Double Take No. 10

Both S 'n' B loved playing the same game in the same crib at about the same age.Peek-a-Boo Snook
Peek-a-Boo Bubs
And it never got old!

Legos We Go-Go

Legoland is a favorite playdate spot for several of my friends and me. Yes, it's an amusement park and there are rides, but the abundance of legos everywhere means kids (read moms) can take a break in one place for as long as they want and create to their heart's content. As a result, I find the atmosphere to be much more serene, cerebral and slower-paced than what you would normally expect at a place geared for kids. Other things that keep us coming back: Miniland USA, something everyone should see at least once; the Model Mom Club (you don't have to be a Club member to take advantage of their curtained-off nursing areas complete with rocking chairs, bottle warmers, changing stations); and lots of great, healthy food options everywhere you look. Like I'm hinting at, this place thinks of everything.Bubs and me floating down Storybook River on a recent visit. Snook floating along with her buddy Alexis.
Meeting Bob.Meeting Princess Lily. Who?Very busy managing their grocery store.And here the girls are exploring Sea Life Aquarium for the first time. Definitely the most kid-friendly place I've ever seen for kids to interact with sea creatures. Or sea creatures to interact with kids. Such good times!

Raw Deal

If you were to ask the H what his favorite food is, he wouldn't miss a beat. Steak tartare. Although a bit hesitant at first, it didn't take me too long to come around to really savoring this dish right along with him, my favorite rendition being his. It's risky. It's raw. It's really good.

Lip Blip

I knew all of the stylish people I stalk couldn't be wrong. And I was right. Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer has won my heart and my vote as the hands-down, best tinted moisturizer money can buy. No big surprise there. But . . .

. . . have any of you beauty brains out there tried her Hydra Tint SPF 15 yet this summer? In mocha? Well, you should!

Kelly on Kettner

I met Darby Kelly, the artist of this beautiful painting, last Friday night when my neighbor, Joy, and I took a spontaneous stroll down to Little Italy to attend Kettner Nights. This event had it all-- art, furniture, jewelry, fashion, live music, leather chaps and free wine. I will definitely be back. Anyway, back to the painting, or portrait collage as Ms. Kelly referred to it. Joy and I were struck by how much the artist looked like her cherubic subject. Striking too was the creative use of a stiletto for the stem of the fiery, red calla lily. But mostly my mind kept drifting to what Snook's collage would look like if such a work were commissioned. She tromps around in my heels all the time so shoes would definitely have to be integrated somehow, as well as books; a battered, old, stuffed kitty-cat; and maybe chocolate.

Happy Fourth!

Snook, July 4, 2008

All Queued Up

I am about halfway through this book. Enjoying it so much that I deliberately skipped my book club discussion about it so that I could avoid any spoilers. It's taking me forever to finish it though, which is becoming a problem because the stack of books on my nightstand is reaching avalanche proportions. Here's what I've got in the queue: I have to read this book before my July 12th book club discussion. Good luck.
I named my son after the author of this book, so I should probably actually read it.
My brother and mom have been recommending this book to me for ages. I think my brother even called it the best book he's ever read. Just borrowed it from my neighbor, Meredith, so now I can finally see what all of the fuss is about.
I read this a long time ago (loved it!), but I'm hosting a book club discussion about it in August so I'd like to reread it to refresh my memory. I promise I won't serve baby food at the meeting, Amy!
My neighbor, Meredith, recommended this one. Looks intriguing.
Missed the book club discussion on this one too, but have been dying to read it. It's supposed to be a riot. Meredith gave it the thumb's up too.
I'm probably the last person left on the planet who hasn't read this book.
I heard a great review of this book on NPR. And I loved Snowflower and the Secret Fan. So there you have it, my summer reading list. We'll see how far I get . . .

Pearl of Wisdom

Wasn't it Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential who told the story about how after eating a raw oyster for the first time as a punk kid in France, he became a foodie for life? How up until that moment he had absolutely no idea it was possible for anything to taste that good?
Truer words were never written. I loved how the H did them here. With an ice-cold, slushy ponzu sauce. I'll take a dozen. Better make that a dozen and a half.

Photo Shoot

Some afternoons it's just me, the kids, our backyard and my camera.



Ready for their close-ups.
I love these faces.

Teeter Totter

I was off high heels for a long time. The reasons were endless-- pregnancy, home with babies, knee trouble, back pain, bunions, I already got a man, you name it. But lately I've gotten back into them, especially the platform variety which are really quite comfortable. Except today I sported these, which had me teetering all over the place. So I checked the specs. Turns out these babies are stacked. The heel is 4 3/4 inches high, and the platform only reduces the height to 3 1/2 inches. 3 1/2-inch heels! Not exactly body-friendly. But I love them, and they are super cute, especially with that gold notch on the back. And a good pedicure. Plus some part of me is bound and determined to pull off heels. I just hope I don't die trying.

An Avocado a Day

Some days my work lunches are really pathetic.I mean throw-myself-at-the-mercy-of-the-snack-bar pathetic.
But if I happen to have one of these in the work refrigerator, suddenly I'm dipping those chips into buttery, green goodness, and I'm experiencing that hot/cold, nuanced texture sensation I so love in my soups. Yes, pathetic can turn into downright delicious thanks to the humble avocado. Could eat one at every meal. And often do.

Starbucks For Kids

It's a familiar scenario. I'm out and about with the kids, it's getting towards lunchtime, I need to find food quickly, but I don't want to haul the kids out of the car or feed them junk either. Enter the drive-through Starbucks. Why there isn't a line of minivans a mile long at that place I'll never understand because it is the answer to all of my mommy prayers. What other drive-through offers bananas, cheese and crackers, grapes and apple slices that don't come with caramel sauce, fresh turkey sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and whole wheat bagels, yogurt and granola parfaits? Plus I get my caffeine fix. While I used to bemoan the proliferation of this chain, now I'm wishing there was a drive-through version on every corner. Here are S 'n' B having a Starbucks picnic in the back of our minivan on one recent gloomy day at the park. Seriously, if they started introducing Playlands at Starbucks, we'd be there all day. Probably would scare away their target customer base, but hasn't that happened already???

Shaken Not Stirred

These days, the H doesn't have to ask me what I want to drink with dinner. Because my answer is always, "A martini, please." I think I like them best with vodka. So refreshing and clean. And with that green olive chaser. So good. Plus I get to use the glasses that we registered for on a whim, but that I never thought we'd actually get. Well, get them we did. They're so lovely I display them in our china cabinet along with our other gorgeous but useless whimsies. Not so useless after all these glasses.

You Don't Serve Me Flowers

I certainly can't voice this complaint to my guy. Flowers turned up on our salmon dinner the other night.

So pretty. I gingerly scraped off most of the flowers though because I've never really bought into the whole edible flower thing. But one of those carnation-looking thingies kind of accidentally made it into my mouth, and you know, mixed in with the right combination of salmon and martini after-taste it wasn't so bad. I definitely ate my greens-- and pinks and purples and yellows that night. Speaking of martinis . . .

Models at the Met

There is a very slight chance I might get to go to New York this summer. Since I'm an optimist by nature, I've already started planning my itinerary. Up first (aside from visiting dear relatives), a visit to the Met to see a special exhibition entitled The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion. Models have always held a guilty fascination for me. On the one hand, they beautifully combine my appreciation for the female form and my love for all things girly. Oh to go through life with perfect lighting, perfect angles and perfect clothes. But I'm also well-versed in the controversies the industry generates. I did graduate from a women's college after all. Oh well, I can still see myself whiling away a blissful afternoon in the gallery staring at these standout images . . . Twiggy in Yves Saint Laurent Linda Evangelista in Guess (American founded 1981) and Virginia Kate Moss in Helmut Lang Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford in Giorgio di Sant' Angelo Naomi Campbell in Geoffrey Beene

Here's the next best thing to being there . . .

We all have to indulge once in a while.

Double Take No. 9 (Father's Day Edition)

Happy Father's Day, hon!Baby Snook
Baby Bubs
You make it look easy.

I'm a Dan Fan!

We went with our friend and neighbor, Joy, to see The Dan Band last night, and they were hi-larious! Well I mean, who can forget their surprising cover of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in Old School? That was some f***ing funny s**t.
I must admit though that before the concert I wondered how they managed to make a musical career out of dropping a few f-bombs into a song. Now I know. They drop them into lots of songs, along with some other choice expletives, and they do it brilliantly. Dan and the boys' "fake encore" was a particularly raunchy rendition of this song, perfectly-simulated dance moves and all. They definitely left me wanting more.