Soccer season, like school, starts this week and all three girls will be playing this year like they have for the last 10 years. I have attended just about every single game, have never forgotten my turn for snack, collected money for the trophies and always offer to make the cake for the end-of-the-season party, which I decorate to look like a soccer field. One would probably perceive me as “soccer mom extraordinaire” but I’m not. I have a confession to make. When I go to the games, I don’t pay attention. I’m too busy talking to my friends. I don’t even understand the rules and I couldn’t tell you what positions my kids play if my life depended on it. And I don’t feel the least bit guilty about this. I figure this is my way of multi-tasking. I’m putting in my face time and supporting my kids, and I get to socialize with my friends. It is my release. But don’t worry, somehow I always manage to tune in just in time to watch my child score a goal. I am a mom after all.

To know me well is to know that I love cake. My family used to joke that all the early photos of me were of me licking icing off my fingers.  Perhaps that is because the only time my parents took photos was on birthdays. Still, cake and I have had a long love affair.

I recently discovered this great blog called  Piece of Cake Decorating. They offer custom made cakes as well as directions on how to make your own. My favorite is the slumber party cake, a variation of which I have made for my own kids. Check it out. Great fun.

Paul has recently renewed his interest in golf and bought himself a new set of golf clubs. His old set was rusty from lack of use. He has been going out with clients and while we were away he  spent several nights at the local driving range. When we returned home last week he asked Sophia if she would like to go “hit some balls”  and she was remarkably enthusiastic to go with him. I was very pleased by her reaction. You see, Sophia and Paul have not exactly bonded as such. Part of it has to do with her age, and part is just her personality. Sophia does not adapt well to change so the remarriage and move were a very big deal to her. And she is also by nature, a very reserved person who takes a while to warm up to you. She is … aloof. In other words, a typical teenager. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday was the American Cancer Society’s  Relay for Life. I was on a team with my Jazzercise buddies. Abbi Hartsell, who is the instructor and owner of  the Jazzercise franchise I attend, was our team leader. She is shown here demonstrating Jazzercise moves during the event.

Together our team  raised OVER $5,000!!!! and were the second place team in over all donations. It was really a lot of fun and somewhat emotional for me. I couldn’t help but think of my best friend Cindy who was taken  so young and robbed of seeing her then 10-year old daughter grow up. Sophia, who is Cindy’s daughter’s age,  walked with me for company. There were luminaries set up all around the track in remembrance of loved ones who succumbed to cancer. It was very moving and created a spirit of unity throughout the day.

My friend Kathryn, whom I met through Cindy, was also there. Her 12-year old twin sons performed with their rock band, Rapid Fire. They were very close with Cindy, which made their performance that much more poignant.

It is never too late to make a contribution. It’s easy. Click here to go to my Relay for Life homepage and click donate. Thank you to all my wonderful readers who made contributions. I walked for all your special intentions.

Tomorrow I will be participating in The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. I feel it is my small way of doing my part to help find a cure for cancer. Followers of my blog know that I have experienced devastating losses of loved ones from cancer. My best friend Cindy lost her battle with brain cancer and currently our dear friend and neighbor, Doug, is fighting bone cancer. I’ll never forget the fear I saw in Doug’s eyes when he told us that his tumors had grown and were spreading to his lungs. I’m tired of feeling helpless so I’m fighting back. Please click here to go to my Relay For Life homepage and click donate to make a contribution. And if you know anyone else who would like to join the cause, please click the share button below to forward. Thanks so much.

I know I’m a day late here, but I was so busy enjoying my day yesterday that I did not have time to post. I awoke in the early morning to the sounds of the three girls in the kitchen making me breakfast, which they brought to me in bed. I enjoyed it while reading the paper. It was our weekend to have the kids so Paul’s kids were with us too. They spent the morning with us and then went to their mother’s for the rest of the day. Paul wanted to work on the house (he later made me the most fabulous dinner) so I took my girls, Sophia and Eva, to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We are members there because it is only a 45-minute drive from our house. There was a new seahorse exhibit that I was dying to see. My sister Jane joined us and took these wonderful pictures. The large photo top right is  of a seahorse called a  Plant Seahorse. It almost looks like sea kelp, which nature’s way of protecting it from predators. I have always loved the ocean so visiting the aquarium is a real treat and fascination for me. I can’t help but think every time I see these amazing sea creatures that this is where the costume designers for Star Trek got their inspiration.

What do you think of our new look? I wanted a theme that really projected our personalities and expressed at a glance what my  blog is about. See? We’re all there. That’s me up down right dancing in a painful, funky manner. (Click here for an explanation if you don’t know what I am talking about.) Mark is playing his guitar, Sophia is reading, Eva is throwing the Frisbee, Cheryl is holding a dog’s leash and Sam is jumping up and down. And of course there’s Paul with his surfboard. Can’t forget him. Plus our menagerie of pets… four cats, three dogs, two fish and a bird. Notice there are no living plants anywhere on the screen.  They would just die in my house.

TINY TREES Read the rest of this entry »

It is getting late and I am sick with a miserable sore throat, but tomorrow is December 1st so I have spent the evening  busily  making advent calendars for Sam, Mark and Cheryl. I have always had a tradition with my girls starting on December 1st that they  would each open a small gift every day leading up to Christmas. A few years ago, a very dear friend of mine who lives in Germany, made Sophia and Eva embroidered cloth calendars with little rings sewn on each day of the month. A gift is tied to each of the rings as is the tradition in Germany. They are absolutely adorable and such treasures. Setting them out every year marked the beginning of the Christmas season with all the excitement and anticipation that goes with it.   I wanted to continue this tradition my first Christmas married to Paul, but I did not want my stepchildren to feel left out. By chance, Paul happened to travel to Germany on business a few weeks before our first Christmas together. I asked him to look out for similar calendars for his kids but he only found cardboard ones. You couldn’t hang the gifts from them so instead I wrapped and numbered the presents and, bless their hearts, they were thrilled to open the gifts since this tradition was new to them. Still, Sophia’s and Eva’s calendars are so much more elegant and I have always felt conflicted about it. Call it stepmother guilt. I did not want to take this tradition away from my children and yet I did not want my stepchildren to feel like, well, “stepchildren.” So I decided to make them my own version of  homemade, keepsake advent calendars. Read the rest of this entry »

For many years I wrote a craft/activity column for our local newspaper and I had my own business in which I used materials from nature to create art. Here I use real flowers and herbs I pressed myself and glued onto glass bottles.

Materials Needed:

Glass jars or bottles — You can either buy new at craft stores and Cost Plus or recycle pickle or spaghetti sauce jars. Tip: Soak labels in hot water and when all else fails, use Goo Gone.

Pressed flowers, herbs or leaves– You can press these yourself, (very fun to gather with kids) or purchase in craft stores. Press in a heavy book or phone book between wax paper. Another great method is with a microwave press and you can have them in minutes. You can purchase one from Microfleur on-line at Amazon.

Paintbrushes– Any inexpensive kind will do.

White glue– Like Elmer’s watered down a bit and little cups to put it in.

Acrylic Varnish– Available at art supply stores. Do not use Modge Podge if you plan to wash your piece. It is not water resistant.

Select your flowers and decide what kind of arrangement you would like on the glass. Use your imagination. You can use a variety of colors and types of flowers or stay within a theme like groupings of pansies and Johnny Jumpups or go monochromatic with a series of blue flowers like delphinium, hydrangea and nigella. Only herbs or all ferns. Whatever you decide will be an original creation. Next, dip your paintbrush in the glue and just dab on the flowers and position onto the glass. You only need a little to get it to adhere. Once your arrangement is complete, let it dry a bit. Then coat the entire design with the varnish. Let dry overnight and do a second coat. If the varnish drips down the sides don’t worry. Let it dry and you can peel it off. Make sure all the edges of the flowers are sealed in case you want to wash the piece. Hand washable only. A dishwasher is too hot and will melt the varnish. If you are giving as a gift, you might want to sign your piece on the bottom with a Sharpie or glass marker or make a gift tag with some elastic yarn to drape around the mouth of the jar or bottle. Gift suggestions air olive oil bottles with a bottle of premium olive oil. A square jar with a cork can be filled with homemade bath salts.