Off to the Granite State

Hi there and I'm going to wish you a happy weekend and great all next week today because tomorrow we are leaving on a jetplane. Actually, two planes on our way to New Hampshire to spend a week with the extended family at Lake Winnipesaukee (Indian for impossible to spell) to celebrate my dear dad's 80th birthday. This should be fun, I haven't seen my brother and his fiance in several years and my sister and her family in a year. (They both live on the East Coast, my parents and my family live in California). We are going to water ski, relax, eat, antique, swim, read, chat, eat some more, and share alot of laughs. I plan to eat my fill of lobster rolls and steamed clams. I haven't been to New Hampshire in over 35 years, since I was 10 years old. It will be a bittersweet reunion, the youngest of my two older brothers, Jim won't be there. He died at age 24 from a brain tumor and even though it's been 24years since he died, his absence still leaves a big gaping hole in our hearts. We honor him and celebrate his life, and we will miss him terribly during this celebration of our Dad's life and of being together.

(I miss you bro, I know you will be there with us, love you always, always in my heart).

I hope to check in on you all during my vacation, but unsure re.internet access at the lake house. I will think of you all and as always, send my best to you and your family.

Rocking Good Times in Los Angeles

Well, that was quite a jolt, a 5.4 earthquake before lunch today. I grabbed the dog and went under my desk. It feels like a freight train coming through your house as it shakes and trembles. And how was your day?

Great Marinade for Chicken, Fish, Tofu

Hello and hope you and yours are doing well. For lack of any concise or cohesive thought this Monday as I recover from doing 14 loads of laundry, here is a delicious and easy recipe from my friend, Jeri for a Marinade that is Just Outstanding on chicken, fish, or extra firm Tofu.

For 1 lb of meat-
1.Mix together 1/3 cup of Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce (Huy Fong is most popular here in LA, available in hot sauce aisle) and 2/3 cup of Ranch Dressing (any brand).
Reserve 1/3 cup of mixed marinade to baste.
2. Place meat in bowl or ziplock with marinade for 15" to overnight if you like.
3. Fire up the grill, cook meat to your liking, baste with reserved marinade towards last 5 minutes of grilling.
4. This can be adjusted to your Spicy Heat Tolerance.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thank you so much and I wish you a Most Delicious Day that's easy and a little spicy too!

Show and Tell - Snake Avoidance Class for Dogs

Here are pictures of our puppy, Charley during snake avoidance class a couple weeks ago. There are two rattlesnakes complete with venom in 3 wire cages on a field. Charley has an electroshock collar on and the one trainer applies an electroshock if the dog shows any interest in the sight, sound, or smell of the snakes. I'm glad we did this for our pup as we love nature and live in Rattlesnake country.

Thanks so much for stopping by, wishing the best to you and your family including the trainable ones!

Recipe for Lemon Raspberry Cake

I like to bake for special occasions (it's got to be really special to turn on an oven in 100 degree heat btw). I thought you might enjoy this Lemon Raspberry cake recipe from my buddy, Mimi.

Ingredients: Lemon Cake Mix (and required ingredients to make cake)
White Grape Juice
Lemon Curd (available in jelly aisle)
Raspberry Seedless Jelly
Lemon Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
Fresh Raspberries


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Apply non stick cooking spray to (3) 8 inch cake pans.


2. Make a box of Lemon Cake Mix according to directions EXCEPT SUBSTITUTE White Grape Juice for the water in the recipe. Divide Batter into 3 cake pans and bake for 20-22 minutes, check for doneness. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack, then remove from pans onto plates and cool completely. (approx 2 hours)

3. Prepare Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

16 oz confectioner's sugar
6 tablespoons Real Butter, softened
3 -4 tablespoons Lemon juice
pinch of salt

Beat all Frosting ingredients with mixer until smooth, add more juice until good spreading consistency.


3. When cakes are cooled, trim 2 tops of cooled cakes flat if needed to get rid of the "dome". You can leave the dome for the top layer, but the bottom and middle layer should be trimmed flat with a sharp non serrated knife.

4. Assemble the cake with a layer of Raspberry jam on one layer and the lemon curd in between the other layer. Frost completely with Buttercream frosting and garnish with fresh washed and thoroughly dried Raspberries.

This recipe can be made with strawberries, blueberries, ollalaberries, etc.

Writing this out has made me hungry, off to my favorite new French Bakery. Thanks for reading and I would love to hear about any great recipes or Taste Sensations You might Have! Merci!

Wordless Wednesday

Best Parenting Books I've Ever Read - One Easy/One Toughie

Hi, All and Welcome ILCW'ers! I'm so delighted to participate in ILCW and am learning so much from fellow bloggers. Today, I was inspired by a book loving blogger from ILCW who wrote about how consumerism and excess affects our parenting and purchasing choices. Powerful stuff, kind of scary to recognize this in yourself or acquaintances, and in our popular culture. The antithesis of living within your means, sad to say. However, it did motivate me to share a couple GREAT Books, well, the second book is actually part 2 of a series, but I'm jumping ahead.

To preface this, I will tell you I have probably read just about every Parenting book on the Planet, including Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach and Dr.Spock, etc. etc. If you are looking for diaper rash or breast feeding advice, well, those are great. The two books I Highly Recommend (not just for Parents BTW) are ones that deal with the "Emotional Diaper Rash" if you will.

How to Talk So Children Will Listen and Listen So Children Will Talk by Farber and Mazlish.
Whether your kid is two or twenty, this book is incredibly helpful.
Example from this book: Don't pepper your child with questions when they get home from school or whatever activity, just say "Welcome Home" and give them some time to transition to share their day. This book has great "vignettes" which are short, sweet, and to the point.

Protecting the Gift (Keeping Children Safe and Parents Sane in an Unsafe World) by Gavin DeBoecker (Security consultant/profiler for FBI, Secret Service, celebrities)
This is a follow up to his first book, Protecting the Gift. The first 30 pages are painful to read because the author makes you examine your worst fears, child abduction by a stranger. However, when you finish this book, you feel incredibly empowered to equip your child with the skills to help them trust their instincts for survival which we all possess.
Example: when going to a store with your child, rehearse with them, where will we meet if we get separated? Who is safe to get help from? It's safer for the child to choose who s/he seeks help from. Point out the employees in their colored smocks and also women with children are usually safe people to seek help from. You learn most predators are men. Not an Easy Read, Sorry. But again, I learned so much and Nothing Kills more people than Denial.

Well, onto Cheerier things, I hope today finds you and your loved ones happy and well. Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate it and any other great reads that you can recommend.

Fine Dining and Great Junk Food from across USA

My husband and I are "Foodies", enjoying everything from fine dining to taco stands and dirty water hot dogs. (These are the hot dogs from the carts on NYC street corners.)
So, here are some Don't Miss Yummalicious things or places to go in my neighborhood and from some of my travels.

Ferrara's Bakery and Cafe, Little Italy, Manhattan - great service and gelato to die for.
La Puglia Restaurant, Little Italy, Manhattan - their pizza will make you sing along with the couple behind the electric piano.
Graeter's Ice Cream, Cincinnati, Ohio - This french pot ice cream is rich with hand poured chocolate chips the size of your thumb.
United Dairy Farmer's Convenience Stores, Cincinnati, Ohio - Their Chocolate Malts which provide a full day's servings of all your calories, fat, and cravings.
Skyline Chili Parlors, Cincinnati, Ohio - Greek style chili (different, very different than Texas style chili). Skyline chili is served over a hot dog with cheese (A Coney) or over spaghetti with your choice of cheese, beans, and onions. Good Stuff!
Smoked Fish Dip, Ft.Lauderdale, FL - you can get this at their retail store by Ft.Lauderdale airport. It's also served in seafood restaurants. It should carry a warning label, it's addictive.
Corn Toastees RIP, wonderful frozen corn muffin formerly made by Howard Johnson's. But alas, Corn Toastees are no more. :o(
New Orleans: haven't been there since before Katrina. I have family there and alot of restaurants have returned. Cafe Du Monde's chicory coffee and Beignets are required. Shrimp po boys are a staple.
Southern California:
Vallarta Latino Markets- La Cocina, Chile Rellenos (pasilla sweet pepper stuffed with cheese)along with a Aguas Frescas Jamaica (Hibiscus flavored "fresh water", delicioso!!)
Zankou Chicken, LA and Orange Counties - They serve rotisserie chicken, hummus, falafel, all served with this incredible garlic sauce and pita bread. OMG!!!
Providence Restaurant, Hollywood, CA - Michael Cimarusti is a Genius with seafood and Just Won Iron Chef America last month!
Downtown LA, Chinatown - Wonder Bakery, honey dipped Butterfly Cookies.
Chinatown - Chateau Mandarin Restaurant, Chicken with Sizzling Rice
See's Chocolates - delicious, clean, fresh, just as good or BETTER than European chocolates.
Newhall Coffee- local mircoroasted coffee with full bodied taste without being bitter.
Hawaii - Big Island, Hawaii- Kona coffee, you can't believe coffee tastes this good.
Kauai - Kauai coffee also wonderful, lots of depth and smooth as silk.
Maui - Sweet Onions and sweet onion potato chips. Need I say more?
and All Islands - Lappert's Ice cream- smooth rich, great flavors, worth the second mortgage.
Macadamia encrusted mahi mahi (fish so nice they named it twice)

Have to give a shout out to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee even though I'm breaching the borders here. $40 a lb and worth every penny.
The local produce here in Southern California and Hawaii is incredible, in case you wanted to try something healthier!

Thank you so much for stopping by. Please let me know if you have fun insider food tips from your hometown or travels.

Work & Play

Hi, All, hope you and yours are doing well. I've been busy with work (covering for my boss on vacation,) trying to Do A Really Good Job for the woman who's evaluating me for my annual raise. Plus, she's great and a pleasure to work for, a working leader with patient care responsibilities. It's amazing how close my work group, "The Peds Team" is, even though all 10 of us work out of our home offices all over California. We use email, telephone conferencing, and instant messaging. We have face to face meetings a few times a year and IT Works!! Can't beat the commute to the old home office, especially with the price of gas.

Well, enough about work, been busy with Community Swim Team Championships. I volunteer in the canteen for the Swim team meets and am proud to say I know how to make 144 Breakfast Burritos (scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. You start with cracking 200 eggs...) I am happy to support our son's efforts and marvel at how hard the children work and how much they improve. Alot of children in our neighborhood go on to swim on the high school team and even a few swim competitively in college and Olympic trials. Very cool to see your 10 year do a individual medley (one lap each of back, breast, butterfly, and freestyle strokes) and do it legally with correct turns, kicks, and arm movements. With two sons who play sports for FUN and a husband who referees soccer, we have seen our share of Ugly Parents who take this stuff WAAAAAY Too Seriously. (All kids care about is the snack.) My attitude is put up or shut up, "You go out there and swim 50 yards of Butterfly and then you can chastise your kid". I'm glad it's the exception for our neighborhood swim league, not the rule.

I've never understood parents who lose perspective on sports.I know, alot of parents live vicariously and all that, but GROW UP! You had your chance; to be the next ARod, Tiger Woods, Olympic athlete, whatever! Let your kid enjoy the game, maybe, just maybe, a love of fitness, fun, and play will become part of your child's life. That's the best gift. I have a love of being active and the outdoors because my parents took us to the beach, taught us to swim, fish, ski, and bike. I remember going to the golf driving range with my two older brothers. Boy, if you are having a rough day with your siblings, go hit a bucket of balls. I was also inspired by my brother Jim to study the martial arts and I hold two black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. (Please do not be impressed, like graduating from Martial Arts Kindergarten.)
Being active has deepened my relationship with my sons. Boys are kinetic creatures, not open to sharing problems or feelings like girls in a seated heart to heart. Taking a walk, riding bikes, throwing a ball often help the boys and I get back on track and talking.
That's it for this Sunday, except sending my best to you and yours and Whatever Active Thing brings you a smile and helps blow off some steam!

Working for a Living

A couple of the dear fellow bloggers were kind enough to inquire about my career as a Registered Nurse. I thank you, Sara and KimboSue, for your interest.

I have been a nurse since 1982, yes, ever since most bloggers were babies. We had glass IV bottles and syringes. We wore nursing caps and nursing pins and were instructed during orientation to not only stand up when a doctor entered the nursing station, but also to offer him our chair.

I've worked at both large teaching hospitals and community hospitals. I spent 7+ years as RN working in Surgery, L&D/Mother/Baby Unit, and Emergency room. Sometimes the lines between which department I worked for blurred when I had to deliver a few babies in back seats of cars and taxis in the hospital parking lot. Sometimes we didn't have time to open the delivery tray containing the clamps, forceps, bulb syringes, towels, and other supplies. (The inside of an fresh newspaper is one of cleanest things you can deliver a baby on BTW.)

Twenty some odd years ago, as ART was beginning to transition from the research phase to "community implementation", many RE and OB/GYN did not have the treatment suites, equipment, or staff for procedures and used our outpatient dept. We also took care of the high risk patients who required a higher level of monitoring (ART patients with Cystic Fibrosis, Brittle Diabetes, Paraplegia, etc) than might be appropriate for an office setting.

After 7 years at the hospital, I got tired of rotating shifts, on call, and holidays and started as a Visiting homecare nurse. This was exciting because many procedures exclusively done in the hospital were now being taught to the patients and families to be done at home. The patients I cared for ranged from mommies with multiples requiring at home monitoring and tocolytics (class of drugs to reduce preterm labor), moms w/severe nausea on IV fluids, premature babies, jaundice checks with a bilirubin blanket treatment, and yes, even regular Mommy/Baby well checks to assess nursing, bonding, mom's healing, and any other concerns. I worked in home care for 12years. If you ever really want to learn your way around town, become a home care nurse. This was back in the dark ages before Garmin and GPS.

For the last 7 years, I have been a Nurse Case Manager for High Risk mommies and medically fragile children and young adults with a range of diagnoses from premies, asthma, diabetes, Crohn's, Reflux, oncology, you name it. (BTW, I apologize for such a long and medical jargon filled post). I care for families all over the US for an Employer Group and it's done via phone and internet from my home office. I provide alot of education and support for families and consider myself a professional problem solver. It is a great joy to help a child and family who have been through so much, thrive and do all the normal kid stuff; go to school, ride a bike, learn to drive, fight with their parents, etc. For me it's most important to be a good listener, and on that note, I thank you for listening and send my best to you and yours.

Rattlesnake Avoidance Class

Rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem in the West, keeping vermin from running amok. (Gosh, that's a fun phrase to type, Running Amok). Los Angeles and our community is surrounded by the Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountain ranges with all host of critters (gee, another fun word to type) including bobcats, coyotes, hawks, owls, quail, deer, and of course, rattlesnakes. We plan to take our dog, Charley hiking and camping with us when he is older and want him to be safe. A rattlesnake bite will kill a dog without proper treatment and even then, the dog's survival is iffy. There is a rattlesnake vaccine which improves the odds, but still it is a life threatening emergency.

In addition to giving Charley the vaccine next month, the vet also recommended taking him to a rattlesnake avoidance class. It's taught by a herpetologist (snake/reptile expert) who has trained literally thousands of dogs.

The training is done on a large field with 3 wire cages containing 2 rattlesnakes each which are at first covered. They put a low voltage electroshock collar on the dog and bring him through the course for a series of simulations. These simulations include leading the dog to the cages and applying the shock if the dog shows ANY Interest in the Sight, Sound, or Smell of the snakes. It's amazing to see these dogs after just 2 or 3 simulations avoid going near the snakes. We had to hide out of Charley's vision while the two handlers worked with him. Training took about 15 minutes. To see if the training is effective, the trainer tested our puppy by having me stand at the opposite end of the field with the snake cages and call the dog over to me. To pass, the dog must make a wide path around the snakes. Charley passed with flying colors. He has to go next year for a refresher and then every few years.

Best to you and yours and wishing you a great rest of your day.

Our Puppy, Charley

Here are two pictures of our puppy, Charley from two months ago when we first adopted him. He is Australian Labrapoodle, aka Labramutt. He is very sweet, smart, and a pleasure to train. He brings us much joy. In addition, I find the fact he does not talk back or need college tuition to be a big plus.

Best to you and yours including your four legged family, Martha

Living in An Industry Town

I don't have anything earth shaking or profound to blog about (Will I or do I ever??) so I thought I would share a little about what it's like to live in an "Industry" town. What Industry you ask? That was my response when I moved here 15 years ago from Florida. The "Industry" that Los Angelenos refer to is "Show Business".


You know you are not in Kansas anymore when you see actors' headshots (A headshot is a black/white portrait of an actor used in casting and auditions) hung up in dry cleaners and delicatessens all over the city. I live in the The Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ) in Los Angeles County and we have alot of filming take place locally. (CSI, NCIS, Weeds, Big Love, Little Miss Sunshine.) You can always spot Film crews with their trailers, catering/craft service trucks, and deluxe RVs for the "Talent". Within the TMZ, production companies do not have to pay per diem cost for crews' meals and mileage thus saving them Big Bucks.

It's going to be a tough summer here for alot of families if the actors go out on strike. The industry hasn't been the same since the Writer's Strike this winter. Alot of our friends and neighbors (the set painters, prop masters, and make up artists) were out of work for months.

I still get star struck having not grown up here, unlike the natives that try to act all cool and nonchalant when encountering a "celebrity".

So here are some of my celebrity sightings:

Our family went to Kauai, Hawaii this spring and we were with the stars of HBO's Ent.ourage on our return flight from Honolulu to LAX. Needless to say, Kevin Dillion, Jeremy Priven, et al were in First Class, while we sat in the cattle car aka Coach.

Last month, our neighbors' house was redone for HG.TV's show De$igned to $ell and I got to meet the hosts, Clive Pierce and Lisa LaPorta. They are super nice and animal lovers to boot. The show featuring The Dowlers of Santa Clarita will air next spring.

Another neighbor, Tyler Mane has been in some really big movies- Xmen, Troy, and Halloween, and yet you wouldn't recognize him at the grocery store. He jokes that he usually plays the bad guy and gets killed off quickly. I said "Who Cares? You get to work with HUGH JACKMAN and BRAD PITT!!!" He and his family are really nice, genuine, and volunteer for our community swim team.

So, I guess the Business of making movies and TV shows is really no different than any other industry whether it's healthcare or aerospace, where folks work hard to take care of their families.

Well, no other recent sightings or "dish", but will let you know if Brad and Angelina pop over for a playdate with the kids.

Thanks as always for clicking over and wishing you a Great rest of your day!

P.S.The picture above is Vasquez Rocks about 10 miles from my house which is a frequently used film locale and you might recognize it from Star Trek, Little Miss Sunshine, Austin Powers or many other films.

Happy 4th of July - Price of Freedom

Hi, Everyone, wishing my best to you for a fun and relaxing 4th of July.
This post was inspired by a very inspiring young lady and one of my favorite bloggers, Sara that reminded me to reflect on the personal sacrifices made for our freedom including the death of her Grandfather in World War II and buried in the American Military Cemetery in France.
I would like to honor my Uncle Buddy, age 83 y/o who served in World War II in the First Army, Infantry, as a gunner on a army tank in Europe. He liberated the death camps, Dachau and Treblinka in Eastern Europe. He talked about how you could smell the camps from miles away. He earned a purple heart in Normandie when he was injured with schrapnel. When he was recovering, he said he couldn't wait to get back to his battalion. The tank he served most of his tour was blown up with no survivors one day after he was reassigned to another tank. My uncle wrote down his stories (75 plus pages worth) of his experiences about 10 years ago. It took him decades to share with us.
I'm privileged to know him and Thank him and all of our veterans from too many wars and battles on lands both far and near, Thank you, God Bless, and God Speed Home to your loved ones.

Wildfire Season aka Summer in SoCal

You know it's summer in Southern California when you have triple digit heat and you hear the whirl of Fire Department helicopters overhead. They are dropping water on a brush fire about 8 miles away. We do have four seasons in Southern California and they are Earthquakes, Mudslides, Wildfires, and Smog. You learn to keep your emergency supplies ready and your gas tank full. The price of living in paradise, I suppose.



(This photo is from the fires last October, not this current one.)