{DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by P&G & Bounty Paper Towels. All opinions that follow are my own.} As I watch my daughter, Amy wrestle with her almost 2 year old, Sebastian, I often think to myself: “She has no idea how time will start accelarating from this point on.” As those of us who have raised children into adulthood very well ...
Lifestyle
Posts about everything going on in my life. Enjoy!
Welcome to Casa de la Loma
If you read my last post, I explained that we needed to move out of our home and turn it into an AirBnB. Let me start with the full disclosure: I did NOT want to leave my home and (holds nose) RENT IT OUT. EW!We had moved the big stuff into storage and moved ourselves and our most pertinent items into the Jackson’s home. All this happened ...
Downsizing? Or Upgrading?
A year ago - last March to be exact - Eric accepted an invitation from Lucy to accompany her on a business trip to Seattle. Meanwhile, I invited Amy and Sebastian (you may call him Bash) to come and keep me company. I feel compelled to share this part of the backstory because somehow it seems to explain the interestingly ...
Getting Our Kicks
In 1976 I was 21 years old and it seemed like everyone everywhere was proudly and patriotically celebrating America’s Bicentennial (as God intended). 🇺🇸 Here we are in 2026 which marks America’s 250th or the “Semiquincentennial”which is a mouthful, so let’s just go with the official quarter millennial hashtag: #America250. Although, I low key kind ...
The Bench
I promised to regale you with the stories that are missing from the last year. And as you know, I like to give you backstory. Let's start with this one... When Lucy and Jonathan were in first and fourth grades we began homeschooling in earnest. One of the first projects we tackled was digging up a cutesy portion of the back yard so we could plant ...
19 Stories I’m Excited to Tell
As I dip my toe back into the world of OverSharing, I have some Really Big Thoughts, but that’s not important right now. It all began the other day when I was talking to Lucy and she began filming my frustration without my knowledge. She basically inspired me to go ahead and fearlessly write about my own extraordinarily ordinary life. Don't ...
Santayana loves Celia
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love me some Santayana Jewelry. Not gonna lie: their azabache has saved my life a time or two.And I'm not ashamed to say I also love love love! our very own Cuban icon Celia Cruz.To my everlasting delight, today Santayana Jewelers in Miami "le pusieron la tapa a'l pomo" as we like ...
Post Solar Eclipse – Café La Llave Giveaway
4/22/2024: CONGRATULATIONS! We have a winner! Good job, Eva! Please contact me via email – send me your physical address so I can forward to Gaviña and they can send you your goodies – also put HEY MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG so I don’t accidentally delete your email. Buen Provecho and thanks for playing along! Editor’s Note: If Eva ...
REAL Snow: A Darby Family Adventure
Sebastian: “I really want to see REAL snow.”❄️ PomPom and Wella: “Say no more.” And we were off! So we packed up our snow gear and drove an hour and a half up to Wrightwood in the local San Gabriel Mountains and enjoyed a glorious 4 day family getaway.We rented a beautiful chalet via Air BnB and it was so worth it! The place was massive, yet ...
Dulce De Leche Cheesecake with Maria Cookie Crust
I am one of those dinosaurs that still enjoys leafing through magazines. (I know. Shut up.)Recently, Lucy and I were sitting in my living room perusing my stack of magazines with Max and Logan happily playing at our feet. Full disclosure: it was Lucy who saw an add in one of the magazines. “MOM! Maria Cookie Crust!” She declared authoritatively.I ...
Cafe La Llave Espresso Ice Cream
It's after Labor Day, which, if you're old school like me, means "put those white shoes away!" It's also supposed to be a time to ease into fall. Am I right? I'm laboring <-- see what I did there? - to bring you another entry into my "Cooking with Coffee" series. You can see the other recipes here: Espresso Coffee Cake and Espresso ...
