Category: Uncategorized

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#92

So the last few days my farm life obsession has gone into overdrive.  I basically have spent every free second stalking reading the blogs of people who are living my dream and vicariously taking it all in through their posts and pictures:)  Aaaaaaaahhhhhh.  I have a very vivid imagination so I feel as if I have actually been on vacation!  Haha.

In my quest to ‘study for my future’, I have stumbled across some amazing new finds.  I thought I’d share these great blogs with you guys too.  Maybe they will see that I have written about them and invite me to their farms to ‘live the dream’ for a week.  I see it now…..My family will pull up in an RV in their dirt drive way and they will put us right to work.  We will cook, share recipes, I’ll learn to can and jar from an expert…they will teach me the ins and outs of running a farm, ways of living off the land.  We will sit around a camp fire after the kids crash, tell stories, I’ll make the hubs sing (come on now!!  Gotta pay my way!!) We will laugh and cry and by the time our stay is complete we will be life long friends, “No goodbyes new friend.  Only see you soon.”  Hop in the RV while holding back tears.  The kids wave out the back window as we roll away…..

Alas, I am in Los Angeles with the sound of yet another police siren going by….sigh.  Damn you farm that calls my name in the night.  Hahaha.    

So here they are:

Chickens in the Road -my new fav… Suzanne is an amazing writer (books, columns and her amazing blog.) whom I have come to adore… I’m sure you guys will too:)

A Country Farmhouse– Trina lets you follow along as her and her husband completely renovate their gorgeous farmhouse.  Great design blog.  Plus she has boy/girl twins…how are we not already best friends?

White Flower Farmhouse– This a blog about a store owner in Long Island.  When said farm is in possession, I will clear her shelves clean.  Get your stock up woman.  I’m comin for ya!!!

Nicolelbates– a true day to day life on a farm blog.  She answers the questions I had been asking:)  Love…

So my sweets… any blogs you recommend?  Or any good reading for that matter?

My farm girl in the making….aka “the cow whisperer”

Posted on

#91

Yeah new tradition!

On February 13th I took Raim and Jon took the girls on a Valentines date.  It was the best date of my life:)
I took Raimy to see his very first movie and he was beyond excited.  I got him a huge box of popcorn, fruit snacks and “an adult drink!” (It was sparkling water).  We had the theater to ourselves so we got to talk and laugh and scream way too loud.  
After the movie we went to Toys R Us and he got the girls each a Valentines gift.  
I asked him “What is your favorite restaurant in the WHOLE world?  I will take you anywhere”  “ANYWHERE??!!!”  “YES!!”  “I wanna take my mommy out to the most specialist place…Marie Calendars!!!”  Love him!  We got there and he put our name in.  He also told the hostess and everyone in the waiting room that he was taking his mommy out for a Valentines date and that he had driven us there! I felt so special.  
We sat down and he told the waiter the same.  He ordered a cup of soup and calamari for his meal “I’ll just have water…I already drank an adult drink today”.  We got to sit just the two of us and chat it up.  He is such a good conversationalist:)  We talked about love, the presidents, his friends, superhero’s, his family.  It was great this one on one time with my boy.  He is truly one of my best friends.  I have such a good time with him.  His humor is ridiculous and makes me get the scream laugh.  
The check came and he pulled two quarters and a nickel from his pocket.  “I’m paying for my mommy”.  I almost fell to the floor crying.  The tables of people around us (whom he had also been holding conversations with) melted as well.  It literally took everything in me not to crumble it was so sweet.  I slipped my card in without him seeing and asked that the waiter bring a receipt.  The waiter was awesome, he brought Raimy some pennies as “change”.  He felt like such a big boy.
It was one of the best nights of my life and I hope to always share this day with him …until he is too mortified to go out with me:)
I thought of Jonny out on his date with the girls.  Daddy is the first guy they will ‘date’.  He will set the precedent for how they expect to be treated when it comes time to really dating (which will be never!).   That is such an awesome thing to me!  I see so many girls with guys who treat them poorly and wonder why they don’t expect better.  My daddy was one of my best friends, I could tell him anything and he treated me like gold.  I think dads are the most important person in a girls life when it comes to shaping their self esteem and standards.  So happy my girls have that close relationship….

Counting down the days until the next Valentine’s Eve!

Posted on

#90

Woke up a few days ago to read it was “Dapper Day” at Disneyland!  We couldn’t miss THAT!!!  Such a fun experience seeing so many people dressed up!  When the park opened in the fifties, families used to dress to the nines.  The first artist renderings of Disneyland were populated with sophisticated people having a very upscale experience!  
So many people went all out.. it looked like the cast of Madmen had taken over the joint.  Us?  Not so much!  Our decision to go, was so spur of the moment, we did not have time to plan.  Maybe next year!  Although I did earn much more appreciation for my ugly flip flops while watching woman who had decided 5 inch heels were a good decision! 
“Hey Raimy get in the car right now!!!!  Want to go to Disneyland????!!!!”

Cue Batman Pose, which is the response to most question.

Meeting the princesses

Renn’s first time walking around and meeting the princesses:)
Don’t touch my baked beans
fish kiss
My handsome boys
My sweet bear
My Kewpie
This pic cracks me up because they all look bored with Belle

Posted on

#89

When I was about 12 years old, I sang all day long.  Annoyingly so…:)  So everyone I encountered knew I loved anything music.  Every week at the Growing Pains taping I would sing for the studio audience crowd, usually “I Will Always Love You”.  So mortifying!!  HAHAHA.  Anyways, one of the people who worked there was also a drum rep.  He would go to amazing concerts and rehearsals and many times let me tag along.

On a night I will never forget, he called my parents and said I needed to get ready fast.  Whitney Houston had decided for her last rehearsal, before setting out on tour, she wanted an audience for feedback.  It was in a rehearsal space but they had set up a few rows of chairs in front of a small round stage.  The room was not large and we were crammed around her little circle stage.  The people in the front rows knees actually touching the stage!

It was mostly her family, close friends and some execs…I shouldn’t have been there!  We all went to sit and I was second row center about 2 feet from the stage.  The two seats next to me were empty and Whitney was waiting for these two people to arrive before beginning.  In walked Stevie Wonder with a friend and they moved through my row and Stevie sat next to me!!!  He put his arm quickly on the armrest of the chair and I didn’t have time to move mine.  His arm landed on mine and he said “I’m sorry sweetie, here…( he put his arm on the rest and then rested my arm on his!), I love when kids get to see Whitney”.  I was thinking how did he know I was a kid!?  I hadn’t even spoken a word!  “Thank you!  We will share!” I said.  “Oh I’m sitting next to a singer I hear!” he said to me while I sat in shock.  He had a gigantic ring on his hand underneath mine and I stared in awe.  “Wow! That’s a beautiful ring!”  He took it off and let me try it on.  I was in Heaven!  One of my faves was talking to me!!!

The lights turned down and Whitney came out.  She was beautiful and talked with everyone for a while.  Explaining what she wanted the next tour to be like.  Some of the audience talked to her as well.  She obviously knew everyone…but me!

And then she started singing!  Oh that voice…  toward the end of the show she started to sing “I Will Always Love You” and my heart stopped.  Now I had listened to this song countless times, but to hear her sing it a few feet away from me?  Nothing like it!!!  At the point that the music stops and she belts the big part of the song “And Iiiiiii Will Always” Stevie grabbed my arm.  It’s a good thing he grabbed mine because I almost grabbed his!  It was like the chills in my arms made them have to hold onto whatever was close so I didn’t float away!

It was amazing!  The show ended and the lights came on, sweet Stevie hugged me goodbye.  It was an inspiring magical night.

So so so sad.  She is one of the best voices of our time and no female, in my opinion, has come even close since.

Rest in peace Whitney and many prayers to your family…:(