Happy Easter!

Easter at the Partak's house is usually a leisurely day filled with tradition. This year, things went a little awry. Noting epic, just that things didn't go very smoothly. Mason really wanted an egg hunt and Dave and I planned ahead to make that happen. Little did we know, Mason had a hunt planned for us as well. That was kind of neat and really, it was the highlight of the day, well except for the ham, that was a pretty bright spot in the day, too!

One of Dave's Easter traditions is leg of lamb. He is the only one who likes it so he makes it just for himself, which is fine, but for some reason, it just didn't turn out right. He marinated it and grilled is as he usually does, but I could see it didn't look as good as it usually does and from the look on his face, it didn't taste as good either. Boo! Something didn't agree with me and I wound up on the bathroom floor sicker than a dog and Dave managed to walk into the sliding glass door with so much force that he bounced off it, fell into the barbecue that was on and hot, knocked it over and gave himself a big 'ol gash on his nose and banged up his elbows as well. Yeah, it wasn't the Easter Sunday we had anticipated. Laughing!

It's Cooking Demo Season!

Happy Monday Friends,

There are so many things on the horizon, I don't know where to start. Mason's busy season is starting in three weeks where he is cooking at the Total Home & Garden Show in Fairfield. This is cool for me being that I grew up in the neighboring town of Vacaville, so it's kind of like coming home. Mason is excited because this home show is right next door to the Jelly Belly Factory, you know we'll be making a stop and doing some shopping while we are "working." 

Mason will be demonstrating his spiralizer. He will have several recipes printed, and making salad with his Mason Made "Kids Love It! Champagne Vinaigrette" and he will also have some spiralizers for sale as well. Mason Made Products has launched and we are starting slowly selling products at his live appearances and if we have a good response, we will set up his website for sales as well. Check out the video Mason made for this home show. 

Total Home & Garden Show 2016

Total Home & Garden Show 2016 Mason will be cooking Saturday and Sunday April 16 & 17 at the Total Home & Garden Show in Fairfield, CA...

After the show in Fairfield, Mason has the Auburn Spring Home Show where he will be cooking multiple days and then the fairs come. You can see where Mason will be on his website at the tab "Meet Mason." It's cooking demo season.

I have a number of other things coming down the pike to share, but some of those bits are more than bits.

I am busy with real estate and loving it! I have two listings active now with another one or two coming. I also have four families who are in different stages of qualifying to buy and shopping. I love this job and see a good year coming. Dave is back in school and he has quite a bit of travel coming up so Mason and I will be on our own. Not to worry though, we will spend plenty of time in the kitchen and at the river.

Unpacking, Unpacking, Unpacking...

I feel like I am unpacking, and unpacking, and unpacking, and yet there is still more unpacking to do! In the meantime, while boxes are getting unloaded and stuff being put in a place. The Partak started a family weight loss/fitness challenge today. We weighed in and measured our middles - each of us setting our own path and chipping in to cook healthy meals. We will be doing our 2-2-2 workout (2 minutes each of sit ups, push ups, and squats), and we each chipped in $25 and the household account also chipped in $75 for a total prize of $150 to the winner. We are planning to go for 45 days, let's see if the money will keep us motivated to stay with it. I know I am not particularly driven by the almighty dollar. 

One of the things I have completed is, I got all my baking and cake/cookie decorations unpacked and put away in an organized fashion. No more storing things in cardboard boxes and bags, everything has a place! It will be so nice to bake something and go right to what I need. See the photo for an idea of what I am taking about. 

Now I am off to play with our spiralizer, it's a kitchen badger that makes noodles out of fruits and vegetables. I've used it once and loved it. In light of the fitness challenge, I want to see if how I eat my food keeps me engaged as much as what I am eating. More next week!

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

Two speeches, a magazine article, the Celebrity Chef fundraiser, and the science fair - it's been another busy week! If you are interested in what it's like to hear Mason give a speech, you can see him in action here.

Mason has a natural ability to stand up in front of an audience and deliver a message, and it seems he is on his way to living my dreams. Laughing! Some parents live vicariously through their children, I find that my kid is chasing my dreams and catching them. I think it's amazing, no, it's more than amazing, it's awesome!

Style Magazine is a local publication that did a story on Mason and his win on Chopped Junior. That article is out now and it has created a bit of a buzz resulting in several other opportunities that are coming down the pike. You can see the article here.

The Celebrity Chef event was fun. Mason made beef street tacos with his homemade salsa. 100 tacos served and a raffle won, we headed home to get a good nights sleep before the science fair. Mason did a great job with his presentation but is that any surprise? No! He didn't win anything with his "Does Age Affect Taste" experiment, but he will likely get an A on the assignment in his class. He has one more regional fair to go to the first weekend in April and then that will be that for science fairs in the sixth grade.

Now it's time to get my nose to the grindstone and get more boxes emptied. I'm pretty hellbent that if it doesn't have a place in the house, it can't stay. Seriously, if it needs to be in a box in the garage and it's not a seasonal decoration, it needs to be of use and have a place. I've even reached a point that I don't need to sell it, I just need it to be gone. The space and order in my home is more important to me than the few dollars I can get for some used thing. Do you know what I mean? Happy Monday!