The Making of Mason Made - The Video

Here it is!

It's the 20th Monday of 2015

Welcome to the 20th Monday of 2015 (yep, I counted)! It's my last week of school and as usual, I'm bummed. I love being able to go to school and this semester has been more fun than most, I got to spend four days a week learning video production and editing. I produced and edited a 10 minute documentary about my journey with Mason and all his cooking antics. I don't expect this project will be anything that the masses would be interested in, but it will be something for Mason as he grows up and has a family of his own - it's really a high tech home movie. I'll post a link to the video next week when school is out and it's completely finished, you just have to remember, it is a student project so be kind!

Mason has 3 weeks of school left so that means I have a few weeks to start packing and get the house decluttered and cleaned. Dave and I have been house shopping and as much as I loathe the idea of moving again, I am excited to be in a place that is ours. For those of you wondering why we are moving again, we were planning to buy again last fall (2 years after the short sale of our previous home), but our landlords asked us to break our lease and move out earlier than scheduled so they could move into the house we were renting. Because we weren't quite to the 2 year mark, we had to sign another 12 month lease. So we moved in June of last year and will be moving during the summer of this year, too. Hopefully, we will be able to stay put until we revisit the plan to move to the east coast when Dave retires from the military in 4-5 years. 

Do you have big plans for summer vacation? Since we are buying a house and moving, we won't be taking much of a family vacation, but with the river just a few miles away, we can slip away to hike, float or swim anytime we need a break. If I haven't mentioned this before, buy a state park pass and you can visit so many cool parks and not have to pay to get it (or park). The California Poppy Pass is good at all state parks and is only $125 for a full calendar year, I say that's the best deal going! 

 

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

We went right from Home Show weekend into BerryFest weekend - 2 cooking demos for me and 7 cooking demos for Mason! I love to watch him when it gets busy like this because he gets good so fast. This is not to say there are not slip-ups because those are inevitable, it's just like anything, the more you do it, the better you get. BerryFest had Mason making strawberry waffles with berry butter for his 11 AM demo and strawberry balsamic chicken served with a homemade slaw for his 1 PM demo, both were delicious.

It's funny, the people at these venues range from completely ordinary to absolutely eccentric. We love them all and make small talk with all that are willing to stop for a bit and engage. Of course I hear all day long, "Is that your son? Wow! He's really something!" to which I always reply, "Yes and YES! He sure is something!' It's funny to me as they only see the on-stage Mason, not the real 11 year-old kid who is a total pain in my ass most of the time. I know, I know, it's his job and trust me, he does it well! I also recognize that he is really something, he's an exceptional speaker, he is articulate, he is kind, he stands up for the first graders he loves so much at his school (he sometimes helps in their class), and he is sometimes too smart for his own good while at the same time, a total dumb ass! Laughing! I laugh because every one of us can attest to living this same life at some point, clearly we had the intelligence to make great choices, yet we took the road of the loudest party, or plug in your not-really-the-best-choice-road metaphor. I can see it already, Mason's teenage years will make my Revlon 4R red hair turn gray!

Since we spent most of our weekend at BerryFest, we didn't have too much else on tap but because our days are longer and the weather was gorgeous, we made time to get to the river for a couple of hours each day - that, my friends, was bliss! I can hear it now, I hear it from many of you all summer long, "I hope you are using sunscreen, the sun is so bad for you!" Yes, I use mass amounts of sunscreen. In my humble opinion, the exposure to the sun is rejuvenating, it makes me feel inspired, creative, sensual and alive! I can spend just an hour or two at the river and I feel like I can conquer the world, or maybe rock my man's world! TMI? Nonsense! We need to find those things that turn us on - mentally, emotionally, spiritually, creatively and sexually. It's good on all accounts. In fact, here is a great story from Saturday at the river with Mason. I had Pandora playing in one earbud while Mason was stacking rocks on the beach. I said to him, "I hope you're not gonna be embarrassed because I really like this song and I'm gonna sing out loud." He replied, "Sing it mom!" I started singing "Nothing But a Good Time" by Poison and much to my delight, Mason started singing with me! A few people on the beach looked over at us and I thought they were going to stare but they smiled and gave us thumbs up while we sang out loud together. I was impressed he knew all the words.

Sunday night Dave and Mason made us homemade pizza and we spent some time eating and watching a movie. All in all, it was good weekend. I hope yours was as well!

Auburn Spring Home Show

We survived the Auburn Spring Home Show! Yes, it was the first cooking demos of the year and Mason and I each cooked both days, and I'm happy to say, Mason stepped up and did much of his own prep and even cleaned up the cooking stage. He must be growing up, if only just a little bit. Mason made Wonuts (a combination of a waffle and a donut) and I made a breakfast trifle (layered eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, potatoes, and onions with peppers). Yeah, not low cal but so delicious! One of my favorite things this weekend was when Gary got Mason on stage with a plate of chocolate covered Wonuts right in his face! The only downside is that I had already turned the camera off. Darn it!! But luckily, one of our friends did get a photo. 

Mason's Strawberry Rose

Not only did we have lots of prep with the home show, we also had a wedding in Sacramento on Friday night, Mason did a bonus demo making strawberry roses, we had a cinch de Mayo party in Orangevale, and I checked out equipment to record cooking demos and interviews for a documentary I'm producing for my video classes. Yes, I'm tired but I feel like I've lived this weekend to the fullest.

Did I mention that I was tired? I was standing at the kitchen sink after putting away all the food and tools from the cooking demos, I did the dishes and was cleaning organic strawberries and I fell asleep! OMG, seriously, my eyes closed and I wobbled on my feet. As I started to lose my balance, I woke up and immediately started laughing wondering if anyone saw me. This must be what it's like for babies who fall asleep while eating, playing or potty training. Still chuckling to myself as I think about it.

Oh the glamour of it all!

Now I have school, work and a final this week, in addition to getting Mason ready to do 4 cooking demos this weekend at BerryFest in Roseville. Have an awesome week and don't forget, next Sunday is Mother's Day so get that card in the mail! :)