Five Things I'm Diggin'

Here are five things I'm into right now.  Where to begin as I've got a little catching up to do.  I'll start it off with my favorite discovery of the year.  You are going to be shocked I know when I start the list off here...

1. RED COW!  This little local gem opened it's doors in my blogging fog days so I didn't get to really tell you how much I love the joint.  I know you all see the Facebook check-in's and patio shenanigans on Instagram, but I truly love this place.  It's the neighborhood equivalent of the Cheers Bar but I imagine the food and wine at The Cow are far superior.  Of course the burgers are standouts, but for me I tread heavily across the appetizer menu.  Ahi tuna crisps, homemade potato chips and dip, three different poutines, scotch eggs, cheese curds, and the pastrami sliders...omg.  I don't care for pastrami, or sauerkraut, or pretzel bread, but I bit into this baby one afternoon and I was smitten. In love, actually.  Three on a plate is more than enough so there is always one to bring home for later.  Wait, did I list the fish tacos?  Delish!  Grilled cheese? Amazeballs.  And did I mention the cute owner, Luke?  He's The Best and will always greet your table with a genuine smile and a funny quip.  And he seriously knows his beer and wine so get your tail in ASAP but just please don't take my favorite table.

2.  How about this FALL we're experiencing?  After the most offensive, depressing, lousy spring on record, we deserve this.  Here we sit in the first week of October and my garden is still pretty fresh, there are ferns (albeit a little scraggly) in my pots, and barely a leaf has littered my driveway.  A little A/C in late September is always welcome and a Homecoming parade in shorts is pretty cool.  I love it.  It's my favorite time of year and even with the monsoon that blew through here last night, it still sort of feels like late summer.  I will take it for as long as Mother Nature wants to cooperate because this rocks!!

Watching the Homecoming parade on a perfect fall day

3.  And speaking of fall, I'm also diggin' football this year.  Yeah, I know the Vikes suck the big one (except when they're in London!?) but we are lucky enough to have a great crew in this neighborhood that likes to spend Sundays worshipping the 49er's, the Bears, the Seahawks, and God forbid The Pack.  This season we were lucky enough to inherit a proper Man Cave in the 'hood that Mr. Howell tricked out in a pretty serious fashion.  The Cave seemingly attracts all kinds of fans and I know that when Mr. C rolls the garage door up on Sunday mornings an interesting collection of folks are going to show up.  As long as this weather holds, count on the chili being served, the beer being chilled and the team flags flying high.  And even when fall does begin to fade, the boys have plans for heaters and fur blankets, which I will make sure to share pictures of! And I can't talk about football without mentioning how proud I am of Mr. C for being brave enough to become a Badger for a day to escort me to a game at Camp Randall.  It was a spectacular day with a spectacular win so here's a shout to Bucky's cutest new fan!  

4.  So last spring I started chatting with my brilliant friend/hairdresser about how I was contemplating bangs. Yes, bangs.  Fringe.  Not since 1983 have I had hair touch my forehead but for some reason last April I got stuck on the idea of bangs.  Brilliant hairdresser says, "No way.  At least not until Fall."  Okay.  I patiently waited for the calendar to hit September 22nd (first official day of Autumn) and I start calling her.  "Should I?  Shouldn't I?  I really should, right?  What if I hate them?  What if they bug me?  What if they make my nose look big?  My face look fat?"  And so on and so on... I think she finally got so fed up with texts, photos and nonsensical chatter on the matter that she graciously slipped me into her first cancellation and had the scissors moving before I could even say, "Should I really do it??" Boom. Done.  Hmm.  I llike them.  I like the change.  I like the feel of fringe on my forehead, but mostly I like that I did something I normally would never do and I must thank my stylist/friend that encouraged me when everyone else said, "Don't Do IT!"  She  told me to jump in with both feet and said in her confident "I'm almost 40 and you're almost 42 so make it happen"  voice,  "You will look stunning.  Your pony is going to look amazing.  And your top bun, to die."  Obvi.   If I see you on the street and you don't like my fringe, do me a favor, smile and tell me that my pony looks amazing.  The only draw back is that I looked like Nikki Sixx when I woke up this morning.


5.  Which brings me to another obsession...The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx.  I read this little number on our last road trip and it is flat out addicting.  Couldn't put it down.  Crazy shit.  Who knew people would ever think to down a pitcher of hot tub water and snort coke immediately afterwards for the ultimate high only to purposefully puke?  And locking yourself in a closet (naked, I might add) with a shotgun because you believe the security system on your wall is out to get you and there are midgets hanging from your trees?  Now that sounds like a blast!  Not to mention shooting up in your xxxx??  Good times.  And the man is still alive to tell the tale.  If you enjoy rock star memoirs (I was not aware that I did) this is the read for you.  Graphic, shocking, sad, captivating, moving, all rolled into one serious page turner.  Nikki collects his diaries from years on tour in the hey day of Motley Crue to truly shock the pants off of his readers.  This book is like crack ( I assume)...read it.  

That's what I'm diggin' this week.  More next week.  Happy Thursday!


Writer's notes-

*Don't be offended but I am not going to reveal where said brilliant friend/hairstylist works.  That would mean that I won't get called up first on the cancellation list and it will make it harder for me to schedule my bang trims.  It's too bad though because she does the BEST blowout in town!  Email me directly if you really like my fringe and want her number.  And also, I don't think I look like Reese Witherspoon, I just really like her hair.

*The Man Cave depicted above is not at my home.  Don't come to my house on a Sunday morning looking for a bowl of chili and a beer.  If you would like to join us on any given Sunday, once again email me directly and I will reveal the address of The Cave.  And FYI, Nikki Sixx might be making a surprise appearance in November...

Minnesota Summer

Well Hello Summer!  So glad you could make it!  Just this past week it has finally felt like it's name around here- sunshine, humidity, crispy skin from being at the pool from open till close, bug bites, BBQ's and gin bootlegs.  Ahhh...finally.  

We wait a long time for this season and have no shame in living it up like it's the last day we will feel the sun on our faces.  It is a season where we see certain folks that we otherwise don't during the shut in months and we eat certain foods unavailable six months from now and savor sitting outside for leisurely lunches on backyard patios. 

Bedtimes seem to fade- is that my six year running down the sidewalk barefoot still wearing his swimsuit long after dark with a drippy popsicle hanging from his hand?  Why yes, I do believe it is!  And I make no apologies.  Morning routines are botched and sports are occasionally skipped.  As annoying as it can be sometimes, I do love the "swap the kids" around the neighborhood business that seems to be pure Minnesota.  In our old California neighborhood I didn't ever experience the "summer parent support system" of  "I need to take J to baseball so can you take Z and G and when I get back send F, C and C over for a while so you can run some errands and then let's meet up because I need to take M and J over to the F's for a movie date with their nanny and then my Dad is going to take them to DQ for a while and then we'll all get together in your backyard so Mr. C can BBQ??"  Yup, that's pretty much the daily story around here for three solid months and we are lucky and we love it and we are all ready for it end by Labor Day. 

But until then I will soak up the sound of cicadas, the smell of freshly cut grass, the dirty bare feet, the freckled noses, sunscreen smell on my boys' hair, early morning walks before it gets too hot (okay, who am I kidding, mid morning), back yard movies, and the freedom my boys feel from fishing in the creek down the block by themselves.   That is pure Minnesota summer- and I'm very thankful you have decided to arrive.

Green Balloons

Yesterday I waited in line to purchase green balloons to fly in remembrance of Quinn.  The line was long; a forty minute wait to pick up my three balloons costing less than $5.00.  "Did you know the family?"  "What happened?"  I was asked in line more than once.  No, I didn't.  My children did not know Quinn and I do not know his parents, but today we fly the green balloons.  He was a third grade boy, the youngest of four brothers. 

I tied the balloons to our lamppost this morning with Cooper in tow as he asked, "Is there going to be a parade today?"  

"No, not a parade exactly..." as I bumbled and fumbled my words to try and best explain what happened to a child the same age as his beloved big brother.

"Oh, I get it.  It's going to be a parade of sad people."  And just like that off he went to tend to his melting snowman pile.  Just like that...

How do you explain something like this?  It is inexplicable to us as adults, but how do you explain to a child why a classmate suddenly passes away, or an elementary school in Connecticut so similar to their very own loses 20 students in the blink of an eye?  The death of a child goes against nature, and it is simply, inexplicable.

As I finished tying the three balloons to our lamppost I noticed a small piece of string left from the red balloons we flew for Chase almost two years ago and I thought of each of the children this community has lost in the near six years we have lived here.  It's too many.  One is too many. 

Then I intently watched my own as he played in the snow on a cloudy morning oblivious to the sadness felt today in our community.  

Easter

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter or Passover and were able to celebrate your blessings with close family and friends.  We sure did!  A gorgeous spring day gave way to one of the most beautiful tables I have ever seen (complete with fancy folded napkins done by a DUDE, I might add!), stunning wines and Champagne, and a delicious spread of all the traditional dishes of the day.  Thank you to our lovely host and hostess for their abundant hospitality, love and friendship!  We are truly blessed.

Just look at those napkins!  When asked where he learned how to fold like a true pro, the response was, "The internet.  You too can learn."  

I think I will leave the fancy folding to this talented fellow.

One of the many delicious Pinot Noir bottlings from St. Innocent in Oregon.  www.stinnocentwine.com

Our bountiful Easter feast

Reflections on Flynn

Band or choir?  Latin, French, Chinese or Spanish?  I can't believe that I am registering my first born son for Middle School.  Where have the last 10 1/2 years gone?  It is no cliche to say that sometimes "the days feel long but the years fly by."  Indeed.  

My quiet, contemplative, tentative child has grown into a handsome, confident, funny, interesting individual who has taught me not only how to organize my iTunes library and work my iPhone, but how to cook the perfect omelet, throw a spiral, ski a black diamond with confidence (sort of), enjoy a road trip, savor a good hike, swim in the sunshine and appreciate nature.  

I have watched my little "bug whisperer" invite butterflies to land on his fingers, trap lizards with his bare hands, stroke an injured sea turtle in the sea, tame a gopher from our backyard in California (no joke), and hold bumblebees in the palm of his hand.  He is a kid with a quiet charisma that does not go unnoticed, although sometimes I think he wishes that it would.  He likes to fly under the radar, but kiddo I hate to tell you, your smile gets you noticed even when you have no words to say.  

I know how unbelievably excited you are to move forward to your new school next year. You can hardly wait- and not just for the endless cafeteria choices- I see it in your eyes and in your gestures when you talk about what lies ahead.  There is such a genuine desire to blast off into this new unknown and for that I am so proud of you.  

Don't hold back; continue to embrace and enjoy your experiences every single day and I will continue to cherish being able to observe your joy.  

Go get 'em, sweet child of mine.  I love you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dearest Mr. C, Flynn, Christian, and Cooper-

You have made me the luckiest wife and Momma on the planet and I love and thank you for that.  You will always have my heart and I am forever blessed to have yours.  

Happy Valentine's Day to each of you!

XXXOOO

The Yogurt Lab

I absolutely love when a new, creative, energetic concept hits town.  Well, this one might not be "new" per se, but it's a solid concept that took a twist, got turned on it's head and scaled up a notch or two.  It's The Yogurt Lab in Minneapolis and let me tell ya folks, this ain't no TCBY.  This is a modern, fresh, cool, fun, healthy (organic milk!), and utterly delicious soft serve frozen yogurt destination.  With flavors like Green Apple, Salted Caramel, Chili Chocolate, Cupcake and Mango (to name just a few) your options are endless.  And there are even more choices when it comes to toppings- be the healthy type with fresh fruit or go bananas with every type of cereal imaginable, all kinds of nuts, your favorite candy bars, Gummi Bears and marshmallows- there are simply too many to list.  You just need to check it out for yourself and have your own little yogurt experiment.  The place was packed and given that it was a Monday afternoon in the middle of winter, I can only imagine what summer will bring when the crowds flock to nearby Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles to take their yogurt for a stroll. 

Endless options to top off your yogurt.

My personal fave.

The Yogurt Lab has an industrial, lab-chic vibe that not only serves inventive flavors of frozen yogurt, but pumps great tunes and loads of energy into the experience.

Cooper's eyes were definitely bigger than his belly when it came to making flavor and topping decisions!

The wall says it all!!

The Yogurt Lab is located at 3100 Excelsior Blvd. near Whole Foods.

Don't miss it!

San Francisco Trifecta

Three of my favorite things collided when I saw this post on the super fun blog, Hooked on Houses the other day.  What are three of my favorite things, you might ask?  In no particular order, they are...

Words with Friends.  San Francisco.  One King's Lane.

They all came together when I found this gorgeous listing of The City's  uber-power couple Mark and Alison Pincus' Presidio Heights home.  It went on the market last month right before Mark's online gaming company, Zynga, went public.  If you are not familiar with Zynga (Words with Friends, Farmville, etc.) than maybe you are familiar with One King's Lane, the incredibly successful online home decor site that was founded by Alison in 2009.  If you're not familiar with either one of these, well, I can't help you out.  Google them.

This 4,000 square foot home (on a 4,199 sq. ft. lot no less- can you say, "San Francisco??") is absolutely stunning, gorgeous, happy, and oh so bright and spectacular.  I can just see myself curled up on the sofa off the sunny yellow kitchen playing Words with Friends.  Can't you?  

It's in my favorite neighborhood of The City, Presidio Heights, and sits on a tiny, tree lined block that backs up to The Presidio.  Within walking distance to great shops, world class restaurants, beautiful parks, and schools (private, of course), this little dream could be yours for a cool $8.95 million.  

Doesn't that equate to about $447 per square foot?  

Kind of a deal if you consider that it's never even been lived in.  The family (they have twin daughters) apparently never took up residence due to a little stalker issue that forced them into their much smaller home across town in Cole Valley, which is also on the market.  I wonder where last month's Zynga IPO (no matter how luke warm it turned out to be) has the family moving next?  It hasn't been revealed publicly but I know I can't wait to get a glimpse once Alison gets her hands on it!  

Check out her impeccable taste in the Presidio Heights home below...

Gorgeous inside and out...this is the view from the back courtyard

I think this is my favorite room in the house.  I LOVE the shocking green lacquer paint- what an entrance!

I could find a lot of inspiration in this sunny kitchen and can see my three boys sitting on those cool counter stools

That's my Words with Friends couch...

I love all the color.  And the view ain't so bed either...

When you need a break from all the color, here's your room

The light is incredible

Once again, a lacquer love affair

The entrance- two balconies and a double garage.  Two San Francisco rarities.

What do you think?

Hockey.

As my two older boys raced through their homework yesterday after their first day back at school, I knew what the rush was all about.  Not because they didn't want to study spelling lists, complete their reading or struggle over Homelinks, but because they had a date at the skating rink down the street.  A date they have kept for the last two and a half weeks, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the same with New Years.  
My middle guy is a die hard hockey animal who plays every game with more speed, determination, and raw love of the game than star quality skill.  He watches more of the NHL network now than Nickelodeon, takes slap shots in the driveway before hopping on the school bus, and last night when I kissed his cheek, fast asleep in an exhausted, tranquil state, he was muttering something about a Boston Bruin being traded.  No lie.  
My oldest son does not officially play hockey, but has learned to love skating, the pick-up games and the camaraderie of the neighborhood park on a crisp winter afternoon.  Even after his right hand was run over by a hockey skate the week before Christmas requiring many stitches and a splint to keep the severed tendon in place, he's still at it. *
I have watched these two boys of mine walk out the back door with Edina sweatshirts and skull caps, leather "Choppers", and sticks threaded with skates over their shoulders for weeks now.  I am proud they are enjoying time together, that they are being so responsible out on their own at the park (even though I still worry), and that they are healthy, active, and able to embrace the love of a sport that has always been dear to my heart.  But it doesn't come without a certain level of risk and serious injury.

Last Friday when Benilde- St. Margaret's player Jack Jablonski was checked from behind and left with a severed spinal cord and paralysis, it left us all stunned.  Not surprised necessarily, but stunned and scared.  That young boy lying in the hospital with the possibility of never walking again could have been ours.  In a sense he is ours. The hockey community takes care of their own and so does this community.  Hopefully the news coverage, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, You Tube videos and Caring Bridge site that have all been set up for this young man will not only increase awareness about what is already illegal in the game, but provide Jack and his family with the outpouring of support, love, strength and blessings that will be necessary to navigate the tough road ahead.
At this point in time no one is sure whether or not Jack Jablonski will ever walk again, let alone get up on skates, but I can bet one thing to be true.  I know this sounds crazy, insane, and incomprehensible to most, but when he is conscious and able to share his thoughts with his community- local and hockey- that he will say how much he loved this sport and how much it gave him in his young life.  


 *I must take this opportunity to thank the local surgeon I have known for most of my life who kept his office open late just to stitch up my son when his hand was cut at the rink.  Dr. X, I know how private you are so I won't mention your name, but you are amazing and I can't tell you how much we appreciate what you did.  You are caring and professional and unbelievable at what you do.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!   xxoo to both you and your wonderful wife!

It's a Wonderful Life

You bet your sweet ass it is.

Merry Christmas!!

2012

Dear Santa...

All I want for Christmas is a mudroom.  

It's that simple.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful, like this is more important than world peace, a stable economy or marriage equality, but this is kind of a big deal.  It's only snowed once so far this season and I am already tired of the winter crap and clutter that collects on my kitchen floor from every neighborhood child dressed head to toe in Gortex and Kamik boots.  They are wet.  They are dirty, and now Santa, these "children" are getting old enough that they are sweating underneath all that Gortex and starting to stink.  It's a disaster.  I need a room specifically for the boots, the snowpants, the piles of mittens and the endless hats.  And then there's the gigantic foul smelling hockey bag...

Santa, I need help.

Here is my kitchen floor on any given day from December through April...

Below is the organization system I currently have that I thought would suffice.  Somehow my kitchen looks nothing like this.

Santa, I think I need something a little more heavy duty, such as this.  I like how it's all enclosed.

I would even settle for a slightly upgraded version of what I have.  More hooks are essential for these kids and their coats.

Now we're talking- a full on locker room would be ideal.

Oh yeah...

 Santa, don't you have any elves that work at HGTV in the off season that might be willing to help a Mom out?  

Truthfully, I think this is all it might take.  

Mr. C, don't be surprised if you get a Santa hat for Christmas.  And a nail gun.  And a can of paint.  And about 20 hooks.

Hell in a Hand Basket?

20 kids is not my cup of tea, but ya know what, these folks seem to take it to a whole new level, in a good way.  Have you seen how still those children sit?  How respectful they are?  How well they get along with one another?  How freakin' organized they all are?  Either Michelle is slipping them all a boatload of Xanax or they are doing something right.  And clearly Mr. and Mrs. are still doing it.  Not sure when or where, but apparently they are and I say, "Congrats Y'all!"  Leave them the hell alone, people.  This family is actually positively contributing to society, raising good, honest children, and can I say, doing it DEBT FREE!!  Amazing.  Kudos to you Duggars- you have my blessing to have 20 more if you like.

Next up- Tattoo Barbie.  

Really?  What is the big deal? WHO CARES!!  

So you're trying to tell me that because someone has a tattoo (or fifty) it means they won't make a good parent?  I dare you to go check out that prissy little PTA lady's ankle and she just might have a few Greek letters and a butterfly tattooed underneath her tennis sock.  One or fifty, what's the difference??  Stop judging and get back to parenting.

Now this is a tough one.  Money grubbing and camera hungry she may be, but I still feel our little Kim is a true romantic at heart and just made a really, super bad, double bad decision here.  I think it's him.  He just seems mean and all of my sisters agree so there you have it.  Kim, just move along and we will forget it ever happened but you must, must stop bashing Minnesota and our people in the process.  If that does not subside I might just have to kick your big ass.

Now I don't know why poor Kenny popped up on my television screen the other day, but man, The Gambler has fallen on some hard times with this botched face lift.  It is seriously so disturbing that I had to rewind the clip (yes, I sometimes watch Entertainment Tonight when I'm cooking) and freeze it to study what the hell is going on here.  This is an entirely different human being, like he requested to his plastic surgeon, "Um, I'm going into the witness protection program so can you give me a completely new identity?"  

Poor fella.  He didn't need anything done in the first place, maybe a little lift of the eyelids, but he was kinda smokin' for an old dude, in a country western sort of way.  "Son I've made a life- outta readin' people's faces..."  

Well, not any longer Kenny.  Sorry.

So is society going to hell in a hand basket with 72 day marriages, 20 children families, gratuitous plastic surgery and tattooed toys?  No, I don't think so but our world is changing at a mind boggling pace and it's our job to look beyond what's obvious and not judge.  Kenny is still Kenny, even if he can't blink.  Kim is still a Kardashian even if she was a Humphries for three months so thank God we can all get back to speculating what toolbag she might choose next.  And those sweet Duggars, just go watch one episode.  They should be allowed to have as many kids as they want without people talking smack about them.  

And Tattoo Barbie, well, I say "just in time for Christmas folks!"