Loving the strawberries and peas we are getting from our backyard –
we’re getting about 15-20 sweet, juicy strawberries a week, and about the same number of peas. I would have included the blueberries here but some squirrelly monkeys ate them all before I could take the picture.
Bittersweet
Yesterday was the last day of school for my kindergartener. He was sick since last Sunday so he didn’t get to say goodbye to his teacher and classmates (my little one was sick the previous week so he didn’t say goodbye to preschool, either). I made up little business cards with my contact info and a note from him saying he wanted to stay in touch during the summer, and asked the teacher to stick them in his friends’ backpacks.
Every Thursday this past school year I went into my oldest’s classroom and did the packets to take home. It didn’t take me more than an hour or an hour and a half but it was lovely to see him in his classroom setting, interacting with new friends. He had a wonderful teacher, and I am glad she is staying on at the school at this time of budget cuts and layoffs.
Here are some moments from Aidan’s kinder year:
The last photo was taken at a breakfast tea the school staff hosted for parents and guardians who had helped out throughout the year. I qualified because of my Thursdays spent at school and it was a lovely morning.
Every achievement, every new photo of Aidan at school brought me both joy and sadness. Joy at seeing my son thrive in a new environment, and sadness that my dad wasn’t here to share in these moments. He would have been so damn proud of you, Aidan, I know we are!
Congratulations on moving on to first grade, my sweet boy!!!
Veggie cooking cheat sheet
How awesome is this? I found it on Pinterest and thought I’d share it with you all, since I think it is going up on the side of my fridge:
There’s all sorts of How To tips and tricks at The Secret Yumiverse – and Yumi’s illustrations are darling. Go check them out!
Homegrown taters
make me happy
can’t wait for the rest of our summer bounty . . .
Another warm weather outfit
Yes, I am obsessed. Not with searing-hot. burn-the-top-of-my-head, give-me-a-headache heat and sun, but with the opportunity to stroll around wearing colorful, floaty outfits. Ahem.
Anyway, I am loving blue/gray with the pops of orange here:
blue orange by casa de berry featuring maxi dresses
Well, color me shocked
because the candidate I thought was going to win the Peruvian elections, didn’t win.
It’s a case of NOT going with the devil they knew, I guess.
If you’ve ever considered a trip to Peru, or if you’ve been and would like to go back, I would add to your Must See list of Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Nazca, etc. with the beautiful and friendly city of Chiclayo. It is this northern coastal area of the country where both my mom and dad’s families are from. I am lucky to still have lots of relatives there, so I’m always happy to visit.
In Chiclayo you will find warmer weather than in Lima, delicious regional cuisine, lots of historical interest, such as the Lord of Sipan, pictured here:
If you stay at the Gloria Plaza hotel, I should have you know that Gloria Plaza is my godmother, and my godfather is the owner ;D
The cathedral and main square:
If it’s beaches you want, the Chiclayo area has some of the best beaches in the world, the sand fine, the water warm and inviting.
It’s been years since I went to Peru, and I long to see this in person:
It is the Chiclayo airport. If I see it in person, then it means I am in for a great time with some of the people I love the most.
Tomorrow in Peru
is the second round of presidential elections – in my homeland, it is rare that a candidate gets the majority (50% + 1 of the total votes) so “runoffs” or second rounds are common.
I will be honest. I couldn’t vote for either candidate, if I could still vote there. One is the daughter of one of the many corrupt presidents in our history, and while I look forward (I’m pretty sure she will win) to a female President of Peru, I wish it weren’t this particular woman.
The other is a man with strong ties to the Chavez government in Venezuela. He actually got the plurality (most votes of any candidate) in the first round but has been losing steam since.
I feel so bad for this awful choice my homeland must make on Sunday. As our Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mario Vargas Llosa said, “this choice is like choosing between cancer and AIDS.”
I hope that whoever gets elected has it in them to go past their own agendas and maybe, just maybe, put the well-being of the country and its citizens first. It’s about damn time.
Did you know?
the Print Shop section here at Casa de Berry offers you affordable prints for your home. Just select your prints, Paypal the ridiculously low prices and in less than 48 hours you will get a hi-res digital file with the prints of your choice. How easy is that?
Here are some examples of what’s in the Print Shop – of course, your files will not have the watermark on them.
May 2011 in review
I am stealing this idea from the lovely Rebecca at Simple as That, and participating in her May 2011 photo collage party. I love the idea of highlighting some pics from the month – thanks for the idea, Rebecca!
Waiting for a bit of sun
I love going to the farmers’ market. There is a small one near me but a pretty large one a few miles away. The small one is on Friday mornings, and you’d think I would have managed to go there while the boys were at school, but no, I haven’t been there in years. For the large one, either my husband has to go with us, or he has to stay home with my little guy because he just loves to drive his mama batty by running off in whatever direction tickles his fancy.
This weekend is supposed to be a rainy one, and while I LOVE the rain and the cold, I miss strolling around, perusing the different stalls, getting little samples of organic goodness.
I put together this little outfit and will wear it as soon as the weather allows!
Casa de Berry 