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Blogs for February, 2013

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Cooking and Travel

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When I need a top-notch travel advisor, I turn to Maddy Wolpa at Protravel in Sherman Oaks, California. Among other feats, Maddy has arranged costume rentals for us during Carnival in Venice, arranged a private cooking lesson at The Ritz Hotel in Paris for my brother and a dozen of his friends, booked us an apartment in Pamplona just above street level for the “Running of the Bulls,” and hired a translator for me so I could attend a cooking class in Shanghai.  She is often able to get perks from hotels such as room upgrades and free breakfast. No task is too difficult for her.  She even got us last-minute tickets for the opera!  Here is her contact information, as well as a few photos of the travel events she has planned for me and my friends.

IMG_1467[1]February 2011Venice and Paris 0511173 blog 7_4

Maddy Wolpa

Protravel International, Inc.

14130 Riverside Drive, Suite 200

Sherman Oaks CA 91423

818-455-0080-Direct

800-785-1944 Ext 0080 – Toll Free

maddy.wolpa@protravelinc.com

Yummy Bears!

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Sometimes you just get to have some fun with animals you would never normally get to touch.

Another animal company – Boones Animals for Hollywood – recently had some baby bears that they were training for a job.  It didn’t take long for the word to get around to all the trainers in this business, and slowly one by one, we all made our way over to Boones to play with babies.  I feel extremely privileged to be able to do this.  By the way, can you see how dirty I am?  Yes, playing with bear cubs is a dirty business, but someone has to do it!

Enjoy: Avocados

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I have this silly tradition of starting and ending my week with one favorite treat; I like to enjoy my food! While watching what I eat is an equal concern, I came across this article today and it brought great comfort to one of my guilty  pleasures, homemade chips and guacamole.

Courtesy of the examiner.com and Debbie Nicholson, a study was released examining the health benefits of daily consumption of avocados. Researchers conducted a survey among 17,567 men and women aged 19+. Results showed that 347 adults that consumed about 1/2 of a medium sized avocado within 24 hours showed increased intake in nutrient levels. Specifically, “36% more dietary fiber, 23% more vitamin E, 13% more magnesium, 16% more potassium and 48% more vitamin K than non-consumers”.

While every study has limitations, this one certainly makes me want to increase my avocado intake! Follow this link for the full article: http://www.examiner.com/article/avocado-s-linked-to-lower-risk-of-metabolic-syndrome  and enjoy your avocados today! I know I will.

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Enjoy: British Travel

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LondonMaybe it’s that cozy winter feeling, but the grey overcast today (my secret favorite) has me itching for other cold cities; London, to be exact. One of our dear friends just returned from a trip there and she was gracious enough to share some of her behind the scenes pictures with me. Naturally, I have to share them with you!

Taking a vicarious trip, the forecast in London today is 5 degrees Celsius, a chilly 41 degrees Fahrenheit. One of her favorites that is a sure indoor ‘must-do’ is to spend the perfect winter day at London’s oldest, Spitalfields Traders Market. Open everyday, these shops showcase the cutting edge trends for fashion, health and beauty, art, home interiors and even gourmet food and wine. The design of the building stands out among others with its beautiful glass canopy; complete with world cuisine restaurants; you really don’t ever need to leave.

London  London

Spitalfields is located on Brushfield street, available by bus, car and bike. Open seven days a week, from 10:00AM – 7:00PM. Enjoy these pictures, and plan your next British visit to this beautiful market!

Enjoy: Valentine's Day!

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Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re married, in a relationship, or single; today is about spreading the love. In making my own gifts, I wanted to share my favorite handmade Valentine Idea with you, courtesy of Spoonful.com. You’re never too old for hand-crafted Valentine’s.

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To create these beautiful flowers, gather colorful construction paper, scissors, a glue stick and your favorite lollipop. You can also use Cake Pops for an extra pop of color and sweetness.

1. Cut out a heart, flower, or any shape your desire from the construction paper. Glue the wrapper of the lollipop to the paper.

2. To make the leaves, simply fold paper in half and cut a leaf shape.

3. Unfold the leaf shape and glue it around the lollipop stem, press firmly to secure the shape.

4. Enjoy your handmade Valentine’s!

 

Thank you Spoonful for the DIY inspiration! To a day filled with red, chocolate, flowers and fun. Enjoy~

Garden Blooms

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As we welcome spring, our roses begin to awake from their winter nap.

Each year in late January, I trim my roses back for winter. This is the best time for Southern California blooms. I always marvel at their strength for within a week or so of pruning, I can see tiny sprouts popping their heads toward the sun announcing springs arrival. While I gage this by my roses, most people rely on a calendar. My old habits die hard.

Roses need three things: water, sun and food. Water your roses often. They can’t get enough of it. As for food, there are lots of choices available from your local gardening center, and their staff can recommend the right type for your garden. I personally use a granular organic fertilizer and my roses bloom profusely all summer long.

When spring arrives, your roses need to be fertilized. Roses require a lot of nutrients to produce healthy growth and beautiful flowers. Fertilizers should be placed around the outside of the plant, one to two feet away. Carefully pull back any mulch and place the fertilizer into the first inch of the soil surface. Take care not to damage tender roots which may rest near the surface of the soil.

As for summer, roses need to be fed once a month during their growing season, however, make sure to stop feeding your roses in the fall, or at least four to six weeks prior to the first annual frost date. If you fertilize too long, your roses will continue to produce new growth which can be damaged by the cold.

Enjoy your blooms this year!

Enjoy: Change, Today

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Inspired by Gandhi’s above quote and today’s trending tweet of #changestuff, I was curious–what’s the change about? After browsing I quickly realized no ‘one’ event signified the trend (unlike the Super Bowl of course, which generated an overwhelming amount of trending tweets), but it gave us a chance to voice our change, what we want to change and what motivates that~to each his own.

This time of year signifies change most, a Spring season of new beginnings, ventures, a renewal of the mind and all things life. One of the most beautiful changes to me, aside from the change is season but in connection with; the change in fashion. New York fashion week airs tomorrow, one week to forecast the next few months of ‘must have’ looks. I like to connect these looks with one of the most important aspects of change; what we define ourselves by. These looks connect to the change we want to see in the world, the look we choose as a direction connection to who we are.

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The bright colors, the pastels, the soft fabrics all give us a different definition and connection. The feeling of a soft pastel dress with the sun on your face.. It’s those moments that make me enjoy change, in its most basic form. What’s your change? Write in and tell me about it.

 

Amsterdam, Floral Beauty

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Currently on travel in Amsterdam, I had to start my morning in Jordaan walking the Singel flower canal. I stumbled along the Bloemenmarkt, the worlds only floating flower market.

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Bloemenmarkt has roots that date back to 1862, when daily deliveries came by barge. Now by car, this market still boasts some of the freshest and most beautiful Dutch tulips, geraniums and other rare and unique floating finds. 15 other specialty shops reside within Bloehmanmarkt, so you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

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Although its currently around 36 Fahrenheit (brr!!), these beauties survive and thrive even in the colder months. I’ll show you the secrets of the American finds soon enough!


 

Grow: Coming Soon

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Spring fever has hit the City Farm! We’ve been busy with our garden on Rose Hill. Coming soon…our Grow blog.

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