Close Ups Of My Garden Tulips

Our Vacation To Los Angeles

Rodeo Drive


On April 7th, me, my hubby and kids spent 5 days in West Hollywood. WOW!!!!! California is beautiful!!!!! There is so much to see and do there, including all the beautiful people walking around looking perfect.



The Mexican food was fabulous. I had been craving Mexican the whole time we were there. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants was called " The Spanish Kitchen." The food was delicious. We actually ate dinner there twice during our time in L.A..



The kids had a great time and didn't want to come home when it was time to leave.





Beverly Hills


We stayed at a wonderful hotel called "The Chamberlain" which is located in West Hollywood.

The rooftop pool was beautiful. We spent lot of time up there, so that Ivy could swim while we enjoyed some cocktails lounging around the pool.

The room was perfect. It was roomy and very pretty. All the staff was extremely friendly and very helpful.


The dinner menu at our hotel looked delicious and I would have liked to have dinner down at the restaurant, but I feared it would was bit too elegant for the kids. Oue kids tend to get loud, so I didn't want to bother others who were trying to have a nice quiet dinner.

As for the driving, it really wasn't as bad as we heard it would be.

The weather was perfect for me. It wasn't too hot or too cold. It got up to the upper 60's and low 70's the whole time we were there.

The mornings were partly cloudy, breaking way to full sunshine by the early afternoon.


It was the perfect weather for walking around and exploring.




View from Hollywood Hills


WOW!!!!!! I didn't realize how high and steep the hills were! The views from above were breath taking.

I couldn't believe how different the topography was from where I live. I love it!



Me

One night we hired a babysitter(who the kids loved), so my hubby and I could have a night out on the town.

We started our evening by having sushi at the Mondrian, which was absolutely fabulous!!!!!!

After our sushi, we went and had some cocktails at "Skybar" which is outdoors and so relaxing and classy. They also have a breathtaking view of Hollywood.

We stayed at "Skybar" for a while and then decided to go to "The Roxy", which is a rock club not too far away on the Sunset Strip.

Carmen Electra was supposed to be there. We went late so we missed her appearance. We did end up seeing a great all girl band and to my surprise the lead singer from the '80's band "Rat" made a surprise appearance and sung one of my favorite songs.

After experiencing The Roxy we went back to Skybar and spent the rest of the evening enjoying cocktails and looking at the gorgeous view of Hollywood.


Hollywood


One day we took a ride through Malibu. The homes there are amazing!!!!






Instead we drove out to Laguna Beach. It took about an hour to get there. Once we arrived I couldn't believe how pretty the town was. It was certainly worth the hour trip.

My hubby and kids ate lunch at this outdoor restaurant overlooking the ocean, while I sat there in the warm sunshine and enjoyed a few bloody marrys.

Later we took the kids down to the beach and they played in waves of the Pacific.

Hollywood Blvd

My hubby made sure that before we left we went to see Hollywood Blvd.. It's pretty interesting and very packed with tourists.

We saw the Chinese theater, The Kodak theater (where they film American Idol) and there were also a lot of people dressed as famous characters out on the streets, which the kids found fun. My son shook hands with "Spiderman". He now likes to tell people he met Spiderman and Batman.

We decided to do some gift shopping for our friends and family on Hollywood Blvd, since there are tons of touristy shops there.

Driving up the coast

There was a really neat farmer's market not too far from where we were staying.

We went there often. It was called "The Grove." The shops are many and the food is reasonable and delicious.

While there I had a great middle eastern meal, then later enjoyed some drinks at one of the outdoor pubs.

We took Ivy and Jonah to the American Girl Doll Museum. It was packed with little girls getting either American girl dolls or clothes for the dolls they already owned. Ivy Obviously needed to own one of the dolls herself, so we let her pick one out. She ended up picking the doll that resembled her the most and after begging me a bit, I also broke down and bought her new doll an outfit.

While walking through the market part of the grove, me and my hubby spotted Tommy Chong from Cheech and Chong. We also spotted the singer Jewel, who is even more beautiful in person than she is on T.V..

When we were out cruising around the streets, we saw the paparazzi chasing around Hiedi M0ntage and another one of her male co-stars from the show "The Hills".

Laguna Beach

On our last day there, We decided to take it easy and relax by the pool most of the day. This is the day Ivy refused to get out of the pool and received a nasty sunburn.

She didn't regret frolicking in the pool most of the afternoon. She felt it was worth the sunburn.

The night before the long and boring flight home, we dined once again at the "Spanish Kitchen" and I'm glad we did.

The Doll hair salon, inside the American girl doll museum

The day we left we thanked the staff for being so accommodating and helpful during our stay. If I ever go back I would without a doubt stay at the Chamberlain again.

Lemon Cucumber

This summer I'll be planting "Lemon Cucumber" in my veggie garden. I've never planted this variety before, so I'm excited about it.
These Cucumbers have been popular for years. They're supposed to have an unusually sweet flavor and a brilliant bright color. They grow to the size of a large lemon, so they're much more petite than the average cucumber. I've read that they're perfect in salads, especially when mixed with yellow peppers and yellow pear tomatoes.
It's been a week since I started the seeds indoors. This morning I peaked into the cups I planted my seeds in and to my surprise all six cups have these cucumbers sprouting out of the soil already!!!!!!!!!!
I'm looking forward to enjoying this tasty vegetable in my salads and sandwiches all summer long.

At the bottom of things, most people want to be understood and appreciated.

Basil

It's once again time to start my basil indoors. This year I'll be growing Purple basil, Genovese basil and Large Leafed Italian basil.
It's very easy and inexpensive to start basil indoors. All summer long I love throwing fresh basil into the meals I'm making. Come autumn I pick all the basil plants and hang them to dry, so I don't have to purchase them all winter long.
To start basil indoors all you will need is a medium to large pot, seed starting mix, plastic wrap, seeds and a water bottle.
Start by filling the the pot with seed starter mix. Add the seeds and cover lightly with more seed starter mix (do not cover seeds deep). Spray well with warm water and tap the top of the mix lightly to secure the seeds.
Once finished cover with plastic wrap and place in a sunny window. When the seeds start to sprout you can remove the plastic wrap and water with the spray bottle when needed. As the basil grows you can use a watering can.
Once the weather warms up a bit you can start hardening them off by gradually increasing their time out doors in indirect sunlight. When finished hardening the plants off and the weather is warm enough to start planting, loosen the mound of basil from the pots and start to break chunks off carefully for garden planting.

Beet Green Sandwich

This summer I'll be planting three different varieties of beets. I'm so excited to get started out there.
Beets are a great source of vitamin C, B's and fiber. They're great either roasted or added to salads.
I also eat the greens of the beets. They're very tasty and very nutritious.
There's this delicious beet green sandwich that I've been making on lazy dinner nights, when I just want to throw something fast together.
For those of you interested in trying this easy beet green sandwich, I've listed to recipe below.
Ingredients;
1 bunch of beet greens cut and rinsed.
2 medium cloves of minced garlic
1 or more tbs olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Whole grain bun
Pour olive oil into a medium frying pan. Add the greens to the pan and saute over medium heat. After 5 minutes of sauteing add the garlic and continue to saute until soft,wilted and fully cooked.
Once finished remove from the pan and season with sea salt and pepper.
Place on a toasted whole grain bun and top with either soy cheese, or dairy cheese.
This is quick, easy and very healthy. If you love greens this is surely worth a try!