Here is my lovely, youngest step-daughter Mimi. I can’t believe I was blessed enough to come into her and her sister’s lives over 16 years ago. They were so much younger then! Mimi was 9 when I met her and the cutest, snuggliest bug you’ve ever seen. She has incredibly curly hair, perfect skin and […] Read more…
My Homestead
cooking, vegan, recipes, family, gardening at Lita’s house
Libby
My oldest stepdaughter Libby is, well, she’s just amazing. I met her when she was 12 and I can promise you that even at that age she had more self-confidence and maturity than I have, even now, in my 40s. You can tell she’s someone who had to grow up so quickly and she’s handled […] Read more…
Plague, skiing, Dooce and Pioneer Woman
I think I have the plague! Really, I do. I actually looked up the black plague this morning, just to see what it was like. It was pretty nasty and apparently attacked people in Europe between 1348 and 1350. (photo from themiddleages.net) Maybe I had a past life there and brought this along with me. […] Read more…
Tanks, Tanks and more Tanks!
Adventure – yes, this was an adventure – a BOYS adventure, I might add. I was talked into going on this one. Well, bribed, actually. I took the bribe because I was promised that after visiting the tank museum, we’d head to Stanford to eat lunch and visit the Cantor Museum. I love Stanford! I […] Read more…
Elvis Lip
This photo just had to be shared…notice the lip – the “Elvis” lip. A very common look for this studly dog. “I said One for the Money, Two for the Show, Three to get Ready, Now go CATS go!” Read more…
Vegan Stir Fry
I hate going out to eat (yes, I know I’m a freak), so this is one of those quickie dinners I throw together – using whatever is in the fridge. I’ll point out the staples I always have in the house. It’s a warm, tasty treat. The ingredients I had on hand this time: (you […] Read more…
Perfection
Perfection is overrated….I don’t do perfection – not because I don’t want to, but because I find it utterly impossible to attain that goal – in my garden, my life, my blog, etc. So, I stick with the best I can do at this moment. For instance, in my garden, I wish I had one […] Read more…
The Most Dangerous Man
Today, I’ll go off on a bit of a tangent. I can tend to do that a lot in my life – but hey, this is a blog about my journey, so I guess it’s okay to put up information on any part of that journey. Until and unless I decide to focus a bit […] Read more…
Green Coupons
Yes, there is such a thing. Did you even know? Of course, I live in the Silicon Valley, so anything techie like this probably exists here. We’re lucky that way.I also think it is such a fabulous idea – for who doesn’t have a cell phone or laptop with them nowadays? If you’re like me, […] Read more…
Green Cleaning
A good friend of mine, Nia Peeples, has started a new site called “Nia Peeples’ ELEMENTS OF LIFE”. Nia’s goal with this site is to form her own brand of health and wellness products and help spread the wealth of knowledge she has gained in her 20 plus years as a celebrity and a devoted […] Read more…
First Bloom
Here’s the first new bloom I’ve seen in my garden this year. I love these plants…they bloom early when it’s still chilly and they do well in the shade – a key for a lot of my new garden area. I entered this in the Pioneer Woman’s shallow depth of field contest. There are so […] Read more…
Finding Calm
Just a random picture I found on my external drive today and thought I’d share. I think I came across it because I needed it, for I truly haven’t seen it in years. It’s been a crazy week here and even though this photo can appear somewhat bleak…to me, right now, it simply appears calm. […] Read more…
Card Fun
I love to make cards. In fact, I try to make it my New Year’s Resolution every year that I won’t buy any cards, but that I’ll create them from either the art supply collection I have in my studio or other cards I’ve received and recycled. Here’s my first card of 2010. A Welcome […] Read more…
So Cute
What do I say about this guy??? He’s my fourth child….and just about the cutest french bulldog there is. Trust me, he knows this. I could really write this whole blog about this guy and his clowning around. When we’re out on our daily walks, people alway stop us and say “he’s ‘So Cute’“. So, […] Read more…
Pops
This is the ONE…you know, the ONE you were looking for and weren’t sure you’d ever find. Well, he’s that ONE for me. We’ve been married for almost 15 years and together for more than 16. We’ve raised two beautiful and amazing daughters and are now blessed whenever we get to play and enjoy our […] Read more…
Waterlogged yard
This weekend we had a bit of a break from the rain here. Just enough to make me want to pull weeds, plant seeds, and get the garden festivities rolling…..but unfortunately NO CAN DO. All I read lately in the “garden” world is how you should not and I repeat NOT mess with wet soil. […] Read more…
To Vegan or Not to Vegan
I’m certainly not the healthiest person you’ve ever known. But, after being a vegetarian for most of my life (I’ll admit to taking a few years off to cook meaty meals for my daughters and my husband, Pops), I’ve chosen to go Vegan. Now, I try not to be hardcore to the point of alienating […] Read more…
Stanford
Pop’s and I go for walks everyday. We love walking and we’re so lucky, we live in an amazing town for walking. We’re also very spoiled and live close enough to incredible places to take walks and incredible trails to hike. One of our favorite places to walk is in Palo Alto at Stanford University. […] Read more…
Wicked
Last night, I went with my “other” family to see Wicked in San Francisco. I, truly, have wanted to see this musical for years. It played in Orlando about 4 years ago. My mother lives near there and went to see it and told me it was a “must”. At that time, the closest city […] Read more…
My Girls
My daughters – and how they looked when I met them over 16 years ago. Yep, I’m a Stepmom. Not that huge, crooked nose with warts kind of Stepmom (at least I hope not – well my nose is a bit large), but I mean that incredibly lucky kind. Being a Stepmom is special in […] Read more…
San Francisco
I LOVE this city! I moved to California in 1990 – after the big Loma Prieta earthquake shook this whole region. Initially, I came out here to work for only 6-8 weeks. I was asked to help out in the San Jose office of the company I worked for. When I left my boss in […] Read more…
Rascals
Here they are….Bubba (my baby bulldog) and Lucy…the rascals. Tusslers really. They have absolutely no idea that my life doesn’t revolve around them. They look cute and innocent, but don’t let them fool you. They’re both incredibly spoiled. Read more…
Hi There!!
I’m Lita and I’m very new to this whole blogging thing. I anticipate the look of this site is going to change often – especially with all the lovely themes out there to choose from. My goal will be to create my very own…we’ll see how that goes. But I didn’t want to delay in […] Read more…