As the end of the summer has come, so have some big transitions.  Friends of my youngest son (17) are headed off to college.  His very best friend his entire life is also named Matthew and is the son of one of my closest friends.  He is a year older and when I found out I was having a boy, I told my friend that I wanted to name my son Matthew too.  I said, “It’s not like they will be friends.”  Well they have been as close as brothers and today he came to say good-bye.  They hugged and promised to video chat (the new coolest thing ever). I have loved this boy like a son and I was very choked up to send him off.  For his graduation I had a silver pendent made with his initials engraved and he says he never takes it off.  I feel like he is taking a bit of us with him.  Hopefully he will feel our love and support. 

I know many of you have or will arrive at this junction. My last child just started his senior year in high school …sort of the beginning of the end, as we know it. It is crazy how when you have small children and you are running around like an insane person everyone tells you how quickly it all goes. Unfortunately there is no way to really comprehend that until you get there yourself and find out that everyone was right. We went to a potluck with the people on our street last weekend and I think my husband and I were most likely thought of as “that older couple”… trippy…

Luckily, I suppose, those teenagers drive you crazy and stress you out enough so you are ready to send them off when the time comes. It’s like pregnancy. When you first find out, you think OMG what will I do or you are thrilled to be pregnant and can’t imagine not loving every second of it. By the time you hit 9 months you have had enough and you just want the baby out. Same goes for teens. You would be hard pressed to send off your sweet 12 year old.  I feel like I will be ready by this time next year, but I am going to try and soak up as many moments as I can. I do know (from experience) when you send your kids off to college you are so filled with hope, love and pride that it helps with the loss.

So as cliché as it is to say, time does go by so fast, so soak up the moments. That way, when it is time for the big transitions in your family, you will have a stockpile of great memories to hold onto.

As I previuosly blogged about, my oldest son Danny went to Korea to teach English (the subject) for a year.  He knew no one and went alone.  As usual he had to completely drive me insane this summer before he left.  Maybe we will chock it up to needing to “separate” from his parents, but the time had come to be on his own.  He was anxious and ready to get the ball rolling, albeit nervous!

When he left he had a few hundred dollars in his pocket that he had sort of saved from oddball jobs this summer.  I tried to impress upon him that working hard and saving in the interim would be helpful to tide him over before he got his first paycheck but he NEEDED those new sunglasses, ect.  It’s funny, had he worked his butt off while he was here I would have wanted to help him out, I would know that he UNDERSTOOD the value of money.  But because I knew he hardly worked during that time and was then squandering the money he did make, I knew I had to let him go and figure it out and survive on his own.  I have a parenting theory that if you let them figure it out themselves…they will!   He had no cell phone or credit card and away he went.  It was a little scary but he did survive and now I must report, he is thriving.  He doesn’t know Korean and when he first got there he was hard pressed to find anyone who spoke English.  He was a bit flipped out, but he found his way and continues to do so.  Thank God we discovered video chat…it is the coolest thing ever!

Three weeks have gone by and he is doing wonderfully.  He loves the students and has found a real sense of purpose. Hopefully he will save his money and come back with a leg up and start the next chapter with a savings account and a means to get an apartment, take care of his car…blah, blah, blah.  I already see him growing up and it is exciting!  Of course he did tell the students to call him by his first name, not “Mr.,” because “he’s still a kid too”…YIKES…baby steps.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about “Having a Vision” and my friend Marlowe’s ambitious project of renovating a house that is over 100 years old. While I showed the progress over 3 weeks but it took Marlowe many months but she has completed it and it is absolutely beautiful. All the charm of an old house but with all the modern conveniences of a new one.  It helps that she has beautiful taste (believe me I was salivating)! A nice ending to this story is that she sold it before it ever went on the market to a nice family with young children who will enjoy it for years to come. Marlowe and her family made a nice profit and feel incredible pride for a job well done. She stuck with her vision and made it happen. I took a little walking tour so you could all see the finished product…. hope you enjoy!

For the last 6 months or so I have been involved with a little project called The Bay The Series.  I say little, but it has BIG ambitions and possibilities!

It started as a meeting for coffee with a young, hip guy named Gregori Martin.  He told me of a story he had in his head since he was six years old and used to watch soap operas with his babysitter.  He started writing it as a webisode series and was assembling a cast and wanted me to play Sara Garret, the Matriarch of the show…Matriarch…really?  I quickly thought “keep growing…it’s OK (it’s actually GREAT). His story was so thought out and his enthusiasm was so contagious that I walked away from our meeting saying I would do it.

 The experience has become a true adventure.  A creative process we are all enjoying.  The reason I am even writing about it is this: I was watching the other actors at work and talking with them between scenes and I started thinking about how everyone was there because of Hopes and Dreams. We all believe in this project and everyone is giving it their all based on the hope and dream of it being something to be proud of.  The arts are like that…people do so much for so little because of the passion they have for their work. 

It makes me think of other people I know who don’t feel that way about what they do, whether at a job or just in the way they live their life.  They are afraid to make the changes necessary to find happiness and fulfillment.  We all have our budgetary restraints in our lives but if there is a way to follow your passions, whether it be a job or a hobby, you will add a wonderful level to your life.  Doing something that you can own and is “yours,” can give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that is hard to match. Everyone who reads my blogs knows I have my mitts in many  things. I can’t tell you the joy it brings me to be creative and step back and say, “yeah I did that and I am proud of it.”  I have certainly fallen on my face but the important thing is that I tried!

For more info on The Bay The Series visit www.thebaytheseries.com

Last night we were in for a big treat.  My best friend Carrie’s nieces were in town and whenever they visit she always cooks up the ancestral family favorites.  Their paternal great-grandmother was Lebanese and she taught Carrie’s mother this recipe and she passed it down to her girls and Carrie is doing the same (she showed me years ago).  I have also made it with steamed cabbage, but these little stuffed grape leaves are yummy!  Try the cabbage though if grape leaves are not your thing because this simple combination of ingredients is delicious together and the lamb riblets are to die over.

• Ingredients:
  2 jars toughed grape leaves (this serves 10 so it can easily be cut in half)
  4 lbs of lamb riblets
  3 lbs of ground lamb
  2 cups of minute white rice
  1 cup of pine nuts
  5 gloves of  garlic
  2-3 lemons
  Generous amount of cinnamon (do more than you think, it gets absorb)
  Salt and pepper
  3  11-½ oz cans of V8 juice
  2   lg cans of stewed tomatoes

Brown riblets in salt & pepper over medium heat.  Remove from pan, blot on paper towel and drain oil out of pan.

Add one can of V8 and two cans of tomatoes that you squeeze through your fingers to break them up and make a layer on the bottom of the pan.  Squeeze one lemon,  s&P, and 2 sliced garlic cloves the garlic.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.

Mix ground meat, rice, pine nuts, 3 diced garlic cloves, s&p, sprinkle of cinnamon, juice of two lemons and 2 cans of  V8 juice together.  Wrap in grape leaves as shown (may substitute steamed cabbage leaves).

Lay rolls on top of riblets in pan (my friend also stuffed a few hollowed out zucchinis) baste with juices and cover for 30 minutes.  Baste more during the 30 to keep moist.

Yummy…

I know in my blogs I have talked about change a lot.  People taking the leap constantly inspire me!  I thought this week I would share some of their stories.

I’ll start with my friend Amy.  The story I heard a long time ago (I don’t know if it’s true) was she was a fan of Days of Lives so after graduating from UCLA she got a job in the music department under my good friend Marty Davich.  When Marty left the show after I think 15 years, she took over as the head of the music dept.  A year and a half ago the show had big budget cuts and a bunch of us were let go, including Amy.  She had been there FOREVER and this was a huge change.  She had never been home full time with her two boys who are now 3^rd and 6^th graders. But by no choice of her own she was thrown into this situation.  

Fast forward to today and they all love it! Whenever I talk to her she is off on some adventure either around town or away.  She said recently heard one of her boys say to someone, ”My mom being fired was the best thing that ever happened to us.” One of their adventures took them to Boulder Colorado. The entire family fell in love with the town and the warm and friendly people.  Her husband has a job that he can do anywhere so they decided to return home, sell their house and move lock, stock and barrel.  I had lunch with her yesterday and they are finishing packing and moving on Friday.  The more she has investigated the more opportunities she is seeing in her future…maybe even a part time gig in radio.  Good luck to her and her adventurous family!

Speaking of my friend Marty, who is a composer by trade, he is also now taking a leap into the unknown.  His wife (and my best friend) opened an incredible home store almost a year ago. She was a stay at home mom and jumped into this whole-heartedly and has had amazing success! Marty is a real “foodie”…he loves specialty markets and warm, friendly eateries.  He has just broken ground on his version or should I say vision.  The sweet part is it will be next door to his wife’s shop, “Maude Woods” so they can pop in and out and see each other all day. He is taking a passion and running with it. No matter the result, he is putting himself out there and taking the risk. He will undoubtedly grow and learn from this new experience.

Lastly, but in the forefront of my mind today, is my oldest (baby) son Danny.  After his limbo summer, he set out to Korea for a job of teaching English (the subject) for a year.  Talk about change! He was nervous, excited, paralyzed… a slew of different emotions.  I tried to take a photo of the kids before he left since they were all home and he looked catatonic in all of them.  Oh brother….He called last night (of course in the middle of the night) to say he had made it, but felt like a space alien since hardly anyone speaks English in the town where he is. AND of course he never “got around” to learning one word of Korean. The tales of even his first day had me laughing.  I know he will grow tremendously from this experience, learn adversity and survival!  I told him to learn “how do you say this” in Korean and set out to ask and learn…a true emersion! 

I’ll make sure to update you all with all of their progress.

My point in sharing these stories is to show that even though change can be scary is can also  be good. Whether you are put into a situation that you did not choose or you have chosen to make a change, leap in whole heartedly. You may be pleasantly surprised by what comes from it!

There have been some fun advances in my friends remodel…oh by the way her name is Marlowe…just so I can stop saying my friend! She has similar taste to mine and we both love old houses, so it’s been great fun that she let me be a part of her project.  She is getting close to the finish line and people are already clamoring for the sale. I know she and I will be sad, because it’s now the house we would both like to live in and are attached to our ideas.  It has such beautiful open spaces that flow from one room to the next and wonderful high ceilings. 

Marlowe and her husband Brad kept all the old doors, windows and hardware and refurbished and re-plated everything. What a luxury to live in a 104 year-old house and have everything work!  One special thing Brad and Marlowe did was not add a bunch of can lights. Now that I think of it, I don’t think there are any. Marlowe shopped around and found things that suited the house without breaking the bank. She found a couple of great fixtures at IKEA. Nice lighting, most with dimmer switches, (we all look better in candle light) really give it a pulled together feel.

I grew up in a “planned community” in Southern California where every 3rd house was the same and every tree had a blue print.  I love the old homes and beautiful gardens where I live now. Each home has its own unique style reflecting that of the owner. When you walk through the rooms of this house, it is apparent that there was a lot of thought that went into each one. From lighting to color choices to the bathroom sink (shown below) and the incredible driveway, Marlowe incorporated all of her different tastes, taking the time to find the right pieces for each room.

Here are more photos of the progress…

Lighting:

      Restoration Hardware Outlet                     Antique Store                                                     

              On-line find                                                  IKEA

                     IKEA

Kitchen:

Driveway in a warm “old” concrete. They added curbs and grass will go between diamonds and down the center.

Groovy double sink from an estate sale:

The fun part of my friends remodel is really starting to happen and everything is starting to take shape.  It is so much fun to watch it all come together. As you can see the hall “wainscot” is now painted out white and looks smashing.  She has chosen three hanging fixtures from Home Depot for about $150.00 a piece.

The kitchen/family room has taken some shape also.  The hanging lights over the sink are from a flee market and re-wired. She has made some great color choices that really make each room unique. Color is everything – if you ever want a new look to a room and are on a tight budget, just a coat of paint in a different color will do the trick.

The dining room chandelier was found at a garage sale for $40.00.  She stripped it and had it re-wired.  It is beautiful!

The driveway is underway.  They are laying out the forms.  They will pour a tinted concrete to form a pattern of diamonds and grass will be planted in between to help with making the yard appear larger. She has also put an arbor entrance like the one’s she used to enter the vegetable garden area. I cannot wait to see this finished! 

These last photos are just an update of my pumpkin patch because it is looking GREAT.

Another week of my friends remodel brought some fun ideas for me to share with you.

The downstairs has a long hallway that was not well lit.  To brighten it up she put transom windows above the doorway on either side and painted it a light gray.  She decided it still needed more light and that reflective would work.  She had a handy man nail boards down the hall and will be painting the lower half  a gloss paint in Benjamin Moore Linen White.  It is not quite finished but has already added so much to the overall look of just an ordinary hallway  for little effort and expense. This is an easy project that you can do yourself.

The kitchen has made a little progress too with tiling, some paint, and counter tops.

They have also taken the driveway out – I will give you an update later.

Last year as the economy was changing a good friend of mine sold the home she and her family had lived in for many years.  I remember when she first showed it to me before buying it….it was such a pit I said “don’t do it.” Luckily she did not listen to me.  They made it a palace and sold it for quite a bit more than they paid for it. 

They decided to stay in a rental for the time being and take their profits and find a fixer-upper to buy and “flip” to make some money.  I know that sounds risky except their choice of properties was perfect.  The junker they found was on a very popular street and had great bones…it was just a mess.  It would take a lot of work, but they were up to the challenge and it was hugely under market value for the street it was on so they went for it.  Everyone that saw it thought they were crazy but I have to say I knew they could see what others couldn’t.  I have been over there with all my little tweaks and ideas. We worked together to pick pretty paint colors that flow and bath stones and tiles that were interesting and beautiful.  The yard is small so we have tried to utilize every inch, once again adding a veggie garden on a sunny side yard. 

The kitchen was several rooms that were blown out to make an open kitchen/eating area/tv room.  Beautiful custom cabinetry really made a difference.  Taking the cabinets to the ceiling was a great idea too.

Below are some before and after pictures. It is still a work in prgogress but is really coming along nicely and is quite impressive.

As with her first house, my friend had a vision and went for it, regardless of how many people told her she was crazy. It’s a great life lesson….if you have a vision or a goal, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot accomplish it. Go for it – you may even surprise yourself with what you can do.

Added Veggie garden and a really cool flowerbox built in front of front fence filled with Rosemary and lavender