Marta's Homemade Cuban Churros Recipe Making a Memory aka How To Make Churros My kids were all born here in Southern California. My husband is also a native Californian. So the only kind of churros they've ever known have come from a cart at Disneyland. But those are Mexican-style. They are hard and crunchy with lots of brown sugar. They are ...
Disneyland
The Surprising Pixar Press Event for Inside Out
Back in January when I had the sweet opportunity to visit Pixar and Skywalker Ranch (I will drop this into any conversation when given the chance, but that's not important right now), I had the good fortune to preview about 20 minutes of the new Disney/Pixar film, Inside Out. Read all about that here. This preview whetted my ...
Hello, Summer Garden! – A Giveaway
California is fickle. It can be 100 degrees one day and back down to 65 the next. It's been a relatively mild Spring and we are now barreling towards summer and that means Outdoor Entertaining Season. Can I get an "Amen?" Eric and I have been planning a Big Birthday Bash. It should have taken place this weekend. However, ...
There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Humor me for a few minutes as I time travel a bit. I'm old enough now to remember the days when Walt Disney was the visionary of our time. I remember the days when the Tomorrowland located in Disneyland Park really conceived a distant world of the future. Back then, the iconic Carousel of Progress was really a vision into a future that ...
How Does My Garden Grow?
The weather here in Southern California has been phenomenal lately. Seriously. It has been the most perfect Spring so far. Very mild. Low 70's with a delicious breeze and then cooling in the evenings. (Go ahead. Take a moment. I'll wait until you're over your jealousy.) As the days grow longer and the weather gets so super inviting, ...
What’s Important Right Now – January
I have lately been so caught up in telling all about my latest travel experiences (Skywalker Ranch, anyone?) that I have not stopped to write about the things that are happening in my real life and taking up space in my heart and mind. And I know I always tell you that some things are "not important right now," so I decided to share ...
Saving Mr. Banks – a love story
The year was 1964 and my family had just moved from Florida to California. (Obviously, we've been here ever since, but that's not important right now.) I was nine years old. One of the very first things we did was visit Disneyland. It had captured our imaginations from early on and we were so excited to visit the iconic park. Of course, ...
Picket Fences, Roses and Contentment
When we moved into our home twelve years ago, it was the Eyesore of the Neighborhood. Many of our new neighbors told us so. They didn't even blush when they said it. "Oh, you're the new family that moved into the Eyesore of the Neighborhood." (Okay, so maybe that wasn't a direct quote, but you get the idea.) The house had ...
“What About Prom?”
I have homeschooled my kids for over ten years now. I am still constantly surprised that one of the greatest concerns (right after the ignorant "socialization" question) is "What about prom?" I sigh a little bit and carefully explain how we do high school: He actually attends a high school that offers Independent Study. His ...
I have something to tell my BFF (A Giveaway)
When I was in college in the 70's, I also worked at a movie theater. I was the Day Cashier. Impressive, no? I would work my little day shift because my classes were at night. The Night Cashier did just the opposite. She came in as I was ready to leave for the day. We usually overlapped about half an hour. Each day, we would talk for that brief ...
Fabulous Summer Fun – Disney Style
Last week I was privileged to be a part of the kick-off for some really amazing summer fun at the Disneyland Resort. I feel sooo accidentally cool to be considered part of the "new media." We got to preview the new Little Mermaid ride, Ariel's Undersea Adventure which was as cute and clever as you may imagine. Sitting two ...
TANGLED – A Giveaway.
All four of my kids are grown now, but it wasn't too long ago that we religiously made plans to watch whatever new Disney offering was available. In fact, we haven't missed a Disney film yet. You know that we love All Things Disney (especially Disneyland, see my Disney Scavenger Hunt as proof). That love affair started for me when I was ...
Homeschool lesson #247 – How to Promenade in style
Lucy was in 4th grade and Jonathan was in 1st when I started homeschooling them. Believe it or not, even back then, when people found out we were homeschooling them and that we intended to do so for as long as necessary, some would very sincerely ask: "What about prom?" Yes. They did. I don't think it ever crossed any of the ...
Today. April 26, 2010.
(Inspired by TheSimple Woman's Daybook.) I usually do this every six months or so, just to kind of "take the temperature" of where my life is at the time. I encourage you to do the same. It's a wonderful way to celebrate the extraordinarily ordinary lives we lead. Outside my window... a dozen birds are scrambling for the ...
Kikita and The Unseen Cuba
The following post was written by Kikita; who has recently returned from a trip to Cuba with her 96 year old grandmother. Every day that I was in Cuba, I would get home to Tio Timbiriche's after a long day of adventuring and the question "Los Viejos" would ask me was always the same, "What did you see?" And every day I ...
Getting the Party Started
The beginning of December (last week) always signals the countdown to Christmas. And as I've said before, we don't usually decorate our house or even put up a tree until closer to Christmas. (Yes, ours is the "dark house" in the neighborhood for most of the month, but that's not important right now.) But just because we ...
