LOGIOCO FAMILY BEACH CLEANUP

We took the kids down to the Atlantic Highlands bike path last weekend as were so sad to see all the garbage in the rocks. Some of it John had recognized from last fishing season and most of it was empty water bottles tossed by the runner and bikers who use the path. We decided to take it upon ourselves to show our kids that it's not okay to treat our beaches that way and we returned the next day with garbage bags. We easily filled 5 bags of garbage. We would have done more but it was a bit tough carrying them all out. This event will definitely be repeated. Right on to my family...I'm so proud of you!

LoGioco Family Beach Clean Up - Atlantic Highlands, NJ 2010 from john logioco on Vimeo.

PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE

I keep hearing about this Susan Boyle on the audition for "Britain's Got Talent", but now that I've seen it I understand why everyone should experience the guts this women has to expose herself like this and just go for it! Best part is that she nails it!!!

Unfortunately, I am not able the embed the video here but please click below to link to the YouTube video.

Video

SPRING SALAD

One of my favorite salads. It reminds me of summer. This is the first one of the season.

Ingredients
Combine baby spinach, butter lettuce & radicchio
Grilled chicken (optional)
Toasted walnuts
Avocado
Dried cranberries
Goat cheese
Green onions

Dressing
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Honey

Beverage
Tecate beer

HAPPY EASTER 2009

MY TOWN - TOWER HILL

The local neighborhood sledding hill is located on the property of the the Tower Hill First Presbyterian Church. It's just a small hill but it's faster than you would think and it's easy for the small children to walk up after each ride.

On this day after the big snow storm in February we were lucky the have the hill to ourselves. It's usually packed with small children colliding on sleds and big kids on snowboards.

Here's a couple videos of the boys in action.

After several runs up and down the hill everyone is pooped and ready for some hot cocoa.

Click here for more posts on MY TOWN.

VINTAGE GRAIN SACKS

When I received the March issue of Coastal Living Magazine (one of my favorites), my eye was immediately drawn to the long pillow with the simple stripe on the sofa. I love beach cottage design when it is chic, casual and understated.

I immediately turned to the references at the back of the magazine to see where the pillow or fabric came from. It turns out that these lovely pillows are made from vintage grain sacks.

I then Googled "vintage grain sacks" and what popped up but one of my favorite web sites, Etsy!

Leslie Janson's shop sells they bright colorful vintage grain sack pillows already made for $85.

Grainsack's shop sells this roll of antique handwoven and hand loomed hemp linen roll. The fabric was made around 1880 -1900 and it is 100% biological, organic, completely free from chemical substances. The roll of 14.21 yards sells for $259.

Solitice Home's shop sells these casual shoulder bags made from the grain sacks for $59.
Not only do I love these pillows but I love learning creative ways to repurpose and reuse materials.

ETSY: NAME CHARMS

Some time ago I blogged about the beautiful handmade personalized charms by Heather B. Moore. The charms are made with precious metals and gemstones and although they are very high quality they are also very expensive. A simple necklace can run upwards of $300. This particular post continues to generate more like/dislike comments than any other I have done.

Well, I have now found on Etsy several other lovely personalized charm necklaces that are handmade with less expensive metals and stones for much more affordable prices. How does $30-45 sound. I actually like these better now. My two favorite vendors are the following and I have ordered necklaces from each as gifts.

UNDER THE MOON DESIGNS

The designer has 2 choices of font and chain style. The names can be straight across the middle or curved along the bottom.

This one is called Triple the Love with Birthstones. $38.

This one is called Family Circle of Love. $44.

THE VINTAGE PEARL

This designer antiques the letters, then buffs and polishes the charm. On each charm hangs a colored crystal or pearl of your choice. Letters can be upper or lower cased in 2 different fonts.

This one is called Two Names on a Chain. $35.

GREEN YOUR ROUTINE

The "Today" show is running a series called Green Your Routine. It offers several tips on how to change your daily routine to make it more sustainable and it's asking everyone to adopt at least one small change for the next 30 days so that we can make a big difference together.
There are some well known option like: bring reusable bags to the grocery store, use a coffee mug, turn the water off while brushing your teeth.

The option I found that was new to me was a website called CO2 Saver. You download a small file which,

"immediately adjusts your Windows Power Management settings to reduce your computer's energy use when it's idle (by default, it activates after you are away from your computer for 30 minutes). You can always adjust the level of power management at any time in the Options menu."


The toolbar sits on your desktop and lets you know how many CO2 emissions you've saved.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Yes, WE CAN....get a nap.

This is not a $150,000 wardrobe. This is hard work .

I love this image.

FAVORITE APPS

I love my new iPhone 3G. Who doesn't. But I really LOVE this particular APP that I just recently downloaded. It's called Chef's Little Helper. Basically, you add your recipes or search their database for recipes. Then you select the recipes you want to make and it adds the ingredients you need to your grocery list. So when I'm in the market and trying to figure out what to make for dinner on the fly, I don't have to plan ahead or try to recall all the ingredients I may need for a particular dish. It's sooooo amazing.

Of course, my kids favorite APP is Air Hockey.

DIRECT HIT

Hats off to the marketing department at Sketcher's Kids. My son has taken the bait hook, line and sinker. Kindergarten just started and shoes matter. Oliver and I spent an hour on Zappos selecting the perfect pair of "Cool" shoes to start of the school year. And we definitely negotiated because he wanted severe black and I wanted something between that and spanking white. We decided on chocolate/black "Damagers" from Sketcher's.


Awaiting the arrival of the shoes, Oliver announced that he'd seen a commercial that said how his new shoes "breath". I asked, "What does that mean?", and he answered, "Well, the shoes puff air with every step I take and keep my feet cool and make me run really fast. " Nice Answer! Great Marketing! When the shoes arrived Oliver was walking on air. Not just from the cool shoes but from the shoe box and comic book featuring the character "Z Strap".


Does this kid look happy or what.

CALIFORNIA MUSIC SLIDESHOW

We just spend 3 weeks in my hometown of Pacific Palisades, California visiting friends and family that we haven't seen in 3 years. We went everywhere from north Malibu to Carlsbad. It was an amazing trip. This music slideshow tells the story. Unfortunately, I was only able to upload it to YouTube in low quality.

MY TOWN - VICTORY PARK

This is our favorite neighborhood park - Victory Park. It's located along the Navesink River in Rumson, NJ.



We love to come down here on a summer evening after dinner or on a Sunday morning with our breakfast sandwiches.




The kids love the playground and we walk the docks and look at all the boats,

but our favorite pastime is to throw rocks in the River.

Previous posts on My Town.

TUNES

I'm always looking for fresh energetic music to add to my iPod for workouts at the gym. Good tunes make the time go by faster and makes me forget that I'm running on a treadmill to nowhere. As I am typically behind the curve in matters of trend, the following are my current favorite workout tunes. Here is the link to my iMix if you would like to hear them. And yes, there is a Hanna Montana song in there because I'm also a geek.

RSVP

I picked up a copy of the August edition "Garden Design" Magazine at the market a few weeks ago and I don't know whether it's the magazine or just this issue but I am finding gems in here.

The reason I purchased the magazine is because the cover and feature article was about an architect, David Hertz, who I had as an instructor in design school. He was and is far ahead of the pack in environmental design and when we toured his home as a class in 2000, it was so inspirational to see all the "green" elements of his home.

The feature in this issue is regarding the second stage of his home that he built on the neighboring property.

If I was ever able to design my own home, David Hertz's home and style and ethic would most certainly be an inspiration.

This article alone, was enough to justify the purchase of the magazine but the next article was really amazing and inspirational too. It's about a chef/artist named Jim Denevan from Santa Cruz, California.

Already an accomplished chef, he highlights his dedication to the land, local farming and organic ingredients by creating dinner events in farms, fields and natural environments through his organization "Outstanding in the Field". I would love to be a guest at this type of dinner party and I actually could but his 2008 season is sold out.

How unique and outstanding is this.

But it's not over yet. Jim Denevan also creates insane geometric landscape patterns using low tide beaches as his canvas and a stick as his medium.

It's a shame that the high tide washes it all away.

LIFESAVER

This is my first summer season living in New Jersey and the as we are very close to the shore, we have spent endless hours discovering the beaches in our area. Our favorites so far are Seven Presidents and the Sandy Hook. I have lived near the beach my whole life and we have always been a beachgoing couple but having children adds a whole new dimension to the beach experience. When I was single I used to rollerblade to the beach with a towel, book, water and sunscreen. When I met John, we started to incorporate surfboards, spears, weights, wetsuits and all other ocean sport supplies. Now that we have children the list is endless. We look like we are going camping for a week yet it is only a mere 3 hours.

Trying to drag all this gear down to the beach by myself is not possible so I invested in this beach cart. The name says it all, Wonder Wheeler Deluxe. It is $60 and worth every penny. I LOVE IT!!!!!!! It holds umbrella, 2 chairs, cooler, buckets & shovels, boogie board, towels and it glides over the sand.

Happy Mommy means happy children and a great beach day.

TOO CUTE!

Our neighboring town of Red Bank hosts the biggest fireworks show in New Jersey. We attended a BBQ at Paul & Laurie's then walked down to the end of the block and watched the fireworks at the edge of the Navesink River. It understand it was spectacular but I missed it because Tucker was terrified and I ended up pushing the stroller back to the car to the sounds of oooh and aaahs. I will try again next year. I had the post this photo though because it is soooo adorable of the kids eating their ice cream at the BBQ.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

On this Father's Day, I want to say to you
I love you very much and appreciate all you do.

I am proud when you take me on an adventure that's new
Like when we went in your kayak and caught some fish too.


I love when we relax and read for awhile
Our special time together makes my heart smile.

Dad, you are fun and kind and strong... a real champ
I like to play with you and make you into a car ramp.

Love, Oliver & Tucker

FERDINAND THE BULL

Watching 5 year old T-ball reminds me of the Story of Ferdinand.


While the other bulls would run and butt their heads together, Ferdinand preferred to sit quietly in the shade and smell the flowers. This is what made him happy.


Although, there is an occasional moment of brilliance.

JOLLY GREEN GIANT

I got this "Child Height Predictor" emailed to me from from Babycenter. In fun, we decided to play along and our 2 boys are both predicted to be 6"4" by age 18. Not bad. We'll see if they are right. Only 13 more years to go.

SUMMER'S BEST GARDEN SALAD

I just made this recipe from the May 2008 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. The salad is great and the dressing is even better. I served it with a grilled a chicken breast. Summer is here!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup yellow pear tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped orange bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 small yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped avocado

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk.
2. Combine lettuce and the next 6 ingredients (through squash) in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over lettuce mixture, and toss gently to coat. Top with avocado.

Nutritional Information

Based on 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup salad and 4 teaspoons avocado)
CALORIES 64(52% from fat); FAT 3.7g (sat 0.6g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 1.6g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 28mg; SODIUM 123mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.8g

Maureen Callahan , Cooking Light, MAY 2008

I WANT TO BE A COWGIRL

I am totally enamoured with this new (at least new to me) blog - The Pioneer Woman. Ree is a city girl turned cattle rancher's wife and mother of four. She tells as amazing and funny tale of how she met her husband (aka the Marlboro Man) and fell in love. Her 34 chapter love story is so worth the read. It would make a great movie actually. She has great recipes for the vegetarian turned meat lover. And my new favorite area is the tips and tricks on how to enhance your digital photography with Adobe Photoshop.
I love digital photography and I always try to get the shot that is a little artistic and composed in an interesting way. I always modify and improve the photos with Photoshop but I only know how to use about 10% of the tools and I know I could do better so I am loving Ree's generous tutorial about what she has learned.
I decided to apply a few of her tricks to my photos and here are the results.
I used this technique to enhance and brighten Oliver's eyes.

I used this technique to darken and blur the background for the close up of Tucker.