SUMMERTIME and the livin' is easy...but not for everyone.

Hi friends. My neighbor Seth Miller (his wife owns Boing Boing in Park Slope, Brooklyn) is going in for the next phase of his bone marrow transplant. He is being admitted tomorrow for a min of 3-8 wks. Would you cook a meal for them? ...it's such a simple way that we can care for them. They need it.

 THE MILLERS (sans Seth)

My neighbors may not be strangers to you. If you are a parent or have bought baby gifts or maternity essentials at Boing Boing Maternity on Union St. in Park Slope, you probably at least know of my neighbors Seth and Karen Miller.

Together they have two young teens, Sophie and Asa, and they own this mommy/baby-essentials shop. This past year Karen had to close her second store, Boing, because they discovered that Seth is battling a relapse of "Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer of the lymphoid tissue, which includes the lymph nodes, spleen, and other organs of the immune system."

Only this time Seth won't get away with "just" chemo. Today he had a rituxen treatment that lasted from 10am-4pm!! Only a small fraction of what he has experience over the past year to get him to this point.

In a matter of days Seth will receive a bone marrow transplant, which can cause extreme flu-like symptoms and more. Seth's recovery can take anywhere from 8-12 weeks while he is under care and observation at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan.

Extraordinary measures will be taken to ensure that his crippled immune system is not compromised during this time while they are waiting to see if his body accepts the donor marrow. This journey could be a tough one, but with your prayers, love, and support we can make it more bearable.

Thank you for your kind and selfless support!
For those who want to donate to help the Millers, any amount is appreciated :)
http://boingboingmaternity.com/the-boing-of-life/

To access his personal CareCalendar site, visit
http://carecalendar.org/logon/67930 and enter the following info:
CALENDAR ID : 67930 SECURITY CODE : 3334

You wanna IGUANA?

I've never owned an Iguana. I may have touched an Iguana once or twice, but I'm not really a reptile keeper. A salon client (and now friend) of mine, Joyce Yamada, is quite the artist, as I have recently discovered! And she really wanted me to have an Iguana around. It all came about as I was cutting her hair one day and our conversation had trailed off from the topic of hair to our mutual arts/crafts obsession.  A conversation peppered with "oohs", "ahhhs" and "ohhh, that's a dangerous store...let me get you the link to it!"

So, it was decided that we must find a way to share our gifts with each other. Mine in the form of offering trend right, yet effortless hairstyles and hers in the form of... WOW!  Artist Joyce Yamada has just created the most intriguing, seasonal window display ever to be seen at Slope Suds Salon. Featuring, you guessed it, a stuffed Iguana!

my pet iguana (on short-term loan from joyce)

 

the bucket might be the only thing that joyce didn't make here.

Look at the layers of detail in this installment. At least 3 colors/types of seaweed, hand-cast resin starfish and even resin ice in the bucket for a fun twist on our beachy, summer theme. I say "our", but I  can't really claim to have anything to do with the display except for filling the ice bucket with Davines summer-worthy hair products. Oh, and I have to admit to enjoying some Miso soup and Sushi, both laced with seaweed. In honor of the installation, of course.

beautiful view at slope suds, gotta keep it interesting!

 

 

 

 

So, getting back to the nitty gritty, I was present to assist, but really wasn't helpful at all as Joyce was applying all the layers. I really wanted to be helpful!! But I was mesmerized by all the attention to detail. Each strip of seaweed was first hand-shaped, dipped in paint and squeezed out to create the varied veins of color, laid out to dry and then re-dipped, but into a watered down wood glue to stiffen the fabric. And that's only a fraction of what was invested in this beautiful creation!

joyce at work, not even taking a sushi break!

 

Funny side story, well, at least in retrospect. The kids and I stopped by the salon later this afternoon to have a look at the finished installation.  Pasha really only tagged along so he could have a say in what I picked for his dinner, but nevertheless we stopped by and got a great close up. I decided this would be a good opportunity for Olesya to go on her first short walk in big girl underpants. Needless to say, she left a puddle/footprint trail thru the salon. Just as I was finishing up cleaning the floor Joyce and her husband Kurt happened to stop by too. Perfect timing to show off the display, actually, as the sun was setting, never mind showing off my potty-training/parenting skills! But, graciously and kindly, Kurt didn't ignore Olesya's plea for a closer look at the handmade starfish and Iguana and lifted up the soggy, almost-3-year-old for a better view!

So, you'd like a better view too? Here it is!

blue lights give a watery hue to the display

 

For an even BETTER view, you know where to go! Feel free to stop by Slope Suds next time you're in the Slope to see Joyce's latest and quite possibly GREATEST creation. Okay, I'll admit to a little bias here! But, Joyce, you're AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful creation (and your Iguana) with Slope Suds!


...Oh gosh, I have to do it. If you're wondering what's in that ice bucket in the window display...Slope Suds is having a special that you won't find anywhere in NYC on Davines Melu products! (I recommend it to all of my friends that want stronger hair or thermal protection) Get one FREE Melu product when you purchase 3! There it is! ; )

MELU, buy 3 get 1 free!

"LIGGY BUG picnic" birthday for Olesya

Olesya is just a couple days away from being 3 years old. What?? Already?? Yep! The guys that run the cafe down the street, Southside Coffee, were commenting today about how it seems like just yesterday when I went in alone for a cup of coffee after Olesya was born. It seemed strange to go in without her, anywhere for that matter, but she was in N-ICU and we were not allowed to take her home for 2 1/2 weeks. Time could have stood still and I wouldn't have noticed. So today we are celebrating the birth, life and health of our precious, (and sassy) little thing, Olesya!

Some of our dearest friends gathered with us to celebrate the little girl that can't say "lady bug". It's "liggy bug", and I'd kinda like to keep it that way! If I had my own cute word I'd plan a party around it too, but I don't have any cute words and, well, it's not my birthday. With "liggy bug" on my mind  it seems like everywhere I go I see them. The outfit she is wearing, for example. It was on sale, so it had to be done. Lady bug tank top with red leggings and black spots. A red tutu? Just ridiculous!

I made cake pops for the celebration. (Next time remind me what kind of effort this requires.) I really think I'll buy Donut Holes from Dunkin Donuts and then decorate them. They taste so good to begin with and take muuuuch less effort. And can end up equally cute and tasty. (that was free!)
 
But no one complained and, in fact, some thought they were pretty tasty. I should hope so. I used the raw, organic cocoa from Bali. But the sugar, and loads of it, was just plain old Domino. Take a peek at the end result.

Planning the party was a bit more fun than usual. One, because my kids are a little older and I have bit more time for this sort of thing. But recently I went to an Urban Girl Squad party planning event with guest host Sweet Dani B, yes the one that is on Martha Stewart for her adorable hand-designed cookies. Anyway, with the savvy tips I picked up, plus the inspiration to do something fabulous I pulled out all the stops, well, a few.

I tried to throw a party that I could brag about for saving money by hand-making a bunch of stuff, but it didn't really turn out to be quite a money-saving venture. Not exactly. Err...next time! It does help to have a few months to plan and I hadn't quite worked out my theme in advance. (Maybe I hadn't heard liggy bug often enough?) But, I did make a few things like the banner, cake pops and the cloth napkins that lined the sandwich boxes and re-purposed some flower buckets for the cake pops. Kids' sandwiches were a breeze, just used a ladybug cookie cutter and WOW! grilled cheeses and pbj's with wonky chocolate chip eyes were ready for the kiddos. No complaints! ; )

 You know, this was supposed to be an outdoor picnic. My hubby and I spent hours out back the last couple weeks. Bringing in new plants, trimming down the old ones and even assembling a gazebo in case it rained. Well, it did rain. And the wind blew. And, well, we had the best indoor picnic we've ever had! We did the same picnic thing, complete with checkered table cloth, only indoors!

The table was jam-packed with picnic favorites and old-school sodas and chips. And my friend Elizabeth even brought yummy deviled eggs, which I didn't get a picture of probably because someone scarfed them down.

Old friends, new friends, big friends, little friends. Oh, and loooaaads of awesome presents! (That's a whole 'nother blog post!!) I'd say it was a good night! Happy Birthday Olesya!! I love you!

Papa and Olesya at the Circle E Diner in Hancock, NY

Olesya and her Papa, or Papi, as she chose to call him all weekend long. There's something rather delicious about watching Igor's face when she snuggles up to him. She's almost 3 now, so she picks and chooses the people she wants to be with . . . and that must be why it's so satisfying when you've "won" another unsolicited snuggle or eskimo kiss from her. Sweet and sassy, this one. Today Olesya's friend Maya fell and bumped her head in our driveway. Not one to shy away, Olesya shouted, "bad driveway! no hurt my friend Maya!" Atta girl! Look out for your peeps!

Brittany Rose White: Slope Suds 5 Year Anniversary Party

Brittany Rose White: Slope Suds 5 Year Anniversary Party: "Karla asked me to shoot some pictures for Slope Suds 5th Anniversary and what a blast it was! Good people, good drinks, and good food. Thi..."

Truly Mexican Mironovs

Today I made my first, complete mexican meal from scratch! (I finally made the poached chicken that went with the Holy Mole I spent 4 hours on last week.) Plus mexican rice, black beans and seriously spicy tomatillo salsa. umm... yum!!! 

I was so blessed to share the meal with an amazing friend, Krista, who had made me enchiladas when my arm was in a sling after surgery last year. Why is it so neat to share food and to break bread together? Is it because we like to catch up on old times and long, lost friends? Or is it because we like to do something, create something that both of us can appreciate and savor together? 
Anyway, I like it!

And, as a side note, it's very interesting to see the kinds of creatures your children bring into the house when you're not looking cause...you're cooking! ; ) That's Olesya and Gary the snail, and we did NOT eat him for dinner, because that would be FRENCH and we had MEXICAN!

Krista, thanks for the super date night and for making yummy chocolate, chocolate chip cookies for dessert! Yum!!!

Authentic Mexican cooking from Truly Mexican, (aka FONDA cookbook)

Kings County Fair 2011 - BONUS!

After 14 days of rain we finally had a splash of sunshine, sneaking past the clouds in Brooklyn. Hallelujah! So, where did we go? To Pasha's indoor ice hockey game! Well, there just happened to be a county fair camped out in the parking lot at Aviator Complex.  So, while Pasha played, Olesya and I wandered around the fair, played a $5 fishing game, ate a $4 corn dog, drank a $2 water, and rode a few kiddie rides.

Kings County Fair May 21, 2011

When Pasha was Olesya's age I was at one of my fibromyalgia peaks and an exhausted, stay-at-home mom. I distinctly remember being so relieved when Igor would take him to Coney Island without me, some of the few times I had alone to rest. But, I sorely missed the joy of seeing him skipping around the park and experiencing his first wonder wheel ride. So, having this one-on-one experience with Olesya at the fair was just perfect. We arrived early and even before the gates were opened, so we got to the carousel while the workers were still napping, waiting for the first guests to show. Olesya and I were literally the only two people on the whole carousel! When does that happen in NY?

That's joy, isn't it?

Shortly after, Olesya's little friend Anna and her mom caught up with us for some yummy treats. I loved watching the two almost-3-year-olds joyfully licking and munching their larger-than-life treats. (sans regarder *sigh*)

Anna and Olesya (we call them Dora and Ramona)

Pasha picked up a second game of hockey while we rode the Wiggle Wurm and some rather rickety roller coaster. After the game he and his friend Tebo came along and shared a giant bag of cotton candy before calling it a day. (I should have captured a shot of that jumbo cotton candy bag, which was pretty much as big as Olesya! It took 6 of us to eat it!!)

Pasha and Tebo with hockey helmet hair and cotton candy. 

 

Our little family day was loads of fun, even more so because it was an unexpected bonus. Like a weekend getaway, but without the stress of planning or packing.

Olesya's Cotton Candy Sugar Shock

 

 

I love family time more and more these days. Especially when we allow ourselves to stop and be thankful for the moments we share, to talk about them...and more importantly, to listen...(even when my 9 year old just has to say it 3 different ways)... and when we allow ourselves to reflect on the beauty we can enjoy in the midst of all the mess. The beauty that is family.