A Fun Day Out

We headed back to our old stomping grounds in LA yesterday. We had tickets to a friend's theatre production at a small theater on Santa Monica Blvd. at 7, so we left the house around noon and first drove to Los Feliz, our old neighborhood. It looked pretty much the same, even the apartment building. We went to The Alcove for coffee and dessert, sharing a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookie and a slice of tarte tatin. After our treat, we drove over to Glendale to check out the new Americana on Brand, an outdoor mall that was under construction when we lived there. It's pretty upscale, the only shops we could actually shop at would be Sur la Table and Barnes and Noble. We had fun walking around and checking it out, and then sat upstairs by the big picture windows in B/N reading some selections. Around 4:30, we drove back over to Silver Lake in order to eat at Malo, D's favorite spot to eat in LA> They serve beef and pickle tacos which are good. The show was funny, and we were driving back home by 8:30. A fun Sunday- and no work tomorrow! yay!

This marks the end of a post-a-day. See you soon though I'm sure.

Somewhere Right Now

is both the title of a favorite children's picture book and the "Sunday Scribblings" prompt for this week.

Somewhere Right Now a family packs their bags, hustling away from home again, for the second time in the last three years.

Another family celebrates the announcement of a certain former PTA mom, beauty queen and caribou hunter as the GOP VP nominee.

Yet another family rues the day and curses the GOP for it's choice, calling it patronizing to assume that ANY woman could soothe their pain at Hillary's failure to make that 18 million and first crack in the glass ceiling.

Quiet night

We ended up skipping the concert last night; we were both tired and run-down from the week. I drove down to D's office to meet him but we decided to come back home (which of course took an hour with traffic) but we are glad we did. Had some toast and went to bed early.

Here's the latest

Here's the latest:

*Megi's son, Jayden Luis was born Tuesday night (Aug. 26) at 10:03 p.m. 7 lbs, 9 oz. 20 inches. Mama, baby and daddy doing great- they head home from the hospital tomorrow! Congrats!!!

*Back to School night was a success tonight! I gave two 45 minute sessions to groups of 10 and 5 sets of parents about what to expect in our class this year! Signed up two volunteers on the spot and was promised at least 3 more! yay!

*We head to the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow evening for a concert by the LA Philharmonic performing John Williams music with John Williams conducting.

Happy almost TGIF...do you feel Fall around the corner?

September is just around the corner!

Fall is in the air and I LOVE FALL! It is definitely my favorite season! I love:

*thinking about Halloween and costumes
*big crunchy apples (they only taste good in the Fall)
*pumpkin farms
*oatmeal for breakfast
*the smell of freshly sharpened pencils


What do you love about Fall?

tired and sicky today

so this will be a short post.
all done.

Pictures together

In putting together the little photographic timeline down the right side of the blog (at 3:30 a.m. no less), I am realizing that D and I do not take a heck of a lot of photos together. In fact, you may think the timeline is a representation of our photos together but in all reality, these are nearly ALL of our photos together. Granted, there are a few from when we first started dating (Fall 2003) and didn't have a digital camera yet, but really the selection is limited! And how sad, because we have been to some mighty fun places and have no record that we were actually there TOGETHER! So- NEW SCHOOL YEAR'S RESOLUTION-
Take more pictures together!

Here are some of the adventures I wanted to include but had no proof:

Chicago (24 hour trip to see D's favorite band, Marillion) 2004
Big Bear trip in Nov. 2005-rented an A-frame cabin and took Lu. (We have plenty of pix of HER on vacation!)
Solvang- Fall 2005
San Luis Obispo-Fall 2005
Ski Trip to Big Bear-Feb or March 2006
Carlsbad (Flower Fields)-Spring 2006

In any case, it's kind of fun to see things all in chronological order like that.

5000th visitor

I was trying to figure out a way to reward my 5000th visitor (which actually isn't the 5000th visitor because for a while I wasn't using the counter) and then I turned out to be the "5000th" visitor! ha! I saw someone do this on their blog and I thought it was cute so here goes:

I have been a bridesmaid in 6 weddings, 2 of which I was the maid of honor. Three of the weddings took place before digital photography, so bear with me while I scan some old pix (which may take a while). In the meantime, here are the most recent three:

My college bud and amazing galpal J. got married 11.2.02 in NY; we got to spend bunches of time the day before together doing wedding errands. I had so much fun being a part of her special day-




Then on May 17, 2003 I was the only female attendant for my dear friend G. It was such a love-filled room!


The most recent wedding was that of my kindred spirit and friend since high school K. in Sept. 2005. It was such a romantic ceremony in a gorgeous setting! I will post another pic soon of the whole wedding party.

101 things update

On my old blog, LA Luna Tuna, I made a list on Nov. 19, 2006 of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days. Here's an update of that list.
Start date: 11/19/2006
End date: 8/17/2009
Goal: specify 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days!

If you don't want to read all the way down, here's a summary:
48 done, 17 in progress and 36 left to do in the next 358 days!
Which actually works out well - 36 things to do while I'm 36!
I will italicize the ones left to do- and I am taking the liberty to change a few of these goals to new ones.

1. submit 3 writing pieces (2/07,1/08, and 7/08)
2. knit (done) and purl (12/06)
3. buy our first home (5/07)
4. ride a zipline (12/24/06 in Turu Ba Ri Park, Costa Rica)
5. sit in hot springs (12/27/06 at Termales del Bosque, CR)
6. open a cafe press shop (probably not going to happen)fresh goal:paint a mural
7. knit a baby blanketfresh goal: go to a craft lab class
8. have a baby (working on this...)
9. learn how to make cappuccino at home
10. see a live concert (The Police-Sting is awesome! 5/08)
11.road trip from LA to Vancouver(this WILL happen, just not sure it will fit within the time frame
12. run a 1/2 marathon or participate in a walkathon for something
13. bike on the beach in Santa Monica
14. have a girls weekend help girls!
15. see some girlie movies (saw lake house 12/30)
16. get my 500 hour yoga certificationfresh goal: bookshelf in house
17.seriously consider a Masters degree (got 27 grad units in one year instead-not going for Masters)
18. go to a Sark or Comfort Queen retreatagain, this stays on the list but may not be this year
19. go to a writers retreat
20. apply for a teacher's fulbright to visit Japan for 3 weeks (well, I just checked and K teachers are not eligible.:()
21. travel to Italy with my husband and see where his family is from (hopefully 7/08-yay done!)
22. swim (check)
23. go to Monterey (7/07)
24. go to San Francisco (7/07)
25. visit K. (10/07)
26. visit A.
27. visit M.
28. align finances(done)
29. relax (in progress)
30. let go (in progress)
31. fly (with the flylady)
32. get another pet
33. finish wedding scrapbook
34. become proficient using iphoto, imovie, and photobooth (capable yes-maybe not proficient yet)
35. visit Chile
36. learn more about geography
37. learn to crochetfresh goal: finish San Francisco shutterfly book
38. relax (did i say that already?)
39. shine my sink every day
40. go to knitting circles once a month for at least a year (ha well ok, scratch this one)fresh goal: finish Costa Rica shutterfly book
41.visit a coffee plantation (12/26/06 Doka Plantation, Alajuela, CR)
42.knit a baby hatfresh goal: make Cats of Italy calendar
43.enjoy every day (in progress)
44.let it go (in progress)
45.finish reading the books on the AP reading list from high school (does starting a book club count instead?)
46. clean out the junk! (in progress)
47.cultivate friendships(in progress)
48. maintain friendships (in progress)
49. appreciate my friends and family (in progress)
50.visit Astoria, Oregon
51.start a holiday tradition (or two) (done 12/06 family angel, reading night before, and opening 1 gift on c.eve)
52.go to CR (7 days to go!) (done-we just got back!)
53. finish a scarf (done 12/06 actually finished 4!)
54.practice my French- and I don't mean curse words!
55.volunteer to be a reader for the blind and/or leaning disabled in English and Spanish
56.be more pampering (i.e. bubble baths, mani/pedis and facial masks!) (in progress)
57.stay focused on the present (in progress)
58. research buying property in CR (we bought a house instead)
59. research prefab housing (in progress)
60. stretch lots!
61. write every day (in progress)
62. take computer classes to increase knowledge (12/07)
63. visit DC and local loved ones (10/07)
64. get my professional clear teaching clearance in CA (done 11/06)
65. get my CLAD certificate (teaching english as a 2nd lang.) in CA (done 11/06)
66. take BCLAD test (6/07)
67. plan anniversary road trip (7/07)
68. pick and order new flooring for new home (7/07)
69. get bike/bike trails in new community (7/07)
70. volunteer in some capacity for Girl Scouts
71. investigate birthing options such as hypnobirthing (10/07-present)
72. develop a "can-do" attitude
73. keep in touch with friends to maintain meaningful relationships (always)
74. become a mentor to a young personactually in progress as I am sort of mentoring a new young teacher at school
75. ride my bike to work 2-4 times per week (10/07)
76. change light bulbs to eco-cfo's (8/07)
77. bring reusable shopping bags to grocery shop (4/07 forward)
78. begin a backyard compost
79. plant an herb garden (I have lavender, rosemary, and mint-done)
80. shop for hybrid/ethanol/or electric replacement vehicle for '09
81. visit PEI with mom
82. camp at Yosemite
83. print and frame some wedding pix (8/07)
84. host a dinner party
85. plant a tree (or lilac bush) (10/07)
86. look into teaching kids yoga again (done-well i looked into it)
87. empty storage unit! (7/07)
88. climb vazquez rocks
89. visit San Diego Zoo
90. visit Santa Barbara Zoo (Valentine's Day 2008)
91. help my parents move/retire (they are retired- but not moving quite yet-maybe 2009?)
92. meet Josie, baby x, and more! (10/07)
93. train a puppy (or not)
94. swim or surf in a wetsuit
95. eat outside (10/07)
96. search for gently used furniture! (yay we got our dining table off craigslist-May 2008)
97. keep in touch with family (done and doing)
98. reduce, reuse, recycle (doing and done)
99. express myself through writing (doing/done)
100. enjoy Lu (doing/done)
101. love deeply (doing/done)

Georgianna Harwood Prichard

was my paternal great-grandmother. She was in her twenties in this pic. So fun diving into history---My parents are in the middle of scanning all the family photos right now so I'm sure I'll be sharing more...

Three's a charm

I had Mexican last night,
Thai tonight,
which ethnic food will make my delicious trifecta tomorrow?

a. Italian
b. Peruvian
c. other

vote in the comments

A piece of the church

D. recently moved offices and had packed up his piece of the church where we got married in one of the boxes. He didn't find it when he unpacked, so we figured it was gone for good. (If you don't know the story, lightning struck our church immediately following our wedding ceremony, and we have two pieces of the tower that fell; one at his office and one above the fireplace mantel.) Yesterday he says, "Oh, hey, I was thirsty at work yesterday and I went to get out a Propel packet and there was the piece of the church, right in the box of Propel."

Yay!

Ribbit

One of the things we do at the beginning of Kinder is assess what kids already know. Of course this assessment includes naming letters, counting, and identifying four basic shapes, but inexplicably does not include hopping up and down on one foot, which many have mentioned as the first thing to be done in a Kinder "test". One of the most entertaining parts of this process can be letter sounds. Allow me to demonstrate:

Teacher (pointing to the letter S): "What sound does this letter make?"

Student: "SSSSS" (98% of kids know this sound coming into Kinder, regardless of their home language.)

Teacher: (pointing to the letter M): "What sound does this letter make?"

Student: (pauses, looks at teacher) "Ribbit-Ribbit"

Teacher: (holding in laughter; wants to make sure she heard what she thinks she heard, points to the next letter) : "OK, What sound does this letter make?"

Student: (more confidently now) "Ruff-Ruff"

Yes. This is a slice of my day! Fun stuff, right?

Another great story in the same vein is the one about the student who was asked the same thing and in response lowered his ear to the paper to listen to the sound the letter was "making". HA! so cute!

Redesign

a bloggy facelift "on the cheap". On the cutest blogs on the block webpage, the black and white pattern is thicker, which is sad, because that's the part I like the best. Now that it's uploaded to blogger, you can only see the very edges of it. Hmmm.

Home from school, waiting for the worker bee. He's on the road himself. Rode my bike yesterday and today to school, will take the car tomorrow. I plan to ride the bike on Tuesdays and Fridays normally, but missed last Friday due to an appt. (needed the car) so I made up for it yesterday. Timed the ride with my new lavender triathalon timex with indiglo*. It was about 24 minutes, give or take a stoplight or two.


*I bought my last watch in Switzerland in 1989 and wore it last in 2002 maybe? I needed a watch because the clock in my new classroom is not visible from every point in the room and schedules are important in K! (Especially for teachers who were so involved last year they forget to walk the kids out for dismissal and almost caused 1/3 of the class to miss the bus! Hey we were busy learning!)

bloggyworld

I will admit, I spend an inordinate amount of time reading blogs. There are blogs on every topic, from autism to realty to the olympics. It's overload. But that's what happens when, over the course of five years or so, anyone anywhere can write about anything and "publish" it online in a (very) public forum. Of course there are the mommyblogs, where proud moms chronicle their babies' lives as a type of scrapbook for themselves and for friends and relatives near and far (as well as anyone else who happens across them). I love these blogs for many reasons. Some of them chronicle families' international adoption journeys from places like Russia and Haiti. A blog of this type was the first one I ever read in 2005. I have enjoyed coming across old friends while blogging, like E. at A Swoop and a Dart, a high school friend who I haven't seen in person in 17 years but with whom I "keep up" via blogging. I have so enjoyed her clever writing and watching her beautiful daughters grow. Blogs also allow me to keep in touch with friends and family who live far away, such as E. and her cutie pies at Watch Us Go. I have come across interesting families in places like Texas and Idaho whom I follow via their blogs as if they were soap operas. Some blogs are like soap operas. It is striking how much some people have to go through and deal with in one lifetime. I think that sometimes people forget the blogs are public. After all, they write them alone in a room with a computer, right? The mommybloggers are pretty careful about not identifying people by full names or taking pictures of street names where they live, but believe it or not, I have accidentally come across blogs of people I know in real life (by following links on other random blogs). Then I have to read the blog like a mystery novel. How many clues will I find to confirm that this person is who I think it is? And while some of these are innocent blogs chronicling daily life for future generations, others reveal way too much, in my humble opinion.

I originally started blogging due to a cross-country move away from family and friends. I stuck with it because I enjoy writing, but sometimes reading other blogs makes you realize you just don't have that much to say, comparatively. That can be interpreted in two ways:

*my life is blessed
*my life is boring

I choose blessed, but I am certainly going through a lull in the blog. After all, my blog topic today is blogging itself. hmmm.
I know there are about a dozen faithful readers of casitaluna, half friends, half family. One or two leave comments(thanks G/E!) but I'm actually glad it's sort of a quiet blog. I wonder how many bloggers back up their blogs somewhere?

The List

edited at 6:35 pm:
bike ride w/hubs -check
make Powerballs*-check

vaccuum-check
change sheets-check
five loads of laundry-check
load dishwasher-check
cuddle kitty-check
nap-check
read a crime novel-check
sweep-check
change towels-check
put away the air bed-check
empty trash-check
read some blogs/news-check
D's list:
weekly lunch groceries purchased-check
3 lightbulbs changed- check
a/c filter changed-check
extra weekend time at work-check
watered plants in backyard-check
laundry assistance-check

on the way to a productive Sunday!
*Powerballs recipe in this months edition of Wondertime:
1 cup pnutbutter
1 cup honey (fresh from our friends at Saltkist Farms in Ojai!)
3 cups oats
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup nuts/soft dried fruit (any combo of these)
yummy and full of quick energy for our worktime snacks

Phelps

After last night's Olympic viewing, I told Derek that if we ever had a baby boy, we could name him Michael Phelps and say the Michael was after D. (middle name is Michael). His reply:

"I think they would know."

heehee

We had so much fun watching Dara Torres get her individual silver and medley silver (she is amazing!), Usain Bolt zip down the pat for his 9.69 record, and of course, the U.S. team go crazy in their medley for gold!

Watch and Learn

Today we cut apart the letters of our names and mixed them up to make funny words. Instead of Mrs. Richard, I became schrMRrdai and hircsRdaMr. One little guy apparently wasn't quite ready for the mixing up part. He successfully cut his letters apart and was staring at them. I said, "Come on,let's mix up these letters and make a funny word!"

"No!" he replied. "I need to make my name! Watch and learn, Mrs. Richard." Then he proceeded to glue his letters on in order.

Watch and learn indeed.

Happy weekend!

Kinder tally:
lll

(3 days down, 177 to go!)

Olympic Fever

My husband has lost sleep this week watching the Olympic Games. On Wednesday, I went to bed around 9:30 (kindergarteners wear you out!) and he said he would be up soon cuz he was beat! The next day he said - " I was up pretty late watching the Olympics." I said, "How late?" "1:30 a.m."

needless to say, there will be some sleeping in this weekend, I am sure. Go USA!

First Day of School

20 new little people, born in 2002 and 2003, are no longer waiting to become Kindergarteners! They are Kindergarteners, and wonderful sweet ones at that! The first day of school 2008 is history, the second day is...tomorrow! So, goodnight, faithful readers, this Kinder teacher is pooped!

Olympics

Having fun the past few nights watching swimming, synchro diving (men's) and women's gymnastics. Tiny bit of beach volleyball mixed in there; what's not to love about Misty and Keri? Especially with the little side stories about GW and Keri's wedding band getting lost (temporarily) in the sand. Lu is tolerating all the Olympic watching -mostly by drinking out of my water glass and trying to steal D's chicken.

I went to Florida, and all I brought you were

these pictures! My memory card had an "error" near the end of my June trip to FL for M.'s baby shower, and I nearly lost these pix forever! But, due to some amazing software and my amazing hubby, here they are for all to see!

Rome- day 7

The last three days of our Italy trip were spent exploring Rome. We stayed in an adorable apartment on Via Pellegrino near the Campo di Fiori, which is a beautiful morning fresh market that sets up daily from about 7-2. We arrived around 4 pm on Monday afternoon, July 7. Our landlord met us at the front door of the apartment to give us the key. He was a lively little guy, and proceeded to walk us down the block to show us the neighborhood grocery and help us buy bus tickets at the smokeshop. After he left, we returned to the market and bought bread, cheese, meat, and wine for a late luncheon at our new abode. Then we went out to Piazza Navona for drinks and people watching.

Why not?

I want to start replacing the question "Why?" with "Why not?". If a reasonable answer doesn't present itself immediately, then I know it's a risk I need to take. When is the last time you asked, "Why not?"

Wondertime

Even though we don't have kids yet, we receive a parenting magazine for fun,ideas and such. This month's issue arrived yesterday, and it is the best yet! So far, I read an interesting article about the original Kindergarten of Frederick Froebel, got a great recipe for "powerballs" (think honey, pnutbutter,flax seed, oats, choc. chips, and nuts/dried fruit in a tasty little ball for those in between meal munchies!), and learned about the German tradition of giving first graders Schultute cones, filled with candy and school supplies to signify the beginning of school. Other "mommy mags" I am interested in include Brain, Child and Mothering. Not that I need them right now or anything. Because I don't. heehee

8-08-08

Happy Lucky Friday to you!

Hey everyone- Just enjoying my last morning off this summer. I slept til about 8:30 and caught tail end of the Jonas Brothers performing on GMA, then watched the first fifteen minutes of Regis and Kelly (that's the only part I like.) Today was the best because her husband Mark Consuelos co-hosted, and they have such a great chemistry together! Both have great smiles too!
Here is a rundown of the rest of my last "day off":

1. post office
2. school -finish setting up classroom. My friend C. (J.and B.'s aunt from Ojai) is coming down to help me in my classroom at 11:30 and then we are going...
3. hiking at Towsley Canyon and having a picnic lunch
4. book club tonight at 5:30

So as you can see, it's a packed day. Luckily we have zero weekend plans, so we can just relax before work starts again Monday.
Happy weekend to all! I will try and get the last three days of the Italy trip up here this weekend!

110,000

miles on my little car today! happy "bday" car-in one month (Labor Day) I will have owned you for 9 years! I predict I will have you for one more year, and that my mileage next Labor Day will be 117,000. let's see how close I can get.

new-do

Starbucks marketing

I've always been a fan of Starbucks. Not just because of the addictive caffeine and pretty green straws (although both contribute), but also because I enjoy observing their marketing. Season after season, specialty drinks would appear, and it was only after several years that I realized you could actually order most of them anytime of the year. Take the Peppermint Mocha, for example. This is like a liquid peppermint patty. And you can get one whenever you want! The one mistake I think the company has made in terms of menu offerings was the removal of Valencia syrup. Yes, it's orange. But it was so much more than that. Before I found the Peppermint Mocha, Mocha Valencia was the WAY TO GO.

I've been visiting Starbucks locations faithfully since 1996, my first year in the working world, when I lived in the direct center of a triangle of locations in South Miami. My friend M. from college worked at one, so I would inevitably stop by on my way home from school every week and she would take her break while I was there. I returned to my college campus three years ago or so and found, directly across from the entrance to the library, a *$. Yes, indeed. Thank goodness I missed the advent of the chain onto my campus or I really would've needed a second job.

Of late, I have been paying particular interest to the marketing tactics of the company as they are seemingly affected by the current recession. Two events occurred this week which are relevant. On Monday, I stopped by a Pasadena location and ordered a tall iced nonfat decaf mocha with peppermint syrup (two pumps). The girl behind the counter repeated my order and proceeded to charge me $2.25 for a triple macchiato. My drink would've cost $3.30. hmmm. Could this be one reason the company is not meeting projected profits? The next day, I stopped at my local outlet for a tall nonfat decaf cappucino for the ride into Pasadena.

(Just so you know, dear reader, I do not have a daily habit. I was treating myself in order to get through the last two days of the Design-Based Learning workshop located 32 miles each way from my dear quiet valley.)

Anyway, when I received my receipt, I was told that I could return after 2 pm for any cold grande drink and pay only $2.00.
Who can resist this marketing ploy? It will be hot after 2 pm, I told myself. I will still have to drive 32 miles, I thought. So, all of a sudden, it became a twice daily habit. Of course, after ordering my grande iced nonfat decaf caramel macchiato (and enjoying it not just during the commute but also for dessert later that night. While sipping my last delightful swirly mouthful of icy espresso and caramel, I proclaimed to my husband: "I am enjoying *$ latest marketing ploys, but I am done!" I now have no 32 mile commute to rationalize a daily visit. If you have any other ways I can rationalize one, please leave a comment.

Next time: the allure of the Starbucks cup, cupwrap, and straw. (and have you ever heard of a spillstick?)

Getting excited

In one week I'll be back at school, getting the classroom ready and planning for an amazing year! This will be my 13th year teaching; pretty unbelievable! I am very excited to be starting my 2nd year at my current school; a local school with a super learning environment and a high morale among staff members. I've been taking some professional development during the past several days about a concept called Design-Based Learning. It's super interesting and seems like a great way to really engage students. What we are being exposed to in five days is just the tip of the iceberg; there is actually a whole Master's degree program offered at Cal Poly. But here are the tenets:

1. Backwards Thinking (TM) A back door approach developed by Doreen Nelson that has learners solving problems and using critical thinking at the very outset of the process, then receiving guided instruction connected to and based on curriculum standards later.

2. 3-d (Students solve design challenges based on problems which must be three dimensional.)

3. "Never-Before-Seen"- Though its parts can be familiar and indirect symbolism is allowed, the final product should demonstrate original thought

4. Criteria for the design challenge is set in two parts; what we "don't want" to see and what is "needed". Students can help with the first part and teachers guide the second part according to curriculum

5. Context and Sequence-we've only just delved into this part so I will leave you here for now.


Sorry if this is a bit more technical than usual; I've just been processing all this and needed to write it out to digest it a bit more.

Two Years!

In honor of our second wedding anniversary last Wednesday, here is a snippet of my dad's wedding toast for you to enjoy, courtesy of our friend A. We didn't have a videographer by choice, so this little piece of the reception is especially valuable to us- thanks A! My dad is a gifted orator, as you can tell by this ultra-short piece. Happy anniversary to us- and thanks to all our friends and family who traveled so they could share the day with us; I am so honored by each one of your choices to be present, even though I didn't get to spend enough time with each of you! We love you!

Italy-Day 6

Our sixth day in Italy was a Sunday. We had been advised by the chef/owner not to eat lunch before dining at his osteria Sunday evening so I took that advice and skipped breakfast too! In reality, my system was relieved to have a break. The boys, however, joined the wine course offered by our agriturismo which started at 10 am. They had a tour of the vineyard and the wine cellar, learned about the wine, and finished with a four course wine lunch. They returned about 2 pm and napped. I spent the day reading Vanilla Beans and Brodo and watching the German tourists swim in the pool. Around 5 or 6 pm we headed back into Montepulciano to Osteria Acquacheta.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the restaurant is small and there are two seatings, 7:30 and 9:00. We arrived about 7 and hung outside until they opened. We were seated with a couple from Mount Dora, Florida who have been to Montepulciano half a dozen times and had eaten there before. They were known for their Florentine steaks. The chef/owner had a Krameresque quality about him, and appeared to sketch out the steak on our placemats, then bring out the raw steak to show us, and finally to figure the bill (again on placemats). It was a wonderful meal, followed with a dessert of fresh ricotta and honey which D. loved but I didn't. (In the pic I hadn't taken my first bite yet)

Summer guests

July 18 we were so lucky to have my cousins D. and S. visit from Virginia. They had been traveling through CA with my parents the week before, and came back to town Friday to spend time with us before they flew home on Saturday morning. We had a fun backyard barbecue Friday night, and they took us all for pancakes before heading to the airport Saturday morning. It was so great to have them here; since we live so far away we don't get to spend much time with family!

Today

I spent the day by the lake in beautiful Westlake Village. A. celebrated her bridal shower which was so fun. Her mother will be making her wedding dress and her future mother-in-law will be making the wedding cake (she is a caterer). So wonderful. The "boys" (her groom and about 14 friends, my husband included), are spending the weekend in San Diego. After the shower, which has held in a lakeside Italian eatery, I sat by the lake and watched the sailboats and ducks while talking to K. and my parents.

August challenge

I know I've been neglecting the blog a bit this summer so I'm going to try an August blog challenge;a post a day for a whole month! Here are the rules:

*It has to be a post per day; it can be more than one post per day on different topics

well, I guess that's enough rules.