@FPSouthoftheBorder, vendors stroll back and forth across the beach selling all kinds of wares. Alex’s favorite is the mango man. Perfectly ripe mangos, peeled, spritzed with lime, salted, and peppered to order. It’s perfection in its simplicity. It’s hard to find perfectly ripe mangos at the grocery store, and if you don’t want to wait for the perfect moment of ripeness, I have a secret for you: Continue reading
#storiesworthsharing
Hábito
When I said there was #noagenda @FPSouthofthBorder, that was mostly true. We do have somewhat of an agenda. We all wake up Continue reading
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Cocina Fresca
The resort @FPSouthofthBorder offers some on-site activities, if you wish to plan ahead and leave your palapa for an hour or so. Wayne and I decided we would check out the “cooking” class, which ironically, involved no cooking at all. Continue reading
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Traditions of Spring
Good fences make good 
neighbors… so they say… but should they? Continue reading
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The Tap Room
We have a beautiful home, but one thing, and one thing only, happens when our friends come over. We leave the beautiful house, all head to the back yard, and eventually end up in the “Tap Room.” This is a huge garage space that was constructed 2 owners ago as a car workshop. The last owners had an art/photography studio in there. We’ve turned it into a play space and workshop for Alex.
My husband is a home brewer, so one year I bought him a kegerator for Christmas (#WifeoftheYear). Now, he always has some home brew on tap, and we’ve created a pretty comfortable space for us and our friends. This is the place where you can grab a beer, kick your feet up, listen to music, play darts, and dance. (That’s usually the order of all our parties in the Tap Room, by the way.)
How to be Neighborly: When in the Tap Room… Dance.
What goes with beer? Continue reading
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Irreplaceable…
I think I was 18. It signified that I was an adult, I suppose. It was the year my dad gave me my chef’s knife for my birthday. German. Wusthof. Classic. 8 inches… Continue reading
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Under Pressure
Each year, spring arrives at the Big Saver at the end of the street with a splash. For a few precious weeks, you can get ripe, ruby, plump, sweet, glorious cherries, for $0.99-$1.49 per lb. Whole Foods prices would be somewhere in the neighborhood (pun intended) of $6.99 per lb. (Go Santa Ana!) This, my friends, is a moment you mustn’t pass up. Grab it, and preserve it, for it will not last long.
Which brings me to last Friday evening. Ashley and I Continue reading
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Just Peachy
This weekend I found a half eaten peach on my front yard. I wondered where it came from. Alex just pointed a cross the street and said “squirrels.” There it was, Continue reading
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May 4th
John & Victor are Alisha’s landlord, so we’ve gotten to know them because of her. They share a cute little duplex at the end of our street. Occasionally, you will see all three of them sitting in the front yard enjoying a glass of wine and Alisha’s veggie soup. They will wave and invite you to join them. Victor has worked in the LA garment industry for a while, and last May 4th he was working for Vans. To say he has a shoe obsession would be a gross understatement. He has a shoe closet most women would die for. I would. Unlike most homeowners, Continue reading
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Sharable Moments: April 2016
April was amazingly busy, but each day brought on more inspiration. Here’s what has kept me busy & inspired this month:
Instagramming
Pole painting
Pancake breakfast
Colorful veggie with chimichurri
Arts
DTSA Art Walk
Tracey’s Pancake Breakfast Centerpieces- Home Grown!
- Friday, April 1- Date Night
- Steak for two with roasted carrots and vibrant chimichurri sauce @ Haven (AMAZING!)- I recreated the dish at home with colorful veggies from the Garden Swap.
- Saturday, April 2- The Contributing Community
- Pole Position Teams took to the streets to paint away! We followed it up with lunch @ 4th Street Market, and finished the day at Art Walk following dinner @ Wursthaus. #exhausted
- Monday, April 4- FPNA Scholarship Meeting
- Recipients were selected! Congrats to all the worthy students!
- Tuesday, April 5- OC/CB Lean In Happy Hour
- Fun negotiation class with my inspirational female colleagues! Wine & cheese are always on this menu!
- Friday, April 8- Date Night
- Steak, BYOB wine, and carrot cake to die for @ Prime Cut. The cake inspired some muffins for the pre-home tour Muffins & Mimosas brunch!
- Saturday, April 9- FPNA Pancake Breakfast, Instagramming and Knucklehead’s Birthday Party
- Pancakes and coffee with my FPNA volunteers, followed by photography and fun with Mila, and an amazing Jalapeno & Cucumber Margarita @ Amorelia with the familia. You will see margarita in the future.
- Saturday, April 10- Supper Club
- Chilaquiles and a spicy berry margarita @ Kutsi, followed by my Neighborly egg delivery
- Monday, April 11- Sewing party
- An evening of crafty costume creation with my work team in preparation for our annual bowling event. I made Ham & Cheese empanadas with my leftover empanada wrappers. Super Easy.
- Tuesday, April 12- Client Lunch @ a Top Chef’s New Restaurant
- OMG: Chicken cannelloni with foie gras sauce @ Vaca, Amar Santana’s new OC Hot Spot
Garden swap
Dolmas
Pantry honey
Breakfast club
Temecula
Neighborly Produce
Carmen & me
Alex & Dave
Blueberry Clafoutis
- Thursday, April 14- Garden Swap at our place… oh the colors!
- Friday, April 15- Tax Day
- 13th Annual Bowling Party at work, I was a, eh hem, cougar… no comment.
- Saturday, April 16- Wine Country Weekend
- Picnic @ Keyways, then lounging on adirondacks @ Cougar (no relation to bowling cougars)
- Sunday, April 17- Breakfast Club 2.0
- Assignment: Eggs, Bonus Points: Dolmas
- Afternoon Neighborhood mixer with my puff pastry contribution.
- Tuesday, April 19- Disneyland with my fellow Neighborly dwarves.
- Happy, Bashful, Doc, Sleepy, and Grumpy headed to the Happiest Place on Earth, other than Floral Park, that is. Sneezy stayed home because he was, well, sneezy. We never found Dopey.
- Thursday, April 21- CEO Dinner at work
- Dinner with “the executive” @ Fleming’$ in LA. The perfect place for someone else to pick up the tab.
- Friday, April 22- CSUF Case Competition
- Inspiring young accountants, one case study at a time! Congrats to the winning team!
Muffins & Mimosa
GNFF Volunteers
Home Tour Fountain
Artistic home
Mimosa Bar
Girls day out
2016 Home Tour
“The Castle”
- Saturday, April 23 & 24- Home Tour Weekend!
- Kick off Muffins & Mimosa brunch @ our house with the gals, followed by a lively rendition of “Happy Birthday to Alex” over a pizza sized chocolate chip cookie.
- Monday, April 25- Alex’s Birthday!
- Pizza & beer with family and friends @ St. Pepperonis, trivia was a bonus but we fell short of the win
- Thursday, April 28- CFO Roundtable for work @ Capital Grille
- Lobster and crab and steak, oh my! Another perfect place for someone else to pick up the tab.
- Friday, April 29- Date Night @ King’s Fish House
- Alex and I devoured a Dungeness Crab (1 each), and ended up covered in garlic butter. Good thing it wasn’t our first date, things got a little messy.
- Saturday, April 30- Reunion of sorts with an old friend
- Peace, love and Chile Verde for all!
Whew! Time flies when you are having fun! Thanks for the memories!
Yummy treats
Garden Swap
Cream Cheese Frosting
Empanadas
Mixer
Wine Country Cheer
Neighborly Life 