Adult Beverage of the Month: Eggnog Martini

Here's a little Christmas cocktail to enhance the Christmas Spirit. 

The Eggnog Martini

Ingredients:

 1 oz. Vodka

1 oz. Amaretto

1 oz. Eggnog

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake well and pour into a Martini glass.  Dust with freshly grated nutmeg.  Serves 1

Cheers!

Merry Christmas!!

Travel Diaries: Rome-the Street

To continue with my Rome travels, in addition to all the pictures I took of Historic Rome,  just walking through the streets was a feast for the eyes.  I had fun with my new camera and even more fun with the Camera + app.

Night shot of Piazza del Popolo

Close up shot of the lion.

Outside the Villa Borghese

Walking down the street, peeking through an open door, I found this beautiful courtyard.

Borghese gardens

With this shot I wanted to get a sense of the timelessness of the Coliseum with the rushing traffic.

Another shot in the Borghese gardens.

Colorful people.

Prociutto di Parma--not so appetizing now...

The flight of the swallows at sunset--breathtaking and surreal.

The mighty Vespa--when you see the tiny streets of Rome, you get it.

Gate detail in Piazza Venezia.

More food.

The new and the old...

Ancient ruins near the jewish ghetto.

The gardens outside the hotel where I stayed.

Cobblestone streets.

Scooters everywhere--Piazza del Popolo in the background.

I'm working on the Venice pictures now.

Travel Diaries: Rome-the Historical

I recently had a business trip to Rome.  I spent most of my time there in meetings, but I had a little bit of time to do some sightseeing.  I visited some of the places that were most memorable to me from a previous visit: Villa Borghese with it's stunning Bernini's (unfortunately, no cameras allowed, so no pictures), the ancient Coliseum, majestic Piazza Venezia, Piazza Navona, Fontana di Trevi--not to mention just walking through the picturesque streets of Rome, observing the rhythms and flavors of Roman life.

I bought a new camera before the trip, so needless to say, I took almost a thousand pictures--edited way down here.  These pictures are the Historical sights I experienced while in Rome.

The Coliseum

 This was walking down the street (pictured above) from the Coliseum.  Not sure specifically what it is, but he looks like Caesar.

Piazza Venezia

Piazza Navona

Fontana di Trevi

The Vatican

In addition to my new Canon 60D, I purchased the Camera+ app for iPhone.  You can see the fun I had adjusting the photos and adding different frames--you can tell which ones are my favorites.

My husband met me in Rome and we continued on to Venice.  So expect to see lots more pics of the trip!

Meet Me at the Oasis

Almost 2 years after we bought our house, we finally landscaped our backyard.  It's so nice to have a little (emphasis on "Little") oasis in the middle of our busy lives to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine in the evening.

Before

 

You've always got to have a Before shot.  It makes the reveal that much more dramatic...

 Did I mention it was a small backyard?  Hey, I live in the middle of Los Angeles, so it's more like a really big balcony.

After

 Pretty....

 Mmmm...lemons...can't wait till they're ripe.  Can you say Marga-rita?

The view sitting on the love seat.  We still have to buy a table for outside the sliding doors.

Creating a little mystery with the edge blur function...  We still have to paint the back wall--Kato is planning to create a bas relief.

It will take a while for everything to grow in.  We will be planting a little herb garden here.

 

 

We have bougainvillea planted on the 4 corners of the pergola that we will train up the sides to cover the top.

The purple flowers attract hummingbirds--so our kitties will have some amusement. (Poe is on the left and Mandu on the right--their little brother is sleeping somewhere).

 

Ahhh, something nice to come home to...

My husband is an architect and he designed the layout.  If you're interested in hiring a seriously talented architect send me an email!!  The landscape designer is Robert Fisher owner of Root 2 Bloom here in LA.  He was wonderful to work with and I love that he's into xeriscape landscaping.  He's doing our front yard as well, so I'll be posting more before and after pics!

A note on my "After" shots:  I took a great Digital SLR class on Saturday from Julia Dean Photo Workshop.  The instructor (Amanda Keller Konya) taught us in such a clear, simple yet incredibly informative manner.  I had many "aha" moments.   I normally use the AV setting (aperture priority), but this time it was all Manual--which seemed so intimidating prior to class.  I still need some practice, but I barely had to touch up these shots.  I look forward to my future posts looking just a little better....