summah

We had an wonderful beginning to our summer vacation yesterday.

(I can already tell it's going to go by too fast!)

We were invited to J & G's for a cookout.

We began with a french rose' outside.

Wasn't the cheese plate gorgeous?

The girls rescued a bird from the grass

and returned it to its nest.

Then, they received a life lesson from J

on the survival of the fittest.

"Sometimes, girls,

the bird just doesn't

cut it..."

The girls made place cards

and chose the seating arrangement.

The evening was filled 

with best friends reunited,

good food,

great conversation,

and the promise of more good times to follow.

happy memorial day

Thank you to all the men and women who have served our country.

Especially my dad - 

US Coast Guard &

Secret Service

Here he is 

running Toward the gun

when Sara Jane Moore

tried to shoot Ford.

He's the handsome gentleman 

to the immediate left of the

police officer's hat. 

And remembering those who gave their lives for freedom.

I am thankful to the soldiers

and their families

who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

God Bless America

guess what we're doing today

yep - heading north

2 kids (one prone to motion sickness)

2 dogs (one prone to motion sickness)

i can't wait for the 18 hour drive

on memorial day weekend

(xanax anyone?)

pancetta crisps

John and I made these delicious pancetta crisps as an appetizer the other night.

It was soooo easy

and soooo tasty.

Here's what I did:

I baked the pancetta on a foil 

lined baking sheet at 450

for 8 - 10 minutes.

I cored a pear

and sliced it into 

rings.

Next, I placed the pancetta over the pears

and crumbled goat cheese on top.

Last, I drizzled honey and

cracked pepper on top.

How easy was that?

The juicy pear compliments the

crisp pancetta, the 

creamy cheese, the sweetness of the honey,

and the tart cracked pepper.

And the best part -

it only takes about 15 minutes!

*southern living recipe

pretty pretty pictures

We're having a wonderful, but busy

last week of school in Georgia.

Here are some pretty Hampton pictures

until I can post again.

What's behind your hedge?

Love the flag.

The hydrangeas.

My goodness - just look at the hydrangeas!

I want to live here!

 I have always loved

this house

in East Hampton.

the longhouse reserve

One of my favorite places to go on the East End
 is the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton. 

It's owned by this really cool guy, Jack Larsen,
an internationally known textile designer.

Some years ago, when Jack visited the Japanese shrine at Ise,
 he was inspired to create

the LongHouse Reserve,
 his home.

This stunning estate boasts a 13,000 square foot home on four levels.

It is surrounded by gardens that portray designed landscape as art.

The gardens also feature elegant and fanciful sculptures.

Did I say ole Jack was cool?

He's cool because he opens his gardens to the Public!

I think it is fabulous that this gentleman
shares his love of art with the community.
The LongHouse is open to the public seasonally,
and it is also available to local schools
for educational purposes.

This is the house that Jack built:

I love the dunescape!

My first trip was in the spring.

The cherry trees were in bloom

and it was gorgeous!

My favorites are the wind sculptures.

You can see one in the foreground.
It is so peaceful to watch them move
lazily in the wind.

Water for Elephants?

He's ready for his close-up.

Could this place Be more beautiful?

Wanna play chess?

New York?

Eat your vegetables!

The fly's eye.

My children enjoyed it.

My mom did too.

These guys like it there.

So do these guys.

Thanks for having us Mr. Larsen!

 We look forward to coming back!




*For the record, you can't just stop by any time.
Check the longhouse website
for days and times.

perfect

Today, John is here:

And I am here, in Georgia.

You may wonder why, 

after living in the Hamptons for three years,

I am here.

It's because of this little guy

sitting in the chair.

I took the happiest kid in the world to New York.

However, it was not meant to be for him.

He hated it.

After three years,

he was not happy.

Not at all.

We decided that you either have a happy childhood

or you go to therapy.

We knew we could fix it 

by bringing him back to his old school

and his old neighborhood.

I gave up wine dinners, 

private receptions 

after the Philharmonic 

and the Ballet,

 and snowy winter evenings 

in the cellar.

I left some of the best friends

I have ever had.

However, 

as the school year comes to an end,

I have no regrets.

This year wasn't perfect,

but it was damn close.

wedgies

On Saturday, I bought these shoes:

colehaan.com

Could they look more comfortable?

I plan on wearing them

ever' day.

And I super miss having a job,

because if I did

I would have purchased 

these too!

colehaan.com

Most of the Hampton events I attend

are in a big field or vineyard.

Therefore, the wedge

 is a Must!

These events are usually outside

to take advantage of the

unbelievably crisp summer weather

and star-filled nights.

John claims that 

the stars are closer 

 and the sky is bluer 

on Long Island. 

I have to agree.

That's why artists

have been drawn

 to this area for ages.

grits from the past

I received an interesting friend request on facebook yesterday. 

 It was from a very cute young mom.  

Immediately upon seeing her name, I lit up!  

It wasn't one of those,  'Now who on earth is this?' moments.

This particular request was from a little girl young lady that I taught second grade to in 1990-91.  

It was my first year of teaching 

and I was learning as I went.

I was also attending graduate school

two nights a week.

It was a crazy, wonderful year.

On facebook all these years later, 

she wrote this to me:

I am SO glad to see you on here!!! I think of you so often, hysterical I know!!

 Just wanted you to know that you made a huge impact on my life and I have never forgotten you!!!! xoxo

I love teaching

and I love the students.

And it was a moment like yesterday,

that has me still smiling today.

grits 'n ribs

I hope you had a lovely weekend. 

Ours was busy.  

On Friday night, while my Hampton friends were

having a blast drinking wine 

filming a commercial for the winery my husband runs, 

we were in Georgia attending my daughter's dance recital.

C is on the far left.

On Saturday afternoon, our family headed to Phipps Plaza, 

one of my favorite places to shop.  

Surprisingly, I don't enjoy shopping in New York.  

It's just too crowded and always overwhelming.
However,

 I looooove to shop in Atlanta.  

It's so easy to hit Phipps and Lenox.  

Both malls are a stone's throw away

and between the two, you will find

 Saks, Neimans, Bloomingdale's, Nordstroms, JCrew, 

 -  and just about any store you could want.

Before shopping, we enjoyed a nice outside lunch at the Tavern. 

 It was a perfect Atlanta day - 

partly cloudy in the low 70's.

We ordered these Southwestern chips:

(firecracker shrimp, poblano peppers, sweet corn, red onion, black bean puree and mild oleso)

To die for...

For lunch, I had this salad -

the healthy benefits of which

were cancelled out

due to the aforementioned nachos.

L, who never eats Anything,

decided to try the ribs.

(Hey Mikey, he liked them!)

He liked them!

Next, we were off to find a dress for me.

In June, John and I are invited to attend

a 5 o'clock, black tie

wedding in the vineyard.

John picked out this dress:

(Hey, is that Wonder Woman?!)

Which I didn't like At All...

until I tried it on.

Do you think I could have good arms
in a month? (yikes!)
It's pinned for alterations.

I scored these shoes:

looove!

and these earrings:

Hopefully, I will look appropriate

at the wedding

and not like

"country come to town!"

*images nordstrom.com

boats and ames

Check out this great site and article about one of my favorite Hamptonites - Amy Plum:

mottega.com

I love her - love, love, love! 

She's smart, sassy, and a fabulous designer.

Also, John just sent me this picture with the message -

 "Intuition" is back for the season.

Yip! Yip! Yippee!  

One of the most exciting times in the Hamptons, 

is the day the boats begin to return to Sag Harbor!  

After a cold, snowy. looooooong winter, 

it is so exciting to see the first boats 

and the promise that 

"the season" 

is beginning!

pretty pretty flowers

Yesterday afternoon, John obligingly helped me plant some Lantana around the patio. 

I practically wept with excitement at the thought 

of the lantana growing and spreading over the summer 

surrounding my patio with gorgeous blooms.

At one point, John hit a wire with the shovel while digging.  

We oooohed and aaahed at the orange wire and wondered what it was for.  

We had only mulched about 4 inches deep 

and therefore, Knew that it couldn’t be anything Important, 

so we continued planting.  

After Hours of planting and happy visions of my patio surrounded by riots of flowers, 

John showered and left for the airport…

He tried to call the house from the car and I bet you can guess what happened! 

We have no phone, no cable, and no internet!  

Seriously, I don’t know What we were thinking 

when we ignored the cable and continued planting. 

For the second time in as many weeks, we have no internet.

(I dread watching the cable guy

dig up all the flowers we planted

to get to the wire!

I'll probably need some wine...)

if i was there...i'd be here!

The Wölffer Rosé Release Party "Summer in a Bottle" Saturday, May 7th At the Winery 1PM to 5PM Come see the World through our Rosé Colored Glasses! Live Music and Cheeses, and a Complimentary Glass of the 2010 Wölffer Rosé $25 per person A portion of the proceeds goes to the Long Island Wine Council  For reservations call Melissa at 631-537-5106, ext. 10