Summering

Happy, happy Summer time!! Wishing all you mamas heaps of glorious sunshine, golden tan lines (even through that SPF), graceful summer sunsets, and a generous amount of do-nothing relaxation moments!

I can't get over how much Freida grows each summer!! I love when each season ends and another begins; watching life, and change, and growth. It makes me so appreciative of every healthy happy moment....!

I hope you are all whittling down your Summer Bucket List! I've been working on mine, but we are on the precipice of some (gigantic and exciting!) new developments around here which will change around my schedule, location, and planning quite a bit... But here are some of the things I was planning on knocking out this Summer:

- Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA

- Building an outdoor sandbox

- A Sunday spent on a boat at Sea

- Date-night BBQ on the beach

- Street Art Exhibit at MOCA

- A Sunday hiking Torry Pines Reserve + dinner in San Diego

- Homemade fresh strawberry sorbet

If you're still needing some more Summery-goodness inspiration, check out this awe-inspiring Summer Bucket List from Meg!!

Cupcake Liner Flowers

Cupcake liner flowers are sure an oldie, but a goodie. My husband spent yesterday morning doing this little flower craft with Freida while I turned up the kitchen heat. We used pastel colored cupcake liners, Do-A-Dots, and pipe cleaners. The dots bled onto the cupcake paper and created a totally rad watercolor-tie-dye effect. Freida may be used to crafts, but she has been über-excited about the concept of Mount Sinai suddenly sprouting grass and flowers on-demand and so she simply stoked to get in on the action! Plus, since she kept trying to smell them, I let her spritz them up with some body splash which really seemed to up the fun factor. I weighed down a ceramic bud vase with some marbles (so it wouldn't tip as easily), and now I've got some cute and colorful florals that make me smile and make her feel proud and involved in the festivities! The home fragrance is just a bonus. :)

It's such an easy almost-mess-free activity, that it'd be the perfect thing to occupy the little ones while you finish off in the kitchen tomorrow...

Weekend Round-up!

Happy June weekend, ladies!! I'm feeling the season all around, and love getting gifts of weekly seasonal fresh flowers (thanks love!!). Gladiolus like these would make for a lovely buffet table arrangement by adding height and color to the food layout, don't you think? I'm sure you are all in a recipe/tablescape buzz right about now, getting ready to ring in the summer holiday via dairy deliciousness! Thought I'd take a minute to link some of my favorite things around the web this week...

- The most adorable kids craft/play idea for Shavuot!

- I need to remember this more often...

- My latest article for the Algemeiner: Born this Way?

- New on the Market: modern House Numbers @ Heath.

- Simple + Charming + Convenient DIY for Father's Day gift.

- HOTmilk Maternity/Nursing Bras ridiculously reduced at Zulily!

Some holiday-relative posts you may have missed:

- Cultivate social conversation at the table via big buds/low florals.

- Idyllic Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Also, for those of you who asked for a white cream sauce recipe when I posted this pasta dish, the most important part of any cream sauce is a good Roux for the Béchamel (white cream sauce). I learned this technique within the first few months of marriage (while watching much-too-much Food Network!), and it has come in so incredibly handy so far, and I've used it countless times since then. Here's the best step-by-step directions! I personally use that starter recipe + a cup of grated parmesan cheese and some crushed garlic cloves. From there you can add to what you'd like it to be (mushroom cream sauce, white wine reduction, salmon, pink sauce, florentine etc.) Enjoy!!

In the Garden

If you've been following this blog for a while, you know the tone of yearning in my writing when I dream about owning a home with a yard and a fruitful garden... Well, the next best thing is having a friend who has one! Freida has been immensely enjoying the benefits of the Berkowitz's (remember Zalmy?) backyard and garden these past few months. We head over there every week on Wednesday morning (the day her garden-savvy dad comes out from Huntington Beach to tend the earth and plant and reap) and hang out in the shady haven. She digs and rakes, and scouts for worms in the dirt, munching on garden bounty straight from their vines as she plays. Her garden-guru, Zevi, teaches her how to identify and uproot weeds, keeping the vibrant garden plot clean and cared for. :)

I'm such a strong believer in the importance of teaching children that food comes from a much more valuable place than the market! Watching the fascination on Freida's face when she sees fresh basil (an all-too-familiar kitchen ingredient) growing from the earth (I guess windowsill herb gardens are not nearly cool enough) was completely priceless! She walks around the garden looking at all the tags and asking Zevi which plant is where and which flowers will bloom which vegetables. It's totally adorable, and it makes me so happy to know that she is learning about the earth's resources and also able to begin to understand the concept of making specific "food group" blessings over food.

It's also incredibly peaceful to watch her pick and munch on her own choice of veggies. The sugar snap peas are out of season just now, but for a kid who only ate peas of the frozen variety, she sure consumed her fair share of fresh peas in this garden! Loved knowing all the crunchy consumption was not just fresh garden bounty, but organic, to boot!

It's just so satisfying to know that my ever-curious little person is slowly learning about where food stems from and a bit about how to tend the earth to make it grow there. (Thanks Berkowitz Family!!!!!)

It's a Wrap: the Caterpillar Unit

Finally, after spending the last 2 months crawling through our little bug's life unit, we have graduated. We finished off with an art project that will hang out as a reminder of all the bug-lovin' fun and learning. We did a basic paper plate caterpillar, but when I couldn't find a frame at the thrift store big enough to host those plates, I grabbed a smaller old frame and shaved down the bug's body a bit. Freida helped glue on the legs and antennas (and made sure they got some glitter as well)! :)

The finished product turned out cute enough to be given a permanant home with the rest of our living room decor, and Freida is incredibly proud!

We also reviewed the whole bit via library books and magazines on life cycles...

We're now moving on to a little unit on vegetation, in sync with the whole upcoming Shavuot theme....