a newcomer

 

After a long waited arrival, we finally welcomed our new crosley into our home this week. I was aware of how much I missed having a turntable in the house. But, I wasn’t aware of how emotional it would be for me.

All of my records that I spent most of my thrifting-teenage years, collecting, had been taken to my mom’s house, years ago when I moved in with George. I didn’t have a “spot” for them, and then life happened and I just never brought them back. Only to be tinkered with on those rare visits with my mom. And then with the passing of my mother, and along with all of the other things that I wish that I could have saved from that house, the records and turntable stayed there. And as horrible as it sounds, I would rather start new, than have to step foot in that house ever again.

So, I looked and looked for these last few years that my mom has been gone, recollecting in my mind, which albums are missing and what style appealed to me. I tried thrift store after thrift store and apparentely all the good ones have been picked up, because there were none that I desired. And then I finally bit the bullet and said, I will just buy a new one. And Crosley it was.

So, on a warm summer night, the boys and I holed up in my bedroom, with the few albums that I hung onto, lying around us, and they listened to ‘Free Bird’ on vinyl for the first time. And their eyes lit up and they smiled and they wanted to touch that spinning record and change the record and touch the arm and turn it up and so forth. They were curious little boys and it made my heart instantly joyful. We listened to Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Joan Baez, Lynard Skynard.

And then as Vincent tottered off to find his daddy, I put Lynard Skynard back on and placed it where Simple Man starts. And I stood there with my Georgie, him standing on the bed, and I slow danced with him. To our song. I swayed with him and I held his long lanky body, and really felt like the world couldn’t get any better at that moment. If that was all the satisfaction that I recieved from that turntable, well then it is the best purchase I have ever made.

 

currently | in our nest | us and the kids

reading: the stand, old issues of Martha Stewart. || lots of alphabet worksheets and spanish books prepping for Kindergarten.

eating: lots of fresh fruit, as summer emerges from spring. accenting a lot of dishes with lime, avocado and cilantro. lots of fish and grilled chicken. || eating at the kitchen table, trying new things like bbq chicken and rice with soy sauce.

drinking: water, water and more water. with lime, with cucumber, with watermelon. Green tea, with raspberry, plain, with peach juice. || drinking less milk and more water for these active boys!

wishing: for that Crosley Record player. || wishing for more park visits and that Disneyland and “the sand” would hurry up and ger here.

praying: that little guardian angels were with all those children in the Oklahoma Tornado tragedy. || every night at the dinner table. whether the prayer is small or big, or silly or significant, it comes from the mouths of babes and that is important.

dreaming: of Jamaica, and clear blue waters, and tiki torches, banana pancakes and big tropical leaves. || of tball and that it would just last forever.

giving: myself the benefit of the doubt. I am way too hard on myself. I need to learn to relax and give myself that time to make a mistake, not beat myself up about it. || our older and less used toys to our younger cousins.

recieving: encouragement. I am only 16 pounds away from my current weight loss goal. And that feels amazing. thanks to all of my family and friends whom have encouraged me along this long but actually short journey! || quarters and dimes for little chores and being helpful. <3

here comes the sun

between the the heat wave and the approaching summer solstice, it is starting to feel like summer around these parts.

we took out the floppy hat, the inflatable pool, the rocket ice cream pop maker, the towels, the squirt guns. we are bbq’ing outside, enjoying more fresh veggies and fruit. we are slathering on the sunscreen, our tiny hairs are bleaching blonde, our freckles are popping out. we are enjoying our chanclas and our new shorts and cover-ups, and our weekend uniforms are our board shorts.

the beginning of summer is so magical. those last few hours of lasting day light, stetching out into early summer breezes. pavement wet from plant watering, liles blooming so sparingly that you cherish every last one, until they run dormant for the summer.

when little feet run towards the ice cream truck and elote man. waiting so impatiently for their own. we are learning hang loose, and ten toes on the nose, and someone wants to be a surfer. we are running around the backyard in our birthday suits, because they can.

those sweet evenings with my honey, on the front porch swing, dim litted lanterns, a beer in our hands, our feet swinging in rhythm.

so, summer. we are ready for you.

and in other news, my mothers day was fabulous. all of the above mentioned happened over my three day weekend, including some roses, cards and t-bone steaks.

All Hail Caesar!

this summer heat is wicked lately. which unfortunately means that my cooking has been limited. i find myself grilling outside more often, which is fortunately a very good thing for our diets. last night we indulged in a lighter version of a chicken Caesar salad and a nice crisp white wine!

here is the recipe that I used for the dressing, courtesy of my Aunt, and I tweaked a few ingredients, to lighten it up/please my husband. i think it turned out great!

 

Caesar Dressing Recipe

1 large egg yolk at room temperature

4 garlic cloves chopped

2 tablespoons of dijon mustard

1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cup of mild olive oil

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1/2 cup of parmesean cheese

Optional: Anchovy paste

place egg yolk, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in blender with steel blade. Blend until creamy. Add Olive oil at a slow stream and blend until slightly thicker, then add parmesean cheese and pulse 4 times.

place in sealed container and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

 

 

enjoy! <3 me

a tomato and a little rain

“One thing a mother must always save for a rainy day is patience”- Anonymous

yesterday was a lazy, rainy, humid, gloomy, feeling punk kind of a day. we retreated home in the afternoon, after an unexpected fever plagued Vincent and my stomach wasn’t getting any better. after an hour of blissful quiet time, we made soup, played with transformers and discovered that during this horrible heatwave, one tomato had finally ripened. it was a glorious find, and now I am hoping that the rest follow suit, very soon. there has to be over 100 tomatoes under those strong trees.

the rain, not the humidity was a welcome surprise. even as the boys played in their make-shift sand lot, and the rain softly came down, they didn’t run, or scream. the cool droplets wet their skin and made their sandcastles a little firmer.

we finished the evening with preparing the house for company and a busy weekend ahead of us.

the tale of the baby bird and the tomato bush

This is a short story, based on the many baby Mockingbirds that find their way into our garden each year. And the very angry Mama birds that squawks at us as we try and rescue them. Enjoy.

 

The baby bird and the tomato bush.

Sometime in the Spring.

There once was a Mama Mockingbird that lived in an Olive Tree.

There she lived, with her baby Mockingbirds.

One day, the Mama went to gather food and twigs for her babies,

And one of the baby Mockingbirds wanted to see,

how far from the tree,

it was to the ground.

But his wings were not very strong,

his feathers were very soft.

He took a leap of faith,

he was very curious,

falling through the air,

soft little tufts,

the bird,

he fell to earth.

“Well, that was not very far at all”, thought the baby Mockingbird to himself, as he puffed out his chest.

“Now I want to see how far it is from the tree,

to that window over there that I see.”

He hopped and struggled over to the wooden shingles on the side of the house,

He mustered up all his strength and flapped,

and flapped,

and closed his eyes,

shut so tight,

and all his flapping and all his might,

there he stood,

on both 0f his baby bird feet,

he didn’t move a slight.

“All this flapping has got me nowhere,

and boy I am feeling tired and hungry”.

Beyond the baby Mockingbird’s view was a beautiful, lush garden.

He could hear the hummingbirds  sing,

the bees buzz,

the worms move,

the tomato bushes rustling in the breeze.

The baby Mockingbird hopped and flapped into the garden,

and hopped right into a cool puddle of water,

not too deep,

just enough for the baby Mockingbird to drink.

And there was a worm in sight,

and a tiny tomato had fallen in his path, too.

“This is great!” baby Mockingbird exclaimed.

“I have shade, water, food, I have everything I need down here!”

“Why would anyone want to fly?”

The baby Mockingbird explored his surroundings,

he met a Caterpillar named Charles,

a lady bug named Diana,

a not-so-friendly tomato worm named Felix.

He laid in the shade,

He nibbled on the sprouting carrots,

the peppers.

Baby Mockingbird grew sleepy after his garden supper,

the sun was setting,

and he knew he had to be somewhere,

but he couldn’t remember.

Out of the sunshine and blue and pink sky,

he heard a cry,

again,

and again.

“Why does that sound, sound so right?”

Baby Mockingbird hopped and flapped,

out of the shade,

and into the light.

He looked into the sky and there he could see,

Mama Mockingbird,

high in the sky.

“That sound, that sounds is for me!”

“That is my mommy!”

“I am coming mommy! Here I am! Can’t you see me?”

The baby bird hopped,

and flapped,

and chirped.

But to no avail,

he didn’t make it far at all.

Then out of the sky came two soft hands,

And then it was dark,

and then slivers of light,

and then dark again,

and then a tiny pinhole of light.

“I think he’s lost”, said something beyond the hands.

“His nest is over there, in that Olive Tree”, said another voice beyond the darkness.

And the baby Mockingbird was lifted,

high into the pink and blue sky,

into the quiet shade,

and branched nest,

to his home.

And the Mama and Baby Mockingbird,

cuddled up together,

in their little nest home,

“I love you, baby bird, I was so scared that you were gone.”

“I love you, Mama bird, It wasn’t really that great without you down there.”

“One day, baby bird, you will fly and it will be easier without me.”

And the Mama and baby snuggled in for the night.

The End.

 

-Shannon Torres

 

in memory.

memorial day weekend held promises of family, food, drinks, sunshine and remembering those that  served. we placed flags and poppies on their graves, ate donuts as we buzzed around in golf carts and communed at home for the rest of the weekend, hopping through sprinklers, making homemade margaritas, getting sticky from popscicles, bracing for warm weather, the beginning of summer.

this week | in our nest

 

broke out the Nikon this weekend and took some photos of the boys. The early morning light washed over the whole backyard like honey. The impromptu session produced some of my most favorite early summer photos, thus far.

stepping away from some of the more “addictive” social media. not nearly as obsessed with facebook, pinterest and lastly twitter. thinking of deleting the apps from my phone and only logging in when I need to access anything. the only reason I am ever on there these days, is to post photos of the boys for my aunt and sister in law. My safe havens seem to be quite clear. IG and my blog. Short and simple. These two creative outlets have been making me feel very fulfilled as of late. Pulling the plug on everything else feels refreshing.

getting ready for two newborn baby sessions in this next week. a baby girl and a baby boy. can’t wait to sniff some newborns.

the boys are getting darker, taller, sassier, worn-out, sweaty, dirty, funnier and more grown up as each minute passes. this is another reason I am pulling the “plug”. they grow up too fast to be emerged in such lame pastimes.

picked up another copy of “the giving tree” this past weekend. .50 cents, not a bad deal, if you ask me.

had cappuchinos and croissants with my aunt and vinnie.

my aunt brought gifts to the boys; rad tye dyed shirts from new orleans and I got beautiful handmade earrings.

i have been felting and spinning linen rosies, drinking lots of wine on the weekends, getting my hands dirty in the soil.

life is wonderful.

<3 me.

 

a day for mama.

there were specific things that I wanted for mothers day. my babies to enjoy themselves in their inflatable pool, wine, bbq food, a late night with my compadres, family.

i was a lucky girl and i was blessed with all of those things and more.

i hope everyone had a wonderful mothers day weekend.

<3 me

a weekend in the desert

We had a wonderful weekend in the desert. We found a great spot, right next to a lonesome Joshua Tree, that provided a pit stop of shade for the boys and a subject for my photography lessons with sun flare.

Besides a few red ant encounters, hollering at the boys to slow down, speed up, get out of the way, wrestling with an inverter, a bike with a bum clutch, we had a fabulous time. Drinking, listening to music, the roar of the bonfire warming my babies before they fell asleep, wine warming me.

I really hope we have the chance to go out there one more time this summer. It was so beautiful and a nice change to our normal Glamis camping.  <3 me