Wednesday, September 30, 2009

welcome to the future...

i love this song but i had not seen the video. i saw it this morning and loved it. i am also having a video chat with tokyo this morning so it was so appropriate.
when you really listen to the words - it's unbelievable. play it here

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

i wish i was....


in this bed right now yeah well you know ..... drinking tea.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

september + the weekend....

so.... it might be over but the jersey boys were fantastic... i think it ends today. i had seen mama mia which was fantastic, dirty dancing which was ok, this my friends was fabulous, actually i just can't stop singing the songs.....it was a memorable night with the girls. we had so many laughs as we always do. thanks mary for organizing everything again. kathy, this video is so you can continue your lusting for frankie...




there is something about the crisp early morning breezes of september that always reminds me of new beginnings. yesterday the weather was just perfect - a 10 of a day. how a day that starts off with a coffee and the right people can just set the stage for happiness. we visited the north end of boston yesterday and it was, as always, amazing. the culture, the people, the food, the tiny congested streets always add up to = incredible.

a snap shot of the day...


this is an awesome little fish market (mercato del mare) you can even learn how to shuck an oyster - don't miss it, you can go home with the makings for an incredible dinner.

























lots of beautiful flowers...





the old timers that spill out onto the side walk.



and the food....the glorious food...


hope you had a happy weekend. xo

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

around here......

it's really busy. around here... my to do list is longer than there are hours in the day. around here... i am welcoming all the signs of fall and i am excited about the upcoming season. i need change. xo
i am constantly in awe of the fullness of life. thanks john and kristin for a great evening. you guys are the best.








one of the sweetest little girls in this whole world.












girl tribe...






to be so adored...


























total look alikes...


some relationships are really precious and meant to be held on to.

it's still summer until 5:18.....

enjoy the last drip of summer...
today promises to be 75, toast the season adieu with...




















blackberry sangria

2 bottles of grenache based red wine
(or any wine you like really)
750 ml club soda
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cinnamon sticks
1 lemon (sliced)
1 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup fresh blackberries or marionberries
2 apples sliced
1/2 cup chambord

1. combine wine, sugar, chambord,
half of the blackberries, vanilla pod, orange juice,
cinnamon sticks and lemon together
and stir until sugar is mostly dissolved.
2. let stand in refridgerator for 2 - 24 hours.
3. before serving add the soda,
the sliced apples
and the remaining blackberries.
4. i think it's nice to serve it from an old bottle
with a pretty ladle
and lots of ice
into small glass cups.
5. but, anything you like is just fine. enjoy!

all the credit for this goes to forty six at grace

Monday, September 21, 2009

anticipation...

recently i attended a couple of showers, one baby, one bridal. both were beautiful and so much love was put into them. both women were so happy just starting new journeys. such good sweet stuff.... love to you both...and I wish you at least a few restful nights and a lifetime of happiness.


these two little ones are contemplating how much they should tell colleen about what to expect with a new little one. also how you can wear a beautiful dress and a tatoo at the same time.


these little dolls can't wait to meet their new cousin...

becky and ed...so happy we got to share in your special day.

Friday, September 18, 2009

almost autumn...

i'm feeling pretty satisfied as i squeeze out the last bits of summer. i am almost ready to surrender to fall. i LOVE fall it's just that fall is a prelude to a long winters nap and that i am not ready for. not. just. yet. a hasty summer recap - i have experienced some wonderful weekends, a few trips to fenway park, got a new kitchen, attended a wedding, celebrated some birthdays, welcomed a new baby into the extended family, a concert under the stars, enjoyed my staple of tomatoes and mozzarella, ate some sweet corn, lobsters outside at the beach,
helped a friend move and lots and lots of other stuff in between. some of the random stuff that will always remind me of the summer of 2009 are blueberry scones that you dream of, aveeno lavender body wash, sugarland, red wine, t shirts that tell a story, bike rides, kung pao chicken and mannys. hearts were won. so i am hoping for a couple more bike rides, a couple more walks without a jacket, maybe an indian summer day or two and then this season will be complete.
happy weekend. xoxo

Thursday, September 17, 2009

you know who you are...

....my cougar friend you need to relinquish your crown...

a malaysian woman, mook kundor - who is 107 YEARS OLD - is afraid that she may soon have to start looking for husband number 23. her current husband (number 22) mohammed che musa – who is 37 YEARS OLD - is currently in drug rehab.
mook and mohammed met in the same village where he was her lodger. he is quoted as saying that he fell in love with his wife because it was “god’s will,” that he is still very much in love with her and cannot dream of life with someone else.
even so, mook is afraid that, after he gets out of rehab, her darling lil hubby won’t return home but will go out searching for a younger woman. she says she's “lonely and insecure.” if he indeed still has feelings for her she will "wait for him without thinking of another marriage.” but she has a gnawing feeling.(holy crap still insecure at 107 years old) if he doesn’t return home, she has her eyes set on a 50 year old man ( oh a youngin) but hopes it doesn’t come to that.
“i am not searching for a handsome man just someone to accompany me in my twilight years,” she said. twilight years?? this sounds like the twilight zone... "i realize i am an aged woman. i don’t have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone. my intention to re-marry is to fill my forlornness, particularly during ramadan, the muslim month of fasting.”
i don’t know what's worse the thought of (1.) being 107 years old, (2.) being 107 years old and still trying to hook up with younger men, (3.) being married 22 times, or (4.) having a husband who is 70 years my junior and is in rehab.
but hey, i guess every human should have love and companionship. any of you dudes out there wanna hook up with a 107 year old forlorn and insecure woman while she isn’t eating?

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

a quiet start....


good morning, today i really need a quiet simple image to continue me through this week. i think it might be a long one.




and some music you might like to listen to. enjoy and have a great day. xo

Monday, September 14, 2009

slow roasted ....

i highly recommend that you get yourself a big bunch of ripe red tomatoes before they are gone for the season and give this recipe a go. hands down my favorite way to enjoy tomatoes. this is super easy, and believe me you will want to make two large trays full: one to eat now and one for tomorrow. i've stored some in the freezer as well. no more jars of cardboard-like sun-dried tomatoes for me.


ingredients
1 cup (or more) olive oil, divided
2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh italian parsley
aged goat cheese (such as bûcheron)
1 baguette, thinly sliced crosswise, toasted

preparation
preheat oven to 250°F. pour 1/2 cup oil into 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. arrange tomatoes in dish, cut side up. drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar, and salt. bake 1 hour. using tongs, turn tomatoes over. bake 1 hour longer. turn tomatoes over again. bake until deep red and very tender, transferring tomatoes to plate when soft (time will vary, depending on ripeness of tomatoes), about 15 to 45 minutes longer.
layer tomatoes in medium bowl, sprinkling garlic and parsley over each layer; reserve oil in baking dish. drizzle tomatoes with reserved oil, adding more if necessary to cover. let stand at room temperature 2 hours chill up to 5 days. bring to room temperature before serving.
serve with aged goat cheese and toasted baguette slices. enjoy xo

Friday, September 11, 2009

john william rossetti

Congratulations Jill, Steve and Matty on the brand new member of your family.




sweet baby john....
9/7/09
8lbs. 6oz.
20.5 inches


and beautiful big brother matty !


and the very proud grandparents

i remember...and always will...

one 9/11 survivor story...



Thursday, September 10, 2009

so you know i have a crush on september...

this is one of the reasons...over the weekend at the airport i enjoyed my first pumpkin spiced latte of the season and it was heaven.

and then there is .... where do i begin? i love it all, the cooler weather, sweaters, football, crackling fires, just baked pies, bubbling soups, corn stalks, planting some mums, curling up on the couch with a good book or a movie, which reminds me i need to rent this one.
it's such a good movie - everyone likes to see thier inbox with a sweet message. i know i do and... tom hanks - i love tom hanks he reminds me of someone i love.


Tuesday, September 8, 2009

how to eat....

so labor day took us to florida to visit my parents. as we expected, a huge feast greeted us when we arrived. mom's kitchen gloriously scented with the finest italian feast. while drooling over my plate i reminded her she needed to tell me one more time - how do you make these magic meatballs? we go over the ingredients one more time - check, check, check, yup, I got the ingredients down but somehow the taste is not the same. i'll keep trying. my kids are the first to remind me these are not like grandmas. just. not. quite. i woke up to the smell of bacon. it smelled heavenly. mom announced over breakfast oh come now eat some more. i swear i need to eat salads for the rest of my life after this vacation. upon my insistence the remaining evenings took us to a variety of restaurants. the days remained filled with pancakes, and omelets and sandwiches stuffed with roasted peppers and piled high with meats and veggies. mom says dad is easy to please. you know he says "home is the best restaurant of all." we seemed to eat our way through trips to the pool, golfing, movies, shopping, starbucks runs, visiting friends, flea markets, manis, pedis, listening to music on the square, watching people dance and we were still eating. at one point the bell rang someone delivering cookies. not just any cookies, cookies stuffed with jam and nuts = heaven. so now we have the neighbors adding to the food frenzy. on the last day we ate again at home and i must agree dad is right there is no better restaurant than mom's kitchen. not. even .close. so today i have an empty stomach and a heart full of gratitude. but one last thought - it's a good thing they only weighed the bags on the trip home and not the passengers i can assure you we would have had to pay for overage.

Friday, September 4, 2009

happy looooong weekend.....

burnt marshmallow s'mores
if labor day at your house means an end-of-summer barbecue, an afternoon spent sitting in lawn chairs under the waning yellow sun, a day of children and neighbors and the warmth of friends, then this recipe is for you. if, of course, you have no such plans but desire them with all your heart, this recipe is for you, too. lay out a spread of these snappy s'mores and you've got a party. better yet, you've accomplished dessert. you can cook the marshmallows over a fire pit or your grill or whatever open flame you desire or if you want you don't even need to cook the marshmallows. this recipe offers a fonduesque approach rather than a fire pit frenzy. needed ingredients are inexpensive and easy to come by, preparation is minimal, assembly easy enough for even the loopiest toddler, and clean-up is super sinchy because it entails simply licking fingers and brushing crumbs onto the floor for the picnic ants to carry away.
1 king-sized milk-chocolate hershey's bar
1 king-sized hershey's cookies & cream bar
1 bag large marshmallows
10-12 oreo cookies, chocolate cream centers, finely crushed
6 very thin wooden dowels cut into several 10 inch sticks
in two small, separate bowls, melt chocolate bars. dip one half of a marshmallow in the melted cookies and cream bowl. turn it upside down and spear it onto the tip of a dowel. dip the other half of the marshmallow into the bowl of melted milk chocolate, the press firmly into the oreo crumbs. eat immediately or allow chocolate to harden before serving.
lynne i so know you are going to make these ...

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

chasing summer...

this summer has felt like a child running by - never quite catching it. it rained so much of june and july, august contributed some scorcher days then suddenly it's september. but fleeting as it has been there have been those moments... the ones that you get to keep forever. the ones that you will pull up from your memory on a snowy day and smile. make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes... i hate to see summer end but i have always had a crush on september.

it will happen someday...



so today is the last time it will be the first day of school in my house. we wait for all these milestones and then they are so bittersweet. i wish for your senior year to be filled up with all the things that make you happy, all the things that make you grow, all the things that will make you look back someday and say these were the best days of my life. remember - study hard, be you, be brave, be kind, be strong, laugh late into the night with friends and never let go of your dreams. i love you. mom