Good Book, 3

I'm back to reading The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (I told you about it a few weeks ago--remember the time traveling woman? That's the one).  Sometimes, an epic series such as Outlander loses it's enchantment and starts to bore me with it's predictability once I'm several books in. And while I've caught on to a few of the author's literary tricks, I'm still hooked. One thing I love about these books is that despite being nearly 1,000 pages in length, the author still manages to infuse the prose with beautiful thoughts about being a woman, a mother, a physician and a human being. I find myself returning to these places in the books to re-read passages that have spoken to me. The last few months of my life have been marked by these books. I will remember reading them at this time in life, they have touched me that much.

I will leave you with a favorite passage from book three, Voyager:

It had happened many times before, but it always took me by surprise. Always in the midst of great stress, wading waist deep in trouble and sorrow, as doctors do, I would glance out a window, open a door, look into a face and there it would be, unexpected and unmistakable. A moment of peace.

The light spread from the sky to the ship, and the great horizon was no longer a blank threat of emptiness, but the habitation of joy. For a moment I lived in the center of the sun, warmed and cleansed, and the smell and sight of sickness fell away; the bitterness lifted from my heart.

I never looked for it, gave it no name; yet I knew it always, when the gift of peace came. I stood quite still for the moment it lasted, thinking it strange and not strange that grace should find me here, too.

Then the light shifted slightly, and the moment passed, leaving me as it always did, with the lasting echo of it's presence. In a reflex of acknowledgement, I crossed myself and went below, my tarnished armor faintly gleaming. 

I want this gal's life. Plus my husband and child.

I stumbled on this blog--literally an American in Paris! It looks as though she's been trolling the fashion week scene of late, and I've been enjoying her thoughts and anecdotes. This photo was taken at the Givenchy show and I love the shot for the fashion, the audience rapt attentiveness and the architecture. I'd give up an internal organ to be sitting exactly where she is sitting in order to get this shot.

Under her bog title, it says, "Don't hate me because I live in Paris."  I will try not to hate you, darling--but I do want your life.

Lovely Littles.

This summer, I'm still loving the long dresses. I'm afraid that the next time this trend swings around, I'll be too old to indulge in it, so I'm indulging it now. The trouble is, I'm on the short side, so this isn't the best length for me, unless I find a style that is cut just right. I do have a few in my closet that work for me, and just came across this one tonight, which I think is simple and beautiful. I'd wear it with some delicate little gold sandals and pretty long gold filagree earrings.

I actually stumbled upon the Matta website by way of this pretty scarf:

Which is too expensive for me now actually, but maybe soon. . . I think it's such a pretty detail. Matta has a number of really amazing lightweight scarves perfect for spring, if you're looking for something scarfy. 

That's it. I'm just up late wanting pretty things. I wish you a beautiful spring wardrobe!

Yummy Hummy

Here's a little Food Feature! Every time I make this hummus for a gathering, it gets gobbled up and the recipe gets scribbled on scraps of paper and tucked into handbags. My husband, who has never been much of a hummus fan, requests it weekly if I don't make it without his asking. And my sister, who is a huge hummus fan and makes her own all the time, has declared it the best recipe ever! I found this recipe online because I was having guests and was missing a few things for my usual Barefoot Contessa recipe (huge follower of the Contessa).  I just wanted something basic, and there it was. It comes out right every time, which is something I remember reading in the comments section of the website. My only advise: follow the directions, don't try to substitute! Oh, this recipe comes from Roy Hobbs, I originally found it on allrecipes.com. He calls it "Real Hummus," but I call it:

"Yummy Hummy"

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.

*try substituting cumin for the pepper, for a switch

**my personal notes: I pour about 1 TB of olive oil in and stir it up, then drizzle a little more over the top. Of course, I sprinkle it with paprika, cause it's pretty. 

The Tax on Parenting in California

I guess it is kind of a bitter title. And I do not wish to take away one ounce of pleasure from my daughter's lovely memories of the place. We bought a California Resident Annual Pass to Disney last year, since we live here now, and while it's a delight to bring her to the "happiest place," it's expensive and exhausting and hot and over-stimulating and there's really not much to eat and these passes are going to expire soon and I think my darling dear precious Meg might murder me in my sleep if we do not renew them (thus my theory that Disney is no more than a tax on having children in CA). I used to spend days with my Meg in New York City or at the Bronx Zoo,  or one of the lovely organic farms in New York--activities which we both enjoyed--and now we go to Disneyland.

Last week, my husband took a much needed day off from work and decided it would be a great Disney Day. Grrreaaaat idea, babe. Sigh. . .  Well, Meg had a fantastic time, especially because her cousins came along. But I admit to dragging my ill-shoed feet around the park (they still hurt four days later), wondering what I could be doing (or eating) on a spring day in Central Park. Probably the Sheep Meadow and a veggie on whole wheat from Lenny's. . .

I decided to photograph the most inspirational and impressive garden features at Disneyland. Since Disney is known world-wide for it's stunning gardens, I thought I'd find something there to share with blog-world. And so, here are my selections from about 100 photos that I came home with (about 5 of those contained children):

This is a boxwood hedge trimmed to look like a beautiful garden wall:

This boxwood giraffe is 20-30 feet tall! I remember these guys from my childhood--they seemed so magical to me. Now you can pick up your own animal boxwood at Armstrong Nursery!

These arches are so pretty and are grown through with roses! This is taken on my "little camera" so I wasn't able to grab the colors. . .

This entire scene is in miniature. The trees are bonsai and those Italian Cypresses are only about a foot tall:

Attention to darling details:

This is fascinating to me, I wonder how this was done and who loves this wall so much? This was one of about 12 sections like this"

A family favorite is the Alice Teacup ride. The colorful hanging lanterns are so festive and pretty. Also, they are hung among climbing trumpet vines.  

I have been trying to perfect the mixed garden for years and here is a perfect example. What a gorgeous combination of colors, heights and textures. Mine never looks like this:

So, apart from the fact that this is an amazing urn, I spent no small amount of time speculating not the cost of the vessel, but what the cost of delivery might be if I bought one like it. . . 

More climbing roses. I adore climbing roses! These might be Cecil Bruners, which are really pretty, light pink and fast-growing:

 Disney wiped me out--wiped us all out.  I'm glad to have put a few days between me and the mouse before loading the pictures and writing with a new attitude. The place doesn't look so bad now. . . not that I'll be returning anytime soon. 

Who are we kidding? I have an annual pass and a 4-year old. I'll be back within the month. And I adore the little smiles, so I guess I'm fated for a few years yet!

A whole Pirate Ship in the backyard!

And this week I took Meg to yet another birthday party--the theme was pirates. I expected alot since I used to work with Jane, the birthday boy's mommy, and I know that she is incredibly talented and creative. She created some really adorable invitations and cooked up some great activities for the kids, including a treasure hunt that Meg loved. She also thought up a pirate name for each child (Meg was "Captain Meg McBones"). But the thing that really put the rest of us parents to shame (all in good spirits) was the actual pirate ship in the back yard. Jane and her husband sketched it out and he built it, apparently just in the weeks before the party.

It is a play structure for the kids, there is a slide off the back, and some more climbing opportunities as well back there. The kids can also go "below deck" to hide out. It was perfect for the party, and every child asked for a pirate ship in their own back yard. 

It's one thing to buy your child a cool playhouse or toy or something. It's quite another thing to design and build it from scratch. There is no money that can buy a play structure for these boys like this one that their parents built for them. What a special, special thing.

Maybe I'll sew Meg a twirly skirt this weekend. Ya, that's just about the same thing, right?

The First Roses

It always takes me a few weeks to get up the guts to snip the first roses when they come back in the spring. I know very well that they will be growing out of my ears and armpits come summer, but the first ones seem so fragile, like they are struggling to find the strength and courage to appear, hoping to be greeted by the sun, but always risking the unpredictable spring weather which could turn cold and swipe the life right out of them. Therefore, the first roses of spring are safe from the snippers in my yard. Brave souls they are, the ambassadors, the scouts--sent to test the waters for the rest of the roses who are just waiting for the signal that the coast is clear. "The coast is clear! The sun is up! It's gonna be a beautiful Spring, come on out everyone!" And they deserve to reign on high once they have spread their daring petals to worship the blazing sun.

The first ones. Anything after that is fair game.

Happy Spring, everyone! From me and the 2nd round of roses.