Weekend Observations

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Gigi in Weekend Observations 1 Comment

Mother’s Day weekend was a complicated, logistical nightmare. Everyone and their “mother” must of been driving somewhere, of course at the same moment we were traveling to our destination. I was being whisked away to an unknown place, the only clue I was given is that I had been there before. We picked up Reggie in Carpinteria, and continued north to Santa Barbara to my surprise brunch at San Ysidro Ranch.

San Ysidro Ranch

Love the bouganvillea. We had come to this resort over 20 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to come again.

Stonehill

Reggie & Reggie

beautiful salad

The freshest food ever…

butterfly

lavender?

This pic is for my friend Gabrielle…you could do this???

Reggie & the Orchids

I love orchids. SantaBarbara has numerous orchid growers, which means good selection and good deals. I was in orchid heaven. We stopped at Gallup & Stribling orchids farm.

Orchids

I selected 8 orchids and $80 later I was a happy Mother. Gallup & Stibling orchid. 3450 Via Real Carpinteria 805 684 1998

Succulents

Next we went to Seaside Gardens to pick up some succulents. I want to do some containers, my yard could use a little facelift.

Gigi-Happy Mother

Another delightful weekend…Hope you had a good weekend as well.

XOXO,

GIGI

Orchid Care Guide for All Types

EASTER SUNDAY

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Gigi in Holiday 2 Comments

Easter Sunday Reggie & Gigi

Easter Sunday is a low key holiday for us. We usually go to brunch and celebrate the day quietly. Since the kids have been away at school, their spring break always falls a few weeks before Easter.

Growing up Easter, signified the official beginning of spring. It started with a pilgrimage downtown LA to get an “Easter” dress, a pair of patent leather mary jane style shoes preferably white, with lace trimmed bobby socks of course. The dress was was always a pastel color, and of course no Easter outfit would be complete without a bonnet and gloves. These shopping trips would end at LA’s Landmark cafeteria, Clifton’s a buffet type restaurant that had rows and rows of American fare. We dyed eggs, made Easter baskets filled with those spongy yellow chicks, loads of jelly beans, the old school ones not the tiny gourmet ones, and a chocolate bunny or sometimes a chocolate egg, my mother would get each of us one of these. The day before our kitchen would turn into a salon and my mother would press and curl our hair and make perfect shirley temple ringlets.

Up early dressed in our finery, we went to church, socialized with our friends and came home to a delicious feast. My mother would prepare everything from scratch. We would watch The Ten Commandments, nibble on candy and stay up late since spring break always started the day after Easter.

Reggie and I drove out to Cate and picked up Reggie and went to brunch at Bacara Resort. It was a lovely brunch, with lots of vegan options, but for those who eat everything it was truly a feast. It rained off and on but it was still a beautiful day and drive. Do you celebrate Easter? What did you do?

On another note I love this little tidbit. I do this all the time…

XOXO,

Gigi

A few more pics from our Easter Sunday.

Reggie & Reggie

Bunny

my handsome men

Weekend Get Away #1-Carpinteria / Santa Barbara

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Gigi in Travel 5 Comments

I have had the good fortune of spending many weekends in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. My daughter attended Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, where my son currently is a sophomore. Carpinteria is a quaint little town 20 minutes south of Santa Barbara and 2 hours north of LA, which makes Carpinteria a perfect weekend get away, especially if you want the perks of Santa Barbara at a fraction of the cost.

Santa Barbara

Carpinteria

Gigi’s Perfect Carpinteria / Santa Barbara Weekend

Friday

Leave early around 8AM and make a pit stop at Camarillo Premium Outlet some of my favorite stores: Neiman Marcus last Call, Saks Fifth, Tory Burch, Restoration Hardware, J. Crew, Barneys, BCBG just to name a few. Stay a couple hours and stop for lunch in Ventura at Mary’s Secret Garden. I love this place, the best smoothies. I always get the raw tostada, but everything is good even if you are not vegan you will enjoy lunch here.

Mary’s Secret Garden

Continue the drive along the coast which is breathtaking. We usually stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Carpinteria, it is clean, neat, and great for families. Each room is a little suite and rooms are quite reasonable. Other places we have stayed are Montecito Inn, Four Seasons Biltmore, Bacara Resort and Spa, and Fess Parker’s Double Tree. Canary Hotel and Agave Inn are two other places in Santa Barbara that come highly recommended.

Holiday Inn Carpinteria

Where to Eat

So many choices, some of our favorites:

Trattoria Mollie

Traditional Italian food always good. We have been coming here for years, we had Amani’s graduation dinner here in 2008. Mollie never disappoints. I first discovered Mollie through “O” magazine, Oprah is a big fan of Mollie’s.

Chef Mollie

Jeannines’s Bakery -Good breakfast always crowded with locals.

Jeannine’s Bakery

Arigato Sushi best vegan selection, amazing rolls and good “regular sushi” no reservations and there is always a line but well worth the wait.

Arigato Sushi

Zookers- in Carpinteria, American bistro close to the Holiday Inn

Siam Elephant Thai-family run good home style thai food a favorite of Cate students

Four Seasons Brunch- great for a special occasion beautiful location great food.

What to Do

State Street- the main drag in Santa Barbara great for shopping, eating, and Santa Barbara people watching.

Lotus Garden– Madame Ganna Walska’s private estate now open to the public, reservations a must due to location in a private neighborhood.

Orchid Shopping- Orchids are grown in the area check here for upcoming orchid events and sales.

Wine Country Santa Barbara has a vibrant wine region. You could spend the entire weekend visiting wineries. Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Solvang, Buellton, and Lompoc have numerous wineries waiting for you. There are tour companies that do day tours for under 100.00 person. Las Brisas Transportation 805 455-6384, Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling 805 686-9490, Wine Canyon Tours, and Santa Barbara Adventure Company 805 884 9283 just to name a few.

Rent Bikes at the beach

McGrath Farm

On the way back stop at the Mcgrath Farms right off the freeway before the outlet exit, always interesting local produce and just in case you forgot something stop make your final stop at the outlet.

Reggie & Gigi

Xoxo,

Gigi

Santa Barbara

Weekend Observations

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EASTER SUNDAY

Weekend Get Away #1-Carpinteria / Santa Barbara

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