Montecito Mama

A copy of Grayson's handwritten wish list (with some mommy notes for clarification), which he intends to hand deliver to the big man himself tonight at Westmont's Christmas Tree Lighting. Ah, the innocence of childhood. Sigh. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

A couple of poems by my two favorite poets: "Fall Leaves" by Grayson Brown leaves, Orange leaves, Listen to that crunching sound. Feel the fuzzy leaves. Dry leaves, Falling to the ground. "The Lanyard" by Billy Collins The other day as I was ricocheting slowly off the pale blue walls of this room, bouncing from typewriter to piano, from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor, I found myself in the L section of the dictionary where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard. No cookie nibbled by a French novelist could send one more suddenly into the past -- a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp by a deep Adirondack lake learning how to braid thin plastic strips into a lanyard, a gift for my mother. I had never seen anyone use a lanyard or wear one, if that’s what you did with them, but that did not keep me from crossing strand over str...

Happy Thanksgiving from our home-away-from-home at the Ashland Springs Hotel with a stand-in family from the displaced members of the cast and crew of "Calvin Marshall." May all of your pumpkin pies be as good as ours was. Yuuummmm ....

A few shots from our day on the set of Gary and Anne's movie, and Grayson's big acting debut. What a long and interesting day it was, filled with memories and even a little bit of star power. Rob got pulled into the action for his 15-seconds of fame as coach of the "Pirates." Oh, and I totally want a craft services truck to park outside my house at meal times and offer my family their choice of delicious fillet mignon, seared ahi tuna or spinach raviolis. And while I'm making a wish list, a hair and make-up or wardrobe trailer would be nice as well. Grayson would be happy with the school bus stocked with snacks of every shape and sugar content, which is where he and the other little leaguers spent their time "shopping" between takes. Lucie had 10-hours of playing in dirt mounds and eating snacks discovered under the bleachers, and couldn't have been any happier even if the temperatures had been above 34 degrees. I do worry that all of the attention w...

Grayson and Lucie's first ever snow day atop Mount Ashland! Grayson did belly flops in it, slid down it, tasted it, threw it and caught it on his eye lashes, all while grinning from ear-to-ear. Lucie, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified of it and froze solid, screaming "Off! Off! Off!" when the frightening white stuff stuck to her boots. Perhaps her non-stop outgoing disposition only functions at sea level? Or at temperatures above 20 degrees? Or maybe she was just worried that it would ruin her new pink boots? It was a magical afternoon spent huddling together as a family unit, not another human in sight, on top of a mountain with fresh powdery white snow covering the landscape. The kids have never looked more huggable than bundled up in their thrift store snow clothes, hats and mittens with bright pink cheeks and eyes (and runny noses) aglow. Tomorrow is Grayson's film acting premiere. Stay tuned for details coming to a theatre near you ...

Today, mosh pit in the kitchen. Next step, Spring Break Daytona Beach. Regardless, their joy makes me laugh every time. I would've titled this post "Bring in da funk!" but we've decided not to say "funk" anymore after Grayson's school journal entry on dancing was brought to our attention at the parent-teacher conference. The teacher related her concern when she saw his drawing with the "funk" word misspelled as f-u-c-k surrounding two dancing stick figures labeled "mom" and "dad." Luckily, the drawing came with a story attached that explained the error and we all had a good laugh. But Rob and I, sitting in those tiny little chairs at the tiny little desks, remained horrified nonetheless.

For Dayna, my bestest friend from high school, who brought her husband and two amazing kids over for breakfast, served with mugs of really hot coffee and a table full of memories. HERBED-BAKED EGGS 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan 6 extra-large eggs 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Toasted fresh bread or brioche, for serving Preheat the brioler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat. Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.) Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespo...