Today's the Day: Kitchens by the Sea in Bay Head, New Jersey

In a few minutes, London and Maddie's babysitter will arrive, and Rex and I will head out to Kitchens by the Sea, an amazing day of peeking into our neighbors' kitchens and enjoying delicious food samples provided by local Jersey Shore restaurants and caterers. This year's participating restaurants include:

• Rock'n'Joe's
• Scone Shoppe
• Miletto's
• Bay Head Chocolate Shoppe
• Labrador Lounge
• Martell's
• Theresa's South
• Shore Fresh Seafood
• Brandl; and
• Joe Leone

Each of the homes, spread out through Bay Head and Mantoloking, will feature an excellent local restauranteur or caterer serving samples of their cuisine. In addition, the dining areas of the homes will showcase table settings and floral arrangements provided by local designers.

All proceeds benefit the Bay Head School Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Please call 732-714-1902 for more information.

Tickets are $50 (with limited availability, as this is a very popular event) "at the door" today, the day of the kitchen tour, at Bay Head School, 145 Grove Street in Bay Head, where your information packet and tour map will be distributed.

As you head out on the tour, be sure to stop in to visit the local Bay Head merchants...many of the shops, including the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street, are offering special discounts to kitchen tour participants.

Music Monday: I'll Take You to the Top

Saturday night, we were relaxing on the porch with our iPod five star playlist rolling on the last night of our vacation at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones came on with the seductive "Tops" and I decided to make it my Music Monday pick.



Hey baby
Every man is the same come on
I'll make you a star
I'll take you a million miles from all this
Put you on a pedestal
Come on, come on

Have you ever heard those opening lines
You should leave this small town way behind
I'll be your partner
Show you the steps
With me behind your tasting of the sweet wine of success
Cause I'll take you to the top, baby
Hey baby
I'll take you to the top

Step on the ladder
Toe in the pool
You're such a natural you don't need no acting school
Don't need no casting couch
Or be a star in bed
Never, never, never let success go to your pretty head
Cause I'll take you to the top, baby
I swear we're never going to stop, baby
I'll take you to the top

Don't let the world pass you by
You better take your chance now baby
Or be sorry for the rest of your sweet loving life, baby
Oh, sugar
Hey sugar, I'll take you to the top
I'll take you to the top
I'll take you to the top, sugar

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Taking Care of Cashew

Tomorrow, Maddie and London embark on a wonderful adventure. Our neighbors, Jango and Dorothy Parker, are traveling to a wedding in Chicago, and have entrusted us with their sweet dog, Cashew. When we next get together with the neighbors over a long weekend in September, I'm going to help the good doctor Dot to set up her own hormone replacement therapy blog.

The girls have spent plenty of time playing with Cashew, and taking him for walks on the weekend. However, due to London's pet allergies, this is the first time we've had a doggy visitor spend the night. Since Cashew is a cockapoo, an allegedly hypoallergenic dog, we're testing to see if London's allergies act up, or whether we might be able to get a cockapoo as a pet next summer instead of a lizard.