Lucky Seventeen!

Seventeen years ago today Dave and I got married in a torrential rainstorm. The last time it rained in the Napa Valley on May 30 was 99 years prior.

"They" said that it's good luck if it rains on your wedding day. "They" said that it means you'll have lots of children. We laughed. And moved our outdoor winery wedding into the cellar. It was more intimate than we'd anticipated but the end result was the same -- we got hitched.

Apparently "they" were right as we've had three children together, something I would never in my wildest dreams have imagined. It's been a heck of a ride and I'm glad Dave and I are in this together.

Happy anniversary, Sweetie. You are truly my better half and I am grateful for you every single day.

Friends and Family -- any memories to share from this day?

So you want a cell phone?

Dave is brilliant. Just brilliant.

The eight-year-old Pinks want cell phones, just like their big sister. They don't need cell phones.

Every now and then, at the end of the school day, Liberty borrows some random child's cell phone and calls us from the bus to let us know Tori is not on the bus. Then Tori hops on the bus at the very last moment and Liberty calls back to tell us that Tori did not miss the bus after all. In the nine months that The Pinks have taken the bus, Tori has never missed it coming home.

The thing is, cell phones are easily misplaced. If we had an extra phone for the little kids, chances are they'd lose it.

Here's the part where Dave's brilliance comes in.

Today he gave the little kids each a golf ball. They need to keep track of it and at any given time one of us can ask where their "phone" is and they have to be able to produce it within 60 seconds. They don't have to keep it on them, they just have to know where it is. This will show us if they're responsible enough to have a phone.

As I am typing this Tori  has come in here asking if I know where her "phone" is. What do you think?!

Dancing with myself

We're Gleeks. Paris, Paige Wycoff and I flew to LA yesterday and met up with my sister-in-law and nieces to see Glee Live.

Lea Michele, not surprisingly, stole the show. She is a talented vocalist with strong stage presence. The staging, while not elaborate, was creative enough for a four-city tour. All 6,000 seats in the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal Citywalk were within 150 feet of the stage. We had a good view!

The show included well-loved hits -- Sweet Caroline, Rehab, Jump, Like a Prayer, Beautiful, True Colors, Somebody to Love, Push it, Don't Stop Believing, and my personal favorite: Defying Gravity.

Heather Morris, who plays dumber-than-dirt Brittany, surprised us all with her dance moves. Who knew that Naya Rivera, "Santana" could really sing?! Dianna Agron, aka Quinn, faded into the background. My favorite character, Kurt, was fun to watch, especially in his Lady Gaga getup, which will been seen on TV this week. Most of the performance was live.

We left the show hoarse from singing at the top of our lungs and tired from all that dancing.

Adventures in Entertaining

Our neighbors, Jill and Wally, are wonderful entertainers.

We've been to several parties at their house and had dinner there, too. A while back I asked Jill if I could be her sous chef while she prepped for a dinner party. I could be helpful and learn, too. We tried to sync calendars and it didn't work very well. Finally Jill suggested we co-host a dinner party.

That was Saturday night.

We served David Lebovitz's Fresh Ginger Cake with berries, Caesar salad with grilled romaine, fish tacos, guacamole and chips, and margaritas. Note that I led with dessert!

On Friday Jill and I set the table, arranged flowers and baked. Saturday I did the Farmer's Market run, made the whipped cream and Caesar salad dressing, and chopped tomatoes, cilantro and scallions to go in the guac. Then Jill and I assembled everything. I'm not much of a fish taco girl as Rubio's is really my only comparison point. However, these were really good and I'll make them again in a heartbeat. Jill insisted we get the tortillas and chips from a Mexican restaurant instead of the grocery store; I'd highly recommend this approach.

My ever-thoughtful husband got off a plane from Chicago on time and made it to dinner just as our friends from Mountain View arrived.

It was a really nice evening -- the four couples had much in common and I was surprised how late it was when we got home.

David Lebovitz's Fresh Ginger Cake

• 4 ounces fresh ginger
• 1 cup mild molasses
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil, preferably peanut
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 eggs, at room temperature

Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.

Peel, slice and chop the ginger very fine with a knife (or use a grater). Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking soda, and then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.

Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too quickly before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.

Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Serve with whipped cream and fruit.

Don't bother with your VISA card for Chanel purchases at Neiman's

I'm not much of a Neiman's gal. The shoe salon is too tempting. (Hello Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin!) Every now and then I have a quick lunch at the cafe, which is very close to Britex Fabrics, one of my favorite stores. But mostly I walk past it.

However, many moons ago Kymi told me about Rocky, the guy at the Chanel makeup counter. Apparently Rocky is the master at picking lipstick.

So this week, while I was in the city for a conference, I dashed across Union Square to Neiman's and sought out Rocky. He did not disappoint.

I challenged Rocky to find me the perfect red. I think red lipstick is so elegant but I don't have the nerve to wear red red. After a long and somewhat complex process which I won't go into because it was quite fun and I'd encourage you to have a go at it, Rocky and I found the ideal classic red shade for me.

However, when I pulled out my VISA to pay for it, Rocky nicely let me know that my options were AMEX or Neiman's cards, or cash. Hmmm. Fortunately I had enough cash in my wallet to cover it.

We'll see how long it takes me to get up the nerve to wear this gorgeous red out of the house!

Just show me the kitchen.

It's that time again -- I'm looking for a Summer 2011 vacation rental. The best houses let a year in advance so it's me against the clock right now. We're probably going back to Italy.

What's not to love about Italy?! The pasta / gelato / pizza / wine is incredible and even the most discriminating young child will eat something. The locals are welcoming. The scenery is beautiful. The architecture draws you in, especially the ornate churches. And the shoes and leather goods are tempting enough to get even the most conservative shopper into debt.

After three go rounds at this I know that the kitchen is the most accurate gauge of the condition of the rest of the house. If the kitchen is spotless and modern, the rest of the house will be, too. If it's got cracked countertops then the floor boards in the bedrooms will squeak. If the chairs at the kitchen table are mismatched then there will be no recliners by the pool. If there is art hanging in the kitchen then the flowers outside the front door will be in full bloom when we arrive.

I'm getting pickier over the years, too. I like the pool not too close to the house. We like to have our own bathrooms. We like screens on our windows. We like to be walking distance from town. And we like our wifi to be reliable and fast!

Mother's Day 2010

Leslie and Linda and Leslie's Lord Sampson. 1967.

Slept in. Had Paris' biscuits for breakfast. Watched Mean Girls. Napped. Quilted. Read. Made dinner. Enjoyed dinner with extended family. Getting back in bed with book now. Pure heaven!

What's your favorite cookbook?

I was just in the kitchen, looking at my cookbooks, thinking of what to make for dinner with the extended clan on Mother's Day.

I collect cookbooks. The newest one is A Passion for Baking. I bought it because my friend Jacquie Laflamme often bakes from it. Every single thing that comes out of her oven (even those scalloped potatoes) is so good that I want to run away and hide and not share. I can't do this, though, because I'd be unpopular amongst the softball parents, who benefit from Coach Jacquie's baking at almost every game.

There's a rice cookbook named Seduction of Rice which I've never used and is now out of print. But I won't throw it away because I bought it after a long conversation about rice with my late father-in-law.

I use Chez Panisse Vegetables and Chez Panisse Fruit all the time. These are my go to books when I buy something random at the Farmer's Market.

Thom and Sara thoughtfully sent me the Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow Spain cookbook, based on their trip and PBS series. I like the pictures and am reminded of our trip. But Spanish food isn't my favorite.

A few years ago Neeracha bought Paris Cupcakes! I bet I've made half the recipes in there. The best is the one that resembles Millie's coffee cake. We also like the banana caramel ones.

My favorite cookbook, my go to cookbook for all things, is the original Barefoot Contessa. The roasted chicken. The coconut cupcakes. The swordfish. The Indonesian ginger chicken. The chocolate chunk cookies. Everything I've ever made is divine. I love you, Ina, even though you're a bit of a freak on TV. Thank you for making me fat and happy.

Happy Birthday Dave!

It's my better half's birthday. Isn't he adorable?! He's taking one for the team today (hopefully it's not too much of a sacrifice!) and playing in The Pinks' elementary school golf tournament fundraiser.

Here are ten things you may not know about him:

1. His favorite ice cream is Loard's peppermint.
2. He is smart. Really smart.
3. He is an exceptional, loyal friend.
4. He thinks camping is when you don't stay on the concierge level of the hotel.
5. He, his mother and his grandmother were born at the same hospital in Oakland.
6. He makes the best guacamole! This may be a residual from going to school in San Diego.
7. He has only lived outside of California once, and that was during a college summer when he went to school in Hawaii.
8. He is very proud of his high school friend Bill, who hates climbing and is attempting to climb Mt. Everest this month.
9. His daughters are his whole world. Giving up that sales management job paid off because they are very attached to him. In addition, they tell me, "We prefer the lunches Daddy makes us."
10. He always knows what to say and what to do, and he says and does them. He is my best source of advice, both business and otherwise, logic and sanity.