Hi everyone! I’m just checking in after a short trip to Joshua Tree National Park. It was great to get away for a few days with my family. We had a few mishaps, including a flyaway sleeping bag on the freeway. Somehow the kids’ clothes got left behind and we had to buy new stuff [...]

Yes, it snows in San Diego! Well, not where I live. We’re too close to the coast for snow. The real snow happens at places like Palomar Mountain. You can’t go skiing, but when the weather is right you can build a snowman or ride a sled! Which is what we did the past two [...]

We went trick-or-treating last night, naturally! This year we stayed in our neighborhood (we usually go to my brother’s) and I was surprised by the amount of decorations and general good cheer we encountered. I had no idea my neighbors were such fun-loving goofballs. Huh. Now a rant: Too much candy in the house. WAY [...]

I finished my book! Well, a first draft anyway. I have about two weeks to polish it up and then it’s on to the next project. I hope it doesn’t need too much fine-tuning. *biting nails* I don’t think it was a good idea to pick a deadline at the end of summer. I’m always [...]

Of course, my older daughter says she’s “bored.” I think she’s ready to go back to school. I can’t decide if writing in the summer is easier or more difficult. The kids entertain each other but make twice the mess and noise. I’m not sure what I’ll do when they’re both in school. Probably have [...]

We’ve had insanely hot weather all week in San Diego! Everybody and their mama was at the beach today. I’ve never seen it more crowded, not even on the 4th of July. I wish I’d taken a wide shot of the jampacked sand. There wasn’t much room for sandcastles, especially at high tide. The waves [...]

I’ve probably mentioned that we love our home projects at Casa S. My husband is very handy with gardening, roofing, plumbing…you name it! This spring, we tore out the old weeds lawn, brought in truckloads of wood chips and mulch by wheelbarrow, and planted new grass seed. You can’t see it in these pictures, but [...]

Thanks so much for the support and tips last week! I’ve been sleeping in a little, reading a bit, and doing some gardening. I’ve been looking into “green” lawn alteratives, as we have a big backyard and limited time/$$ to take care of it. We also need a new patio cover, as the old one [...]

Time for me to sign off and enjoy the holidays with my family! Older daughter turns six this weekend (can’t believe it!!) so I’ll be busy busy busy until the end of the year. Hope you have a great Christmas and best wishes for 2010. Feliz Navidad!!

I’m almost at The End of the current project and I can’t break away from the keyboard. Except to randomly blog about life and stuff. 1. My 5-year-old is running a mile every morning with her kingergarten class. She has the choice to walk, or run less than a mile, but she chooses to go [...]