk
1 stick butter, melted, plus extra to dot on the top
Pinch freshly ground nutmegPour 2 cups of near-boiling water over the dried porcini mushrooms and leave to steep while you get on with the rest of the cooking. Peel the onions, carrots and garlic cloves and chop them; I use a food processor here, and do them in 2 batches of 2 each.

Pour the oil into a very large, thick-bottomed pan and when it's warm add the chopped onions, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, sprinkling in salt if the vegetables look as though they might burn.

Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, chop them coarsely and add them to the vegetable mixture along with the button mushrooms. After about 5 minutes, when the fresh mushrooms have cooked down a bit into the mixture, transfer the vegetables to a plate so that you can start cooking the meat. Add a little more oil to the pan then add the minced meats, breaking them up with a wooden fork or spatula. Stir for about 5 minutes until the rawness has left them a bit, add salt liberally, and then return the vegetable mixture to the pan. Stir in the flour and, still stirring, pour in the mushroom-soaking liquid, tomatoes, tomato paste, Marsala and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, cover partly with a lid and turn down the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently with some of the liquid evaporating and the flavours intensifying, for about an hour. Even longer wouldn't do it any harm providing the heat is very low.

Once cooked, taste for seasoning then remove from heat. If it helps you can cook the base in advance (either freezing it or leaving it in the fridge for a few days), which means that when you want to serve the pie, you have only to bother with the topping. Some people are happy to make a shepherd's pie in its entirety and then leaving it to be reheated, but I think that's only OK if you don't need to refrigerate it for days (it does something funny to the texture of the potatoes). An afternoon, even a longer stretch, in a cold wintry kitchen, though, is fine. An easier alternative might be to refrigerate the cooked base and leave the mashed potatoes and parsnips in a plastic wrapped bowl in a cold place in the kitchen for however long you need, bringing the two together just before they go into the oven.

Given the amount of potatoes stipulated, I suggest you hand people a peeler if you have any around who ask if there's anything they can do to help. Or use a potato ricer, which means you don't need to peel them. Either way, boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water until they are nearly tender and then add the parsnips which have been peeled and cut into chunks. Simmer until the potatoes and parsnips are cooked to easily mashable tenderness, but not to the point of disintegration, then drain them and let them dry slightly in the colander while you warm the milk and melt the butter in the heat of the pan that you cooked the potatoes in. Rice the potatoes and parsnips straight into this pan (or mash them) and then grate in some fresh nutmeg and add salt to taste.

Put the meat mixture into a large dish approximately 12 1/2 inches by 14 1/2 inches in size. Then dollop the potato mash on top, spreading with a spatula, taking care to seal the edges to prevent the meat below from bubbling up in the oven. Use a fork to draw lines over the top, then dot with butter and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce. If you're cooking this straight away, in other words when everything's still warm, about 10 minutes in a 425 degree F oven should be enough to make it piping hot and golden and crisp on top. If cooking from cold, about an hour in a 375 degree F oven should do it.

1st Before & After Project

2006-11-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

I've been hard at work on my very first before and after project for Heart of Gold. I took plain canvas tote bags and decorated them in different styles. The first was pretty simple, just used some fabric paint and ribbon. The second was a bit more difficult - well - much more difficult. I used gold burlap, leather, bamboo handles and accented it with gold buttons and studs. I had forgotten how much sewing leather sucks!!! Here's some pics the the final products. They're not up on Heart of Gold's website yet because they have to be photographed professionally. And you all know that my photography is not the least bit professional, but, hopefully you'll get some idea of what they look like.

Are you getting ready for turkey day? Tom & I decided to have a quiet dinner at home with just the two of us. I do not think we've ever done that before. I'm looking forward to not having any set schedule. Tom wants to find just the breast of a turkey and try deep frying it. I'm game. We'll make some traditional sides like stuffing, fresh cranberries and sweet potatoes, but we'll add some stuff from our food co-op. Kale, rutabaga, & turnips will also be on the menu. I've never cooked the latter two, so it will be interesting at the very least. If the recipes I find are amazing I'll share them with all of you. Eats lots and enjoy your Thanksgiving!!

Blue Hill

2006-11-06T13:23:00.000-05:00

I was sitting here reminiscing about a field trip my success team girls & I went on last weekend. We decided to hold our monthly meeting out of the city. We hopped on a Metro North train & headed to Westchester county. It was quite a treat escaping from the Manhattan for a day. The smell of autumn was definitely in the air. Robin, who lives up there, met us at the station and whisked us off to Blue Hill at Stone Barns for an amazing brunch. This place was incredible. We were greeted at the entrance by cows, chickens, hens and sheep while we made own way up the winding road to the large, old horse stables. Numerous green houses were aligned in a row with fresh herbs and veggies growing in them. We walked up to a beautiful stone quadrangle that featured the cafe, learning center, and the acclaimed restaurant. It was magnificent inside. Modern, contemporary country with a hint of Shaker style. The bar area featured a cozy fireplace with large, overstuffed leather chairs. It seemed to call out for one to sit in them with a glass of fine wine. The main dining room was a very grand converted barn. Hey.. we were really there for the food.

Brunch began with lots of choices; fresh tomato soup with creme fraise and caviar, mixed greens (picked that morning from their greenhouse) with pistachio crusted poached eggs, hand rolled cavatelli with herb tomato sauce, skate with broccoli drizzled with fresh pesto, homemade meatloaf. And let's not forget dessert - molten chocolate cake, poached pears with a meringue dressing....ummmm.. It all was to die for. I do wish that I had some pictures to share, but 3 of us forgot our cameras. Robin brought hers & we all posed in front of the fireplace only to realize that the batteries were dead. Don't feel too bad, it gives us another excuse to head out there again.

Here's a quick update on our bathroom makeover. The tiles & tub have been painted & resurfaced twice. It's a major improvement. The large hole was covered by Tom with such precision that I was amazed. It was quite a scene watching him cut through hundred year old plaster, cement & wood with his deafeningly loud circular saw. Sparks were flying everywhere. The new medicine cabinet was put up with ease, as was the new floor. And the tropical inspired vanity fit perfectly in our tiny space. The once hitch was the hand painted Mexican sink. Tom tried to pry the one that came with the vanity out, but was not successful. We both believe that it can be replaced but, decided to wait until after the holidays and hire a professional to do it. We learned some valuable things by doing the work ourselves. Removing a toilet is not that hard, though it is a stinky job. And basic plumbing (like hooking up our new sink) is also not too difficult if you have the right tools. I did it all on my own! I was very proud of myself.Tool Belt Diva watch out!!!

We still have to paint the walls & ceiling. And then the real fun begins - ACCESSORIZING!! That's my favorite part. Shopping for a new shower certain, wall hangings, rug and pretty towels that are only to be used by guests. A concept that Tom just doesn't understand. I have been taking pictures every step of the way and will post them once the room is complete.

Blog Pals Weekend

2006-10-23T17:18:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful weekend! My web pals Jes & Hope were here for a visit. Jes took her mom and good friend Judy to NYC for a Xmas gift. Our weekend began Friday night in the trendy Meat Packing District with Tom for cocktails. Too many cocktails. We started at a quiet wine lounge and then moved on to a more lively, swanky bar. We really had a great time, but should have quit after the third cosmo/margarita/girlie drink. Our hangovers did not deter us from getting up bright and early the next morning for flea market shopping. Jes and Hope snagged some fabulous goodies. I can't wait to see what new creations are made from their finds.

We walked all over the city and have aching feet to prove it. We checked out Chelsea and Chinatown and shopped all over Soho. Hope and I even hit Park Slope, Brooklyn to go to the indie shop Cog and Pearl and stumbled upon lots of interesting little shops. Of course, no trip to NYC would be complete without food. Mexican for lunch after flea market shopping, fabulous French brunch in Brooklyn, Peasant for a fine Italian Sunday dinner and a trip to the Cupcake Cafe. Now it's time to go back to work and back on a diet.

Generation Renovation - Not

2006-10-09T00:26:00.000-04:00

The bathroom renovation has begun. First, I must applaud all of you do-it-yourselfers who happily tear down and rebuild your homes. It's been a week and I'm already losing my mind. We've been scraping years of paint off of tiles getting them ready to be reglazed along with the tub. My building is prewar so you can imagine the multitude of layers on them. It's mostly been white paint, but I did find a lovely 70's seafoam green, followed by a powder pink that looked like the late 40's or early 50's. Underneath the self stick vinyl squares was the original tile floor, but it can not be salvaged. Layers of grime, mold & mildew and broken and missing pieces make it impossible. Saturday night Tom received quite a horrific surprise while tearing down the medicine cabinet. A massive hole in the wall that would have to be repaired. That along with the loss of his beloved Yankees was almost too much for him to bear. Today we headed to Lowes for some ideas.

I've always been a Home Depot girl, mostly because they are everywhere in NYC, but driving a bit out of the way to Lowes was worth it. That store rocks! Everything is very organized and easy to find. Knowledgeable employees helped us in every department. And the store is very clean. We did get everything we needed but spent more than we originally anticipated. Partly due to the pretty blue Mexican sink.

I do love the sink Tom brought back from his Playa Del Carmen trip, but it really made finding a bathroom cabinet difficult. We are extremely limited do to our bathroom's tight space. Most of the vanities that are inexpensive already come with the counter top and sink attached. Our options were to find just the cabinet and have the counter top custom made to fit our sink or find a cabinet that we absolutely loved and put the pretty blue sink in storage. Well, we do have expensive taste, so we bought an awesome piece and we will take it with us when we leave this apartment. It does have an under mount sink attached to black marble, but my man is determined to try and remove it and add ours. I'll let you know how it goes.

We spent last night regrouting the tiles (exciting I know) and planning the rest of the week's projects. We are in a bit of a time crunch because all of the tile and tub work will take place on Saturday. Hope is coming to stay with us the following weekend, and it would be nice if there's at least a sink in there for her to brush her teeth. And a mirror for her to look into instead of a big, gaping hole in the wall. My supreme nagging abilities have kicked into full gear in order to get this project done. Oh Poor Tom.

Felix Zito April 27, 1921- September 16, 2006

2006-09-22T03:06:00.000-04:00

This was a very sad week for me and my family. My grandfather passed away after battling lung cancer. Poppa was diagnosed about one month after my wedding day. It was very advanced & there was not much doctors could do for him. My grandfather fought valiantly, never losing his dignity, sense of humor or love for his family. Words can not express just what he meant to me and to all that loved him. He was truly a special man. Always loving, affectionate and patient. He was strong, yet vulnerable. Poppa was the calm in our family storm. The one person that you could always count on. He kept his promises. He kept laughing and eating ice cream. I'll never, ever, forget how his face lit up when I (or any of his grandkids) walked into the room. He was one of the best. My cousin Becky wrote the following eulogy for our dear Poppa.

Today is a day none of us thought would ever come. We are here to say goodbye to a man many of us thought was invincible. A caring and devoted husband of 62 years, a loving father and brother, and the best Poppa any grandchild or great grandchild could ever ask for.

It's hard to put into words what my Poppa meant to us. So, I would like to take this time, on behalf of my cousins to thank our Poppa for a few things.

Poppa, thank you for;

Raising our moms

For taking care of Momma

For all the ice cream, cake, candy, and cookies you snuck us

For fake champagne on New Year's Eve

For letting us style the few hairs on you head up like a troll doll

For changing flat tires

For eating what was left on our plates when we couldn't finish

For showing us a person can yell without ever separating their teeth

For teaching us how to play cards

For teaching us how to beat Momma at cards

For fixing anything and everything

For your patience

For your kindness

For your hugs and kisses

and most of all for loving us each so much that we all felt special

Poppa we all love you and will miss you so much. Our lives will never be the same without you, but we know that you will always watch out for us. We know you must have already received that medal that's "this big". You deserve it more than anyone else. We love you.

Heart of Gold

2006-09-15T11:01:00.000-04:00

My posts have been few & far between. But, I've been thinking of all of you often. Lots & lots is going on & I am a bit overwhelmed. Most of it is good & fabulous. The cookbook is coming along. I'm working on the stories with an editor. The book now has structure and the recipes flow with the stories. My goal is to have all the stories & rewrites done within a couple of weeks. The next step is hiring a food photographer, layout & jacket designer. Woo! It never ends. Every step of this book has taken longer than expected, but, I'm not deterred.

My business, Dawn Falcone Lifestyles is also coming along. My branding is in the final stages & soon will begin working on the website. I'm gathering info, resources, experience & once everything is ready, I'll push it big time.

And I've been asked to be a part of this. It is the project of a dear friend who knows me & my work well. A great group of women are involved in this & I'm totally honored to even be considered. Our big debut is tomorrow at the annual Kip's Bay Kid's Day event. We will be raffling off a bedroom makeover by yours truly called Room To Dream. I'm a bit nervous because I just received the press release & my name is in it!!! Wish me luck.

Fiesta Bathroom

2006-08-29T10:27:00.000-04:00

Tom and Kyle returned from Mexico safe and sound. They had a great time viewing Mayan ruins, scuba diving and just hanging out. Tom brought me back some goodies including this.
It's a hand painted ceramic sink. We decided that we are going to redo our bathroom.

We do rent our place so we've been avoiding a bathroom makeover. We are going to stay here at least a couple more years since our rent is low & it allows us to save money. The bathroom is the only room that we absolutely despise. We can scrub & scrub it but, it never really looks good. Our building is prewar and it has some lovely original features like moldings, hardwood floors with mahogany trim and even pretty glass door knobs. Our bathroom is also prewar with the original tiles which are crumbling and the bathtub isn't so great either. We are going to have someone resurface our bathtub and tiles. We'll paint it ourselves, put in a new floor and medicine cabinet and a new vanity. The pretty Mexican sink will be the centerpiece of that vanity and will inspire the rest of the decor. We would like it to be colorful with a slight tropical feel. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

In other news, while Tom was away on his Mexican vacation, I was in pretty Brookfield Connecticut for 5 days getting certified in this. It was hard work but well worth it. What a treat it was to spend almost all of my time using my creativity. And now I can offer these fab new services in my business.

If you find yourself with nothing to do this holiday weekend or the weather in your neck of the woods is less than perfect than check out this movie. It's the most entertaining one we've seen so far this year. It features a great ensemble cast including Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Alan Arkin and great new talent, too (the kids rock!). It's definitely quirky, fun, touching and laugh out loud funny.

Airport Drama

2006-08-13T11:48:00.000-04:00

I'm sure some of you out there had a heck of a time trying to fly the not so friendly skies this weekend. We also experienced some issues. Tom & Kyle have been planning a father & son week getaway all summer. They were going to Playa del Carmen Mexico (where we visited for our honeymoon) to scuba, visit ruins & bond. Both were very much looking forward to it. Kyle was scheduled to fly to NY from VA on Thursday. We all know what happened on that day - "Terror Plot diverted". So, poor Kyle was stranded at the airport for 8 hours, 4 of them on the runway, only to have his flight canceled. The cancellation was actually do to the monsoon like weather that hit NYC that evening. They put him on the 1st flight out the next morning due to arrive at 8am. Unfortunately, their flight to Mexico was leaving at 7am that same morning. And so the real drama begins.....

Tom spent most of Thursday evening on the computer & phone with the nice airline people (not) trying to figure out a way to get out of NY. They'd happily put him on another flight for $100 plus the difference in the ticket price - 1200 big ones! Well that was not an option. And I took Thursday night off from work to be with my boys & spent most of the evening cooking. I made my very first carbonara sauce, which was very good, but Tom was too aggravated to care. Damn you airlines!!! Tom headed to La Guardia at 4am to see what he could work out. They agreed to put him & Kyle on standby for Saturday, since they only had 2 flights on Friday & both were booked. All seemed well. One day late is not too terrible. They happily started their vacation in NYC. Is this the end of it? Nope, not even close.

Saturday their day began at 3am at La Guardia. As I was dreaming away, my boys were in standby hell. Three flights came & went without a seat for them. It seemed as though every single flight to Charlotte (airline's main hub & where they had to pick up connecting flight) was booked for the entire day. Do you think kind airline peeps realized this when they happily agreed to put them on standby? We'll never know. Thank goodness we only live 15 minutes from the airport because Tom came home to do some investigated. And he found that they were lots & lots of seats available on NY to Boston, then Boston to Philly, and then Philly to Cancun. Not the ideal way to get there, but they were desperate! And so they were finally off.....arriving in Mexico at 10pm. Better late than never. I'm sure they still had to deal with hotel drama since they arrived a day & 1/2 after their scheduled check-in time, but I do not know all of the gory details of that, yet.

I know that we are very fortunate to be able to fly & travel at all. And of course very fortunate to be alive and in the grand scheme of things the past three days are meaningless. I'm just a wee bit frustrated with big business as of late. I live in Queens & have been experiencing power problems (with Con-Ed ) for weeks. We, luckily did not lose our power but our voltage was lowered. Our lights are dim & AC is barely working & living on the 5th floor during a heatwave without AC is pretty sucky. And when I call I get the run around. One employee tells me everything is working perfectly & they've not received any complaints from my town (not true since I know 10 neighbors who called). Another tells me that they lowered the voltage slightly, not enough for anyone to even notice. And then there was the one honest employee (who was probably fired after our conversation) who admitted that the voltage was lower drastically. And of course AC's, microwaves, computers & such are not working. There's just not enough juice. "Con Ed has made a mess in Queens." he said, "And it's going to take a very long time to fix it. They've not updated some systems in 60 years!!" "Oh & by the way, he added, they'll probably raise your bill."

Hmmm... there's something to be said for honesty. I'm not saying that after that conversation I was not angry because I was, but, at least I didn't feel crazy! And I did feel a sense of empowerment. I had some knowledge & now I could take action - rally some neighbors, call some local representatives, contact local news stations. What ever happened to accountability? Where o' where has it gone? And why are companies (and government, too) no longer held responsible for their actions/mistakes/greed? How do we get back to a place where they realize that they work for us & this country is ours, too?!?

Revelation

2006-07-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

I was born and raised in suburbia Rhode Island. It's a good place to raise a family, I guess. I do remember even at an early age, thinking that there had to be more out there in the world. My family spent summers down at the beach. Those are some of my fondest memories. Fishing down at Galilee, watching the fisherman bringing in their daily catch, the smell of the ocean, sand between your toes. There's something about the ocean that grounds me & quiets my mind. Standing in from of it makes you realize that the world will keep turning with or without you. And that this planet which we inhabit is not ours for the taking. It's a gift. I always thought that I'd live on or near the ocean. Then I discovered NYC.

We went there on a field trip in 8th grade. The place blew my mind. The streets were so alive that the energy was contagious. Anything is possible & could be accomplished. It's where Madonna & Cyndi Lauper both got their starts - two of my idols at the time. I returned home & announced that I would be moving, someday, to the Big Apple. I did have to wait a while until that dream became a reality. But, I always knew that it would happen. And RI never really felt like the place that I belonged after that discovery.

I came to NYC to attend college at FIT. Those years were awesome. I had a cute little apartment that I shared with 3 other creative girls right on 27th Street. The school owned the entire block & had security on both ends. We lived in our own private oasis in the middle of the big city. We shopped for food in Chinatown & worked behind the scenes at all of the fashion shows dressing the super models. NYC students get fab discounts to all kinds of shows. We saw CATS for 5 bucks & watched the NYC ballet dancers sweep across the stage for a whopping 10 dollars. Class assignments included trips to museums and galleries. Life in NYC was a constant cultural trip, showing me the best that the world had to offer. College life is not reality.

I briefly returned to RI after graduating, but did not last long. I returned to NYC for good within a year. I was expecting the same flood of parties & exciting events that I partook in college, but that was not the case. Real life in the Big Apple was hard. I lived in a tiny, dirty apartment with 2 other girls. I found out first hand the true definition of a slum lord. Paying the rent and trying to make ends meet was not easy. It was a constant struggle. It took 2 solid years just to get settled. I still was not deterred. The city still held some kind of mystique. I truly did not want to live anywhere else. Fast forward almost ten years & I'm still here. I've met some amazing people (including my hubby) and have a good life. But, daily grind here is not easy. It's so crowded & the hustle & bustle grates on your nerves over time. Everyone we know here is working one job & focusing on their big dreams on the side. And we are always on the lookout for suspicious looking packages, situations, etc. The grey streets really can become so bleak. It's now a necessity to leave, even if just for a day, to escape to more serene grounds.

I recently went to visit Jes & Hope in Maine. I absolutely loved it there. I discovered quaint, artsy towns & larger seaport cities like Portland. Sitting on Jes & Jon's deck on the Plenty To Do Farm was so relaxing. I walked through her gardens & the smell of clean air and grass filling my lungs. And it was so peaceful. The sound of trees blowing in the wind, birds & bees whizzing by replaced the honking horns, car alarms & shouting of the city. And at some point on the very weekend I had a revelation. I'm truly not a big city girl! I love sitting out in the peace and quiet of nature. I miss grass! I want a garden to nurture and care for & a small window box is not filling that void!! And visiting wide open spaces from time to time is no longer enough!! I'm not going to be moving back to suburbia RI anytime soon. The burbs are so not for me. I can only last about 2 days before the dread of the close set houses & strip malls sets in. The suburbs always made me feel hopeless. But, I'm not sure that I truly love the Big Apple anymore. I took this news home to Tom.

I wish I could end this story by telling you that we bought 15 acres of land in the Catskills and we'll be spending most of our time there, commuting to the city a few times a week to make money. The reality is that we both have to be here. It's where we make our living. There's not a big calling for directors/producers up in the mountains. And I'm sure lifestyle designers are also not in huge demand. But, we have begun to do some research for small houses/cottages in Upstate NY, Pennsylvania & Delaware (anything within 2 hours from the city). A weekend retreat to detox from the daily grind that we face here. It may take quite a while to find what we are looking for but, just the fact that we are looking fills me with glee. And makes city life much more bearable. We're just searching for a little piece of heaven.

Lazy Summer

2006-07-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Sorry for the large time gap between posts. I've been a little caught up in the lazy days of summertime. Tom & I have been taking roads trips to Rhode Island & the Jersey shore. We've tasted lots of clam cakes & chowder. It hasn't all been fun in the sun. Some work was accomplished.

The cookbook recipes are done on my end. There are only a couple left sitting in the hands of some dear friends, waiting to be tested. I've been working on all of the stories & even began gathering old family photos for the book. My grandparents, mom, Tom & I really had a good time looking over a huge box of pics. We found everything from photos of Momma & Poppa on their wedding day, partying in Hawaii in the 70's, my mom & aunts in their Sunday hats in the early 60's & of course, all of us grandkids. My grandmother really was a babe in her younger years & Poppa was not too bad himself. Speaking of my family - it's ever growing. Twin boys were born on Sunday. Christopher & Matthew weighed in at just over a healthy 7lbs each!

CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS!!!!

2006-06-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

It's the Grand Opening of Jes' shop Junque Revival. Her jewelry is so original & gorgeous! She's having a contest & you could be the lucky winner of her one of kind designs. I have a necklace made by her & I receive loads of compliments whenever I wear it. Congrats Jes on your new shop!!

The Paper Princess is also having a giveaway. Take a look at what you could win! Ahhhh..Sometimes the best things in life are free!!!

Fly: Original Illustrated Noteflats

Lobster Maine-ia

2006-06-22T13:56:00.000-04:00

Oh Yea! Did I eat some lobster. Almost everyday. It all began at the landmark DeMillio's for lunch. I wanted to try a lobster roll Maine style. I was presented with the choice of having it on a toasted hotdog roll or a croissant. I pondered this decision for a brief moment. Croissants are so buttery & crisp, my mouth watered a bit just thinking about it. I chose the plain hotdog roll instead, because I didn't want anything to take away from or compete with the flavor the of lobster. When it arrived my face must have lit up because Hope wanted to snap a picture. I was not disappointed at all. My roll was overloaded with large chunks of the freshest lobster in the universe. It was not smothered in mayo, instead, the mayo was barely there, just enough to keep it all together & add a touch of moisture. Hmmm.........OH, and the French fries rocked, too! Hope & I decided after testing them in several different places over the course of our stay, that Maine makes the best fried taters ever. It seemed as though they were dusted with a special batter & maybe even double fried.

I did have another lobster roll the last day of the trip at this funky little place in Old Towne, Portland. This roll was a bit more sophisicated than the first. It was made with chopped fennel & was served on fancy bread. It was absolutely divine!!

My favorite lobster meal was served at Jes & Jon's home. What a grand dinner we had! It began with a loaf of olive bread & a fresh baked rosemary variety dipped in herb olive oil (made by Jes' best friend Judy). The main course was a buffet that consisted of pork tenderloin that Jon had marinated for many hours, seared on high heat & than slow cooked on the grill. It was pure perfection! Hope's childhood favorite zucchini bake was a big hit. It was loaded with cheese and flavored breadcrumbs. Hope was so thrilled that Jes made it for her. The highlight of the dinner was of course, whole Maine lobsters & steamers accompanied by fresh corn on the cob & cilantro butter. We tried many different white wines as well, too many to count. We stuffed ourselves so much that we did not leave room for dessert, strawberry rhubarb pie. That's OK because we had it the next morning for breakfast.

I must admit that I had never tried rhubarb before. I've seen it at farmer's markets, but never thought of using it. Jes has it growing right in her yard. Just knowing someone who cooks with it make it seem less scary. It was delicious, I even had rhubarb lemonade right before heading back home. The next time I see it I'll pick up a bunch & bake some pies. The food in Maine was great!! I can't wait to go back & test out some more lobster rolls.

Maine Trip

2006-06-17T12:10:00.000-04:00

Lovely & Amazing.

That pretty much sums up my trip to Maine. It began on Friday bright & early in the mornin'. Jes met me at the airport & we waited together in anticipation for Hope's plane to arrive. Once the 3 of us New England gals were together all seemed right. We headed to downtown Portland for some thrift store shopping. And then visited Old Town, Portland (the waterfront), which kind of reminded me of Newport, RI except it was about 4 times the size & much, much funkier. The shops, cafes, & restaurants were so much fun. I do not think we even began to tap in to all there was to see. That area is a trip in itself. We went to 1 craft store that featured lots of artists from all over the place, & we recognized so many of them from the blogging world. Hope left her card for the owner (who wasn't there at the time) & she received an email from her within a day. Apparently the chick who runs the shop is a big fan of Paper Relics & she wants to carry Hope's creations!! And Jes walked around wearing her gorgeous necklaces & shop owners took notice. She'll be carried in some cool local stores soon. We lunched at an area landmark, DeMillio's, a large cruise ship permanently docked in Old Town. I had a fab lobster roll. More detail about the food later. After a long day of shopping, chatting & laughing it was time to head to Jes' house to meet her family; Dogs-Dakota & Rudy, cat-Weezie (who made Hope & I very sneezie) & of course, the one & only Big Daddy.

Jes live on 17 acres of beautiful land in the an adorable old farmhouse. Her regular readers have seen pictures of the Plenty To Do Farm & it's lovely gardens. It was kind of surreal to see it all in person. I felt instantly at home. And I must give props to Big Daddy. He put up with us for 4 entire days. We can be very giddy, chatty Kathies when we are all together & he didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he was so warm & sweet & invited us back anytime.

On our second day we headed to 2 adorable towns close by to Jes' home. Hope & I, both Aries, received gift certificates for Maine stores from Jes for our B-Days. Hope's was from a cool paper store in Wicasset (prettiest town in Maine) & mine was from a funky home/garden store called Brambles. I was truly impressed with the variety of shops, galleries, antiques, etc. I didn't realize that Maine had such a thriving artistic community. Each & every store had it's own special feel. They were designed with such attention to detail, each more interesting than the next. We finished our day by having a lobster bake back at Plenty To Do Farm with some of Jon & Jes' friends & family. We instantly all took to one another, which was so nice. A great time was had by all.

The third day was perhaps my favorite. We had lots of big plans, but we awoke & saw that it was raining again (over 2 weeks straight in N.E.), so we scratched them & decided to stay home. What fun we had! The three of us went up to Jes' craft room & made jewelry together. She has the most amazing craft room ever! The walls are the prettiest shade of blue & the floors are off white with delicate hand painted flowers scattered throughout. There was magic in the air as we all sat close, sharing paint, ribbon, brushes & words of encouragement. And it was cool to see how we all came up with such different designs. I'll cherish our crafting time together always! We than filled the rest of our day with computer lessons from Hope, nap time, & even a power walk. Yes, the sun did finally come out later that afternoon. To walk by trees, wild flowers, farm houses & cottages while smelling nothing but green grass, the wet earth - nature, was priceless. It sure beats the smell of car fumes that I'm used to here in the Big Apple.

We did so much in four days that it's hard to write it all down. The above is just a small sample. What I loved must about the trip was spending time with 2 wonderful, strong, intelligent, talented & kind-hearted women. We could have stayed at the farm the entire time, never venturing out & we still would have laughed & treasured this trip just as much. It's so very rare to connect with people on a deep level. We have only met in person once before & yet, it's as if we've been old friends forever. There's just such a comfort, ease & flow between us. And to think that we all met through the blogging world is kind of mind boggling. I'm very fortunate to have both of them in my life.

Jes is so very alive. She has this free spirit quality about her, yet she's very grounded. She's earthy, but has a bit of city hip, too. She's very honest, which I love. And she's such an amazing painter, gardener & artist. I felt inspired walking through her garden, sitting in her craft room, heck, even her downstairs bathroom, which she painted herself, got my creative juices flowing. Every time I wear the necklace she made for me, someone stops to ask wear I got it. Thank you Jes & Jon for welcoming me into your lovely home with open arms. Just thinking about Plenty To Do Farm makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside.

Hope is truly one of the kindest people I ever met. She just exudes warmth & generosity. She believes in people & wants to see those that she loves succeed & will help them in any way that she can. OMG & is she patient. Especially with me, the computer dummy. She has an artist style that is all her own. When you see a Hope Wallace collage, you instantly recognize it. And what an creative eye she has. Hope took lots of pictures on our trip & she truly is an amazing photographer. The way that she sees things, even a simple can of paint brushes, left me speechless. Thank you Hope for our late night girlie chats. You make me feel as if I can do/accomplish anything & that's what friends are for.

I personally had some revelations on this trip. There were moments where I just kind of sat back, watching Jes & Hope interact, almost feeling like I was viewing them from above. Is that an outer body experience? I haven't gone off the deep end, I swear. I was just reflecting a lot about my life, where I am & where I want to be. Discoveries were made & I shared them with Tom. I promise I'll share them with you soon. And I'll also share my Maine food experience, too. That deserves it's very own post.

Maine Here I Come

2006-06-08T01:03:00.000-04:00

The lovely Sweetpea has invited Hope & I to her farmhouse in Maine. We've been planning the trip for some time, counting down the days. And now it is upon us, or at least it will be bright & early this Friday. We have so many wonderful things planned. Shopping in Portland, visiting area flea markets & antique shops, meeting Jes' family & friends, a computer lesson from Hope, a day of crafting & eating lots and lots of lobster.

It's been years since I've been to Maine, 10 at the very least. I went only once on a camping trip with my old beau, a friend & her man. We were there to go white water rafting, but I can not remember the name of the river. I wasn't too fond of being jolted about & splashed upon. And those wet suits are ridiculous! My favorite part of that trip was when we got out of the rafts because we had reached calmer waters & tried kayaking. That felt much more natural to me. I lost touch with "a friend", Stephanie, about 8 years ago, but recently received an email from her after she saw my wedding photo in the local RI paper. We are going to reconnect once I get back from Jes'.

Spending time with my fellow bloggers who I now consider dear friends is priceless. Jet Blue now flies direct from JFK to Portland - also priceless. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them here next week. Have a great weekend!!!!!

Trader Joe's

2006-05-30T16:09:00.001-04:00

I've been hearing all the type for years. Friend's would rent cars just to drive to Jersey and buy cases of their wine. I've been to parties & inquired about a dish only to be told it came already prepared from them. Well, they opened a NYC store a couple of months ago & I finally decided to check it out. I went around 7pm & did not have to wait in line just to enter the store (amazing feat, apparently). OK. I was very impressed. Their prices are excellent. They have a wide variety fresh foods, prepared, cheeses, cereals, frozen goods & treats. And their sales associate's are quite pleasant. Which is unbelieveable, considering that the place is mobbed all day long, & they can not keep the shelves stocked no matter how hard they try. I made out like a bandit! My paper bag was full & the total cost was $31. Everything I purchased was organic, including the cereal, salsa, tortilla chips, coffee, peanut butter, edaname, snap peas, & so on & so on.

I couldn't wait to show Tom all of my finds the minute he walked in the door from work. I do not reccommend this, because you probably will not get the enthusiastic response you are looking for. He came around an hour later while munching on soy & flax tortilla chips dipped in spicy pico de gallo. Now we are going to plan our own trip to Jersey. We'll go on a day trip to Trader Joe's & Costco. I have a feeling this is not exactly what my man had in mind when he mentioned little summer gataways in our grandma mobile.

Recipe Update

2006-05-23T01:06:00.001-04:00

I've been a cooking bee-ah-ch. The crust of the cheesecake finally worked. It did not stick to the pie plate or turn into a pile of crumbs. And the cheesecake itself was so fabulous that I licked the electric mixer arms clean... and the wooden spoon... and the spatula.

I also completed 2 more recipes. Baked scrod & broccoli & rice casserole. What does that mean? There is only one more recipe left for me to test. And it just so happens to be a sweet. That seems quite fitting, to end with a sweet treat. The recipe is ricotta egg biscuits. I have never made them myself or even witnessed my grandmother bake them. Usually these simple facts would stress me out, but, my Aunt Maria has perfected Momma's recipe. And so far, every recipe she's passed along to me has worked just beautifully. I'll be in RI next weekend, get a copy of the how to & bake them up right away. I want to be done with cooking as of June 1st. And to all of my recipe testers out there - I have more recipes to pass along. Give a holler if you are up for more cooking/baking.

Ode To Recipe Testers

2006-05-09T12:55:00.000-04:00

The past week was filled with lots of busy recipe tester bees. Family & dear friends who have offered to cook, bake, find mistakes & offer feedback on dishes that will be featured in my cookbook. The results are in. Nine recipes were tested.

-3 were perfect, no typos, easy to follow & great tasting.

-5 tasted great, were easy to follow, but needed just a bit of tweaking in the directions.

-1....well, it just did not work (sorry Alex). Not to worry, I remade it last night, added the adjustments & it's ready to be tasted & tested again.

Things are truly moving along. Tonight I'll be making cheesecake, hopefully for the very last time, and will pass it along to one of my helpers.

Ode To Recipe Testers

O' they truly are brave souls

helping out a pal in need.

Willing to cook & bake for me to reach my goals

sorting through all the typos, they must have question my abilities in deed.

There were the pepper biscuits that made Eric sneeze

poor Alex was sent on a hunt for smelts to no avail.

Marinated mushrooms were so spicy Jenn & Paul were brought to their knees

the gravy recipe Kim made was so overloaded with onions, one taste & she was pale.

But, never did any of them complain

they reported back to me positively & with love.

It was because of them that I have been able to sustain

push aside feelings of self doubt & rise above.

Yes, there were some victories & moments of glee

Hope & Mike learned to bake magic bars & even make a pasta dish.

Kathleen easily conquered almond biscotti, amaretto was the key

KK's favorite peanut butter blossoms turned out delish!

I extend a huge THANK YOU to all

my recipe testers from both far & near.

With your helping hands it looks like the cookbook will be ready come this fall

and I look forward to sharing the joy of it's completion with all of you, whom I hold so dear.

Bloggers for Darfur

2006-04-29T03:18:00.000-04:00

The blogging community has banded together to let their voices be heard on the issue of genocide in Darfur. There are rallies & events going on all over the country to raise awareness on Sunday April 30th. Go here to see if there's one in your town. There are plenty of other ways of getting your message across. Send Bush an email, look up 10 actions you can take right now &/or go visit this site for more info. Genocide is not a political issue. It's a human one. Every voice can make a difference.

Happy B-Day Poppa

2006-04-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

Today, April 27th, is a very important day. Felix Zito a.k.a. Poppa, was born 85 years ago. Now, I do not mention all of the births, anniversaries, & B-Days of my family members on this site, because there's just so darn many of us. But, this is a milestone indeed. Poppa was the reason, in a round about way, that the family cookbook idea started & eventually ballooned into this. After putting up with the family chaos & drama for so many years, he deserves some kind of a medal. Or at the very least, some praise here.

My family took him out to dinner on Sunday to celebrate. I heard he ate like a champ! His favorite thing to do. I spoke with him today & his spirits were good. I asked how he felt & he replied "I'm 85 today. I feel like an old bastard!" See, after all this time Poppa still has his sense of humor intact. Happy B-Day Poppa! We love you!!

Herb Crusted Salmon Recipe

2006-04-25T17:00:00.000-04:00

Tom made this recipe for my B-Day dinner a few weeks a go. He found it online. It was so light, tender and flaky. We mentioned to each other that this dish would taste great if it were grilled. We do not have access to a BBQ, a huge drawback of living in the Big Apple, but, tis the seasons for the rest of you. Let us know how it turns out.

INGREDIENTS
vegetable oil spray
1/2 lb boneless salmon filets about 1 inch thick (wild salmon preferred)
1/2 lime
2 TBLS white wine
1 tsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp paprika

Make a tray out of a doubled-length of heavy- duty foil large enough for the salmon filet, by folding a long piece in half & folding up all 4 sides, with dull side up. The shiny side reflects, so you want it down so it doesn't burn the food. Spray the entire inside of the foil tray with cooking spray.

Place salmon filet on foil tray skin side down. Squeeze lime juice over top & sprinkle with white wine. Spread top of salmon with butter.

In small bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients except the paprika. Spread mixture evenly over the top of the salmon. Sprinkle the top with paprika.

If using a grill preheat to high. Place the foil tray on hot grill. Cook in a cover grilled for 10 minutes per inch of thickness of filet. Do not overcook. Salmon is done when it turns light pink throughout & feels firm when pressed gently with back of a fork.

If using an oven, preheat to 475 degrees. Place foil try on baking sheet & cook for 15 minutes or until light pink color is achieved.

Garnish with lime slices. This method works best with thick filets.
Yield: 2 servings

5 Things

2006-04-18T11:04:00.000-04:00

The lovely Kathleen tagged me to answer these 5 questions. Please go & check out her site to see where she & hubby start their day. Lucky Duckies!!!

Speaking of lucky - yesterday was tax day (nope, nothing lucky about that). I was at the post office to send mucho deniro to the IRS & NY State & feeling pretty bummed. Well, not for long because 2 packages were waiting there for me. Kathleen & Leslie sent me B-Day treats. It was about 10 days ago & I didn't want to make a fuss about it, but my girls did! Boy, did they spoil me; pretty notecards, chocolate bars & a retro creative journal kit from the Paper Princess herself. Ms. Liquid Sky Arts sent handmade jewelry, stationary, pretty paper flowers & some baby chick-a-dees all wrapped up so gloriously. Thank you my California girls! You truly know how to make a girl feel special. And it could not have come at a better time!!

5 MINUTES TO YOURSELF - I'd grab a cup of green tea & spend it on the computer surfing the net or checking emails.

5 BUCKS TO SPEND RIGHT NOW, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT? I'd buy a craft or home improvement/decorating magazine.

5 ITEMS IN YOUR HOUSE YOU COULD PART WITH RIGHT NOW, THAT YOU HADN'T THOUGHT OF ALREADY? Hmmm. This is a tough one, since I'm an organizer, I tend to purge often. I had to walk through my place a few times to find some stuff. All of the wax, wicks, etc that my man bought me one Xmas for candle making. I took a class & it wasn't really for me (sorry hon). Some old videos that I do not watch anymore like - "What About Bob" & "Beauty & the Beast". Funky plastic margarita glasses that I've been saving in case we have another Margarita Sunday Party. The huge sombrero that I'm saving for the same purpose. Old home magazines.

5 ITEMS YOU ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT PART WITH IN YOUR HOUSE. I had a much easier time with this. My computer; cookbook binder that has all of the recipes from my family, notes, stories, etc; Portrait that Tom draw of me. There are several copies out there, but, I have the original; Photo albums; Asian cast iron teapot.

5 Words You Love
Amazing
Sure - I use it constantly when working in the restaurant, but not ever in my "real" life.
Poopy - I know it's bad, but Tom & I say it all the time; "Why are you poopy today? Do not be so poopy."
80's Style - Kyle(Tom's son) taught me this & I love it.
Sweetie - My nickname for Tom. It's pretty funny when we are arguing & I'm yelling & calling him sweetie.

New Attitude

2006-04-11T14:18:00.000-04:00

The honeymoon did us wonders. Not only did we came back relaxed, recharged & rearing to go. We also had some realizations. We definitely need to get out the city more often, even if just for a weekend. Our lives are so fast paced, stress, anxiety filled, that it all seems normal until we leave. NYC fight or flight mentality is bad for our health & we need to give our bodies & minds a break from it on a regular basis.

I had some major realizations of my own. One is that I do tend to over extend myself & then it takes forever to finish projects that are started. My focus has been resifted to finishing the gosh darn cookbook once & for all. I'm so ready to be done with it. It needs to be completed for all of you, family, friends & for myself, so that I can focus on other dreams.

I also came to the conclusion that although working with the acclaimed interior designer( see February 2nd post) may have been a good opportunity, it really wasn't the direction I wanted to take in my life. I would have to devote most, if not all of my free time to building a client base, learning, working for her, building her business, etc. The cookbook would have taken a permanent back seat. And truth be told, I really am working so hard to develop my own lifestyle company (cookbook, organizing, decorating, etc) so that I can be my own boss. And make my own hours/schedule and all of the perks that go with that. Now I feel much more clear about where I'm going. It's amazing what some free time sitting in front of the ocean will do to your head. Things suddenly become clear. You will probably notice the difference a bit, since this site will begin talking more & more about recipes & family stories again.

The Honeymoon

2006-03-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... I'm so relaxed. And refreshed. 11 days in sunny Mexico did the trick. We spent 7 of them in a very luxurious all inclusive resort. Now, Tom & I are not really into resorts, usually, but, I must admit that this time, it was exactly what we needed. This place rocked! The grounds were just beautiful; pools with swim up bars, miles of beach, flowers & palm trees everywhere. Our room had a very romantic mahogany canopy bed with a 4 person jacuzzi just steps away. Our balcony faced the lush gardens. There were lots of daily activities like cenote tours, sports, cooking & dance classes & my fav - the craft tent. We did make use of the spa by getting moonlight massages for two. OK, I did get a second massage while Tom was out scuba diving just to insure that all the wedding stress was gone for good. Now I must share with you the very best part of the El Dorado Royale resort - THE FOOD!!

You know that Tom & I are real foodies. We do tend to choose our vacation spots based on the culinary delights of the region. We were not disappointed in the Yucatan. We had 8 restaurants to choose from at the resort, plus room service & we tested them all out. Every night was something different & delicious. Asian with the freshest sushi & Peking duck; The Seafood Grille with yummy tartars, grilled tuna & Dorado; Fondue with Swiss, Monterey jack cheese, white wine & herbs accompanied by loads of seafood, veggies & garlic bread for dipping; Authentic Mexican with tradition lime soup, enhiladas & tacos. The breakfast buffet was almost overwhelming with all of it's choices. Even the Pizza Grille by the pool was high quality. Our favorite was their Italian restaurant. We were truly impressed with their homemade pastas, white truffle risotto, even their arugula salad was outstanding. And also up there was our 5 course lobster dinner on the beach. Each table was set into a private cabana & all aglow. It was very soothing to dine with the sound of the ocean off in the distance.

We did have dessert every single night!! Chocolate fondue, pistachio pie, frangelico mousse cake, creamy tarts, flan, you name - we tried it. And we each have the extra pounds to prove it (I've got 8 of them!). Oh, there was a health bar also that made fresh fruit smoothies & protein shakes. We did have them for breakfast a couple of mornings but, it didn't help curb the weight gain.

The remainder of our trip was spent in Playa DelCarmen, an up & coming area. It's on a beautiful beach & there's loads of shopping, bars, lounges, hotels, & restaurant all within walking distance. Again, we were absolutely delighted with all of the culinary choices offered. We honestly did not have even one mediocre meal. All were outstanding!! We ended all of our nights in Playa at the Tequila Barrel smoking Cubans & sipping high quality tequila. Well, Tom sipped the tequila. I'm not a fan unless it's in a mango or strawberry margarita. WHOOOO! By the way, although it seems as if all we did was eat on this trip (it was a big part), we did tour some Mayan ruins & visit an ecological park to swim with dolphins, and see some wonderful Mexican dance/music shows. We had a great time & guess what? We came back to gorgeous spring weather here in NYC!! What could be better than that?

Asian Night

Candlelight Beach Cabana

Carribean Lobster

Mayan Ruins - Tulum

Cenote

Night Cap

Mexican Critters

La Viva Loca

Wedding Festivities

2006-03-17T03:15:00.000-05:00

We leave in a few hours for our honeymoon. I can not even tell you how excited we are about it. We had so much fun at the reception. I was a dancing queen for most of the evening & even changed into a pretty teal dress so I could really boogie. Friends & family did not take many pics at the party, hopefully because they we having too great a time to remember.

The food was exceptionally good, or so I heard. I really didn't eat much at all. We had a cocktail & hors d'oeuvre hour. For dinner we had different stations like salad, turkey & trimmings, steamship round of beef & garlic mashed potatoes. The pasta station was definitely a big hit. In lu of a cake we had a dessert bar with everything from mousse, mud cake, mini pastries & an edible fruit basket that resembled a floral bouquet. You all know how I love my sweets, but all I had was one chocolate covered strawberry & a couple of bits of some amazing oreo cookie cake.

Here are some other highlights;
-Kyle's (Tom's 16 yr old son) best man toast - it was so touching & eloquently written. Sometimes he's wise beyond his years.
-Sharon's (Tom's mother) announcement about not clinging on glasses to get bride & groom to kiss. Instead we asked that guests grab the microphone from DJ & sing a chorus of a song with the word love in it. We were serenaded with everything from All You Need Is Love & That's Amore to the Theme From Love Boat
-Giving bouquet to my grandmother. No tossing it to the single gals - a tradition I always found humiliating. Instead the DJ asked all married couples to dance & the one married the longest (my grandparents at 63 years) received not only the bouquet & the love & admiration of all, but even some fancy chocolate bars.
-My dance with grandfather & 2 uncles. The men in my life who took over the role of father when mine cut out. We danced to Eva Cassidy's version of True Colors. It brought some family members & friends to tears.
-Tom break dancing. Yup. My man can dance. James Brown splits, the worm, spinning on his back.... He really gets the crowd going. He actually told me that he was not going to bust a move like that at our wedding, but when Thriller came on he just couldn't help himself. Much to everyone's delight.
-Feather Centerpieces. You all heard about them months ago. Well, they turned out just beautiful. And it was great to see friends dancing with the plumes between their teeth.

And everything that people told me about their wedding days were true.......It's over too fast, you will not remember every moment, you'll leave starving because you didn't eat, you'll forget about all the hassles, not really care anymore & just have an amazing time.
OUR 1st DANCE

GETTING DOWN

CHILLIN'

PRETTY PLUMES

JUST MARRIED

2006-03-15T07:51:00.000-05:00

First, the boobs shrunk by Saturday & the dress fit!!! WHOO HOO!! I had to use Hollywood tape to keep it up. I did the usual - got my hair done professionally, Dillon (cousin's girlfriend) made me up beautifully. I was stressing a bit before I left for the ceremony because my sister & brother (who gave my away) were very late for the pictures. I was not nervous at all until I was standing at the top of the staircase in the mansion waiting to be married. It suddenly hit me! I was crying & freaking. My bro just told me that everything was going to be alright & than I heard the pianist playing my song.

I didn't even notice that my mom (maid of honor) & Kyle (best man) had not even walked down the aisle, yet. So I had to stand in the doorway for a bit, but Tom couldn't see me. Everything was fine as soon as I turned the corner & saw my husband to be. He was absolutely beaming with tears in his eyes. My fears melted away. I can not tell you what our Reverend Eric Wolffe said in his greeting. I was on cloud nine & couldn't focus. I came to when our readers took centerstage. Karen (Tom's sister) read Shakespeare's Sonnet #105 & Gina (also Tom's sis) read an excerpt from The Little Prince. They performed their pieces with so much heart & soul. We were so honored they put forth that kind of effort for us. Friend Paul Raff read a personal message that made our audience laugh & made them teary eyed as well.

Then we read our vows to each other. We each wrote about 4 lines & then recited vows that we had pieced together. Tom & I thought it was a funny coincidence that our personal vows, which we didn't share until that very moment, contained similar themes - passion, creativity & humor.

A special little moment in our ceremony came next. We asked Tom's stepfather Bill, to pass around our wedding bands (they were tied together) so that each guest could bless them by saying a wish, pray, thought, etc. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys was played during this. Then we placed the rings on each other's finger, but still were not pronounced man & wife. A Cliffhanger!! First, we lit the unity candle, which is a Catholic tradition. In a church ceremony once the unity candle is lit by the couple & the candles representing the bride & groom separately, are blown out. We added our own twist to that. We left all three candles lit because to us a marriage is a joining of 2 individuals and we never want to lose sight of our individual selves. Then finally we were pronounced husband & wife & got to kiss each other! Well worth the wait!!

THE WEDDING PARTY

MY WALK DOWN THE AISLE

EYE TO EYE

THE RINGS

THE KISS!!!

HUSBAND & WIFE!!

BOWLING NIGHT

2006-03-14T06:57:00.000-05:00

I'm now a married woman. Yup, my big day did happen. I have so much to share with you all, but, I'm waiting for friends to forward me some pictures. I had my camera with me, but only took a couple of pics on my wedding day. So, for now I'll tell you about the night before the main event.

We threw a bowling/pizza party for family & friends. Tom was originally opposed to the idea. He thought it was a bit trailer park, but I persisted. A casual night of rock n' roll, bowling, beer, pizza & the best calzones in the state...... what could be better than that? It was a little chaotic at first, trying to break everyone up into teams & all of the introductions. By the end of the night both families were chatting & friends from RI & New York were like old pals. My husband to be admitted that he was wrong & I was right & that it was a great idea afterall. AHHHH......he was preparing for married life that very night.

TOM & PAUL

A SPARE FOR DANIEL

KYLE & KAREN

TEAMMATES DOMENIC & STEVE

NON-BOWLERS MARYLOU & ME

GINA, AUNT LOIS & JACKSON

Wedding Countdown

2006-03-04T03:08:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? The big day is just a week away. I'll soon be a Mrs.... FREAKY!! Things are beginning to come together.

I picked up my wedding dress. There's a bit of drama with that, but, I will not stress about it. You see, without giving too much away, my dress is very fitted. This has been a major thorn in my seamstresses side because she's had to it adjust 6 times. I mean, if I lose 1/2 pound it's falling down. And I've not been trying to lose weight, but I guess all the running around & anxiety just made that happen. Ligia screamed at me & warned that since she doesn't live in RI, I'd better stay one weight/size because she will not be there to fix anything at the last minute. So, I've been very focused on that. At my fitting 1 & 1/2 weeks ago everything fit & she was finally able to work on the length & the train.

Today I picked it up & tried it on & guess what? It's too tight! It fits everywhere but in my boobs. And it's bursting at the seams there. Dangerous Liaisons, tight corset, bursting. Yes, it's that time of the month so the boobies have expanded. Much to Tom's delight & my horror. I never even noticed how voluptuous I get during my monthly visit, but today I did. I had a bit of a meltdown, but, my wedding day is still a week away. I'm staying away from any salt, sugar, carbs, anything else that adds to breast mass. If that doesn't work than I'll start taking those pills for bloating. And a few prays couldn't hurt. I want to look pretty & elegant walking down the aisle, not like a DEADWOOD Madame!

Spoiled Rotten

2006-02-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

Getting married & planning a wedding can be nerve racking, scary & down right stressful. Not only is it a major life change, but putting together everything for that one day takes the skills & finesse of Martha Stewart. And it completely takes over your life, sucking up most (if not all) of your free time. There are, however, some lovely things that take place when people know you are a bride to be. Last week, at the restaurant, I had a night when I just wasn't myself. I kept bumping into things, making lots of mistakes & I lost count of the glasses & plates that I dropped - shattering to the ground. Instead of getting frustrated with the clumsy spell I was under, co-workers just announced, "She's getting married in 3 weeks." Everyone, even customers, nod with understanding.

I guess I never really noticed all of the attention lavished on brides to be. Total strangers notice your ring & ask when the big date is. They reminiscence about their wedding days & wish you lots of luck. Friends call just to see how you're doing & if they can be of any help to you. I feel as if I been especially spoiled. My mom & Aunt throw me a gorgeous white Xmas themed shower back in November. My NYC friends throw a fab surprise shower that featured the most amazing culinary delights. And as if that wasn't enough to make a girl feel loved, I received a special surprise from some of my web pals. Giao, Hope, Jes, Leslie & Kathleen got together & sent me beautiful wedding presents. I received a shiny, stainless steel kettle to brew my daily green tea & a meat grinder, so that I can finally make a proper chicken salad sandwich. WHOO HOO!! And Hope & her very lovely man Mike, sent us the prettiest white wine glasses. I was just so touched by their kindness. And so was Tom. He just can not get over all of the amazing people I've met through this site. And I know I've said this before, but, I truly feel blessed to not only have met them (my fab web girls) online, but in person as well. Giao, Hope, Jes, Leslie & Kathleen - I'm sending lots of thanks & hugs & kisses your way!!

Gifty

2006-02-20T01:13:00.000-05:00

It's so very nice to come home from a long night of work & have a package sitting on the kitchen counter. Wedding gift? Nope. It's Gifty 3!!! Wow, was I spoiled by the very sweet & crafty Jenn. She put together an amazing array of goodies. Handmade scented heart satchels (already in undie drawer), N.H. fudge (already eaten), sweet tarts (gone, too), a vintage cookbook, "10 cakes husbands love" (for my soon to be hubby), a game book, & lots of fun stickers, papers & beads. I also received the cutest stuffed animal - a Jenn original. I'm always amazed by all of the crafts/projects that she posts on her site. And now I have one her creations to call my own. Thanks Jenn! You really made my day!!

I'll be a married women in just under 3 weeks! Can you believe it? Yes, I'm stressing, but things are beginning to fall into place. Well, not exactly fall, there's been lots of hard work, late nights & even some tears behind it all. I'm exhausted & am looking so very forward to the honeymoon!!

Growing Family

2006-02-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

There's a new addition to my large Italian family. Jared David was born early Monday. He arrived right on target, although it's hard to tell because my cousin Lea's due date was changed about 4 times. She looked ready to drop him at Xmas time, but baby Jared was not quite ready to enter the world, yet. My family kept telling her that she was going to go into labor on Super Bowl Sunday & sure enough her water broke right before the game started. She called her doctor right away & told him that although her water broke, she wasn't having any contractions. He told her to try & hold out until after the game!! And it a very good thing that the Miami Dolphins were not playing because her husband David is their biggest fan & he probably wouldn't have missed that for anything.

Lea had a pretty rough labor & delivered natural (not really by choice). She pushed so hard that she broke all of the blood vessels in her face & eyes. Now that's something they never tell you about the joys of child birth. Anyway, my cousin was feeling pretty exhausted when her brother(the baby's godfather), walked into her hospital room & exclaimed, "My God! What did you give birth through your face!!??" Isn't brotherly love grand? The baby is a healthy 8 pounds & 11 ounces & he is the 29th family member. I'm counting just grandparents, my mom, her sisters, their mates, 1st cousins & their partners & all of the 4th generation babies. Only the family members who gather for functions & holidays. Isn't he cute!! I'll get to meet him in person in a couple of weeks.

New Look & Soup

2006-01-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to the fabulous Hope for my site redesign. We met in September & she said that my site just didn't quite fit my personality & offered to work on it. She was very patient with my critiques of the colors & so forth. And we'll be adding & tweaking more stuff so keep your eyes peeled. Now my site has lots of piazzz!!

Speaking of piazzz, the Oscar race is under way & Tom & I are way behind in our movies. I just saw Brokeback Mountain & highly recommend it. It was beautifully shot & the acting was just superb. The basic story is universal even if it is between two men. I hope lots of people will go see it (esp. in the red states) because it really makes you think. And those boys (Heath & Jake) looked fabulous!!

In food news, January is national soup month so there's still a bit of time to get those pots a simmerin'. I only made a yummy lentil soup so far but, will make a carrot & fennel variety today. The lentil soup is in my recipe archive. A really good Minestrone recipe was posted on February 28, 2005. And here's a reprint of the Fennel and Carrot soup. Enjoy!!

Ingredients
2 bulbs fennel
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup sliced carrots(2-3 carrots)
3 TBSP olive oil
1 carton(1 quart) chicken broth
crack black pepper

-Trim tops & bottoms of fennel bulbs. Save a few green fronds & chop for garnish. Thinly slice bulbs. You should have about 4 cups sliced fennel.
-In large saucepan, saute sliced fennel, onions, carrots in the olive oil until tender, about 20 minutes.
-Add chicken broth, cover & bring to a simmer. About 20 -25 minutes until veggies are very tender.
-Remove from heat & puree with an immersion blender right in saucepan or in a food processor or add to a blender. May take a couple of batches. Transfer each batch to a clean saucepan or warm tureen.
-Serve with sprinkle of chopped fennel fronds & cracked black pepper.

Showered With Surprises

2006-01-18T01:36:00.001-05:00

Sunday was a very active day. First I met with "my girls". Have I ever mentioned them before? Well, over 2 years ago 6 highly motivated, creative & intelligent woman (I'm included in that number) formed a SUCCESS TEAM. Our main goal was & still is - to help each other accomplish our dreams. We meet once a month and brainstorm, teach, listen, support, vent, pass on knowledge & connections. We are always just a phone call or email away if anyone needs a shoulder to cry on or to bounce ideas off of. There are only 4 of us left because 2 of "my girls" saw their dreams come true. One is living & working in Madrid & the other is California dreaming. My Life With Garlic is the result of one of our brainstorming sessions.

I then met my dear friend Alex for a cooking class at the Culinary Institute. Alex's boyfriend is a graduate & currently works there, so he gets me into any class that I want. That's a big plus. But, I had a feeling that something more was going on besides just cooking. Tom asked me a couple of months ago for Alex's phone number. When I asked him why, his response was, "Don't you worry about it." Weird... I followed up by asking Tom if he ever got in touch with Alex & he said, "Why, what did Alex say?" Weird, again... Then I asked Alex if Tom ever called him & he said, "Tom, who?" Freaky..

So, I entered the classroom with a little apprehension because I just didn't know what to expect. And there in the room were some close friends from work, Tom, Alex, Caryl & Mike (parents of cutie, Jacqui). And they were yelling SURPRISE!!! In the distance I could see Alen (Alex's man) prepping food. I think everyone was a bit disappointed because I didn't truly seem surprised & they asked me if I knew about it. Well, I told them that I was a bit suspicious & I turned to a friend & asked if Alen was going to teach our cooking class. It was then, 10 minutes after I walked into the room, that I realized that this wasn't a cooking class at all, but a shower for me! DUH!!! I totally brain farted! I didn't even notice the stunning tiered cake or table with favors wrapped in pretty bows or the presents. Tom called it my Jessica Simpson moment.

Everything was beautiful! My 2 best friends Caryl & Alex, who never met each other before this, planned the whole thing. They're attention to detail was remarkable. The table was set just so with grand floral arrangements. Caryl wrapped the favors (wooden spoons) in pretty ribbons that matched the invitations. She brought one for me to put in my scrapbook. And there were pretty gold bags filled with chocolate truffles. The cake was truly gorgeous. It had 3 tiers. The bottom 2 featured small individual cakes & the top was one large cake for Tom & I to take home. We're going to save it for our 1st anniversary since we are not having a cake at the wedding.

We drank mimosas & Bloody Mary's. We chowed down on bagels with a variety of cream cheese & smoked salmon while Alen & his assistants cooked our brunch. We had a choice of Eggs Florentine; green tip asparagus & Brie omelette served with crisp bacon & potato hash; waffles with fresh fruit with maple pecan butter & plum compote. HMMMM! It was so good. Tom & I got some gorgeous gifts, some generous gifts, some sexy gifts & some down right funny gifts. I really had a great time & felt so special. I'm truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Co-host Caryl

Pals

Dream Team

Big Bloomers

Symbol of Good Luck and Long Life

Our Gorgeous Cake

Wedding Invites

2006-01-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

Our wedding invitations were sent out on Monday. This means all hopes of eloping are dashed. I did get into a little tiff at the post office, so I was a wee bit worried that the postal worker may have tossed all the invites in the trash! But, she did not (I think). I asked if she could hand stamp the invitations because I did not want to put 4 different stamps on the envelopes. Honestly, she gave me an array of flowers, stars, & George Washington stamps. It would have looked hideous. She told me that the line of customers was far too long & she did not have the time for that. Hey! I stood in that ridiculously long line for 35 minutes! So, after a bit of arguing, she put one big white label stamp on them. They didn't look too pretty. And at first, she was putting them on all crooked because she was pissed off. But, the invitations themselves are very pretty. We've been getting lots of positive feedback. Tom & I designed them together without any arguing or disagreements. Whoo Hoo!

In other exciting news, I'm feeling better & returned to work yesterday, although I did struggle to stay awake past midnight. My sleeping patterns have been messed up a bit. I usually to go to bed around 3am, but last week at home I was sound asleep by 12am and I took a couple of cat naps during the day. So yesterday, I was on a double & by 3pm I was ready to sit my butt down & put my head on a table & snooze. I wonder if the customers would have minded? I can't wait until I no longer work in this biz & can be on a more normal schedule!

Me Be Illin'

2006-01-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I tried my best to fight whatever sickness was plaguing me, but finally had to go for a doctor visit. I have an upper respiratory infection, accompanied by coughing, congestion, lovely green mucus & a low grade fever. My doc is pretty Zen & did not give me any antibiotics. Just some cough medicine, lots of herbs & a note for work. I had the whole week off, which sounds more fabulous than it actually was. Much of that time I was bed ridden. Even sitting up at a computer was strenuous. When I did manage to get something done, like taking down the Xmas decorations, it took me 3x the length of time it would normally take & a nap was needed in between to complete the project. But, just being away from that loud, germ infested, dark hole, that some call a restaurant was priceless. And Tom playing my nurse maid was a bonus, too. Today I'm going to attempt to do laundry, send out the wedding invitations & make a soup (not sure which kind, yet). We'll see what actually gets accomplished before I need to hit the bed.

Happy New Year

2005-12-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

Hi all. I've been a bit under the weather, but am trying to push through it. Tonight I'll be working at the dreaded restaurant, which I'm blue about. I really wanted to be out of there by the end of 2005, but weddings are expensive! Let's focus on the positive, shall we? Tom will be back from Virginia tomorrow & we'll celebrate our after Xmas, Xmas, together. Sugar cookies will be baked & decorated & hot chocolate will be brewed from my brand new hot chocolate maker (gift from my sis, LOVE IT!). Presents will be opened & kisses will be exchanged. WHOO HOO! Oh, & we'll eat a bit of lentil soup for prosperity in the coming year & cap off the night by watching our fav show DEADWOOD. What can be better than all that?

I'm wishing all of you serenity, health & happiness. Keep reaching for your dreams. And may you & your loved ones shine in 2006!!

Blue Christmas

2005-12-26T23:58:00.000-05:00

The NYC mass transit strike ended just in time for Tom & I to leave for RI. We took that as a Xmas miracle. We arrived Friday afternoon with aching feet (from all that walking) & began setting up my grandparents house for 30 family members. Tom was very into atmosphere this year, so he bought special soft bulbs & festive lights to get rid of that high school cafeteria feel. I cooked & argued with my grandmother on Saturday. She was in a mood. I just felt like nothing I did was right. She warmed up once she saw Tom hanging icicle lights all around her basement. We all did because he just had this expression of pure joy on his face as he worked on this project. There were lots of helping hands. My Aunt Jean & cousins all made a dish & my sis, mom & mom's fiance (she just got engaged last week) also pitched in big time. One of my uncles even ran errands for me & helped calm Momma down. So, I was able to relax a bit before everyone arrived. But, it just seemed as though no one was into the holiday spirit. Some family members seemed to be there out of a sense of obligation & not true desire. Someone announced that they didn't want to be there! Others said that the night just sucked! And it did in a way, but Tom & I both had a difficult time not taking it personally. I really don't know what to say. There was lots of tension & anxiety & just grossness. It's sad because Xmas Eve used to be such a highlight for most of my family. Maybe we've just become too big to all get together. There are now 4 generations all crowded into a pretty small space. I feel a sense of loss because it seems as though some family traditions may be coming to an end. Tom & I will spend next Xmas with his family, for the 1st time in 7 years. There will not be any feast of the seven fishes for us next year.

The true meaning of Xmas has been lost along the way. It's not about the sweaters, gift certificates or other material goods. I think it's about gratitude. I'm grateful for all those that pitched in & were truly happy to help. I'm so blessed that I still have my grandparents, even if they can be pains in the arses sometimes ( can't we all?). And I feel so very fortunate for my totally non-judgmental siblings. And my mom, who finally has found happiness. And my absolutely gorgeous nephew who thinks everything is so amusing. And my very pregnant cousin & her laid-back husband who let us stay with them & didn't get angry when Tom woke them up in the middle of the night singing his "let's do shots" song. And for Tom who tried (in vein) to get me to be calm this weekend. I could go on & on. Friends who love and accept you & family that would run to your rescue should all be treasured. Because all the gifts or money in the world doesn't hold a candle to that. Peace to all.

These Boots Are Made For Walking

2005-12-21T01:03:00.000-05:00

Did you see us (NYC) on the news today? Apparently, we were all over it because our transit workers decided to strike 5 days before Xmas. They did not make their decision until 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. This would ensure that no one could be prepared. Tom woke me early to tell of the news. I had to be in work at 11am so, I gave myself 2 hours to get there. It was not enough. We walked 15 blocks to the Long Island Railroad which is not on strike. The line to buy a ticket was 6 city blocks long or 2 &1/2 hours of standing in the freezing cold. Oh, did I mention that it was only 22 degrees this morning? I arrived at work more than one hour late, but all of my fingers & toes were intact. I bought a big, puffy, long, down coat this weekend. Thank Goodness! That, paired with thermals, ski socks & gloves & my furry lamb's wool hat from Russia protected me from the bitter cold. Heck, I was practically sweating. And a couple of cups of hot chocolate made me feel all toasty inside. Unfortunately, the hot chocolate was not from any of the places on our Best Of list, just some local deli's. But they did the trick none the less.

It wasn't all madness today. Yes, cab drivers were charging $50 to get into Manhattan (3 miles away) & horns were honking louder than usual. But, once I crossed the bridge all was well. People were so very grateful to those who stopped & drove them to work. Yes, total strangers carpooled together. Those of us who actually made it in had a great sense of accomplishment. Madison Avenue was completely closed so one could run, skip or cartwheel down the middle of that street, if they wanted to. The stores were not very busy. I walked into a Toys R Us & strolled right up to the register to purchase gift certificates. I was in & out in less than 8 minutes. BONUS!! Tomorrow we'll brave the elements again. Who knows what kind of adventure it will be. Unforgettable, I'm sure.

Hot Chocolate Time

2005-12-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

O dreaded winter has arrived once again. The sun was shining today but, don't let that fool you because it was only 21 degrees. I do have a confession to make - I don't like winter! Yes, I'm definitely on the wrong coast. There was a time when I prayed for the cold months to arrive. I couldn't wait to go skiing, ice skating & dress up in cozy, fluffy sweaters. Now I dream about sitting in a hammock in Costa Rica sipping a Pina Colada. Yes, I've become quite a baby during the cold weather months. I wear layer upon layer of clothing, a hat, gloves, you name it, but still I freeze. I bitch & moan every time I get caught in a wind tunnel (which is daily). There is one bright spot in this freezing frenzy. Yes, you guessed it - HOT CHOCOLATE! It has become my reward for dredging through the icy NYC streets. Every cup consoles me. I'm averaging about 5 cups a week. All of this consumption is not doing anything positive for my thighs but, it's doing wonders for my soul.

I still have not found a hot chocolate that is quite as delicious as Paris' Angelina's. They truly spoiled me, but the hunt is on. Mariebelle in SOHO is so very close. This weekend we got a cup from the West Village's trendy Chocolate Bar. It was pretty good but, their truffles are far better. Tom & I decided to look through well respected local mags & papers & compiled a Best Of list. So far we have 7 businesses to try. Mariebelle is on that list again because we just have to be absolutely certain that their hot chocolate is up to par. Our goal is to test one every week or so & document our experience. I'll of course, share it with all of you. I'm not sure if an actual winner will be chosen. It's more about finding something that we love to help us beat the winter blues. I can't wait to drink & be merry!

Catch Me if You Can

2005-12-03T04:00:00.000-05:00

That's what the world is saying to me lately. I'm constantly on the go, frazzled and swimming upstream, or so it seems. Someone stop this damn treadmill - I wanna get off! I'm a bit behind on things & I can't control that since there's just not enough hours in the day for me to catch up. Well, I'm at least going to catch up with all of you. So here's what I've been up to my in life & goings on in no particular order.

-Tom & I celebrated our 7th anniversary.
-My beautiful blue-eyed nephew turned one. Remember when he was a preemie & we were all praying for him? Well, he's caught up big time!
-I joined NAPO, otherwise known as the National Association of Professional Organizers. It's a growing industry & it's part of "lifestyle designer" & cleaning out closets & drawers makes me so very happy.
-Momma's latest phrase is - when I go to the other side. Here's an example of how it was recently used. "Dawn, let's go look through my jewelry boxes so you can put aside what you want for yourself when I go to the other side." She chuckles every time she uses this phrase.
-Tom celebrated his B-Day.
-My mom, sis & aunt threw me a beautiful bridal shower. It was a white Xmas theme with lots of angels & snowy Santas. Hor'dourves, mini pastries, wine & a very sweet, but strong punch was served. The favors were hand painted boxes filled with a lovely array of teas.
-My dear friend Mary Lou gave me the loveliest & most personal gift. She hand painted an antique chest & decoupaged a label from an old cigar box on the top of it. She filled the chest with presents that were labeled A-K. On each gift was a card that said something like - for when you like him; for when you really like him; not at all; for who you were; for where you are going; for the fish lover in you; when only chocolate will do; for your softer side; for running to the rescue you; for vintage you. In the boxes were pretty pajamas, sexy black lingerie, flannel pj's, a photo album, the book 1000 Places To See Before You Die, Swedish fish(fav candy), a bag of mini Milky Ways, a bag with sweet smelling lotions, a hand blown glass angel ornament, a stunning vintage orchid pin, & 2 pictures of orchids (fav flower) ready to be framed. Now my entire family wants to invite her to all of our parties!
-We got a car. Tom's close friend sold us (for practically nothing) his mom's 10 year old Cutlass Ciera. The car is in mint condition & only has 43,000 miles on it. This grandma car is the perfect vehicle for NYC. We can keep it parked on the street because no one will steal it, but it's really a gem.
-I took my grandma car to RI & got an oil change & tune-up & on the way back to NYC it died. The place that serviced my car forgot to put the oil filter back on so, I lost all the oil & it killed my engine.
-We now have a lawyer to help us deal with the shop that killed my car. They found another engine with 65,000 miles & are in the process of rebuilding it.
-I'm very superstitious & took the entire car incident as a sign that I'm not suppose to own a vehicle while living in NYC. Tom thinks I'm plain crazy.
-Poppa & I cooked his famous aioli recipe together. It turned out very good. This means that there are only 4 recipes left to test for the cookbook. 2 are baking, one is a Xmas Eve dish & the other is the easiest recipe on earth. WHOO HOO!
AND ON THE WEDDING FRONT:
-We ordered the wedding invitations.
-The florist put together the centerpieces for my approval & I absolutely love them. The red ostrich feathers really do make a statement.
- No wedding cupcakes will be made. We decided on a dessert buffet instead. And I realized that I don't really want to be working like crazy on the cupcakes the day before I'm getting married.
-My wedding shoes are bought.
-I met with the place having our reception & picked out all of the food. I'm most excited about the pasta station & the dessert buffet.
-I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my hair. And I can't decide if I want to wear a veil. It kind of makes me feel like I'm making my 1st communion. But, then I see pics from some celebrity wedding (Demi & Ashton) & I change my mind.
-Instead of having a guestbook we are having small cards with WISHES stamped on the outside. We're hoping this will encourage our guests to write something a bit more personal.
-The night before the big day we are throwing a bowling/pizza party instead of a rehearsal dinner. It will be laid back & casual & a bit of healthy competition is a good way for everyone to get to know each other.
-And here's a pic of our Save The Date magnets. We made them ourselves.

Food to Die For

2005-11-26T03:56:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Norman really knows how to throw a party. We truly had an amazing Thanksgiving. I didn't eat much the previous day, which was a good thing because I really needed all the stomach space I could get. Our evening began with a champagne toast to friendship. I was blessed by the presence of Tom, good friends Alex & Alan, Norman, his son Joe & their close friend Dave. The only person missing was Norman's wife Ina, who unfortunately had to work. So, I was the only girl in attendance & the boys took good care of me. But enough talk of that. Let's discuss the food....Glorious food!!

Our first course was pork spare ribs which were marinated for 24 hours. They were so sticky sweet & yummy. We also had a wok dish that consisted of diced shittake mushrooms, choi sum, smoked tofu, scallions. The secret sauce had just a hint of sweet & sour with a light, spicy, punch to it. It was served on a puffy moo shu bread.

We took a small break while Norman set up the next course. Dave taught me how to hand stuff & wrap dumplings. I found it to be a quite therapeutic, kind of like knitting. The dumplings were used for the second course which was Shabu Shabu. Norman really out did himself on this. He(along with lots of help from Dave) made 3 different broths; an extra spicy one, chicken stock & scallions, & a basic ginger. We had such an array for raw food just waiting to be dropped into the broth, that it was almost overwhelming, but in a good way. We feasted on Kobe beef, pork tenderloin, chicken, codfish, shrimp & fish balls, rice & cellophane noodles, bok choy & our just made dumplings. After 2 hours of dipping, scooping & chowing down we all had reached our breaking point. We were so content & ready to fall into a coma. Then Norman announced that the turkey is ready. TURKEY!! Who had room for that?! I must say that the bird did look beautiful. He brined the turkey & then hung it to dry - ala Peking duck style - before roasting it. I do wish that I had a picture of it, but, I honestly couldn't move from my chair at that point. The turkey was stuffed with an onion & garlic sticky rice. I'd never had it before & now I'm a big fan of it. I had some for breakfast this morning.

We did recover in time to have dessert. Tom & I brought 2 pies from one of the best bakeries in NYC, The Little Pie Company. We picked up a Mississippi mud & their signature - apple sour cream walnut. They both were heavenly. And just when it seemed like things could not get any better, a Baccarat crystal bottle was carefully brought down from a shelf in the dining room. Its contents are the finest cognac ever made in the history of the world - Louis XIII. I'm not a cognac drinker at all, but Louis is in a class by itself. It is very smooth & smells fragrant. Hmmmm. So that was our day. I'll always be so thankful for the memories that were created & the time, effort & love that was put into our succulent feast.

Dumpling Master

Louis XIII

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2005-11-24T13:12:00.000-05:00

I just have time for a quick post & I wanted to wish you all a happy Turkey Day. I'm grateful for so many things this year, one of them being that I don't have to cook today. My friend & co-worker Norman invited us to his home for an Asian-American inspired holiday. We're not sure what to expect, but we know it will be wonderful, because Norman is a great chef, good-spirited & a sweetheart! Enjoy time with your family, friends & loved ones. Here's hoping your bellies & hearts get full!!

Finger Lickin' Good

2005-11-18T23:16:00.000-05:00

I was tagged a while back by Yvonne. The request? Name 5 foods or dishes that were part of your childhood & make you feel nostalgia when you think (taste or smell) of them.

GRAVY- I'm sure this isn't a surprise to anyone. My grandmother's pasta sauce is home to me. There's something about the aroma, which takes over the entire house when it's simmering, that fills me with glee.
STUFFED ARTICHOKES- This signaled spring, at least in my house growing up. Momma made this special dish & served it on Easter Sunday. I have vivid memories of my cousins & I all decked out in our frilly spring outfits, playing on my grandparents front lawn, waiting for dinner to begin & this treat to be served.
SNAIL SALAD- This dish may be indigenous to RI because I've never been able to find it done quite this way. The snails (no one in my family calls them escargot) are cooked & sliced very thin. They are marinated in olive oil & red wine vinegar & tossed with sweet red onions & diced celery. Hmmmmm... Every grocery store deli, seafood & Italian restaurant has it in my hometown. I have almost every time I visit.
LADY FINGER CAKE- My Aunt Maria ran her own cake decorating company when I was a child. Lucky me!!! You should have seen some of the birthday cakes we had. There was a cake for every interest- Disney, Holly Hobbie, Barbie, panda bears, etc. I don't remember which one of my Bday's Auntie made this for, but it turned me off of cutesy kiddy cakes forever. The filling was super creamy & sweet with a touch of rum. Pretty lady finger pastries lined the outside of the cake. Auntie would careful place a ribbon around the entire thing & finish it off with a bow.
COTTON CANDY- OK, so this may not compare with some of the above culinary delights, but, oh how I love it. I light up even when I just see a stick of it. It reminds me of traveling carnivals, the circus & St. Mary's Feast (big summer event when I was a kid). I do still have it from time to time & I turn into a giddy little girl with every handful.

I'm not going to tag anyone for this, since I'm a bit behind in the blogging world. If you'd like to participate, then post a link in my comments. And for my readers who do not have blogs (Jen & Paul Raff) you can list your 5 favs in the comments.

Spring Fling & Ladies Who Lunch

2005-11-14T01:26:00.000-05:00

I finished my entry for Collective Souls Spring Fling journal & sent it on it's way through our trusted postal system. CS is a traveling creative journal. Each member add 2 pages of their artistry & ships it off to the next person in line. When it's completed one lucky recipient will inherit the entire book. Eventually we'll all have one of our very own. CS members all scattered not only throughout the US, but the world. I wish you could see the pages in person because they are outstanding. They're loading with poetry, collages, recipes, painting, etc. I'm totally honored to be part of this creative group.

Friday I was visited by my good friend Caryl & her sweet little Jacqui. Jacqui sang, danced & entertained us as only a two year old can. She's very into crafts, so I took out lots of colored pencils & we had a grand ole' time drawing & scribbling together. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches were served for lunch. They had to be cut into 4 triangles, of course! When Jacqui asked for some water, I took out a small glass cup & was just about to hand it to her when Caryl caught it. No glass for 2 yr olds, only plastic sippy cups. OK, so Auntie Dawn still has some things to learn. Hopefully I'll do so before I have a tot of my own. I had to include a pic of Miss Thing because she's too cute! Not only does she say "cheese" without any prompting when a camera is pointed at her, but she vogues, too. I swear, everytime I took a pic she came up with a different pose. Caryl insists that she didn't teach her this. Hmmm... Do we have a future supermodel on our hands? A crafty one at that.

I'm BAAAAAACK!

2005-11-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

And this time for good. My site been in the middle of something & it still is, but at least I can post now. HI ALL!! I hope you are well. We've got lots of catching up to do. I'm going to begin with a happy moment.
Last week I called Momma to chat. I wanted to test pasta fagoli - a simple pasta, tomato & white bean dish. I asked her what she was cooking for dinner & low & behold she was smack dab in the middle of making the very recipe that I wanted to test. I stayed on the line & talked about what she was doing in a very casual way. Well, of course what she told me was a bit different from the recipe in my little hand. The recipe she sent me was missing 2 ingredients. I hung up the phone & immediately began cooking it myself. Guess what?... It worked perfectly the very 1st time!!! There is a God! And he loves pasta fagoli!! Or maybe he just felt sorry for me and threw me a bone. I don't care what or how it happened, it felt like a major triumph!

Water Logged

2005-10-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to plan in advance, things just to not go according to schedule. Take my weekend in RI as an example. I should have known something was up when I called my grandparent's house from the bus to tell them I had arrived. Momma answered & she was yelling into the phone, but I could hardly make out a word she was saying. There was a very loud vacuum cleaner running in the background. When I entered her house a half hour later the deafening noise could still be heard, only I soon realized that it was a several water pumps. Eight full days & nights of torrential rains flooded my grandparents cellar. Family members all took turns trying to stay one step ahead of mother nature, but it was a losing battle. They'd suck up a puddle in one spot only to have water swoosh in from another. It was impossible to find the source of the leak. It rushed in from under the refrigerator, behind the stairs & even from the shower. This space is the center of my grandparents home. It's where all of the magical cooking takes place. The rain did finally cease the day after I arrived. The cellar's carpet was drenched & instantly began to smell of mildew. By day 3, I couldn't go anywhere near the basement. An instant allergic reaction would occur. To my horror, my grandparents couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary!! The odor hit you the moment you opened the door to their house. It made me & my mom gag, but Momma & Poppa didn't even notice it. They sat in the stinky cellar & ate lunch & didn't even flinch. Their sense of smell is totally gone, which also means the same may be said for their sense of taste! No wonder I'm struggling with this cookbook. So, no recipe testing was accomplished. The thought of deboning the smelts in the mold infested cellar made me want to barf. Our cooking date has been rescheduled to mid November. Weather permitting.

fish heads, fish heads

2005-10-14T11:51:00.000-04:00

Another cooking session with Momma will take place this weekend. Smelts & olio are on the menu. The smelt recipe is finished, but one of my dear recipe testers, Alex, struggled with the cleaning of them. I realized that the smelts have always been fileted by Momma & ready to go for me when I come home. I get to clean out the fish guts all by myself this time, so that I can give proper instructions in the cookbook. JOY!

Olio is also on the "to do" list. I've made this dish 3 times, already. The first try was a salty bearly edible mess. The second was very bland & the third was better, but not quite right. Momma said this recipe is as easy as pie. It's funny, but the recipes that seem very easy on paper, are the ones that have been giving me the most trouble. Hmmm. Past experience tells me that a key ingredient or step may have been left out. We shall see.

the small stuff

2005-10-11T13:20:00.000-04:00

I’ve been a bad, bad, blog gal. Yes, it’s been a while since my last post. Truth be told - I depise WordPress. It’s just too complicated for my practically computer illiterate self. Working with WP makes me feel frustrated & stupid. Blogging is suppose to be fun!!! So, my rockstar cousin is working on getting rid of WP. YAY!! I do need to take a computer course or two or fourteen & it’s on the top of my “to do” list, but it will have to wait until after the wedding.

I’ve also been plagued with a bad case of anxiety. I tend to be a bit of a worrier (I think it’s an Italian thing), but, the last week or so, it’s been really bad. I’m not sleeping much & some nights not at all. Which means that even when I’m awake, I’m just not myself. My brain just isn’t functioning properly. Brain farts are now occuring about 3 times a day. And at night, while in bed, my mind is racing like a high speed movie chase scene. The bags under my eyes are so large that I could fit about 2 weeks worth of groceries in them. “I feel pretty, or so pretty….” NOT!!

So, what’s been stressing me out? Well, that big ole subway bomb threat for one. I still took the trains & all, but was shaking the entire time & looking at every backpack & shopping bag as if it could be loaded with explosives. Then yesterday, it was announced that they didn’t receive the info from a reliable source. Hasn’t President Bush ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? Probably not since he doesn’t read much. Please Mr. Bush, stop terrorizing New Yorkers with these false threats!!!! We’re getting so use to them & beginning to think that they are hogwash, that when/if a real one is issued we’ll not take any notice. Jeez. How much longer is this guy in office?

The wedding is of course the other source of stress. We are both working lots of extra hours to come up with the cash to pay for this. Paying for the actual wedding day is not that big a deal. We set up a tight budget & truly are sticking to it. It’s all those extra expenses that we just didn’t think about: A suit & plane ticket for Kyle, Tom’s son & best man; beauty expenses- ie. hair, nails, makeup, etc; the rehearsal dinner; the honeymoon. And unlike most Bridezillas, I not stressing about making that day perfect. Perfection is overrated. Yes, they’ll be minor quirks & mishaps, I’m sure, but, as long as there’s not the blizzard of the century on that day & I don’t burst into flames, it will be fine. I’m more concerned about the out-of -town guests getting lost, our families that have never met, getting along & everyone having a really good time. And like any wedding there are some inner rumblings. You know, people complaining about us & our less than traditional choices. Not to our faces, but behind our backs, which drives me crazy! I will be the first to admit that I can be the B word in a big way (also an Italian thing), but, I’ve been really open about others ideas & input & trying to make everyone feel included.

So, it seems that I’m sweating the small stuff & things that have not happened yet & may never. It’s a bad habit. One that’s making my hair fall out. And I don’t know how to stop it. Tom tells me to breathe. My mom says, “Let it all roll off of you.” Friends have suggested everything from yoga to bourbon. Maybe I should start by reading that book? I don’t know, but any suggestions that you have are welcome.

blog pals

2005-09-29T23:48:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about meeting your blog friends in person? What would it be like? Would you really have anything in common or be able to hold a conversation? Well, today I got the chance to find that out. My day began with Jes coming to my apartment straight from the airport. We had breakfast, chatted & then headed to the city for some shopping. After a very filling lunch with my good friend Mary, we hopped in a cab to Penn Station. There we met Hope. More chatting ensued, as well as more shopping & food. Then we hooked up with four more blog buddies; Giao, Yvonne, Lesley & Kathleen. What a great experience!! We did all get along & have lots to talk about. In some ways we already knew so much about each others lives without truly knowing one another. The gals will be in the city through the weekend & I’ll get to spend more time with them. I think a good time will be had by all. Who knows - maybe I’ll get to meet other blog buddies in the future.