Making My Summer Bright with Pier 1

It's 90 degrees here in our little corner of Southern California and I know it's only May, but this weather is making me sooo ready for summer. 

As I mentioned before, we have been in serious remodel mode around here. Read about that here:

Where There Is Life, There Will Be a Mess

And now that the painting is complete, everything else that we had outside is looking a little old and shabby. Not in a cool, shabby-chic way, either. See what I mean?

I started with the question: What do we actually do on our front porch? 

Actually, we spend a lot of time there.

It only gets a tiny bit of setting sunlight because of it's north facing position, so we can sit out there comfortably pretty much any time of the day. Eric sits out there when he's working from home and catching up on phone calls.

We love to sit out there together in the late afternoon and do the recap of our day together with some iced tea. (Or maybe some Cuban Materva or a cafecito, but that's not important right now.)

Also, my next door neighbor and dear friend, Debbie comes over just to chat and catch up on the events of the week. This usually happens on a Saturday morning, with a cup of coffee. We call it our "Porch Time." It feels very comfortably Cuban in an old-school "portál" way.

So, now that the old wooden beams are torn down and the house is painted a sunny yellow, I felt like we needed to give some love to our Front Porch/Patio area.

Enter Pier 1 Imports. I had already been thinking and looking for inspiration for how to make our paito more colorful, which in 2014 means pinning ideas to Pinterest, of course.

I know. I know. Pinterest World has a wonderful element of perfection to it, which is both overwhelming and wonderful. I've always been the tear-stuff-I-like-out-of-magazines-for-inspiration type, so I like to spend time really thinking about what it is I want to do and what feeling I'm trying to evoke and then I start pinning away. 

(Also, if you don't already follow me, please consider this your official invitation to follow me on Pinterest. Thank you.)

I knew I wanted lots of color. Bright, happy, vivid, summer colors. Like there's always a party going on out on my porch. You're already catching my vision, aren't you?

I've been pinning my bright, happy, vivid, summer color on the following Pinterest board: Pier 1 Outdoor Oasis. 

Allow me to share a bit of that inspiration:

I fell in love with this beautiful wicker collection called Coco Cove. I like that it's a dark, chocolate brown, which will make the super bright pillows and cushions I plan to add pop just that much more. 

I loved that little ceramic end table thing. I found this one at Pier 1 in red and also in green. Once I decide on the cushions for the furniture, I can make a better decision about the color, I think. Although...hello...RED!

I'm shopping online for this one and having it delivered because, well, can you picture me wrapping my chubby little arms around this beauty? I thought not. Yay for online shopping. Thanks, Pier 1!

So I pinned photos of outdoor spaces and found they all had tons of color in them. "Hmm..." I said to myself. (because I often speak to myself in thoughtful tones, but that's not important right now) "I'm obviously on to something here."

I probably should have just said, "You're sooo predictable." (Of course, I'm attracted to color. Hello! Cuban!)

Pier 1 Imports is totally speaking my language. They have tons of bright and colorful made-for-Marta items.

Not really sure where or how I'd hang these lanterns, but aren't they fabulous? I took a vow I'd find a way to work at least one into my decor.

Also, I'm thinking I need a table of some sort for our coffee cups or iced tea (or Materva). We don't really eat out there, but a table is a necessary thing for Porch Time, don't you agree? 

I found that in the original Coco Cove Collection that I was first drawn to there was a small ottoman that could double as a table if I added a tray to the top. Win! (Can you just feel my creative wheels turning?)

I'm going with Bright (!), but there's something for every taste in the stores. 

So, I'm pinning, and visiting my local Pier 1, and shopping online to create a beautfully bright summer place. I promise I'll share The Big Reveal next week. 

Hurry, Summer! 

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign campaign in collaboration with Pier 1 Imports and Latina Bloggers Connect. The opinions are all my own.

What I Love About Summer Concerts at the Hollywood Bowl

ATTENTION: Today I have a Public Service Announcement from the Hollywood Bowl and the LA Phil. Because I love you. Also, you can just call it 'The Bowl' like us cool kids do, but that's not important right now.

Summer is rapidly approaching (yay!) and that means it's time to start making Summer Bucket List plans. Read about how we do that here:

Summer Manifesto.

As you know, t's a big deal to us to squeeze out every last drop of fun out of our summers. For me, one of the coolest things about living in Southern California is visiting The Hollywood Bowl. Read about my love for the Bowl here:

On the Stage of the Hollywood Bowl (Pinch Me.)

I'm particularly excited for this coming season at the bowl, particularly the end of July. The Americas & Americans concerts on July 23, 25-26, 29, 31 includes an eclectic mix of cultures and traditions from across North and South America.

• Gilberto Santa Rosa & Sheila E - Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014 - 8:00 pm 
• Gloria Estefan with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra - Friday & SAturday, July 25th & 26th, 2014 - 8:00pm
• Rubén Blades and the LA Phil - Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
• Noche de Cine with the LA Phil - Thursday, July 31st, 2014 - 8:00 pm

And people, there's so much more! The Family Concerts and Weekend Spectacular (involves fireworks) are a ridiculously good time. 

• July 4th Fireworks Spectuacular with Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell - July 2nd - 4th
• Grease Sing-along July 13th
• DreamWorks Animation in Concert - Celebrating 20 Years - July 18th and 19th
• The Beatles' 50th at the Bowl - August 22nd - 24th (YOU KNOW I WILL BE THERE!)
• Fireworks Finale - The Simpsons' 25th Anniversary

Believe me when I tell you that nothing compares to experiencing a live show at The Bowl. 

Here are some my personal tips for making your evening at the bowl that much more magical:

1. Pack a Picnic! There are lots of restaurants in the area that will pack a gourmet picnic for your Night at the Bowl or just do it yourself. (We usually make a stop at Porto's, but that's not important right now.) Click here for more info on Picnicking at the Bowl.
2. Get there early! People watching is totally part of the fun. (The Sound of Music sing-along included lots of nuns and people in lederhosen...you had to be there to appreciate.)
3. Take the Mandatory crappy potato camera Selfie with the Bowl in the background. Absolutely a must.
4. Send those fabulous Bowl photos to the 'It Happened Last Night' section of the Hollywood Bowl website for posterity. Click here for more information: It Happend Last Night at the Bowl.

Lucy & me & friend, Haylee at the Sound of Music Sing-along at the Hollywood Bowl

Some tickets are even as low as $20! Order today by calling (323) 850-2000 or visit HollywoodBowl.com.

Now you're all set to have a fabulous summer. My work here is done.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Al Punto Advervitising. My love for the Bowl is my own. Gracias, guys!

I Have A Kleenex Tissue Style. Who Knew?

We always have people in our home. I mean other than the ones who actually live here. When I say always, I promise I'm not exaggerating.

Even if we're not formally entertaining, we always (<--I said it again!) seem to have extra guests. Whether it be our neighbors or friends who just happen to pop by, there are always extra people guests in the Darby home.

Of course, as you know, I happen to love having people here and I totally want them to feel at home, which is where today's topic comes in. Kleenex tissues. Or if you Cubanized it, you would say (in a heavy Spanish accent) "Los Klee-nes." 

Come to think of it, there are no other brands of tissues, right? At least in my world, it's only ever been Kleenex, but that's not important right now.

To celebrate Kleenex’s 90th anniversary (Hey! That's almost as old as my mom!), they’re bringing you an innovative first: The Kleenex® Style Studio. It’s a fun, inspiring way to discover more of the Kleenex® Brand designs and products you love. And maybe even a few that’ll take you by surprise.

I didn't know I had a Kleenex Style, people. That is, until I was asked to write about it and went shopping - like with serious intent - to get stylish Kleenex for my home. 

Now I'm totally hooked. I confess that I'm now officially a Kleenex Snob. I must have the designer Kleenex, specifically Isaac Mizrahi, because...hello...do you see how perfectly this fits into my decor?

Kleenex is sooo winning. This gives a whole new meaning to the term, "Decorative Tissue." 

Look closely and tell me if you even spotted the Kleenex box. I know. Shut up. How cute is this?

Here's a link to the Kleenex Style Studio. You should totally go there and see what your Kleenex Tissue Style is. You don't even know you have one, do you? Do it. You will be delightfully surprised to find you're kind of a Kleenex Snob like me. Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what your style is. The one you didn't know you had. Do you feel sooo accidentally cool now?

Now I'm all about the stylish Kleenex Tissues in every room. It's just one more thing to make my friends who are always here guests feel more comfortable.

Because, seriously? Holy cute!

What's so awesome is that they have over 100 designs. Color me happy!

Now I'm on a mission to help the world find their Kleenex style. They just don't know it yet. 

Mi casa es su casa!

Thank you, Kleenex for sponsoring this post and for making my home sooo accidentally cool.

Also, I got my Kleenex Designer Tissues at Target, but you can also find them at pretty much your local retailer, including Publix, Walmart, Kroger, Staples, Sam's Club.

Eating Your Feelings. Good or Bad? Discuss.

Today I want to talk about using food as comfort. I know we all do it. Let's just discuss this openly, shall we?

I have a friend who, when struggling through personal difficulties, pulls out a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Not the gourmet kind of mac and cheese. (By the way, I have a fabulous recipe for Mac and Cheese in a Flat Pan right here, but that's not important right now.) But the powdered orange cheese-food stuff that comes in a BOX, like no cheese ever should. It comforts her in a childlike way. I get that. 

Although my tastes in comfort food tend to run in a different direction.

So, this past week you may have noticed if you tried to visit this site, that My Big, Fat, Cuban Family was MIA. Gone. Disappeared into the ether. Nothing but a white page and a sinister "site not found" notice. Wait. What?

It turns out that my lovely cyber-hosts, SAY Media and Typepad were the targets of cyber-terrorism and hundreds of other Typepad sites were down as well. If you're curious as to exactly what happened, you can read the entire article here at Tech-Crunch. 

Because I'm Cuban, I blamed the communists. They were responsible for all the grief we ever knew when I was growing up. I've just continued that time-honored tradition. "Comunistas de mierda!"

Back to the comfort food thing...

We have been doing some interior painting and remodeling and our home is completely chaotic. You can read about all that here:

Where There is Life, There Will Be a Mess.

Last week, we celebrated Eric's birthday and then Easter weekend was coming and even though our house is still getting worked on and we didn't have our act together, we had so many plans!

We were going to be attending church and then my family was having a pool party/brunch thing at my niece's house. I was so looking forward to that. Celebrating and visiting and relaxing. All the things I excel at.

But then...I woke up achy, and feverish, and unfit to be with humans. Wait. What?

And then my site was down. Gone. Vanished. Wait. What? Nooooooo! 

And my house is a crazy mess. (I can feel you weeping with me. Thank you.)

I was down for the count over Easter weekend, which I spent in my pj's moving from bed to couch to bed and back and barely able to pick up the remote. Did I mention we had tons of plans? I was not a happy camper.

I had no appetite, which is unusual for me, but once this achy, flu thing took hold, I was done.

My site was down. And I still felt so sick. And there was nothing I could do except follow Typepad's progress (a little obsessively) on Twitter. And wring my hands. And take my temperature. And feel sorry for myself. And complain impotently about the cyber-terrorists. Say it with me, louder this time, and with feeling:

"Comunistas de mierda!"

I despaired. 

But of course, as some brilliant, but cheesy sage used to say, "Tough times don't last; Tough people do."

I fancy myself as a tough Cuban cookie.

It was right around the time I started feeling better that I also started craving Comfort Food. And no, I did not feel like cooking, thankyouverymuch. 

So as soon as I was able, I managed to find a way to eat my feelings, Cuban-style. 

(I'm not proud of this, and I totally shared, okay?) *ahem* A taste of yuca frita, croquetas, tamales, masitas de puerco, and papa rellena. And for the main event:  Bistec de palomilla, black beans and white rice, and plantains. For dessert: cascos de guayaba with cream cheese.

I'm going to assume you all can relate to this whole "eating your feelings" thing, even if your comfort food is a bit different from mine. I admit my cravings tend to be much more elaborate than a bowl of Captain Crunch, but I can't help it. Black beans and plantains are part of my Cuban DNA.

Also, I don't usually eat cascos de guayaba con queso crema (guava shells with cream cheese) unless there's a serious disturbance in the force. And trust me, my force was disturbed.

My house is still a work in progress, but the mess is so much easier to deal with now that I'm feeling better and I ate dealt with my feelings.

So, what's your comfort food of choice? (It doesn't have to be Cuban.) What are your triggers?

Also, suck it, hackers! My Big, Fat, Cuban Family is BACK!

See? I'm feeling better already.

Where There is Life, There Will Be a Mess

My preference, when I'm blogging or sharing anything online is to show you the fun aspects of my life. (Thankfully, there are many.) But, of course, my life is not clean and shiny and perfect all the time.

Especially right now.

We are in the throes of fixing up our sweet little home. We've torn down the rotting wooden beams from the front of our built-in-the-1970s freakishly small cottage-like house. The you're-taking-your-life-in-your-hands-if-you-step-out-there crumbling balcony is completely gone. It has been replaced by a beautiful (and safe!) paned window.

Our construction crew, led by our good friend, Cuco is hard at work doing the re-stuccoing on the back of the house, while a couple of the other guys are bricking the front pillars. Also, wouldn't 'Cuco and the Guys' make a great hipsters band name? (Welcome to my crazy.)

So I'm sitting here, patiently (and impotently) "Pinning" house painting and window trim ideas on Pinterest, (Where you're welcome to follow me, of course) all the while fighting a losing battle against clouds of dust that are quickly settling on every surface. My bedroom has fresh new drywall and everything but our bed is covered with plastic. What a mess!

As all this crazy messiness is swirling around me, I'm reminded of something I often say to my family:

"Where there is life, there will be a mess."

I say this to my kids all the time. Usually in an effort to dissuade them (and myself) from perfectionism. Believe me, with all the stuff I do, there's always the temptation to channel my Inner Perfectionist. She likes everythihg in its place and clean. In fact, she would prefer it if the people who live here would not actually, you know...live. (I promise you, she's not very pleasant to be around.)

But here's the truth - As long as there are people living here, there will always be piles of dirty dishes and laundry. There will always be unmade beds and things left out of place. There will be kicked off shoes in the living room and towels hung on doorknobs.

I have learned to embrace those things because the messes we live with declare loudly: THERE IS LIFE HERE!

When my home is pretty and painted I'll post some fun look-at-my-pretty-house pictures. But until then I am embracing the messy and the crazy that is my life today and living my sweet, messy, charmed life without pretending.

And I'm thanking God for every messy-crazy-awesome minute of life.

"To LIFE!" ~Tevye. Fiddler on the Roof

I Have Naturally Curly Hair

I'm the youngest of six, five of whom are female. Hair is a big thing when you're growing up Cuban. I was born with a big, unruly mop of natural curls.

Here I am at 6 years old in all my newly-arrived-from-Cuba glory with my freshly-coifed-by-Mirta-de-Perales-herself afro. My mom seriously did not know how to parent a curly haired child. (Not blaming. Just stating fact.)

My perception, when I started the first grade in Miami was that I was different. My language, my family's customs, my food - all different. My naturally curly hair made those differences more pronounced. Even as I wrote that last sentence, I still experience a twinge of pain as I remember the feeling of "otherness," but that's not important right now.

I came of age in the late sixties and early seventies. In my early high school years, the flip was the hairdo of choice and I had learned from my older sisters how to "set" my hair. In Spanish, we called the curlers, moños. And Saturdays would find all of us in our curlers and hairnets. The word for hairnet is "redesilla."

My sister, Miriam rocking those giant hair curlers and her "redesilla." Circa 1967

You know what Spanish word is fun to say? Redesilla. You're welcome.

Here I am when I first started high school. There was a way to comb out your rolled hair into a perfect flip if you had enough body. We curly-haired people had all the body. Be jealous.

But notice how the rest of the hair had to be perfectly smooth? We used to buy Dippity-Do by the gallon. (I know. Shut up.) 

The flips of the early sixties soon gave way to the perfectly-straight-parted-down-the-middle Flower Child look. I remember reading a teen magazine that gave the dubious summer beach advice: "If your hair is curly, live in your room." Seriously. I'm sure it was a tongue-in-cheek piece, but those words burned deeply into my very tormented 15-year-old soul.

So I spent years (years, people!) hating my hair for not playing nice and getting along with the other kids.

I wrote (and made a video) about getting a Brazilian Blowout here: The Taming of the Do. (Don't judge.)

By the summer of 2012, I was burned out on the years of straightening and fighting and taming my hair. I serendipitously had two friends tell me I should go back to my natural curls. I made an appointment with a local salon called Curls on Top in Laguna Beach.

I wrote all about my friends and their intervention and the beginning of my Curl Recovery here: Jesus and My Hair.

It was just a few weeks ago, nearly 18 months since I started My Curly Hair Journey that my hairdresser finally cut those last few strands of straight pieces off forever. I suppose I could have cut all my hair off über-short and started from there, but we, People-of-The-Round-Face have to be careful about those kinds of spontaneously bad decisions.

I kept accountable to my friend, Carrie by taking "selfies" of my Curly Hair Recovery Process. Today I'm sharing the magic with you.

(Also, please appreciate that it's difficult for me to share my curly struggle so publicly. Be kind.)

This is me, totally embracing my Curly Awesome.

If you have any questions about going from straight back to your natural curls, please feel free to contact me. I'm totally a Curly Hair Evangelist now.

Finding Joy

There has been so much preparation leading up to this week. Of course, I'm sure it's been like that in every home that celebrates Christmas. And also, did it seem like December just vanished in a puff of smoke, or is that just me?

We're not the people who put up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. We take our time and savor December. We slowly add decorations and touches as the month progresses. It makes it all feel so much more magical to me. I never want Christmas to be a thing that needs to just "get done." *shudder*

I was very deliberate this year about slowing down and taking care of myself and my family. I was determined to find joy in everything we did this year. Can I just tell you - slowing down is hard! Especially when the rest of the world is in full go! mode.

In fact, for about the first two weeks of December, all I had was this Merry Christmas pillow, which makes me totally happy, but that's not important right now.

This month I did manage to design, print and send out invitations to Nochebuena early in the month.

I've got 32 people coming on the 24th and there won't be any room for a Christmas tree, so I got a few smaller trees and put them in corners of our living room. So really, it's more like setting the stage than Christmas decorating.

I was happy we took our family photos back in September for our Christmas card. I don't know that we would have managed to get all of us in one area code otherwise. (See the photo in my blog header at the top of this page.)

Christmas around here happened slowly, deliberately. We took the time to watch Christmas movies and celebrated as we made Crema de Vie for our friends.

We got up early before the rest of the world and had coffee and shared dreams.

We went to parties and shared our food.

And we shopped a little. Mostly online. We made lists and shared ideas. And slowly added design elements to our "set."

I even got inspired (Thank you, Pinterest!) and made word garlands using my new Silhouette Portrait. (Still not done. I have a bunch more to hang today and tomorrow.)

What I have found is this: That I find no joy in perfection and in hurry. Perfection and hurry are way too demanding for me. But, without the tyranny of having to have everything up in one day, (who tapped, anyway?) I find that I'm enjoying the holidays more. There seems to be much more time for the fun and the celebration and all this makes me a nicer person.

We took time to really celebrate Advent and the coming of our Savior on Christmas day. And that just added to my personal joy. Seriously. There's something to be said for anticipation and preparation. It's as God intended.

After all the slow decorating and the taking time to enjoy the season, it turns out that my house is looking pretty darn festive for Nochebuena and Christmas. Now it's time to start preparing food and wrapping gifts. And I'm not stressed about this at all, because I took the time to take care of myself this season.

I found joy right on my doorstep. Who knew?

Feliz Navidad, my friends!

Saving Mr. Banks - a love story

The year was 1964 and my family had just moved from Florida to California. (Obviously, we've been here ever since, but that's not important right now.) I was nine years old.

One of the very first things we did was visit Disneyland. It had captured our imaginations from early on and we were so excited to visit the iconic park. Of course, as you know we fell in love with all things Disney at that point and pretty much never looked back. (Read about my mom's special Disney wish, made the year I was born.)

Another thing that happened in 1964, was the release of Walt Disney Pictures' Mary Poppins. My older sisters took me to see it in a theater in Westwood, as I recall. I can still even remember where I was sitting. The impact on my young imagination was immediate and visceral. I have never in my life had a theater experience like that one. I was completely captivated.

Immediately, I started begging for the long play album. In stereo. *sigh* The Disney magic is quite a force to be reckoned with. I played it and played it and memorized every song and practically wore out the grooves on that LP. Good times.

Recently, Lucy and I were invited to a pre-screening of the film, Saving Mr. Banks, which was being shown in the Frank G. Wells Screening Room on the Walt Disney Studios lot.

So, to clarify...we were going to see Saving Mr. Banks, which is about the relationship between Walt Disney and the author of Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers and the making of Mary Poppins on the exact same lot that both pictures were filmed. If you've seen the trailers, you already know it's a beautiful thing. (Somebody pinch me.)

Having grown up during this specific time period, I can testify to the fact that Disney got the 60's look just right. Having been a lifelong Disneyphile (<--is that a word?) I was hardly surprised by how intensely I responded to the film. Almost the same reaction I had to seeing Mary Poppins back in 1964.

My favorite part of this clip is when songwriter Richard Sherman talks about how the film makers and designers did their job so well that he felt it was like watching a home movie.

Picture me and Lucy bouncing around the studio lot (seriously - there was bouncing) going from one spot to another. "Look at this! This is where that one scene was shot! Walt's office was up there!"

We had just seen the film and our emotions were still raw and the excitement was spilling out of us.

See what we did there?

A few days later, I was invited to the press junket for Saving Mr. Banks, which made me feel sooo accidentally cool and a bit stressed at the same time. Burning question: What does one do at a press junket? And where exactly did that word come from?

So I dragged Eric along with me to the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel where I would get to ask questions of the actors and film makers.

The List of People at the junket made my head spin.

• Tom Hanks ("Walt Disney")
• Emma Thompson ("PL Travers")
• Colin Farrell ("Robert Goff Travers")
• Jason Schwartzman ("Richard Sherman")
• BJ Novak ("Robert Sherman")
• Bradley Whitford ("Don DaGradi")
• John Lee Hancock (Director - he also directed The Blind Side.)
• Kelly Marcel (Writer)
• Alison Owen (Producer)

Seriously. Somebody pinch me.

I loved being a part of this day. The cast was brilliant as they patiently answered our questions. They were also were delightfully entertaining. I especially loved this moment when Tom Hanks describes the day he took his grandaughter to Disneyland. (Please excuse the herky-jerky, grainy, potato-phone video and enjoy the story.)

When the press event was over, some of us bloggers kind of rushed Tom Hanks for photos. He was very accomodating for a few minutes, but was being called to another appointment. We are all pushing to document the moment and get on camera with Tom Hanks.

Here's how this went down...

Me: "Tom! Selfie?"

Tom Hanks (starting to lean in)

Disembodied voice: "Mr. Hanks, we have to go now."

Tom Hanks look up to respond to the voice.

Marta snaps this shot.

I lead a charmed life, don't I?

My opinion of the film? Oscar worthy. Beautiful. Iconic. Magical. Not-Enough-Superlatives.

Emma Thompson is by turns electrifying and cringe-worthy as the fussy P.L.Travers. An amazing performance. Tom Hanks is the embodiment of Walt Disney himself. Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak are phenomenal as the legendary songwriters, Richard and Robert Sherman. Colin Farrell breaks your heart.

Full disclosure: I cried. Not just a single tear escaping the corner of my eye, but I wept. Openly and loudly. I guess you could call it "ugly" crying. Having said that, I encourage you to go see this film. Much the same way that Mary Poppins affected me back in 1964, my imagination has been captured and so has my heart.

Also, guess what's playing on a constant loop at my house right now?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

See the film. And take tissues. You've been warned.

Disney's Saving Mr. Banks opens everywhere on December 20th, 2013.

The Book of New Zealand - The Hobbit Event

You know how seriously nerdy my family is about Tokien, right? If not, let me direct you here, here, and here. I'm about to go seriously uber-Tolkien-geeky right here. You've been warned.

Last week Lucy and I got to participate in The Hobbit Event, much to our über-Tolkien-nerdy delight. 

In partnership with Tourism New Zealand, the filmmakers of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, created a larger-than-life pop up book depicting four of the phenomenal sets that were featured in this film. So, picture this...we physically got to walk through these fantastic sets. (Jealous yet?)

But first, they served us a delicious lunch and there were prizes. Very, very cool prizes. I won a fabulous gift basket which included a ton of this year's Warner Brothers DVD and Blue Ray releases, which made me a total hero to my kids. Big Mom-win here. Thanks, Warner Brothers!

They told us in the invitation that, besides, lunch and prizes there would be "...surprises."

Were we ever surprised and ridiculously delighted by the appearance of the Dwarves, Fili and Kili. I know. Shut up!

Actually, these are the actors who play them, but when you're as seriously nerdy about this stuff as we are, you just call them by their drawf names even though, duh, we know they're only actors, but that's not important right now. Aidan Turner on the left is Kili. DeanO'Gorman (on the right) plays Fili. Or as you are more likely to recognize them, in all their Dwarf-lord glory...

See what a great day we were having?

And then it was time for a tour of The Book of New Zealand, also known as The Giant Pop-up Book of Middle Earth. Which, if I wasn't thinking about it before made me totally want to vacation in New Zealand because....hello? New Zealand.

There was the head of Thror which stands guard at the entrance to the Lonely Mountain. (Anyone else geeking out over this yet?) In real life it's Turoa on Mount Ruapehu. (Look at me, learning NZ geography!)

Could it get any better than this?

Well, yes. The next stop was walking into Beorn's house. Beorn is the shape-changing-giant-bear-man who helps the dwarves and Bilbo on part of their quest for the Lonely Mountain, but of course, you already knew that (or at least, you would if you were a Hobbit über-geek, too, but that's not important right now). Everything was giant-bear-man size kind of awesome.

Then there was Laketown, where all the death and destruction will happen once the dragon Smaug, who lives in the Lonely Mountain is awakened by Bilbo (but you didn't hear it from me). Lucy was interviewed by the crew here.

For those of us (I'm looking at you, faithful homeschooling parents) who have read and loved all the Tolkien books, this was a Tolkien fan-girl's dream come true. Although, I have to confess, I'm  a bit disappointed that Peter Jackson decided to turn a 300 page book into a trilogy of movies, but I still don't care because we über-geeks could happily lose days (or at the very least 3 hours at a time) in all things Middle Earth.

Food, prizes, Fili, Kili, and Middle Earth. A perfect Tolkien über-geek holiday.

A few days later, Amy and I went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in Real 3D. My kids were fighting over who got to see the movie with me. "But you already took Lucy to Middle Earth!" they protested. (That just sounded cool to say.)

This second part picks up where the last film left off. And not to spoil too much, but I thought the first half took a little too long and because I'm a Tolkien purist and I struggled with what was in the film and what wasn't. The question that remains, of course, is: Is there such a thing as too much Legolas? The answer, of course, is no.

So our company of Hobbit and dwarves arrives at the Lonely Mountain. (Just like we did!)

And Bilbo came face-to-face with the you-will-totally-believe-dragons-are-really-real Smaug. This part of the film captured our imaginations like nothing else and then it became difficult to sit still from all the nervous excitement. Added bonus: Smaug the dragon is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. I practically wept.

I'm sincerely grateful to Warner Brothers for their generosity and for letting us be a part of The Hobbit Event. For this über-nerdy Tolkien fan-girl, it has been a very rewarding adventure.

 The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug opens everywhere on December 13, 2013.

It's Not About the Meal

There's a trend that happens in the month of November. People are sharing (on social media) something they're grateful for every day of the month.

I've heard the arguments that everyone should just be grateful all the time and not just as a "trendy meme" for the month that the Thanksgiving holiday falls on. I guess that's true. But I like it. I like anything that makes us stop and think of just how much we all have to be grateful for. As trendy memes go, I think this is a good one.

Around here we've had a bustle of activity because we're expecting 32 people for dinner tomorrow.

For me that means decorating and planning and making room in my freakishly small cottage-like home for all these friends and loved ones. That means Eric and Jonathan are moving furniture and hauling in tables and making sure there's a place for every single person.

My sisters, Ofie, Helen, and Alina are doing the cooking this year.

Lucy is my Stage Manager and Amy is my Set Designer as I take up the position of Creative Director. I have lists and sketches and a timeline. And we are all working shoulder to shoulder to make sure that we pull off this shindig with as few glitches as possible. (Of course, that's not always possible, see this post., but that's not important right now.)

I have been working on the creative touches (like the chalkboard menu) that I hope will surprise and delight my guests. We're setting up a photo booth as we do every year. This is what that will look like.

And our dinner, as you can see on the menu board will be pretty traditional, but it's not about the food.

I'm grateful for the creative time spent today and tomorrow with my people as we pull together to make this big gratitude party happen.

I'm grateful for the delicious gift of their enthusiasm and abilities.

I'm grateful that my extended family and close friends will be with us tomorrow to share the day.

I'm grateful that my mom will be here for her 99th Thanksgiving. Although, technically, we didn't really celebrate Thanksgiving until 1961, but you know what I mean.

Speaking of 1961, those were dark and difficult days for us. Our family, like many others had been separated by the growing threat of communism on our island home. My dad had left the country a few months before and we weren't sure we'd be reunited. See this post.

So my gratitude must always include the fact that we will be together. Like the Pilgrims before us, we are grateful for this great land that gave us a place to survive and thrive. The meal is secondary. The main event is the coming together to break bread and to share our home and our food and even our talents. The focus will be the laughter and the sharing and the warm smiles of those we love best.

That we get to eat an amazing turkey dinner as we do all this is just, well...gravy.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.