We're building a MAN CAVE!

Well, my son, Joshua, at almost 12 years old, is on the cusp of puberty and all things associated with teenagers...loud music, shaggy hair, fits of attitude and high drama emotions, flirtations and ridiculous appetites (especially for boys...my mother used to call my brothers "human garbage disposals" when they were this age). In other words, life is in a hugely transitional state. Joshua is moving up from elementary school in a short month, beginning middle school in September so the future is imminently full of new challenges, adventures and excitements.

Several years ago I made some slight changes to our garage to create a playroom space for Joshua and his friends...lots of shelving and baskets full of toys, art supplies and various costumes/dress up stuff. I stuck in a couch, a table with four chairs, some indoor/outdoor carpeting and slapped some paint on the walls...done deal. In the backyard, there was a play apparatus with a slide, a fort, a swing, and various other things that were a treasure trove of fun. This was all perfect for Joshua's life and development at that time.

However, we are now dealing with an entirely different beast...literally and figuratively...so it was time to make some changes, some BIG changes. The first thing to go was the play apparatus....gone with the wind. The next was to modify the garage playroom.

I had heard, but never personally used, the phrase "Man Cave". It seems in recent months that this term has become common in the daily vernacular, so we decided to call our new venture the "Man Cave" Project. We're starting small because I just can't afford to everything at once right now. This doesn't seem to bother my son in the least..as a matter of fact, it seems to heighten the excitement...each change a true celebration.

So, the first thing we did was to get a black slip cover at Target for the decrepit army green couch...the couch itself is in fine condition, the color is simply fading and quite ugly. Joshua and I had decided on a black/grey/white theme with a few splashes of red thrown in so the couch was an easy fix. While at there, we also got some little black ottomans that can serve as foot stools or seating...muti-tasking furniture...very cool! Then we added a nifty microwave that Joshua insisted on putting in his bedroom first to"break it in". We researched a compact refrigerator/freezer and decided to wait until it went on sale which it did several weeks later. In our spare time (ha, ha!) we got some spray paint and repainted the red tables and chairs a glossy, slick black. Things were beginning to look mighty inticing...so much so that several adult men in our lives were begging for a special pass to gain entry.

The next step, of course, was a trip to Ralph's to stock up on supplies...all the good teenage junk food required of such a place...cup of noodles, sodas, ice cream, mozzarella sticks, mini-sliders, gatorade, twinkies...you get the idea...one can NEVER have too much of this stuff. Now, that meant we also needed paper goods and some shelving to house it...done deal, easy peasy. We were on a roll!

The following things require more money and so will have to trickle in...like changing out the regular garage door for a walk-in type door with plexiglass windows so Mom (me) can look in at anytime and see exactly what is happening inside the "Man Cave". I want every young adolescent (boys and girls alike) to be acutely aware that I will be able to walk by without any notice whatsoever and just peek in...it should keep a slight handle on the types of activities that will be engaged in...at least that's what I'm thinking, hoping and praying for.

Since the indoor/outdoor carpeting is already in place we're in good shape there...just need to give the walls and beams a fresh coat of white paint. Then we'll add a rod and some cheap (though color coordinated) curtains to hang up covering the shelving that still must house luggage and various boxes full of stuff/junk.

The last and most crucial "piece de resistance" will be a flat screen television that will allow the young burgeoning persons a place to watch sports, movies and play a ridiculous amount of Wii/Nintendo/Video games...all the while eating that somewhat disgusting panoply of teenage junk food, whether it be hot or cold.

So, there you have it...can't you just see this vision of Joshua's "Man Cave" as it rises up to take its place in the hallowed annals of architectural excellence? Can't you just feel its "cool, ultra hip vibe"? Honestly, I can't tell you who is enjoying this more...me or my son.

Hope you're having as much fun with your child as I am with mine...

xoxo Nanci

P.S. Since there has been precious little time to do recreational baking, what with the Sugar & Stilettos bake Sake Extravaganza for Charity coming up this Saturday,  May 21, 2011/11am-3pm...OOH LA LA...I have been taking advantage of my friends, Jane and Donald Lockhart's, SWEET LADY JANE Bakery...Jane's pastries are sooo very good...and even though I am a chocolate person by nature I simply swoon over her Coconut Cake (she's donating one for the bake sale). Do yourself a favor if you live in the LA area...go there and get a piece...if you don't live nearby check out the website and plan on going when you next come to Los Angeles...you won't be disappointed!

A Royal Wedding Affair...oh, to be so young, so beautiful and so in love!

I am not really a royal watcher per se and I had convinced myself that I was happily going to sleep through the LIVE televised nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton catching every little bit of the event later in the day when it would, most certainly, be running on a continuous, non-stop loop on every television station, network and cable.

So, I was shocked to find myself awake and glancing at my clock at exactly 3:22am. My then surprising  response (at least to me) was to bolt from my bed to my tiny family room clicking on the televsion as quickly as was humanly possible...especially since I already knew that the real action had begun at 3am PST.

By the time my eyes were no longer in a blurry haze I was able to see that William and Kate (or Catherine as people were now calling her) were seated to the right of the center altar. I kept waiting for them to get up and say their vows...mostly because I just wanted to see the full effect of Kate's dress having obviously missed the grand entrance 22 minutes earlier. For me at that moment it was all about the dress.

I can't tell you how long it took me to realize that they had said their vows at the very beginning of the whole spectacle and in doing so had deprived me of my God given American right to see it all LIVE (oh, just forget that I  had not intended to do so in the first place...just never mind about that). I was beyond frustrated as I struggled to stay awake long enough to get through all the church music and shots of the Queen who NEVER cracked a smile or even the hint of one...she is one piece of work that one! I mean, for goodness sake, it was her grandson's wedding...wasn't she the least bit happy about that?! Oh, well, never mind about that, too.

The music was actually quite lovely and the grandeur of the centuries old Westminster Abbey was something to behold indeed...but it was Prince Wiilliam and his new bride, Catherine (now together the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) who took my breath away. They were both so poised in the face of such enormous pressure and scrutiny. William was shy and low key in the way that his mother, Diana, was before her fame took over. He was constantly and lovingly gazing at Kate, holding her hand as if to reassure her that he was (and would always be) there to guide her through this new fishbowl life she had just signed up for. And then, there was Kate/Catherine looking as serene and quietly elegant as a human being possibly could. She was so stunning, so classy, so dare I say perfect, that I'm sure I was not the only one who was left spellbound. Though journalists and others liked to remind everyone that she was considered a "commoner" I don't think that there is one thing "common" about Kate Middleton. In fact, I would go as far as to say that that young woman has more class in her pinky finger than all of those royal Windsors combined. Good for Prince William for realizing that he was the luckiest guy on the planet to have found her.

As most of you know, I never found my Prince Charming (at least not yet...but let's be honest here, time is running out!)...anyway, I can say without hesitation that I would be ill suited for the royal life. I would never be able to keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself, my past though not racy would come back to haunt me I'm sure plus I don't possess the kind of natural elegance and grace that would be required to really pull it off with any dignity at all. So, I don't secretly long for a real prince...but what I found myself truly envying was how much in love William and Kate appear to be...such a sight to behold...such magic, such wonder...yes, I admit it, I do envy them that because I would like to feel like that again... it looks like a piece of heaven.

Around 4:22am I decided that I better get back to sleep if I was ever going to get through my day with what is left of my brain intact. I staggered back to my bed feeling giddy and quite joyful actually...very happy for Prince William and his new bride, Catherine...oh to be so young, so beautiful and so in love...

Sweet dreams to them and all of you...

xo Nanci